Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Reformation

Ch.3: Old Nightmares

Karin stood in complete darkness, blissfully at ease from all the troubles around her, then she woke up. She found herself somewhere different yet familiar to her, she was sitting in the back of a car that has seen better days, her head was leaning against where the window should be with nothing on the other side she hasn't already seen before. Her mind felt like it was in another plane, her consciousness was muddled and sluggish along with any attempt to move. Any existential questions she had about the state she's in was lost when looking down at herself and finding her to be nine years old again, she was in her usual get up during that age.

A medium sized sweater mainly for teens covered her and acted sort of like a blanket yet looked the cleanest out of all of them. She wore an orange shirt partially sewn back together with torn up shorts almost too big for her if it wasn't for a makeshift belt, out of all she wore her shoes looked the worse being patched up by duck tape and whatever of the original material was left.

Anyone else would've been heartbroken at the state of the little girl but for Karin herself, its something she has long gotten used too as just apart of her life. This reminder of a past long gone spurred on her curiosity; the younger Karin tried to think of a reason for being here, was she trying to remember something important or something she wants to tell herself? Then a voice rang again.

"Hey, you awake? Don't even try to pretend on me, I've got a perception of a hawk." The figure said somewhat playfully, the young girl couldn't help but stretch from exhaustion before letting out a loud yawn,

"I'm up" she rubbed her eyes as her vision finally seems to focus better to see the woman driving the vehicle. The driver focused on the road ahead of her, only stirring the wheel occasionally to avoid objects in the street, the car carried an air of silence along with a hint of dust for a while between them with the driver only giving a passing acknowledgment to the young one who eventually began to stare out the window.

"I think the sky changed colors today," said the young Karin but the other just continued to drive, "I said the sky changed, isn't that crazy? Ah! hey look now there are wild animals beyond those trees!" the driver continued to ignore her as she started to show annoyance "come on just look, please, come on just a tiny, little peek." The driver closed her eyes before sighing and saying to her "yeah I see them, they look quite majestic huh?" it was a half heart attempt at being interested but the little one just wasn't buying it, "oh come on, you didn't even look, you're going to miss them!"

Karin continued to whine to the adult driver with any sense of her real-world behavior gone as she, consciously or not, blended this dream more into actual memories. "You know I have to drive safely, do you want to die because of those animals?" the driver responded while subtle lower her voice to the young one who was starting to get angry. "You never look anymore, you never want to have fun anymore!" the young Karin said to the lady, "HEY! Watch that tone young lady, I don't want to be dealing with your whining right now."

The lady's stern tone and response shook the young Karin, but she kept firm as the figure didn't bother to look her in the eye, "No! You're the one whining; you don't even try anymore!" the girl said now really getting into a tantrum. "Well sorry for focusing on more important things than your bratty attitude, now stop before I get angry!" the adult now barking her frustration but the little one still wasn't backing down, "No! stop being a dummy, why don't you look!?" All the sudden the car came to a screeching halt nearly hurling the little one to collide with the seat cushion, this followed with the sound of the front door opening, and closing as the adult goes to open the back door opposite of where Karin was sitting.

The adult stood there in the doorway saying till saying, "Come out" in a demanding voice which the little one simply closing her eyes and covering her ears as she squished herself flat to her side. "Don't make me drag you here, now GET OUT HERE!" the last command boomed to her ears but her stubbornness held firm before the adult grabbed her and yanked her out while Karin began screaming in protest.