It's been a while since I updated, but I have been working on personal stuff and works related to this fic. If you haven't heard, I have a YouTube channel and Instagram account where I post works about it. If you have the time, feel free to check it out.
——
Sunny opens his eyes to see he is in the Dream World again, having him to sit up to look around. It reminds him of the nightmare he had the other day, which nearly sent him into a panic. What he can do is sit here and wait for any strangers to appear, but nothing seemed to pop up. Sunny stands up from the ground and keeps watch around the place, hoping nothing spawns in. But the more he waits, the silence starts to become audible to him. He sighs, maybe it wouldn't be the case and he might just be paranoid.
Sunny lets himself walk around the forest, following the path in front of him. He then spots a sign with arrows pointing at certain locations, meaning there could be places he can go to easily like before. Sunny takes a look at it and there are places he is familiar with back then. He decides to turn to where the playground is, walking along the path. When he reaches the place, all Sunny can see is an abandoned area. The sight of it does send shivers through his body, it gives him a sense of loneliness that he never felt before.
Sunny proceeds to walk through the playground while observing the area. The swings moved from the wind, along with the tetherball moving on a string attached to a pole. The leftover toys are spread across the ground, having Sunny walk over jacks to not step on them. There seems to be a comforting yet isolated feeling to it, though it is unsettling for Sunny to be in. He felt like he can settle himself here for a while until he wakes up. Sunny decided he can sit on one of the swings and play around for a bit, just to pass the time while he is in Dream World.
As Sunny is about to reach the swings, a gushy splash is heard from behind. He turns around to see a stranger nearby, getting closer to him. Sunny curses under his breath and turns to flee from it. He runs to the exit of the playground, but a couple more appear in front of him. Sunny tries to turn to escape, but more of them starts to surround him. The moment their hands start to reach for Sunny, all he can feel is the massive weight that pulls him to the ground.
*^*^*
He wakes up with a gasp, breathing erratically, his heart pounding rapidly, and his body shaking. Sunny attempts to sit up from his bed as he looks around his room. He has that nightmare again, but it seems to start differently, but normally. Then, having to be confronted by the strangers again as they grab and pull him down. Sunny tries to think of why he has to experience this again and for what reason.
If he can tell, Sunny assumes it could be a message to him, a sign that something is wrong. Despite that thought, he can't tell what it's trying to tell him. Then again, if this is related to what had happened years ago, Sunny would've looked through this if it weren't for it to be sudden. Right now, he should settle and calm down before he gets back to sleep. Sunny takes a few breaths before he lays down on the bed, closing his eyes to return to sleep.
Tuesday 9/09
Sunny groggily enters the school, rubbing his head after a while of getting ready. The nightmare doesn't seem to leave his mind even if he tries to forget. This is bothersome for him if he had to focus in school, having it fester on his mind as it goes on. He stopped and leaned onto a wall, having to think about the reasoning for having to experience a reoccurring nightmare. As he is in thought, he isn't aware that his two friends are coming his way.
"Hey Suzuki!" he heard Yosuke call for him.
Sunny looks back to see him with Yu.
"Oh, you okay?" Yosuke takes a close look at Sunny, "You seemed tired."
Sunny steps back a bit, "It's nothing, I just didn't sleep well. It's a nightmare I'm dealing with..."
"A nightmare?" Yu questioned, "Is it that bad?"
"I don't know what to say," Sunny turns his back to them, "It's fine though, let's just get to class or we'll be late."
Sunny goes to leave but Yosuke grabs him by his shoulder.
"It doesn't seem fine from the way you're acting," Yosuke states, "You can just talk to us about it, you know."
"I... rather not do that right now," Sunny grabs his wrist, "Can you let go of me?"
He felt a bit of hesitance coming from his friend, but he sets his hand off Sunny's shoulder. With that, Sunny walked forward without saying a word. Yu and Yosuke exchanged glances, knowing something is wrong.
"There is something more to it," Yu said, "Could this nightmare be a bother to him too much?"
"Maybe," Yosuke replied, "If it's that bad, then we have to help him for sure."
"Yeah, if Suzuki wanted to hang out with us after school, then we can use our chance to interrogate him."
"Woah, you're saying like we're gonna hold him against his will or some shit."
"Sorry, I should use my words correctly," Yu chuckles a bit, "Anyways, we should get to class now."
The partners go to their classroom quickly before the school bell rings. They settle themselves on their seats, seeing Sunny laying his head on his desk. Maybe they should let him have his space to calm down and they could discuss this in the meantime. Yu looks at his friend again, with the bell ringing to start the day.
*~*~*
As the bell rang out at the end of the day, Yu and Yosuke stood up from their seats and exited their classroom. They went through the halls and down the stairs, then reached the entrance of the school. The two look around in search of Sunny, but they can't seem to catch sight of him. Yu goes to look around the front of the gate, but no one takes a resemblance of his friend. He sighs, maybe he is still at the building and is about to leave soon. That is Yu's possible guess as he hoped.
"Hey Partner, you seen him yet?" Yosuke goes beside Yu.
"Not as of now," Yu answered, "Maybe he's still in the school building, so we can wait and try to talk to him."
"We'll try, but we wouldn't guarantee that he'll be here," Yosuke stated.
"I know, but it's what we can do."
Suddenly, Yu felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he picked it up to see a message from Sunny.
———
Suzuki
Suzuki: Hey Narukami, sorry but I can't hang out with you at this time.
I'm still stressed out with the whole nightmare thing.
I just need some time for myself, so I hope it doesn't bother you.
———
Yu sighs after he read the message.
"Did Suzuki text you?" Yosuke asked.
"He did," Yu showed him the message.
"Wait really?" he said confused, "Did he have to dismiss himself like that? Have a feeling he's trying to avoid us."
"Avoid is a bit of an overstatement," Yu stated, "As he said, he wants some time for himself, so let him be."
"Fine, but we'll attempt to talk to him if the time is right."
"Right," Yu nodded, "Now, let's just get back home, okay?"
Yu leads the way to his house with Yosuke following behind.
*~*~*
Sunny made it back to his apartment, closing the door and leaning on it. He let out a relieved sigh since he doesn't have to deal with Yu and Yosuke. Though, sending the text from earlier did make him feel guilty, what matters is he has to figure out the meaning behind those dreams he is having. Sunny should let himself be alone for the time being and try to put everything together.
"Sunny, what are you doing standing here?"
He heard his mom approaching him.
"Oh, I was just thinking..." Sunny replied.
"Thinking about what?"
"Nothing important, just school."
"You are still starting though. Did something happen that might have bothered you?"
"Not really."
"Well, I suppose you are trying to get used to being here. It's perfectly fine if that's the case," Miyuki said, "But, if there is something that is still bothering you, you can always talk to me, Sunny."
"I know, I will," Sunny removes himself from the door, "I'm going to my room, tell me when dinner is ready."
He removes himself from the door to head straight to his room, dropping his bag to the floor and immediately collapsing onto his bed. Sunny sighed deeply, gazing at the ceiling. His mind is starting to drift to everything that had happened throughout his earlier moments. From his nightmare and his friends who were trying to look out for him, Sunny felt it was too much for him to deal with. Especially with how it happened recently after he settled when moving out.
Why does all of this have to be so sudden? All of this thinking with no answers doesn't help with assuring at all, as Sunny can just curl in and wrap his blanket around himself. Maybe he should finish his homework after he takes a short nap. He felt mentally tired all day and settling his mind from that might help him out for a short time. Sunny sat up to remove his eyepatch and placed it on a nightstand, then lay down to get himself comfortable. He closes his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.
While he tries to drift off, Sunny felt a sudden strike in his mind. He snaps his eyes awake, confused about what had occurred. Then, he felt a strong headache occurring, holding his head as the pain is initiating. Sunny groaned from the insistent throbbing, now with one thing after another going on for Sunny. Sunny waited for the headache to ebb away, shifting himself on the mattress as it occurred continuously. As he kept trying to shake himself to focus on something else, the knocking on the door is heard. Sunny slowly sat up and looked at where the door is, knowing exactly who is on the other side.
"Sunny, can I talk to you for a moment?" Miyuki asked.
Sunny didn't say anything as he removes himself from the bed and opens the door ajar.
"Sunny... from the way you have been acting as of recently, I couldn't help but feel worried for you," she said, "Can you at least say something that is bothering you?"
He let a moment of silence out before replying, "I have a headache..."
"Oh, since when did it happen?"
"Was trying to take a nap but it kind of woke me up."
"Hm, it must have been painful then," Miyuki mused, "Let me get you some painkillers for that and some water as well."
She walks from the door as Sunny follows her, arriving at the kitchen. Miyuki searches through the cupboards and takes out a bottle of medication for headaches. She gives it to her son along with a bottle of water.
"Just take one whenever you start to feel a headache," she explained, "Don't take too much, it's not safe to do so."
"Yeah, I get it, thanks," Sunny replied.
"Alright, I'll be making dinner. Are you going to work on your homework?"
"Yeah, or at least try to."
"There's no need to rush if the due date is not soon. Take as much time as much as you want, Sunny," Miyuki places her hand on his head to ruffle his hair, "Just reach out to me if you having any trouble, okay?"
Sunny nodded.
"Good, you can go now."
He dismissed himself and returned to his room. Sunny grabs his bag to take out his homework to work on. Before he can, he takes one pill of the painkillers and a sip of water, then gulps it down. He does hope that it works on his headache slowly so he can move on with life normally. Sunny picks up a pencil and begins his homework, his headache is still present but it's not irritable than before.
He was able to finish nearly half of it, which made him feel accomplished with his progression. The due date for the assignment won't be up until the end of the week, so Sunny won't have to make it a big deal by then. He takes a breath and lay back on his chair, with the door of his room open. Miyuki enters with a plate of food for Sunny to eat.
"Hey sweetie, how are you doing with your homework?" she said as she places the food on Sunny's desk.
"Only got half of it done," Sunny replied.
"That's good, are you taking a break now?"
"Yeah, and my headache is not much of a bother now. The medicine kind of worked."
"Glad it is," Miyuki smiles, "I'll be heading to bed now. Just be sure to clean yourself up after you eat, alright?"
Sunny nodded as his mom goes to ruffle his hair before she departs. He takes a look at the plate of food Miyuki gave him, then proceeds to eat all of it. After that, Sunny exits his room and treks across to the kitchen to place the dish and utensils in the sink. He goes to the bathroom to refresh himself before returning to his room. He felt like he could call this a day and go to sleep.
He cleans up his desk and puts away his homework back in his bag, then changes to his sleepwear and plops himself on his bed. His thoughts start to wander on the dream he had a couple of times. It made him think that it might happen again, which is what he has feared most.
He thought that maybe he should prepare if it does return and try to avoid the strangers that are coming after him. Fighting is not one of his choices, since he doesn't have anything in arm to defend himself. It is best to not let them catch up to him and he'll probably survive. Sunny wraps himself with his blanket comfortably, closing his eyes as he drifts off to sleep.
*~*~*
It was the middle of the night when Sunny heard ominous voices. He open his eyes and sat up from his bed to see dark figures swarming in his room. Sunny nearly screamed as he huddled himself close to a wall, using his blanket as a shield. He watches in fear as the strangers roam around the place without any knowledge of his presence.
Sunny never recalled them being here before, nor had he heard them anywhere in his waking time. While observing, he felt a headache starting to arrive again. He held his head as he groaned, not wanting to draw attention to the strangers. Everything that had happened is too much for Sunny to process. What else is going to occur later on?
He attempts to look around when he saw one stranger approaching him. Sunny huddled himself inward, wanting to sink himself in the wall to avoid contact with it. He turned his head and shut his eyes, hoping that it will go away soon. He half-expected the stranger to grab at him as it did in his dream, but nothing seemed to happen.
"You have to stop running away," it said.
Sunny opened his eyes, surprised that a stranger is talking to him. He shifted his vision to it, confused as to why it spoke.
"There are cases you have yet to overcome and those who you hold close to need to face their fears."
"What are you talking about?" Sunny questioned quietly.
"You need to search and reach out to anyone who is troubled with grief, then lead them the way to the light of their future."
Within a blink, the strangers suddenly disappeared, leaving Sunny alone again with his thoughts. Whatever happened just now leaves him with more questions than answers. Now thinking about it, what the stranger said sounded familiar to him, but when did he first hear it? Sunny thought that he'll try to figure it out since he knew it would occur again soon. He lay on the bed again cautiously, closing his eyes to return to sleep. But all he dealt with is a restless sleep.
Wednesday 9/10
Sunny woke up with an unpleasant migraine, though he felt lucky that he doesn't have a nightmare this time. However, he never felt so mentally exhausted than before. He has a feeling of not going to school, but Sunny thought it wouldn't be the best to do so, especially in the first week. He slowly drags himself out of the mattress to get ready, then takes a pill to relieve it. He goes to leave his room to meet up with his mom who is preparing lunch for him. She looked up to see her son, who is currently not at his greatest moment.
"Morning Sunny," Miyuki greeted, "What seems to be the matter? You look down."
"Just a strange dream I have," Sunny replied.
"Really? Well, it isn't that uncommon for you to mention that in some time. You do experience them quite a lot back then."
"Yeah..."
"Also, by the way, has your headache been treated?" she asked.
"I just had it by the time I woke up, so I took the painkillers you gave me."
"It's still there?" Miyuki blinked in confusion, "Hm... there must be something wrong... You're not sick, are you?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Yeah... maybe it's a bit of a stretch. I assume it must be from stress being here, right?"
"Could be, I was nervous at first, but I never thought it became worse."
"I'm sorry about that. Maybe it might be too fast for you to get yourself mentally prepared for it. I thought moving somewhere from Faraway can bring us to a new environment after all these years, especially since you haven't come outside in a long time."
"It's okay, I'm trying to get better, you know," Sunny attempts to give his mom an assuring smile, "Besides, I did get used to being in school and meeting new people. I thought it would be hard, but I got through. It's all that matters to the both of us."
Miyuki widens her eyes from Sunny's words, then heaves a sigh and smiles, "Alright, if you say so. Just don't try to pressure yourself too much."
"I know."
Sunny grabs his lunch and goes to the front door.
"Be sure to give yourself a rest anytime," his mom reminded.
"Yeah, thanks," Sunny replied, opening the door to leave his apartment.
He descends to the ground level of the building and treks his way to school. As he walks, his mind starts to become hazy, and his thoughts start to race on the strings of events had happened in the last few days. The nightmares, the headaches, and the strangers that appeared in his room, all of this became another occurrence like when he had shut himself in a while back. However, it's not similar to how it haunted him through reality. Instead, all the strangers did is communicate through him without leaving him answers.
There must be something deeper that Sunny might have missed, but it could be linked to what he had heard before he moved away. But he can't place on what specifically, since it was only a quick moment that he nearly forgot. Maybe he'll try to jog his memories when he gets back home. Sunny is able to reach to his school, entering to go to his classroom.
He sat down on his desk and rest his head on his arms flat against the desk. He felt a bit tired, a small nap might help him out before class starts. He closes his eye to rest until he heard a call of his name from someone familiar. He looked up to see Yosuke and Yu heading towards him, much to his fear of course.
"Hey Suzuki, how have you been?" Yosuke asked, "Oh... you don't look too hot, are you good?"
"I'm just tired..." Sunny muttered.
"Have you been sleeping at all?"
"Not really, it was a bit restless last night."
"Did you have a nightmare again?" Yu asked this time.
"I wouldn't say it... it felt real."
"Hm, it does make sense. Care to explain then?"
"I don't think I can," Sunny looked away from the two.
"Huh? Why not?" Yosuke questioned.
"It's not important for me to talk about. I can deal with this on my own."
"But you had been feeling off since yesterday, there must be something that is bothering you."
"I told you, it's not important. I don't want to talk about it."
"Suzuki, you have to-"
Yosuke is interrupted by the school bell, with the teacher directing everyone to their seats. He and Yu hesitantly make their way to their desks, sitting down to listen to what their current tasks are today. This time, it is currently a lecture session, meaning students are focusing on lessons and answering questions. Yu is one of the students who is taking it seriously, with Yosuke who always pesters him to give answers when being called on.
The recent conversations they had during a couple of days roused an interest in Yu. He wasn't like this when they first talked, it was sudden for him to act differently. Of course, he knew there is something wrong and Yu should investigate this further. All of this is concerning for him to not brush it off, especially with someone who he considered as a friend.
Yu decides to check on Sunny, observing him attempting to focus on the lecture, but he's visibly exhausted. He could see a few times when Sunny would look down and would place his hand on his head, then his eye would start to close slowly. There are times when Sunny would jolt up in an attempt to continue listening, but then he would lower himself to sleep again.
Yu still watches in concern as Sunny goes to sleep completely, but his head fell and hit the desk. This causes him to exclaim in pain as the other students in the room turned to the sudden noise. Yu widen his eyes from that as Yosuke winced from the scene. One student who is sitting behind Sunny asked him if he was okay, to which he responded with a small nod.
This made Yu grow even more worried for Sunny, assuming that the nightmare being mentioned had affected his sleeping schedule. Now he has a strong urge to convince Sunny to speak out, so he tries to reach out to him. However, their teacher approaches Sunny to talk to him about going to the school nurse. Sunny abided by the choice and the teacher lets one of his classmates escort him there.
With it being settled, Sunny had already left to get his injury treated, with Yu sitting back in defeat. He then feels a few pokes on his back coming from Yosuke, so he looks back to see him.
"Hey, does it relate to the nightmare he has?" Yosuke whispered.
"I suppose so," Yu replied, "If this keeps going, then he could be in trouble."
"He's hiding something from us. Like Suzuki knows he has to tell us anything if it bothers him."
"Yeah, I think it starts to disturb him even more as it goes on. We'll have to talk to him soon about it, so we'll have to confront him after school this time."
"We won't back out then," Yosuke nodded.
Sunny returns to the classroom not long after, holding an ice pack against his forehead. He goes back to his seat, now attempting to concentrate again. Yu looks back to check on him again, who almost seems content. He looks back at the front to continue, planning on what he can do to talk to him.
*~*~*
The school day had ended as Sunny wobbled his way out of the building, looking back to see if Yu and Yosuke were following him. He hoped that they aren't, so he doesn't want to force himself to talk about something so small. With some safe signs, Sunny goes to leave, but he heard shouting from the people he wanted to avoid.
"Suzuki!" he heard Yosuke call out, "Where are you?"
"Suzuki? Are you here?" Yu said following after.
In a panic, Sunny looks around for any place to hide, with a wall from the school gate with a few bushes is what he spotted. Within no time, he pushes himself through the branches, as he heard Yu and Yosuke still searching for him. He watches through the leaves to see them pass by.
"Damn it, where did he go?" Yosuke muttered in frustration, "Could've sworn I saw him in the corner."
"Must be the quiet, sneaky type," Yu stated, "Kind of impressive."
"It's no time to joke, Partner, we have to look for Suzuki and help him. You know what he is dealing with, right?"
"Of course I do, we were looking for him after all."
A brief silence is made before Yosuke spoke.
"This got me thinking... would this be avoided if we were to insist to Suzuki on helping him?" he questioned.
"What makes you say that?" Yu asked.
"I mean... if you look back on what happened a few days before, maybe I should've just kept on insisting instead of letting it go."
"I can't blame you for what happened at first. I know you are concerned for him, but you don't want to keep on pressuring him."
"Yeah, that's what I was worried about. I mean... we told Suzuki if he has something he is concerned about, he can go to us, right?"
"Of course. We only knew each other for a few days to be fair. Maybe Suzuki takes his time to open up to people, but it's my assumption."
"You're probably right, but still. I couldn't help but feel concerned about him despite the short time. He already did move here and we want him to feel welcomed."
"I can understand, we should find ways to make him trust us a bit more. If only there is a way that is."
"If there is an only way to reach out without pressuring him..."
As Sunny kept listening to the conversation between Yu and Yosuke, he couldn't help but feel guilty for pushing them away from his problem. He had known that he can go to them if something is bothering him, but he doesn't want to mention anything so trivial. The nightmare he had and the strange occurrences were going after him, which made him exhausted. If Sunny can tell them about it, would they understand his situation? With the way they have been acting, they are worried about him. Sunny needs to talk to them, but he is stuck between two places.
"Well... if there aren't any chances of talking to him physically, then what are the other options?" Yosuke heaved a sigh.
"We do have his phone number, so we can send him messages to reach out to him."
"Oh yeah, you're right. Should we send him one right now?"
"I guess we don't have any other choices, so I suppose we go for it."
"Alright, I'll start."
Sunny nearly gasped as he watched Yosuke take out his phone, typing up a message to send to him. Sunny goes to rummage through his pocket to silence his phone, but Yosuke's text came up quicker. This produces a notification alarm and the two are alerted by the sound.
"Hey, did you hear that?" Yosuke said, "Where did that come from?"
"I don't know, but it sounds like it was near," Yu replied, "It might be from that bush over there."
Yu looks at the shrub next to him, the one where Sunny is hiding. Yosuke goes to the bush to search through it, rummaging through it and saw a mortified Sunny through the leaves.
"Suzuki?" he widens his eyes from the reveal.
"Hanamura- I-," Sunny stuttered, "Wait, I can explain-"
Yu goes beside Yosuke to see who is at the bush, "Suzuki? What are you doing here?" he asked, raising his brows.
From his embarrassment, Sunny didn't say anything as he stayed put.
"Wait, have you been listening to us the entire time?" Yosuke questioned.
"N-Not intentionally..." Sunny answered honestly.
"Then... were you hiding from us?"
Sunny looked down.
"We'll take that as a yes," Yu said, "Here, we can help you get out."
He offers a hand for Sunny to remove himself from the bush. He is now standing with the two, as he directs his vision to the ground.
"So, Suzuki," Yu began, "We wanted to talk with you and it's really important that we have to."
"I know... you wanted to talk to me about my nightmare..." Sunny said.
"Yes, and we wanted to know what is going on and why is it bothering you."
"Are you really okay with me talking about this to you?"
"Of course, didn't you forget that you can go to us whenever you have something in mind?" Yosuke stated.
"No..."
"So, what is the reason for you to not reach out to us?"
"I don't know, to be honest. Maybe... it's just I don't want to bring up something so trivial to me."
"Suzuki, if there is something that is bothering you, then it wouldn't be trivial to us," Yu stated, "Just tell us and we'll try to understand."
Sunny stayed silent for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
Yu and Yosuke turned to see Ren approaching next to them.
"Oh Ren, we were talking with Suzuki about his situation," Yu said, "I have talked about this to you before."
"You did, something about his nightmare, right?"
"Yeah, Suzuki mentioned it but hasn't said anything further. We were trying to reach out to him about it and he was being distant towards us since then."
"We're lucky that we caught up to him this time," Yosuke added, "Or else Suzuki would've kept running away and we can't do anything to stop him."
"I see," Ren mused, "Would it be alright if I help out as well? This is rather concerning."
"You're welcome to, Suzuki needs all the help that he needs," Yu replied.
"Alright."
The three turn to talk to Sunny, only to see him dozing off and snoring softly.
"Woah, Suzuki is sleeping while standing!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"Well, maybe we shouldn't stay here for too long," Ren goes forward and snaps his fingers to wake Sunny up.
Sunny opened his eye from the sounds and rubs his head.
"Huh? Sorry, did I fall asleep?" he said.
"You were," Ren replied, "Say, why not we go to Leblanc? I'm about to cover my shift and I believe you need a place to settle as well."
"Sure... I don't want to stand here for long."
"That's fine. How about I carry you on my back?"
"Are you sure you are okay with that?" Sunny widen his eye.
This suggestion nearly woke him up completely.
"I insist. Besides, you are in a vulnerable position now," Ren smiles, "So, it's best that your matters are handled first."
He goes behind Sunny and levels himself lower.
"Here, hop on."
Sunny looks at Ren, then complies by climbing onto his back. He wraps his arms around the other's neck to secure himself, as Ren holds Sunny to carry him.
"Alright, you're secure?"
Sunny let out an affirmed hum.
"Great, now let's get going."
He, along with Yu and Yosuke, proceed to Leblanc. While they are walking, Yu goes to observe the two. Seeing Sunny relaxed while holding onto Ren is somewhat endearing to witness. Despite the current situation they are in, at least Sunny is getting the help that he deserved. While thinking, Yu heard Yosuke whisper to him.
"Hey Partner, I realized that Suzuki and Ren kinda looked the same," he said, "It looks like Ren is carrying his younger brother around or something."
"Oh, now that you mentioned it, they do," Yu replied, "Always reminds me of when I have to take care of Nanako after we had an outing a while ago."
"Yeah, she was exhausted from all of our activities, you would have to carry her on your back. It's so fun back then," Yosuke smiles.
"It sure is," Yu couldn't help but chuckle.
While Ren is carrying Sunny, he could hear him talking in his sleep for a bit.
"Mari..." Sunny muttered.
Ren perked at the name being mentioned, though this might be something that Sunny might be dreaming about. It didn't take long for them to arrive, with Yu opening the door for Ren and Yosuke to enter. Ren places Sunny in one of the seats so that he can rest.
"Alright, now that we're here," Ren began, "I'll prepare your orders if you're up for it."
"Sure, we'll have the usual of course," Yu replied.
Ren nodded and goes to the kitchen to start, as Yu and Yosuke goes to sit at the other side of the table. They take a look at Sunny, who is leaning against the seat, seemingly in a daze. Perhaps he was thinking about what he was dealing with, now that they are gathered here regarding the matter.
"Suzuki, how are you feeling now?" Yu started.
"Hm?" Sunny lifted his head to look at Yu, "I don't know actually, I have been feeling drained for the past couple of days."
"That's reasonable, considering what has been happening to you recently."
"You can take all the time you need if you want to prepare yourself on explaining everything," Yosuke assured Sunny.
"Right, thank you," Sunny takes a deep breath, "Let me start with the nightmare I mentioned before. This happened when I first moved here."
"Can you describe to me what the nightmare is?" Yu asked.
"It starts rather normal, like for example, I would play at a park. Then suddenly, a group of strangers appeared and started to chase me. It all ended when they catch me, their hands dragging me to the ground and then I woke up."
"Strangers? Can you describe what they look like?" Yosuke pressed on.
"It's difficult to say because all of them are indistinguishable. The only way I can tell a difference is their silhouette," Sunny continued, "The one thing that is noticeable about them is their faces. They have blank white eyes and some wore masks as well."
Yu and Yosuke gasped quietly, they knew what Sunny described. It's unbelievable that they are starting to spread still. This can be distressing for Sunny, especially since he has had to experience them ever since he moved to the city. There must be a way for them to help him out, but it's not like they can jump into his dreams to rid of those Shadows with their Personas.
"So, is there anything else that happened?" Yosuke asked.
"Well, my nightmares aren't the only ones that I experienced," Sunny answered, "I would suffer from strong headaches and I witness the strangers roaming around my room last night."
"This must be hard to go through," Yu commented, "Concerning the strangers you described, I knew what you are referring to."
"Really?"
"Yes," Yu sat still, "About what you saw, they're known as Shadows."
"Shadows?" Sunny echoed.
"Shadows are monsters who take form as one's suppressed thoughts. They would come in many forms, but they can also take an appearance of a human. They can cause some trouble if you were to confront them, especially one that takes the form of yourself."
"So you're saying that those Shadows are my own suppressed thoughts?"
"Not really," Yosuke added, "Each Shadow represents a person's suppressed thoughts. Sometimes, they would take the form of people."
"I see. But from the looks of you, it seems that you're wanting to get rid of those Shadows."
"Heard you were talking about Shadows?"
Sunny yelped at the voice close beside his ear, with him turning to see Ren holding their orders.
"Amamiya, why would you have to sneak up on me like that!" Sunny exclaimed.
"Sorry, couldn't help it," Ren still sports his grin, "Anyways, here are your drinks and curries," he places them on the table.
"Thanks, Ren," Yu said.
Ren nodded, "You wouldn't mind if I join in your conversation? It caught my interest from the mention of Shadows."
"If Suzuki allows it, then we'll talk about it," Yosuke said.
"Do you know what they are also?" Sunny asked.
"Of course, I have experience when it comes to confronting them. There is a way to get rid of them since you mentioned it."
"Then, what is it?" Sunny leans off of his seat in Ren's direction.
"Well, we use what we called are Personas," Ren answered.
"Personas?"
"Ren, we should try to slow down a bit," Yu warned, "Suzuki isn't too familiar with this like we are, so we have to make sure that he can understand what's going on."
"Alright fine," Ren complies, "Concerning Personas, they came from Shadows taken the form of yourself. If you're able to overcome them, then they'll evolve to become a Persona."
"Personas are the manifestations of one's other self," Yu continued, "Since they came from Shadows, they are the same, but Personas represent those suppressed thoughts being accepted."
"Oh... but, I don't have a Persona..." Sunny muttered.
"Then that means you would have to confront your own Shadow then," Ren said.
"Ren, he doesn't know how to though," Yu countered, "You can't put him in a risk where it could kill him."
"If that's the case, then we'll find a way to help him out," Ren crossed his arms, "But first, Suzuki, where have you seen those Shadows?"
"In my dreams," he replied.
"That's unheard of," Ren scratches his head, "I've confronted Shadows through a different reality."
"For Yu and I, we fought them off in a world through a TV," Yosuke added.
"But still, it might be possible for us to enter into Suzuki's dreams, but we have to find a way."
"One of you can come over to my house for tonight," Sunny suggested, "I know this is sudden, but I think this could be a way for you to access my dreams. I can't be for sure that it can work, but it's worth a try."
"I'll go with you then," Yu said, "I would like to accompany you more throughout this time."
"Great, we can spend some time before we can go to my house," Sunny said, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Ren, can you come over here? I need a hand," the four heard a man across the cafe.
"Ah damn, I'll have to go then," Ren muttered, "Tell me everything what happens if you're able to go through with this," he leaves with a wave and walks back to the counter.
Sunny, Yu, and Yosuke settle down on their stay at Leblanc, enjoying the food and drinks they ordered. After a while, they leave their money on the table and proceed out of the cafe. Yosuke gives a goodbye before departing, with the other two on their own with their task.
"What are you planning to do before we get home?" Yu asked.
"We could do some shopping," Sunny said, "We nearly ran out of groceries, so I want to do my mom a favor by buying some for us."
"Alright, let's go to Junes then, we can see Yosuke as well."
The two boys went onwards to where Junes is, entering with a chilling indoor air and an obnoxious jingle greeting them. They search around the place with Sunny leading throughout the time. They picked out some of the items that Sunny recalls a need for restocking. Yu would pick out some extra needs, just in case they ever do anything special in his words. During their shopping, they even get to greet Yosuke on the way, who is stacking up boxes in the back. With everything bought, both of them feel like it's been a long day and decided they should go home now.
Sunny leads Yu with him to his apartment, climbs up the stairs, and made his way to the door of his home. He shifts the bag from his hand so he can turn the doorknob to open, entering with his friend behind him.
"Mom, I'm home," he announced.
Miyuki is sitting on a sofa in the living room reading a book. She looks up to see her son at the front door.
"Ah, you're finally here," she replied, "What took you so long to get back? You had me all worried."
"Sorry, I was busy hanging out with friends and we did some shopping for groceries."
"Wait really?" Miyuki stood up from her seat, "You don't have to, I would've done so a while ago."
"I mean, you did so much for me in a way," Sunny said as he settles the bags on the table, "It wouldn't hurt to return a favor."
"Aww, there's no need to push yourself, but I can tell how much you want to help," she then shifts her gaze to Yu, who puts the other bags on the table, "Oh, you must be Sunny's friend, right?"
"Yes I am," Yu nodded, "It's great that we can finally meet. I'm Yu Narukami, Mrs. Suzuki is it?"
"That's right, it's nice to meet you too, Narukami," she smiles, "I'm delighted that Sunny managed to make friends here, you know how he is."
"Of course, I have to make sure that he is comfortable being here. Having to transfer to a new school can be difficult since I've been there myself."
"You're too kind, Sunny must be grateful to have a friend like you," she places a hand on his shoulder.
Yu hummed in agreement, "I always considered him as one."
Miyuki nodded, "That's good, and also," she turns to see the bags and Sunny, who sits next to the table, "Thanks for bringing some groceries for us. I can pay you back, I don't want anything else troubling you."
"No, it's fine," Yu waved a hand, "I just wanted to help, that's all."
"Alright then. Anyways, is there anything else you need?"
"I do have a question: would it be okay if I were to stay here for tonight? I want to accompany Suzuki for a bit longer."
"Oh really? I mean, Sunny does usually bring his friends to his house before we moved out. But of course, you're always welcome here, think of it as your other home."
"Thank you, it's much appreciated," Yu said.
He then looks at Sunny, who is visibly shaking in excitement. He smiles and goes to him, grabbing him in a side hug.
"You never told me you have more old friends before," Yu said, "Are you that reputable?"
"Not really," Sunny replied, "They are friends who I knew for a long time. Especially since the town I used to live in is pretty small."
"You two can relax while I make some dinner," Miyuki said, "It must be a long day for you."
"I can help you out," Yu stood up.
"No no, as I said, you can relax with Sunny. You've already done so much for us," she dismissed herself to the kitchen.
Sunny grabs Yu's hand, "Come on, let me lead you to my room," he pulls him along from behind and reaches his room.
Sunny opens the door and plops himself onto his bed, feeling relieved. Yu takes a look around the room: it's organized and clean, the bed is placed in the middle on the left side, a desk on Sunny's left side filled with utensils and books, a closet and bookshelf on the right side of the desk at a corner, and plushies on the floor. Yu smiles and takes a look at one of them, a black cat taken a shape of a ball.
"Where did you get all of these?" Yu asked.
"Oh, I have these for a while actually," Sunny sat up from his bed, "This one is my favorite because it reminds me of my cat."
"You have a cat?" Yu perked up.
"Well, not really," Sunny replied, "She disappeared back at my old home, so I don't know where she is."
"Oh I see," Yu said, "Would one of your friends be able to find her?"
"Maybe, I could send a message to them about it," Sunny takes out his phone to send a text.
Yu hummed, "You quite have a collection of them," he placed the plush back.
"It has been a long time since I have them," Sunny said, "My friends and I like them a lot."
Yu stood up, "So, we have some time left before we can go to sleep," he then sits at the bedside, "What should we talk about?"
"Hm," Sunny thought for a moment, "I think I never told you this, but I can play the violin."
"You do? That's amazing," Yu commented, "Since when did you play?"
"I got my violin when I was eleven years old as a Christmas present from my friends. I would usually play it with my sister, who plays the piano."
"You have a sister?"
"Well actually, had," Sunny pointed out, "She passed away four years ago..."
"I see, I'm sorry," Yu put his hand on Sunny's shoulder, "It must be hard for you to deal with. I'm assuming you two must be close."
"I considered her as a role model to me, a caretaker in our group. She is pretty much a peacemaker and a responsible one."
"She seems like a nice lady."
"She is," Sunny nodded, "Oh, I think I have a photo of her somewhere on my desk. Let me go get it."
He got off his bed and searched through his desk, then went to his shelves and grabs a photo.
Sunny gives it to Yu to see, "That girl over here is my sister, Mari," he points to her.
The photo shown is with Mari at the front who took the photo. The back consists of a boy with spiked hair, a girl with a bow behind a boy with shoulder-length hair and a dog on his lap, and Sunny at the back with a blonde boy. All of them seem to smile except Sunny.
Yu smiled, "All of you seem to be happy back then."
"Yeah, it brings me back," Sunny said.
"Thing is though, why isn't that you smile in here?"
Sunny looked away from him, "I don't have a reason to. I think there is no need for it."
"Well, I believe you should smile more. I think it would suit you," Yu commented.
"Mari would always say that," Sunny sighed, "I know that she and my friends wanted me to smile, but I don't like doing that."
"Oh come on, not a slight one?" Yu came up to Sunny and pinch his cheek, "It's not gonna hurt with showing one."
"Narukami, stop it!"
"Not until you give me one at least."
"Y-You're starting to hurt me- Hey, what about this, let me offer you a violin performance and you'll let me go. Fair deal?" Sunny pleaded.
"Don't think you can bribe me out of this."
Suddenly, the door of Sunny's room opened. The two looked to see Miyuki at the doorway holding two plates of food, appearing dumbfounded.
"I see that you two are busy playing around," she said.
Yu lets go of Sunny, "Mrs. Suzuki, we can explain."
"No need, I can tell that you are getting along," she gives the boys the plates, "Also, Sunny doesn't like being teased by anyone, so don't overdo it."
"I won't."
"Alright good, now I'll go to sleep, so be sure to not make any disturbances," she turns to exit out of Sunny's room, "Good night, boys."
"Good night, Mom," Sunny replied.
Miyuki exits the room and shuts the door, with the two alone standing. Sunny returns back to his bed to sit to eat his dinner, with Yu going to sit next to him.
"So, how should we plan on getting rid of these Shadows?" Sunny asked.
"As we mentioned earlier, we'll have to use Personas to take them down," Yu said.
"Right, but...," Sunny muttered, "How does summoning a Persona work?"
"It could depend on the environment," Yu answered, "It won't be similar to how I can summon one from the TV World," he holds his chin, "I'll have to check if my thinking is correct. If that's the case, then I will have to fight them off myself."
"Okay."
The two were able to finish their dinner and Yu lets Sunny give the empty plate to him.
"I'll go wash the dishes and we can go to sleep," Yu said.
"Yeah... but Narukami, did you bring any sleepwear with you?"
"Oh... I didn't," he said sheepishly.
"Maybe I can give you some spares, but they might be small for you. So let me try to find bigger ones I've bought."
"Thanks, hopefully, they aren't too tight," Yu chuckles.
"Hopefully," Sunny echoes with the same thought.
Yu then dismissed himself out of the room to wash the dishes and Sunny rummaged through his closet to search for any pajamas for Yu. There isn't much to find, but he finds an old T-shirt and sweatpants of a larger size. Sunny hoped it would be the best spare for someone like Yu. Then, he heard the door of his room open and Sunny looks back to see his friend.
"Hey Suzuki, did you find any?" Yu asked.
"Yeah, or at least I do," Sunny hands him the clothes, "Just try them to see if they fit."
"Okay," Yu goes to the door, "I'll be changing in the bathroom."
"Alright," Sunny replied.
Yu left the room and Sunny proceeds to dress up in his sleepwear, then throws the discarded clothes in the basket. He sat on his bed to wait for Yu to return, which he returned shortly after.
"I'm surprised that they fit," Yu said.
Sunny turns to look at Yu with the spare pajamas.
"How does it feel? Is it comfortable?" Sunny asked.
"They're great, despite the quality," Yu replied.
"Sorry, it's all I have anyway."
"It's fine," Yu goes to stretch and yawn, "Suppose we'll go to sleep now."
"Yeah, I'm getting tired as well," Sunny yawns as well.
"So, where should I sleep anyway?" Yu asked.
"I have a futon, so you can borrow that."
"That'll be great."
Sunny nodded and opened the shelf of his closet, taking out the futon.
He gives it to Yu, "This one is a comfortable set that my friends would usually borrow."
"Thanks, Suzuki."
Sunny hums and goes to his bed to lie down, while Yu sets up the futon on the floor. He goes to check on Sunny but noticed he still got his eyepatch on.
"Oh, Suzuki, are you going to take off your eyepatch?" Yu asked.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Have you done that before?"
"I mean, yes, but..."
"But what?"
"I'm not too comfortable showing my injury right now," Sunny stated, "Nor do I want to make you feel that way as well."
"I don't think it will," Yu replied, "You can just take it off like you usually do. It won't hurt either of us."
"You think so?"
"I'm sure it will. Just take it off."
Sunny took a moment to think about it, then sat up and lifted a hand to remove his eyepatch. Underneath it reveals a scar drawn across his eyelid, his pupil a dull grey. Yu takes a look, rather interested in the scar.
"Hm... this makes me wonder about how you got this injury," Yu said, "Of course, you don't have to talk about it."
"It's fine," Sunny replied, "I can let this go for now, but all I gonna say is that I got the injury from a fight."
"I see," Yu goes to the light switch, "Alright, let's get some sleep then."
Yu turns off the lights and lies inside the futon, shifting himself comfortably.
"Narukami," Sunny said.
"Yes, Suzuki?"
"Do you think it will work?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know, with you entering my dream."
"I don't know," Yu answered honestly, "We'll have to give it a try at least. But if it doesn't work, I can still keep you safe from the nightmares you were dealing with."
A moment of silence seemed to indicate a flustered Sunny, "T-Thanks," he stuttered.
"It's no problem," Yu stretches, "Alright, let's just get to sleep now. Good night, Suzuki."
"Good night, Narukami."
They let themselves relax and close their eyes, as they slowly start to fall asleep.
——
The journey to the world of dreams is about to start-
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and give some critique.