To have had her life blatantly invaded by Suman, and not only revealed, but exploited, Mitsuko was a little miffed. Not only that, but she had done something in which she could not remember the last time she had. She had raised her voice. It felt so foreign and odd in a sense, like repeatedly saying a word over and over until it lost its meaning. She had never yelled at anyone anymore, because no one had cared enough about her to annoy her.

Well, she wasn't about to go apologize because she felt nothing was worth an apology. Suman had been in the wrong, and she had chewed him out. A perfect example of a woman's nature in its finest. Pulling the zipper on her coat tighter, she stalked off to her room and locked the door. Kicking off her shoes so she was left bare-footed, she slumped onto her bed and admired her window.

Leaves fluttered past the small, glass portal, drifting along lazily in the wind. Cherry blossoms followed suit, giving the air a sort of pink tint. How she longed to rummage in her desk until she unearthed a pencil, but she just couldn't put herself in the mood. In fact, she couldn't figure out any of her recent moods. Was she angry at Suman? Perhaps elated that he had deterred everyone away from the idea of being with a Noah? Putting a cool hand over her eyes, she slumped down in her pillow, sleep plucking her from the world as gently as a feather.

"Where am I…?" Mitsuko wondered aloud, gazing at the landscape before her. At first she could see nothing, but as her eyes adjusted, she could see debris floating around her. Chunks of ancient buildings drifted through the atmosphere as if they weighed nothing. Lampposts and trees, trash cans and mailboxes all floated haphazardly through the air, without purpose.

A cackle shattered the eerie silence, a strange vibration reverberating through the odd dimension. A high pitched squeal followed, causing many of the cement building chunks to crumble into smaller pieces.

"Hehehe…fool…" the voice chortled, mocking her from its unseen location. It sounded almost like a child…

"FOOL!" It screeched, a billowing wind whipping through the debris, sending them whirling into each other. Mitsuko was almost crushed by an array of flying cement and demented mail boxes.

"Who are you?" Mitsuko called into the nothingness, her voice sounding displaced and odd, as if someone far away were talking.

"Dearest Tykki Mykk…you know him…don't you?" the voice asked pointlessly, condescending in every way imaginable.

"What does it matter?" Mitsuko asked, glancing around in search of the strange phantom.

"Much more than you think…" the voice cackled, a dry rasp splitting the air. With every syllable the voice uttered it seemed to grow raspier, as if the voice's master had grown parched.

"Who are you?" Mitsuko asked again, getting a shriek in return.

"It's useless, my dear, for Tykki cannot love!"

Mitsuko woke in her bed without any memory of having fallen asleep. A quick glance at the moon told her it was well into the night, possibly 1:00 AM. Groggily sitting up in her bed, a sudden sharp pain lanced itself through her head. Choking in pain, she reached up to touch her face; and saw it came away red.

Stumbling to her bathroom, she gazed wearily into the mirror to see a steady stream of blood making its way from her nose to her chin. Grunting in annoyance, she grabbed a nearby bath towel and did her best to clean up the blood. It was too late, for a small spot had placed itself on her jacket, right where everyone could see it.

Cursing in her thoughts, she slid the jacket off and began dabbing at it with a wet cloth. The blood came off easily, but she really had to scrub to keep it from developing a nasty, pink stain. Growing bored with her task, she glanced up to her mirror and jumped back in surprise. The dim face of Tykki Mykk gazed back at her, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I was here about 5 minutes and you didn't notice, you know…" he laughed lazily, propping his chin on his hands.

"Is this a hobby of yours, spying on girls in the bathroom?" she mumbled, throwing the pink-stained cloth in the garbage.

"Only if it's your mirror." He reached through the glass, griping the edge of her sink. Yanking himself through whatever portal he had once came, he alighted on his feet, standing just in front of her. "You look frazzled, my dear. Have a bad dream?"

She nodded her head, silently wondering if he knew she had had one. "Woke up with a nosebleed, too…"

"Oh, my. Well, perhaps I could clear your mind? We could go for a walk, or get something to eat…?" he suggested charmingly, cupping her cheek with a gloved hand.

"Nn…I'm too tired…" she yawned, wiping a nagging tear from her eye.

"Well then, perhaps I could soothe you with a story?" he suggested, a smile lighting his face.

"Stories are for children…" Mitsuko mumbled, stumbling out of the bathroom.

"You're never too old for a good story, m'lady…" Tykki whispered in her ear, silently guiding her to her bed. She subconsciously crawled under the covers, the warmth of her pre-used bed sheets soothing her head. Stroking her hair, Tykki knelt beside her, as a loyal dog would to its master.

"I missed you," he whispered, lightly kissing her ear. "It gets so lonely when your only company is a family of emotionally challenged crazy people."

"Nnn…" She mumbled, easing into his gentle embrace as if it were as natural as her bed sheets. "Missed you…too…"

"I do enjoy being with you…I hope our times together shall never end," he whispered, growing quieter with every word. Mitsuko silently nodded her head, too far into sleeps grasp to utter a single word. "Although you are as precious to me as gold…there are things I've kept from you…" But she was already sleeping.