As the sun began its descent, casting long, golden rays across the landscape, the scene before her was both eerie and hauntingly beautiful—an abandoned farm, frozen in time. The farm stood as a silent testament to a forgotten era, a place where memories lingered like specters among the rusted remnants of a bygone life. Hanako felt a chill run down her spine, this place made her feel a weird sense of peace, but also discomfort. It reminded her of something that has been long forgotten, a memory swept under the rug of life. Old 60s music could be heard in the distance, probably coming from the rustic farmhouse nearby, the lyrics seemed awfully cheerful for the moment she was in.
At the heart of the farm, a tree stood sentinel on a gentle rise, its branches swaying in the evening breeze. Its vibrant green leaves formed a lush canopy that rustled with the secrets of a hundred summers. Beneath this majestic tree, a swing hung with rustic charm. It was a creation of wood and twine, embraced by ivy and adorned with colorful wildflowers. The swing seemed like an offering, an invitation to relive cherished memories amid the tree's benevolent shade. Then, in a surreal twist of fate, a girl appeared on the swing, as if woven into the fabric of the landscape. She swung gently, her feet grazing the ground, and her eyes held a mysterious allure.
As she swayed back and forth, a connection stirred within Hanako, a sense of déjà vu that transcended the boundaries of time. The tree, the swing, and the girl wove together a tale of forgotten dreams and secrets, inviting her to step into a world where the past and present danced in harmonious, enigmatic rhythms. The swinging girl looked strangely similar to her, long violet-colored hair and indigo eyes shimmering in the sweet light of the sunset. Hanako, stood at the edge of this enigmatic scene. She felt an inexplicable kinship with the girl on the swing, as if they were characters in a shared narrative. Her heart whispered that the girl before her was more than a mere figment of imagination.
Intrigued, she ventured closer, her steps tentative but eager. The air was tinged with a subtle sense of familiarity, like the scent of a beloved childhood book. She continued to swing, her laughter rang out like the tinkling of wind chimes, a melody that resonated with the very essence of the place. It was a laughter that seemed to bridge the gap between dreams and reality, drawing the Hanako closer to the girl who looked so much like her, yet remained a puzzle waiting to be unraveled. As She approached the swinging girl, a strange sense of discomfort and fear began to grip her. It was as if an unseen veil of unease hung in the air, shrouding her in an unsettling chill. Still, her curiosity compelled her to continue her approach.
But just as she drew closer, a presence materialized out of thin air, and a feeling of dread washed over her like a chilling tide. A demon with a golden eye, the other concealed beneath a dark, ominous eye patch, appeared silently behind the girl on the swing. His long, fiery red hair flowed like molten lava down his back, a stark contrast to the eerie calm of the scene. The enigmatic girl on the swing remained oblivious to the sinister figure that had appeared behind her. Her laughter continued, tinged with an eerie quality that now sent shivers down the observer's spine. It was as if the demon's presence had tainted the very air, infusing it with an aura of foreboding.
Hanako hesitated, caught between the compulsion to approach and the instinct to flee. The demon's malevolent golden eye bore into her with a hunger that seemed to pierce her very soul. She realized that the surreal convergence of the past and present had taken a dark and perilous turn, and she stood at the precipice of a haunting enigma, unsure of what would come next. The swing stopped abruptly, and so did the loud laughs of the girl riding it. Her smile faded, getting up from the swing, she mimicked the demon's action, staring straight into Hanako's soul. But before she can figure out what was going on, everything made sense, It was all a dream
She woke up in cold sweat, shivering with fear and anxiety, and she quickly rose from her bed. This isn't the first nightmare she has had this week, or her last, she supposed. Ever since Tenshi's return to the Angel realm, Hanako's been feeling a strange emotion that she couldn't quite describe. It was a mixture of sadness and fear. Nightmares have been a frequent occurrence before Tenshi's arrival, but they seemed to subside during his stay here.
Hanako, anxious but relieved, let out a long sigh. She drank a few sips from a cup of water sitting on her old bedside table and fell asleep again, hoping she doesn't get any more unwelcomed dreams.
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Hanako awoke with a jolt, her heart racing and her body drenched in sweat. Blinking against the remnants of sleep, she found herself in a place that was nothing like her room. Instead, she stood on a vast battlefield shrouded in eerie shadows, illuminated only by the dark, unnerving glow of a blood moon. Panic surged through her as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. She had never seen a place like this before, and it felt foreign and terrifying. Her initial instinct was to scream, but something in the air seemed to stifle her voice. The ground was uneven and riddled with jagged rocks and scorching flames. The air was thick with the acrid stench of sulfur, and distant screams echoed in the distance.
Hanako's heart raced as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. She wore a flowing, silvery gown that seemed out of place in this nightmarish realm. Panic coursed through her, but she couldn't move, couldn't wake up. She was trapped in this bizarre dreamscape. Not far from her, two towering figures clashed with ferocity that shook the very ground she stood on. One was a very familiar demon, Ryu, whose face bore a look of anxiety and confusion. His eyes burned with a fiery intensity, and his wings unfurled like those of a monstrous bird. Facing him was another familiar demon, much taller and larger than him.
This demon plagued most if not all of Hanako's most recent nightmares. His dark red ponytail and golden eye haunted her even in her waking moments. The fight suddenly stopped as he stood in front of Ryu, eyes piercing into his. Then, he finally spoke. His speech was brief, but terrifying.
"That day when we met on the rooftop, I watched you with her, I watched you everywhere you went" Hanako's eyes widened in fear. She couldn't hold a gasp that escaped her mouth, cursing herself afterward. The one-eyed demon glared at her, the horns protruding from his head looked sharper and longer than usual. Before the poor girl could scream, she woke up. It was yet another nightmare that she couldn't quite explain.
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Hanako sighed as she realized that this was yet another dream. It was getting easier to tell the difference between reality and dreams. For poor Hanako, who had nightmares almost every night now, this was yet another part of her boring and repetitive routine. The girl's eyes fluttered open to reveal a room that seemed frozen in time. The faded, peeling wallpaper bore patterns from a bygone era, their once-vibrant colors now muted and dingy. The dim light that filtered through tattered curtains cast feeble rays upon the room's neglected state, It was her childhood bedroom.
The room bore the scars of neglect, cobwebs hanging in forgotten corners, and a musty odor that hinted at years of abandonment. The vintage music box atop a chipped dresser played a haunting, melancholic tune, its once-beautiful exterior now marred by time and neglect. Hanako walked closer to the middle of the room, noticing a little girl sitting on the floor, crying. Young Hanako sat there, wearing threadbare pajamas, her tousled hair a tangled mess. Her eyes, holding a subtle hint of sadness. A reflection of years spent in isolation within the confines of this neglected space.
She stood there for a moment, staring at the room's disarray. Unlike the childhood bedrooms of her peers, hers was devoid of any personal touches or cherished mementos. No posters adorned the walls, no stuffed animals graced her bed. The shelves, dusty and empty, bore the scars of her father's indifference. Her father, who had never liked her, never indulged her with toys or gifts. Her room was a stark reflection of that. It was a place void of warmth and comfort, an embodiment of the emotional distance between them. The sitting on the floor sobbed quietly, her tears falling on the dirty carpet beneath her. She didn't know why her younger self was crying, nor did she want to know. Without hesitation, the older version of the girl rushed to her younger self's side, a surge of empathy and protectiveness filling her heart. She knelt down and gently wrapped her arms around the sobbing child, offering comfort and solace. The younger girl looked up with tear-filled eyes, and for a moment, their gazes locked.
Without hesitation, the older version of the girl rushed to her younger self's side, a surge of empathy and protectiveness filling her heart. She knelt down and gently wrapped her arms around the sobbing child, offering comfort and solace. The younger girl looked up with tear-filled eyes, and for a moment, their gazes locked. Old Hanako looked around the room as she held her younger self, realizing they weren't alone. Ryu, or what appeared to be a younger version of him, was sitting in the corner of the room, watching them embrace. The girl recognized him immediately, his black horns and his fiery red eyes were kind of hard to miss. He looked around, younger Hanako's age, which she found confusing. Demons don't grow up, right?
As they embraced in that dilapidated room, the two versions of Hanako found solace in each other's presence. It was a moment of healing, a chance to confront the pain of the past and offer the love and care that had been absent for far too long. For a moment, she let herself believe that maybe this was a dream and not a terrifying nightmare. But before she could confirm that theory, the room shifted around her. Younger Hanako dissapeared like mist from her arms, causing her to get up in confusion. The room around her starts to shift, more furnitre is added and removed. Books are put, than taken away. She could see all this as if time was going forward at an insane velocity. Things stopped moving around and Hanako adjusted to her surroundings. The room was back to normal, to the present.
Her gaze was drawn to her own sleeping form, peacefully cocooned in her bed. She looked older now, a reflection of the years that had passed since her tumultuous childhood. Her face bore the remnants of youthful innocence, but also the strength and resilience that came with age. A sense of serenity washed over the girl as she watched her sleeping self, a silent acknowledgment of the progress she had made and the healing that had taken place. She was no longer that lonely child crying in the neglected room.
But there was something more in the room, something that sent a shiver down her spine. A shadowy figure, Ryu stood vigil by her bedside. It was as though the dream had brought her protector into this moment, a guardian watching over her. His presence exuded a mixture of power and tenderness, an unspoken promise to protect and guide her through the challenges of life. It was a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there were forces of light and support, both within and beyond ourselves. Over the months they had known each other, the demon had shown her kindness and understanding. He had seen the pain in her eyes, the scars of her past, and had offered his support without judgment. With his guidance, she had learned to find joy in the simplest of moments, to appreciate the beauty of life even in her darkest days. Hanako had grown stronger, not in spite of her time with him but because of it, and because of the unlikely friendship that had blossomed between them.
As the girl continued to observe the scene, she felt a profound sense of gratitude and peace. Her past and present had collided in this surreal dream, offering her a chance to reconcile with the wounds of her childhood and find solace in the strength she had developed over the years. Her cheeks blushed a bit, realizing that maybe she felt a little too happy with the outcome of this dream. As soon as she started to feel comfort and joy, dark, inky shadows started to surround her. They covered the furtniture, the floor, even Ryu and her sleeping self. She looked around in fear, looking for a safe place to run to, but she was completely surrounded. Hanako suddenly felt dumb, so utterly stupid, for letting her guard down. After all these years of not trusting anything or anyone. Nothing in her life turned out well, this nightmare shouldn't be any diffrent.
She knelt down and sobbed hysterically. The deafing silence of the dark room broke as she let herself cry her heart out.
"...Hanako"
She covered her face with both of her hands, feeling all the burried anger and sadness escape with each loud scream she let out
"...Hanako!"
She held clentched large portions of her hair in her hands. How could she be so stupid? She knew she could never feel true happiness. She knew everything in her life ends in tragedy. Why would she allow herself to have friends? people that mattered to her. They would all leave enensually, they would abandon her just like everyone else did.
She wished Ryu wasn't there that day, the day when she tried to kill herself. She imagined the other possibility, if he didn't catch her midair as she fell into the dark abyss that was the bottom of the bridge. She just wished it turned out diffrently, maybe then she didn't have to feel this way.
"Hanako! wake up!"