Chapter 3: Cold to the Touch

It took three months for Hikari to heal completely. One week after the accident was her parents funeral. She went in a wheelchair with a nurse on standby. Tadashi wheeled her around the entire day, he never left her side. In the months that lead to her release from the hospital, Tadashi would visit her everyday. When Hiro would go with him, he's show her new robots and play cards with her and Tadashi. She had been outfitted with a robotic hand. It was controlled by the nerves in her arm.

When she was finally released, Aunt Cass wheeled her out of the hospital. When they made it to the car, Tadashi helped her in then sat next to her. "All of you're things are set up in you new room," Aunt Cass said as she pulled onto the road.

"And in lieu of the celebration, I'm making my famous chicken wings! I figure it'll be a great switch-up after all of that hospital food."

Aunt Cass looked at her through the rear-vew mirror. Hikari looked up, meeting her eyes and smiling faintly, "Yeah, thanks Aunt Cass," Aunt Cass made a worried face as she returned her attention to the road.

Hikari touched her new hand, tracing its structure and seems lightly with her figertips. The metal was cold even with her nerves to control it's movements, the fingers were lined with rubber for grip. She opened the hand and looked at it before closing it. Tadashi looked at her then took her left hand in his, smiling at her. She smiled back squeezing his hand.

When they got home, Aut Cass got started on dinner. It was Sunday so the Cafe was closed. Hiro ran off to his room while Tadashi helped Hikari to hers. When they entered her room, she faced him.

He held her hands in his and looked her in the ye. She smiled and kissed him. Her left hand carressed his neck, his right cupped her cheek. When they pulled away, their foreheads touched.

"I love you," Hikari said, for the first time. The thuoght that she had almost died without telling him filled her with guilt and regret. She didn't need to. Even though she didn't say it, "I love you too," he knew.

As the weeks passed Hikari regained her strength. Every morning she would go jogging with Tadashi, like they had before. Every Friday night they'd go out, and every Saturday they'd go to the gym. They were alwas together, even before that night only now it was different, better even.

As for her hand, it didn't take her long to get used to it. She usually took it off at night, of when Hiro wanted to study it; only that soon came to an end when he tried to enhance it with different attachments. When she had it on, Tadashi noticed that she always wore a glove over it, as if to hide it.

One day he saw her looking in the mirror and at her hand. He watched as she sighed and put on one of her gloves. Tadashi walked into her room, and touched her shoulder. When she turned to face him, he immediately took hold of her right hand. "You don't need to cover it," he said.

Hikari stared at her hand in his, "I can't feel what it touches. Why should I make anyone else feel it?"

Tadashi took her other hand. He raised both of her hands to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles, "I'll still never let go."

She smiled at him then looked at her hand. The same hand she had lost. The same hand he held onto that night. The same hand that let go of his. She could never feel his hand in hers again; and if he were to hold hers without the glove, he would only feel cold metal. She wasn't embarrassed by her hand, she just didn't want him to feel its cold touch.

Tadashi took off her glove and kissed her robotic hand. "You do realize I din't feel that right," she asked sarcastically. Tadashi gave her a crooked smile, "Well, it's a symbol."

"A symbol?"

"Yup," he said putting the glove back on, "A symbol that one day, I'll be able to kiss and hold this hand whenever I want, until you can feel it."

"And how will that be possible, may I ask?"

He smiled at her, "I'll make it possible, I promise."

She looked at him. His chocolate eyes staring back, "You know," she said, "you aim way too high."

"Is it that I aim too high or you're just short to reach," she pouted as he teased her. "Awe don' give me that face."

"Then don't call me short," sh said with her lower lip sticking out. Her pout melted into a smile when he kissed her cheek, then met her lips.

That was five years ago.