Day Two: Morning

[Bujin]

Bujin had been trailing Celipa for quite some time now. At first it was merely because he was tired and injured ? his head was in some serious pain. That pain had dulled down some, despite the somewhat new pain in his abdomen where he had been burnt by the shock rifle. Now he was following her because he was somewhat embarrassed of his?condition. He knew that she had been eyeing him for some time due to his more-than-random comments to the internal voices. She occasionally slowed down so that he could catch up, but something deep inside was telling him to stay behind.

?Geez, Bujin,? Celipa said finally as she slowed to a halt. ?Wanna take a rest??

Bujin clicked his tongue. He hadn?t slept much since he arrived on the island, and the prospect of sleep didn?t seem too shabby in the blue man?s mind. However, despite the friendship that they had woven in such a short time, Bujin couldn?t help but feel a bit paranoid. Under normal circumstances, he would have trusted Celipa with his life. However, Dante?s Abyss was far from normal. The thought of him going to sleep peacefully and Celipa blowing his small head off with her boomstick was less that encouraging. Nevertheless, he decided to take a chance and take Celipa?s offer. Laying his head down on a flattened rock, he closed his eyes and let the darkness of sleep envelop him.

Bujin awoke in some sort of office. The lights had been turned off, but the light peeking through the curtains illuminated the room to the point where immediate obstacles could be seen. The room was uninhabited, but the cups of coffee as well as the active computers suggested that the room had been used recently. Since it was a dream, Bujin didn?t realize that anything about the situation was different. Walking towards the computer, he bent down and tried to glance at the screen. There was, sure enough, a picture of himself in the upper-right corner and had some of his more personal information next to it. He would have opted to read it, but a variety of background voices halted him and made him stand up straight once more.

What?s going on?

I believe he?s dreaming.

Can you get a read on what he?s dreaming?

Sure, just give me a moment.

Bujin frowned. Who were they talking about? Memories of the real world began to flood into his mind, as voices were somewhat familiar to him. One of the voices sounded familiar, but he couldn?t place a finger on it. The other voice didn?t ring any sort of bell, but he knew he had something to do with him. Then it clicked. Were they talking about him? He had figured out by now that he was dreaming. The information on the screen, the voices ? it all became clear.

Well? What is it?

He?s?here, sir. It must be a side-effect from the implants.

Well, fix i?

?Bujin!? Celipa?s voice interjected, causing him to jolt back into consciousness. ?We should go. I see something ahead.?

?O?okay,? Bujin rubbed his temple.

Are you okay? Rae inquired, sounding a little bit out of breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Bujin assured.

What was happening to him?