Chapter Text
Naoto Shirogane leans back in her seat, rubbing her sleep encrusted eyes as she starts to reawaken from her admittedly short slumber. Ever since awakening to her persona, her dreams were much more vivid and memorable; more often than not nostalgic memories rushing to create a reminder of past days.
Sometimes she would welcome the dreams with open arms. Dreams such as climbing the large, moss addled oak trees and weeping willows of the estate to the highest branches and staring at the world so minuscule down below. And others she very much disliked the memories, and wished to never dwell on them again; those being of her parents never coming home that fateful day, leaving their small child to weep for years alone with nobody but her grandfather to keep her company in the rare moments he hadn't departed on cases.
This time, the dream brought forth was a little different. She had wandered into her old tree-house, going through the detective tools she had made in her youth. After finding one that needed to be repaired, she had run to her room in the estate, placing it on the sink in front of the mirror to start to take it apart. As she did, she looked up at the mirror, and instead of her own face in the mirror she was greeted by the face of her small persona. He seemed to smile brightly at her, saluting her. It was enough to shake her from her slumber.
She wonders briefly if her persona is the reason for these strange, nostalgic dreams… And if this is the case, might her other allies have dreams of a similar nature? She would have to reflect on this at a later time--
'Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
Her eyes widen at the small voice humming in the back of her mind. Sukuna Hikona seems to have a strange habit of commenting on things happening to her in reality. Is it this way with the others too--
'Hey, look out the window! Everybody looks like an ant from here! Heheheh~!'
The corners of her lips twitch up at Sukuna-Hikona's soft trills, and she humors him by giving a glance to the window. She had always had a fondness for heights. Sukuna-Hikona is certainly lively when he does speak up. He seems much like her shadow had been, but much less domineering and with a very strong childlike disposition. It could be somewhat irritating at times, but it is a nice refreshment from the constant logically laden labyrinth in her brain on the daily.
'Wouldn't it be exciting to ride on the wing of the plane?'
Now that is an intrusive thought. She shakes her head, smiling. 'Now, now, Sukuna-san. Enough of these silly interjections. I don't quite have your wings to save me if I lose my footing.'
She hears a soft giggle in her soul, and chuckles under her breath. It's a strange new reality to have her persona pipe in at times, but sometimes it is just the lift that she needs to continue with her day. She redirects her attention to the clouds outside of the plane window, and her eyelids start to droop once more. The case in France had been a lengthy one, but she is excited to visit the estate and reconvene with her grandfather once more. As she drifts to sleep, she feels the soothing ghost of a small embrace against her.
'Goodnight, Naoto! Don't let the bed bugs bite.'