A/N: You have your thoughts, you have your guess. Some already cleared and answered while some still left hanging in a balance. I'm sure you've figured out most.

Chapter 9. Unease

She woke up with a start. Blinking, she gazed around and realized that it's still in the middle of the night. She wiped her brow, then her cheeks, realizing she had been crying in her sleep. Whatever her dream was, or better call it a nightmare, she couldn't remember. Just like the previous times, she would wake up crying and thus, she assumed that it should be a nightmare. And whenever she woke up, she could feel deep loneliness that she couldn't describe nor understand.

What was it about?

She didn't think or felt so lonely in her life.

She had a happy family.

She had a good job.

However, there's something, something that seemed to be missing in her life, though she didn't know what it was.

And she could feel in her heart that she longed for something. Again, she didn't know what she longed for.

Could it be love that was missing in her life like what her friends told her?

But she never ran out of admirers, both in the United States and now here. And despite the number of admirers that she had and still has, not one of them managed to make her heart race. All she could feel for any of them was friendship. That's all.

Was there something wrong with her?

Or did it have something to do with her past?

She gazed at the person sleeping beside her, thankful that she didn't wake her up. She really was a heavy sleeper. A smile touched her lips, before it faded as she thought about what woke her up. She lay back on her bed and mulled about things, and about her life.

Maybe she should visit her past so that she could understand what was happening to her. However, her parents and brother would be worried if she did something reckless. But how could she explain the nightmares that she's been having, and the loneliness and longing that she felt deep in her heart? How long before they would stop hunting her?

Again, just like the previous times when she had the nightmares, she would remain awake until morning. Not that she didn't want to go back to sleep. She just simply couldn't sleep no matter how much she tried.

Because she would be awake until morning, when dawn came, she got up from bed and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Better to do something useful rather than thinking of things that wouldn't bring her anywhere.

"You had nightmares again?"

She turned around to see her mother's sleepy yet worried face.

She nodded. Her nightmares were known to the family because she didn't hide them.

"You know, Mom, maybe we should visit there. It could probably help me solve the nightmares," she said casually and saw her mother's face tensed.

"You know that we can't. Dad and I are busy, and so is your brother."

"I'll go there alone."

"No!" Her mother immediately said as she looked at her with pleading look.

"Please, don't go anywhere without any of us with you."

She sighed. Her parents and brother were so protective of her that sometimes she wanted to scream. Even little Yana was very protective of her in her cute way. They always made sure that she didn't go out alone. And because she, her father and brother were working on their own company, she's with them on her way to the office and on her way back home. Whenever she went shopping, her mother or brother was with her.

"But why, Mom? Why won't you let me go there? Or if you don't want me to go there alone, then any of you could come with me."

Her mother avoided her gaze before she spoke softly, "We told you before, our family had been involved in an accident, and the other family is rich. They might do something to you or to any of us if we go there."

"But who is this family that you're talking about? You won't even tell me their names. What if I met someone and I don't even know that it belongs to that family? Besides, are they that rich that we can't even come to that place because they have guards all over?"

"That's enough. You should go and prepare for work. I'll do the rest here," her mother dismissed.

She wanted to protest, but decided against it. Whenever they were talking about that topic, all three members of her family clams up.

"Mom, do they have something to do with what happened to me?" She asked softly.

Her mother was quiet for a long time and when she thought she wasn't going to answer her question, she heard her cleared her throat and then in a whisper said, "Yes."

"I see."

So that must be why they refused to go back to that place.

"And they're really powerful?"

"Yes," her mother answered tiredly.

"Then why did we come back here? Won't they know that we are here if they're that powerful?"

He mother tensed again. She hated to see her like that. She knew that they came back because her parents couldn't live comfortably in a foreign land. It's just so different to live in a culture where they were not used to.

"Don't worry, we're fine here. Let's just not go to that place," her mother said as she busied herself in the kitchen.

She studied her for a moment, before she turned around and went upstairs. She knew that her family was hiding something from her. If that family was really powerful, then their power wouldn't be confided in one city alone but spread on another. And Osaka was just a few hours via train from Tokyo.

There must be something deeper, deeper reason, but she didn't want to worry them more. That's why she never mentioned to any of them that ever since they came back to Japan, she's been having another recurrent dream, a dream about a person whom she couldn't see the face. A person who's been calling her on her dreams, and yet whenever she tried to come near her, the distance only seem to grow longer.

She also had another dream where she's in a room, a beautiful room with a magnificent bed. And in that bed, there was a person crying, and yet whenever she made a move to walk over the bed, she always woke up from her dream.

And the voice, she couldn't make out the voice. It's just that she knew that the person in her dreams was calling her.

"Oh, you're already awake?" Greeted by a brown-haired young man while yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning, Ken," she greeted as she passed by his room.

"Good morning, Aya," he greeted back.

A/N: I like the name Aya. It sounds simple to me. Yana and Ken, too. I don't care about meanings of name so I didn't bother. The names were chosen out of whim ;)

You know, I was editing this chapter with tears dripping from my eyes from time to time. The reason? Because I have a cold and its driving me insane! Clogged nose and teary-eyed, you'd think I'm crying over the story. Although the cold didn't stop me from going out while it's raining yesterday (brought by a tropical cyclone) and from eating lots of ice cream last night and watching Ah My Goddess The Movie and a few episodes of Naruto Shippuuden. I guess it made my condition worse haha ;) And I just ate a candy and I hurt my tongue. So stupid ;) Anyway, until next time!

---Arvendell---

02 October 2008

4:20 PM