Chapter Three: Kei

Rei's eyes widened. She spun around to face her nemesis, just inches apart the woman breathed softly. Swallowing a lump in her throat Rei began to back up only to find herself pinned to the tree. The apparition reached out and wrapped her hand around Rei's slender, pale neck. Rei gasped for air as the woman squeezed tightly, suffocating her. With ease and grace the ghost lifted Rei off her feet, holding her a few feet in the air she squeezed harder. The iciness of the woman's hand added to the affect of drowning.

"S-stop…please." Rei pleaded, a small tear rolling down her cheek. The ghost's eyes narrowed, the holly and snake tattoo etched intricately in them. With a large amount of force the ghost threw her across the room. Rei flipped through air breaking through the decaying railing and slamming into the hard cool wall. She slumped to the ground, looking up she saw the woman looking at the tree, but then she looked past the tree toward the door. Rei turned her head slowly with great pain, she saw the door had many seals on it and chains. Little did she know though this viewing would be a prelude to a nightmare…a nightmare of insanity. The apparition walked straight through the tree and into the door. Rei gave a small sigh of relief and hung her head, passing out. As she sat there unconscious she began to dream, though this was no ordinary dream. It was a dream within a dream. Rei dreamt of the days when Yuu was alive, the joy she felt. The warm happy days that held nothing but endless joy and abundant happiness. But everything abruptly ended when Yuu died. All the glitter drained from Rei's eyes and she became rather emotionless.

"Hey...are you al...right?" She thought she heard someone ask. Begin aroused from her slumber Rei looked around somewhat disoriented. Suddenly, a burning pain shot through her shoulder like a hot blade ripping through her flesh, she rocked back and forth holding her shoulder. Digging her nails into her skin she tried to dull the pain, blood slowly began to ooze because she had dug so deep.

"Hey! Hey! You're hurting yourself." She heard a man shouting. As quickly as it came her pain vanished. She looked over and saw a young man with black hair and deep hazel eyes. "Who are you?" Rei inquired. He looked at her and extended his offering to help her up.

"I'm Kei. Kei Amakura." Rei took his hand gratefully, "I'm Rei Kurosawa." She gave a weak smile and looked back at the door she had seen the ghost go through. Kei followed her gaze, when he saw the door he nodded.

"So, this is the Manor of Sleep…" He remarked softly.

"The burial place for the legendary "Priestesses" and the awakened Priestess…Reika." Rei looked at him perhaps that was the woman that attacked her. She shook her head, without saying anything she walked slowly toward the door with the seals.

"What are the Priestesses and who is Reika?" Rei asked running her fingers across the wood. She felt a twinge in her shoulder from where she had dug her nails in.

"The Priestess where said to be sacrifices, according to the folklore at least. Their bodies were tattooed with holly and snakes. Each one symbolizes something different. Anyway, when their bodies were full they were taken to an ancient temple and pinned down with stakes. This was to ensure that the Priestess slept for all eternity and that the "Rift would not awaken." Kei explained clearly. Rei was a little impressed, but he had failed to answer her second question.

"I see, but who is Reika?" She asked again turning around. Kei sighed and walked over to her.

"Reika was a Priestess. She was tattooed and laid to rest in the temple, but for some reason her ritual failed and thus the "Rift" awakened and the village was engulfed into the darkness and Reika's nightmares." Rei nodded, she now understood why Reika was so violent. This was now a little less of a nightmare, it was now a mission to solve the mystery of Reika's failed ritual and save herself from begin destroyed by the tattoo.

"So…that means Reika is the tattoo's voice." Kei eyed Rei with a quizzical glimmer in his eye.

"She is out for revenge, all the pain she feels. The tattoo has possessed her, she is merely the voice of the tattoo." Kei now understood her logic and nodded.

"Then we best be finding some clues to solving this mystery." Rei shook her head, "Not without Miku."