The Dream Devourer (Kakashi X OC)

An Embarassing Encounter with Death

Chiisai stared up and refused to get out of bed, though her bladder squeezed in protest. Leaving the warmth and safety of her bed wasn't on her to do list.

The sun had set a long while ago, and the room was dark. The street light across the road cast her room in a dim orange glow, and she could make out the pebbled shadows of the stucco ceiling. Shapes had started to form, she had stared so long.

Her stomach grumbled, and her eyes widened. She had skipped eating today, and she couldn't exactly remember how she had gotten here, or what day it was, or why she felt like this.

But she did remember the dreams. She still felt the heat from the flames, the smell of charred skin, the nightmare she wasn't supposed to see. It made her chest tighten with anxiety.

Her options were limited, now that she had proof of her seal weakening.

Her bladder squeezed again, and she cursed under her breath. Tori raised his head as she shrugged off the covers and stood.

The room tilted, and she pressed her hand to the nightstand to right herself. Damn it, why was everything so difficult?

Concussion. Right.

Chiisai finally took a step, and then another, until finally she was out of her room and into the hallway. She paused, but there was no noise coming from the kitchen or the living room.

The doorknob was cold against her hand as she turned it and walked into the bathroom. The door creaked as she closed it, and she winced when she turned the light on. Too bright- much too bright for her sensitive eyes. She turned the shower light on instead, leaving everything else dark.

It took a minute to adjust, and she had to grip the sink as she stepped towards the toilet.

Chiisai had managed to use the bathroom, brush her teeth twice, turn the hot water on, pour the soap in, and undress when the noises came from the other side of the door.

Tori, her beloved, clingy cat, wanted inside. If she didn't open the door soon, he'd start head butting it like a goat.

She sighed and cracked the door open. His head poked through, and like liquid, the rest of his body followed. She stared down at him. He only sat down and meowed at her, as if she had done something wrong.

"You are impossible," she muttered. Chiisai took a towel from the closet and placed it over the rack before turning the water off. Steam rose from the tub as she poked her toe in.

Carefully, she stepped into the tub and sank down into it's warm embrace.

Chiisai laid there until the water turned lukewarm, and then she went to scrubbing her skin, anything to get rid of the reminder that she had spent the night in a hospital. She kept the bandage around her head on and washed around it to the best of her ability. All the while her stomach grumbled, and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, and this honestly felt more like a work out than a bath.

She cursed her past self for her blind ignorance. She shouldn't have relied on the Third so much, she should have asked him more questions, particularly about her seal. Because frankly, she couldn't remember the damned thing.

The pads of her fingers were ridged like dried fruit, and she felt the scars decorating her abdomen.

Chiisai closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the lip of the tub. Pain flashed, and she cursed. She had forgotten about the stupid gash. She readjusted and sighed.

Perhaps she could start training now. If her seal was about her mind, then she should be able to summon it. At least, that was how some seals worked. Chiisai took a deep breath and closed her eyes once more.