Shigure's deep, dark eyes looked down into mine. They contained a world of words and feelings. I saw love and pity. Gratitude and guilt. I stared at him for a long time before I felt that perhaps this was real and I wasn't imagining things. It didn't feel quite like a dream. I think, I thought… was I awake?
He wasn't wearing his face mask and he was as handsome as ever. The most handsome man in the world. There were a few wrinkles that hadn't been there before.
Really, I wanted to know how he did it? How did he take such good care of his skin? Don't tell me it was natural and genetic or I might hit you.
His hair was still that same shock of silver. It was getting a little long and probably needed a trim. I wondered how it managed to stay standing up like that. Could it be that he had hair that just wouldn't stay down?
Could I touch it? Should I touch it? Would it feel soft or wiry now? Would it spring back up immediately after I tried to flatten it?
Waking up to this kind of view everyday… I think I could get used to it.
I smiled and watched a slow smile spread across his face to his eyes. His eyes lit up. They danced with joy.
Also, I wanted to know. How old was he? Why did he look like someone only a few years older than me? Did it mean he'd just been a child or a teenager during the last war when he first became a hero? Or was he really as old as my dad? Could love transcend age?
My voice was hoarse and raspy. The sound wouldn't come out properly.
Shigure raised the head of the electronic bed and brought a cup of water to my lips knowing what I wanted just from looking at me. We didn't need to exchange any words.
I had to drink some water and clear my throat a few times before I could get a sound out. Even then, the words I wanted to say didn't come out. Had my throat gone rusty with disuse? I switched to a wavelength I knew he would still be able to hear me in.
*"So when are you giving me your baby?"*
Shigure facepalmed.
Shocked.
Speechless.
Flabbergasted.
Because it wasn't the usual wavelength that either of us normally used, it took Shigure a moment to find the right channel to reply to me. He was so clever and amazing. I loved him so much. He was able to keep developing talents and abilities as the situation called for it. Every time I thought I'd improved, he had too, maintaining the huge gap between us. If I learned something new, he came back with a similar talent. Ah, yes. They did call him the Great Mimic, didn't they? When would I be able to keep up with him? Or even match him?
*"Unbelievable. After all this time, are you sure that's the first thing you want to say to me? No greetings? No 'I love you'? No thanks? No 'Shigure, you're so awesome'?"* he asked me, his face full of complex emotions. *"Uki-chan, you're as unpredictable as ever."*
*"Mr Kimi Shigure Red Eye, you're so awesome. Thank you. I love you. When are we getting married?"* I persisted. *"You don't have another girl at the moment, right? What about me? Will you have me? Can't it be me? You're mine, ok? Is it ok to be selfish like this?"*
*"Uki-chan,"* Shigure shook his head at me with amusement and another flood of more complex emotions surged by. Very intense ones that I didn't comprehend. *"Usually, it's the men that do the proposal, you know."*
Hmm. It seemed that while my ability centre was gone and there was still a big gaping hole there in my mind, I could still sense emotions. They were sensed in a different way compared to before and I felt that I might need some time adjusting.
Reaching out, I sensed Shigure's condition and was both pleased and relieved to find that he had made a full recovery. If anything, he was stronger than before - both mentally and physically. It was a miracle. The power from on high was more potent than I had expected. When I looked deeper, he had in fact, also gained a greater mental capacity than I had formerly had and maybe even one or two more abilities. His mind space and ability centre had healed so well that I wanted to applaud but my physical coordination was weak. I got two claps in.
Amazing. My man was sure amazing. He allowed me to examine him with a slight smile, as if wanting to ease my worries.
His eyes darkened momentarily when he saw me look inward into my mind and touch the edges of the big gaping hole there, comparing my incomplete healing with his complete one. His hand rose and then returned, almost as if he'd wanted to stop me from looking at what might never return. I sighed.
*"Uki-chan, you were far, far more injured than I was,"* Shigure said apologetically. "The doctors and I have done our best to at least get you to wake up."*
At least my brain had almost fully recovered. Most of the lights in my brain had come back on but they flickered with the warning lights that indicated that repairs were still in progress. I was already extremely grateful that I could wake up, think and talk like this. From the looks of things, I might still have the chance to walk and run in the future. I wasn't going to be a living vegetable or a complete imbecile. What a miracle.
*"Then…"* I cleared my throat and tried to speak again. "When's my proposal?" I managed to whisper.
"One day, perhaps. I won't give you a definite answer now. We'll see when you're better," Shigure smiled and gave me a peck on the forehead. "Wait until you have recovered and are better, then we can talk again."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
*"You'd better still be here when I wake up again,"* I warned Shigure, closing my eyes again, feeling tired after this short exchange.
"I will," Shigure's hand stroked my head with the softest smile I had seen yet. "I will."