"Nii-san... Hey, wake up." I groaned, swatting away Yukio's hand and yanking the covers over my head. Nuzzling into my pillow, I let out a deep sigh, basking in the warmth of my bed. I felt the lull of sleep pull me in, and I greeted it happily. I heard a chuckle from above before I felt my blanket being pulled from my grasp. A ting of irritation sparked inside of me, but my groggy state muted my reaction. I felt Kuro move and I squeezed my eyes shut, mentally praying for a few more minutes of peace. The warmth of his body left my abdomen, and I soon felt his weight on top of me, followed soon after by his paw on my face.

"Rin!" He mewled and I groaned in response. "Rin, it's morning. Time to get up for breakfast!" The top of his head rammed into the underside of my chin, "C'mon!"

I relented, swatting him away and stretching. My furry familiar hopped down to the floor and wandered over to the closet, settling into our routine. I sat up in bed and stretched once more, preparing myself for the coming day. Rising to my feet, I trod over to the closet, stripping off my shirt and pajama bottoms, and tossing them into the nearby hamper. My gaze lingered on the blue flannel bottoms for a moment before grabbing my uniform off the hanger. The pajamas had been a gift from Yukio, and they were my favorite. They were warm, the fabric fuzzy and comforting. I'd occasionally ponder the thought of asking Yukio for another pair, but I didn't want to be any more of a financial burden than I already was.

I tossed my blazer over my shoulders and I heard Kuro speak up from beside me. "Rin, why do you always wake up in the middle of the night?" I hide my surprise, not sure how he'd noticed since he always seemed to be passed out when I awoke. "You toss and turn a lot, too. Do you have nightmares?" I chewed on the inside of my lip, fixing my tie before turning to the two-tailed feline. There was no point in lying to him, not when he had this many puzzle pieces. However, I could still placate him.

"I'm fine, Kuro. I'm sure it's just a phase. It's pass eventually." He didn't seem to buy my excuse, and he followed after me as I entered the bathroom. His ears tilted back as he hopped up onto the counter, a sad look crossing his expression as I pulled a comb through my messy hair.

"This phase has been going on for weeks now. I don't think it will be stopping any time soon." I watched in the mirror as he stood, taking a few steps forward and rubbing himself against my abdomen, his tails flickering behind him. "You should talk to Yukio about this, he might be able to help. You've been losing too much sleep, and that's not healthy."

I sighed and stepped away from the counter, returning to our bedroom and out the door into the adjacent hallway. "You sound just like Yukio, yourself," I mumbled under my breath. My familiar and I made our way down to the first floor and toward the cafeteria. Kuro changed direction, however, and started to munch on the food Yukio had placed next to the front door. I smiled as he ate his food and watched out the windows, his gaze fixated on the small creatures that lived in the nearby trees. Inside the cafeteria, I spotted Yukio eating his breakfast. I walked over to the fridge and assessed its contents. Finally settling on my choice of yogurt. Despite not eating much the night prior, I still didn't feel all that hungry.

Yukio gave me a thoughtful look as I sat down across from him. "When did you make our lunches? They weren't there when I grabbed dinner last night." My gaze fell down to my hands, and I fumbled around with the foil lid as I conjured up an excuse. It wouldn't be the greatest idea to tell him about my insomnia. It'd be an even worse idea to tell him I would spend the night hours cooking or cleaning to shake the dread that remained after my nightmares.

I glanced back up to teal eyes, a smile spreading across my face as I giggled. "You really need a new prescription. It has been a while since you had an eye exam." I shoved my spoon into my yogurt and gave him an incredulous look. "They were there last night, I made them while I was cooking dinner. You know, multitasking."

He didn't seem entirely convinced, but he shrugged and gave a small laugh. "I have been putting off that exam, maybe I should schedule one when lunch rolls around." He pushed himself out of his seat and grabbed his dishes. I exhaled when he turned his back, turning my attention to my yogurt, which didn't seem as appealing as it had previously. "Hey," my twin called from the kitchen, and I hummed in response, stirring my yogurt absent-mindedly. "You ate last night, right?" My brows furrowed, recalling how he'd asked me that previously. I confirmed his question and gave him a sideways glance as he entered the cafeteria once again. He tilted his head to the side, a curious look crossing his features. "Where are your dishes, then?"

Ahh, "It's easier to eat while I'm making dinner. I'm constantly tasting it, and end up eating while I'm standing." I wasn't technically lying, I do taste as I cook, but it certainly wasn't enough to sustain on. I waved him off, hoping my flippant responses would be enough to fool him. "There's no point in dirtying a plate when I can eat straight from the pot. Besides-" I grabbed my still full yogurt and presented it to him, the spoon handle sticking out. "-here's my dirty dish." I gave him a coy look, grabbing the spoon and a small amount of the yogurt before taking my meager 'bite' of food.

He shook his head at my antics, but a smile played on his lips. "Alright, I was just curious. You know you can leave the dishes for me to do, right? You usually do all the cooking and cleaning before I can get my hands on it." His smile turned sheepish, "I feel a little useless around here. You can leave those dishes for me to do later" I simply waved him off, telling him not to worry about it. He had enough to worry about, I could handle the housework. He tried to argue with me but relented after he realized I was being stubborn. He sighed and bid me farewell, and I waved to him. Once the door closed behind him, I let my smile falter. I grabbed the yogurt and made my way into the kitchen, tossing the full container into the garbage and walking over to the sink.

I plugged the drain and turned on the hot water. I tossed our dirty utensils into the soapy water and gathered the dishes from the night prior. Rolling up my sleeves, I got to work scrubbing away and rinsing each item before placing them on the nearby drying rack. I let my mind wander, another reason why I didn't mind these tasks: they were mindless. It allowed me to keep my hands busy and let my thoughts flow. I contemplated about my life, and soon enough, my thoughts turned sour. I should've learned by now that would happen, but old habits die hard.

Rinsing the last dish, I placed it on top of the rack and dug my hand into the dirty water, reaching to the bottom and grabbing the drain stop. I gave it a pull, but it remained rooted in its place. Another small tug and my brows furrowed. I used my free hand to swipe away the bubbles at the surface of the sink, trying my best to see the bottom. However, the water was cloudy and I could barely see my submerged wrist. I grunted as I yanked on the damn thing, growing frustrated at it's resistance. I slammed my opposite hand down to the edge of the sink, getting a good grip before readjusting my hold on the plug. With as much force as I could, I yanked one final time, my hand slipping and a burning sensation erupting in my arm. The momentum sent me stumbling backward and I fell against the kitchen island, my tail slamming between my spine and the granite countertop. I cussed as white-hot pain flashed through me.

I sneered at the still-full sink, taking a step forward and slamming my fist on the counter. The granite was left stained a crimson color when I lifted my hand. Puzzled, I unfurled my fingers and pulled my arm toward me. On my wrist, a clean slice was placed just below my thumb, angling slightly toward my elbow. Reflexively, I turned on the tap and ran my harmed skin under the cold water. Reaching over, I snatched the nearby hand towel and went to dry my wrist. I shouldn't have been surprised when the fabric came back clean. The cut was already healed, and a purple scar was all that remained physically. The phantom feelings of the pain still lingered, however, and I found myself focusing on the sensation. It brought me back to a time before the academy, back to when I used my fists to express myself. The ache that I'd have in my knuckles had been a reminder that I was alive. I haven't been able to feel that rush in months now, and I missed it. I took a deep breath and pushed my morbid thoughts from my mind, focusing on the fact that the sink was still plugged.

If I didn't hurry, I'd be late for class.

Digging my hand back into the now bloodied water, I felt my fingers against the metal tab of the plug. However, instead of pulling on it like previously, I let my fingers wander around, searching. Obviously, something was off-kilter here, and it didn't take long for me to figure out why. My fingers tripped over something, and I drifted my hands upwards, where the surfaces changed. I quickly realized it was the culprit to my wound. I grabbed the knife by the handle and wiggled it free from its jammed position. Once out of the water, I tossed it on the counter and sighed, unplugging the sink and drying my hands.

"Rin!" I heard Kuro cry as I entered the cafeteria, his mewls muffled by the metal door. "Rin, are you okay?!" I unlatched the door and the black feline bolted inside, hopping up onto my shoulder and giving me a once-over. "I heard you yelling. What happened, did you hurt yourself?"

I shook my head, "I'm okay, Kuro. I accidentally cut myself doing the dishes, but it's all healed up already." His eyes grew wide and I sighed, raising my hand and pulling my sleeve up. I presented him with the evidence, and he sat for a moment, looking at the scar and remaining blood on my skin.

He shook his head after a few moments, "You're lucky, if you didn't have regeneration abilities, that could've been a serious injury." I watched as he closed his eyes, a small sigh escaping him. "I'm glad you're okay. Just be more careful. I don't know what I would do without you."

His concern caused me to smile, and I chuckled. Reaching up to my shoulder, I scratched the top of his head, right between his ears. "Aw, don't get all soft on me now." He leaned into my touch and I began to feel him purr, the vibrations tingling in my fingers. "I gotta go to school, now."

He hummed, "have a good day." I let my hand fall to my side, and he jumped down from his perch on my shoulder. I bid him farewell and we both exited the cafeteria, going our separate ways as I left the dormitory.

On my way to the main building, I mused over Kuro's words. Although I knew he was being genuine, I couldn't help but believe that he may be better off as someone else's familiar. I wasn't trained as a tamer, and I wasn't even on my way to being one. Kuro would be much better off with someone like Yukio. Sure, he didn't have the meister, either. However, he was intelligent, and could probably become a better Tamer than I could ever dream of being. I was shaken from my thoughts when the bell rang, and I groaned. Great, I was late for yet another class.