The sun was setting again, making it a total of seven times since she had landed here.
The change in light was the only indication for her to know how long she had been alone on this god forsaken island, her only way of knowing when she had last seen any of her nakama.
She felt incredibly lonely; more so than ever before.
The need to return to her friends, to end her self-proclaimed misery, had come more than once. And it grew stronger with every passing second.
But she had to stay strong. Not only for her sake, but for theirs.
And for his.
She wouldn't let her selfish desire to return to them endanger the safety of her friends, her family.
She had done this to protect them.
And to protect him.
Her presence would only make it worse. It would only cause more pain.
She needed to stay away.
The decision to leave hadn't been an easy one. It had been tearing at her heartstrings, shattering her entire being.
But those images became more and more haunting every day, blurring the line between what was real and what were only tricks her mind was playing on her.
It became harder to distinguish every time.
She couldn't even tell which reality she was in now. She had gone too far beyond this point to really be sure.
Even though she had tried preventing those images from spreading their venom in her heart by focusing on staying awake, it hadn't been enough.
Sleep would overtake her body at one point or another. Mostly unnoticed by her; consuming her consciousness, her mind. She was helpless against the sheer power that overwhelmed her every single time.
She was losing and she knew it all too well.
It was pointless to deny it any longer. She had been on the brink of insanity more than once since that day.
That little thread that still connected her to reality...was disappearing. There was no way she could hold onto it much longer. It was slipping right through her fingers.
Soon, it would be gone for good.
It would be her end.