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Obito…
For a moment, there’s darkness. Opening his eyes, a familiar ethereal plane he recognizes as a dreamscape reaches out into a void of white.
Another dream.
Obito…
He knows that voice. He’s heard it a thousand times before now, and he’s not sure it will ever stop. Nothing ever comes of it, but…there’s little else to do until he can find a way to wake himself.
About-facing, Obito lays eyes on Rin.
She’s whole this time. Not quite as common as seeing her with gaping chest and widened eyes. Hands clasped behind her, she rocks on her feet and gives him a smile. “There you are! Didn’t you hear me calling?”
He has half a mind not to reply. She’s not real. At this point, he may as well be talking to himself. “…sorry.”
“You seem distracted. Something on your mind?”
What isn’t on his mind? For something to do, Obito begins to walk. He won’t get anywhere. He never does. But it helps settle his mind to move. “Nothing in particular.”
“I haven’t seen you in a while. You must be pretty busy!”
Is he? Still striding, his brow furrows. “…not really.”
“Are you suuure?” Head tilting, Rin gives him a smile. “I think there’s something on your mind. Or maybe…someone…?” There’s that look – a mischievous tilt of her lips, umber eyes shining with a teasing light. “Who is it, Obito? You know you can tell me!”
It’s so hard to remember his waking hours when he’s here…but that sounds familiar. “…a woman.”
Rin takes an excited breath, hands clapping at her front. “That’s wonderful! Who is she?”
Funny, for some reason he can’t remember a name. It’s like trying to recollect a dream, but…this is the dream.
…isn’t it?
“…she’s…” Suddenly he feels awkward. “…she’s kind. A…medic. Like you.”
“Oh…? Is she pretty?”
“…I think so.” Why can’t he remember…?
“What do you mean, you think so?” Rin teases, laughing. “Tell me all about her!”
Obito comes to a stop, brow pinched over his eyes. It’s so hard to think…!
He hears a sigh, and Rin circles around to his front. “You always forget things when you’re here…maybe because you’re thinking too far back?”
“…maybe?”
Reaching up, Rin lays her hands over his eyes. “There! No more distractions. Now…tell me!”
For a moment, Obito balks, shying from her touch. But things seem…clearer now.
“…white hair. In waves, down to her tailbone. Pale skin…eyes like silver.”
“Mhm…go on!”
A pause. “…a smile. A blush. And…a laugh.”
“She sounds lovely…”
“…she is.”
“Where is she now?”
He thinks for a moment. “…home. At my side.”
“…are you sure…?”
Rin’s tone makes his stiffen. “…of course I’m sure.”
“Ah, you hesitated. You have doubts…?”
Hands taking Rin’s wrists, Obito wrests her hold…but she’s gone. A laugh sounds in his ear, spinning him around…to nothing.
…not a dream. Another nightmare.
“You’re afraid…aren’t you, Obito…?”
Another turn. This time he catches her. Still Rin smiles, but…he can see the tunnel through her heart. “…no.”
“You can’t lie to me, Obito…I’m always watching.” In a heartbeat, she’s inches from his face. And still she smiles. “…she’s weak…isn’t she? Don’t you know better, Obito…? You know how this ends…”
In the space of a blink, Rin disappears. In her wake, ten paces forward, back turned, is a familiar form.
His heart leaps to his throat. A hand reaches. “…Ryū…?”
Head turning, she gives him a doe-eyed glance over her shoulder.
Too focused on her face, Obito doesn’t note her rippling shadow of carmine beneath her feet.
The rest of her pivots, eyes unblinking. “Obito…”
“Ryū!” A step toward her, smiling.
And then he stops.
A cascade of crimson spills from betwixt her breasts, a gaping wound torn through cloth and flesh alike. Her expression falters, threatening to spill tears.
No…
“O…bi…” Silvers roll back into her head, form limp as he closes the distance.
No, no, no…! He tries to staunch the bleeding, but it just…won’t…stop…
“You tried to lay to rest a world where the weak fall to the scythe of violence…” Rin stands behind him, tone soft. “…but you failed…didn’t you? There may be peace…but you know better. There will always be suffering. Be loss. You can’t hold onto her, Obito. She’ll slip through your fingers…like everything else you touch. You should have let go. You should be here…with me…”
“No…no…!”
“No happiness is eternal. There’s no love that lasts…! In the end…it’s all overtaken. You should have let go.”
“NO!”
Sitting up, Obito gasps for breath as though ascendant through water, his brow just as soaked as though swimming. There’s a long moment where he’s both awake, and yet still asleep. Skin clammy, hands grip his scalp, still shaking.
“Obito…?”
He flinches, looking swiftly to his side.
Ryū lifts to his level, a hand on his shoulder. “…are you -?”
Before she can ask, a kind of desperation overtakes him. A hand frantically searches the plane of her chest, expecting to find a gap, a hole, a torrent of blood, but…nothing. But…he saw…? He felt…?!
A sharp expression of worry knits Ryū’s brow. “Obito…? Obito!” Urging him to still, both palms cup his jaw, trying to get him to look her in the eyes. It’s obvious what’s wrong. “It was just a dream.” She keeps her tone steady, thumbs stroking along his cheeks. “…it’s all right.”
“But you…there was…?”
Thinking over his actions, her face slackens with understanding. “…I’m fine, Obito.” Releasing her hold, she finds a new grip atop his hand with both of her own, still resting against her sternum. “…see? No wounds. No blood. Everything’s fine…it was just a bad dream.”
Still catching his breath, he stares with a wilted brow. There’s still a blur of the dream in his mind. He knew it wasn’t real…he just…panicked.
Ryū lets him think for a moment, eventually moving to lie back down, trying to tug him with her. Something tells her he probably won’t find sleep again so easily. “…lay with me?”
There’s a long pause before he acquiesces, lowering until he can press an ear to her heart. Hear it beat. Feel the warmth of living skin.
In turn, she loops an arm to his back, tracing feather-light circles over his shoulder blades, the other hand weaving fingers through his hair. Expression still troubled, Ryū offers no words. – just keeps at her attentions, hoping to lull him back to sleep.