Mari, No

Yami felt a hand brush against her forehead softly. The feeling stayed for a few seconds, and then it was gone. She tried to open her eyes, and though it was immensely hard to, she finally could. The first sight she saw was light. It didn't look old and weak like the Dark Academia ones, it was gold and white and well furnished. Am I finally where I belong? She thought. Have they brought me back?

"Okay, sweetie, stay there," A sharp but sweet voice said quietly. "Try to be as quiet as you can, okay?" Yami heard things moving and suddenly felt excessive pain in her right arm. She seethed, and tried to withstand and obey the voice's orders. Her eyes bulged open and she could see a woman with screaming green hair and brown eyes dressed in a black lab coat. She looked at her right arm and could see a deep cut infringed there. She tried not to scream as she remembered what had recently happened.

She had just entered the Torture Prison. As in the name, she had been tortured by that giant…creature. It had turned out that Sachiko had been gone for a few days because she had been in the Prison as well. She had knocked out that creature, and saves Yami from destined death. She remembered passing out, and then waking up in this place.

Eyes adjusting more, she noted that there was no sunlight. It was only a bright lamp meters away that lit up the room with fiery light. She turned her head to see a wall covered in cobwebs and worn-out bricks. A dusty old table sat right beside the bed Yami was laying on. It had an old quill and several notebooks plastered there. It was a very stuffy room, and the ceiling seemed to be almost a few feet higher than Yami laying down. It was quite hot and she wished she could get out of there.

"I am Mioku Ichaki," The woman said. She plopped down on the ground to grab a deep gauge that would settle the bleeding of the cut. "Just call me Mio, please," She added with a smile. "Alright, you're settled for now. Would you like to know your occurring injuries?"

Yami nodded slowly. "S-sure…" She mustered weakly. She was having a hard time speaking, and could not bring herself to utter a single word, except for that one.

"Okay. You have a major injury on your left ankle, but I have worked on that and it should feel better in a few weeks," Mio said calmly. A few weeks? Yami thought. "As you can see, your right arm is still getting mended but I believe you will be fine for now. Your jaw is fully healed. If any more problems occur with your injuries, please tell Rosa." Yami nodded.

She slowly got up from the bed and limped to the door that was not far from the bed she had just been laying in. She waved to the woman Mio and opened the door. "Take care, Yami-chan, is it?"

"Y-yes," She got out without looking back. She was now in one of the main halls of the academy. Because it was still Halloween time, candles were still lit and there were still jackolanterns here and there. It must have been near twelve p.m, because Yami could see the dark sky outside of the academy. I should get back, Yami thought as she walked past many dorms to get to her own.

The second Yami found her dorm she stumbled in. Wincing, she picked herself up and slowly paced to her bed, noticing that neither Mari nor Yuki was there. They should've been, but they weren't, so something was up. Both Mari and Yuki were very early sleepers, as they liked to have good rest for the next day. It was very strange but Yami let it on as she cuddled into her bed, trying to get warm through the cold and thin blanket.

She shivered and suddenly realized that the window was open. Annoyed, she got out of bed and tried to shut it. However, it was jammed and she had no way to close it. "Jeez…wish one thing went good." She sighed and almost gave up until she saw, on the ground twenty feet below (she was on a higher floor of the academy) footsteps. They were easy to be seen and the mud they had left behind showed greatly. Curious, she ignored her current injuries and squeezed through the window which was larger than most.

In a few seconds, she felt herself falling. "Gah!" Yami had completely forgotten that she was higher up in this school and would fall. Bracing for the hurt, she gasped and clutched her side. She had fallen on the side of her body, and her ankle felt no better. It was painful to even stand up, but she withstood it, determined to follow the footsteps that might lead to something…or someone.

The cold air went through her teeth, and it shook her hard. "I have to continue…" She told herself. She knew that this was taking a risk; that another round of prison would come, but she couldn't just simply leave this case alone.

In a matter of minutes, Yami found herself nearing a corridor in the academy. The footsteps ended in front of a large door with spikes. She looked up to see…

The doors of the Torture Prison.

She felt light-headed and dizzy, for she did not want to enter that chaotic place ever in her life again. She knew if the footsteps ended right there, the person with the footsteps should have gone in there too. For this situation, I have to. She thought carelessly, mind racing with multiple options and sides.

You're going crazy, Yam. It's the middle of the night, you're injured and light-headed, just go back. Don't hurt yourself even more. Yami shook her head at this thought and pushed forward, her feet dragging. She was numb and unsure. There was something wrong with her at the moment. She didn't feel right inside. Her gut twisted as she shakily pulled the heavy handle to the door of the worst place on Earth.

She tripped and fell inside coincidentally, the huge door slamming behind her. The whole cavern shook as she adjusted to the darkness. The first thing she saw was the corpse of the creature that had tortured her the day before. She noticed it looked dead, not like how Sachiko had left it; unconscious. This was completely dead, and not yet decomposed, which Yami thanked. However, it smelt like fish mixed with dumpster trash on a hot day. She almost puked as she held her nose and walked in silent as ever, still willing to be careful.

She stepped over the creature and noticed there were, once again, footprints. Same as before. She eagerly followed them, though still limping. She wiped her nose, which was quite runny. As she followed the footsteps, she heard a voice that caused her to jump, scared.

"Y-yami…h-help…" The voice mustered. It sent tingles down Yami's spine, and she walked over to where the voice was coming from. She turned a corner of the cavern to see a figure sprawled on the ground, shaking.

Yami held her breath and stepped closer to see a girl with fiery orange hair and black eyes. She looked similar to Mari, until she found out it was Mari herself. She stifled a gasp as tears flowed from her eyes. There was a large gash in Mari's chest and she looked pale and sickly. "M-mari! W-what happened?" She panicked, trying to figure out what to do.

"Listen, I don't have much time left, dummy, so I'll have to explain…quickly," Mari coughed and watched Yami's tears form. She smiled slightly. "I heard you got in the…prison…I wanted to…save..you…but…I had to…give my life…to kill that beast…over there…" She whispered, her heart beat and voice dying down.

"No! You didn't have to!" Yami started to cry, her tears flowing down her cheeks. It was too soon, too early. Mari couldn't die yet…but she could. Because it was happening right now. In front of her very own eyes. "Stay with me, please…" She whispered, holding Mari's hand pleadingly.

"Sorry, dummy…" Mari smiled and took in one last deep breath. "I'll see you in the afterlife later, then…say goodbye to Yuki for me, will ya?" Yami's eyes widened in fear as Mari's chest rose one last time. "Bye, dummy…"

Before Yami knew it, Mari was dead. She cried uncontrollably and sobbed for a long time. She couldn't shake that sad feeling off of her as she wept and wept over Mari's body. It's my fault! I started it by getting myself into this prison and—and Mari got worried and—AGGGGGHHHHHHH!

"I am so sorry, Yami…" A voice whispered. Yami turned around to see Rosa there, crouched beside Yami.

"We'll get a proper funeral for her. For now, you can go to your dorm to mourn. We will evaluate this and fix this…"

However, Rosa did not help Yami's case…

She was now as broken as ever.