Hi folks! I know it took a little longer to post this chapter. I've been working 12 hour shifts 6 days a week recently, so I kinda forgot about my creative pursuits a little bit. Sorry for the delay! I hope you guys like this chapter, as I feel like my story is fleshing out nicely. I want to thank those of you whom have left reviews – I've said it before and I'll say it again: for me, reviews are a real treat. I love to get them! Encouragement and support is great, and suggestions/critiques/questions are always welcome. Traffic has blown me away too…. Over 500 views?! You guys rock!

On to Dream Princess, ENJOY!

- This piece is FFBF (For Fans By Fans) and is entirely non-profit -

CHAPTER 4

The handshake evokes an incredible stunning effect this time; it's much stronger, almost magical. Brilliant white light floods Mamoru's sight, and as it fades, a light blue aura remains, surrounding Tenoh Haruka. Just the same as last time, it's as if electricity raced up from their connected hands, straight up his body, and into Mamoru's brain, buzzing with supernatural power. Then, a little like the double vision one gets after drinking too much saké, there's a fuzzy image covering the blonde man before him, softening his features just enough to look feminine. This blurred overlay also appears to be wearing a revealing sailor school-girl uniform as a gaussian layer over his, or maybe her, current attire, and there is a glowing sigil on their forehead. Almost as quickly this vision appeared, it fades and vanishes. Mamoru releases Haruka's hand and takes a shuddering breath. Alarm bells are going off in his head; he feels a significant familiarity with the ghostly vision which is at odds with a feeling he recognizes as more instinctual, but also severely guarded and wary, buried in his psyche. After another deep and steadier breath, he meets Haruka's eyes and is surprised to see his, or her, pupils constricted to pin-points and that their body is as rigid as a statue. He feels frozen too, and watches as Haruka gulps and blinks a few times before breaking the tense silence between them.

"Mamoru-san, did you see something just now? An image, like a camera out of focus?"

"I ….may have." He says, falsely calm. Thankfully, Haruka merely nods in apparent understanding rather than reading further into the tone of his answer. They sit wordlessly for several minutes, both obviously shell-shocked and processing the fact that they had just shared some sort of vision, while wide awake, all as a result of shaking hands. Haruka is the one to speak next, appearing to have worked through the initial shock.

"Have you ever owned a tuxedo?" She suddenly asks him. Mamoru doesn't answer right away; the word 'tuxedo' reverberates through his mind, but whatever memory it's attached to is a rarified as smoke.

"No, never even rented one." He answers, giving up trying to trace the slippery memory. He is a little unsure how to ask his own questions regarding what he had just witnessed. Since seeing the faint overlay moments ago, Mamrou now recognizes the almost completely hidden feminine curves and stature of Haruka's form. This revelation adds an extra layer of complication he hadn't expected, so he attempts to choose his next words carefully.

"Haruka-san," he starts, worried about the reaction he's about to get, having never asked this type of question, but he follows his instinct and presses forward, "please don't be offended – but do you always dress as a male?"

Haruka shows a minimal reaction to the question, and answers in a polite tone, showing no evidence of being offended, startled, or put out in any way, much to Mamoru's relief.

"Almost always." She answers comfortably, giving Mamoru a moment to digest this response. Her gender is rarely called into question by someone she barely knows, and Mamoru seems to take her answer well. Then, suddenly thinking of the reason she's been dressing this particular way recently, Haruka decides to reveal more details from her memories of their shared dream, hoping that it will encourage him to continue opening up.

"In fact, I wear these exact clothes whenever I try to walk off the effects of the dream we both seem to have. My dream-self wears this outfit," she pauses, coughing into her fist, "and it feels silly finally saying this out loud, but I thought it might help clear things up if I at least dress the same as I do in my dream." Mamoru had jerked his head up at her mention of a clearly different perspective,

"You can see yourself in the dreams?"

"Only sometimes," she answers, tilting her head to the side a little, "Are you saying you can't?" Mamoru shakes his head 'no' in response, then concentrates for a moment on this new information before answering in a heavy tone, "However, I feel like I'm wearing something heavy and formal, maybe even a cape or cloak. Armor too, like an ancient King or Duke or something." He laughs and looks at Haruka with a light blush. "Silly, right?" She remains tense for just a moment, eventually relaxing with a slight grin before answering.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Sometimes, I feel as ancient and tired as Fuji-yama – that I've been around since the times of Kings and Gods. Silly too, considering my true age."

That got Mamoru thinking; he really had no idea how old his partner in misery was. So, he got the ball rolling.

"I'm 2nd year high school, myself."

Haruka nodded in response. "I'm first year. Doing well too, all considering." She ended in a scoff-chuckle. Mamoru understood what she meant. He too was doing well enough in school. Surprising, considering he would spend his hours after waking from the dream walking anywhere the moonlight led him, instead of putting those hours to good use studying. He worried though; where would he find the energy to figure out which field of study he's most adept at and should pursue for a career if these dreams wound up to be never-ending? Could this dream princess be found? Would the dreams finally stop if he found her here in Tokyo?

Mamoru suddenly slams his fist on the counter, rattling their coffees. Haruka's hackles flare only for a moment before she immediately sees the tremor shaking Mamoru's whole body.

"If only we could just find her…" he trails off. The jealousy he had felt yesterday after meeting Haruka and learning that the beauty in his dreams was also reaching out to "another man" had been replaced by utter confusion. Why was this glowing spirit imploring both him and another woman with identical earnest, begging for their help, clearly straining both their hearts with her gentile pleas? With vigor still lingering underneath the confusion, he looks up from the countertop.

"Haruka-san, what do you think this woman, or princess, or goddess, or whatever she may be, needs so desperately that she would send cryptic visions to both of us, but not suggest anything further than what she repeats each time?" He asks. He notices her sigh ever so slightly as she gently stirs her coffee. He watches her watch the rippling liquid and notices a softening in her gaze and posture.

"The darkness surrounding her; the world crumbling, falling apart; tears flowing from her large, watery eyes as she begs us to search for people and things…" She pauses to see Mamoru nod encouragingly, so she continues, at last describing her whole dream aloud.

"In my dreams, a dystopian world fades into existence before me, and it appears to be falling apart; swallowed by a growing darkness. A beautiful apparition appears at a distance from me, glowing in comparison to the throbbing murky hues surrounding us. Before the expanding dark danger can reach her and me, she opens her striking eyes and speaks to me. Her words and tone are begging, but simultaneously demanding. Her words are always mostly drowned out by the impending destruction, but I can hear her say that the Silence is approaching; probably a metaphor for the mayhem brewing in the darkness surrounding us. Then, tonight, she said something more. She had added that and I must find 'the Messiah'….."

Mamoru watches her, clearly dumbfounded. Sure, parts of her description mirror his own dreams, but some of what Haruka has supplied doesn't match what he has recalled thus far. It leaves a stirring in the pit of his stomach, tugging at his intuition. He decides to jump in with his own information, as they are now certainly working together, and he feels they are on the verge of some discovery, at long last.

"Has she said anything about a crystal?" Mamrou asks, not hiding some of the first excitement he's felt since calling himself a victim of hallucinations and dreams.

Haruka nods to show her understanding that they are in full investigative mode now.

"I think so, but it's hard to say. Sometimes, I can't tell if it's spoken words I'm hearing, or feelings that seem to form their own words."

Mamoru doesn't have to say anything; his posture and expression show that he knows exactly what Haruka means, so she continues.

"I want to say I've heard the word 'crystal' at some point. However, I think it was 'crystals' – so plural. Does any of that trigger anything with you Mamoru-san?"

"Nothing new, unfortunately." He deflates a little. "At first, I couldn't see any of her features in the darkness, just a silhouette. Of course, I see and remember more details each night, but the scene seems to stay the same. She hadn't mentioned a Messiah to me though. At least, not yet…" He trails off, noticing the amber glaze of dawn hitting the top of the building next door. He decides to take his leave and get a good half hour of studying in before school starts. He gulps down the remainder of his coffee and stands up.

"I'm going to back to my place and then school. " He pauses." Do you think you'll be here again tomorrow?

Haruka shrugs, "Unless I can actually stay asleep, I'll be here to commiserate." She says with a wink he imagined makes girl's hearts flutter. Mamoru grabs his jacket and book bag and steps out into the breaking dawn.

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