I hope you all like this chapter, my mind was in about two thousand places at once while writing it, so I'd appreciate it if anyone could tell me about mistakes and such, blah, blah blah. Just read -…

*Noodle*

It had been happening for a week now. I do not know who had been doing it, but I was not going to be complaining about it any time soon. It was actually a relief. It started the day after I'd spent my first night in my new room, after I threw my suitcase at that demon. Every morning before I woke, I floated peacefully on the clouds. I could hear the most angelic voice singing to me, and it was beautiful. I don't know how my subconscious could have created such an entrancing voice, but I knew I was becoming fond of it. It saddened me whenever I had to awaken. The voice would leave, right as I was sure I was about to figure it out.

This morning, just like every day since about seven days ago on the day of the incident, I woke up after hearing a door shut, a bit loudly, just like every morning before. The air close around me smelled a bit odd, kind of like butterscotch, but I brushed it off as another scent invaded my senses. I got up, clad in pajamas, and twitched when I felt a couple of my cuts open up. I ignored the burning and walked carefully downstairs, welcomed by the delicious scent of cinnamon. Someone had left a tray of oatmeal, a banana, toast, apple juice, and milk – a homey sight. I sat on my lounge chair crossed-legged while I slowly greeted each piece into my mouth, savouring every bite.

Normally, after I was done, I would put the tray back on the table and take a nice hour-long dip in the tub. When I would come back out, a towel hung loosely around my body, the tray would be gone. I would get dressed and sit by the open window upstairs, leaning against the wall with a burning cigarette in between my lips and the flick in my hand. I thought it was kind of pointless to take a bath, then go and cut myself, but it felt so right. Not good, just right. The pain of the blade cutting into my skinwas downright agonizing and it stung, but after a couple of days and dozens of cuts, I didn't feel so nauseous anymore. The thick smell of salt and rust from the crimson liquid still sickened me. But this pain was so much more bearable than the kind I'd been dealt for two and a half years of my life, of which I could never get back, and I do not plan on trying to get the time stolen from me any time soon.

Around noon, I would hear my door open again, closing not long after, and I would discover that a lunch had been left on the table for me. Grateful again, I would finish that too. After, I would clean up the dried blood on my skin and wipe antibacterial cream over the fresh wounds. I would take a couple books into my bedroom upstairs and pass the time reading the books and listening to music.

Just like that, my thoughts would disappear as, yet again, dinner was placed in my lighthouse. And so this, all of it, had been my routine for the past week. The little girl, I decided to call her Kazuno, a rarely used Japanese name. It seems to fit though. I hate how she sees right through me. She was with me a lot throughout the week, eating my meals with me, or watching closely as I played music and we would sing together. Kazuno is an odd child. I cannot figure out why she seems so familiar though, or how she disappears so easily. I discovered she could speak English, but only just, and she prefers Japanese. She understands me no matter which of the two languages I use, though.

She kept me company during the week, always telling me I needed to be happy and stop being so depressed, but I do not understand what she means. I am not unhappy, and I am not depressed. I am content and the demons had left me be lately. Though, I wonder why 2D-san has not come to see me.

"Noodle-chan," the girl called for my attention.

"Yes, Kazuno-chan?" I was still sitting on the lounge chair, slowly continuing my breakfast as I thought about the past week. She grabbed the bowl filled with oatmeal and hopped up onto the chair next me. She mimicked my sitting position as she began eating. I sighed, "Did you not want something, Kazuno-chan?"

She nodded, the spoon in her mouth. She put it back in the bowl and lowered it to her lap, "Hai." She rubbed my arm with her fingers. "Why…?"

I looked away from her, "I do not… I don't know. You know what it does… I feel better…"

She shook her head, "Iie. Not feel better… but… when hurt… make pictures go a-way." I looked at her, wide-eyed. How did she know that? I specifically avoided that subject when she was around. "You do," she pointed to my cuts, "beecuz it… dis…distract."

"Of course I do it because it distracts me. What else can I do? There's nothing… 2D-san won't help me anymore. He left when that demon came back," I began to cry.

Kazuno put the bowl down and rubbed my back in a comforting gesture. "You miss… lonely."

"I'm not lonely," I fired. "You keep me company." She just stared at me for a moment after I'd said that, then shook her head in a pitying manner. "What do you do that for? Do you believe I am lying?"

She stood, then jumped off of the chair, smiling and running up the stairs as she yelled, "Noodle-chan. Watashi to issho ni ki te kudasai. Watashi to issho ni ongaku o saisei wa! Anata no gitaa o nyuushu shi, daijoobu watashi ni shitagat te kudasai?" (Come with me. Play music with me! Get your guitar and follow me, okay?) I felt my head tilt to the side in my confusion, but I did as the girl asked without question.

I walked the steps to my room slowly and saw Kazuno standing next to the wall where my guitar was mounted. She smiled up at me and watched as I grabbed the instrument and strapped it around my body, and with a sigh, I began to descend the stairs and walk outside. Kazuno skipped ahead of me, leading the way to where she wished to be. She practically leaped up the steps as I attempted to take them two at a time, stretching out my legs. She jumped up and down excitedly as I pressed the button to the lift and waited impatiently for it to open up. Once the metal doors slowly slid out of the way, I stepped inside and picked the location that Kazuno had pointed to. Once it began to ascend, she stood next to me and held onto my hand, smiling all the while. I looked down at her, gazing at her young face. "Why do you smile? How are you always so happy?"

Her smile disappeared and she turned her stare to me, "Do you want to be happy?"

I was slightly surprised that she had completed an entire sentence without falter, but I thought about her question for a moment, then nodded, "Mm. I suppose I do wish to feel that way."

She nodded, then smiled back up at me, "Come." She pulled my hand and tugged at me lightly as I followed her. We were in the study, but now she was pulling me up the steps around the lift. "Why didn't we just take the lift up there…"

"It not go…" she shrugged, pulling me around the lift to climb the steps carefully and stopping at the missing step. She hopped over, then continued her way up. "Come," she chirped.

I stepped back, then mimicked what Kazuno had just done. Once I landed, I lost my balance and started falling backwards, but she pulled me forward by grabbing onto my hand. I looked down, eyeing the ground warily, then continued following her to the roof. Kazuno pulled me to the ledge and sat on top of the small wall, patting the spot next to her. I sat down and pulled my guitar over my lap. She began to play a tune with her own guitar –where had that come from? She was playing the song Sound Check, but I stopped her, and she looked up at me. I shook my head, "I don't want to play that one right now."

She nodded, "You pick."

I thought about it, strumming my guitar and fumbling with notes until I began to play a familiar rhythm, and Kazuno joined in, adding her own little taste to El Mañana. I sang lightly, remembering the feeling I had when I'd first heard this song composed after it had been completed. I was even more sublime than I had imagined it when I wrote it down for our album.

Once I was finished, Kazuno jumped up and looked straight at me. She put her hand on her chest, "Play. From here, now… I want to... hear…" She pointed to her ears, "Out loud." She's getting better at speaking…

"You want me to play from my heart," I felt where my own should be; where it felt hollow. She nodded vigorously. "I do not think you would wish to hear that." I believe it would be… sad…. for both of us. I do not want to face what's inside of me.

She sighed, "Just play. Try… maybe feel better…"

I sighed, mimicking her, "Silly child." She giggled.

I closed my eyes and began to strum out tunes, ones that seemed too light, too airy, so I went deeper, playing more mellow rhythms, deeper and much more relaxing, down to one that seemed to sing to me as I played it. The rhythm was feeding me, trying to make me feel better as it danced with my soul. It egged me to sing what it spoke, and I complied, humming at first, until I was sure of how it wanted to sound, "This world feels, it feels empty… my darling… and as the hate brings the pain… it's sitting on my shoulders, it calls me… and I am lost within its sting... In my river of blood… just know, I never wanted to hurt you… Sing to me… sweetly… Touch me… deeply… Find me my cold, dead heart… I'm becoming what's inside of me… when you turn around… will you let me be? ...I build my walls all around, but somehow, you keep tearing them down… How far will we go? …Will you find me here… as you search for my glow? ...I feel like my barriers, they're getting ready to blow… Will you be there, to catch me if so? …Please, my darling…Sing to me, sweetly… Touch me, deeply... Find me my cold, dead heart." She bit her lip, not daring to go any further.

Kazuno patted my back, "Good…" She stared at me for a moment, then her eyes shifted to her guitar. She strummed the chords, and then began playing on her guitar, jumping up and down and bumping into me. She started falling backwards and I caught her.

"What are you doing, child! Stop messing around! You almost fell!" She giggled, and wriggled out of my grasp, laughing hard as she jumped away and ran around in circles, still playing her guitar. I tried to grab her after she'd jumped on the ledge again, but she leaped over my head and blasted out a tune, then pointed to my guitar.

"Play now. Song you know," she strummed the tune she wanted. She giggled, then skipped away when I tried to grab her. My chest felt light, seeing her act so goofy -childlike. She made an odd face at me, sticking her tongue out in a silly fashion as she played her guitar. I felt my face twitch, and I froze, reaching up to feel my cheek. "Go on, Noodle-chan," she urged, playing her notes.

Having momentarily forgotten my quest of capturing her, I began playing along and looked down at her as I jumped to stand atop the ledge. I felt odd, doing something so irrational, but it felt good, not like when I cut myself. It was better. I felt… alive, almost. I spread my legs as I stood so that I had a firm balance and I restarted the song, getting into the beat as I began to sing this song, "Watch you on the one's and two's - through a window, in a well lit room. Become a recluse - And I blame myself, because I make things hard and you're just trying to help.

"And when I wake up, you're the first to call. This is one more late night basement song. And I'm so sore -my voice has gone to hell. This is one more sleepless night because we don't believe in filler, baby, if I could I'd sit this out." I hummed happily, bobbing my head as I strummed the notes loudly and sung the chorus. "This is a lesson in procrastination. I kill myself because I'm so frustrated. And every single second that I put it off, means another lonely night I gotta race the clock… What's say we go and crash your car? And every time I leave, you go and lock the door. And I walk myself, picking at a chip on my shoulder -I'm another day late, and one year older. It's failure by design…"

I became transfixed with my fingers as I saw them picking the chords, loving the way the music came to me naturally. "And we just want sleep, but this night is hell. I'm sick and sunk and I blame myself because I make things hard and you were trying to help –I got no gas, winding out my gears -This is one more day on the verge of tears, and now my head hurts –and my health is a joke. And now I gotta stop because the headphones broke –We don't believe in filler, baby, if I could I'd sit this out." I strummed the loud chords again, biting my lip as I concentrated. "This is a lesson in procrastination. I kill myself because I'm so frustrated. And every single second that I put it off, means another lonely night I gotta race the clock… What's say we go and crash your car? And every time I leave, you go and lock the door. And I walk myself, picking at a chip on my shoulder. I'm another day late, and one year older. It's failure by design…" I took a deep breath before continuing, and then sang as strongly as I could. "I'm out of everything… But no one sleeps 'til we get this shit out on the shelves… It's late, I'm faltering. But this time I got nothing to say besides…"

Kazuno laughed as I began to bop my head. I loved this feeling I was beginning to have. I don't remember ever having felt like this –it was exhilarating as I sang my heart out, yelling out the lyrics and Kazuno chanting along as we sang 'Doo doo doo. Doo doo doo.' I was jumping now, dancing and swaying as I felt the music flow through me. "Nothing to say besides –This is a lesson in procrastination. I kill myself because I'm so frustrated. And every single second that I put it off, means another lonely night I gotta race the clock… What's say we go and crash your car? And every time I leave, you go and lock the door. And I walk myself, picking at a chip on my shoulder. I'm another day late and one year older. I'm a failure by design…" Even after the lyrics had ended, I continued to play the song, repeating the chorus, my eyes closed.

As I began to grow tiresome, I sat down. After a couple of minutes, I could hear voices invading my ears, one more prominent then the others.

"ndl… … noohdle… …Noodle… …Noodle! …Where are ya….Are ya here, gurly…." The voice stopped, but my mind was racing. I saw that day, the day I'd almost died. That day the demons almost had their way with me –trying to kill me in their delight. I was beaten, the blood was everywhere, and I could not breathe… everything had gone black.

I felt my fingers fall on the chords, making a godawful sound on my guitar. I took the instrument off and placed it down next to me. "Noodle? Izzat yew?" The voice persisted. I was back in that day. I had just woken in Hell, and I had seen a shadow. It was walking away from me, leaving me in my bloody puddle. I saw it walking away from me, right before I had found the light... right before I had escaped. But… that voice… I had heard it right before I had woken up –

"Noodle! There yew are, gurly. Whatchyew doin' up 'ere?" I turned, and stood to face him. The sun was behind him and his figure was only a silhouette against the light, so I squinted to see him better.

"Murdoc-san?" I gasped. He walked up to me, flicking his half-smoked cigar away.

"'Oo else, gurly?" I gasped quietly again. "Whot? Yer not goin' ter 'ave a fit agin, are ya? Cos if yeh are, I'll go an' get the dullard."

I shook my head. "It was you…" I whispered. "It was you there…"

"Me? Where? Wot's got yer brain inna knot, love?" He put a hand on my shoulder.

I was staring into space now, blankly, remembering what I'd seen –trying to be sure. "Almost a year ago…" I whispered. "In Hell… I saw you!" I was brought back to the present when I heard glass shattering. Murdoc-san had lost his grip on his bottle, and it had exploded into pieces on the ground. He put both hands on my upper arms now, lightly shaking me.

"Wot did yew say?" His voice was loud, and yet he tried to whisper to not call for too much attention.

"I saw you… in Hell, almost a year ago… You left me, and I had to escape by myself," my eyes were hot, and tears were beginning to make their presence known, crawling down my cheek. He lightly brushed the tears away, but I pushed him back. "Why did you leave me?"

"I-I-I didn't know, gurly, I swear! I didn't see yew when I got there." I could tell he was thinking back, wondering if he'd missed something.

"How could you not have seen me! I was so close! So close to the entrance of the Hellhole! I had to climb out myself when you left me," I sobbed, my breath heaving and uncontrollable.

"Well I didn't see anything! 'Cept everything I'd already seen in Hell before!" He spoke, and I could tell he was absolutely stunned.

"How did you not see me? I was covered in blood –lying in a small pond of it –and I smelled like death! For shit's sake, I was right there!" I wailed again, frustrated that though I was crying, my face was blank.

His eyes grew wide, "Holy fuck, tha wos yew? I thought… I don't know whot yew were, but I swear ter Satan yew were dead…" He was shaking now, "Sweet Satan… I 'ad no idear yeh'd been so close… an' I fooked up… bad…" He looked down at me. "I'm so sorry, love." I choked, sobbing as I ran into his arms.

"Murdoc, I was so scared there," I wrapped my arms around his torso, holding him tightly. He froze, but after a couple of seconds, I felt him wrap his arms around me, and he pulled us so we could sit down on the ledge. I rested my head against his chest.

"I know, love. Hell ain't exactly a fookin picnic… S'not fo' the faint of heart," he spoke darkly. "I'm sure as 'ell quite focked that yew managed to 'old yer own an' get out by yerself," he pet my hair.

"It was awful, Murdoc. I felt like I would die and they always hurt me. They beat me to near death every day, and all they did was laugh," I sobbed, my body rocking with small tremors. I could feel myself becoming hysterical.

I felt Murdoc-san hug me tighter, "It's over now, love."

"Those demons. They're horrible creatures! They won't leave me alone," I sobbed. "One keeps following me. He looks like 2D-san," I choked, biting my lip.

...

...

"When do yew see 'im?" Murdoc asked me. He seemed like he knew something I didn't with his tone, but I was too distressed to care for it.

I sniffed, thinking about the last time it'd happened. "Every time I look into 2D-san's eyes, that demon comes, and 2D-san leaves me," I admitted.

He sighed, mumbling something indecipherable (That explains a bit). He rubbed my back, "Listen 'ere, Noodle. The nex' time yew see facea –2D, and that demon comes, dun do nuthin. Jus' wait, an' call 2-Dents –say 'is name or sumthin ter get 'is attention, alright gurly?" I nodded.

"What will that do?"

"I dun know, but tryin' couldn' 'urt, eh?" He chuckled. "Jus dun attack 'im…" I reluctantly nodded again. "S'alright, love. Nothin's gonna 'urt yew while uncle Mudsy's aroun," he stated, then whispered into my ear, "f'yew ever tell anyone I called mehself tha', I'll have t'break tha' promise though." I felt the urge to laugh at his comment.

"I promise not to tell, uncle Mudsy," I squeezed him. He rubbed my arms up and down for a few minutes, soothing me and making my fears disappear. "Murdoc?"

"Yeah, love?"

"Could you… try to be a little nicer to 2D-san? He means well…" I whispered.

Murdoc sighed, "Fine, but I'm not promising anythin'." I looked at Murdoc, who was looking forward, staring at nothing. I pulled myself up and kissed him on the cheek, and his mouth popped open, his eyes wide.

"Thank you, Murdoc-san," I cuddled back up to him, once again hugging him close.