Everyone at school had notice it. It was in the way he walked. The way he talked. His body language just screamed it. Gone was Shu, that cool, dominant force, replaced by... some hollow and broken person. He wandered about over Beigoma Academy, as weeks of interrupted sleep had taken its toll upon him. Valt knew that something was up, but none of them knew exactly what to do. He had pushed them away when they had tried to confront him, lashing out like a wounded animal any time they tried to console him or plead him to get help. "Too headstrong" some would say. "Too proud" others still. But none of them realized the gravity of the situation until that one, fateful day. The day that Shu finally snapped.

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Valt was lying on his bed, blankly staring at the ceiling wondering what it'd be like if he was gone. Wouldn't it be fun to die? He slept the most of the time because he doesn't understand why he would want to get up and do anything. He still felt the pain inside him and he doesn't regret anything. He didn't want to look at his friends like this, worried their faces would trigger another flash of the awful images in his mind. He had lost track of how much time had passed since he started his little trek, thankful the rest of Bey Club had stopped to ask him why he was acting so differently today. He knew the fans had started to notice dips in his cheeriness, ever since the dreams he'd been doing more beyblade battling with his rivals than ever before, but more and more they weren't enough.

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Mrs. Aoi was busy baking some bread in the kitchen. She glanced at the clock every now and then, frowning each time before a haggard looking Valt entered the kitchen. "Valt! You're finally awake! You've been all gloomy so I could make you feel extra-super-special and toughen you up! But then you didn't show up after school when I thought you were going to and your friends were all worried that you were going to stay cooped up in your room all afternoon especially Shu, but now you're here and you can have some fun battles." 

Valt merely looked at his mom blankly, before eating his snacks really fast.

Then, Nika spoke up. "Hey... Valt? Are you... are you OK...?"

"Yeah, you don't look too well." Toko could always tell when something was wrong.

They're getting suspicious of me. I gonna lead them away. They must not know. I'll make those bad things go away.

"I'm fine, I'm just too excited." Valt tried to lessen the intensity of his smile but he couldn't like it had a mind of it's own.

"You've been happy for so long. Is it about the bey battle?" Mrs. Aoi didn't even smile at his joke. She kept her suspicious look. 

Nika poked her twin brother in the arm. "Toko, I don't think that would make him smile that wide. But what is going on Valt?"

"I'm not gonna tell them. They must not know. Walk away."

"I'm leaving now, see ya." Valt left and started to head Shu's apartment.

The Valtryek blader ran straight for the apartment. It didn't take his long, he figured his body must've been taking him here by instinct; it did have a funny way of working that way. He ran to the door and knocked a little frantically. It didn't take long for the door to creak open.

https://youtu.be/piFJVwr1YYA

"Valt, what are you doing here?" Shu said surprised but happy to see his friend. Shu stared into his chocolate eyes, noticing the distressed look of his friend, "Not looking so good as I am, huh?"

"No... No I'm not good Shu... Can I come in?" Valt said, minding his manners for once.

"Sure, make yourself at home." Shu said quickly offering his friend hospitality.

"Thank you..." Valt said as he quietly walked into the house.  quickly headed for the table in the center of the room and sitting on one of chairs before it. He rested his head on the table, closing his eyes as he took a soft sigh to try and relax, remembering his friend's favourite hot beverage.

"Can I get you something to drink? Perhaps some hot chocolate?" Shu said.

"No sweets please... if you have some coffee that'd be great... only cream without sugar..." Valt softly groaned.

"No sweets?" Shu said in shock, "Now... THIS is really serious!" He said as he quickly prepared his friend the hot drink he requested. He levitated it before Valt, who groggily took it and began to drink. He grimaced at the bitter taste.

"Valt, what's the matter? You can tell me." Shu said sitting down next to his downcast friend. Shu could see The Valtryek blader's chocolate eyes filled with horror, fear and sadness and most noticeable of all... he wasn't radiating the energetic aura of Valt.

"Terrifying!" Valt put his hands over his head, "It's the most sick thing that's ever happened to me! I can't even believe what's happened to me it's so horrific! I can't sleep, I can't rest, even practising aren't helping! I need relief, I need to stop this but everything I've tried only seems to make it worse!" Valt said his voice was quivering; Shu was completely understand how terrified his friend sounded.

"Valt... tell me, what exactly is this sick thing that has happened." Shu tried to reassure Valt that everything would be alright. Valt took a big breath, steeling his nerves.

"I've been having nightmares Shu." Valt finally said, "Sick, hideous, relentless nightmares. I was doing more training and more battling to forget them, but they kept coming. I ate so scones with cream, I tried relaxing before bed, I even tried falling asleep in a handstand with a lemon in my mouth. Nothing works... and last night's nightmare was the worse of them all."

Shu looked down at the table, realizing the same nightmares he had each night. "Just like mine."

For some reason Valt didn't question that.

"Well, you're in no condition to be in your own. How about I spend the night with you and try to get rid of those bad dreams," he offered and then seemed to understand what he had just said, "Whoa whoa, I mean just be there. Nothing stu-"

"No," Shu cut him off. The thought of how the Valtryek blader might react to the monsters, or how they might react to him, he wouldn't have it, "You've done so much, and I still don't understand why to be completely honest, but I don't want you to get hurt by this."

Valt moved closer to Shu, opposite to where the nightmare had prodded him, "I'm doing so much for you because your eyes are the saddest I've ever seen. Whatever it is you're facing, it's time to stop trying on your own. I'm staying your place once you get out of here."

The two bladers glare at each other, their conversation had been silent and warm but Shu shattered the mood, "I... I need you to leave after we finish this coffee. You shouldn't be here overnight."

Valt ignored the request, "Hey, time for the meat of the matter. So what are these nightmares that would torment you?"

Shu supposed he just didn't want the bluenette male to leave, so he figured screw it and tried telling the truth, "The nightmare is about... a creepy person... who looks like you. I know I sound crazy, and I probably am, but for the last few weeks I haven't been sleeping. There have been these things in my room at night. Watching me... waiting for me to stop watching them. If I look away... it come for me. I was almost tore apart... and now my legs..."

https://youtu.be/HJdLhIvC3JI

"You're not lying, right?" Valt question wasn't patronizing in the slightest, he genuinely believed him. He got up and grabbed Shu's arm. "Let's go to your bed. We'll face them together." Valt said as he dragged him to bedroom.

"Valt..." Shu protested, "You can't see my dreams. They're too horrible. I don't want anyone to see what I've seen!" His voice was sounded nervous; tears were threatening to leave his eyes once more.

He looked up when he felt Shu's gloved hand placed against his shoulder, the look of concern on his face. The chocolate eyed male closed the blackout curtains and locked the door.

"I can't imagine what kind of dreams you've been having, but I can see the pain on your face. It's affecting who you are and I can't just let this go Shu. I came to you for help and you're going to help me. Please, you gonna let me see what we've seen, so that I can help." Valt pleaded to his friend. The two lay on the bed, facing each other as Valt held back the tears burning at his chocolate eyes with all his might, swallowing hard as he knew his friend wanted to make everything better.

"Valt..." Shu said in hushed voice.

"Yeah? What is it Shu?" Valt asked in a similar hushed voice, holding back a sob.

"Promise me... what you're about to see... won't change your opinion of me. I won't think of you as anything but the dear friend I know and love." Shu said.

"I promise." Valt sniffed deeply with a weak smile, he saw his smile, it was so reassuring, so comforting...

"You ready?" Shu asked one last time. Valt just seemed to smile a little amused.

"Always." Valt took a moment to let it sink in, then squeezed his eyes shut. "Let's do this." Valt softly whispered, as he did his best to prepare for whatever was going to happen next.

Shu nodded softly, as he closed his eyes and concentrated on it. The two connected their foreheads, then gently holding their hands.

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"LEAVE ME ALONE" The Slender man approached regardless, the static screeched at him as it drew closer. Pain shocked his body from one side to the other as blood seemed to splatter and cloud his vision turning the world red. He fell to his knees trying to grasp reality, before the pain and sound became too much to bear.

There was a hole in his body. He could feel the worms wriggling in it, crawling up into his torso. They were eating him, eating him alive. The pain clawed into his very soul, but yet death would not come. His body laid there, unflinching as the insects had their way, feeling every wriggle and slime of their bodies as they slid under his skin.

Bones crunched in his teeth as blood dripped down his chin. The fresh taste of gooey flesh slid down his throat. Sharp teeth bore down again into the side of a chocolate eyed male's neck as the male's head fell from his body, giving him a good chunk of flesh to chew. The taste was revolting, but he craved it. He HAD to have it. He had to have more! His teeth dug into the male's skull, crushing the skull as the inner organs began to dribble into his mouth. He had to have more; this one would never be enough.

The screams had died down for now, but that wouldn't last for long.

https://youtu.be/_SkUsk07Z-I

"Why are you doing this?" It was the pained and frantic cry of Shu. He could see his tied down to a table.

"Shu... everyone dies sometime." His demonic voice betrayed him as he sharpened his fangs, "It's a simple concept really. You just have to think, 'Did my life meaning anything? Did I die with a purpose? Will my memory be left when I'm gone?' All are important questions you see." He walked towards Shu; he could feel the murderous intent grasping at every fibre of his being.

"But..." Shu whispered through the pain and tears, "I won't have died for a good purpose... if you kill me." Shu sobbed. "How could you do this to me?"

He raised his hand and petted Shu's face. He leaned in close to him, there was an attraction he could never describe as having felt before. His breath was hot and his body betrayed his mind, "If you don't know the reason by now, you'll never understand. This is just how things have to be." He stepped back from his prey.

Shu only looked confused, but he would rectify that look. He gripped his scalpel and placed it at the base of Shu's hip, and sliced down his leg. Pain overtook Shu's face and voice as he began eating. After all, he had to prepare the food to be just right.

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Valt stumbled back. His head kicked back instinctively, wanting to escape from the horrors inside of Shu's mind. He fell off the bed, crawled to the corner and curled into the ball. He was breathing heavily, frantic and panicked. It had only taken a few seconds to complete, but the rush of all the dream memories flooded him all at once.

Those dreams were horrific... and so real... he had felt everything in those dreams, even though dreams should not normally contain such vivid feelings. The monsters that attacked him... the feel of bugs crawling all throughout his skin and organs...the gagging taste of flesh in his throat... the torture... the acts he had committed... he wanted to vomit.

"Shu?" Came a scared, timid, almost hushed voice.

Shu woke up and looked down at his blue haired friend. He was trembling, trembling with fear as tears streamed down his chocolate eyes. That was right... these were the dreams they were having... the dreams that were terrifying them, the dreams that he had come to him for help with...

"Valt..." Shu finally muttered, swallowing back his own emotions and stomach contents, "I... I had no idea..." he said shakily getting to his feet and slowly walking back to his friend. He had to be strong right now.

"Shu..." Valt sniffed through his sobs, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry you saw them..." he closed his eyes, gasping for air through his sobs. Shu quickly moved next to Valt, taking him into an embrace to hold him tight. Valt cried desperately into Shu's shoulder. Shu held his dear friend, making sure he knew he had all of his support. The images may have had made his stomach twist, but his friend was more important than that.

"It's okay Valt..." Shu said once Valt's sobs had started to calm down, "I can see how much these dreams have been eating at us... the Valt in those dreams is not you. So we just have to figure out why we're having them." Shu said, letting his friend dearly know that he had in fact kept his promise. The Valt in his arms was nothing like the Valt that appeared in the dreams. Valt slowly nodded his head in agreement, before finally being able to stop his tears and let go of Shu.

They heard the front door knocked.

"What was that?" Valt asked in a shivered voice.