"Shinigami!" The nurse's voice was loud and Clive stared out the small window in Luke's hospital room. A tall and handsome blonde-haired male nurse was striding down the hallway, after someone Clive couldn't see. He sighed and looked at Luke - the boy was lucky he was even alive. Shade's skill at beating in his head was unmatched.

Next thing Clive knew, the nurse and Shade bundled in. Shade looked defeated and small. "But Gabriel," she whined. "Whyyyy?"

"Just because your parents aren't here doesn't mean you can go insane. I'll take care of you and make sure this doesn't happen again," the nurse, Gabriel, said sharply. Shade rolled her eyes and smiled sweetly at Clive before calmly strolling to Luke's bedside. Clive looked at Gabriel, who had no aura of malice. He was watching Shade warily, tensed and ready to move.

Shade leaned down and gently kissed Luke, and Clive was startled when she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him more passionately than he knew a ten-year-old could. Luke's eyes snapped open and he flailed, but Shade kept it up and Gabriel didn't move until Shade threw herself backwards, stumbling and nearly falling.

"UGH," Shade groaned, wiping her mouth. "It hurts." Gabriel placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, but your friend here is alive and well now," Gabriel said lightly. "Come, Shinigami. I fear what you will do if I leave you for a second."

"Wait," Shade said sharply. "Clive. Tomorrow at three o' clock in the afternoon, don't leave the house. Bolt the doors, lock the windows. Don't let anyone in, no matter who they are." Her irises amazingly changed colour to white, and Shade looked ill.

"Do what she says," Gabriel warned. "If not, there is a high chance you will die. Oh, and if you need us, she lives here. I don't, but I'm staying here for the time being." Gabriel handed Clive a scrap of paper with an address on it before leaving, Shade following him.

"She's a good kisser," Luke blurted, and instantly regretted it.

"Why did you DO that?" Shade yelled at Gabriel, who seemed to ignore her as he popped his head into the room of a comatose patient and spoke to the patient's girlfriend. "I'm a sadist, Gabriel! Healing someone makes me sick!"

"If you feel the need to throw up because you saved a boy's life, the toilets are just up ahead," Gabriel replied coolly. "I do have a question, though. There was no need to kiss him that passionately. He's comatose, not dead."

Shade rubbed the back of her neck. "Uhh." Gabriel smirked.

"You like him!" he declared, patting her on the back when Shade's cheeks flushed bright red. "Maybe you should try not to show your affection by beating his brains out. You may be sadistic, but he isn't."

Shade sighed. "I know that, but I can't stop myself."

"Very well, I'm doubling your medication intake," Gabriel replied. "If it's only getting worse, we might have to take some drastic measures." Shade whined pitifully and sighed.

"I want to see him again, though," she said, glancing over her shoulder. She'd gone too far to see him.

"Try not to do what your mother does by sneaking into his room in the middle of the night," Gabriel replied, ruffling her hair. It almost seemed as if he was her father, but the two were completely unrelated. "Try visiting him after tomorrow. He might appreciate you then."

Gabriel hummed to himself as he finished the paperwork to discharge Luke. He headed to Luke's room to deliver the good news, where Clive and Luke were discussing Shade.

"Gabriel, why is she so strange?" Luke asked.

"Shade is a sociopath, a sadist and a prodigy," Gabriel said softly. "She's trying to defy her own nature while studying for her exams, and she's not doing well. She wants to be your friend, but she doesn't know how to handle people and her sadistic nature is beginning to take over."

"Is that why she hit me with a baseball bat?" Luke asked. Gabriel chuckled.

"Yes," he replied. "She has... difficulties. Her parents aren't exactly giving her the best genes in the world, or much help. It's really up to me, to be honest. Don't get too mad at her for beating you up. It's the kind of thing she likes to do, sadly. It's not her fault, either. By the way, Luke, you can officially go. And one last thing... I think you can help her, Luke. She has two friends right now, neither of which she sees daily. Having friendships helps her, a lot."

Gabriel removed the band from Luke's arm and left the room. Luke watched him leave happily. Gabriel was the best nurse he could've asked for.

Shade was waiting for Gabriel. "Hi," she mumbled. "Can we go now?"

"I have another shift. You can go home," he said. Shade nodded and stood up, trailing down the corridor. There was no sign of Luke or Clive, and she left disappointed.

Gabriel found Shade several hours later cradling a severed head in her arms. He sighed. "You can't do this anymore," he whispered as he lifted her to her feet. He groaned as Shade spotted someone a distance away and pulled a knife out of her pocket, throwing it right at the person, who was killed instantly.

"You can't keep killing like this," Gabriel said, taking her home without another accident. He had very little sleep, though he spent most of his time in the spare bedroom, one ear always open for Shade. He was fast asleep when she sneaked out to Layton's apartment and broke into Flora's room. Shade disemboweled Flora and was interrupted when Luke walked in and caught her, quite literally red handed. The sight of his shock, anger and sorrow had Shade in tears.

Luke didn't know whether to blame her or not. He could hardly shout at Shade when she was so sad. She looked... regretful. But she was repeating something, over and over:

"I am not her."