Rohan silently led them to the living room. He moved much slower than usual. Diya, only having met Rohan once before, would have thought he was an entirely different person today. His usual, neat hairstyle seemed limp and lifeless, his green strands hanging over his undercut. Rohan plopped into his armchair. Diya noticed he was pale and had dark bags under his eyes.
"On Monday, I was attacked by a Stand," Rohan began. "As far as I can understand, it is a Stand that can steal the sleep of its victims. I have been without sleep for over 48 hours," Rohan closed his eyes for a moment to wait for a response. Okuyasu and Diya were hesitant to respond.
"Mr. Rohan, how do you know this isn't just insomnia?" Diya asked. "I recently read a study that suggests half of-"
"Diya, it was a Stand attack," Rohan said definitively. He sighed and took a long sip of his tea. "I am a very structured person. I go to sleep every night at 9:30. I sleep eight hours, wake up at 5:30 in the morning, exercise, shower, then eat breakfast before beginning my manga for the day," Diya knew it wasn't what he should be focusing on, but it was interesting to hear the schedule of his favorite manga artist.
"Rohan, you've always known a lot more than I do," Okuyasu rubbed his chin. "But Diya has a point, and insomnia is known to begin without a cause."
"I'm getting there damn it! Shut up!" Rohan demanded. He collected himself once again. The stress of screaming was putting a strain on his body. "Monday night, I went to bed at the same time as always. That night I had a horrible nightmare," his voice trailed off for a moment before continuing.
"I was in the cafe where I drew the first drawings of Pink Dark Boy. The dream was vivid and beautiful. It didn't feel like a dream. I could smell the coffee, I could taste the croissant I was eating. I felt the pencil sketching in my hand, but the dream didn't stay pleasant. I looked out the window and a walking shadow stood on the other side of the road," Diya gulped hearing the description and remembering his nightmare.
"The figure was tall and menacing. It was almost human-like. It wore no clothes. Besides it's inky blackness, all I could make out was a purple visor, dark boots, and a belt buckle that had the letters "S.I.S" on it," Diya felt a bit relieved that it didn't match the description of the monster in his dream.
"Was that the Stand?" Diya inquired.
"I think so," Rohan answered. "Its arms were without hands. The arms began to spin like cyclones. Its legs transformed into a tornado it glided across my dream on. He began destroying everything," Rohan stopped abruptly.
"What do you mean?" Diya pushed him.
"Its cyclone arms and tornado lower half began blowing my dream into oblivion. It was like a tornado that ripped apart the fabric of reality of my dreams. I watched it destroy the school across the road, the passerby whose names I knew, the barista behind the counter. Everything it destroyed was replaced by a vast and infinite black void."
"Eventually it was just me and the Stand. I stood on a single piece of flooring, no more than a few meters in any direction. It approached me, and the shadows faded on his neck and the bottom half of his face. Its skin was purple and its mouth was twisted with yellowed teeth. It slowly approached me. I tried to call my Stand but it was useless, it is nearly impossible to bring your Stand into the dream world. It began to speak and its breath was disgusting, I prayed that it would be enough to wake me up." (*really the main thing i'm noticing here is the distinction between "it's" and "its." only use the contraction when you're saying "it is." "its" is the possessive. Just be careful about that)
"What did it say?" Okuyasu asked.
"'Rohan Kishibe, you will never escape the effects of my Stand, Sleepless in Seattle!'"
A chill shot down Diya and Okuyasu's back, but Rohan continued with his story, unphased by their discomfort.
"The Stand's shadows covered it again and it used its cyclone to blast me. I felt my body get ripped to shreds, painfully and slowly. I awoke in my bed at 11:10 in the middle of the night. I have been unable to sleep since."
"The Stand gives you nightmares? I think I had a nightmare last night, was I attacked?" Okuyasu was worried.
"A nightmare? What do you remember from it?" Rohan sounded hopeful and leaned forward to listen to Okuyasu.
"Well," Okuyasu looked to the ceiling for a moment. "I guess I really don't remember my dream. I definitely wouldn't forget something as vivid as you described."
"I can't imagine the Stand's methodology would change that much. You may have just had a nightmare," Rohan slumped back in his chair. "I've been thinking, and here's what I have gathered. When I woke up, there were no signs of forced entry in my home. I quickly checked the windows and there was nobody outside. I highly doubt someone would be, this power is too strong to be a long range type Stand… Unless…." Rohan pondered.
"Unless it was like that homing bomb that Koichi and Mr. Jotaro fought, Sheer Heart Attack!" Okuyasu exclaimed.
"Yes, that would make sense!" Rohan stood up. "Long distance Stands that act independently of the user can still have that type of power. There must be some type of 'set' trigger that activates the Stand's ability! Okuyasu, your genius is showing," Rohan said snarkily.
"Where?" Okuyasu asked, checking his outfit. Rohan put his face in his palm.
"Mr. Rohan," Diya chimed in. "You said you woke up at 11:10 and went to bed at 9:30, correct?"
"Yes."
"That would mean your REM sleep began at 11:00. REM sleep is when your dreams happen, and the first cycle of REM lasts about ten minutes. If the Stand gave you a nightmare, it's possible that going into REM sleep is the trigger that sets off the Stand's attack!"
"Very good Diya! Which confirms my suspicions that I must have been initially attacked earlier that day," Rohan was excited as they were getting somewhere. His mind wasn't as sharp as it usually was. This Stand's attack had really sapped Rohan of his strength, will, and energy, and that's the reason why he had called Okuyasu and Diya.
"You said you had only seen four people that day, Rohan," Okuyasu began to think. "You know me and Hazamada already."
"Yes, and what I read about Diya leads me to believe it likely isn't him. So it must have been the other guy."
"What did he look like, Rohan?" Diya was anxious to be a part of this, but felt new confidence bubbling in him.
"He was an angry fan. He was screaming at me about how he's hated my work for years. He was a nasty little American man. Fat, greasy, unpleasant, and he smelled foul."
Okuyasu and Diya both jumped to their feet. It instantly registered in their minds separately.
"I know who the user is!" The two of them cried out in unison. "You know who the user is? No, I know who the user is!" They continued together.
"There was a threatening message on the Pink Dark Boy forums saying someone came to visit Rohan the other day! He's been posting hate on the website for years now!" Diya exclaimed.
"The same person Rohan described came to my store! He cursed out the bus driver and my boss. They both developed insomnia!" Okuyasu was so excited to see some action.
"I can't go out and fight this person," Rohan sat back down in his chair. "His attack has left me weak and unable to fight. But if you two were to fight and defeat him, everyone he's affected would likely be able to sleep again."
The two of them nodded and rushed out to Okuyasu's car as they hit the road, ready to find Sleepless in Seattle's user.
As Okuyasu and Diya drove down the road at around noon, on the other side of the world, it was still the middle of the night. It was 1:00 in the morning in Midland, Michigan. A thirty year old blonde woman laid awake in a hospital bed, blankly watching the hospital television in her room. Her fiance was slumped over in a chair next to her, asleep, almost as if he was mocking her. She watched him from the side of her eye. She was too exhausted to even move or be upset at her soon-to-be husband. All she could do was wait for him to wake up. She wasn't sure how much longer her body could survive like this.
Outside of her room, a doctor checked her chart. He placed it back in the holder outside of her door and walked away, leaving her name exposed so the nurses could find her if needed.
"Jenny Tutone"