Miku grew accustomed to the dull monotony of insane asylum life. The other patients were as boring as ever, for most had been drugged into be docile and lethargic, like animals. The more unstable ones were kept in practically airtight cells 'round the clock. Miku was lucky; her psychological 'problems' involved more self-harm than other people-harm, so they didn't watch her too closely to see if she would attack the other crazies.
The meals were plain, the hospital gowns itchy, and the stale chill permeated every wall, every room, every breath of air. There really wasn't much to do besides eat, shower, and socialize with Neru.
She had been annoying and weird at first, but Neru grew on Miku like mold. She was bright and animated, and Miku kind of enjoyed her hanging around. The two spent most of their time together, but for Miku, it was more out of necessity, like when everyone else in the class has a partner so you end up teaming with the other person just to avoid looking like a loser.
Even Dell became tolerable. Miku learned that when dealing with her therapist, offense was the best defense and acting sullen and hostile was the best way to avoid getting weepy whenever he went too far. Neru was his patient too, and oddly enough, his therapy sessions with her were the polar opposites of his with Miku. He never looked at the blonde girl in anger, only a weird, mourning look. And when he came to fetch Neru for their therapy session, he always put his hand between her shoulder blades and gently steered her to the therapy room, though Neru had been to therapy in that room every day for five years and could walk to it in her sleep. She never went a day without reminding him of that, either. And strangest of all, they seemed to be friends. More than once, Miku caught Neru sneaking off to his office in the ungodly hours.
They definitely had a weird dynamic. Miku thought about asking Neru about it, but it would just be awkward. Miku didn't care if they were in some weird sexual thing, she told herself.
Despite that, Neru was pretty cool to hang around. She liked to talk about weird things like fish and mythological worlds and nineteenth-century fashion. Despite the five-year age difference between the two girls, they had a lot in common.
Miku and Neru were sitting in one of the 'quiet places' of the asylum. Neru was teaching Miku how to draw. Neru was decent at art, but all of Miku's people looked like parking meters with tufts of hair. Eventually she gave up and was content to watch Neru draw.
Her calloused hands danced around the paper' making deep marks and gentle curves. Maybe, when she gets out of here she can go into art, Miku thought.
Teto came by at the usual time to get Neru for her usual session. Smiling, the pink nurse dragged the blonde out of the room. Miku had just enough time to wave at Neru before the door slammed shut. What was the hurry?, Miku wondered.
She sat in silence for a few minutes, doodling puppies and parking meters absentmindedly until a horrid shriek pierced the silence. Screams were rather common inside the asylum, but this wasn't one of the usual ones of panic and confusion. This was a scream of agony. A familiar-pitched scream.
Miku abandoned her parking meter-people to see what was up. She yanked open the door to find Neru in the hallway, yelling at nothing and pacing like a cornered animal. Miku saw a nurse laying a patient with a bloody nose on a gurney. What was happening?
Neru wasn't violent; she would never attack another patient, much less one three times her size. There was something odd about this patient, though. He was severely overweight with an unpleasant face and stained black dress pants.
Dress pants? That meant he wasn't a patient, he was part of the staff.
Mean, obese staff member...
Miku paled. There was only one staff member at the asylum who fit that description, and he ran the show. He was Dell's boss, Mr. Harris, of whom Dell often complained. How could Neru assault the Bossman?
Mr. Harris looked up from his gurney, rage turning his face beet-red. Neru had been trapped by a circle of patients and nurses come to see what all the kerfuffle was about. She snarled and raked her fingers down Teto's face, eliciting a cry from the poor nurse. Neru had taken an acrobatic flip off the handle, it seemed. But how? She had been just fine a few minutes ago, right before she left for her therapy session.
Miku leaped forward to intervene, but someone beat her to it.
To make the Kodak moment complete, Dell Honne appeared out of nowhere.
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Dell had been filing reports and making copies when he heard the scream. Dell was nonplussed. He worked in a psych ward; he would be bothered if some psycho wasn't screaming during a large portion of the day.
He would have continued had he not recognized that scream. That shriek still haunted his nightmares; it was probably the last noise Neru Akita had made before she lost all of her memories of him, right when the eighteen-wheeler hit the Acura.
"Neru," he breathed, before he took off running.
Run out of the staff lounge, down the hall, take two rights and a flight of stairs, calm your heartbeat, it's probably nothing it's gotta be nothing, hang a left and... there you are.
First thing he saw was Harris, laid flat on a gurney as they attempted to stem the gush of blood from his meaty nose. Dell smirked; the guy had totally deserved it. But who was actually crazy enough to deck Harris?
His terrible solution was trapped in a throng of people. She was crying and fighting to get away as one stupid nurse, Tito or whatever her name was, stepped forward to try and calm her down. Bad idea. If Neru could attack Harris, then Teto didn't stand a chance.
His heart lurched as Neru dug her talons into Teto's eye sockets. He saw Hatsune reach out and yank Neru away. No way was he letting Neru claw Hatsune; there really was only one man for the job.
He sprinted towards Neru and grabbed her by the shoulder. She wheeled around to face him, snarling like a mad cat. Her eyes had regained their passionate sparkle.
Steeling himself, Dell yanked Neru into his arms, burying her head in his chest. Her snarls melted into a high, keening sound as she cried into his tie. Dell let out a breath of relief. He had been waiting to hold Neru like this for five years.
Sure, she had attacked two staff members and nearly given him a heart attack, but she would be okay. Everything would be okay. This wasn't regular behavior for Neru; the nurses could patch up Harris's nose, Dell could erase this from her record and balance would be restored. Please be okay please be okay-
Harris's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Is the skittish horse contained, Honne?" he sneered. Dell blanched. Did Harris know about him and Neru? Of course, an idiot could figure it out, judging by their compromising position that the two were quite fond of each other. Did Dell care? Nope.
"Yes, sir, she has calmed," Dell stated. He felt Neru dig her fingers into his ribs. With some hesitation, Dell pried Neru from his body. She looked up at him, fear scrawled across her eyes. Dell felt his face melt into an uncharacteristic smile. You're safe, Neru.
She turned and stumbled towards Harris like a baby bird learning to fly.
Dell loved her, he knew with every cell in his body and every fiber of his being. He loved Neru Akita and nothing would change that and everything would be okay.
He saw Harris smile, too, as Dell's firebrand lurched toward him. Don't touch her, he mentally warned his boss.
As it turns out, he didn't have to.
He saw Harris motion to an attendant, who held up a sleek black handgun.
Everyone's eyes widened.
The next few seconds moved incredibly fast yet agonizingly slow, melting together, somewhat. The attendant, with a face frozen like glass, pointed the gun at its target.
No, Dell and Miku mouthed.
A loud bang, and the bullet found a home between Neru's glowing yellow eyes.
The whole room froze as Neru swayed on her feet. She turned back to Dell just before she fell, and he caught every glimpse of her face.
He saw the bloody red bullet-patch in her skull. He saw her eyes, blazing like never before. He saw those old tears, sparkling on her cheeks. Minus the bullet, he recognized that face better than his own because he saw it every time he closed his eyes. The same face Neru had the split second before the eighteen-wheeler sideswept his car. The face that said, Dell, save me.
And then, Neru Akita's body hit the floor.
Dell Honne's world exploded.
Patients and nurses alike were screaming and running around in a panic, attempting to flee the body and the gun. He heard Miku's scream above them all, heard its distinctive high pitch, only instead of running away, she ran right toward Neru, crying for the dead girl to get up.
As for Dell, he was frozen, watching Harris's smug face as he whispered, I told you, Honne. She was an angry, violent, incurable stain on this establishment. Five years of therapy didn't help, and as I told you myself, your angry little ship will burn.
Dell's howl pierced walls and ear drums and heaven itself, louder than everything.
It was the final agonized cry of someone who has truly lost everything.