The story so far:

Prolog – Mayumi Osaka finds herself in a horrific situation while on a pleasure ride aboard a multimillionaire's yacht.

Chapter I, Subpar – Serena resolves to win the love of someone she admires by altering herself.

Chapter II, Calamity – The wellbeing of Naru's mother, Mayumi, is called into question when her cruise vacation is cut short by a sudden epidemic aboard a luxury liner.

Chapter III, Tryst – Serena's unusual morning ends off with meeting a strange girl and a controversial item in her possession.

Chapter IV, Friction – An interesting item catches Serena's attention at a boutique, and later, she finds herself heatedly defending her contentious decision to take drastic means to change her appearance.

Chapter V, Outsider – Serena cuts class to satisfy a curiosity, but instead finds herself wondering how she appears in the eyes of others.

Book I

- Disingenuous -

- VI -

Reveiller

The night was deathly silent and nothing stirred in Serena's room save the curtains, which fluttered freely with every soft gust of wind that entered the room. The bedroom was dark until Serena's cell phone lit up, buzzing on her nightstand. It was on vibrate, a custom she had gotten into to prevent alerting anyone in the house that she was awake at obscene hours when she should otherwise be asleep. Tonight, however, she regretted not having turned off her phone completely. She really could have used the undisturbed rest - not that she was tired, though; she had quickly caught on that long periods of sleep were a natural solution to her problem of being hungry while awake.

The cell phone incessantly continued its disruptive buzz, rattling the other trinkets on the nightstand. Serena eyed her alarm clock, its blue numbers burning into her light-sensitive eyes.

3:00.

She was tempted to pick up the phone and smash it to pieces for having woken her up, her hunger now also awake and alert. However, she was groggy and her arm could not exert that kind of strength. Before shutting off the vibrate function entirely and flipping the phone face down, Serena decided to see who was calling, not that it mattered - there was only one person that would ever call her this late.

An odd time to be apologizing, Serena reflected. Or is this to get back at me?

The sleepy teen kept her head on the pillow and lazily rested the phone on the side of her face. "Yeah?" she answered, her voice raspy and reluctant to travel beyond her lips.

"You've got to come over," Naru urged in a hushed tone. For a second, it took Serena a while to remember that her friend had gone home after supper, when they had all been informed that Mayumi was discharged. Given the unpleasantness during lunchtime, it was news well received and neither girl had been sad to part company. Naru's mom was adamant that she did not want any visitors tonight, a position that upset Ikuko deeply, given that she had been deathly worried about her close friend ever since news of the cruise broke. Contrary to her mother's feelings, however, Serena had been glad over Mayumi's insistence to be left alone.

"D'you have any idea what time it is?" The deflective question masked Serena's deep desire to remain in the comfort of her cozy bed.

"I'm not kidding around, Serena."

"Naru..."

"I'm serious!" her friend insisted.

There's that stubbornness again... "What's the matter?" Serena inquired, forcing herself to sit up as she rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake up a bit.

"I woke up a little while ago because I heard noises coming from downstairs. My mom's been rambling nonsense."

"She's not talking on the phone or something?"

"No, she's not," Naru stated forcefully. "I mean, that's what I thought at first, too... but it sounded so... strange. I crept downstairs, but then... then..."

Serena listened intently, trying to piece together the words as her friend's voice choked up, each syllable a staccato note. "What? What happened?" Serena urged, beginning to feel concerned, knowing that Naru was not one for exaggeration or hyperbole.

"Her face... Oh, god. Her face!" Naru's distraught sobs came suddenly, leaving Serena to ponder just what her friend had seen. Naru cried for a few moments before recollecting herself, in time to rein in Serena's errant imagination. "I went to check up on her... just so make sure she was alright. She's... hideous! It was like her face had melted! I wanted to help her..." Naru's words became muffled, her words choked by more crying, "but I got so scared," she finally whispered, each word heavy with guilt. "I shouldn't've, I know... she's my mom. I just... I ran to my room and locked the door."

Serena was silent, having no response in mind. Mayumi was sick, that much seemed clear. How had the doctors been so wrong to release her? They must have noticed something when they last examined her only eight hours ago. Now Naru will get sick too, Serena thought with fear, yesterday's woes immediately forgiven and forgotten.

"She's gone completely crazy," the voice from the phone brought Serena back to the present, realizing that she had become lost in her own worries for a moment.

There was a crash.

"What was that?"

"I... I'm not sure. She's throwing things around, I think."

"Are you safe?"

"Yeah, but it sounds like she's out in the hallway."

"Can you leave the house?"

Silence.

"Naru! Are you there?" Serena panicked, now wide awake with fright.

"I'm sorry, it's just that it got quiet." Without an audible source of noise, it was impossible for Naru to echolocate her mother. For all either of them knew, she could be right outside Naru's bedroom door, listening.

"I'm – I'm afraid to leave my room. Please, come."

"OK. I'm on my way." There was no need for deliberation. "In the meantime, call the cops."

"But –"

"Just do it." Serena did not wait for a response as she reluctantly ended the call. She was fearful of what might happen between now and when she arrived at her friend's house. The terror quickened her pace as she threw off her covers and gathered items to put on. Every second mattered and she was suddenly annoyed to have been sleeping in nothing but a pair of underwear and a tank top. There was no time to find a proper shirt or any socks. Just a light sweater, sweatpants and sneakers, would have to do - all of which she all threw on with unprecedented haste. The sliding door to the balcony required more finesse, however, as she did not want to alert anyone of her activity. Serena could be surprisingly sly when she wanted to, though, and with a touch as gentle as she could manage given her desire to reach Naru immediately, she slid the door open, her blanket trailing behind her from one hand.

Having lived in their new home for only a few months, Serena was already an expert at unlatching her sliding doors and opening them up silently. It was not the first time she had snuck out at night - not that she had ever had important places to go. Sometimes, she had escaped just for the thrill of defying her parents when she was grounded. Despite the rush, those had ended up being fruitless ventures, though; a stroll down the empty streets, a walk through a deserted park. Even before setting out, Serena already knew tonight would be different, though. She could feel it. It was not excitement that filled her.

A quick knot around the curved baluster, a tug to check the tightness, and Serena tossed the end of the blanket over the edge. She descended carefully, having recently learned first-hand that sheets could also provide pretty nasty carpet burns. At the very least, going down was much easier than the climb back up. Lacking upper body strength, Serena was as clumsy as a knight in heavy armour attempting to ascend Rapunzel's hair. Serena's feet touched the ground and she immediately crept into the shadows, hoping they would be her allies as she crouched along the white wall that surrounded the Tsukino property. She moved stealthily, pausing only for a split second when she was startled by a black cat that slunk away as she approached. The animal had been completely still and likely had watched her entire descent before scampering off behind the wall. There seemed to be a stray cat problem not just in Minato, but in most parts of Tokyo. Serena had noticed this upon returning from Sapporo, but had been altogether content with ignoring this peculiar problem... at least up until one of them had caused her to embarrassingly fall in front of Mamoru.

At least I didn't trip on this one, Serena thought with joy.

Within moments, she was clear of the living room windows and out on the street. The streetlamps were abuzz with their regular monotonous drone, washing the sidewalk in broad, white ovals. Serena drew the hood up on her pink sweater, suddenly irritated by her poor choice in colour. So much for not sticking out... There was no time to go back and make up for her impulsiveness, though. At the very least, there was a new moon out and it was as dark as night could possibly get in a city like Tokyo. She raced down the empty streets at full speed, dodging the light cast by the lampposts. Serena had not put on a bra, and for once was actually thankful that her breasts were small and firm so that they did not bounce painfully as her feet pounded on the pavement.

Naru's house was only eight blocks away. If she kept running at this rate, it would take about five minutes to get there. Four, if she could keep it up all the way. She aimed for the latter, and pictured herself as a horse; her drawn-up hood acting as blinders, limiting her peripheral vision as she focused her attention solely on the path straight ahead. Footstep after racing footstep, each one brought her closer to her panicked friend. If I ran like this all the time, I'd never be late for school...

Serena crossed one street, then another, then another without as much as even glancing for traffic. It did not matter that the lights were red and not in her favour. The roads, much like the sidewalks, were devoid of any life. Had she never snuck out before, it would have been eerily strange to her. Tokyo, despite being a sprawling megacity, was unbelievably quiet once the trains stopped running. Nearing her destination, Serena felt the need to slow down, as she was running out of breath. A sharp pain began to develop at her side. A short series of steps later, she was doubled over, rubbing the ache. Dammit! Not now… Maybe if she had tried harder in gym class she would have had more stamina. Maybe if I had actually had a proper meal in the last two days...

Suddenly, something grabbed her from behind. The scare caused her to jump back and turn in a panic, her hands raised to protect herself. Her hood had obscured whatever had been beside her and she was caught entirely unawares. She had heard stories of what can happen to girls traveling alone at night. Japan was a safe country, but it only ever took just one story to plant a seed of fear. The small figure did not make any further advances, however, and gave Serena enough time to work out who it was. In the dark and full of apprehension, it was difficult to match the face to a name.

"You!" Serena cried out, reaching for the easiest answer. It was Kaguya, still in her summery yellow dress. An odd choice for the cool weather, but Serena was in no position or mood to question anyone's attire at 3AM. No, 3:05 by now. How did she even notice me, anyway? Serena's hair was tucked well into her hood and she wore nothing but sweats, which was rare for her in public.

"Must be something important for you to be out at this hour," the young girl said, her catty teeth visible in the dim light.

The suggestion was very brazen, striking Serena as particularly nosy. "You're younger than me. What're you doing out?" Serena did not have time to waste squabbling and she needed to free herself of her unwanted companion. There was no time to be cordial.

"You're out... to help someone," she said calmly, ignoring Serena's remark altogether.

Kaguya's words struck Serena as oddly accurate, but a generic statement like that was likely to be true more often than not. "None of your business what I'm doing," Serena quipped, already beginning to feel restless. Every utterance, a moment lost.

"Let me help," Kaguya offered, as her locks of jet black hair were rustled by the placid breeze.

The last thing Serena needed was someone to weigh her down. It was difficult enough for her to tend to herself as it was. "No," she objected immediately.

"Well, too bad. I'm coming with you anyway - unless you intend to stand here and argue with me about it." The little girl was ready for a fight, it appeared. "So, are we going to get a move on and help your friend?"

Serena did not know what to do about the young girl who seemed to know much more about her outing than she should. Kaguya's stubbornness cemented her position firmly and suddenly, Serena was back at lunchtime with Naru. There was no time for squabbles now, however. The imposer did have a point - Naru was still in peril, her mother possibly afflicted with belligerent dementia. Every second wasted on words or waiting only added to the delay in getting to the Osaka residence. Additionally, it was more time that she could be seen out in the streets. She was not doing anything wrong, though. What did it matter if anyone saw her? Who would they tell, anyway? Her parents? Nevertheless, at this point, Serena was half a mind made up on calling the police herself... except that she noticed she had left her phone behind.

"I'm not sure why you think I'd want your company right now, but I do have a friend who needs my help. You stay out of the way," she ordered, not waiting for a response before resuming her run, ignoring the pain at her side as best she could. The young girl kept up with her, trailing but a few steps behind as Serena zig-zagged through the narrow streets without indication.

She said she was in her room, Serena recalled as she neared the Osaka property. Naru's house was at the end of the block, providing easy access to the residence. Like her own home, the two-story house was surrounded by a wall too high for her to climb. She would have to walk along the front and hop over a low rise gate in order to make her way to the rear of the house to reach Naru's bedroom window, which was on the second floor.

The two girls quietly jumped the gate and slunk toward the back of the Osaka property. "You're going to climb, I assume?" asked Kaguya, contemplating their entry. The two of them inspected the Mongolian oak tree before them. It was taller than the trees back at her place, though not by much. The tree's gnarled branches were home to a crown thick with leaves that were as black as the trunk in the pitch of the night.

"Got no other choice," Serena replied laconically. She gave the tree a push. Although it was still young, its stiff branches seemed sturdy enough to support her weight.

From this vantage point, only the ceiling of her friend's room, which was illuminated by a soft, pale glow, could be seen. It worried Serena that she could not see her friend, whom she had expected to be awaiting her arrival. If Naru was a bit braver, maybe she could have escaped through the window...

"Here," Kaguya interlocked her fingers to provide Serena a quick boost up to the first set of branches. Serena was a terrible climber and appreciated the jump start. She stepped into her companion's hands and when she raised her arms, it gave her enough of a lift to climb to the first branch with little difficulty. She held on to the upper branches for support, the rough bark scratching away at her palms.

Perhaps bringing her along was not an entirely awful idea...

As she slowly shimmied her way toward Naru's bedroom window, she prayed that she would not encounter a dormant cicada on the branches. The last thing she needed was to startle one awake and fly into her face. The large, disgusting bugs terrified her. She would be sure to fall if that were to happen. Thankfully, soon enough she was close to the house, free of insect incidents. A short leap of faith got her onto the window sill, but not without some minor trouble.

Serena cupped her hands to the sides of her face to eliminate glare from the streetlights and pressed up against the window to peer in. The dim light she had seen from below was from a lamp that had been knocked over, lighting the room in an awkward manner from its side. Naru was always neat and well organized, yet the room was a chaotic mess. Strewn stationery, books and clothes were scattered like an ill omen. The bedding, too, had been ripped from the bed. All these were clear signs of an altercation.

I'm too late! Serena panicked, an unpleasant sensation working its way up her throat. She removed her hands from the window, leaving two crescent moon shaped arches.

"Don't leave fingerprints," whispered Kaguya from below. It was an odd thing to say, she figured - it was not as though she was breaking in. Naru told me to come. Nevertheless, Serena complied for some reason, and tucked her hands into the sleeves of her sweater as she pried the window open, slowly lifting it upward. The wooden frame had been painted over, creating stubborn friction that made the task unexpectedly difficult. It was nothing like the sliding doors that led out onto her balcony, which opened and closed gracefully. As soon as there was enough room, Serena struck the bottom with her palm, forcing the steadfast window open in quick jerks. Flakes of paint gently fluttered onto her shoes and the window sill.

Serena descended into the disorderly room with caution. She stood motionless as she scanned the room twice over. It was entirely unsettling to see it in such disarray. Something was very visibly wrong. On her third pass, Serena spied Naru's feet, which were hidden in the ripples and folds of the blankets heaped onto the floor. Without hesitation, she hurried over to her friend, her chest filling with dread and anxiety.

Naru did not respond either to touch or to urgent whispers. Serena unraveled her friend like a delicate mummy, only to find her vivacious friend withered and lifeless like an embalmed pharaoh. She's... just like people on the news! What she had seen and heard on the news, however, poorly prepared her for what she saw. Naru wore the same green and orange flannel pajamas that she had worn the other night, yet they now seemed several sizes too large for her emaciated frame. Sixteen years old, but seemingly one hundred and sixty, Naru's skin was dry, her features both shrunken and sunken. The deep shadows of the askance-lit room hid much, but Naru's ghastly condition was appallingly apparent. Had her mom caught the virus and passed it on to Naru when she returned? How could the doctors have allowed this to happen?

"Wake up!" Serena shook her friend harder, not knowing what else to do. "Dammit! No! No! NO!" she cried, each repetition increasingly more desperate, each shake increasingly more frantic. Despite her protestations, however, Naru remained entirely unresponsive.

She carefully pried open her friend's eyes. They were completely glazed over and did not react to the movement of her hands or snapping of her fingers. "What do I do?" Serena muttered in distress, eyeing her friend in paralyzing helplessness, confronted with the awful realization that her first aid training only went as far as what she had ever seen in movies and TV. This is the part where help usually arrives, the distraught teen thought, wishing someone would come to rescue her friend.

Darkness hung over almost every part of the room, but a moving shadow caught Serena's peripheral vision just as one had during Home Ec. earlier at school. This time, it was not illusive. As soon as it came into the light, though, Serena wished she could unsee the very horror in front of her - the ... thing that had so terrified her friend. Serena had always known Mayumi Osaka to be a lovely, elegant woman with a kind face and attractive figure. Yet, what stood before her was but a grotesque facsimile of that once beautiful woman. Even in the dim light of Naru's knocked over lamp, Mayumi's small, sunken eyes could be seen, recessed deeply in their sockets. Her delicate, smooth skin had become leathery, wrinkled and cracked, like parched earth yearning for quenching rain. She looked frail and old, her muscles atrophied, leaving her face with the macabre outline of her skull, hidden only by the disheveled hair that tumbled down to her shoulders. The black cocktail dress that had once hugged her smooth curves and her ample breasts now stuck to her jagged, bony frame like partially molted skin. The drooping V neckline, which would have once exposed Mayumi's sumptuous cleavage, now only revealed the outline of her rib cage as though she were an extreme anorexic.

The walking cadaver struck Serena with surprising force, remarkably strong for someone that seemed on the verge of death. Serena reeled back from the strike, clumsily tripping over Naru and landing on the naked bed.

"Ms. Osaka – what're you doing?!" Serena questioned, hoping some trace of the woman she knew remained on the inside of the hideous husk. However, there was no hospitality or gentility to be seen in the eyes of the woman who had, on so many occasions, welcomed Serena into her home. Serena's words were as useless as her attempts to shake Naru awake, for Mayumi lashed out again, this time delivering a palm strike that rattled every bone Serena had in her arms when she raised them to block the attack.

"Fight back!"

Serena turned to the window to find Kaguya perched on the sill. This was the last thing she wanted the girl - who was still, by all means, a stranger - to see. "It's my friend's mother!" Serena protested, struggling to keep the withered Mayumi Osaka from pinning her onto the bed with those hideous, talon-like hands.

"She's going to kill you if you don't!"

As best she could, Serena shoved the crazed woman off of herself, draining her arms of all the strength they could provide in the process. Serena's hood had come off and the zipper to her sweater had traveled part way down her thorax during the struggle.

"Hit her!" Kaguya ordered from the window, more commandingly.

"I can't!" Serena objected in irritation - not that she had any alternative plans of her own; she simply stood still, fear-struck and dumbfounded.

Mayumi was on all fours on the uncovered mattress. She turned to face Serena, snapping her neck with a sickening crack as she rotated her head far beyond its normal range. The unnatural maneuver was enough for Serena to want to vomit, but there was no time for that. The deceptively decrepit mother dove at her again, her arms seemingly extending beyond their natural range. Her hands clamped onto Serena's throat like a vice, pinning her up against the wall. Although the hood of her sweater separated her neck from Mayumi's hands, Serena could feel every bony finger as though it were directly on her skin. The strength of her grip was remarkable.

Mayumi's horrific visage - nothing more than a thin layer of skin over bone - stared directly at her. It was frighteningly unsettling, but the horrified teen could not look away. Her friend's mother seemed to frown at her but it was hard to tell; her once plump and suggestive lips were nothing but thin, gnarled lines surrounding blackened gums. Her teeth remained perfect, which was somehow more grim.

"Please, don't – don't do this," Serena coughed, struggling to pry off the rawboned fingers from her neck before she passed out.

Kaguya, who had watched the fight to this point without intervening, finally jumped in to help Serena, who seemed utterly overwhelmed. The girl jumped onto the bed for added momentum before she pounced toward Mayumi, but the cadaverous mother swatted Kaguya out of the air with one arm, sending her crashing into the maple office desk at the far side of the room. Its unforgiving right-angle corner took Kaguya straight in the lower back, surely sending indescribable pain to every part of her tiny body. That was the end of the valiant rescue, so unlike the one Serena had performed when the roles had been reversed.

Watching Kaguya writhe in pain, Serena could feel herself losing consciousness. Her temples throbbed, her cheeks puffed and her eyes felt ready to protrude from their sockets. Every story she had heard of people passing out involved blacking out, but as her eyes closed, darkness did not envelop her. Instead, pink flushed her sights. First, it was there only when her eyes were closed, but soon enough, even when she forced them open, it remained. A pink fog clouded her entire vision. I'm seeing things... or am I sick now too?

It became increasingly apparent to Serena that the deranged bloodlust that had consumed her friend's mother would not subside. Kaguya had the right of it - Mayumi would not be satisfied until she extinguished the life out of her and was dead at her feet. Yet, her companion was still sprawled face down on the floor, holding a hand to her injury, unable to follow her own advice to fight back. I shouldn't have let her come... Seeing the girl so hurt made Serena fill up with guilt, whether she should have been there or not. It's going to have to be me, Serena realized, knowing that certain death was the only alternative.

Mayumi followed Serena's gaze and the breathless teen capitalized on the momentary distraction by delivering a rising headbutt that struck her attacker square on the jaw. The fingers around Serena's neck loosened and Mayumi clumsily stumbled backward, leaving a short distance between the two of them.

"I'm sorry," Serena apologized through heavy breathing, even though little - if anything - remained of the sophisticated woman she once knew. Mayumi was infected with something dangerous. However she had transmitted her illness to her daughter, its savage effects were obvious. If Naru awakes, will she be like this too? The thought of that possibility was highly disconcerting.

Despite the gulps of air that Serena took in, the pink haze that glazed her vision did not disappear. It's not going away! The stubborn pinkness refused to be blinked away, and was becoming thicker and more opaque. Is this the first symptom? The sudden thought of becoming a violent, mummified version of herself chilled Serena. I don't want to become like her! she feared, backing up as she kept her eyes on Mayumi. A sudden gasp shot out from Serena's mouth as something bumped into her from behind. At first, she thought someone had snuck up on her, but then she quickly realized it was a wall. She had inadvertently cornered herself, leaving her nowhere to go as the ghastly figure ominously made its way toward her once again. It crashed into her recklessly and toppled her over, causing her to take an ornate storage box crashing down with her from the nearby chest of drawers. It struck the ground with a clamour and its contents - assorted earrings, necklaces, bracelets and makeup - flew through the air like shrapnel.

At some point during the tumble, Serena must have struck Mayumi, for she caught a glimpse of her reeling backward. A short moment later, though, the crazed mother was already vindictively charging back at Serena before she even had a chance to get up. The scared teen frantically kicked at Mayumi, hoping to keep her at bay, but much like everything else she had done tonight, it was of little use. Before Serena knew it, Mayumi was upon her, stomping her upper body with rage. As best she could, Serena shielded herself from the barrage of barefoot stomps and kicks, though the awful hissing and gurgling from Mayumi terrified her more than the physical pounding she was receiving. The carnage was working the mummified mother into a frenzy.

Crippling fright seized Serena as Mayumi aggressively kicked her over and over, forcing her into a fetal position for protection. Her forearms were incredibly sore from repeatedly blocking the blows. Her back was entirely vulnerable, taking one hit after another. By chance, Serena somehow deflected a kick meant for her face, though her thumb had snapped back painfully in the process. It was only a matter of time before one of Mayumi's strikes would make full contact with her head.

"Kaguya!" Serena cried out in a mix of fear and desperation. Save me! She could no longer see the girl, who was most likely still dazed and on the floor, in the same room only meters away yet worlds apart. Help could not come soon enough. With every kick to her arms and back, she cursed herself for not having called the cops when Naru had told her something was amiss. How had things turned so sour? She had not intended to be a hero – she knew she lacked the requisite qualities even before embarking on this late-night excursion.

Help!

The plea went unvocalized, but the solitary word triggered a powerful response within Serena. Between the vicious flurry of kicks from the crazed woman, a long-forgotten memory resurfaced. The recollection was so vivid the event seemed as though it had happened yesterday, all the while whisking Serena away to a faraway place and time. A long time ago, on a fine summer day when they were kids, Serena had once jumped into a swimming pool to rescue Naru when she had wandered too far into the deep end. Instinctively, she had plunged into the water to rescue her friend. The murmuring sound of water rushing past her ears, the sudden chill of the cold water, the bubbles dancing around her - all of it so remarkably clear - as she swam to the struggling Naru. Despite successfully reaching her, Serena's noble knee-jerk reaction to save her friend had overlooked that she was a poor swimmer herself. In a fraction of a second, the epiphany shattered her valor, reshaping it into desperation.

This was the same situation all over.

She was drowning.

Again.

I just wanted to help...

How quickly everything had changed - then and now. Each time, Serena found herself in a situation every bit as dire as the one from which she had attempted to rescue her friend. The two girls would likely have drowned on that sunny summer day were it not for the vigilant eye of Mayumi Osaka. Presently, her eyes were every bit as watchful, though they showed no concern over the wellbeing of either girl. This time, she would not be the one to dive in and pull the girls to safety. That was all too clear now.

I will die if I don't try something - anything! The bruised teen rolled onto her stomach to try and get up. She just needed time, something to distract her attacker. The only things within her grasp were jewellery, though - nothing that would stun even the most cowardly of attackers. Amidst the frail bracelets and tubes of lipstick - Since when did Naru even wear lipstick? - the only thing to stand out was a delicate silver tiara that glistened, seemingly out of place in the dark room. Serena reached out for it, leaving herself entirely open in the process. Mayumi's foot made full contact with Serena's underside, knocking the wind out her entirely, freezing her on all fours. Her fist clenched so tightly around the tiara she was sure its sharp edges had drawn blood from her palm. Serena gasped for air as she clutched her abdomen with the other hand, tearing from the pain.

Pink, pink, pink.

Even her tears were pink. She might as well have been blind for the little she could see. Serena dragged herself up against the wall, turning to face her attacker.

I'm done for, she mourned in anticipation of the final blow that would knock her out completely. Leaning against the wall required all of her might. There was no more strength in her being to fight back. She felt like vomiting once more, though this time Mayumi's grip would not be there to keep it down.

The crazed Mayumi staggered forth, visibly eager to end the life of the intruder collapsed against the wall. She reached out and Serena trembled, not knowing what awaited her. Mayumi's shriveled hand stopped short Serena's throat and retracted suddenly. The frightened teen watched in confusion as the relentless mother remained inexplicably frozen for a moment, her body suddenly seizing, accompanied by an eerie and unnatural sound - part shriek, part howl. Mayumi coughed a black substance, slowly at first but in larger quantities shortly thereafter.

Serena coiled up her legs as the liquid poured between Mayumi's fingers, ran down her arms, dripped off her elbows and pooled on the floor. As the cadaver fought to stifle the vomiting, Serena raised herself to avoid the spreading pool of discharge, relying on the wall behind her for support.

"Now's your chance!" It was Kaguya again. Serena was pleased to hear her voice, though she was surprised she could even hear it over the deafeningly pulsating sounds of her heart beating and stunted breathing. She was standing at the opposite corner of the room now, still visibly in pain, yet her words somehow made her feel safe, as though everything would be okay. "Throw that tiara at her."

Serena looked down, surprised to see the item still clutched tightly in her grasp. "It won't even scratch her face!" she protested, confounded.

"Just do it! It will neutralize her."

What an odd word to say. 'Neutralize.'

Serena glanced at the tiara again and noticed it was no longer silver. All of the pink she had been seeing had suddenly disappeared and now seemed concentrated on - or was that in? - the object she held in her hand. Serena had endured such a thorough beating she was not sure that her vision was totally reliable. Or maybe that's my blood? Serena looked for a more palatable alternative to throwing the unthreatening item. The window's right there. I can just get away... Yet, traversing the room seemed even too great a distance for her weathered frame.

Kaguya's illogical suggestion was the only action her exhausted body could perform. For some strange reason, despite her own misgivings, she decided to heed the young girl's odd advice. Serena had never thrown a tiara before. What could ever come of throwing one? It was so delicate and so weightless, so... inconsequential.

The best Serena could equate to the piece of jewellery was a frisbee, which they sometimes used during Phys. Ed. So, she coiled her arm and in one smooth motion, released the decorative item as though she were tossing a frisbee to a classmate at the opposite end of the gymnasium. Her arms were sore and her throw feeble, yet, the pinkness that remained on the tiara gave it a life of its own in mid-air. The harmless tiara transmuted into a razor-sharp projectile as it sliced through the air. It effortlessly cut through Mayumi's body just above the collarbone, and came to a cacophonous and abrupt stop when it shattered the mirror affixed to Naru's vanity stand, becoming stuck in its wooden frame.

The woman let out a haunting howl – one that Serena would never be able to forget – which was sprinkled with the soft clinks of glass bouncing off the vanity and onto the floor. A moment later, both the glass shards and the woman were motionless on the ground. Her head would have rolled away were it not for the piece of leathery flesh that tethered it loosely to the rest of the body at an aberrant angle. Whatever blood had been inside Mayumi had dried up or stagnated in her, for nothing oozed out of her massive wound. Despite the absence of blood to add to the black bile, the sight was no less shocking. Mayumi Osaka was truly a cadaver now.

Serena averted her gaze and fought back the paralyzing shock. She turned to the girl whom she had presumed could be trusted. "You... You..." She knew what she had just done, but could not vocalize it. If only the words would come out... Serena tried to make an angry expression to convey her feelings, but even her facial muscles faltered. A deluge of emotions overwhelmed her, crashing tumultuously against one another in her core.

I just killed my friend's mother. My best friend's mother.

The horror that had stricken her dissipated for a moment, just long enough for her to kneel down beside Mayumi's lifeless body, though still careful enough to stay clear of the black vomit.

"I'm... so sorry," she whimpered, her hand reaching out but reluctant to touch the corpse. She turned angrily to Kaguya. "You... you said it would 'neutralize' her!"

"It did," she replied tersely, approaching Serena with a hand at her back, where she had collided with the desk.

"You lied to me! I didn't 'neutralize' her - I killed her!" Serena shouted in repugnant disgust. The tendrils of guilt arose from the corpse and vomit and wormed their way into Serena. Withered or not, the lifeless pile of skin and bones in front of her had once been someone important to her.

"You had to do it. If not, she would have killed you and me. Don't you doubt it for a second," Kaguya reassured Serena in an attempt to calm the turmoil brewing inside of her.

Kaguya's words seemed true enough to her, but that did not negate the fact that she had misled her. Serena was just so angry now, angry enough to make a second corpse out of her companion. There were other feelings that vied for Serena's attention, though, and she compartmentalized her rage for another moment. She crawled her way at once to her friend's body but found no solace from her inner turmoil at her side.

"Naru, I had no idea..." she whispered apologetically. "Believe me. I had no idea." She gently raised Naru's head onto her own lap, brushing away the hair that covered her sunken face.

The silence that hung over them was uncomfortable and was as unpleasant as Mayumi's death howl. Kaguya did not interrupt until the sirens began to stir the air from afar. "We need to go."

Looks like she did follow my advice, Serena thought. Carnage and chaos had upheaved the entire room and as well as their lives. How might things have turned out had Naru placed the call earlier?

"No. I can't." Serena replied, without even lifting her eyes from her friend, the reason she had come in the first place, the reason she had jumped into the pool. "I need to stay with Naru," she added, despondent.

"No, you cannot! Do you hear those sirens? They'll be here soon enough and they'll break down the door when no one comes to answer. If we're caught, we will be in immense trouble."

"I don't care," Serena replied, every morose monosyllable coated in apathy.

"Snap out of it!" Kaguya shouted. "Don't you realize they'll put you in prison for this?" The words struck harder than any blow from Mayumi had. Kaguya might have misled her about stopping Naru's mother, but there was nothing false about this other statement. It did not make getting up any easier, though.

"I don't care," Serena repeated. It was a selfish answer, but it did not seem to matter to her; Mayumi Osaka was dead and her best friend most likely was as well. She should be punished for her hand in the violence that had taken place in this room.

"This 'wither' that everyone's talking about - hundreds of people are feeling the way you do right now. Or do you think you're the only one who's close to someone that's been afflicted with it?" Kaguya asked rhetorically. She knelt next to Serena, taking a gentler tone, no doubt sensing that her indignation would not be yelled out of her. "Whether you like it or not, you are going to fight this."

"What're you talking about?" Was she talking about her emotions? Her stubbornness?

"Are you really going to put all those lives ahead of your own?" Kaguya asked, not answering the question posed to her. She did not wait for the distraught blonde to respond. "We simply can't stay. You get that? It's the way it has to be. I'm sorry."

There was a moment of tense silence between the two girls. Serena was confused by Kaguya's words as much as she was about what had happened to the tiara when it had left her fingertips. Nothing's making sense...

"Will she live?" Serena's gaze remained fixed on her friend.

"I'm ... not sure," Kaguya replied.

It was not the answer Serena wanted to hear. Why could she just not lie to her instead and tell her that everything would be okay? That's what people do when things go bad. They lie and say hollow words to make people feel better. That was what she was supposed to do.

"Let's go," Kaguya gently motioned with her head.

Reluctantly, Serena gently lowered her friend's head onto the floor and proceeded to make her way to the window from which she first entered. She glanced one last time at her friend, not knowing whether or not she would see her alive again. If she died, Serena knew she would never let it down. If Naru awoke, her life would be changed forever – to the point where she might prefer to have just died. Despair loomed over their heads regardless of whatever happened.

"I didn't want any of this," Serena mumbled bitterly. "I came to help," she reminded herself, as though the words could somehow erase the events that had just transpired.

You came to be a hero, an inner voice contradicted her, its critical tone both negative and harsh. Where it had come from, Serena did not know. She shook away the unpleasant criticism. There were more pressing matters at hand than errant thoughts.

A heavy sigh preceded Serena's ascent onto the window sill, every small motion accompanied by great pain and soreness. She gave a final, rueful glance at her lusterless, unanimated friend. Their lives would never be the same after tonight - of that much, Serena was certain - and a part of her secretly wished that her friend would never awaken. With a guilt-ridden heart, the would-be saviour jumped back into the darkness of the night.

AN - Loved it? Hated it? Doesn't matter! Leave me a comment! :)

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