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....
