Fears and Memories Become Nightmares

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

Kyokki saw the mask in her mind, shifting like quick silver from the face of an Oni, to the disguise of a hunter nin, as the smoke on the wind clogged her lungs. It was burning, everything was burning! The man was a fire demon, and as he reached out the stroke the face of her mother's rotting corpse, it blacked, shriveled and scarred, still hanging from the noose on the tree. She couldn't scream. She couldn't. She was suffocating on black vapor.

Suddenly he looked up, and the house she was hiding behind disintegrated to ash.

She couldn't scream, her lungs were full.

"Death he said, "Burning, twisting. Amane. Shinigami come. Death. Name her death."

No matter that it made no sense; as he reached out and grabbed her wrist, panic overtook her.

"BACHAN!!! BACHAN" she started screaming at the top of her lungs, "BACHAN!!!"

But the Hunter nin shifted to a girl's form, pieces of the mask craking away and landing at her feet, to form Amane's corpse, like paper mache.

The girl smiled, and her golden eyes mirrored Kyokki's own in everything but emotion.

"Neesama"

Kyokki was burning, burning, burning...

...and then with a final scream, she woke up.

Shaken she sat straight up in bed. The screaming was real, at least; the sound died on her lips, giving way to sobs.

After a few moments, she managed to come back to herself.

"Just a dream, just a dream," she murmured like a mantra. She realized that her balcony door was half-way open. She had probably scared someone else. Trembling, she got up and through on an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants over the cami and cloth shorts she had worn to bed.

Barefooted, she walked out to the balcony, and leaned on the rail, trying not to be sick.

[Kuzio]

"TRY TO GET ME NOW, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!" the voice of a silver haired blue eyed boy rang out as he ran away from soem bandits, "Bet you cant catch me like thi-" he was cut off because he had run off a roof, "AHH CRAP!" he yelled he slammed down hitting a rail then landing in a barrel with his legs sticking out, the bandits had given up.

Kuzio layed there rubbing his head and attempting to get himself free, he stood up with the barrel still on his head, he sighed a little and fell back down.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

Kyokki's eyes flew open; She was startled by the sudden noise. She gasped, but then saw a boy down on the streets. Still shaking, she leaned on the rail, hand over her heart, still trying to calm herself.

"Are you alright?" she managed to call out, her voice strangely shrill. She tucked her tangled hair behind her ears, and wondered why on earth the boy was out this late.

She watched the bucket role quietly down the street. She tried to rid herself of the terror left behind her nightmare, the mangled medely of her haunting memories and fears.

[Kuzio]

Kuzio tried to yell, "Im okay!" but it came out muffled, he stood up again while trying to get the barrell off, it raised off and he then saw the bandits, he heaved it at them and they went down like bowling pins, "Strike!" Kuzio yelled, he looked around and saw a girl leaning on a rail, "I am okay by the way" he said smiling widely.

The bandits struggled to get up, e'll deal with you later" the leader said walking away and he tripped over the barrell and the members laughed as well as Kuzio.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"Good," Kyokki managed, forcing out a smile. she nearly laughed when the bandit tripped over the barrel. The smile easened up a little, but was still tight, and a little painful. She abruptly realized she must look like a wreck. After searching for something to say, she finally asked the boy if he was hurt at all and asked why he was out at this time of night.

[Kuzio]

Kuzio rubbed his arm a little, "I dont think i hurt anything.." he said, "And..Well..im just out walking around" he said smiling a little to her again, then he noticed the painful expression, "You alright?" he asked his face going into a worried look now, he sighed a little wondering if it was him in any way he hated making people sad or all droopy when he didnt know how to help, he looked back up to her wondering if she would reply to his question, he still had the same expression on his face as he looked at her.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm fine," Kyokki told him, and then added a little hesitently, "as childish as it sounds I just had a nightmare. A bad one. I was trying to calm down when I heard you run off the roof. You startled me. And I can't say I was particuarlly happy to see those bandits. That's all. So what's your name?"