Hello! I hope you like my stories! Well, a lot of people do, so that makes me feel great! So thanks to all you loyal readers! Anyway, I'm going to hit the climax soon! So put out the dog, neuter the cat, and lock grandma in the cupboard!

#

Mion had gotten the flu and could barely stand. She had a ringing in her head that made it nearly impossible to hear, and a splitting migraine to boot. She normally just took her meds and a sleeping pill, so she was knocked out for 23 hours of the day. Around the 4th day her fever finally broke, and she felt a little better. Irie suggested keeping her out of school for 3 more days, because she was tired and her immune system was out of whack.

The medicine was a liquid that made her gag, so she couldn't wait until she was better. After the three days passed it was Friday, so Mion quickly got dressed and walked slowly to school. Most of her cuts had healed, but there were many white lines crisscrossing her left arm now. She decided to give it a break, and left the blade in the small floorboard space.

But Mion couldn't wear the bandages forever, so after a few more days she biked to Okinomiya and bought a few different arm warmers. Placing them on, they went to her elbows and looked very cute. Buying a few pairs, she placed a set on and biked back home. It was Sunday, but she didn't want to leave to the clearing until nightfall. As she worked on all the missed work she needed to do for school. There were at least 25 pages to be done, and she needed to also write a very short entry of what it was like being sick for writing.

She excluded many parts, like the sleeping pills and the cuts healing, because those were beyond private material for the small essay. Instead she talked about the splitting headache, and by the time she had to eat dinner she felt a little bit worried. Her mother looked at the gloves, and the moment she saw the checkerboard pattern she automatically wanted to know where she bought such, "Cute little arm warmers for winter!"

She smiled and said that she'd wanted to get some for a while, and those just seemed to fit her best. Her mother smiled. "Well if you weren't wearing them I'd probably take them from your closet!" Mion smile became blank for a few seconds before she forced a laugh.

"Then I guess I'll just have to hide them from you then!" She smiled as she sat down, joining in the chatter. Mion had also bought longer ones so she could hide her hands in case the band-aids came off her fingertips. The nails had started to grow back, and were still very small and could still hurt if you touched the fleshy part of her skin.

But Mion still felt depressed. Whenever she thought of what Kei-chan would have to go through now with one eye, she felt sick. So she took any chance she could to punish herself, by tripping or scratching when she could get away with it. This passed for a few months, with cuts happening more and more.

After a bit more on her left she began to do her right arm, to make sure that she wouldn't go without having done harm to both arms. There was a very faint white line on her cheek from the first cut by the bottle, but you could barely notice it. Mion had been able to convince Shion to let her keep it, and the poor bug lived. But as August neared September, it seemed to be sick. It wouldn't call as much, and kept trying to dig at the bottom of the glass. So Mion took the bug out, set it down, and filled the jar about 3 inches full with dirt.

The moment the cicada went back it buried itself in the dirt. Mion remembered that all the bugs hibernated for a few years, so she left the jar on a shelf. Pulling the razor from the floor, she put it in her skirt and continued to write her essay until 11, when Shion fell asleep. Seeing that the girl was out, Mion placed the paper away with her finished math problems. Climbing down the pipe as usual, Mion ran to the clearing. But as she held the blade to her wrist, she paused?

'Haven't I hurt myself enough to repent?' But something in her head said no. She slashed at her wrist, Watching as the blood came out. It was making her feel dizzy though, so she quickly bandaged it and leaned agenst the rock. However the bleeding took longer to stop than normal. And she slept for a while before trying to go back. She was dizzy climbing up at 3 in the morning, and got some more sleep before school.

#

In the dream the water was turning red. She looked at her arms, and every cut was open and pouring out blood. She desperately tried to stop it, but chains held her wrists and stopped her hands. She opened her mouth to call for help, but a thick, oily liquid filled her mouth, silencing her. She realized it was the black water, and desperately tried to force it form her body. She tried to scream once more, and-

#

"Mion! Wake up!" It was her twin Shion. Mion shot up out of her futon, placing a hand over her heart. Grabbing her clothes, she tried to shake off the nightmare by brushing her hair and trying it in the usual ponytail. Going to breakfast, she joked along with everyone about how it was getting cold. After finishing, she gave her mom a peck on the cheek and ran with a lot of speed to school, reaching it before Keiichi, Rena, Hanyuu, Rika, or Satoko could get there.

She did a final edit to her story before anyone got there, then sat tapping her pencil on the desk. Chie-sensei smiled at her, then pulled out a romance novel called, "Curry in the moonlight." Mion sighed and put her head on the desk. Her arm had a faint throbbing feeling from all the cuts she'd made in it last night.

Keiichi walked in first without Rena, and ignored her as he sat down. She felt for the razor in her pocket, and quietly lifted up the sleeve of her right arms warmer. Making a small scratch, it looked like she was reaching for something in her bag. She added a band-aid on top so it wouldn't bleed through, and waited for class to happen and end.

It made her feel sick to her stomach, and she could barely pay attention in class. When she got home, she worked on the last bit of late homework and tried to make time pass as fast as possible. At around 4 P.M. Shion pulled out a deck of cards. "Hey Onee, wanna play? You seemed stressed." Mion couldn't help but smile a little.

"Alright. But the winner gets to ask the loser 1 question. It can be anything though!" Shion smiled. But no matter how hard she tried; Shion won the game of poker in the end. Smiling, she put the cards away.

"Now Onee, what was your problem that's happened over the last few months? Because you've never acted that way before." Mion looked down, her bangs hiding her eyes. When she spoke, her tone was low and threatening.

"None of your damn business." Shion looked at her puzzled. Didn't Mion have to answer her? She did win.

"What?" She was very confused now.

"I SAID IT'S NONE OF YOUR GODDAMN BUISSNESS!" Mion sat there, trying to relax and breathing deeply. Shion looked like she'd just ripped Satoko's intestines out and forced them down her twin's throat. She'd made a chocking sound, swallowed hard, and got up.

"Fine then. I forgot something I needed to do at my apartment." She grabbed her bag, and Mion could hear her mutter something to Kasai before leaving. She felt sick, and didn't come down to dinner. She fingered the blade longingly in her pocket, but she'd have to wait. However she'd decided to sleep instead, and took one of the pills.

#

In the dream she couldn't see the light anymore, and there were now chains on her arms and neck. When she looked at her arms, they'd started to turn black at her fingertips, spreading up slowly but deliberately. It scared her, and she desperately struggled. It was still moving though, no matter how hard she tried. It hurt!

#

Opening her eyes, it was about 5 in the morning. Stretching, she tiptoed around, doing her usual morning routine. Leaving another, "Question To The Teacher," note, she left for school. It was getting chilly, due to it being late September, and she wished she'd brought a jacket. It normally didn't get this cold until October, and she stood freezing outside the small school.

She kept her hands crossed across her chest and shook, trying to stay warm. Luckily Chie-sensei came after a few minuets, unlocked the door, and let her in. She smiled gratefully and sat down, working on the last bit of her writing piece. Turning it in, she doodled more flowers on what she'd started to call the lily page.

The school day passed normally, until she opened her locker door to find all the props they used in club activities. It made her feel bad, remembering why it all started, so she ran home, grabbed a bag, and worked on throwing everything in the bag. After that she lugged it outside and tossed it near the bins, walking away with her school bag.

Rena had been watching though, and quickly took the bag home. Not only was it full of cute things, but maybe if Mion got better they could use it for club. She smiled and placed it in her closet. 'I'll give it back when she's ready.' It made the orange haired girl smile. She really hoped her friend got better.

#

THANKS FOR READING! And sorry for the time skips, I just didn't want it to get too boring.

Review time!

Sergeant Daniel- Yes! Correct. You get a toaster oven! But I think I buried it in Siberia. And the blackness represented her depression, and how the addictions were making her go deeper and deeper, making it nearly impossible to see the light. Shakespeare's got nothing on me!