She ran from the building, tears streaming down her face. Prom wasn't supposed to be like this. She could hear his taunts and threats behind her as she ran into the forest, desperately wanting to get away from him. He hadn't always been like this: abusive, rude, demanding. It started small, but over the months snowballed. Today, she had enough. Seeing everyone so happy contrasted so sharply how she felt. She needed to get away. She was done.
Her feet pounded into the soft earth, cushioning her every stride. She ran until she couldn't hear him, then she kicked off her shoes and ran even further. Branches pulled and snagged her dress, scratching her pale skin and slowing her movements.
She stopped in a clearing, where the world seemed to stand still, and that's what she did. She stood still for what seemed like hours, watching the sky above.
The buzz of her cellphone brought her back to reality.
You'll be back, bitch.
She threw the phone as far as it would go, hearing the soft thud of it landing. She swallowed her tears, but couldn't fight back the volume of what was forming in her throat.
She threw her head back, knocking her auburn hair out of place. She screamed as loud as she could. She only stopped when her voice gave out, sending pain down her stomach. Only when she struggled for breath did she noticed.
Feathers were falling; large black feathers. She looked up into the dark sky and saw a figure hovering in front of the white moon. It came closer with an eerie presence that chilled her to stillness.
Tan hands reached down to greet her, orange hair became visible in the darkness. She closed her eyes, thinking she was dreaming, but when she opened them again, the figure was still there. A man, dressed in black, orange hair spinning wildly from his scalp, and large black wings shooting from his back.
The world swayed back and forth in front of her as she began to see the ground morph. Black creatures broke through the soil, wildly weaving to and fro, aiming to get at her. He looked around slowly at the chaos breaking out. Orihime began to shake, her knees buckling. He stepped in front of her, shielding her from the creatures amidst the two of them.
"Zangetsu!" his rough voice called. Bars of light streamed down from the moon. They pieced the ground with their light, burning the earth around them. The creatures scrambled from the white light, running to the darkness for protection.
His fingers wrapped around a glowing bar and lunged it at a nearby creature. It cried out, stammering out slight words while its body sizzled away to join the earth again. The man grasped the remaining bars and speared the rest of the monsters, the air smelling thick of chalk when he finished the massacre.
The man before her turned to meet her gaze. His eyes were gold. They burned with the brightness of the sun, sticking out sorely in the darkness. He made no gesture of movement towards her. He made no sound. He simply stood and watched her as her vision went bury. She soon found herself in complete darkness.
:::
Physician's notes: Day 1
Patient refuses to speak, eat, or sleep. Resort to medication and restraints almost immediately.
Patient becomes erratic when lights are turned off. Becomes highly unstable when night. Solitary confinement is issued.
Physician's notes: Day 54
Patient speaks of a man who comes from "the moon".
"He's here to protect me I think," the she states.
Patient sits by window constantly, esp. during the nights of visible moon.
New moon brings sadness, crying, and refusal of food. Medication and force-feeding issued.
Physician's notes: Day 167
Patient has visitor. Request for privacy granted.