It was Wednesday. We passed Homecoming and back to school like any other day. Since then, I kept having these recurring dreams featuring the man, Oroko Saki. Since Friday, I have had either dreams or daydreams – practically visions – about Oroku's life. Most of them of how laid back he was. Others were involved in his training and his clan. His family only had his older brother and his father, which is funny because his father's name is Oroku Saki; so technically, his father was Oroku Saki Senior, and he named his second son Oroku Saki Junior or some shit like that. They come at random I couldn't tell which was my reality. One moment I was walking down the school's hallway the next I was roaming the boardwalk of a Japanese manor. Soon after, I almost fell down a flight of stairs.

Yeah, that's how deep shit I was. It was like being high without marijuana. As soon as Wednesday hit, I couldn't take it! I needed to know what the fuck am I going through.

I had three options.

One, seek help. Help as in seeking professional help like a therapist. Insert dark chuckle. Yeah, too late for that. I'm not spewing my guts out for some stranger just for them to write down on their notepad saying I'm a psychopath. Not to mention, they'll jot it down to my smoking addiction which I don't have! And they'll give me a prescription for whatever medication that can temporarily help with depression or sleep deprivation. Also, they'll want to talk about my family, and said mother might come over to their office and probably wipe their existence. No thank you, dipshits!

Two, Google it. Yeah, yeah, I said it. Google. It's an internet library that'll lead to many sites describing the keywords I put in. Websites to chatlogs to a foreign language porn site that I don't need! I know everyone would rather use it as their main source for seeking answers. Hell, I would use it, too, but I needed a legit answer. Sometimes the internet isn't as grand as it made it out to be. Sure, you get recipes, DIY projects, information for class projects, etcetera, etcetera. Sometimes you got to go old school.

I decided to go with my third option: talk to a bookworm – and by bookworm, I mean speaking with one of my other fake exes: Diana, the smartest bookworm I know. She always has a book in her hand. Whether it be fiction or nonfiction, plays or thrillers, autobiographies or biographies; her nose is always inside its pages; her eyes digesting every word she reads. What makes her special is the photographic memory she held lodged in her brain. No, it was something else. It's like a photographic memory but more... advanced. She would've made it to a university if she wanted but she declined the offer saying she wanted to enjoy her youth further.

To make a long story short, I went to see her after school at the city library and went straight to the front desk. Not even surprised to see a blonde-haired girl with freckles underneath her thin-rimmed glasses. Her brown eyes trailed every sentence in her book.

"What do you want, Merrill?" Diana asked, not bothering to look up but somehow, she knew I was coming. How does everyone know I want something? Sure, I haven't spoken to most of my exes in months... okay, I got nothing...

"Can't I say hi to the prettiest girl in school?" I said with my charming voice.

Diana closed her book with a soft thud. Her brown eyes stared into my optic cameras. "Shouldn't you be with Lee? Katie's cousin?" she said with a raised eyebrow. She's not the petty type. She only said it in concern which I don't blame. She's one of my fake exes. She knows the real me... more or less.

"Lee and I are friends. Nothing of it", I said a little too quickly. I ignored the heaviness in my chest. "I actually came here to see you."

"Hmm... there are two reasons why you want to come to see me", she theorized, "one: you need help with schoolwork. However, you always do jump back on track even with a week of absence." Well, it pays to have a brain for a computer. "So, it must be the latter: you need information." What did I tell, ya? Smartest girl in school.

"Okay, you got me", I admitted with raised hands, "I do need information."

"Ever heard of the internet?" Diana replied with dry humor. She certainly changed since her freshmen year. She gained more confidence.

"Yeah... nowadays I wanna steer clear of the internet. Don't know what I would find."

Diana picked up a few books beside her and placed them on the wheeled cart. She pushed it. The wheels creaked with every movement. "Walk with me", she ordered. The blonde brushed past me. I just got chills. I followed her. She was placing books back in their respective places. "What do you want to know?" Diana asked, placing a thick book on physics in the middle section.

I frowned. What do I want to know? Visions? Mystic powers? Mutants? Talking turtles? "Have you read anything on hallucinations?" It was the sanest question I can think of.

"Hallucinations?" Diana tapped her dainty finger onto her chin. "It depends on the type." She gave me a book. "Please place this on the top shelf."

I skeptically looked at her. "With what ladder?"

"Don't look at me. I didn't go to cheer camp." Oh, yeah, she grew a pair of balls on her. I looked both ways before I jumped from shelf to shelf and placed the book in an empty slot. I landed on the cart and backflipped. Diana was unfazed by my action. We continued to casually walk through the aisle. "The most common trait would be visual hallucinations which involves seeing things without them being physically there." I nodded. Sounds about right. "Causes in effect would be mental health such as anxiety. The main effects would induce drugs or alcohol, including marijuana." The last bit she glanced my way.

"Let's get something straight here, puta", I said, "I haven't had marijuana in two months. I straight up smoke regular cigarettes."

"Probably the chemicals messing with your mind." we entered an elevator. She pressed the floor above us.

I rolled my eyes. "What if someone has seen the same hallucinations as you without the drugs?"

Diana became quiet for a moment. "Then it must be the stress. As I said, people with anxiety do get affected." We reached the floor, and we exit. This wasn't getting me anywhere. "What is this about, Merrill?" she asked me as we got to a far corner away from prying eyes. "You didn't come all this way for basic information on hallucination. You can easily find it in the health section in the non-fiction column."

How straightforward should I answer?

No, I shouldn't think like that. Diana is an honest girl.

"Recently... I've seen and done some crazy shit."

"How crazy?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I tell you. But recently, I've met someone and we... connected." Diana was staring at me, expecting me to get to the point. "Connected as in... we can read each other's mind..." the blonde blinked. "Please say something."

"You're right I don't believe you."

I ignored her as I continued. "I was having dreams of some guy who's not me, but feels like me, you know. I was living his life. I saw what he saw; experienced what he did. Am I crazy?"

Diana became silent again. She didn't respond with sarcasm instead she replied, "Have you heard of reincarnation?"

I blinked. "Kind of. Refresh my memory."

"In most religions, our souls used to walk on Earth eons ago, probably many times over depending on the life cycle. In theory, most people recovered their past life's memories, which I assumed you are experiencing now."

"You're saying I used to be a Japanese Romeo fraternizing with the enemy's daughter?"

"It's not my memories you're seeing."

"Right..." I slumped against the wall. "What am I going to do?"

"I think this isn't in my jurisdiction. Reincarnation and what not aren't in my forte. I'm sorry. I wish I could provide more."

I shook my head. "No, you gave me enough." I gave her a quick hug. "Thanks to you, I know my next move."

"Don't do anything reckless, k?" she said as we pulled apart.

"Hey, I'm just going to see another friend. Hopefully, he's on speaking terms today", I said as I walked off.

That's right. I knew one other person who could help me.

My next fake ex, Andre.

~Lady Ai~

I went to the Bronx to a small palm reader's shop. The door jingled as I stepped inside. There standing with a small stack of boxes was the cutest little cinnamon roll you saw. His skin was of caramel cream and his eyes were like dark chocolate. His dreadlock hair was covered with a white bandana. I noticed he was carrying three boxes and the way he was struggling was heavy.

I released a small chuckle. I took the stack off his thin arms. "I got this, Dre. You shouldn't push yourself." Dre blinked and tilted his head. "What? I know it's been a while, but I wanted to see you." Dre continued to stare. "Okay... there's a reason why I wanted to see you; rather I need to speak with you." the moment he heard me say speak, he rushed to the door, locked it, and flipped the open sign to close. He gestured for me to follow him to the back. I laid the stack next to the backroom entrance before I obeyed.

We entered the backroom which was basically a hallway with four doors – two doors on both sides. We entered a room on the far left. It was a room decorated with orange and blue silk hanging over the ceiling along with scented lanterns. The floor was filled with large, cushioned pillows. We sat crossed legs across from each other.

"What is it you seek?" Dre asked once we were alone. Dre isn't a complete mute. I think he said something about using the energies from the rooms to channel the vocals to enhance his speech.

"I'm having visions of my past life and I need to either stop or suppress them", I answered.

My ex sook his head. "You cannot suppress your memories. They're a part of you. Let the memories flow naturally instead of fighting them."

I huffed. "Dude, I nearly fell down a flight of stairs. Isn't there a way for me too, I don't know, get rid of them?"

Dre released a light giggle. "You're silly." He stood up taking out a few incense sticks. He lit them before placing them in the lanterns. "But if it involves your past self then perhaps you need to speak with them."

"You're saying I need to talk to a spirit?" don't get me wrong. I do believe in ghosts and poltergeists, especially after the shit I've seen. Anything's possible.

"In a way, yes. I'm not certain it would work. You need to have a strong connection with the spiritual plane." Yeah... this was a waste of time, but I'm here anyway, I might as well get it over with it.

"What do I got to do?"

"You've noticed I've placed incense sticks in the lanterns. Lavender helps calm both mind and body. It is your choice whether to meet your past self or not."

I nodded. "Okay. I'll give it a try."

"Alright. Close your eye', he commanded. I obeyed. "Clear your mind. Block off all distractions. Let the lavender aroma surround your physical and spiritual forms." I closed my eyes. I inhaled the heavy scent of lavender filling the room. I tried calming my mind, steadied my heartbeats, and breathing through my mouth. It felt like thirty minutes of me sitting on a large pillow. I felt like I was going nowhere.

So, I opened my eyes to see the bright room I was in had transformed into a dark abyss. My shadow shifted and spread a thin line. The shadow took shape. It transformed into a tall man with his hair tied to a high, spiked ponytail, wore a ninja outfit, and his eyes were dark – a little too dark underneath his bangs.

In the darkness, he gave me a warm smile. "Hello, I see we finally meet."

"You're... Oroku Saki?" I asked stunned I'm sitting across a spirit.

"If it makes you comfortable, call me Roku." He seemed nice for a ghost. "Why do you want to speak with me?"

I blinked. "Why? Dude, you're messing with my head. I need you to stop."

Roku tilted his head. "What nonsense are you speaking of? We're one and the same. My memories are your memories. I cannot control them."

"I could barely tell what was real or not! You need to stop them or something! It's distracting me!"

Roku uncomfortably shifted. "Forgive me. I have as much control over them as you are. Perhaps our memories are trying to tell you something."

"That you have a suckish life. Yeah, thanks for that", I didn't mean to sound like a douchebag, but I needed to focus on my life. I can't lose myself. I have at least a year and some change before I say sayonara t my life.

"Again, I apologized for my lack of involvement. Since you are here and we are speaking face-to-face, I need your help."

"My help? What can I do?" I didn't know what Oroku needed my help for, but if it's one thing I know about video games as soon as you did the NPC's mission then you can get on with the next assignment. How hard could this be?

"I need to reunite with Misa." ...maybe I spoke too soon.

"Misa? The blue-haired woman?"

"Yes. Our bond isn't complete. Our resonance isn't absolute."

Bond? Resonance? What are we? Soul Eater characters? "Resonance? What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"On the night of our marriage, we were performing a mystic ritual to have our souls bonded through death therefore we will be together in our afterlife. Unfortunately, our families found us and destroyed our hard work. With our bond incomplete, we were forced to continuously reborn and search for each other. Do you know how difficult it was to not speak to the one you love the moment you saw their eyes?"

I can't imagine that. Many years finding for your other half then unwilling to speak with them after being found. It sounded... lonely.

"Who... who is Misa?" Roku blinked out of his depressed mood. "Come on. You're able to sense her, right? If I can help you bond and complete the ritual, you and your beloved can rest in peace. That's the gist of it, yes?"

"In a way, yes. Are you aware of what you are asking? I am asking you to help me reunite with my soulmate, my true love. Are you prepared to assist in such a feat?"

I shrugged. "Sure. Why not? My life's been getting weirder lately. 'Might as well add it to the list."

He let out a deep chuckle. "You're a very brave young one. I will reward you for your kindness."

"Dude, you don't have to."

"But I must. At a given time, I will reward you with a gift. Please allow me to locate Misa." The shadows shifted around us. The shadow behind him formed his figure. It whispered into his ear. "Are you certain?" the shadow nodded. Then, it evaporated. "It seemed you were already close to Misa."

"I was?" I was confused. Misa was close to me this whole time. Holy shit! Was she one of my exes?! Please don't be Alex!

"It's strange, but your connection is strong. strong enough to withstand any obstacle in your way." Oh, man! It's gotta be one of my exes! Okay... not all my exes are weird or crazy... but who the fuck was it! Who am I supposed to be with? "The shadows say you're bonded with a – I cannot believe I'm saying this – a mutant turtle."
...

...

Leo's my soulmate?!