Author's Note: Wow, this is another big halo. It's been a while since I tortured Noriko. Well, here we are. I had so many ideas that went into this halo. From Facebook saves to Massive Attack's music video for "Voodoo in My Blood" inspired by the subway scene from the 1981 movie The Possession, I had so much to work with. One of my friends from a Discord Writing Group I'm in told me about Epiphany Day. That led me down a rabbit hole that ended up to the Twelve Days of Christmas. From there, this halo took shape. Sixteen pages and 6,885 words. I even worked on this halo a little on Sunday and Monday. This took me days and hours but it was all worth it. I can't wait to hear what my writing group thinks. I already know what I am doing next week and maybe what I plan to do the week after that. For now, enjoy this long halo.

Halo Twenty-Six: Noriko:

Artemis

Something isn't right. Ever since she saw that picture in that art gallery, Noriko hasn't been well. I wanted her to remember the truth but this might be too much for her. I already know what is coming for her. There is still one more horseman out there trying to reunite with their horse. We don't have much time anymore.

I need to back up first. One problem at a time here. My focus is on her.

Noriko wasn't acting like a child anymore. She came back to herself on the evening of Christmas. I should've known that was only the beginning. I have come to learn that Catholics celebrate something called the Twelve Days of Christmas. That's when things got worse for her. My Noriko started to remember more about her past. However, it might be coming in too fast. Makoto didn't help the situation. Just as predicted, he just had to go and make things worse.

Twelve days. It took twelve days for my love to break down. Now, I can't reach out to her. It's like something severed the tie I had with her. This has never happened before. It's not my father's doing either. This…

I've tried to suss out what this is. The deeper I look, the more I get chills. I think I saw a glimpse of what has its hold on her. Those eyes. I thought I was staring beyond Tartarus. It was only for a second, but it was too long for me. I've tried to block that image from my eyes. Its hold on her has gotten worse.

It pains me to say but I don't know what to do here. I can't lose her again. I wanted her to get her memories back. However, I am starting to think that someone else wants her to get them back as well.

I shivered before I cleared my throat.

I think it's best if we both told you everything that led to this point.

December 26

Noriko

I can remember all their names. I was a patient in Chou Mori after my son died. Makoto left me there for months. Some days, I was out of it. When I was back in reality, I saw how bleak everything was. Most of them were just as out of it as I was. When I close my eyes, I can see them all. There was a frazzled lady in her sixties who clung to the frame of a window in the activity room. She shot a cold glare at anyone who tried to get near her.

An orderly dragged a woman about twenty-three years old down the hall as she screamed. I remembered her face being covered in burns. Bandages covered her eyes.

There was another patient in a creepy-looking rubber skeleton mask with a metal trap to keep their mouth fixed shut standing at the end of another hall. The blankets around their body made it impossible to tell if they were a man or woman, young or old.

Another patient was sitting in the corner of his room in a straitjacket. He had a cloth bag over his head. I don't think I have ever seen someone look defeated by the way he sat.

Two men sat on the floor of the activity room. One was thin and dressed nicely as he held his hands over his mouth. He had no shoes on his feet. The other was a chubby man dressed in flannel pajamas either yawning or screaming as he sat in a chair in from of a metal table.

I remembered there was a teenage girl sitting on her bed in a white paper gown. Her hair was starting to grow back. Her eyes looked so empty. She reminded me of me in the times that I too was in a haze.

I used to share a room with a woman in her fifties. She always looked like she was in pain, on the verge of tears. I don't remember what happened to her.

There was another woman I remembered. She had one eye that wandered off to the left as she would look at you. The orderlies always dressed her up to look nice. I don't think I ever heard her speak.

There were children in Chou Mori. I rarely saw them around. Most of the time, the children stayed huddled up in the corner of Candy Land. I think I saw a boy about twelve years old sitting on a wooden bench. Another boy his age was lying on the floor on his side. A pair of twins, a boy and a girl, leaned against each other as they stood. One little girl held a dirty baby doll to her face.

I can't get their faces out of my head. I remembered seeing more of the other patients coming and going down the hall as we were waiting for… something. We could barely see anything until the bare dim lightbulbs. I looked up when a doctor came out of a room.

I can't get their faces out of my head. They looked so hollowed out in those bathtubs filled with cold water. I shivered as I rubbed on my arm.

"Are you alright?" Artemis asked.

"S-S-So… So… cold. So… cold…" I said, shivering. My mind disappeared into another haze. I don't think I heard Artemis calling my name.

December 27

Artemis

I think that she's harming herself again. Noriko has been keeping her arms covered with her sleeves. I mean, it made sense because it was winter. But Michiko kept her apartment hot enough to wear t-shirts and shorts. I'm not the only one who's noticed.

"Aren't you hot?" Itori asked her. Noriko shook her head. She wouldn't even make any eye contact with her.

"You sure?" Itori asked. I frowned as I watched from the corner. That wasn't good. I already knew what I needed to do.

"Are you cutting again?" I asked. Noriko wouldn't look at me. I frowned.

"Noriko."

"I'm not cutting myself, okay?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Then roll up your sleeves." My love froze.

"Come on," I said. "I won't get mad at you if you show me. I'm worried about you."

"Don't be!" she yelled.

"Please," I pleaded. I turned her head to face me. Noriko tried to look away from me again. She pressed her lips together and reluctantly rolled up her right sleeve. I looked down and saw how much worse it was. Her wrist was wrapped up in a bloody bandage. There was still blood seeping through it. I rolled up her other sleeve. I saw the same thing.

"Noriko…" I said.

"I didn't do this!" she said. "I woke this morning and… and… and…"

"I believe you," I said. My girl stared at me. I think something like this happened before but I can't remember which cycle in the past.

"I don't know what to do," Noriko said. "It won't stop bleeding." I pressed my forehead against hers as I started shushing her.

"It's okay. It's okay," I whispered. "It's okay. It's okay." I gently took her by her wrists. They still looked fresh and bleeding through the bandages.

"Let's get these cleaned up and changed, okay?" I said in a calm tone. I led her over to the bathroom before she could say a word. Her wounds looked pretty bad. I was amazed that she hadn't fainted from the blood loss yet. She did an impressive job with dressing the wounds. I didn't know how bad it was until I unwrapped her wrists. I could see down to the bone.

"This is going to sting a little bit, okay?" I asked. Noriko quickly nodded. I held her wrists under the sink. She winced as the water hit her wounds.

"It's okay. It's okay," I whispered. Noriko looked like she was trying not to cry. I took the time to clean her wounds and heal the weapons as best as I could. In the middle of my work, I heard a low grumble behind me. I only looked out of the corner of my eye for one second before Noriko caught my attention.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. I shook my head.

"N-Nothing," I said. I finished treating her wrists. It would stop bleeding for now. But I don't know how long my own healing will hold. Something inside of me said that we would be coming back to this bathroom later on.

What I did tell her was that I saw a blackened figure with hair covering their face watching us.

Whether it had anything to do with these wounds, I do not know.

December 28

She's starting to have the dreams again. Noriko doesn't look comfortable when she sleeps. Her wrists have been getting worse. People are starting to ask questions. Noriko has been trying to avoid them because of it.

"You need to tell somebody," I told her. Noriko held her head down as she shook it. She her knees to her chest.

"Noriko…" I said. She didn't even look up at me.

She's been talking about having dreams about a dragon.

Noriko

There's a dragon following me. He's bigger than the ones flying around in the sky. My chest tightens when I look up at him. Yet, he doesn't see me. That is because he has no eyes. Someone gouged them out long ago. Blood still pours from the empty sockets. I don't know what he wants. All I know is that he's looking for something.

It feels like he's been getting closer.

The more I see him, the more I can see the details on his body. His scales were covered in scars. He's been in many battles in the past but he won't die. Why does he keep fighting? I can see in his non-existent eyes that he doesn't want to do this anymore. He is in so much pain. My heart aches every time he gets closer. More and more wounds appear on his body. They keep cutting so deep. Why doesn't the dragon try to avoid the battles? I want to tell it to stop. I am afraid my voice will not reach him.

"The dragon is going to die."

"What are you talking about?"

I lifted my head. "Huh?" Chiharu stared at me with a confused look on her face.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you feeling okay? You have been acting strangely since we went to that photo gallery on Christmas," she said. I shook my head.

"I feel fine."

She doesn't believe me. Please stop looking at me like that. I'm not going crazy.

"Your wrists."

"What?"

"Your wrists aren't getting any better, are they?" Her eyes looked so cold. My heart pounded against my chest.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I know you are lying," she said. I started backing away.

"Noriko, what's wrong?" Chiharu asked. I felt like I was going to choke. I panted as my eyes widened. I could see that dragon being tortured again. Several men in white robes threw spares at him. There was an old man in white robes with an old book in his hand. I couldn't make out what he was reading. A hood covered his face. The men chanted as they threw spares and rocks. One big rock smacked the dragon in the side. Streams of black blood ran down his body. Pain-filled cries made my ears hurt. That dragon bucked around as if he was being trapped in place. He couldn't do anything as if he was resigned to his fate. Tears of blood ran down from his empty sockets. I could feel the spares piercing my ribs. This was it. This was where the dragon was going to die.

No…

"Noriko? Noriko?" Chiharu reached out and shook me on the shoulder. I jolted back to reality as I turned my head. She's looking at me like that again. No. Please stop staring at me like that. I'm not going crazy. I'm not going crazy.

"I don't feel so good," I said in a hoarse voice. "What's happening to me?" I could feel tears running down my cheeks.

December 29

The locusts are eating my body. I can't get them out! I can see them crawling around under my skin. I woke up and saw them under my hand. I sat up and started scratching them out. And the buzzing. I can't get them out of my ears!

They are coming for you, you know?

I looked up.

She looked so thin in her white T-shirt. I could see the scars on her torso through the thin fabric. A silver halo floated above her head. Her choppy black hair came down to her shoulders. I narrowed my eyes as she twirled around with a lit cigarette in her hand.

"Kanon?" I asked. The girl stopped and regarded me for a moment. She tilted her head to the side.

"You look so familiar," she said. More memories started to come back. But this wasn't possible.

"You died back in 1988!" I said. The locusts were crawling under my ribcage now. Kanon made a face at me before something lit up behind her empty eyes.

"Died?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, nodding. "They found your body in the bathtub in the basement bathroom." Kanon stared at me. She broke into a huge grin.

"Yes. I did die that winter. And you're going to die too…" She said my name. Not "Noriko", but she said my old name. I thought I was going to choke.

"How are you here? What do you want from me?" I asked. More memories about Kanon came back to mind. She came from a rich family. On the surface, she had everything that a teenage girl needed. Her parents were busy with work but they loved her. They lived in a new house in Aoyama. She went to one of the top private schools in Tokyo. However, Kanon was a troubled girl. She always had a strong sense of rage inside of her. She got into many fights at school. Several of her classmates became the target of her anger. Most of them tried to avoid her. Kanon even attacked three of her teachers when she was sixteen. Her parents tried to get her help but nothing worked. The final straw was when she pulled a knife on her father when she suspected him of cheating on her mother. Because of that, Kanon ended up at Chou Mori.

"What do I want?" Kanon asked. "Hm…" She took a moment to think about that. My body tensed up as I tried to think about what to do. She shrugged.

"Nothing," she said. I blinked at her.

"Then… why are you here?" I asked. A locust walked under my right eye.

"Because you are going to die," Kanon said. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at me.

"You don't look so good. You need to sleep, you look like you haven't slept in days," she said. Her face was inches away from mine. The little legs under my skin and skittering in my ears wouldn't let me think straight. Kanon broke into a huge grin.

"You don't know, do you?" she asked.

"Now what?" I asked. Kanon sighed and rubbed her forehead. She grabbed me by the arms.

"Wake up!" Her face had changed into one of a pale white oni with her mouth wide open. Her sharp black fangs looked like they could go on forever down her mouth. I screamed and shut my eyes.

When I opened my eyes, Kanon was gone. I didn't dare move a muscle.

"Kanon? Kanon?" I whispered. I felt something warm running down my face. I slowly reached up and felt around. I saw vibrant red when I drew away my fingertips. Blood ran down from my forehead into my eyes.

December 30

They are talking about me. I know what they are thinking. I'm not crazy. I don't know why this happening to me. I was scratching at my ribs.

"Stop doing that to yourself," Artemis said. She tried to pull my arm away but jerked it back. I can't stop. These locusts won't stop crawling around inside of me. I saw one of them crawling out of the hole in my wrist. The blood-covered insect flew away and vanished into thin air. Now there are ants crawling around inside me too. I just want this to stop.

"Why is this happening to me?"

"I don't know, dearest."

The dragon is dying in the sky. His wounds keep getting worse. I don't know how to help him. Kanon's words rang out in my head.

You're going to die too.

I don't want to die.

"I know. I know." Artemis pulled me into her arms. I collapsed back and let my body go limp. I wasn't sure it I was really crying but it felt like it. My bangs hid the wounds on my forehead. I thought about the crown of thorns.

I looked up when I heard a knock on my door.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I'm coming in," Michiko said. My stomach turned as the door opened. She poked her head inside. I braced myself for what was coming next.

"How are you?" she asked. I pressed my lips together. What could I say to her? She won't believe me if I say that I am fine. But how can I explain what's going on with me?

"I don't know."

Michiko frowned at me. "They are getting to you, aren't they?" I didn't know how to answer. She knew many things. But even I couldn't explain what was happening to me. However, I didn't get time to think of an answer.

"Noriko-chan!" Michiko shouted. I was about to speak when I looked over her right shoulder. The shadowy figure of a woman stared back at me in the corner of the room. Through the blackness, I thought she looked like a nurse. Her glowing white eyes stayed locked on me. I broke down trembling.

"Noriko-chan? Noriko-chan?" Michiko's voice might as well have been miles away. The buzzing of whispers and skittering filled my ears again. I winced in pain. I covered my ears. I could barely hear myself screaming.

"Norik-chan, what's wrong?!"

Please… make it stop. Why was this happening to me? There was a long moment of silence before everything went black.

They are coming to kill you.

I woke up hours later. Shinra-sensei flashed a small light in my eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head. I couldn't hear the whispers and skittering. Even the bugs were still inside my body. I kind of laughed to myself. Oh no. He's looking at me with worry in his eyes too. I was too tired to care. If only I could see my face then.

The whole time that shadowy nurse stood in the corner staring at me. I didn't know what she wanted with me. Was I laughing? I didn't know.

I thought I was starting to go crazy.

December 31

I saw a red fairy last night. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not. I awoke to see a pair of gold eyes staring at me. I blinked in confusion. Maybe it was just me slowly waking up. Maybe I thought that I was still dreaming.

"Who are you?" I asked. There was nothing on her delicate face. It took a while but my vision came into focus. Her black and red wings stood out in the darkness. The dark red roses in her long black hair looked frozen. My eyes trailed down her body in her short black and blood red dress. The spirals on the top made me feel a little dizzy. I tried to look downward. Her bracelets were a little bit better but they didn't help much.

"I am nobody," she said. I made a face at her.

"What?" I asked. A smile etched across her face but it didn't reach her eyes. She reached out and lifted my bangs.

"Hey! Stop that!" I shouted. This fairy stared the gashes across my forehead like she was looking at fruit at the grocery store. I didn't know what to do. Do I scream for help? Do I try to fight her off? Was this a dream or was it…?

This fairy let go of my face and took me by the wrists. I started screaming in my head. She held them up for a closer look. A long, graceful finger lifted the bandages off the top of my right wrist. I don't know how long she looked at each of the holes in my wrists.

"Hm. Not ready yet." The fairy let go of my wrists. I drew my hands to my chest, rubbing one of my wrists. She shook her head.

"What do you mean?" I asked. My voice came out cracked and squeaky. It even surprised me. Some much so that I covered my mouth. The fairy cocked her head to the side. My mouth felt so dry. I found it hard to swallow that lump in my throat.

"What do you mean by not ready yet?" I asked. The more I spoke, the more I felt like I should run. This fairy could kill me if she wanted. But she wouldn't do that. This isn't real. This is a dream or a hallucination. I should be fine, right? Right?

"This is no dream."

My heart sank. She put her hand on my head. I felt so small in her dead, icy gaze. I could feel the bugs running around on my ribcage. More memories and images started flooding my head. The first time I met Mako-kun back in the eighties. The first time we took a drive in his new car. When we got married after moving out of my uncle's house. The first time that Mako-kun and I made love. Us moving into our dream house. When I learned that I was pregnant. When my son was born. The day he died. All of the times that I died. The times that I killed Mako-kun. The first time I started cutting myself. Everyone's deaths around me. The fall of Ikebukuro along with the rest of the world.

What… What is this?

The images kept coming is so fast in my head. I could barely keep up. I thought I was going to drown. Why was she showing me this? Some of this hasn't even happened yet. No. No, it has happened before. All of it has already happened.

The fairy withdrew her hand from my head. I sat on my bed, trembling. I couldn't move. My heart pounded so hard that I didn't have to put my hands to my chest to feel it. There it was again. That sinking feeling that I couldn't chase away. Until now, I tried to ignore it. Or maybe I forgot that it existed in the first place. Why would she show me like that? I think I'm going to be sick.

When I looked up, the fairy was gone.

10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1!

Happy New Year!

January 1

I opened my eyes when I heard beeping. The blinding white made my eyes hurt. I had to shield them as I took a step back. I couldn't feel anything around me. My feet weren't even touching solid ground. My body felt like it was just tiny fragments floating in the nothingness. I looked to the left and then to the right. I couldn't see anything else around. The white expanded out into the emptiness surrounding me.

Did I die?

No…

In one blink, my settings changed. When I looked around, I heard myself floating in the hall of a hospital. I know this place. I have been here before. This was an old hospital I've been in where I learned that I was pregnant. The only source of light I had in the darkness came from the windows in the hall. The cleanness of this place gave me an eerie feeling. I don't think I should be here.

I turned my head when I heard whispering. What's going on down there? I floated down the hall as I followed the voices. I could make out two of them. They sounded so young. Children. I came down to Room 219. I poked my head inside. A girl with long blonde hair stood with her back to me. From what I could see, she was talking to a little boy in his bed. I couldn't make out what they were saying. She held out her hand to him. Vague fragments of memory sparked in my head. I have seen that little boy before. I can't remember what his name was. I only saw him once. There was a child who died in the same hospital I was in the day my son was born. Was this him? Was I watching his final moments in this hospital? Come to think of it, I might have heard something about that girl too. My old roommate did talk about seeing a little girl with long blonde hair standing by her bedside. I think she died days later.

The little boy reached out and took the girl's hand. To be honest with you, I didn't know how to react. He didn't look like he was afraid. Maybe he knew that he was going to die that night. The little girl led the boy out of the room. I noticed that her face was glitching out. I couldn't get a good look at who she was.

You should not be here.

"Huh?"

The next thing I knew, I was yanked up into the sky.

I found myself back in my room. Part of me wasn't sure if this was real or not.

"Artemis?" I was only met with silence. "Artemis? Artemis?" My heart sank. Oh no. I was alone. Was she still here? I put my hand to my chest. I couldn't feel her anywhere. Where did she go? Why would she leave me? I could feel the ants and locusts crawling around in my body again. The whispering and buzzing came back in my ears. A tear ran down my cheek.

I can't do this alone.

January 2

I think I saw a wedding today. This wasn't a happy occasion. I opened my eyes when I heard the sounds of heavy drums. I found myself sitting up straight. The floor vibrated at my feet. I couldn't move. I was placed inside this wooden box of a room. A large dead branch grew through an open window. A candelabra sat lit on an altar ahead of me. The smell of cinnamon filled my nose. A warm filling settled in my chest.

That's when I noticed there was someone else in the room. A red figure stood with their back turned to me. I narrowed my eyes. The red muscles looked like they would snap a person in half. The horns on their head touched the ceiling. I froze when the devilish creature turned to me.

"Well hello there," he said in a deep voice. My spine stiffened straight.

"Hello?" I asked. He stared at me with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He slowly looked me up and down with regard. I tried not to look afraid as I prayed in my head. The demon with a dull expression on his face.

"You'll do," he said. I didn't get to ask because we heard the door open. We turned to see a naked woman with long red and blonde hair. She had a little smile on her face. The demon's large smile made me shiver.

"Now we can begin," he said. He picked up his trumpet and blew into it so hard that the room shook around us. I closed my eyes and winced. I thought that my ears were going to pop.

And so the wedding began. The woman looked like a living doll standing next to that muscled demon. He was the one who did all of the talking. I couldn't help but get the feeling this wasn't exactly mutual. The woman stood there with a glassy, serene look on her face. The demon wrapped his arm around the small of her back. He grinned to himself like a hungry animal. This wasn't right. What did he do to her?

"And now we kiss," the demon said. He turned the woman to face him. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back hard. I couldn't look away. My heart ached with worry for her. However, that thought was pushed aside when I started to smell smoke. The woman's hair lit up in flames. Her hair and the fire spread around the room. Smoke flew up from the couple as they were engulfed. I wanted to run over them and scream. The couple disappeared in the flames. I closed my eyes as they rushed toward me.

I found myself back in my room. I couldn't escape from the feeling that I was being watched. I thought that shadowy nurse was in the corner again. She wasn't there when I turned my head. Still, that feeling wouldn't go away.

"Hello?" I started scratching at my neck again. Why can't these damned bugs leave me alone?

January 3

"Are you feeling okay?"

I turned my head. "Huh?" This time, it's Mika looking at me with pity. I tightly shut my eyes.

"Please… don't look at me like that," I pleaded.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like you feel sorry for me. I can see it in all of your eyes."

"We're all worried about you."

"I know! I know." I drew my knees to my chest. What could I even say anymore? I don't even know how to explain it myself. The buzzing in my ears made me want to scream. All I could manage was a whimper.

"You need to sleep, you look like you haven't slept in days," Mika said. I've heard it all before. They all say the same thing. The worst part is that is all true. All of this has already happened.

"How are your wrists?" Mika asked. I lifted my head.

"What did you say?" I asked. She had a stern look on her face. There was a coldness in her voice. Almost with drops of acid spilling out.

"How are your wrists?" Mika asked again. This time, her voice came out in a low demonic growl. And her eyes. Oh god, her eyes! She had two large black pits that were leaking blood. I jumped back, screaming.

"Noriko?" Mika asked.

"Stay away from me!" I jumped up and took off out of the room.

"Noriko!"

I didn't make it far. I fell face down to the floor. I tried to get up but I winced in pain. It felt like someone was driving a spike through my feet. Each blow hurt worse than the last. My wrists and my forehead started bleeding again. I could see the bugs crawling under my skin again.

"Noriko? Noriko, are you okay? What happened?!" I heard Mika running up toward me. She stopped in her tracks and let out a loud gasp.

"Your feet!"

I finally turned my head and looked down. Blood seeped through my socks from two small round holes in my feet. The locusts, ants, and maggots were crawling out of my wounds. I don't know how long I lay on the floor screaming.

"Someone get her to the hospital!" was the last thing I heard before passing out.

January 4

Even in the hospital, I am not safe. They always knew where I was. My friends got me to the hospital after my meltdown yesterday evening. I couldn't tell the doctors what was wrong. They couldn't find anything wrong with me either. They bandaged up my wrists, forehead, and feet. One of the doctors asked if I was doing this to myself. This isn't me! I'm not hurting myself like this. I'm only scratching myself to get the bugs out of my body. More and more of them keep eating me from the inside!

To make things worse, there is this one nurse, Nurse Brooker, who keeps looking at me. There is something wrong with her. I saw a hint of malice in her eyes when she came to check on me this morning. She had hazy red rings around the irises of her eyes. I couldn't help but think about that fairy I saw on New Year's Eve. She started asking me weird questions too.

"Have you seen them yet?" Nurse Brooker asked.

"I'm sorry?" I asked. That nurse looked like she wanted to tear me to pieces.

"I know about your visions, Hino-san," she said. Hino-san?

"I don't know what you are talking about," I said. Nurse Brooker tisked at me.

"Come on, Noriko-chan. Don't lie. We know everything down in my realm." Her voice dropped in a demonic growl.

"What are you talking about?" I asked as my stomach turned.

"Just asked you if you slept well last night," the nurse said in her normal-sounding voice. I froze.

"I guess…" I managed to say. My mouth felt so dry as I spoke.

"That's good," she said. The nurse finished up with jotting down her notes on her clipboard.

"I'll be back to check on you later," she said. I watched as she turned and walked out of the room. Just before she walked out the door, the nurse said one more thing that made my blood run cold.

"Your little boy misses mummy in Hell."

And then the door closed behind her, leaving me feeling rattled.

Since then, it feels like the walls of this room are slowly closing in on me. The bugs crawling around inside of me have gotten worse. Now, I am starting to smell something rotting from my wounds. One of the doctors said that it was all in my head. He too looked at me with pity. Nobody believes me if I try to tell them what's wrong with me.

When the lights are out, I see that shadowy figure of that nurse watching me from the corner. She isn't the only one either. I could've sworn I woke up to see that crazy nurse standing over my bed with a blank expression on her face. She didn't do anything. Nurse Brooker just stood over my bed and stared at me. I'm afraid if I ask her, she'll deny it and say that I was dreaming.

I turned over in my bed. I just want to go home.

Twelfth Night

I don't know what's real anymore. I can't tell if I really am in the hospital or if I am back in my room. I barely eat or sleep here. Those whispers won't stop buzzing around in my head. I keep scratching at my skin. I must have looked like a mess. My body was covered in scratches. Some of them started bleeding again. I overheard two of the nurses whispering in front of my door about strapping down my hands to the bed. They don't know about bugs inside my body.

They won't let me go until a couple of days. I can't wait that long. My friends came by to visit me. I can't stand the looks of pity in their eyes. I want to scream at them to stop looking at me like that. It won't do any good. I don't have it in me anymore.

"I want to go home," I said.

"You have to get better," Chiharu said. "They won't let you go until then." She isn't saying that I should try and do everything I can. Mikado could probably already hear what I was thinking. But he doesn't say anything. Anri and Masaomi don't say anything either. But I don't want them to go. It's the only time that Nurse Brooker isn't around to creep me out. I don't see that shadow lady standing around in the corner. I don't have to feel anything at all. A maggot crawled under my eye.

The nights were the worst part. Everything heightened up in the darkness. Nurse Brooker didn't come into my room this time. However, there was a new element tonight.

I was lying in bed when I heard something. This wasn't the usual whispers that I had been hearing for days. This voice was different. I couldn't explain it. It sounded foreign yet strangely familiar. I… I…

I have to see who that is.

Epiphany

Artemis

This was when things came crashing in. Noriko woke up in an abandoned field behind the old campus. She sat up and looked around. My girl could see one of the old buildings that was part of the university. From what I could remember, all of the doors had been taped up, never to be opened again. There were even some old possessions still left inside. Noriko had no idea how she got into the field. She slowly rose to her feet and began walking back toward the hospital.

Something's wrong. I've tried to reach out to her. Can she even hear me? It's like something is blocking me from her. I could still see and follow Noriko around, but I couldn't talk to her. I've tried to see what is the cause of this but I have much more pressing issues in front of me.

I don't know how or what happened, but Noriko managed to check herself out of the hospital. The doctors tried to talk her out of it. My love wouldn't hear of it.

"I just want to go home," she said. Noriko sounded so defeated. I could understand how she was feeling. The doctors weren't too sure about her mental state. They tried to persuade her to stay at least for one more day, but my dearest wouldn't hear it. In the end, she filled out the paperwork and walked out of the hospital.

I followed her on the walk back to Michiko's apartment. Everything may look fine, but I couldn't help but get the feeling that something could turn sideways. Noriko didn't tell anyone that she had checked out and was coming back. She should go back to the hospital. I tried to tell her this but my dearest couldn't hear me. The best I could do for the time being was follow her around to make sure that she would be okay.

Noriko walked into the subway station. As she rode down the escalator, I sensed a presence tailing us. I drew out my bow. I wasn't going to let anyone hurt her. It didn't help that there weren't many people around. This station wasn't usually quiet today. This confirmed the feeling that something was off.

We made it down to the bottom without any problems. At first, Noriko was walking normally to the ticket booth when she started laughing. She sounded like a madwoman as she swayed with her steps. My girl was scratching on her arm as she laughed. Alarm bells went off in my brain as I ran over to her. Noriko twirled and leaned against the wall in her fit of laughter. Pretty soon, the laughing turned into feral screaming. Noriko was twirling around and throwing herself against the wall.

"Noriko!" I screamed out her name as I tried to reach out to stop her.

She shook and moved around like she was doing a manic dance while screaming like a feral animal. Her ponytail flew around wildly as she threw her head back and forth. Noriko dropped down to the floor and thrashed around. A subway worker came to investigate the noises. He panicked and took off running when he saw Noriko throwing her head back and forth. She rolled around on the floor still screaming. Her clothes and hair were getting messy. She stood up and slammed her head into the wall again. My girl kept throwing herself against the wall or the floor. I couldn't take it anymore.

I ran to get help.

By the time I made it back to her, Noriko was sitting on the ground on her knees. Foamy vomit was coming out of her mouth while blood was running from her ears. I watched as two medics helped her to her feet and walked her to the stretcher. My love didn't resist. I could've sworn that saw a demon shadow following them. It turned and flashed a look of malice on its face before it vanished into thin air.

That was all I needed to know how dire things had gotten.

Meanwhile, Aya was walking out of her therapist's office for the day when she spotted a figure waiting for her at the glass doors. They looked feminine with the black robes hugging the floating body. A belt with a gold pattern hugged her waist. The hood hid her face. Even the gloves on her hands looked elegant. Aya's lips curved into a small smirk.

"Oh good, you're here," she said. "Are you ready to get started?"