Chapter Four: Kindness and Cruelty

The room was dark, the shades drawn. An open door revealed the scent of peppermint and incense smoke, the scent that would usually lift his spirits.. But now, nothing. Nothing could. Except....
He collapsed onto his bed, flame-coloured hair fanning out onto his pillow, looking oddly enough like a halo. A halo.... Angels had halos, didn't they? Angels.... The word repeated, over and over in his mind. Angels.... He had once known an angel. His name was Ran...
Soon, it came to be too much. He couldn't stand it.. The loneliness of the room, lit only by a burning candle... The smoke of the incense, thick in the air... It pressed in on him, tried to choke him. He needed a way out...
There was a way. He knew it well. But should he...? He mulled over the question a moment, before deciding. Yes. He should.
"...Kaimin..." His voice was soft as he spoke the name, soft as velvet, soft as silk. Such a name..... For a moment he waited, then spoke it again. "...Kaimin..." Ah, it wouldn't matter if he took a moment. He would come... He always did.
The flame of the candle flickered slightly, as if disturbed by moving air... Or perhaps, someone. No... not someone. Not a mere someone... This someone was a Someone. A someone with a capital S. Schatten's eyes opened halfway, waiting. Waiting...
It took a moment, only a moment. It was a sight the German had seen so many times before... The darkness seemed to collect all into one spot, twisting, turning, then finally... Glowing, not with darkness but with something.. something more than darkness. The very essence of darkness, the 'ness' of it... A darkness that was far from evil. Far from evil...
//Good evening,// Schatten mentally whispered to the figure which was now seated at the foot of his bed. The greeting was a mere bit of unnecessary politeness.... Because, really, for this person... It was always evening. It was always night time....
"You called me, little one?" His voice was gentle as the sound of snow falling, whisperous. In the dim light, Schatten could just barely make out his elegant face, framed by long locks the colour of blood...
//....Yes, Kaimin-sama,// he replied. //I did. I... need to speak to him. You know.... Ran.//
The god of pleasant sleep frowned ever-so-slightly, silver eyes flickering. "You know I don't approve of any of this, little one," he murmured, reaching out to gently touch Schatten's face with a pale hand. "You could get hurt, and Ran could get hurt, and neither of you is sleeping much as it is... Such things as this drain you. Are you sure....?"
Schatten nodded slightly, gnawing his lip. He knew. He knew well... He felt it whenever he Crossed, whenever he even considered it.... But he didn't care. No... He didn't care.
The god closed his eyes. "....All right, then. If you're certain. But, be careful.... Please, be careful." And as he gently kissed Schatten's lips, the mortal felt himself falling into a deep sleep.....

The world went from dark to light, murky to bright. Where was he...? Oh, yes, he remembered. It always came as a shock to him... Going to sleep and ending up in this place. Such a place.... A place of gods, of sleeping souls.... A massive library, filled with dreams. Such a wonderful place...
He breezed in, glancing about before leaning on the desk before him, smiling at the minor god who sat there.
"Yume-sama... I've come for the dream...."
The god looked up, bright orange bangs falling in his eyes. "Huh? Oh... It's you again." He blinked for a moment, as if he had difficulty recognizing him, then shrugged. "Ah... Well... I did keep the book for you, but..."
Schatten frowned slightly, arching an eyebrow. "But what...?"
For a moment Yume was silent, then shook his head, sighing as he opened a drawer of the desk and removed a large white book. "....Never mind," he murmured. "It's nothing..." He placed the book on the table, staring at it a moment, before whispering, "..... Take it. Just take it, and go."
The god's mind was a blank canvas to the telepath, shielded against his probes. He tried to hide the confused look on his face as he took the dreambook, pausing a moment before opening it. And then, the whole world fell apart....