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Another nightmare, there was always more nightmares, a never-ending surge of terror and heartbreak. This one was slightly different then the one with my parents and the pain. In this one I was surrounded by darkness, a void without sound, sight, hearing, touch, or taste. While I hovered in the sensory deprivating black, the peace was suddenly broken by slivers of voices, merely whispers. The voices were mine, they spoke of tragedy, loss, sorrow. They were telling my story.

A happy couple married on a beach, a child the following year, the father leaving for work, the mother hearing the explosions, she drives the car like she's insane, arrival at the laboratories, the second explosion. The second explosion got me, it pulled at my soul, tugged at my sanity. The pain was unending, I could still remember how it felt even though I was 2. Why did any of this happen to me? What have I done to deserve this life? My mind settled back in the darkness, but the voices changed, becoming louder and louder. They were thoughts I had over the years.

"Why me," "why not someone else," "I love this game but..."

"When am I going to get my buddy," "my deck is strong, but it's missing something," "I hate my life, why can't I just die?" The morbid thoughts washed over me like a wave, but the worst was soon to come.

"What, Gao got a buddy monster," "he just started buddyfighting this year!"

"I hate him," "I hate all of them," "just... Die!"

I tried to cover my ears, this isn't me this is despair! But my protests did no good, the voices kept getting louder. So loud that I thought my ears would explode, then all the voices went silent; and I could hear a voice. It was high pitched, but mature; childish, yet not without caring and virtue.

"We all deserve to live. We deserve the choice to live on, or give up and die. And those who refuse people that choice; that is true evil."

The voice calmed my mind, and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I was in my room. The dream was gone, and the day was new. I started downstairs in my plad pajama-bottoms and black t-shirt. The house was empty,I checked out the window, the drive way was empty. My "parents" must have left for that out of town adults only vacation they talked about for so long. They left me plenty of yen to get by for the few weeks they would be gone.

Time to drown my sorrows. I opened the fridge and pulled out a soda, then to the pantry. I pulled out 3 packs of strawberry pocky and sat down on the couch. I turned on some of the previous years buddyfighting world cup highlights. Today was a Saturday, no school. Speaking of school, I haven't seen Gao lately; he's probably either in an akijujitzu training session with his mom, or he's out eating something with Drum somewhere. I hadn't seen hair or claw of either of them since that buddyfight a few night ago. It was pretty close, Gao had me down to 4 health and was about to finish me off with Gargantua Punisher. But I had been playing this game for 6 years, and no one has beaten me yet. I used my impact card before he did, Creators Wrath, the pinnacle of my Aetherium.

I didn't remember much after the win, that sake Mr. Mikado had given me must have been stronger than I anticipated. I went back to the buddyfighting world cup highlights; the players used amazing techniques and strategizing. I could beat all of them easy. Then the highlights speed and a commercial popped up, it was advertising the Aibo Buddy Cup. The sign ups were today, at the school, at noon. I glanced at the wall clock...

12:25... Shit. I changed as quickly as possible, throwing on my polo, dress-pants, and coat. I locked everything, and ran. As fast as I had ever ran in my life, I was booking it; taking shortcuts through alleys, and jumping fences. I ran up the escalators, and made it to school. There was a croud as thick as a brick wall, I couldn't fit. I jumped a good few feet and saw Gao, Kugaru, and Baku next in line for signups, I didn't have enough time to push my way through; I needed to jump the crowd. The line started at the escalators, and ended at a tarp in the small garden directly outside the main doors. If I used... It... Maybe I could get there in time, but mom made me promise to keep It under control. I glanced at the line, some kid in glasses, and a tiny ninja, were signing up; Team Gao was next. Sorry mom.

I began to think, about mom, dad, the explosion, and buddyfighting. It made me so angry, all the anger and frustration I held back,I poured all of it into my thoughts; released the river of remorse, and sorrow. True depression was child's play compared to what I have gone through. Death, loss, anger, the whole package of entropy; and it was all in my head, the articles of insanity lying dormant in my cranium, finally being read. It was worse than a date with death. Death held no chains to me, I was already dead.