Luna sheathed the switchblade behind her skirt, glancing down as she did so. Her eyes dulled to the usual pale violet, a blank expression on her face. Her school uniform was torn from her left sleeve exposing her upper arm and blood was trickling down the gun wound that had reopened in her shoulder.

She walked to me, stopping in front of me.

“Are you okay, Ryo?” Luna asked softly. She had an eerie look on her face, lacking the usual brightness she had when talking to me. I took another glance at the gash on her shoulder. She didn’t even show any signs of pain.

“Yeah…” I replied hesitantly, then pointed to her arm. “Luna, your arm…”

“Oh, this…” Luna glanced down at her shoulder with a disinterested look. Blood dripped down from her fingers hitting the ground. A red puddle was beginning to form from where she but she didn’t move.

“Luna?” I called out meekly.

She didn’t respond.

I took a step towards her cautiously.

“Are you alright, Luna…?” I asked softly. I waited for a reply. Nothing. I took another step towards her.

Suddenly, Luna glanced up at me. “Do you hate me?” She asked.

“W-what?” I uttered, caught off guard. “I don’t hate you… why did you ask that?”

“Nevermind.” Luna shook her head, then smiled faintly with a tired look.

She pulled the broken sleeve off her shoulder and wrapped it around her wound tightly. I watched her tie the ends together as a familiar red began spreading across the fabric. I grimaced at the sight. Luna stood silently after wrapping her arm and I didn't dare say a word. It was as though she was waiting for me to say something. I didn't.

"Let's go, Ryo." Luna said at last.

"Yeah..."

She turned to face the exit and I saw a tear run down her cheek. I opened my mouth to say something but then closed it again as nothing came to thought. Luna started walking without me and I just stood there watching her as she raised a hand to her face and sobbed.

Why was she crying? I didn’t understand. Should I stop her? But…

She paused at the doorway for a second as though hoping that I would chase after her. Seeing that I didn’t, she disappeared into the night outside.

My eyes were locked to the door where she left. I didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to do. If I chased after her, wouldn’t she think I still liked her? Maybe I should had just answered ‘yes’ when she asked me if I hated her… but I also didn’t want to make her upset. All I wanted was to quietly slip back into my old life where there were no murders or being chased by a psychotic stalker…

“Haa…”

A sigh escaped my lips. I didn't even get a chance to ask her about the boy she fought... Ichiro. I could still remember the piercing noise his katana had made… I shook my head and recollected my thoughts. I should be getting home now.

I walked out of the abandoned warehouse and stepped into the cold night, still stumped from the day's events. My head ached and I simply couldn't take in all that had happened. My life had spiraled out of my control ever since the day I confessed to Luna. I wonder whether I would ever have my old life back.

By the time I got back to my apartment, I was exhausted. I didn't see Luna waiting at the doorstep so I guessed she must have had already gotten in somehow. I took a breath and knocked on the door.

"Are you there, Luna?" I called out. No answer. I took my keys out and opened the door.

"Luna?"

I stepped into the apartment and turned on the lights. The place had been cleaned but there were no signs of anyone home. I closed the door behind me and walked to my room. All her belongings had disappeared. The luggage that she had brought in containing her clothes was now an empty space in the corner of the room. Everything was just as they were before Luna had moved in. I couldn't believe it. I looked around the apartment again.

She was gone.

I didn't know what to feel. I guess I had always wanted things to go back to normal but instead of relief, I felt an empty pit sitting at the bottom of my stomach. I shook it off and decided to hit the shower and sleep. I would see Luna tomorrow at school. When I got out of the shower I was completely worn out. I fell on to my bed and closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, light was shining into my face from the window and I raised a hand covering the sunlight. I could see the sun floating above the city, a cherry blossom tree blocking a quarter of the view. I yawned and got up wearily, rubbing my eyes.

I went through my daily routine empty-minded with a light feeling in my chest as though a weight had been taken off. When I got to school, I was still in a trance, everything felt like a hazy dream. I saw Eiji waiting for me at the school gates as usual. He had a bored look on his face as he watched students passing by. He was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and his school bag swung over his shoulder. I made my way through the crowd towards him. A look of recognition crossed his face and he smiled at me as I gave a brief wave in his direction.

"Ryo!" Eiji greeted me with a pat on the back and followed me in my stride towards the classroom. "You sneaky bastard, where'd you head off yesterday with Luna and Akane?"

I stopped. Now I remember, Eiji stayed back at school for his homeroom clean up. And I...

"Nothing." I replied. I continued walking and Eiji shrugged.

He switched the subject to last night's latest drama shows and I yawned. This continued on for a while till the bell rang. We entered the classroom after a few more minutes and I took my place at the back of the room with Eiji. I stared intently at the doorway as students began to flow in.

My heart stopped when Luna stepped in. Her dark hair fell down her shoulders and over the front of her ears complimenting her rosy cheeks. Her pink lips were slightly parted and her distinctive pale violet eyes seemed to turn the rest of the world into a quiet hush. I barely noticed Akane trailing behind her, her eyes plastered at the ground.

The teacher walked in shortly after her and I snapped back to reality. As everyone began settling down, the teacher marked the roll and I fell back into a daze, waiting for school to end. Eventually the bell rang for lunch and I got up reflexively to head to the canteen.

"Where's your home made lunch today?" Eiji snickered following my lead.

"Don't have any." I mumbled. We reached the canteen area amidst the confusion and everything was chaos there as usual. The place was crowded with students carrying trays of food trying to avoid each other in a desperate search for vacant seats, and a line so long it almost went to the end of the room. It was quite a sight.

"Oh god." Eiji said.

I opened my mouth to say something witty when a rush of students dashed between us heading for the line. At the same time I felt someone grabbing my hand and pulling me backwards. When I got back my sense of direction, I was outside the canteen and the hand that held mine— I looked up at Luna. I didn't know why but I felt a wave of relief wash over me knowing that she still wanted to see me. She smiled at me and let go of my hand.

"What are you doing, Luna?" I asked.

"It's boring, isn't it?" Luna yawned stretching her arms up in the air. I could see her stomach exposed as her shirt pulled upwards and I looked away instinctively, warmness surging on my face.

"So?" I asked staring at the clouds in the sky.

"So..." Luna repeated putting her arms down. She twiddled with her fingers, blushing. "I was thinking... we could go somewhere...?"

"Uh..." I trailed off while my mind searched for something to say. I didn't dare ask her about Ichiro or why she left my house yesterday but Luna seemed back to normal again. I looked around me and saw students watching us, whispering to each other. Crap. I leaned towards Luna with my eyes on the students and whispered. "Let's get out of here."

“Okay.” She nodded.

We left the school in a hurry, escaping the glances that fell on us. Eventually we ended up outside the school, at a spot where there was nobody around. I breathed out, half relieved that we were out of sight and half sighing from exhaustion. “So… where did you want to go?”

Luna looked up at me. "Want to come to my house?"

"Huh?" I uttered surprised.

Luna grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her as she started walking. "I got a surprise for you."

"Alright..." I answered, uncertain. There was something strangely suspicious about this. I didn't like the sound of a surprise.

Luna laughed light-heartedly, but it was an empty laugh. "Come on, Ryo. My parents want to meet you."

"They won't mind we skipped school?" I asked. Luna ignored me and I followed her hesitantly. My suspicion lingered at the back of my mind.

It's not like Luna was going to kill me or anything... right?

I walked for a while with Luna clinging on to me, pointing directions. Eventually we stopped at her house. It was a dark, gloomy looking house and all the blinds were shut. It didn't look like anyone was home. I slowly turned my head towards Luna.

"What's wrong, Ryo?" Luna whispered. I couldn't see her eyes, her hair had fallen over her face.

This was bad. Something was wrong. It didn't feel right. I tried to take a step away from her. "Luna?"

She pulled me back. "Come on in."

At that moment, I pushed her away and made a sprint for it. I didn’t get very far. A few steps in, something pricked the side of my neck and I collapsed onto the ground, feeling my senses rapidly deteriorating. I could make out Luna’s face over me. She had a disillusioned look on her face, her eyes empty. My vision faded and I lost consciousness.

Where was I?

I felt drowsy and my head was hazy. I could make out a figure in front of me but not a face. The figure leaned towards me and I felt something pressing against my lips. I tried to stay awake but everything slipped and I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes again. I didn't know how long I was out for but this time my head was clearer, the world still seemed fuzzy but I could make out objects in the dark. I was in a room. Luna had brought me in. I think I was laying down.

I pulled myself up and shook my head. I had to stay awake. Stay awake. Stay awake. I looked around me. I was in a bed. There was a drawer next to me and a closet at the end of the room. Was this Luna's house? I pushed myself out of the bed and felt my legs giving in. I fell on to the ground with a thud and everything began to spin. I wanted to just close my eyes and sleep. Whatever Luna had injected into me must had been really strong... the thought of Luna pulled me awake again.

I could die here if I didn't get out. I had no idea what the time was and Luna had taken away my phone. I picked myself up and stumbled to keep my balance. I staggered towards the door and opened it slowly. My breathing was shaky and I was scared. I was on the upper floor. I could see stairs leading down and other rooms across the corridor. There were no lights. No sight of Luna. I walked cautiously towards the stairs and looked down. No lights down there either. I took a step down and felt the anesthetic sinking in. My eyes began to droop and I shook my head again. Come on, Ryo. Stay awake.

I crept down the stairs slowly holding my breath still. I was fighting a constant battle in my head between staying awake and falling asleep. It felt like I was in a dream. I made it down the stairs without losing my consciousness and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh you're awake, Ryo."

I jumped up and snapped my head in the direction of the voice. I could see Luna sitting in the corner of the room with her legs up against her chest. I didn't see her there before. My knees went weak and I swallowed. She stood up with a blank look on her face and walked towards me. I could see my phone in her hands.

“Where were you yesterday?” Luna asked.

“Uh…”

“Before you were at the warehouse.”

“I…” I didn’t want to tell her about Yumi. There was no way she could tell just from my phone, right? I had called Yumi, but there were no details of our meetup in text messages. She couldn’t listen to my old calls. I tried to think of something to say.

“Don’t lie to me, Ryo.”

“I’m not trying to…”

“Then where were you yesterday?”

“…”

I didn’t know what to say.

Luna sighed. “You don’t have to answer, I was following you yesterday.”

“W-what…”

She pulled a kitchen knife out from behind her back and at first I thought she was going to stab me but she flicked the light switch on with it. I raised a hand over my eyes as the light blinded my vision for a second. I could see a table in front of Luna and there was a figure lying on top of it.

It was Yumi.

She was unconscious and her hands and legs were tied down onto the table with several layers of plastic wrap. She had on a white sleeveless dress that stopped above her knees. Luna walked towards the table and pulled the knife in front of her passing it down Yumi's cheeks.

"You haven't even gone to the movies with me yet..." Luna muttered in an eerie voice. I couldn't believe this was happening.

"L-Luna, let's talk this through." I stuttered, my eyes refusing to leave the cold steel of the blade as it ran down Yumi's face without a cut. Sweat was falling from my face as time seemed to slow down.

"You said you liked me." Luna said in a bored tone, her hollow eyes staring fixedly down at Yumi's face.

"I... I-I do..." I looked around the room for some sort of hint or sign from god as to what I could do. There was a human's life at stake here! At this rate, Yumi was going to die and it would be all my fault. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. Why was I such an idiot?!

"Kiss me." Luna said.

"H-huh?" I stuttered looking back at her.

"Kiss me." Luna repeated. She had an emotionless look on her face. "You said you liked me."

I looked at Luna. She didn't say anything and her eyes stared into mine blankly. I swallowed and took a step. I looked up at Luna for any sign of encouragement but she didn't make a single sign or gesture, just that empty look. I made my way towards her slowly. My shirt was beginning to soak with sweat and my legs trembled with each step. I kept my eyes on the knife that she held loosely on to her hand, it's blade resting on Yumi's cheeks. She was still unconscious.

Eventually I came to a stop in front of Luna. She looked up at me with that lifeless look. Everything became quiet. There was only the sound of my breath as it came out in ragged breaths.

"I'm going to kiss you." I breathed out shakily. I looked at Luna for a response. She didn't say anything. I moved in slowly, leaning towards her. A sweat fell down my chin and I stopped in front of her lips. I had to do this. I had to kiss her to save Yumi. I took a breath.

But I couldn't.

"Liar." Luna's lips moved.