( Okies. I decided to start the amnesia fic again with a base I already had, mainly 'cause I didn't like the way it turned out the first time... :sweatdrops: sorrie )
It was early morning, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. The world was shades of purple and grey, the dew still wet on the flowers in the garden. The small red car sped along the quiet roads, very few other cars visible at this early hour. The car turned a corner and disappeared down a small dirt track, eventually approaching a tiny wooden house by the seashore. Outside this house, a dark-haired woman waited, mug of coffee clutched in her hand. As the red vehicle came to a halt, the passenger door opened, and a young woman climbed out, reaching over into the backseat to unstrap a child.
"Good morning, Murrue-san.." said the dark-haired woman kindly. The younger female smiled, standing up from the car with the child in her arms.
"Good morning, Yamato-san. I'm so sorry to call you like this so early..." Caridad Yamato waved a hand, setting down the coffee mug on the porch of the house.
"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault you were called in early. And you know that we have no problem with taking care of Stellar for you.." Murrue sighed, and looked down at the child. Little Stellar looked up at her mother, and gave her a gummy smile and a baby giggle. The little smile was so infectious, Murrue couldn't help but smile back, and she hugged her daughter tightly.
"Goodbye, sweetheart. I'll be home soon, I promise." With a final kiss to Stellar's cheek, she handed the baby over to Caridad, and climbed back in the car.
As the car continued it's journey, Murrue looked across at the one who drove. He still looked sleepy, and as she watched him with a small smile, he blinked, and stifled a yawn.
"You didn't have to do this, you know..." she said, placing a hand over his.
Mwu looked across, and shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. I have a lot of stuff to catch up on, so it makes sense for me to go in early too." He squeezed her hand gently. "This a big project, huh?"
Murrue nodded. "It's maintenance, the yearly check on one of the biggest ships in the fleet. It takes every member of the crew that there is..and even then, sometimes it's not enough..."
As the car reached the outskirts of the Morgenroete complex, Murrue checked her bag to make sure she had everything she needed, then as they reached the entrance, she leaned across, kissing her husband lightly. "Thanks for the lift. I'll see you later, okay? Have a good day!"
Mwu smiled, and ruffled her hair. "I will. You take care of yourself!" he called, as she got out of the car and ran inside. "Love you!"
Murrue turned around just before she reached the doors, and blew him a kiss, waving as he drove away.
The morning passed quickly, the technicians and mechanics climbing all over the ship, checking panels, fixing what needed it, tuning up the engines, anything that needed checking over. Finally, towards the end of the afternoon, Erica turned to Murrue. "There's a panel there..." she pointed upwards to the very back of the huge ship. "but it's difficult to get to. It involves crossing along one of the upper gantries, and climbing onto the ship. But it's dangerous. Are you okay with that?"
Murrue smiled, and shouldered the bag of tools she carried. "Oh yes, that'll be all right." Of course, it looked quite scary, but if it needed doing, then she would do it...
The climb was more difficult than it had looked from the ground, and she almost slipped more than once. But she did reach it in the end, the achievement drawing a grin of satisfaction from the woman. Pulling out a wrench from the bag, she set to work.
But the job was tough, and the sun shining down outside on the tin roof of the hangar made the heat stifling. Brushing a hand over her forehead, Murrue continued working. But the heat caused her hands to become sweaty, and all of a sudden, the wrench slipped from her grasp.
"Dammit!" she cursed, swiping for the tool. But the movement made her overbalance...and she fell. She made a desperate attempt to grab for the gantry railing, but the handhold was ripped from her sweaty hands.
The fall felt slow...like she was falling through treacle. She could see everything around her clearly, but the world had attained an almost dream-like quality. She could hear the cries of her friends, but they were muffled, distant.
I wonder how far it is to the ground. I never checked... Murrue laughed a little, amused by the irony. After everything I've been through..two wars, countless battles..I'm going to die in an accident. She closed her eyes, a few tears slipping from them, flying into the air like raindrops. I wish..I could have seen Stellar one last time...and I wish..with all my heart..that I'd told Mwu I loved him..
Then there was blackness.
The classroom was quiet, the students out on break after the test they had taken that afternoon. Mwu himself sat at his desk in that room, checking over the test papers, sometimes smiling, sometimes clucking in annoyance over a stupid answer. All was peaceful.
Until the sound of frantically running footsteps approached the room, and the receptionist ran in, breathing heavily. "Fllaga-sensei...there's been a call..it's..."
As he listened to the panicked message..Mwu went pale. Throwing down the pen, he dashed from the building..driving to the hospital as fast as he could go.
Murrue!
The waiting room was almost silent, the only sound there the quiet sobbing of Erica as she sat huddled in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. When Mwu ran into the room, she looked up, the tears running down her face. Mwu went cold, his heart almost stopping. Was he too late?
"Director..I...is Murrue..." he stuttered, barely able to get the words out, his hands shaking in fear.
Erica shook her head. "She...she's still in surgery.." she gasped. "I..it's all my fault. She was up in a gantry..almost thirty feet from the ground. I asked her to go up there..it's my fault. I..." She buried her face in her hands again, crying ceaselessly.
Mwu crossed to the window, and looked out. Beyond the glass was the hospital's garden, the pleasant setting of the trees and flowers obviously intended to soothe the worry of families and friends. But instead..all Mwu could think about was how much Murrue would love it. He could picture her there, wandering along the paths, her thin fingers brushing against the petals of the blooms, that beautiful smile on her face, just as it was in her own garden back home. Mwu laid his hand against the window, trying to calm his racing heart. What if she..
What if I lose her? What would I do? How would I live without her?
A few hours later, the worry not soothed by the sounds of running feet outside the door, or by countless cups of insipid coffee from the drink machine down the hall, the door to the room was pushed open by a man in a crisp white coat. A doctor.
Mwu practically ran across the room. "Doctor..is it..is she?"
"You're...?" asked the man, confused.
Mwu waved a hand. "I'm Murrue's husband. Is she..is she okay?" The doctor sighed...and nodded. Relief...it was almost visible, the lifting of worry from shoulders. The doctor smiled a little.
"She will be all right, although it'll take a while for her to fully recover. It seems as though the fall caused slight spinal injuries..she's paralysed. But.." he said, noting the sheer horror on Mwu and Erica's faces, "it's only temporary. Murrue-san is very lucky. How she survived a fall like that without any serious injuries, or at least broken bones, I'll never know. Someone must have been looking out for her..."
Mwu sighed, brushing the icy sweat from his brow. "Can..can I see her?" he asked, voice choked.
The doctor nodded. "She's in room 5, just up the corridor. She's still sleeping though..it might be quite a while before she regains consciousness.."
Pushing open the door, Mwu blinked at the brightness of the room. The walls and bedsheets were a stark white, and the silence, save for the quiet beep of a machine by the bed, was almost deafening. Murrue lay in the bed, eyes tightly closed, breathing shallow. The light from the curtained window shone behind her, making her look angelic.
"Oh..Murrue.."
Sitting down beside her, Mwu took one of her limp hands, holding it tightly between his own. The white of the bedsheets seemed to leach colour from her already pale face..and if it wasn't for the quiet breaths he could hear when he held his own, he'd have thought she was...
No! Don't think that! She isn't...she's not dead. She'll be all right. She'll wake up! Reaching out, he brushed a lock of her dark hair from her face, running his fingers along her face. She would be all right..she was just sleeping, the doctor said. She would be all right...
The next day, as soon as visiting hours began..he was there. He had taken Stellar back across to the kid's house, with a hasty explanation. He hadn't wanted to go into details, just explained to the princess that Murrue was in hospital, and would be there for a while. Lacus hadn't said anything, perhaps understanding Mwu's worry. All she had done was give him that gentle smile, and promised that she and Kira would take care of the baby for as long as he needed them to. Stellar was confused, and a little tearful that her mother was nowhere to be seen, and all Mwu had been able to do was kiss the little girl, and promise her that Mama would be home just as soon as she could...
Funny, really. I never believed in God that much, or any kind of higher power. Maybe it's because of all the stuff I've seen over the years. But last night..all I could think of to do was pray. That Murrue really would be all right..that she would wake up...
And it seemed as though those fervent supplications had been listened to, because while Mwu was out of the room, calling Erica to update her on the situation..Murrue did wake up. She looked around herself, amber eyes wide in confusion and fear as she realised that she couldn't move. But..she was awake. Mwu had dashed into the room, practically hanging up on Erica.
"Oh, Murrue...I'm so glad you're all right!" he gasped, smiling happily. But Murrue..she frowned.
"Who are you?" was all she said. But those three words..they hit Mwu like a sledgehammer..literally knocking the breath from him. "I..I..." he stuttered. She..she doesn't know me..she has no idea who I am...I...
Forcing a smile onto his face (there was no sense making her more worried or confused than she already was, after all..), he moved forward to sit back by her bedside. "My name is Mwu.." he said, a note of false cheerfulness in his voice. "How are you feeling?"
Murrue stared up at the ceiling, bewilderment plastered all over her face. "Okay..I guess, considering I can't move. But..it's strange. I don't...what happened to me? Where am I? Who am I? I don't remember!" Her eyes were wide with fear, panic beginning to take hold. Mwu took hold of her hand, causing her gaze to shift to him.
"It's all right.." he soothed. "It must be amnesia..maybe the fall caused it. I know..how scary it is to wake up somewhere..not remembering anything. But it'll be okay, I promise."
She didn't look convinced, but sighed. "I hope so.." She looked up at him. "You..you called me 'Murrue'. Is that my name?" At his nod, she smiled a little. "At least now I know something. You said..your name was 'Mwu', right? Can..can you help me? Help me sit up? I can't..move by myself.."
Very gently, Mwu slipped an arm around his wife's shoulders, carefully propping her up against the pillows. She smiled, although the expression was a pale imitation of the happy smile she usually gave him, it made Mwu's heart feel a little lighter. "Thank you.." she said gratefully, and he smiled back.
"You're welcome. Would you like the windows open? It's kind of stuffy in here, huh?"
Murrue's smile grew. "That's very kind of you.."
As he opened the curtains to let fresh air into the room, he heard a gasp from the bed. Murrue was staring at his left hand..more specifically, the golden wedding ring that gleamed there.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" She didn't remember they were married, of course - it probably would make her pretty uncomfortable. Not wanting to worry her further he smiled, stuffing his left hand in the pocket of his jeans. Right now he was a stranger to her, so he'd keep his distance until they got to know each other again. It was painful, sure enough, but it must be far worse for her. She has enough to worry about right now. Until she remembers more, I'll be her friend, just as I used to be... But being typical Murrue, she wasn't about to be fobbed off that easily.
"Now I understand why you look so sad."
"Hmm?"
"Because of that ring.."
The man sighed and looked out of the window, not saying anything, but answering her question nonetheless. That ring he wore was a wedding band...he was her husband. And I don't remember him. That's why he looked as though he could cry when I asked him who he was. I must really have hurt him.. "I'm sorry.."
"Sorry? What for?" He looked up at her, smile and blue eyes kind. "You've nothing to be sorry for. None of this is your fault."
"But I hurt you..."
The man - Mwu - sighed, and walked across to sit on the chair beside her. "Don't worry about that. It just surprised me is all." He held up his left hand again. "This...don't let it bother you. Until you remember more, I'll be your friend. Okay?"
No, it's not okay. I want to know more about you. About me. You're the only tie to my life I have... Her annoyance must have shown on her face somehow, because Mwu shook his head with a soft laugh. "Still a crosspatch. I thought things would be easier that way."
"They wouldn't though, would they?" she replied, gaze flicking to the sunlit world visible through the curtains. "Not for me or for you.." Of course, he could be making it up - he hadn't said in so many words that she was the one he was married to - but something made her believe him. Didn't the fact that he hadn't told her mean something? If he wanted to invent a relationship between them, he could have told her anything he wanted. "We are married, aren't we?"
He nodded finally. "Yes. For nearly two years. Here.." Digging in his back pocket he tugged out a wallet and opened it to show her a photograph. It was of him and a woman she assumed was herself, and she smiled.
"I don't know what I look like yet.."
"Good point. Wait here." Hiding another smile at the idea that she'd somehow run off while he was gone, she watched him vanish through the door. He seemed a very genuine person...the kindness in his voice, eyes and manner was unmistakeable. And he was very handsome. If she really was married to him...that wouldn't be so bad.
"Back," he announced, breezing into the room and holding up a small hand mirror so she could see her reflection. Pale skin, dark hair half-hidden by a bandage around her head, and orange-brown eyes. Nothing special, but it proved she was indeed the woman in the photograph. Her other self was smiling, leaning close to Mwu with his arms around her waist...they both looked very happy.
"What if I never remember?"
"You will," he replied softly. "And even if you don't, I'll remember for both of us." He brushed a lock of hair from her face, fingers wisping across her cheek. Simple though the touch was, it caused her heart to skip a beat, the rush of blood to her head almost making her dizzy.
"S-sorry.." she murmured, looking down at the bedcovers. Her face was so hot it felt as though it were on fire. Wow... One touch had caused a reaction like that?
"You all right?"
Not trusting herself to look up at him she nodded slightly. The rush of emotion was almost overwhelming - it was a little too much to cope with.
"Sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have done that."
"N-no, it's all right.." Managing to meet his gaze she smiled, though still blushing. She didn't understand yet why she felt like she did, but it was far from unpleasant. "Will you stay here with me?"
"For as long as they let me."
With a rather contented sigh she settled back into the pillows. No memories of him, but perhaps that didn't matter as much as she'd thought it would.
Somehow, I think we'll be okay..
( Old chapter of Isshoni with tweaks. I decided that this way was better - it gives me a better base for stuff n helps me not make Murrue quite as OOC lol.
please read and review, and sorry again! )