A/N: Anime conventions are very tiring.
Chapter 5:
Accelerator's apartment had three bedrooms. One belonged to him, the other was shared between Yoshi and Yomi, and the third was a guest bedroom. Sometimes, the apartment boarders would go into the guest room for the night. Last Order was very unpredictable with where she slept; she was so tired this night that she just fell on Accelerator's bed. Accelerator, surprisingly, did not complain. Rei saw him gently nudge her from the middle of his bed to one pillow and he just moved in. He crossed his arms and put them below his head. He looked up to the ceiling, wide awake.
Rei was surprised at how neat the apartment and its layout was. I'm sure Yomikawa-sensei and Yoshikawa-sensei are the sources of this, she thought as she opened the door of the bathroom, fully dressed in a soft, pink cotton pj set.
"It's a tad loose," Yomikawa told her, "but you still look awfully comfortable in it."
"I am," Rei smiled, "Thank you!" She moved her hands, the sleeves covering up her hands.
Rei had just come out of the second bathroom. It was not the one Accelerator had went in to; that was just a powder room on the other side of the apartment. The powder room was across from a closet and that was it on the side closest to the kitchen. There was a hallway in between the dining table and the living room. There were two doors on each side of that hallway. The two on the side with the dining table were Accelerator's and Yomikawa's with Yoshikawa's rooms respectively. The full bathroom and guest bedroom were on the other side.
Rei neared the door across from her. She looked straight at Accelerator, hoping to get his attention. She didn't have to. As soon as she reached the doorway, Accelerator shifted his cold gaze from the ceiling to her. He said nothing, but waited for her to say something.
"Good night…" Rei whispered delicately. She slowly closed his door, still looking at him.
Rei only moved the door a couple inches before Accelerator sharply said, "Leave the door open." He didn't say good night back. He didn't say anything about teaching her tomorrow. Just, "Leave the door open." Rei didn't know whether it was a bad thing or a good thing. She left the door as it was and walked to her room without a word.
人
Rei was always fond of dreams. They were always unpredictable, each a little world. And, even though she never wanted some to come true, she relished in the fact that she could lucid dream at times.
Currently, Rei was on a beach. It was one of those white-sand beaches she had seen in books and on television. She was looking out into a light-blue sea. The wind rustled the palm tree leaves and tousled her hair. This is just like that brochure I once read, she thought, becoming lucid instantly, what a dream this is.
She was wearing a pair of pink shorts (which suspiciously reminded Rei of her PJs) and a matching solid pink shirt. She rested her chin on her knees. As she wrapped her arms around her knees, she heard the rustle of clothing behind her. She didn't look away from the brochure view.
"Lovely, isn't it?" The voice sounded familiar to Rei. Is that…me? Rei turned her neck. Ah! She's been in a couple of my dreams before! I thought they were over...
She locked gazes with a girl, who was the spitting image of her, snickering at her with her arms crossed. She was wearing an elaborate black Victorian dress. Her chocolate eyes seemed darker, as if she was mocking Rei.
Rei opened her mouth and took a breath. The dress was beautiful. She wished she had it in real life. White frills were layered at the sleeves and near the hem and collar. The collar was rectangular and somewhat of a low neckline; Rei was wearing a layer of black underneath the high-collared dress. And was Rei seeing black gloves? She isn't literally hot here? Then again, it is a dream…
"…What is?" Rei finally asked. She knew she was late; the other Rei seemed to reflect her pleasure in Rei getting stunned.
"Oh, everything. The view. My dress. You. Your current situation. Everything's working out for you, huh?"
"…?" Rei didn't know what to say to that. She stood up and faced the other Rei.
Rei suddenly drifted out of her lucid state. "What's your name?" She asked, as if she was controlled by some narration.
"Rei."
"But I'm Rei."
"So am I."
"You're Pink Rei."
Rei flushed at her short shorts and pink shirt.
"See? Even your cheeks are a light pink." The other Rei taunted.
"Black Rei. No, Dark Rei." Rei answered bluntly. "I say it fits you."
Dark Rei grinned. "Sure. Why not. That's not what matters right now, anyway." She lifted her left hand and patted Rei's right shoulder. Chills were immediately sent down Rei's spin. Her back suddenly seemed very pained, and the world dissolved into a greyish-black fog.
Rei sharply exhaled. Even though her eyes were closed, she knew she had returned back from the land of dreams.