I ran through the dark forest, the leaves from the bushes whipping against my body. but I do not dare to stop, for he might catch me. And so I run and run until a bright light catches my eye. I turn and look back. My feet feel lighter than air as they carry me towards the light. I am about to pass through that light when I see two figures standing next to it. They appear to be arguing and I cannot hear them at all. I run towards the figures, then stop. A single tear rolls onto my cheek as I see it's my parents.

"...Sakura?"

I hear a distant voice.

"...Sakura...wake up!"

I jolt awake, gasping for breath. In front of me I can see Jasper. His face is filled with concern. I try to calm myself down but failed miserably. "Hey..." He says. "You were having a nightmare." It took all of his strength just to say those four words.

He wipes the tears from my cheeks. I nod, "Yeah..."

"It's okay...everything is fine now." I lean my head on Jasper's shoulder, listening to him talk while we both tried to catch our breath.

***

After taking a shower and changing, I was now sitting in the living room, watching some TV show with Jasper. The sun had set long ago; but Jasper was still there with me. He has been here for almost three weeks. After the last time I woke up screaming in my bedroom, he decided to come over. He didn't want me to be alone. And even though he said this was for me, deep inside my heart I knew it wasn't.

We've spent a lot of time together lately, but something was missing. Something that was missing ever since that first day Jasper arrived. Something we used to share. Now it was gone. Jasper's been here for the better part of a month and nothing has really changed between us.

I look up to him, "Hey...thanks for staying with me..." I smile. Jasper looks surprised by what I said and then smiles back.

"Of course! You're like family to me!" I laugh, "That's such a lame way to put it."

Jasper laughs along, "What did you have in mind then?" I smirk before speaking, "Well...we could watch one of your movies again..."

A grin spreads across Jasper's face as he agrees, "Sure! Let's go pick out one." We get up and leave the apartment.

***

A few minutes later we arrive at one of the movies. Jasper tells me that it'e called "The Phantom Menace". When we step into the theatre, I gasp. All of the theater seats are taken! Jasper chuckles and takes my hand. As we start walking, a girl around our age starts whispering something. She glances behind her, but turns her gaze back to her books the moment she sees Jasper.

"Sorry about that." She whispers, as if Jasper couldn't hear her from where he stood. I look over at Jasper and he just shrugs. I don't blame the poor girl for being scared. Jasper holds my hand tightly and leads us toward the middle row of seats.

There aren't many people here tonight.

As we find our seats I notice out of the corner of my eye, a man staring at me with a smirk. "Nocturne..." I shake my head wondering where that name even came from or why it came to mind. I try to focus on the movie, but the man keeps looking at me. I look away, but his eyes follow me. I can tell that he wants to make a move.

Why am I feeling anxious? I should just ignore him and pay attention to the movie.

The film begins and everyone sits comfortably. I'm leaning on Jasper who is resting his head on top of mine. The whole time I keep my eyes focused on the screen. The only thing I can think about is how soft Jasper's hair feels against my forehead. I close my eyes, trying not to fall asleep, and just enjoy the movie. Eventually Jasper stirs and looks down at me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yea." I answer. "Go ahead."

Jasper leans closer so that the side of his lips brush against my ear. "Are you sure you're okay?"

My heart races as I stare at him. "Yes!" I whisper, pushing his face away slightly. "Just tired."

"Okay then...goodnight." Jasper lays his head back on the seat and closes his eyes. I lay my head back against the seat and close my eyes too. Soon the darkness takes over and I feel myself slipping into sleep once more.

***

I'm running again, but this time I feel a cold hand catch my sweaty palm. "Sakura! Stop running for one minute!" this man says as he whips me around to face him, his silver eyes boring into mine.

"Nocturne..."

The name escapes my lips.

I glare at him, shaking.

"I am here to help you. Why do you always run from me," he asks, his chiseled face wrought with hurt.

"Why are you scared of me?" He snaps , my eyes beginning to water. "How could you be afraid of someone like me?" He smirks.

"You are stronger than you seem, you're smart, and you've grown so much since we first met. If anyone should be afraid of you it would be me."

***

I gasp awake, my chest heaving. Jasper looks at me startled.

"Are you ok?" He asks, a look of outright worry on his face.

I look around and notice the movie is over and almost everyone is gone. I look and see even the strange raven haired man that was staring at me was gone too. I nod.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

I take a deep breath. "Nope."

I grab my stuff and walk out the door. The cool night air blows harshly past my face, making my cheeks sting.

"Wait!" I hear behind me.

I stop and turn around. Jasper runs up to me and pulls me into a hug. "Please don't run anymore, you'll get hurt."

I let go of him and push him off of me.

"I need to be alone right now." I reply, turning and walking home.

***

When I reach my house, I open the door and rush up the stairs. I lock myself in my room and bury myself under the blankets. For a minute I just lie there, trying not to cry. Finally, I manage to calm down. I sit up, and I begin pacing around my room. Then suddenly there is a knock on my door, and I sigh.

"Come in."

"I hope you're okay." Jasper says as he comes in and shuts the door.

"I'm fine, really." I try to convince him with a smile on my face. Jasper walks over and sits next to me, "I know that you are not. But I also know that you will talk about it eventually. I'm just happy that you let me stay here and that you trusted me enough to tell me everything. So thank you."

"I trust you." I respond quietly.

I pause, waiting for Jasper to say something. To tell me that he loves me. That he wants to keep coming over and seeing me every day and that everything is going to be fine. But no matter how often I wait, I don't hear him say any of those things. Maybe because we've never talked about anything serious. Maybe because we only have each other. Either way, I know I love him. And that's all that matters.

"Nocturne, have you caught up with Sakura yet?"

I look up with a bored expression on my face, but I catch a nasty glare from Nyx.

"Nyx! Buddy," I say as I lean back in my chair, "it's not that easy...she has a lot of power in her dreams, and I don't wanna get hurt."

He gives an irritated huff before looking at me for a moment longer.

Then he sighs.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. You're probably the only one she'll listen to anyway..."

We sit there for a minute or two in silence, before Nyx stands up.

"Alright. See ya later, Noct. Stay safe," he says before walking out of the door.

It is about an hour after his departure when I notice someone walk into the room. They are wearing all black and had the hood pulled up over their head, so it was difficult to make out who it was until they came closer.

I look at them curiously as they sit down next to me, taking off the mask as soon as they were close enough.

"Oh! It's you!" I say, surprised.

"How's getting to talk to Jasper working out for you, Demyx?"

he shrugs and sighs, "No luck, Sakura's dreams haven't spread to him where I can reach him."

I give him a smirk, "At least I can reach my mission...if I can calm her down."

Demyx gives me a confused look before shrugging again, "Eh, whatever works, I guess. Anyway, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be doing something else?"

I shake my head as I stand up and stretch.

"Well, I could go grab some dinner if you want. You know, since you've been helping me lately," I give him a sly smile.

Before he can answer, I leave and start heading toward the dining hall.

When I reach the door, I stop.

"You coming, Demy?"

"Yea, Yeah I'm comin'" He says as I hear his chair scrape on the floor as he gets up.

As we walk through the castle halls, I start to talk.

"Hey Demy...do you think this mission will work? Or...does it even matter?" I ask.

He stops walking and looks at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

"Look, it won't kill you if you ask. Plus, it's kind of obvious you've been having doubts."

I take a deep breath.

"...Do you really think I'm ready for this?"

"If you weren't, I wouldn't be here." His voice is soft.

I look down at the floor.

"But...she is so stubborn, she runs from me all the time. How am I to guide her, when I can't even get her to calm down..."

Demyx smiles softly at me and reaches out and pats my shoulder.

"Trust me. She isn't going anywhere. And besides, if you aren't willing to try...you never would've gotten this far anyway."

He lets go of my shoulder and starts walking again.

This time, however, I stay silent.

After a few paces ahead he looks back at me, "Are you coming or not?"

I follow along quietly, trying to keep pace with Demyx's pace.

For the rest of our walk, we continue talking about random things until we finally reach the dining room.

"You should come visit more often. This way we have lots of food to share." I joke.

"Yeah, sure thing. Now lets eat..." He responds as he pulls a chair out for me to sit down.

We both sit down across from each other and start eating, talking about anything that comes to mind as we move the food around on our plates. Once we finish eating, Demyx stands up.

"Well. Thanks for the company. See ya tomorrow!"

***

"Sakura! Wait! C'mon not this again!" I say, breathlessly as I run after her.

Why? why does she always run from me? I know I'm a stranger, but come on. I even used my powers to try and talk to her but all she will listen to is my name and she won't listen to anything else. If only I knew how to use my gift better then she would have listened.

Finally, I manage to reach her, but she still doesn't turn to acknowledge me. Her hair is a tangled mess with leaves and twigs. She would rather hurt herself than let me talk to her.

"Listen, Sakura. I- we need your help. My land is falling apart each day, and my people are suffering. You and many others are our only hope!" I yell to her, her back still turned to me.

She finally turns her head to me, sweat rolling down her neck, "Tell me Nocturne. Why me? Why do I have to help? Why am I having these nightmares?"

I'm speechless, my face stern as she asks me this. I must choose my words carefully.

"Because if my world falls, yours is next." The words slip out before I realize it.

The words hang heavy in the air between us, until Sakura starts to laugh.

"My...world is falling?! That's rich!"

I can't help the frown that creeps its way onto my face as I glare daggers at her.

"You may think it's funny now, Sakura, but you might find it hard to live with yourself if the fall continues."

Her laughter is loud and clear in the forest.

"My world is fine Nocturne. Everything is just peachy keen! No need to worry about it. It's not as if anything will ever happen anyways." She continues to laugh, the sound echoing through the trees as the tears roll down her cheeks, "Besides, the worst that could happen is that I wake up and everything's fine. That's not so bad, right? Right?"

I can feel my blood begin to boil, my magic building up in anger.

Why can't she see reason?! I have tried to help countless times but she refuses to believe me! She thinks this whole situation is completely hilarious!

The words slip out of my mouth without my permission.

"You don't understand."

That statement makes Sakura stop laughing and she stares at me blankly for a long moment.

"Explain?"

I hesitate for a moment but continue, "All that happens is that our worlds crash together. It would tear a hole through space that is so huge that we'd never escape."

Sakura looks like she wants to protest, but no words come out.

"Come with me and I'll show you what I'm talking about," I take her hand, I feel how sweaty her palm is as I walk her towards the black road crumbling at the edges. I point the road, "That's just a little taste. the crumbled off parts aren't for decoration. each time I come into your dream, I risk my life by taking this road." She shrinks back, not wanting to go onto it.

"Don't worry, it's stable...for now"

we walk across it slowly, careful to not stumble. When we pass under the bridge, we stop for a moment as I stare at the dark abyss underneath us. I can't see any of the buildings or roads on the other side. All I see are darkness and nothing more.

"Just a little further. Then you'll be seeing something very different,"

***

I can't close my eyes as in sight a see a starry, colorful expanse, with beautiful houses and castles in the distance, but flinch as I notice some of those houses and castles have crumbled away in some parts, flowing into the what they might call a sky, like they were pieces of paper in the wind.

I look to Nocturne, his expression somber as he lets go of my hand and goes in front of me to lead the way.

We continue along until we reach a house with a huge gate and another massive archway leading inside. As we approach the massive building, we can hear voices inside speaking loudly and arguing amongst themselves, as we approach the large entrance. A guard opens the door and lets us inside.

Once we step into the foyer, I take in a sharp gasp as I see an enormous crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A large stairway leads up to a second floor. A woman standing on the staircase turns to us as we come forward, a smile stretching across her lips as soon as her eyes settle on me.

"Well well, hello there," She turns to Nocturne, "looks like you finally got Sakura to listen to you."

She turns to me, stretching her arm out to me as to shake my hand. I nervously shake her hand, "My name is Luna. I am one of the members of the Dream Knights."

I wake up in a sweat next to Sakura. I notice she actually looks like she's sleeping peacefully.

I try to think back to what made me wake.

But all i can remember is a mischievous smirk.

What did he say. I remember he was saying something. I try to remember so much that my brain hurts.

***

"Hey there you are again!"

I turn to see that guy again, his long brown hair whipping against his face against the strong wind around us.

He runs up to me."Hiya! Let me introduce myself again. My name is Demyx."

He smirks at me and looks me up and down, "And you must be Jasper I presume." His eyes look over my body in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable. He leans in closer to me,"You have no idea how hot you are, you're gorgeous."

I push him away."I don't care, just go away."

Demyx looks hurt for a second, but then a smile appears on his face."Oh, don't get your underwear in a bunch, I was just teasing."

I roll my eyes and walk off."Whatever."

My thoughts race, why does that stupid smirk keep running through my mind? Who is this Demyx? Why do we keep meeting like this? Why would he want me anyway?

I walk away from him and towards the forest.

"Hold up. You need to come with me."

I turn back to Demyx. "Why?"

"Because I've got information for you."

"Well, if that information is so valuable, why don't you just give it to me instead of annoying me everytime we meet."

He grins wide.

"It'll only take a minute. C'mon. Trust me Jasper."

***

"So wait! Your telling me that if I don't help out, your world and mine could collide?"

Demyx nods as we walk down the corroded road to his realm.

"You see, you and two others are chosen to defeat the demon that is causing this destruction." He says with a distant look in his eyes as he stares up at the sky.

"Two more? How many people know?"

"Only a small few. It is an ancient evil that lives in the shadow of our world. He wants nothing more than to destroy us and consume all who stand in his path. But luckily for us," he stops walking and pulls out a dagger from his pocket,"We know who he' ll be facing. We know what he looks like, how he operates, and where he might appear next."

"Who would that be?"

"There's you, Sakura, and a chick named Harmony. But she is a tricky little human to get ahold of. Nyx is in charge of getting her help."

This time when I stop walking, Demyx comes to a full stop and turns to me.

"Look, the important thing now is we have a plan. You'll be able to find your target. You'll defeat him and everything will go smoothly from there."

I give him a worried look, "How can we even defeat him if this Nyx person hasn't been able to get to her?"

He chuckles, "Trust me, we have ways to track her."

I nod, "Ok. Well, I guess I'll follow your lead, whatever that is. Where do we go first."

He walks ahead of me and gestures for me to follow.

"Follow me," he tells me.

***

We reach a big decomposing castle, "Home sweet home!"

Demyx exclaims as he pushes open the doors.

As the doors open a fist launches out and lands square on Demyx's face.

"Ouch! What the hell?!"

"Keep quiet. We aren't deaf, ya'know. I could hear you from a mile away," exclaims a stern looking male with blue short hair and ice blue eyes.

"Nyx, what the hell dude?"

"You are always so loud. How Nocturne puts up with your crap, is beyond me."

"Yeah, well Nocturne has never met anyone as annoying as you."

"Hey!" shouts another blond male, with green eyes and purple markings on his cheeks, "Watch the language. And don't forget, you two owe me one, ok?"

The first one gives me a dirty look.

"That blue haired guy is Nyx and that blonde one? Jason. They are like my very rude family," Demyx says with a sly look on his face. Like he was getting away with insulting them. Just then a shoe goes flying smack dab into his face.

"Ow. Hey, why'd you do that?!"

Jason shrugs,"Just wanted to teach ya' a lesson."

Demyx laughs, "I knew I liked these guys better."

Then he suddenly grabs me and throws them over his shoulder. "Time to go to the training yard. I heard there's a new recruit waiting to spar with ya Jasper."

My eyes widen in surprise. "New recruit?! Who is it?"

Demyx turns around, "A girl with pink hair. I think your gonna enjoy yourself."

***

"Ok everyone, let's welcome our newest recruit to the group."

I look around and my eyes widen, "Sakura?!"

She gives me the biggest grin.

"Hey, ya made it! I was worried Demyx didn't have what it takes to reach ya."

Says a guy with raven black hair and sliver eyes. He looks hot. Why does it make my blood boil that he's been talking to Sakura? with his slender body and abs that I notice from a mile away.

Then I finally notice that he's staring right at me.

I freeze up as we lock eyes, but just before I can freak out or run, someone taps on my shoulder.

I turn around to see Demyx, "Hey dude you ok?"

he follows my gaze and he gives me a sly smirk, "You worried our little raven haired Adonis is gonna steal yo girl huh?"

I see Sakura kinda stop what she was doing and giggle, making my checks burn red in embarrassment.

"Uh...no. Of course not."