– DISCLAIMER START –

So I reuploaded this chapter and it's completely different. I changed a lot... as in the whole thing. It's a little more complicated but it's all good! Tara has been replaced by Maya because I liked Maya better / I don't play Tara that well...

YYH & all original things belong to Yoshihiro Togashi. Stacy belongs to me, hope you don't hate her / that she isn't a Mary-Sue. This chapter is from her perspective - enjoy!

– DISCLAIMER FINISH –

A world within one's mind – dreams. Some say they're bliss, others say they're nightmares. I would say that falling asleep only amounts to a living hell. Every time my eyes close a flash of somebody else's memories flood my mind. These most recent… they've been the best definition of horror I've ever come across. The terror isn't in the memory, but in the idea that somebody had to live out that hell and has the curse of calling it their past. Whatever thing lived through that hell couldn't be called a monster or a demon, but it's the best word I can come up with.

Deep blue eyes snapped open quickly. She had stopped breathing at some point and because of that the burning in her lungs only built as she laid there trying to collect her thoughts. A deep breath was taken in as she tried breathing. With that gasp of sorts for air came her sitting up in the bed, strands of red falling in her face as she sat up. Rolling her shoulders and stretching her body a bit the redhead started her way toward the window across from her bed. She moved to open it, grunting at the work and effort she had to put into sliding it open. Her hand then reached to grab the cigarettes and the lighter on the table beside the window. Lighting it up, she then moved her hand to open the curtains fully, letting in the light. Another grunt escaped her before she knit her brows to protect her eyes from the light.

Turning her head she picked up her cell phone off the same table. A few missed calls and a few texts. She scoffed at the messages, asking if she was alive or available for getting food later. Dialing her voice mail, she began listening to the messages. Most asking the same as the texts, the young woman on the other end of the phone could be heard as more and more frantic as the messages continued. Setting the phone down on the bed side table, not bothering to hang the phone up, the redhead made her way toward the bathroom. Her cigarette still lite, she gave herself a once over in the mirror above her sink.

Bags under her blue eyes, red hair pulled back in a messy bun to keep it off her neck at night, a pair of baggy black sweat pants and a white tank top. These things had been keeping her company through her slumber. If one could call it that. She would pronounce it as a horror show if asked to give it a title.

It didn't take her long to make her way into the shower. Once out of the shower, her pantless form made its way over to the bed and sat down on it Indian style. Reaching over and grabbing her phone from the table, she began fiddling through a few apps. Then a message was sent to let the frantic young lady know she was alive. She frowned at the screen before moving her fingers through her red hair, twisting the ends to get the hair to dry with a natural curl. The length reaching the bottom of her shoulder blades, the majority of the hair lying on her back atop the black sleeveless band t-shirt. The shirt was cut, reaching up above the girl's stomach. Modesty obviously wasn't something she spent much time considering.

"You worry too much." She complained to the phone – although it was addressed to the young woman. She tossed the phone to her side on the bed and then heaved a deep sigh lying back on the bed. As she stared at the ceiling, her thoughts of the nightmares during her cat nap began to consume her again. Slowly her eyes began to narrow. Even more slowly her eyes began to close. A grunt escaped her, then a yawn. Her eyes closed with the yawn but they didn't open back up. Her breathing then started changing, now a more relaxed pace; sleep was starting to sound like a grand idea.

Eyes closed, her mind began wandering through the nightmares – through someone else's memories. Over the past few nights they'd gotten worse, almost as if something – or rather, someone – who was just as cursed as she was had shown up and gotten on her psychic radar. Sickest part had to be the fact that she couldn't track him. A few words had been mumbled through her lips before she suddenly started drifting off to sleep. At first nothing, only darkness consumed her mind. As she started settling into sleep, the memories started back again.

I'm fighting so hard to protect something. My advisory isn't very impressive, some lower class scum. He didn't even bother to introduce himself or give a name. A long snout, fangs, claws, a dark colored skin… none of these things mattered to me at the time of the fight. I planned on decapitating the demon and making my way forward, but he was dead set on getting my gem. The fight didn't last long. As he continued to pursue me I continued to protect my gem. The stone tied tightly around my neck, I made an effort to try and place it under my shirt but he never gave me the chance. It seemed I had underestimated the demon.

I turned my head to catch myself, a cliff was behind me. Because I had turned the demon gained the upper hand and cut the gem from my neck. His mistake was the same as mine. Because I had fallen off the cliff to dodge his attack, he took his eyes from me to try and catch my stone. I plunged my sword into the side of that cliff and used it as leverage to send my body flying back up toward him. I pulled the sword up with me and his head separated from his shoulders with one movement from my sword. Although I had won the battle, I had found I lost the most precious thing to me. My stone was gone and with it, the lead to finding-

Blue eyes snapped open with the sound of a knock. Those same eyes searched around the room, as if to find what had been lost in the dream. Her body wasn't covered in a cold sweat this time, which would have been unfortunate consider she had just showered. The voice from the other side of her door snapped her out of her strange state. It was always so difficult to separate herself from the memories upon waking.

"Stacy? Hey! Stacy! You just sent me a text, I know you're here!"

The voice was all too familiar, but the expression on the redhead would say that she didn't want to speak with whoever was behind the door. Or it said that whoever was behind the door proved useless and a bother. It couldn't be further from the truth. Her eyes scanned the ceiling before she moved to start toward the door. Bare feet tapped the floor. On her way over, she grabbed a pair of white torn jeans and pulled them lazily up to her waist. Opening the door, the redhead stared at the brunette on the other side.

"I thought you were dead!" The brunette complained before shoving the redhead by her shoulders.

Stacy narrowed her eyes at the brunette and watched as the young woman made her way into the house. The redhead just grunted, moving her hand to rub the back of her head and a yawn escaped her. Moving her foot toward the door, she shut it making her way into the kitchen area of her one room apartment. "Coffee?"

". . ." the brunette's silence was enough to hint to Stacy that Stacy had asked a stupid question. Though she hadn't received an answer, she continued making the coffee. The brunette took this opportunity to begin her lecture. "Alright, let's stop and think about this a moment. Since I started college, you decided not to go to school and instead started playing medium with the spiritual and demonic realms for all the local baddies – against my better judgment. That being known, you tell me before you go out on any of your little medium adventures."

Stacy yawned.

"Yesterday afternoon you told me you had a job and that you'd make contact with me the second you got back to your apartment." The brunette had been pacing back and forth with her hand on her chin in thought. When she had stopped, Stacy arched a brow at her while leaning against the kitchen counter. She was simply sleep deprived. Knowing this, the brunette simply continued her lecture toward the dull eyed redhead. "Now, I know you couldn't care less either way if you live or die, but I do! I care! I care a lot!" Reaching her hands out to the redhead, she grabbed her shoulders and began shaking her. "So next time, just shoot me a text before going comatose! I was up late worried about you and then I could barely sleep and—" She stopped only to glance down at the redhead's waist. Sad redhead was trying to hide her smirk. She wondered how long it would take the brunette to notice the unzipped pants. "Could you please zip up your jeans at least? You're so indecent. What if somebody came to your door and you were dressed like that?"

Neither Stacy's posture nor expression had changed even when shaken. She just stared at the brunette before trying to hide a smirk. She wondered when she would get a complaint about her pants. Instead of zipping them, she decided on a snarky remark. "I guess I'd answer the door."

"This isn't funny." The brunette quipped.

"I thought it was."

"You would. Wait, did you just wake up?" Moving her hands from the redhead's shoulders, she had noticed her wet hair. "How late did you get back last night?"

Stacy shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know… nine-ish?"

"And I didn't get a text?"

"I was trying to sleep."

"Key word, 'trying'?"

Stacy rolled her eyes and nodded. "You know me."

"Whose memories this time, do you know?"

"Not a clue. But the S.O.B. needs to shut the back door of his mind."

"That doesn't sound fun at all… are they as bad as the last one?"

Stacy scoffed. "Please. I wish. This thing is a whole new level of horror. I think this guy wrote the book on terrifying." As if talking of the weather, Stacy had made her way to the fridge and gotten out the creamer. "You like this one, right?"

The brunette nodded, than sighed. "Crap like that, Stacy is why I worry when you don't text me back in a twenty-four hour period."

All the redhead did was shrugged her shoulders at the comment. "I lead a dangerous life filled with crap you don't want me to talk about. I never asked you to worry, so you can't blame your worrying on me."

"I can and I will. Hey, speaking of blaming things on me, we should go out to the pizza joint down town."

"Why? You hate pizza."

"True."

"So why pizza and not some sucky sushi joint?"

"Because, my dear, you like pizza. We haven't hung out in forever, I miss you." she pouted. "Plus it's your turn to pick the place we eat and you love pizza."

Stacy just eyed the brunette, who was currently on her phone. She made her way toward the finishing coffee maker. She grabbed a cup from the cupboard and began making herself a cup of coffee. There was a lingering thought that her friend wasn't sharing. The brunette was either too enthralled by what was on the phone or she was trying her hardest to find the best way to word the real reason for inviting Stacy out for pizza.

"And…" the brunette continued.

"Here we go." The redhead reached to pour herself a cup of coffee, putting into the coffee cup a pack of hot chocolate mix and a little bit of milk.

"There may or may not be a chance that some really cute guy is there. At least, that's what my sources tell me." She began focusing fully on her phone, tapping the screen and swiping it as needed.

Stacy's expression had been dull before but now it was dead panned. Her eyebrow slowly twitched as she glared at her friend. "You're kidding me." Now she was giving her friend a disapproving glare.

The brunette noticed the silence that fell after that last comment and looked up at her friend. The glare mixed with the silence said Stacy thought her pathetic. She just blinked innocently. "What?"

"It's Minamino, isn't it?"

"No…" the brunette lied.

"Uh-huh." Stacy plopped herself onto the bed, balancing her coffee cup as to not spill the liquid on her bed.

"What?"

"You're so predictable." Stacy laughed out.

"I'm desperate!" The brunette complained.

"You mean, pathetic."

"I'm only human! How can you not find him attractive?" An exasperated sigh was released as she leaned back in midair to relish in the thoughts of Minamino. She then looked back at Stacy in shock. "Are you queer? Should I be worried?"

"Only for you baby. You know what I like." Her tone leaked of sarcasm.

The brunette glared at the redhead. "Look," her glare faded and excitement took her face. It was almost as if she were an investigator only inches away from solving a case. "Megumi said she saw him there two minutes ago via Twitter. He looked like he was waiting with a friend for somebody to show up. If we get there before them, we're bound to be able to talk to him!"

"Mm." The redhead began to protest while swallowing some of her coffee. "Don't rope me into this." She wiggled her finger toward her friend.

"But if I go alone…" the brunette didn't want to admit that her friend was right.

Stacy picked up on it though, and gave a smile. "You'll look pathetic?"

"YES. Now will you come with your pathetic friend so she can talk to the man of her dreams please?" She admitted.

Stacy moved from the bed, reaching for her jeans and zipping them completely while making her way toward her closet.

The brunette's eyes lit up. "S-So you'll go with me? I knew you couldn't resist him."

Pulling on the sleeves of a white hooded sweatshirt, Stacy glared at the girl just before throwing the sweatshirt over her head and pulling it down to her hips to meet with the top of her jeans. Raising a hand, she pointed an accusing finger at the girl. "Let's get this straight. I'm going to watch you get turned down for the millionth time by the guy. So we'll go, I'll order and eat pizza, you'll go talk your heart out, he'll be the douche was born and bred to be, and we'll leave while you sulk. The only upside to this adventure is the fact that I get pizza."

"I will not sulk. And this time will be different! I've got a new approach."

"You treat him like an animal to be hunted."

"He is pretty foxy." The brunette winked to further the joke but Stacy just rolled her eyes. She had slipped on a pair of socks and was now shoving her feet into a pair of old beat up leather boots. No accessories save a piece of leather cord wrapped around her wrist a few times to make an effort to look like a bracelet of sorts. The brunette moved to follow suit, moving over toward the door and smiling while shoving her phone in her pocket. She glanced at Stacy, looking her over for a moment. "You're going looking like that?"

"You're the one trying to impress him," Stacy shoved her other shoe on. "Not me."

"It's just so… bumish. But whatever."

"Let's just get this over with…" Stacy's eyes followed the brunette as she exited the room. Her shoulders rolled as she heaved a sigh, wondering for a split second if this would be the best idea for her friend.

Ever since middle school the brunette had been obsessed with the idea that Minamino had something to do with her memory loss one night. She had asked Stacy to meet her at her house late one night, saying she had scored a date with Minamino earlier that day and wanted to talk to Stacy about it. Though when Stacy made it to the house, the brunette was home with no recollection of the previous hours – as if it had all been a foggy dream she couldn't remember. On top of that, she was bruised from top to bottom in random places. Stacy was convinced the girl had gotten drugged or date raped… but none of the symptoms had shown. Since then, Stacy had blamed Minamino for the whole thing. Even Stacy could reach out to the memories – it was as if they had been erased completely but no energy trail was left. She could only figure that the memories had been erased by an outside source; something the brunette had ate or drank, perhaps even smelled.

Be all that as it may, she's hated the brunette's obsession with Minamino. Not only because she thinks the male redhead to be dangerous – annoying, rude and a play-boy as well – but for a much more selfish reason as well. Since Stacy could remember upon meeting the brunette she was obsessed with Minamino, his biggest unknown fan. The guy had a fan club dedicated to him at their school, a legitimate club! But since Stacy had pointed out how stupid the club was, the brunette decided to dedicate herself to trying to win the redhead over without joining the club. Still, the brunette's obsession was something Stacy was jealous of in a way. It took more president in the brunette's mind than Stacy even did. Which is the only reason she agreed to go on this little pizza adventure of theirs; she was in hopes that Minamino would show his true colors under the pressure of two girls fawning over him. Maybe he would buckle and say something stupid to set the brunette off.

Stacy could only hope.