He held the child behind him, pulling the girl by the arm, rougher than he intended. She gave a soft squeal of pain; her wrist was still tender from her binds. A large crowd had gathered, police with guns pointed at him at the front. The girl was scared, he was scared, but he made a promise. He nudged her naked form further behind him, she peeked out from underneath his arm, long red hair tickling his flesh.

"Let the girl go!" Shouted one of the men in blue, holding a loudspeaker.

The teen shook his head. Black hair matted with blood and sweat, both his and the child's. Dirt, grime, even blades of grass and tiny shards of glass shimmered in the afternoon sun.

"Not until I know you're real."

He was insane, clearly. The men and women in blue tensed. He was the one kidnapping these children. The girl behind him looked up at him, afraid. They saw her fearing him.

She feared what he saved her from.

They were both tired, haggard. The girl had numerous red lines on her flesh, marks of open skin, sliced from their journey. They thought he had harmed her himself. The two knew otherwise.

"Just let her go, and this will all be over peacefully, alright? She's not part of this. Just let her go."

He shook his head again.

"You're wrong. She's the beginning. And I'm it's end. Until I know you're real, she stays with me."

It was impossible to get through to him! They'd received a tip that a scared looking girl and a dirty looking teenager were wandering the streets and alleyways of the city. The girl fit the description of the child that had vanished a few days ago. The police had cornered them, the girl and her captor, but a crowd had gathered. The teen was unarmed, so it seemed, and the both looked like they'd been through hell.

But he kept insisting that they prove they were 'real'. Obviously he was unstable.

None of them had paid attention to the deeper clues something was off. So focused on him, they didn't see that the girl was clutching him in fear. Not fear of him, but fear of them.

A commotion arose as the shouts of a young woman carried through the crowd.

"Story? STORY!"

The girls head perked up, recognizing the voice.

"Claris?" she muttered softly, eyes beginning to shimmer with hope.

The teen in front of her, acting as her shield (seen as acting as her cage, by the others) glanced back, surprise in his eyes.

"Dammit let me go! That's my sister! Story!"

"Claris!" The girl cried. She moved forward, but an arm shot out and barred her path.

"Wait." He said.

"But, but that's my sister!" The girl retorted.

"We don't know what they can do. It might be a trick. You don't want to go back there do you?"

The girl looked at him, scared once again, but the hope still shimmering in her eyes. "No…"

"I promise-

"I know." She nodded, and slowly stepped back behind him.

As they held their quiet exchange, the tension rose. Now, a celebrity was involved. Claris Sinclair, the city's most well known teen star was now in the crowd, claiming the girl that was being held back was her sister. The situation just got worse.

"Claris!" the girl shouted out. The teenage girl's screams of retribution and pain towards the officers holding her back stopped, as she gave her sister her rapt attention, their mother coming up behind.

"Let her get closer!" The little girl spoke towards the officers. They looked hesitant. The girl looked up at her guard.

"Do as she says." He echoed, eyes never leaving the guns in front of him.

The two officers looked at their commander, who swallowed nervously. All of this had blown way out of proportion…and now they were going to get a civilian involved?

"…let her move up. But cover her!" was the command.

Silence reigned.

"Story-

"Shh!" The girl shushed her sister. "Don't speak. Just wait."

The teen had taken his eyes off the blue clad beings before him and turned to the girl. On reflex, he appraised her appearance.

Light red t-shirt seeming to stretch healthily at the upper torso, peach colored skin reflecting a healthy complexion, red hair of an unusual shade.

"Is that…?"

"Yes, it's her natural color." The smaller girl replied.

He nodded, and continued. Legs covered by light blue denim shorts, a shimmering green pendant on a golden chain around her neck. She was beautiful. This was Claris Sinclair, star of Twin Seeds. A celebrity in the making.

But while her beauty impressed him, and pulled at his hormones, it was something else that captured his tired gaze.

She glowed. Brightly.

A veritable rainbow of colors surrounded her. Red, blue, yellow, green and white all whirled around her form like a spiral of radiance. The density shocked him, he'd never seen such brilliance before, except in the child behind him. That was the key. This was his proof.

He looked down, taking a shuddering breath. His wince upon looking at her confused everyone except the girl behind him. He gently moved his arm back, reaching for her. She grasped her hand within his, and stepped forward.

BANG


Gasps, screams, cries all rung out on the sound of the gunshot.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" was yelled.

The bullet seemed to travel in slow motion, heading right for his heart. The girl's eyes widened, knowing he was to be struck. His right hand moved, as if to try to block, or even catch it.

I promised.

Unseen by any, the bullet reached the point of impact, undeterred by the mound of flesh before it…and then it vanished.

The girl's eyes widened in shock.

He…he sent it there! It wasn't just luck! He really can cross between!

It felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. He clutched his chest, making everyone think he had been hit. But in reality, he was pushed closer to death. The stinging on his back returned in force, once blocked by the tension and uncertainty. He took a deep shuddering breath, trying to stabilize his slowly faltering body. He couldn't stop now, not when he was so close.

He took a step forward again.

And then another.

And then another.

Slowly, he walked in the direction of the teen girl, who was gently lowering her arms from their position at her mouth. She took in his appearance as he slowly padded closer, her sister trailing behind him, holding his hand for dear life.

His brown skin was marred with red, just like her sister's. His hair was dirty, clothes torn. His feet were covered in dried blood and dirt, hands the same. But there was something in his stance, besides the exhausted, drained movements. A focus. A focus beyond anyone's save Elliot's, when he was aiming for a narrow comeback victory. A focus that screamed at her, a desire that called out to her. Her heart began to beat faster, not just in nervousness or fear, but because of him.

There was something about him that screamed important.

Finally, when he was within five feet of her, he stopped, wobbling. Her eyes narrowed as her sister darted to his side, helping him steady himself. If he was truly her captor, wouldn't she…be trying to get away? Why would she be so concerned for him? She watched as he continued to hold her hand, and gently raise the connected limbs. Her sister stepped forward, seemingly more concerned for him than her own nudity.

What the hell happened? Where did she go? Why is she with him? Why is she naked? All of those questions and more raced through her head.

Slowly the girl stepped forward, reaching her free hand out. Claris pushed aside her guard, and did the same. Their hands touched, and the boy seemed to jolt violently, eyes slamming shut as if in horrid pain.

It's done. I did it…

"I…" He began to speak, his haggard sounding whisper, carrying through the silent crowd.

"I…promised…"

He dropped to his knees.

"…I…keep…my promises…"

His eyelids fluttered closed, consciousness leaving him, darkness taking him into its depths. He fell forward, almost pulling the girl with him. Gasps and cries rang out again, as they got to see the state of his back.

He didn't hear any of it. Not the screams of fear.

Not the yells for an ambulance.

Not the cries of the child, seeing the true state of his back.

Not even the gasp of her sister, as she beheld what looked like three massive claw slashes across his spine.

The only thing he knew.

Was that he'd kept his promise.


A/N: First foray into the realm of NiGHTS into Dreams. I wont update this too often, this is another one of my (bajilion) side projects but...well NiD needs more exposure and dammit why not? This is just the prologue, a teaser, basically. Unlike most of my stories, this prologue actually takes place in the middle of the plot. so...yeah. expect to see this scene again, if shortened.

And yes, the title has a purpose and is indeed a homage to the movie Inception, without having ANYTHING to do with it. Outside of dreams.