Scar

Nightmares

(based on no episode in particular. Happened shortly after previous installment)

Author's Note: Psst, the idea actually came after I finished writing the seventh installment, so, there might be some repetitive element found in both chapters (you'll see when I posted them). This chapter was made in consideration that the first 5 chapters were mostly written from IV's point of view. I was really engrossed in IV's character that I haven't done the other any justice (that, and the fact that I couldn't care less about any other character but beloved Thomas). But exploring the other's POV proved to be really therapeutic. Gonna do something like this in the future again! XD (maybe)

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own YGO Zexal, otherwise, IV would be an anti-hero protagonist along with Rio as the heroine, and the anime would be full of dramas instead of card games!

***

She was there again, in the midst of flames. He was there, too, gripping her shoulder tightly that it hurt. His body jerked several times, when the debris struck his back, but he stayed silent. Her sight was a blur at first, and when everything came into focus, all she saw was cleaved shoulder, bleeding profusely, slowly engulfed in fire.

Rio screamed, legs flailing, trying to wrench free, but he only tightened his grip, teeth clenched while pieces after pieces of debris kept hitting him.

And then, he was gone.

The blunette didn't have time to wonder where he had gone or how. She immediately scrambled to her knees, trying with all her might to find a way out of jungle of jagged concrete. She was practically surrounded by ruins, and she could only get out if she climbed out of it. And she did; clumsily made her way up the pile of debris and when she arrived on top, she could see that there was less obstruction beyond it. Hope bloomed in her chest; she could get out of there.

In her frantic search for way out, the fact that she was almost covered in fire never registered in her brain. As soon as she stepped down from the heap of bricks, her knees gave way and her body crumpled to the ground. Vaguely she could make out the sound of siren blaring, more thumping shook the ground; whatever remained of the building probably toppled over, or maybe that was multiple footsteps approaching, she wasn't sure which as her consciousness was slowly consumed by darkness.

When she woke up, she was lying on a bed, sight filled with darkness, unable to even move a single finger—or even feel her body at all. She got panicked and hyperventilated, then voices started to echo around her; voices of man, woman, shouting orders, shuffling around her bed, doing God knew what. They did something to her, she was sure of that, but she had no means of comprehending it. The only working sense that she could rely on was her hearing, but that didn't provide much as everything was in chaos. Before long, she drifted off into oblivion once again.

The next time she woke up, she was still in the same condition as the first time, and deciding that she wasn't dreaming after all. The fire was real, her injuries were real, and she was strapped here, incapacitated, was also real. She wanted to know about the nature of her injuries, so she started paying attention to whatever occurred around her, relying only to her ears. It was hard to concentrate—or even stay awake for long at first, but it got longer every time, probably a sign that she was definitely getting better.

At times, she would wake up when the doctor was talking to someone else about her condition and learned that her injuries were bad; third-degree burns on most of her limbs, first to second degree on the rest of her body. She couldn't believe it at first as she felt no pain at all, but that was probably because the bandages were wrapped tightly. At one point, the topic of surgery surfaced, they talked something about grafting and sedative, and a few days after that did she start enduring the pain and nightmares.

It was the same one every single time; memories of that incident played inside her dream in endless loop. She'd be jerked awake sometimes, all of her vital signs indicator went wild, and the nurses would rush into her room to give her some tranquilizers. She finally got used to it that she wouldn't cause a stir every time she endured one. But then, another series of unpleasant things reached her ears.

Ryouga was allowed to visit when she was deemed stable enough to receive visitors. The boy would tell her a lot of things in his visit, and she'd reply if able. He never asked her about what had happened (she wasn't sure if he did it deliberately or genuinely thought it was just an accident) and she was grateful for that as she didn't want to be reminded of that day. When Ryouga told her about what happened in Duel Circuit, she was furious at first and her cardiograph started running wild again, everything happened after that was a blur.

She was denied visitor for a few days after that, not even Ryouga. When her twin was finally permitted to visit again, he was crying, apologizing, begging for her not to leave him. She chuckled at the image of her brother's sniveling face and then, they were back teasing each other again, as if she wasn't injured at all.

She didn't know how much times had passed, but she felt she was getting better at reading her surrounding with just her hearing. She would know if someone was coming to her room and could even guess exactly who came (her choices ranged from Ryouga, the doctor, the nurses or any other hospital staff, and anyone else who wasn't listed above, though the last one was less likely). She had fun imagining about how they looked like, their mood, what they were doing in her room, all by judging from the sound they made. She was always excited whenever someone came into her room, ready for another guessing game.

Until the day the subject of her fury actually came to visit.

She hadn't anticipated it at first, thinking it was one of her classmates visiting. But then he blurted out, making her good mood evaporated instantly. She couldn't restrain her hatred that she threw hateful remarks at him. IV retaliated weakly, as if he hadn't prepared for it and she could feel some sort of smug satisfaction after he stopped replying before finally stalked out of the room. She couldn't wait to tell Ryouga about it.

But then, the nightmare invaded before her brother's visit.

She was there again, in that inferno with him. His blood-stained battered form left her restless for the following days. Every time, she noticed new details; like how the flames spiraled above their heads looked like dancing meteors (it would look rather beautiful in some other occasions), how everything around them was either groaning or lashing, sending fragments or burning heat, trying to cage them in, how many pieces of debris fell on them—him (he was at least struck fifteen times, if not more when she was still unconscious), and lastly, the most vivid one was how the blood from the gash soaked the right side of his overcoat.

She was too consumed in her anger that she overlooked the rather grisly details of her dream. He had been wounded too, she remembered, probably as bad as hers—if not worse. She wondered where he had been brought after that incident (she knew for a fact that he had already recovered from his injuries since he had participated in Duel Circuit), or if he was having nightmares too. Was that the reason he had come, to relieve him from his nightmare?

Now, guilt began to overcome her hatred. She never heard his side of the story, and it was unfair if she judged him without first hearing it from him. She would definitely ask for an apology if he came to visit. That was a big IF, though. She doubted he would come to visit again anytime soon.

Maybe, just maybe, if the nightmares pushed her enough, she'd beg to Ryouga to bring him to her.

Tonight, she was on it again. She was there again.

***

Word count: 1,270
Reviews are always welcome!