MORE NIGHTMARES

Yuri woke up with a start. He was sweating all over. His bed which was neatly done before he slept last night was tangled in a mess. It seemed that he was tossing and turning all over. It wasn’t the way he usually slept, but these past few nights had been a huge nightmare for him, literally.

He had the same dream over and over again. Even at school when he drooped, he usually has the same nightmare.

He was running in a dark tunnel in his dreams and he kept on seeing a man in dark cloak, red eyes and bloody teeth. The image freaked his guts out and he usually woke up in sweat. His whole body was shaking and he felt like he had been crying.

“Yuri, wake up now. You will be late for school if you don’t hurry up.” His mother called from the living room that was ajoined by the stairs to the rooms in the second floor.

Yuri stood up. His body was still weak due to the nightmare. He stared at himself in the mirror of his walk-in closet. There were huge black lines under his eyes. They were not there before. His cute small baby face was beginning to look a bit old.

“Yuri, faster.” His mother called again.

“Hai, mama.” He responded.

He took a quick shower and readied for school. Only a few months before his graduation and yet he was still anxious. He knew that he needed to choose his university course soon but he had not thought of it yet.

Yuri looked around the campus. It was full of students. Most of them are famous in their own field. He was adored this school though there were those who were claiming that the students there were all faces and no brains.

He was still thankful that HSJ’s fans still believed in their ability and intelligence despite the fact that they were studying in that gakuen.

He smiled as he spotted his friends, and classmates. He had known Yama-chan and Yuto-kun for a very long time already. They had been to so many things before and though they had their ups and downs, they were still bonded and strong.

His smile was changed into sadness when he realized someone was missing from the group. His best friend Ryutaro wasn’t there. Ever since the smoking scandal, they don’t see him often.

Ryou hadn’t confounded to him anymore. He didn’t know if their youngest still see him as his best friend anymore. It was one of the things that made him anxious to leave the school. He was afraid that Ryou will be left alone. He knew that he had a lot of friends in his class but then Ryou was really reckless, he might do something that would backfire to him just like the smoking scandal.

He hated that person, the guy who sold Ryou’s pictures to that reporter.

Yuri clenched his fist. He hadn’t gotten over the fact that his best friend couldn’t work with them anymore because of that good-for-nothing-so-called-friend of his.

“Yuri, stop day dreaming and just sit down.” Yuto commented.

Yuri blinked twice and realized that his two friends were staring at his clenched fist. They eyed him. “Ryou?” Ryosuke asked.

Yuri nodded.

“I haven’t seen him for quite a while now and Shintaro sent me an e-mail last night, asking me if we see him. I thought he was with you.” Ryosuke commented.

Yuri’s eyebrows lined in confusion. “Ryutaro is missing?” he asked.

Yuto’s face was changed into fear. “If he wasn’t with you, then he might be.” He said. “I guess we should call the others, now. I am getting worried with the situation.”

Yuri’s heartbeat quickened. It wasn’t Ryou to be gone for a day without any notice at all.

Ryosuke started pressing on his cell phone. “Nii-chan, have you seen Ryou?” he asked and waited for the answer. “Ah, sou ka. Nandemonai.” He shook his head to them. “Takaki-nii  didn’t know where he was.”

He also called the other members but found out nothing.

“Yuri-nii.” It was Shintarou. He was walking towards them. “Why didn’t Ryutaro go back home last night? Where is he? Okaasan was really angry that he didn’t even called.” The young singer said.

“H-He w-wasn’t with me.” Yuri stammered.

“Eh? Where is he, then?” Shintaro asked. He looked at the others.

“We are already contacting those people who could be with him.” Ryosuke answered.

“How about his classmates, did you already ask them?” Yuto asked.

“He wasn’t with them.” Shintarou said. His usually happy expression was transformed into fear. “Where would nii-chan go?” he asked them.

They looked at each other when the bell rang.

“Please don’t tell your mother yet. We will call our other friends first, okei?”

Shintarou nodded at Yamada. The young boy adored this sempai more than anyone else thus he would definitely obey whatever Yamada tell him.

Yuto tapped the youngster’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we will find him. We will call the authority if we still couldn’t find him this afternoon, okei?”

“Hai, arigatou, sempai.” Shintarou said politely and bowed at them.

Yuri couldn’t concentrate at their sensei’s lecture. He couldn’t understand anything since his mind kept on wondering towards Ryutaro. Where could he be? It wasn’t very Ryou at all.

Yuri knew Ryutaro. He wasn’t the type of person to make his family worry about him. It was one of the Ryutaro’s reasons why he didn’t want to come back to show business yet. Ryou listened to his parents well. He was told to focus on his studies and he did. So why was he gone so suddenly?

It was then, Yuri felt a sudden pain in his head as if his head was cracking.

Yuri-kun…

It was a very faint sound that seemed to have come from the smallest neuron of his brains. He held his head as another soaring pain came. Yuri panicked. His brain head wanted to break. “Ahhhhh!” It was his own shout, he was sure of that but he couldn’t seem to hear his own voice. His body felt numb except for the part of his head which was now ten times painful.

His breath seemed to have been being out of his lungs. When he tried to pry open his eyes, he could sense people buzzing all around them. Ryosuke was in front of him. Through the slits as his eyes, he could tell that Ryosuke was telling him something but he couldn’t hear him. Yuri’s other senses was blocked by the pain.

Yuri… Tasukite…

Another soaring pain… and nothing but darkness…

Yuri was running on the same dark tunnel. The small light coming from the end of the tunnel casted shadows on the walls.

Yuri already knew that this was just a dream and he was sure that at the end of the tunnel, there would be a man waiting for him. He had seen the man over and over again. He had been afraid of him but there was this sudden anticipation in him today.

The tunnel was not freaking him out anymore. It was just a mere part of his nightmare, he was sure of that now. The tunnel was harmless. It was just merely preparing him for the one waiting for him outside.

Usually he was afraid but it was different today. He was sure that the faint helpless voice that he heard earlier on was Ryutaro’s. Ryutaro was waiting for him. He was there at the end of the tunnel.

Yuri felt the same night air that tells him that he was almost out. His heartbeat raced. He was already there…

He rushed towards the end.

The same cold air embraced him. The moon was shining brightly. But there was something different in the scene. The usual woods that he sees at the end of the tunnel were changed into a huge, elegant mansion.

A few dim lights were open at the mansion. The pathways were also lighted with dimly colored lamps. The roses and daffodils beside the pathways seemed velvety in color as they were bathed in the combination of the moon’s light and the lamps.

There was nothing different from the mansion than a regular one except for the eerie feeling that it was giving to Yuri.

Yuri found himself walking on the huge pathway towards the main door. He was still looking around when a realization hit him. He had seen the mansion before. But where? He was not sure.

“Hahahahah.” Yuri snapped at the sound. It was a laugh of a girl.

He sneaked to where it came from.

Three girls were under a shade of a mulberry tree.  One of them was seated while holding what seemed to be a manga. She had long black wavy hair that ended on her back.

The other one was laughing. She had short hair that ended in a bob on her shoulder and small cute yet expressive eyes. In her hands, she was holding one of the hems of her long velvet dress which held red mulberries.

The other one was holding a stick which she seemed to be using to make the mulberry fruits fall. She had long wavy brownish hair that she tied with a pony tail.

Yuri looked at them in confusion. How come three pretty girls were out at this time of the night and leisurely hanging around as if it was a late afternoon chat.

The girl with a short hair sighed afterwards. “I envy Oburi. She already found her life line and she seemed to be enjoying all her moments with him. I want to find mine, too.” She told the girl who was holding a stick.

The girl smiled at her. “You will, Haruka.” She said.

“But they wouldn’t let me go and find him.”

“Because, you are always sick, that is why. We can’t let you go alone.”

“Eh, nande? I can handle myself.”

“You’re hard headed, Haruka. Shizuka is right. You’ll find him anyway even if you don’t look for him.”

The one called Shizuka laughed. “I didn’t know, you can also see the future, Miyuki. I thought it was the gift given to me, only.”

Miyuki smiled and stood up. Yuri was taken aback by the sudden swiftness of the girl’s action. It was abnormally fast. “It’s just a hunch.” She said. “Ah. I’m hungry. I’ll go up and feed.”

It was then, Miyuki looked at where Yuri was hiding. Her eyes turned into slits as if she was straining to see Yuri behind the bushes. She then sniffed the air and smiled. Her eyes glinted.

“Ahhh!” Yuri shouted and opened his eyes.

“Chinen-kun, daijoubou desu ka?” It was Yuto who asked the question.

Yuri coughed painfully as if he had stopped breathing and air was taken out from his lungs and he wanted them to function again.

He was still breathing heavily. He stared at Yuto and Ryosuke’s faces. Concern was evident in their faces.