[29 Jan][Puella Magi Madoka Magica] the ribbons in her hair

[raynos.livejournal.com]

Title: the ribbons in her hair
Day/Theme: 29. I named a flower to prove I was alive
Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Characters/pairings: Madoka, mentions of other girls
Rating: PG
Content Notes: Madoka has trouble remembering sometimes. Spoilers for the entire series. Future fic.

Madoka tracks time by the number of girls that she fires arrows to save. At first she has to fire hundreds, thousands of arrows with each pull of her bowstring. She fires and fires until she strains even the extent of her powers. In these times, Madoka forgets herself, and there is nothing but the arrows and their destination.

But as the Incubators learn that magic girls with longer lifespans are more beneficial to them, the girls that Madoka have to save grows manageable. Now she can rest more and look carefully at the girls that she has saved. She keeps an eye out for red ponytails, golden curls, short blue hair. The girl she most wants to see, however, has long black hair that curls a little at the ends.

Sometimes Madoka forgets why, sometimes the names are on the tip of her tongue but she can't remember how to say it. The girls who fit that description introduce themselves, but somehow the names are wrong. They are not the girls that Madoka is waiting for.

So Madoka waits, and Madoka fights, and Madoka talks to the many girls. Like her, they are waiting for family and friends and lovers and everything else in between.

But time goes by. More girls arrive and new bonds and memories are made. When Madoka scans the crowd, she knows what colours she is looking for but she doesn't quite remember why. There is only a lingering sense of restlessness, as Madoka waits and waits and waits.

Then one day, when she surveys the world for where best to fire her arrows, she notices red. But it isn't a ponytail. It's a red red ribbon, set loose in this world to make its way to the girl it was fated to belong to. The girl who is wearing it has long black hair that curls a little at the ends.

The sight fills Madoka with joy, although enough time has gone by that she can't explain this feeling either. Perhaps it's because the girl is surrounded by girls who have the hair colours that Madoka looks for: red and gold and blue. Perhaps it's because she fights with a bow, like Madoka does.

Madoka has to figure out this mystery. She watches the girl study hard at school. She watches the girl fight demons. She watches the girl learn to rely on her friends.

It's not until the red-haired girl speaks about friends that Madoka remembers what was so important about the black-haired girl. This is her friend who gave her the power to save others. This is her friend who fought for Madoka, and still continues to fight for her. This is her best friend.

Madoka finally remembers. Her best friend has a name. It balances on the tip of Madoka's tongue, and Madoka is so happy to finally remember what it is.

"Homura-chan," Madoka says, delighted, and then laughs. Since she became a goddess, she has never felt so human before.