Haru’s Love (A Stepbrothers BL Harem) - Chapter 98

Dreams were like a mixture of reality and fantasy. Nothing seemed or felt real, yet there you were, seeing and experiencing everything. It was like you were in a movie theatre and watching a film, only this one you were part of the film, interacting with the characters.

In my dream, I saw some very beautiful colors, bright and vibrant, of an assortment of flowers, bushes, and cherry blossom and magnolia trees. I saw an array and layers of kimono silks wrapping around a slender body. I saw long, silky dark hair framing a delicate, beautiful face; a face that was gazing at me, at a mirror.

I was staring at myself, and I looked like a dolled-up young lady back in the Heian era of Japan. To say she was breathtakingly beautiful was an understatement. I didn’t have any doubt most men would fall at her feet, for sure.

The scene changed and shifted and I saw a pair of hands—fair, delicate, and slender—holding a black cat. They were my hands, and I was stroking the cat. The feline raised its head and looked at me. Then it licked at my hand, and I chuckled.

My view shifted again and I saw a man with long golden hair fluttering in the wind. The man was standing there and looking into the distance, his back to me. Something about him, the way he stood, his broad back and his presence made me feel at ease. He reminded me of someone dear to me, someone I loved with my heart and soul.

I reached out, wanting to grab on to the sleeve of his kimono, but all I touched was air. Why couldn’t I touch him? Ah, that was right. This was merely a dream, so of course, I couldn’t touch him.

As if sensing me behind him, the man turned. His hazel-green eyes were twinkling as he smiled down at me. “Haru,” he greeted me. “Ohayo.”

“Hazuki,” I found myself saying, staring at his beautiful face; a face that made my heart ache with longing. “Will you take me to see Shiro and Eiichi again today?”

His smile widened. “Of course.”

The scene shifted again, and I found myself playing with a beautiful white fox, me chasing after him, laughing and enjoying myself. Sleeping soundly not too far away was a large snake and next to that snake was Hazuki, stroking the black cat on his lap.

The fox was fast, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t catch him. Then I tripped, and I found myself falling, and instead of forward, I was falling backward, like I was falling down a cliff’s edge into the endless darkness down below. Above me, I saw the fox shouting to me, “Haru!”

I screamed in panic and fear, “Shiro!”

I found myself landing hard on the ground, and before me, fire was raging, burning down everything within its path: the forest, the houses in the village, and people running about in a panicky state, screaming. I saw Hazuki within the fire, and fear loomed over me like an inferno. I scrambled up and raced toward him, crying out his name. “Hazuki! Hazuki!”

In the mist of the fire, I saw me as little Haru having fun and playing with Aiden, Noah, Reo, Mason, and Isaac. I saw Mom and Dad laughing merrily.

Mom turned and saw the current me watching them. She smiled and called out to me, “Haru, come here.”

I felt my heart soar with happiness, and I mindlessly raced toward her, Hazuki forgotten. I couldn’t wait to be with her again and hug her tight against me. I couldn’t believe it! She was alive.

I was so happy that the disaster fulminating around me didn’t matter, that Hazuki patiently waiting for me in the fire on the other side to go to him didn’t matter. In fact, I paid no heed to my surroundings nor Hazuki. I simply wanted to be with Mom, as she was everything to me.

There she was, waiting for me to join her, a bright smile playing across her lips.

Mom, I’m coming, I thought, but then as I got close, her image started to fade, along with the others: people, forest, the houses in the village, and the fire. Hazuki, too. Surrounding me now was a street with buildings and cars. A modern-day environment.

It felt like everything had frozen in place, as if time had stopped, and I just stood there, staring at a car in front of me. Mom and Dad were inside it.

I suddenly felt paralyzed as I stared at them, and I went into a cold sweat when it started moving in an agonizingly slow motion along with everything else that surrounded me. Then it sped up and another vehicle came slamming into Mom and Dad’s car, veering it to the side of the road, and I watched in horror as I screamed on the inside.

I woke up with a start, panting and sweating and shaking.

“Haru! Haru!”

Aiden’s voice was soft but urgent as he called out to me. For a moment, I stared blindly into space, shocked and freaked out as hell. Then I shifted my gaze to Aiden and said, my voice trembling, “Aiden?”

I touched him, to make sure he was real, to make sure this wasn’t just a dream. Because in dreams, you couldn’t touch. In reality, you could.

He felt hard and warm against my palms. He was real, and I relaxed, sighing a breath of relief.

Aiden cupped my face and looked deep into my eyes for a moment. He must have seen the terror within me, and he hugged me tightly. I gladly accepted the comfort and closed my eyes, savoring the moment.

When he moved back, he asked, “You okay?”

I mutely nodded. “It was just a dream,” I said softly. “Nothing more. Just a dream.”

“Hmm…” Aiden said softly. “It was just a dream. It’s better to forget about it.”

I nodded again. “Mm-hmm. Better to forget about it. Just a dream.” I sighed and then closed my eyes again. Soon, I fell into a deep slumber.. This time, there was no dream, and I was glad.