In The End

Section 1: Chapter 10

Chapter 10
"Let's get some rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day."
Silvana shook her head. She wasn't stupid. She could see the fear in Naoki's eyes.
"I'll tidy up the bathroom," she said.
She was surprised just how clean the bathroom was. It was certainly cleaner than how she'd left it. The shower door was closed, and all the little containers of soap were back where they were presumably supposed to be. The only issue was a trail of wet footprints, leading across the room. She grabbed a towel, and was about to wipe down the floor when something caught her eye.
The footprints led to a slightly larger puddle near the sink. Silvana walked towards the puddle, and started to clean it up. She stood up, and her reflection in the steamed-up mirror looked out at her. Silvana suddenly felt her vision blur. Her stomach throbbed slightly, and she grabbed at the side of the sink.
She knew it was magical exhaustion, yet mirrors had always been bad in her world.
She threw the towel she was holding over the mirror. Immediately, the feeling in her stomach passed. She then washed all the water off the floor. She walked out the door and saw Naoki, sitting on the side of the bed, covering his face in his hands. She poured some water from a small beaker in a cup, and added three herbal teabags. She closed her eyes and downed the lot, hoping the strength of Nature would keep away the nightmares. She put the cup on a small table, and sat beside Naoki. She still felt exhausted. The mixture hadn't done anything.
"Yes, let's get some rest," she said, lying down on one side of the bed, "I'd try sleep as far away from me as possible. It's not nice when I have a nightmare. If I end up sleeping on the floor, don't take it personally,"

................

Naoki lay beside the girl, who closed her eyes and smiled. Within ten minutes, she was snoring quietly. She must've been more exhausted than he'd thought. She looked so adorable when she slept. The expression on her round, childish face was so peaceful, it made him smile. He was hoping that the nightmares would leave her alone for one night. He remembered when she'd had that nightmare in the forest. He'd been curious about it at the time, but on reflection, he didn't want to know what it was that scared her so much. He faced her, turned off the light, and slowly drifted off himself. He subconsciously sneaked his hand around her waist, hoping it would keep their nightmares away.

It was true that he didn't dream at all that night. He couldn't be more grateful for that...

..............

"What...?"
Tonight had been Silvana's first dreamless night in years. It hadn't scared her, but it hadn't refreshed her either. She felt almost as tired as she'd been when she'd gone to bed.
She lifted her head up. The morning sun pierced through the curtains, illuminating the cracked walls and yellowed curtains. She turned over, squinting, and saw Naoki's face. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. She wished he felt at peace when he was awake with her. She tried to move, and felt Naoki's arm around her waist. It had been his touch that had kept the ghosts and nightmares away.
Trying not to disturb him, she started to look for patterns in the stained ceiling. Since she'd been shown the beautiful things stains hid, that had been the way she'd killed time. She could see images of hunts and deer and trees and people. There was one point where she swore she saw a stain shaped like Naoki and her, in each other's arms. When she'd looked at it again later, it had just been a blob. She didn't know how she had seen two people.
She felt Naoki stirring slightly. She felt him move his arm out from under his waist as he yawned and stretched. The morning sun reflected off his figure, and to Silvana, he seemed to glow.
"No nightmares?" he asked, looking worried,
"No nightmares," she said, smiling, "Must have been the herbal teas,"
She smiled, stretched, and got up. She felt slightly nauseous, and a bit tired, but in this world, that was the best she could hope for.
"Well, you said we had a busy day in front of us," she said, trying to smile with tired lips, "So what's the plan? I don't care if there isn't one,"