The ground beneath her was filthy. Wrappers ranging from candy to condoms lay scattered in the random pattern the wind had blown them into. A sticky blob, the color of stale diarrhea, was only a foot away from her toes.

She did not notice any of that.

Mami sat on the ground, her back against the uneven wall. Her stocking clad knees were pulled up to her chest and she cried on them. She made little noise as the salty water slowly caressed her cheeks and then dripped off. Her nose was starting to run too.

Mami never cried at school. She never cried in front of the other magical girls. Of course she never cried when fighting the demons. Sometimes, after a particularly hard fight or if she felt especially lonely, she would cry like this. Right now she looked more like a pathetic pet then a calm and collected magical girl she presented herself as.

She let herself cry for a few more minutes before she looked at the golden soul gem surrounded by small cubes. It shone clear and bright, cleansed of the impurities using magic caused. She picked it up and willed it to morph into its ring form. After replacing it on her finger, she stared at the name written in runes. Mami gave a small smile. A white handkerchief was all it took to erase the evidence of her little breakdown.

It did feel better to let her feelings out, even in private. If she kept them in then eventually she would be pulled down by the despair of her life. That would simply not do. She was a magical girl with no small amount of experience and skill. Even if she had to occasionally break down in private, she would keep going.

With her resolve restored, she stood up and left her alley. One white shoe moved in front of the other. Each step was elegant, but strong. A few minutes later she did stop walking, but that was only because she had come to an intersection and was waiting for the light to change.

Across the street was a girl in a lace lined pink dress. Mami did not know why, but it made her smile. Her golden eyes followed the girl as she walked down the street. Her attention snapped back to the street as a car honked its horn.

There was a black kitten crossing the street. It had stopped as the car careened toward it. The feline seemed to be frozen like a statue. With a car coming from the opposite direction and sidewalks lining the street, there was no chance of the driver being able to avoid the kitten.

Her ring glowed briefly as she used magic to speed herself up temporarily. Mary Janes barely touched the concrete. She dove low. The wind of the car blew her hair as she straightened herself on the other sidewalk. A small black cat was in her hands.

The little furball purred. Mami looked down at it. She did not know what possessed her to save it. It was the sort of useless gesture she would have told another magical girl to avoid. Well, she could not exactly go back in time and scold herself. Besides, maybe her apartment would not feel so empty with a cat anyways.