Hello, everyone. I am so sorry about the wait on this. I didn't realize it had been a year since my last Rei/Caden story. I do apologize for that.
This story takes place during the end of 'From Dreams to Reality,' between chapters 18 and 19. For any new comers I suggest you read 'What Is Reality Anyway?' and 'From Dreams to Reality', before continuing on.
I was in darkness and I felt cold. I could hear a slow beeping to my left and I as I opened my eyes, my vision was flooded by a bright, white light. I turned toward the beeping and realized it was a heart monitor. It dawned on me that I was the one hooked up to it. My heart beat seemed steady, as far as I could tell.
My head was foggy and my back was stiff. I wondered how long I had been out.
"Caden?"
Groaning with the effort of moving my head, I turned and bleary eyed I saw Rei sitting beside me. Rei quickly pulled out her communicator. It beeped before Rei said,"She's awake." Putting the communication device away, Rei turned backed to reached her hand up and slid her fingers through my short yet shaggy hair. Her face was full of worry.
"Are you ok," she asked. "How do you feel?"
"Fine." I groaned and blinked. "Where am I?"
I watched as her brows knitted with concern. "You're in the hospital," she replied tentatively.
I blinked at my girlfriend. The hospital? What the hell happened? "How did I end up here?"
"You...you don't remember," Rei asked. I could see on her face that her concern for me was growing.
Slowly, I shook my head.
Rei sighed and pulled her chair closer to the bed. She bit her bottom lip and she looked worried.
"You've been here about three weeks," she began. "This is the first time you've woken up. There was a youma battle and you were seriously injured. We thought you weren't going to wake up."
I stared at Rei. I had been in a coma for almost a month?
"What happened," I asked.
If it was at all possible, Rei seemed even more worried. "We engaged it."
I stared at Rei, disbelieving. "It can't be that simple."
Rei sighed. "It was huge and mean and could make mini colones of itself. It had blades where its hands should have been. And,
for some reason, it targeted you right off." Rei's eyes lowered to the floor for a moment before she looked up at me again.
"You're lucky Hotaru was there. She saved your life."
I sighed as the weight of what Rei told me settled in. I could have been killed. Easily. Sighing again, I brought my hands up to brush my hair out of my face but only my left hand moved. Looking down, I expected to find my right arm in a brace or sling, restraining it from moving. My jaw dropped and my eyes widend at the sight before me.
My right arm was completely gone.
AN: So, that's the prolouge. I know I said this would be a lost 'chapter', but when I first attempted to write this months ago, I realized it wasn't going to fit into one chapter. So you get a full story instead. I hope this makes up for the fact I did not intend to wait a year. More to come soon!