A/N: In reply to Hiniori Lwin, I don't think those are canon, as they're not explicitly said that they "love" each other, or even implied through kisses or that sort. Thus, you can look at them as "family" of sorts. Of course, there are fluffy moments in this fic that some can imply them being shipped. But no outright kissing unless it's one of the canon pairings that I've mentioned in the last chapter. Sorry to disappoint some people out there. (secretly i ship seto x shintaro sorry)

I don't own any of these characters! T.T

In which Shintaro has a nightmare and Ayano comforts him.

All he remembered of that dream was a fallen red scarf and a tall building. That and the red smeared on the sidewalk and a lump. A lump with long hair and two clips innocently laying there. The sinking feeling in his stomach was enough to choke him as his eyes pried themselves open to see a blank, dark ceiling. His breathing was ragged and irregular as Shintaro leaned over to check the clock. Rubbing the fuzzy sleep out of his eyes, the mechanical red clock told him it was 2AM. He couldn't possibly bother her at this time; she absolutely needed 8 hours of sleep in order to function.

But maybe he could be selfish, one more time... What if his dreams were true? He hadn't heard from Ayano after school and normally she would email him or text him something or even call him. Shintaro wiped the bead of sweat off his forehead and continued staring at his ceiling.

His heart was starting to relax already and for sure, he was glad. His fingers were starting to go numb from the beat of the blood in his veins. However, what wasn't calming down was his mind and his emotional state. The silence was suffocating and he couldn't hear Momo's quiet snoring since she was at Hiyori's for a sleepover...

It seemed so real, as if it had happened after school. As if it happened today and some psychic decided to document events through complicated dreams to random people to spread the news. Shintaro hoped to God that wasn't possible, because that psychic would've gotten a lot of juicy material from his-

Shintaro shook his head and his arm reflexively grabbed the phone next to his pillow. Bovinely, he realized his fingers were shaking and he kept pressing the wrong keys.

Exhaling his frustration, Shintaro rested for a moment, the phone and an incomplete phone number pasted on the glowing screen.

"Okay. Let's try this again..." For a second he hesitated. "What was her phone number again?!"

He smacked his head against his phone and searched through his contacts desperately. Black characters stood out on his screen, Ayano. At least she didn't disappear from his phone. Shintaro breathed a deep sigh of relief.

The young man pressed the call button and waited, holding his breath, a spring ready to explode. One ring, two rings, the more time it took made Shintaro even more worried.

"Hhrngh?" A strangled moan came from the other side of the phone. Shintaro almost cried with happiness.

"Ayano, you didn't text me today..." He pouted and attempted to sound indignant.

"Haha, I can't entertain you every day, Shin-chan!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Fine, fine, Shin-kun!"

"Not that either!"

"Okay, why'd you really call me? Hearing you pout at 2 AM is too early." Ayano huffed and mock-complained.

Shintaro hesitated to tell her, but in the end, he decided he, at least, owed her the reason why he broke her precious cycle of sleep for his own minuscule worries.

"Haha nightmares?" Even her sleep-laced giggles made him feel better, though they were directed towards him. "What are you, six? Hehe..."

Shintaro growled and chose to stay silent, hoping that his annoyed glare was felt on the other side. But obviously, Ayano didn't feel it and even if she did, it wouldn't affect her.

"What does this have to do with me though? I need my beauty sleep, you know." Ayano hissed back and the black-haired boy sighed, feeling both relieved, guilty, and annoyed. He wasn't even sure why he was still friends with this goody-two-shoes.

"It was just... Nothing. Don't worry about it. I was just worried about you, is all." He distanced himself from the phone, ready to end it.

"You make it sound like I'm depressed and ready to commit suicide!" Ayano's protesting tone made Shintaro crack a small smile. Ironic, because that was exactly what his dream was about...

"You know I'm not like that! So relax~" He could hear her smile through the phone, and before he could reply, Ayano had hung up. Silence reigned in his room again, but it wasn't a scary silence anymore.

Shintaro grinned, curling back up into his warm covers, setting his phone next to him.

Nightmares couldn't harm him now.

Reviews appreciated~!