The first thing Ren saw was those white ceiling tiles. They came into focus as his eyes fluttered open, each blink returning him back to reality. Then came that smell he had hated... the smell of antiseptic, sharp and and the slow, growing throb behind his skull, like someone knocking from inside his head.
The nurse's office was washed in warm, golden-hour light. Everything was still... too still.
The school was quiet in a way that felt wrong to him. It was quiet enough that Ren could almost hear dust settling on the cabinets, quiet enough that his own breath sounded loud in his ears.
"Where…?" Ren tried to move but the pain surged through his ribs like someone has stabbed him.
He froze as his fingers curled into the sheets as a groan slipped out. His lungs felt tight. His skull throbbed.
"The cafeteria… Yuto.. the fight. " Ren tried to remember. "Someone hit me from behind… "
