A kick to the head, harder than usual. A barked order:
"Apologize to your fiancé this instant!" Her father. She was the bane of his existence, yet the only way to ensure the Shirakiin household advanced. Eyes downcast, she turned to the stinking mass of filth leering at her.
"I apologize for my actions, Kagerou-san," she whispered, and said-fiancé cracked his fist over her skull.
"There's only one way to rectify this, my personal human toilet!" he boomed, kicking her to the ground. Without warning, he began to pull her thigh-highs down, and began to lift up her shorts, his fingers inching closer to the spot between her thighs…
Ririchiyo shot straight up in bed, panting. Her hand was clasped to her chest, slick with sweat, and her head whipped back and forth wildly, checking to make sure none of the dream figments were sitting in the room with her. Once she was positive no bodily harm was coming her way, Chiyo tried to slow her breathing. That process proved to be difficult as well, because she was saddled with a splitting migraine. Cradling her head in her hands, she briefly wondered if she should call Miketsukami. Even in the pitch dark of her room, having her eyes open proved to be a mistake.
I don't even have to call him, she thought through the pain. Just a simple message would do. Though she didn't want to Soushi to come, because he would fuss incessantly, she knew, it would be better to have someone else there to take care of all the things she couldn't do herself at the moment. Chiyo remembered from past experience that migraines rendered her incapable of doing simple things like even walking to the bathroom. That made her nausea and aura worse.
It would just be better to have him here. If I don't ask him to come and someone else tells him, he'll be devastated. Steeling herself for looking at her bright phone screen, she got to the text button and pressed Soushi's number. Then, painfully slowly, she tapped out her message: Have migraine. Please come now. Ririchiyo-sama. She pressed "send" and threw her phone out of her hands. The brief couple of seconds spent looking at that bright screen had only aggravated her headache further, and Soushi couldn't come fast enough.
He really is the only one I would trust to take care of me when I am incapacitated, Chiyo mused silently, and she attempted to slow the throbbing in her head by smothering her head with a pillow. As by magic, the pillow disappeared, and even in the dark, she could make out Soushi's sparkling eyes. They were sparkling, she realized, because they were full of tears.
"Ririchiyo-sama," he whispered, and she heard the devastation in his voice. No doubt he was already blaming himself for failing to take care of her, and since she knew he would be able to see it, she managed to force a smile on her lips.
"Miketsukami-kun, it's not your fault," she whispered, instantly regretting the decision to speak. Chiyo was seized with a desire to throw herself backward into her bed but knew that would result in more pain for her. As if reading her mind, Soushi eased her backward onto her pillows and placed a cold washcloth over her temples and eyes.
"Is there anything else you require, my lovely master?" he whispered, and she jumped when his words and breath came directly into her ear. To her surprise, her pillows embraced her, and she lifted the washcloth slightly to find she was laying directly against Soushi.
"Mi…Miket…" she began to stammer, trying to wriggle her way out of his embrace, but when his ropy arms restrained her gently, she stopped.
"It's all right, Ririchiyo-sama," he shushed her, rearranging the washcloth over her eyes. "I'll be right here. I'll make you well again." Unable to stop himself, he placed a soft kiss on her hair, and squeezed her a little tighter.
"My precious master. My Ririchiyo." Ever vigilant, Soushi smiled in triumph as Ririchiyo dozed off on top of him.
"No more nightmares, Ririchiyo-sama, I promise," he murmured soothingly. He pressed more kisses to her hair and considered going to sleep himself. He did often entertain the idea of sleeping alongside his beautiful master, matching his unconscious breaths with the hypnotic pace of hers, but he knew realistically, it could never be.
Still…a dog can always dream.