Dreams are strange, strange things. They could show you truths you had hidden from yourself, or confront you with your deepest, darkest fears. Dreams could show you your true self. What that says about you and the weird one you had last week about the flying spaghetti monster and Rule 34, I don't want to know. Sicko.
But then there are the other kind of dreams. Dreams that haunt you, dreams that wont let go, dreams that feel almost... real. As if they had really happened. Dreams which make you question reality. Asuna was very familiar with this type of dream. She'd been having them since not to long after Negi had arrived. Slowly at first, just one every other week or so, then more and more had come as time went on. Annoyingly she could almost never remember what they'd been about when she woke up. Now she was waking every morning feeling like she was on the very edge of grasping something important and having it slip through her fingers.
But this was different.
'It's all for the art, boy. That's the important thing!
What was this?
'Please Sir! Very bad if you fall in spring!'
This wasn't the same...
'... Want to be friends?'
This was...
'Ranma, because of you, I've seen Hell! Prepare to die!'
No... Stop...
'Wo ai ni.'
Stop it!
'How dare you try to steal Shampoo!'
Please... This...
'On the house Ran-chan'
This...
'Sweeto!'
This...!
'Very impressive, Son in law.'
This hurt!!!
'Ranma no BAKA!!!'
Asuna bolted upright, waking with a start. She looked around wildly, panting as though she had just run a marathon. After a few moments her senses kicked in and she began to calm down. Finally taking her surroundings in, she realised she was in the infirmary. Well that made sense. What made less sense was the overturned chair next to her bed. The chair which, she now noticed, had a person in it looking up at her in shock.
“Uh, hey there Mei-chan,” She greeted, rubbing the back of her head. “Did I startle you?”
Mei Sakura, the wispy little mage Asuna was used to seeing in the shadow of her much more... dramatic companion Takane D. Goodman, shook her head as she picked herself up.
“Don't worry about it. No harm done.” she said as she righted the chair and sat back down. “It's good to see you awake though. We were worried about you.”
“You were?” Asuna frowned. Just how long had she been out?
“Yeah. Negi-sensei in particular, but everyone was concerned. Sakurazaki-san said you had extreme ki exhaustion or something. They didn't expect you to wake up for at least a day!”
“A day?” Asuna was alarmed. “Then how long was I out? When's my next match?”
Mei winced. “Um, I'm sorry Kagurazaka-san, but... They really didn't think you were going to wake up. Negi-sensei got them to wait as long as they could, but... you lost by default. They're holding the final match as we speak.”
“I... lost?” She was stunned. This wasn't right. Not right at all.
“More of a forfeit really,” Mei looked worried. “Are you ok?”
“F... fine.” She smiled in an entirely fake way.
“Are those nightmares still bothering you?”
“Huh? What-” Asuna started, before cutting off with a yelp as her head was filled with images and sounds she couldn't make sense of.
“Kagurazaka-san?!?”
“It's nothing. Really, nothing.” Asuna stated calmly, taking deep breaths and trying to force whatever it was that had woken up while she slept back down. It wouldn't go. Whatever those voices were, she could still hear them, and it was giving her a headache. Who the hell was Ranma anyway?
“Are you su-”
“I said it was nothing!” Deep breath. “Sorry. Just, ah, stress.” She searched around for another topic. “So the finals are on now?”
“Um, yes. That's where everyone else is. Well, most of them. I mean, they wanted to stay with you, but it's Negi-sensei's match, so...”
“Eh? Negi's fighting?!? He got to the finals?” Asuna started struggling with her bed covers. “I have to be there!”
“Huh? Wait, no, you still need-” Thud! Mei winced as Asuna found herself sprawled out on the tiled floor.
“My legs don't seem to be working. Why is that?” The redhead asked patiently. Her bells jingled quietly as she lifted her head.
“I told you, you're suffering from extreme ki exhaustion! You shouldn't be able to move at all after what you just put your body through!”
“'S not that bad. Now are you gunna' help me up?”
Mei sighed and bent down. “Here, hold on to me.” It took some work, but eventually Asuna found herself sat back on her bed, although she had to keep one arm around Mei to stay upright. “Honestly Kagurazaka-san, you need to rest. I'm supposed to be looking after you, you know?”
“I can rest later Mei-chan, but right now I really have to get to that fight!” She tried to stand up again, still leaning heavily on the unfortunate mage.
“But why?” Mei asked desperately, struggling a little with Asuna's weight.
“Because that brat is probably going to get himself hurt. I have to be there.” Asuna muttered seriously, trying to quash any of the other reasons she could feel swimming around in her head.
“Surely he can handle-”
“No he can't! He's an idiot! He'll do something without thinking – or maybe he'll over think something he shouldn't, or he'll push himself to hard-”
“I don't think you can talk about pushing yourself to hard,” Mei muttered quietly. Asuna ignored her.
“-And then kapow! It's all over. Nuh-uh, I need to be there.”
“O-okay. I didn't realise you cared so much.” Mei paused, then her eyes widened. “Hey, you aren't in lo-” She was cut off as Asuna wiped around and grabbed her by the collar.
“Don't finish that sentence! Don't even think it! He's a ten year old for Pete's sake! Why do I have to keep explaining this?!?”
“Sorry! It's just, you know, after yesterday...”
Asuna loosened her grip as she tried to remember what Mei was talking about. Time travel made it hard to use terms like yesterday properly. Lets see, there had been the setting up of the haunted house, then Negi's date with Bookstore, and that had led to...
Mei swallowed hard as the hands at her collar tightened again and hoisted her into the air so that she and Asuna were eye to eye. Apparently the kiss terminator incident was still a sore spot for her. Oh dear.
“That. Didn't. Happen. Clear?” Asuna's voice was colder than mercury. Mei nodded desperately. “Good. And if I ever hear you speak of it again...” She made a short but very graphic gesture. “Understand?” More frantic nodding. “Excellent.” And with that she lowered the shaking girl back to the floor and resumed using her as a living crutch. “So, can we go find that match now?”
“Y-yes Ma'am!” Mei stuttered, really beginning to wish Takane had let her come look for Takamichi instead of insisting she look after this demented woman for Negi...
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(Posted Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:28)
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