Gosh, my first patient and she is on kidney dialysis. What if I screw this up? What if she is bitter about her treatment? What if she doesn't like me? Atarashii Gakusei was sure that it was strange for an intern doctor to be this nervous about his first patient. He didn't have to do much in truth, all he had to do was hook up the machine to help pump the toxins from her body since her kidneys could no longer do so for her, stay with her until the treatment was done, unhook the machine, and then wait with her until one of her parents arrived from their work.

Opening the sliding glass door quietly, Atarashii glanced into the white room. A nurse was attending to the small girl that was sitting up in the hospital bed. Here was his patient, Shiritai Hito, the child was the talk of the hospital. Shiritai was only twelve years old but she had been having dialysis for three years while she waited for a kidney to come available for her. She was a quiet polite girl. She didn't seem very fond of her nurses but she was never bitter or rude to them. It just seemed like she didn't wish to be there at all.

Who would? It's a horrible fate for such a young girl. Atarashii thought with a wave of pity. He made his smile excessively bright as he approached the small girl's bed. "Good morning, Miss Hito. How are you today?" The intern doctor gave a friendly nod to the nurse, assuring her that he could take it from here. The nurse gave Atarashii a warm smile, bidding them both goodbye before she disappeared out the sliding glass door.

"I'm alright. No different from yesterday." The little girl gave a heavy sigh as she glanced at the beeping blood pressure machine that was attached to her arm. The cuff was so loose on the small girl's little arm it was almost falling off.

"Well, I wasn't here yesterday so might you fill me in? My name is Atarashii Gakusei, I'm an intern at the hospital. Doctor Myuiki is on personal leave so I will be attending to your treatment for the time I am here." He held his hand out to Shiritai. She took it hesitantly and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Atarashii. I'm just feeling a little nauseated today. A minor headache, too. I'm a bit sleepy as well." Shiritai ran her fingers over the soft cotton blanket. She frowned up at Atarashii, her large brown eyes darkening slightly. "If you are an intern are you sure you know how to do this?"

"Yes, I am quite sure I can do this." He laughed faintly, his unease flowing away in that instant. He was quite sure he could handle this job. He attached the machine to Shiritai carefully and switched it on. "It should run for at least four hours but I am sure you knew that already." He took a seat in the chair next to the hospital bed. He noticed a small book lying in Shiritai's lap. "Edgar Allen Poe? A gruesome type of story for a young girl don't you think?"

The book in question was quickly picked up and turned in her hands. "Well, his stories always fascinated me. It seems to make me feel better about my life. I also like Shakespeare." She added in a hurry. "And I like poems, too. E.E. Cummings and Robert Frost. It helps me pass time while I'm having my treatment." Shiritai placed her book back on the bed.

"I like Shakespeare, too. I was required to take it as a course in college. I really enjoyed it. My favorite play was King Lear." Atarashii glanced up at the clock. Each tick seemed to echo through the quiet room like a scream, moving closer and closer to the hour of noon.

"Almost lunch time." Shiritai commented as she followed the intern's gaze. "Are you going to go to the cafeteria?"

"No, no. I'll stay here until your treatment is over." Atarashii reassured her.

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Does pain always feel like this? Does it leave this memory tingling through your veins? Has it always been so dark? I like the dark. It's calm, sweet, and full. The darkness hides so many sins. Kyoki Kuruwaseru tossed his head back, his loud laugh filling the cold empty room, his black tangled hair falling down his back. He hummed softly in his throat as he rocked on the bed. His hollow green eyes held a blank look. His cheeks were pale and sunken, a sign of someone nearly dependent on drugs. His breath rattled in his lungs.

I can feel it. My heart beating in my chest. It's like my own little timer, counting down till my time runs out. It's soothing...calming. It cares about me. It is the only one who cares about me. It's the only thing keeping me alive. The only thing keeping me sane. Sane...sane...insane? Am I insane? Am I sane? Who am I? Kyo? Kyoki. That's it. My name is Kyoki I think. If it isn't...well...I'm sorry for whoever I stole it from.

Do you hear that? That little click? It's time. It's time for my torture. It's time! My time is up. The little timer is ready to go. Oh no, that face. That hovering smiling face. The darkness consumes everything but that face. I wish the darkness would swallow me. That face. Those words. It doesn't stop. It's there. Out there. Waiting for me. Waiting.

"Hello, Kyoki. How are you today? Nothing? No response for your old friend Uragiri? That's too bad." Here he is. My torturer. Uragiri. Those colorless uncaring grey eyes, that medium brown hair, and that plastic smirk. He is the only light in the darkness. That white lab coat is my light. I like the darkness. The light hurts my eyes. I want it to go away. He brings me pain. Always. It pierces my darkness. Hot, liquid, cramping, nauseating, dizzying, clawing at my skin. Burning my eyes. "Time for your medications."

Uragiri slowly untied the straight jacket from behind Kyoki's back. He rolled up the sleeve on one arm and tied an elastic ban around the pale sun deprived flesh. He tapped the transparent skin and the veins underneath. He retrieved the syringe from his lab coat.

No..."Don't touch me!" Kyoki shrieked in terror. He flew from the bed, making a sprint towards the unlocked door. Uragiri caught Kyoki by his forearm and jerked him back onto the bed. "No! No! Let me go!" He screamed as loud as he could, his body twisting like a snake in Uragiri's grasp.

"We go through his every time, Kyoki." Uragiri turned towards the door and nodded his head.

Those hands. Those cruel hands. Don't touch me! Kyoki's mind began to scream as he felt six pairs of hands grip his body and hold him to the bed. He saw Uragiri test the syringe, the needle squirting a red liquid. Uragiri hurried and stuck the needle into Kyoki's flesh under the elastic tied ban. He emptied the syringe into Kyoki's veins and stepped back. The six pairs of hands relaxed their hold slightly on Kyoki's body as it went limp under their hands.

The light...it's coming...Hot pain suddenly ripped through Kyoki's veins. It felt like knives were stabbing his organs, his flesh felt like it was being burned off. His eyes watered and spasmed with pain. Kyoki screamed. His body, that had been limp suddenly tensed and jerked against his will. He twisted, his fingernails dug at his skin, trying to stop the burning that was spreading across his skin. It's hot, hot! Save me! Stop the light! The light! Inside...it's inside! The light is penetrating my darkness...burning me to ashes...I must stop it! Stop it!

"Kyoki!!" Uragiri waved his hands, gesturing for the male nurses to snatch Kyoki's hands from his body. When they finally managed to drag his fingers from his arms Kyoki's arms were drenched in blood and covered with oozing welts. Kyoki's screams grew in intensity as the nurses rendered his hands helpless.

It felt like hours before Uragiri and the nurses managed to get the straight jacket properly tied behind Kyoki's back. He thrashed and screamed, straining against the cloth. The nurses exited the room with Uragiri right behind them. Uragiri cast a glance back at his old childhood friend. He waved to Kyoki, laughing under his breath.

Kyoki fell back against the pillows and continued screaming.

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"That's it for today, Miss Hito." Atarashii unhooked the machine and packed it away to be cleaned later on. "Same time tomorrow." He smiled at the small girl. "I enjoyed our talk." Shiritai nodded and took his hand as he led her into the waiting room. "Perhaps you can finish your story by then."

"I will! I'll read King Lear, too!!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Thank you for staying with me."

"It was no problem." Atarashii waved as the small girl disappeared out the hospital sliding doors with her father. That went rather well for my first day, I must say so. Too bad she is my only patient. He headed back towards the staff room. "Great doctors had to start somewhere."

Shiritai and Atarashii had fallen into a normal routine everyday. Shiritai's dialysis went from nine in the morning to one in the afternoon. Atarashii skipped his lunch and waited until Shiritai left before venturing to the cafeteria. They talked about literature, music, philosophy, and as of late the human mind. They never seemed to run out of things to talk about and the four hours that Shiritai's dialysis was just seemed to fly by each day. After Shiritai left Atarashii was usually put to work with outpatients or emergency room patients that had minor problems.

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For the last few days Shiritai had felt nothing but unease. She was relaxed until the clock began to near the hour of noon and then she was extremely distracted in Atarashii's presence. Sometimes she seemed like she didn't even hear him and he often had to repeat questions or what he was saying to her.

"Is something wrong, Miss Hito? You don't have to tell me," he hastened to assure her. "But if something is bothering you you can tell me."

"Don't you ever hear it?" Shiritai glanced towards the ceiling.

"Hear what?" He followed her gaze upwards towards the ceiling. He was quiet for a few moments before he shook his head. "I don't hear anything."

"That's because it isn't noon yet." The young girl explained. She looked down at her hands as they twisted in her cotton blankets nervously, her face was filled with guilt. "Everyday at noon I hear screaming from upstairs. That's the fifth floor right? Isn't that the psychiatric floor? I can't believe no one else notices it. The screaming is so painful...it sounds like someone is being...tortured or something..."

"I'm sure no one is being tortured, Miss Hito. I never noticed any screaming before."

The room fell silent after Atarashii spoke. They both watched as the black minute hand neared the large twelve on the clock. Each tick made the air in the room grow tenser and strained. The black hand hit the twelve and Atarashii and Shiritai both sucked in a deep breath and waited.

For a few minutes nothing happened. Atarashii relaxed. "There you see--" He was cut off by a loud shrill scream from the floor above them. The very sound made his flesh crawl. The scream sounded so inhuman and tormented. It continued, growing louder in volume. How have I never noticed this before? It's so loud. So obvious. So tortured. What is going on up there? Why doesn't anyone stop it?

The screaming lasted for over a half an hour before it died away completely. Atarashii shivered. He and Shiritai exchanged long glances. Atarashii slowly cleared his throat. "How many days have you been hearing this?"

"I noticed it when I first came here. It was always quiet so I could never quite make out what the sound was. It wasn't until this last week that it's gotten so loud." She glanced up from her hands and into Atarashii's blue eyes. "What do you think it is?"

"It's definitely a person...I'm not quite sure what it could be..." He bit his lips hesitantly. "How can they just let them scream like that?"

"I don't know...I couldn't. It upsets me to hear it. Maybe you can ask around and find out about what is going on, Atarashii?"

The young intern didn't know quite why he agreed but he nodded all the same. "Alright. We can't let this continue. I'll ask around the staff room and Doctor Uragiri, he's the psychiatric units head doctor. He might know something."

"And you'll tell me right away if you find something?" Shiritai clasped her hands in front of her eagerly. "Promise?"

"It's a deal." They shook on it.

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What a headache...Oww...Kyoki moaned into his sheets. He went to move his hand to hold his aching head when he noticed that he couldn't move them at all. They've got me in that bloody straight jacket again. I feel like I've got a massive hangover. What on earth did they give me? Why did they give me any thing at all?

Moving was nearly impossible in his straight jacket. Kyoki had learned from experience that squirming just happened to make matters worse. He had learned to avoid any movement that wasn't necessary. He had landed on his face multiply times from trying to move his arms too much. The floor of his room was stone cold and just as hard, he tried to avoid coming into contact with it as less as possible.

You never realize how much you appreciate something until you can no longer use it. Kyoki suddenly realize an urgent problem that would have to be taken care of instantly or the consequences were something that he would rather not face, if his throbbing bladder was anything to go by. It was no desire of Kyoki's to have to lie in his own urine until a nurse stopped by to check on him. Which wouldn't be for hours. They are convinced I am so unstable and dangerous. What did I ever do to them? Well...even if I did do something to them it's not my fault I can't remember. Those bloody drugs never let me remember much of anything any more.

Kyoki was determined to get the attention of the nurses. He had to go to the bathroom and he would not defile himself anymore than he had in the last few hours, his smarting arms had given him a clear clue of what he had done. He struggled from his bed, trembling and unsteady on his legs. When he reached the door he slammed his shoulder against the heavy metal frame. "Hey! I need to go! I need to use the bathroom!!" He shouted as loud as he could, his throat raw from his screaming. "Hello! I need to use the bathroom!"

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"I can't believe what I am seeing..." Atarashii moaned in horror. "Shouldn't they give a intern easy assignments and patients? The psychiatric ward? This is awful..." He glanced nervously around the barren hallway. "I can't imagine what I am even suppose to do. Check patients? Make sure they eat? This is awful!" He relaxed back against a metal door with a heavy sigh, resting his face in his hands.

"Hey!! I need to use the bathroom! Hello! I'm not freaking out anymore! It's urgent! Please!"

Atarashii nearly jumped out of his skin. His color left his cheeks until he realized that the voice was coming from the door behind him. He checked the charts by the door. "Kyoki Kuruwaseru...he's not on lock down...They did give me the keys to the patients' rooms. I guess it would be OK..." He unlocked the door and slowly opened it. His eyes widened in shock as he beheld the young man standing there looking extremely peeved.

"Finally." The man breathed in relief. His pale sunken face lit up at the sight of Atarashii. "I thought I was going to be shouting for hours." The young man's hair was a deep blue-black and in ratted tangles around his face and shoulders. His eyes were a bright blue and in sunken black hollows in his face. He had a look of someone starving or addicted to drugs. "I need to go, buddy!"

Those impatient words knocked Atarashii out of his survey of the young man. "O-of course." He took the young man's arm and led him down the hallway to the bathroom. He let the man in and stood there looking at him expectantly.

"You need to undo my straight jacket or help me." The man pointed out with an annoyed look on his face.

"Oh! Sorry..." Atarashii hastened to untie the knots. It seemed to take him hours, his fingers kept fumbling with the cloth until he finally managed to get it done. "I...I'll wait outside for you."

"Sure. Thanks." The man called over his shoulder.

After a few minuted the man reappeared. "Thanks for that. I'm Kyoki."

"I'm Atarashii Gakusei. I'm the intern working here... but...ah...um..." Atarashii hesitated over saying this. Well, the man is insane...It's not like he really cares...

"I can understand that much, Atarashii." Kyoki heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm not that insane. I can hold a simple conversation." A sudden worried look crossed his face. "I didn't think I was very insane before either. I'm not really." He urged. "I'm perfectly fine until...oh what is his name? Yuri? Ura? Yura? Whoever he is, gives me that awful medicine..."

"Uragiri? The head doctor here?" The intern looked startled at that. "What kind of medicines? Pills? Are you allergic to them or something?"

"Allergic? I might be. It hurts...alot...it's not pills...that awful syringe...that light...and the pain!" Kyoki's eyes grew slightly wild as he thought about it. He took an urgent step towards Atarashii whom took one back as he advanced on the man. He visibly tried to calm down. Relax, Kyoki. This man might be able to help you. He might listen to you. No need to scare him out of his wits and make him think you are some rabid dangerous insane man like everyone else thinks. "The pain, I kind of compare it to the light, since it is so dark in my rooms. You know how your eyes hurt after you are in the dark for so long and then suddenly you come into the light? That's how the pain is. I'm fine without my medicines but the minute he injects me with it all this pain starts rushing through my veins, my skin burns, and my insides hurt. It doesn't stop either. It just gets worse and worse."

Kyoki noticed Atarashii's gaze on the blood that was on the straight jacket, it seemed that his cuts had bled through the thick cloth. "Self-inflicted." He noticed Atarashii's eyes widened. "No!" He hadn't meant to raise his voice but he hadn't wanted the other man to assume that he willingly did this to himself. "When I take the medicines. It hurts so bad and I sort of go berserk trying to stop the burning."

"Have you tried to tell Doctor Uragiri about this?" Atarashii asked as he led Kyoki back to his room.

"He doesn't believe me and when I start to get upset and try to explain it better he calls the nurses and they shoot me up with sedatives and put me in lock down."

The intern opened Kyoki's door and sat the young man on his bed. Atarashii didn't move to tie up the straight jacket at all. Kyoki sent the other man a questioning look. "Well, if you promise to sit there until I come back I won't put it back on. I thought it might be a wise idea to clean and treat your arms. They could become infected if they aren't cared for." Atarashii noticed how the young man looked deeply stunned and amazed. "Did I say something strange?"

"None of the other doctors or nurses seem to care about my wounds...They just leave them be." Kyoki looked up in Atarashii's warm and kind eyes. "Thank you. I promise I won't move from this spot."

"Good." Atarashii smiled and left the room in search of disinfectant cream and bandages.

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"And that was how I met Kyoki. Apparently he is the one we've heard screaming all those times at noon. It seems that it is his medicines." The young intern was currently seated by his usual place next to Shiritai's bed.

"Did you try to talk to Doctor Uragiri? Surely he can see first hand how bad Kyoki is reacting to the drugs if he is the one who injects him with it." The little girl was leaning eagerly towards Atarashii.

"I did. He explained to me that the drugs are trying to help Kyoki overcome several hallucinations he seems to be having. He said that it was good that Kyoki was regaining some of his sanity but they aren't sure yet if Kyoki was just..."

"He thought that Kyoki was hallucinating when he told you all those things, didn't he!" The little girl burst out with sudden anger. "That is so wrong! It's clearly not a hallucination! Doctor Uragiri doesn't seem to be very considerate of Kyoki! Even if the medicines are helping him slightly he shouldn't have to go through all that pain for it. It's just wrong!"

"I thought so too. Doctor Uragiri wanted me to help with giving Kyoki his drugs today so I can understand how dangerous he really is." Atarashii's face filled with worry. "I just can't understand how Kyoki could be dangerous. He seemed so gentle and calm when I was with him."

"Maybe he just doesn't like Doctor Uragiri. He could hold bitter feelings for the man who gives him 'the light'."

"You do have a point." Atarashii cast a regretful glance at the clock and heaved a heavy sigh. "I guess I will have to go find out. If this runs over the end of your treatment Nurse Josei promised to come unhook you and wait with you for your parents."

"Alright. Good luck, Atarashii. Take care of Kyoki. Be gentle with him."

"I will."

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"Ah, Mr. Gakusei, you decided to accept my little proposal." Uragiri noticed with a pleased smile on his face. Atarashii looked around the hallway in a hurried fashion. He noticed the six large male nurses leaning against the walls of the hallways. "Shall we proceed?"

"Is it really necessary to have all of them on hand?" The intern questioned hesitantly as Uragiri proceeded to unlock Kyoki's door. He led Atarashii in the dark room.

"It is very necessary. You will see in a few moments. Good morning, Kyoki. How are you today?" The man in question was sitting on his bed in his straight jacket rocking back and forth on his bed, staring off at the wall. He seemed to be humming a faint cheerful and eerie tune under his breath. This man seemed nothing like the lucid one that Atarashii had taken to the bathroom yesterday. "No response? Can you try to say hello to me, Kyoki? Your old friend Uragiri?"

Kyoki continued to stare at the wall humming. If he had been a child it might have been assumed that he was merely ignoring Uragiri but this was not the case. Atarashii had to face the fact that despite yesterday, Kyoki was very much insane despite his words of contrary. For some strange reason, Atarashii felt extremely sad about this turn of events.

Uragiri motioned near the bed. Kyoki's relatively distant gaze focused on Uragiri for the first time since he entered the room. "No..." The strangled whisper was ripped from the insane man's throat. "No..."

"Yes...Time for your medications, Kyoki." Atarashii was shocked and disgusted as he saw a small pleased smile creep onto Uragiri's face at Kyoki's evident fear.

"Don't touch me!!" Kyoki screamed in terror. He flew from the bed, making a dash for the door as he always did, only to run into Atarashii's chest. Uragiri never brings anyone into the room with him. Kyoki gasped and jerked his face up to stare into Atarashii's green eyes that were filled with pity. You...Atarashii...the intern...What is he doing here? Oh no... "Don't tell me he recruited you for this too!" He gasped in horror. "Not you!!"

"Kyoki, you can't be late for your medicines." Uragiri laid his slender hands on Kyoki's frail shoulders. The touch caused Kyoki to stiffen sharply.

"Leave!! Please!!" Kyoki begged, staring at Atarashii. I can't let you see me like this, too!

"Kyoki..." Atarashii whispered as Uragiri drew him away and made him sit on the bed. "I'm sorry..."

"No!! Don't touch me! Stay away from me!!" Kyoki tried to twist away. Uragiri nodded his head to the door. The six male nurses pushed passed Atarashii and took a hold of Kyoki. The looks on their faces clearly implied that they were use to having to do this. Atarashii could only watch in horror as Uragiri untied Kyoki's straight jacket and retrieved a pale sun deprived arm, the recently applied bandages standing out sharply against the pale skin.

Uragiri paused as he drew the syringe out of his white lab coat. He looked up at Atarashii, his colorless grey eyes colder than they had been moments before. "Did you do this?" His voice was deadly calm and collected.

"Yes...he was bleeding..." Atarashii was amazed he could even speak as numb as he felt. His voice was barely above a whisper.

"You will soon see why this," he gestured to the bandages. "Is a waste of time." He inserted the syringe into Kyoki's arms and emptied it's contents.

Kyoki stilled, suddenly going limp under the nurses' hands. Atarashii took a step forward. It's like a sedative... "Kyoki?" He whispered, Atarashii wasn't even aware he had crossed the room until he was looking down at the pale man lying on the bed like a corpse.

Kyoki...who is Kyoki? That's my name isn't it? That right. Kyoki...Who is that? Who is speaking to me? No one talks to me after the light...the light...No! The light!! It's in me! It's too late!!

Atarashii jerked back from the bed as Kyoki lunged suddenly to get out of it, startling the relaxed male nurses. The young man landed on the floor. Then Atarashii heard it. That inhuman loud scream that Shiritai had been hearing for weeks. Kyoki clawed at his flesh and clothes, his hands suddenly seemed like claws. "Stop! Stop!" The insane man screamed in pain. He writhed and twisted on the floor. He was intent on shredding all the flesh off his body.

The pain! Hot...burning...stop it! Stop it! I can't breath...I can't see...this is different from any other light! Stop it! Kyoki wasn't even aware of the blood that was coating the floor from his bleeding arms and chest. He had bit his tongue in his jerking and he tasted blood filling his mouth and the smell filled his nostrils. Is this death? The light!! It's so hot...my insides...it's poisoning my insides! This will kill me! This wasn't like this before...before...that man! Atarashii!!

Kyoki dived at Atarashii and gripped his forearms, his nails digging into the flesh without even being aware of it. He couldn't breath, couldn't see, all he wanted was the pain to stop and air to fill his lungs. "Make it stop! Please!!" He gasped out. Atarashii could only stare at him. He faintly registered the pain spiking through his arms and that blood was trickling down to his wrist.

Uragiri decided it had gone far enough. He grasped Kyoki's wrists and squeezed, the pale flesh turning even paler under the pressure. Kyoki's face lost some color but he would not release Atarashii. "Rioyio, if you would?" Before Atarashii's eyes another syringe appeared and was quickly stuck into Kyoki's neck. His face looks almost peaceful. Atarashii thought with relief as Kyoki was taken from his suffering that only those cruel drugs could induce. He felt Kyoki slump against him. He felt the smaller body relax against his own before it was removed and placed onto the bed.

"I am terrible sorry about all of that, Mr. Gakusei. I wasn't expecting Kyoki to react as badly as that." Uragiri touched Atarashii's shoulder gently. "Come, we'll get you all patched up in the staff room. I'm sure this was quite a horrible experience."

Atarashii cast one last glance at the sedated man on the bed, the straight jacket lying around his body in shreds, his arms bleeding, his mouth and chest covered in blood that was slowly soaking into the pillows and sheets. He was certain that it had been far worse for Kyoki.

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"This can't be right...there has to be more! What is this drug anyways? It shouldn't be able to do all of those things to Kyoki!" Atarashii was buried up to his knees in paperwork and charts. He had not found anything remotely explaining the drugs that Kyoki was taking. All he knew about it was what Uragiri said about them and that Uragiri gave the injections to him and solely him. "He must have something..."

He scanned the desks in the staff room casually, his desk was in utter chaos, but the other desks seemed to be quite organized. He noticed something on Uragiri's desk. I'm sure I would have missed that if I didn't have my 20/20 vision. He slowly approached the desk. Sure enough, there was a file with the name Kyoki Kuruwaseru in dark bold letters.

This can't be. I have Kyoki's file on my desk. He glanced towards his cluttered desk just to make sure. Does Uragiri have his own private file on Kyoki? Why? Atarashii carefully picked up the folder. At the loud thump on the floor he looked down. A little black journal styled book was lying on the floor, a stark contrast against the white tile floor. Atarashii placed the file back on the desk and bent to retrieve the journal.

"Atarashii? Are you in here?"

At the sound of approaching voices Atarashii panicked. He slid the little black journal into his pocket. He rushed back to his own desk. "Yes, what do you need?" He called out to them.

A group of fellow interns appeared in the staff room. "Hey, we were about to go out for drinks, care to join us?"

"No thanks. I have some work to catch up on." Atarashii's fingers were firmly gripping the black journal hidden in his pocket.

"You always work." A young brunette woman complained. "You never seem to have any time for anything else!"

"You're working with that Kyoki Kuruwaseru, right? Quite a handful, bud. You need a drink after his performance yesterday. I heard it was awful." Another man commented as he nudged Atarashii. "Come on, come with us. Take a load off. Get your mind off the insane people. You'll drive yourself up the wall and land in here yourself."

"No thanks." Atarashii declined again. "I still have work to do."

"Fine, fine. I guess we can't convince the busy-body Atarashii to relax. Let's go, guys."

"I heard that Doctor Myuiki was suddenly taken ill. Did you know that? I heard he finally cracked one day over coffee with Doctor Uragiri. The poor man. I expect working with the mentally unstable must be hard." The red headed girl commented as the interns left the room.

Atarashii raced to the bathrooms as soon as they were out of sight. He locked the stall door behind him and sat on the toilet. He flipped the journal open to a random page and began to read...

...Kyoki's mental stability is weakening. IMI24 is working exactly how it is intended. I am slightly worried that he might cause bodily harm to the staff though. He reacts quiet violently to IMI24 and seems to go berserk. I assume the pain must be terrible...

...It might be a few weeks before I can switch Kyoki off of IMI24 to IMR18. He seems to be having relapses back to being lucid. I am going to increase the dosage of IMI24 to 75 above the normal dosage. The reactions may become worse but I can't risk him reverting back to sanity...

...Kyoki landed himself in lock down due to the severe reactions to IMI24...might have to reduce the dosage...can't raise any suspicion to the medicines...

...Interaction causes lucid moments...

...Medicines wear off within 48 hours...

...Might have to increase the dosage to be given daily...

...IMI24 -Insanity mental inducement...

...IMR18 -Insanity mental reduction...

...Test subject...experiments...

...Perfectly sane subject reduced to insanity in twenty-two days...

Atarashii slammed the journal shut in a hurry. His breathing had picked up and was extremely heavy. He couldn't believe what he had just read flipping through the pages of Uragiri's journal. Kyoki's just some sort of test subject for his perverse experiment? I have to tell Kyoki! This is wrong!

The dirty evidence was slipped back into Atarashii's pocket before he slipped out of the restroom stall. He set off instantly towards Kyoki's room. He should have paid more attention to Uragiri's writing though.

...Medicines wear off within 48 hours...

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"Kyoki?" Atarashii questioned in a soft whisper as he unlocked the young man's metal door. He slipped into the room and shut the door quietly behind him. "You need to read something. It's terrible..."

"Get out..." A soft voice whispered from the darkness. Kyoki was huddled in a corner, his arms wrapped around his knees, rocking to a rhythm only he could hear. "Get out..."

"Kyoki? What's wrong? It's me. Atarashii." The intern carefully approached the frail man. "Uragiri's not with me. I promise."

It was clearly the wrong thing to say. Kyoki gave a loud scream and launched himself at Atarashii. "I said get out!" He shrieked. His hands clawed at Atarashii's neck and face. Atarashii gave a fierce cry of horror. His hands reaching up to grasp Kyoki's wrists.

"Kyoki! Stop! It's me! Atarashii!"

After a few moments Atarashii managed to get the hysterical man off of him. He raced out the door and slammed it shut behind him. He locked the door with shaking hands, flinching as he heard Kyoki's small body slam against it. He touched his face and noticed his hand came away wet with blood. He cursed quietly under his breath and headed back to the bathroom to wash his face.

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Kyoki hit the door with a thump and continued to claw at it. "Get out, get out, get out!"

It's me. Atarashii!

The young man froze against the door. "Atarashii?" His eyes widened with horror. What have I done? "Atarashii! No! Come back!" Kyoki screamed against the door, his bony fists beating against the metal. Rebellious tears welled in his eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Please come back!" He dropped his head against the door, crying. "What have I done?"

His foot hit something small and solid. He glanced down and noticed a little black journal at his feet. "What is this?"

You need to read something...

He picked up the little book and sat on his bed. He didn't have anything better to do and if Atarashii left it it was bound to be important. He flipped the book open to page one and began to read.

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It wasn't really Kyoki's fault that he reacted like that. It was the drugs. I shouldn't be avoiding him. Atarashii sighed into his hands.

"I'm sorry that it didn't work out, Atarashii." Shiritai patted his hand gently. "It wasn't his fault or your fault. You just need to be more careful. That sounds like a nasty drug." She currently had Edgar Allen Poe's book The Masque of the Red Death open and lying on the her white bed. "You just need to be patient and take time. I know it hurts Kyoki but it won't kill him."

"I do need to be careful." He touched the bandages on his face. "He could have done at lot worse if I hadn't left the room." He looked down at the book in her lap. "Why did you stop reading?"

"Well, in the story the clock kept chiming and making everything stop and I didn't quite understand what time had to do with anything..." Shiritai huffed out her breath in faint annoyance.

"Time has a lot to do with everything." Atarashii glanced at the clock on the wall. "See? In five minutes Kyoki is going to get another dose of that awful IMI24."

"It sounds terrible. What is in it that could cause that kind of reaction?"

"I'm not too sure." Atarashii admitted looking a bit shamefaced. "I was so shocked by the entire concept that I didn't really think about that."

"Well, can't you check the journal?" Shiritai frowned at Atarashii. "It might be able to tell you more about what exactly is going on and why Uragiri is holding such a terrible experiment on Kyoki."

"I..." Atarashii searched his lab coat. "I don't have it! I had it in my hand..." When I went to visit Kyoki... Atarashii's face went pale. "Oh my god! I dropped it in Kyoki's room!" He jumped to his feet and raced out the door.

"Wait!!" Shiritai called after him. "Atarashii!!"

"I can't believe I just dropped it! Even if he was attacking me it was no excuse!" Atarashii didn't even want to think of what might happen if Kyoki read it. He took once glance at the elevators and dismissed them he headed towards the staircase, not even bothering to apologize if he ran into someone. "He's still mental unstable!"

"He could do something!" He glanced at the clock on the wall and stopped. 12:05. It was 12:05 and Kyoki wasn't screaming. "Oh no..." He breathed. He raced up the steps and down the barren hallway that had never seemed more ominous to Atarashii. "Where are the nurses? Don't tell me Uragiri went to give Kyoki his medicine by himself?"

There it was, the door. Kyoki's door. Atarashii grasped the doorknob and turned it. It was still locked but it did nothing to relieve Atarashii's concerns. "Please let Uragiri be late. For once let Uragiri be late..." He muttered over and over again as a chant to calm himself as he willed his hands to stop shaking long enough to open the door.

"Kyoki..." Atarashii whispered as he opened the door. The eyes that met him were a brilliant and clear blue. The pale face was drawn with determination. His hands were free of his straight jacket. Uragiri Nekkyo was laying at Kyoki's feet. He would never move again. There were several stabs wounds and the fated syringe, the light, was embedded in his neck. "Kyoki...no..." Atarashii whispered, his eyes closing against the sight.

A shrill female scream sounded behind Atarashii, alerting him to the fact that the nurses had returned. As the hospital alarms sounded Atarashii felt thin frail arms wrap around his waist. "Thank you. For freeing me." It was a gentle whisper. Kyoki had taken his revenge, perfectly sane.

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"Kyoki, can you hear me?" Sagasu Henji was one of the most talented lawyers in the country but even a note of frustration was creeping into her voice. She had been in the interrogation room for over an hour with Kyoki Kuruwaseru asking him multiple questions but he never once seemed to respond. He continued to stare off, a slightly dazed look in his eyes and a dreamy smile on his face.

"Kyoki? Do you know what you've done? Atarashii Gakusei assures me that you are a sane man. Do you understand that you've killed someone? Don't you feel any guilt at all?" When she was given no response she threw her hands up in the air and rose from the table. She had her answers. Even though Uragiri's journal was evidence enough and the testimonies of several nurses of the terrible drug it was obvious that Kyoki's killing was quite justified, but he could not be released from the mental ward until he returned to his complete grasp of sanity. Several doctors believe that he was going through withdrawals of the drug or that his state was trauma induced. It had been three months since Kyoki had committed his deed. No one was sure when he would return to normal.

"I'm through here." Sagasu called out to the police officer to open the door.

"No..."

Sagasu turned sharply to face Kyoki as he spoke. Her eyes met clear focused blue ones. "Excuse me?"

"You asked me a question. You asked if I felt any guilt at all. No, I do not. I am free. I know who I am now. I am Kyoki Kuruwaseru. No drug can change that."