Ah, the start of another fic. Hope you enjoy it. Let me know. An for those of you who are first-time readers of my fics and get bored with waiting for a new chapter I get through them pretty quickly and I have a few finished ones out that you can read if you want. :)

A Beautiful Mind

The Patient

A young blonde lay in an empty white room staring at the small dingy window she loved so much. Her only permitted channel to the outside world was no longer clear but opaque from years of dirt, grime, and neglect. Much like her. With a sigh she twisted her sore, buckled wrist and concentrated. Slowly the buckle began to move and loosen the strap.

"What are you doing?" A nurse cried seeing the girl with one free hand. "That's it! I'm fed up with you Houdini." She hissed and stuck a syringe into the girls neck and pushed the clear solution out. "We'll see if you're awake enough to get out now."

"P…please… I…" The girl attempted to talk.

"Just go to sleep Miss. Tsukino when you wake up it will be lunch time." The nurse watched the girl's sparkling blue eyes droop, then close. "I hate this job."

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"So?" A green-eyed blonde leaned his body over the counter to look at his best friend.

"So what Andrew?" The handsome man asked sipping his coffee. His black hair fell lightly over his forehead and slightly shaded his eyes from his curious comrade.

"Did you get the job?"

"I did." His tone was calm and devoid of emotion.

"Oh! Hey that's great! Aren't you excited?"

"Should I be? I'm not doing what I really want to be doing so how excited can be to enter the drab world of drudgery?"

"You're the one who went to school to be a psychiatric doctor! What do you mean you don't want to do this?"

"I want to be a singer Andrew. You know that. I want to write my own songs and sing. I've always wanted to."

"I know but that's impractical."

"Yes I know… if only I could write the music I feel in my body. I would be such a star."

"You could just cheat." Andrew suggested nonchalantly.

"I don't have that kind of power."

"Oh, right. You're just a masked do-gooder."

"What's it to you Andrew?"

"You like to help people. I bet you're gonna be great at this. After all who needs more help than mental patients?"

"Sometimes I think I do." He laughed heartily making his dark blue eyes sparkle.

"No, I need help when I'm trying to suffer through your terrible guitar solos."

"They're not terrible."

"Your playing isn't great and like you said you can't write worth crap."

"One day you'll see… nonetheless I need to go to work now."

"Have fun Darien!"

"Oh yeah, loads. I'm on trial for now." He winked and walked out.

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"I'm so glad to see that you've accepted our job offer." The director smiled at his new employee.

"How could I not?"

"True my boy. Very true." The older man smiled.

"So, for your trial case I'm giving you a maintenance patient. She's been here for four years and everything is taken care of. She needs to be monitored and occasionally conversed with." The man slide a file across his desk. "I'm giving her to you because she needs to be watched carefully. She's escaped more than once and retrieving her is no easy task."

"Why do you think I can handle this?"

"You have lots of time for now." He smiled. "Don't let her get loose or you'll regret it."

"Threatening me already?"

"No… she can be violent." The man stood. "Welcome to Tokyo Mental Hospital Mr. Shields. I suggest you read that file carefully before going to see your patient."

"Thanks…" Darien nodded and walked into the hallway with the file in his hand. What have I gotten myself into here? He wondered and stared at the file as he walked into his office. "Okay, time to get to work Dare." He stated out loud and began to unpack the box he'd brought.

Some time went by until he stood back and looked at his new office. "Perfect." He smiled and sat down to read the file the director had handed him.

"Doctor Shields! Come quick!" A nurse rushed into his office starling him. "Your patient is unbuckled."

"Okay…" He hesitated and followed quickly behind the frantic woman down the white, sterile hallway littered with various dazed looking patients.

"She was supposed to be out longer… I don't understand how she woke up so quickly."

"You're drugging her?"

"Yes, it's the only way to keep her in her room." The nurse panted and stopped dead in her tracks. Darien stopped too to see an open steel door. "Oh no!" The woman breathed. "I'll sound the alarm." She grabbed a nearby handle and pulled causing the hallways to be filled with the sound of a loud siren. "We have to find her!"

"What does she look like?"

"Didn't you read her file?"

"I didn't get a chance…"

"No time! Blonde, blue eyes, really fit looking."

"Okay." 'Cause that helps a lot lady. He rushed around the corner after the woman in her pink scrubs.

"There!" She shouted and pointed to a stationary woman standing in a white gown with long blonde pigtails hanging down from two buns at the crown of her head. Darien looked past her to see another nurse with a stun gun aimed right at the patient. "Now… Serena… don't move and we wont have to hurt you."

"I don't want to be here! There's no reason for it!"

"You're here because your family noticed strange behavior in you and your last doctor confirmed you have some issues."

"I don't have any issues." The girl looked up at the ceiling tiles and smiled. "I'm just fine." She jumped managing to knock down a tile and climb up.

"Damn it!"

"Hold on." Darien said calmly and watched the tiles shift slightly as his patient crawled on them. When she was above him he jumped and knocked both the tile down causing her to fall. A shrill scream escaped from her throat as Darien caught her.in his arms and set her down.

"Thank you." She said timidly.

"You're welcome. My name is Darien Shields and I'm your doctor."

"Wonderful." She rolled her eyes and glared at the nurse. "Then you can tell her to leave me alone!"

"Serena… let's get you back in your room and we'll talk a bit yes?"

"Okay." She sulked and let him lead her to her room. Her eyes wandered the halls and caught on the open door to her room and cringed. "I don't want to be here anymore… I can't see outside or anything."

"I'll see what I can do." He walked her in and waited for her to sit down.

"Please don't buckle me in." Her voice was weak and defeated as she rubbed her raw wrist.

"Do they always buckle you down?" He took her hand in his and examined her skin.

"Yes."

"That's not very good for you." He frowned and looked into her eyes. They seemed sad and yet… she seemed composed and calm. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here because my family things I'm disturbed and crazy." She yanked her hand away and rested it in her lap. "But I'm not." He watched as her other hand began to twitch and her fingers began an to tap against her thigh as if she were impatiently waiting for something.

"What are you doing?" He asked softly.

"What I do everyday to pass the time." She smiled and closed her eyes.

"Can I trust you enough to leave you here unbuckled?"

"You'd do that?" Her eyes popped open and fixed on him.

"Yes. But only if you promise to stay in here."

"I promise Doctor Shields."

"Good… don't make me regret this."

"I won't… I have a good feeling about you. I bet you'll see past all of the political bull and let me out of here."

"We'll see."

"I know." She began to move her other hand as well.

"I'll be back later."

"Have fun." She smiled and remained in her spot.

"Leave her alone." He ordered the nurse as he left the room. "I'm going to go read so don't disrupt me."

"I won't." She nodded.

He walked down the hallway looking at the patients wandering around and shook his head. This is a sad place. I doubt that girl belongs here. His office greeted him warmly making him smile as he sat in the plush leather office chair. Sighing, he stared at the file containing Serena Tsukino's information, slowly, his hand trembled as he reached to flip the cover open. Why should this be so hard? She's a basket case. Even if you can't see it first off she has to be otherwise she wouldn't be here. With that thought he smiled and flipped the cover open revealing the standard information sheet that read:

Patient Name: Tsukino, Serena M.

DOB: 6/30/88

Age admitted: 15

Voluntary admittance: No

Symptoms: Chronic limb spasms leading to the constant movement of fingers. Fictional Delusions. Unrealistic expectations of self. Violent tendencies when confronted. Occasional aphasia coupled with incomprehensible gibberish.

Wow…she is psycho. Darien knitted his brow as he read through all of the tests and medications she'd been on. I've never seen such an extensive profile. He sighed and leaned back in his chair to stare at the white walls containing the various pictures he'd hung. "She needs something but… what?"