Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.

Rating: G

Summary: Is it love or hate that motivates the most? What is the connection between the Heirs? (AU)

Title: Dreams

By Jaeye

Why don't you wake up, my looove…?

Issss it too dark to dreammm?

Issss it too late to open your eyesss?

I…

I never meant to hurt youuu…

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Darkness was what he saw first… darkness and swirling greyness. It was unlike the usual dreams; there was no sense of time or place, yet…

He was certain that there was someone there… just a few feet in front of him. He reached out and touched his nose, sliding his fingers up to nudge at his glasses – just to make sure, then to his forehead which throbbed with a vengeance. His hand slipped on the droplets of sweat, wetting his messy fringe as he nervously flattened it down.

The fog cleared suddenly like it was swept away by wind, only there was no wind. Peering about, he kept his hand in his pocket, carefully fingering the slender wand that pressed against his thigh. Whatever was out there was not going to take him by surprise… but then again it was just a dream. Why did he need a wand? Nonetheless he kept his hand in its place as he took a step forward.

The floor was wet and slimy, grey with green tinges that looked like fungus. There was the sound of water trickling, no doubt from the cracks that lined the dark cavern. It was underground and seemed strangely cold.

Looove… wake up…

There's no one around, you can ssstop pretending… no point in hiding from meee…

Love?

He took a step closer to the soft sibilant voice, then another… and another. It was so soft; it seemed to come from below. But how could that be?

Farther up the cavern was an engraving of a… he cocked his head slightly, trying to make out the strange wavy lines. If he looked at it with his eyes slightly squinted, it looked like stylised waves of water, overlapping one another. Then again, it could just be a spring.

He turned around, trying to locate the source of the voice again. But there was no other sound now, apart from the quiet flow of water. He turned around and around and around…

Pleassee…

Jusst open your eyess… I'm right here, right beside youu…

There! He took a determined step toward the voice. Careful not to be distracted by the echoes he took another step and suddenly found his feet engulfed by cold. He looked down. Water. He looked up. Those lines again, right in front of him!

Reaching up, he traced the engravings in the wall and wondered - why was the voice coming from a wall? Rummaging in his pocket, he quickly brought out his wand and ran its tip gently over the lines. They seemed to twist and straighten, blurring as they did so until they disappeared. And behind…

There was somebody else in the cavern!

He spun around in sudden fright as something nudged his foot, drawing his attention to the soft pants that resounded so close to him.

Half frightened to look, he bent down and gazed at the dark shape that had touched him. Rat? He gently prodded it with his wand. Prod… Prod…  - "Lumos"

He jerked back in terror.

It was a hand! A soft, brown hand that scratched weakly at the floor, trying to grasp his foot again. He flattened himself against the wall, anxious to get a way from it. It stopped short, scant inches from his robes.

Looove…

Why do you run from meee?

Suddenly it lunged forward and dragged him down and he found himself cradled in a pair of cold arms that pressed down on him so tightly… the cold seeped into his robes and he could feel the rasp of the uneven floor against his back as what had 'gotten' him loomed high, its features concealed by darkness.

Why…? It asked him, swaying as if dizzy.

"Why what?" Where was his wand? He had it in his hands just now.

Why do you ruuun? It hissed.

"I'm not running…" God it was so cold.

Yesss… yesss you areee, I looked… and looked…

Huh?

And looked everywhere but you weren't anywhere…

"But.."

Then I found… you WEREN'T THERE!

It swooped down at him and he lifted his arms to shield himself, barely managing to do so before it was upon him.

I TOLD you that I would find youuu!

He gasped in fear as its features came into view from the halo of light that illuminated the wall behind him, coming from his wand dropped by accident just now.

"YOU!"

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