Nar Yakushi

After two days in the Psychiatric ward, Nar has been cleared for release. As per the suggestion of his family, Nar, and Cookie will be staying with Betty, and Kisho for the foreseeable future. At least, until Nar feels he's ready to live on his own again. Cookie is excited to get to spend so much time with her grandparents, and Nar is relieved to know they'll be there to look after her if he-... If he needs them to. Dinner has just finished up. After everyone helps clean the table, and the dishes, Betty takes Cookie upstairs for her before-bed bath. In the living room, Nar, and his father sit down on the couch to pick a movie to watch before bed. As Kisho flips through the different options, he can't help but feel a twinge of worry in his heart. Nar has been cleared for release by the hospital staff, but he's been... off... ever since they got home. Kisho can't tell if it's because Nar hasn't come off of the antidepressants they gave him at the hospital, or if there's some other reason. He just isn't quite acting himself. Usually, when Nar eats, he eats quickly. When he's at the dinner table, he likes to talk, and make jokes. Tonight, Nar just sat there, smiling idly, and only speaking when spoken to. On top of that, he seemed to forget his food was there half the time. Only taking bites when he seemed to remember his food was there.  Kisho is about to ask his son if he's feeling okay, when Nar speaks up first. "Dad? Can I talk to you about something?" The tone of his voice worries Kisho. He's not heard his son like this before. "Of course, Nar. You are free to speak your mind as you wish." Now, Nar has his father's undivided attention. There's a look in Nar's eye. A look of... defeat. "Dad." Nar begins. His eyes beginning to mist, and his voice cracking slightly. "I-... I don't know if I can do this." Kisho's heart shatters, as his son seems to break down right in front of him. "I don't think I'm strong enough. I thought I could handle it if I just did what the psychiatrists said, but..." Tears stream down Nar's cheeks. Half a second later, they stain Kisho's shirt, as he quickly pulls his son into a tight embrace. "This is forever." Nar barely manages to get the words out. He sniffles, and his head droops slightly. "My son." Kisho's voice is soft, and calm. "You are strong. Stronger than you could ever know." He strokes the back of his son's head, letting Nar gasp a few times before continuing. "But, we cannot be strong all the time. We have moments of weakness, and sometimes, we break. Sometimes, we feel as though there is no light left. It is okay to hurt, and it is okay to feel hopeless." "We are like bone. We are strong, but sometimes, we break. If we do not heal properly, we may not be the same afterwards. But, if we nurture ourselves, and take the time to heal properly, we grow back stronger. Much like bone, we need support to heal properly. You are not alone. When you break, we will be here to help you heal. You don't need to hide your pain from the world." Nar does not respond. For what feels like an eternity, Nar sits in his father's arms. Shedding tears, and gasping sobs into his chest. When the sobs finally stop, Nar breaks the embrace. Eyes red, and puffy, he gives his father a somber smile. "Thanks, dad... Sorry for making a mess of your shirt." Kisho places a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Let your tears be washed away... By the washing machine." The two share a quiet laugh, and suddenly, the air doesn't seem as heavy. Nar wipes snot from his nose. "I think I'm going to go to bed early. I don't want Cookie to see me like this." Kisho's hand does not leave his shoulder. "It is important that Cookie sees you like this. Just as you care for her, she cares for you. You need not hide your pain from her." Nar seems to think about his father's words for a moment. "Plus. Hugs always make things better." At this, Nar gives a small nod, and a weak smile. "Yeah. You're right." After Cookie's bath is done, Betty brings her down in her pajamas for some cuddle time with her father, and a movie before bed.  That night, Nar manages a full, uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep. 

Things have... Not been going well as of late. When Nar was first diagnosed with Schizophrenia, he did exactly what the psychiatrist told him to. He'd taken his medication every day, gotten himself a service dog, and kept close contact with his friends, and family. If he had any particularly bad hallucinations, he'd told his therapist, and worked through ways to cope with them. That all stopped when Autumn was involved in a horrible accident. It's been almost a week now, and the hospital staff still insist that visits are family only. The staff keep telling him she's stable, but not being able to see her himself has been eating away at him all week. He's been missing meals, forgetting to hydrate, until Rudo, or Cookie remind him. Every night, he fights horrific nightmares to try and sleep. After the hallucination of Amy in the corner of his bedroom a few nights ago, he finds himself waking up every few minutes just to see if she's there.  His state has not gone unnoticed. Asuka has had a few talks with him about reaching out, and floated the idea of Nar, and Cookie temporarily moving in with their parents until Nar's mental state recovers. He never does reach out. Every time he picks up his phone to send someone a text, or call someone, he sees his last text with Autumn, and just... shuts down. Most of his friends, and family are too busy to drop by for visits. If they'd known how bad things were getting for him, most of them would instantly drop whatever they were doing to visit. He never reaches out, but a few friends still try to stay for extended visits. Juno drops by every day, and does his best to cheer Nar up. It rarely works. His parents stop by every night to help with dinner. It fills him with a little warmth for a short period of time, but once they leave, the worry, and fear creep back in. Asuka calls him constantly, but she can never get more than a few words out of him. With the weekend coming up, Nar's friends, and family make plans to shower him with visits. Friday Night, Nar tries to go to bed early. He lies in his bed, begging for sleep to take him. Praying that the nightmares will ease, and he can finally get a good night's sleep. Cookie sits in her room, playing with her toys. Not oblivious to her father's state, but beyond goodnight cuddles, and "I love you"s, there isn't much she can do. She wants her papa to feel better, so she leaves him to sleep while she plays with her toys. She'll tuck herself in tonight. As Nar lies in his bed, his eyes gravitate to the corners of his bedroom. He expects Amy to be there, fixing him with that same, icy gaze. She's not. Even so, he still feels tense. On edge, but not knowing why. The whispers begin again. Just as they have for the past few nights. He turns onto his side, trying to make them fade into the white noise of the box fan in his room. They only get louder. He turns to the other side. Rudo gives an annoyed huff. An icy chill runs up Nar's spine. He feels a gaze fix on him, but when he looks, nothing is there. A distinct voice cuts through the whispers. "That isn't your daughter." (https://youtu.be/FMuQ11tVJnk?si=Nz5-oB6oQw8xhzWS) The words shock Nar to the point he cannot move his head to search for a source. The voice closes in, whispering conspiracy into his ear. "It has taken her. It wants to hurt you." Nar's breathing accelerates, adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins. He manages to push himself into a sitting position. "You have to stop it. Kill it, before it hurts you!" "Pumpkin!" Nar shouts, his voice shaky. Nar hears the door to Cookie's room open, followed by her response. "Papa?" Trying to keep his voice calm, Nar shouts to Cookie from his bed. "You need to go to Mimi, and Paw Paw's house!"  The voice shrieks. "Why, Papa?" Cookie's voice is full of worry, and fear. "Papa isn't feeling good right now." Nar takes a shaky breath. His voice cracking as he tries to speak again. "I-I don't want to hurt you." The voice howls in disbelief. It screams for him to see reason. To do the right thing. With what strength he can muster, Nar's hand reaches for his cell phone. His arm shakes as though affected by bitter cold. Nar hears the sound of footsteps going downstairs. As he manages to bring his phone to his face, he hears the front door open, then close. Good. Cookie is such a brave little girl. He just wishes she didn't have to be. Nar's fingers fumble on his phone screen, as the voice screams in his ears. With great effort, and many attempts, he finally manages to dial 911, and press the call button. Within seconds, a voice answers. "911, what's your emergency?" " 1012, Haybale Street." Nar's shaky voice responds. "I'm a diagnosed schizophrenic, and I'm having a severe mental episode." The voice screams that the police will not help him. They will not stop  His daughter is gone, and now,  will take his parents too. "There's a voice. It-." Nar goes silent, prompting the dispatcher on the other end to ask "Sir? Are you still there?" "It wants me to kill my daughter." Nar barely manages to get the words out. His room seems to close in on him. Intangible hands wrapping around his legs. "Please." Nar croaks out. "Send help." The dispatcher tries to calm him, assuring him that an ambulance is on it's way. He doesn't hear them. The whispers are growing louder, and louder. Hands creep up his body, wrapping around his throat. He can't breathe, he can't see, he can't even scream for help.  Someone.  For the love of the monarchs. Please. Help me.