A/N: Huzzah, the experiment, and the madness, continues. Enjoy. I don't do this sort of thing often so it's a different experience for me. But as long as the audience likes it, it's alright.

Sometimes I think I'm a masochist.

I don't mean in any sort of weird, deviant sexual way. God no. Tried it once, didn't like it. I might be a risk taker, but pain for the sake of pain isn't my thing,

What I mean is more my personality, I guess. Call it the rush, but I just keep throwing myself into dangerous situations, flirting with disaster on a regular basis, and tossing out any opportunities to stop. Gang wars, natural disasters, that sort of thing.

I suppose that's why I went back for another interview with Mami Tomoe. There was no reason to do so. The first one had given me some indication of her personality, and I could certainly look up the other relevant facts of the case to make an article my editor would accept. I had no incentive to return there

And yet I headed there anyway, like a moth to a flame looking to be burned. I wanted to know more, to understand, and meeting her in person was the only way to do that, no matter the danger involved. Besides, she was in an institution in a straitjacket. She couldn't hurt me.

So in compliance with my natural instincts, I prepared for my return to that place, to her. And no, I don't need you to tell me that it was a stupid idea. I already knew that at the time, and it didn't dissuade me.

My next meeting with her was after Kyosuke left town for another tour, a period of time that had been spent in candlelight dinners, scenic locales, and other things I'd rather not relate here that left me with plenty of pleasant memories. Needless to say, I was in no hurry to get back there.

But the time for my next meeting soon arrived. Naturally, I prepared for it. More documents, pictures, and I charted out what I wanted to come from this meeting. I wanted to learn more about her as a person, to get into her head and to get her to trust me. Cultivating relationships was a big part of the job and even if she'd lost her marbles in a Force 5 tornado, I was confident that I could do it.

Then once more I found myself headed to the Mental Institute. Well combed blue hair, sunglasses to counter the glare from above, jeans, and a vanilla shirt were my attire as I drove down busy streets, mentally preparing myself.

As it turned out the parking lot was as empty as it had been the first time, though there were a few more cars this go around. Presumably those were visitors rather than staff, not that it was any concern of mine. Parked, I did a last check of myself. My notes, my appearance, everything I needed. I was all set to go.

With confident strides I made my way inside and to the front desk. It was a different guy there this time, and at least he was paying attention when I came to a stop. As you might imagine it left a much better impression as a whole.

"Sayaka Miki," I said, passing over my ID as I introduced myself. "I made an appointment earlier to speak with Mami Tomoe."

The man nodded as he looked at the ID before confirming the appointment with the system, then handing it back over to me. "Ah yes. I'll let them know you're here."

I waited patiently, much less annoyed this time than the last occasion as he got on the phone to call his superior. This took a few moments as they arranged the transfer to the visitation area where I could meet my interviewee, then hung up.

"Alright then, she'll be ready shortly. If you'll follow the man behind the door, he'll take you to the meeting area." A buzzer rang and the door unlocked, allowing me entry as it had before.

I nodded, flashing him a grin. "Thanks," I said as I opened the door and stepped inside. Just within I found the guard I had met before on my first visit, and I gave him another nod as the door swung shut behind me, and we met each others gaze.

"Didn't think I'd see you back here," he admitted after a moment, grudging and yet impressed. "She doesn't get return visitors."

I shrugged, nonplussed by the statement. I got a lot, as you might guess. "What can I say? I'm a trend breaker," I replied nonchalantly. Not that it actually mattered, but it made an excuse. I followed it up with a gesture, waving down the hall. "Well, lead the way."

He rolled his eyes before turning and taking me down cement corridors once more. There were the same sounds and similar sights, but I wasn't as spooked as last time since I knew what was coming. It was a small comfort but every bit helped in the end.

As we walked along, he spoke up again, glancing over at me at the same time. "She's been acting weird since you last visited; I'd be careful. She's probably planning something."

"Don't worry. I can handle anything she might try," I replied calmly. I was pretty confident in my ability to handle anything given that she was, y'know, in an asylum. It kinda limited her options, understandably.

The guy shrugged. "Just thought you should know." Well, the sentiment was nice, but ultimately unnecessary.

At last we arrived, ending up at the cafeteria again, and I was escorted in and sat down before he left. There I was made to wait, running over my mental checklist one last time before this began. That was easy enough, and soon it was just tapping my fingers on the table as I eyed the door.

Eventually she arrived, hair a bit ragged, body a bit sweaty. It appeared there had been something of a struggle, though obviously not enough of one if they were still allowing her to attend this interview.

In spite of her appearance, she still walked with a composed gait and a smile that would have warmed had I not known the extent of the batshit crazy behind it. She came to a stop across from me and bowed, all she could do with the strait jacket she currently wore.

"Apologies for being late," she said with seeming sincerity. "Nagisa was being a handful today."

"It's fine," I replied with a dismissive wave, motioning for her to sit down then. Meanwhile, my mind worked. Nagisa? Presumably a roommate or something. But Mami was in a strait jacket and had stabbed someone, if she was to be believed. Would they even allow her a roommate?

There wasn't really any more time to talk about that though as the restrained blond sat down across from me, still wearing that chillingly pleasant smile. "So, what was it you wanted to speak about?"

I returned my attention to the matter at hand as I relaxed in my seat, twirling a pen amidst my fingers as I answered her question. "Not much. You, again. Whatever you feel like talking about really."

Mami hummed as she thought about that, and presumably what to say. It was a lyrical melody that I didn't know, so I had to assume that it was one she made up and not an actual song. "What's there to say? My time here is fairly mundane. Talking with my therapist, a bit of supervised exercise, three square meals, and plenty of time by myself. Oh, and the medications." She leaned in then, voice dropping to a whisper as if imparting some important secret. "To be honest, my cooking is a lot better than the food they make here. But don't tell them that."

"Your secret's safe with me," I replied with all honesty. I certainly had no motivation to impart the opinions of an inmate to the cooking staff. They probably wouldn't much care for it either.

Mami sat back then, sighing aloud before swinging into an entirely unexpected question. "Tell me Sayaka, do you believe in God?"

"Huh?" I froze for a brief moment, trying to confirm that she had asked what I thought she had asked. Well, getting asked about my faith by a serial killer had not been something I had anticipated. Then again, maybe she'd turned a new leaf while serving out life here. Or not. "Um, yeah, I guess I do."

She got the barest hints of a frown as she looked at me. "Even with all the things that happen in the world, even with what I did, you still believe that there's a greater power watching over us all?"

I nodded quickly in return. "Well, yeah. I mean, I'd like to imagine that there's somebody up there to make sure that all the stuff that happens to people is worth it." Which felt weird for me to say, but that was the truth. Why suffer if there was no payoff for it?

She chuckled then, making it all too evident that I had fallen into a trap of some kind. Somehow, not surprising. "I knew a girl once who lost her entire family. A double murder suicide. She was out stealing food, in spite of what her father wanted. And when she came back they were all dead. She survived because she sinned."

Her laughter intensified as she nearly doubled over. "How can it be called 'just' or 'fair', when the only reason she lived is because she did the thing that God said she wasn't supposed to do. And how can you claim there's some great reward when her father was a man of God himself?"

Realization clicked in my head all of a sudden as I recalled who she was talking about. I'd seen the census forms, and done some digging in relation to them, and now I followed on it. "How am I supposed to know? I'm not a theologian," I admitted. "But since we're on that subject, how about you tell me about your friend? You and Ms. Sakura lived together for a couple years, didn't you?"

Mami's laughter died away, and she tilted her head in feigned confusion. "Excuse me? I don't know who you're talking about."

From the way she was looking at me, and my own research, I knew she was just screwing with me though. "Oh you know, Kyoko Sakura, redhead, father was a pastor. Government records say the two of you lived together. Ringing any bells?"

The innocent look vanished as she turned a calculating gaze on me next, which I shrugged off as a matter of course. "Ah yes, that Kyoko Sakura. We did spend a few years together, though it was not the most amicable relationship. She had terrible manners, was insatiably hungry, and could not be relied whatsoever to do chores."

I could have sworn that I saw the ghost of sadness in her eyes, though if it were there it rapidly vanished. But it was something to note even if it was only gut instinct. "If it was so terrible, then why put up with each other for so long?" You didn't spend a few years with a roommate you hated, much less become their legal guardian.

Mami shrugged, fabric rippling with the rise of her shoulders. "I'm a charitous soul. I felt bad for her since she was homeless and living on the street."

A snort involuntarily escaped before I could clamp down on it. "Tell that to the people you killed."

If she took offense at that she didn't show it. That was something I had to be grateful for, though she diverted from the subject to answer as she answered. "But I was. I provided them the best service that I could. Now they don't have to suffer loss in this life."

A piercing glare followed on the heels of that, from me to her, as I looked on her sceptically. "Really? And how exactly is that supposed to work?" Murder and charity did not compute in my justice minded brain. Then again, Mami was probably making some leap of logic that I couldn't comprehend.

I had the feeling that she would be doing something to distract herself, for all of a sudden she seemed to find the discussion boring. "Isn't that obvious? Hope and despair balance out to zero. I was just doing my part to even out the equation on God's behalf."

That was something written down, though I frowned at the same time. "What? How's that supposed to work. Those are emotions, not numbers. You can't exactly balance them."

"It's realism," Mami said in return. "For every good thing that happens, something bad will happen in return. The law of equivalent exchange as it were. I'm just acting as the other part of that."

Another skeptical look on my part, as you might expect from someone talking with a crazy person whom I really should have stopped baiting when I had the chance. At least for the sake of the story if not my own sanity. "That's a law of physics. I don't think you can apply it to social life, you know."

"Whatever you say," Mami replied in a sing-song tone. It seemed that it didn't matter for her, which I was not totally surprised by. Cold hard logic will tend to do that when it meets a sea of crazy.

All of a sudden she leaned forward once more, her gaze drifting away from me and upwards. She frowned, her face seeming to darken in the light. Which was a tad alarming, at least from my position as I wondered what she was doing.

As quickly, her face shifted into a warm smile as she sat back and giggled. "Bebe, you can't eat her. Her head isn't made of cheese."

That statement explained a lot, though I didn't know who 'Bebe' was supposed to be. I hadn't been aware that she suffered from delusional hallucinations, though I probably should have before this point. It was the sort of thing that really made a difference when you were interviewing people.

She went on regardless of my own evident disbelief. "Feel free to stop her if you want. Those teeth of hers are sharp, and I would hate for you to be hurt when we're having such fun."

'Fun' was a subjective term, and one I was not experiencing at the moment, but I was not going to make an issue of it. "Nah, I'm fine," I replied, motivated by the distinct lack of fangs biting my head.

"If you say so," Mami ceded without complaint. That was good, though she kept giving the air above my head odd looks. I wasn't going to devote any imagination to figuring out what she was imagining, so I left it alone.

I paused for a moment before driving down my dangerous path ever further. Where was the fun in playing it safe? "So, do you have any other friends in here?"

The blond shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not," she replied calmly. "There just isn't anyone fun in here. But I wouldn't mind being friends with such a glowing person as yourself."

A shudder ran down my spine at the very notion. "Thanks but no thanks. I kinda make it a point to not be friends with crazy people." If she thought I was signing up for that, she only reaffirmed my opinion of her. Was this what the guard meant about her planning something?

Mami frowned, expressing disappointment with my decision. Understandably, I didn't exactly mind that at all. "Are you sure? I do get so lonely at times. I can promise that you'll have fun."

"Yep, I'm pretty sure," I countered, folding my arms across my chest.

A light sigh from the girl across from me at that point. "Your loss then. I do make the best cake or so I'm told. We could relax in my apartment watch the city, chat about various things, maybe watch a movie. Then a few bites and some tea, the best thing you'll ever eat before drifting off to a final sleep. A nice and peaceful end."

I stiffened as she took on a chilling demeanor to go with a near malevolent smile. "That's what I want for all my friends. You won't have to be scared or lonely. You'll be with someone who cares for you, and happy at your end."

An angry fire rose inside me, my fists clenching as I listened to all of that. This was so wrong, and I couldn't just let it pass me by. "Are you kidding me. That's how you treat all your friends? How can you call them that when you're killing them?!"

"Because I'm helping them," Mami shot back, her own temper growing. Luckily she was wearing the strait jacket, so I didn't have to worry abut that. "You should know this already. It was my mission."

I rolled my eyes, glaring ineffectively at her. "No, you haven't told me what kind of messed up delusions you think you're doing. I like my sanity, thank you very much."

The manic look diminished, though there still seemed to be a glimmer of it as Mami slumped in her seat. "My my, you're so mean Sayaka. That hurt my feelings."

I harrumphed, arms folded as I continued to glare at her. It had the same success as before though but I wasn't about to stop. Even if she ignored it, she deserved some sign that I was not amused. "Welp, too bad. Not my fault if it's the truth."

Mami sighed, her head bowing. For once, it seemed that I had gotten an advantage on her. How about that? "You really need to learn to be calm," she noted. "Too much stress can be bad for your health."

The only reason I had a problem with my stress was because I was talking to people like her, and there was no way that I was going to listen to any medical advice she gave me. While she might know what she was talking about, it was unlikely that she was really trying to help. That would be too easy.

"I'll keep that in mind," I answered sarcastically, and openly so. Who was really surprised by that anyway? It's not as if she was sincerely looking out for me and my well being.

Still she sat there and flashed me that smile that would otherwise have been heart warming, as if there was nothing wrong with the world. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask me?"Mood swings anyone?

It did allow me to take in a deep breath before I sighed, leaning back in my chair. I really had to stop letting her get to me. It wasn't as if she had any power in this situation beyond what I gave her. But with my nerves reined in, I could get back to the topic at hand. "Sure. Tell me more about Kyoko Sakura, would you."

This time around I got a different reaction to that question, to some semblance of surprise on my part. "No," she replied simply.

"Come on," I protested in an effort to get her to change her mind. "I didn't see you having a problem with it a moment ago. Go ahead, anything you want."

"No," she reiterated. I feel that her arms would have been folded in stubborn refusal were she able to do that action. But now I broke into a light grin at her reaction. Intuition said that this was important, and a journalist knew when to follow their gut.

So I followed mine, to whatever end might await there. I was at least sure that I would learn something, though it might not be useful. "Why not? The only way people are gonna know about her is if you tell me. What did she mean to you?"

That seemed to hit some switch inside her, triggering a...strong reaction. "No, No, no, no, no no no!" Her eyes wide as anger took hold of her visage, scary to look at even with their bonds. "I am NOT going to let you drag her name through the mud and turn her into a media spectacle."

Well, that was odd, to say the least. I quickly tried to deal with the damage, though I had a feeling that it was a bit late for that. Has to give it the effort. "Whoa, calm down there. Take it easy. I won't tell anyone else if you don't want me to, I just wanna know more about her."

Amazingly that didn't work, though her voice did die down. But the trembling and dark laughter didn't exactly inspire confidence. "You...I can't trust you. You never met her, never got to see her smile or laugh. You never know her or do things with her, parties, walks, and more. To you she's just a name and a face. Why should I tell you when you DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT."

Her gaze met mine, her breathing heavy, and I had to resist the urge to leap up and flee the rage directed at me. Even the guards watching seemed twitchy, which did little to reinforce my belief in my own safety. And I wasn't sure what I could say that could get her to calm down, which led to the opposite reaction. " You're right, I don't. But I've got a duty to the truth, and that's the whole truth. Now tell me."

I wasn't sure whether it had worked, but it quickly didn't matter as a man in a doctors coat approached. "My apologies Ms. Miki, but I''m afraid that I'm going to have to end this interview. It seems that Ms. Tomoe is having another episode."

"Alright," I agreed with a nod, letting my anger dissipate. That seemed like a smart decision, since it didn't look promising on me getting anything else from her while she looked about ready to jump across the table and try to rip my throat out with her teeth. Naturally, something I'd like to avoid if possible.

With two attendants to help the doctor hauled Mami to her feet, the blond struggling against them but failing to break free. "Let go of me doctor," she spat as she kept her wild eyes fixed upon me. "I have to make sure she doesn't do anything. I won't let her."

"Calm down Ms. Tomoe," the doctor repeated as they began to lead her away. "I will sedate you if I have to."

That brought some peace as Mami calmed down, even though it was apparent that she was only going along grudgingly. I guess sedation didn't agree with her or something. I rose from my seat at the same time, ready to leave.

Mami paused before she left the room, glancing back over her shoulder at me. "Oh, Sayaka, bring some tea next time would you? It's been so long since I've had some good tea to drink, I'm afraid it might drive me mad." And with that she was gone.

As I waited for a guard to get me, I dismissed that notion immediately from my mind. I was not about to bring her something that could be seen as a gift. At that point I wasn't even sure if institute regulations would allow it. Besides, I'd have to help her drink any tea brought, and I was not eager to put my fingers anywhere where bodily harm could be inflicted upon them. Admittedly it would be useful for gaining her trust, but that probably wasn't worth it.

My guard arrived immediately after that and we headed off together back towards the entrance. Not the end to a meeting I had ever witnessed, but oddly enough not the worst either. I had gotten some interesting things out of it that I'd have to pursue further. At this moment I had the opportunity to speak with the guard, and I did. "Well, I'd say that went well."

"That's why she doesn't get many visitors," the guard noted as he led the way, though I knew where to go now. "The people that actually do visit her don't tend to come back after the first time." To be honest, I had the feeling that that happened a lot here.

I nodded in understanding. "Okay. So what about her roommate, that Nagisa person?" I figured I might as well ask, since I had the opportunity. Details, you know?

The answer was one that I had been expecting. The guard seemed resigned rather than annoyed as he said it too, much to my relief. "She doesn't have a roommate. Tomoe just hallucinates one, like a lot of inmates here. Apparently hers is some sort of short albino kid." He shrugged. "You don't pay attention to that sort of thing after a while."

"Got it." At the time I wasn't sure if that told me anything beyond the fact that she was crazy, but it did provide some insight, since the kind of person she imagined up would be indicative of her mental state. But I fell silent as I arrived up front and was let out of the building.

Arriving back at my car, I sat down and took the moment to write down notes from the point where I had stopped taking them during the interview. I made sure to mention the reaction she had to Kyoko, underlining it at the same time. That was major. I just had to figure out how to look into it further.

At the same time I had to come up with another strategy to pursue my future discussions. Mami was right in that I would be back, but it wasn't going to be with any tea. And I was determined to make sure that the conversation went the way that I wanted this time. She wouldn't be messing with me again.

With plans whirling in my head, I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. This sort of thing could wait for later. For now, it was time to get back to my normal life.