Special Chapter: Exam Day

A/N: Helloooo there, my angry angry readers. I realize you hate me for the sooo much slower chapters this year. I personally blame it on my dead and buried laptop, because I love writing in my room, but in my freezing basement on an uncomfortable chair? Hell no. Maybe if it were the computer I'm using now (my dad's, which is much nicer), things would be moving faster. Oh well. It's a special chapter, which in this case means. . . OH MY GOD! PLOT DEVIATION! LIKE THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE! I mean, this has NOTHING to do with the plot. It merely involves two of our characters, and NO, not Rachel and Kiro you sex deprived fanboys. Yes, it's between my character, Rachel, and Steve. "Why", you ask? 'Cause there's a comic about it on my deviantart account, and he said if I didn't make it a chapter, he would. And lord knows what he'd do with it (probably add ninjas, blood, and some other stuff to add action. But this isn't an action comic: it's comedy, with a LIIIIITTLE action on the side when we get into the real plot. I assure you, more plot will be coming into play, later). So. . .will you guys please read it? It would make me happy, and if I'm happy, I'LL GIVE YOU ALL FREE T-SHIRTS! That's right, if I'm happy and you come to this year's Otakon (read: anime convention in Baltimore), YOU GET A FREE ALTERNATE EARTH T-SHIRT! . . .We have credits to do, don't we? Heheh. Squaresoft owns FF7, Laura owns LadyTifa26, and because I love you guys so much, I will acknowledge you in saying that reviewers and readers own some characters, WHICH JUST MAY BE YOU! Yaaay! Now. . .READ IT! (At least to the part where the hallucinating begins.)

Is there something you believe in?

Like, maybe "mind over matter"?

It's common belief that, at least for spiritualists, the mind is stronger than the body and can reach limits beyond our physical being.

Also, 2 of people believe ghosts are what we make up when we're really having a hallucination. But what does all this have to do with the story, hmm?

When being tested and put under great stress, it is proven that the human body can achieve great things. What about the mind? Incredible things could happen, too. Yet, what could pressure the mind under such stress, which maybe even hallucinations. . .

Just may be real.

And what could force the mind under the extreme? It's amazing how teenagers now can put up with the heavy bookbags, workload, and social pressure. . .

And exams.

"Zzz, snort, grumble grumble, Narutonarutonarutonaruto. . .pie." This lump under a pile of sheets was snoring on a mattress, in a fair sized room with fair sized clutter, beside a window, which let gray light from a gray sky into the mess. First, a foot pushed out from under the blanket. Then, a hand. Miraculously, a head with tousled dark hair, still breathing as well as snoring, made its way out. "Mmm. . .What truck backed up on me this morning, and what's its license plaAaAaAaaaate. . .," he said, in a scratchy, cracking voice.

That's when the painful crash of reality hit.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Dogs barked, cats hissed, babies cried, and Barney was moved up a time slot. That's right, people. This is when the Earth makes its way around the sun to a time when we're just a little bit closer to the impending apocalypse. . .

Exams are in a week.

"Right," he said, blinking and looking at his calendar beside the bed. "Riiiiight. . .Exams are in a week." Mustering up his strength, he stood in front of the calendar, still in his boxers (I like to imagine at this part and I start to giggle, but I'm his girlfriend so its only okay for ME), and stood triumphantly. "I CAN PASS!" He made an action pose. "I WILL WIN!" There was another pose, followed by the crash of powerful waves (in anime-imagination only) in the background. "I WILL. . .will. . .um. . .zzzz. . ."

Only half his sleeping body made it back to the bed; the other half had to do with the floor.

"All right." It was one day later. "Focus. . .Focus. . .," he breathed, sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, now fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. "Aaaand. . ."

"BEGIN!" shouted the TV.

"NYAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" he laughed, pressing buttons madly on his gamecube controller. "SASUKE CAN EAT MY FOX-DEMON (or rather, kyubi) ASS!"

Now, as it is rather sad as a human being may fall privy to the allures of the videogame (or as I like to call my PS2, my love muffin. . .If you're reading this Steve, you're still my love muffin! REALLY! I SWEAR!), we've all been there. I've been there, you've been there. . .But this was somewhere around a wrong and indecent level.

Seeing as, you know, this went on for three freakin' days.

"N-n. . .Naruuutooooo. . .," he said, while still in front of the TV. "C-can't go on but. . .but must. . .MUST PLAAAAY. . .I. . ." He slumped back, and went into a haze. "So little sleep. . .so. . .so. . ."

"Hello?"

A hand waved in front of his face.

"Oh, hello Jesus. . .," he said in the stupor. "I guess you're ready to take me to the pearly gates. . .But why no hot angel chicks, Jesus? I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME!"

"Um. . .I'm not Jesus. . .," said the voice, and the hand was still waving.

"Yeah, figures. . .You sound like a girl. . .Are you Satan? 'Cause I always knew Satan was a nymphomaniac. . .," he sighed. "Well, I have a girlfriend. . .but if I'm dead, I guess sleeping with you won't hurt. Just don't tell her."

The hand approached.

"NO! WAIT! WAIT! IT FEELS WRONG!" He shot his hands up in the air like the police were frisking him (Wish I were "frisking" him, nyeheheheh. . .You did NOT read that). "MUSTN'T BETRAY. . .MUST NOT. . ." When he blinked again, he finally regained vision. ". . .Eh?"

"HELLOOOOOOO!" said this girl, with dark-brown hair, in a black shirt and jeans like him. "I'm your hallucination!"

". . . . . .You look like my girlfriend," he blinked. "WAIT! WAIT! MY GIRLFRIEND! IS THAT YOU, RACHEL!"
"Uh-

"YOU DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT ME SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL! HONEST!" he sobbed at her feet.

She stood awkwardly in front of him. ". . .Er-

"AND I SWEAR THE DEVIL WAS ONLY HALF AS HOT AS YOU ARE! SPAAAARE MEEEEE AND YOUR THREE-PRONGED ATTACKED OF JEALOUS RAAAAAAGE!"
Rachel blinked. ". . .I'm not your girlfriend, you know."

"What?" he asked. ". . . .DON'T BREAK UP WITH ME! I TOLD YOU I DID NOT SLEEP WITH THE-

"HOLD IT! HOOOOOLLLD IT!" she said, halting him right there. "If I don't stop you now, this'll go on all day," she sighed. "Now, I told you. . .I'm your HALLUCINATION. . ." As if to make some "mystic" hand motion, she waved her hands broadly. "HALLUUUUUCINAAAATIONNNNN. . .WOOOOOOOO. . .Can YOU say 'ha-loo-sin-ay-shun'?"

"Hee, hee, hee, you said 'loo', like the toilet. . .Wait, what?" he blinked, still recovering. ". . . .I've finally snapped."

"Oh, that's fine!" Rachel said. "Since you've snapped, I get to be out here! You see, I exist in your MIND. . .," she said, bending down with her finger on his forehead. "And because I exist in your mind. . .Um, let's just say it's small living space."

"HEY!" he snapped back. "You're MEAN. . ."

"I'm only lack tact with those I'm comfortable with," she said, sitting in his lap.

". . .Hey, you don't weigh anything. . .," he said. "Ooooh. . ." He moved his hand through her head. "HAHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE LIKE A PROJECTION! OOOOOOOOH!" He kept on doing it.

She grumbled. "Okay, stop that."

"Oooooh. . ." It went on.

"Stop that."

"Ooooooh. . ."

"Hey!"
"OOOOOH-

"STOP IT, GODDAMNIT!"

He suddenly stopped and a random tumbleweed blew by. ". . .So whaddya wanna do?"

"First of all. . ." She pulled out some paper. ". . .Are you a 'Mr. Stephen Winard'?" A pair of glasses suddenly appeared on her face as she adjusted them and looked straight at him.

"Um . . .Yes?" he said. ". . .Rachel doesn't wear glasses."

"Nor do I need them," she said, throwing them off, the glasses seemingly disappearing into nothing. "Hey, I'm new at this. I only look like this because of what your imagination told me to look like."

He silently wondered why he didn't imagine her in lingerie, or preferably naked.

". . .Dammit."

"What?" she asked, inquisitively.

"Ooohhh, nothing," he coughed. "So, why are you here? YOU WANNA PLAY ME IN NARUTO!" he shouted enthusiastically.

Rachel sighed. "Naruto is the last of our concerns. . ."

"LAST OF OUR CONCERNS! SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, LADY!" he said. "If you don't love Naruto, how can you be from my mind?"

"I'm like your girlfriend, too. . .," she said. ". . .Just lighter, and you can pass through me."

He tried lifting his hand again.

"Move through me again and I SWEAR I'll give you nightmares for months," she threatened.

"Oh yeah?" he said. "Nothing scares me!"

"Wanna see your MOM naked?" she said with a demonic smile.

"I'll be good," said he, his eyes dilated in fear.

"Yayness," she said, patting him on the head. "Now. . .TO THE BEDROOM!"
Steve stopped in his tracks. ". . .ARE WE GONNA HAVE SEX!"

"No," she said flatly. ". . .But maybe after we study. HELL, JUST GET TO YOUR ROOM!"

"You sound like mother. . .," he said, eyes dilating again.

"That's kiiiiinda creepy," she said. ". . .Okay, I won't give you those nightmares."

"YAY!" He tried to hug her, but went right through. ". . .Oh yeah."

"STOP DWELLING ON IT. . .TO THE ROOM. . .," she said, marching off. "He has a girlfriend. . .how. . .?"

"YES! YES! ONE MORE TIME. . .!"

"Y-you sure?"

Apparently studying was more fun than assumed.

"All right. . .Ready?"

"Y-yeah. . ."

"ALL RIGHT!" Rachel grabbed a cloth that seemingly looked like a blindfold. "AANNND. . ." Tied it to her head? " 'I' BEFORE 'E'!"

" 'I' BEFORE 'E'!" He repeated, over a grammar book.

What the hell did you guys think? Buncha pervs. . .

Rachel stood up triumphantly, and took two fans in hand. "EXCEPT AFTER 'C'!" In stride, she romped around in a frantic Japanese fan dance. "WOOHOO!"

"I BEFORE E! EXCEPT AFTER C!" He chanted. "YEAAAH!"

"YEAAAH!" she shouted, dancing excitedly. "GRAMMAR ROCKS!"
"I LOVE GRAMMAR!" he said with a fire in his eyes. ". . .Rachel, I don't love grammar-

"YOU DO NOW. . . .," she said angrily, shaking her fist. "I'll MAKE YOU LOVE GRAMMAR. . ."

"You know. . .," Steve said, taking off his "I love grammar" headband, "maybe I should study more than grammar. . ."

"HAH! LIES YOU SPEAK OF!" Rachel scoffed. "Who needs to know more than to form a coherent sentence? There is NO SUCH THING as ALGEBRA. . .However, you can use grammar every waking moment!"

"Well. . .," he said, shifting his eyes. "Thinking about grammar isn't, um, what I call a party. . ."

"NOT A PARTY! Loser," the hallucination grumbled.

"Yeah. Whatever," Steve yawned. "Just one thing."

"Yes?" she asked sweetly, with thoughts of apostrophes and commas, all in the right places.

"WHY ARE WE STUDYING GRAMMAR AT THREE A.M!" he shouted.

"QUIET!" his dad barked from his room. "Honestly, who are you talking to. . .!" After an abrupt snore, they knew he was again asleep.

". . .Your dad is loud. . .and WEIRD. . .," Rachel blinked.

"Meh. He's like that," Steve shrugged. "Can I sleep now?"

"CERTAINLY NOT!" Rachel said. "We have plenty to do! History, science, you name it! We have a lot of work to do, and. . .Steve?"

Steve was asleep on his desk, looking very content.

Being the imaginary form of his girlfriend, she also had the same personality, and decided to leave the sleeping lie. It seemed to be she took sympathy on him, and went to turn off the lights, only to find her hand passing right through the light switch. The same happened when she tried to reach a blanket to put on him, and sighed with annoyance. "Stupid not having a tangible body. . .," she grumbled, sitting next to him. "And I imagine I can't wake him up by any physical means, either." She propped herself up on her knees, resting her face on the desk (she could do that at least, because if she couldn't support herself, she would probably fall off the face of the earth), watching him rest with impatience. "Just. . ." She stuck a hand through his hand, trying to fathom how annoying and also how sad it was to never understand how it feels to touch. There was no rough, or smooth, or cold, or hot, nor fuzzy, nor prickly, and most definitely no hard or soft.

As a shadow of the mind, there was no smell, no taste, and one was only left with sight and sound. It was quiet. Sighing, she dismissed herself into thin air and a wish for such understanding.

"Steve-chan. . ."

"Huh? Eh?" He found himself with waking eyes to a bleary world. "Mommy, is naptime over?"

"Mommy? Who the hell!" asked a familiar voice. "Have you any idea what's going on?"

"Well. . .," he began, "I know I'm seeing double, and you sound funny. . .Hey, is this that Final Fantasy Seven thing where Cloud has a weird dream that makes no sense, and there's all this white text, and-

"No," the voice said flatly. "However, it IS time to wake up!"

"What?" Steve sat up, in his room. "But I am up!"

"Oh, really? Let's see."

The perspective of the room flipped, literally. He was sitting on the ceiling.

"Huh? AAAAAACK!" He fell like a rock to the floor. "Ow. . .AAAHHH!" Looking up, the bed was right above him and he scrambled away, just to see the bed was cemented perfectly on the ceiling. ". . .What's going on?"

There was still no appearance of the voice. "Now you're up, Steve-chan! Now, are you going to wake up?"

"I'M UP! I'M UP!" he shouted. "Whoever you are, you're worse than my mom. . ."

"Hey, that's insulting. . .," they said. "Okay, time for. . ."

Suddenly, the ceiling of the room along with the walls disappeared, surrounded by flames. "Have you any idea what's the fuel for this fire, Steve-chan?" the voice asked.

He stood up and look carefully. ". . .AAACK!"
"MUAHAHAHAHAHAAA! THAT'S RIGHT! NARUTO MANGA!" The voice cackled evilly.

"AAAAAAHHH!" Sitting up in a cold sweat, he was in the waking world again from a thankfully fictional nightmare. He picked up the Naruto plushie beside him that Rachel, the non-imaginary one, had given him and hugged it. "BAD DREAM, BAD DREAM, BAD DREAM, BAD DREAM. . ."

"Oh, really?" It was the same voice.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" Strangely, he sounded a bit like a girl.

"Calm down, it's just me," said Rachel, appearing beside his bed. "Sorry to wake you, but it's time to wake up now."

"You. . .," he blinked. "YOU'RE THE VOICE! HOW COULD YOU BURN THAT MANGA!"
"Geez, don't take it so personally," she said nonchalantly. "Here." Quickly, she tossed him a few copies of the Naruto manga, and shrugged. "Get up, it's 7:00. Time for exams. . . .Steve?"

Again, he was asleep.

"DAMMIT, STEVE!"

"AAAHHH!" He was apparently half-asleep. "Kidding, just kidding. . ."

"Ah yes. . .," said Rachel, shrunken down to a size that would allow her to sit on Steve's shoulder. "School: an institution of fine learning."

"No. School: an institution," he corrected. "I hate school."

"What teenager doesn't?" she asked. ". . .Unless you're a nerd. Or somehow lucked out and got into one of those schools that do nothing but fun crap. . ."

After walking past a countless amount of lockers, they finally arrived at the exam room. Filled with harsh fluorescent light and a loud crowd of students, the exam proctor finally screamed to calm down the noise.

"Is it always like this?" Rachel asked while Steve took a seat.

"On a good day," he replied, taking out his pencils.

". . . .What exam is this?" Rachel asked.

Steve nearly fell out of his chair. "YOU HELPED ME STUDY, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT EXAM THIS IS!"

The room fell quiet at his yelling.

"Mr. Winard?" asked the proctor. "Are you feeling all right?"

Suddenly, he remembered nobody else could see Rachel. "Oh. . .Yeah, I'm fine. . .," he said awkwardly.

"All right," the proctor said, picking up the exam sheets. "We'll begin now."

"Sooo. . .," he said. ". . .What's the answer to number one?"

"Um. . .A," she said.

"And two?"

". . .C."

"How about three?"

". . .D."

"Have you any idea what I'm talking about?"

"No," she blinked.

Unfortunately, the entire exam kinda went this way.

Steve let out an audible sigh.

It was after the exams, walking home on the cold pavement, and Rachel was still beside him, normal size. "Steve. . .You'll get over it. . ."

He was silent.

"Heyyy, that's not niiiice. . .," Rachel whined. "You did your best, right? And, uh. . . .So what if there wasn't any grammar! That's THEIR fault! A FALLACY, I SAY!"

He kept walking.

"Oh, so mean. . .," she grumbled. "Um. . .Look, as your girlfriend hallucination, I say this from my transparent heart, that I care about you. So smile, 'kay? . . . . .Steve? HEY!"

He completely ignored her and was about fifteen feet in front.

"COME BACK HERE! WHAT DID I DO! . . .BESIDES EVERYTHING! COME BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Sniffle. . ."

Finally, he waited up for her. "You're so slow for a figment of my imagination. . ."

"Maybe it reflects on your MIND. . .," she grumbled bitterly.

"What?" he asked.

"NOTHING!" she laughed nervously. "And even if it was mean, you couldn't hurt me, anyway."

"Hmm. . ." There was a few moments of walking along in silence, while he wondered. "So. . .She's my hallucination, right? So. . ."

"Blah blah, blah blah blah, blahbbity blah blah Mc BLAH!" said Rachel, or only what Steve could understand."Blah-POOF!

Steve had finally been granted peace. "Ah. . .Bliss. . ."

BUT THAT IS NOT THE END OF OUR STORY! HELL NO! I GOT MORE!

Finally, at home. . .

"Okaaaay. . .," he considered. "She said she only appears how my imagination tells her to appear. . .If that's the case. . ."

POOF!

"AACK! STEVE!" She appeared angry. "Why the hell did you. . .EH!" She was dressed like Tifa. "THIS IS NOT FUNNY!"

Steve was drooling and gave a thumbs-up. "YES!"

"AAAACK!" she whined. "I FEEL. . .SO NAKED. . ." She put her arms up to cover herself. "HOW COULD ANYONE MOVE IN THIS AND NOT FEEL SELF-CONSCIOUS! . . .STOP THE DROOLING!"

He coughed. "Sorry about that. I AM a growing boy. . .A HEALTHY one. . ."

"And having delusions about half-naked women-

"Cloud," he said, suddenly.

She paused. ". . . .Oh yes, that's my human manifestation's obsession. . .Does she think about it often?"

"She thinks about sex more often than a man," he blinked.

". . ." Rachel was silent. Finally, she rested her hand on his shoulder. "You're a very lucky guy."

"She can be very difficult. . .," he sighed. ". . .But I guess so."

"So. . .What does she call you? Pet names?" asked Rachel, sitting down on his bed.

"She doesn't like pet names. . .," he said. ". . .But she seems to have a penchant for giving me weird nicknames. . .Love muffin. . .Sex muffin. . .Steve-chan isn't so bad. . .," he sobbed. "Among others. But if I give her a weird pet name. . ."

"She'll kill you?" she guessed.

"No," he sighed, sitting on the floor. "Something along the lines of endlessly whacking me with a baka fan. I think she's on now. . ." He pulled over his laptop, turned it on, and waited for it to start up. "She's an Internet junkie, but her dad kicks her off a lot."

"Ooh, I wonder what that's like. . .?" she thought. Obviously being a figment of someone's imagination, she'd be curious to what her living replica is like and who she's around. Steve seemed nice enough.

He shrugged. "I dunno. . .Look, she's on."

"Imwitstoopid1076:33: MYOUUUUUU! o 3" The IM was followed by a moogle's "kupo!" noise.

"Huh?" asked Rachel. "Oooooooh. . .So she's weird, huh?" The hallucination blinked. "I can be weird. Wanna see?"

"I have a bad feeling if I say 'yes', you'll change into something freaky, so. . .No thanks. . ." He started typing his own reply to his screename, Inuyasha8704 (this has been changed to protect the ignorant!).

"Inuyasha87046:34: hi

Imwitstoopid 1076:34: You know, I should smack you for your lack of grammar. BUT I LOVE MY STEVE-CHAN! MYOU:huggles:

Inuyasha87046:34:blushes: heheh. How are ya'?

Imwitstoopid1076:36: Well. . .I got hit in the head with a book today. . .And I hurt my arm on the metal ledge of the chalkboard. . .But I think I passed my math quiz:happy:

Inuyasha87046:37 what does getting hrt and ur math quiz have to do with each othr?

Imwitstoopid1076:37 . . .Physical AND mental pain?

Inuyasha87046:38: oh :sweatdrop:"

". . . .How. . .random," she blinked.

"She wouldn't be Rachel any other way," he laughed slightly. "You're not too different, from her."

". . .Strangely, I take that as an insult," she blinked. ". . .Am I really that terrible at math?

"Well-

"KUPO!" He was cut off by the sound of Rachel's IM noise. "Imwitstoopid1076:39: Gotta go Steve! Dad's here to kick me off!

Imwitstoopid107 signed off at 6:39"

"Heheh. What do you think of her?" he asked.

"Hmm. . .What's she like, really?" his delusion asked. "I mean, I gather she's. . .ECCENTRIC. . ."

"She's funny. . .," he said. "And, well. . .happy when she WANTS to be. . ."

"She's a moody loony from the funny farm, huh?" Rachel asked.

"Nooooo! . . .Not quite. . .," Steve said. "And she's smart. . .great ass. . ."

"What?" asked Rachel.

"NOTHING!" Steve said. "Um. . .She's a good person."

Rachel sat for a while as Steve watched some flash movies, laughing. ". . . . .You love her?"

"WH-WH-WH-WHAAAAAAT!" He practically dropped the laptop, a burning bright red. "H-HALLUCINATIONS SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS!"

"Oh. Sorry," she said. "For a lot of stuff."

"Wasn't your fault," he shrugged. "I let it go. Want something to eat? I have spaghettiooooos. . ."

"I can't eat," she said, shaking her head.

"Why?" he asked. "Not hungry?"

She stuck her hand through his head. "Heheh. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, that whole thing about being non-existent. . .I'm gonna eat. Wanna stay here?"

"I'll come," she said. "The mind cannot focus when in two places at once."

"Spaghettios. . ." Rachel was staring at it. "Food. . ."

"Yeah. Yum," he said. "Great when hot, but you can live off it cold, too."

"Hot? Cold?" she asked curiously. "What's that?"

"Umm. . .You don't know? Oh yeah, well. . .Hot is like. . .having a certain degree that makes you sweat and uncomfortable in the atmosphere."

"Like when you've done something awkward?" she asked.

"Wrong kind of being uncomfortable. Like, um. . .it really is hard. . .And cold is like wanting to shiver a lot."

"Oh," she said, like she didn't get it. "Okay." Turning around, she sat at the opposite end of the table. "Are you tired?" she yawned.

"Yeah. . .How'd you know? Guess it was a long day, right?"

"No. I'm only tired when you are. Otherwise, I don't need to sleep," she said.

"Weird. . .," he sighed.

"What?" she asked. "WHAT! WHAT'S SO WEIRD!" Her face looked liked she was getting flustered.

"You're not human at all, are you?" he asked. "No eating, no sleeping, no feeling. . .Do you have emotions?"

"Just the ones you do," she said. "It's not so bad."

"Sounds terrible. . .," he said with a mouthful of spaghettios. "And you don't even look like an individual."

"Heheh," she laughed, with a soft glimmer of sadness that left as quickly as it came. "Really, it's all right. I don't even have to worry about when I go."

". . .Hallucinations go to the bathroom?"

"NO!" she barked. "Honestly. . .I mean, when I LEAVE."

"Leave?" he asked. ". . .Goin' on a trip?"

"NO! I mean, I can't stay here together. . .," she sighed.

". . .I KNOW!" he said. "COULD you eat if it's . . .BRAIN FOOD! GET IT? BRAIN FOOD!"

She shot him this deathly glare.

"Ahahaha. . .You didn't get it, did you? R-Rachel?"

She silently walked out of the room.

"H-HEYY! . . .Eating alone is so pitiful. . ."

She sat alone in his room. "Stupid not being able to use stuff. . ." Obviously, she was reaching for a PS2 controller her hand could only move through. "DAMMIT! And I don't like playing mind games. . .GET IT! MIND GAMES! Yick. . ." Sighing exasperated, she rolled on her back on his bed. "I feel so NAKED. . ." Her black Tifa miniskirt was riding up, so she pulled it back down. Then she realized her contradictory statement. "Right. . .No feeling. . .Sure. . ." Tired, she curled up to sleep, and shivered. "Huh. . .Strange. . ."

"Rachel? Yoohoooo! Oh, you're asleep. . .," said Steve, who finally made it upstairs. "Hm. She looks cute when she's asleep." Then he laughed pervertedly at the thought of having Tifa asleep on his bed. "Nyeheheheh. . .NO NO NO!" he yelled. "Just a hallucination. . . .This cute cosplay Tifa hallucination. . .Ugh." He sat on his bed, and feeling tired too, and being as nice as any boyfriend should, put and arm around her.

She felt cold.

"Eh. . .That's so weird. . .," he said, remembering but stunned by the result. He didn't pass through. "Was she lying? AAAHH!"

Her body disappeared into thin air.

And he passed out from shock. "The. . .the POOF. . ."

"Steve-chan. . ."

"Jesus, it's not you again, is it? The last time you were here, you-

"DAMMIT, I'M NOT JESUS!"

". . .Eh?" He blinked, and found himself in a world that was, well, prettier than real life. ". . .Am I dead?"

"There's no getting through to you, is there?" Rachel appeared, with a finger on his forehead. "Thicker than lead. . ."

"Well, it really depends on the thickness of the lead, not really the substance, so-

"ANYWAY. . .," she continued. "You're DREAMING, Steve. . ."

He sat for a moment. ". . .Then why aren't you naked?"

"STEVE!"

"Right, right, right, right. . .," he said. ". . .So, whaddya wanna do?"

"I have to GO, Steve. . .So I thought I'd say goodbye here. You're a good sport. Kinda. . .," she sighed. "Thanks for everything."

"What?" He was confused. "YOU helped ME study, though. . .Oh, I know. . .You DO have the hots for me, don'tcha?"

"Steve, I may not be able to hurt you in the real world, but you're in my territory now," she grumbled.
"Ah. Yes," he said, a little nervous. "Nightmares. With my mother." He tried to blot out the image. "AHHH, TERRIBLE!"

"Steve?"

"PAAAAIN!"

"STEVE!"

"Yes?" he asked, out of the moment. "Oh right. Well. . .Um. . .You're leaving. . .I'll miss you, or uh. . .See you soon? Or um. . .I'm not very good at this stuff. . ."

"It's all right," she shrugged. "I'll be around, or I won't."

". . .That never makes sense," he blinked.

Sighing, she explained. "I'll be HERE, I just won't appear again."

". . .Until next year's exams?"

"I only get one shot at this," she said. "So, not EVER. . . .Unless you get overstimulated from Naruto again. AND I WILL NOT DRESS UP AS HINATA FOR YOU!"
"Nyeheheheheh. . .," he laughed. "But, she's cute."

"Yeah, and I was naked for a moment back there, when you made me wear that skirt of abomination. NOBODY SHOULD BE FORCED TO LIVE THAT WAY!" she sobbed.

"Well, uh. . .Sorry," he said.

"No, no, no, noooo. . .," she said, waving her hands. "I don't wanna hear that before you go. Instead. . ."

"I refuse to do the grammar dance," he grumbled.

"Not that either! I just wanna say that you should do your best, so I don't have to drag my ass out here again."

". . .But you're in my head now."

"Out THERE again. Whatever," she said. "Words of encouragement, words of encouragement. . .Um. . .Don't screw up,'kay?" She patted his shoulder. "Yeah. And uh. . ." She blushed, straining herself. "I mean, if you screw up, I'm going to have to kick your ass."

"But-

"JUST GO ALONG WITH IT," she said sternly. "It sure is hard to threaten you with only one ace up my sleeve. Don't give up, all right? Right?"

"Heh. Right," he nodded. "Otherwise, you get to kick my non-existent ass. Can I have a wish before I go?"

"Better not be anything sexual, you damn perv. . .," she grumbled.

"But. . .Rachel LIKES perverts. . .," he whimpered.

"I'm not Rachel! I can't be Rachel, all right?" she sighed. "So, what's the wish?"

"Um. . .I wanna remember you when I wake up," he said. "I HATE those dreams where you forget what they are when you get up, and then you spend the rest of eternity wondering what you dreamt of. . ."

". . ." She blinked. "What a philosophical statement. But I'll see what I can do. Rachel's an okay person. And you're a good person, too."

". . .But you didn't say she was a-

"Baby steps," she cautioned. "I don't know the child." She hugged him mildly. "Ooh, you're warm. . .Or is this cold?"

"You shivering?"

"No. . .So you're warm. It's nice," she blinked. "I'll see ya'." She put a finger on his head.

"Saying I'm thick-headed again?" he grumbled.

"No," she said, still blinking. "But you must be not to see the next plot device."

"Plot device? What the crap are you talking abou-mmph!"

Behold, the shortest surprise kiss "mmph" in the history of man! It could be shorter. . .But otherwise would be the abbreviation of "miles per hour".

She let him go. "Bye!"

The rest faded into black.

". . .Ow." Steve sat up, the next day, as cold and gray as the beginning. "I'm not gonna ask what I was tripping on. But that kiss. . ." He blushed again. "Nyeheheh. I never get kissed." He sighed with a smile, and look down. ". . .Eh? AACK!" Suddenly, he hid something with his hands between his legs. "THAT'S SO EMBARRASSING TO WAKE UP WITH. . ."

Often, the mind offers deceptions. It is up to you to decide to take advantage of it, or dismiss it completely. There's a choice.

And if you do accept, what then? Is something like this possible? The mind is a powerful thing.

All that is known is that Rachel, the hallucination was a puppet of the mind, constructed from the image from the real, human Rachel and was prompted to act by the accordance of a memory.

Remember, Steve? A kiss, then I was gone.

What do you really believe in?

Don't give up, because it might take flesh one day.

AN3:laughs nervously: I was trying to beat the clock and forgot to add the narrative ending. So I edited it.

Tifa: . . . . .YOU WHAT!

Everyone:falls over:

AN3: Well, uh. . .I was trying to beat the clock again last night like I normally do. . .Because I thought my dad was gonna kick me off at any moment. . .And-

Tifa: No, we're trying to UNDERSTAND the point of this story. You kissed him and ran off? You really are a moron.

AN3: I WAS LEFT WITH A LACK OF OPTIONS! You all know the story. . .I think. You know, everything was awkward, I ran off for the most part, last day came, I kissed him then I left. WHAT!

Everyone:sighs and refuses to believe she writes their fate: You suck.

AN3: WAAAAAH:sniffle sniffle: SHUT UP IF THIS WAS THE PRODUCT OF MY SUBCONSCIOUS! IT TOOK PSYCHOLOGICAL SEARCHING TO WHY I WOULD WRITE THIS! AND THERE IT IS! BECAUSE IT HAPPENED TO ME!

Tifa: You were a dream?

AN3: YOU GET MY POINT!

Tifa: . . . So, you WERE a dream. . .

AN3: NO!

Tifa: . . . You're so confusing, you know?

AN3:sobs: Yes, well, the ending narrative again would've been different if I tried to make a grand appeal, but I stuck with the original point to cheer on my Steve-chan because you all could drop dead for all I care.

Everyone: HEY!

AN3: Sorry, I haven't had caffeine in a week. Oh, I think I had a piece of chocolate, though. . .But I don't think I've drank any soda. . .Sorry if I'm mean. The initial point is to say that you all can gather whatever you want from this story, but the main thing is for Steve to read it and get that his determination is what I find very admirable about him.

Everyone: AWWWWW!

AN3: SHUT UP! YOU ALL SUCK:sobsobsob:

Tifa: GET THIS WOMAN COFFEE!

Lucrecia: OOH! TRY MY COFFEE DELUXE-O-MATIC 3000! IT SLICES, IT DICES, IT CUTS AND CUBES! IT EVEN LIQUIFIES:pours gas in the mechanical monster, pulls on the cord, and makes a scary lawn mower noise, from which it was probably derived:

AN3: Uh. . .No thanks, Lucrecia. :blinks: Quite frankly, I'm a little afraid of it.

Lucrecia: Fine! But you're missin' a good cup o' java!

AN3: Hee hee. . .Java. :coughs: Anyhoo. . .Steve wanted it made known that his real IM screename is Inuyasha8703. . .BIG difference, I know. He prefers it that way. The grammatical mistakes in his IM are intentional. I love Steve, but not for his grammar. Noble of me to love someone with a quality I prize most, don't you think?

Tifa: Grammar Nazi.

AN3: WHY, THANK YOU! I can take my time with these notes 'cause it's morning, my dad's at work, and. . .I'm getting sleepy from breakfast. Dammit, I was gonna finish the other chapter. . .THEN, I'll try my hand at Christmas, hit all the big notes, and see if I can finish this year, THIS YEAR! I'll browse through to see if I should edit this thing again. . .You know, sometimes I don't write certain plot holes just to make it funny. . .THIS HAD MEANING, PEOPLE! FIND IT!

Sephiroth: Though Rachel was a figment of the imagination, she wanted to be human but also live up to Steve's standards of being his girlfriend, all while trying to understand the person she was made after. The reflection of Steve was determination to win, but folly to other temptations, such as procrastination and other enjoyable activities in belief it would all be okay from a positive perception, which is who he is. The former lacks humanity, and the latter embodies it.

Everyone: . . .

Sephiroth: WHAT!

All guys: Dude. . .You're such a woman.

Sephiroth: ONLY ADVENT CHILDREN MAKES ME LOOK LIKE THAT! I AM THE DEFINITION OF MASCULINITY!

Cloud:burps and scratches his ass: Eh?

Tifa: . . . .Never mind. Anyway, what does humanity have to do with exams?

AN3: Uhhhhh. . . . .Every human has a test of faith? We're all prone to failure, but the importance is to get back up?

Tifa: . . . . . . . . .Stop making things up.

AN3: Hear that, people! Tifa wants me to stop writing AE! BYE!

Everyone: NOOO! IT CAN'T END THIS WAY!

AN3: SURE IT CAN! BYE!

Everyone: TAKE IT BACK, TIFA!

Tifa: I WAS KIDDING!

AN3: Fine. Whatever. Can I go now?

Everyone: . . . .:edgily: Suuuuuure. . .

AN3: Right. Bye now.