A Disregarded Palace

Another Dream

 When we left the metaverse, I felt worn out, more than I usually do. Akira carried me up the stairs, even though I easily could have on my own.

He laid me down on the bed and sat next to me. I sat up and leaned against him. Akira placed a hand on one of mine.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he started rubbing my hand with his thumb.

"Tired and fucking disgusted." I didn't want to think about what I saw back in Katsumi's palace.

Akira placed a hand under my chin and turned my head to face him, "Everything will be fine, I know it will."

I felt my eyes tearing up again. I placed my head against Akira's shoulder as I let the tears fall. Akira embraced me and whispered sweet nothings into my ear. Being with him finally left me feeling whole. So whatever that hole was, it's gone now.

I finally got myself to calm down, and I sat myself back up. Akira wiped away the last of my tears and hugged me.

"I'll always be here for you, and I don't care about what you've done in the past."

I looked up at him. Akira's grey eyes were so comforting. I placed a hand on his cheek, "Thank you." I then pressed my lips against his in a kiss.

"Come on, you two keep forgetting I'm here!" Morgana meowed as he jumped up onto Akira's lap.

Akira chuckled at the cat, "I'm guessing you want us to go to sleep now too?"

"Of course! You just got back from a palace! And Akechi looks like he might pass out any second now!"

"You're right. Let's go to sleep, Akira." I said as I laid back down on the bed.

Akira kissed me on the cheek and laid down next to me, "Alright, you two, I'll sleep."

? ? ?

When Akechi opened his eyes, he was no longer in the attic he and Akira called home, but he was in a strange room. He didn't recognize the ceiling he was staring at. He tried to move his left hand, but it wouldn't budge.

Eventually, he heard yelling. It sounded like two adults fighting. He didn't recognize the voices, but one seemed to be male, the other female.

The voices were drowned out, as if his ears chose not to listen. After a few minutes of this, he finally felt himself get up. His hands moved the blinds away from the window. He appeared to be on the inside of the apartment building Katsumi lived in.

He could see the park from the window, even though it was quite dark. He could see a slight reflection in the window, and the face staring back at him was Katsumi.

Why was he seeing life through Katsumi's eyes? Did Katsumi do this on his own, or was it something else?

Katsumi walked away from the window, still drowning out the voices in the background. He wandered through his dim room to the light switch and flicked on the lights. The room was clean, but the walls were covered in notes and papers reading about he was a failure, how he didn't deserve to live, and that he should kill himself.

None of them were in his handwriting. There were many different styles Akechi could make out.

Katsumi walked over to the wardrobe to the far end of the room and grabbed his school uniform. That's when Akechi's vision went black again, and when he opened his eyes back up, he was back in the attic. Akira had an arm wrapped around him, and Akechi leaned into his trickster's touch, but he couldn't go back to sleep.