"Come closer, Mana."

I couldn't move away from the dark figure. I took a step forward unwillingly.

"Closer…"

I took another step forward despite trying to pull away, move away. The shadowy figure was atop a throne.

"Come, let me see you in the moonlight…"

I stepped across the shadow line into the silver light. The step echoed as I registered that the floor was stone and I was in heeled boots.

"Closer, closer…"

As I took the fourth step forward, I saw that the throne the dark figure sat upon was made of corpses. Rivers of blood flowed from them, staining the floor and pooling in the corners of the dungeon.

"So beautiful. Come closer, let me see your face…"

I felt restricted somewhat as I took another step forward and acknowledged the off the shoulder red dress I was wearing. My neck was completely exposed and I felt vulnerable.

"Yes, my darling…closer…"

I couldn't speak. I couldn't stop my steps. I couldn't move my body, it was moving by itself as if the shadowed person was commanding it like a puppet. I nearly stepped on a corpse's hand on the sixth step and craned my head to see mismatched eyes gazing down at me hungrily.

"Mmm…closer…"

I tried to resist and move away but it was useless. My seventh step hovered over one of the corpses that served as steps to the one that sat atop of the throne.

"Mana?"

My foot wavered as I heard my name being called out.

"What are you doing, my sweet? I said closer!"

"Mana!"


My eyes flew open and I saw darkness.

"Mana, what are you doing?!"

Huh? What? Who was that? I made out the staircase in front of me but couldn't stop gravity from claiming me and I fell down. I rolled and tumbled, bumping my head, scratching my legs and landing awkwardly on my left hand. Like fuck! I might as well severe it off with the amount of damage it's been taking lately!

"Mana!"

I had rolled a little way from the staircase, at the door and was cradling my left hand as pain shot through the arm and alerting my brain that I had injured it even more. Zero came rushing down the stairs, holding my head still.

"Oi, what was that just now?"

My head hurt…

"Mana?"

Owie, ow, ow…fuck my life.

"Mana…?"

I looked up at Zero who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"You're not concussed, are you?"

I felt tears drip down my cheeks and I sniffed, probably looking at Zero pitifully.

"Ah, no, don't cry, shit…"

He hoisted me up and led me to the sofa in the sitting room.

"I'll just get some ice," he muttered and left the room.

I didn't have to wait for long as he came running back in after a while with a leaking cloth of ice. He bent my head over and pressed the ice to the back of my head, making me hiss because it was so damned cold.

"Sorry…"

I grunted and held the ice in place. Zero pulled away and we sat there awkwardly.

"Were you…sleepwalking?"

I glanced at Zero and shrugged helplessly.

"You don't remember walking out of your room?"

Nope.

"This isn't normal, is it?"

I shook my head and ducked it.

"When did this start?"

I shrugged helplessly, looking around for something to remind me of the time and date.

"What's going on?"

Yuki plodded downstairs in her dressing gown, yawning blearily and glancing at us.

"Mana?"

She rushed to the other side of me, looking at the ice and at my hand.

"Oh!"

I glanced at my left hand, too confused and disorientated to notice how bent it looked. I had broken it again. Well fuck!

"Mana, what happened?" Yuki whimpered.

"She missed a step on the staircase," Zero was quick to reply.

"Oh, Mana you should be more careful!"

I glanced at Zero and nodded my thanks as Yuki's hands hovered over my injured hand.

"Um…shouldn't we get someone to look at this?"

"I know first aid, I'll get the kit," Zero said as he stood and walked off.

Yuki carefully placed an arm around me as I yawned, still a little agitated from the dream I had. Dreams, hallucinations, constant injury, this can't be some weird stroke of terrible luck, right? Can't last forever either…I hope.


During crossover, I got given a lot of stares since my arm was back in a sling. The girls were whispering behind me as I struggled to stay awake. Gossip never bothered me, talking behind my back irritated me but I just couldn't bother to turn and tell the girls off. Not that I could, seeing as I lack a voice to raise at them.

My head hurt, I didn't get any sleep after falling down the stairs. Kaien wailing like the baby he was after he found out didn't help. I want to go to bed, but at the same time I don't. What if something else happens when I go to sleep?


"Kill her…"

It was dark, but my eyes were focused. Focused enough to see Yuki bound and gagged to a chair, looking up at me with pleading eyes as she thrashed about in her bonds.

"Just do it…"

My hand held a knife and it was pointed at Yuki.

"She is the root to all your pain…"

Yuki screamed around her gag as I stared down at her.

"Slit her throat and coat her body in her own blood…"

The knife moved as my hand pushed forward to attack her but I managed to grab my wrist to pull it away. Yuki flinched when a thin cut appeared on the base of her neck and I wrestled with my hand as it thrashed forward angrily.

"Kill her!"

"No, no, she's my sister!"

"Do it! She took everything away from you!"

The knife jerked to the left then right as I stumbled to try and regain my balance.

"She doesn't deserve to live!"

"Shut up!"

"Mana!"


I gasped as my eyes flew open and I saw Zero gripping my arm.

"Mana, wake up!"

I blinked rapidly to try and clear my sleep filled eyes and saw the knife glint in my hand. I dropped it immediately, feeling sick to my stomach as I recalled the dream I had been having.

"You were sleepwalking again," he whispered as it clattered to the floor.

I was breathing heavily, trying to shake myself out of the horror of attempting to kill Yuki in my sleep. Zero was holding my shoulders, shaking me as I stared at the Yuki's bedroom door, where I had been standing.

"Mana, we should tell Kaien."

I gripped the front of Zero's shirt and looked up at him with pleading eyes. No, no, don't worry, I just need to be locked in my room so I don't do myself damage. Just strap me to my bed, I can't sleep walk if I can't physically get out of bed! But when those thoughts ran through my head, I realised just how loony I felt.

"Mana?"

I shook my head. I don't want him to worry. I'm scared of what this was doing to me. What if I have to see a psychiatrist? What if I get diagnosed with something which might take me away from society? I was found sleepwalking around with a knife in hand after all…

"What if it gets worse?"

I stared at the floor, uncertain on how to react to the sleepwalking I had suddenly developed. I've never had a case of it before and it seemed to be escalating rapidly. First, I'm holding doors closed and now I'm walking around with a knife? I had never felt so lost before.

"Mana, do you remember what dreams you have whilst you're sleepwalking? Maybe we can find a way to calm them down."

Thinking back on the dreams, I have a feeling it'll take a lot of energy to calm down the freaking nightmares of having some vampire with mismatched eyes luring me to my death. I felt frustrated, a headache building up behind my temples from all the stress.

"Mana?"

I looked up at Zero helplessly. I can't tell him. So, I shook myself out of his grip, stormed past him and locked myself in my room. I still couldn't sleep as I sat on my bed, trying to get to grips with what had happened. It didn't help that something smacked into my window and I saw out of the corner of my eye that it was something bloody. I didn't even need to walk over to check whatever it was because just as I suspected, it disappeared in the blink of an eye being the damned illusion that it had been. I wanted to curl up and cry until everything was better. I'm falling into the pit of insanity.