[video | dream]

[caesar]

The dream starts off in darkness, a glowing green face of a clock ticking backwards stands illuminated against it. Nothing else exists here, no sound, nothing more than that clock. As both hands rest at precisely twelve o'clock, a loud chime begins to play. It rings like a church bell, sounding twelve times before it is followed up by a sound.

"Senpai!"

The world shifts and changes, a group of people - several recognizable from Vatheon - appears. They sit out on the steps of what appears to be a large castle. Yukari is the one waving to him, smiling and laughing. "Hurry up - we'll miss the tour!"

As he takes a step forward, the image cuts out, static taking its place. The clock can be heard, a loud, low ticking that ebbs through the dream. The world flashes white and a new image takes it place.


Akihiko is suddenly seated behind a desk, a stack of paperwork carefully filed in front of him. He's wearing a police officer's uniform, the hat of which is sitting upon a stack of files sitting haphazardly next to an "in" box sitting on his desk. In one hand he holds his SFC - or rather, the Dreamberry device - and appears to be copying out information on the screen onto a sheet of paper in front of him.

"Whew... This stuff never ends, does it?"

On the floor by his feet sits a large black and white akita, its nose pushed up against the base of the desk. It lets out a low whine which causes Akihiko to wheel his chair back - immediately catching the dog's attention and making it rise to its feet. Its tail starts to wag as it turns around, a large police badge attached to the animal's collar. "Sorry girl, I need to finish this paperwork up for Edgeworth and the Inspector," Akihiko says with a sigh, reaching over to scratch the dog behind the ears. "We'll head out on patrol soon."

Tick. Tock.

The screen suddenly flashes, changing to Akihiko in what appears to be a doctor's office. He's seated, shirt off as a dark haired woman in a labcoat checks his pulse and then his heartbeat. She hums softly

"It looks like you've healed up nicely, Akihiko." She smiles knowingly, giving him a bit of a playful wink. "I'm glad that you took my advice, though I'm certain that neglecting your training for an entire week was difficult."

"Heh, you could say that again, doctor..." he says with a bit of a sheepish smile.

The ticking can still be heard as that scene fades, but there is no tock to follow up. Just a constant tick -- tick -- tick --, as though the needles are stuck. It does not change the way the world is absorbed into darkness again before a white flash brings him to another scene.

Akihiko is laying on a couch in what almost looks like his dormitory from back home. He blinks, the world coming into focus around him. He slowly begins to shift and sit up - interrupted by the sound of a shirt giggle and sudden realization that someone happened to be laying against him. He looks down, seeing a redheaded girl looking back up at him with a smile.

"What's the rush, Akihiko-kun?" she asks, that smile not fading. She nuzzles a bit against his sweater vest, urging him to settle back down. He does so, slowly letting his back rest against the arm of the couch. She cuddles in closer, resting her head against his shoulder as she shifts and settles more or less in his lap. "I thought we could just sit here together for a while..."


-----

[Akihiko sits up, he's on the couch in the Volo dorms, having fallen asleep there. He blinks and looks around - naturally taking a glance downward, just in case that redheaded girl happened to still be there. She disappeared with the dream, which is quickly fading from his memory. He frowns and reaches for the Dreamberry on the coffee table, reaching around to scratch the back of his head as he looks onto the screen.]

What a weird dream...