Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction ❯ No Reason ❯ Bad Dreams ( Chapter 2 )

Important: My beta got her computer confiscated for time being till some time this summer unknown - SOS!! If there´s somebody out there willing and merciful enough to help, please send me a call? It would really help…

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Ever had a bad dream? A really bad one, I mean. Currently I was suffering from one such dream. It was one of those dreams in which you know that you are dreaming, yet can't do anything against it. Yes, one of those.

I was strolling through the corridors of Tenku, after awaking rather rudely of aformentioned nightmare, once again. Damn! That thing kept repeating itself for several nights now. One couldn't say that I was afraid of high places, really not, since I´m a shinigami and able to fly now and even as a human I had never really a chance to develop such a sickness. So why that dream? It was always the same, with me clinging on the sharp edge of a high (think HUGE!!!) cliff and that person trying to shove me down. Actually no problem for a shinigami, really, but in that dream I couldnn't fly! So I hang on, clinging desperately to the crumbly edge while that person is trying his best to get me down. Alright, that also wouldn't be such a big problem I guess, if that person wouldn´t have looked so eerily similar to Kijin. The same blue-colored eyes, hair, even the Chinese-styled robes. The age was also more or less fitting. (Normally I had better things to do than to look at the boy. For example holding on.) Problem was, that in my dream, I knew the boy. We're speaking with each other as if we were friends, but when he calls me by my name, it isn't mine. At the exact moment I realize that, I always lost my grip and fell down. One minute I knew that I was going to die any second then and the next I woke up. Nice dream! Really. At least I didn't have the one with Muraki and my death anymore, but still, it was starting to unnerve me!

Another little problem with that dream was that I was always wide-awake after it, a thing which not only got on my nerves, but seemingly also on my appearance. Or in other words, I currently looked like an owl after a forest fire, as Byakko so nicely put it. Figures that I was currently not in the best of my modes.

So I kept wandering aimlessly through the deserted nightly palace, not really knowing what to do. Though Tsuzuki probably wouldn't mind, I didn't want to disturb him or any of the others, so I tried to keep as quiet as possible. Kami-sama, I was so booored! With my recent luck I'd probably run into SohRyu when ghosting through the nightly Tenku. So nothing with a calming night's walk. What else? Library…Yeah, a library would be good nice. Nice, quiet, and with enough good books to last a (after) lifetime. Spontaneously, I decided to search for one.

Who'd have thought that a palace that was actually a shikigami would have such a big library? I was buried in a really old edition of Dante's ´The Divine Comedy', when I heard somebody else entering the room. Ready to go for a dive if necessary, but not really willing to, I lowered the book. After a few minutes had passed in silence, I continued reading, seeing that nothing was going to happen. "What are you reading there, Hisoka?" I nearly dropped my book in shock. I hadn't sensed anybody!

Quickly gazing around, I still couldn´t see anybody. A ghost? Idiot, there were no such things as ghosts! Tsuzuki´s rubbing off at me… At least there existed nothing the like in Gensoukai, I believed. Who else then?

Kurika -? Ouch!

Something had poked me in my foot! Looking down, I noticed that the pain was caused by a cane. And leaning on the cane was nobody but Genbu! Immediately I felt a slight blush rising onto my face. Damn blush reflex! But I really hadn't reckoned it to be the old shiki. Actually, I had nearly forgotten all about him.

So there he stood, the old, senile-seeming shikigami that was imposed with the protection of the east. Hard to believe that he was a god like SohRyu or Suzaku. …Or Kurikara. No! I wasn´t going to think about that now. It was over for now and probably the next few decades. Or centuries. Slowly I started to oubt that I would ever be strong enough for RyuOh. But I was letting my mind wander again.

Genbu didn´t seem to be perturbed by my short lack of presence. The old man was studying the title of the book, not seeming to wonder about my late presence at all. Wait! My book! When did he get it?! Looks like the old man wasn't as senile as everybody thought of him. Genbu grinned at me. "The Divine Comedy, huh? That's a good book, though a bit heavy to read maybe."

I snatched my book back, knowing that a furious red was covering my face by now. Tricked by an old man! Damn blush! Genbu merely laughed slightly. "I certainly had my problems with some of the words. Those classic writers…" He chuckled again. "I take it that you don't. Or why else would I find you with such a heavy lecture in the middle of the library in the middle of the night?" Tucking my book away, I answered. "Of course not!"

Oops, that came out a bit harsher than intended to. Genbu just stared at me with eyes wise with age. "Are they that bad?"

"Huh?"

"Your nightmares?"

I stared wide-eyed at him. How did he know-? A small, friendly smile appeared on his face. "It's obvious, you know. You look like you haven't had a proper sleep for more than a night and people tend to be moody with lack of sleep." I could merely nod at that statement. Was it really that obvious? Tsuzuki was going to make a giant fuss again. On the other side, my partner tended to be the most obvious person I'd ever met in my life and the time after. Genbu took a seat opposing mine, so that he was looking directly in my face. "Want to speak?"

Once again, I blinked, surprised. "About what?" The old shiki shrugged his shoulders. "This and that. What's troubling you that much, that it even haunts you in your dreams." He shrugged his shoulders again, while making himself more comfortable in his seat. "Or about what happened at your test, if you prefer that topic. Or, of course, we could also discuss how to steal one of Suzaku's slips without getting burned crisp by her." He grinned at me.

…

"I think, I'd rather speak about my test."

"…and so, we returned to Tenku." Genbu nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "I see." The old shiki had turned out to be a quite good listener, to my surprise, giving off some quiet comments when needed without getting pushy, and not interrupting me too much. So it was no surprise that I practically spilled out all of my thoughts and worries to him at the same time I retold my story of Kurikara's test.

Genbu's cane hit the floor in a disconnected rhythm. Turning expecting eyes on him, I asked after a long silence. "So?" The white-haired shiki didn't react. I was getting fidgety. I was confused and didn't know what to think of all of this and there's finally somebody who might be able to tell me what's going on. No way I was going to let him go! Still no reaction. "Hey! Genbu-san!"

"Huh?!" Genbu jumped. "Oh, sorry Hisoka-kun. I got lost in my thoughts." I stared at him. What did he know that I didn't? Clearing his throat, Genbu stood up from his seat. "So… You said that he was as confused as you when he bit you?"

"Not exactly when he did it. After that. Before he had that strange look in his eyes... Somewhat eerie."

"Uh-huh." Genbu nodded again, as if I'd just confirmed something he was already suspecting. What? I decided to sound the old shiki out. He definitely knew something!

"Genbu-san?" "Hm?" "What are you thinking about?" He flinched. I knew it. The old guy wass hiding something from me. Wagging his hands, Genbu grinned feebly. "Nothing." I raised an eyebrow. He sweatdropped. "It's nothing, really. Just some old man thinking old-fashioned thoughts." A second eyebrow joined the first one. "Really. It isn't important at all." Turning around, he switched the topic. "By the way, do you know exactly what type of shikigami Kurikara is?"

I nodded slowly. "A fire-dragon type, I think. And he's the god of dragons and forging. Why?"

Genbu just gave me a secretive smile, before he ushered me out of the room and back to bed, claiming that both of us would need our sleep. Damn! As if I was going to be able to sleep after that. But the shiki stayed persistent and so I finally gave in. Taking the book with me, I returned to my room. Things looked like it was going to be a long night (again!).

Looking after the departing shinigami, Genbu shook his head, laughing silently. So he didn't even know what he'd gotten himself into? Quite amusing. Chuckling slightly, he started heading for his own room. Well, probably it was better that the two were both inexperienced in this. Made it more fair.

I really wonder who will be the first to notice?

Somewhere else in the Gensoukai; Kurikara woke with a start from a bad dream involving Sakura trees and a white-haired man in a doctor's outfit. Shaking his head, he shuddered and walked outside, unable to get the image of the blood-red moon out of his mind. He hadn't been able to fight back… it was just as bad as staring into the eyes of Kijin and knowing he was going to die. He turned around, sensing a presence of another being. "Who's there?"

Genbu appeared from behind a tree, a small grin on his face. "I see you're not the only one having problems sleeping. So, what's wrong?"

Kurikara glared back at him and replied with a dry comment. "You wouldn't happen to know any white-haired psychopaths, would you? (cough Farfie cough)" Personally, RyuOh didn't like the idea of a stranger killing him off in a dream for absolutely no reason.

Genbu looked calmly at him. "A white-haired psychopath? Sorry can't help you there. So what exactly is bothering you?" The dragon eyed the other shikigami, knowing there was probably some ulterior motive besides just listening.

"Nothing you need to know." He walked away, still conscious of Genbu's presence.

The Guardian of the East watched as the figure disappeared into the darkness. Yes, it would be interesting to see what happened… "I wonder if I should tell Tsuzuki… no, not now…"

TBC...