It seemed like so long ago that Yaruka couldn't wait to graduate.

How long had she felt like time was moving in slow motion? How many times did it feel like classes dragged on at a snails pace? How long ago did she once feel like nothing would stand in the way of her achieving her goal? In truth it really wasn't that long ago....but right now it felt like it had been eons. It was hard for her to remember what it felt like to be driven to succeed. Somewhere down the road, almost overnight, things took a hard turn and everything was sent to a crashing halt. Ever since that fateful night.....the night the Corrupted laid siege to the Academy.....

How was she supposed to know that the same event that gave her a life goal would also be the cause of her undoing? Yaruka had not fought as most others had. No, she fell victim to such intense fear that she lost all consciousness and somehow was spared the horrors that so many others had suffered. She had wanted so badly to help....to make up for her mistake....to help give the victims some kind of solace. The idea of being a psychologist to help others deal with such severe trauma seemed like the perfect goal....so what went wrong? At some point she began to look at others with fear and uncertainty. They were judging her.....she was annoying them....they wanted her to disappear.... Such were the thoughts that were starting to creep into her mind. With failed social encounters starting to become more frequent, she began withdrawing from people and retreating to the internet to communicate with others and seek a connection. Even then....she fell rather short. At some point she just....stopped talking and stopped seeking out others. At some point she realized that something was very wrong and it made her weep for days. At some point, agoraphobia and anxiety had completely taken control.

Just like that, her plan and her dream were gone. How could she even think of being a psychologist now? How could she help others when she couldn't even help herself? What was she going to do now? She had no other plans....no back ups....hell, she didn't even know if she was intelligent enough or creative enough to even consider trying for something else. She was graduating....and she felt like she was adrift in a horizonless ocean in nothing but a wash bucket with wooden spoon as an oar. Yaruka was utterly lost.

The only thing that was certain to her now was that she had a small menagerie of familiars she needed to take care of and somehow manage to feed herself and keep a roof over her head. With absolutely no clue or confidence that she should go to university, she knew she would need a job fast....one that paid well enough to survive on and one that a mess like her might qualify for. Perhaps someday, if she could conquer the prison of her own mind, she would reconsider going to school for a better chance...but that seemed like a far-off goal with the weight on her chest and the tears in her eyes. For now she turned once again to the internet to find what she was seeking; a place to live, possibly a roommate and some kind of work that would accept her.

She glanced over at her familiars; the closest things to family and friends that she had....and knew they were depending on her. The world was suddenly a very dark, vast and frightening place. Looking through posted ads on her computer, Yaruka never felt more small and insignificant. "....Don't worry, guys. I'll take care of you.....somehow..."