Chapter Seven: Hope

"Atsushi..." She said softly as she lifted her head to look Dojo in the eyes.

"Yes, Iku?"

"Tomorrow... could you tell me... about our time together?"

Dojo paused, his heart fluttering momentarily as he stared at his beloved girlfriend.

She shifted somewhat uneasily under his gaze but never looked away, fearing that she'd miss something important if she did. He looked as if he wanted to say something but remained silent. His eyes never left hers as he remained in the doorway, hand still posed on the doorknob. Then, unexpectedly, he looked down and swallowed dryly before casting her an uncertain glance, opening the door a little wider but still not stepping back into the room.

A wave of anxiety and guilt rushed over her as she watched him contemplate her request in the doorway, appearing to be at odds with himself on how to respond.

"I'm so sorry! Please forget that I asked." She piped up once again, breaking the instructor from his trance as she shyly looked down at her lap and fiddled with her hands. "It's just that... you said that we're together... and you call me by my name..."

Dojo continued to watch quietly as the blonde gripped her blanket nervously, scrunching the light fabric up in her slim hands as she avoided his gaze.

"You said you love me..." she mumbled softly, gripping the blanket over her legs tighter before nervously chewing on her bottom lip. "So... So, I thought that... if you could tell me about our time together, then maybe... maybe I can fall in love with you again."

Cautiously, Iku looked up at the soldier, half expecting him to look upset for reminding him of her amnesia. To her surprise however, his expression was calm and his dark eyes gazed down at her warmly, a small, genuine smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"I would love that." He said softly, his voice barely a whisper.

Iku felt a small smile grace her lips as she met his gentle gaze. She didn't know why, but being on the receiving end of such a tender look made her stomach flutter and a soft blush rush to her cheeks. It was a look she'd seen her parents share on a few rare occasions, and it the same kind she'd seen Komaki secretly give Marie when he thought the others weren't looking. It was the look of someone who was truly in-love with the receiver, but she had never expected to be such a special individual.

"Tomorrow at noon."

The sound of his voice brought her out of her daze. "Huh?"

Sparing her one last small smile, Dojo gave Iku the slightest of nods before gently closing the door.

"I'll tell you everything."

Closing the door behind him as quietly as possible, Dojo took a deep breath before heading down the sickeningly sterile white hallway that lead to the lobby. His body was on autopilot as he strode up to the visitor desk to sign-out.

Despite it being long past visiting hours, the woman behind the desk made no comment about his tardiness, knowing full well why he'd been there so late and he was secretly grateful for her leniency.

As he finished scribbling his name on the clipboard, he offered back the receptionist's pen and strode out of the hospital. It wasn't until he'd returned to the base and shut the door to his room that the weight of Iku's words dawned on him. Taking several steps across the room, Dojo collapsed onto his bed and chuckled into his pillow. The rumbles in his chest soon turned to laughter as he flipped over onto his stomach and stared up at the ceiling.

"...maybe I can fall in love with you again."

For the first time in a while, he felt hope blossoming in his chest.

'She wants to know.' he thought, unable to wipe the smile off his face as her words continued to play over and over in his mind.

A/N: Okay, so a super short chapter, but it's been a little over a year since I last published anything and I want to get back on the ball because I absolutely love this story.

I swear, I already have a good idea of what will have in the next chapter, so it shouldn't be TOO long until I publish a longer chapter for you all!

Until then, please continue to bear with me and thank you all soooooo much for the continued support! I really am trying to break the 1 chapter a year tread that I seem to have with this story!