#nbrpc event

Keigo ran around the corner of the street and almost collapsed in relief. Ichigo, Orihime, Uryuu, Chad, Mizuiro and Rukia were here, meaning this was only probably a repeat of that one time the whole town fell asleep and they all almost died.

"Hey guys!" he called, waving, "where's everyone else?"

They didn't answer, just kept talking, relaxed and happy. They were laughing! Even Ichigo. "Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Still no answer - not cool.

"Guys this isn't funny," as he approached the group he slowed, frowning. "I know you can see me everyone here can see invisible monsters so even if I got hit by a bus back there you'd be able to tell me."

Which he hadn't, because there were no buses running at the moment.

"Well we're finally all here, we should go, or we'll miss the show."

Ichigo said.

"Aha - you can see me!" Keigo said, except for right that second Orihime started jumping up and down, waving.

"Heya Tastuki! We were worried you weren't coming?"

"Tastu-" Keigo stopped as the black haired girl passed right through him. She didn't even flinch. "-ki?" As she joined the group they started to walk up, and the panic that had been pushed the back of his mind roarer to life, practically strangling him.

"NO! Don't go guys you can see me I know you can you-" he almost grabbed Chad's sleeve but the second he should have gotten a hold of his jacket - they were gone.

No, not gone, just further up the street than possible, turning the corner until they were gone. The silence fell around Keigo like a blanket, and he fought back the urge to scream just to hear something.

"Come back guys," he said. No one appeared, and he knew even if they had they'd have ignored him. "Please don't leave me here."

"No,no no please.."

She was now standing with wide eyes over the body of Minato Namikaze. The fourth Hokage. Her husband. The love of her life. The father of her  son. Her son..it had failed.He was dead too.Words could not explain the feeling she had inside of her in this moment. She screamed. 

"Kurama! How could you do this!" she was livid. Her eyes stung with tears and she was now standing there with clenched fists. Staring at the tailed beast who was now residing in it's giant 'cage' in her mind, she was bound to strike. Though the demon fox was peering in the darkness, she could see the smile that was etched on his face. 

"Me,Kushina? me?" he growled. "This was your doing.. I didn't know you were capable of being so..daft. I used to like you. when you bit before you spoke. Now..you're just a useless failure. Who killed her own husband. They'll be coming after you once they discover you. Without Mito,no one will be so understanding."

She bit down on her lip. Hard. 

"I didn't want this,you know! I was told to fill myself with love and the darkness of you would go away! but without..without my family I have no love." she fell to her knees.

Now, hands had gathered her red hair in bunches,crouched over the bodies of her only family. The tears were falling, and she know was feeling a void inside of her. They were coming to get her. A familiar fire was wrapping itself around the woman,a red glare collecting her eyes; she stayed there however, crouched over. 

She had never activated Kurama in her life. 

The Daimyou's palace was burning, and Asuma wanted to scream. How could they? How could they betray everything they'd fought for. How could they kill people they'd fought alongside for years how-

Someone stumbled in the smoke and carnage and he turned, trench knives up only to come face to face with his team. They were smoke singed and blood spattered, but alive.

"Merciful Bodhisattva," he said, "what are you guys even doing here?" He reached out out for Chouji who was closest, frowning when he swayed away.

"Step aside, Asuma," Shikamaru said. "We don't want this to end this way."

"What?" Asuma asked, mind completely incapable of processing the words coming from his students. Were they even old enough to be here? Shouldn't he be talking to...names and faces fled his mind. So he pushed the thought away.

"Since when do you call me Asuma?"

"Move," Ino said, voice flat, "we were friends, once. This doesn't have to end like this."

"End like what?" he asked, only to have to throw himself to the ground to dodge Chouji's enlarged fist. "What are you guys-" he rolled to avoid Ino's kunai, also kicking himself up and off the wall to get around Shikamaru's shadows. Dammit.

"Just give up, there's no use protecting an old man in charge of an outdated system," the words niggled at the back of Asuma's mind, but sounded wrong coming from Shikamaru. "Join us, or we will remove you from the equation."

"I'm not going to fight you three, this is ridiculous." Shikamaru's shadows scythed out like black blades, but it was Chouji who spoke.

"Then you die."

Cold. Dark. Empty.

The heavy atmosphere made it difficult for the shinigami to breathe. He looked around. Where he is, and what he's doing... He doesn't know. All he knows is that he's there, in that void.

The deafening silence broke, as a booming screech rang -- it was a familiar sound, followed by a thud that made the ground shake.

The shinigami unsheathed his sword. Why? Because he felt like he had to. However, at the moment that his blade was set free from its scabbard, the male began trembling, and his heartbeat gradually increasing its pace.

Fear. Why was he afraid? What causes him to fear?

The sounds grew louder and closer. Then, it stopped. Hisagi froze upon seeing the creatures that stood before him -- hollows... and huge ones: the first was the one which almost killed him when he was just a child; the second was the hollow that left that notable scar on his face; and the last one, the biggest of the group, was the giant hollow that wiped out Hisagi and his fellow lieutenants at the Winter War.

Cold sweat rolled on the sides of his face. His paralyzed legs and arms quivered more. Should he run, or should he fight? Whichever he chose, he can't do so because his body won't move.

A loud and familiar demonic cackle sent chills down the shinigami's spine.

"Isn't it about time that you use me to my full potential eh, partner?" The voice spoke in a mocking tone.

"...sh..shut up...!" The shinigami muttered, as he rolled his eyes to seek for the speaker.

"My purpose is to reap lives! To kill! What's so scary about that, huh?!"

"I--!" Chains rattled at the slight movement of Hisagi's hand which felt...cold. Returning his gaze at the sword in hand, he found himself holding his zanpakutou's released form instead, drenched in blood, as well as his hands, clothes, arms, and face.

"What, you think you won't be able to control your powers and end up killing everyone around you?"

Startled by the speaker, Hisagi took a small step backwards. Feeling his foot hit something on the floor, he set his eyes on the ground and looked around.

Blood painted the floor crimson. Corpses that seemed like they were cut by a very sharp blade scattered around him.

"I... I-It wasn't--" The gruesome sight drained the colour out of the lieutenant. Did he do this? When? How? Why? He doesn't know.

"It's fun, isn't it?" A dark figure emerged from the shadows, and stood behind Hisagi. Engulfing the shinigami in darkness, the grim being motioned the male to raise his weapon, placing the blood-soaked steel before his eyes.

"...n-no... no.... this is... i-it's not... I... I didn't... I didn't do it...!" The lieutenant mumbled in fragments as he slowly shook his head.

"You know what's the best thing I experienced?" The figure cracked a wide devilish grin. "Tearing your ex-captain's throat."

"You remember it, do ya, partner?"

The raven-haired's trembling intensified. He opened his mouth to speak - to drive his zanpakutou spirit away. But not even a puff of air escaped from his parted lips.

"Speaking of which, your boss was talking shit about that ex-captain of yours, eh? Don't you feel like... piercing this blade right at him?"

"ENOUGH--!!" Hisagi yelled at the top of his lungs, driving the shadow away. In that same instant, the blood and corpses disappeared, and his zapakutou returned to its sealed state. The terrified male fell to his knees, still shivering. He hung his head low, sweat and tears falling on the ground. "...enough..."

Silence.

After composing himself, Hisagi lifted his head and looked around. He was alone in this vast, empty space.

The nightmare's over.

A flash appeared right before his eyes. And the next thing he knew, there's an excruciating pain on his right eye. Blood gushed from the right side of his face.

The nightmare's just beginning.

The hollow looming over him, its claws stained by his very blood; the trauma of that incident rendered the shinigami motionless. He's terrified and helpless. He wanted to scream, but nothing came out of his mouth. The hollow raised its sharp claws again, preparing to strike. All the hapless shinigami can do was cower in fear and quietly cry like a child.

The hollow launched its attack, its claws quickly rushing towards the shinigami until someone thwarted the attack.

Neji watched the unknown person drive his fist into Hinata's gut and felt rage well inside him. "Fight, Hinata," he said, letting the honorific fall in hopes it would shock her into acting. "Fight dammit, you're better than him."

Hinata didn't fight, instead she looked up just as a leg came up and caught her across the ribs -

Lee's body hit the wall with a sickening crack. Neji struggled to stand and get to him - get between him and the attacker, but he couldn't. "Get up, Lee. Get up." His voice was raw from yelling at the chuunin, though he never seemed to hear. This time, at least, he looked up -

Hanabi's face was covered in dirt and forming bruises, her eyes swimming with tears. Which made no sense, Hanabi didn't cry, and she certainly didn't lose. "Hanabi you must get up," Neji called across the arena, "you-"

"Neji-nii," finally, "why?" What? "why are-"

"you doing this?" Tenten was struggling to her feet as she spoke, blood dripping from her nose. "Neji, why?"

I'm not doing anything Neji tried to say. I can't even move.

But he was moving, his fist, laced with chakra, driving toward her heart. Neji tried to pull back, to stop, but it was like he wasn't in control. Like a puppet. A tool.

Tenten didn't even try to dodge the hit, falling the ground, limp and lifeless-

his blue eyes stared wide, tan already bleaching as life fled his body. Naruto's blond hair even seemed to shine less.

"Weak," Neji heard the words in his voice, from his body, and felt a chill. "Pathetic losers, all of you."

No. Neji tried to break through whatever was taking over his body, I'm not that person anymore. Get out get out get-

and like that he was. Out, and staring up at...himself. A harder him. Eyes cold, face impassive and freckled with blood. "Stop crying. You're the strongest. You proved it."

I'm not crying, he almost said, and then realized that was a lie.

Another tear hit the ground as not-Him started to laugh.

The house was silent - or had been silent - until she heard a creak upstairs. Surprised, she grinned realizing someone had developed the habit of coming in through the window. She'd driven her parent mad doing so herself, but it kept from tracking mud and who knew what through the house.

Climbing the stairs, she tried to gauge where they were - and which boy it was - decided eventually to give up and just start opening doors. She found him on her second try, on his bed. Naturally.

"Long mission?" she asked her son, entering into his room without waiting for him to answer. When none came at all, she frowned, walking over to shake him -

and he rolled off the bed, dozens of kunai in his chest and stomach. Shrieking, Yoshino didn't pull away, but all but leapt on top of him. "Shikamaru?" she groped for a pulse and found none.

No. No no no.

"Sweetie," she tried again, leaning down and listening for breath. More of nothing. He was cold under her fingers, and tears blurred her eyes. "No no no," she said, out loud this time as if that's what was needed to convince him to be alive.

At a loss, she called out for the one person she trusted as much as herself when it came to Shikamaru. "Shikaku! Shikaku!"

There was a thump, and Yoshino turned to find her husband sprawled on the ground. The blood from his and Shikamaru's bodies seeped rapidly into Yoshino's dress, and she blinked, uncomprehending.

  "No..." her breath escaped while it quickened.

nightmare [nahyt-mair]

noun: a terrifying dream in which the dreamer experiences feelings of helplessness, extreme anxiety, sorrow, etc.

Have you ever experienced a situation where you were absolutely terrified?

Do you have a fear, something you don't wish to come to pass? Or a memory that still gives you chills?

This is the time for you to face it.

Whilst each and every single one of you are ready to settle in for the night, an eerie, sickening heaviness seeps into the air, bleeding into your senses. The effects vary, but they all share a common denominator.

Your eyelids droop, and as you steadily slip into a drunken haze, you fall into slumber. Trapped in a cage of unconsciousness, it is here that you are forced to confront your deepest, darkest fears.

For those who were fortunate enough to escape this fate, some may find themselves in someone else's dream.

For the even less fortunate, you may find yourselves experiencing both.

You have a choice.

You can team up and rise against your inner demons, the embodiments of your very pain-- or you can leave your companion helpless.

The choice is yours.

((MORE INFORMATION:

The event begins now, so RPers may begin posting as soon as they like! 

You don't have to confine yourself to visiting just one person's dream. Visit as many as you'd like, knock yourself out! This is a good chance for you to interact with someone you’ve yet to!

Yes, three way threads and the like are allowed, if you'd like more than one other character in your character's dream at once

The event will last 1 week OOC and 1 night IC

As usual, participation in NBRPC events is not compulsory, but you need to at least acknowledge that this event is taking place. 

The event will end at the stroke of midnight on October 12th (Timezone: Selangor, Malaysia)

An end event post will be made when it ends, so don't trouble yourselves over how your characters would get out of this just yet. If you have any questions, please ask!

We’re not unreasonable; threads may be continued even after the event has ended as we understand everyone has RL to consider as well. However, new threads on this are not allowed to be started once the event is over