A/N: Yo there! T'is I! And I am alone once again, since it is now officially Easter Break and Cia and I will probably not see each other for another two weeks. Anyway, quick update. Probably another short chapter (I don't know 'cos at this point I haven't written it yet, I'm typing up Author's Notes first). This chapter has been inspired by my friend Kirst and my's version of Sleepless Beauty, which she can play on piano and got me to sing over, for our music exam after Easter Break. I'll leave a link to the song (and the piano version alone) on my profile ('cos we recorded it) and you guys can take a listen and tell me whatcha think in the reviews. I'm being very brave here with this offer since my singing sucks, and I'm sure you'll think so too. I cannot sing low notes very well. But Kirst's playing in the song is amazing. I've got it on repeat, and like I said it is my inspiration for writing this chapter, so I dedicate this particular chapter to Kirst, for her inspiration and for being such a brilliant friend and not getting mad at me every time I screwed up while trying to record this. Thanks Kirst: )
Anyway, I'm glad things are finally starting to fit together. I'll try and give off the meaning of the dream in this chapter, so you can understand it, but I'm making no promises. I never know how my chapters'll turn out until I finish writing them, and like I said I've only written the start of this one at this point. But anyway, thank you all for your reviews, and here's chapter XI!
Pure as the Snow
Chapter XI
Kitazawa stared down at the lifeless form in front of him. He was a soul seeking redemption, a soul trying to right the mistakes that he made in the past, so he could move on with his life, or rather his life after death. He was told in order to move on he had to repair the damage he had done all those years ago, but even he knew only one person could truly repair the damage, and as sad as it was it wasn't him. No, the only person who could repair the damage for him was lying right before him. That person was lying on the snow covered floor, frozen in both fear and pain. And he obviously had next to no clue what was going on.
Fed up with waiting for the moron below him to actually figure out what was going on, he kicked him slightly in the side, trying to cause some sort of movement to reassure him that the lump wasn't dead yet. He shouldn't be; because he was in the dream world he should've been able to resist the cold air and freezing temperatures around him just like Kitazawa could. But of course, Shuichi wasn't dead like Kitazawa. He was a living, breathing soul so obviously the kind of things he'd go through here would have a much more serious effect on him than it would on Kitazawa. So despite him saying that Shuichi wasn't suffering in any way by being here, to be honest just because Kitazawa the dead soul himself couldn't feel the horrors of the dream world or actually see the dream world clearly himself, he had no idea what Shuichi must've be going through.
He sighed relief when the lump moved slightly because of the kick to his side and chuckled lightly to himself. Okay, so he was still alive after all. He was a fighter. He was sure to survive. After all, he wouldn't be with Eiri if he wasn't strong emotionally in any way.
Yuki's fingers took control, sweeping over the keyboard and typing in each letter with such force it made the desk shake. Eventually, after a certain point his fingers stopped moving to allow him to read over the passage he had just written, and horror filled his face.
Eiri…
The name was definitely his own, there was no denying that. So, now there were three names he recognised. Shuichi, Kitazawa and Eiri. Obviously this couldn't be a coincidence. This had to mean something. Anything at all, but it had to have a meaning. No kind of thing could be a coincidence on this level. Without even giving him enough time to think, his fingers swept across the keyboard once again.
Shuichi shifted slightly as Kitazawa's foot connected with his side. He was thinking hard, trying desperately to solve this puzzle which confused him so much that the only things he knew were that this had something to do with both Yuki and Kitazawa. But what did it mean?
Okay, so what did Yuki and Kitazawa have in common? They were both called Yuki and they had both known each other in New York all those years ago. So what was the connection?
… Yuki…
Did the name have something to do with it? Was that the main connecting factor between the two? Okay, so how did the name connect with the dream world?
… snow…
Yuki was Japanese for snow.
Coincidence on this level was not only abnormal but also impossible, Yuki concluded as his fingers paused in mid-typing. Now he was more worried than ever. So that must mean that Shuichi was in this story with Kitazawa. That Shuichi was trapped in the dream world with Kitazawa, the monster who had ruined his life.
His eyes didn't do as they should, and somehow moved up to a few paragraphs up.
'… He was a soul seeking redemption, a soul trying to right the mistakes that he made in the past, so he could move on with his life, or rather his life after death. He was told in order to move on he had to repair the damage he had done all those years ago, but even he knew only one person could truly repair the damage, and as sad as it was it wasn't him. No, the only person who could repair the damage for him was lying right before him…'
So Kitazawa had dragged Shuichi into the dream world because he needed to right a mistake in the past? Well that mistake was pretty damn clear. There was only one possible mistake Kitazawa could've done that he needed to repent for. And that was the mistake that he had made in New York way back then.
Yuki forced his fingers back under his own will. He had to warn Shuichi of the dream's meaning. He just had to. And so he fought back the forces commanding him to write otherwise and he wrote exactly the things that he was Shuichi to know.
He was at the end of his rope. He knew he might possibly die soon. He couldn't hold on much longer. The cold was finally getting to him, making him so cold he guessed he couldn't live for much longer. And suddenly a voice cried out through his mind:
'NEW YORK SHUICHI! THINK BACK!'
Shuichi sat up almost immediately and gazed up at the heavens.
"Yuki?" he whispered.
The snow tumbled down in Tokyo, never-stopping for even a moment. Hiro stared into the black abyss that was once a great city now covered everywhere in black snow. The electricity in his apartment had gone off, and all he could do was stare into the sky in vain hope that light would come. And yet, somehow he knew that this was all because of Shuichi. He listened hard, as if trying to hear him from wherever he was, trying to communicate with him through his mind. All he heard was a scream…
… and a light flickered on in the night sky.
A/N: Okay, not exactly as I'd planned it but we're getting closer to the mystery ain't we? Hope you liked that chapter. I won't bore you with long Author's Notes, but just to warn you not to expect fast updates in the future as I'm really struggling with how to end this story. Anyway, please download the songs off my profile (they're labelled so you'll know the url) and tell me either by PM or by review what you think of them. Be honest, but not to the point you say my singing is hideous, okay? 'Cos someone said that to me last night, and it actually made me cry 'cos I thought I was okay at singing. Anyway, your opinions will decide whether I sing it for the music exam after Easter, and your reviews will decide if I write any more to the story. Remember, it's difficult for a girl to sing as low as RYu does! Ja ne for now and review!
