Chapter Six: Going Home:

November 13th, 2010.

3:00 p.m.

Tsuzuki waited outside the mental institution. They gave his wife the okay this morning.

“We believe there a spell involved,” one of the therapists told him on the phone. “We don’t know what it is yet, but we’re still looking into it.”

“Can she come home today?” he asked.

“Yes, she can.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Right now, Tsuzuki looked at his phone. Anna should be out by now. He looked up when he heard the gate open. Anna stood looking worn out. Tsuzuki broke into a huge smile.

“Welcome home,” he said. She barely lifted her head.

“I’m here,” she said. He walked over and hugged her.

“I missed you so much,” he said. Anna clung to his jacket. She didn’t say a word during the trip home. Tsuzuki felt uneasy about this decision. His beloved wife remained in a funk. She didn’t seem to respond to much of her surroundings. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Still, he needed her back. Thirteen days with a baby was fine, but he needed the help. Daiyu and Hisoka were there, but it didn’t hurt to have an extra pair of hands. Plus, he didn’t trust Daiyu just yet.

“Hey, what’s the first thing you want to do when we get home?”

“Sleep,” Anna said.

“I see. Would you like curry for dinner?”

“Sure.”

“Shall I make it for you?”

“Please don’t.”

“Alright.” Secretly, he smiled. At least there was still some of her there.

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Tsuzuki took Anna back to the apartment.

“We’re home,” he said in a soft voice. Anna rested her head on his shoulder. She went right to sleep, standing up. Tsuzuki smiled, shaking his head. Sweet dreams, dearest. Tsuzuki carried her off to bed and covered her with the blanket. He kissed her on the forehead.

“I love you,” he whispered. The shinigami headed back to the living room.

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Anna slept until nightfall. By then, a little bit more of herself returned. She found Tsuzuki and Kirika-chan in the living room.

“Hey,” she said in a soft voice. Her husband looked up with the baby in his arms.

“Look Kirika-chan,” he whispered to the child. “Look who’s here.” The shinigami turned the baby to Anna. “Say hi to Mama. Hi there. Hi there.”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “Mama?”

Tsuzuki lifted his head. “Well, yeah. Why not?”

She tried to form words with her mouth. “Why?” Tsuzuki played with Kirika-chan’s hands. Anna gave them a blank stare.

The couple didn’t talk much over dinner. In fact, he studied her face. Anna seemed to feel out of place.

“Are you okay?” Tsuzuki asked. Anna’s eyes trailed upwards.

“Yes,” she said.

“How’s the curry?”

“It’s good. It’s too mild for my taste.”

“They were out of spices. I ended up ordering mild curry. Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s fine.” She put another spoonful in her mouth.

“How’s the mother?”

“She’s still sleeping inside of me.”

“Sleeping?”

“Yeah. She’s still there, but I can’t reach her.”

“I see.” Tsuzuki had hoped to talk to the Mother to find some answers on the Halloween attack. Maybe she could tell him about the spell or more details. “When we she wake up again?”

“I can’t tell you.” She took a sip of her juice.

“You don’t know.”

“Nope.”

Tsuzuki lowered his chopsticks. “I missed you so much, Anna.”

She glanced up from her glass. “I missed you too.” She pushed her dishes away on the table. “Thanks for dinner.” Anna left the table after bowing her head.

“Don’t worry, Kirika-chan,” Tsuzuki whispered to the baby. “Mama’s still adjusting to life back home. But she’ll be fine soon.” Those words made Anna freeze in the hallway. Mama? Me? Deep down inside, the feeling of foreboding won’t go away.