I'm kind of disappointed with the lack of response. I mean, my hits show that about 70 people looked at my story, but not one of you bothered to review it? If this keeps up, I'm going to stop writing on TPWND because I don't want to write something that nobody likes. If you want me to keep going, then review. If not, then do nothing. That's all….

-X-X-X-

The plain grey of the sky was broken only by little splashes of strange colors that shouldn't exist in nature. They formed swirls that, if you stared at them for too long, would start to seem like they were moving very slowly. And, after a while, Seriah realized that they were moving; she watched as a strange purple-ly yellow mixed with a burnt orange to come out with an impossible deep blue.

Plants dotted the barren landscape, and they weren't like anything she had every seen, for, although they still had some of their original foliage, it seemed like faces also grew out of the branches. There was a plant for anyone that Seriah had ever spoken to. Nearby, a tree that stood about 15 ft tall had white flowers growing on the limbs, interspersed with Maka's face. Next to Maka's tree, growing very close to hers was a tree that had purple-red leaves mixed in with Soul's face.

Kid and Black Star were also represented, Kid's representation being a bush that was cut into a very symmetrical pyramid shape and, and Black Star's being a vine that stayed low to the ground, but had its tendrils over everything.

Out of everything in this strange place though, four things stood taller than the rest, dwarfing everything in comparison. The faces on three of them were people very dear to Seriah; Kia's smiling profile hung on an impossibly tall cherry blossom tree, Ritsune's customary blank look adorned a black cherry tree, and Sokun's scowl was set on a Chinese maple tree, his hair blending in with the leaves.

The fourth tree was even higher than they were, and when Seriah saw who it was she cried out and fell to her knees. Her father stared out over all of the people she knew. His face was mixed with yellowy leaves and although Seriah wracked her brain trying to remember what it was called as an excuse to avoid looking at it again, finally she gave up. She glanced around her, looking at anything in order to avoid seeing the thing that she took to mean that she would never get out from under her father.

A movement caught her eye at the base of the Chinese maple. Sokun stepped out from behind the massive trunk and walked over to her. She jumped up and threw her arms around him.

"Sokun, I'm so happy to see you! What is this place? Why are we here? Wha-," she was about to go on, but Sokun covered her mouth with his hand.

"Jeez, do you have to babble on like that Riah?" he asked and he let his lazy grin stretch across his face. Seriah blushed at the childhood nickname, and let go of him, taking a step back.

"Sorry. I just saw him over there…. " She waved vaguely at her dad's tree. "And it scared me." Sokun's smile didn't fade, but it became tight. It looked like he was struggling to hold it there.

"Oh yes. That." Sokun took a step towards her, and she automatically took a step back. He kept advancing though, until her back was pushed up against a tree. (In a corner of her mind, she vaguely registered that she was pushing against the face of one of her old tutors.) His arm elongated, until he was holding the blade of a sword against her throat.

"Wh- wh-what are you d-doing?" Seriah stammered, afraid to move much for fear of pressing the blade into her throat.

"Why isn't it one of us?" he growled. "Why is it always him?" It took her a second to realize that he was asking why her father's tree was the largest.

"I…. I…. I don't know! He just…." Sokun's eyes flashed and he pressed harder with the blade. She made a small noise, and the movement cut a red line into her throat.

"I'll tell you why. You still love him. Even after everything he's done, to us and to you." His voice was soft; it made the words that much harder to hear. Behind Sokun, two more people appeared. One of them stepped forward out of the grove of tree giants, and Seriah saw that it was Ritsune. He wore the suit outfit that he had on during the day, but the second she saw him, he started unbuttoning it.

"This. This is all his fault." The dark-haired boy said and shed his jacket. He peeled off his shirt and Seriah felt tears well up. There were scars all over his chest and arms. Long gashes ran parallel to smaller cuts on the muscles, and if you looked carefully at one of his wrists it seemed like someone had tried to sever it. A long pale mark ran all the way around the skin, and Ritsune couldn't bear anyone to touch it. He turned around and there were worse marks on his back. One scar ran from shoulder to shoulder and descended to his lower back. Another one had never faded and was still bright red.

Kia stepped out of the shadows and came to step next to Ritsune. The tears were flowing down Seriah's face and at the sight of the girl she considered a sister she cried even harder.

"No… please… no more…" Kia didn't listen; she rolled up her pant leg and showed scars that were just as bad as the ones on Ritsune. Sokun didn't turn to look at them.

"You asked me why we stayed with you. I told you that you knew why we stayed, and you do. But there's more to it than just your story. Deep down, in the very darkest part of our hearts…" he trailed off from breaking Seriah's heart. She sobbed wordlessly, avoiding looking into her best friend's angry eyes.

"Riah," he sneered the name. "We hate you. Because of this….. thing you do to us, we are bound to protect you. We have to sacrifice ourselves, for you! And we can't break free." Sokun grabbed her chin, forcing her to see into his hate filled eyes. Something inside her broke at the sight.

"I…. wanted to help you! I tried to save you from the madness. And it worked! You are sane today because of me. Isn't that enough?" She screamed at him, not feeling it when the blade went it in deeper. Behind the red-head, Ritsune and Kia turned and melted back into the shadows from where they had come.

Sokun moved the sword away from her throat, raising it up and Seriah felt her heart hammering in her chest. "You did save us Riah. But you took away our free will in the process. That doesn't even compare." The blade moved again and the red eyed girl felt a strange sensation in her chest. She looked down and saw something silver protruding from her shirt.

"I….I…." She stuttered, still trying to defend herself to the sword. Her mind seemed to be working slowly; she could barely think. Sokun stepped away and she heard a wet sound that she couldn't identify.

"Goodbye Seriah."

-X-X-X-

She bolted upright, screaming, with tears streaming down her face. Her hands clutched at her chest and she looked down, terrified that she would see a gaping hole in her pajama top. But there was nothing. Seriah was tangled in her sheets, and she panted, trying to flow the waterfall of tears. Kia came bursting in, knocking down the door with a well aimed kick.

She planted her feet squarely, raised her fists, and looked around, as if she might see someone standing there with a knife. When no enemies showed themselves Kia gradually lowered herself from fighting position into a position that said 'What the hell is going on?'

"Are you alright Riah?" She asked, coming over to stand by the headboard of Seriah's bed. The blonde lifted a glass of water off the nightstand and handed it to the still panting teen.

"Thanks…. Said person gasped out, and took a sip. "Thanks," she said again, a bit more calmly. "Sorry, I just had a bad dream…. A really… really….really bad dream."

Kia cast a skeptical look at her. "Really? Is that all it was? Riah, I've never heard you scream like that. I thought for sure that someone was trying to kill you." Seriah flinched.

"No. Really, I'm fine Kiki. Thanks for worrying about me." She finally waved Kia out with many 'Don't worries.' When the blonde was gone, the room seemed darker, like Kia had brought her own private sun. But despite that, when the blue-eyed girl had been fussing over her, all Seriah could think about was Dream-Kia showing off her mutilated legs.

It was a long time before sleep came for her again, and in her dreams there featured a large tree that seemed to follow her wherever she went.

-X-X-X-

Finally….. done…. It took me all day to write this….. and it's around midnight. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go die now. *crawls into bed and dies of exhaustion*