Len bolts upward in bed, his fingers gripping his shirt. His heart pounds hard against his ribs- the only sound he can hear.
That, and the screaming in his head.
That damn nightmare again, Len curses internally, trying to slow down his rapid fire heartbeat. When will it stop haunting me?
He runs his slim fingers through his messy, blonde strands, taking a moment to focus on the here and now, and not the true horror of that recurring dream. The same illusion of reality- he won't dare to call it a vision- where he is brutally murdered with only a second of clarity between being perfectly fine and watching death race towards him in the form of a semi-truck. The worst part is not being able to shake the dread that comes with it, as if it truly happened.
It's just nerves. Throwing off his yellow coverlet, Len places both feet on the ground and stands, stretching out. If I could just get rid of the nightmare itself, maybe I'd feel better.
Trudging to his dresser and avoiding the various items tossed on his floor (wow, he really should clean up…), he quickly changes, noting the time glaring at him from his bedside dresser. 12:30. Oh… great. I slept in again. Rin's going to kill me. Picturing the blonde female's rage, he picks up the pace and tugs on his clothing at the speed of light, grabbing his phone and, not long afterwards, striding out into the bright sunshine and pleasant warmth of August. He wanders alongside the sidewalk, the path to his and Rin's meeting place long-since memorized after years of walking it.
Fumbling with his phone, Len glances at it and spots a new message from his best friend, sent only minutes earlier.
'Hey, are you still coming?'
Pressing keys quickly, he sends an answer. 'Yeah, no worries. Sorry, I slept in again.'
'Dork.' He chuckles at the short reply. Well, at least she doesn't seem mad. Hard to tell, though…
Len winces as he walks past someone's yard and their small chihuahua starts yapping shrilly at him, thankfully tied to a leash. Not that he thinks it could actually hurt him, but he doesn't necessarily want to find out. Len has never been too fond of dogs, more of a cat person- he practically begs Rin to bring her cat with her every day when they meet up.
Thinking of the black feline, he rushes past the scrawny mutt and practically runs the rest of the way, soon branching off the sidewalk through an alley shortcut to the other side, meeting a busy road. It's a Saturday, so it's more congested than normal; the smell of car exhaust and the piercingly loud sound of someone laying on their horn filling the air. Waiting for his chance, Len hastily crosses the street and makes his way into the park on the opposite side, the bright sun soon blocked out by the dense cover of foliage overhead. A cool breeze washes over him, ruffling his blonde bangs.
A second later, he spots Rin, kneeling on the ground in a light blue sundress, peering down at something. As he nears her, he notes there's a small rip in the shoulder that exposes the pale skin underneath. Um. Whoops. His mind just went weird.
"Yo, Rin!" he says, shaking off the strange thoughts to wave at her, plastering a cheesy grin on his face effortlessly. It's not unusual for him to become immediately perky around the girl; he has a special fondness for her, after all.
Rin looks up at him, her blue eyes shining as they catch a hint of sunlight. "Well, there you are," she returns his greeting coldly, pulling a nasty face toward him that doesn't match with her doll-like features, before getting to her feet.
Len laughs a little nervously. "Um, yeah. Sorry for being late again," he starts, scratching the side of his face with a finger sheepishly.
"Were you up watching hentai again?" Rn asks curiously, earning a startled noise from Len.
"What? W-w-where did you get the idea I ever watch hentai?" Len stutters, cheeks turning pink. Unfortunately, the girl takes whatever chance she can get to tease him.
"You're a guy, Len." Rin shrugs, as if that's the obvious answer.
"Rin, being a guy does not mean that I-" Len starts to defend himself, but a black ball of fur appears from behind Rin and waltzes its way over to him, offering a cute, high 'meow' as it rubs against his leg. Elegant green eyes peer up at him, and Len finds himself losing his train of thought.
Momentarily forgetting to retort, he leans down and picks up the adorable and plump cat from the ground. "Oh, hello there, Leonia," Len murmurs as he holds the cat to his chest, running his fingers over the smooth, thick fur. "Hey, sweet girl, I missed you~."
Rin gazes at her best friend holding her cat with a twisted look of disgust. "Dude. You literally sound like you're in love with her," she states, her eyes narrowed. "Can you please not molest Leonia in my presence? Thanks."
Len shoots his friend a dirty look and reluctantly puts her down. "Hey, you know she loves me," he tells her.
"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend." Rin rolls her eyes at him. "You're too busy falling head over heels for cats." Turning away, she calls for the lightly purring Leonia, who easily returns to her and starts wandering. Len, frowning at her retreating back, catches up to her.
If only you knew what the real reason is, Len thinks glumly. The reason why I don't have a girlfriend is 'cause I absolutely suck at confessing. And, y'know, the idea of confessing to you, Rin, is seriously terrifying. I'm not sure if I'd get hit, murdered, or, if hell decided to freeze over, you'd return my feelings.
Before he can dwell on his rather depressing outlook on his feelings, Rin speaks up. "Y'know, I had the weirdest dream," she says, her voice lacking emotion. "You were in it."
Len scans her face, shoving his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans. "Huh? What was it about?" he inquires.
"It was like the whole world was a painting," Rin says, starting to become animated as she recalls the dream. "It was as if we were wandering through several different worlds. It was really amazing- I'll have to try drawing out some of what I saw." Her face falls then. "But…"
"But what?" Len tilts his head.
"All the color just started… fading," she continues. She clasps her hands behind her back and turns to face the sky. "It was like, the further we went along, the colors would drain away and turn everything monochrome- both us, and the world around us. Then the paintings started falling apart, disappearing- and we were erased too."
When she says those final words, a heavy silence drapes over the two; Rin looking solemn, Len feeling mildly intrigued, yet horrified. Swallowing, he reaches over and reassuringly pats her shoulder.
"Hey, it's just a dream. Er, more like a nightmare, huh? Don't worry about it," he says comfortingly. "Just forget about it." Seeing her like this reminds him of this morning, and his own nightmare, which he had thankfully forgotten up to this point. Though a bit relieved he isn't the only one who has disturbing visuals while asleep, he can't help but feel worried about her. Rin is normally the cheerful sort- nightmares happening to her seems pretty unusual.
She gives him a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. Just forget about it," she echoes, nodding. "It's just some stupid dream."
"Right!" he agrees, feeling happier just seeing her smile.
"...Hey, where's Leonia?" Rin then asks. A second ticks by as she turns around, her eyes trailing all over for signs of her beloved cat.
"Leonia?" Len pauses. "Uh- wasn't she just here? Um…" Calling out for the cat, the blondes start walking about trying to see her.
"Oh- there she is!" Rin points back the way they had come, where her cat sits primly, licking herself. Taking long strides to reach her, she picks up the large animal, earning a surprised mewl.
Loving the kitten, she smiles down. "You scared me, baby girl." Her brows knit together as Leonia jostles around in her grip.
"You silly kitty, what are- h-hey!" Clawing Rin, the cat struggles and fights her way from her grasp, leaping to the ground and dashing away faster than you would think a cat of her size could.
"Rin! Are you okay?!" Len says, looking her over. Little specks of blood dots all over the girl's arms from where the feline had attacked.
"I-I'm fine," she says, though her face has gone pale. "I've... never seen her act like that before. Len, we have to catch her!" Not waiting for an answer, the girl takes off after her cat.
"Rin, wait!" Confused, he follows soon after, trying to keep pace with her but falling a bit behind. Something seems wrong with this. Leonia never acts violently, especially towards Rin; the cat is absolutely smitten with her and Len, and normally she's a lovable ball of fluff. It was totally out of character for her.
Something seems horribly off. A small, barely discernable voice in the back of his mind is throwing out warning signs, and it's like there's a strange haze covering his vision. This feels weird- unreal. What's going on…?
Chasing after Rin and the cat, he finds them nearing the busy intersection from before. He puts more fuel into his footsteps, reaching out to grip her clothing but narrowly missing. "H-hey, wait a minute-!" he cries.
Ignoring him, Rin runs after her cat with determination. "Leonia!" she calls, "Leonia, stop!"
"Rin!" Too late- he notices that she and the cat are running straight into traffic. His eyes widening and panic setting in, he reaches for Rin again, hoping to catch her before she commits suicide right in front of him. "Watch out!"
"Huh?!"
Rin's surprised outburst takes a second to register, and the next few seconds are a messy blur-
-Leonia, sprinting across the street-
-Rin, stopping in the middle of the road at his words, her head turning in what seems like slow motion to her right-
-someone's brakes squealing-
-and screaming. Oh God, the screaming.
Right then, at the moment of impact, the image became crystal clear before him, every detail etched into his mind's eye. The look of terror that fluttered across Rin's features, the glint of metal racing at high speed, the moment his heart fell from his chest to the ground below.
Slowly, slowly, sound returns to him, and he can only stand there, at the edge of the road, his eyes glued to the scene. Scarily enough, the only thoughts running in his head were reminders of Rin's dream.
Just as she had said, everything was vibrantly colored, clear and defined. The yellow glare of the sun overhead, the darkened blue of Rin's dress, the creamy white of her skin against the gray asphalt.
The most prominent color stood out against it all, though. It painted the gruesome scene in a ghastly shade, ruby red tinting the ground, her clothing, the front of the truck, and her face. Len finds his gaze pinned to her face, which he can still see but at the same time isn't really processing. The colorless full lips, the splatter of crimson on her cheek, and the faded blue of her eyes, staring in his direction- staring into him, through him, to a world he can't comprehend.
...That dreadful, ear-splitting screaming is him, isn't it?
"R-R-Rin! Rin! Riiin!" Her name, tearing from his throat in agonizingly shrill pitch, drowns out all other sound. He falls to his knees, his entire body failing him, going through shock.
This can't be real. This can't be…!
Tell me this is a dream.
Tell me this is just a nightmare!
"Unfortunately for you, this is reality."
The voice speaks from behind him, dark and smooth, completely unfazed by the scene before him.
Len slowly turns his head, his tear-filled cerulean eyes focusing on the figure who spoke. A black cloak drapes their form, but their face is revealed to him, showing silver hair and eyes that burn with unquenchable fire, sending chills through his body. Their form shimmers, as if they aren't truly there, a trick of the sun meant to torture him.
"Go ahead- cry. Bemoan your fate all you like. It's immensely pleasing. Tell me- do you enjoy your nightmares? Aren't they simply delightful?"
"S-stop," Len's voice, raspy and broken, spills from his mouth. "Stop it…!"
"Do you not enjoy the sight of blood? Or is it the fact that the blood is hers? Your most cherished person… lying dead before you. Isn't it wonderful? Isn't it heartwrenchingly tragic, watching the life drain from her body?"
"Stop! Stop!" Rin's pale face flashes through Len's mind, and he grips his hair in both hands, tugging relentlessly at it, shaking his head furiously as if to knock away the man's words. "No, no, no-!" It's as if the sky itself is falling into him- on top of him, the weight of the world crashing down overhead. "No!"
An endless chant, replaying over, and over, and over, until it overwhelms his entire mind and all he can see is black.
No! Rin!
No…!
"No!"
Jolting upward in bed. Len clutches at his blankets, his body covered in cold sweat. He can hear his heartbeat, like a drum, pounding furiously in his ears.
Trying to process the fact that he's not kneeling in the middle of the sidewalk, and is instead in his bedroom at home, he casts his gaze over everything with confusion.
That was… just a dream?
It felt so real… Everything was… so real…
Running a hand through his sweaty bangs, he takes a deep breath, giving a silent prayer of relief.
Just a nasty dream. Thank goodness. That was one of my worst, yet.
The cool relief and easing of his tense muscles is a welcome feeling. The thought of losing Rin is painful, echoing in his soul. His subconscious sure chose to hit below the belt last night.
As his eyes fall on the clock beside him, he frowns. Oh no. 12:30. I'm going to be late to meet Rin again.
When the thought crosses his mind, a chill follows, though he isn't sure why it is. Something about the feeling gives him pause, as he's about to get up and dressed.
Why does this feel so… eerily familiar…?
Silent another moment, he lets out a groan and shrugs to himself.
It's probably nothing. I'm still paranoid over that dream.
...Right?
A/N: And so, the cycle begins.
This was beta'd by the wonderful and life-saving Piriluk. :3
I wrote this with Re:birthed on repeat. Just so you all know, this arc is probably going to be the bloodiest one, so I hope none of you are afraid of a bit of gore.
*facepalms* Guys, what am I even doing to my cherished children right now. I mean honestly.
Anyway, I'll see you all in the next chapter- if you don't already hate me for murdering the Kagamines *laughs nervously*
Read on~!
~Disclaimer~ I own only blood and accidental(?) tragedies- the blondes are unfortunately not mine.