To Sleep, Perchance to Dream - Hamlet, William Shakespeare
The woods are bathed in darkening gloom. It is not the purplish black shadow of twilight or the bluish blush of sunrise. Instead, it is the ominous sepia darkness that coats the world in dark orange-brown before the arrival of a violent storm. Through the thick vegetation, Ren finds himself running. His legs pump, and his arms swing in time.
Darting down a path known only to the forest's four legged inhabitants, he vaults over a huge fallen tree trunk. Ren is startled to find that his body barely clears the obstacle which should have been no issue for his long legs to hurdle. Ren glances down his body in concern and finds his limbs and torso much smaller then his current size. Though gangly in a manner of young boys who just experienced a growth spurt, the young boy is no where near the adult Ren's height. A moment of uncertainty invades Ren's thoughts, and he pushes himself harder. The young boy sprints in wild abandon as if pursued by the demons of hell or as if chasing after an elusive yet desperately desired prey. He weaves between bushes, jumps over small water filled gullies, and darts around ancient trees. His lungs gasp in protest at his physical effort as a slow burn develops in the muscles of his legs. Despite the pain, Ren continues his flight as if driven desperately towards an unknown destination that seems to call to his very soul.
Shifting scenery slowly transitions from the plant life and loamy earth of the wood to the concrete and stone of an urban jungle. Once again, Ren realizes his body has changed. His expensive cross trainers pounding on the asphalt and his own ragged breath are the only sounds in the eerie stillness of his early teenage haunts. Despite the scenery change, the overwhelming need to find what is lost crushes into his consciousness and the blond haired, wild eyed boy of 14 can do nothing but respond to the call to continue his race against an unknown foe. Storefronts, darkened alleys, and vast parking lots flash past him as his feet carry him further on his uncontrollable yet life sustaining search.
Once more, scenery slips from the strangely empty streets of Los Angeles to the teeming streets of Tokyo. Despite the sudden appearance of humanity into Ren's vicinity, he finds no comfort. Faceless masses flow around the still sprinting actor as his long legs propel him through the familiar streets of his current home city. If anything, the strangely silent people only further emphasis Ren's desperation to reach his unknown destination. The distraught actor soon finds himself careening down busy yet still silent hallways at the LME office. Sprinting through open doorways, Ren transitions with the seamless continuity that can only happen in dreams from the LME office to various location shoots from past and present projects. Each film or model location ultimately leads back to a busy LME hallway where the actor once more finds himself searching frantically for something that is missing. At the end of the hallway, a huge door looms. For a moment, he sees a fading figure pass through the door. For some reason, the actor knows that he has to follow. Unfortunately, when he reaches the door, he slams against the fire bar handle but nothing happens. The door refuses to budge no matter how hard the actor slams against the cold, metal portal. The mind numbing burn of his muscles and lungs is quickly replaced by nausea and fear in the pit of his stomach as Ren can do nothing but pound hysterically against the damned door. His fear spikes once more as the hallway is eclipsed with darkness that slithers rapidly in pursuit of the panic-stricken actor. As the looming shadow engulfs Ren in its chilling void, the actor screams.
Flailing desperately against the constriction of his bedding, Ren wails. The echo of the shriek reverberates across his empty bedroom. Drenched in sweat, he shifts from the tangled sheets to sit along the side of his large bed. Elbows on his knees with his hands holding his throbbing head, the visibly shaken actor attempts to regain control of his rebelling body. His breathing slows, and his body begins to still as the dream fades. Unfortunately, the fear remains.
Fans scream as his music reaches its climactic end. Fuwa tosses his microphone carelessly over his shoulder. He raises his purple silk clad arms in the air and tilts his head slightly back as he absorbs the waves of adoration and desire pulsing from the crowd. Sho brushes his fingers through his sweaty hair in an attempt to tame his blond mane. His fingers rub a couple times against his tiger striped cat ears while his matching cat tail snaps in time with the pulsing waves from the audience.
The musician steps towards the edge of the stage and finds himself surrounded by dozens of clambering, scantily clad females. A gorgeous red-haired teen rubs her own black pussycat ears against Sho's chin before she shifts to rub her voluptuous chest against his forearm clasped passionately in her arms. The stage quickly becomes nothing but a screaming, writhing mass of bodies pressing desperately against Fuwa. The blond can't help but moan in appreciation of the soft and erotic sensations coursing over and through his body. Hissing cat-fights between fans erupt in the periphery of the randy Tom cat musician, but he cares not an iota about the flying fur. For the moment, he is trapped in the press of flesh, tails, claws and heat. Groaning, his body finds release from the burning in his blood and the frenzy of cat fan girls swells anew.
Coasting along on the pink tinted tail of his pleasure, Sho raises his eyes towards the roof of the amphitheater which has seemingly disappeared. In place of the darkened lights and steel reinforcements, a huge colored string dangles enticingly. The golden, fuzzy yarn teases the musician. Unable to control himself, Sho extracts his arms from the still pressing mass of females and bats at the slowly wiggling distraction. Grinning in innocent joy, the musician wraps his arms in the coil. He finds himself being pulled towards the darkened sky by his distracting string. His feet leave the floor as his fans' claws suddenly attempt to thwart his unexpected escape. Fuwa twists his body in a desperate attempt to evade the not longer pleasant fondling of the mass of flesh on the stage.
With a final kick and twist, the musician pops free from their claws and sails into the darkness beyond the known.
Free from the heated press of bodies, the Sho cat finds himself scooped into the tender arms of his childhood friend. Unlike the frenzied feeling of the pulsing stage, a sense of peace seeps into Sho's body as he is settled into Kyoko's silken lap. His hands press and knead softly into the folds of her soft skirt.
"Silly, Sho-chan," she teases in a laughter-filled voice as she begins to scratch behind his furry ears.
A softly musical purr rumbles from his throat as Kyoko continues to innocently pet him. His eyes become heavy and as the Sho-cat closes his eyes to sleep, the real Sho opens his greyish blue eyes to stare at the ceiling of his apartment.
A deep sigh escapes his body as he shifts from his bed and stumbles into his bathroom.
Pealing off his uncomfortably sticky pajama bottoms, Sho chooses to focus on the contentment from the end of his dream instead of the distinctly less innocent start. A soft smile, devoid of any ill intent or even ego, settles on his lips as he lathers his washcloth with soap and clears away the less savory remains of his initial wet dream. The warmth and satisfaction from his reverie remain as the rest flows away under the cleansing beat of the hot shower.
"Dada?" calls a sweet little voice that accompanies an insistent tugging upon his pant leg.
"Yes, Princess?" Hikaru asks as he turns his attention from the simple dinner he is preparing to the glowing eyes of the three year old who continues to pull demandingly on his clothes. The young man wipes his hands on a towel before squatting down closer to the inquisitive child's level. He opens his arms, and the tyke throws her chubby arms around her father's neck. Standing once more, the former LME idol places his daughter on the counter and hands her a small carrot piece.
"Dada, is Mama come home soon?" asks the little pixie with a serious tilt on her expressive face. Just like her mother, the little girl can convey a myriad of emotions effectively with just her face. Also, just like her mother, the little girl has her father wrapped securely around her tiny little finger.
"Well, Princess, your Mama will not be home until really late this evening. It will be well past your bedtime when her flight finally arrives," explains Hikaru to the suddenly pouting child. The little girl crosses her arms and purses her lips.
"Princess misses Mama," intones his daughter seriously.
"I do too, Poppet but Mama has finished up her shoot for her newest movie and so she should be home for a couple weeks now. We'll have a lot more time to spend with her starting tomorrow."
The little girl furrows her brow in deep concentration.
"Is Mama with Uncle Nichi?"
Hikaru laughs as he lifts his golden-eyed daughter off the counter and places her safely on the floor. He reminds his little princess that her mother's last movie, a silly comedy about mistaken identities, was with her Uncle Shinichi and that this one is being filmed in America with her Grandpa Kuu. Hikaru expertly shifts dinner into the oven before returning his attention to his daughter.
"That's why we had to ride on the airplane so long each time we recently went to see Mama. Remember? You had a really good time playing with Grandpa Kuu and Grandma Juli and the big house with the big puppy, right?"
His daughter nods and gifts him with a joyful smile that tightens his chest and reminds Hikaru so much of her mother. The indulgent father contentedly helps his little princess through the mundane yet still special chores of the evening. Dinner, bath and finally snuggles on the couch flow peacefully through the dream-scape. The father watches in amusement as his daughter fights valiantly against sleep as she tries her hardest to remain awake late enough to see her mother when she finally arrives home. With a chuckle, Hikaru turns on the stereo and the gentle voice of his best friend filters into the room. Placing his nodding daughter back in his arms, he settles back into the seat. Hikaru sighs as Yuusei's most recent recording fades and a new song drifts into the silence. The former idol sighs as he realizes he will need to start writing again soon since his buddy will be back from tour in no time at all and most likely will be clamoring for new lyrics and new melodies from him. With a guilty look, Hikaru glances at his guitar and his keyboard sitting idle in the corner of the room.
"Later," he promises himself as his warm gaze settles instead on the sleeping head of his daughter resting peacefully and protected in his arms. A wave of contentment washes over Hikaru as he contemplates the magic in his life. A large grin spreads across his lips and lights the childish twinkle in his eyes as he hears the soft clicking to signal the lock disengaging on the front door. A few moments later, a tired but still gorgeous Kyoko leans down and places a soft kiss on Hikaru's temple.
"You didn't need to wait up for me," she softly scolds as her fingers tenderly smooth the soft, dark hair resting against her daughter's forehead. The little sprite sighs happily in her sleep as if unconsciously aware that her mother has finally returned home.
Standing with his arms still holding his precious bundle, Hikaru can not help but smile adoringly at his wife. Their daughter is not the only one who has missed having the actress at home.
"I will always wait for you, Sweatheart," he replies softly as he presses his own welcome home kiss onto his internationally famous wife's lips.
A loud bang shatters the quiet dream and Hikaru opens his sleepy chocolate-colored eyes. He glances towards the door of his bedroom where he can hear his sister slamming the bathroom door just moments after her slamming bedroom door awoke him. The LME talent sighs and wipes the sleep from his eyes. He pushes himself into a sitting position and glances around the messy room he has been in since his parents bought the home when he was six.
"I just hope I don't have to wait forever," he mutters in response to his most recent in his ever growing repertoire of Kyoko related dreams. A slightly mischievous grin blooms on his face as he catalogs this rather sweet fantasy one into his memory.
"And at least this one didn't involve any chains or whips," he adds to his empty room with a shake of his head.
Koga Hiromune rests his head against the cool porcelain of his toilet. The chilled condensation feels like a gift from a slightly less sadistic god who has taken pity on the shaking lump of a man. A groan slips from his lips and he shuts his eyes in a bid to combat the pounding pain playing a discordant diatribe in his head. After concentrating on his breathing as a desperate relaxation technique, the green-eyed actor falls into a fevered sleep still resting on the tile of his bathroom floor. Although his body is exhausted, he shifts almost immediately into a dream-like hallucination.
Much like the real Hiro huddles on the floor by the toilet, the dream Hiro covers his head with his arm and sink towards the carpet as a plate shatters on the wall above him.
"Get out!" screams his drunken father as he falls into the same repetitive slurs against Hiro's useless American mother who ran off and left him with an equally useless son. The eight year old Hiromune skitters backwards on his hands and feet much like an over-sized crab. His shoulder bumps the door. Sensing freedom, the boy moves like lightening as he rips open the door and flees from the suffocating darkness in the house where he lives. Brushing the back of his hand against his swollen lower lip, the youth wipes away the small trickle of blood from his father's most recent backhand. After a quick look to ensure that no one is in the next door neighbor's yard, Hiro wiggles his lean body through a hole in the back yard fencing and scrambles up the nearest tree. Nestled deep in the boughs of the tree is the slowly rotting remains of a tree fort. The elderly neighbor's youngest child is older then Hiro's father which means the fort has fallen into disrepair. The grumpy old man and woman would be sure to chase the young boy from what they would consider a dangerous hideout if they knew he was there. Disregarding the possible danger from a fall in deference to the true danger at his house, Hiro settles on his back and stares into the darkening sky visible in patches through the lush green leaves of the old wood sentinel.
Hiro closes his green-eyes, the ones so like his missing mother's eyes that they can not help but remind his father about the gaping whole in his life. The child opens his imagination and escapes to the lavish world of his own creation. It is in this world that he can be whoever he wants and face any challenge with the pride and joy that he lacks in his everyday life. It is in these stolen moments that Hiro's acting spirit is born.
A particularly violent tremor sweeps through Koga's inert body. His head cracks against his porcelain throne.
"Damn it!" he hoarsely cusses as he opens bleary, blood-shot eyes. He rolls away from the toilet and lays on his back staring at the seemingly wavering ceiling.
"Whose fucking idea was this?" he berates aloud to the silence of his company apartment. Still feeling like death warmed over, the actor finds himself unable to summon the energy or desire to return to his bed. He flings his arm over his face and prays that a psychotic killer will break into his apartment and shoot him in the head. He figures it is the only way he is finding relief from his self-induced idiocy any time soon.
"Man, I need a drink," he moans pitifully into his unusually dry apartment that he cleared of all alcohol during a moment of strength a number of days ago. He groans once more before falling once more into fitful sleep.
A/N: I have always loved the line I borrowed for the title of this chapter. I even found it cool long before I knew that William Shakespeare wrote anything besides Romeo and Juliet. The quote was used in a particularly disturbing M*A*S*H episode about bad dreams when I was like five and it creepily stuck with me. Amazing what psychologically moving tidbits will stay with you all your life when coupled with images that give you nightmares. Anyway, just so no one has a kittens over the cruelty of Ren's dream versus Sho's and Hikaru's fantasies. Just remember, dreams are often influenced by what happens in reality and Ren's reality right now is very uncertain and scary. I promise that I am not just being mean. Really, truly... - me
