Little Tiger

Let's be tired together

I woke up with a start. My heart bounced around in my chest like it was trying to find a way to break out. I think I screamed. I sat up straight, panting and gripping the bedspread. 

I looked around the room, remembering that it was Shigure's dorm room. I was safe. From what? I didn't know, but I was safe nevertheless. There was a blanket on top of me that I was certain I had not put on before I fell asleep. As soon as I had calmed down, I focused on a pressing matter: where Shigure had gone off to. His desk had been abandoned and his shoes were gone. The sun was setting; casting deep shadows inside of the room and a puddle of orange light spilled onto the center of the floor. I laid my back against the bed again and looked up at the ceiling, trying to recall what I had seen in my dream. Nothing came to mind no matter how hard I tried. I could feel something trying to poke its way into my thoughts but it failed to reach the surface. I imagined the tiger I had seen in my dream years before, but it did not spike enough fear in me for it to be the thing that made me so startled. Suddenly the door knob turned, causing my heart to resume its rapid movements from before. I watched the door closely. 

Shigure's head peeked inside, his eyes immediately shifting towards me on the bed. "You're awake," he rejoiced and shut the door behind him. 

I nodded, inhaling sharply as I tried to calm myself down. "Where did you go?" I asked, pulling the blanket up over my shoulders. Shigure's room was freezing. 

"Printer." He showed me the stack of papers in his hand then tossed them onto his desk and sat down near my feet. "You must have been having some crazy dream, Ko," he snickered, looking over at me. 

I leaned forward. "Really?" 

He furrowed his eyebrows. "You can't remember it? That's pretty surprising. You were mumbling and kicking your legs, like you were trying to run somewhere." He laughed with his hand over his mouth. "It was pretty funny, actually." 

"I can't remember any of my dreams," I told him dryly, gazing out the window. My embarrassment towards Shigure's recollection of my dream did not show, but it was there. 

He regarded me briefly then stood up from the bed, returning to his desk. "Sometimes I wish I couldn't remember my dreams," he stated. He did not elaborate on this. 

"Why?" I asked in the silence that followed. 

"Because they aren't very nice dreams." He mumbled something incoherent to himself. I heard Akito's name in the middle of his sentence. 

I rested my head against the top of the pillow. "Are they nightmares?" 

"No, not really." He leaned into his chair, staring straight out into the courtyard. "I just don't like them very much." 

I didn't care to ask him for more context because he didn't seem very willing to give it, so I left it alone. 

"Hmm," I replied with fake intrigue. 

Shigure got up from his desk again and groaned. "I can't get any work done with you around," he grumbled. 

"I'll leave if that's what you want," I snapped, removing the blanket and throwing my legs over the side of the bed.  

"No," he replied calmly. "You took it the wrong way." 

He started inching towards me, his eyes locked on mine predatorily. I leaned to my side to maintain a safe distance. 

"Don't fall behind on your assignments for my sake," I said hesitantly. 

He came even closer to me then stopped just before our noses could touch. Then he sat down beside me, resuming to his normal self.