Chapter 37: Trial of Waking
Hiro and Eiji were plunged into another dream.
There was a strange feel to this one though, and Eiji caught onto it very fast.
"Ugh... We're asleep, but I feel awake... I'm still tired."
Hiro shivered. "Y-Yeah t-t-tell me about it!"
Eiji looked at her. "The stimulant shouldn't be in full effect right now! Especially considering we're dreaming..."
Hiro looked around. "W-W-Well let's not get st-stuck here too long then."
...
Kuhn and Linn walked up to Eiji and Hiro. It was dark, and they needed to take shifts soon watching Hiro.
They seemed to be awake.
"Hey Hiro? Hun, it's getting late. You should... Hiro?"
Kuhn walked over to her. Her eyes were opened, but she was entranced. He looked at Eiji... Same thing.
Linn walked over.
"They look awake."
She snapped her fingers in front of their faces.
"But they're definitely dreaming... What trial was that?"
Kuhn thought for a moment.
"Oh no! The trail of waking... It most likely means they'll be sleep deprived."
Linn sighed. "Great, as if Hiro isn't going to be sleep deprived enough..."
Kuhn looked down. "Yeah, and the bad thing is, these dreams stop any potion or substance from entering or leaving the system. Chihiro's potion? Brilliant. The stimulant? ...Poor Hiro, she's going to be miserable."
...
They were wandering around for a couple of hours. Eiji let out a yawn.
"I'm tired. But, not sleeping..." He said.
Hiro nodded shakily. "D-Definitely tired, and d-d-definitely n-not sleeping!"
"What are we looking for anyway?" He asked.
"B-Beats me." She replied.
They scoured the halls and all of the rooms. Nothing was around, and all the rooms were empty. It had been two more hours.
"This place is like a useless maze!" Eiji exclaimed.
"W-We have to k-keep moving." Said Hiro.
Eiji pointed to one of the rooms.
"Maybe we could at least TRY to get some sleep!?" He yelled.
"Earth t-to EIJI! W-WE'RE IN A D-DREAM!"
...
Kuhn and Haku jumped when they heard them talking. It woke up Linn and Chihiro too.
"Well? Earth to HIRO! We CAN'T function without SLEEP! THERE ARE BED'S IN THERE!"
"YOU DUMBASS!" She screamed.
"They p-probably put th-them there on PURPOSE! We n-n-need to move! And I c-cant sleep ANYWAY!"
"Well that's not MY FAULT!" He yelled.
Haku held the bridge of his nose.
"Oh no... They're getting frustrated because they're tired. This is going to be a long night."
Hiro burst into tears. "Its N-NO ONE'S FAULT! F-Fine! If you w-want to t-try useless sleeping!? B-Be my guest! I'm g-going over THERE!"
Linn groaned with annoyance.
"Oh my god! They're so over dramatic! Work together, and save teenagery drama for later."
Kuhn shook his head. "This IS going to be a long night."
...
Hiro wandered the halls again, and ran into Max.
"M-Max! There y-you ARE! I was w-worried."
He sat.
"I am sooo tired... Did you have to much coffee? Lucky..."
There were figures melting out of the walls.
Hiro jumped. "M-M-MAX WATCH OUT!"
She pushed him out of the way of some men with daggers. They would have nicked her side, but a blue shield popped up.
...
They all saw the blue flash.
"Something just happened!" Linn exclaimed.
Chihiro gave a sharp nod. "Yes, good thing the potions are working well."
Another blue shield popped up near her throat. She jolted to the side, and a thin line appeared on her neck. Her hand shot up and grabbed it.
"EIJI!"
...
Eiji heard her scream
"Oh no, I'm SUCH an asshole! HIRO!"
She was right, it didn't work.
He was running through the halls.
"Where are you!?" He exclaimed.
"Over H-HERE!" She yelled.
He found her. There were three assassin's striking at her. Eiji tried to shoot out his threads.
"Dammit! Still doesn't work!"
He tackled the assassin that was on Hiro. He took his dagger, and stabbed him in the throat.
The other assassin's went after him. Max tackled one and threw Hiro a dagger.
"Th-Thanks!" She exclaimed.
They both took down the one assassin.
He tried to stab Eiji in the ribs, but a blue shield blocked it...
...Sort of.
...
They saw a blue shield appear on Eiji's torso. A red spot formed on his shirt, and he grabbed his side.
Haku looked at Chihiro. "I know you didn't have time to make a full protective serum, but that's a very thin area. Looks like they got him between the ribs..."
Haku looked nervous. "These guys are really going for the kill."
He lifted Eiji's hand, and wrapped some guaze around the wound.
"At least that will keep it from bleeding..."
...
They ran into seven more in the course of two hours. Eiji's side had stopped bleeding, so he removed his hand.
"If it weren't for Mom's potion, we'd be dead..." He said. He sounded exhausted.
Hiro sighed. "Y-Yeah... It seems the h-harder we fight them, th-the tougher the next round is..."
You couldn't see it in her face, but Hiro was dead tired. It had been almost seven hours nonstop, and they'd been awake the whole day before this.
She coughed.
"Ugh... Wh-What the? Am I getting sick? B-But I've n-never been SICK!"
"I think the lack of sleep can do that." Said Eiji.
She sniffed. "Ughhnnn... Th-This sucks..."
...
It had been five more hours, and the sun was beginning to rise.
Hiro and Eiji had been moved to the upper office, and seated in some more comfortable chairs.
Hiro had been coughing, and it had gotten worse as time passed.
"She's definitely sick..." Said Linn.
Kuhn sighed, stroking her hair.
"Yeah... None of this can be good on her health."
She let out another cough.
"Ugghhnn... Go away! You stupid... *Cough* Fuckin' asshole's..."
She was finally exhausted enough that her stutter was completely gone.
...
Eiji was dead on his feet. "What are we doing here...?" He groaned.
"I don't know..." Said Hiro. "I'm so tired..."
They saw a woman wandering around. She looked weary and she was flinching a lot, but looked absolutely exhausted.
They walked up to her.
She pushed them against the wall.
"Be careful!" She exclaimed. "They have eyes..."
Her grip was weak, and her knees wobbled.
She saw the knives in their hands. She grabbed Hiro's and...
She tried to slit her own throat. Her grip was so soft, that she dropped the knife.
She fell to her knees and wailed.
"KILL ME!" She screamed. "I'm begging you!"
She grabbed Eiji's hands loosely.
"Please... Kill? Kill me? KILL ME!"
Eiji looked at her... The woman looked miserable. This place had been so hard on her, she looked aged.
He hugged her. "Come with us. We'll get you out of here..."
She sobbed. "Then kill me... And get out of here."
Eiji and Hiro stared at her. SHE was the priestess.
"Eiji, should we kill her?" Hiro asked.
Eiji shook his head. "Hold on..."
He looked at her. "This is your trial? Why are you stuck in it?"
She sobbed violently. "I haven't slept in FOUR MONTHS! PLEASE! Please.. I don't care anymore! I don't want to be a priestess... I just want to see my kids again..."
His eyes softened. "You have children? What are their names...?"
She looked at him. "A boy and a girl... Mali, and... And Sai."
Eiji teared up. "I'll break the curse, and you'll be able to hold your kids again... I promise."
He stabbed her. "I promise..." He sobbed.
She held his face. "Really...? You mean it?..."
She disappeared, and the dream ended.
Eiji was crying softly. Hiro hugged him, but she was crying too.
Everyone stood there for a moment. They all looked tired.
Kuhn and Linn knelt down next to Hiro. Haku and Chihiro were next to Eiji.
"What happened?" Haku asked softly.
Eiji sobbed, but said nothing.
Hiro sobbed violently. "She... She was trapped in her own trial! She had kids, and a family, the whole deal!"
"Sh-She begged us to kill her..." Eiji whispered.
"I told her... That she would see her kids again... I promised something, and I lied... She looked so happy! Then she died! Just... Dead."
He leaned into his parents.
"Eiji..." Said Chihiro.
"There was no way that you would have been able to keep that promise... What you did for her was merciful. She died hopeful, and happy..."
He cried, and soon after he fell asleep.
Hiro was still awake. She sobbed into Kuhn.
"Dad! I'm still awake! I just want to sleep..."
She coughed violently, and cried more.
He held her. "I know... I know you do... I'm sorry hun, just try to relax..."
Kuhn sighed. She was really sick, and he knew that he was most likely going to catch it.