"There. That should be it. What do you think?" Aaron asked as he sat hunched over the desk, looking over his shoulder to see Sayori at his side, her looking down at the notebook resting on said desk. "It's not bad, is it?"

"It's… It's perfect!" Sayori said happily, a bright smile on her face as she held the notebook in her hands, Sayori able to turn the pages and read her own story at her heart's content, as if it were actually written down in a real book. "It's exactly how I imagined it'd be. It's amazing! You're amazing! Thank you so much!" She shouted in gratitude as she hugged Aaron, her arms tightly wrapping around his torso, squeezing him, Aaron chuckling slightly as he hugged back.

"Well, you're welcome. It was fun writing with you. We should do it again" He stated as he pulled away from Sayori, seeing that bright, beaming smile. That look of pure happiness on her face, as if all her worries and troubles just vanished, Aaron growing a smile of his own as he saw that. It was almost just as bright as Sayori's, him just being happy that she was happy. Happy that after seeing days worth of hurt, pain, sadness, suffering and discomfort from his friends, he was now able to see at least one of them smile genuinely, even if only for a little while.

His smile soon faded after realizing that. If only for a little while…

This… This wasn't a guaranteed fix. This wasn't the end all be all solution to what Sayori was facing. Wasn't the miracle cure she needed to get back to her old self. This was just a… temporary delayer to the problem. A little piece of tape to cover the leak. A distraction. A diversion, just as Aaron initially stated.

He couldn't bring himself to smile anymore after that realization. After realizing that his efforts to cheer his friend up and make her feel better were… pointless. If anything, this realization only led him to frown as he hung his head in failure. Sure. She's happy now. She's smiling now. But… what about later? What about an hour from now? Two hours from now? A day? A week? Would that smile be able to stay there for that long? Would she be satisfied for all that time?

No. Obviously not. Eventually, that smile on her face, the happy feeling she feels now… it will all just fade away in time, Sayori going right back where she left off… in a miserable, sad, depressed state.

So… how is Aaron going to fix this? How is he going to be able to make this better? To make her better? How is he going to be able to rid his best friend, his sister, of these terrible feelings brewing and festering within her? Did he even have the power to do so? I mean… Aaron wasn't a doctor. Wasn't a psychologist, psychiatrist or… whatever you're supposed to see for something like this. So what did he know about fixing Sayori? What did he know about being able to make her feel better in the long run? What did he know about healing her? About curing her?

He scoffed at his own use of those words. Healing… Curing… As if there was something wrong with her. As if she was abnormal. Different. Not right. But… she was, wasn't she? I mean, people with depression. They're… not normal, right? They're not right in their heads. There's something wrong with them and that something needs to be cured… or at least Aaron assumed.

But… according to Sayori, she's been this way for as long as she can remember. And based off of what Aaron always saw of her, she only recently started behaving so abnormally. So… was the depression really to blame for how she was acting? Was it a factor? Maybe so, but most likely not the cause itself.

"Hey… What's wrong? Why do you look so sad?" Sayori asked as she brought her hand to Aaron's chin, raising it slightly to look at her. "Is everything okay?" She asked again, Aaron sighing as he shook himself out of whatever trance he found himself in, quickly coming back to reality as he replaced his frown with a smile.

"Um… Yeah! I'm fine! I just… I had a bad thought. That's all" He stated, trying his best to keep a cheerful and happy look on his face, so much so that it hurt a little, Aaron wondering how Sayori was able to fake her emotions like this so flawlessly, whereas he can't even fake a simple smile.

"A bad thought? About what?"

"It's nothing. Nothing at all. I already forgot about it" Aaron said dismissively, waving his hand to the side, as if swatting the thought away, Sayori still unconvinced as her head tilted back slightly in reaction to Aaron's odd behavior. "So, what do you wanna do next?" He asked, eager to move on from the current subject. "We could make some popcorn and watch TV. Maybe some old movies? Or if you want, we could play some video games. Or do you wanna do some more writing?"

"Actually, I'm pretty tired and it's getting really late" Sayori stated as she pointed out to the window, paying particular attention to the pitch black darkness outside, the few and far between streetlights along the sidewalks being the only things illuminating the path. "I think I'm gonna turn in" Sayori said, a small yawn escaping her as she did so, Aaron feeling one escape him as well.

"Yeah… I guess we lost track of time. I should be heading home. Unless… you need something from me?" He asked, just to be sure Sayori was okay.

"No. No, I should be fine for now. You can go home if you want" She stated as she walked over to the door, fiddling with the locks before opening it, Aaron sighing almost hesitantly as he walked toward the door, as if he didn't really want to leave.

He… He felt like it was the wrong move to make. Leaving Sayori to herself. Alone. Left with only the thoughts in her head as company. Thoughts that Aaron saw as… dangerous. Dangerous to Sayori. To her health. To her well being. To her… To her life.

Aaron was worried, as all good friends should be. He was worried and scared. Scared to leave Sayori alone. To take his eyes off her for even a second, only to find her dead… hanging by a rope attached to the ceiling.

A shiver of dread ran down his spine as he imagined such a gruesome image. Imagined such a wicked and awful scenario. Yet oddly… he couldn't seem to shake an odd feeling of déjà vu as he pictured such a horrible thing, as if he'd seen it before from… somewhere. Somewhere he couldn't place. Maybe somewhere he didn't even want to place.

"Are you gonna say something or just stand there? Come on, man! I'm letting all the cold air in!" Sayori said, her voice bringing Aaron out of his thoughts again.

"Oh! Sorry, I just… I was just thinking about something" He chuckled nervously as he walked towards the door. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, concern visible on his face, Sayori simply smiling as she rolled her eyes.

"It's sweet of you to worry about me. Thank you" She said as she pulled Aaron into another hug, this one being much more tighter. Felt more… clingy then the last one. Had less gratitude and more desperation in it, that somewhat unnerving Aaron as he reluctantly hugged back, his concern not even close to being alleviated. "Don't worry. I'll be fine, I promise" Sayori whispered quietly in Aaron's ear, doing her best to reassure him. "I'm okay. You're okay. We're all okay and we're all happy. Everything will be alright" She stated.

"I'm okay… You're okay… We're all okay… And we're all happy. Everything will be alright" Aaron repeated, his voice sounding oddly monotoned. Almost like a zombie, A slightly shocked look on his face as he pulled away from Sayori, bringing his hands to his lips soon after, as if to check whether he was still in control of them.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Sayori asked, a genuine look of worry on her face. "Your face just went white! Like you saw a ghost or something! You okay?"

"Ye-Yeah. I just… Did I say that?" He asked, a look of pure confusion on his face.

"Yeah. Yeah, you did. You repeated what I said to you. Kinda weirdly too. You sounded kinda like a robot. Like some kinda mindless machine" Sayori giggled nervously, a long and awkward moment of silence coming soon after she finished speaking, Sayori and Aaron both just… standing their nervously, waiting for the other to do… something. "You're probably just tired. You should go home. Get some rest. You'll feel better tomorrow morning" Sayori said reassuringly, breaking the silence as she gently patted Aaron's shoulder.

"Um… Yeah. You're right. I'm just tired. It's uh… It's been a long day" Aaron stated as he walked trough the door, now outside Sayori's house. "You're absolutely sure everything's okay?" He asked again, just to be safe.

"You worry too much" Sayori stated as she rolled her eyes again, this time in a slight annoyance. "Listen… I know I kinda just exploded a second there. But I'm better now. I'm more than better. I'm happy… for now, at least"

"Yeah. For now. But what about later? What about tomorrow or the day after?" Aaron asked as he stood outside Sayori's house, a worried look on his face.

"People like me… We can't afford to worry about tomorrow or the day after. The best thing is to just… focus on now. Go one day at a time, you know?" Sayori said, a small smile on her face. "I know that's not a great way to deal with the problem in your eyes. But for me, it's just fine. I'll deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes. For now… I just wanna enjoy what I have before it goes away"

"I'm just worried for you" Aaron stated bluntly.

"I know you are. And thank you for showing concern. You're a good friend, Aaron. The best actually" Sayori said as she exited from the door frame, coming outside to Aaron, hiding her hands behind her back as she looked up at him, an odd twinkle in her eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked somewhat nervously, Sayori only responding with a giggle as she practically leaped onto him, Aaron jumping back slightly in shock as he felt Sayori wrap her arms around him again, only to then feel her lips on his cheek, kissing it gently before pulling away, a shocked and surprised look on Aaron's face as his cheeks turned a shade redder, Sayori giggling at his reaction as she removed herself.

"The look on your face! It's like you've never been kissed before! But… we both know that's not true" She grinned almost devilishly, giggling again after seeing Aaron pout. "Oh, calm down. It's a peck on the cheek. There's no harm in it" She stated. "Now, you go home. Get lots of sleep and I'll see you tomorrow. And remember, no matter what happens… everything will turn out okay in the end. I promise" She said with a smile as she walked back into her home, shutting the door before Aaron could say anything, his jaw now left hanging open as he stared at the front door to Sayori's house, him only able to sigh as his head hung low, his hands going into his pockets as he turned around and walked away, making his way back home through the dark suburban neighborhood.

"Why do I feel like she was lying to me?" He asked himself.

Sayori sighed in contentment after shutting the front door, soon walking back into the living room and making herself comfortable on the couch, the notebook which had Sayori and Aaron's story written on it in her hand, her smiling as her eyes went back and forth between the pages. Left and right constantly as she carefully read each word on each page, examining it like a critic examines art, searching for any and all forms of mistakes, her smile only growing wider when she found none.

It was a genuine smile. A true smile. One that she had not had in years. It was nothing like those fake masks she wore to fool others. Nothing like her false smiles of phony happiness. No. This… This was real. A real smile! Real happiness! And it was all because of this one notebook in her hands. This tiny collection of pages. This story. Her story.

Did anyone have any idea how important this was to her? For what felt like months, she had tried and failed so many times to write this story down on paper. To bring the little thoughts and ideas. The characters and sets out of her mind and into the real world. Onto paper!

It was so hard. So incredibly difficult. So painstaking and aggravating was the amount of effort she'd put into trying to make her vision a reality, only to grunt in frustration as she tore apart the paper, her frustration forcing her to scrap her work before it even got started. It was so hard for her to sit down and write even one paragraph of this… But it wasn't hard for Aaron. It was easy for him. Effortless. Like it wasn't even real work to him, Sayori somewhat jealous of his ability to write so well with little to no difficulty, unlike her.

The way he just hunched over her desk, pencil in hand, writing down everything. Every detail Sayori had told him about her vision, only for him to perfectly, one hundred percent understand what to do, him bringing her story to life with little to no time at all.

He truly does have talent. But she… She doesn't. It was obvious at this point. Written on the wall for all to see. Sayori… she'd never be able to do something like this. Could never even dream of it, what with her skill the way it was. Nonexistent. As in, she had no skill, this being especially obvious when compared to the other members of the club, the quality of their writing far exceeding her own. Far surpassing it, actually. Blowing it out of the water so effortlessly.

It made Sayori wonder. Made her wonder why she, the least talented in the whole club, was the leader of it in the first place. Made her wonder why she was given such an honorary title and role. Such a position of power. A position of authority when there were others who were far better suited for the role. Much more worthy than she. Was it because she was the founder? Because she was here first? Because she set the groundwork for everyone else?

If so, that wasn't fair. Wasn't fair for anyone else in the club. Wasn't fair for Natsuki. Wasn't fair for Yuri. And it wasn't fair for Aaron especially.

They were all so much more talented than Sayori, each of them being exceptional at their craft in their own unique way. In their own unique style. Why then, should they all be forced under Sayori's thumb? Forced under the authority of someone so… below them? So inferior to them? So… pathetic, compared to them?

Yes. Pathetic. That's what she was… That's all she ever was…

I mean, writing is supposed to be easy right? Like, it's words on paper. How hard could it be? All you have to do is just sit down and let your mind drift. Let it wander. Let it come up with all these new and fascinating thoughts and ideas, while you just sit there and write it down. Do this for a minute or so, and you could create… well, anything.

You could create the biggest, brightest, most beautiful world anyone's ever seen, fill it to the brim with interesting plots and scenes, populated by a huge cast of diverse and unique characters. Send them on their little adventures, whether they be exploring modern life or fighting back against a great evil or injustice. And all of this can be achieved with literally nothing but a piece of paper, a pencil and some time alone. Anyone in the club was able to do this. Literally anyone. Aaron could do it. Natsuki could do it. So could Yuri.

Hell, Yuri could probably crank out a full set of novels in less than a few hours or so. Meanwhile, Sayori could barely write a single paragraph. What does that say to people? What does that imply? What does that mean when the president of a literature club can barely write literature?!

It means that she's a fraud! A fake! A masquerade! A liar…

Maybe that's why nobody joined the club. Maybe the reason it was so desolate and empty was because everyone could see through Sayori's lies. See through her bullshit. That's why the club is such a miserable failure. Why it's in such disastrous disarray. Because of its oh so glorious leader. Its pathetic excuse for one.

"That's why its failing… Because of me…" She said as she picked her head up from the notebook, no longer gazing at her story.

She scoffed at that. Her story. Yeah right! If anything, it was Aaron's story! Not hers! It was him who wrote it! Him who hunched himself over her desk! He was the one who worked hard over it! Slaved away to try his best to make her little fantasy a reality! It was his words on that page! Not hers! It was his hand that wrote them down! Not hers! It was his blood, sweat and tears that went into it! He worked on it!

And what did Sayori do? What did she contribute? Nothing! All she did was look over Aaron's shoulder and bark orders at him, telling him to do it like this and that! Stifling his creativity just so she can have her little story! Her little narrative! Her no better than a tyrannical dictator lording themselves over the innocent populous!

She grit her teeth as she looked down at the notebook in her hands, a surge of sudden anger and disgust towards herself overtaking her as she held up the notebook, staring at the page, her frustration only building as it practically taunted her. This simple book's existence now the very testament to her lack of skill. Her inability to create. Her failure to do her job.

It enraged her. Practically set her veins on fire, boiling her blood as her face went red, her unable to deal with the fact that this simple collection of words on paper revealed to the world that she was a fraud. That she was nothing more than an imitator. A pretender. A faker, her rage growing out of hand and out of control as her hand suddenly gripped the pages tightly, them crumpling and wrinkling under her grip before she furiously ripped them out, her lost in a fit of anger, so blind by rage, unable to understand what she was doing as she proceeded to practically shred the pages into tiny pieces.

It was only after the sudden wave of anger passed that she realized what she'd done, gasping in shock at her actions as she saw the pieces scattered about the floor.

"No… No!" She shouted in panic as she fell to her knees, picking up the small sheds one by one and gathering them in her hand, her now feeling immense guilt for destroying the story Aaron had worked so hard to write for her, and all over such an idiotic reason.

Why did she destroy it? Because it made her feel bad about herself? Because it showed her that she was nothing more than a talentless hack? Because it shined the truth on a lie so well crafted, that it even fooled the one who told it? Because it called her out on her inability to create. Her inability to justify her position as leader. Because it showed her that no matter how hard she tried… she can't do anything unique, creative or original.

It showed her that she can't do… anything. It showed her that she was worthless. That she was pathetic. Weak.

And now here she was… a weak, worthless loser. An unoriginal, brain dead nobody, kneeling over ripped pieces of paper, Sayori sighing as she brought her hands to her face and shaking her head. "What the hell is wrong with me?" She asked, her voice nothing more than a pained whisper as she began sobbing, the rain clouds from before now coming back to shower Sayori in their negativity, a wave of sadness now washing over her in the wake of her outburst. There were no tears this time though. No crying or weeping, Sayori most likely having run out of tears to cry after her… previous episode, her body exhausted of tears as she continued to kneel in front of the ripped bits of paper.

"I… I can fix it!" She said, her tone growing somewhat hopeful as she continued gathering the shreds. "I just need a little tape, some staples and… No! I can rewrite it! It'll be easy! I just need to… I just… I… I'm pathetic" She sighed as her head hung low in despair, her arms falling to her sides as the bits of paper she collected fell out of her hands, scattering back onto the floor as Sayori continued to kneel down. "Why? Why did I do this?" She asked herself in a pained whisper. She knew why though.

It was because the story proved to her that she was talentless. That she was inept. Too stupid to create anything on her own. Too dull and mundane. Too bland and boring. Not original or creative enough, so much so that she needed a ghost writer of all things to do her work for her.

And how did she respond to these facts? How did she handle herself when she was proven to be so worthless? What was her first reaction? Violence. Anger. Hate. Rage. Her taking it out on an innocent collection of paper. A simple notebook, only to then feel the horrible guilt when she came to. When the violence passed. When the rage and anger dissipated.

Just like how she felt after she attacked Yuri.

Sayori sighed in sadness as that memory popped into her head again, her trying her hardest to will it away. To force it down. To banish it from her mind so she'd never relive the memory again.

Sadly, her attempts to forget about it failed. Her conscience… It just wouldn't let her forget. It just wouldn't stop beating her over the head with it. Just wouldn't stop hammering home the fact that what Sayori did was wrong. Awful. Immoral, her foolishly thinking this gut wrenching guilt that built in the pit of her stomach would finally go away. Would finally leave her to get on with her pathetic existence already! But no… it was still there. Still eating away at her. Still making her feel awful, regardless of the fact that she apologized.

Apologized… More like failed to justify, in all honesty. That's what it felt like… because that was what it was. A justification. It was no apology. No real, true apology. It was a piss poor justification for a crime! For an assault! For intimidating and strong arming an innocent person! A defenseless one at that! But more so, a friend.

Yuri and Sayori… they were supposed to be friends. Not necessarily close, but not distant either, their relationship sort of being in the middle. Yet… it wasn't anymore. She knew Yuri didn't truly accept her apology. She knew Yuri was only going along with it. Just smiling and nodding her head as she heard Sayori's pathetic justifications for her vile actions.

How Sayori knew this though… she couldn't explain. She didn't read anything from Yuri's face. Didn't see anything in the way she moved or heard anything in the way she spoke, Yuri so skillfully hiding her true feelings, so much so that Sayori was somewhat impressed.

It was just… A voice. A voice in the back of her head. A voice that sounded a lot like her own. An old enemy of Sayori's, actually. The little voice in the back of her mind that made her feel so… worthless. So pathetic. So weak. A voice that only did nothing but put Sayori down. Spread negativity. Self hatred. Anger. Sadness.

This voice that tormented Sayori for so long. This side of herself that just… hated her so much, told her the truth. Told her the real way Yuri felt about her 'apology.' Told her what Yuri's real thoughts and opinions were. They weren't good. Weren't forgiving. Weren't… weren't what Sayori was expecting.

She wondered why Yuri kept these thoughts to herself, rather than voicing her opinion to Sayori. Wondered why she simply smiled and went along with it, rather than stating how she really felt. Was it because of Aaron? Did she only apologize for his sake? Did she only apologize because she didn't want her boyfriend to think she and his best friend would never get along if they didn't?

Was it for the good of the club? Did Yuri decide to sweep it all under the rug in order to maintain her professionalism? Thinking that holding a grudge against the president would end up getting her kicked out? Understandable, but Sayori would never do that, regardless of how she felt about Yuri personally. It went against her principles. Was it fear? Was Yuri… afraid of Sayori? Intimidated by her? Fearful of what would happen to her should she refuse the apology? Did she fear that refusing it would bring about more bullying? Another scene in the girls bathroom? Another attack? Maybe… That must have been it, especially after the way Sayori attacked her.

To an onlooker, it was no better than a simple shove. A smash against a wall. A push that may have been a little too hard. But for the attacker and the attacked, the intentions were quite clear. It was more than just an attack. Or at least… At least it was going to be before Sayori restrained herself.

When Yuri's back hit the wall and Sayori heard her scream in pain… something clicked inside her. A switch flipped. A dial of some kind turned. Something happened to her. Something awful.

She couldn't explain it, but hearing the sound of Yuri in pain felt… Good. Strangely satisfying. Relieving. It felt… It felt good to hurt her. It felt good to put her hands on her so forcefully. To throw her around like a piece of meat! To show that little bitch her place! To let that little slut know exactly who was in control! To let her know who was the boss! Who was the one making the rules! Who was the master!

And who was the slave… The servant… The underhand… The inferior.

It felt so good to see her face twist in fear. Felt so good to see her so scared. So afraid. So powerless. So defenseless. And when the tears started falling, it made Sayori feel so empowered! So strong! Made her feel near untouchable!

And than she saw the after effects of her actions… Came down from her power trip and realized that what she did was wrong. Realized that was not the way things should have happened. Realized that she was no better than the very people she had been tortured by for so many years. Realized that she had become a bully. Or more so… a sadist. A person who enjoyed hurting others. Got some sort of sick pleasure out of it. Some sort of high, if only for that one second.

She was so glad she was able to pull herself back before she did… more.

More. Sayori wanted to do more. So much more. She wanted to do more than simply push Yuri against a wall. She wanted to… She wanted to kick her! She wanted to punch her! She wanted to give her a black eye! Cut her open with something sharp! She wanted to grip her hands around her neck and choke the life out of her! C̶̱̆̈h̵̯͘o̶̥̳̽͊k̴̮̳͌e̷͇͚̋̚ ̸̗͆̀h̴͔̞͂͠é̵̡̧̐r̶̦̾ ̷̩͑j̴̬̅u̴̮̔s̵̱͑ț̶͕̀ ̴̭͐l̸̹̤̀̔ĭ̸̙̈́k̴͇̀̍ê̶̥̎ ̸̙̎̀s̷̛̜h̵̫͈͌̊e̷͖̻͛̓'̴̻̽̃ḓ̶͚̎͗ ̵̤̲̕b̵̻͊͘e̷̗̅͝e̷̫̚ň̵̗̺ ̷̟͆c̵̻͍̈́͒h̵͍̺̎o̸̘̼̾k̵̥̓e̶͇̠͒d̷̪̙͘ ̷͚̗̀̂b̷̧̧̎͠ę̸̙̿̐f̷̡̻̑ǫ̴̌͌r̷̻̂͝ͅe̵̬̎͘! She wanted… She wanted to kill her. To kill Yuri for… no reason.

No. No, there was a reason. A very awful, very selfish reason.

She was jealous of Yuri. Envious even, feeling threatened and intimidated by her intelligence. By her literacy. By the fact that she would be ten times the president Sayori could ever be! And lets not forget the fact that she was more… well endowed than Sayori. Much better looking. More womanly and less… girlish. That's what Sayori was. Just a little girl. A cute kid. But Yuri? Yuri was a beautiful woman. Outclassed Sayori in almost everything. It was only natural for someone as inferior as her to feel intimidated and scared when in the presence of someone far superior. She was Venus and Sayori was… She wasn't even on the same spectrum. Wasn't in the same league.

She was always jealous of Yuri. Always envious, even long before Aaron joined the club, Sayori often comparing herself to Yuri many times. What happened and how Sayori felt wasn't spur of the moment. It was building up for a long time, like a volcano, laying dormant and storing power before suddenly coming back to life, erupting furiously.

But it was after Aaron joined that things escalated to where they were now. She… She saw the way he acted around her. The interest Aaron showed towards her and the interest she showed back, going so far as to the very first second he entered the club. He… He never looked at Sayori the way he looked at Yuri. Never did it no matter how badly Sayori hoped he would have.

But Sayori had finally been set off when they kissed during the festival. It just… it broke her. It practically destroyed her. And it also made her realize how much she cared for Aaron…

Made her realize how important he was to her. How needed he was in her life. How much… How much she wanted him. Needed him. And there Yuri was… stealing him away before Sayori even had a chance to do anything. Stealing him and keeping him all to herself like some sort of selfish whore! Sealing the deal and locking Aaron out of ever being in any sort of relationship with Sayori, save for the brother-sister one they were in now!

All this just… boiled over. Built up and up until Sayori had no choice but to explode! But to just let it all out! Her rage and anger overshadowing her completely and taking over, so much so that she even thought of murdering the poor girl!

She was glad she was able to pull herself out of it when she did, the thought of murdering Yuri taking it too far, Sayori looking back on such a thought with fear. It alone bringing her to tears as she imagined it. Imagined herself one day overcome with rage and anger again. Walking right up to Yuri and just… stabbing her. Cutting her. Bludgeoning her. Choking her… Ridding her of her precious life for no reason at all. Killing an innocent soul because she was jealous. Angry. Aggravated. Irritated. Desperate.

It terrified Sayori. Terrified her to no end. The idea of her having the power to take Yuri's life… The idea of her turning into a… a murderer.

I don't exactly see why that's a bad thing though. After all, the freak has it coming. Deserves it. The way she flaunts herself. The way she just walks around acting like she's the smartest one in the room. The most dignified. The most cultured and refined. The most collected and sane. When in reality, she's a bigger freak than any of us could ever be! A bigger freak than Aaron. A bigger freak than Natsuki. A bigger freak than even you! And you're the one hearing voices in your head and seeing hallucinations of hung corpses!

"Oh no…" Sayori said in panic as she heard the voice in the back of her mind. The voice from before. The one that forced that awful thought into her mind. The one that made her do it! The one that made her hurt Yuri! The one that… The one that wanted her to kill her.

The very same voice that always shouted at Sayori! The one that always put her down and forced her to hate herself so much. The side of her that just… hated her so vehemently. Here it was again to put its cruel, hateful words and toxic thoughts into Sayori's head, her trying her hardest to shut it out. To keep it away as she forced herself to think of something else.

I don't even understand why you feel guilty for wanting to kill her. As if that little bitch was actually worth feeling guilty over! You would have been doing this world a favor, you know! I mean, you're a freak too, but at least you don't need to use your mental health as leverage for sex! "Fuck me hard or I'll go back to cutting myself!" And you're was supposed to feel guilty for wanting to stop that?! Please!

"Wait… What?" Sayori asked in confusion as she picked herself up off the floor, a look of complete disbelief on her face as she heard those twisted, cruel thoughts echo in her mind. "She… She cuts herself? How… How do I know that?" She asked to herself, her tone fearful. "What the fuck is going on with me?!" She asked, panic in her voice.

It's fucking disgusting and pathetic! The way she holds Aaron hostage like that! The way she threatens him with that self harm bullshit! Making him do what she wants, simply because he's too naive to know when he's being used!

"No! No, you're lying! You… You have to be lying!" Sayori shouted out loud, arguing with her own mind. "Yuri… She'd never… Why would she?"

Why? As if she needs a reason. You want an answer? Fine, I'll give you one! It's because she's a disgusting degenerate! A filthy, disgusting degenerate whore who's so desperate for attention that she'd hold someone hostage and force them to deal with her fucked up head! Because she's a sick freak!

"No, she's not! Sh-She's my friend!" Sayori stated, a rebellious tone in her voice, her trying her hardest to defy the thoughts floating around in her own mind. The awful, dehumanizing thoughts, their toxic words serving no other purpose than to poison Sayori. To force her to do something she could never bring herself to or forgive herself for, her mind suddenly going homicidal against Yuri, Sayori trying her hardest to keep her head in check. To try and regain control. To fight back and re-enforce her dominance.

She couldn't understand why this was happening. Why her mind had turned so violent. So homicidal. So murderous and bloodthirsty. It was just impossible for Sayori to comprehend! Just like… Just like her depression.

Just like how she struggled to find a reason as to why she was so sad and angry all the time. Struggled to find the cause of the problem. Struggled to find the solution… And struggled to confide in others, Sayori having no idea why she functioned the way she did, herself often feeling like a spectator in her own body most of the time. An onlooker. A prisoner, watching helplessly as her body and mind acted out beyond her control, her powerless to do anything.

It was almost like… Like she had no real control over herself at all. Like all her actions had already been predetermined for her. Her every move calculated and planned on her behalf. Her every word written down like lines on a script, herself merely an actor playing a role.

Was… Was this true? Was she just some actor forced to read lines? Was that… Was that why she was so ignorant to the way she acted? Because she wasn't in control of her actions in the first place? Was this what caused her to want Yuri dead? Was this why she even thought about killing her in the first place? Because… Because someone placed that thought in her head? Made her think that way? Forced such a thing over her?

Is that why she's so powerless to stop herself from thinking such things? Because the one who's making her act this way wills it? But… Who is this person? An average everyday student like herself? No… Was it God? The Devil? Or something else? Something worst? Whatever it was, Sayori wasn't going to take it anymore! She… She was done being manipulated by forces she couldn't comprehend! Done being held by strings she couldn't see! Done being barked orders at by something she couldn't hear!

She won't! She won't be this sick and evil force's slave anymore! She won't let it control her! She won't allow herself to bend the knee and submit! Wasn't going to just play with the hand she'd been dealt!

She could see it all so clearly now, the revelation opening her eyes! Finally allowing her to see the truth! And for so long… she blamed herself for the way she turned out. The way she acted. It wasn't her fault that she was depressed. It wasn't her fault that she was suicidal. It wasn't her fault that she was possessive. Clingy. Selfish. Stubborn. Angry. Hateful. Murderous…

It was… It was the force's fault! God or… whoever it was! It was all their fault! They put these ideas into her head! They made her commit these actions! They made her act this way! They made her shout these volatile and toxic words! They were the one who turned her against her friends! Against Aaron and Yuri! They were the reason why Sayori couldn't be happy!

And she didn't want it anymore! She wanted out of their control! She wanted her freedom! She wanted the ability to think for herself! Speak her own mind! Act out of her own intent! She wanted freedom and she wanted it now!

"I won't… I won't let you control me anymore! Whoever you are! Whatever you are! Go away! L-Leave me alone!" She shouted loudly as she looked above, thinking herself to be staring down whatever force or will held sway over her. Whatever entity or being held her leash. Her strings. All the while, the voice in her mind only grew more and more defiant. More and more angry, no doubt in Sayori's mind that it was the force trying to double down on it's hold over her. Trying to weaken her in an attempt to prevent her escape.

Wow. Look at how insane you've become! You're actually shouting at your own ceiling! What a freak! Then again… only insane people think about murdering their friends over something as stupid and useless as a boy.

"You… You shut your mouth! Aaron is not stupid! He's not useless! He's… He's my best friend! My brother! He's-"

A good for nothing, worthless, perverted neet who leeches off the hard workings of parents that didn't even want him! A pathetic excuse for a man! A weak, unconfident, little boy that's desperate for sex, yet is near incapable of creating a relationship with a woman to get it! So much so, that he resorted to taking on a mental case and pity fucking her on his couch!

"I… I… Shut up!" Sayori shouted angrily, rage obvious in her voice. "You're wrong! He's none of those things!" She denied heavily. "You're just trying to put words in my head! Control my brain! Make me hate him just as much as you made me hate Yuri!"

Did you know he never actually wanted to join the club?

"Wha… What?"

Of course you didn't. You're so dense. He only ended up staying because of Yuri and Natsuki, you know. His thoughts exactly being "This club… is full of incredibly cute girls!" The little freak was a pervert who just used you and 'your' club as a place to find himself a fuck buddy!

"No… No, you're wrong!"

And what a fuck buddy he found! The perfect one actually. A mentally damaged, edgy loner who's so anti-social and awkward, that's she'd just end up taking and sticking with whatever she got! A pathetic, submissive and dependent little thing. Docile and obedient. Unable to fight back against him. Unable to force her will on anything or anyone. Well… when she's not desperately horny, that is.

"I… I don't want to hear this anymore! It's wrong for me to think this way! I just… I'll just stop thinking about it! I… I need to go outside! Get some fresh air! Ju-Just be somewhere else…"

And to think… You're jealous of that. Jealous of something so… pathetic and weak. So much so that it drives you to murder!

"I'm not listening! I'm not listening!" Sayori shouted loudly, trying her best to drown out the force.

It'd feel so good to do it. To just… grip your hands around that little slut's neck! To grip and squeeze as you watch her face turn blue! As you watch the life fade from her eyes as she struggles to breathe! As you hear her desperate gasps for air! As you watch her lifeless body drop and spread on the floor…

You know you want to. You know it'd feel so good to give that freak exactly what she deserves! You say you don't wanna do it, but I know how you really feel. After all… I'm you. I'm your brain. Your mind. I know you better than anyone! Because I am you! A side of you that you push back! That you try to hide from both yourself and everyone around you! But at the end of the day… it's not some mysterious force that's forcing you to think this way. It's all me! All you!

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Sayori screamed as loud as she could, shaking her head violently before pounding her fists into it! Trying to use force to silence the voice within, her anger and rage too strong to hold back as she wrestled against her own brain. "GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

That's so cute! Go ahead! Keep hurting yourself, Idiot! Keep trying to deny how you really feel all you want! Try to force me away! Try to shut me up! But deep down, you and I are and always will be one to one on this. You want her dead! And you know exactly why! Because she's a disgusting freak! A miserable degenerate! I don't see why it matters. People like her… Hmm… People. Person. Can that term really be applied to her anymore? Anyway, things like her… It's perfectly reasonable and acceptable to kill them. People do it all the time!

After all… isn't she just some game character?

"Wait… what?" Sayori asked in complete shock and confusion as she heard the voice make such an accusation.

Just trying to process such a thing… It… It started to make her head hurt, a skull fracturing headache soon overcoming Sayori, causing her to groan and grunt in unrivaled pain as her hands clutched her skull.

"Oh god… Not again!" She shouted in pain as she felt the headache worsen, a feeling of immense nausea soon following, Sayori feeling like the entire room was spinning as her vision suddenly became blurry, everything turning fuzzy and disorienting as color slowly began to vanish from the world! Sayori starting to screech in agony as the headache worsened even further, the nausea making her feel sick to her stomach, ready to barf and puke as a loud, piercing static rang in her ears, so loud that it practically drowned out everything else, save for the voice still screaming at her within her own head, snarling like a rabid dog.

"Please! Please, dear God! No more! Just make it stop!" She begged loudly as the pain brought her to tears, her pleading, praying for the pain and suffering she felt within her mind to just vanish. To just vanish and leave her alone. No more pain, she cried out to whoever could hear her! No more suffering, she begged whichever power would show mercy! Her prayers falling on deaf ears as the very last thought that… horrible, horrible voice threw into her head kept echoing over and over! Kept bouncing around in her skull, getting louder and louder as her pain grew even worse, Sayori forced to hear it repeated over and over like some… sick mantra! Some disgusting, dehumanizing affirmation, Sayori trying with nearly all her strength to stop it! To stop this vile mantra from repeating!

But… Why was it repeating, she wondered? Could it be that this vile, awful manta was… true? Sayori she… she struggled to even grasp the very concept of it. Struggled to try and find the logic. To try and see the truth in it. But why though? Why did she want to? Why didn't she just dismiss and disregard such a thing as false? Why didn't she just automatically brand it all as crazy talk? Why did she actually try to believe it? Was it…? Was that the reality? Was that the actual truth? That Yuri was… a game character? But that would mean…

"No! No-no-no-no-no-no-no! It's not real! It's not true! You're lying! You have to be lying!" The sound of her voice… It was… It was broken. Broken beyond repair. So hoarse. So tired. So worn and overused. "I-I'm real! I'm alive! I'm a living, breathing human being! A human with my own thoughts! My own opinions! I eat! I drink! I sleep! I dream! I bleed! I… I love… I hate… I smile… I cry… How am I not human?! Answer me! How?!" The way she screamed… The fear. The suffering. The hurt. The pain. It was all you could hear. It was the voice of someone who was breaking, in the mental sense. The voice of someone pushed so far past their point. The voice of someone who's been through too much. Suffered too much. A mind so warped and fractured. So abused and beaten… that it just couldn't go on anymore. She couldn't go on anymore.

Everything was just… Everything was just so painful for her now. It was the only feeling she could understand at this point.

"PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAKE IT STOP!" She screamed with whatever strength she had left. So much so, that were her voice in its normal state, the windows might have broke. "Just make it stop… Please… Please…" She begged pathetically, her vocal cords now finally destroyed from all the shouting and screaming, leaving Sayori with a voice no louder than that of a whisper. A small, weak, sad whisper, her gasping as she heard it, her hand brought gently to her throat as she fell to her knees once more, her back hunching as she just… sat there. Sat there on her knees, her hands on her lap as she hung her head down low, tears falling from her eyes.

She just sat there… Didn't even bother to move. Didn't even bother to look around the nauseating, blurred, colorless world she now found herself in. She just sat there. Broken. Mute. Crippled. Defeated. In pain… all of it coming from nothing more than a voice in her head. Her own mind destroying her so easily.

What a weakling…

The voice added insult to injury, Sayori's eyes looking up for a second as she swore she heard the voice… differently.

It… It wasn't in her mind this time. It came from in front of her, Sayori looking back down to see a shadow cast over her. The figure who owned that voice, the voice that brought so much pain and sadness… it was facing her. It was looking down. Casting its shadow over her, Sayori raising her head up to look… Only to see it again.

The corpse… The one from before… The dream… The hung corpse of herself, choked to death and suspended from simple braided rope, looking down at her. Looking down at her with those cold, lifeless eyes.

She reached out to touch it, taking one of its hands with bloody fingertips into her own, gripping by the wrist as she brought it to her cheek, the cold touch practically freezing the sensitive skin as a paralyzing shiver ran down Sayori's body.

"Why?" She asked meekly, just the mere sound of what was left of her voice enough to force even the coldest, cruelest person in the world to feel pity for her. "Why are you doing this? Why the pain? Why the hurt? If you really are me… then why are you making me suffer? Why are you doing this to me? What do you want from me?!"

I want to wake you up…

"Wha… What?" Sayori asked, a look of pure confusion on her face as she stared up at the dangling corpse, her jaw slacked and her mouth hung open as she stared wide eyed in pure bewilderment. "I-I don't understand… Please tell me what you mea-" Her sentence was suddenly interrupted as she felt the ground tremor slightly, Sayori nearly losing her balance as the vibration rocked the entire house. "What… What was that?" She asked worriedly, the tremor returning soon after, the house rocking much more heavily this time. Longer too. So much so that things started falling from the shelves. Picture frames fell off the walls, shattering the glass as the tremors turned into full on earthquakes, Sayori gasping as the vibrations forced her to fall to the floor, the house now rumbling and quaking, Sayori trying to get back on her feet, only to then notice the floorboards begin to break! Shattering and splintering apart as cracks started forming on the living room walls! Little bits of plaster and drywall falling out as the glass of the windows started rupturing! Shattering loudly as the roof above stated caving in! Sayori's bed from her room upstairs falling through the ceiling and into the kitchen!

"What's happening?!" Sayori shouted fearfully as she faced the corpse, the beam from which its noose held remaining intact. "Please! Answer me!" Sayori shouted again, the corpse now going silent as the house was continually assaulted by earthquakes, the floor finally caving in, shattering literally under Sayori's feet as she fell.

She expected to end up falling into the basement of her house. But… that didn't seem to be the case. Instead, she just fell… Kept on falling and falling for who knew how long. Never stopping. It was a slow fall. A gentle sink. Kinda soothing actually. Tranquil, Sayori sighing as an odd sensation of peace overcame her. Some random wave of relaxation.

It was most certainly a welcome change to the pain and chaos she experienced not even seconds ago, Sayori slowly closing her eyes as she continued her slow fall, feeling sleep creep up on her as she descended.

She wondered if it was safe to fall asleep while she was falling like this. For all she knew, she was falling to her death! Yet oddly, she didn't feel fearful of it. Didn't feel panicked or scared in the slightest. In fact, it was quite the contrary. Sayori actually felt rather safe. Protected. Secured. As if she were in a maximum security vault, any and all dangers unable to touch her as she continued falling.

Falling through the very world itself and into some sort of… void. Some empty, colorless abyss as Sayori's eyes closed on their own accord, her soon falling asleep.

You have unlocked a special poem.

Would you like to read it?

YES NO

Transcribe Of Audio Surveillance Of Dr. Lucas Volkert And Dr. Adam Marx: #5209. Date Recorded: [REDACTED] – [REDACTED] – 2003.

Log begins…

"Lucas, what the hell is going on?!"

"I don't know! Some sort of error with the sim. A forced destabilization? But how? Everything's been reset!"

"It doesn't matter how it happened. What matters is fixing it before the subject regains consciousness! I want it back under right now!"

"I'm trying my best! Maybe if you actually got off your ass and assisted me, rather than barking orders, we'd have the situation under control by now!"

(Subject starts shuffling as it awakens) "What's… What's happening?"

"Oh shit…"

"It's… It's okay! Don't panic. Keep your voice low and quiet. Calm and collected. No sudden moves"

"Who are you?"

"It's… It's okay, sweetheart. Everything's going to be fine. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I'm just gonna-"

"What the hell are you doing?! Don't talk to it! You remember the last idiot that tried to have a conversation with these… things! You wanna end up like him?!"

"She's still heavily sedated. Her eyes aren't even open yet and she's tied down to the catalyst. Besides, you know this is one of the more passive subjects. She's fine"

"Not she. It! Remember that! If I have to correct your mistake one more time-"

"Right. It. Sorry. I just… It's hard"

"I know. It's hard for me too, but we've been on the project long enough to understand the difference. I expect you to know this already."

"I do. I just…" (Dr. Volkert sighs audibly) "Again, it's hard. You can claim whatever you want about these… things. But they still look human to me"

"Then you obviously need to get your eyes checked" (Dr. Marx scoffs)

"What are you doing to me?" (Subject's breathing begins to become abnormal. Shows signs of distress. Intervals increase. Starts hyperventilating as heartbeat monitor beeps rapidly)

"Lucas?!"

"I know! Just… give me a minute to think!"

"Stop thinking! Start doing!"

"I am! Uh… Anesthetics! Where are the anesthetics!"

"What's happening? I'm scared!" (Subject starts to become agitated. Struggles against restraints. Begins crying)

"Here they are! Hurry before-"

"I wanna go home!" (Subject starts sobbing fearfully) "I WANT TO GO HOME!" (Subject starts screaming loudly. Doctors cover ears in pain. Glasses start shattering as light bulbs start sparking and exploding. Heartbeat monitor shorts out due to dangerously fast intervals and rapidly fluctuating electricity)

"Shit! The eye's open!"

"Don't look at it!"

"LET ME GO!"

"Just shut it up already!"

"Almost… There!" (Subject gasps loudly as needle is injected into neck, screaming eventually dies down. Subject starts gasping and breathing heavily as sedative begins to run its course. Doctors sigh audibly in relief)

"There. Crisis averted"

"For now anyway…"

"Yeah. We should be more careful going into further testing. The subjects have started becoming more aggressive as of late. This one was supposed to be the most passive out of all of them, but just now, sh- It gave us more trouble than any of the other ones"

"They don't pay us enough for this shit…"

"Um…. We don't get paid, Adam"

"Exactly! We're trapped in this stuffy basement of a laboratory on an island in the middle of nowhere. Nearly dying every day because of these… freaks! And what do we have to show for it? Nothing! Zero! Zilch!"

"Adam?"

"It's all about the vision, he says. That's all the old fool ever says! That's all he cares about! Him and his stupid, made up bullshit! And what about us, huh?! What about his 'loyal disciples' putting their lives in danger every day! Dealing with his sideshow of abominations while he sits in that comfy mansion in _, worshiping his fake, made up god! The greater good… The key to forging our new society. Bullshit! My ass is the key to forging our new society! I don't give a shit over whatever religious mumbo jumbo the old man slings at us! I can't take this anymore!"

"Adam? Snap out of it! You okay, man?"

"I'm sorry. I just… Look at what we're doing. Look at all this. Look at this… horror. I can't… I won't be part of it anymore. The things we've done… The lives we've ruined… No more! I want out!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait? Out? Are you insane?! There is no out. This stuff… You really think they're just gonna let us walk away after all we've done? After all we've seen? Look, I don't like the work or the cause any more than you do. I'm a man of science, dammit! But… We're in too deep to just quit. You know that"

"I know. I know. It's just… it's not right… It's just not right… The things we're doing. The monstrosity we've created. The suffering we're inflicting on these… children. These innocent people"

"These aren't people… Not anymore at least. You know this! This is the same stuff you hammer on my head all day! You should be saying this to me!"

"I know that! I just… The way it screamed just then. It got to me a little. It wasn't angry or enraged like the other ones. It was… scared. Afraid. You heard what it said, didn't you? It just wanted to go home"

"It doesn't have a home! Not anymore…"

"It did have a home. It had a lot of things once. Things we took away. It had a home. It had a life. A family. A mother and father who loved it! And we… we took that away. We took all it ever knew. All it ever had and just… disregarded that as we poked and prodded it with our little needles. Cut it open with our little scalpels. It was so small back then. So… tiny when the experiment first started" (Dr. Marx starts sniffling. Possibly crying) "A toddler. We did all of this to a fucking toddler! A defenseless little girl. If anything… We're the real monsters. These things? They're just our victims"

"I…"

"I'm sick of this place. Sick of being trapped in this stuffy, cramped lab on a deserted island! Sick of partaking in these… sick, disgusting experiments! I want off! I want to go home! I want to wear normal clothes again! I want to be a part of actual society again. I want… I want to go home and see my wife again… And meet my son. The son I was forced to abandon for this insane cult!"

(Dr. Volkert sighs) "You're right. I don't want to be a part of this either…"

"So we're in this together then?"

"Yeah. I'm done with this. It's time for us to leave. But… how? There's no way off the island!"

"I built a boat"

"You built a boat?"

"What? Just cause I'm a man of science doesn't mean I can't chop a few trees down and make some dingy raft out of 'em. I mean, yeah. It's not the most stable… but it floats! I snuck out a few cases of dried foods. A case or two of water. Could survive for a good seven weeks if we both ration"

"Even if we got back to the mainland, what do we do then? Live among society like everything's normal? They'll know we left! They'll find us! How do we stop that? Go to the media and tell our story?"

"Not gonna work. The old man's got eyes and ears everywhere. We go to anyone with this, and the only place our names are gonna end up on is some hit list. We'll need to be careful"

"We're so dead…"

"Are you chickening out on me?"

"No! No, I'm not! I'm just… worried. What do we do with the subjects, by the way? Kill them? I don't even think they can actually die anymore"

"We lock them in their containment units, break the doors so they can't be opened and keep them trapped in the simulation! There. Crisis averted. The automated systems and life support can do the rest"

"I… I guess that could work. I could reprogram the simulation to keep generating new, random events instead of running the testing protocols. That'd keep them busy, at least. Maybe… Maybe I could try and have it emulate everyday life too. We could give these girls back the lives we took from them! At least in some way…"

"I don't care what you do with them. I just want out of this nightmare as quickly as possible. By any means necessary"

"So do I. Come on, help me get the subject back into its cell. Then we can get ready to leave. We're getting our lives back!"

Log ends…

Sayori groaned weakly as she awoke from her sleep, her eyes struggling to open, seemingly sealed shut as her body refused to move, her laying on what felt like a floor as she tried to force her body to comply to her. To awaken along with her.

She was eventually able to make her body obey her again, her arms and legs waking up as she stood to her feet. It was difficult though. She couldn't explain it, but she suddenly felt so… weak. So sore and tender. It was almost as if her body was recovering from massive amounts of physical stress. She felt so woozy. Queasy and off balance, like the entire world around her was spinning around and around at incredibly fast speeds.

As she stood to her feet, trying to keep herself from falling, her eyes slowly began to open, blurry and unfocused as Sayori rubbed them, only to gasp in shock at what she saw. Nothing. Literally nothing. A sea of blackness being the only thing in her sight. An empty, dark, colorless void. An abyss of pure nothingness stretching for as far as Sayori's eyes could see.

She wondered if, by some chance, she had simply gone blind, still in the real world, yet unable to see it. But that thought was proven wrong the moment she looked down at her body, able to see it all perfectly. See her torso, her legs and arms. Even see a few small strands of stray hair in her peripheral view.

What happened? What was this place? And how did Sayori even find herself here? Was this some sort of odd dream? Some place her mind had conjured for her? Some sort of sanctuary built by her brain while her body slept, unconscious on the floor back home? Unlikely. This didn't… Well, it didn't feel like a dream. It all felt real. Very real, Sayori testing it by raising her hands, clenching one into a tight fist before bringing it down on her other hand's wrist, punching as hard as possible.

"Ouch!" You can imagine what the result was…

Okay. So it's not a dream, else Sayori would have woke herself up just then. This was something else.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" She asked as she looked around the dark void, hearing her own words echo and vibrate throughout the black abyss, Sayori sighing as she heard no reply. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something. A white dot of sorts off to her right.

It was brief. Very brief. Only lasted for a second before disappearing, yet that one second was all Sayori needed to confirm that it was real. It didn't matter what it was. It was something! A small, hopeful smile on Sayori's face as she dashed in its direction, running as fast as her legs could move, determined to find the white dot and identify what it was!

As she kept running through the void, her heavy breathing echoing back at her, the white dot finally came back into view, Sayori running even faster than before as she saw it again, chasing it eagerly, seeing it get bigger and bigger, closer and closer with every step. She got so close to it, that she was able to see it for what it really was. A bow! A big, white ribbon bow attached to something. A figure of some sort. A person! An actual person!

"Hey! You!" She called out loudly to the figure as she ran towards them, getting close enough to make out the person's features. A woman, it looked like. She had her back turned to Sayori, as if she was looking out at the void, her hands behind her back, Sayori able to see the white bow holding up her milk chocolate ponytail as she continued sprinting towards her. "Hey! Over here!" She shouted as she ran faster than ever before, feeling a desperate need to meet this woman! To talk to her! To find out who she was! She stopped dead in her tracks as she felt a sudden pain come over her though, Sayori gasping and yelping loudly as her head was assaulted by aches again. Painful pulses just like before, her sudden nauseous feeling returning as her eyes were assaulted by flashing. Her ears deafened by static just like before, it being ten times stronger than ever.

"Not… Not again! No! Please, not again!" She shouted loudly as she clutched her head tightly, trying hard to shake off the pain. Trying to ignore it and push on! Push on to the woman who still seemed so far away, despite the distance Sayori ran!

This woman, whoever she was, felt so… familiar, Sayori practically overcome by her very presence. By the fact that the two of them shared a space. She was just compelled to be closer to her, almost as if she were being beckoned. Summoned. Called, Sayori forcing herself ever onward, forcing herself to ignore the pain as she continued approaching the woman, now at a much slower pace, her body suddenly becoming very heavy. Burdening. Like her bones were made of solid concrete! Her barely able to move them! All the while, her mind was still being assaulted by head splitting pulses. Aches of pure pain. Seizure inducing flashes and ear rupturing static, all of which Sayori was unable to ignore anymore, the woman in front of her finally noticing her struggle, hearing her gasp, yelp and scream in pain, the woman turning around and gasping herself as she saw Sayori behind her.

Sayori however, could not see her face. Couldn't make out any of her features, the constant flashing getting in the way. As Sayori was forced to experience it over and over, She… She could have sworn that in that rapid surge of blinding white lights, she saw a shadow.

Not… Not the woman's shadow. It belonged to someone else. Another figure. A figure facing her down, Sayori watching as it started… moving! Walking around like a normal person! Hearing it speak! It's voice incredibly muffled, Sayori unable to make out anything it was saying as it continued to walk and talk.

"Sa-Sayori?! Oh god, Sayori! Are… Are you okay?! What's happening?! Why are you here?!" She could barely hear the woman's voice through the ear raping static, unable to focus on it. Unable to even understand it, the static completely overshadowing the woman's voice. "Please! Tell me what's going on! You need to… Oh no… Oh dear god, no!" Sayori could hear the woman gasp of shock, her tone dominated by fear, as if her worst nightmare had been made reality, Sayori only able to respond with yelps of pain and suffering, her unable to form words as the flashes only grew brighter, making the shadowy figure within them stronger and stronger.

"Please, Sayori! You don't know the mistake you're making! Whatever's happening to you, you need to stop! Now!" The woman shouted in panic, Sayori somewhat able to hear her oddly familiar voice. Yet, she was unable to act on the woman's words. Unable to make herself suddenly stop. If she did, she probably wouldn't be where she was right now. "I SAID STOP!" The woman screamed as Sayori yelped in pain, feeling the woman's palm striking the side of her face, the hard slap only serving to strengthen the flashing, turning it into a full on vision! A flashback of some sorts! Sayori now able to see everything in full, vivid color! Able to see that the shadow within the flashes was actually Aaron! Yuri as well! Natsuki too! And… and… someone else. Another girl. A fifth member of the club.

The visions just kept coming on and on, Sayori powerless to stop them as she experienced flashback after flashback! Full on days were recalled in seconds! Hour long conversations in mere moments! All of them so vivid and detailed! Every movement, sight and sound experienced, as if Sayori were watching these… memories, she assumed, like they were full on movies!

They felt like memories, but… they weren't. Sayori didn't remember any of this. What she saw, what the visions showed, she couldn't place them anywhere in her life. These were full on days she never experienced. Conversations she never had. Problems she never faced. Yet… Yet she did experience them, didn't she?!

Yes! Yes, these were her memories! Real memories! These were real events that actually happened! Sayori knew this! She… She felt it in her gut! There was a voice in her mind screaming at her! Telling her that what she saw was all real! Was all true! Yet… these visions outright conflicted with others. One of them was of her dragging Aaron into the club room, introducing him to the members and begging him to join.

But… Aaron joined the club of his own accord. Came in on his own. Introduced himself to the other members without Sayori breathing down his neck!

Why? She asked. Why did she have two drastically different memories of the same event? Why did she remember one and forget the other? Why did the former feel so… fake? So rehearsed and artificial while the latter felt more… real? True?

Maybe because it actually was. Maybe… maybe Sayori had been living a lie the entire time. Maybe all of her current memories, everything she knew! Everything she felt! Every word she spoke and thought she had were all manufactured! Were all fake! Artificial! Only for the real memories to now painfully force their way back into Sayori's mind, forcing her to realize that the life she lived. The memories she held so close, were all fakes! Artificial copies! Rewrites of her original memories, changed and butchered so heavily, that to come off as anything but fake when compared to the originals was impossible!

It was almost like… like someone had pressed the reset button on her life, forcing her to relive it all over again! Only this time, it was heavily edited and changed, like a script rewritten from scratch. Same but… different.

Reset button… That word… It triggered something within her. Flipped some sort of secret switch in her mind, her now able to understand the flashbacks… the memories more clearly. Understand what they really were. What they really represented.

And the warning they left behind…

It made so much sense now! The voice in her head! The one that caused her so much pain. It wasn't trying to hurt her! It was trying to help her! Trying to wake her up from her dream so that she could return to reality! Trying to open her eyes and show her the truth! Only for her foolish, weak mind to reject such a thing, forcing pain on her body as punishment for trying to understand!

The voice was right. It… It is all a game, isn't it? How else would Sayori's life have been reset so easily? How else would her entire life have been rewound, only for her to experience it differently?

That's why you reset games, right? So you can get a retry. Do things differently. Fix mistakes you've made.

Mistakes? Did she… Did she make any mistakes?

She… She remembered telling Aaron something important on the day before the festival. Something that she regretted deeply, so much so that she felt as if her life had been ruined. She… She told Aaron that she loved him. Practically poured her heart out to him, so much so that she started crying! Her eyes… The tears just wouldn't stop falling back then.

She remembered what she said to him. Remembered how she so passionately… and fearfully professed what she felt at the time to be love. She said… She said she loved him so much that she wanted to… die? What did she even mean when she said that? But… did she? Did she actually tell him that she loved him? As in, romantically? More importantly, did she really feel that way? Did she really, truly love Aaron in that past life? In those moments before her whole life was reset? Were those feelings genuine? Or… Or were they not?

Was it not love, but instead lust? Or… something else? Something completely different? Clinginess? A desire to keep Aaron close to her and only her?

She remembered being filled to the near brim with jealousy in those final moments of her past life. She didn't recall why, but she felt so… disregarded back then. Felt abandoned and neglected by Aaron as he began spending more time with the other girls. As he began to know them and grow closer to them.

She remembered seeing one of them as a threat. Remembered feeling as if one of them would take him away from Sayori. Steal him so that she may never have him to herself anymore. She feared one of them would replace her as Aaron's best friend.

Which one was it though? Which one was the one she felt so threatened by? Which one wanted to take Aaron away from her?

Was it Yuri? No… Natsuki? No. Or… maybe? Was it M̶̯͖̒o̴̫͋n̶̞̏i̷̺͛͌k̷̛͙̙̊a̷͇̠̎͝?̸͈͎̒

Wait… That name… There it was again. The name from before, it now bouncing and echoing all throughout Sayori's mind, now becoming all encompassing, it's echo growing stronger and stronger as the memories all came pouring back, all while this… horrid name was screamed in her ears! It was all she could hear!

It was all M̶̳͐̉ö̴̰n̵̡̽͝i̶̳͑̉k̵̠̐͘a̴̤̺̋. Nothing but M̴̻͌͘ȍ̶̹̙̀n̶̺͝i̴̝̩̿͑ǩ̴̥̦̋a̸̠̘͌͝!̵̤̤͝ M̴̻͌͘ȍ̶̹̙̀n̶̺͝i̴̝̩̿͑ǩ̴̥̦̋a̸̠̘͌͝!̵̤̤͝ M̴̻͌͘ȍ̶̹̙̀n̶̺͝i̴̝̩̿͑ǩ̴̥̦̋a̸̠̘͌͝!̵̤̤͝ M̴̻͌͘ȍ̶̹̙̀n̶̺͝i̴̝̩̿͑ǩ̴̥̦̋a̸̠̘͌͝!̵̤̤͝ M̴̻͌͘ȍ̶̹̙̀n̶̺͝i̴̝̩̿͑ǩ̴̥̦̋a̸̠̘͌͝!̵̤̤͝ M̴̻͌͘ȍ̶̹̙̀n̶̺͝i̴̝̩̿͑ǩ̴̥̦̋a̸̠̘͌͝!̵̤̤͝ M̴̻͌͘ȍ̶̹̙̀n̶̺͝i̴̝̩̿͑ǩ̴̥̦̋a̸̠̘͌͝ all the time! It was all Sayori could hear anymore! Nothing else! Nothing more! Nothing less! Only M̴̻͌͘ȍ̶̹̙̀n̶̺͝i̴̝̩̿͑ǩ̴̥̦̋a̸̠̘͌͝!̵̤̤͝

Just. M̸͍͘ò̸̺̈́͜n̵̬̘̈́i̵͖͜͠k̴̥̿͊a̵̟̣̎ Just M̸͍͘ò̸̺̈́͜n̵̬̘̈́i̵͖͜͠k̴̥̿͊a̵̟̣̎ Just… M̸͍͘ò̸̺̈́͜n̵̬̘̈́i̵͖͜͠k̴̥̿͊a̵̟̣̎

Just Monika.

"But… But who is Monika?!" Sayori asked, the pain oddly subsiding the moment she spoke the name, the visions now vanishing completely, Sayori no longer able to hear the name as she felt her eyes open, able to see the woman looking right at her. The woman with the… pale, flawless skin, her milk chocolate bangs by the sides of her face as Sayori stared into those… beautiful emerald green eyes, them being no different than diligently polished, gleaming gems. Sayori knew this woman. This… This angel. She's… She's seen her before. "Are you…?" She asked as she stretched out her hand, as if to touch the woman.

"Oh dear god, no!" She recoiled in pure horror as she backed away, fear devouring her face. Consuming her angelic features, her looking downright terrified, as if her worst nightmare had been realized, which it had. She had been remembered. "No! No, I'm not who you think I am! I'm… I'm nobody! I'm not even real! None of this is real! It's just… a dream! Yes, a dream! You're asleep! You're dreaming!" Monika denied immediately, turning her back to Sayori in an attempt to avoid eye contact.

"No… No, I know you. I… I feel like we've met before. Where… Where do I know you from?" Sayori asked, her voice sounding somewhat dazed. Confused. Exhausted as well as she struggled to come to grips with her new memories, herself still not able to understand exactly what they were. "You're from the literature club, right?" Sayori asked as she placed her hand on Monika's shoulder, making her shiver slightly. That hand… It was so cold. Colder than a corpse's. It was almost like Sayori was actually dead! Her body no longer generating heat! Then again… Monika was rather cold herself.

"I don't…" Monika couldn't bring herself to say it, her fingers tips on her lips as a look of shock came to her face. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't bring herself to disavow her own club. She couldn't tell that lie. Not to Sayori. And certainly not to herself.

Her memories of the club… She needed them. She needed them to keep herself sane. To keep herself grounded and in control. She needed to remember that the club was her creation! That Sayori, Yuri and Natsuki were her members! Her friends!

Though she knew something as simple as a lie wouldn't do any harm… She just didn't have the power to say the words. Didn't want to either way.

"Please don't do this…" She begged desperately as she looked over her shoulder, Sayori able to see the sadness on Monika's face. The hurt. The pain. The old wounds of the past now opening themselves back up. And… And they stung. Stung Monika so painfully. "You don't know what you're doing. You don't know the pain you're going to inflict if you keep doing this! Not just to me, but to everyone else! To Yuri! To Natsuki! To Aaron! To yourself! You need to stop! Stop right now, do you hear me?!" Monika shouted as she grabbed Sayori by the shoulders, shaking her roughly, only for Sayori to push her away, a sudden glare coming to her face.

"Hurt them? You mean like… like how you hurt us?!" She asked in a sudden shout, anger randomly overcoming her, her gasping in shock as she heard the words coming out of her own mouth. She didn't say that! Or did she? She would have had to! It was her mouth that said it! Her words! Her voice! But… it didn't feel like it. Still though, what Sayori had said felt so… truthful. So right, like what she was claiming had actually happened! Did it? "You hurt us? H-How? How did you hurt us?! How did you hurt me?!" She continued shouting in anger, an odd yet somehow natural feeling rage overcoming her, like her lashing out against this complete stranger was justified! Deserved! Sayori watching as Monika continued to recoil in horror as she was forced to confront her past sins.

"Please! Please don't make me relive that! I don't… I don't want to remember it! I don't want to! Please, Sayori! I'm your friend!" The way she trembled and begged… She looked so helpless. So defenseless, like she was being physically attacked and had no way to defend herself.

"Friend?! Is that what you think you are?! My friend?! Friends don't brainwash each other to the point where they hang themselves!" Sayori shouted again, Monika quivering in fright as she heard the thunder in Sayori's voice, Sayori again not realizing that she said that, her trying to make sense of it. Trying to make sense of her sudden yet oddly justified rage. Of vocally abusing this poor girl. And these odd accusations that were forcing their way out of Sayori's mouth.

Hang themselves? Like… in the dream from before? That… That wasn't a dream, was it? It was a memory! And the corpse! It wasn't some figment of her imagination! Wasn't some made up voice in her head! It was her! It was herself from the past life! From before everything was reset! Her coming back to make Sayori remember!

And… Now she did, Sayori recalling it all, remembering what had happened on that day before the festival. Remembering the way Aaron reacted to the girls. Remembering the jealousy and loss she felt when he spent so much time with them. Remembering the way Monika always butted herself in with him.

The way she talked down to Sayori when she tried to talk about all this. Tried to confide in her president about this. About how she felt she'd lose her best friend. Her childhood companion! Her brother! Her… her love!

And that… bitch! That selfish, entitled, jealous, bitch just… laughed at it! Laughed at the idea of Sayori being alone! Giggled like it was some stupid joke! Her very last words driving Sayori past the breaking point. "If that's the way he feels, you should just leave him alone. Don't be baggage. Just stay out of the way"

"Monika was right… I should just-"

"I remember everything now…" Sayori said, a glare sharp enough to cut diamonds on her face as she recalled it all. Remembered everything… including her own suicide. Including the very last moments of her life. The moments where she stood on the chair, rope tied tightly around her neck. As she recalled that memory, she wondered why she pushed herself to such an extreme end. Wondered what horrid thoughts had ran their way through her mind that day. Wondered what her reasoning was for wanting to end her own life. And then she wondered, what if it wasn't her that ended her own life. What if it wasn't a suicide… but a murder? "You made me do it…" She growled as she took a step closer, Monika backing away in fear. "You… You actually made me do it! You did something to me! Messed with my head somehow! You actually made me commit suicide!"

"Sayori… I-I didn't mean it! Things just got… They got out of hand! I put you back! I put you all back! I fixed everything and left you all to live your lives normally!"

"BULLSHIT!" Sayori yelled loudly, Monika cowering fearfully at the sheer volume in her voice. A voice that mere seconds ago sounded so worn. So used. Weak and damaged, it now sounding louder than ever before, the anger and hatred Sayori felt for Monika bringing it back to life. "YOU'RE A LIAR! THAT'S ALL YOU ARE! A FUCKING LIAR! YOU DIDN'T PUT ME BACK TO LIVE MY LIFE NORMALLY! YOU TORE OUT HALF OF MY BRAIN AND LEFT ME TO LIVE MY PATHETIC, SHALLOW, MEANINGLESS, DEPRESSING LIFE IN IGNORANCE! YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO FIX ANYTHING! ALL YOU DID WAS MAKE ME FORGET! MAKE US FORGET!"

"Sayori… No. You're wrong! I… What I did to you, I didn't…"

"And to think… It was so simple. One of the most crippling challenges I have to deal with every day. One of my biggest weaknesses. One of my hardest struggles… You could have just turned off at will. You could have fixed one of my biggest problems with the flick of a fucking switch!"

"Sayori!" Monika shouted as Sayori stepped forward, Monika backing away with her hands in between the two, her sensing the violent intent in Sayori's voice. In her actions. The way she now carried herself.

It was terrifying, Sayori now seen as no better than a stranger. This wasn't the Sayori Monika knew anymore. This was something darker. More sinister. More terrifying.

"I've been struggling with suicidal depression for basically my whole life! I thought about killing myself ever since I was a child, Monika! Ever since I was a little girl! You knew this! You knew this better than anyone else! You used it against me, for god's sake! You could have stopped it! You could have just… turned it off! Flicked the switch! Deleted that particular part! Then I could have lived my life normally. Then everything would have been fixed. Then I could forgive you for what you've done to me! To us!" Sayori shouted angrily, glaring sharply at Monika, a murderous look on her face as she suddenly grabbed the real president of the literature club by the collar of her uniform, a downright terrified look on Monika's face as Sayori growled like a deranged, angry animal. "You could have fixed me! Fixed us! You could have fixed all of us! All our problems! All our troubles! Our worries! Our fears! Our suffering! Gone with a snap of your fingers! But you didn't! You didn't do anything to help us! To make us better! Happier! You just left us! Left us miserable and alone while you hid yourself for who knows how long!" She shouted in Monika's face before throwing her violently, Monika yelping as she was forced onto the ground, looking up to see Sayori standing above her, her clenched fist raised high, ready to be used.

"Sayori! Do-Don't you dare! I'm… I'm warning you!" Monika shouted in an attempt to dissuade Sayori of her violent thoughts.

"You… You bitch!" She cursed angrily. "You actual bitch! You could have fixed everything! Could have made us all happy! But you didn't! You just focused on what you wanted! Your happiness! So much so, that you got rid of us so we wouldn't get in the way! Killed us for no reason! Deleted us from this… whatever it is!"

"Sayori! Please!" Monika begged as she covered her face with her hands, trying to shield herself.

"YOU BACKSTABBING, FRIEND MURDERING PSYCHO! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Sayori screamed in pure rage as she threw herself onto Monika, her fist clenched tightly as it made impact with her eye, Monika gasping in pain as she fell to the ground again, Sayori getting on top of her, holding her down as she continued attacking what used to be her best friend.

It was… It was brutal. The way Sayori relentlessly attacked her, her fists just ramming themselves into the girl's face and body nonstop, Monika screaming in pain as she was beaten nearly to death! That is… if she could actually die.

"HOW ABOUT NOW?! HUH?! ARE YOU GONNA TELL ME YOU'RE SORRY NOW?!" Sayori continued to scream as she relentlessly beat Monika, her attacks coming one after the other as she heard Monika scream, yell and wail in pain, a feeling she had long since forgotten… and didn't want to remember.

The was she screamed made Sayori grin slightly. A sadistic grin. A cruel one, an odd, primal form of pleasure rushing through her digital, pixelated body as she continued her vicious assault.

She couldn't explain exactly why, but It felt good to hurt Monika. To put her hands on this… witch. It felt so rewarding. So worth it. So… So right! Every ounce of Sayori's conscious mind confirming this! Every thought she had screaming affirmations at her! Saying that this was the right thing to do! That this was deserved! Justified! Required!

And from what Sayori remembered, the pain she and the others felt… she couldn't argue against such statements. It didn't matter whether or not Sayori was real. It didn't matter whether this was all some game… Some application made by some random person for entertainment. That wasn't a factor in the way she felt.

What was a factor though, was that Monika was a murderer. Sayori, her victim. In Sayori's mind, this brutal, cruel attack was simple and well deserved vengeance. Vengeance for years worth of pain. Years worth of suffering. Years worth of sadness, all of this, Monika could have prevented had she cared about someone other than herself.

"STOP!" It felt so good to hear her scream in pain! To Sayori, it was the most beautiful music she'd ever heard. An orchestral symphony composed by one of the most brilliant musicians in the world! Her fist a baton with which to conduct the music as Monika continued wailing in pain, Sayori only hurting her more as a result. "I ALREADY SAID I'M SORRY! I SENT YOU BACK! I FIXED EVERYTHING! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?! PLEASE STOP! STOP HURTING ME!" She begged pathetically, Sayori's anger only growing in response. To think that Monika still held such arrogance. To think she was so naive as to why she was being punished. So in denial that she'd done any wrong. It was sickening, Sayori now only wanting to inflict more pain! More suffering! More hurt! And even then, it'd still be nowhere near the pain she was forced to endure.

"I! SAID! STOP!" Monika shouted loudly as she stretched out her arm, grabbing Sayori by the neck and gripping tightly, as if she were to choke the girl! Sayori screaming loudly as a surge of pure pain began rushing through her, it feeling exactly like she was being struck by lightening! Electricity surging all through her body, paralyzing it, Monika eventually letting go of Sayori, the electric shock ceasing, Sayori in so much pain from the raw force, that she fell unconscious, her body twitching frantically as it struggled to regain control of itself, Monika sighing as she struggled to stand to her feet.

Her body felt practically destroyed. So heavily battered and bruised by Sayori's assault that she could barely move without feeling pain, black and blue marks covering Monika's face, a black eye visible on her left side as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Suppose I deserve that. I don't-" She gasped slightly in pain as she felt her body ache. "I don't blame you. I would have done the same thing" She sighed as she looked down, seeing the unconscious Sayori lay before her. "What am I going to do with you now though?"