Yoshiko didn't usually have nice dreams. Her dreams were usually dark, and clouded with the sound of death and pain. She would occasionally witness death right in front of her eyes, and would watch the life drain from the unfortunate victims eyes. She couldn't control it. Every night, she had a different dream but with the same concept. Someone would die, and that's how it always had been, and always will be.
Aquors were on their way back from the Love Live! Auditions, and everyone was tired. So tired, that some of them had even fallen to sleep. These being Hanamaru and Yoshiko. She would never admit it, but Hanamaru was the favourite of Yohane's little group of demons. There was something about her that just drew Yohane to her, but she couldn't quite grasp what it is. She just knew it was a strong pull. Yoshiko was most comfortable with Hanamaru than she was with the other girls, and that was the exact reason why. She was her favourite.
Hanamaru had started to slowly fall asleep, as had Yoshiko. The two were leaning against eachother, Hanamaru's arm around Yoshiko. Both of them were completely content in the others warmth. Nobody really seemed to see anything wrong with it, so they were happy. Yoshiko was the first to fall asleep, the warmth of Hanamaru allowing her to peacefully fall to sleep.
Her dream started off pitch black, like usual. Yoshiko had a pretty good control over her dreams, but she couldn't stop them from being as dark as they were. She was soon blinded by a light, the brightest light she'd every witnessed in her dream. She walked into it, wanting to escape the darkness that surrounded her small frame. She felt like a boat out in the sea, all alone, but at the same time never alone. She felt like she was being watched, every step she take only made her paranoia heighten. The light didn't seem so nice anymore, as it soon started to become dim, until it was no more. She was left alone, in the darkness again. Yoshiko was tired. Tired of the dark, tired of not being able to sleep like a normal person. She sank to what she presumed was the floor, and it felt like glass. She made sure to be careful, not wanting to crack it and break it. The ground was cool, and she couldn't shake the feeling of water covering it. Her hands felt wet, but dry at the same time. It was so confusing.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang. Then another, and another. The drums. Yoshiko knew what was coming. It was time for the battle. She got up, and started to walk in the familiar direction in the darkness. Sure, she couldn't see anything, but she'd walked this path hundreds of times and knew it like the back of her hand. After a few moments of walking, she entered a door. The door led to a room, a room that had a single light in the middle, and stands around the side. It was still empty. Yoshiko moved to the side and climbed up into one of the empty seats, sighing. This was going to get bloody fast.
The room soon became lively as people filled the stands. It was no longer a room, but a more coliseum styled room. Dreams were funny like that. Yoshiko watched as the man, the same man from every other dream, walked into the middle of the ring that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. The crowd cheered as he began to call out the names of who would fight first. Yoshiko could only pray that it would be nobody she knew. He called out the names of two people she'd never heard of, and allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief.
Any sane person would tell her to try not to look, but she couldn't. Her eyes wouldn't move, no matter how much she tried or wanted them to. They were glued to the ring. The contestants entered, both of them seeming to be well built males. Then they started to fight. They beat the shit out of eachother, and Yoshiko had to watch. Blood went everywhere, as weapons were allowed to be used. And unfortunately for one, the other had chosen a chainsaw as their weapon. There was soon nothing left of participant two than just blood and guts splattered everywhere. Participant one seemed pleased with himself, but then the realisation hit him. He'd have to fight again, and again until he died. He soon envied the dead.
The next contestant was bought out, this time a young girl. She looked scared out of her mind, as did the previous winner. The look on his face said that he didn't want to do this, but what other option did he have? He slowly started to walk towards her, chainsaw revving as he held it up above his head. She screamed.
Splat.
Blood went everywhere, some even getting on Yoshiko's face. She felt sick, but she couldn't wake herself up. It seemed the man didn't have the best grip, as he'd dropped the chainsaw straight down onto his own head, causing it to start getting cut up. He soon fell to his knees, and slowly died in front of the terrified girl. Yoshiko wanted to be sad, she wanted to feel like a terrible person. But the simple fact was, she was us used to it. And she didn't know these people, so it's not like she could feel anything for them.
The match went on. The girl was killed by a stronger, more built older woman. She lasted two rounds before being decapitated by a large man. He didn't last long, as he died a few moments later from blood loss. Since both had died, they had to begin again. That's when it happened.
Participant one came out. He was tall, well built and looked strong enough to rip someone in half. His choice of weapon seemed to be a hammer, a large hammer to be exact. He wielded it like it was nothing. Then, participant two came out and Yoshiko froze in her seat.
Participant two was none other than her beloved Hanamaru. She looked scared, and the look on her face told Yoshiko she knew she was going to die. She was small, and scrawny compared to the giant of a man in front of her. All she had to defend herself with was a butter knife. It wasn't fair. The match soon began, and the man wasted no time swinging his hammer around, it getting closer to Hanamaru each time. Yoshiko wasn't having it. She tried to move, tried to stand, she even tried to scream but no words came out. She was glued to her seat, forced to watch Hanamaru die. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the hammer hit the poor girl in the ribs, and as she was falling to the side, hit her again. She was going to die soon.
Yoshiko tried to scream louder, and louder. This dream was like no other she'd ever had, and it was a living nightmare. Hanamaru's cries sounded so real, so genuine. Yoshiko couldn't take it any longer, as she could hear the other shouting her name, begging for her to save her. But Yoshiko could do nothing. As the hammer came down onto Hanamaru's head, the world went black.
Yoshiko was awoken to the sound of Hanamaru calling out her name. Her eyes slowly opened, and that's when she noticed it. Tears in her eyes. Hanamaru had been crying. Before Yoshiko could say anything, she'd blinked out a tear. She'd been crying to. Well, who wouldn't? She'd just seen someone she loved dearly die, but she was hear alive and well? It was hard for her to comprehend the situation, but she knew she'd have to.
Without saying a word, Yoshiko sat herself up and pulled Hanamaru into a tight hug. "You're okay...You're okay..." She muttered softly, holding the other girl close and breathing in her scent. She never wanted to let go.
"You...Y-You were screaming in your sleep...and crying...It was really scary, zura..." Hanamaru said, her face having been nuzzled against Yoshiko's shoulder. She too was also happy like this. "I was worried about you...Y-You wouldn't wake up when I called your name, zura! I though...I thought you'd never wake up again..."
After hearing her words, Yoshiko tightened her hold. She had to be strong.
"Fear not, my little demon. Your mistress is okay, and she will always be okay as long as you are by her side." She tried to make her words sound as genuine as they could, because that's how she felt. She wanted Hanamaru to know how she felt, but these words seemed like all she could say.
Hanamaru nodded slowly in understanding, pulling back to look at Yohane. Her tears had stopped, but the crying was evident. Luckily, everyone else seemed to have fallen to sleep and nobody had seemed to wake up due to her screaming. Phew. They were all alone in their own little world, and Yohane was going to use it to her advantage. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the edge of Hanamaru's lips, causing the other girl to blush brightly. Yohane couldn't help but coo at how adorable she looked, but at the same time she felt embarrassed for doing it. Time to play it off.
"T-That was a thank you for being worried about me! Think n-nothing of it!" The slight stutter gave it away, and Hanamaru quickly guessed that it did mean something more.
"But...What if I wanted to do it again..?" She asked, looking into Yohane's eyes.
Yoshiko chewed her bottom lip before giving her an answer, "Then I supposed I'd have to grant your wish, my little demon."
Hanamaru gave her a soft smile, one that melted Yoshiko's heart instantly. The dream wasn't real. It had finally sunk it. It wasn't real, and it never would be real. This was her life, and not that hellish one she had to relive every night.
Yoshiko didn't usually have nice dreams. They were usually painful, and sometimes hurt her a lot. Some days, she couldn't even recover from them. But when she was with Hanamaru life felt like a dream, and it was perfect.