Dream cycles

I open my eyes and all I see is nothing but an the empty whiteness of a sterile room filled with nothing but cold machines, searing lights and the hard bed that I am currently lying on.

As my eyes stare up at the empty room, the beeping of machines ring in my head.

It was quiet, as it was always when I was alone. I had gotten used to this silence, and I spent my time just staring quietly up the ceiling awaiting for the day to progress.

After time ticked by and an hour had passed by the door to the room I occupied slid open with a small hiss and the sound of foot steps echoed throughout the room, breaking the steady beeping rhythm of the machines.

"Oh, #### you're awake! Please, sit up, We will need get started on your examination for this morning."

Without turning to the source of the voice, I comply. It was routine at this point, there was no reason to waste time by not complying to the order. I had already gotten into trouble once for not hastily obeying the order.

"Alright then #### keep steady now, I'm going to begin the examination."

The voice moves to my side and begins the examination of my body and my condition using the machines I was attached to and the cold tools that they always used.

"No abnormalities," the voice muttered and scribbled something down, the scratching of paper on pencil filling the entire room as the voice notes down their findings.

I merely kept my gaze forward, this time counting the tiles on the wall as the voice finished their examination, there was no point on looking at what was written, no significant change had occurred that would be noted and so there was no need to waste time by looking at the voice's notes.

I only had to wait for the voice to finish and leave so I can begin waiting for the next examination.

As I finished counting the tiles on the wall, a hundred tiles all perfectly lined against each other, the Voice stops scribbling and stands.

It seemed like it was time for them to leave.

"Now ####, today we will be doing something different. Please turn and face me so we can remove the electrodes they must be terribly itchy right?"

...what? What are they talking about? Is this some kind of new experiment? This hasn't happened for a long while now.

Complying with the order I turn my body in the direction the voice to face it's owner, rather than the stern faced sterile researchers I had grown accustomed to, it was a rather scruffy looking man with peach colored hair and a gentle smile on his face.

"Oh my," the man teased, his gentle smile turning into a grin, "It seems like I've finally gotten to get you to look at me! And by the look on your cute little face you seem surprised, is it because of the sudden change in routine?"

This man seems much less serious than the other researchers that checked up on her before, why was he talking to her? Was there something he wanted?

As these thoughts raced in my head I nodded in response to the man's question, causing the man chuckle and mess with my carefully kept hair.

"Don't worry, you can expect more of this soon, no more being cooped up in boring white rooms. It's not good for kids to be stuck in one place all the time you know?"

The man babbled randomly, spouting of non-sense and mentioning familiar names once in a while before he pauses suddenly in the middle of a sentence.

"Oh! Where are my manners?" The man mutters, slapping his palm against his forehead "I forgot to introduce myself!"

"I'm Doctor Romani! Doctor Romani Archaman, at your service!" the man, or rather Doctor Romani smiles, tilting his head in a silly manner as he introduced himself.

"And I'll be taking care of you from now on ####, So don't worry ok? I'm here to help!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Awareness and reality suddenly snapped into place for Ritsuka Fujimaru as they opened their eyes.

"Was I.. dreaming?"

It felt so real, the sterile room, the searing lights and the cold Machine.

And especially...the Doctor's presence.

Their heart wrenched as they recalled their dream and a memory of a first meeting with the Doctor that definitely not theirs.

As they lay on the bed thinking about the strange dream, a voice cuts into their thoughts.

"Senpai?" It was a soft and gentle, said in a whisper as a young girl, Mash Kyrielight, stepped into the room slowly, "It's time to wake up Senpai, it's already 8 am."

As Mash approaches Ritsuka, she pauses, noticing the look on the Master's face.

Scanning their face carefully Mash slowly puts a hand against the forehead of Ritsuka Fujimaru and worriedly begins asking them questions, "You look troubled Senpai, are you sick? Do we need to call Nightingale?"

Ritsuka panics and begins waving their arms around in a frantic manner, attempting to dispel Mash's worries and prevent her from calling the rather intense Nurse, "Oh no it's nothing Mash! just a weird dream, don't worry."

"Oh I see," the Demi-servant sighs in relief, and adjusts her glasses "well Senpai, it's time to get ready so please prepare yourself for today. I'll be waiting outside."

"Alright, be out in a minute."

As Mash turns around to leave the room, Ritsuska sighs and pushes themselves off the bed, preparing themselves to start the day.

"I wonder what that dream was though, it was weird."