This is the final chapter. Say anything you wanted to now, cuz there isn't going to be another chance. I want to thank the readers of this story, and especially those who have been with it from the beginning.

Disclaimer: I don't own Paranoia Agent, or its characters. My story and my characters are mine, though.

By the way, you're going to hate me for how this ends. Seriously. Enjoy!

Tsukiko stared out the rain spattered window pane of the train. A soft spatter met her ears every so often. Her bag and case were placed on the antique styled seat next to her instead of above her in the metal rack. Her grey vest was creased where here stomach met her hips, and her knees touched although her feet were about two feet apart from each other. Tsukiko recalled the events that made her go on a train back to her home.

"There's no point in trying to escape. You have to go back to the city," said the girl. She looked like Tsukiko did at her age, and she held a sketchbook that looked eerily like Tsukiko's first.

"What are you talking about?" asked Tsukiko, her eyes shaking with fear. The events that had just recently transpired were still affecting her, and this weird girl didn't help matters.

"You can't find freedom," began the girl. She clutched her sketchbook tightly. She looked as if she was trying to hold back tears, but her body was betraying her. "You have to go back and face the truth,"

Tsukiko had no idea what that girl had exactly meant by "the truth," but she didn't have to. Not just yet. For a while, Tsukiko's eyes met the girl's. They just stared intently at each other. In that moment, Tsukiko realized, in some strange way, that the girl was right. Tsukiko nodded.

The girl turned around slowly, as though moving in slow-motion, and walked out of the opening to the room. She made no noise when she walked in thanks to the carpeting. Only the faint sound of carpet under pressure met her ears. When she was out of the room, Tsukiko stood silent for a moment, no more than a second or two, and then she ran out of the room. Tsukiko looked up and down the halls, but she couldn't find the girl.

Keeping her understanding, and ignoring all rational thoughts her mind was tirelessly pursuing, she grabbed her things, and walked out of the hotel, before anyone seemed to notice the events from earlier in the evening.

The train bustled with the noise of many people, but to Tsukiko, the only sound was of the rain hitting the window. This rain that had started when Tsukiko left the hotel and hadn't yet let up seemed to be telling her that she had a difficult journey ahead of her. She yawned, and tried to give in to the temptation of sleep due to lack of it, but failed miserably. There was no way that she was going to get any sleep before she entered the city.

Tsukiko settled on grabbing for a bag of chips, and then decided against it. Her stomach wouldn't go for it. Wow, nothing was working right now. She tried to think about how she would go about her business in the city. She almost laughed. There was nothing to think about. Her first order of business would be to get some information from Maniwa, and then straighten things out with that damn pink dog. Which meant she'd have to find it. Oh well, things would work out. Everything would finally be all set in her life, and she could live a normal life again.

A little to the left of her, someone held a case that was covered in what should have been bumper stickers. They said random phrases. "I hiked a trail, This is the final chapter in my life, Insert smiley face here…they were pretty much random.

THE FINAL CHAPTER

The train pulled into Tsukiko's stop, and she was hesitant in getting off. Did she really want to face this again? After everything she'd gone through last time, was she ready to do it all again? Tsukiko pushed these thoughts aside, and picked up her things. This time wasn't the same as last time. Last time she was running away from the truth. Last time, she wouldn't admit her problems. Last time, she hid behind that dog. No, this time wasn't the same. Granted, it would be difficult, but she would overcome it. She would make it through this time.

She wasn't going to run anymore.

Tsukiko walked towards the bus stop located just a few feet outside the station. It was the perfect spot for a bunch of tired commuters. Speaking of which, a lot of people were gathered at the stop. It looked like the bus was going to be showing up any minute, and people were standing where they hoped the bus would stop.

Tsukiko was happy standing towards the back of the crowd. People didn't have to worry. This was the bus's first and last stop on its route, and everyone would have a seat, unlike the unlucky few who would be getting on down the road. A part of Tsukiko wished the bus wouldn't show up. That part was more persistent in hoping the outline of it on the horizon wouldn't get bigger. Only when the doors to the bus opened did this part finally give up, and Tsukiko forced herself to get on the bus.

Like she predicted, there were plenty of seats available for people to sit at. At least seven empty seats met Tsukiko's eyes when she walked on, exactly like she said. She weaved between passengers legs as she made her way to one of the open seats. Now all she had left was the bus ride to the terminal, and then to the hospital.

Maybe I should go home, first, she thought. This would probably be a smart maneuver, to avoid lugging her travel case with her to the hospital. Then again, Maromi might be there too.

A battle like this raged in her head until she finally reached the bus terminal. It was then that she decided to go to the hospital first, and boarded the corresponding bus. Since the day was getting on, there wouldn't exactly be many people on this bus.

Tsukiko took a seat, and then waited for the bus to leave. She was tired, but knew better then to fall asleep on a bus, not like she could. All she could do was wait for the bus to stop near the hospital.

The front doors slid open smoothly as Tsukiko stepped near them. Directly in front of here was a receptionist desk, and towards her left was a small area designated for an emergency room. A small TV seemed to have been left on in that area. The woman at the desk only noticed Tsukiko as she walked towards her on the tiled floor.

"Can I help you?" she asked, obviously not having a friendly personality.

"Yes," started Tsukiko. "I'm here to see Mitsuhiro Maniwa, please." The woman proceeded in giving Tsukiko a look that said 'So?', but said nothing. After a little while, the woman responded.

"Are you family?" she said, as though Tsukiko was nothing but a waste of her time. Tsukiko just gave a half-hearted smile.

"Close friend," she responded. The woman stared for a few more minutes, before typing in a name on the computer.

"Third floor, second room on your right," said the woman, and went back to doing whatever fascinating thing she was before.

Tsukiko nodded in thanks, and then walked towards the elevators. She pushed the button labeled 'three', and waited for the steel elevator doors to close.

After a few minutes, the elevator made a soft ping, and the doors opened. Tsukiko walked out, and, doing as instructed, counted two doors to her right. Thankfully, the woman hadn't been lying, and the door was labeled with the person she wished to visit's name.

The wooden door opened with a creak, and the first thing that met Tsukiko's eyes was the back of a man's head just visible over a wheelchair. Tsukiko took a few steps closer until she was at his side. She was about to speak, but Maniwa beat her to it.

"He's back," began the hospital patient. "But not as before,"

Tsukiko was silent for a minute, before whispering two words. "Lil' Slugger,"

"His appearance is limited," continued Maniwa. "And his power is not as great," Those were the last word she had said before Tsukiko saw a familiar face hanging on to the back of the wheel chair.

"And rumors won't help him anymore," said the little girl who looked like Tsukiko. She pushed herself up using the handles of the chair, but left the sketchbook on the floor. Maniwa seemed oblivious to this situation, and his gaze was still fixed out the window.

"What are you doing here?" said Tsukiko, almost coldly. Then the girl looked at her with the same eyes she had when she first saw her. The girl's bottom lip trembled slightly. The room was silent for a minute, and then the girl spoke again.

"Does your head hurt?" she asked.

"What?" asked Tsukiko, giving her a puzzled look. How did this girl know about her headaches?

"I'd imagine it would," The girl pointed to Maniwa. "Around him."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Tsukiko. This girl seemed to know a lot of things about Tsukiko's life that even she didn't know.

"I wouldn't go near the elevator on your way down," she whispered, and then the girl turned and walked out of the room. Tsukiko stared at the open door for a few minutes before a sparkle caught her eye.

The sparkle came from the cover of a familiar sketchbook. Tsukiko didn't even know they still made these. She reached down and picked it up. The cover was the same as hers. The whole book seemed to give off an aura of familiarity. Tsukiko opened the front cover, and felt her eyes widen.

The front page had the same drawing as her old book.

Tsukiko turned the page. Another one of her drawings was there. A turn of the page revealed more of them. Tsukiko's eyes moved from left to right as they scanned the pages being turned faster and faster.

Everything was the same. Every line was as before. Every scribble still in its original form. This was her book. This was her book!

Tsukiko was deeply absorbed in the book. She turned to what she recalled to be her last drawing, and saw more pages. Her hand reached cautiously towards the edge of the page. Her heart raced when she touched it, and she felt nervous.

Then the book was snatched from her hands.

"Don't take what doesn't belong to you!" The girl was back, and glared at Tsukiko as she clutched the book close to her. The gaze was a weird mix of anger and sorrow.

"But that's mine," said Tsukiko in a voice as desperate as she was confused. There was a minute of silence, and then the girl responded.

"Stay away from the elevator,"

She turned to leave the room, and Tsukiko immediately followed. The girl broke into a sprint, and Tsukiko did too. The girl made a quick right when she was out of the room.

By the time Tsukiko was out in the hall, the girl was nowhere to be seen. Tsukiko looked left, and then turned her attention to the right, and to an elevator door that was closing.

Tsukiko ran towards it. That girl had answers that Tsukiko needed, and she wasn't going to let her get away. She shoved her arm in the small opening of the elevator, and managed to slip in. The doors closed behind her, and then Tsukiko realized it.

The little girl wasn't in the elevator, but someone else was. Someone that Tsukiko dreaded seeing. A young boy with a red cap and golden roller blades leaned against the elevator wall. The light and the cap covered his eyes in shadow, but that didn't affect what he said.

"Going up?" he asked, and Tsukiko felt her eyes widen with fear. The Elevator lurched as it started to go up, and Little Slugger smiled. It was then that she finally understood.

"I'm your next victim…" she said quietly. The boys smile grew wider. Then Tsukiko realized what she had done. In her haste to follow the girl, she had forgotten her travel case. The one thing she had that might have stopped the baseball bat was now lying on the floor of a hospital room. All Tsukiko had on her was her bag.

Suddenly Little Slugger kicked off the wall, and went towards her with as much force as he could muster. It was just by luck that Tsukiko dodged an assault that had dented the wall of the elevator. She had landed on her backside, and just barely had time to scramble over to the other side of the elevator before the bat was brought down again.

She started to pant as she repeated the process. The lights above the elevator slowly changed from 'three', to 'four' and so on. The elevator was almost on the seventh floor before another process of swinging and jumping was completed.

Little Slugger was starting to look irritated. Tsukiko had somehow managed to dodge all of his attacks, but was getting tired. How long could she keep this up? Little Slugger raised his bat one more time, but stopped as the elevator did on the level labeled 'roof'. The doors slid open, and Little Slugger smiled before skating out.

He stopped and turned around once he was outside to stare at Tsukiko, panting in a corner. He just smiled, and waved as the doors closed. What was this? Was he giving up? That didn't seem like him. Tsukiko stood up, grabbing her bag from where it fell during the chase.

And then the cable snapped.

A nurse walked down the long hallway towards Mitsuhiro Maniwa's room. A plastic container of food was placed on the tray she carried. It was time for dinner. Maniwa was where he seemed to always be. Staring out the window seemed to be his new hobby.

"Dinner time!" said the nurse in a polite voice. She didn't expect a response from Maniwa, but she new at least that he would know she was there. She approached, and noticed a travel case on the floor of his room. "Oh? What's this?"

The nurse placed the tray on a small wooden table provided for such instances, and picked up the case. She scanned it for a name tag, but found none. Oh well. Someone was bound to come for it sooner or later.

She set Maniwa up for food, and then left with the case. Lost and found would take care of it. She gave a small yawn as she walked. She really needed some time off. As the nurse walked by the elevators, she thought that she heard screaming. Dismissing it as her own thoughts, the nurse decided that she really needed some time off.

Tsukiko screamed as the elevator plummeted down the shaft. The lights inside had gone out, but she never would have known the difference. She had slammed her eyes shut out of fear.

The numbers flashed by above the door. 12, 11, 10, and so forth. Tsukiko screamed louder as she felt it nearing the basement. This was how it was all going to end? Her trapped in an elevator as Little Slugger continued to destroy the city?

"Excuse me," whispered a voice. Tsukiko was startled by the sound of another voice, and opened her eyes to the darkness of the plummeting elevator. But light met her eyes. The sun was still setting, and the lights were on.

The elevator was stopped on the first floor of the hospital. A Nurse was staring at her in confusion. Tsukiko observed her surroundings a second longer before grabbing the he shoulder bag, and running out of the hospital.

Tsukiko reached her apartment complex at nightfall. Her eyes were half-closed as she reached around her unbuttoned pocket for keys. Groaning as she remembered that she had packed them in her travel case, she leaned against the wall next to her apartment, thinking.

Then she dropped to her knees, and lifted up the corner of her front door mat. Sure, it was clichéd, but a spare key was still a spare key. Tsukiko didn't have to worry about anyone finding it though. She kept her door chained at night.

Tsukiko dropped the bag on the floor next to her bed, and then dropped into her bed herself. The day's events flowed through her head, and Tsukiko finally felt like she could sleep. Complying with her body's wishes, she finally fell asleep.

When Tsukiko woke up, the sun was high in the sky. Everything, in that moment, seemed to not exist. The world seemed to be relaxed, and everything was alright. In that short time, she had forgotten all about the events of yesterday, and was filled with a feeling that nothing was wrong.

All of that melted away when she rolled over and saw the girl sitting in a chair next to her bed, holding the sketchbook.

"What are you doing here?" exclaimed Tsukiko, suddenly fully awake. "How did you get in my house?"

"How is the truth still evading you?" asked the girl, dismissing the previous questions. "It was staring you in the face this whole time, and yet you blocked it out. You wouldn't believe any of it."

"What?" asked Tsukiko. Did anything this little girl say make sense? Any of it? What was she getting on about now?

"Maromi won't come back," said the girl. Tsukiko stared. "He will never come back. I don't think he can," the girl kept her gaze on Tsukiko.

"Why wouldn't he come back?" asked Tsukiko with a strange mix of joy and empathy.

"Check your shoulder bag," said the girl. Tsukiko realized that she hadn't. Not for a little while. What was in there that could possibly make things any clearer? Tsukiko stepped out of bed and bent down to pick up the bag she had dropped the night before.

She herself was still in her work clothes from yesterday. Last night she was too tired to change, and she didn't really care that morning. Tsukiko clutched the bag, and was about to open it, when there was a knock on her door.

Tsukiko still held the bag as she walked towards the door, and looked out through the eye hole. The man from the mental hospital was standing there.

Damn, she thought. Tsukiko quietly, yet quickly, ran back to her room, finding her shoes along the way. They slid on with a bit of a struggle, and then she opened her window. It would lead her to the fire escape, which would take her to a small back alley. It would be dirty, but definitely better then being falsely accused of being suicidal by the doctor.

It was her life, and she was going to lead a normal one after all of this.

The metal steps of the fire escape clanged as she charged down them. She was almost at the bottom when she felt her bag still on her shoulder.

"Check your shoulder bag,"

Tsukiko stopped running when she had made it out of the alley. The sunny street seemed to deeply contrast with the chaos and confusion she felt right. What could possibly be in a bag that would make all of this come into clarity?

Tsukiko looked ahead of her and saw the little girl standing in the middle of railroad tracks. The words she had said echoed in her head, and she slowly opened the bag as she stared at the girl.

A glint of gold caught her eyes, and Tsukiko dropped the bag.

A metal bat which had been tucked tightly into the bag was jostled loose, and rolled out.

Tsukiko felt as if she could throw up, as she remembered things. Things that he did, through her.

The sound of roller-blades on cement filled her ears, and didn't stop.

Harumi Chono screamed for help, and he would be obliged to do so.

"Tsukiko admitted it was her fault, and he left,"

Her head throbbed, and she passed out.

"But he was never gone,"

Maniwa was telling her too much. Tsukiko's right eye twitched a little, and she pulled out a slender baseball bat.

"Something that makes something like that can't forget it,"

Tsukiko panted, holding the bat in between her hands. Her hair was tucked under a red cap, and she stared at the hotel woman before bringing down the weapon and smiling.

Tsukiko was on her knees. This had all happened. She was the assailant. She attacked paranoid victims. She was the one!

Tsukiko looked up. The girl stood on the railroad tracks. Tsukiko smiled, and stood up. She took a few awkward steps towards the tracks. Her pace never quickened, but she reached the girl all the same.

She dropped back down to her knees, and embraced the girl. Her head was resting on the girls shoulders while her knees were on top of tracks.

"Sanctity of mind…" Tsukiko muttered. She started to cry. "I understand," she whispered as the warning lights began to flash. "I finally get it,"

The gates closed in front and behind of her, and a noise was growing louder from her right. Tsukiko closed her eyes, and hugged the girl. A gentle light filled her mind.

"It's over…" she said, tears stinging her eyes. Another light came from her right, and the noise reached its peak, before Tsukiko Sagi knew nothing.

A sketchbook flowed through the air. It landed on its spine, and fell open to a page with a few pink scribbles. The wind blew, and a few pages turned. The book was now open to a page that Tsukiko had not originally drawn.

The sketch was beautifully done. Shading was accurate, and details were flawless. It was a picture of a girl with wide eyes shut, and short black hair. She wore green shorts, and a hooded sweatshirt that was short-sleeved. The hands were clasped together over the chest, and wings were spread out.

Tsukiko was shaken. She awoke with a jolt, and noticed she was in her office. It was neat and organized, and everything seemed right. Tsukiko thought for a minute. Just then, everything had made sense. She understood everything, so why did nothing make sense now?

By looking to her left, Tsukiko saw it was Mariyama who had shaken her out of what Tsukiko could only guess was sleep.

"Come on, Tsukiko," said Mariyama. "I can't keep you, no matter how well you draw, if you sleep on the job!" said the woman in a non-serious manner,

"I'm…sorry," said Tsukiko. Maybe she was dreaming? Tsukiko looked at the screen and saw another character on the screen. It was half finished.

"So," began Mariyama. "Were you having some kind of nightmare?"

"I must have," responded Tsukiko. "Guess everything's still normal." The light from the window gleamed on her face.

A few hours later, Tsukiko was walking home. No one acknowledged her, and no one disregarded her. She just blended into the crowd. A man threw a newspaper into a trash bin, and Tsukiko stopped to look at it.

New Movie From Renowned Animator Big Hit!

Tsukiko smiled and kept walking. Another man walked by, and seemed not to notice Tsukiko. He did notice the paper though.

The Final Chapter in Tsukiko Sagi's Life!

Did thoughts of Suicide push her over the edge?

And that's the end. I told you that you might be upset. And I guarantee that there will be at least a few people who don't get the end. Well, this was the last chapter, so review whatever you want. Thank you, and until I think of a new story, later!