Woo! Chapter 3! I'd like to thank all my reviewers for their wonderful comments. And just for the record, Dee really is dead. Gomen. I kinda hate myself for doing that, but it's just a story. I have to apologize for the ever-changing catagory. This story was originally going to be a romance but after all that time of revising this and that, my brain took a weird turn with the plot. So I don't even know what the catagory would be. It will most likely keep changing until the story is complete. Just hang in there. I promise it''l be worth it.

Ryo took the rest of the day off. He really didn't feel like doing any more work. Berkeley wasn't in his office after lunch so he left a note on the desk and walked out the door. The drive home was monotonous as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary aside from hitting every red light possible. Bikky and Carol had just started watching a movie in the living room when he walked in.

"Ryo? What are you doing home so early?" Bikky asked, pausing the DVD player as the opening credits began to roll.

"I took the rest of the day off." he explained. "I didn't really have much to do anyway so I figured I'd spend some time at home with you." It was a lie, of course. The truth was, he had mounds of paperwork to finish and file. He knew taking the time off was stupid. He was running behind on his bills and there was hardly any food in the kitchen as it was. But he was tired. I'll work extra hours next week or something. He yawned softly. "I'm gonna go take a quick nap. Wake me up in a few hours and we'll go out to dinner, maybe something else, too." Bikky gave him and odd look, a mix of indifference and worry, but nodded and unpaused the movie. Ryo shuffled wearily to his bedroom. Exhaustion took hold of his body and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Ryo. Ryo. Wake up, Ryo. It's a beautiful morning." Ryo grumbled but cracked his eyes open. Dee was leaning over him with a soft smile on his face. Wait. Dee? Ryo sat bolt upright and stared in shock and disbelief.

"Dee! Is that really you?" Tears began to build up in his eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks at any moment. "But it can't be. I thought you were dead."

"Who me?" Dee replied, feigning a look of hurt for a moment but quickly replacing it with his signature, cocky smirk. "You know there's no man alive who can kill me. I'm bulletproof!" He hugged Ryo close to prove his point and in return, Ryo let loose the torrent of tears that he had tried to hold back. "Baby? What's wrong?" He held Ryo back and gently lifted his chin to look into his tear-stained face.

"Oh, Dee. Promise me. Promise me you'll never leave me again. Promise me you'll always be here for me. Promise me. I love you too much to lose you again." Dee stared deep into his eyes. Those beautiful, pleading eyes he could get lost in for hours. He smiled that feather soft smile that always made Ryo feel better. The one that no one had ever seen except the man he loved. He wiped the tears from Ryo's face and gently kissed his lips.

"I promise." No sooner had the words left his mouth, BAM! BAM! Gunfire? What was going on? Dee looked down at the two perfect holes in his chest. Blood was everywhere. Blood on the sheets. Blood on the walls. Oozing and dripping from the wounds. Everywhere. He looked up in horror at Ryo as his eyes began to glaze over. "W-why?"

Ryo's body shook as Dee fell lifeless to the floor. His face was splattered with blood as was his shirt. And blood stained the warm gun held tight in his hand.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Ryo! Ryo, wake up!"

"AAAHHHHH!" Ryo sat up so fast he nearly knocked Bikky to the floor. His eyes darted around the room. No blood. The sheets? Nothing. No gun. No Dee. It was just a dream. Even so, his body was shaking horribly. Sweat dripped from his forehead and his heart was racing.

"Are you ok?" Bikky asked. "That must have been one hell of a nightmare. We heard you screaming over the TV." He tried his best to sound concerned but he was fairly shaken up himself. He'd never seen Ryo this upset by a nightmare. Sure, there had been times he'd woken up screaming, but this was worse somehow. Carol stood in the doorway, pale-faced and very frightened. Ryo was about to say something but he covered his mouth and rushed into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before his stomach heaved what little lunch he had eaten back up.

Bikky ran after him, yelling at Carol to get a glass of water as he did. By the time she got back, Ryo was sitting cross-legged on the end of the bed. He was still a little shaky but he looked quite a bit better than he had before. He sipped lightly at the water, washing away the bitter taste in his mouth.

"Ryo?" Carol asked quietly. "Are you gonna be ok? That was really scary." Ryo handed the half-empty glass of water to Bikky and tried a small smile. He reached over and hugged her tightly.

"I'll be fine." he told her. Another lie. Nothing was fine. Nothing was ok. Everything was going out of control and he couldn't figure out why. I've had nightmares before but this...this was different. This was almost like a memory. Almost real...Arg! What's wrong with me? A memory? Maybe I'm losing it. I'm too afraid to stay awake. Too afraid to sleep. But worst of all, I don't have anyone to talk to about it. Carol and Bikky would just get scared and anyone else would just think I'm crazy. Maybe I am crazy...or maybe it's just me feeling guilty for not saving him. I don't know... Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Ryo jumped in surprise.

"I got it." Bikky called as he ran out of the room, leaving the water on Ryo's night stand. Ryo sighed. So what are you going to do about it, Ryo? Are you going to sit here and keep lying to your friends? Are you going to keep blaming yourself for his death and sink lower and lower in your hole? Or are you going to stand up and do something about it? Ryo composed himself and nodded resolutely. Definitely have to go with doing something. Just then, there was a small crash and a thud from the other room. Ryo was immediately alert.

"Carol." he whispered urgently. "I need you to get in the closet and hide, ok? Don't come out for any reason unless I tell you to. And you have to be very, very quiet. Do you understand?" She nodded, eyes wide with fear, and ran into the closet. She quietly closed the door, peering through the slats as Ryo left the room.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ryo held his gun tightly as he glanced around the corner. He could hear the TV in the living room. Bikky must not have paused their movie before he ran into the bedroom. He checked the front door. Closed. No sign of Bikky though. He walked slowly and carefully towards the living room. He could see most of the kitchen from where he was but the wall he was walking along hid the living room from view. His mind was racing. As he turned the corner, his heart stopped. The gun nearly dropped from his hand.

Bikky was lying on the floor by the couch. Forgetting his caution, Ryo ran to his side. He had a pulse and he was breathing fairly normal. Thank God...He's out cold and there's a good sized lump on his head but he's alive. Ryo felt a tingling sensation, like someone was right behind him. Before he could think to react, something hit him hard across the back of his head. His vision faded to black and he fell unconscious to the floor.