Itsuki, Itsuki...

[a pair of women huddle against a hallway, one of them on her knees -- head bowed and unresponsive, the other with her arms around her, whispering. they're dressed in bright clothing, their make-up pristine -- except for the bruises blooming across their faces.

your stomach drops, and you turn to the woman gripping your sleeve, fear bright in her eyes]

...He's back?

[she nods, and there's a sheen of desperation there that you cannot ignore, you've seen it there every day. you're already striding down the hall -- voices and laughter echoing from the rooms around you -- all the way to the end, where you push the door open.

a man is sitting on a futon, but he rises immediately when he sees you. he grins, says something along the lines of 'i thought you said you'd never see me again']

I changed my mind. [your smile is slow and seductive, you know exactly how to play] How about it? Would you like a nice dream?

[he opens his arms in affirmative, and you move close, holding him back. then you feel it. something pulling at you, draining at you -- like someone's put a fist in your heart and is trying to scrape it out. it's unpleasant, but not painful, and you hold on...

the man starts shaking in your arms, you hold on, face expressionless. you don't move even as he starts hacking, coughing -- blood is spilling from his lips and from his eyes -- his ears, nose, he starts writhing but you keep holding him. it's hard for you too -- he's a grown man, and you're still a scrawny teenager, but you grab him like you've done this before.

finally, finally, he slumps over, motionless. a small orb of light flies out from his chest and enters yours, and your chest that felt so empty feels whole again.

your kimono and face and arms are covered in blood, but disgust is the only emotion you register. you grab the man's face and check his breathing, then slip a hand in his blood soaked clothes for a purse, a bag, anything worth keeping. purse in hand, you slip out the door, leaving the blood-splattered room behind you.]