Giggling, innocent and sweet, woke Shiori up. She sat up groggily and almost instantly realized that she was in her room back home. There was her familiar white desk, cleared of everything that had once been on it. And her bookshelves filled with manga, magazines, and books she had when she was still in high school. When Shiori glanced down at the foot of her bed, she noticed the stuffed animals on the floor, covered in a fine layer of dust. It was all like how she had left it when she went off to Azakawa Village.

"When did I got back?" Shiori wondered out loud, her voice thick with sleep. She rubbed her eyes, but that didn't help much. Her body felt heavy, sluggish, and her eyelids drooped. The brown haired girl slipped out from underneath her blankets, carefully placing her bare feet on the wooden floor boards. It was much smoother than the floor at the museum, newer even. Shiori took note of this with a hint of sadness and loneliness.

That's when the giggling began again, but this time with an undertone of children wailing.

Shiori froze as fear crawled up her spine. The giggles and cries were all too familiar to her. They brought with them unpleasant memories, ones that Shiori thought she had gotten over. Now those terrifying memories were resurfacing all over again.

Shooting out of her bed, Shiori turned towards the window and pressed her face against the glass. She frantically searched the entire back yard for any signs of ghostly spirits but saw nothing of the sort. The night sky was clouded over and a drizzle of rain had started some time ago, making her line of vision limited. The streaks of water that lined the window pane gave Shiori the impression of tear drops. Dread caused Shiori to pale for this type of weather brought her no comfort.

The giggling continued, increasing in volume and intensity. When Shiori pressed in her ears to muffle the noise and found that it didn't help, she felt uncontrollable panic bubble up her throat. Before it got the better of her, Shiori shook herself and smacked the sides of her face with both hands. "Calm down, Shiori, this isn't the time to lose yourself!" she mumbled shakily. The brown haired girl took a few consecutive breaths, successfully suppressing the urge to scream. With some semblance of control returning, Shiori walked to the door as quietly as she could.

It might be the middle of the night, but she had to leave her house. Maybe she could spend the night at a friend's house. Shiori didn't know how the spirits got to her parent's home, she thought that they has all been purified back in Azakawa village. But since they were here, free from Azakawa forest...what did that mean for Suga?

Shiori shuddered at all the possible fates that could have befallen her most important person, none of which were good. Instead of thinking about things she didn't know, Shiori concentrated on getting her bedroom door open. "No…" she whispered, nearly sobbing when she tried to open the door only to find it locked from the other side. All of a sudden, the back of her neck began to prickle with unease. Something was behind her, something dark and twisted. And then it was as if the giggling was coming from inside Shiori's mind.

Don't turn around. Don't turn around! Don't. Turn. Around! Her mind kept screaming warnings at her. Shiori remembered the deformed spirits, crying out for the loneliness to end. Her lungs tightened exactly how it did when she ran from the hostile spirits. The blood and gore from within the caves flashed before her eyes, the pain and tragedy that accompanied the visions struck her.

The last thing her mind focused on was the sight of Suga's back, as he stood before an army of spirits with his katana in hand. Shiori re-lived the terror from that moment, the possibility that she might never see the man she loved again. She ignored the warning bells in her mind and slowly turned to face the childlike spirit.

Pitch black eyes stared back at her, void of nearly all emotions except for hatred and pain. Shiori's blood ran cold at the sight of the spirit so close to her. Her back hit the door and she slid down it when the strength in her legs dissipated. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over when she realized how trapped she was. A scream rose up in her throat, threatening to come out, but fear kept it inside.

The giggles and wails only intensified as the vengeful spirit floated closer. It's soulless eyes consumed Shiori, the exact same eyes that always haunted her nightmares.

Just as the ghost reached for her, Shiori managed to release the scream, "Suga-kun!"

NO ESCAPE

Shiori woke up right after that.