Shuichi.

No!

Shuichi. Wake up.

N-no! Stop!

Shuichi. You're dreaming. Wake up.

N-- ah? Yuki!

It was a dream.

Ah-- right. Yes.

Wake up.

Okay. Yes.

...

Okay, I'm awake now. Hey, I guess I shouldn't eat so much before bedtime, right? That was dumb of me, huh? I shouldn't have eaten ALL the octopus, AND the okonomiyaki, AND the bubble tea. They always say, Shindou-kun, you'll have bad dreams if you eat before bed-time. Unless you dream about eating, heh...

You woke me up. I'm going back to sleep.

Sorry, Yuki. I didn't mean to. I'll be quiet.

(But he was shivering, still. Eiri put an arm around him, drew him close. Some things are easier in the darkness.)

What were you dreaming about?

I don't remember. Maybe about octopus, huh? Tentacles! All over the place! The hideous mutant octopus, come to stalk those who ate it...

...

Right, Yuki? Did you ever see that movie--

I'm going to sleep.

Oh, now, you woke me up. If you were polite, you would stay awake with me, now that you're awake, and I'm awake-- hey, we could watch the tv that's on at midnight! We could make snacks, and have a party...

Quiet.

....

...

... um, Yuki....

....

...don't go back to sleep.

...

...Yuki...

....

...it was about that time.

...

With Aizawa. And those guys. I was dreaming about that time. I.

Come here.

Yuki...

I scared him. After what I said to him, he'll never do that to you again.

I know. I know... I helped. Remember?

Of course I remember, idiot. I can still see where the hole was in the wall.

That's not a nice thing to say! I was coming to save you!

...

I wasn't going to let him hurt you. I'd never let anyone hurt you. Ever. Ever. Ever.

...

Right, Yuki?

Did you read that story?

Story?

The one I left on the bed.

Oh. That story. Yes, I read it... Yuki! It made me cry!

Why?

What? Um, well, because it was so sad. Not like the other things you write. Well, they're sad, too. But they always end happily.

No-one wants to read a story that doesn't.

This was soooo sad. I felt sorry for her, Yuki. She loved her teacher so much, and... hey, Yuki. Why did you write something like that?

That's my business. I write what I write.

But it's too sad, Yuki! All the girls who read it on the train will cry!

No.

Yes! They will! They'll CRY and cry and...

No. I won't sell this story.

Huh? Why?

I don't want people to know this story.

But... you wrote it.

Maybe you had a nightmare because you read it.

No, Yuki! You give me good dreams.

But what happened in it ... is like what happened to you.

That's not... that's not true. I mean, hey, I wasn't in New York, that time.

I was.

No, you were here... what? Yuki?

(Silence. Shuichi listened to his breath, to his lover's quickened heartbeat.)

Hey, Yuki, you never told me. Why you killed him. When you were telling me, about your past, you never told me why. Did you. Yuki.

...

(...Nothing. Growing up makes no sound. Some things are easier in the darkness.)

Eiri.