Dreamcatcher - Part 2
Part 1
His dreamcatcher, Nino thought. What are the odds of meeting him again after five years? And, this time, they weren’t in his dream. Instead, they met in the real world.
Unless he was dreaming.
But, he wasn’t, right? His dreamcatcher, who used to protect him in his dream, was right before him. And, he couldn’t look away, afraid that if he did so, the man would disappear. And, he found the eyes were also staring back at him. But, there was no warmth in those eyes, unlike the one he remembered from his dream.
Is this his dreamcatcher? He wondered. Despite the resemblance, the man seemed different. And, most importantly, what is the man doing here? Isn’t this supposed to be a camping trip for Nino, Aiba, Jun and Sho only? Why didn’t his friend notify him that someone else would be joining them?
“What are you waiting for, Nino? Get inside!” Urge Jun from the other side of the door. The side where his dreamcatcher was.
“I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want a stranger to go with us,”
“What are you talking about?” chided Jun. “We already told you that Sho-kun will join us,”
“I’m not talking about Sakurai-san,” said Nino. “I’m talking about him,”
He pointed at the man in the car. At his dreamcatcher look-alike. And, Jun looked in the direction he was pointing at. But, a minute later, he returned his gaze to Nino and said something that confused Nino.
“Nino, are you okay? I don’t see anyone else in the car,”
At first, Nino thought Jun was trying to mess with him. But, Aiba and Sho had a similar reaction as well. And, when Nino looked back at the man in the car, his fake dreamcatcher slowly faded before completely disappearing right in front of Nino.
Eh? What happened? Was the man merely his imagination?
“Hurry up, Nino!” urged Jun once again. “Stop making excuses. We’re gonna be late if we don’t go now,”
Nino let out a sigh. He decided not to overthink this. Maybe it was just his imagination. He got inside the car, letting Sho drive them to the camping site. All four of them were completely unaware that someone was watching them as the car drove away.
It took them an hour or so to arrive at the camping site. Once there, Nino immediately went out and checked for an internet connection. It’s barely there, making him curse. How was he going to play his game without the internet?
“Ouch!” Nino yelped in pain when his head was smacked from behind. He turned around, glaring at the person who hit him. It wasn’t a surprise to find Jun grinning at him.
“Why do you hit me, idiot?”
“Move, you lazy bum!” chided Jun. “Let’s set this tent up. We would be sharing a tent,”
“Ewww…” said Nino. He looked around and noticed Aiba and Sho were still in the car. “I don’t want to share with you,”
“As if I want to sleep with you,” Jun retorted. “But, we only have two tents. Obviously, Aiba-chan and Sho-chan will be sharing one. So, that leaves you with me,”
“Are we going to let them in the same tent?” Asked Nino. It was a legit question. They were a couple. If they were left alone, they might…
“Dumbass!” scolded Jun, smacking Nino’s head. Judging from his red face, he knew what Nino was talking about. “You don’t have to worry. They won’t do it,”
“How do you know?” countered Nino. “They are still in the car. I bet you… they must be…”
“Ewww…” Jun cut him off. “Are you always a pervert?”
“I’m not…”
“Whatever…” Once again, Jun wouldn’t let him finish. “Let’s get to work,”
Nino grumbled as he began to take the pole out of the bag. The sooner he set up the tent, the sooner Jun would leave him alone. As they began working, Sho and Aiba came out of the car. Nino cast a knowing look at Jun when he noticed the state they were in. As he thought, both Aiba and Sho were making out in the car.
“You two shouldn’t share a tent,” said Nino when Aiba and Sho started working on their tent. “I’m afraid none of us will be able to sleep because of the noise you will be making later,”
“Yes,” Jun agreed this time. “After seeing what happened when we left the two of you in the car… I think it’s for the best,”
Aiba was about to argue, defending himself. But, Nino beat him to it.
“No excuse,” Nino hold his finger up to stop his friend from talking. “I don’t think you two can keep your hands off each other. Aiba-chan, you will share the tent with me,”
Jun looked straight at Nino when he heard the declaration. “Why do you get to share the tent with Aiba? I want it to!”
“Too late, Diva!” Nino stuck his tongue out at Jun. “I claimed his first,”
“I claimed his first,” mimicked Jun. “I don’t care. He will be sharing the tent with me!”
“Try to take him from me!”
“You will lose, brat,”
Nino was ready to shout out another childish retort but Sho stopped him, suggesting that since all three of them wanted to share the tent with Aiba, they should play a game. Nino thought about it for a second and nodded his agreement.
“You are excluded from the game,” said Nino, pointing at Sho. “This is between the Diva and me,”
This was a rare occasion where Jun actually agreed with him.
“The brat is right. We cannot allow you and Aiba-chan in the same tent,”
With a sigh, Sho complied with their request. “So, how are we going to decide this? What game should we play?”
“How about charades?” suggested Jun. “Aiba will make the gesture and we will guess,”
Nino agreed to the suggestion, certain that he would win. However, he was proven wrong.
Aiba was unique. Nobody could guess the gesture he made. It was just too difficult. And, being lucky, Jun was able to guess the last word, earning him a spot to share the tent with Aiba.
“You lose, brat!” Jun taunted him.
“You’re just lucky,”
“Doesn’t matter! I win!”
“It’s fine by me. Aiba snores,”
“No, I don’t,” Aiba was quick to deny.
“You are sleeping, Aiba!” reasoned Nino. “You will not notice if you snore,”
Aiba grunted in response. “Sho gritted his teeth when sleeping,”
“Hey!” exclaimed Sho. “Don’t tell that to others!”
The childish bickering continued until Sho stopped them. It was getting dark and getting the tents and food ready was more important. They set up the tent and prepared the food. They would be grilling some meat for dinner later. And, of course, it was not done in silence. The bickering and insult continued, especially between Nino and Jun. However, despite the cheerful atmosphere, Nino couldn’t shake the feeling that the other three were hiding something from him.
“So, since when are you two together?” asked Nino. It was pretty late and they were just relaxing while toasting marshmallows. Aiba and Sho were sitting together intimately, prompting Nino to ask them about their relationship.
“Err… for a while now,” answered Aiba, giving an ambiguous answer.
“When exactly?” Nino asked, curious. Why wouldn’t Aiba answer him?
“Hmm… before my first year?” Aiba finally answered and Nino’s eyes widened. He didn’t expect them to be together for this long. No wonder Aiba didn’t want to give him a straight answer just now. He must be worried that Nino would be mad at him for keeping it a secret from him for a long time.
“That long?”
“Uh-huh,” Aiba shrugged. “Sho-chan is my childhood friend, just like Jun. We both had a crush on Sho-chan,”
“Aiba-chan!” exclaimed Jun, smacking Aiba’s head. “You didn’t have to tell him about it. Besides, I don’t have a crush on your boyfriend. I just admire him,”
Nino could sense that it was a lie and Jun, indeed, had a crush on Aiba’s boyfriend. But, he had probably moved on and was content to see how happy Aiba and Sho were. Usually, Nino would tease Jun. However, this time, it would just let it go.
“Why wouldn’t you tell me about it?” asked Nino, bringing attention back to Aiba’s and Sho’s relationship. Geez, he felt like a fool for not realizing it sooner. Yes, he noticed the way Aiba looked at Sho. But, Sho never showed favouritism towards Aiba. Even if he did, Nino would just think of it as normal. Aiba was kind. Everyone was inclined to be nice toward him.
Aiba and Sho exchanged a look. It took time but Aiba finally mumbled. “I don’t know how to tell you… Hmm… It’s getting late and I’m tired. Let’s sleep,”
Before Nino could stop him, Aiba just stood up, followed by Sho. Nino couldn’t help but feel intrigued. Did they keep a secret from him? Why were they so reluctant to talk about their relationship?
Well, he respected their choice. It was inappropriate for him to push them to talk. Just like Aiba, he was also tired. So, he stood up and entered the tent he shared with Sho. The man was already sleeping when he entered. Wow, that was quick.
The tiredness let sleep claim him easily. This time, he was back in the forest where he had met his dreamcatcher years ago. Hmm… how weird this was. Earlier, he might be seeing his dreamcatcher even though it could be just his imagination. And tonight, he dreamt of this place. Will his dreamcatcher show up again just like in his previous dreams?
A coughing sound alerted him that he wasn’t alone. He turned around, not surprised to see his dreamcatcher. He was just like the same man he saw in Sho’s car. No warmth in his eyes.
“You need to wake up,” The dreamcatcher broke the silence between them. “And you have to leave the campsite. Wake up and leave the tent as quietly as you can. I will wait for you outside your tent,”
“What? Why would I leave?”
“Your life is in danger. Your friends are dangerous. You shouldn’t trust them,”
A/N: I wonder if anyone still remember this one. Well, in case you don't remember, I put the link for the previous part above.