[ Sasuke shoulders lose their tension; he hadn't even realize he had been holding them stiffly. Ritsuka doesn't seem to be judging him... Bringing the hot water kettle and the teapot, he'll busy himself making the tea. It helps... having something to distract himself with. ]

I've kept track of what I ate, watched, listened to before bed, and there's no pattern. The only thing I can come up with is... that if I sleep, there's a good chance I'll have one of these nightmares. Sometimes, I'll get additional disturbing images, sounds, smells, sensations, but it always starts the same. A lot of times I wake trying to cradle a tiny flame in my arms as the darkness tries to drown me. I hear words, but hell if I know what they are when I wake.

[ He pauses as he pours the hot water over the tea leaves. The steam billows up before him. It's easier to talk to Ritsuka about this than he thought. She really is a safe, listening ear. ]

Before the school was destroyed, I had normal nightmares. Like car crashes, fires, falling down stairs, going to school without any clothes on, failing tests, things that are concrete or at least make sense, you know? And they didn't happen all the time. I even stopped having them after a while. And I also had good dreams too.

If it means anything... I'm not sure what it could be. I feel like I'm... I feel like I'm missing something... Something in that darkness....