Picture, if you would, Ataru Moroboshi nonchalantly walking down the street in the dead of night, being followed by a hyperactive blue alligator. Now turn him upside down. Why? Well, because he could, and why the hell not? Actually, as it happened only those with a keen spiritual awareness had the slightest chance of seeing him right about then, and most of those had the common sense to be asleep at this ungodly hour. Or, at the very least, were awake because of other reasons (for example, a pervert invading their dreams) that precluded actually leaving their homes. In short, of the one or two people actually awake and outside at the time in the streets of Tomobiki, none of them could actually perceive him. Unless you count figments of his own imagination. But whatever, in his own mind Ataru looked cool as ice. The best part was that the blood wasn’t even rushing to his head or anything because, hell, he wasn’t physically there to begin with! It was amazing, really. Sort of like the time Cherry’s potion ejected him from his body. Here’s hoping the old nuisance was safely asleep. Last thing he wanted was another exorcism attempt by the little old freak.
“Hey, boss!” his blue alligator buddy said, playfully nudging his shoulder with his snout. “This place looks familiar, don’t it? Isn’t this where that chick you liked lives?”
Ataru turned to his imaginary buddy and let loose his most innocent grin, which was still leaps and bounds more perverted than any ordinary smile had any right to be and said, “Gonna have to be a bit more specific. Hang on, now that you mention it…” It was a bit of a strange sight watching him right himself, fully rotating around his own head until he was, to all appearances, either standing in the street or hovering inches above it depending on how closely a hypothetical observer (and as already discussed, there were none) happened to look at him.
“Oh, hey,” he said. “Looks like my wandering feet have taken me to Shinobu’s place again.”
“Maybe it’s a sign, boss!” the blue alligator insisted. “Come on, let’s say hi!”
Before Ataru could say a word, the little blue scamp had scurried off towards Shinobu’s room like a little lost puppy. Weirdly adorable, and it was odd how often that description popped up in his life these days. Well, who was he to argue with a figment of his own imagination? Off he went, floating up to Shinobu’s room where he poked in his head and playfully called out, “Knock knock!”
Of course, she was out cold. Like a light. Why, she didn’t even seem to notice the blue alligator sitting on her bed and licking her face. Ataru chuckled a little to himself and scratched the back of his head, then suddenly felt a little bit awkward about where he was and what he was actually doing there. He was about to leave, when Shinobu suddenly tossed around in her bed quite violently, with the cutest little scowl on her face. Even kicked out her leg a little.
“Wonder what she’s dreaming about,” Ataru wondered aloud.
“Why not take a look?” the alligator asked.
“No door,” Ataru shrugged. “Can’t enter her dreams unless I can find… A door just like that.”
He slapped his forehead and chuckled. How had he missed that? Well, the answer was obvious. It wasn’t half as visible as the others he had seen. It was like looking at a suspiciously shaped dust cloud, if you didn’t know what you were really looking at then you had no chance of finding it. Almost no chance. He stepped forward, and wasn’t particularly surprised when his hand went right through the knob as though it wasn’t even there. So, Ataru stepped back, spat in his hands, rubbed them together and tried again. More gingerly this time.
His hand clasped the door knob, but only barely. It was like holding onto a feather. It needed a light touch, lest your grip destroy the very thing you try to hold. He slowly, carefully turned his wrist and felt some satisfaction at feeling the door creak open -
The very next thing Ataru knew, he was being pulled into another location. It felt different to the others in a way he couldn’t quite explain, like he was being pulled against his will through treacle. He couldn’t stop himself from going forward, but at the same time there was a sort of resistance, something in his way that he had to push himself through by sheer force of will…
And when it all passed by, he was right where he left off. Standing in Shinobu’s room, facing her dresser. The only difference seemed to be that it was daytime. Ataru shook his head, overcome by a strange dizzy feeling - Then saw something in the reflection in the small mirror atop the dresser that sent away all feelings of illness that had just been plaguing him. A perfect cure-all for whatever ails! The sight, the glorious, wondrous sight of Shinobu getting dressed!
“Shi-no-bu!” he called, spinning around to pounce and embrace the half-dressed girl without particularly much thought regarding the state his spine might wind up in after such a careless action. Not that it even got that far. How could it, when all of a sudden Shinobu’s room disappeared and in its place their classroom popped into existence, full of their fellow students sitting at their desks and scribbling furiously while the insufferable dolt Onsen-Mark prattled on and on about stuff that didn’t even matter.
“Moroboshi!” the teacher snapped mid-rant that was apparently a lesson. “Stop throwing your voice!”
Ataru looked around and saw another him seated at a desk, pointing at himself with a completely stupid-looking expression on his face. “Who, me?” the other him said in a peculiarly high pitched and goofy voice. “I didn’t do anything!”
At which point he was electrocuted by Lum. Not an entirely uncommon occurrence, though it was a little strange seeing it happen from an outsider’s perspective. As was the sudden make-out session at his desk, which - <i>Damn</i>, that was inexplicably hot.
“Oh, Ataru!” Shinobu sniffed. “Can’t you see how rotten she is for you? Why is it that men always go for the exotic and new, when us perfectly normal girls are pretty great as well!”
“Aw, man, that’s so sad!” the little blue alligator exclaimed, dabbing at its eyes with a handkerchief. “I can’t stop the tears flowing!”
Ataru mulled that over a moment and peered closely at the little figment of his imagination. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” he said, “but in the West, doesn’t the phrase ‘crocodile tears’ mean someone that’s only pretending to cry or feel sympathy?”
“Yes, boss,” the alligator said. “Still really sad, though! And hey! We’re on a beach!”
“Why are we jumping around these locations like this?” Ataru asked, taking the time to leer at a couple of bikini-clad babes (that looked suspiciously like girls from their class with exaggerated measurements). “And where are those little guys that’re supposed to set these dreams up?”
“Dunno,” the alligator said, splashing around in the water with great enthusiasm. “Maybe it’s a different kinda dream to those? I mean, most dreams ain’t got no script, they’re just random thoughts flying through your head as you sleep. Sort of a way to help you sort out issues you got on an unconscious level, that sorta thing.”
Ataru reached down and picked up a fistful of sand, allowing it to run through his fingers. So… This was a different kind of dream to the others, huh? Meant he couldn’t manipulate it quite so easily, but he could obviously still have an effect on it in some way. Maybe, just maybe, if he made it so that he introduced a little order to chaos, he could help Shinobu sort out her issues a little more effectively… As well as have a little fun all to himself. Ataru grinned. Alright then. Where should he start?
- Ataru finds the dream Shinobu, and is able to have a conversation with her.
- Ataru takes the place of the dream Ataru, and manipulates the dream that way.
- Ataru takes on the role of dream director.
- Ataru manipulates the dream another way.
- Meanwhile, Ran and Sakura deal with their own increasingly perverted dreams.
- Something else
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