Ouma's POV:

He just left.

He slapped me and left.

I felt myself laughing, it was a slow chuckle at first before it picked up, "it's hilarious! It's hilarious! I'm the murderer! I am a murderer! A selfish bastard huh?! HA! Keep saying that!" I screamed as I could barely breathe due to my laughing, it was broken kind, hinting towards insanity as it echoed out of me.

It didn't scare me, I already knew I was going insane.

C-Calm down!

No...no...I won't calm down, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I HATE HIM! I HATE THEM ALL! I WANT THEM ALL TO BURN IN HELL! I WANT IT TO END! THE GAME IS STILL NOT OVER! IT'S ALL LIES! YOU IN MY HEAD! MAIKO TRYING TO BE NICE! THAT THIS NIGHTMARE IS OVER! IT'S ALL A LIE! ME BEING ALIVE- SAIHARA IS A LIE! EVERYTHINGS A LIE IT'S A LIE!

IT'S ALL A LIE-

A familiar cold gust filled the room as my eyes widened. The room wasn't there, instead, it was the...the warehouse. My eyes widen as I felt the acid-like vomit creeping up my throat, standing there like in my dreams every single night was the hydraulic press.

The cold metal, the room was the dirty green color as it pressed me closer, darkness holding me, and puppet-like strings dragging me closer and closer, laughing, who is laughing? Everyone is laughing at me, they're so happy, this must be some kind of game to them.

"NO! NO!" I screamed the room seemed to drag me further to it, muffled voices seemed to call out in the distance as I covered my ears in my hands, I could hear them, I could hear all of them, all echoing one word.

Die.

I could feel myself hyperventilating, my choked sobs getting out as I closed my eyes as tightly as I could, "LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU'RE NOT REAL! YOU'RE NOT REAL! YOU'RE NOT REAL!" I screamed over and over again, trying to make it stop...

A familiar prick in my neck later and it melted away with my consciousness.

~-~-~-~

When I opened my eyes again I was back inside of my hospital room. I could barely move my body as it ached and I heard the familiar heart monitor beating in the distance along with feeling the oxygen mask on my face and IV drip.

I had to blink for a while to adjust to the bright lights as I turned over to my side, looking at the person who was marking things in their notebook, "what organ failed this time...?" I joked tiredly, Maiko looked at me her eyes filled with sympathy, "none, just safety precaution..."

"I thought he was ready...I thought he was ready Ouma...I thought you both were..." she mumbled, "what happened...?" I mumbled tiredly, "you had a hallucination doubled with a panic attack, we had to sedate you, you couldn't hear us" she explained.

Oh.

"It would be fine they said...you'll heal they said...they are an idiot...who is they again?" I asked glaring at her, she looked down at me, "your heart has been taking a lot of stress due to your condition, your doctor consulted me...Ouma you have heart damage due to the trauma your body has suffered since after game hallucinations" she explained.

"So we're going to devote the next few weeks into finding methods for helping you calm down after stressful situations and medications to help maintain your heart at a regular pace," she told me.

Heart damage.

"You...Ouma, I'm sorry." she apologized, "I didn't want it to turn out that way, I promise" she swore. Yeah right.

"Why...why do I have a hard time believing you?" I asked bitterly, I clenched my fist. My eyes widened in shock immediately as I realized...

"Ouma...I need you to tell me...what did he say to you?" she asked, "what exactly did he tell you?" she insisted. I glanced at her, "about how great of a person I am, obviously" I said sarcastically.

"What did you say to him?" she asked, "only my truest thoughts of course," I said sweetly, "Ouma...you don't have to be friends with any of these people after you are discharged or even now, that is completely and utterly fine if you don't want to or can't forgive them for what they've done to you," she told me.

Wasn't planning to.

"But that also means you can't force them to forgive you, you can't force them to see how you were in the right or they were in the dark, you can't force them to imagine what it was like for you, just like you can't completely imagine what it was like for them. The game has different impacts on different people, it can make you stronger or break you, it can give you life long friends, or you can be alone by the end.

"It's up to you entirely, the choices you make and the connections you hold on to or disregard, but you can't force them to change their mind on you, so Ouma...I know what it's like to be seen as the bad guy, you make decisions that are questionable and others either respect you for those decisions or hate you...

"But, let me tell you this, I thought you were so brave...you were brave facing that game alone, trying to escape, you're one of the smartest and most incredible people I have ever met...if you disregard what I feel that's fine.

"But...when you do hear people's opinions about you, even the ones who spite you, please...use that positively and healthily, to try and improve yourself as a person. I believe you can be an incredible person in this world, I do, but it's up to you to prove to both yourself and the ones who doubt you how you can grow and who you truly are rather than the false image they have of you." Maiko said she had a few tears in her eyes.

"I'm the villain," I told her. She looked down, "to some, you always will be...in others eyes you're a hero...you can judge your actions, they can...but that's all in hindsight...so...please...I hope one day you can view yourself as a good person if you don't right now because I think you are no matter how many times you try to pretend you're not" she said.

I took a deep breath.

"Maiko..." I started, she looked at me curiously.

Last chance to bail. 

Can I trust her? 

I sighed.

"I can't feel my right arm anymore"