"You do anything long enough the escape the habit of living until escape becomes the habit"-David Ryan

Waking up that morning, Yukari had never felt worse in her entire life. She didn't even leave immidiately, but sat there, feeling isolation. Sure, she had known and experienced isolation before, it was her life, but now she was feeling it. The rest of the world was an illusion, she was the only real person, everyone else were just imaginary demons. She had never conveyed such thoughts even into mental language, but that feeling was currently running through her.

Minato was the only other real person, and to an extent, Maiko. Both were gone. Gone. Gone. The word would not stop repeating.

Yukari heard a knock at the door.

"Yukari-chan, it's me, Fuuka, may I come in?"

"All right"

Yukari didn't want to talk to Fuuka, or anyone but him, however Fuuka would certainly suspect something if Yukari said no. Fuuka steped inside, Yukai geting dressed. Fuuka looked a little embaressed walking in while Yukari was doing that. Yukari dressed quickly.

"Sorry about that Yukari. Anyway, Junpei's sleeping medication's missing, know where it is?" asked Fuuka.

"Sleeping medication?" asked Yukari.

"Yeah, didn't you know? Junpei stopped taking it when he came here because the Dark Hour helped him sleep. He has a sleeping disorder, and with the Dark Hour gone, he needs them again. He just got a new bottle but he can't find it now"

"I'll help find them" said Yukari. Fuuka walked out, Yukari putting her socks and boots on. Yukari looked all over the house, glad to have something to keep herself focused. Predictably however, other ideas came to her.

Yukari found them under the couch, but stuffed them in her pocket. She went up to her room, locking the door before daring to take them out. She gripped them like it was her last breath, thinking about why she took them. She knew, however.

"I only need a few. I know it's desperate, but, I need help" she thought.

She took those four, and within a half hour of sitting there with that numbing pit in her stomach, they took full effect. Yukari didn't wake up until close to midnight, then took a few more.

Sleep had become her addiction, and the pills her only way there. She spent the day sleping, every time she woke up was like getting stabbed in the chest, and she imidiately reached for the pills, waiting being the ultimate torture. During that sleping period, she had a dream where she was dating Minato. She woke up around eight in the evening, the wonderous dream that had relieved her, dead and buried. Reality all came crashing back. The first thing she turned towards were the pills.

She sat and thought, long and hard, about where she was and what she was doing. She grabbed the pills, she didn't want to take them, yet she did.

"I WANT MY LIFE BACK!" she shrieked. She began trashing her room, slamming into the walls, losing all sense of self control. She stagered out of the room, tiring herself out.

Junpei and Akihiko rushed up. "Hey, Takeba, what's-

"My pills!" gasped Junpei, Yukari still having them in her hands.

Yukari crawled towards them, not finding the strength nor the will to stand up.

"Help me" begged Yukari weakly "Please, make it stop"

Yukari woke up, once again. This time the fear of being in a new surounding overcame her depression. She recognized this place, but it still wasn't coming clear to her how. She took a moment to observe her surroundings, then she knew. She was at the hospital.

"What, am I doing here?"

She couldn't remember anything of the night previous yet. A doctor came walking in.

"Ah, you're awake"

"What's going on"

"Your friends brought you here last night. They said you were having a breakdown. We did some work and their worry about the bottle of pills they foun in your room was valid"

"Wait, what did they say about me? Do they hate me?"

"I couldn't tell you. I told them to go when I saw them myself. You'd hae to ask the medics who brought you in"

Yukari then looked down, seeing that that were straps over her, her wrists and ankles strapped down individually as well.

"Why am I straped down like that?" asked Yukari.

"Standard procedure. You're in the psychiatric ward"

TBC