As Len rises and dresses himself, he plays over the dream from the night before, mulling through the uncomfortably realistic scenes.
This time, the nightmare was different. I don't understand why… Especially since Rin was in it. Why was she the one hit by the truck? It doesn't make sense- she's never been in my dreams before…
Scratching his head, he lets out a low sigh, tugging a bright yellow shirt over his head that was nearby. He's truly baffled by this strange occurrence. Rin has never before been the object of his nightmares- so why now? What does this mean?
Len hasn't been a real believer of bad omens and the like, but something about this just seems very wrong. That dream was too real.
He pauses in his doorway, suddenly noticing something. Is there… something I'm forgetting? No… someone? I can't remember their face, but someone else was there- someone who terrified me. Who…? Why were they there?
After wracking his brain for an answer- trying to recall the face and words said to him that had instilled such fear inside him- he lets out a sigh of resignation and pulls on a jacket. He steps out of his house and into the bright sunshine.
Oh well. I shouldn't dwell on it anymore- it was just a stupid dream. Sheesh. I don't know why it's bothering me so much. Is it only because it was Rin who died?
Deciding once and for all to push the tragic vision from his mind, he instead allows his thoughts wander to the nice day outside. There is a beautifully clear sky waiting to greet him. He stands at the foot of the stairs leading up to his house, basking in the glow for a moment, before heading toward his and Rin's meeting place. The lovely weather serves to cheer him up some, and Len finds himself whistling a nameless tune. While walking along the sun-beaten sidewalk, he nearly jumps out of his skin when something to his right yells at him, breaking the peaceful silence.
It's that stupid chihuahua, baring its teeth and sending ear-piercing barks his direction. Thankfully, it's held back by a piece of rope tied to a spiked collar. Familiar annoyance rises within him, as the owner of the dog starts screaming the thing's name from their porch.
What does this mutt hate about me, anyway? I don't get it. What did I ever do to you?
An icy chill runs through his bloodstream. This weird deja-vu feeling… Sure, he's been nearly attacked by the little ball of fury over here before, but this feels off too- like this morning.
Not liking the instant clench of dread in his chest, Len hurries off down the sidewalk and increases his pace the rest of the way to Rin. Even if it's just a feeling and nothing more- he needs to be sure. I hope Rin is okay. Even the mere possibility of his dream becoming reality is enough to scare him into hastening his strides.
On arriving at the park, he scans the area, searching for her to discover she's nowhere in sight. Was I not fast enough? Did Leonia already try to run out into traffic? Is she-?!
Frantically turning on his heel with the strong intent to go back to the street, he comes face to face with Rin and yelps in shock, stumbling backwards onto his backside.
Rin starts laughing, doubling over with her arms crossed over her chest. "Pffft- you- you should have- seen the face you just made-!" she breathes through her giggles, her blonde bangs falling into her eyes.
His heart pounding painfully in his chest and his fear draining away, Len glares at Rin, cursing under his breath. "Seriously, what the hell, Rin?" he demands.
"Sorry, sorry. You just seemed so oblivious and focused on something, I couldn't help it," she apologizes, sounding very un-apologetic while still laughing.
Embarrassed, Len gets to his feet, brushing off his jeans. While he's doing so, Rin composes herself, wiping a stray tear from her eye, her smile radiant. "So, what's got you so fired up?" she asks.
"What?" Len shrugs off the question. "Nothing."
"Oh, come on, Len. I watched you come running through here like a demon was chasing you, then act like you'd stumbled upon a murder scene. You can't tell me that was nothing," Rin says, her smile fading a bit as worry seeps into her expression.
"Look, I, um… well…" He nervously scratches his head. "About that…"
Rin tilts her head, sensing that he's troubled. "Here, c'mon- let's talk over there," she tells him, taking his hand and leading him to a nearby bench. Even though he's bothered by the similarities between his dream and reality, his cheeks grow warm at the contact. Now is so not the time to have those kinds of thoughts.
Sitting him down, Rin pauses and then calls out to the open air. "Leonia!" her voice rings lightly, and Len's eyes widen. "Come here, sweetie."
"Y-you brought Leonia?" he inquires stiffly, and she stares at him.
"'Course I did," she answers, sitting beside him the moment the feline comes into view from behind a tree, jumping up into her lap after a small patting gesture. The cat seems to gaze back at the boy with a silent question of its own. He swallows hard.
"Len, I've honestly never seen you look so weirded out by Leonia before," Rin frowns deeply. "Normally you're jumping for joy at the sight of her. What's going on?"
Knowing she'll never drop the topic, and feeling he'd never be able to keep it from her, Len exhales quickly, already resigned to revealing his dream. "Sorry, I mean, um…" Absently, his fingers move to trace across the cat's soft ebony fur, his thumb running gently over her slightly pointed ear. "I just… had a really bad nightmare last night."
"A nightmare?" Rin echoes, a mixture of curiosity and interest showing.
"Yeah. It was um… about you," he explains to her questioning look. Is there a hint of dread in her eyes? "It felt so… real. We were talking just like this, and everything was fine at first. Then Leonia suddenly started freaking out for no reason and ran away. We tried chasing her, and she went out into traffic- you followed after her, and before I could stop you, you had- you'd been… hit. Killed." The word leaves his mouth drier than sandpaper, tasting of poison. He chooses not to let her know about the strangely coincidental similarities between the dream and the way his day has gone. It's not important, anyway.
It's silent a moment, before Rin softly utters "Oh." Her eyes trail down to the grass beneath their feet, lightly nibbling on her lip.
Uncomfortable, Len goes for a lighter tone. "But, um, it was just a nightmare, you know? Sorry I seemed so panicked earlier, I was really worried it wasn't," he says, letting out a forced chuckle.
"...Right. It was just a dream, you know?" Rin says, perking up a little and offering him a tiny smile. "But thanks, Len. It's nice to know you were so worried about me." Her blue eyes shine.
"N-no problem." Oh, no. His face is turning bright red, he can feel it.
Threading her fingers through Leonia's fur, Rin glances down at her cat. "...I kind of had a nightmare, too," she tells him quietly.
The eerie familiarness of his dream and the current reality sends a wave of ice down his spine. "You did?" he hesitates to ask, fearing it. It can't possibly be the same as the one she told me about in the dream. It can't.
Rin nods. "Yeah. It was really weird- like we were in a pastel painting. It was kind of fun at first, but then all the colors started fading away- except for red. Everything started turning different shades of red and black. Someone was laughing, but I don't know who it was, or why. Strange, huh?"
Len isn't sure whether to breathe a sigh of relief that the dream is marginally different than before, or if he should be increasingly worried that she had such a disturbing nightmare.
"You and I need to stop watching horror movies," he jokes, deciding not to let his mind run away with the worry gnawing at him.
She laughs. "Pfft, you might be right," she agrees, her smile returning. "Must be all the Corpse Party and Ib I've been playing lately, huh?"
"Exactly." Len nods, joining her laughter and feeling better. "How about we go do karaoke or something later to forget about those nightmares?"
"I'd love to," her smile widens in response.
"Ow!"
He jumps, startled, as Rin hisses loudly and Leonia suddenly rises from her lap, claws protruding from her paws and sinking into the girl's legs. Leaping off with lithe grace, the cat takes fast strides off to who knows where.
"W-wait! Leonia!" Rin rises fast, her face contorted in pain and confusion, and Len is hit with a familiar panic.
No, no- this is too similar! This is too much like my nightmare…!
He hesitates too long to make a move, and before he realizes it, Rin has already started barrelling off after the feline. Words get caught in his throat, jumbled and nonsensical, and he forsakes them in favor of chasing after her, the rush of wind in his hair and uncertain dread building in his chest all-too familiar.
Not again. The similarities are too close- there's no way it can end the same way, right?
Right?!
Too soon, he finds he and Rin both headed for that busy intersection, the sun overhead beating down on them mercilessly just like before. Images flash through his mind of Rin's lifeless form, blood splattered across the asphalt and her skin, and he knows he can't bear to see that again.
Catching sight of Leonia dashing across the street, Rin makes after her, not thinking to look both ways. Len pours on the speed, absolutely refusing to let this end the same way.
Her foot barely crosses the threshold of the curb before his arm loops around her waist and yanks her back, tugging them both off balance and sending them reeling to the unforgiving cement. He's breathing hard, panting with exertion, but he can feel her chest rising and falling under him, and happiness washes over him. She's alive, she's alive-!
Behind him, a loud horn honks, and he barely catches sight of a speeding semi-truck rushing past them, the wind from the close encounter whipping his hair. In his heart, he knows that if he'd been one second too late, Rin would've ended up exactly as she had in his nightmare. This time, he wasn't too late- he'd saved her. Thank goodness.
"L-Len, could you- ugh, please get off-" Rin protests from under him, and he realizes then he's nose to nose with the blonde girl.
"Oh, sorry," Len says immediately, mortified and scrambling to remove himself. After helping Rin get to her feet and dusting himself off, he feels the tension in his shoulders relax a little.
"Um… Thanks."
"Huh?" Len states blankly.
Rin sheepishly rubs her head where she'd knocked it against the ground. "I, um… thanks. For saving me just now. I wasn't really paying attention, and the light was green- if I had gone out there, I probably would've died. Thanks."
"Oh. It's nothing, really, I just- just didn't want to see you end up part of the street," he admits sincerely.
Rin nods, and her cheeks tinge red slightly. "After what you told me about your nightmare, I really should've paid better attention." Her eyes scan the street, and she sighs. "And Leonia's nowhere to be seen, either. That cat... Wonder what got into her?"
Len shrugs. "Cats are a mystery to me, even if I love them. Come on- let's check the other side of the street for her. Maybe she ran off to hide in an alleyway or something."
"You're probably right," she says in agreement. "Honestly, I've never seen her act like that before- it was so strange."
I have. Len bites down on the words threatening at the tip of his tongue. No, it's best to forget about it. After all, the situation was averted, wasn't it? Rin's alive and safe, and there's nothing to worry about from here on.
"Let's just make sure she's safe too," he suggests, and after a moment of waiting, crosses the street beside Rin.
Once across, they split up and start calling for Leonia, weaving between walking pedestrians and earning a few odd looks. Another twenty minutes pass this way, and Len sighs. Where could that cat have gone to?
"Miss! Miss, you have to move!"
"What?"
Turning around fast, Len's eyes widen to the size of saucers. From high above, a platform hanging dangerously above their heads swings precariously, and he hears something snap. The rope steadying it breaks apart, and the contents- thin steel pipes- drop to the ground and, to his horror, on top of Rin.
Rin, having frozen in fear, doesn't move fast enough to get out of the way. A scream so high in pitch it could only belong to her rings out, and he staggers forward, his legs suddenly unwilling to move. He can only watch as one of the metal objects pierces through his best friend, pinning her to the ground in a bent back, awkward angle, her blood staining the sidewalk and growing as the pipes clatter down over her.
"R-Rin-!"
The gory, disgusting scene in front of him makes his stomach roil, nausea rising in his throat. He covers his mouth with his hands, tears splashing down his cheeks.
What? No…!
This isn't what was supposed to happen. I saved her from the accident-!
Why?! This isn't real! Is this just another nightmare?! Please, let this just be an illusion like before.
This feels too real, too painful!
Rin!
A crowd gathers, gasps all around and people even snapping pictures. Disgusting. Len can't bear this- Rin's limp body, held up by the thing that killed her, her mouth open silently and her eyes focused on the clouds above. A small trail of blood runs down her arm, dripping off the tips of her fingers.
He can't feel his heart beating- it's as if it went silent the moment hers did.
"This reality- isn't it beautiful?"
Len whirls from the messy accident, facing the man behind him. The red-eyed male, who looks no older than himself, with a small smile playing at his lips. It's the guy from my dream...!
Gesturing to Rin's body, the stranger continues. "The perfect shine of the sun overhead, casting the horror in a brilliant glow- is it not truly breathtaking?"
"W-what-?" Len can't believe what he's hearing. Is this guy taking some kind of twisted pleasure out of this?
The man tilts his head, his body wavering much like a projection. "Do you not appreciate the wonder of death?" he queries, sighing. "A true shame. Nonetheless, over time, you'll most likely become used to it. Or insane - whichever you choose."
"Shut up…! I don't know who you are, but shut up! You sick bastard!" Len forces out angrily, his voice ripping from his throat.
The earned response is a low, humorless chuckle. "Sick I may be, but I'm only here to impress upon you just how real this is. There's no point in running or hiding- you've already entered the cycle of death."
"The- the what?" He can't breathe, his chest constricting painfully tight.
The man suddenly laughs aloud. "You idiot!" he mocks. "I love that you, even now, refuse to acknowledge the truth. Even after you've gone through this before so many times, it never fails to amaze me when we start over again and you've forgotten."
Regaining composure, the silveret grins at Len's bewilderment. "Never mind that, however. You'll soon see. Watching the person you cherish die again and again, watching the light drain from their eyes, and the life pour out of them to dye everything crimson- I will show you, over and over and over, the pain of losing her, the fear of it, the horror and the beauty of everlasting death."
"Stop! You- you psycho-!" The words of this creepy, confusing person swirl around in Len's head, a knot of dread filing his chest, and he can't take it. Roaring with anger, he rushes toward the stranger- though to do what, he isn't sure. The silveret's laughter is the only thing he can hear, his sight tinting a red haze-
The moment he came into contact with the boy, everything went black.
A/N: Update~: As of 03-16-16, this has been beta'd by the fantastic Piriluk :3
*shakes head* Haven't been feelin' too great about my writing lately, but I'm hoping that changes- and that you guys enjoy the chapter! The next one is the last in the arc- hope you're prepared.
Anyways, let me know what you think, ne? Happy reading!
Read on~!
~Disclaimer~ I own only psychotic laughter and bloody nightmares, but of course not the Kagamines.