(Paprika was not created by me, or thought of by me. This work was created originally by Yasutaka Tsutsui. and then made into a animated movie by Kon satoshi. My story will follow Kon satoshi's work. I have no legal rights to Paprika. I own nothing, but the idea for this story.)

"Don't get in the way of my dream!" I yelled at him, easily following his struggling movements with my hands.

I had the upper hand I would kill him. I would take the still sleeping Chiba and leave this place. The metal wire he had dreamed up would do its job.

"This is my dream. You get out!"He yelled back at me.

He elbowed me in the ribs; I lost my grip on him stunned by the pain. The metal wire fell from his neck. He slammed his elbow into me again and pushed me off him. He stood on his feet and I stared up at him. It was not suppose to happen like this. This was my dream . . . I was the ruler here. He kicked me against the door knocking the wind out of me; I coughed, spit flying from my mouth and looked up at him.

"I . . . am Justice," He said slowly, pulling out a small gun from his inner pocket.

My eyes widened. Big or small guns killed. I did not want to die. I looked over to Chiba. I would come back for her. I would lead this fool into a trap and come back to rescue her. I struggled to open the doors, wiggling the handle clumsy fingers aiming for the lock. It opened and I crawled out running down the hall. He followed.

Idiot.

As soon as he stepped out, he would see the same dream that had plagued him for all these months. The same dream that had made him seek the help of Paprika. I knew it had caught him off guard knew it had shaken him up; to be put right back in the nightmare after feeling as if he had won some sort of contest. This had to be a crushing blow to his pride.

I turned back to sneer at him after making it to the hallway door.

"How's that for traumatic?"

I opened the door and began to run. Let him sit there and suffer with his demons. Let his mind rot in the forever-reoccurring nightmare. I would now be free to claim her. Atsuko was mine. She was mine I would get her. I had escaped.

I felt the pain of an object enter my body. My strides were unbalanced. I looked down seeing the blood. He shot me. That son of a bitch shot me. He was not supposed to shoot. He wasn't supposed to move. Why? Not like this. It was painful.

"That hurts," I muttered. They were the only words I could think of, the only words that fit.

The world turned dark as I fell forever . . . falling. I was dying. I was going to die from a gun wound. No, I was not ready yet. I wanted Atsuko. I wanted to see her, to touch her, to speak with her. No, why did it have to happen this way, why?

I had been so patient . . . so careful. And still I had lost her. I had been so determined and faithful to my abilities to make my dreams come true. And I had failed. A detective had taken me out. A man who did not even, love Chiba, had saved her and killed me. No . . . he loved her other form, Paprika. He loved the idea of being a hero. He would never lover her as I did.

Blood was spilling from my mouth, from my wound. If this was truly a dream, why did it hurt? Why was this pain so real? I felt my hands sliding against a cool surface. It was a window, a laboratory. Atsuko. I had gone to her. My body . . . our spirits must have touched for me to be called to her. I felt my legs trying to give out and I moved to go to her. She was close—so very close I had to see her. Atsuko. If I must die, I wanted her face to be the last thing I saw.

I rounded the corner. I heard her gasp. She was here. I looked up at her. Beautiful. That all I could think. Her dark hair flowing, her eyes wide and dark, her porcelain skin, the mature air surrounding her. It was Astuko, my beloved. I reached for her. She did not move. Atsuko, I opened my mouth and suddenly froze.

No, not yet, I wanted to hold her once, just once before I died. But as my body began to disappear to merge with the dream world, a thought passed through my head.

I always knew she would be the death of me.