63–Joey
I’ve never been one for nightmares.
Maybe one or two, when I was little, and one when my mom was sick and in palliative care. But the nightmare that had ripped me from my sleep had been one of the most terrifying things I had ever experienced in my life.
I had practically launched myself out of bed and screamed like I had never screamed in my entire life.
Four Japanese Yakuza, with fucking guns, came busting into the room, lights came on, and I almost fainted in fear.
Rejji had checked every single corner of the room, the bathroom and windows, while Aoto stood over me, waiting calm down enough to tell him what happened. The other two stood at the door, one with his gun to the ground, pointed out into the hallway.
I had my own set of hired goons..
After making sure I was okay, Aoto and Reiji reluctantly went back downstairs, and I had gone and hopped in the shower. Dressing gown and all
Sitting under the blasting hot water, I huddled on the floor of the shower, shock setting in and stared at the wall, trying to make sense of what I’d dreamed of.
It was night, and I was asleep in my dream when through the window, a black Oni came creeping. It stood over me for what seemed like hours, and as my sleeping self finally realized there was something there, it lashed out and slashed my throat.
I shivered, my skin turning to goose flesh, and I frowned, as tears threatened. So much had happened in the last six months, I felt like I was losing my mind.
I was overwhelmed and sitting in the bottom of the shower, I wondered if I had made a mistake by moving things so quickly with Alex.
“Joey”
Alex’s voice floated to me, and I lifted my head as he opened the door of the bathroom. He looked at the shower cubicle, confusion coming to his gaze, before it dropped and he saw me sitting on the floor, still in my robe, with water cascading
over me
“Joey!”
He rushed forward, stepping into the shower, shoes and all and crouched down, hissing at the heat of the water. “Fucking hell
Alex reached up and flipped off the taps before he gripped my arms and helped me to my feet. His hair was plastered to his face from the water splashes, his clothing soaked.
“What are you doing in here, like this?”
Alex started to strip me of the robe, and as soon as the cold air hit my skin, I started to shiver violently, and tears started to flow. Within moments, I was a blubbering mess, while Alex toweled me off. “Oh, doll.”
Wrapping a guest robe around me, he quickly dried my hair and led me out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, to the bed. Pulling back the covers, he pushed me down onto the bed and made me lie down “You wait there, I’ll be back in a
second.”
Alex disappeared into the bathroom, and I curled up in a ball, crying
What the fuck?
I had always been pretty resilient.
I’d been strong when my mom died
I’d been fairly strong when Jake married Phoebe.
Now when I had a simple nightmare, I was a mess.
But was it a simple nightmare? I had never dreamed of someone, or something killing me.
Alex came back out of the bathroom, without clothes on, and climbed into bed with me. He rolled over and wrapped his
strong arms around me, cradling my head against his chest and soothed me… and I broke again.
A fresh bout of tears came forth, and I clung to him as if my life depended on it and he was the only one who could save
live.
“Shhh it’s okay baby, I’m here.”
We lay like that for what seemed like an eternity, until I finally started to calm down.
“Acto rang nie. Told me you had a nightmare.”
“Snitch… “I mumbled and Alex chuckled.
“He worries for you. He’s become very fond and protective of you. So has Reiji. He was beside himself and pacing the whole. damned house when I got back.”
I lifted my head and looked up at Alex. The sun had just started to break, throwing tinges of pink into the room
find out what you needed to?”
Alex grimaced, shaking his head, as he looked down at me. “No. It wasn’t the Ikeda
Blinking. I pulled away from him a little. “Wasn’t..? What? Those goons who chased me-
“Had nothing to do with it. Our warning about coming into Takada territory worked. Taro found out and they’ve been stuck on shit–kicking duties. No Ikeda has been in the area for months.”
I lowered my head and looked at the tattoos that lined Alex’s collarbone.
Flowers, and waves, a tengu and a black Oni.
I pulled away from Alex a little.
“Since when have you had that?”
Alex frowned, looking at me. “Had what
“That.” I lifted my hand, touching the tattoo. “It’s a b
a black Oni…”
“What?” Alex pulled away and climbed from the bed, going to the bathroom and from the interior of it, I heard him swear. “Fuck!”
He came out a minute later, wrapped in a towel and he looked down at me. “I have to go out again. Are you going to be okay here with Aoto and Reiji for a little bit?”
I blinked but nodded.
Alex leaned down, kissing me. “I love you. I’ll be back a little later. Sleep, if you can.”
He left the room, and went upstairs, and no more than five minutes later, I heard him almost running back down again. “Sota! We got to go!”
I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling
What the hell had just happened? Alex had run out so quickly, without explaining why…..
“Fuck this.” I climbed from the bed and left the room. Aoto was sitting at the top of the stairs, a guard between anyone who might come to do me harm, and me. “Aoto, I want to go to work.”
He stood, turned and looked at me. “Are you sure? Alex-”
“Aoto, I need to get out of this damned house and do something. Otherwise, I am going to go insane.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “So, I am going to go and get dressed, and then you are taking me to work. I don’t care if you bring Reiji and all the kings‘ men with us, we are going.”
Aoto sighed but bowed slightly. “Yes, Miss Brewster.”
Turning, I went up to the bedroom I had abandoned in fear and got dressed, not looking over to the dresser, because I knew the Oni would be looking back at me. Alex said he didn’t want to move it until they could get someone in to look at it and make sure it didn’t have some kind of toxin or something on it.
Feeling a little more human, I smeared on some lipstick, turned from the bathroom, walked out and stopped.
The black Onl
