A/N: So. Nobunagun has come to an end, sadly after only 6 volumes. This story and its chapters will attempt to detail, as well as consolidate my own thoughts/story ideas related to the last few chapters. The chapters are not necessarily all related, nor are they in chronological order; but rather, they are from multiple viewpoints-AU, canon, otherwise-around the same set of events.

This first chapter takes place in the modern-day AU, with no e-genes or DOGOO or EIOs. Based off the song "Sleepless Night" by Acid Black Cherry.

Seeing a dream where you disappeared into the light, I cried.
Without a word, you held me in your embrace.
I realized that it was natural for us to be together.
However small, I knew I was happy.
Words really aren't necessary.

'I-I…I promise, I'll come back…I'll definitely return!'

'Yeh, you'd better…'cause I'll be here waiting…'

And then she was falling but smiling and crying, reaching for him as she fell down down, down into the endless darkness…

"Sio!" Her voice was whispered out as his eyes opened, he himself not even realizing that he'd been talking in his sleep.

It was a dream…wasn't real, couldn't be real–and yet why was he feeling the sickening dread in the pit of his stomach as he replayed those details, each and every image so vivid that it caused him to shiver.

He had wings? They were fighting aliens? E-genes? None of those words meant anything to him, but somehow, it felt eerily familiar…as if he'd once been through the same thing…

'No…stop tricking yourself! It can't be real…you just watched too many kaiju films lately with Sio…' Still, the cold tendril of fear gripped his stomach, and even though he knew it hadn't been possible–because really, aliens–the anxiety did not back down; if anything, it was escalating.

Trying his best not to panic, he looked over to his side where a small figure lay, hair spread all over as she breathed deeply. "Sio…" He was about to touch her shoulder when he hesitated. '…Maybe I shouldn't wake her up…I-I mean, it's just a bloody nightmare…'

She looked so peaceful…the smile on her face not unlike that sad, bittersweet smile that dream-version of her gave…

His stomach gave another lurch and this time he didn't hesitate to run for the bathroom and empty the contents into the porcelain bowl. "Hrrk–!" No matter how hard he tried to ground himself in reality, the only thing going through his mind was that terrifying fear of loss–of losing the one person who was more important than any one thing or person in the entire world.

"Hnn…Adam? Adam, are you–!" Even though he wanted to let her rest, she had woken up anyway–probably because he was, unfortunately, making a bit of a racket. "Adam, daijoubu?! Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeh…I-I'm, fine…" Heaving, he let himself hang over the edge just a bit longer, just in case as she rubbed his back, voice filled with worry. "S-Sorry, woke you up…"

"No, you shouldn't be sorry…! You're ill…you should've told me…" Her voice was cracking, and he knew her eyes was filling with tears–just like–

'I-I…I don't know, how soon…I can…'

"Hnn–!" Why, why were those images and scenes still so vivid in his mind? As Sio rushed to the kitchen for a glass of water and some medicine, Adam wished he knew why. For this wasn't the first time he'd had these…colorful dreams, about some strange world where aliens were invading the Earth, and he and Sio, and apparently Mahesh and Jess and few other folks they knew, were warriors that were imbued with the souls of heroes past.

Before, he'd simply dismissed it as one of those odd, recurring serial dreams that people sometimes had. That, and his ratio of watching monster films had increased significantly since he'd started dating Sio. But now…it was almost as if he was living some parallel or alternate life; and while he slept, he was able to get an occasional glance.

"Here, drink some water…are you feeling okay? Was it something you ate? Do you need to see the doctor?" She peered at him worriedly, maroons red-rimmed but wide with fear.

"Oy, it's all right…'s not serious, I'm…I'll be fine…" After rinsing his mouth out and taking some medicine, he let her guide him back to their bed, sighing as she pulled his head into her lap and gently stroked his hair. Normally he didn't discuss his dreams, but for some reason, now, it felt like it was time.

"You…you're sure, you're okay?" Her hands were soft and warm, combing each individual strand while her other patted his back.

"…I had a nightmare."

"Oh…!" Her hands stopped momentarily, as if she didn't know what to say. "I…I understand. I've had…some really scary ones, too…"

He closed his eyes. Yes, perhaps he should tell her about his strange, recurring dreams, because the last time she'd had such a nightmare, its contents sounded strangely similar. "…You remember that time, you had that nightmare? Gave you such a fright that we ended up stayin' up 'til dawn, drinking hot chocolate an' playing board games?" Mirza and his girlfriend had been over that night as well, and the three of them did everything they could to calm the poor brunette down. It wasn't an experience any of them were keen on repeating; Sio was shaking and crying for a good deal of the night, Adam feeling helpless because he couldn't do anything more other than try and reassure her that it wasn't real. It wasn't until the sky was grey and pink, did she finally manage to calm down enough to get some measure of rest, the four of them crashing in the living room until it was well past noon.

"…Ah, yeah…"

"…Well, guess you can say, I had…somethin' similar…"

"Adam…" Suddenly she leaned down and hugged him tight, as if trying to banish that memory herself. "I-I…did, in your dream…did I…did we…"

He didn't know all the details of her dream, but he could guess well enough. "No…well, I…I don't know. I-I mean, in my dream…I was, like…" He furrowed his brows, trying not to panic again but he had to explain this. "…It was as if, I was…sending you away…but, for what reason I don't know…and yet, in that dream–the me in that dream–we, both seemed…to accept it…?" He shook his head, suddenly sitting up. "I don't know; it was weird, and–I know it sounds stupid, but–we were, saving the world? From aliens?"

He was expecting her to laugh, but suddenly all color drained from her face, and he felt a lump growing in his throat.

"…Did…do…do the words…'Dogoo' or 'e-genes' mean anything to you…"

His throat was dry and his heart was pounding. "…You mean, you've…"

"…Dreamt of the same thing? Of a world where we're fighters for humanity, fighting off an alien invasion with weapons made from the souls of historical figures?" Her voice was oddly still now, but he knew from experience that usually meant she was on the edge of an outburst. "Oh my god, I can't believe–"

"–Calm down Sio, I–" He what? It was all a coincidence? That they just so happened to share the same type of dream, with those exact phrases?

"What if it's…real? What if it, it's…like, some kind of warning? Oh my god…" Now Sio was the one who was shaking, quivering with the type of fear that he was slowly starting to feel himself.

"No. It's not, they're not…I won't accept it!" Still, even as he hugged her fiercely, something in the back of his mind told him that it was all too much for it to be mere coincidence. "I…I actually thought, well this is pretty crazy–"

"What is it?"

"…I don't know; do you believe in…alternate, dimensions? Stuff like parallel lives?" It sounded so dumb coming from his own mouth, but it was his best guess. Short of some extreme coincidence, but that was becoming harder and harder to accept.

She turned around in his grasp. "You…do you think those are our 'other' selves? That we're…somehow, living through, them?"

He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know…god, I don't understand any of this! Could've just been something we ate, for all we know…"

"…Maybe you're right. But, somehow, I have a feeling…it's not that…" Though she was calmer now, she still buried her head against his chest. "Even if, we're just getting glimpses of another world…still, I feel, sorry for them–us–"

"–Yeh; I know what you mean…" Even though in his dream, that Adam seemed to have come to terms with their parting…if it truly was another version of him in some other realm, then he knew that that Adam must've been hurting as well. For even just thinking about it right now, in the safety of their flat in London, with no aliens or anything like that…his heart was breaking. "In my dream, you were leaving…for a long time, and you…you promised you would return, but who knows how long I'll–he–will be waiting…"

She nodded, sniffling a bit now. "Do you think it's…silly, to feel sorry for…ourselves? For people we…aren't even sure, if they do exist?"

"No; it's what it means to be human, after all." He sighed deeply and held her close, suddenly feeling a little guilty that he could have her here, warm, safe and soft, while another version of him would suffer the pain of loneliness.

"…I wish somehow, we could help them…"

"Mm, yeh; but I don't know what we could even do…"

"…We're talking about theoretical things about theoretical people around a theoretical idea that might not even be true."

"Mm hmm."

"…Okay. Just double-checking."

He laughed a little, and kissed her on the head. "Sio…you really do amaze me, you know…" Logically speaking, the whole idea seemed quite absurd: alternate versions in another world fighting aliens? With historical reincarnations? And they were living vicariously through them…? Still, he wouldn't deny that the pang of sadness hadn't quite gone away, though it was slowly fading.

"…Maybe we should live for them." He quirked an eyebrow at her. "I-I mean, if…if, they…are another version of us, we should…enjoy our happiness. In their stead." She blinked a few times, as if analyzing her words. "Oh wait, that just sounds really selfish…"

"Nah love; I think, if I knew of another version of me out there, who had a better life…I'd wish him all the best…" His life was pretty good now, but like they say, the grass was always greener on the other side.

During these sleepless nights,
Why does my chest hurt thinking of you?
Even though I'm this happy,
I wept seeing another scary dream.
When I awoke from that dream,
Everything seemed to vanish and it was as if I was dying.
That's why my sleepless nights repeat.
Then, I'd be able to continue thinking of you.

Though they were both lying down now and he was physically exhausted, sleep was not coming. The fear of losing her…after that scare, he wanted to experience every conscious second with her, thinking of her; for once she was gone…

"Are you still…scared?" Her hands were rubbing his, before he opened his palm and she laced their fingers together. "Me too…thinking about, scary things…"

"Sorry…I didn't mean to make you feel bad…" He hated triggering her anxieties, but at the same time it was a relief to know that he wasn't alone in his thoughts. The ache in his chest…it sat there, like a dull stone instead of his heart. Even though it hadn't happened to him, the thought was just too painful.

"Adam…y-you won't, leave me, will you?"

Oh no. Her voice was quivering, which meant she was fast falling down the slippery slope of her own anxieties again. Shit, he should've known that bringing this up might trigger her own insecurities, but too late for regrets now. "No! Of course not Sio…I don't care how many times I have to say it, but I'll never leave you; I'll always be here, promise, all right?" He thumbed her tears away as she sniffled, holding him so tight it was as if she was trying to burrow into his very being.

"I know…I know…just, I can't help it–"

"Shh Sio, it's all right…I understand…" The fear of losing someone, in the blink of an eye…it wasn't as if he didn't have his own doubts, though he was reluctant to voice them. "…But you…you have t' promise to not go anywhere, either…" He could feel her pulse against his, not quite the steady and mellow pace as when they were asleep. "Because, if you…left…I honestly don't know if I could…go on…or even want to…"

She gasped, and he instantly regretted his choice of words. So perhaps admitting that suicide might actually be an option should they face an untimely parting wasn't the best idea…but Adam wouldn't deny that, in his darkest of fears, it had crossed his mind before.

"D-Don't…don't say that… Please, Adam…"

"–All right; let's just, not talk about this anymore…we both agree, even if it's more than just a dream…the only thing we can do, is to live…for them…"

He held her in silence for a few more minutes, before sitting up abruptly, Sio rubbing her eyes in a confused manner. "Bloody hell; we're never going back to sleep as is…" Pulling back the covers, he shuffled into the kitchen, wincing as the lights caused his emeralds to painfully contract.

"A-Ano, what are you…"

The carton of milk was pulled out of the fridge, along with a tin of chocolate. Not just the usual powder, but solid chocolate that was usually sold only in specialty stores. "Hot chocolate; I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly tired after that…"

Pouring the liquid with a practiced hand, he let her drop in the chocolate and stir until they melted, adding just a touch of salt–that was the secret–before filling two mugs. Slowly, they just sat around the kitchen table–never mind the clock reading 4:04am–sipping hot chocolate in silence.

"…What happened, in your dream exactly?" He was surprised that she vouched such a question, but it was natural after all for her to be curious.

"…It was strange. I was carrying you over the ocean–uh, we were–I was–flying? I had wings…apparently…"

She giggled a little bit, despite the somber atmosphere. "Oooh, like an angel…I'd like to see that. I think you'd look really good…"

"Hah; well, anyway…we were, talking about stuff…like, you said you'd be back…from, something…and I said, you'd better…and then we…" He blushed a bit as he remembered that, sad as it had been, there had also been something wonderfully tender and vulnerable. "…We, uh…kissed…and then I dropped you into the ocean…"

There was a gap as they both simultaneously sipped their drinks. "You…dropped me into the ocean?"

"…Apparently."

"Oh. Okay…"

When you voiced it out, the whole thing seemed really silly; but in that dream, the emotional depth he'd felt…it hadn't been amusing at all, but rather frightening. But the hot chocolate was helping; that, and parsing it out into actual words, and focusing on the here and now…

"…It's almost 5 in the morning." He glanced at the clock with bleary eyes, having already decided that he was definitely not going into the hospital today. "Are you…going to work?"

"No; I'll just have Niall cover for me at the meeting…'s not important anyway… What about your classes?"

She took their mugs and set them into the sink. "Well, it's only afternoon today…but, I don't know, depends on how I feel…I might just…not go…"

He nodded. There were times when he chastised her about cutting, but now was not one of those times. "That bed sounds pretty good right about now…"

Even though the day was starting to brighten, and the sounds of early morning London were slowly filtering in through the window, they climbed back into the mussed sheets and pulled the covers up.

"…Do you feel better now?" Her voice was soft and whispery as he held her close, feeling drowsy again.

"…Yeh; we should get some sleep, no?"

Even though the dreams were often painful, and filled with despair…he also hoped to see the resolution for that other Adam. To wish that his Sio would eventually return to him…if his other self needed a bit of a boost, well, it was the least he could do.

Do you not want to believe, that somewhere out there, there is a you who will know true happiness…

'Isn't that what we all wish for…'