X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Everyone's Dreams ❯ Unset Course ( Chapter 2 )

Dark Cherub:

Hi hi!!! ^^; I am really sorry it took so long to do; I had it all written up. >.> But my sister never let me type it. O.o;;; An' I actually wanted to make this chapter way longer, but I had to cut it short. >.< Gir, and it didn't get nearly as far along as I would have hoped. Oh, ya, and *Glomps reviewers,* Thank you so much for the exciting reviews!!! I think it's great to hear what people think of my writing. X_x And I hope you likey this new chappy!!! I've been having fun wit it. If I can get what I want into the next chappy, there should be a lemon really soon! >.> Anyways, RR&E for me!!! *Smile,* Luvs you all lost for sticking into the fic in chappy 2!

Disclaimer:

I do not own X, or it's characters. That's all CLAMP's stuff, and I would never steal anything from god!!! Y_Y;

Everyone's Dreams

By: Nasyki

Chapter 2(Unset Course)

~*~1/6

4:30 PM, Friday

The day is truly one to enjoy, the sky is clear and amazingly blue, while gentle wind blows cool breezes through the surroundings; I smile softly as I walk home from school, my younger sister at my side. She smiles back to me, more meaningfully compared to my own emotionless grin, and she goes off, talking about what a great day she had today, and all the things that she did.

Er…konnichiwa, I am Monou Fuma, an eighteen year old, in high school. I live alone for the most part, well alone all but my sister Kotori, and together we live in a small apartment in Tokyo. The reason we live alone being both of our parents died when we were young. Our father disappeared some two months before my mother found out that she was pregnant with Kotori, and she died giving birth to her. After she died they pronounced my father dead. Unfortunately, because we had no living relatives at the time, (we still don't now) we were forced into an orphanage at our very young ages. It is all Kotori has ever known. Kotori spent her entire life in an orphanage, and even though I was around our parents for a few years, I remember nothing of either one.

We were never adopted while living at any of the orphanages that we were transferred to, but finally, about six months ago, I turned eighteen, and inherited all that had once belonged to our parents. The time that happened, I took Kotori and left the orphanage buying a small apartment, and I have been taking care of her since then, surprisingly enough, it's not all that hard. Life seems more worth living now that we live together alone, but so far, nothing to outlandish has happened, and for once, I feel normal for the most part.

Kotori stops talking and looks up to me gently. "Fuma, you weren't day dreaming again…were you?" She asks dejectedly.

Mentally, I slap myself, but manage to give out a forced laugh and shake my head, "It would seem I've been caught in the act." I say and watch as she puts on a scolding look, and stops in the middle of the sidewalk; so I stop as well, turning completely to face her.

"Fuma! I've told you shouldn't do that any more! Haven't you told me that you have been caught day dreaming in school, and gotten in trouble because of it?"

I sigh and lock my eyes with hers. She's right; I have to get rid of that bad habit of mine. As it is, I get into trouble daily for it…it's just…even with my life going as great as it is…I'm missing something. I don't know what, or when I'm going to find it…but I do know that something is going to happen soon, and it'll give my life whatever edge it is yet to have.

I nod in affirmation to her deduction and apologize to her for entering a subconscious state, but she seems unconvinced, and her face still holds the worry. After the moment's interlude, we continue to walk side by side in silence.

Kotori always seems to worry about me, as though if she didn't, something might happen to me because she didn't. I shouldn't add onto the stress that everything is already causing her. She is always obsessing over the little details; I shouldn't have my name added to the list of things to be concerned about daily.

I sigh and look to her out of the corner of my eye, she stopped talking some time ago, and now was busy looking to the ground, probably thinking about something. (Then again it's hard not to think of anything, a person is always thinking something.) Great, now she's upset, and thinking. At least when she is talking I know the just what she is thinking about; when she is quiet like this, I don't have the slightest clue as to what she might be pondering and it is likely if I were to guess, I'd be more than off.

I look up to the sky, and the sun shines into my eyes, so I have to squint and lift my hand to the sky to shadow my eyes just to see the outline of a tall building, the building that I am learning to call home. What a relief, the day is nearly to its end. Kotori rushes ahead of me, and grabs the glass door's handle, pulling it opened so that I can walk in. Her smile has returned to her face, and it relieves me to the last of my worry creating in me a point of true bliss.

I smile back at her and walk through the door, stepping into the cool air-conditioned lobby. Light steps and voices fill the air, in a friendly, and welcoming way. The building is not the biggest ever built; actually it's quite small, there are only ten floors, maybe. It's set up quite simple as well, there is the ground level that is the lobby, and all the ones above are apartments, the higher you go the better they get, I think that there is one underground floor, but I'm not quite sure, and if there is, it's most likely for storage. My sister and I have yet to go to the top, we haven't been past the sixth floor, and those were expensive, we are only on the fourth floor.

Heading around a corner, I see the elevator come into view, and I walk over to it pressing the `up' button.

Our apartment has one bathroom, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Only two of the rooms have windows, the kitchen, and mine. I would have liked to get one with more windows, but unfortunately, my sister, is extremely afraid of heights.

The door to the elevator opens, and a young woman walks out as we are steeping in, and the door shuts behind us. Kotori reaches over and presses the 4th floor button and steps back, standing next to me.

Because she is so afraid of heights, I got the bedroom with the window. Which really is a good thing because I would have felt like I was living in a box if I hadn't. The thing about heights doesn't really surprise me, Kotori is actually afraid of high places, and people hanging out of them. I don't know what happened to get her so scared, but the last time she saw someone hanging out a window, she nearly had a heart attack, and passed out.

The elevator stops at the third floor, and a tall man with a mustache steps in pressing another button, but I can't see what from where I'm standing. The elevator moves again before stopping on my floor, I nod to the man, and Kotori and I exit together.

Heading down the hall to our apartment, I get out my key and unlock the door, steeping aside and letting Kotori in before I fallow myself, and lock the door behind us. We take off our shoes, and set our school bags aside. While I head off to my room to change, Kotori goes into the kitchen to make some tea, like she does every afternoon.

As I walk into my room, I shut the door behind me and take off my shirt, throwing it into a hamper next to my closet.

There are so many things that I want to do for Kotori, but that's just the problem, there are so many…I don't know where to start. She is so shy and has such a good heart; I wonder why she has so few friends.

I walk over to the window, and open it letting a gust of wind rush over me. I look out onto the fine day and rest my hand on the side of the window. It really is a good day; maybe Kotori and I should do something together.

I hear a ringing in the distance and it snaps me out of my daze. `I really do need to work on the day dreaming thing.' Walking over to my dresser I take out some more comfortable clothes, when I hear Kotori calling me, but her voice is muffled from the wall.

"Fuma! The phone is for you!"

"Domo Arigato!" I call back while picking up the phone from my dresser wondering whom it might be. "Moshy moshy," I say as I pull off my school pants, and slip on something more comfortable.

"Hey Fuma-kun, this is Hediki here. Some of the other guys and me were wondering if you might want to join us, we're celebrating the big basket ball game from yesterday. Are you coming?"

"Er, gomen Hediki-senpai. I can't leave my sister alone on a Friday night." I sigh and then add, "maybe some other time though."

"Oh, come on Fuma-kun, you and your sister can both come, but you never come and do anything with your friends, it's wonderful that you care so much for your sister, but you just trying to protect her costs you your life! Think about it. It would be good for the both of you to go out and do something with someone else, I'm sure Kotori-chan feels the same way!"

I sigh again in frustration, he's right for the most part, but Kotori wouldn't be able to go. It would be bad for her heart condition; too much excitement can be a bad thing.

"Iea, gomen Hediki-senpai. I really can't, like I said, maybe some other time."

"Hai, hai; maybe some other time then. Ja," he sounded put down as he hung up the phone, but that's ok, I can't change what I can't do.

I hang up the phone and slip on the shirt that I had picked out before I leave the room heading down to the kitchen to see how Kotori is fairing.

~*~*~2/6

When I enter the room, I see the tea is ready and she is already starting on dinner. Without a word I go over to her side to help her cook, I may not be a master chief, but I can cook just about anything.

Kotori points to some vegetables that need to be cut, and I nod before grabbing a knife and cutting board. Then I begin by slicing Tomatoes.

There is a long comfortable silence that fallows, and in it, we are both in our own worlds, my mind wanders off to thinking about a more interesting life, and Kotori's I wouldn't know of, maybe some guy that she likes. But in the end, the quietness is broken by her unsure voice.

"Fuma?"

"Ne?" I respond, trying to concentrate more on cutting than day dreaming, but losing to the more interesting train of thought.

"Who was that on the phone?" she asks, doing her best attempt at not sounding interested, but it is easy to tell how much she really wants to know.

Heaving a sigh I walk over to her and hand her the tomatoes that I had just finished slicing.

"Well, no one really. Just some of the guys from the basketball team."

"Oh," she says simply leaving another pause, but this time she didn't hesitate to ask, curiosity having gotten the best of her. "What did they want?"

"They just wanted to see is I would come to a party for our last win. But I said no, so it doesn't really matter…"

She turns towards me with a hurt expression. "It was because of me isn't it? Because of my weak heart."

I shake my head, "no. They were wanting to do some things I didn't want to be a part of," I lied.

She looked at me a moment before giving in and turning back to what she was cooking, then gestured to the unset plates. I nod and go over to the table, setting it slowly, feeling quite guilty about lying to Kotori. I know that it's for the better good…but I just don't like the fact that I did lie to her.

Finishing the table I returned to the kitchen. I wish Kotori didn't have her heart problem…I would do anything for her, and the fact that there is something that I can't make right disturbs me. As her elder brother, it is my job to make her happy, because I can't do anything about something makes me feel like a failure.

After locking myself into my mind's wanderings the world seemed to fade, and I didn't pay any attention to what was going on around, I do think I tripped a few times until finally my trance was broken.

"Fuma…is anything wrong? You've been quiet since we started eating, and you've barely touched your food. Are you feeling alright?"

I shake off my heavy thoughts and begin to concentrate on what I'm doing at the present moment.

"Er, iea. I'm fine. I was just thinking…"

"You know, a man lost within his thoughts, can lose his sanity there as well. You'll become just a shell of yourself if you don't watch it. And I really don't want a clam for a brother."

I smile and chuckle lightly, "you worry to much, and that's a bad thing."

"You don't worry enough, and that's a worse thing," Kotori responded not trying to sound funny, I can tell that she is dead serous.

I just shake my head unconscientiously and continue to eat the rest of the meal in tranquility.

After dinner, my night drags on; I finish all of my weekend's homework. Other than that, nothing at all happened, if you haven't been able to figure it out yet, that's how I go about everything, nothing ever happens. I did a lot more thinking and around 7:30, but I eventually decide to go to bed. Kotori is off doing her own thing, and I needn't bother her, so after changing, and getting ready, I go into my room, and switch off the lights. I walk across my room and over to my bed, but stop suddenly.

Something's wrong…I feel as though, someone is watching me. Looking to my closed door, fining nothing out of place I then to my window before realizing just how paranoid the actions are.

`Feeling' like I was being `watched,' I laugh nervously. No one can get in, I locked the front, and only door when I got home, and I am on the fourth floor of a building. There is no possible way for somebody to enter the house without being noticed.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut. I must have not gotten enough sleep this week…but…you can never be too cautious…. Just in case…

I change my direction and walk over to my window and give a light tug on it to see if it's locked. The window doesn't budge; it's locked.

Growling I put my head in my hands, I have truly gone insane. `Just in case,' my ass.

Taking in a deep and calming breath, I go back over to my bed I think of what Kotori had told me over dinner.

"You know, a man lost within his thoughts, can lose his sanity there as well…"

"Teh, you don't know how right you are," I say quietly to no one in particular as I pull the covers over myself. "Nothing could possibly happen to me, nothing ever happens to me. Now I'm the one worrying to much…" I close my eyes, and lay my head against my pillow, falling asleep almost instantly at contact.

~*~Kamui~*~3/6~*~

I let out an unsteady breath as I walk out of the building I suppose I should call my home, and walk past a small group of kids as I head out. I am heading to the edge of town so that I can leave for Tokyo, but to my surprise, the moment one of the kids' spots me, they all rush in my direction looking quite nervous, then they stop in front of me. I smile and lean down on bended knee so that I am eye level with them.

"Konnichiwa," I say as I survey the small group. It's a group of three, two of which are girls and one that is a guy. All look around the age five. The one girl has long straight black hair, she seems to have a more powerful build than the other two, and she has large amber eyes with a set of oval glasses that went over them giving her an instinctual, sporty look; a very interesting combination. Then next to her, was a frailer looking girl, with yellow eyes that radiated a cat-like glow. She also has platinum blond hair, which is only slightly shorter than the other girl's, but hers is pulled back into a high and tight pony tail giving it the illusion to be much shorter than it really is. And the last person was the young boy, he was ducked behind the two girls, seemingly making him much more nervous. He was much more fragile even being compared to the albino girl, he was at least a head shorter than them, his hair is a light golden dirty blond, and his eyes are also a light color, a gray-like blue. And all three of them were smiling even him who is probably forcing himself through his nerves. The two smaller one's were the only ones with their adorable cherub wings out though, the long black haired girl had hers retracted.

The only bad thing about being so young is that your wings are much to small to fly with; they aren't even as long as your arms. Most people don't have their wings a large enough size to fly with until they turn seven-ish, and when that happens, your flying is horrible. When I first started flying…I caused quite a lot of accidents, more than most do. I actually wasn't allowed to fly with out two adults watching me. Though I do have an excuse, I'm the first Kamui in our history of Dream Seekers, and everyone now has had at least three or four times in being reincarnated to get experience with flying, this is my first life with wings. Though that doesn't stop me from mentally cursing myself for the discomfiture that I caused my name.

Their small voices broke me from my memories as the all said in unison, "konnichiwa."

"I'm Sasha," said the kawaii blond profoundly, "an' she's Ne-chan, an' he's Kohaku-kun," she continues, pointing to her two young friends. `For a fragile looking girl, she does seem to have a pretty powerful voice.' I think to myself smiling.

"And I'm Kamui." I say thoughtfully, "it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

"Well, we already know who you are." Ne-chan smiles. "We went to your 16th ceremony yesterday. That's why we're here actually. We wanted---"

"---We wanted to wish you luck and ta' give you something." Sasha finishes blushing. `How cute.'

"That's very sweet of you."

Sasha and Ne-chan step aside, going behind the boy, Kohaku and pushing him forward. He is holding a brilliant bouquet of Babe's Breath and Chrysanthemum with some leaves that I don't recognize.

"M-my mom said she was sad `cuz y-you lives all by yourself…and you d-don't have a mom to wish you luck…so her and some people got you these…" he whispered as his eyes look to the ground, him not being fully confidant enough to look me in the eye. "S-she said t-that your mom liked these flowers lots, and she thought you might too…but even if you don't…they still smell pretty." He holds out the flowers and I take them.

`How selfless…' I can't help it, my smile widens.

"Wow. Erm, domo. I don't know what to say…so your mother knew mine?" I asked shocked at the realization my mother was involved, and that someone had even mentioned her, though not in name…

"Yep, she says they was good friends," he answers matter-of-factly, and I nod.

"Well can you tell your mother and her friends that I really appreciate it?" I smile pat him on his little head.

When he nods I stand up and slide three of the Chrysanthemums from the bouquet and hand them each one. "A flower for a pretty girl," I say while handing both Sasha, and Ne-chan one each. "And a flower for a kind heart," I say while giving Kohaku his. At this act they all blush in embarrassment, "well, I'll just be on my way…" they then wave to me as I turn to go.

"Ja ne!!!"

"Ja Kamui-sama!!!!"

"Jaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

They all call happily as I walk away looking at the wonderful surprise, and thinking about how much lighter I feel. I don't think anything can go wrong now. I wasn't even expecting a `bye' to be frank. It's so nice that people here really do care about me…

I take a breath deep breath as I look at the flowers, never had a simple chrysanthemum held so much meaning to me as it does now. They are not only a meaning of encouragement to me, but they were also my mother's favorite flower as well. I look to the wondrous flower, and smell the fragrance so strongly… `I wonder…why would this be my mothers favorite flower? Up till now my favorite had been the Lillie…that was because of the elegance and natural beauty…. Well actually, it was the Water Lillie that I adored most. But did she like the chrysanthemum because its colors? Its smell? It's meaning? Or was it something much more?'

I sigh in frustration of what the single flower brought to me. And the smile that I had been wearing slipped into a frown as I faced the fact, `I will never be able to understand why it was her favorite. She is gone, and I will never know. Even if I do manage to find out who my mothers friends were, they would never speak of her. No one ever does, it's an unspoken thing to not talk of her or my father. I don't even know what happened to them. Why should I care what flowers she liked? Let alone why she liked them?

I stop in the middle of the sidewalk of my small town just out side of Tokyo, and change direction. I suddenly walk over to the nearest trashcan, and throw the dead plants away. "I hate chrysanthemums," I mutter as I watch the trashcan's door swing back and forth a few times before turning and walking away, not turning around once, for that would lead my mind astray to my family that no one speaks of…and now I deny having. If people don't want me to know, why fight it? I no longer care.

~*~*~*~*~4/6

Several minuets latter, I reached the edge of town, though there were already a few people there, I tried to pay as little attention to them as I could, them doing the same to me. They were presumably on their own runs, and it better not to distract each other.

Taking in my last deep breath for the night before having really started on my assignment, I took out a small item, which resembles a pager. It was small, and black, having a glowing green rectangular screen. I say `which resembles a pager,' because though it looks like one, it's not. It doesn't work the same way for the most part.

A pager just sends messages, what I have is called a `Place Keeper.' How it works is like this; in the center of our town is the eldest's building. All the important things that he does, he does there. And all of the stuff he doesn't want people to find out about, and all the things like that are there as well. But anyway, at the top of the building, there is something like a transmitter, or something of that sort, and it gives us all our information. Our town is actually the center of all the Dream Keepers operations, so the transmitter can reach all around the world. And all Dream Keepers get a Place Keeper at the age sixteen; it tells us what we're doing, when we are going to do it and where we are going to do it…

Looking at my place keeper it reads `Down Town Tokyo. N.' I stretch my wings and lift off, heading north, and feeling a little nervous….

They actually got the name `Place Keepers' around six years ago. They had originally been released some ten years before that, only something happened. I don't know exactly what, but it was something like people were not using them correctly, or losing them all of the time, but the elder got really upset by it and he finally made an announcement that each, `Pager' (at the time that's what they were know as) emitted a specific ID number, that was transmitted to his building, so that he knew exactly where we were, he said it was a safety precaution so that nothing would ever happen to us without him knowing. He said that he needed to keep track of us…

My Place Keeper made a beeping noise and I gave a quick glance at it, doing as it instructed, I change direction to Northwest….

But after that, fewer people actually had things happen to their Place Keepers, and because people stopped losing `Place' of them, and also because they would always `Keep' track of us, people began using the name `Place Keepers' and the name was just like glue, and stuck to it. Since then, they have only been know as `Place Keepers.' Sort of an ironic story if I do say so myself…

I see some birds in the near distance and smile as I spin upside down, going down a little bit and they eventually fly over me.

`I suppose I'm not doing that bad. And I was so worried earlier, this part is so simple, I shouldn't have worried so much. At least not until I got into a house.'

"Hmmm…" I sigh several minuets latter as I finally enter Tokyo. `I am actually in Tokyo!!! I have always wanted to be here, and now I actually am! I wish I could go sight seeing.'

In my town you can see Tokyo so clearly, it's breathtaking. Tokyo seems so much like a painting; I would have never thought that I would actually go into it. Sometimes as a child, I would stay up late, and sneak out. I used to walk all the way to the edge of town just to watch the sun rise. Because I never had any parents, nobody really notice when I left or came back, and at times like those…that was the only time I was ever glad for my life to be like that.

Though it may seem strange for me to have stayed up to see the sunrise, it's true. Most people my age have never seen a sunrise. But we have a very strict schedule to run by, and that means we have to wake up after the sun is already up. We get up at 2-3pm depending on whom we are and what we have to do, and we have to be asleep by 5am. And there are almost never exceptions to the rule. I of course wasn't supposed to be sneaking out, so that was no exception.

The fact is, most adults have never seen the sun raise either, and never will because of their jobs and schedules. The people that do my kind of work would be the most likely to get to see the sunrise, but even so, our Place Keepers are supposed to tell us to go home way earlier than the sun rises, so the probability that even we would see it is almost one in a million.

I sigh as my Place Keeper beeps again, I look at it to see what I have to do when my stomach tightens, `Main St. 35699. 2ond floor FTT, 3rd win. N wall.' (FTT means `from the top,' we always do counting from the top downward because when we go places we are not on the ground level, we are up looking down)

Stopping where I am, I look to the ground bellow me for the nearest ally way, and descend on it. I want to figure out what street exactly I'm on, without making a single mistake. Though it's not the routine way of doing it, I want to be sure I don't accidentally go into the wrong house and get the wrong information. Normally we are just supposed to look at it from here, all the A, B, and C classes are required to have perfect sight.

Landing on the middle of the roof to a tall building, I walk over to the edge and look over the side, into a small ally to make sure no one would see me appear out of nowhere. That would raise suspicions, cause wandering minds, and someone might just happen to discover my group. But much to my satisfaction, no body was there.

I jump up to the ledge of the roof, and jump forward off the building only using my wing for the first few moments so as to slow my fall before I slowly retract them into my back, looking normal once again.

Tap.

When I land on the cement, my wings are no longer visible, and I land knelt down, but the only thing about me that would make me seem somewhat unordinary would be the few feathers that unordinary land surrounding me. Sighing, I return to my feet, while brushing myself off before I turn my gaze to the opening of the ally. Where I can see a downpour of brilliant lights, and the hustle of more people than I have ever seen in one place.

Walking out into the busy city, I have to cover my eyes as I steep into the bright nighttime lights. As I squint through the light, I suddenly wish I had risked going to the wrong place. Because we have such great sight, it is better for us to stay in the dark, our eyes to put without due consideration, do not do well with bright things. That's why we can see so clearly at night. Even when we wake up in the late afternoons, we do not leave our buildings until sun set. Our eyes in a way magnify the lights so looking into a light bulb would be like looking into the sun it damages our eyes so much.

Suddenly someone rams into me and I stumble back wards. `What the fuck?' As I open my eyes to see everyone rushing past me, their auras seem to be as bright as the lights surrounding them, all full with weakness and depression. `Note to self; don't go on the ground unless I really have to.'

Deciding on getting this over with, and get out of this hellish place, I walk to the nearest stoplight and look at the street signs. "6th Avenue, and Main Street." I smile, so I was at the right place, turning the corner I look back to the address, 35699, then turn to the nearest buildings, nearest reading `35719.' Walking down the street I read of the descending numbers to myself. 35715…35709…35703…35700…35699! I mentally laugh, now that wasn't so hard.

Looking at the tall tan building that was my 1st assignment I feel my nerves building up again. Swallowing a large lump that had begun to build in my throat, I walk into the ally in-between the building and the one next to it, then my look goes back on my Place Keeper, and I am about to fly up to the roof when I hear the tread of nearing foot steeps. I quickly tilt my head to the side incoherently to see a group of five guys; all in messed up school uniforms, which all seem to be poorly taken care of.

`Wonderful, that's just what I needed.' I glare at them and shift so that I am facing them, `I'll just have to find a less crowded way to get up top the building. Sighing, I make my way to go past them.

"Excuse me," I say politely but they slyly move into my way staying as a statue would in any number of parks.

"Oh, excuse me…" a slim, sleazy looking guy with brown hair greased back messily says in mock tone, and that signals to another one of the group to step forward and give me hard shove.

I stumble back and blink in surprise wondering why they weren't letting me out, and speculating how long it would take to get this over with.

"No exiting this ally until you pay up. Got that pretty boy?" Another says, and he seems to believe that he is the all powerful and mighty, but coming from some one with his looks, I think that's a pretty amusing way for his mind to think.

"…`Pretty boy?'" I say, repeating the pet name questioningly before laughing out loud. "You've got to be kidding me. Am I supposed to fear you?" I leer at them all one by one then smile in what I hope is an affective way to intimidate them before I add, "but at least I am pretty. You should look in the mirror sometime and see what the cat hacked up."

The small group seems mildly amused with my commentary and glare daggers at me, but the looks of death wishing has as little effect on me, as my comment did on to them. I survey the situation carefully and think of the different ways I could handle it. By the way they dressed, I would definitely classify them as a gang, weather it was my own description of a gang, or just some school's idea, I think they would both work speaking of there were five of them.1

"Heh, it seems we found our self a comedian now doesn't it guys?" The butch one says greasily, slurring his words together making him sound as though he had been drinking, which wouldn't surprise me in the least. But to that, everyone just looks at me. "Listen bitch, we've got no room for jokes, pretty boy. Just hand us you cash, and we'll all be on our marry way…"

I blink several times before processing this fully, `they really expect me to fallow through with their demands,' I admit to my self. `Like I would say `oh no! Help! Of course I'll give you my money, just don't hurt me.'' I mentally laugh hysterically at the likeliness of that happening any time soon. I have been trained practically since I was born in the martial arts, like that was going to happen.

"Well then ladies," I reply with another glare, having found the perfect name for them, and their cowardice. "You'll just have to let me go. I have nothing on me."

At this they just laugh, my name not even registering through their hard skulls. "No money, eh?" the big guy, that I am slowly but surely beginning to loath says. "Do you hear that boys? He aint got any money…. Well that's to bad then, cuz your not leaving until we get something. And those clothes of yours will do just fine."

Sighing I say outwardly, "my clothes? Dear god, you think you could get more creative than that…. And what the hell gives you the idea that I am going to let you get close enough to me to get them off?" I say; satisfied with the glares I receive because of it.

"And what makes you think that we'll let you do otherwise?"

I sigh, as I close my eyes, then synchronizing my hand gestures so that they close the same moment my arms cross. "Hum…good question," I say in a totally sarcastic voice. "Maybe the fact that if you were to try you'd get your ass kicked and walk out-excuse me, crawl out with several broken bones, and or fractures."

At this moment, I hear the cracking of fists and open my eyes fully aware that they were going to have none of this. `Looks like I backed myself into a corner. Instead of trying to reason with them, I got them irritable. Which I can remind myself now was not supposed to be on my to-do list.' They all take a step towards me, and I remain still: that should scare them.

I manage to keep a straight face, more of a smirk maybe, but they seem to be blinded by their anger and stubbornness because they just take another step. `Well if I can't scare them away, there are a couple alternatives, 1. I can beat them up. 2. I could dodge all their attacks until they get tired. 3. I could wait for someone to rescue me,' I laugh lightly to the third one, `like that would happen… 4. I could call for another Dream Seeker's assistance. Or 5. Run. And that's basically it.' I frown in frustration, not able to make the best decision.

As I think over the choices, I am reminded that they are still there by a punch that knocks the wind out of me, taking me not only completely by surprise, but also off guard to top it. I choke, gagging on the simple punch, and all I can do is attempt at regaining my composure, but as I look up through my focusing eyes, I know that there wont be time for that. I have to decide now on what to do, and if I get into trouble because of it, at least I won't get hurt.

`They all charge me now that I seem to be all talk; but I'll just have to give them a little bit of a shock. There is no way I'm going to walk out of this without at least getting one person down; and that makes things a whole lot easier. I'll go with idea one! `Knock them all down.'

The butch guy, (who was probably the one who started the entire `attack' thing) troughs a punch at my face, and with out even thinking, my reflexes kick in making me catch it. Holding it for a whole two seconds, I pull him forward with my grip on his arm and as he falls forward, allowing his stomach to meet my other hand, and all I hear is a wheeze before I pull back and let him stumble a bit. Immediately I turn to his friends who had yet to know what had happened to their leader, I sway away from the dance of several kicks, and flying fists before making several of my own. But in nearly no time, I am surprised to see them all on the ground hunched over in pain; I hope I didn't hurt them to badly.

I blink, `so I just broke two major rules…1. Don't make a seen. 2. Only higher rankings are to ever use force without requesting permission before hand…I can live with that, those particular punishments aren't to bad anyway. I'll just have to explain it to the elder later. I have no more time to be goofing around; I've wasted a good 15 minuets here already.

~*~*~*~*~*~5/6

I crouch down on a bended knee, `it's not like any of that gang were in shape enough to concentrate on my actions anyways,' and I jump up, wanting to get off the ground before anyone else decided to pick a fight with me. After having gotten a good few yards into the air, I feel a sting, and I recognize the sensation as my wings breaking through the many layers of skin on my back. It's never a pleasant feeling, but at least it reminds me that I am not human, or partly. I land on the roof of the building with another soft `tap' thoughts of what was going to happen next plowed through my mind, what was going to happen when the eldest found out I beat up five punks? How was my mission going to go? Whose house was I going to? Excreta…and all the thoughts were giving me a soft pounding against my skull.

`Maybe that run in with the gang was the only bad thing that was going to happen today. Maybe that's what that voice was warning me about…' I laugh out loud thinking how stupid it was for me to get all worked up for that, but I somehow can't believe what I'm saying completely. `I mean it really wasn't such a big deal, and it's an easy fix in the near future: `Don't land on the ground again.' There, a mental note to myself. It'll never happen again.'

With my smile still evident, I take another look at my Place Keeper to see exactly where I'm going. "Main Street, 35699. Second floor, third window from the top, North wall," I say allowed to make sure I got it all. `Okay, I'm at 35699 Main St. now,' I turn to the North edge and stalk towards it. Then I lean over it, I count down two floors, and then going to my right I look from the last window, and count three windows over. (It's only my right now because I'm facing it backwards; otherwise I'd be counting from left to right.)

`Right, so now I know where I'm going, but is there anyone who might see me?' I question myself as I turn my attention to the street and all the people who were going about their business. Everyone seems to just be minding where they are going, not where they are coming from nor what is going on around them, I'm taken aback at how insolent they are, someone could be murdered in front of their very eyes and they wouldn't notice. I smile, `but it's the perfect conditions for me. No one can notice me if they are blind.' Taking full advantage of the upper hand, I spread my wings to full span and jump off the building, closing my eyes as I at first fall. I know that all I sound like is an owl shifting through the darkness. And unfortunately, that's something no one gets the pleasure of hearing in the city.

I pull out of the dive, and go over to the window that I had counted to be my assignment and as I look into the eye of the unknown, the room is completely shrouded in darkness, which tells me that the lights are out, that is always a good sign. But what is more important at the present moment is finding out the basic set up of the room. On the far side of the room, directly across from the window where I am now is a door, my best guess is that it would lead to the other parts of the apartment, then to the right of the door, there appears to be a dresser that takes up the space of the rest of that particular wall. Directly across from the dresser is a double bed, and on the left of that there is a small bedside table, and then the window where I am is to the left of that. Though there seem to be only a couple of wall scrolls here and there, and lack of untidiness it seems almost exactly like the room of a teenager. `Where is the danger in that?'

Breathing in as deeply and slowly as I can I tightly grasp the window, and attempt to pull it open, though much to my disappointment; it's locked. `How unfortunate.' Grumbling at my lack of luck tonight, I look through the window into the inside latches and see how exactly they work, it is just the simple middle one latch up switch: `How complicated,' I think sarcastically to myself in utter disappointment of the lacking challenge. Locking my focus onto the latch, I make a simple gesture and am greeted with a reassuring `click' signaling to me it was safe to open it.

Smiling in a way I suppose could be considered triumph I pull up on it and the window easily complies. Then I squeeze through the window, luckily I'm as skinny as I am; it makes things like getting through tight spaces less a hassle.

Making sure not to knock anything over from the bedside table, I struggle into the room. Resting my hand on a near by wall for support I quietly slip into the room and onto the floor. But to my astonishment, the ground seems some how…fury. But the next thing I know, I'm slipping. I close my eyes as I feel myself falling, I don't even try to catch myself as my heart nearly comes out my throat when I hear a yelp of pain sounding remotely like a… `I-it's a dog,' I say to my self as my heart stops.

Thunk.

With my body flat against the floor I hear the slow, deep roll of a growl and slowly I open my eyes, as though if I didn't open them, what I already knew to be fact could be disproved. When they are finally open enough to see clearly, there are two golden eyes, and at the site that I can no longer doubt my breath hitches.

`W-what do I do?' I freeze, and my mind races for an answer. The dog bares its fangs in a challenging way and I can smell it's repulsive breath wash over me. Instincts taking over me yet again, I get to my feet and back up. The cyanine charges me, sinking its fangs into my arm. I swallow back a scream, and with my eyes watering, I through my arm forward and feel the pressure release from it. But the release is fallowed by a loud `smack' and whimper. I look to see the dog limp against the door.

With my eyes wide I run to the poor animal and am struck by immediate remorse. Hesitating before touching it, (though I don't understand why I'd hesitate to help) I trail my hands over him. I am no vet, but it is still breathing and does not seem to have any real harm, my best guess is that it is merely knocked out.

Sighing I get to my feet and back to my job, even if it weren't alright, I would still not have been able to help it. I feel a sudden pain in my arm, and note it where the dog got me, but because I am already behind schedule I try and just brush the pain away. Walking over to the bed, I see tampering with the room hadn't fazed the young girl, `I do hope that the dog is alright though.'

Knowing I must hurry this up a bit I place my hand onto her fore head, instantly I feel happiness, worries, and love flow into me all of which piled up on top of each other, and to come so suddenly causes me to shiver. For the most part, in general, she seems to have an okay life, normal worries, and lots to be joyful about. But that is just the surface of what I need to know, I can't leave until I find out her problems, hopes and dreams.

Closing my eyes I have to try and wake her self. Blocking out the wrest of the world I feel as though the world is slipping away from me. Taking a beep steadying breath I have to try and force the rest of everything out of existence, which is harder than normal with the pain of the bite inflicted in my arm. After a minuet or two's struggle I do manage the feeling of the girl's rousing thoughts.

"What is your name?" I ask directly into her thoughts, I hope that it isn't too abrupt a query though.

"My name?" a small voice calls back to me.

"Hai."

There is a soft giggle, an amused one at that; I could actually feel her pleasure of my answer.

"I'll only give you my name, if, and only if you tell me yours."

After reviewing the frustrating question I eventually abide by what had been asked of me. "Very well…" I sigh, "but first yours."

"Yuzuriha Nekoi." She says merrily, "now how about yours?"

"My name is Kamui Shirou."

"Are you an angel?" She asks.

"What?" I snap back, in shock of her new ponderings.

"You have angel wings…are you an angel?"

I sigh remembering that when you speak to someone through their dreams they can actually see your true self as of all you your self see is the back of your eyelids. But if I were to answer her question with a simple `yes' things might run more smoothly. "Yes. I am an angel sent from heaven to help people in their dreams." Mentally I burst out laughing, that was probably the corniest thing I have ever said.

"Really? Then why exactly would you be coming to me?"

"I want to know how your life is going. Are you happy?"

"Happy?" she repeats the word in a hallow mock tone. "Is there even such thing? I'm 14 years old and my parents are getting divorced. Neither wants to take me with them and no matter which one I end up with, I'll move. Which makes me lose all of my friends. For me it's a lose, lose situation."

I pause for a second, letting all the pain, betrayal, and helplessness sink in. "That's horrible…why wouldn't either want to take you with them?"

"I don't know. Several months ago they said what was going to happen, and now every night they scream at each other and argue about who will have the misfortune to be stuck with me."

I feel my heart sink into a deep pit of depression. `That's not right. What a secured up bunch of parents.' "Whom do you wan to go with?"

"I-I don't know…all my choices are so limited…and I don't want to be a bother to anyone, and that's all I really am, a bother. When I was younger my parents seemed to really love each other. I've just been getting into their way. That's why they are getting divorced. Or at least that's what my father tells me."

I take a claming breath, but that doesn't lessen the pain…her pain that flows so freely into me.

"But why am I telling you all of this?" she laughs a hate full laugh; much different from the giggle I was greeted with earlier. "I probably just made you up, an angel by the name of Kamui to lessen my own pain. I only wish…"

`Here it comes…she tells me…I comfort her…and if it's doable I record it…and it'll happen in no time… "You only wish for what?" I ask my hopes rising.

She laughs, "that you were real."

I feel a deep pain from her words a mixture of her feelings and my own. I pressed a laugh, "I grant wishes, and I'm sure that there is something more important to you. I am real and that is no lie. Wouldn't you wish that your parents wouldn't get divorced? Or that they would love each other and you more?"

"That would all be good but I wouldn't want to force them into my own dream world. It wouldn't make me happy. I suppose if you wanted me to tell you what I'd really wish for…I'd wish for me to meet someone else. Someone kind and gentle for me, that would really love me." There was a small silence and I could feel how meaningful the words really were, and I smiled.

"You're a great person Yuzuriha-kun…you're smart and true to yourself. All you want is for a true friend…maybe something more…but though life has never been all that easy for you, you want the most of the least…and you deserve at the very least that much. I'll make sure that you can find a great person that can see that as well. But I'm sorry to say I have to go now. I have many other people to see to with their own wishes. Though I doubt we'll meet again, I'll always be thinking of you. Ja ne." I whisper and I can hear a soft crying as I pull my hand back.

Opening my eyes I feel a small trickle of tears slipping down my face, laughing it off, I brush it away with the back of my hand. Though I can still feel what lingers of Yuzuriha's emotions I look down at her sleeping form in her bed. She has very short black hair, and dried tears are evident on her face, but to my pleasure she is now smiling. Taking up my hand I brush some stray hairs out of her eyes and just stand there a moment wallowing in her misery. `How am I ever going to be able to do this job when I'm effected so much by just one person so much?'

I sigh and steep back taking out my Place Keeper I am surprised to see a steady pour of blood down my arm. `That's unpleasant…' I think to myself as I begin typing a response message. As I am sending the message, I hear a noise I had never wanted to her again. The same low growling of a dog. I swallow a forming lump in my throat. `Oh shit.' I think to my self as I turn around a moment to late. The dog is latched onto my left leg. Slapping a hand on my mouth I pull away as quickly as I can to escape its clutches.

Fleeing to the window, I manage to kick free of the hound, knowing with how deep it bit me that I would leave bloodstains. Stumbling through the window I spread my wings and fly as fast as possible without turning back until I was atop a near by building. Without even having a moments pace at landing, I herd the same `beep' from my Place Keeper in my hand, holding my new assignment.

"It's going to be a looooooong night…" I say dragging out the sentence to show emphasis on the phrase.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~6/6

Breathing heavily I stumble onto the nearest rooftop; mere minuets before, after arriving at maybe my 31st house of the night, I had nearly woken the entire building! When I had arrived at that particular assignment I walked over to another young girls bed, I believe she was the 24th girl I've had so far. But right as I was getting ready to enter her mind, there was a deafening scream; I was so surprised that as soon as I herd the noise I toppled to the ground in a stunned shock. I barley made it through the next couple of minuets as I was stumbling to the window, trying to shelter myself from the horrible attack she was giving me. I never want to see another hairbrush so closed to my eyes again. Along with several other things that ended up hitting me, I have several very noticeable welts or my arms from some of the things that she was throwing at me. I wish it could have been a guy, if it had they would've at least fought without those dirty tricks girls sometimes use like throwing things, not knowing how else to fight.

I lean over and tightly grip my hands on my knees in an attempt to end the rapidness of my breathing.

I ran out of that room as fast as humanly possible…well…as fast as a Dream Keeper goes anyway. I didn't even stop until I was a mile, maybe more, away. The entire event caught me off guard. I wanted as much distance I could get from that…room.

Cringing about the returning thoughts I take several shallow breaths. `My night so far has been so secured up, it's as though it's been staged. There is no way that all of these incidents are mere coincidence. It's as though someone would rather have me killed, or severely hurt just to make me do something, or not do something. First the sick feeling, then the voice, then the gang, the dog, and now THIS!'

I clench my eyes shut and call out in an aggravated scream, "Could my night possibly get any worse?!"

I look down to my shaking hands and feel the emotions of fear, worry, and desperateness churning in the bowls of my stomach. Standing almost perfectly still for an immeasurable amount of time I allow my deep feeling of remorse subside.

And now that the awareness of my body has returned, I check the time on my Place Keeper. I have maybe 5-6 more houses I can go to before I'll have to turn in for the night. I've rested long enough; I might as well get this deadlock point of the night to get a move on.

Looking to my next assignment that has already been posted do to my failure of my obligation I walk to the side of the building for my basic location. Over the side of the tall building, into the deep pit of the world's despondency I look for the nearest street sign, 31st Avenue.

I need to get to `65491 32ond Avenue. 6th FTT. 5th win. N. Wall.'

Sighing with the thoughts of horror still fresh in my mind I am glad that there is only a short distance to go before actually moving on. If I am forced to think of my wrongs, I might be sucked into a reality where I become the people I try to help, by becoming their past, present, and feature. It's important to feel little on runs out of the chance that you get caught up in the emotions fed to you.

Jumping off the building into the cool night's breeze I feel like I'm being dunked into a glass of ice water; I gasp at the sudden change of temperature. Impatiently I head through the sky, looking at every street sign that I pass, searching for the one that has my street name, and after a minuet of chasing my own tail, I see it; 32ond Avenue.

I stop in mid air, and look down the road for the building I was supposed to be going to, and have to smile as I see a tall building with the numbers 65491 at its door.

Heading over to the tall building I count the windows and levels as I approach, so as to stay in view for as little time as possible. Going straight to the room I had counted off as my newest assignment.

There is no need to stop on the roof tops of building, not only does it waste time, its also less accurate if the room your looking for is on the ground level of a tall building. Those levels you can't even see from the roof.

Almost without having to put any thought into it, I survey the room to make sure I know the complete set up of the room, exactly how many people are in it, whether they are sleeping or not, and if there are any animals in the room that could possibly do me damage, namely dogs.

Wrapping my fingers around the window frame, I pull up; it doesn't budge. Sighing as I unlock it, I think solemnly to myself, `either the world is paranoid that people are out to get them, or they just don't like open windows. Tonight I've only encountered 1 opened window, and 3 unlocked.'

Slipping into the room, being sure to be as cautious about it as possible, I brush myself off and hurry over to the bed. `Not too many big things have happened tonight. I think for the most part, I'm getting the hang of this. Maybe I wont run into any more problems…'

Looking down at the sleeping figure I smile, `people see so much more pure when they sleep…' The laying figure seems to be older than me, my guess nearly twenty…probably 19, he has a long bony face, more like a guys face than my own short, and softer edged features. But he also seems to be very powerful, and masculine looking.

To my surprise, as I look him over, he has a different feeling about him, separating him from the others. Most people that I have seen so far seemed very innocent and pure in their sleep…and not that it's drastically different…it's just he seems…evil.

`Yes I suppose that is as accurate a word I can use to describe it. Not only that though…there is…something about him.'

I look at him intently for a long moment but somehow I can't comprehend the air about him. Suddenly I feel heat rising to my face, and blinking I bring my hands to my cheeks and laugh to myself. `I-I'm actually blushing…' Laughing I shake my head to try and minimize the fluster.

I continue to stare at him, and it seems to me that there is something tugging at me…to run. Even as I try to get this over with my hand doesn't seem to want to get closer to him.

`What's wrong with me?'

I lift my quivering hand and bite my bottom lip. Then, reaching over to him, I touch his fore head, and instantly jump back as though what I had touched could bite my hand off. But that wouldn't have shocked me; the real thing that happened did though.

I frown and study him again, `Okay…that's not right.' I hold the hand that I had touched him with to my chest. `Normally when I touch someone's forehead I instantly get the emotions they have…yet for him I didn't. Maybe it's because I really don't want to know what he is feeling. Like somehow his feeling will be too much…but then again anything of that sort would be hypothetically possible.'

Stepping forward again I put my palm completely onto his fore head and wait…nothing happens.

"That's not right…" I whisper. Does he not feel emotions? By putting my hand completely on his head and having nothing happen still is impossible. It eliminates every theory that could have been the case.

Closing my eyes tightly, I begin to concentrate solely on him; `something has to be going on.' After several minuets of trying to pry into his feeling, I feel a light tingle…that could be it. If so I'm going to have to home in on the cause and magnify the feeling, as far as it is now, I can't name the feeling…it doesn't seem like an emotion at all actually.

After putting my thoughts into that one feeling I feel a sudden burst of pain, and I can tell it isn't his: it is mine. Not even emotionally wise.

I stumble backwards and open my eyes, and even after I'm away from the original source, the pain doesn't subside, it just gets worse. Like a computer virus, spreading through the system, the system being my veins, circulating through out my body, intensifying the feeling.

I attempt to scream, but nothing comes from my throat! By this time my eyes are swelled with tears running freely down my face. I fall to my knees and with my head in my hands. I squeeze my face tightly. It feels as though someone injected acid into my body, and its slowly making it's way through my body. The pain is like nothing I've ever felt before, if this is death, there is no hell. Nothing can be more painful than this! I reopen my mouth again only for another failed scream.

`HELP! SOMEONE! WHAT'S HAPPENEING TO ME?! PLEASE SOMEONE!'

Clawing at every part of my body, I try to rip my skin from my body not even feeling the pain of the actions, `I just need to get my skin off! If I can do that; I wont hurt!' I curl into a tight ball and can no longer move, all I can do is endue the pain and twitch unintentionally.

`What's happening to me?!' I scream into my mind as my vision blurs. `Is this what the voice was warning me about? If that's the case, I just…I just want to die!' and as my last thoughts settle, I fall into an endless darkness…

….^-^v To be continued…

1: The School's definition of a gang is `a group of three or more people with similar interests.'

Dark Cherub: Muahahahhahahaha! It's finished!!! Actually it's been finished for several days…but took long enough, sorry bout that. Meh…I didn't like this chapter too much, but if you stay with the fic a bit longer, everything will be funner. Also if you haven't noticed I have put a couple of sexist comments in there. I'm not trying to be rude or anything like that; I think girls are the better sex actually. Lol…no…really guys and girls are the same to me. I just put those comments in it because I want it to seem like a guy's point of view…though I don't know if that's how they really think. Anyways Kamui is gay in this, so he likes guys better too! >.> Oh, and if you have question's be sure to ask me…in reviews/e-mails/aim too if you have it, I'm on lots normally, sn is Nasyki, who'd of guessed? I promise I'll answer them if it doesn't give too much away. Review! I'm not even going to start writing it until I get reviews. K? 4-5 Reviews before I post it! ^-^v