>>5821047Naoki’s hand felt like it was made out of hardwood, even though this was the real one. It was calloused and rough, with very little give to it. It seemed less like a hand and more like some kind of permanent, immobile fixture. Paradoxically, his actual grip is surprisingly limp. You realize he’s probably bad at knowing the amount of force to use, so he’s either overly gentle or overly brutal with very little middle ground.
Masami’s hand was cold and felt kind of clammy, so you unconsciously begin rubbing and squeezing her fingers. She does her best not to react, but you feel her pulse increase DRAMATICALLY before it steadies out and her hand begins to warm up and radiate heat. You don’t dare look at her.
In short order Inoichi leans over and touches your forehead. “Think about the time in que-”
>>5805639>>5805768>>5805769>>5805906>>5805910>>5806995>>5807192>>5807195>>5807196>>5807886>>5808103>>5808105>You and your teammates immediately relive this exact scenario. They experience your thoughts in first person, even. They still are.You slowly begin to become conscious again. You’re in a black void. You can sense the presence of Naoki, Masami, and Inoichi still in your head. It was kind of invasive. You realize that they would know you just perceived it as invasive, and you find that even more invasive. A jolt of fear runs through your brain when you realize how exposed you are, and then your mind’s eye immediately locks in on a series of thoughts you’d be embarrassed to have anyone see: The sheer terror of being discovered by Harumi looking through her scrolls before you ran away, the secret feelings of treacherous resentment towards the village you got whenever someone called you the son of a traitor whore when you were younger, sobbing like a baby into Daigo’s shoulder after Shigure-Sensei died, the existential crisis you got when Lord Third told you your soul was all messed up and your mom tried to sacrifice you, that time you wanted to cry because Shizuka’s little brother laughed at you, all the horny little glances you had snuck at- PLEASE NO KAMI-SAMA FUCK LALALALA.
Kami-Sama obliges your prayers as you become aware of something that snaps you out of it. Something is tugging at you, like a silver cord pulling at the center of your brain. Backwards and away from what you see before you, slowly rising in your perspective as the memories fade away.
There's a disc of water, hovering in the air. It’s far enough away that you can’t see your reflection, but you do see a hazy figure standing within, standing surrounded by blackness and faint, pulsing blue flickers. Like a portal of some kind.
You feel an incredible sense of danger radiating from it. If you had hair at this moment, it would be standing on end. If you had skin, it would have goosebumps. The fear pushes all other thoughts from your mind, and you briefly forget that you’re not alone.
