Chapter 2: {Dreams of Reality}

Ayano shivered as she stood in the forest behind her house. Her eyebrow began to twitch with anger. "Kazuma... Can you please... explain to me... why I'm out her in the middle of the freakin night... wearing... A BIKINI?!" " I DID tell you you were going to be bait. Last time that thing attacked you you were naked so-" "YOU THOUGHT THIS WOULD WORK?!" Ren sighed as he once again watched their spectacle.

Kazuma ignored Ayano's ranting and ordered Ren, "get into position." "Alright," Ren replied as he climbed a tree next to Ayano. Kazuma climbed a tree across from Ren's. Ayano muttered under her breath for a little while then grew silent. It wasn't long before the familiar presence arrived. Ayano summoned Enraiha and waited. The creature soon revealed itself from the darkness. Ayano looked in suprise as a cyclone of fire and wind grew around her. And the creature. "Dammit! I didn't want her trapped WITH it!" Kazuma screamed in frustration.

Inside the fiery prison, Ayano stood firm, holding enraiha tightly in her fists. She stared at the creature in confusion. ("Why isn't it doing anything?") she thought as it stood motionless. A moment later, she noticed it had begun to drift towards her. As the creature came closer to her, she tried to move, but her body was frozen still. ("Wh-why can't I move?") she thought with frustration. The creature came up close to her face and she realized it had pitch black eyes. Eyes, that were staring... right. into. hers. The creature reached out it's arm and touched hers. The touch of the creature was icy-cold yet hot at the same time. She then felt a burning sensation where the creature was touching and cringed at the pain. Still staring into the creatures eyes, she was blinded by a bright light, then saw an image form.

[A bleeding teenage boy turned his head towards a sobbing teenage girl and smiled faintly. He then spoke his last words to her. He said something she couldn't understand. Except one word. "Ayano..."]

"Ayano?" Ren whispered. "Are you okay?" Ayano groaned but didn't reply. Ren explained to her what he remembered happened. "Kazu and I made the cyclone too big and you got trapped inside with that creature. We don't know what happened to you in there, but once we removed the barrier, you were passed out and the creature was no where to be seen."

Ayano attempted to recall exactly what happened. She was trapped inside the cyclone with creature but for some reason it didn't attack her like the first time. It came up to her then-

["Ayano..."]

("That's right... he's always spoken to me but I could never make it out...") she then looked at her body and realized a big black shirt was covering her. It took her no time to realize she was wearing Kazuma's shirt. "Wh-why am I wearing this?!" She screamed as she started to blush. "Oh. After we got the barrier down Kazu ran over to you and picked you up. You were very pale and freezing like ice, so Kazu gave you his shirt to keep you warmer and carried you back to your room." Ren explained. Ayano looked around and realized she was in her room. ("He... carried me?!") she thought as her face turned beet red. As if on cue, a shirtless Kazuma walked into her room. "Ah, the sleeping beauty wakes. You feelin okay?" "I-I'm fine!" Ayano replied hastily. "I've already told your father what happened. Whatever the thing was, it somehow looked like something I saw Erwin make a long time ago... But I killed him so it couldn't have been him." "So we still have no idea who has been targeting me?" "Looks that way." Kazuma said. He then stared at her face with a blank expression on his face. "Wh-what is it?!" " There's somethin buggin me... What exactly happened to you in there? You were passed out without a scratch on you and that thing was gone." Ayano pondered his words for a moment. "I'm not exactly sure myself... it just... stared at me..." she trailed off. "It. Stared. At you." "Yes... I don't have a clue why... but then it sort of drifted towards me and..."

["Ayano..."]

("Why'd he say my name? ... ") "What does all this mean? And why am I being targeted?" "You're the heir to the Kannagi family," Ren reminded her. "He's right. You're going to have enemies regardless of what you do." Ayano began to get angry. "I KNOW THAT, ALREADY! I just-"

["You know I have to-" a young boys voice said. Ayano screamed "I KNOW THAT ALREADY!" The boy turned away, revealing three scratch-like scars on his bare back. "I have no other choice but to go. Goodbye." he said before he walked away, abandoning the angry and sobbing girl.]

Ayano returned to reality and realized in shock that she had collapsed again and was being cradled by Kazuma who was wearing a very serious face, and Ren was next him with a worried expression. It took her a few seconds realize she was hyperventilating. She felt warm tears rolling down her face without pause. ("What the-? Why am I crying?!") "Ayano." Kazuma said with a low and serious voice. "I-I'm fine!" she screamed as she pulled herself away from him. She turned to walk away but Kazuma grabbed her shoulder. "You're NOT okay!" he snapped. She winced at his tone. "I..." She trailed off. She knew she could pretend she was okay, but she really wasn't. Something was happening to her, and she needed to find out what. "Alright. I'll go see James first thing tomorrow." "Who?" Ren asked. "James Campbell. He was an old friend of my moms and he's a personal doctor for me."

"So... why are you guys coming with me?" Ayano asked with annoyance. "Because we're concerned! You keep passing out!" Ren said with a slight tone. "Besides, the old guy will go ballistic if you're found as road kill." "I. Don't. Need. Chaperones." Ayano said as she held the urge to hit him with Enraiha. The three walked into a small wooden clinic. As they walked in the door they were greeted with the site of a shirtless long black haired man on the back of a younger shirtless man with short black hair, on an examination table. "Blew your back again during training, didn't you?" Ayano said. The two men turned their heads at the sound of her voice. "Ayano!" The short haired guy, Aoi, said. The long haired guy, James, got off Aoi's back, put on a black turtleneck, and then put his arms through the sleeves of his doctors coat as he walked toward Ayano. "Ah, Ayano. I'll assume you're here on business? What's troubling you?" He said to her. "Brother... can't you wait till we've had some tea or something before you start grilling her?" Aoi said to James in annoyance. "She wouldn't come here if it weren't an emergency." He replied, then turned to Ayano.

"Is something the matter?" "Yea... I'm sort of... passing out a lot... and..." she hesitated, not wanting to tell him about her dreams, then decided it was best to tell him. " I keep having this weird dream..." "A dream?" said a now fully clothed Aoi. "Yea... There's this dream I've been having since a few years ago... about a boy... he's hovering over some glowing pentagram and he turns his head to say something but I can never make out the words...

["Was I really born just to die?"]

Kazuma's eyes slowly widened in shock.

"Until recently, I could never understand him... only this time I did, and he said... my name..." Ayano trailed off. James and Aoi glanced at each other with an expressionless face. However, Ayano could see the fear in their eyes. "Wh-what is it? What are you keeping from me? You know what's wrong with me, don't you?!" James and Aoi glanced at the floor, confirming Ayano's suspicion. Aoi hesitated at first, but was the first to speak up "What you've been seeing is-" he was interrupted by James. "Stop! She isn't ready yet!"

"She IS ready!"

"She's still a child! Just as you are."

"But, her mind has matured enough to not revert to her past self!"

"We agreed once she became an adult we would tell her."

"She's 19 years old! How much more "adult" do you want her? Look, she's already starting to remember it, there's no point in hiding it from her anymore!"

James was going to scream back, but stopped and thought. "Remember? So... what I've been seeing isn't a dream... but a memory?" This time James spoke. "Yes. Your "dreams" are not dreams at all, but memories." "You see..." Aoi said. "That boy in your... "dreams"... is actually someone you were very close to. Five years ago, you saw his murder."

("Five years ago... a glowing pentagram? It couldn't be...") Kazuma thought.

"Five years ago?" Ayano asked, puzzled. "Haven't you ever wondered why there have been large chunks of your memory that have just... disappeared. He was so dear to you that seeing his death at that age nearly caused your mind to collapse. As a response, you decided to purge his existence from your mind." Aoi continued, "But, you never really forgot him, you just pushed him to the back of your mind. Which is why you're remembering him now."

["Hurry up, stupid!" a boy's voice said. "Awwww! Why're you so mean to me?" A young Ayano pleaded. "As your boyfriend it's my OBLIGATION to be mean to you." he said with a smirk before he pulled her into his embrace.]

Letters began to form in her mind and a word soon formed after.

("Ash...")

(I know Chapter two of "Intertwined Fates" was long, so thanks for bearing with me. Don't forget to review and suggest things I could do in the future. ~MoonGoddessLunaDLC)