Chapter 2: A Door to the Nightmares
As the first game begins, Yume slowly woke up after recovering her hazy condition because of Kabuto's whisper about the Seven Stages of Nightmares. She felt strange as she remembers about this place. On the sheets before her, she saw her katana and clothes with her Konoha forehead protector and a letter. She took the letter to see that it was from Kabuto and opened his letter.
I'll see you when you see the door to the seven nightmares, my dearest Yume.
Kabuto
Yume became shocked as she knew that Kabuto already using her as his puppet after she woke up and realizes that his game already began. She wondered about the door to the seven nightmares that Kabuto mentioned it after she read his letter.
"A door to the seven nightmares? I have to find that door, but... something's strange all the sudden." Yume thought.
She changed her clothes and putted her forehead protector around her forehead and took her katana with her as she's about to find a door to the seven nightmares. Her attire consists a black kimono with a gray sash around her waist and a white sleeve on her right arm while her other arm wasn't wrap with bandages because of Kabuto's tending, white pants above her ankles, and low-heeled, open-toed sandals.
While looking for a door to the seven nightmares, she sensed eerie feelings towards her and almost fainted, but then stood up. She panted as she used her Byakugan, she searches every door beyond the seven nightmares. However, she can't find the door of nightmares.
"I can't give up. I must find that door!" Yume focused, and she found the door with nightmares as she feels darkness towards her. "There is it!"
She ran to the door with nightmares, but that made her feel unconscious as she saw the door beyond the nightmare and almost knelt down on the floor. She almost passed out from using her Byakugan to find a door beyond nightmares and then stood up. When she touches the door with nightmares, she feels nightmares towards her that they are waiting for her impatiently as she became shocked and trembled.
"That feeling... I feel nightmares," realized Yume as she senses nightmares that are waiting for her impatiently.
"Well done for finding that door, my dearest Yume," Kabuto congrats as she saw him appeared after she found the door with nightmares.
She knew that Kabuto would come after she found the door with nightmares because of his letter.
"The Seven Stages of Nightmares. The door leads me to the seven nightmares, am I right?" she inquired after she realized about the door with nightmares.
"Yes, these nightmares are waiting for you impatiently, my dearest," he answered as he realized that Yume knew about this place.
"Waiting for me impatiently?" she replied as she became hesitated and confused. "What did you mean, Kabuto?"
He grinned slyly and backed her against the wall near the door beyond nightmares. When Yume was against the wall besides the nightmare door, he caresses her face gently as she became uncomfortable while she was confused and hesitated.
"I enticed your true feelings into emotionless feelings in order to begin the Seven Stages of Nightmares. And also, I'm a host of the game from now on, my dearest Yume. You're the challenger of this game, but you can't give up once you'll enter the door." answered Kabuto.
She pushes him away from her by touching her face and still can't trust him as a host of his game of the Seven Stages of Nightmares because he enticed her feelings into emotionless by whispering her about the Seven Stages of Nightmares to make her in a hazy state. However, she confused about entering the door of nightmares and cannot give up as the game already just begun.
"I can't give up? Why? What did you mean I can't "give up" once I entered the door to nightmares?" she asked once again, wondering about the door and the game about the Seven Stages of Nightmares.
"Three years ago, challengers failed to defeat them and then ended up dead if they failed to complete the game. This time, I'm using you to complete the game in order to survive this game," he answered.
Much to Yume's shock after he gave a reason about the door to nightmares, a game about the Seven Stages of Nightmares, for him, of course, as a host due to Orochimaru became less interested and gave up this place, she can't believe that he already used her as a puppet.
"I'm not your puppet for your game. Like I told you before, I can't trust you." she said. "Why did you used me in order to let the game began already, Kabuto?"
"To survive by using your strength and solitude, my dearest Yume." he answered. "Seven opponents you will face against are the Seven Shinobi of Nightmares. They killed challengers in humans' subconscious of dreams as nightmares."
She didn't realized about her strength and solitude in order to survive Kabuto's game of nightmares. However, she wondered about the Seven Shinobi of Nightmares.
"Seven Shinobi of Nightmares? Seven opponents I must face against, but how strong are they?" she thought as she first heard about them.
"The Seven Shinobi of Nightmares, are they powerful?" she asked in wonder about the seven shinobi of nightmares.
Kabuto knew that Yume wondered about the six nightmares excluding the seventh and the last nightmare once she'll enter the door.
"Six nightmares are powerful, but the seventh and the last is still unknown," he answered.
"Unknown?" she inquired.
He knew that Megami was the leader of the seven shinobi of nightmares, however, Ryoji was a puppet leader while she wasn't here for the former games after she chose him as the eighth nightmare.
"Once you complete the last game of the seventh nightmare, you'll be free from my game, my dearest Yume." he answered honestly.
She was unknowningly surprised that she'll be free from his game of nightmares if she complete the last game of the seventh nightmare. However, she can't tell that Kabuto was telling the truth or just lying to her if it is his trick to deceive her.
"Are you telling the truth, Kabuto? I still can't trust you if you're lying," she explained as she knew that she still can't trust him if it is a trap and he might lie to her as a trick.
"I'm not lying, my dearest. Why would I do that? Once you enter the door, you'll find someone and he will protect you during the game," he explained with honest.
"He'll protect me during the game?" she thought as Kabuto convinced her about someone that he will protect her during the game.
"I have to find him during the game, right? I accept your game." she answered as she finally made her decision in order to complete Kabuto's game for her.
"Good, don't fail during the nightmare game once you enter the door, my dearest Yume. If you fail to complete the game like the rest of the former challengers before Orochimaru-sama gave up this place, you'll end up dead quickly," Kabuto mentioned as he grinned when Yume finally decided to survive his game unlike the former challengers before Orochimaru gave up.
Yume knew that she can't give up his game of nightmares and won't die easily like the former challengers before Orochimaru gave up this place and then Kabuto became a host of his game of the Seven Stages of Nightmares. She have to win the game and she'll be free from being Kabuto's captive as she began to enter the door to nightmares. She became trembled when she felt nightmares, but she opens the door and enters as she walks towards to the nightmares that they are waiting for her impatiently for so long.
"I have to survive during the nightmare games. I have to win in order to be free from being his captive. I can't run away or give up easily." she thought. "And also... I have to find someone who will protect me that Kabuto mentioned during the game."
He grinned as he watches his dearest enters the nightmare door and the door closes itself after Yume entered. "Now... let the game of nightmares begins," he remarked after Yume entered the door of nightmares.
With Yume's survival during a game of nightmares hosted by Kabuto, she must find the boy who will protect her during his game until the seventh and last nightmare of the final stage.
