Snow quietly fell outside while a warm, dark condo sat still. Faint sounds came from the main bedroom. A color changing humidifier gave off the sweet smell of lavender while a sound machine quietly imitated rainfall. The silk sheets and winter comforter were draped over two figures, one much larger than the other. Two men spooning comfortably for more warmth. The smaller began to stir in his sleep.

Ever since the first snowfall he had been plagued by a recurring nightmare.

He is alone in a forest, fresh fallen snow on the ground. Immense pain grips him as his swollen stomach writhes. He fights the pain in an effort to elude his captors. Soon it is too much for him to bear. He stumbles upon a strange tree with glowing leaves and no snow around it. He collapses beneath it and lets out an agonizing cry. He rolls onto his back with his legs apart. The warmth of the tree is clouding his mind as he starts to scream. Black fluid starts to come out like spilled ink. In the distance he can hear voices.

"Find him now! The time is here, we must bring him to the altar!"

He tries to bite back another scream but, he fails. Nails dig into dirt as he screams again. Women donned in black with the same masks approach him.

"There you are. It was only a matter of time before we found you." said a women he believed was the leader.

"Pick him up. Be gentle. Bring him to the temple and lay him on the altar."

A large, muscular woman lifted him up. He was quickly brought back to the place he desperately tried to escape. Tears of pain and fear rolled down his face. He was soon brought to a long, flat altar. Various blankets were neatly laid on it with pillows on one end to make it look like a bed. He was laid down and his white robe was stripped off. He let out another scream as more fluid came out.

"You, support his head."

"You, hold his hand."

"You two, hold his legs back." The leader commanded.

"I will coach him through this glorious occasion."

Each member did as she was told in an attempt to help him. Part of his jet black hair fell into his face as he screamed again. Tears stained his cheeks as the pain tore through his pelvis.

"Take a deep breath. Now push hard."

He struggled to break free but he was too weakened to fight. His only option was to do as he was told. He inhaled and started pushing, fresh tears rolling down his face as he grunted loudly. A cry was heard, a gong was rung. An infant was passed from the leader to a subordinate.

"One." All of the women said in unison

He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed again.

Another cry, another ringing of the gong. Another newborn passed to a different member.

"Two." They said once again.

This process repeated until they counted to seven. He was exhausted and on the verge of fainting. He was lifted upright to face the leader of the black cult.

"What a momentous day! You have born seven children. One for each vice, each sin. Aku was correct in having you bear his offspring, Samurai.

The man bolts upright in the bed, his body slick with sweat and his heart pounding in his chest. He places a hand to the small bump of his stomach. The larger man yawns and sits up.

"Jack?"

"Oh...I am sorry, Johnny. I did not mean to wake you."

"It's one in the morning. Why are you up? Was it the nightmare again?"

Jack nodded slowly.

"I will get you some tea and we can talk about it, okay? C'mon."

The large, blonde man got up and put his robe on. He wrapped a different one around his husband's shoulders and slowly walked him into the kitchen.