"Trust me, Sage. This will help."
He looked over at Rowen. "Are... are you sure?"
The archer nodded.
Sage looked back up at the huge office building.
"Come on, Sage. Let's go in," Rowen said, pulling gently on his friend's arm.
"O...okay."
Together, they walked up the cold marble steps.
In the office, Sage looked around as Rowen read a magazine.
"Date, Sage and Hashiba, Rowen?" a voice asked from a loudspeaker. "Please enter. The doctor will see you now."
Rowen stood and waited for Sage to get up next to him.
"Ro? I don't like this idea."
The warrior of Strata patted his shoulder. "It's okay. We'll be fine."
Sage nodded, but he still looked afraid.
As they walked down the dark hallway, he became more and more nervous.
Finaly, they reached the door. Rowen opened it into a room equally as dark as the hallway and office.
"Welcome! Come in, please, and close the door!"
Rowen pulled Sage inside and closed the door behind them. When it clicked, Sage jumped.
A man rose from behind a desk. "Please, take a seat, and let's get started."
Rowen touched Sage's shoulder, and they walked over to the black plush chairs.
The man leaned against his desk, but did not come any further forward. The two could not see his face. "So," he said. "You, Mr..... Hashiba? Brought in your friend here, Mr....Date? Because you thought counseling would help him. Correct?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Date? Do you admit that you need help?"
Sage looked fearfully at Rowen.
"Y-yes."
"Good, good." The man smiled, and a flash of gold sparkled in his face.
"What do we have to do, to get started?" Rowen asked.
"Just answer my questions. Truthfully, of course."
"Of course."
"So... Mr. Date has tried to harm himself before now, correct?"
Rowen nodded.
"And you caught him in the act of trying to do so again?"
Rowen hesitated, and Sage shook his head fiercely, a scared look on his face.
"Yes... sort of," he replied.
The psychiatrist ignored his last comment. "And, you fear he may do so again?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Date. Is everything Mr. Hashiba said true?"
Sage shrunk back into his chair, and nodded once.
"Why do you harm yourself? Do you want something? Maybe you are having relationship problems?"
He shook his head.
"Do you like to hurt yourself? Does it give you a rush? Do you want to make your friends hurt, too? Is that why you do it?"
Sage shook his head again.
"Hmm..."
The doctor turned back to his desk and scratched some notes on a piece of paper. While his back was turned, Sage glanced quickly around the room, his gaze resting longest on the shaded windows on the opposite side of the room.
"So, Mr. Date," the man said, smiling again. "Why do you harm yourself?"
Rowen looked over at Sage expectantly.
The doctor looked at Sage, the gold spot still winking in his face.
Sage looked at the windows.
"Mr. Date?"
Rowen glanced at the doctor, then back at Sage.
The man's gold spot was winking even brighter now, and Sage could feel his gaze.
Sage still looked at the windows.
"Mr. Date," the man said, his voice demanding now, and the gold spot no longer visible. "Please answer the question."
"Sage?" Rowen whispered.
Sage remained silent, his gaze still locked on the windows.
The doctor shifted his weight back onto his feet, and crossed to the windows. "What are you looking at, Mr. Date?" He pulled at the shades, casting them aside.
Sage could see the stormy sky, and he stood up.
"Sage?"
Sage cocked his head slightly to one side. He walked slowly over to the windows. The psychiatrist steped aside, watching him.
Sage pressed his hands gently against the glass.
"Sage?" Rowen asked, louder this time. "What are you doing?"
Sage pulled his hands back from the cool glass. He held one hand up in front of his face, and formed it into a fist.
"Sage?"
He pulled his fist back and flung it at the glass. He saw the shards cut his skin, saw the blood fall with the glass ten stories back to earth.
Sage pulled his arm back through the hole in the window, and once again held his hand in front of his face.
"Sage?" Rowen said, his voice panicky, as he crossed the room to stand next to him. "What's the matter? Sage?"
Rowen got no response. Sage just looked at his hand like it was the most interesting thing in the world, and studied the streams of blood flowing from the numerous cuts and scratches.
"Please, tell me what's wong. Sage?"
"I can't feel it, Rowen. It doesn't hurt at all."
Sage blinked once, twice, and fell backwards. His head hit a table, and everything went black.
He looked over at Rowen. "Are... are you sure?"
The archer nodded.
Sage looked back up at the huge office building.
"Come on, Sage. Let's go in," Rowen said, pulling gently on his friend's arm.
"O...okay."
Together, they walked up the cold marble steps.
In the office, Sage looked around as Rowen read a magazine.
"Date, Sage and Hashiba, Rowen?" a voice asked from a loudspeaker. "Please enter. The doctor will see you now."
Rowen stood and waited for Sage to get up next to him.
"Ro? I don't like this idea."
The warrior of Strata patted his shoulder. "It's okay. We'll be fine."
Sage nodded, but he still looked afraid.
As they walked down the dark hallway, he became more and more nervous.
Finaly, they reached the door. Rowen opened it into a room equally as dark as the hallway and office.
"Welcome! Come in, please, and close the door!"
Rowen pulled Sage inside and closed the door behind them. When it clicked, Sage jumped.
A man rose from behind a desk. "Please, take a seat, and let's get started."
Rowen touched Sage's shoulder, and they walked over to the black plush chairs.
The man leaned against his desk, but did not come any further forward. The two could not see his face. "So," he said. "You, Mr..... Hashiba? Brought in your friend here, Mr....Date? Because you thought counseling would help him. Correct?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Date? Do you admit that you need help?"
Sage looked fearfully at Rowen.
"Y-yes."
"Good, good." The man smiled, and a flash of gold sparkled in his face.
"What do we have to do, to get started?" Rowen asked.
"Just answer my questions. Truthfully, of course."
"Of course."
"So... Mr. Date has tried to harm himself before now, correct?"
Rowen nodded.
"And you caught him in the act of trying to do so again?"
Rowen hesitated, and Sage shook his head fiercely, a scared look on his face.
"Yes... sort of," he replied.
The psychiatrist ignored his last comment. "And, you fear he may do so again?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Date. Is everything Mr. Hashiba said true?"
Sage shrunk back into his chair, and nodded once.
"Why do you harm yourself? Do you want something? Maybe you are having relationship problems?"
He shook his head.
"Do you like to hurt yourself? Does it give you a rush? Do you want to make your friends hurt, too? Is that why you do it?"
Sage shook his head again.
"Hmm..."
The doctor turned back to his desk and scratched some notes on a piece of paper. While his back was turned, Sage glanced quickly around the room, his gaze resting longest on the shaded windows on the opposite side of the room.
"So, Mr. Date," the man said, smiling again. "Why do you harm yourself?"
Rowen looked over at Sage expectantly.
The doctor looked at Sage, the gold spot still winking in his face.
Sage looked at the windows.
"Mr. Date?"
Rowen glanced at the doctor, then back at Sage.
The man's gold spot was winking even brighter now, and Sage could feel his gaze.
Sage still looked at the windows.
"Mr. Date," the man said, his voice demanding now, and the gold spot no longer visible. "Please answer the question."
"Sage?" Rowen whispered.
Sage remained silent, his gaze still locked on the windows.
The doctor shifted his weight back onto his feet, and crossed to the windows. "What are you looking at, Mr. Date?" He pulled at the shades, casting them aside.
Sage could see the stormy sky, and he stood up.
"Sage?"
Sage cocked his head slightly to one side. He walked slowly over to the windows. The psychiatrist steped aside, watching him.
Sage pressed his hands gently against the glass.
"Sage?" Rowen asked, louder this time. "What are you doing?"
Sage pulled his hands back from the cool glass. He held one hand up in front of his face, and formed it into a fist.
"Sage?"
He pulled his fist back and flung it at the glass. He saw the shards cut his skin, saw the blood fall with the glass ten stories back to earth.
Sage pulled his arm back through the hole in the window, and once again held his hand in front of his face.
"Sage?" Rowen said, his voice panicky, as he crossed the room to stand next to him. "What's the matter? Sage?"
Rowen got no response. Sage just looked at his hand like it was the most interesting thing in the world, and studied the streams of blood flowing from the numerous cuts and scratches.
"Please, tell me what's wong. Sage?"
"I can't feel it, Rowen. It doesn't hurt at all."
Sage blinked once, twice, and fell backwards. His head hit a table, and everything went black.