This story was designed to be a lot of short chapters, however as I've continued to flesh it out and plan it later chapters were probably tend to be a bit longer. In the begining though chapters will be around the length they have been...

Tsugumi did not like the hospital, but for her friends sake she kept appearing into its suppressive silence. Shu rarely said anything, only looked blankly out at the world and followed the nurse into the office. It was Tsugumi's turn to take him, so she was left alone in that horrid place, just staring at the glass window.

She remained seated, not wanting a repeat of that last time.

Around her the faces changed as people came and went, some visibly sick, others hiding it in their eyes. Time passed slowly with little to do. And in that time Tsugumi's mind began to wander, and it went down dark and fearful paths that she began to wonder if she too should be joining Shu in his appointments.

But then she remembered she had to be strong.

It was while she sat in that sterile white room reeling in her wayward thoughts when the door opened and in stepped in a familiar figure. Tsugumi saw him first out of the corner of her eyes, purple locks catching her attention quickly. He did not see her at first, gaze caught in his phone. Then he did look up, and his eyes locked with hers.

A horrid smile twisted his lips.

"Why, if it isn't the young lady!" He lifted his phone and snapped a picture. Tsugumi frowned, and he chuckled. "So… what are you here for?"

"I'm not." Tsugumi quickly replied. "I'm giving someone else a ride."

"Do you think such sickness are contagious?" He was walking forward, eyes slipping from Tsugumi to his phone and back again and again. He drew closer and Tsugumi shrunk against her seat, pulling her body close. "Well, I've always wondered."

He sat down beside her, clicking away on his phone and not giving her another thought.

"E-excuse me." Tsugumi hesitantly began, torn between curiosity and the desire to leave such a weird person alone. "Who are you exactly?"

"My, my, direct aren't you? Don't worry, I like that." And he laughed again. "You can call me Segai; I'm the one who looks after that man your friend is seeing."

"Dr. Rowan?"

"Mm."

"Then… are you also a doctor?"

"Indeed! Dr. Segai, pleasure to meet you." And he held up his phone once more snapped a picture.

"Then that boy yesterday…" Tsugumi wasn't quite sure how to finish of her question.

"Oh, don't worry about him." Segai waved a hand in the air lazily. "He's completely insane!"

Tsugumi pressed her lips together, taken aback by how flippantly Segai had pronounced the boys mental state. Insane. Well… it did make sense.

"Segai…" A weary voice sighed.

"Rowan, a pleasure as well."

Tsugumi stood, turning to face the doctor who led Shu out. The man nodded at Tsugumi, but his eyes quickly turned back to Segai.

"Thank you doctor." Tsugumi quickly stepped forward and slipped her hand into Shu's. His eyes dimmed, dejected it was just her. "I can see you're busy, we'll be going now."

"Ah… yes." He nodded to her again. "Sorry."

Noting the tense air between the two Tsugumi wished them a quick farewell and led Shu out to the car. She pushed the men from the hospital from her head.

Shu said little, even with her much prying and Tsugumi had to wonder if the appointments with the physiatrist were really helping at all. What would it mean if they were not?

"GHQ is getting impatient."

"Hmm… and what of it?" Segai was not in the least perturbed by Rowan's statement of doom, and that made the man the more annoyed.

"We have to show results, we're getting nowhere!"

"Yes, yes… What's a word that means 'to lack care or concern'?"

"Segai!"

"Please Rowan," Segai snapped his phone shut with a definitive click and glared up at Rowan. The man immediately shrunk back at the gaze. "There is little more we can do. We've tried a myriad of ways but… well the GHQ training was too thorough."

Rowan frowned.