Waking Up

Wuming, while in a coma, dreamt a long, long dream.

In the dream, she had another name—Uchiha Hikari.

It was a world without war, and Uchiha Hikari grew up carefree under the loving protection of her parents.

She did not have to wear that tattered blue dress, did not have to carry heavy shackles all day, and was not dragged off daily to undergo all sorts of experiments.

Her only worry was that Uchiha Chigusa next door would ignore her, instead pestering Uchiha Hiri all day to learn ninjutsu.

Chigusa's abnormal behavior gradually made Uchiha Hikari, immersed in this world, realize the truth. When she looked back, the faces of her once-affectionate parents had begun to blur.

A voice from the void whispered to her, "Why overthink it? You must have long since grown tired of that hell filled with strife."

"As long as you convince yourself to ignore those tiny anomalies, you can live in this paradise forever."

Looking at her parents, whose faces were now featureless, Uchiha Hikari could no longer recall their names or appearances, yet the warmth she felt was so familiar, so real.

They opened their arms, ready to pull Uchiha Hikari into a warm embrace.

However, she took one last look at her parents, then resolutely turned her head toward the voice in the void and said, "Let me go back."

"I don't want Chigusa to live in that hell over there all by himself."

"I promised him that I would be with him forever."

The voice in the void did not reply. The entire false world rapidly dimmed, and Uchiha Hikari transformed back into Wuming, returning to that hell where Chigusa resided.

Only this time, Wuming was no longer afraid or lost. Even if she were in hell, she was determined to create a warm paradise for Chigusa.

The first thing Wuming saw upon waking was Chigusa sitting beside her, gently stroking her face.

Although his hands felt cold, a wave of warmth surged through Wuming's heart, and she felt incredibly happy.

The real world is better after all. Does anyone really enjoy staying in a fake world?

However, Wuming still felt a bit shy, and she couldn't help but blurt out, "W-why are you touching me?"

Caught in the act, Chigusa was startled and pulled his hand back as if electrocuted. He had been peeking at the view of Wuming's chest, and though no one had noticed, he felt quite guilty.

But then, his heart was filled with joy. Forgetting his shyness, he said happily:

"You're finally awake? Is there anything else that feels uncomfortable? You lost so much blood; you really scared me."

When Chigusa pulled his hand away, Wuming felt a sense of loss. For some reason, her heart suddenly longed for him to touch her more.

As soon as the thought surfaced, she was startled by herself. The spot on her face where he had touched her suddenly felt itchy, and she knew without looking that she must be blushing deeply.

Receiving no answer, Chigusa assumed Wuming was still unwell and hurriedly leaned in to carefully check her condition.

Chigusa's proximity made Wuming's face turn even redder, and she could only stammer, "I-I'm fine now. Um, I think I'm okay."

Seeing that she didn't seem weak when she spoke and that her complexion was a deep red—unlike the pale, bloodless state she had been in yesterday—he felt slightly relieved.

As Chigusa relaxed, his tensed nerves finally let go, and the pain from his own injuries flared up, causing him to collapse to the side with a "thud."

To distract himself, Chigusa couldn't help but grab Wuming's small hand resting nearby and say with relief, "I'm just glad you're okay. You worried me to death."

Wuming felt a surge of happiness as her hand was held, though she did wonder if she should pull away.

But the feeling of her hand being held made her feel lightheaded, and she wished she had more hands just so he could hold them all.

After enjoying a moment of Chigusa's tenderness, Wuming suddenly remembered something and struggled to sit up.

Chigusa hurriedly helped her, asking with concern, "Is something bothering you?"

Wuming searched her body, even pulling open her torn clothes to look inside, giving Chigusa a full view of the scenery within;

Hmm, small, but quite cute.

After searching her entire body and failing to find what she wanted, Wuming asked Chigusa anxiously, "The shoes you gave me are gone!"

When Black Zetsu had launched his sneak attack, the technique and force of his blade had been flawless, but he hadn't accounted for the straw sandals Chigusa had given her, which she had kept tucked against her chest.

Worried that his craftsmanship wasn't up to par, Chigusa had intentionally made the sandals with extra layers. They had acted as a natural shield, slightly blocking the attack and preventing the blade from damaging Wuming's internal organs.

"Don't worry, don't worry," Chigusa said, soothing the anxious Wuming as he pulled the straw sandals from his backpack and handed them to her. "I was afraid they would infect your wounds, so I put them away for you."

Looking at the sandals, which were now broken into four pieces, Wuming felt a wave of sadness, and her eyes stung with impending tears.

Seeing her eyes turn red as if she were about to cry, Chigusa quickly comforted her:

"Don't be sad! These shoes saved your life; you could say they died a glorious death. We have a long time to spend together in the future, and I'll get you something even better then."

Wuming remained sullen, her voice dropping to a whisper: "But... this was the first gift I ever received from a friend. I... I still can't bear to lose them."

Chigusa thought for a moment, then went to the riverbank to pick some fresh water grass, testing its strength with his hands.

Taking the sandals from Wuming's arms, Chigusa found a way to use the new grass to repair the sandals that had been split in two.

Although the already ugly shoes looked even more haphazard now, they were, at the very least, back in one piece.

He showed the reborn shoes to Wuming, pointing to the new, vibrant green grass, and said with a smile:

"Look, the grass here represents me. I've tied myself to them, so no matter where I am in the future, it's as if we're always together."

Wuming stared at the even uglier shoes in silence, making Chigusa feel a bit awkward.

Just as he thought she didn't like such a cheesy line, Wuming whispered in a voice barely audible, "Thank you. I will continue to cherish them."

"And... and... I don't want you to leave me..."

Mid-sentence, Wuming stopped looking down to hide her shyness and instead looked straight into Chigusa's eyes: "No matter where you go, I will follow you. Forever and ever, we will never be apart."

Wuming's frankness caught Chigusa off guard, making him blush. He was just a pure-hearted college student who had never been in a relationship, and this was his first time being hit with such a direct strike from such a beautiful girl.