Everyone dreams. Some dream a lot, some dream only a little. But at least once in a life time a person may receive a cryptic message in their unconscious. It was up to them to decipher it or let it dissolve back into meaningless bits of memory, settled in the bottom of their subconscious mind. Maybe never allowing it to resurface again. The first night of the program, Mitsuko rested after her encounter with the Etou girl. It was dark, too dark to be wandering about in plain sight. Not wanting the spend the night with a body she found a near by shed and blocked its entrance, dropped her bag to the floor and flopped onto a small bed with an old lumpy mattress. Better than nothing she supposed. "3 days..3 days..." total silence. The shed was small and rickety, she could hear the wind howling and beating against the sheds frame. 3 days was a short time to live but an excruciatingly long time to sit and think. About life, how you lived it, how you wanted to live it, the sheer unfairness of it all. She fell asleep. But she didn't dream it was just darkness. Yet somehow Mitsuko felt aware of it. As if she were floating in some big blank space until she opened her eyes again and realized she had drifted off. She peaked through a window and saw the sun's light peeping over the horizon "Shit. I slept too long." she mused uncomfortably, gathering her things and setting out. "But what a beautiful sunrise."

Next was Yoshimi and Yoji. They were naive and in love yet Mitsuko felt nothing for them. Yoshimi that idiot, trusting in a man to protect her. Had she forgotten where she was? The program. The all or nothing life or death program. Mitsuko had seen her "friend" enter the woods from the residential area and decided to follow. Her mind working quickly on how to use the girl to her advantage. She saw that she had a gun. That was good. Yoshimi trusted her. That was even better.

Before she could make her move Yoji rushed in. His presence destroyed any chance of exploiting Yoshimi further but at least she got the gun. Too easy. Yoshimi was too trusting. Even if they had survived further into the game it would have happened eventually. They would have turned on each other. Mitsuko smiled "Trust no one." she thought. Feeling empowered by the piece of cold steel she now clutched in her hand. She had used a gun once or twice in the past. It wasn't too hard. And Luck was on her side.

We're like sisters, Mitsuko!

It's like we understand each other, huh?

We'll look out for each other. I trust you to guide me, Mitsuko...

Souma blinked.

Stop daydreaming, Mitsuko. It could have never been that way. Even without the program. You felt nothing for that girl. You feel for nobody.

Mitsuko zeroed in on her next target. "Winning this is all that matters, Souma." she whispered quietly to herself to block the voices out.

"I know this is like cheating but I can't just let the opportunity slip by." Mitsuko said behind an unaware Chigusa's back right before pulling the trigger.

Once again night loomed closer. She checked the map but there was no shelter besides the forest itself.

Under the trees Mitsuko dreamed about Yoshimi and how her body lay limp across Yoji's. All she could see was what she left of them. She dreampt about how hours would pass and turn into days and their bodies were still lying there never to be discovered.

Really? You mean we can hangout? Y-you want to hang out with me?

Yoshimi had been shocked Mitsuko, friendly on the outside, completely indifferent on the inside.

Even after all those bad things happened. When you watched those men ravage me. I was still your friend Mitsuko...

Internally Mitsuko sneered. Idiot

Why did you do this to me, Mitsuko? Why?

Mitsuko twitched in her sleep. Trying to push the ever persistent yet light spoken voice away.

You were my friend, Mitsuko. I...

"Yeah we're friends now, right?"

Mitsuko remembered hearing Yoshimi saying that to her one day at the mall. It was a loud and boisterous atmosphere full of Christmas shoppers. Mitsuko almost didn't hear it. "H-uh?" she had replied turning her head from the clothing display. Damn that designer blouse was expensive.

Yoshimi blushed and looked away as if something far off caught her interest. "Oh nothing nothing...its just..." Mitsuko waited for her response. "Its just...I hope I don't come off as clingy but we do hang out a lot anyway. I don't know if its on purpose or just a coincidence but we always manage to find each other. Huh..."

"And you helped me through that first year. I got bullied a lot." Yoshimi started to twiddle her thumbs knowing she was telling Mitsuko what she already knew.

"I guess." was all Mitsuko said to that. Then she smiled "I guess you can say we are friends." This caused Yoshimi to jump " Really? Oh you really mean that?" Mitsuko nodded passively. "Thank you, Mitsuko!" for a second Souma thought the girl was going to reach out and hug her but Yoshimi stopped herself, clasping her hands behind her back. "I...thank you. You know know what this means."

Bad things have happened to both of us..

But if we stick together...

We can save ourselves...

Mitsuko's dream shifted again. Back to the apartment. The sex the drugs. And for the first time Mitsuko got a second look at Yoshimi's face. How sad she looked. She had never bothered but a passing glance. For those brief moments Mitsuko saw herself in Yoshimi's eyes. Her panicked pain filled eyes. The girl was trusting. Stupidly trusting. She remembered watching the poor girl writhe under the weight of all those dirty men, and how every once in a while she could see Yoshimi's face from under the pile staring straight at her with a look that would shame even the coldest of the cold hearts. But only now in this dream did it seep in. Only now did it register.

Make them stop! It hurts! Make them STOP!MITSUKO, PLEASE!

Those seconds right after waking, when the dream is its freshest, she woke up woke up feeling highly disturbed. She cursed, this was the last place to start loosing your nerve. "I'm playing to win. Regret nothing..." she steeled herself and continued her hunt. Minutes passed and it were as if the dream never came.

What do you think? Comments please.