( Notes: This is going to be an information-filled chapter, so be prepared. A lot of dialogue, so read closely or you'll be lost. Some of your confusion will be gone after this, but of course, I'll add new things for you to puzzle over .
Thanks to all my reviewers! This chapter is dedicated to all my reviewers, especially PompousPrick, aka...decides not to say the ffn name just in case well, you know who you are.
If you ask, why is this chapter still as short as the others? The answer is well, deadline and the fact that I didn't want to throw too much information at you at one go. There's enough here to make you want to kill me already, I should think. )
Chapter Three
Fujima stirred. He could hear someone speaking in a hushed whisper.
"I think he's waking up."
He opened his eyes. Blinking them slowly, his vision cleared to reveal two faces hovering over his. One he identified as Maki's. Maki smiled at him. "Hi." Fujima managed a weak smile back.
It was then he realised who the other face belonged to. Jerking upright, he stared at him, still in a state of disbelief. Then slowly, he mouthed his name.
"Toru..."
"Dead." Sendoh whispered this word to himself. How could anyone be dead, yet still exist, to the point of even acting like a normal human being? Shaking his head, he asked Koshino"Wait, if Rukawa's dead, does that mean that you..."
Koshino shook his head. "No, I'm not dead. I've been in a coma and this allows me to enter this world since my conscience is not exactly within my mind. However" he added"I cannot visit the living realm while here because my body still exists in its live state."
"So what does that have got to do with you? And what does that make you then? A zombie" Sakuragi asked, still suspicious of the stranger.
Koshino sighed. "Since my body exists, I have no physical self to use if I were to go back. I would revert to drifting in and out of consciousness as I lie on my bed. As for what I am, we have no name. Sometimes we are referred to as the Dream Weavers."
"Dream Weavers"
"That is correct." The icy tone of Rukawa's voice pierced their conversation.
Sakuragi stared at them, wide-eyed. "Hey, I think I heard of that before! Ayako from the Astro Channel mentioned this, about Dream Weavers being like a cross between the sandman and a dream catcher."
Rukawa snorted amusedly. "That's what we're compared to"
"Well, she is sort of right in a way" Koshino answered thoughtfully.
"What exactly is it that you people do" Sendoh was not quite sure if he was more or less confused than before.
"Generally, we are the deliverers of dreams. Dream Weavers only have to take care of dreams that contain messages of guidance."
"How" Sakuragi piped up. His interest in all things 'Astro' had made him forget about being afraid.
Koshino patiently explained. "We travel to your realm and deliver them. We have special abilities that enable us to do that."
"Special abilities"
Rukawa, who had been silent for a long while, suddenly spoke up. "Do'aho. Do you think we brought you here by plane? Obviously, there was a loophole which we created. You should know what a loophole is, after all, you spend so much time researching on magic and who-knows-what."
"Nani! You dare call me a do'aho"
In the midst of these events, Sendoh whispered to Koshino. "What's a loophole" Koshino whispered back. "It's something you create as a means of a 'bridge' or link between realms. It's like a transportation portal."
"I don't care if you're dead or half-dead or what, by the time I'm done with you, you'll wish you were never even born in the first place" An infuriated Sakuragi bellowed. With that death threat, he lunged at the blue- eyed boy. His hands closed around empty space where Rukawa had been mere seconds ago.
"Do'aho." A voice behind him breathed. Sakuragi spun around, to come face- to-face with none other then the frosty boy.
"Wha-what? You were standing there just seconds ago."
"I can teleport. Or, as you should know, it's more properly known as Drifting." Rukawa said in a rather matter-of-fact way.
Both Sendoh and Sakuragi were equally surprised, albeit for different reasons.
"How in the world did you do that" Sendoh spluttered. He had practically no knowledge to explain this strange phenomenon which had taken place before his very eyes. Koshino smiled.
"You sound just like me, when I first came here. I was shocked too, but you better get used to it. Rukawa's not the only one who has powers here."
On the other hand, Sakuragi had started screaming excitedly.
"That was so cool! Do it again"
Rukawa was however, not amused. "No."
"Please"
"No."
"PLEASE"
"Leave me alone."
Fujima was at a serious loss on deciding how to react to his current situation. Here he was, in another dimension, with a handsome stranger and his best friend, not to mention a carnivorous rabbit, with no damn idea of what he was doing here in the first place. There was a mild throbbing in his head. Raising his hands, he winced.
"Don't move, you're hurt." Fujima felt himself being lifted onto a lap, than a comforting warmth envelope him. He leaned his head back, feeling a little more calm.
Hanagata Toru stroked the musician's brown locks. He had never imagined that he would be able to see Fujima again. After coming to this strange place, he had thrown his whole self into learning about this world. Not that it was very difficult, since he was quite brilliant at picking things up.
A chuckle startled them both. Maki was sitting nearby, watching them with a amused look on his face. He held the rabbit in the crook of his arm. It quivered and scrunched its nose up.
"Gosh, Specs, ever since you came, there seems to be no end to the fun around here"
"Specs" Fujima repeated, rising a questioning eyebrow at Hanagata. Hanagata sighed in resignation.
"He can't stop calling me that. He's never seen spectacles before, so he thinks it's very intriguing."
Fujima laughed. "Are you serious" He asked, directing his question to the well-built young man this time.
Maki grinned. "Yup. I've been here all my life. I never knew anything about the realm you come from until Koshino arrived and we started delivering dreams of guidance. Thanks to that, I visited your realm and learnt lots of new things, which Koshino helpfully explained to me. I never once saw anyone sleep with their spectacles on, so this is the first time I've actually seen them."
"Delivering dreams of guidance? What do you mean? Aren't all dreams meant to guide you" Fujima inquired, a frown marring his effeminate features.
"Not really. Most dreams are simply bizarre experiences. Some dreams, however, contain messages of guidance in them. It is these that we work with. We have to input the healing in the messages, then deliver them to the right recipients" Maki explained.
"What? Input healing? Whatever do you mean" Fujima asked, frowning even more deeply than before.
"Koshino has the ability to heal. He transfers his healing to the dreams, so that the dreamers will basically, if anything, feel better after waking up."
"Ah, I see" Fujima said. "But how about Toru? What is he doing here"
Hanagata interjected before Maki could speak. "They're training me to be a Dream Weaver too." He added quickly before Fujima could ask. " Dream Weavers are the titles given to Maki and the others."
Although more enlightened, Fujima suddenly remembered one more extremely important matter which he had been asking Maki before he had passed out.
"But what about me? And Sendoh and Sakuragi? What are we doing here"
Maki sighed. "Well, it's kind of hard to say this. We knew that we had to bring the three of you to this realm, but..."
"But what" Fujima urged.
"But the purpose for your being here, it...well..."
"Yes? What is it" Fujima very anxiously urged again.
"I don't know" came the quiet reply.
"WHAT! My purpose here is.." Fujima trailed off in disbelief.
"...unknown to us." Hanagata finished for him.
-to be continued-
(Author's Notes: Anyone has questions? I'll be happy to answer them. There's still a lot more left to be explained, as well as new revelations, in coming chapters of this story, so stay tuned!
I need your feedback! Is this chapter too confusing? Tell me so I can rewrite it better! Thanks to all who review!)