One day, my life changed forever. I had just gotten done fighting a small group of Wraiths, when I noticed another Magical Girl. I'd never met her before, yet for some reason, I felt this strange sense of deja vu when I saw the strange girl and her white hood.

She was having trouble fighting. Poor girl. She must be new at this. I sigh. I know I shouldn't risk my own life, and even now, I'm still scared. I'm not very good at fighting either, so it was difficult to help her. In the end, I did manage to drive the Wraiths off, even killing a few.

The girl had looked at me with starry eyes, like I was some kind of hero. "Thank you, miss!"

I sigh. She really shouldn't think of me that way. "You're not supposed to hunt in other Magical Girls' territory, you know."

At that, the girl gasps in horror. "I'm so sorry! It won't happen again!" she cries in terror.

I shake my head. I didn't want her to cry! "Don't worry about it. These things happen." Then, the strangest thing happened. My plan was to take the Grief Cubes for myself, but that sense of deja vu had come back. There was this voice in the back of my head telling me, "It'll haunt you forever if you don't try and help her. Besides, you won't miss a few Grief Cubes!"

So I give her half of the Cubes that fell to the ground. "Here. So you can get home."

"T-Thanks!" the girl replied, bowing lightly. Then, she looked at me closely. For what seemed like an eternity, she stared at me. Suddenly, she yelped and jumped back! "Y-You! You…You're the Demon!"

"Demon?" I asked her in confusion as I transform out of my Magical Girl outfit. "I'm not a demon…"

The girl looks at Kuroe again, then shakes her head. "Sorry. I thought you were someone else!" Weird. She almost seems disappointed.

"This…demon," I asked her. "I've heard some things about something like that."

"Wow. The rumors spread all the way here to Takarazaki?" the girl replied in wonder.

"I guess," I shrug. "What have you heard?"

"Okay, so apparently, there was this burst of magic so massive, it covered the whole universe!"

"The whole universe…"

"Yeah! But its source was in a town called Mitakihara! Other Magical Girls think the Demon lives there! Apparently, her magic almost destroyed us all!"

I was silent. Truthfully, I did feel that magic, but I wasn't exactly confident enough to go investigate it. After a while, I managed to ask, "How do you know some kind of demon caused this? Or that it was a girl?"

"Oh! I heard that the Magical Girls in Mitakihara are, like, SUPER powerful!" the girl replied. "Powerful! Experienced! And weird things tend to happen around them!"

"Powerful enough to do…that?" I asked. "I didn't know Mami Tomoe was that powerful…"

The girl had laughed. "Actually, Mami Tomoe was one of the girls that stopped her, from what I heard. No, THIS girl was said to have purple eyes, dark hair, and pale skin!" She leaned in and whispered. "You notice the eyes first."

"Huh. Weird," I managed. "I can see why you confused her for me, then. Well, kind of."

The girl looked back and forth. Her whisper becomes softer. "Do you sense anyone? I'm still new to this Magical Girl thing, so I can't tell."

"No. We're the only Magical Girls in the area."

"Good." A brief pause. The girl looks like she's about to spill a huge secret. "Lots of Magical Girls hate this demon. They wanna go to Mitakihara, find her, and…end her. They think she's a monster. A ticking time bomb, they say. That it's only a matter of time, and that Tomoe can't keep her under control forever." She laughs softly. "I hear she even strikes fear in Kyubey's heart!"

"Kyubey…is scared of someone?"

"I know! I couldn't believe it either! But I could see it when I asked him about her!"

"It seems a lot of Magical Girls are scared of this Demon. Or at least hate her," I sighed.

"Lots!" the girl replied. "But not all. Not all the rumors are bad. At least, they don't sound so bad! I've also heard that she only did what she did to save…well…" she pauses. "Someone she loved."

"Someone she loved…" I mumbled, remembering a time where I thought I loved someone. But to almost destroy the universe for someone? I guess I never really loved him, then.

"Some people say she's a monster who can't love or make friends," the girl said. "But you wanna know what I believe?"

I nod, genuinely finding myself fascinated. The girl was silent for a moment, then she continued. "I believe she really did only do it for love. And I think with everyone talking behind her back, this Demon sounds pretty lonely! I…I'm too scared to find her myself. I'm new to this Magical Girl thing, and I'm really weak! But if she found me, I'd try talking to her! I think what she needs is someone who truly gets her, you know?"

"Someone…who understands her…" I mumble. "I wonder…does this Demon feel…she doesn't belong anywhere either? Hm…" I had hummed. Then, I turned away. "I'm not that strong either. But…thanks for the chat. You better get home."

"Oh! R-Right! Take care! I hope I get to meet you again! I promise I'll get stronger! Let's both try our best!" The girl waves energetically at me.

I walked away, lost in my thoughts. The truth was that I have heard some of the more sympathetic rumors, usually from younger Magical Girls like that white-hooded girl. I DID…DO see a little of myself in this so-called demon. This stranger just put words to some of what I'd been thinking about her.

Was she really that evil? Did she really want to destroy the world?

Or were her more heinous actions simply her lashing out? Goddess knows I'd want to do that if I had that kind of power. This world sucks, even for those of us who get one wish for basically whatever we want. But to be so powerful and affect the entire universe? What could have happened to make a girl lash out like that?

As I walked home, I dwell on something else. Yes. I imagine if this Demon knows what people say about her, she'd be the loneliest, most miserable person on the planet. With people sneering at her and hating her, she wouldn't feel she belongs. She'd have no place to fit in and be herself…like me. "Hey, God? I know it's been a while. But something happened. And…I heard about this girl. If you can…if it's not too much trouble…can you let me meet her?"

As I finished my prayer, I laughed as I thought to myself. "But what are the odds a girl like that would bother with some nobody like me?"

Little did I know at the time, fate can be a little tricky. God even more so. That day, my life changed forever.