The next morning, as Madotsuki was getting dressed for her outing with Poniko, she couldn't help but go back to the previous night's dream. Who was the girl? Why was she in such distress? And what was this feeling of remorse bubbling over inside, when Madotsuki herself had done nothing wrong? Madotsuki had never before felt something as strong as this ever before. What had she done to deserve this hurt and heartache?
Poniko knocked on the bathroom door. "Madotsuki," she called, "Are you ready? I'd like to get to the bookshop before noon." "I'll be out in a minute!" Madotsuki replied. She stared into the mirror as she began to braid her long brown hair. After hours of brushing and grooming, this quickly became her favorite ritual. It gave her peace of mind somehow, a feeling that she barely had time for with fast-paced high school life. She had never had long hair before, for it had been stubborn to grow even an inch. Now, after nearly eight years of patient surveillance and care, it reached her hips like a cascading chocolate waterfall. Once she was finished, she smiled at her reflection, and turned to exit the room.
However, she wouldn't get away that easily…
Suddenly, Madotsuki was struck by an overwhelming pain in her chest. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to breathe through the aching. When she opened her eyes, she saw herself kneeling in a pool of blood, a kitchen knife clenched in her hand. There was blood everywhere, so much that she thought she was standing in an ocean of it. There was blood on her face, her clothes, in her beautiful chocolate hair… But the knife didn't have a single drop on it. She felt sick and struggled to fight of the nausea as the smell of iron wafted through the air. "What's happening to me?" she said, "Who's blood is this?" She closed her eyes, repeating over and over again. "Just a dream… Just a dream…"
"No, it's not a dream!" a familiar voice shouted, in an angry booming way. Madotsuki looked up. Standing before her was Poniko, covered in blood. She had been stabbed several times in the chest. "Poniko," Madotsuki cried, "What happened to you?" Poniko looked down in disgust at her friend. "You happened to me," she scoffed, "You spilled my blood, and now I curse you to an eternity of the nightmares you put onto me in my last moments!" Madotsuki's heart broke into pieces. Tears poured from her eyes. "But… You're not dead! I know it! You're just outside the bathroom door!" She screamed, "This is just a DREAM! This isn't REAL! I just need to wake up!"
The room began to shake. Madotsuki could hear glass shatter and crack. The very ground erupted and began to cave in around her. "No…" Poniko said sadly, "Don't… Don't say that!" Madotsuki began to yell louder. "IT'S JUST A DREAM! NONE OF THIS EXISTS! I WANT TO WAKE UP!" She shut her eyes tightly. She could hear Poniko scream, a bloodcurdling screech… And then nothing.
When her eyes opened again, Madotsuki was on the bathroom floor, dazed but physically fine. She looked up and viewed her surroundings. She was still in Poniko's bathroom, not a single scarlet spot to be seen. Her mind was now far from the girl in her dream; it now rested on Poniko and her safety.
Madotsuki slowly pulled herself off the ground and straightened out her clothing. She turned the doorknob and exited the room, to find a waiting Poniko. "Good, you're okay!" she said in relief, "You were so quiet in there, I thought you passed out." Madotsuki was bewildered. "Quiet?" she asked. Ponkio nodded, "I sat out here waiting for you, and not a peep." Madotsuki thought back to the vision. She was screaming, wasn't she? No, she couldn't have been. Poniko proved it herself. But what about the bloodied Poniko? The shattering glass? And all of the blood…
"Oh, yes. Quiet… Of course." Madotsuki replied. Poniko smiled and walked down the hallway. She looked back her friend. "Well come on," she said with a smile, "While the day's still young!" She giggled, then disappeared around the corner. Madotsuki followed her all the way to the front door, where they found their way to the sidewalk outside. They were going to have a great day, she was sure of it… And yet, still Madotsuki was cautious. She would avoid anything dangerous today, especially after the bathroom incident.
As the girls walked, they began to gossip, like teenage girls often do. "So are you sure that Mr. Kyuu isn't your type?" Madotsuki teased. Poniko shook her head. "He's actually really creepy, kind of a pervert, actually." she said, "I heard last year that he has keys to the girl's locker rooms, and that he's been in there alone with one of them. She was going to press charges on him for feeling her up, but she suddenly dropped them. Since then, nobody's seen or talked to her except for her parents, who say that's she's very sick. And her little sister…" Poniko stopped for a moment, hesitating to go on. Madotsuki was puzzled. "Her little sister…?" she asked, confused. Poniko spoke seriously now. "Her little sister has been in and out of mental therapy for months. She claims that her sister was trying to protect her from Mr. Kyuu. Of course, no one believed her, either." Madotsuki was shocked. Could this be true.
Poniko tried to perk up again. "But, that's all just rumors. Who knows if it's really true? I mean, if it was, the whole city would know about it, right?" she said, trying to reassure herself. Madotsuki nodded. "Yeah," she said warily, "Just rumors." Poniko thought a moment, then spoke again, "If it was true, that would mean Monoko and Monoe were being abused. And look at them today. They're a pair of happy, healthy girls. Mokoko's such a sweet little girl, and Monoe is the smartest girl in school.. Obviously, they've had wonderful childhoods." Madotsuki nodded in agreement. "Very true." she said.
As they rounded the corner and walked onto the string of local shops that they usual spent their days exploring, Poniko and Madotsuki changed the subject to a much more lighter note. "The book store's right up ahead," Poniko exclaimed, "And the big sale ends in an hour." Madotsuki nodded. As the two approached the doors of the store, Madotsuki released all the nightmares she had faced in the last 24 hours from her mind. Right now, the only thing she was focused on was spending the weekend with her best friend.