genessia | Won't You Wake Me Up From This?

Entry tags:

Won't You Wake Me Up From This?

WHO: Orihime Inoue, OPEN
WHAT: Orihime undergoes the long process of recovery. Mild spoilers for the end of the raid on Lucifer's mansion.
WHEN: Any time after September 14th, just pick a date and put it in the subject line! Anything before today is unlikely to get a response from her, so if you want a nice big rambling one shot, choose that for your date.
WHERE: SPOILERS IN WHITE TEXT! The Hospital
NOTES: Physical healing powers are okay! Mental healing is also okay, though it would take a long period of rehibilitation to have a positive effect.

September 14th - September 30th

The hospital room is quiet. A soft, steady beep marks the quiet throb of Orihime's pulse. She sleeps deeply, unmoving save for the slow rise and fall of her chest. Her fingers never twitch. Her lashes never flutter.

If there was one good thing to come from this, it's the chance to sleep without the threat of nightmares to plague her rest. The days pass, unnoticed, while Orihime's body, mind, and soul tried to piece itself together. The Aeon had intertwined itself so tightly with her very being, both physically and mentally, that it had ripped out metaphysical chunks when it finally separated from its captive host. She'd lost a great deal of blood, and for the first week, she's pale and battered. The doctors aren't even certain she'll survive, but there's hope, and fairly decent odds that she'll pull through.

The color in her cheeks does return in time, and her vital records show improvement even if the change is very slow. There's no longer any uncertainty as to the matter of her survival...just whether she'll awaken or not.

The doctors allow visitors, albeit somewhat reluctantly, with a warning that Orihime might not respond to them. They're not sure if she can hear people or not in her condition, but for those who really want to talk to her, they're free to make the attempt.

October 1st - October 11th
She was awake, but quiet. Obedient, she did everything the doctors told her to do, and ate what they put in front of her. Now that Orihime was conscious, she understood at last what had happened to her, and how it had come to pass. She knew she wasn't directly responsible for the Aeon's survival and transfer into Genessia, but she couldn't help feeling guilty anyway. It had been so easy to manipulate her like a puppet. If she really HAD been killed, the creature might have perished. This was why it had taunted her, egging her to lose her life, just so she would defy its demands and preserve the both of them.

But then again, dying might have done nothing to purge the twisted creature, and only Orihime would emerge by paying a price and losing some part of herself.

The worst part was the lingering regret over Adam. He didn't hate her for what happened, but she owed him nonetheless. He'd died, and lost something important to him just for the privilege of living again. If she hadn't been in his life, that wouldn't have happened. She was responsible for that missing piece.

She would have to try very hard to pursue the charms, she decided, if only to give back what she stole.

Suddenly she felt someone drawing close. Orihime sat up a little straighter, shaking off the gloom. As pensive and brooding as she was, she had to admit, visitors made her pretty happy. She knew she had to stop moping and get back on her feet, but there was still a lot of healing to do, and amends to make.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

But I want to.

[His touch is soothing. Some of the anxiety leaks out of her expression and she deflates, calming somewhat.]

And those memories were important to you, otherwise they wouldn't have been accepted, ne?

[Orihime bends her elbow so she can cup her hand over his knuckles, giving a weak but grateful squeeze of her fingers.]

Just saying 'thank you' can't be enough for me. Please let me prove my gratitude, so I can show you how much you mean to me.

[hm... he knows that she can be overly stubborn as well, so she won't back down from this.]

How about you just get better for now?

[But...but...! Ah. It's probably all she can do. Unless the powers that be decide that there's going to be a charm granted to people who lie around in bed all day and eat cherry gelatin. So she nods with a resigned smile. No matter what, though, she's going to find a way to wish for his memories to come back. That's a promise.]

So...what did I miss? How are you?

Hm...

[what a thing to ask him. he doesn't really know how to answer that. he leans back in his seat, his arms crossing over his chest as he stares at her from behind his mask.]

It's... going alright for me. [er...] I woke up, searched for you, then had been working on getting a team together for the expedition, that was essentially all for me.

[but-] And... Blake disappeared for a bit and returned with no memories of this place, apparently. So that's been rather awkward.

[She smiles, touched. He'd really wanted to rescue her, in spite of all she and that creature had put him through. Honestly, she couldn't ask for a better friend. The charms are the major goal, but she should think of something else nice to do for him, something he'll appreciate that will make him super happy once she's up on her feet again. At least she has time to think it over.]

Awkward?

[Orihime blinks. Awkward is a step up from 'fighting and not just with words' potential! She beams at him.]

So you're getting along better?

[er... WELL...]

Better than before. I wouldn't exactly say we're on perfect speaking terms.

Mmmm...

[She smiles, and sinks back into her pillow. Blake was his best friend before. It's good to see he's recovering some of that friendship, even if it's not perfect, as he says.]

But it's a good start. You're not alone anymore. I'm really glad for you!

[best friend, right. she was always someone that he cared for deeply, that he had wanted to protect. but now? she's moved on, she has others, and he needs to move on too.]

I suppose. Even though she insists on cutting our conversations short.

[he shrugs.]

[Orihime tilts her head slightly. Granted, she doesn't know Blake very well, or at all. What she has to go on is what Adam's told her about the feline faunus. She can only assume the behavior isn't normal.]

Did she mention why?

[it isn't that normal, but... when something is bothering blake, he knows that she just wants to be alone.]

I... have my suspicions. [and orihime just might be the cause of it.] I think she just needs space to think about everything.

[She waits for a moment to see if he means to elaborate. He doesn't, so she doesn't push. It's their business, so she shouldn't pry. Still, this is better than before, so she's happy.]

That's very respectful of you.

[Orihime's quiet for a moment...not because she can't think of anything to say, but because it's so...SO NICE...to have her thoughts be her own for a change. No more dark whisperings, no gruesome apparitions. She can even feel Adam's reiatsu faintly.]

...Is that why you're reading?

[She nods at the book he put down. She's pretty sure he mentioned Blake's preference for books before.]

Hm?

[he looks down at the book on his lap, then back up to her. he didn't really think of it that way, but it sort of made sense.]

I was more reading because it gets boring simply sitting here. [he's such a charmer.]

Ah ha ha...!

[Well. Yeah. As weird as Orihime can get, she's not entertaining when she's asleep. FOR WEEKS.]

Sorry! I would have woken up sooner if I could! But...

[There's a touch of color in her cheeks as she smiles up at him like a big dork.]

Thank you for waiting for me. You didn't have to do that.

[he raises his hand up, already telling her that it was fine, she didn't need to thank him.]

I have a lot of time on my hands, it wasn't a problem.

It was kind. And I'm grateful.

[She closes her eyes for a moment. How can she still be tired after sleeping for weeks? She looks up at him again, studying his masked face, and the line of his mouth.]

You're one of the best friends I've ever had, Adam-san. Thanks for coming back to life...

[...Well it sounds weird now that she says it.]

[he frowned at that, but only because she was saying such an embarrassing thing to him. it was still such a weird concept, to be friends with a human.... and orihime was really one of the only exceptions.]

You must have had some poor best friends. [HAHAAA.... he was mostly joking, mostly.]

Oh no, they're wonderful! I just...haven't seen them in a long time.

[Her smile is a little wry, but then she perks up.]

Except for Kuchiki-san! A-ah ha ha, I owe her an apology too!

[And Nanana, who is probably still waiting for her pudding.]

Ne...is Lucifer-san okay?

[at the mention of lucifer, adam simply frowned harder. he wasn't a fan of that individual, at all.]

I hope he isn't. We all had to leave with you after what happened, a lot in our group wanted him dead.

[and that reminded him of something else-] Why did you stay with him of all people?

[Her brow creases in concern. Lucifer is pretty strong, so she doesn't think he'd be dead...but even so, she hopes the conflict didn't come to a head like that. It was all a big misunderstanding! At his question, she falls quiet for several moments.]

...He found me, and took me in. After I killed you, I just started running. I couldn't stop. Sometime after that, I guess I collapsed, because I woke up in his house.

[The aftermath of that awful moment is a pretty big blur, but she remembers what happened after she woke up.]

I didn't want to stay, because I knew I'd be a danger to him and Lycaon-san...er, that's his werewolf. But he convinced me anyway.

[She doesn't know all of Lucifer's dealings. She knows he was more than a little antagonistic to some of the contestants at the pageant, but when dealing with her, he'd been unusually kind.]

He helped me stave off the madness for a long time, and took care of me. I owe him a lot too.

[She lifts her arm, looking at the smooth skin of her forearm with a faint frown.]

I think...he's been healing me. I can feel his reiatsu lingering near the cuts.

[ugh. he doesn't like lucifer one bit, so hearing all that about him just makes him frown even harder. adam scoffed, turning away from her to glance over at her heart monitor. he listened to the quiet beeps of the machine, and he was pleased at how steady her heartbeat was.... but even so...]

If you ever need to go talk to him, I want to come along. I simply don't like the idea of you being alone with him.

[for whatever reason.]

[What for? She looks at Adam, a little confused by the request. Then again, she wasn't privy to their conversations. But she nods in agreement. She owes Adam, and there's no harm in his request. It just doesn't seem necessary. And she doesn't DARE say that Adam and Lucifer have a great deal in common; Adam just isn't quite as far down that path of anger, bitterness, and hatred.]

Did you guys have a fight?

[adam frowned at that.]

He was taunting me about having you at his castle. [adam doesn't like him one bit.]

I warned him, if he ever got in my way I would certainly kill him.

[Orihime doesn't really have anything to say to that. She can't really defend Lucifer; if Adam was at the pageant, then he knows as well as she does that Lucifer likes to push people's buttons. She's not sure why. But she also can't agree with Adam's threats either. It would be nice if they didn't fight, but she knows there's nothing she could do or say to make the two of them friends.]

Sorry. I didn't...I mean, I wasn't sure you'd ever come back. I should have left a note just in case, I suppose.

[But they both know she wasn't thinking straight for a good long while.]

[well.... she didn't leave a note, and he had been taunted by lucifer. adam hates him, fully and completely, and that's that. he's a stubborn bull, he refuses to think otherwise.]

It's alright. He knows all about my warnings, and he should know I wouldn't ever hold back against him as well.

I hope it doesn't come to that.

[Her smile is wry. He probably knows her well enough by now to know that she wouldn't wish for something like that, but she can't exactly preach against it. Lucifer isn't innocent. It's a wonder he's treated her so kindly, and the fact that he has leaves her with so many questions.]

Anou...now that I'm awake, are you going home?

[He deserves some rest. But she also wants to spend more time with him; she's missed him so much, and there's so much she needs to make up to him.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject