At first, it's like waking from a too-long sleep. He doesn't know where he is, or what the time is, and his head is stuffed with cotton. He stirs discontentedly. Whatever he's lying on, it's not comfortable. He's not in a bed. So what...
It all hits him at once. His eyes snap open and he stares at the Velvet Room ceiling in disbelief and horror. He—he died. He remembers it; the split second of agony, his mind going dark like the wick of a candle pinched between two fingers. He thinks he remembers not being allowed to pass on to the Sea of Souls. A wall, a trap, panicked claustrophobia and then a blanketing nothingness.
His overwhelming instinct is to roll onto his side and curl in on himself like a dying bug, so that's what he does. He doesn't even notice Akechi.
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It all hits him at once. His eyes snap open and he stares at the Velvet Room ceiling in disbelief and horror. He—he died. He remembers it; the split second of agony, his mind going dark like the wick of a candle pinched between two fingers. He thinks he remembers not being allowed to pass on to the Sea of Souls. A wall, a trap, panicked claustrophobia and then a blanketing nothingness.
His overwhelming instinct is to roll onto his side and curl in on himself like a dying bug, so that's what he does. He doesn't even notice Akechi.