** Hi! Please let me know what you think! I don't have this story actually finished, so I'll be writing it as I go along! Please give me any advice you may have! Thank you! ^_^

:: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of the characters besides my OCs! ::

Chapter One: The Nightmares

Rena Kiyoko was going stark, raving mad, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She was dreaming. Oh, yes, she was completely aware of the fact that she was asleep, but she'd had this dream countless times before.

Rena knew what was coming.

If she didn't believe herself to be a lunatic, maybe she would have actually fought against the dream... But, no.

She'd given in to the fact that she was losing her mind, and welcomed the dream with open- albeit, trembling- arms.

The dream she'd been having was more of a nightmare, really, but she'd seen it so many times that she'd moved on to critically analysing it.

Rena started out by walking down a dark corridor. Everything was completely silent, and she found herself almost trying to shield herself from the quiet.

Then, suddenly, she was outside, in what appeared to be nothing but bright sunlight. The light would be so bright that it almost burned her eyes. But she knew she had to keep staring into the light... Because there was something in the light that she had to see...

Rena squinted a bit, and finally saw him. It was a boy, or a man, she couldn't tell.

He was walking out of the light, towards her, in some sort of black robes.

The rays of sunlight burst from behind him, making his face darken in shadow. No matter how hard Rena tried, she couldn't see his face.

The mysterious man continued to walk toward her, and Rena suddenly became overwhelmed with the thought that she had to get to him. She had to help him. She had to reach out and stop him, or something bad was going to happen.

But she couldn't move her arms at all, and her voice had disappeared as well. It seemed there was nothing she could do to stop the man.

Helplessness made tears prick at the back of Rena's eyes, as she frantically struggled to call out to the mysterious person.

And finally, the man vanished into thin air, leaving behind the gloomy sense that something terrible had just happened-

Rena sat up in bed, her eyes wide, her lungs rapidly drawing in air.

She was silent for a few moments, trying to allow her heartbeat to return to normal. Rena clutched the blankets around her, trying to visualise the man's face from her dream, but she drew a blank.

"I need to get a hold of myself. I'm losing my mind," Rena whispered to herself as she stared into the darkness around her.

She took a deep breath and collapsed back into bed.

...

The waiting room was very quiet, although there was another person in the chair a few away from her's.

Rena tapped her foot against the cold linoleum tiling, and tried to calm her frazzled nerves.

The room was bright, and the man sitting a few chairs down glanced in her direction curiously.

His expression clearly read: What sort of lunatic are you, anyway?

But Rena didn't acknowledge his invasive staring, and continued to tap her foot.

Suddenly, the secretary at the main desk looked over at the both of them.

"Kiyoko Rena," the secretary said. "Doctor Yurigawa can see you now."

Rena's heart thudded heavily as she stood up and walked to the door the secretary had pointed out.

"Thank you," Rena bowed slightly to the secretary, and put her hand on the cold doorknob to let herself in.

She walked into a room that was dimly lit. There was navy blue carpeting and brown walls, and slightly out-of-date furniture. The room had obviously been set up to make the visitor feel comfortable, but Rena did not feel comfortable here at all.

An elderly man approached her suddenly with more life than usual for his age. He had white hair and brown eyes that seemed to smile.

"Welcome, Kiyoko-san," he greeted, giving her a small bow.

Rena bowed back politely, giving the friendly man a smile.

"Please, call me Rena," she replied. "After all, this isn't the first appointment I've made with you."

"Of course, of course," Doctor Yurigawa smiled again, taking her by the hand. "Please take a seat, and we can begin discussing your past history here."

Rena quickly sat down in the armchair that was placed in front of the man's desk. He resumed his own seat, and patiently folded his hands on the desk, giving her a cursory glance.

"So, Rena," he started, "and how have you been doing?"

Rena gulped and avoided his confident gaze by staring at the hideous shade of blue in the carpets.

"Honestly... Not too well," she admitted uncomfortably.

"I see," Yurigawa stated, as she finally met his eyes. "From what I remember of your condition, several years ago you started having strange nightmares, is that correct?"

"Yes," Rena replied.

"And I assume you're back years later because the nightmares have returned?" Yurigawa continued.

"You're right," Rena whispered, almost feeling ashamed of herself.

"Are they the same dreams as before?" Yurigawa inquired.

Rena swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat, and slowly shook her head in reply.

"No... These are different," she finally answered.

The psychiatrist was quiet for a moment, pondering her words.

"Tell me about them," he said, patiently.

So Rena quickly gave him a recap of the strange reoccurring nightmare she'd had of the boy in black robes, the panic, and the blinding sunlight. The doctor nodded silently as she told him everything. Although Rena still felt a bit guilty somehow, it felt nice to finally get everything off her chest for once.

"So..." Yurigawa started after she had finished telling her story. "The way I see it, this dream is most likely symbolic of any stress you're going through at the moment. The man in black robes could be your mind's interpretation of something you think is bad, maybe something you don't usually do. And the sunlight could be representative of you seeing what you originally thought of as bad in a different light."

Rena thought about his words, but something about them didn't settle right with her for some reason.

"You think so?" Rena asked, hesitantly.

"Of course," the doctor assured her. "When you were a child, you went though quite a trauma. It's not common for a child to see their own mother die. Obviously, there will be repercussions from this. You only have to get through them one at a time."

Rena nodded, knowing his words were true.

"And, from what I see," Yurigawa continued, "these nightmares are closely related to the ones in your past. According to your file here, two of your dreams in the past also mentioned a man in black robes. He seems to be a recurring figure for you."

"Yes," Rena replied. "I remember."

"Have you been taking your prescribed medications?" Yurigawa inquired, pushing his glasses up a bit farther.

Rena hesitated, guiltily.

"Well... Most of the time," she answered honestly.

The doctor quirked an eyebrow at her in surprise.

"Well, that could be your problem right there," he stated, leaning back in his chair. "I'll bet if you try returning to the correct dosage of your medication, your nightmares will go away immediately."

Rena squeezed her eyes shut in frustration, and she took deep breaths to quell the nausea rising from her abdomen.

"I... I can't take my medication anymore," she explained. "I can't do it. It makes me sick to my stomach, and my mind gets fuzzy. Whenever I take it, it's as if I'm walking around in a haze."

The doctor seemed to sigh at her words.

"It may seem like that now, but you must believe me when I say that your medication is designed to help you," he replied. "You suffered a great tragedy, and you need a bit of help now. Your medication can do that for you."

Rena suddenly didn't feel like arguing with him any more. She stood up quickly, with a polite nod in his direction.

"I understand, doctor. Thank you for your time," she said. "I apologise for cutting our appointment short, but I'm late for something."

Yurigawa stood up as well, and walked her to the door, a hand on her shoulder.

"Please let me know if anything changes, Rena," he said as she opened the door.

Rena nodded.

"Of course," she replied. "Thank you."

...

Rena walked down the busy city sidewalks, taking the long route back to her home.

This was something that Rena never did: on a usual day, she either took the train or walked the shortcut. She had purposely chosen the path that went across the city so she would have time to think.

Yurigawa had presented a reasonable case, much to Rena's disappointment.

Maybe she did need to go back on her medications, after all.

She'd been prescribed them when she was fifteen years old, a year or so after she'd witnessed the incident that had scarred her for life and torn apart her family.

And after she started taking the medication, her strange nightmares had gone away.

But the cloudy mind was just something she couldn't live with... It was as if she weren't even alive anymore, just walking around in a dream. Sometimes she lost whole hours, unable to remember a thing.

So after four years, she decided that enough was enough, and had zipped the medication up in a secret pouch in her purse, never to be taken out again.

And as soon as she had stopped the pills, the nightmares returned.

Rena continued walking down the street, pushing gently past the throngs of people.

As she walked, she could hear the rattle of her medicine bottle, in her purse, and wondered for a moment if she shouldn't stop and take some...

Suddenly-

Rena wasn't on the streets anymore-

She was seeing flashes of something-

She saw a Christian church, with a large white cross standing from the roof- the sign read: You Are Never Alone- Answer To Jesus.

Rena lost the sight for a moment, and she bent over, holding her temple and breathing heavily.

It was like her nightmares, but she was awake this time-

What was going on-?

She saw the crowds of people walking past her, as normal, but then the church was back-

Not like she was seeing it- but as if she were remembering it- or- or-

There was a van, she saw a van-

it pulled up not in the parking lot but right up on the side of the street, for some reason- the van had words printed in small font on the side that a person could have missed if they weren't looking for it- Shibuya Psychic Research-

The door to the van opened, and someone stumbled out. It looked as if two people inside the van were arguing, and someone fell out-

It was a man with blond hair, wearing an orange shirt and blue jeans-

He caught himself in time so he didn't fall completely down, but then his foot caught in the sewer grates, and he tripped right into the streets-

Into the oncoming traffic-

The man looked up at a giant truck that couldn't stop in time- his arm raised as if that could shield him somehow-

"John-!" someone screamed from inside the van-

Rena blinked, and she was back on the sidewalks.

Everyone was agitatedly walking around her, wondering why she had stopped right in the middle of the path, but Rena didn't care. Her heart was pounding so frantically, she actually felt lightheaded.

What the hell?

That was a first.

She'd never had one of her dreams while she was actually awake before.

Rena was still more than a little rattled at the vision, but she had to get home. Although it was an uncharacteristically warm December day, it still looked as if it were about to rain, and she didn't even have a jacket.

She knew a cold front would be coming into the area soon, bringing usual almost-Christmas weather.

She hoisted her purse farther up her shoulder and continued walking.

With a glance up at the sky, she heard as thunder rolled ominously in the distance.

And then Rena stopped dead in her tracks-

Because across the street, to the left, there was a giant church, with a large white cross jutting from the roof.

"What-?!" Rena gasped, flinching back a bit in surprise. She stared at the church for a moment, and then gasped to catch her breath. "It has to be a coincidence. That's all. Just a coincidence."

She took another step to walk home, but then her eyes fixated on the sign that was displayed to the highway: You Are Never Alone- Answer To Jesus.

"No... way," she breathed, as her heart hitched it's way into her throat. "But- but then that means-"

Rena watched as a van suddenly pulled up against the curb-

Shibuya Psychic Research was written on the side.

Rena took off sprinting to the van, without even realising it. She was compelled to run- almost the same type of compulsions she'd had in her dreams before, but this wasn't a dream.

This time, it was real.

The door to the van opened, and Rena watched as the blonde boy staggered out as if he'd tripped.

"Hey- you!" Rena screamed, but knew it wouldn't do any good.

She illegally cut across the highway, almost being hit by several cars on her way, but she had to get there in time-

"John-!" someone inside the van screamed in terror.

Rena made it across and grabbed the boy's arm, just as the large truck's horn blared, telling them to get out of the highway.

She yanked the man out of the road and they both fell against the side of the Shibuya van, tripping over each other and landing in a heap on the sidewalk.

The truck slammed past them, not even tapping the breaks, the driver yelling angry words at them from the window.

Rena was still on the ground, but she was trembling with relief.

"Hey!" a man suddenly poked his head out of the Shibuya van and waved an angry fist at the truck driver who had almost killed them. "Watch where you're going next time!"

Rena suddenly remembered that she was practically laying on top of the poor blond man, so she stood up quickly.

"I- I'm so sorry!" Rena apologised. "I didn't mean to land on you!"

The blond boy looked up at her with wide blue eyes, a faint blush staining his cheeks pink.

"Don't apologise," he said in a thick Australian accent. He rubbed the back of his neck, still sitting on the ground. "Ya did jus' save my life and all."

Rena stared at him for a moment, his accent throwing her off at first, but she recovered quickly.

"Oh- let me help you!" she offered, reaching a hand out to help the blond boy stand back up.

He regained his balance and wiped the dust off of his clothing, mumbling a highly embarrassed, "Thanks."

"Hey, you," the man who had waved an angry fist at the truck driver had hopped out of the van and was approaching Rena with a look of curiosity. He was very tall, with dark blond hair pulled back into a low ponytail. His t-shirt said, "Screamerz".

"Um... Yes?" Rena asked.

"How did you know John was getting ready to trip over that grate?" the tall man inquired, almost sounding suspicious of her.

Rena scratched her head, trying to feign innocence where there was none.

"Oh, that!" she exclaimed. "I- I don't know- I saw him stumble and figured I needed to help-"

"Don't pull that," the tall man replied, leaning toward her to study her with narrowed eyes. "I saw you sprinting to get over here as soon as we pulled up! John here wasn't even out of the van yet!"

As Rena desperately tried to find some sort of reasonable explanation for her strange behaviour, several other people started filing out of the Shibuya van.

There was an extremely tall dark-haired man who left the driver's side. Then another dark-haired man got out, but he was shorter and dressed all in black. Three girls got out as well: one in a kimono, one tiny one with brown hair, and one taller woman with red hair.

The blond called John reached down and picked up Rena's purse, which she had dropped in the action. Of course, it had fallen in the street, and the large truck had run it over.

"Er... I think this belongs to you," John told her, sadly, as he handed her the black and flattened purse.

Rena took it from him, knowing that her pills had been inside, and she burst into laughter.

Everyone threw odd glances her way, except the tall man who had been trying to interrogate her earlier.

"I'll bet the truck driver hit your purse on purpose," he crossed his arms in agitation. Then, he turned more fully toward her, his expression softening a bit. "Hey, sorry for being kind of rude earlier. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's alright," Rena replied with a smile, waving a hand in the air.

"Are you both okay?!" the small brunette girl in the pink skirt and green shirt exclaimed worriedly, running up to them from the van.

"Yeah," John replied, rubbing his neck again. He turned around to face Rena, looking a bit sheepish. "Thanks for pushin' me out the way. You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"Oh, no!" Rena said, suddenly embarrassed by all the attention. "I'm fine!"

A dark-haired man approached her, the shorter one wearing all black like some sort of man in mourning, and motioned toward her arm.

"You're bleeding," he stated in a monotone, quiet voice.

Rena looked down at her elbow, which had been scratched during the fall.

"Don't worry about it!" Rena replied. "It's just a scratch!"

"I'd still like for you to come with us, any how," the dark-haired man added, apathetically. His voice made Rena feel uncomfortable, with it's lack of emotion.

The girls all started walking up to the steps of the church, throwing interested glances to Rena.

"Um..." Rena started, unsure whether or not to trust the strangers she had just met. On the other hand, they were going inside a church. What kind of harm could come to her inside of a church? "Alright," she finally replied. "But why?"

The dark-haired man glanced back her way, and started walking toward the church, almost making her follow him.

"Because I'm afraid Takigawa was correct in his accusations," the man told her. "You were running toward the van before Father Brown even had the door open."

Rena only gaped up at him, her mind not certain what he was trying to get at.

"What... What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means that we must run some tests," he replied, no longer looking at her.

Rena looked around, a tad worried. It was all happening so fast.

The blond, John, met her gaze and gave her an encouraging smile before following the tall pony-tailed man up the stairs.

Rena gulped and walked behind them, wondering what the hell was even going on.