This fanfic is currently on hiatus, it seems. I'll also focus on imroving chapters I've already written.

Note: this story has flaws. Aside from considering giving up on it, I've also considered rewriting it sometime in the future. But trust me, the plot gets more exciting at a certain point. It's mostly my writing style in the first few chapters I don't like, but since I've gotten far in this story, I'll keep adding on to it the way it is. So what I'm trying to say is basically, this story might/will improve as it goes on and I become a better writer.

Akaito's P.O.V.

I don't dream.

No, I don't mean the kind of dream that can be called "aspiration", or wishing. I mean the kind of dreams people have at night. Those weird illusions that are sometimes joyful and sometimes terrifying, but almost always strange or surreal. Well, of course if you actually dream, then you know what I mean.

I've never had a single one. Of my own, at least.

When I sleep, I wake up in somebody else's dream. And believe me, I've seen quite a few mind-blowing things.

Only I'm not physically there. I'm more like in a mode where I'm on the outside, controlling their dream. This might sound really impossible, but when I'm asleep I have a vision in some sort of multicolored star-patterned dome and I see dreams of people I know floating above me. From there, I can kind of "enter" a dream and do things with it.

I know how to make quite a few things happen, but not everything. Some things just take way too much imagination. I could make a plant appear, but maybe not a planetarium.

I do know that I'm actually controlling what they dream. Because when they wake up, they tell me what a strange dream they had and it's exactly like the dream I made them have.

Well sure, sometimes I control my brother Kaito's dreams and have him dream about lots of ice cream. Since ice cream is his favorite thing and sometimes I just want to be nice.

But you know what I like to do even more? Give people nightmares. Okay, I'm joking. Okay, I do it sometimes anyway. Maybe they're not the nightmares that will traumatize them for life, but just really freaky ones they'll wake up from and go "what the heck was I dreaming about?" Because that's always funny. I used to give my brother Taito a lot of scary dreams, and I think it made him into who he is today.

Okay... but the actual truth is, I've given people some horrible nightmares in the past. Just to mess with them. I was kinda cruel. But that was a long time ago. I've kind of matured out of messing around with these powers, they don't really have any use. Now when I sleep, I ignore the starry blue dome I see and just sleep the vision away. Usually when I do that, I end up going several more nights without having that vision in the first place.

And obviously, I've never told anyone about this. They'd never believe me anyway.

I usually just tell them that I don't dream.

It's just another normal day at school.

It's pouring down rain and it hasn't been letting up in the slightest. The classroom is packed with chattering kids all wearing raincoats and jackets over their cardigan uniforms even though it's late April. There's a pigtail fad going around and many of the girls are wearing them, and it's hard to find a guy these days who isn't reading the new manga series. (I admit, it's a pretty interesting one.)

I tried standing out just a little bit more so I wear a habanero-pepper charm on my collar. I hope isn't doesnt make me look stupid or anything, but it was mostly peer pressure that drove me into itーI just feel a little too plain sometimes that's all.

I live in the town of Kimagure, it's a small town, which explains all the fads gojng through it. There's a lot of wildlife around to see, and it rains a lot in the spring. Rain kind of irritates me, but that's just me. Some people love it. Kimagure is filled with these kind of people, nature-loving and optimistic.

I'm just kind of chill. But I guess I get agitated easily. Especially right now, when I'm sitting in final periodーmath (which I hate). Right about now, the bell is about to ring, and I am ready to get out. I've got my bag out on my desk, it's messy but whatever. The clock is so slow and it's really ticking me off. (no pun intended)

As you can see, I'm not that fond of school. Of course I don't want to be dumb, but school just a hassle, it's barely even "learning". Mixed in with my life of having five younger brothers and a sister, it's just much too slow and time-consuming. And depressing, since I don't really get along with most of the people here. Well, Len's pretty cool, he's just in a lower grade and would rather hang out with my brother Kaito. And Yuuma's okay, but he seems to care more about hitting on girls than he does about talking with me. I'm not exactly crazy about girls. No wait, I'm just fine with GIRLS, it's the romance I don't care about. I don't really get it.

The bell rings, and even though everyone else is faster than me, I grab my red backpack snd eagerly bolt out of the classroom as well... until snappy Ms. Sakine calls me back.

"Mr. Shion Akaito, I'm sorry." she holds up her hand to me. "But you have to make up this trigonometry test you failed."

Ms. Sakine sternly holds up a blank test and presents it to me. I remember now. It's that torture test I got a 42% on because I didn't care to study!

My mouth falls open. No... no! I can't go home and have my free time! I usually get home an hour before anyone else in my familyーmy hour of precious solitary free time. But now it seems like today, it's gone.

Darn, and today was the day I needed it the most!

Ms. Sakine gives me the test, leaves the room, and kicks the door closed behind her.

I disdainfully walk back into the classroom and sit in a random desk across from the only other person in the room; a quiet girl with long white hair who I don't really know. She has a large black ribbon tied in her hair, a large blue ribbon on her white uniform, and a bit of a lonely look in her eyes. We've only been in school for three weeks, it's normal not to know who everyone is yet.

But this girl seems especially distant, not just from me, but from the whole class. I do notice that she's usually absent. Come to think of it, I've never even heard her speak before...

I don't even notice I'm sitting by this girl until she gives me uncomfortable looks, as if she's being shy. She's fidgeting and looking away from me whenever I happen to glance, as if she can read my next movement.

I suddenly feel like I'm bothering her. I can tell she's likely the shy type who can't really have anyone sitting with her when the feeling in the room is this tense. I know because I understand the feeling perfectly. I mean, it's so silent and vacant in here that I can hear the rain drumming on the roof outside.

But I can't bring myself to get up and move to ease the tension. What would she think? It would feel awkward and... rude.

So to break the frigid mood just a bit, I smile at her. It's just a little passing-by-type-of smile. I hope it doesn't look too cheesy or anything... I don't usually smile at people.

Her eyes expand for a split second before she lowers her head down. Her long bangs are now completely covering her upper face so I can't see the look in her eyes. She seems really shy.

Even a bit sad...

Or rather, like something is bothering her. I hope she isn't being bulliedーI don't tolerate that kind of stuff. So to try to help her out a little...

"Hey." I say, cringing because my voice sounded a bit more awkward than it needed to. "Do you need... any help on the test? Don't worry, Ms. Sakine's out of the room. We won't get in trouble."

I'm not the one for any sort of school help (especially not math), but what else could I say?

The girl doesn't budge from her disposition, but seconds later, I see she's nodding a bit. I guess just to be polite.

I look down at her test. We're both on that problem with the dumb unit circle and the right triangles. Problem is, I barely even can figure them out...

She's still tucking herself away and I become concerned...

"What's wrong?"

The question flies out of my mouth clear and consolingly.

The girl shakes her head.

She's stubborn. I can still tell that something's wrong. I decide to ask more gently.

"What is wrong? You can tell me. I want to help..."

I have no idea where those words came from, but they were indeed true. I liked to help people in need I guess. I just never got the chance to before, really.

I can hear her sigh, she's fidgeting with her pencil again. Suddenly, in a shaky voice, she speaks.

"I... wish I weren't alone."

My eyes fall wide open. She sounded like she was about to cry and a part of me couldn't bear it.

"Because no matter how much I try to change myself and make friends, it never works... I wish I had a friend who I could make smile and help out, but..."

The girl's voice cracks a tiny bit and I hear her sniffle.

"But the only thing I do is fail tests like this, and mess up everything... All I ever wanted was just to have a friend. Someone who treats me with kindness and I can treat kindly in return. That is my wish, and it never came true..."

After she finishes talking, she wipes her eyes with her school uniform's long sleeve. I see her tremble a little bit, hiding her face below where I could see it, wiping her eyes more.

I feel my heart soften. It was as if... she had just poured her heart out.

Did she pour her heart out?

To me?

I'm dead in my tracks... I want to comfort her. But I don't know how. All I know how to do is say words.

I take a deep breath and try to answer.

"Then... all you have to do is not believe you truly are alone."

My voice echoes throughout the quiet room. I look at her face, it's still hidden under her bangs, but I want for my words to reach her.

"Because... if you open your eyes, you'll see... you'll see tons of friends around you if you just believe you have them!"

I barely even understand what I'm saying. I wonder if I even helped and I suddenly feel so... pathetic.

I still can't see the girl's eyes, but I see her mouth open a bit. The silence consumes the room and I hear the rain falling even harder.

I speak again.

"Because... from now on..."

I brace myself. I'm about to say something I never thought I'd say in a hundered years.

"...I'll be your friend. I'll stick with you, okay? Promise."

My face instantly turns a little red. I sounded so... unlike myself. I just hope I was able to console her.

Surprisingly, the girl lifts her face to me in a bashful way. Her eyes are large and she appears to be a little bit shocked with what I said. I instantly feel a little bit better.

I notice her pupils; they're dark red, just like mine. It's easy to notice because red eyes aren't really common.

Slowly forming her face, is a subtle expression of gratitude. I see it in her wide eyes.

I'm not used to such an expression being directed towards me.

I... feel a little good inside.

"So... what's your name?" I ask her.

"Yowane..." she says quietly, in a shaky voice. "But... you can call me by my first name, Haku, if you want."

"Okay... than you can call me by my first name, Akaito." I kindly say back.

Haku still seems a little shy. She opens her mouth, but no words come out.

"Um... if you need help, then I'll try to help you, okay?" I offer.

"Okay..." Haku says in a small voice.

I wonder what else to say to her.

"By the way, 'Haku', it's an odd name. Not like it's bad. It's kind of cool." I say, trying to change her mood and take her mind off her problems,

"Well, Akaito is also an odd name." Haku smiles suddenly. I roll my eyes just a little at her but soon I find myself laughing a bit. I'm glad she's smiling. Even though it is at my funny name. She has a nice smile.

"My name is written with the kanji for white." she says, opening up a bit more.

White, huh. It did fit her pretty well. It was the color of her hair after all, and it was a quiet color just like her.

"My name is written with the two kanji for red, and thread." I say in response. "It's a little bit embarrassing, since a red thread is the symbol of love... I'm not into that stuff at all."

"But that means... we both have color names." Haku says, a little bit amused.

"Hey, you're right."

I feel a bit closer to her already, as if a certain warmth had crawled through us.

As soon as it feels comforting in here, Ms. Sakine comes back in the room.

"Shion, Yowane! Quit talking and do your work!"

She yells before she slams the door again.

Oh crap! We totally forgot we were supposed to be doing work!

After school, we walk home.

The rain lets up only for this hour. The sky is still overcast and the atmosphere is a somber grey. A small bit of melancholy lingers in the air, and I realize it's because I'm unsure if I made Haku truly happy back there.

She's walking on the other side of the slide walking path from me right now. She's the type who looks at the ground when she walks. Once again, her bangs are covering her face, making her look even more secluded.

I silently wish for her to be able to open up. I just can't think of what to say.

I find out Haku lives nearby me because our paths don't part long after we start our walk from the building. Eventually, we end up talking again.

"So, um. Didn't you say something about wishing you could make people smile?" I ask her curiously.

Haku notices I'm trying to talk to her and nods shyly after a few seconds.

"It is my dream, I guess I could say. Just to be able to make the world a better place. For years, I've dreamed I've doing it. But one day I guess I just grew up and realized I couldn't. The real world... it doesn't work the way it did in my dreams. It takes more than just little smiles to truly change anything..."

"Oh..." I sigh a tiny bit. I can understand how she feels.

But she just said the word "dreams". The word "dreams"...

I feel an idea come to me suddenly.

"Well than, that doesn't mean you should give up on your dream." I say to Haku. "It can happen. Smiles can come from many things after all. And who knows, maybe you can change the world with a smile.

"...Thanks." Haku utters after a pause. She's still carrying her umbrella over her head even though it isn't currently raining. I notice she's twirling the thing a little. I guess it's how she fidgets.

Her house is before mine. It's quaint and has a gentle atmosphere around it. It must be all the lavender growing in the fields at the front, or how so much of her house is a soft white.

Right before she leaves, the light rain returns and shrouds everything in silver.

"It'll get better." I say to her after I wave goodbye. I'm unsure of if she heard or not.

Anyway, I had a plan.

That night, I thought a bit about Haku. We were friends, right? Friends? I think that's the word. That's a bit of a new word for me.

Having a friend feels... kind of strange and new. But good.

She seemed like an interesting girl, even though she was a bit sad and I truly wish she wasn't. But it also really seemed like she liked cats and I was a bit surprised to hear she didn't have a pet. She had a kitten-themed backpack, and had doodled small kittens and stars all over her math test after all. (Haha. She even slacks off on work like me. That's cool.)

But wait... a vision comes to me. It's the bluish dome with the star patterns... I'm suddenly floating, and the tip of the ceiling resembles the starry sky at night. It's the place I call the dream chamber! From here, I can enter any dreams footing around the space and control them.

I realized I had been sleeping the whole time as I thought about Haku. Since I was thinking about her first and foremost, the closest dream floating above me is hers.

I wonderingly peek inside, curious concerning what kind of things Haku would dream about. I remember my plan from earlier. Now if my powers could still work...

I bring the vision closer to me. Sapphire blue water stretches out until there's the horizon, and the sky is a delicate periwinkle. It's the ocean.

I'm looking from Haku's point of view, seeing the landscape through a house window which is covered in gradient-blue jewels. In fact, blue stones and jewels decorate the room around which was a pearly white. She must've been in a building that was floating in the middle of the sea!

I escape Haku's point of view and roam my vision around the landscape. The outside of the building is a light blue and is decorated with shells. This building is a skyscraper, rectangular and jetting out from the clear water. It's a unique, elegant structure, patterned with a lot of swirls and similar imagery. It looks like kind of like a strange hotel.

In the middle of the sky, I see a gigantic silver circle that almost stops my heart. It's glowing, illuminating the entire sky. It's the moon! It's so huge I can see every dark shimmering crater and even it's texture, like a titanic-sized pearl. I'd say it's even taking up a fraction of the sky, it's so huge.

After I marvel at the sight, I return to Haku's point of view. Her dream is interesting and soothing so far; I decide to stay for a while.

But when I look through her eyes, I notice suddenly that she's crying.

Tears begin to clog her vision. Suddenly the fantastic surroundings don't matter a bit. She's curled up in a dark blue corner and she's sobbing. I somehow get the vision of Haku being a lonely princess, trapped alone in her huge water castle, surrounded by jewels but with nobody to talk to.

I think about earlier in the day, and feel that the dream must be reflecting her mood. She's crying because she's lonely. Even though it's a dream, the emotions are from real life. They're from her poor heart.

She's hopelessly alone.

But I can control dreams.

I was going to chase Haku's sadness away. I was going to remind her that she has friends. If I keep doing this the nights she needed, it'll purify her heart little by little.

I think about exactly how to pull this off. I can't create a human being to console her. Not only does it take too much imagination, but a human being just can't be replicated in a dream. I think of an alternative.

A cat.

Haku really likes cats, doesn't she? A kitten would be the perfect thing to warm up her heart.

I use my imagination to create a tender white kitten. I place it down one of the wide hallways and it scurries to the edge into the entrance of the room. The kitten curiously peeks it's small head out from the corner and gives a sweet mew.

"Meow!"

The sound makes Haku lift her head, brush the tears from her eyes and look around.

"Who... who's there?" I hear her voice ask.

She gets up and wanders around the room, of which I can see now in even more detail. It has such a mystical feel to it.

The cat walks out from the hallway into the room Haku is standing in. The small white puffball runs to her legs and playfully rubs its face on Haku's feet once it sees them.

"Oh..." Haku gives a cheerful giggle.

"Meow!"

The girl kneels down to pet the kitten, it stands there sweetly and begins to purr as it gets its fur stroked kindly by Haku.

I can tell she's is really happy now. She likes cats, and white's her favorite color, right?

Haku picks up the kitten, carries it back to her spot and the cat curls in her lap and purrs.

"Aww..."

And now, instead of being in tears, Haku is smiling. And the moment is picturesque.

But suddenly amid the perfect peace, there is a loud crash and other things begin to shake and shift. The azure scape all around her begins pounding. Glasses from shelves fall and shatter with a dissonant noise. Suddenly, it looks like the building is sinking deep into the sea. It's a terrifying vision and even I feel uneasy. My blood is pounding inside of me like the roaring of the disaster itself.

I hear yells coming from Haku. A nightmare is coming to ruin her peaceful dream!

The sea hotel-thing was sinking. How was I supposed to save Haku from this? My imagination's limits stopped when an object was this large; too large to fit in my vision...

Fit into my vision... that's it!

I could trail far enough our of sight for the entire building to fit into my scale of vision. Then from there, I'll be able to make it levitate back out into the surface!

"Zoom out..." I think to myself. It works, this structure is becoming farther and farther out of my vision. Soon it will all be visible...

Soon... yup, soon. Any time now...

It doesn't work! No matter how far I zoom out, the building is too tall to be in my frame of vision at one.

How tall was this building? Right now it seemed to have hundreds upon hundreds of floors. It's more like a beam than a building. Goodness, I hope there's elevators in there! Or else!

Oh, it's much too tall... my imagination would never work on it.

But as I'm about to give up, the white cat I created minutes ago jumps out from the water. My mouth falls open. Who knew that cat was a super-kitten!?

"Meow!" it says, suspending itself in midair. For a second, it looks like it has the ability to levitate... wait, that's it!

"Do you have to power to levitate things?" I ask the cat.

With another meow, the little kitten nods at me excitedly.

Everything becomes still. The cat closes its starry-blue eyes, faces the tower with an intense concentration and... wow! Everything lifts out of the water!

I feel dumbfounded. Did I imagine this myself? Or is it this kitten I created doing things on its own?

Either way, Haku was now saved from her sinking building, provided that of wouldn't start to sink again.

The cat meows at me once again and floats all the way back to the hotel. It's a long distance, but it makes it back in a quick bit of time.

I change my vision back to Haku's point of view. She's worriedly pacing the glossy corners and corridors of her room, calling for her cat. But just as her eyes become a bit misty again, the cat jumps up and lands into her arms.

"Oh, there you are! My kitten..."

Haku delicately rubs the kitten's soft neck, and the cat curls up in her arms and yawns.

"Aww..." she squeals again.

"Myeeah." the kitten squeaks too. It almost looks like it's grinning.

I spot a music box laying on the floor near them, and for the final touch, I make it play a soothing tune. It wraps up the entire scene in a special feeling.

It's a rather endearing scene. Too much cuteness for me. But everything is good again at least. It's time to leave now.

I smile because my work here is done. I turned Haku's nightmare marathon into a sweet kitten dream, so now I can finally drift back off to sleep...

But it's hard to. I'm curious about the land Haku was dreaming about. It felt so realistic, yet surreal. I've never felt anything much like it, not even in another person's dream.

Haku's imagination must be incredible. Either that, or this is a place she's actually been before...