Both girls looked at the balloon stuck in the branches above them. It's little string softly waving with the summer breeze, was close enough for an adult to reach, but no adult to reach was close enough.
'Don't cry.' said one of the girls. 'I can get it back.'
And without another word, she aimed her hands at the balloon. Her friend looked how it began to move, struggling against the branches it was trapped into. But she also noticed how futile the atempt was.
'Stop! It's gonna break!' she said with concern. 'T-take me to it, m-maybe I can get it out…'
Her friend was unsure. She never used her powers on a another person before, much less to move anything heavier than a plastic toy.
'Are you sure?' the other girl nodded her head vigorously.
One deep breath, two deep breaths, a third one, just in case. A few seconds later, one of the girls was levitating towards the balloon.
'I almost have it!' she shouted, stretching her arms towards the swaying string. 'J-just a little more…'
'I-I'm sorry, but I have to put you down!' her friend shouted, feeling more and more tired by the second.
'Just a little more! I almost…!'
When the little hand finally reached the string, the sound of a pop echoed through the place. The girl on the ground felt on her knees as her whole body began to feel numb. Then, her view became pitch black. And just right before she passed out, she heard it: a scream filled with terror and desperation.
'CHII-CHAN!'
Shirasagi Chisato suddenly woke up covered in a cold sweat. It took her a full minute to regain composure and stop shaking. Like he felt something was wrong, her dog quickly ran towards his owner, jumped into bed and asked for pats before laying down next to her.
-There there Leon. -She said softly while petting his head.
Chisato considered getting up and writing a new entry on her journal to vent a little, but the warmth coming from Leon made the idea of staying in bed simply irresistible. Hugging her dog, she quickly felt back to sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, Chisato found herself in a big library, immidiately realizing she was dreaming after seeing who was in charge of the place: a man with the head of a dog, wearing a long purple robe, greeted her from the reception desk.
-Good evening Master, it is good to see you.
-Leon!? -Chisato ran towards her dog, who left a bookmark on a dense tome with 'Memoirs of T.S. Halibut' written on the cover, before addressing her again.
-Yours truly. What do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight? -He asked while pouring some tea for both of them.
-I'm… not sure? I mean, I woke up from a nightmare and then…
-It is perhaps related to those foul memories of the past that have been haunting you lately? -He said, before taking a sip from his cup.
-How do you know about that?
-Dogs are more perceptive that most people give us credit for. In the words of Shakespeare…
-Please don't. -Chisato said in a fortright tone, while rolling a newspaper she took from a nearby rack.
-Ok ok, just put that down. Goodness gracious…-Leon poured some more tea before continuing. -Listen, I've been aware of your nightmares for a while. And I started to see a pattern.
-Wait, are we in your dream or in mine?
-It is a bit complicated, but I'll do my best to explain it. You see, my ability allows me to jump into other people's dreams. Astral projection would be the most accurate term. However, being a dog and such, I have absolutely no control over the form I take once I enter somebody's dream.
-You mean… this is how I see you, apparently?
-More or less. My current form is an amalgamation of memories, subconscious ideas and conscious perceptions. Which means, while I am your dog Leon, this conversation we are having is no different from talking to someone you create in yours dream. Like when witches project a personality in a familiar or like when you talk to an imaginary friend, only difference being, you have less control on what I'm saying.
Chisato took a long sip of tea while she tried to process all that information at once.
-So... you were saying something about a pattern in my nightmares.
-Indeed I was. The recurring themes are guilt, shame, and hurting others, not necessarily in that or any order.
-I suspected as much. -Chisato said with a shrugged. -Lately, the fear of hurting others with my powers has increased.
-Perhaps because you now have more people to care about? -Asked Leon with a smile on his face.
-That could be the case. -She answered with a chuckle.
-On the other hand, I think your powers aren't the main problem here though. Based on your most recurrent nightmares, I think what worries you is losing control.
Chisato had a faint idea of where Leon was going with that, but still asked him to elaborate it more.
-Think about the incident with Kaoru. Your wanted to help a friend even if it meant putting her at risk. The day you met Kanon, something similar happened. You just felt like discreetly helping her by making her load of paper lighter, which surprised her and made her trip and fall. And the most recent case: PasuPare's debut concert. You may not want to admit it, but you were not 'cool' with using playback. The accident felt a little too convenient didn't it? What if you actually caused it? What if because you lost control of your powers you almost ended up ruining Aya's career and long life dream? What if…
-I KNOW. -Chisato's voice echoed all across the library. Warm and bitter tears began running down her cheeks while her dog patted her head. -I never wanted to hurt them I just...
-You think people need psychic powers to hurt others out of goodwill? -Leon asked while a sarcastic expression on his furry face. -What happened with Kaoru was because you were children. What happened with Kanon was a mere accident. Heavens knows if what happened at the PasuPare concert was even your fault! Don't force yourself to think that you have to always be in control. Just focus on trying to be kind and honest.
-Thank you Leon -Chisato finally stopped crying and was drying her face with a tissue. -I think you just said what I needed to hear.
-Did you forgot my Master? -Leon, along with the rest of the library, slowly began to fade away. The last thing she could perceive, was a familiar female voice. -This was no different from talking to yourself.
Chisato woke up with her face covered with dried tears. She extended her arm towards the warm golden retriever sleeping next to her and caressed him carefully, making sure not to wake him up.
-Good boy.
Meanwhile, in a different dream, Leon found himself running on a large field bathed with the light of the sunset. A thousand of faceless girls wearing hoods were flying towards the sun while a young girl chase them, running next to him.
Ran Mitake wouldn't wake up from that dream until a few more hours, feeling a small mix of sadness, loneliness and frustration.
Her secret 'same as always.'