(A/N): Chaputer tuwenty six daiyo! (Ok my Japanese accent needs a bit of work)

At first I was going to call this chapter 'Sarcasm', but then I thought better of it. Then I was going to call it 'Trouble', and I thought better of it again. (Sorry for the joke later on - see if you can spot it.) Anyway, time for chapter 26, with the grand entrance of the miraculous siblings. Sorry for the wait. Also, I should add, this half term, I am going on a trip to Iceland with my school - I am both really excited and terrified - so whether or not I'll be able to upload the next chapter after this one depends. I've written it, but it needs to be edited, so I can't say for sure. If not, then I apologise for making you wait.

Also, there is something I want to know: are there any couples in Ghost Hunt that you ship? I don't want this to become a way of people falling out and things, but I am really curious about who you all ship, if you ship anyone at all. Is there a couple here that you wouldn't normally ship but you do for this fanfiction? Do you ship John with anyone in this fanfiction that you would or wouldn't normally? Please leave your answers in your reviews!

So, I want to respond to some of the reviews I have received:
To NaginiFay - you are completely right, and you have also just revealed why colleague-san chose to use a form of schizophrenia rather than any other mental illness. Mai probably doesn't know these things, but you are right, that argument wasn't valid. You are very knowledgeable!
To WhisperToTheWolves - I'm sorry that you died, but I'm really glad that you revived. I always look forward to your reviews, and thank you so much, your compliment really made me happy! :)
To CatMaz - I'm sorry that it's stressful, and I'm afraid it might be a bit stressful for a little while longer, but thank you so much for your reviews! I'll try and update as soon as I can.
To Raven's Shadow - It makes me really happy that there's been a viewer who has been reviewing my story since it first began. Thank you so much, and I really hope that you'll continue to leave your reviews, as they make me very happy. :)
To the Guest reviews - it's too late if you've already started shipping it HAAHAHAHAHAHA no I'm just kidding. My sister ships it as well, and she shares your angst. Don't worry about little things like Kazuki being dead. Ok that's kind of big but still. You should ship what you want, regardless. Actually, your review inspired me to do a bit of fanart, which I posted on tumblr. If you want to see it, look in the ghost hunt tag, and you should come across it eventually. :)

I'm sorry if you left a review and I haven't replied to it, but this has become a very long author's note and I think I'd better let you read the next chapter. :) I'll try and answer a few more next time. Thank you for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following my story! And if you're still reading this, I admire your perseverance at getting to the end of this very long author's note!

I was thrown to the floor. My head crashed against it, sending stars into my vision. Something heavy was pressed against my wrists. Something was sitting across my chest. I struggled, but to no avail.

"You know, I don't have to lie to make you seem mad. You can do that by yourself."

"…You just keep on turning up like a bad penny, don't you?" I managed to say through gritted teeth. Saburou just grimaced.

"Who were you talking to just then? Rocking back and forth, muttering to yourself…I heard you use his name. Were you imagining Kazuki?" He leered. "He was a lot more trouble than he was worth. I wish I had been the one to kill him, teach him a lesson."

Anger shot down my spine. "What about you? How many times have you let me escape, exactly?"

He bared his teeth. "The first time wasn't my fault. Neither was the second time. The third time…you were just damn lucky. You've been lucky all this time, to have lasted this long."

"Or maybe you're just too stupid to catch me." I tried to struggle from underneath him. He was a dead weight; his legs rested on my wrists and arms, pinning them down to the floor. I saw a knife in one of his hands.

"I wouldn't speak so confidently if I was you." He growled. "I can bruise you up as much as I like. I have to wait for the boss to arrive before I can kill you, but I can still have some fun."

"It sounds like someone wasn't hugged enough as a child." I shot back.

"I'm not the one with issues, pretty boy." He snarled.

"Oh, thank you. Am I really pretty?" I asked, giving a sweet, deliberate smile that seemed to anger him further.

"Shut it."

"You look irritated. Did you get into trouble for letting me escape? I have to say, I didn't think you'd fall for it. The whole hide-behind-the-door trick, then run out while you're not looking. The kids at the Church don't fall for that." I laughed. I was terrified, absolutely terrified. I could not move with him on top of me. And yet all I could seem to do was insult him. It was satisfying, to say the least. This was the man who had turned my friends against me. "I thought you were cleverer. Maybe I was wrong."

Saburou tensed, and gripped the knife tighter in his hands. "You'd better start showing me some respect."

"Respect? How about this?" Despite the terrifying situation, the fact that antagonising him could be deadly, I spat in his face. For a second, he just sat there, stunned. Then he brought back his hand and hit me across the forehead, hard.

Thankfully, he hit me with the handle of the knife, and I saw blood dripping in the palm of his hand where he had held the blade. However, I felt the skin tear, and soon blood gushed down my forehead, obscuring the vision in my right eye.

"Shut up!" He shouted. "Shut up now, or you'll regret it, pretty boy. You won't be so pretty after I'm done with you."

Again, I smiled at him. "I'll still be prettier than you."

He raised his hand, and held the knife aloft menacingly. I just stared at him, my face sullen and composed. I did not show my fear, although I could hear my heart pounding, and I was surprised he could not hear it too.

The knife quivered, and he brought it down suddenly.

It embedded the floor, an inch away from my head. I did not so much as blink, but kept my gaze openly on him. He breathed hard, his eyes filled with rage. Then he stopped, and calmed himself.

"…You have some nerve." His voice had retained the musical quality to it. "I have to admit, you have got guts. I didn't expect that from a little pretty boy like you. A foreigner, no less. An ill little foreigner."

"Racist." I coughed.

He laughed, and stroked the side of my head, almost lovingly. "For someone facing death, you're very sarcastic."

His fingers moved near my head wound, and I tried not to wince. "For someone trying to kill me, you haven't done a very good job. I mean, this is your third try. Maybe more."

Then a thought occurred to me. I stared at his wrist. He was using it with no problem.

"Your wrist. I thought…" The last time we had met, down that alleyway, I had brought an iron bar down on it, very hard. I heard the bone crack. It had only been a day since then – less, even – and he wasn't even wincing from the pain.

"Oh, yeah. You hit it pretty hard, didn't you?" His fingers ran through my hair, and I shifted uncomfortably. "Well, the thing is, I don't feel pain. Most of the time, I can't feel it. Sometimes, I do, if it's big enough. My lungs hurt a lot when I had to run through that fire." He had mentioned a fire, a fire that burnt down Mattaku Psychiatric Ward. "But my skin and my bones…they don't hurt. Even when I burnt myself, I felt nothing. Even when you scratched my face, nothing. I mean, my body still reacts to the force. When you hit me with that candle stick, I was propelled backwards. But it was nothing. You can bite and kick and scratch at me as much as you want, but it won't do you any good. Because I can't feel any of it."

I swallowed. If he couldn't feel pain, then any fighting with him would be almost impossible. I had heard of people having this condition before: Congenital insensitivity to pain, or CIP. It meant that he could not feel any sort of pain, and was both a curse and a blessing. Many people would consider feeling no pain as a great benefit, but it also meant that if there was something wrong with you, the chances were, you wouldn't feel it, and you could get infected or any number of things. Who knew how much damage Saburou was causing to his wrist right now, but he could not feel a thing, and it would just get worse and worse.

However, he did not seem to care. "But you know what? I felt very humiliated when you ran away like that. I got into a lot of trouble for letting you escape. The first time, you jumped off a cliff. The second time, the usual dosage didn't work. I still don't understand why. Maybe I drugged you too much back at the ward. By the third time…you just made a fool of me." He put down the knife, and slipped his hand into his jacket pocket. He brought out an injection.

"Don't worry, I've made the concentration higher." He assured me, exposing the needle. "I'm not making the same mistake as last time." I felt the needle prick my skin. He started to apply pressure.

Then something strange happened. The whispering started again. But this time, it escalated quickly. It got louder and louder. Saburou faltered and looked around, confused.

"What…" He breathed, despite himself. The pressure of his left leg shifted, and I managed to free my arm. With difficulty, I snatched the syringe from his surprised hand, and pulled it sharply out from underneath my skin. Then, as it continued slowly spurting out the drug, I threw it across the room. He hadn't injected me with the full dosage, but a substantial amount had still entered my system. I had no idea what the affects would be or if my body would be able to resist; I had to get out of here before I began to succumb to its effects. All the while, the whispering was getting louder. It was almost unbearable.

"The hell is this?!" Saburou shouted.

"They're scared." I whispered, more to myself. "They're scared of him…They're angry with him…"

Then a noise came that sent shivers across my body. The sound of nails scratching the walls, dragging across the hard surface. The whispering was becoming more and more distinct now.

"…Help us…"

"Mattaku…Mattaku…"

"I'm not insane, I'm not mad…"

It wasn't just Japanese. There was English too, and German and Russian and a number of other languages.

"…uns helfen…"

"Sono non insano...sono non insano..."

"Shut up!" Saburou shouted to the voices. "Who the hell are you?!"

The voices ceased momentarily, and then continued. This time, they said something different.

"Dovete correre…Per la tua vita..."

"Allez, allez!"

"Go, run away."

"Schnell. Jetzt."

"Run away. Run for your life."

I struggled harder, but Saburou placed his hand over my neck. There was no pressure in his grip, but I knew he could snap it easier than a twig, or squeeze the life out of me.

"Not him. You can't have him." The voice was startlingly near. I looked past Saburou, and saw Kazuki standing above him. The anger in his eyes was unmistakable.

"You can't feel pain? Let me test that." He had dragged the plastic table over to us. Then lifted it, and crashed it onto Saburou. How had he managed to even touch it, let alone lift it? I had no idea, but the blow was enough to make Saburou release his grip. Confused, yet not in pain, he looked around and tried to see who had attacked him. Still, he could not see Kazuki. Finally, I was able to push him off, and I scrambled to my feet. He turned back to me in an instant.

"No, not so fast." He growled, regardless of the chaos, and strode towards him. Then he froze.

"I said. Not. Him." Kazuki had stepped forwards and grabbed his neck. Then he started to squeeze. Saburou, unable to feel pain but realising he could not breathe, grasped at his neck and looked around wildly. He could see no one.

"John, run! Get out of here!" Kazuki shouted to me. "Run away!"

I nodded shakily. "But what about you?"

"I'm dead! It doesn't matter! Go out around the back, he might have enforcements at the front. Now go! Run!"

I took his advice, just like before. I ran from the room, ran down the hall way. I burst out of the back door.

Then I skidded to a halt.

There were so many of them. More than thirty. Some were more faded than others, while others stood out as clear as the living.

The spirits that haunted this house were standing on the field outside, watching me with empty eyes. Most wore blue. Others wore white lab coats. Very many were stained with blood and soot.

In the middle stood Sayomi.

"You have to go." She spoke calmly. "It's hard to imagine, but if you don't escape, you'll end up like me. Like us. You'll end up here."

I was breathing hard, looking in shock at the people who stood here. Shakily, I stepped forwards, but found myself almost paralysed. They watched me like hawks.

"Run. Run for your life." Sayomi whispered. "If you want to live, run. You don't have much time. He'll be out soon. He'll catch up with you. So go. Run."

I ran faster than I ever had before. I ran across the field, past the on looking spirits, to the back where there was a small collection of trees. The weeds and nettles almost tripped me up, but I ignored them. I had to get away from here, and get back to the river. I had to find the site of where Mattaku Psychiatric Ward had once been.

It was not long before I heard angry voices echoing through the trees.

"Where is he?"

"He went this way, I'm sure of it."

So Saburou really had brought reinforcements, like Kazuki had predicted. Were they armed? It was a strong possibility. As I ran through the trees, I could hear them spreading out, searching for me, like they were hunting an animal. Maybe, in their eyes, that's all I was.

I began to find myself tiring. Every now and again, my vision blurred, or I would stagger, my limbs feeling heavy for a split second. It was from the drug. Even though the full amount hadn't entered my system, it was still enough to throw me off. All I could hope was that it wouldn't be strong enough to make me pass out.

Before long, a gun shot rang out in the forest. So they were armed after all. I could not see them nearby, so I did not know why one of them had opened fire. Even so, I ran faster. There were no houses nearby, no people who could help – this was the perfect place to get murdered. Soon, I found myself bursting out of the forest, stumbling onto a road and falling to my knees. I could hear traffic, but, as I looked around, I couldn't see anythi –

I was on a corner.

In a split second, my body lunged out of the way, just as a car screeched by. Whoever was driving must have seen me burst onto the road, but they only managed to ground to a halt 20 meters from where I was.

The car door opened as I lay there, panting. My bones felt like they were vibrating from the force of having to throw myself.

"What were you thinking?! What kind of stunt were you planning to pull off there?!" A man walked out, shouting at me angrily. "Is this some kind of a joke to you?! You could have been killed!" As he came nearer, he froze temporarily at my appearance. I realised the hood had come off, and I was conspicuous once more. Not only that, but the blood was still pouring down my face. He peered at me.

"Why aren't you at school?"

I sighed, and struggled to my feet, swaying perilously and trying to control the racing adrenaline in me.

"Are you a runaway?" The man continued asking warily.

"Yeah, whatever." I muttered, exhausted.

"Is everything alright, Hiro?" Another voice called out. It was a woman. My vision blurred as the car door opened again. This time, though, the woman stopped and gasped.

"You…" She said weakly. "What are you…"

Frowning, I tilted my head, blinking my eyes to focus my vision. At once, I recognised the woman.

"Ikeda-san?"

Rin Ikeda looked tired and worn out. Her eyes had sunken in a bit, and her face looked thinner than I last remembered. She was fiddling with the engagement ring around her finger. And it was because of me that her fiancé had ended up in hospital.

"Your forehead." She stared at it mindlessly. "It's bleeding."

The man stared at her, baffled. "You know this person?"

"Yeah, otouto-chan." Now that I looked at the man, I could see he looked similar to Rin. "Remember I told you about it?"

Her brother stiffened. His jaw clenched. "So this is the one…" He turned to her and whispered frantically.

"I don't like it. He's all washed up on the river, in a state, the first time you see him, all beaten up and bloody. Then your fiancé ends up in hospital, the hospital where he works, right? You saw him there, right? Now, he's running, his clothes are all dirty and he's bleeding again."

"What are you implying?" Rin asked tiredly.

"I don't know, I just think he's trouble."

"He's right there, you know." Rin raised an eye brow towards me. "Is your forehead alright?" She called.

"Ummm…" I dabbed away some of the blood with my sleeve, wincing as I did so. "…I'll live…"

Her brother shifted uncomfortably. Although he was younger than her, it seemed from how she addressed him, he was taller. Regardless, they both shared the same muscly build.

"Why were you on the road?" He asked me.

I was about to answer when a gun shot resounded from within the forest. Rin and her brother stared towards it, then at each other in horror.

"Was that…a gun?" Rin breathed.

"I told you, he's trouble!" Her brother growled, pointing at me as I stood up, ready to run at any moment. "I knew it from the second I saw him! The second I walked into that hospital!"

"Well, shame on you now." I could not help but mutter it.

"Shut up." Rin whispered. She turned to me, eyes wide. "We need to get out of here. Come with us."

Hiro turned to her. "Rin, are you crazy?! We don't know who he is! We don't want to get caught up in this!"

"Hiro, he's hurt. We can't just leave him here! Those were gun shots!" She looked wildly to the woods. "There are no hunting areas around here, they can't be good."

"Yes, and that's why we're leaving!" Hiro tugged on her arm, but she did not budge.

"We need to help him." She said through gritted teeth. Hiro, speechless in exasperation, scowled at me.

"Who are you?" He asked me suspiciously.

"No time for that." Rin walked over to me. "You need to come with us."

She gently reached her hand out, and for some reason, I flinched from it. The voices were getting nearer. I needed to get away. But the same question was echoing around my head: could I trust them? Again and again. Could I trust them? Was it a trap? Could I trust them? But no matter how hard I tried to think, my mind was blank.

"Rin, we need to go now!" Hiro shouted. In response, Rin shouted back,

"We can't just leave him to die!" There was a strain in her voice.

This silenced Hiro. The voices were getting nearer.

"Come with us." Rin told me, her voice low. "Please. We need to leave now. It's dangerous."

A sudden shot sounded much nearer than before.

"We need to go!" Hiro hissed. Rin looked at me urgently.

"Come on!" She insisted. Hesitating, I nodded. I'd rather take my chances with these two than with Saburou's reinforcements.

I stepped forwards, and the world began to spin. Righting myself, I rubbed my forehead, trying to rid myself of the shooting pain.

"Ugh, come on!" Hiro snapped. He grabbed me and lifted me up. It startled me, and my first reaction was to fight back, albeit weakly as I felt my energy slowly draining away.

Then a bullet whizzed past my ear, and I thought better of it.

"Go, go, go!" Rin beckoned us over. Hiro, who was still carrying me, ran over and threw me into the back seat. Then he got into the driver's seat, and started the engine.

As the car moved forwards, I looked through the window behind me. Someone bolted out from the trees, carrying a heavy gun, and looked around wildly. Ducking, I prayed they hadn't seen me in the car. However, no bullets crashed through the windscreen, the car didn't swerve, nothing happened; it seemed that, for the moment, I hadn't been spotted.

"Ok…" I saw that Hiro was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles went white. "Ok…we'll be fine…we're fine…absolutely fine…" He muttered wildly to himself. "Nothing to worry about…" We drove swiftly away from the group of armed people, until soon they were completely out of sight. There was a silence, and the tension inside the car built up, until Hiro snapped.

"What the hell was that?!" He yelled. "Why were they carrying such big guns?! What is going on?!" I winced at the loud noise, which only seemed to make me feel worse.

When I said nothing, it made him angrier.

"Well, go on! Spit it out! Why were they shooting at you?!"

"Uh–"

"I was almost shot back there! Did you see how close that bullet came?! I want an answer!" He was really shaken up.

I let out a shaky breath myself. "I'm sorry. They were…they were after me. They want to get rid of me."

He fell silent. I stared at him, and my gaze matched his for a brief moment when he glanced at me through the car mirror.

"…Get rid of you?" He finally asked.

"Yeah."

"Are they following us?" Concerned, Rin turned around and strained to see behind her. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't think they're following us…"

"Are you sure?" Hiro turned and stared also. The two of them did this for a short time, before Rin frowned and a look of dread and revelation crossed her face.

"Hiro, keep your eye on the road!"

Hiro turned back around with a jump, just as the car almost crashed into a tree on a corner. He slammed the brakes and the car juddered to a halt.

"Right. That's it. I'm driving." Rin snapped.

So, now Rin drove the car while Hiro sulked in the passenger seat, and I tried to massage my head so it wouldn't feel so painful.

"I want to drive." Hiro mumbled. "This isn't fair. It's my car."

"Shut up, I'm older." Rin shot back.

"Shut up, I'm older." Hiro mimicked her.

"Hey, if we pass some shops, how about you go in and buy some maturity?"

"I'll go buy you some grace while I'm there." He said snidely.

Rin rolled her eyes, and glanced at me through the mirror. "You ok back there?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." This was not entirely true.

"Should we take you to hospital?"

"No, it's ok. I'll be fine."

Hiro turned to look at me and frowned. "How did you even hit your head?"

"Uhhh…" I sighed tiredly. A man hit me with the handle of a knife across my forehead. "I just…I fell."

Hiro said nothing but looked at me suspiciously. Avoiding his gaze, I stared out the window.

"How's Hayate-san?" I asked.

Rin stiffened. "He's…he's recovering. He'll be alright."

"That's good to hear."

Rin was silent for a moment. "Does…Does any of this have anything to do with Hayate being in hospital?"

I swallowed. "What makes you think that?"

"Because that nurse at the hospital, she was acting very strangely. Protective and secretive. I saw her talking to you, once. And now…those gun shots…"

I shifted, not looking at her. "…He helped me. You both saved my life at that river. That's why…" I did not finish, and Hiro interrupted me.

"We're here."

It was with hesitation that I followed them into the house, a house I remembered coming to during the case. Would it be a trap? Would I go inside, and find the colleague there, or Saburou?

As it turned out, my worries were needless – the house was empty. Even so, I could not help but be on edge.

"Do you want some ice or something? Should we try to bandage it up?" Rin walked out of the room and returned with a pack of ice before even hearing my answer.

"You should lie down." She instructed, although I was aware of how to treat head wounds. I ended up lying down on a sofa, pressing a clean wad of cloth to my forehead to try and stop the bleeding. Rin hovered around, looking anxious, so I tried to reassure her.

"Don't worry, it's not that deep. It hasn't penetrated the skull, so I won't need to go to hospital."

"But-but, you almost collapsed back then, right? What if you're suffering from shock?" She had a valid point, and I had been ignoring it against my better judgement. Circulatory shock could be fatal and needed medical treatment, so all I could do was hope I was not suffering from it. There was no way I could go to the hospital, not with associates of the colleague lurking around there. It was worrying, though, especially since I had had a dizzy spell earlier on, but when you had head injuries, it was hard to tell.

Automatically, I lay on my side, so if I really were suffering from shock and I vomited or coughed up blood, I wouldn't choke. "Do my eyes seem strange at all?"

Rin frowned, and lowered her head, peering into my eyes.

"No…"

"The pupils aren't dilated?"

"…Not that I can see…"

"What about my skin?" I looked at my hands, and the skin didn't look unusual. "It is pale or grey?"

"Not really…well, it is pale, but not hugely…"

I didn't feel cold or clammy, and my breathing felt normal – not too deep and quick, and not shallow either. I checked my pulse, and it seemed to be normal.

"Ok, I don't think I'm suffering from shock." I decided. "If you're really worried, then if I pass out or I start behaving irrationally, then you can take me to hospital."

Rin nodded. Honestly, it did not help that I really was shaken up by the ordeal. My mind was still trying to process how close Saburou had been to taking me away, and the retaliation of the spirits.

And Kazuki…Kazuki had been a doctor at Mattaku Psychiatric Ward. He had given away information about my research into Sayomi's disappearance. Why had he done something like that? Even now, I could not imagine him doing it out of spite. But why? How did he even come to work at the Ward?

I was startled out of my thoughts by Hiro.

"So…" He sat down opposite me. "You, um…Why did those people…you said they wanted to get rid of you."

There was no point in denying it – he would not believe me. Instead, I nodded.

"Yeah. They were."

"Why?"

"It's…complicated. They…I found out something I shouldn't have. I got too close to the truth."

"The truth about what?"

I shook my head. "I got too close, and look what has happened. I don't want that to happen to you."

Hiro nodded solemnly. "I see…"

I glanced over at Rin, who was busy doing something. "Why was she so…willing to help me?"

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure a lot of people who found me on the verge of the woods like this, with gun shots coming from the trees, would drive on."

Hiro smiled bitterly. "Yeah. They would. Me included." He looked over at Rin. "She's always been like that. She wouldn't care if she got into trouble because of it. You know that kind of person?"

Immediately, I thought of Mai. "Yeah, I do."

"Even if it's a stranger. And especially since Hayate got in that accident…she's been much more protective over…everyone, really. Me, our parents, even the local villagers. I'm just scared that if she keeps this up, she'll land herself in trouble."

She had already brought herself dangerously close to my mess, simply by helping me. I needed to leave here as soon as I could, lest Rin ended up in her own 'accident'.

If it were not for the routines and my natural body clock, I would have no way of telling when one day ended and another began. Every day, Matthew leads me around, telling me what to do and not what to do. I keep my head down, and try to avoid contact with the other doctors and orderlies. Especially Saburou. He always seems to be lurking around, and watches everyone from a distance.

We are not fed much, and get little exercise, apart from if we are called to do a task, like cleaning the floors, and it is on a day in which I have been stationed to wash the dining hall floor that I see it for the first time.

I am washing the floor with a mop, with another patient while an orderly watches on intently. The patient does not look at me, or even talk. She is a middle aged Japanese woman, although I don't know her name. Only when the orderly leaves the room, satisfied, does she turn to me.

"You're the new one, aren't you?" She whispers quietly.

"Yeah. What's your name?"

"Ritsuka. Ritsuka Amane."She shifts uneasily. "You're John Brown, aren't you?"

"Yeah, how do you know?"

"My doctor mentioned you."

I frowned. "Your doctor?"

"Doctor Brooks."

I froze temporarily, before continuing with the cleaning. "Oh, really?"

"Yes." She did not continue with what exactly he said, so I asked,

"What is he like? Is he like Saburou Osaki?"

She shudders, and shakes her head. "No, not at all." She glances around nervously. "There are some orderlies here, and doctors too…they aren't nice. They'll do anything to get you into solitary isolation. But there are some who aren't like that. They are kind enough, but they turn a blind eye to what goes on behind the scenes, and pretend that nothing is happening."

"Is Doctor Brooks one of those people?"

She nods. "I think so. He tries to pretend that this is a normal hospital, but he knows, really."

I hesitate, then ask, "What happens in solitary isolation?"

Ritsuka stops. "…I used to work here, you know. Before the Ward was sold and…things went downhill. One day, I noticed that so many of the patients here claimed they weren't mad. But they went mad eventually. I was a nurse here, and I happened to talk to a patient who knew another patient that was sent into solitary isolation. He was put into a room that was especially designed to be completely silent. People use the word silence without fully realising what true silence is. This room is so quiet, you can hear your own blood pumping. It drives you insane. The longest anyone has lasted in there is 45 minutes."

"They…they put him in there?"

"Yeah. He went mad. I'm not sure what happened to him after that. I tried to tell the police, but…" She shakes her head sadly. "They took me, too."

She continues mopping the floor with me. "They do terrible things. They beat people, torture them mentally. Never end up there. The worst part is, they enjoy it. So never end up in solitary isolation."

I nod solemnly. "Have you…?"

"Oh, no. I hope I never will. But I know enough."

At that moment, we hear the sound of running footsteps. Someone bursts into the dining hall.

"Stay away from me!" A woman shouts, slamming the doors behind her. Immediately, they burst open again. A group of orderlies hurry into the room, with Saburou at the front.

"I'm not ill!" The woman shouts. "I shouldn't be here!"

Saburou looks to the other orderlies. "Put her in solitary isolation."

The orderlies, not making a sound, grab her arms and drag her out of the room.

"I'm not ill!" She screams. "I'm not insane! Let me go!"

Saburou watches her go while we stand, motionless in shock. Ritsuka tenses up and I see the mop shaking in her hands, as the screams continue down the corridor.

"I'm not insane! I'm not insane!..."

Saburou turns to leave, but looks at me first. I avoid his gaze, and stare down at the floor.

"You're with Forcit, aren't you?" He asks. I nod mutely. Ritsuka busies herself with the mop.

"Huh." He ambles towards me. "And you were Brooks's friends, weren't you?"

I nod again, and he says, "Speak up."

"Yes, I was."

He smiles again, and turns to Ritsuka, who hastens her cleaning and does not even glance at him. He does not say anything to her, but walks out of the room.

When he has left, Ritsuka lets out a breath.

"Do you know him?" She asks.

"I met him, once. Hey…you know that girl just now?"

Ritsuka tightens her grip on the mop. "Yes?"

"Will they…put her in that room you talked about?"

She swallows, and stares blankly at the wall.

Finally, she speaks up. "…I hope not. I dearly hope not."

I woke up with a start. Still lying on Rin's sofa, I remembered the day getting late. I must have drifted off to sleep…

The sound of someone entering the room made me jump.

"Don't worry. It's just me."

I recognised it as Rin, although I couldn't see very well in the dark.

"Is everything alright?" I asked her.

"Yes, I was just wondering…" She sat down opposite me. "I need to ask something. I don't know why you would know, but I just thought…with everything that's gone on…" She took a breath. "Hayate was in an accident. You know that, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I was thinking…do you suspect something? You do, don't you? You revealed that much in the car. You said that…because we saved you…" She paused. "…Do you…think that someone tampered with the car?"

I sighed, and looked towards the window. "…Yes. I think so."

"But who?" Rin asked, her voice rising slightly. "Who would do something like that?"

"…Someone who is after me."

Rin frowned. "What?"

"A man called colleague-san wants me dead. He's the reason why I ended up in the river where you found me, I think. And…I'm sorry. Because you saved me…"

Rin understood what I meant, and looked away, trying to hide her shock.

"…Will he come after us again?" She finally asked. Her voice was quiet.

"I don't know. I didn't think he would, but…now that you've helped me…" I bowed my head. "I'm really sorry, for causing you this trouble."

"It's fine. You don't need to worry about it." Her voice was flat.

"I'll leave tomorrow, if I may stay the night. I won't hang around, don't worry."

Despite everything, a look of sympathy crossed her face. "Of course you can stay the night. Is there anything you need?"

I thought about it, and then nodded. "Yes, if that's ok."

…Retrace your steps…

"Do you remember where you found me? In the river?"

Rin looked surprised, but nodded. "Yes, I do. Why?"

"Could you take me there?"

"Yes, but why?"

"…There's somewhere I need to return to."

Whatever horrors had happened there, one thing was inevitable:

I needed to return to the site of Mattaku Psychiatric Ward.