"You can't have both, Ciel..."

A teenaged girl with light-brown hair, tied in a high ponytail, turned around to stare back through the dense trees of the forest.

"What?"

"You can't have both." A smaller girl, with longer, darker brown hair stepped out from behind one of the trees. She was wearing a plain yellow sleeveless dress, and her eyes were a dull, dark grey, expressionless in their intensity.

"You again... who are you?" the teen asked. The girl glared at her, an air of menace floating about her.

"It's either Sora or me, Ciel. You can only have one."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I thought it was obvious." she replied, sneering.

"Well... it's not... Will you at least tell me your name?" Ciel said, becoming annoyed quickly.

The girl gave no response, her face blank once more. Ciel adjusted her oval glasses and folded her arms across her chest. "Why don't you just go away and bother someone else?"

The child laughed, a childlike one that was both joyful and haunting. "Because." she said simply, turning her back to Ciel. "My name is Lani." She then took off, her bare feet making no noise as she darted down the forest path.

"Hey! Wait!" Ciel said, running after her. The path the girl followed became dark, and it wasn't long before Lani wasn't visible anymore. Ciel continued running, but, as she ran deeper into the dark, she quickly became lost.

"Lani? Where are you?" More laughter answered her calls. "Lani? Sora? ... Anyone?" She continued running, but she couldn't find her way out of the darkness. The laughter echoed through her mind, Lani's taunts making her more and more confused and disoriented. "You can't have both... You can't have both..."

-------

"Ciel! Ciel..." a voice said, two hands shaking her shoulders lightly. "I'm right here, Ciel. Wake up, it's okay, it's okay..."

The teen realized she was thrashing out, and slowed to a stop. Ciel was in her bunk on the train, her face feeling wet and her bedding in a twisted mass at her feet. She opened one dark-green eye to see a blurred, brown-haired boy staring at her with a worried expression on his face. "Sora?" she squeaked. Her voice was faint, like she was far away.

He sighed, then sat back against the compartment wall. "You were having another nightmare."

Donald sputtered behind him. "A really loud one this time. You almost woke Goofy, and that's saying something."

Ciel sat up and rubbed her face. She grabbed her glasses from inside one of her red sneakers and put them on, blinking as everything came back into focus. "I'm sorry..."

Sora looked at her carefully. "Was it the same one?"

She nodded slowly. "I just... don't it. She always runs away into the darkness, and I always follow her. Even when I know what's going to happen. I just... always think the outcome will be different... that maybe I'll find something more." She picked at a loose thread on her purple shirt, which she wore over a long-sleeved black shirt.

Donald stared at her, a gruff expression plastered on his bill. "Yeah, well, no more fish for you. Goodnight." He stormed out of the room, muttering softly.

Sora sighed. Ciel could tell by the way his bright blue eyes were watching her; he was scared for her. "Are you gonna be alright? We should be back at Twilight Town by morning..."

Ciel nodded, brushing her bangs out of her face, slightly embarrased. "I'll be fine."

Sora smiled faintly, then got up to leave. He walked to the door, then looked back. "If you need me, I'm right next door..."

Ciel nodded again, then crawled back into her bunk. Sora closed the door softly, but Ciel didn't go back to sleep. Not even the motion of the train would put her back into her slumber. Why is she haunting me?... Fidgeting with the hem of her black shirt, she turned her head to stare at the wall separating her from Sora's bunk. Why doesn't she want me to be around him?...

She stood and walked softly out of her compartment, and carefully opened the door to Sora's. He was asleep already. She couldn't help but smile. Lazy as always. Ciel walked in and stood infront of the sleeping keywielder, expecting him to wake and order her out any moment.

He didn't. She sat on his bed and felt his hair. How does he get it that way? flicking it daringly as she thought. He let out a snore, but didn't wake up. Ciel grinned and leaned back against the wall, watching him. Before she knew it, she slumped over above Sora's head, asleep as well.

You can't have both...