"...Homura-chan?"

No response.

"..Homura-chan?"

"Huh?" Homura looked up to find Madoka clad in a pink and frilly one-piece dress, stepping out of a change room in the clothing store they were at. The pinkette was looking at her with a confused, maybe slightly worried look on her face.

"I asked what you thought of this one." Madoka stated, spinning around slightly to show the raven-haired girl the entirety of what she was wearing.

"Oh, it...looks good on you." Homura replied, not really sure what else to say. Truth be told, she didn't care what clothes Madoka was buying. All that mattered to her was the simple fact that Madoka was standing in front of her right now.

"Do you really think so? I wonder if it doesn't look flashy enough…" Madoka pondered as she took a look at herself in the nearby mirror. Homura had little to no fashion sense, so she wasn't really sure what advice she could give her. If she had to be honest, Madoka could be wearing her school uniform every day and she wouldn't care as long as it made her happy.

It was one of the only kind of clothing she'd ever seen her in, after all. The others being her magical girl attire and her pajamas on the few occasions where she stopped by her window at night. Seeing Madoka wear something different from those only served to remind her of how surreal the situation she was in right now.

The date was May 2nd. Exactly one week after the climactic battle with Walpurgisnacht. Homura Akemi had won. After living through the same month a countless amount of times, she had finally managed to be able to team up with the other girls and defeat the colossal witch. The city had taken significant damage, but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed. The important thing to Homra was that now she could finally live in the same time as Madoka.

"Does it really need to be flashy?" Homura asked, staring at the pinkette with analytical eyes, wondering what aspect of the dress would define it as "flashy".

"Mom says that if I'm not wearing something flashy, I'll get looked down on." Madoka replied.

"...I see. You shouldn't care what other people think of you, Madoka." Homura responded in her usual stoic voice. "If you're not happy with how you look in it, it's not worth getting."

"That's no good, Homura-chan." Madoka frowned. "I don't think I'd be happy if people didn't think fondly of me because of how I looked!"

"Do you really think that's what people will think when you wear that?" Homura questioned back.

"Well, not really…" Madoka replied after taking another moment to think about it.

"Do you enjoy how it looks on you?"

Madoka took another look at herself in the mirror, going over the dress one more time before answering. "Yes. I think it looks cute!" She declared while smiling.

"Then buy it." Homura smiled as well. "I think it looks cute on you as well." She added, the pinkette's smile melting her heart as she went back in the room to change. Homura sighed and sat down on a nearby seat, watching the people move around her, going about their daily lives. She was about to close her eyes in relaxation while she waited for Madoka to step out of the room, when she noticed something on her seat. It was a pair of violet shorts and a black top with a series of constellations laid out all over it. "Did Madoka forget to bring this in to try on?" Homura thought, when Madoka stepped out in her school uniform.

"All right, your turn Homura-chan!" She cried out cheerfully.

"M-My turn? But I don't need anything, Madoka." Homura replied, her mind darting back to the shorts and top. Madoka didn't expect her to wear that, did she? The pinkette only giggled and held up the clothing laid out on the seat for Homura to see.

"Don't be silly, I picked this out just for you Homura-chan! Try it on!" Madoka beamed as a blush appeared on Homura's face.

"I...really don't think I need this...nor do I think I'd look good in that, so Madoka-WAH!" Homura cried as Madoka grabbed her by her free hand and began gently guiding her to the change room. "W-what are you...I said I don't need-"

"Don't worry about that! Just try it on!" Madoka ignored the raven-haired girls' objections, and before Homura knew it, she was pushed into the room with the clothing she didn't want to wear hanging on a nearby rack. She sighed in defeat. If Madoka really wanted her to try it, she had no good reason to deny her. With the blush on her face growing redder, she changed into the shorts and top, and stepped out for Madoka to see.

Madoka's mouth opened wide with a smile when she saw Homura in that outfit. The constellation patterns on her shirt seemed to glitter in the store's light, contrasting perfectly with the violet shine of the shorts. Homura's face only grew redder as her eyes darted off to the side, only to find herself seeing her own reflection in a mirror.

She wasn't sure what to think. She wasn't used to seeing herself in anything but her school uniform, magical girl attire, and pajamas as well. The only thing she saw in the mirror was not a weary magical girl who fought witches, but rather a normal girl trying on clothes. It all came across as a huge shock to her. How long exactly had it been since she did something like this?

"Madoka I…" Homura uttered, not having any idea of what to say. Her face darted back towards Madoka once the pinkette grabbed her hands and continued smiling at her.

"Homura-chan, you look so cool!" Madoka continued beaming. "You should buy it!" After a moment of contemplation, Homura remembered that Madoka's happiness remained top priority. Homura's shock and embarrassment immediately melted away. If Madoka enjoyed seeing her in that, then she would get it.

"All right. If you really think that, then I'll buy it." Homura replied, making Madoka's smile even wider as she held her hand, the two staring at each other's eyes.

This all had to be some kind of dream, Homura thought. Yes, any moment now she would wake up and resume her fight. Deep down she knew this wasn't really happening. The universe was merely playing a cruel and twisted joke on her and would snatch her from this dream eventually. Regardless of what it was, that didn't stop Homura from treasuring every moment of it.

"Fellow customers, Mitakihara Mall will be closing at 8:30." A voice on the intercom echoed throughout the store, snapping the both of them out of their trance. "The mall will be closing at 8:30" It repeated.

"It's getting late." Homura stated. "We should probably get you home now." Madoka nodded in agreement. The both of them paid for their new clothing and continued walking together in the mall, heading towards the exit and stepping outside into the dimly-lit city.

The couple looked at the scenery around them. There was still a lot of cleanup work going around the city after the storm. Bits of debris were still on the street, some shops were damaged, and every now and then they would pass by a homeless person or two, upon which Madoka couldn't help gazing at with pity for a moment before continuing her walk with Homura.

"There's still so much damage from the Walpurgisnacht battle…" Madoka uttered softly.

"There is indeed." Homura replied. "Recovery efforts are going by all right. I estimate the city as a whole will be back to normal in a matter of weeks." She added, not adding anything else to the conversation.

"Homura-chan…" Madoka spoke before pausing. She stopped walking as well as she looked at the city around her being repaired.

"What is it?" Homura replied, stopping as well.

"I was just wondering...what are you going to do next?"

"Continue to protect you, of course." Homura replied, as if it was obvious.

"But...you don't have to use magic anymore right?" Madoka asked. "Kyubey mentioned that the Grief Seed Walpurgisnacht dropped would be able to keep your Soul Gem clean for the rest of your life, so are you not going to fight witches anymore?"

Homura thought for a moment before she responded. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the Grief Seed that dropped from Walpurgisnacht and stared at it. It was fairly bigger than the average Grief Seed, being about the size of a large marble. It was also different in that the pattern that surrounded the darkness swirling inside the seed wasn't static. It was an infinity symbol that moved. It reminded her of an old screen saver she used to use on her computer. The symbol's movements made it seem like it was rotating in three dimensions, when it was really just a two-dimensional optical illusion.

Kyubey had explained to her that she alone would now possess more power than any magical girl currently existing, and that the Grief Seed she carried had no possibility of turning into a witch, or rather, another Walpurgisnacht. In other words, she was free. The burden of fighting witches to find the seeds to cleanse her Soul Gem had been lifted from her. There was no reason for her to ever use magic again.

"I don't see why I have to." Homura finally replied, her eyes mesmerized by the moving pattern on the Grief Seed. "The number of witches that will appear in this city will drop dramatically with Walpurgisnacht's defeat." She put the Grief Seed back in her pocket and turned towards Madoka. "Why do you ask? You're not thinking of…"

"No, it's not that." Madoka re-assured her. With Walpurgisnacht gone, she didn't have any plans on making the contract anytime soon. "It's just...well...it's about what you told me before. About how...you came from the future."

"...What about it?" Homura responded, the tone of her voice not changing. She had tearfully confessed what she had been going through to Madoka on the night before the Walpurgisnacht battle. She wasn't sure if she truly believed her, but at the end of the day that really didn't matter to her, as long as Madoka was safe.

"Well...If what you said is really true...do you know what will happen from here on out?" Madoka asked, causing Homura's eyes to widen before she sadly lowered her head. She hadn't really focused on that question. After all, this was just a dream, wasn't it? Why bother thinking about the future now when she could be sent back to the harsh reality she truly lived in at any moment? Nevertheless, she answered Madoka's question truthfully.

"No. I don't." Homura replied. "All the times I travelled back in time were only after you were…" Homura's hand clenched into a fist as she said her next words. "...killed by Walpurgisnacht...or after you made the contract before that. This is the first time I've lived to see this date with you now." The two of them stood together silently for a moment.

"I...see…" Madoka finally replied, not sure on how else she could respond.

"We should get going. We're not far from your home" Homura said before turning around, wanting to drop the topic of conversation. The two continued their trek passing the half-repaired buildings until they finally reached Madoka's home.

Madoka and her family were one of the lucky ones, taking minimal damage from Walpurgisnacht and being able to resume their normal lives fairly quickly. Homura walked up to the door with Madoka before turning around to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Madoka." Homura said, before Madoka grabbed her arm.

"Homura-chan, wait!" The pinkette said, causing Homura to turn around.

"What is it?"

"Don't you want to come inside? I'm sure Mom and Dad would love to meet you!" Madoka asked. Homura smiled softly for a moment, but softly shook her head no.

"I promise I'll meet your parents eventually, but for now I'd rather go home and rest. I'm a bit tired after today." Homura replied, her heart sinking at Madoka's disappointed look on her face. Regardless, the pinkette softly smiled and saw her off. Homura took a moment to watch from a distance to make sure that Madoka made it back inside before beginning to make her way back to her apartment. She took a deep breath, as it was a half an hour walk from Madoka's home.

It was odd, she thought as she made the lonely walk towards the residential area where her apartment complex was. When she was by herself, it felt like nothing had changed. There was an instinctive urge for her to find a nearby alley and take out her Soul Gem to look for witches. But that was no longer necessary for her. For now, anyway. She assumed that she would soon be resuming her usual witch-hunting duties and weapons gathering from the beginning of the timeline once again, as soon as this dream was over.

This was all just a dream, right?

She found herself once again at her apartment door. Taking out the keys from her pocket, she opened it and went inside. She was greeted with the usual lonely sight. Same old barren, white walls. Same old coloured sofas. Same old monitors that with all the notes she had made about every witch she encountered throughout the different timelines.

Homura sighed as she went to her room. She put the clothes she had bought with Madoka in the laundry hamper and began to get changed into her pajamas. She brushed her teeth, shut off the lights, climbed into bed, closed her eyes, and sighed. Another sleep, another chance of waking up in that hospital bed at the beginning of April, ready to start the timeline all over again.

Sleep however, did not come to her so easily as it used to, she found. She tossed and turned in her bed, trying to get herself into a comfortable position, but had no such luck. She laid there for about an hour before she sat up, and turned on her bedside lamp. The questions Madoka had asked her today kept ringing in her mind, pestering her.

Homura grunted as she got up to get a glass of water. She was trying not to get used to how things were now, for she knew if she did, the moment she woke up from this happy dream she'd be all but devastated. The fact that this dream was going on this long was concerning, to say the least. If she let her guard down and embraced it with open arms, there was the possibility of turning into a witch when she woke up. An unlikely possibility, but a possibility that she didn't want to risk nonetheless.

Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard a vibrating noise quickly followed by an upbeat tune. The default ringtone on her cell phone that was on her computer desk in her room. Homura stood there confused for a moment before making her way towards it, wondering who could possibly be calling her at this hour.

Her eyes widened when she saw Madoka's caller ID. Her hands probably moving at the speed of light, she rushed to answer it. Madoka never called this late. Was something wrong?

"Hello? Madoka?" Homura asked.

"Homura-chan! Help me! Please hurr-GAAAAAAA!"

Dial tone.

Homura's pupil's shrank in horror. As if several switches in her mind clicked, Homura found herself running out the door into the night, her calm composure shattering and being replaced with fear and worry. Whatever was happening there, she wouldn't make it in time, she thought. But that didn't stop her. She activated her transformation and stopped time, still running as she did so.

Even as a magical girl, she could only run for so long before running out of breath. She felt her Soul Gem growing darker and darker the longer she kept time frozen. Any longer and time would resume, and she couldn't afford that right now. She needed to cleanse it quickly.

Her heart sank and dread filled her mind when she realized she didn't have it on her. She left her apartment in such a panicked rush that she didn't even remember to grab it.

"You fool! How could you forget something that vital?!" Homura mentally screamed at herself. She cursed herself more when she realized she had stopped running as she was thinking this. As she expected, time had resumed.

She continued running. Her lungs felt like they wanted to explode. Her heart must have been beating a mile a minute. The muscles in her legs felt heavier and heavier with every step she took.

Madoka's house couldn't have been far now. Or could it? Homura's mind was racing so hard she couldn't recognize where she was. Every time she turned her head it seemed as if there was a new building she hadn't seen before. Was she even going the right way? Had she taken a wrong turn in a moment of blind fear? She couldn't have! She knew the route to Madoka's house like the back of her hand! Homura shook those questions out of her mind and continued running in what she assumed was the general direction towards Madoka's house. It must have been ten minutes since her time magic deactivated. She couldn't waste any more time. Homura screamed back at the dark thoughts that swirled in her mind with thoughts of hope.

"Please be all right. Please be all right!" Homura yelled as tears began leaking from her eyes. But she didn't stop. In what felt like an eternity to her, she found herself at Madoka's house, gasping exasperatedly for air. Her eyes widened when she saw the sight in front of her.

There was a black car parked outside. One of the windows appeared to have been smashed open. The most horrifying sight however, was what she saw coming from Madoka's bedroom window.

An bright pink light was shining from it.

"No…" Homura gasped. She couldn't. She wouldn't! "MADOKA!" She screamed.

Without thinking she jumped inside the broken window. Her exhaustion from running caused her to trip and fall on the broken glass on the floor inside. Not stopping to even check if she had cut herself, Homura got up and continued to run towards Madoka's room.

"You're late, Homura Akemi."

Homura stopped breathing. In front of her was the small white creature she despised so much. In front of her was a pool of blood on the floor. In front of her was her best friend, clad in that, to her, horrifying pink outfit that was Madoka's magical girl outfit, lying on the floor in agony as her Soul Gem turned from pink to dark.

All semblance of self control escaping her, she dashed over to her fallen friend and stood beside her, calling her name out in desperate cries, although knowing full well it was useless.

"Madoka Kaname was desperate." The Incubator continued speaking. "It certainly is a common kind of wish we grant, saving someone from attackers and making them disappear. Had I not granted her wish she would have easily perished at their hands. Especially after that wound they gave her." The Incubator's eyes stared emotionlessly at the raven-haired magical girl. "Though, things certainly wouldn't have gone this way had you stood by her side for tonight, Homura Akemi."

Homura gasped as the Incubator's words struck her like she was just slapped in the face. She could have avoided this. She abandoned her. She left her alone. She left her vulnerable.

"No...NO!" Homura yelled as Madoka screamed, her Soul Gem shattering and the witch inside started to be born.

"MADOKA!" Homura let out bloodcurdling scream as she found herself shooting upwards into an upright position. She was drenched in a cold sweat. She was gasping for breath. She was crying. She was…

...Back in her bed in her apartment. Homura looked over at her bedside clock as she continued panting. It was 7:00 A.M. on Saturday, May 3rd.

That couldn't be right, Homura thought. She shouldn't be here. She should be back in her hospital bed starting the timeline over again. It's what she always did after seeing that horrible sight. That's what happened, didn't it? That couldn't have been just an ordinary nightmare, could it?

People in dreams can't fall asleep and have nightmares, can they?

Homura shook those questions out of her mind and refocused her priorities. Madoka. She needed to know if she was safe. She got out of bed and ran to her phone, calling Madoka's cell number, not caring how early it was. Homura put the phone against her ear and waited for an answer. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Homura's hand began shaking. Four rings. Five rings.

"H-Hello…?" Came the small, familiar voice on the other end. Homura's hand stopped shaking and she let out a large sigh of relief.

"Madoka...oh thank goodness…"

"Homura-chan?" Madoka replied, her voice sounding more awake and concerned. "Why are you calling this early? Did something happen? Is everything okay?"

"Yes...everything's fine. Don't worry. I...just wanted to make sure you were all right." Homura replied, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Of course I'm all right! Why wouldn't I be?" Madoka asked.

"It's...well…" Homura started to respond. She didn't want to tell Madoka she had a nightmare. "I just...had a bad feeling." She smiled softly. "I'll come see you and talk more later today. I'm fine Madoka. Really."

"Okay…" Madoka replied, not sounding entirely convinced. She didn't want to press the matter any further right now however, and decided to talk about it later. "See you later, Homura-chan."

"Yeah...see you later…" Homura replied, hanging up the phone. She took a deep breath, and exhaled. She walked over to her bathroom and began washing up. Was all of this truly real? Was Madoka truly safe now? Her mind kept flashing back to that horrible nightmare, where all she could do was watch how everything she worked so hard for was crushed within a single night because of her own stupidity. She took a long look at herself in the mirror.

Yes...Walpurgisnacht's defeat meant nothing, she thought as she clenched her fists. Dream or no dream, as long as she was alive, she still had a duty to uphold. The world was dangerous and cruel, and she had to remain by Madoka's side as much as she could. She needed to be extra careful now, for one careless mistake could easily send her back to that endless maze.

Her only purpose in life was protecting Madoka. Nothing more, nothing less.

So as I was writing Five Stages I thought to myself. Would Homura truly be happy even if she somehow was able to protect Madoka from Walpurgisnacht after all those timelines? I spent more and more time thinking about that question, and the next thing you know, I was writing this, haha.

I don't think really anybody has attempted an idea like this before (at least not to my knowledge), so I'm excited to really give it a shot. :)

See ya around! :D