A small fraction of him anticipated being in the upcoming Carnival Corpse, which roused him from his slumber. Frankly, he was relieved that he was not tonight's contestant and that brought on guilt. Intermission for him meant others would be forced to fight, that thought became unsettling when the truth sunk in. Ganta's brain hastily reviewed the events from last night; how this complete stranger practically barged into his room to warn him of the penalty game and how she comforted him. That guilt swelled incalculably. Ganta was culpable of his respite, deemed himself polluted by this wonderland. Tardily, this perdition will transmute him into something monstrous if he embraced its' methods. Finally, he surrendered, realizing that dreading on these thoughts would benefit no one. He stood from the bed with his arms stretched above his head, and then dropped down to his side as he sauntered over to the bathroom; whether he felt guilty or not, the day would progress.

After showering he felt renewed and virtuous. The negative thoughts dissipated once settling on the idea of preventing the Carnival Corpse. No doubt it would be an arduous feat, but he was compelled to try. Almost instinctively he searched for Crow. A squeal reverberated in the corridor as he made a sharp left, colliding into the very person he was seeking.

"Hey, Ganta," he smiled.

"Senji," Ganta exclaimed; his mood shifted once he saw the raven eye patch. "I'm sorry…"

Senji was baffled, but instantly realized what he was referring to. He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck before saying, "Just another day at the office, kid, don't beat yourself up over it."

"But, I can't help it," he muttered.

"Were you looking for something?"

"More like someone."

"Oh?"

"I met this strange girl last night. She had violet hair, with blue tips, and dark olive skin…she said her name was J-Jurai, yeah, Jurai!"

"I know her," he said nonchalantly.

"Really? Do you know where she might be right now?"

"Uh…sleeping? I guess."

"Sleeping…? It should be, at the very least, 11AM."

"Well, Jurai is different."

"Is she like nocturnal or something?"

"…Yes, I guess you can say that. Why are you looking for her?"

Ganta hesitated to respond. He cleared his throat before blurting out his idea. Immediately, he realized Senji seemed relatively concerned; worried even. Silence loomed over the duo as Senji simply rubbed the back of his neck, uncertain of what to say.

"What's wrong," Ganta inquired.

"We shouldn't get involved," he admitted.

"Why not?"

Senji paused then stated, "You may have good intentions, Ganta, but it could go badly for her. Just let it ride out, man. Jurai's stronger than you think; she's a survivor and wouldn't go down without a fight, you know."

"But, if we do nothing…" his voice trailed off, eyes settled on the cold hard floors. It seemed like the most humane thing to do, to stop the Carnival Corpse, but maybe Senji was right. After all, his plan wasn't fully fleshed out. Various inquiries formed in his brain as he debated whether to go along with his initial idea or not, but then was brought back to reality when he heard Senji release a sigh of defeat.

"I'm not promising anything, kid. We'll swing by her room, at the very least. Other than that, we shouldn't rush into anything without her say-so."

Ganta trailed behind Senji as they walked down a dimly lit corridor. He surveyed his surroundings, realizing that they've traveled deeper into the facility. There was a draft that made him shiver in response and the air seemed unbelievably thin. As they turned a corner, a high pitch squall echoed down the hall as a raven haired woman darted towards them. Her round face was flushed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she grabbed hold of Senji's arm.

"She won't wake up, I-I don't know what happened, I woke and came from my room to check on her," she sobbed.

Without hesitation Senji charged toward the room, entering once the door slid open, and then crossed over to the motionless heap wrapped in lily white sheets on top the twin sized bed. Cautiously, he turned the female over. Her hair was damp from some liquid and skin matted with the same teal substance.

"How long has she been like this," Ganta asked.

"I don't know! I don't…"

Senji unraveled the sheets, exposing Jurai fully. She was wearing a black sleeveless compression top and matching knee length shorts, with white vertical stripes on each side. The collar that adorns every inmate's neck was missing. Without much effort, he lifted her, speedily making his way over to the bathroom. He extended his right arm and adjusted the knob then stepped into the bathtub as cold water rained down on them. He lightly tapped at her cheek, attempting to wake her, but it seemed futile. Hesitant, but knowing the severity of the situation, he drew back his hand then slapped her with full force, leaving her cheek ruby red. Jurai's eyes fluttered open as she gasped for air, revived from the blow. She lifted a hand; finger tips pressed against her cheek and revealed an unsightly large lump on her forearm, which had an ominous red glow.

"Oh thank god," the raven haired female said as she dropped down to her knees. Ganta placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing firmly, and in response she held his hand and nodded in thanks.

One step at a time, Senji thought. He inched out of the bathtub, Jurai's arm slung around his neck. Her knees buckled from slight movements. Colorful streams drained out of the tub as the hair rinse the female used washed out. Natural light copper brown hair matted against the left side of her face and the back of her neck, while the other side of her head was completely shaved. She shifted her attention to the lump on her arm, eyes wide.

"I can feel it throbbing," she mumbled.

"What is it," Senji inquired. The tips of his fingers pressed ever so gently against the lump, causing pain to ripple throughout her body. He caught her and set her on the floor. Then it hit him, this was their new way of maintaining control over them.

"What happened? What's the matter," Ganta cried out. He was caught off guard when he heard Jurai's laughter substituting cries of pain.

Gradually, the pain subsided, heartbeat returning to a normal pace, and muscles slackening. The inquiries began to pour in as they attempted to unearth what occurred last night. Everything was a blur to Jurai, even now. She recalled entering Ganta's room, warning him about the penalty game, and her sad attempt to comfort him. Then, there was the moment she exited the bathroom; conflicted on whether to remain or leave, since she was, in essence, an uninvited guest. Her conscience told her to leave, though an unsettling feeling formed in the pit of her stomach, possibly warning her. Jurai told them she exited the room and was intent on meeting Senji to work out at the gym; knowing full well he would be there, penalty game or not. Even though she was a bit sidetracked because she took a trip to her room, she remembered standing in the center of her room, clothed in her gym attire and nothing afterwards. There were brief lucid moments where the dreams, she thought she was having, were in fact actual events, but it seemed ridiculous…until now.

"It was cold," she said. "I remember seeing several people in this strange room, all wearing lab coats."

"Jurai," the raven haired woman said, "how long has this been going on?"

"I think a couple of weeks after you came here, Ally."

Silence descended on the group as everyone absorbed this information. Jurai lifted her arm in the air and inspected the lump, almost mesmerized by the ruddiness. She brushed the tips of her fingers against it, wincing. As Ganta watched, all he could think of was the last thing that was said before Jurai's vanishing act.

Does it get better?

No, it just gets harder…