A/N: Hey, guys. So this is a fanfiction that I came up with in 2012-2013. I had wanted to wait until this was done completely to upload it so I could avoid making people wait for updates, but life happened. And it took 5 years. 5 years to finish this story. I don't know if anyone else has had this problem before but let this be a lesson to everyone who is reading. With that, I present to you my story Please Remember Me.


Someone…

Anyone…

Please help…

It's so dark

I can't see

I can't get out

I want to get out

I want to leave this place

Please get me out

I'm scared

Someone… please…

Help me


There was no light, but there was noise. Muffled, at least, some sounds were clearer than others, but they were still muffled. Aside from that, it felt rather peaceful, with the mind floating about wherever it wished. No particular thought stayed for long. Nothing was discernible from anything. No one and nothing around to disturb the fleeting sense of disembodiment from the world. No one and nothing to be bothered by…

"Ib!"

Ib's entire being jolted awake, although her eyes were still closed.

"Ib~! Yoo hoo! Wake up, sleepyhead!"

Ib felt someone grab both her shoulders and gently nudge her around a bit.

"Mmmmm..." Ib groaned.

"Hey! Snap out of it, Dreamer."

Ib's eyelids slowly pried open. In front of her were piles of books ranging from topics like the American Civil War to feudal Japan to ancient Europe. Strange that they had so many pictures of paintings and sculptures… Oh, right. She remembered where she was: at the college library where she had been working on a project before dozing off. What project was that again?

"Finally awake now?"

Ib turned her head to her left, where a young woman about her age stood, arms akimbo. She wore a bright green turtleneck sweater with a long formfitting white skirt, stylish bracelets on her manicured right hand, and high-heeled black boots. Her long blonde hair was tied neatly and fashionably into a high ponytail. Her soft, side swept bangs framed her peridot green eyes, which matched her sweater. She was glaring at Ib quizzically.

"Hi, Karen."

Ib had met Karen at the beginning of the year during orientation. Over the course of the semester, they had bonded and had become like sisters. In fact, whenever a professor needed to see Ib, all he or she had to do was find Karen, for Ib was never too far off from her friend. The same could be said for Karen.

"I take it your insomnia got the best of you?"

"… … … Mhm..."

"Oi vey…"

Karen was normally the supportive type, but Ib's recent sleep attacks had been wearing out the both of them. Ib's grades had begun to take a beating, and Karen was starting to lose patience. The exasperation was clear on her face.

"Well, no use lounging around. The library's closing up soon. We'd better get going."

Ib looked around to see Karen had been right. Aside from the janitor and the librarian's assistants working late, it was just the two of them. Through the wide, open windows, Ib noticed the sky had begun darkening. Just how long had Ib been asleep?

"Yeah, let's go," Ib yawned. With Karen's help, Ib packed up what was hers and left the building, but not without a trip to the bathroom courtesy of Karen's insistence.

Gazing into the mirror, Ib was surprised. Her pale face looked sullen, and it didn't help that dark circles had begun to form under her scarlet eyes. To add to the mess, her normally smooth brown hair looked like a loosely built rat's nest. The front side, at least. Her clothes were still neat, thank goodness, but she still looked like a half-dead corpse. Thank Karen for the description.

"Let's see now," Karen mused aloud. Rummaging through her stylish leather purse, the blonde fished out a comb that had been buried deep within the purse's confines. She held it up to Ib, pinkies sticking out.

"It's alright, it hasn't been used."

"M'kay…"

With Ib's absent-minded consent, Karen began to unravel Ib's sleep-deprivation-induced mane. Ib stayed still so as to not wreck Karen's work.

"You should've been a hairstylist instead of an art historian," Ib joked. To her delight, Karen's face, which was fixed in concentration not too long before, softened with amusement. A chuckle escaped from her throat.

"Funny. Very funny."

"You sure it's not just me?" Ib stuck her tongue out to the right and crossed her eyes. This time, Karen nearly doubled over, giggling like a school girl while holding a lock of Ib's hair in one hand and the comb in the other.

"Trying to be smart mouthed, are we?" Karen asked with a smirk. Ib knew Karen wasn't snobbish, just that her supportive nature sometimes took so much out of her, so Ib felt it was time to repay the support Karen had given her, even if it was just inserting some humor into her life.

"Okay, almost done." Karen had finished combing Ib's hair. With the previously unkempt almost rat's nest now silky smooth, Karen turned her attention to Ib's clothes. Fortunately, for her, there wasn't much to take care of, aside from the mussed necktie. All that needed to be done was to smooth and even it out. Even then, it didn't take long to correct its condition.

"There, now you don't look like a walking trash heap."

Ib chuckled. Karen was usually the sharp-tongued one, not Ib. It was funny how Karen could switch between so many different personas so quickly, and yet still be the same sister Ib had befriended. Or rather, to be more accurate, Karen was so expressive and eccentric it seemed like she had multiple personalities. If one didn't know better, one would assume so, but, to Ib, it's what made her such a special friend. That, and Karen was a surprisingly good listener, which is how Ib developed such deep trust in her.

"Oh, rats. We need to get going." Ib glanced at Karen, who was checking her watch. Her expression matched the tone of her statement, and Ib saw why after checking her own watch. It was six fifty five in the afternoon, the library closed at exactly seven o'clock, and the entrance was a four minute walk from the bathrooms.

"Move it." Karen began pushing Ib toward the door.

"On it."


It wasn't exactly night, but it was pretty dark. The sun was halfway set, so there wasn't enough light to see where they were going were they to walk home. Luckily, for them, Karen drove to classes that day, and they found her car not too far from the library entrance.

"That was way too close," Karen muttered. It had been obvious to Ib that Karen was having a rough week, what with a possible funeral to attend and a leech of a brother who's recently started to drain Karen's college funds… without her permission. Ib couldn't blame Karen for the grouchy attitude lately, and her own sleep deprivation only added to the stress. Still… did she forget something? That nagging feeling in the back said yes.

"Did you get what Talons Lady said about the assignment?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Yes…"

Talons Lady, or better known as their professor, was widely known on campus for her freakishly long nails, hence the nickname. Another fitting moniker for her was the oh-so-popular term "dragon lady", considering she was quite harsh and unfair at times. Ib once saw an intern burst into tears after the professor scolded her, in front of the entire class even, for turning in a late assignment. From what Ib and Karen knew, the intern had gone through some things that just took away her time from the assignment. What they were, no one knew, but still, no one deserved to be humiliated like that. It's no surprise that both girls agreed that that professor ought to be elsewhere besides teaching college kids.

"Got all your materials?"

"Yeah." The nagging feeling stubbornly remained. Apparently, Karen noticed.

"You didn't forget anything, did you?"

"Well… oh poop." Her notebook. Ib and Karen had been in such a rush to leave before they got locked in the library that they had forgotten Ib's red spiral in the library. Hopefully, the janitor they saw found it. They could probably stop by the next day to pick it up.

Wait, hold on. Poop…

"You've got to be kidding me," Karen grumbled.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. It's your grade."

Those words stung, but they were true. Without that notebook, Ib had no hope of doing her project correctly.

Project? What project?

"What are we doing again?" Ib sheepishly asked.

"The report. We're supposed to do a report on a piece of art done by a famous artist."

Ib pondered for a bit.

"Does it have to be a famous artist?"

"Well~, to be honest, I don't think she'll care so long as it's a report done on a painting or a sculpture. Whatever you choose."

"'Kay."

"Don't mention it."

Ib went back to thinking. Her eyelids felt heavy, and they were slowly closing.

Must stay awake. If she were to fall asleep now, she'd have trouble falling asleep later that night. Then again, she'd been having a lot of problems sleeping lately. Perhaps Karen might have an idea on what's going on.

"Karen?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What?"

Here goes nothing.

"It's about… my sleep problems."

"Hm?"

Come on girl, breath. Let it out.

"I've been having weird dreams lately."

"And?"

"Well… it's just so weird."

"Weird how?"

Weirder than you can imagine.

"Ah, how can I say it…?"

"Spit it out."

Yeah, do just that.

"They feel like memories of some sort."

"Memories?" Karen's faced scrunched up in puzzlement.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something important, but I can't figure out what."

Silence.

"Go on."

"I've felt that way ever since I visited that art gallery."

"When you were nine?" Karen whistled. "That's a long time. No wonder you're so forgetful."

Ib chuckled. Karen's lips had a mischievous smile.

"And I'm not just talking about your Sleeping Beauty complex."

Both girls laughed out loud. Even if she let her moods get the best of her at times, Karen was still the best friend Ib could ask for. She could always be counted on for a good laugh.

"So when did the dreams start? You said they were recent?"

"Mhm." Ib still had tears in her eyes from laughing.

Silence again.

"So… when did they start?"

"Eh? Oh, about three weeks ago."

Karen's face scrunched again.

"Three weeks? You said your insomnia was long before that."

"That's what I haven't told anyone about."

Silence yet again.

"You're kidding…"

"No I'm not. I haven't had a good night's sleep since I came home from the gallery."

The look on Karen's face was a mixture of surprise and confusion. Her eyes were wide with shock. Suddenly, her hand reached for the gear shaft. She pulled the car over to the curb and shifted gears into parking mode. Turning to face Ib, she didn't bother to turn off the car.

"Are you serious?!"

Ib jumped, shocked at Karen's sudden change in tone.

"Um…"

"You seriously haven't had a good night's sleep since you were nine years old?!"

Ib shrinked back uncomfortably in her seat.

"Answer the question." Karen was close to roaring. Ib was now cowering in her seat, too scared to answer. Karen sighed, massaging her temples.

"Honey, you need a doctor."

"Can't."

"What do you mea-?"

"I've already tried."

"Wha-?"

Ib sighed sadly.

"I've tried everything I can think of. Sleep medication, hypnotherapy, exercise. Nothing I've tried works."

Karen went silent.

"And every time I've tried to remember, I can't recall anything. It's all just a big blank to me."

"Nothing rings a bell? At all?"

"Nothing." Ib did her best to fight back a sob. Strange, where did the sudden urge to cry come from…?

"Sorry." Ib looked at Karen, surprised.

"Uh?"

"For snapping. I was just- I mean no sleep since you were nine? I underestimated you, girl."

Karen was still massaging her temples, but her face had softened. Ib swore there was a smile on Karen's face right now.

"We'd better get back home. It's almost-"

"Uh, Karen?"

"Yeah?"

"We're already there."

"What?"

When Karen stopped the car to scold Ib, she hadn't realized they had parked right in front of their apartment complex, which also served as their dorm.

"Now I'm an airhead."

Laughter washed over the two girls. Whatever tension was between them before had vanished and was now long forgotten. To Ib, it was welcoming.

"Let's get this thing parked properly. Then, how 'bout we schedule a day where we can visit that art gallery of yours."

"Eh?" Ib still had tears in her eyes. "Wait, are you saying…?"

"You said something's been bothering you ever since you visited that gallery. So why not nip it in the bud?"

Ib couldn't believe her ears. Was Karen suggesting they visit the gallery to figure out Ib's sleeping problems? Yes, if she were to go there, find out what's wrong, then perhaps Ib could finally have a restful night. With a smile, Ib agreed.

"Then it's settled. We're leaving tomorrow."

Tomorrow?

"Um, Karen, don't we ha- oh, right."

Tomorrow was the beginning of winter break. They'd have at least three and a half weeks to figure out the source of Ib's troubles before classes started again.

"Um, shouldn't we-"

"Already done." Karen pulled out two hotel reservations, one for her, one for Ib. Of course. Leave it to Karen to be so prepared.

"One last thing." Karen pointed at Ib. "Try like you've never tried before to sleep. Alright?"

"Yes ma'am!" Ib was grinning ear to ear as she followed Karen inside.

"Maybe I'll also find a good painting to write my report on."

"Kill two bird with one stone, why don't you?"