And we're back with our favourite detective agency chief and police superintendent! What, did you think they'd escape my author's grasp for long?

Spoilers: Ryuu's backstory, Ryuu and Akiko's relationship

Theme: 39 – Dreams

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Ryuu Terui was no stranger to nightmares, even before his family's murder. It was just the sort of thing a cop had to deal with. After the murder, though, after Isaka... well, he hadn't been lying to the Nightmare Dopant when he said its inflicted sleep was the best sleep he'd had in a long time.

Now he laid in his wedding bed, just days after the happiest day of his life, after assuring his new bride that his being a Kamen Rider was for her sake as well as the city's. And the dream came for him again.

His home was frozen, a layer of frost over every surface. His family. What had happened? Father, Mother, Haruko!

His muscles tensed under the blankets, eyes darting wildly, desperately. He knew where the dream led, but this night, as every night, he couldn't stop it.

"The W Memory... Ryuu...!" Father!

"Ryuu..." Mother!

"Brother..." Haruko! Why was this happening?

"Ryuu-kun..."

No. That wasn't right.

A sound like shattering glass.

No!

Ryuu's eyes snapped open. The first thing he was aware of was being restrained, an arm around his waist combining with the weight of the blankets to choke him. He thrashed, nearly fell off the bed as he forced himself to sit up, halfway into fight mode before he realized where he was. Breathing hard, he sat still for a few seconds and tried to calm down. It was just a dream, the same dream he'd had so many times... But it wasn't the same. Not this time.

"Ryuu, what's wrong?" He looked behind him to find his wife, also sitting up and rubbing at her eyes with the same hand that had been holding him a few seconds ago.

"Chief..." His voice was shaking. It was hard to force it to be steady. "It's nothing. Just a dream." He laid back down, facing her this time. From the way she was looking at him, he knew she didn't believe him, but she laid down as well, only to reach out and take his hand.

"You sure you're okay?"

He smiled, using his free hand to draw the blankets back over them. Their hands still clasped, he gently pulled her to him so he could kiss her forehead. "I'm fine. Go back to sleep, Chief. Sorry for waking you."

Her eyes remained open, concerned, for an impressive ten seconds before they closed again, and within another ten seconds she was asleep once more. He lay awake, watching over her, for a while longer. Nothing would hurt her. She was a strong woman, and he would always be there for her.

He was no stranger to nightmares, but when he finally returned to sleep, they didn't trouble him again.

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I must say I find it refreshing to write short lil ficlets. I've had the idea for this one bubbling for a while now, but wanted to wait til the more substantial Obsession ficlet was done with.