There was a dull throbbing in the back of my head. I felt like the room was spinning. My limbs felt heavy and weak. I couldn't move or open my eyes.
I just focused on breathing and turned my attention to listening the best I could. I could hear humming, and from the pitch and tone it was female. She seemed to be in a good mood too. I heard an assortment of clinks and sounds, like the individual was tinkering with stuff. The sweet aroma of jasmine filled my nostrils.
I could feel my senses slowly but surely returning to me. I groggily opened up my eyes.
I looked up, my vision still slightly blurred, but I was clearly in a room of sorts. The walls were purple and I saw I was indeed laying in a bed. I moved my hands to rub my temples until I realized I was bound to the bed frame. It seems to be chains, and my slight movement made my binds clink together, alerting the girl standing in front of a mirror across the room.
I turned my attention to the girl. She wore a grey long sleeve sweater and black leggings. Her lavender hair twirled as she faced me, a smile wide on her face.
"Christian, you're awake." She said softly.
I scooted myself the best I could to sit up and put my back to the headboard, my arms outstretched to my sides.
"Yuri…..where am I?" I ask through gritted teeth.
She gives me a creepy laugh that could rival a horror movie ghost girl.
"Use context clues, dearest. You're in my home." She says, while gesturing around the room.
My eyes dart around to survey my surroundings. She had a big room, clearly she came from wealth. There was a double-doored closest right next to me, with a door on the far side of the room, which I presumed led outside. She had a wide, double doored exit leading to a balcony that I could see through white see-through curtains.
She noticed me taking in my sights and sighed dreamily,
"Like your new home, dearest?" She says to me. I fix my eyes on her.
"Yuri, let me go. I don't want to be here." I coldly tell her. She looks all over me and sighs.
"I don't understand why you won't let me love you. Won't let me care for you. It hurts, you know? But don't worry. I will get what I want….even if it's by force."
Yuri's gaze lowers and she stalks towards me, her hips swaying with every step. I clear my throat awkwardly and shifted my weight. I eyed my chains and see that they are connected weakly to two separate bedposts.
She gets to the bed and lays a hand on my leg. I shuddered to her touch. She giggled at my actions and leaned down to kiss my leg.
"Honestly, I have to thank you. If it wasn't for Monika, I don't think I would have the courage to do this." She tells me. I feel dread creep into my soul.
"Um….Yuri? What are you planning on doing?" I nervously ask her.
"Isn't it obvious, dear? I'm going to take you. All of you." She responds. She giggles to herself and leaves my bedside and turns to a cabinet across the room. She moves a curtain and shows a glass container, filled with an assortment of knives. They were all beautiful, some normal and some exotic.
She opened up the glass cabinet and tap her hands together like she was pondering.
"But, for me to fully enjoy the love we are about to share, we will be diving into one of my more…abstract kinks."
She reaches up to a top shelf in the cabinet and brandishes a beautiful purple-stained blade. It shimmered as the light hit it, reflecting its color all over the blade. She turned to me with the blade in hand and lay her eyes on me.
"Yuri, what is your kink?" I ask, now concerned why the mentally insane girl in front of me is holding a knife. She rears her head back in a maniacal laugh. She lays the knife down on a vanity countertop and strips her sweater. Fortunately, she was wearing a bra, but something in my brain told me that she wouldn't be for long.
My eyes drifted to her arms, where my eyes widened in shock. I kept my calm and thoughts to myself as I examined her. I scanned her arms, which from her wrists to elbows were covered in assortments of scars and cuts, some old and aged, others fresh and still raw. I heard her stifle a laugh and my eyes met her face again.
"Normally I would be cowering right now if someone saw who I truly am." She started, pacing around her room, playing with her knife. "Most would call me a freak, say I'm a loner and laugh at me. But with you, I have confidence. I want to show you me." She puts her arms out like she was showing me all her cuts. "Yes, I cut myself. Do you know why?"
I timidly shake my head without opening my mouth. I was seriously getting bad vibes. The dream I had of her popped into my head and I started to internally freak out.
"Well, most would think it's because I'm depressed or because it helps me cope. But that's far from the truth. It's…sexually stimulating." As she says this, she gently pokes her left forearm with the blade, leaving a small trail of blood to drip down her arm.
"It feels so damn good! Something about it just brings me to new euphoric heights, you know?" She lays her eyes back on me. I was becoming terrified. I made no noises or movements, just stared at the crazed purple haired girl.
"So, now you understand how I tick…..and I'm going to spread this love to you."
She walks slowly towards me, grips the hilt of her blade. My eyes widen as she neared towards me.
"Er-Yuri, listen, there's no need for any of thi-" She silences me by placing a finger to my lips.
"Shhhh, my Dearest. You talk to much." She says. She pokes my leg with the blade and I feel it break my skin. I wince from the sensation and she giggles.
"Doesn't it feel so good, Christian?" She brings the blade away and I already see the blood faintly staining my pants. It was a little cut, but just enough for it to bleed.
She abruptly jumped onto my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. I stared into her eyes and tried my best to struggle against her but she wouldn't budge. She leaned forward and slammed her face to mine, her tongue licking all over my chin and mouth.
I clamped my mouth shut and closed my eyes, refusing to reciprocate. She leans back and had a noticeable confused look on her face.
"Christian, what's wrong? We are going to seal our lives as lovers! Why aren't you loving me back?"
I avoid eye contact and look everywhere but her. She grabs my chin and forces me to look at her.
"Christian, what is it? Why won't you reciprocate my affection?" She says, irritation now creeping into her voice.
I sigh and tried to find a confident voice. "Yuri, you kidnapped me and chained me to your bed. I'm definitely not feeling the love right now."
She stared at me with a guarded face. She gripped my chin harder and I winced.
"It's because of Monika, isn't it? You guys really are together? You chose her over me?" She shot at me, now becoming irate.
I couldn't find what to say but my face must've spoke volumes because hot tears fell down her face.
"No. No this is not happening. You will be mine, whether you like it or not."
She grabs her knife and without delay drives it directly into my right thigh. My whole torso heaves forward and I yell at the ceiling. I close my eyes and felt the fire from the pain burning up my entire leg, shooting up my body and throwing me into shock. I felt tears streaming down my face as the pain took over. I tried bringing my hands to my leg with animalistic instinct to cover my wound but was stopped by the chains.
She hopped off my lap and stumbled to her cabinet. I look at the knife that stuck in my leg, it's purple hilt stained red. The bed sheets that surrounded my right leg was becoming a shade of crimson, my pants becoming sticky and stained by the blood dripping out.
I hear her laugh maniacally at her cabinet as she picks up several different blades. She turns back to me with a crazed look in her eye.
"Christian, you are mine. I will have your heart!" Yuri yells at me, a mixture of sadness and insanity bleeding out her voice.
I pulled my hands out as far as I could, straining against the chains. I stared at the bedpost and saw the weak cuffs about to give. I look back at her and try to muster up any courage I may have.
"Yuri, this is crazy! What is wrong with you?" I stammer at her. Every body movement flared up the pain of the knife sitting in my leg. I winced and tried to hold back my pain.
"Nothing Is wrong with me, Christian. This is how I am. This is how we get to be, together." She steps towards me and my mind goes into auto pilot. I yank with both my hands and break the weakened cuffs, freeing me from its binds. She lungs at the bed with her knives and I roll towards the end of the bed. I fall to the floor and the blade in my leg gets cause on the frame of the end of her bed. I cry out in pain as fire shoots through my leg.
My whole body shook as I leveled myself against the wall. Yuri sat with a look of contempt on her face, digging her knives out of her purple bed sheets. I look down at my wounded leg and grasp the hilt of the knife. I take a few deep breaths and rip out the blade, dropping to a knee and screaming in pain. I drop the knife on the ground and use my hands to cover my cut. My vision began to blur from the pain, but I took deep breaths to regain my composure.
I grabbed a long stocking I saw on the floor at the end of her bed. I wrapped it around wound, wincing in pain as I tightened to, hoping to stop extreme blood flow and cover it for the time being.
I steadily stood and saw Yuri facing me once again. Her pupils were small and she had a grin on her face. She held one of the knives in her hands tightly. I leaned my back against a bookcase she had and took deep breaths, trying to mask my fear.
"There's no need to be scared, dearest. I'm here for you. I will protect you." She says to me, her voice a mixture of melancholy and madness. In my peripheral vision, I could see the double-doored exit to the balcony.
'I just got to distract her enough to make a break for it' I thought to myself. My knife wound in my leg became a dull throb as I started to feel adrenaline kick in. I steadied myself and got in a defensive position facing Yuri.
"Look, you are clearly fucked up right now. But it's okay because I think I know how to fix you, I just need time Yuri." I tell her, keeping my voice calm.
She takes a step forward, spinning the blade in her hand.
"Christian, what are you talking about? I'm fine! Are you saying I'm not perfect? Are you saying I'm not good enough?" She says, her voice becoming a dangerous tone.
I shakily put my crimson-stained hands up. "No, not at all Yuri! I just know something is in your head right now and I know I can fix it!"
She pauses and looks at me, a bewildered look on her face. She tilts her head tightly and I can see that this caught her off guard.
"I know what's going on, Yuri. I understand because I also am going through the same thing." I tell her.
Her face drops and I see tears roll down her cheeks.
"I keep hearing the voice, it feels like it's twisting my mind. It's making me…..obssessed." She tells me, her voice shaking. I told a cautious step towards her. She was sounding more like her reserved self and it gave me a smidge of confidence.
"Don't listen to the voice, Yuri. It's manipulating you. It's trying to control you." I tell her. She looked up at me, her eyes glossy. Her knife dropped out of her hand.
I closed the gap in front of us, ignoring the pain, and put my hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, the club with take care of you."
She took a deep breath…..and froze. Her eyes glazed over and fixated on a random spot past me on the wall. I got an immediate sense of unease.
"No…..no Christian, you're lying to me! You're just trying to get me to leave you alone so Monika can have you to herself. But I'm not going to let that happen."
She gripped my arm and dragged me to the bed, me slightly falling to my knees because of the pain. I gripped her arm and tried resisting but she had a death grip.
She pinned my right arm down on the bed, forcing her body weight on my upper body uncomfortably laying on the bed while my legs were on the floor. She picked up the second knife that was laying by her pillow and turned to me.
"If you won't let us because together now, then we will be together in the afterlife." She spat at me with venom. She brought her knife out with one hand and thrust it downwards toward my chest.
I instinctively used my left arm that was free and latched onto her wrist, holding the blade in place. She grunted and slowly pushed the knife down. I was resisting the best I could but she had a strange surge of strength, just barely surpassing my own.
Without too much thought (or regard to my previous injury), I swung my right, injured leg the best I could and knocked it into her legs. She slightly lost balance, but that was all I needed. I pushed up with my body weight and followed her down the floor, pinning her wrists down and sitting on her stomach.
She growled at me and tried moving her hand with the knife, but my adrenaline have me a strength boost. I pick up her wrist and slammed her hand down several times on the carpet until the weapon sprang free from her grasp and bounced a reasonable distance away.
She tried to force her face to mine like she was….biting me? But couldn't get up enough to do anything. Before I could take a deep breath and think what to do next, she bucked her hips forward and I lost my balance, rolling over her head and once again against the bookshelf.
She swiftly regained her weapon and shot to her feet, her eyes staring straight at me. Wordlessly, she raised her blade and charged. I yelped and sprinted to my right, directly towards the balcony exit. I didn't even bother with the door handles, just using my pure body weight to shoulder charged into the door. To my absolute luck, it smashed open, my body being assaulted by the immediate cool air.
I stumble to the end of the balcony and dart my eyes everywhere to get a read on my surrounding. It was a small balcony, clearly meant for only several people as an outlook. We were on a second story, so a fall couldn't be too bad, but the way I was already injured, that would be a last resort. I could crawl up her window sill to the roof, but at the cost of being higher up. I needed to go down.
Without a moments notice, Yuri appeared in her doorway, heaving and shivering. At that exact moment, the soft feeling of snow became apparent, as both our attention was drawn to the sky.
I had no idea what time it was, but the sun was already down. The moon barely shown through an overcast, which would make sense for the precipitation.
I threw my gaze back on Yuri, who stood staring at me menacingly. I took a deep breath and tried to keep a calm demeanor.
"Yuri, it's over. I have a way out and there's nothing you can do about it." I say, knowing full damn well that whatever I choose to do will result in absolute pain. "Drop your knife and this won't have to end this way."
She begins to laugh. I creepy laugh. A soul-piercing laugh. Her insane chortle echoed on throughout the area, making my hairs stand up on end. At this point, the snow was coming down on a steady downpour.
She took a step forward. I shifted backwards, my lower back hitting the balcony wall. I turn over my shoulder and see the snowy yard below me. No bushes in sight. I hear a loud war cry and turn to see Yuri charging me.
Before I can react, there's a loud thud and Yuri collapses onto the cement floor, unconscious. She lay still and didn't move a muscle. I look forward and I immediately feel a sense of relief.
Monika appears, with a rolling pin in her hand, panting like she just ran a marathon. Her green t-shirt and jeans were immediately covered in white because of the snow, and her long brunette hair covered her face, her emerald eyes barely showing through.
She sprinted at me and leaped onto my chest and started sobbing. I lowered my back down against the wall until we were both sitting in the snow, sobbing and holding each other.
Several minutes pass and she forces my face to hers for a kiss. Unlike Yuri, I gladly accepted her love. She broke away and looked into my eyes.
"I've waited to hear from you for hours! You never said anything I just knew something was wrong. I asked Natsuki where Yuri lived and came here as fast as I could." She said, trying to control her breath.
I gripped her face and pushed my forehead against hers. I held onto her tightly, feeling nothing but her amazing warmth and the soft snow collecting on us.
I opened my eyes and gripped my princess, pulling her to her feet.
"We need to get inside, my dear. It's getting cold and this snow isn't helping." I tell her. She simply nods her head. I hold onto her arm and take her inside. I hop on one leg and she goes to question but I tell her that I'll explain inside. As we pass the threshold, I hesitate and turn around to see Yuri still unconscious in the snow.
I hobble over and with difficulty, throw her over my shoulder, dragging her shirtless body into her room. Monika closes the door behind me and I lay Yuri's cold body down onto her bed. Monika leaves the room in search of blankets and I lean back to a wall and sit down, keeping my steel gaze at Yuri.
My mind was thinking about everything and nothing. I couldn't stop replaying what took place in my head. Yuri being crazy obsessive. Her stabbing me. Her legit cutting problem. It all played through my head and I couldn't think about anything else. The look in her eyes, it stuck with me. How insane she was.
I didn't even notice when Monika walked in. She was sitting next to me, holding onto my arm with her head on my shoulder. I had a blanket over my shoulder. I looked up and saw Yuri was covered in one as well.
'Damn, I was super lost in thought', I told myself.
I turned my attention back to Monika, who carefully touched the stocking on my leg that harbored my wound. She carefully untied the stocking and let the crimson-stained article of clothing fall limp to the floor.
She gently rubbed her finger over my open wound. I winced at the sensation and ignored the flare that erupted from her touch. She suddenly sat up and fled the room. Before I could question her behavior, she returned with a load of medical supplies in her hand.
She gripped my leg and brought it closer to her. I winced and fought back the urge to yank my leg from her from the burning sensation while complaining. "Hey now, careful. It hurts!"
She shot me a glare and I clamped my mouth shut. She turned her attention to my wound. She immediately dabbed around the cut with a damp hand towel. I grabbed onto her should and felt the sharp pain shoot through my body.
"Jesus Christ!" I yelled. She immediately threw some unknown cream onto my wound and threw gauze onto in. I fought through the immediate urges to jumped or wince and let her work. She finished by wrapping it up with a bandage and tightening it.
She let out a sigh and stared at her work. I remained silent. She turned her gaze to me, a mixture of anger and concern.
"Not a doctor, so I'm not entirely sure what is needed to treat this, but it will do for now. Now Christian, what happened?" I sighed and looked her into the eyes.
I recounted everything that happened, from when me and Monika said our goodbyes, Yuri giving me a drink and me passing out, to me waking up here and Yuri being crazy and stabbing me.
Monika simply nodded her head the entire time I talked, the occasional tear streaking down her face. When I got to the part about her coming on to me, she inhaled sharply and tensed up.
"She kissed you? How did you react? What did you do?" She says, her eyes piercing mine. It was obvious she was worried that I enjoyed it or something. I simply relayed to her that I just simply did not reciprocate and that it made the situation worse, and she seemed to relax a tad.
"Okay…I was just curious.." She says, avoiding my gaze. I simply pull her head onto my shoulder and squeeze her to me. I picked up where I left off and finished, ending with seeing Monika standing with the rolling pin.
I sigh after recounting everything. Monika squeezes my arm and places a kiss on my shoulder.
"Are you okay?" She asks. I turn my head to hers and catch her loving gaze. I bring my opposite hand up to her chin and lean down to kiss her. She relays her love to me through the kiss and sends warmth throughout my entire body, slightly calming my mind from the recent events.
I pull away and open my eyes. "Honestly, I think overall I'll be fine, but this is some crazy shit." I tell her, gesturing to Yuri. Monika lightly giggles and nuzzles into my arm.
I take a sharp breath. "I want to save her." I tell Monika. She looks at me confused.
"How will you do that?" She responds.
I looked at her and sighed.
"I think we need to share a dream together. Like Natsuki." I tell her.
She stares at me like she is processing what I said.
"How are you going to do that?" She asks me.
"I have to fall asleep and hope that we fall into the same dream together." I tell her while squeezing her hand. "Maybe since we're in such close proximity, it would amplify the chance."
She looks off to a wall and grips my hand tightly. She seems scared, and I don't blame her.
"What if it doesn't work?" She asks me.
"We won't know until we try." I say, bringing her forehead forward and placing a kiss on it. In all seriousness, I was scared. It was a longshot and not even guaranteed anything would work. I just felt responsible for helping these girls. I got dragged into the world and they started to have insane problems, it's only natural for me to feel the need to help them.
I gently lay myself down on my back, carefully laying down my leg and ignoring the pain. I place my head in Monika's lap. The carpet definitely was comfortable enough for me so I didn't complain too much. Much to my surprise, I definitely felt exhausted. I think with the adrenaline rush and the events that ensued really taxed my mind.
"I'll keep watch, my love. Don't want Yuri to do anything froggy. Just…please be careful, okay?" Monika quietly says while gripping my hand. I place a kiss on her palm and lay my head back.
I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I focused on Monika running her fingers through my hair. In no time at all, I felt my consciously slip into sleep.
…
I was shrouded in a dark purple and black mist. It spun around me like I was in the eye of a tornado. I heard whispers throughout the rushing sound of the mist. The voices all ranged from male and female tones, young and adult. They all were having separate conversations, so it was damn near impossible to pinpoint what one was saying.
I kept my breathing in check to remain calm. I was having an uneasy feeling hearing the voices and seeing the scenery laid before me. I was unsure on what my first move should be.
Before I could decide, all the voices halted at the same time, leaving the eerie sound of the purple tornado. I looked around the see if I could pinpoint an exit until I heard booming laughter.
I flinched in place and felt my hairs stand up on my body. The voice's hearty, evil laugh rang on for several seconds before submitting again.
"You know, you really are starting to impress me." I heard the voice say.
It didn't take a genius to understand who it was. Or more accurately, what it was. The sinister voice that has been plaguing mine and the girls' dreams continued to talk.
"Most would have faltered, their minds would have already succumbed to fear and madness. But you, you intrigue me. Here you stand, after several nightmares of what's to come and yet you still stand, dead set on being a savior that you can never be."
I clenched my fists. "Listen, Mr. Deep Voice. I seriously don't know who you are, but I can assure you that fear left me long ago in these dreams. I'm going to help these girls if it's the last thing I do." I shoot at it, feeling a sense of determination I didn't know I had.
The voice once again laughed.
"You seriously believe you can be their salvation, don't you? I can't help but admire that. You are right about one thing though, it will be the last thing you do."
The mist in front of me dissipated, forming into a sort of doorway, shrouded in darkness.
"Go. See how well you can save what is already lost."
The voice gave a low chuckle as it faded to nothing. I took a deep breath and broke the threshold of the doorway.
I walked through shielded my eyes from the light. It took my eyes a few moments to become accustomed to my surroundings.
I seemed to be in a garden. It was littered with dozens of different kinds of flowers of all colors, painting a beautiful scene. Several cherry blossom trees were positioned around the garden, soft pink petals blowing around the regal environment. Gushing sounds of a fountain was heard, sitting stationary in the middle of stone paths that led all over the garden.
I looked towards the sky. A deep purple hue painted the atmosphere, leaving almost a supernatural glow across the land. If it wasn't for the fact that this was a dream, it would have been terrifying. That being said, it was beautiful scenery.
My attention turned to a figure looming by a cherry blossom tree directly across from me along the path. She was garbed in a white dress, with furls along the long sleeves at her wrists and by her feet where the dress hung. Her long, lavender hair flowed down her back, ending at her hips and blowing in the soft breeze.
She seemed to have her eyes fixated at the base of the tree, her hands placed against her chest. I couldn't exactly see past her, but I saw a figure laying at the bottom of the tree.
I inhaled deeply, allowing the aroma of the flowers to calm me, and pushed my way through the garden.
As I approached the girl, the soft breeze seemed to possess voices, soft whispers eating away at my mind. The closer I got, the more erratic that whispers became, almost as if becoming agitated. I allowed the dread to flow through me and pushed onward.
I stopped walking when I was five or so feet behind the individual. It was obviously Yuri to me, but something about the aura she emanated really set me off. The whispers now were becoming restless. Their intensity was consuming my mind, blocking all my thoughts.
I reached my hand out and grasped the girl's shoulder. The voices suddenly stopped, leaving nothing but the rustling of the trees and flowers to fill in the silence. I immediately withdrew my hand and stepped back again, feeling uneasy.
The girls head, which was hanging down by her chest, slowly was drawn up until she was standing tall. She allowed her arms to fall at her side. She slowly turned until her body was facing me.
I meet the face of the girl to see Yuri, a smile on her face but her eyes completely black. Her skin shown eerily bright for the otherwise gloomy setting and her posture seemed to be very elegant. She tilted her head as she examined me, her smile sticking wider and her black eyes eating away at my sanity.
I fought the primal urge to run. This clearly was not our Yuri.
The Yuri in front of me began to laugh. Her chortles echoed throughout the garden and seeped deep into my bones.
"So, you have finally arrived." She said. Her voice was layered, like there was multiple voices talking at once. There was a mixture of low and high voices, overlapping each other as words left her lips.
"You have kept us waiting an awfully long time." The Phantom Yuri said.
"Us? Who's 'us'?" I shakily ask her. She gently pokes her head, confirmation that there is more than one entity in her head.
"Who are you? And Where are we?" I ask, trying to get some answers. Phantom Yuri creepily giggles to herself, her many voices not helping me stay calm.
"Glad you ask, darling. We are Yuri. All of her thoughts. All of her emotions. All of her insecurities. Everything that exists within her head is Us." She bows elegantly before standing up straight and putting their hands behind their back. "As for our current location, well this is our Eternal Garden. It is Yuri's happy place, where she is able to retreat from the world she is forced to live in."
I looked around again and basked in its beauty. I can see why this can be her happy place, but is this really all in her mind?
I shift my focus to the individual laying on the ground. Phantom Yuri seemed to see my gaze and chuckled lightly.
"I see you've noticed my prize." She elegantly swayed her arm downwards and shifted her position to allow me a better look, as if showing off who she was in front of. I looked down and slightly gasped.
It was Yuri, garbed in her gray sweater and black leggings. She lay unconscious against the tree. I turned my attention back to the phantom.
"Is she okay? What is wrong with her?" I say sternly, slowly gaining confidence.
The girl simply laughed.
"Is it not clear? She is resting. She is in her happy place where she belongs. She is not allowed to leave."
I felt a wave of protectiveness wash over me.
"Yeah? And why is that?" I say, slowly becoming irritable.
"Because, silly…" Phantom Yuri steps back and dissipates into a dark mist. I looked around cautiously until I heard a soft woosh behind me, causing me to turn around. She reappears across the way, in front of the fountain, her arms open wide. "Because here she cannot be harmed, cannot be swayed by those deemed untrustworthy. We know what's best for her and we will protect her. At all costs."
She eerily laughed her multi-voiced laugh and snapped her fingers. Three clouds of darkness appeared around her, with an individual appearing out of each. The three individuals were clearly made of the dark matter that Phantom Yuri has the ability to manipulate. As the figures became more easy to see, it was obvious that is the was rest of the club members.
Phantom versions of Sayori, Natsuki and Monika all began to laugh in the same fashion as Phantom Yuri. They each had their own laughter from the real world, but complete with the echo of many voices in one body.
I positioned myself in front of Yuri and narrowed my eyes at the girls. I stood in a guarded position and clenched my fists. Each of the girls looked up at me and bore their stare at me. Phantom Yuri chuckled and took a step forward.
"Do you oppose us, Dearest? You do realize this is our realm, correct? We hold all power here." All the other girls nod their heads in agreement and grin.
I sigh and feel uneasy. 'What the hell am I supposed to do the save Yuri?'
I suddenly felt an uncomfortably strong grip envelope my body, seeing myself rise. I was hovering off the ground and frozen in place, my arms pinned to my side. I saw Phantom Yuri standing there, a smirk branded on her face, as she had an arm outstretched in my direction. A faint dark mist enveloped me and I knew that Phantom Yuri was holding me in the air.
She lightly laughed to herself. "Look how powerless you are." The other three girls laughed in unison together. "Allow me to put you into your place, Darling."
She flicked her wrist and I felt a sudden weightlessness. Wind whistled in my ears as I felt myself airborne. I crashed onto the cobblestone path and rolled into the fountain.
I groaned and shakily stood up as I rubbed my joints, red and slightly bleeding from scratching the ground on impact. I leveled myself on my feet again to see the girls slowly approaching me.
I slowly regained a defensive position but was immediately assaulted by an unknown force. I felt something coil around my body, grip and drag me towards Phantom Yuri, who was laughing to herself, clearly amused.
I stood in place, my arms constricted to my side, gritting my teeth. I felt sweat drip down the side of my head as I struggled to break free.
"There's no use trying to free your bonds, Darling. You are controlled by us." Phantom Yuri chortles at me.
I frantically eyed around the garden until I saw movement by the cherry blossom tree. I saw Yuri shakily stand up and confusingly look around. Her eyes fixated on us and went through a mixture of confusing and alarm.
"Christian…?" I heard her say. It was soooooo damn nice to hear a normal voice for once that didn't have a million personalities intertwined in it.
The Phantoms each turned around to focus on the girl. Yuri seemed stricken and took a few steps backwards.
"Well, well. Look who has finally awoken." Phantom Yuri said. "We were just disposing of this pest that has wandered into our Garden."
Yuri's eyes locked onto mine.
"Hey Yuri, long time no see." I say through struggling. "Good to see you. What do you say we-urg-take down these ghost girls so we can go home?"
Yuri had a terrified and confused look on her face.
"I d-don't understand….W-where are we?" She said.
"I'll explain in time but li-erk!" I was cut off by Phantom Yuri squeezing me and throwing me towards Yuri. I struck the ground again and rolled a few times.
Yuri ran to my side and lightly grabbed my arms. She helped drag me to my feet, me groaning in pain in the process.
"I am really not a fan of this chick's psycho dark powers." I mutter as I regain my footing.
'Christian, what is going on?" Yuri asks while darting her eyes back and forth between me and the slowly approaching Phantoms.
"Look, long story short we are sharing a dream and I'm here to help fight off some demons so you can be safe in the real world." I tell her.
She silently nods her head, unsure of what to say.
"This is your happy place, right?" I ask her. She timidly nods her head. "Okay, look, about these damn shadow sirens, do you know anyway to combat them? Any way to counter them?"
She exhales audibly. "Honestly Christian, I don't know. I've never seen these girls before."
I groan and lay my gaze back on the approaching girls. "Damnit. The ghost Yuri version of you over there says she's a manifestation of literally all of your thoughts and insecurities and shit. Does that give any ideas?"
I can see her mind racing, her eyes threatening to release an onslaught of tears. I grip her wrist and lightly squeeze to comfort her. This is the first time in a few days that I've seen the real Yuri and it makes me want to help her tenfold.
Before she can make a comment, her phantom counterpart speaks up.
"How was the little reunion?" She coyly asks. I defensively step in front of Yuri, knowing that it wouldn't help too much for their attacks but taking the stance of protection anyways. "You can't do anything to resist us. All you can do is bow. Kneel before me and you will be granted reprieve. As for our dear Yuri, this intruder is in our world. What would you have his fate be?"
I feel Yuri lightly grasp my shirt and take a deep breath. She shakily walks out in front of me, towards the girls.
"Er-Yuri? Maybe we should stay back for now…" I called to her but she seemed unfazed by my words. She stood halfway between us and the girls. The Phantoms of Natsuki, Monika and Sayori took a knee to bow like Yuri was of royalty.
"You will not hurt him. He is my f-friend and wants to help." Yuri nervously says, mustering up the courage to speak to her ghostly counterpart.
I heard an uncharacteristic low growl come from Phantom Yuri. She took a step towards Yuri.
"He is a threat, Mother Yuri. He wants to steal you from this heavenly place, take you to a world of pain and misery. He knows not of the plagues that will steal your soul from us." She said, her voice(s) brimming with annoyance.
I saw Yuri ball her hands into fists as her arms shook.
"I fail to understand completely what is going on, but I know for a fact that Christian means no harm. He is a loving person and a good friend. Whatever business we all have here can be solved without confrontation." Yuri says, her voice slowly gaining more confidence.
Phantom Yuri's black eyes bore into her 'Mother' version with extreme distaste. I noticed the other shadows become restless on their knees, like their loyalties were becoming distrusted.
"I see. You are becoming blind to the outside world. You are giving us no choice. You must be protected at all costs. No exceptions."
'Oh shit' I think to myself. Shit was about to go down.
Phantom Yuri started to glow a dangerously shade of purple, her eyes emitting a dark power. The remaining girls stood up from their kneeling positions, slowly starting towards Yuri. Yuri yelped and started back pedaling fast. I stood up and started to sprint towards Yuri until I heard a crack in the sky.
A dark split opened up in the sky, almost like a tear. Dozens of spears and knives created of dark matter rained down, crashing into the grass and cobblestone. I grabbed Yuri and swept her up, diving to the side.
There was dirt and dust peppering the air from the commotion, clouding up our vision from the girls. I coughed and batted away the dirt from my mouth. All of a sudden, Phantom Natsuki jumped through the smoke, her arm formed into a spear.
I heard a shriek (I think it was me), and I instinctively dodged rolled to the side. She stabbed into the ground, getting her weaponized hand stuck in place. She cried out in creepy frustration and struggled against the earth. My mind blanked and I ripped a dark matter spear that was lodged in the Earth next to me.
I gripped It tightly, feeling its cool and slight sting against my skin. It was probably definitely not something I should be touching but at least I have a weapon.
I charged Phantom Natsuki. She looked up, her hollow black eyes seemed to look alarmed (well, I assume so. Kind of hard to tell with creepy ghost eyes). With a war cry, I stabbed the spear downward into the shadow, piercing her form. She cried out in her hundreds of voices and immediately dissipated into smoke, nothing remaining.
Before I could relish in my minor victory, I heard a whoosh and a sting on my face. I recoiled backwards as I brought my hand up, feeling a gash on my cheek become sticky with my blood. I look up to see Sayori stepping forward, her fingertips each morphed into sharp shadow kunai.
I got into a defensive position and brandished my spear in response. I saw her ghostly cinnamon-bun smirk appear as she wound up her arms and flung her hands, releasing an onslaught of dark matter knives my direction.
I yelped and ducked my head, half crawling, half running out of harms way. I feel a few of the knives graze my back and I wince. Luckily, my mind starts kicking into auto-pilot so I'm not thinking too much and running on instinct.
She gave out a coy laugh and slowly approached me, her hands slowly regenerating her shadow weapons. I take this opportunity to attack. I lunge my spear at her and she swiftly bats away the weapon, side stepping and smirking. She swung her strong hand and sliced the side of my abdomen, causing me to cry out and drop to a knee.
"Christian!" I hear Yuri call from behind me. I concentrate on controlling my breathing, but to my dismay, Phantom Sayori pounces on me, rendering me defenseless. I struggle to fight back but she binds my wrists to the earth with dark matter.
She coyly grazes her fingertips along my cheek, her kunai fully developed. She brought her hand up to strike. I closed my eyes and braced for impact.
I sat in silence for a few moments until cautiously opening my eyes. I see Sayori still sitting on me, but slowly dissipating into nothingness. I see her head slowly roll to the side, her body decapitated.
I tilt my head to see Yuri standing there with a shadow blade she picked up from the ground. She exhaled sharply and used a free hand to grab my arm and help me to my feet.
"Thanks, bookworm." I muttered as I steadied myself.
I winced in pain and grasped my left side, feeling it sticky with my blood. I examine it and see it's not too severe, but will clearly need worked on when the ordeal is done. I take a deep breath and focus my attention on the remaining girls.
One more lesser shadow, Monika, and the big Phantom herself was all that's left. Phantom Yuri had a look of displeasure. She was levitating a few feet off the ground, examining the fights that broke out. She turned to Phantom Monika and hissed.
"You, do not fail me. He must not be allowed to succeed. Her wellbeing is at stake!"
Without hesitation, Phantom Monika's two arms morphed into two long dark matter spears, similar to Natsuki's. She propelled herself into the air, spinning in a drill-like fashion, aimed directly at me.
I dodged to the side, gripping some of the kunai that Phantom Sayori left behind. The shadow siren impaled the ground, inflicting no damage to anyone. She simply bounced up and back to her feet, regaining her composure and turning directly to me.
In the corner of my eye, I see Yuri slowly edging her way around the phantom mistress, trying to remain unseen. Phantom Monika once again charges. She jumps again in the air, only this time, she raised her arms up to stab downward at me.
I quickly sprinted myself forward and broke into a slide, becoming directly underneath her. Time slowed as I slide under her, turning my head to her. She was looking down at me, a slightly shocked expression on her face. I swiftly flung my hands up, throwing the few kunai I picked up into her shadowy abdomen.
I kicked myself back up and turned my attention to the phantom. She faltered as she landed, losing her footing and stumbling. She turned towards me and stumbled, gripping her shadowy body. I slowly marched up to her as she fell to her knees.
She growled as I approached, brandinshing a small shadow knife I picked up. Without delay, I drove the weapon directly into her forehead, causing her to cry out and dissipate into nothingness.
Before I could react, I heard Yuri cry out. I turned around to see her confined into a shadow box.
"There, there Mother Yuri. You are safe. I will dispose of this nuisance before he goes any further." Phantom Yuri says. I turned to make my way to Yuri when I felt my legs become constricted. I dropped to my face, unable to supported myself due to my hands being constricted as well.
I land against the cobblestone path, my head painfully bouncing off the surface. The pain sent stars behind my eyes and I shook my head to focus my vision again. I felt my once again floating in the air, only this time upside down.
After a short moment, I was only a few feet from Phantom Yuri. She began to chuckle to herself, her voices echoing in my mind.
"I will say, Darling, you put up a good fight. And dare I say you look good doing it." I tried my best to glare at the girl, but the pain in my side and head didn't help me stay too focused. "Although you may fight impressively, this further proves why I can't trust you to protect Mother Yuri. She has been through too much pain to be in the likes of you."
I felt the grip of the darkness around me tightening, it slightly burning my skin. I gritted my teeth and focused my efforts on the shadow.
She snapped her fingers and I slowly moved my head towards the tree behind us. Although I was upside down, I could barely make out clouds of darkness, having more shadow versions of the club girls appear.
There were dozens of them, copies of each other forming out of thin air from the mist. They stood, shoulder to shoulder, each one with a grin on their face. They started giggling out of sync. It rattled my mind and I closed my eyes to fight the voices penetrating my will.
"Give up the fight…", "You are zero", "succumb to Mother".
I pinched my eyes shut and shouted with all my might.
"SHUT UP!"
I felt myself slowly rotating in circles around Phantom Yuri, almost like rotations of a planet. She chuckled at my efforts and sighed.
"If only you would join us, you would be a valuable asset to our Garden. You could've stayed here in peace, came and gone whenever you pleased as long as you listened to guidelines. But no, you had to retaliate. For that, you shall die."
I felt the coils strengthen around me, burning into my skin. My eyes stung, my voice yelled out in pain and anger as I felt the matter slowly squeeze me to death. I felt weary and my energy was waning.
'Well shit, this is how I die….who would've thought I would wake up with amnesia one day and by the end of the week die in a dream….'
I hear Yuri scream. A blood curdling scream, the pure emotion of rage and hopelessness ringing loud all throughout the Garden.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE! NOW!" She roars. Her eyes were streaming with tears and she was shaking in place, pounding against her shadow box containment.
I felt the coils falter and loosen. I immediately felt a wash of relief and my body slumped from being tense.
Phantom Yuri bore her eyes onto Yuri, her black eyes wide.
"You are nothing. You are a fake copy of me. Your pathetic existence is enough evidence that you are an absolute nuisance in my mind. You are the cause for my pain. You are the plague of my mind, not the world I live in." Yuri spits at her phantom counterpart. Her voice radiated venom and contempt.
The grip completely loosened and I free fell the ten feet to the ground. I landed primarily on my shoulders and back, knocking the wind out of me. I gasped for air as I rolled over to my hands and knees, shakily trying to regain energy.
I turned my head towards Phantom Yuri, who was slowly levitating towards Yuri. She had a dangerous aura around her.
"What are you saying, Mother Yuri? This world is the cause for your poor broken mind! We are merely here to accept your burdens and bring you towards deliverance!" Phantom Yuri stutters, her voice on the verge of breaking into rage.
"You are a reminder of my faults. I need you no longer." Yuri said, standing her ground.
At that instant, Phantom Yuri let out a scream in rage, dark matter forming all around Yuri's imprisonment. They started to form sharpened matter, aimed to penetrate and end Yuri.
Without thinking, I stumbled to a spear that lay a few feet away. As I stood to my feet, I saw the dozens of phantom club members charge at me, darkness at the ready.
I shifted my weight from my back foot to my front and lunged forward with all my strength, hurling the spear as hard as I could at Phantom Yuri. Time slowed as I watched the spear fly through the air. Phantom Yuri was in the process of turning my direction to see what the commotion was until the spear penetrated her back, causing her to cry out.
She plummeted towards to ground, hitting hard and rolling to her knees, her white dressed becoming tattered. Yuri's confines shattered, leaving her free. All the phantom club members cried out as they dropped to their knees, each one dissipating to nothingness.
I stumble towards Phantom Yuri, half dragging my feet from pain and lack of energy. My whole body was littered with red marks from the squeezing of the dark matter. I inhaled sharply and position myself in front of the shadow girl.
She looked up at me with malice in her hollowed eyes, her body glow slowly fading. Her many voices were fighting to get out, each one having something they needed to say.
"You…how could you…do this? You were our Darling….you were supposed to stand alongside us as we cleansed Mother Yuri with the garden…"
I gripped the spear that lay in her chest and ripped it out before towering over the fading ghost, her crying out in creepy pain.
"Listen, you don't know me as well as you think you do. I mean, this garden is beautiful but come on, I'm more of an inside guy."
I raised the spear and thrusted down directly through the phantom's heart. She cried out in vain, her voices each screaming at a differently frequency. Her body violently shuddered and she dissipated to a dark mist, blown away in the breeze.
The rip in the sky closed itself up and all the dark matter around us disappeared without a second thought. Among the purple sky, for the first time in the dream, the sun shown, bringing radiance along the entire Garden.
Me and Yuri stood there in silence, basking in the beauty of the garden.
"I gotta say…" I start while gripping my side and wincing. "If I were to die in any way soon, fighting shadow girls in a beautiful garden of color wouldn't be a bad way to go."
Yuri shyly giggled. I turned my attention to her.
"Hey, you did great Yuri. We literally couldn't have gotten through this fight if you didn't um….yell at your shadow." She timidly looks everywhere else.
"Y-yeah, er-I just felt so angry. I didn't want her to take my friend." She shyly said.
I laughed a big, hearty laugh (In between wincing and coughing from my injuries, of course), the moment being contagious and spreading to Yuri who also broke out into a laugh.
"I will say, Bookworm, it's nice to have you back to normal. Well, as far as I know at least." I tell her.
She quizzically looks at me.
"I'll tell you. But first, I literally would die to sit down right now."
She lightly grabs my arm and we make our way to the cherry blossom tree where this all started. I clumsily sat down with my back against the tree, trying my best not to touch my injured body anywhere too rough.
Yuri elegantly sat down beside me and fixated her gaze onto the regal fountain.
"So…this is a dream, right? I'm just going to wake up and you're going to be normal and not know anything that happened?" Yuri says.
I lightly chuckle and sigh. "No, I will remember. We shared this dream, Yuri. Like some sort of crazy science-fiction ass story. I don't know how to explain it but it happens."
She sits in silence for a moment before speaking.
"What did you mean by me being 'back to normal'? She asks while side-eyeing me.
I nervously shift in place, not knowing how to explain to the girl that she pretty much wanted to repopulate with me for the rest of her natural life.
"Well, er-you kind of became obsessed with me. You drugged me and trapped me in your house because you loved me or some shit."
I felt her shake and saw a tear roll down her cheek.
"C-Christian….really? I-I would N-never…" She shakily says, her whole demeanor leaking embarrassment.
"Yuri, don't fret. I kind of summed it up to you being plagued by something in your head. A similar thing happened to Natsuki, fortunately I was able to help like I did here. I don't hold you accountable for anything, Yuri. You're you now and that's all that matters!"
She takes a shakey sigh and turns to me, forcing her eyes to look into mine.
"Okay, Christian. I believe y-you."
I grip her arm and sigh. I could feel myself slowly becoming more and more drained, signaling that my time here was coming to a close. From the look on Yuri's face, the same thing was happening to her.
"Yuri, one more thing before we wake up." I drowsily tell her. "Don't be alarmed if you wake up and see me and Monika in your room."
She turns to me with a tired but shocked expression.
"W-what do you mean?"
Before I can respond, I felt my eyes roll back as unconsciousness stole me once again.
…
My eyes shot open. I shakily sat up and checked my surroundings.
I was still in Yuri's room (thank goodness), but I was lying by myself in the corner I originally laid down in. Monika was nowhere to be seen and felt a small ping of sadness at my heart, but quickly shook it off.
I shifted my weight and felt my body being sticky with sweat. I went to stand up until a shooting pain in my leg told me otherwise.
'Shit! I forgot my leg was messed up' I tell myself, wiping the few tears that appeared due to the sudden pain stimuli. I huffed a shaky breath and turned to the bed.
I saw Yuri laying there, still fast asleep. I sighed and prayed that everything we just went through was enough to help her.
I turn my attention to the left side of my abdomen. I lifted my shirt up to see a bruise in the form of scratch marks that spanned around five inches, going from my pelvis, diagonally crossing up to my chest. I winced at the touch, making it known that it was still very real.
I lay my head back against the way. 'So I guess all injuries that I survive in the dreamscape just turned into bruised versions. Which, in my opinion, is a decent deal. Better than having gaping wounds everywhere.'
I tapped at my pockets and realized I didn't have my phone, or any of my belongings at that. I felt the need to search for my property but decided to stay put until at least one of the girls turned up.
Moments pass and I hear shifting across the room. Abruptly, Yuri bolted straight up in her bed, hand clutching her heart. I must admit that her sudden movements made me jump a little bit.
Her wide eyes frantically scanned her room until they fell on me. Her chest was heaving fast, like she was just running. I put my hand up gently in a wave.
"Hey, Bookworm. Feeling okay?" I ask her.
She lightly nods and takes a deep breath, looking around carefully as if examining her room for things out of place. I noticed she was still shirtless and felt that she would be embarrassed to realize that. I spot her shirt a few feet from me and lightly crawl it.
"W-what are you doing?" Yuri asks nervously.
I brandish her sweater in the air. "I don't know, I kind of feel like you might….want this…" I awkwardly say without looking at her.
She gasps and looks down at herself, mortified. She immediately covered up herself and looks on the verge of tears. Without a moments haste, I tossed her the sweater. I looked up at the ceiling as if to give her some privacy.
I heard her sigh audibly and took that as my sign that it was safe to look. I returned my gaze to her and she was timidly fidgeting with her fingers.
"Yuri?" I call to her. She jumps slightly and looks at me nervously. "Are you okay? What's on your mind?"
She sighs and avoids eye contact once more.
"Do you er-remember? Everything?" She quietly asks.
Assuming she meant the dream, I nodded. She seemed to relax slightly.
"I woke up before you. It hasn't been long though. I didn't really want to bother you because you were sleeping so I figured I'd wait until you came around." I tell her.
"Well….thank you. For everything." She says.
I smirk and give her a small salute. "My pleasure, m'lady. Just glad to see that you're back to your normal self and not trying to eat my face off."
She looks at me nervously. "Christian I'm sorry about all that. I had no idea what I was doing! I promise that's not normally how I am…"
I put a hand up. "Yuri, you don't need to explain, I get it. You had shit messing with your head and it was making you dangerous. Nothing you can help. It came, we saw and kicked its ass."
She sighs and looks me in the eyes.
"Christian, seriously, thank you. For being understanding. For helping me even when I was….crazy."
I couldn't help but laugh at how she finished her sentence. She timidly looked away but had a faint smirk on her face.
"Sorry, sorry it's just the way you said crazy. Maybe I'm going insane myself." I tell her. We both share a laugh until her smile fades.
"Yuri what's wrong…?" I wearily ask her until I follow her gaze to my leg. Tears immediately found purchase on her face and she started to sob into her hands. I carefully hopped up and limped my way to her bed. I sat down next her and put her into a half hug. She laid her head on my shoulder and sobbed harder into her hands.
"Yuri, you know it's okay right?" I try to ask her. She doesn't answer and keeps her facing hidden. I use my hand that's around her to softly rub her arm, hopefully to calm her down.
After a few moments, she seems to calm her sobbing but remains quiet.
Before I could say something, Monika walks into the room. She was carrying a tray with several bowls on them, each steaming. She gasped when she saw us awake and looking at her. She hurriedly and carefully placed the tray down on a desk and rushed to us. Well, mostly to me.
She sat down next to me and wordlessly brought my face to hers for a passionate kiss. 'I will never get tired of her kisses' I think to myself.
I reciprocate and break the love, eliciting a sad moan from her like I ended it too early.
"Hey, sweetheart. I-um, we're back." I told her, gesturing to Yuri beside me. Yuri timidly waves, clearly uncomfortable with our public display of affection.
Monika seems to realize that Yuri is actually is sitting there and clears her throat.
"Y-Yuri! How are you feeling?" She asks, gripping my arm. Yuri relays that she is feeling well thanks to me (of course, I'm a damn hero).
Monika sighs, relieved, and turned her attention back to me. "What about you, dear? Do you still hurt? Do you have any new injuries? How did the dream go?"
She attacked me with questions and I chuckled and pulled her into a hug, kissing her temple. I was about to start telling her when she sat up.
"Hold on! Before we start that, I made us some-Yuri I hope it's okay, I cooked in your house-some soup." She says, grabbing a bowl for each of us. I grab the bowl and realize how hungry I was. I look up at my goddess and blew her a kiss.
As I dig in, I recount our dream. Finding a Yuri doppelganger that turned out to be all her thoughts and emotions in an entity, the entity's psycho powers, the garden and the fight that ensued. I lifted up my shirt to show her my most recent new trophy from war on my side as I recounted the final fights.
She looked at me worriedly as I finished. "Christian, Darling, why do you insist on getting hurt every time?" Her voice is trying to sound upbeat but I can pick out the concern that was hidden in it.
I chuckle to myself. "It's not easy being a badass hero, Monika." This elicits giggles from both girls.
"Where did you learn to fight like that anyways, Christian?" Yuri asks me.
I put my hand to my chin like I was in deep thought. "Hmmmm….I'm not entirely sure but I'm pretty sure I can only do that in the dreams."
We each chuckle once more until Monika sighs.
"So the dreams are the key. If we fix what's at the core then we can heal everyone." Monika says matter-of-factly. I nod my head in response.
"Hopefully there's not much more to worry about with this.." I say hopefully.
We all sigh audibly. We mostly finished our food and placed the bowls back on the tray. Monika went back out of the room to put away the dishes. She resumed just as fast, now clad in a jacket.
"I think we should probably get going, Christian. Especially with your injuries." Monika says. I nod my head in agreement and turn to Yuri.
"You wouldn't happen to know where you put-where the other Yuri put my stuff?" I calmly ask. She shook her head until Monika spoke up.
"I think I saw your things lying on the counter neatly." She says. I sigh and go to get up, limping slightly.
Before I could go far, Yuri ushers me to remain put and leaves the room. Me and Monika stand confused until she returns with a bottle in her hands.
"Here, Christian. It's the least I can offer." Yuri says while gesturing the bottle to me. I hesitantly take the bottle from her hands. There wasn't a label anywhere on it, just a orange bottle with a white cap. I turned my face to her for an explanation.
She takes a breath and talks. "I can't remember what it's called but it's an extremely strong and reliable medication that my Mother used to use. She hasn't needed in a long time and she's gone on a business trip. I remember her saying it had a very new and rare vaccine that cures admirably. I suggest that it would extremely help with the recovery of your leg wound."
I popped open the bottle and took out of one the pills. It seemed almost like a gel pill, with a white hue on the outside, a blue spec directly in the middle. I threw the pill down the hatch and swallowed.
"Well, I sure hope these work, Yuri! And also, thank you." I hobbled over and gave her a hug with she meekly returned. "Will you be okay here on your own?"
She nods and smiles. "You've already helped enough. I'm going to clean up my messes and maybe enjoy a glass of my Mother's wine to relax."
Me and Monika share a glance and look back at Yuri. "Yuri, you drink?" I ask, more impressed than anything.
She lightly giggles and nods her head. "Just every now and then. It helps relax the body."
Me and Monika bust out in chuckles.
"Honestly I wouldn't have taken you for the type! I usually take shots or drink like bitch drinks but I always have a good time doing it." I tell her.
Monika smiles and looks at me. "You drink, too?"
My smile falters again. 'There I go again just saying shit! Where did that seriously come from?'
Her face immediately noticed my distress and pressed me.
"Darling, what's wrong?" She asks while placing an arm on mine.
"N-nothing, I think I'm just really exhausted. We should head home. Are you staying with me again tonight?" I quickly dismiss.
She grips my arm but doesn't press, instead nodding her head vigorously. I couldn't help but grin at her response.
We all walk to the front of Yuri's home, which turns out to be just a step below a mansion. I'd love to hang out here when there are better circumstances at play. We say our goodbyes depart her premises.
I had no idea where the hell we were but Monika seemed to have a good lay of the land so I just followed her. She kept her hand intertwined with mine tightly, almost as if to keep me from running off. In my current, I don't know if I could even if I wanted to.
My legs pain reduced to a dull throb and felt numb, probably a side effect of the medication that Yuri gave me. I was able to put lightly pressure on it without wincing.
We finally made it my house and I used my keys to open the door. I looked at the clock as I passed by it. "11:45"
"Jesus, I was gone for a while, wasn't I?" I say while making my way upstairs.
Monika follows, still holding onto my hand tightly. "Yes, it made me soooo worried! I'm glad I found you when I did…" She said and faltered.
I opened up the door to my room and led her in. I immediately stripped down to my boxers and stupidly hobbled over to my bed, laying in the covers and gesturing her to follow.
She took off her jacket and pants (looking as cute as ever, mind you) and laid down with me. I wrapped my arms around her and brought her back to my chest, nuzzling her close. I took a big breath and got a scent of chestnut from her hair, letting it calm my body. She sighed happily before talking.
"Are you going to tell me what was on your mind back there? When you made that comment?" She said.
I sighed, really wishing she didn't bring it up. She weaseled her way out of my grip and turned around so she could face me. She grabbed my face so I could see her emerald eyes piercing me. She had a serious look on her face.
"Christian, what was it all about?" She sternly said.
I stared into her cute eyes and sighed. I leaned in and pecked her nose, making her soften a bit. I pull into a hug and rested my head on her collar. She squeezed me back and ran her hand up to my shoulders.
"Well, I said that thing that I didn't really know where it came from." I said. She stayed silent so I decided to elaborate. "That comment about the alcohol. I don't know what made me say it, it was just subconscious."
I felt her grip tighten.
"Do you think it's your old memories? Of your life before here?" She asks, her voice guarded and nervous.
I lightly nod my head as I speculate it. "It could be a possibility. But why now? Of all times?"
"Maybe because of the dreams, I mean you've healed two of our club members already. Maybe it's breaking some sort of barrier between your amnesia and your memories."
I laid there and said nothing, just held my princess. Something about that being a possibility really stuck with me, almost like that is exactly what was happening.
I was broken out of my thoughts my Monika taking a shaky breath.
"It'll be okay, I just need you to trust me." I softly say to her.
She lightly nods, laying her head in my chest and I lay a kiss against her temple.
"Just don't ever forget, my love. I love you. Not Yuri, not anyone in the club, but you."
She sighed and seemed to be more relaxed.
"I love you too, Christian. Forever and always." She says against my collar. I give her a squeeze and kiss her head.
"Goodnight, my dove.." I quietly murmur before basking in her warmth, pulling me into a deep slumber.