Chapter 10: A nightmare to remember
I had a dream.
A long dream.
A dream where I was alone.
A long dream. Or short. Maybe.
Both?
Unsure...
I can't care. I just… dream.
A dream where I was alone.
Who was I?
Where am I?
Who am I?
Where am I?
What is this place?
Where am I?
Who am I?
Where am I?
Who… Was… I…
Was…Where…Am..?
Who is… Me?
I had a dream.
A long dream. A dream where I was alone.
I have a dream.
A long dream. A dream where I'm alone.
I don't want to be alone anymore.
I want to live. I want to move. I want to be.
I want… Friend…
I should never be alone anymore...
I have a dream.
A long dream.
I don't want to be alone anymore…
So that I'll never be alone anymore...
…..
*beeep* *beeep* *beeep*
I was tired.
The regular beat of something rang into my ears.
I had a long dream.
I'm tired.
The regular beat continues. It's annoying. Maybe I should continue to dream. Dreams are tiresome but not annoying.
I'm tired.
*beeep* *beeep* *beeep*
I was... No… I am tired.
"Please wake up…"
I am in a weird place... White walls, white ceiling. White everything. I'm dreaming again, isn't it?
I am tired.
But the beat. It's annoying. I already said that right? Before? It was annoying. Never felt that much annoyance before… Wait. I did. I… Thought? Think?
In another dream maybe?
I don't want to dream with that noise. It's annoying.
"Please wake up… please… please… "
White again. White fur. Black nose. Not annoying… Who…?
I move. It hurts. Weird. I move in my dream, all the time. My dreams don't hurt. I… don't think they do… Did my dreams hurt? I don't… I don't remember….
*beeep* *beeep* *beeep*
My legs don't move. But they hurt. Why? They moved. They don't get me anywhere in this blank, infinite world but they move. But now they… Hurt. Why?
"Wake up… please wake up… I'm here… I'll stay… I'll wait… I'll wait until you move…. And I'll move with you… I don't want to move if you don't… "
*beeep* *beeep* *beeep*
My body hurts. Everything hurts. But I manage to keep my eyes open and slowly turn my head toward the voice.
There's… Friend? With his head resting on my chest.
Who is… Friend?
Wait, I know him…
He's big.
He's… bigger?
Bigger than what? I think I know him?
Or I think I knew him? I just need to… I must… Remember..
He's crying…. Or cried? Or…Crying?
Why is my Friend crying?
*beeep* *beeep* *beeep*
"Please wake up… please wake up… I want to go get things… I want to go and get so many things but it's useless if you are not there when I get them…"
His whining makes words appear in my mind. Words that hurt... But I know words that hurt less. Words that…
Comfort...
"Daa… daaaaam…." Why is my throat burning? And why is my throat hurting less than his words…?
"FRIEND?! FRIEND! ARE YOU! No… No, Friend isn't. I'm sleeping, right? I know that... You always wake up. You always wake up and you always smile. And you always play with me, and you always tell me everything's alright… And I always trust you… And I wake up… "
I know him... Friend… Moon-moon...
*beeep* *beeep* *beeep*
It hurts to watch him. Friend… Friend is hurting. I think I'm hurt, I don't feel any pain but I'm hurt...
I can't move for the life of me, like the first day I came into this world. What happened? I should be able to move. I moved before, right?
"I always stop sleeping… And you don't. I don't want to sleep… I don't like those dreams… I want to go get things together… there are so many things to get together… but if you are not here then I don't want to get them… There's no fun in that… Please wake up… please wake up… "
My Friend, Moon-moon rested his head close to my face.
I painstakingly moved my hand just above his head. I saw him watching me. I saw in his eyes the glimmer of hope quickly drowned in resignation.
*beeep* *beeep* *beeep*
"I know that part… That's when I wake up… Please do it… Please wake up… Please wake up… Or please wake me up… I hate those dreams… Those dreams where you wake up and we get all the things…. But then I wake up… And you don't… So please… Please wake up… So if you don't… Please wake me up…"
I let my hand fall flat on his head. Yeah, that's about everything I can do.
"OUCHIE! WHY THE HECK DID YOU…? Ouchie? I had an Ouchie and I'm not doing the waking-up?! Why am I not doing the-waking-up? Am I doing the not-sleeping?"
I could only manage a light chuckle. Which completely destroyed my throat. Ouchie indeed...
"Damn… it… moon… moon…" my voice is nothing more than a whisper because everything fucking hurts...
"FRIEND?! YOU'RE AWAKE?! YOU'RE AWAKE! EVERYONE! EVERYONE! HE'S AWAKE! EVERYONE! FRIENDS AWAKE! SHINJI'S AWAKE!"
My ninken joy was… noisy, to say the least. I felt so weak. I couldn't move a single muscle in my body. Simply hovering my hand above my stupid Friend's head took all my strength. Then, the door bursts open.
"MOON-MOON YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BE HERE! THAT'S THE THIRD TIME THIS….month?"
The medic-nin's rant got a short stop when I locked my eyes with his. My very tired but opened eyes, and then shit hit the fan.
Don't care. I'm back. I felt people around me, measuring my pulse.
Don't care. I'm back. My temperature was noted. Breathing patterns were noted.
Don't care. I'm back. Moon-moon is with me, jumping around like Christmas came early.
And that… that… Fuck yeah I care.
Then Jiraya entered my room while every medic left for security purposes.
Yeah… that too, I very much do care. What the fuck?