Chapter Two

Hurriedly, I unlocked the door to my family's apartment and slipped in, shutting the door behind me and locking the deadbolt. My heart was hammering in my ears as I sagged against the door in relief. Even though I knew that the man was only a figment of my imagination, I felt safer within the apartment because it was a place I knew quite well. I knew for a fact that I was the only one there, just like I knew every nook and cranny of the place.

As I got my breathing under control, I removed my shoes and placed them neatly next to the other pairs before making my way into the living room, where there was a window that looked out upon the street below. The curtains were drawn, blocking out the dark, stormy skies, and for that I was grateful. Carefully, I pulled one back a little bit and peered out down below.

Unfortunately, the blue haired man with the hole in his stomach seems to have followed me home. He stood in the street, staring out of the window that I was peeking out of, hands still in his pockets as he leaned against the opposite building.

Upon catching side of him, I dropped the curtain and slammed my back against the wall I had been leaning against, heart once again pounding. My medication should have kicked in by then, so why wasn't it working? Why could I still see him?

Why was his hair blue?

Closing my eyes, I slid down the wall to sit on the floor, my knees pulled up to my chest. My heart was pounding in my ears, and I was ninety percent certain it would stop beating all together if I kept this up. What I needed was a shower and possibly some tea to calm myself down. I knew that if I called my mother in this state, my sentences wouldn't be coherent at all.

Slowly, I stood up and made my way to the kitchen, removing my messenger bag from my shoulder and tossing it onto our blue sofa. Once I had my tea going in the kettle on the stove top, I walked into the bathroom and took a rather quick shower.

By the time I was out of the shower, I had maybe about five minutes left until the water for my tea was ready. I dressed in the same clothes I had walked Mizuri to school in—black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt. Without bothering to dry or brush out my hair because it would frizz up and do whatever it wanted to anyways, I picked up the marker I kept in the bathroom and darkened in the two 'x's on the underside of my left wrist before replacing my watch onto my right one.

I was considerably calmer and I walked from the bathroom back over to the curtained window. Crossing my fingers and taking a deep breath, I reached for the curtain and pulled it back just enough for me to see outside again.

Sure enough, he was still lounging against the wall, staring up at my apartment.

I jumped and let the curtain fall back into place the tea kettle screamed. Slowly, I walked into the kitchen and removed the kettle from the stove top, placing it gently in the center as I reached for the phone to call my mother. I dialed her number as I pulled down a tea cup from the cupboard.

It rang three times before it went to her voice mail as I made my tea and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Hi Mom, it's Kaori," I began. "It's about...ten or so? I don't know. My battery on my watch is dead, but you probably already knew that. I'd really appreciate it if you would make me an appointment with my psychiatrist for sometime in the very near future because it's quite likely I'm in need of a stronger and different dosing regimen. On our way to school this morning, I began to see a man that it no one else seems to be able to see, but he's different from the..." I hesitated for a moment, sipping my piping hot tea. "...the other one. And he has a large hole in his middle that totally shouldn't be possible, so I know for a fact that he's only in my head.

"So on my way back to the apartment, I took my second dosage. Yes, I know, I could have potentially killed myself and I know I messed up the dosing regimen, but I really needed to do it. As it stands, it should have already kicked in, but I looked out the window just a few minutes ago and he's staring up at the apartment window, lounging against the building across the street. This is really starting to scare me, Mom.

"I think, maybe, you should call the school and make sure that Mizuri actually made it school. You know, just to make sure I didn't have a psychotic break that I can't remember and killed her and hid her body somewhere. If I did, I believe that you will have every right to be pissed at me, only know that she will have likely had been my only victim and that I am currently locked inside of the apartment drinking tea. On that lovely note, I'll end this message, but I will go and get Mizuri after school. I promise."

I pressed the end button the phone, placing it down on the table before taking a long drink of tea.

It was going to be a long day.

By the time I had to leave the apartment to get Mizuri from school, I had taken another shower and periodically peeped out the window every forty five minutes. The blue haired figment of my imagination hadn't moved a muscle.

I undid the dead bolt and slipped from my apartment a few minutes early, just in case I somehow got it in my unstable little head that there was a need to take a detour. Upon locking the door back up, I turned and glanced over the railing.

Sure enough, the blue haired guy was still leaning against the building, staring directly at me. I was getting a little more used to it at this point and was going to ignore him and make my way towards the stairwell when I did a double take.

There was someone else with him.

Oh dear God, they're MULTIPLYING. I bit my lower lip to stop myself from screaming as I started towards the stairwell. But it would all be fine, wouldn't it? This was all just my condition acting up, my immunity towards my medication building up. Soon enough I would have newer, stronger medication and the blue haired man would cease to exist.

It was just the time in between that I was worrying about. What if I had a huge psychotic break and acted out in my fear of him?

I took a deep breath and started down the stairwell, keeping my head down and my eyes directly in front of me. It was a little nippy outside, but I wasn't about to turn back and get my coat. At this point, there was no turning back.

Unbeknownst to me, I'd already made a life changing decision.

I made it three blocks before glancing over my shoulder again, just like this morning on my way home. Sure enough, the blue haired man was following me, but he was scowling. I was positive he hadn't been scowling earlier.

Shaking my head, I looked forward again. Unfortunately for me, the one I had only caught a glimpse of as I had left the apartment stood about twenty feet in front of me in the middle of the sidewalk, unmoving. Tall and thin, he had a large thing covering the upper left half of his face that also covered his scalp and ended in a point to the right.

I stumbled a little, fearful. When I was younger, my mother always told me that the things in my head couldn't possibly hurt me. No harm would befall me so long as I was courageous and pushed my way through it.

It was when I saw the entrance to the alleyway just ahead that I figured out what the figments of my imagination were trying to do. With one behind me and one in front of me and my medication wearing off, it was a little surprising that it took me a few seconds longer than it should have to figure out that they were trying to get me alone. As it stood, an alleyway was the best way to do it,too. No one in their right mind went down alley ways.

Then again, I wasn't really in my right mind, was I?

Decisions, decisions, I thought to myself. As it stood, I could see two obvious choices: Go down the alley way, or keep my head up and walk straight past the guy in front of me. I really didn't like either choice, truth be told.

My eyes slid to my left, trying to discern a third option. As it happens, I discovered quite quickly that there was a third option. An option that most people wouldn't have taken, but that I liked quite a bit better than walking into the alleyway or past the other man.

It started to rain lightly, just a fine mist really as I neared the entrance to the alleyway. Glancing back over my shoulder, I could see that the blue haired man with the hole in his stomach was closing in on me. When I looked forward again, the man with the funny hat was walking towards me as well. It was just as I had thought: they wanted me in the alley. For what, I couldn't possibly fathom.

When I reached the mouth of the alley, I went with my third option.

Without much of a warning, I pivoted to my right and ran into the street without looking. The rain was coming down in full force now, but I didn't feel it. Behind me, there was a few screams, but the most prevalent thing I heard was a shout of "fuck".

And then, I heard the screech of breaks.

Like a deer caught in the headlights, I stopped running and turned my head towards the noise. It was a car, of course. I mean, what other thing can make that noise? Okay, a bus, or a large truck, but I hadn't realized that. My mind my fuzzy.

Move, move, move, move! I kept telling myself. My body wouldn't listen; my eyes were fixed on the car. Time felt like it was slowing down as the car hit a slick spot on the road and spun out of control.

I had seconds left at most. My legs wouldn't work; I was frozen in place. Squeezing my eyes shut I thought, Who's going to pick up Mizuri? She can't walk home by herself.

But then, I felt something—or someone, I wasn't sure—grab me by my upper arms. My breathing hitched as my stomach churned when an odd sensation came over me for a few moments—one of my feet not being on the ground, one of speed, of energy.

And then, my feet felt like they were back on the ground. The pressure on my upper arms went away and I fell to the wet, concrete ground. The world around me was silent for a few moments, nothing but my ragged breathing and the patter of rain smacking against the ground registered in my ears.

Then, there were voices.

"I thought you weren't supposed to touch her." They were coming from behind me, or above me at least. It was hard to tell because I lay on my side, eyes still clamped shut.

"I wasn't, but she's no damn good to Aizen dead." I was dizzy and confused; none of the specific details of their voices full upon my ears. "And besides that, I wasn't supposed to physically harm her."

I was almost hit by a car.

"Then how does he expect you to take her back? You can't do anything without physically harming anyone."

Why wasn't I hit by a car?

"Shut the fuck up." There was a lapse. "Besides, what do you think you're here for? I brought you along to knock her out."

How did I manage to live?

"And how do you propose I do that? You just told me that no physical harm was to befall her." There was a grunt.

Unless this is actually death.

"I said I wasn't supposed to physically harm her, idiot. You, on the other hand..."

I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes, the rain falling onto my face. The only thing that met my vision was the stormy rain clouds that appeared menacing as they rolled across the sky.

I closed my eyes again.

There was a hand at my neck. It was tentative at first, but then it's grip tightened to a dead lock. I gasped, trying to draw in air, but my lungs weren't working. My eyes snapped open as I was lifted off of the ground by my neck. The guy with the weird hat had me by my neck, squeezing, trying to suffocate me. The blue haired man with the large hole was watching us, a grin on his face.

Mom said they couldn't hurt me.

I tried to gasp for air again, my hands clawing at the man's. His grip increased.

Mom lied.

Everything went black.

Thank you so much for the reviews, loves! Just telling you now, don't get used to this chapter a day thing. I will, inevitably, break the habit. Sorry!

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