Akihiko's standing on a hill, green and lush, but he there's something wrong, some storm coming. He turns around and meets the eyes of his mother, distant and unyielding, and after a moment she turns and walks away. Akihiko doesn't watch her go, just turns around again, this time to meet the eyes of his father: disapproving and judgmental. He, too, turns and walks away, and as Akihiko turns again he is meet with the piercing eyes of his brother.
This happens several times, over and over, with people who have made the list of people he'd rather not see ever again. It's only after his tutor leaves that Akihiko is left alone, and he finds that he can barely breathe.
He's not only alone, but lonely, and as the hill stretches longer and longer before him, he wonders if he will be forever stuck on this hill, with no one to understand him —
And then the image fades and he opens his eyes to the darkness in his bedroom. He's covered in sweat and trembling, and fells more than a little sick; he hasn't had that particular nightmare in a while.
"Usagi-san?" The sleepy voice of Misaki is a panacea to him, and Akihiko can feel the smiling forming on his face as he turns over to see Misaki staring at him, eyes still cloudy from sleep. "Are you okay?"
"Just a nightmare," he says, his shoulders relaxing as he sees the concern on Misaki's face. "Nothing to worry about."
Misaki moves closer to him at that, slipping his arm beneath Akihiko's, snuggling up to him. It's not very Misaki-like, and Akihiko wonders if the drowsiness has gotten to Misaki.
"Stupid," he says, his head settling into where Akihiko's neck meets his shoulder, "of course I worry about you."
Akihiko smiles to himself. He doesn't care if Misaki's only showing this side of himself because he's tired; it's all he needs to banish the nightmare from his mind and settle into a peaceful sleep.
First half of this chapter inspired by The Beatles' "Fool on the Hill".
