Well...

Things are starting to reveal themselves, connections are soon to be made clear.

There's a lot still to come so I really hope you guys enjoy this :D

Getting a rush of ideas to fill a few gaps so gonna keep working on it, I really can't wait to start revealing things X3

Keep dropping reviews, I love all your feedback 3


Red.

Everything was red.

I couldn't see.

It was like the light had become a fog.

Fog so thick I couldn't see my hand, even when it was mere millimeters from my eye.

There were voices.

So many voices.

All whispers.

Murmurs in the fog.

I walked.

I didn't even know where.

I just felt like I had to move.

Walking.

Constantly walking.

I felt like if I stopped, I'd be trapped in the thickness of the fog.

It was getting harder to move.

Harder to breath.

It was too thick.

Solidifying around me as I forced myself forward.

One voice broke through.

Clear as if it's owner were right beside me.

"RUN!"

The sudden sound startled me and I almost stilled.

"NOW!"

It was a new voice.

My gut froze.

The feeling was back.

Someone was watching me.

Their gaze trained on me even in the solid mass of fog.

"RUN!"

And I did.

The eyes followed.

I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

"-to get out-"

The same voice spoke again.

Another responded.

I recognised that voice.

It was that woman's.

"-ank you-"

"-no time! You have to go now or-"

"I know".

Their conversation was broken, fading in and out of earshot.

I was running still, pulled forward by some invisible force.

The two voices died out.

I was alone in the fog.

Fighting to continue forward as the fog continued to thicken.

I tried to take another step only to feel my foot stick.

The fog had it.

I couldn't move.

Couldn't get out.

Trapped.

Suffocating.

It was getting thicker.

I had to get out.

I needed to breathe.

I fought.

I tried everything.

Forward.

Back.

Side to side.

I was being trapped.

Engulfed in the fog.

It was trapping me entirely.

The eyes still there.

No help came.

I had to get out.

I needed air.

It was too tight.

Too thick.

I was stuck.

The fog was creeping closer.

I felt it.

I was starting to breathe it in.

It filled my lungs.

Became solid inside me.

I couldn't breathe.

Someone was watching.

They wouldn't help.

They just watched.

I was going to die like this.

Trapped in fog.

Watched but alone.

I had to get out.

It was getting dark.

I wouldn't last long.

I had no strength left.

I could feel my mind fading.

The fog closing in entirely.

It was so hard to breathe.

I couldn't move my body.

My heart was slowing.

I was going to die.

Alone.

I had to get out.

The world shook.

For a moment everything froze.

The fog shattered around me.

I was lost.

No idea what happened.

I felt arms around me.

Shaking.

Couldn't figure out what though.

I opened my eyes, unsure of how they'd managed to close.

The fog was so solid it had trapped them open.

I blinked, trying to figure out where I was.

A familiar voice broke through.

"Natsuki!?"

"Shiz-uru?"

I was pulled up into a tight hug.

I panicked for a moment, remembering the fog, only to relax into the warmth that had not been there before.

I returned the hg and began to register Shizuru's tears on my shoulder, her body shaking with sobs.

"What's wrong!?"

"I was so scared Natsuki. You were barely breathing. Your heart was so slow. I thought you were going to die".

"What?"

"I don't know, you started getting really restless and that woke me and then suddenly you started to have trouble breathing. I thought I was going to lose you!"

I sat myself up and gave Shizuru a firm hug.

"It's okay. I'm okay. It was my dream. I had no idea it was actually affecting my body".

Shizuru had a shirt on and asked me to put one on myself.

I took the one she gave me and began to put it on.

A knock sounded on the door.

Shizuru got up quickly to answer it and I registered blue lights flashing through the open bedroom door.

I moved to get up and was quickly caught by Shizuru who pushed me back down so I was sitting on the bed.

Two women followed her in in paramedic uniforms.

Now I knew why we were both in shirts.

I turned to Shizuru with a questioning glance.

"I didn't know what else to do. You wouldn't wake up and then your breathing…"

She let out a shaky sigh as I gently took her hand, holding it firmly to comfort her as the paramedics quizzed me.

Tests were taken and they couldn't find anything wrong with me at all, save for being ever so slightly out of breath and a bit clammy from the dream.

They seemed confused and turned to Shizuru to ask her if maybe she was overreacting to something small.

I knew they were doubting her reason for calling seeing as I was perfectly fine physically.

I cut in and told them briefly about the dream and how sometimes my dreams affected my body. Shizuru wasn't used to that as she hadn't seen it before and that's why she had called for help.

They seemed more satisfied with my reasoning and understanding seemed to dawn on them at the connection to the dream.

They told me to come in for more tests if I felt anything off at all in case there were underlying symptoms that hadn't surfaced yet.

I promised I would and they were on their way.

Shizuru was still clearly very shaken.

I glanced at the clock noted it was nearly 3am.

"I'm so sorry I scared you. I haven't had a dream that's affected me physically for years so didn't think to mention them. I'm so sorry".

I pulled her into a hug and gently rubbed her back to try and calm her down.

"I- I was just… scared I might lose you. I couldn't bare it if I lost you".

"I know. I can't apologise enough".

"What was the dream?"

I proceeded to tell her not just about the dream, but about the feeling of being watched I'd had earlier.

I knew that feeling was what triggered the dream as that feeling was present in it.

Knowing the dream seemed to help her calm down more though I could tell she wanted to quiz me more about the feeling of someone watching me.

I shook my head, telling her it was probably nothing to worry about as I didn't feel anything bad, just like someone was watching.

That seemed to give her some comfort as she dropped the subject.

I shifted us back so we were lying down properly as I moved the hand not held protectively round her to trace idle patterns across her abdomen under the shirt she had on.

I could feel the tension seep from her as she shifted closer to me.

I felt her hand tug on the hem of my shirt and though I still blushed at the thought of undressing in front of her, I sat up to remove it, settling back down next to Shizuru once more.

She had also somehow managed to wiggle out of her shirt and was snuggled up to me in an instant.

I resumed the idle patterns, feeling her relax more and more.

I felt terrible, I never wanted to scare her or hurt her.

I didn't think those types of dreams would ever come back.

I hadn't had them in years.

And to have one that bad for Shizuru to learn about them, it just made me hate those dreams, my past and everything that had been before I met Shizuru that much more.

I felt a soft sigh beside me and glanced down.

Shizuru was relaxed enough to start nodding off in my arms.

I continued to trace the patterns until I felt sleep tugging at me.

I allowed myself to fall into a light doze but kept myself out of deep sleep to avoid another dream.

Shizuru slept soundly through to the alarm we had set so I could make it to training.

Shizuru gave me a tight hug and I returned it with a gentle kiss.

She smiled and pulled the pillow I had been using down to cuddle with in my absence.

I found it adorable that she did that every time I had to get out of bed before her.

I took a quick rinse off to clear myself of the last dregs of sleep and to wash away the last hints of the dream.

I donned a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a simple black vest before sneaking silently out to grab a banana fro the fridge.

It lasted all of two seconds as I still had to put on my trainers and make it to the training ground in time.

Grabbing the bag I had prepared the night before with a change of clothes, towel and everything I needed for a full shower after training, I left the house, pulling the door quietly shut behind me.

Setting the bag over my shoulder and positioning the strap snugly across my chest, I set off at a brisk jog, hoping to wake myself up a bit more whilst warming up in the cool bite of the morning.

I cut through the university, speeding up a bit to get the blood flowing to my limbs a bit more as they felt a touch sluggish in the cold.

I arrived a few minutes early and was surprised to see only Miss Maria waiting at the meeting point.

"I'm sorry but am I late?"

"Not at all. You're early and it seems you've already warmed up".

I sighed in relief.

It would not be a good start to the course I wanted to do to be late for the first day of training.

An odd silence followed.

Neither of us knew anything about the other and there were no topics either of us could think of to break the silence without being incredibly awkward.

Nao came jogging up shortly after me and sent a grin my way.

"Looks like you're starting early".

I knew she was referring to the friendly competition we had agreed upon for this course.

I shrugged and said nothing, knowing that would annoy her as she seemed to thrive of verbal jousting.

I knew I was better at the silent game so stuck to my own game instead of catering to hers.

I could tell she was relishing the challenge and I couldn't wait for the training to start.

Though I noted an underlying pain flash through her eyes, ever present and sometimes forefront.

I didn't let on that I'd noticed anything but I was a little concerned by it.

As more and more students slowly turned up, Nao came over to point out that for every minute you were late, Miss Maria would give you an extra set of exercises to complete at the end of training before you could go.

She seemed to be tallying next to every name that hadn't arrived yet and I cringed as the last few turned up still half asleep and 20 minutes late.

Miss Maria marked a final tick at the base for the sheet and cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention.

"Good morning. I'm glad to see some of you can read a clock and follow basic instructions. For those of you who failed to perform the basic task of arriving on time, I have a special incentive to ensure you think twice before being late again. For every minute you are late, you have 5 push-ups to do today. This task may be small for those who were only a few minutes late but some of you have 100 to do at the end of training before you can leave".

I saw faces drop at that.

Now I was really glad I had made sure to give myself plenty of time.

"But before that, you shall all participate in exercises, both individually and in teams. Do not slack off. Anyone who feels like they don't have to give 100% and make it will have to redo the entire task however many times it takes until you are pushing yourself to your limits, as you should have in your first attempt. This is not a bird course. You can't fly through easily just by turning up. You are training to be out there, protecting and helping people and if you only give half in training, what reason will we have to believe you will go all out when you enter the real world?"

The logic was there but some people still seemed outraged by how seriously this training was being taken.

Without any further chat, Miss Maria set us straight into drills.

Stretches, followed by exercises, then team challenges.

A few different routes on the obstacle course, some solo and some in teams.

Nao and I were always paired together.

It seemed she was grouping people with similar skill levels together.

She then asked who had prior martial arts training, splitting those of use ho had into a separate group.

She quickly paired us off and set us up sparring while she turned to the beginners, getting right into teaching them basics steps and defenses, attacks would come later.

I was paired off with Nao again and I was excited to see how much she knew.

We squared off, both sizing each other up, trying to spot any weak points we could aim for.

Neither one prepared to go rushing blindly in as all the other pairs had.

Finally I felt ready to make a move.

A step in and a few jabs, gauging how Nao moved.

She took a few hits and blocked the others.

I knew she was trying to get a handle on my strength.

I held back, not wanting all my cards out and I knew she was too.

She took a turn, I mirrored her reactions.

We slowly got a feeling for each other as the sparring became faster, more precise.

We slowly increased the energy we put into our strikes until we were both going head to head at a faster pace than I'd ever had to fight with only one opponent.

It was thrilling.

I was having to use moves I had only learnt in theory, practicing motions in the back corner of the library.

I sensed stillness about us and figured the rest of the group was watching us go head to head, neither willing to give an inch.

We were both going strong, our stubborn personalities pushing us to go at it harder.

We had a few good hits each, but for the most part we defended just as well as we attacked.

I knew I had stamina, strength, height and agility on Nao, all of which she knew as we continued to learn about each other through punches and kicks.

Basically, Nao had to pull some miraculous trick to end this before she got too tired to continue.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see how she'd go from here as Miss Maria called the end of training.

She listed off those who had to stay for additional push-ups and told us when the next training would be.

The groans that sounded were spectacular.

No-one with half a mind would dare being late again after this.

I was glad we had a day of rest before another early morning training session.

I held my hand out to Nao who took it in a firm shake.

"You fight very well for a pup".

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What, you kinda reminded me of a lost puppy when you came here the first time".

I scowled at her though there was no heat behind it.

"You only have a year on me, you know that right?"

She shrugged in response before leaning down to rest her hands on her knees.

"Damn, how are you not tired?"

"I had a lot of time to train and build stamina".

"Oh?"

I shrugged, not willing to share details of my past this soon after meeting someone.

"Wanna grab a bite?"

I considered it for a moment and remembered that Shizuru's timetable was full all afternoon so I wouldn't be able to meet up with her anyway.

"Sure, why not?"

I sent a grin her way before realising the state we were both in.

"You want to get a shower first though? I could really use a quick freshen up".

"Fair point, I could use one for sure".

I nodded, miming gagging as Nao walked past.

"Oh shove off".

We both laughed and I was pleasantly surprised to realise I had just made a new friend without them being a friend of someone I already knew.

Nao led me to some showers in the SU that were hardly ever used according to her.

She had said the gym showers weren't worth even considering, comparing them to a toxic biohazard site of sorts.

These were much cleaner as not many people knew about them and I was grateful for the warm rush of water despite the slight burn my cold skin sent through me as the heat flowed over me.

I showered quickly, towelled and changed before stepping out of the cubicle I was using.

Nao's shower was off and I began to worry when I didn't hear any movement for a while.

"Nao, you okay?"

I heard a small sniff through the door.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute".

I could hear the strain in her voice.

She was trying to hide that she'd been crying.

I wanted to help but the way she had responded hid an unasked question.

'Can you not ask me about this? Can we pretend you don't know?'

I nodded, more to myself than to her but I stepped out, telling her I'd be waiting on one of the benches outside.

I heard her relief in the thanks she called after me.

I was still troubled by the sudden turn of events, but I knew she didn't want to talk about it, so I bottle it in.

I turned to watch students pass by.

It helped distract me as I waited for Nao to emerge.

A few minutes passed and she finally came out.

You would never have guessed she'd just been crying.

Her mask of happiness was back in place and I said nothing, asking instead if she had somewhere in mind to eat.

She nodded, but held me back for a moment as I began to walk on.

"Listen, I know you know. I've been through the wringer but I'm managing. Please don't worry about me".

I nodded.

"I understand. More than you could ever know, I understand".

She caught my eye and I gave her a glimpse of the pain I hid in me, watching as she relaxed, realising I really did understand.

We may have different reasons for it, but we both held a great darkness, pain and fear within ourselves.

"If you ever need to talk it out-"

"Yeah… Thanks…"

I knew she'd probably never take me up on the offer but at least it was out there.

"Well, shall we get going? There's a new place I haven't had a chance to go to yet if you're up for it?"

I nodded, happy to let her lead the way.

As we found the larger, diner style restaurant, we were led to a smaller booth right near the bar.

It wasn't long before we put our orders in, hoping to get our food in a reasonable amount of time as we noticed the growing numbers in the restaurant.

The waiter brought over our drinks and told us it would be about ten minutes for food.

We thanked him and turned to the drinks.

Just as I was taking a sip of mine, Nao went straight into questions.

"So, how'd you get into running? I don't find many people our age as good as you".

This was going to be a long meal, I could feel it.