( This fic is set in a storyline I created for my earlier collection, 'Isshoni', where Murrue-san lost her memory. I told Sis that this would be angst, but it's turned out to be fluff. Go figure... )

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The sun was pouring through the window, lighting up the tiny hospital room. The empty dishes from lunch sat on the little dresser beside the window, and the one in the bed smiled to herself, leafing through the magazine she had been brought. Dark hair fell over her shoulder as she read, and she picked up the fallen lock, rubbing it between her fingers. The sensations were still slightly deadened, but that made sense, given that it had been just a few days since she'd regained the feeling in her upper body. The hair shone a dark auburn in the sunlight, and she pushed it back over her shoulders. She knew what she looked like now, had seen pictures, and her own reflection in a small hand mirror. And as far as she was concerned, she was nothing special.

Even if one person always tells me that I am...

That made her smile again. Even though her memories still stubbornly refused to return, there was one person who visited every day, who brought her flowers, and photographs, and smiles. He'd given her a life, one she shared with him as his wife, and he had given her a name - Murrue.

She didn't remember him, but he didn't care. His visits made her happy, helped ease the frustration of not being able to walk, or remember anything about her life. He told her things that they did together, how their little girl was doing, that her friends wished her well, and she listened to his stories like they were all she had. Because...they really were.

Some sceptical part of her wondered whether it was true, whether she really did have a life like this. After all, he could tell her anything he wanted, and she wouldn't know any different. But...his smile was so gentle, and then there were the photographs...and the way he looked at her. It was clear how he felt about her - that he loved her, even though she didn't remember him.

I wish that I could. I want to know about him, want to know how we met, why it is that he loves me.

She wished that there was something that she could do for him. But...there was nothing. She couldn't even walk! Pulling back the thin blankets, she managed to swing her legs out of bed, and stared at them in frustration. No feeling at all. Not even when she pinched at the skin, though it left red marks. This wasn't fair...

"You thinking of taking a walk?" Looking up, she saw him leaning against the doorframe. He was smiling again, that gentle smile he always gave her, but it didn't help her annoyance. "I can't move them.." she replied, with a wry smile and a small shrug. Mwu shook his head, walking into the tiny room and pulling out a chair. He placed an object wrapped in white paper on this chair, and leaned down to take one of her bare feet in his hand. "Your feet are freezing." he scolded, lifting her legs back into the bed. Even though she couldn't feel it, she knew his hand had touched her bare legs...and she blushed.

"Oh.." he said softly, looking away after replacing the covers. "Sorry.." She stared at her hands for a moment, then looked up to gaze at him. He was clearly embarrassed, some slight pink to his cheeks, and she smiled a little. He was always careful to never show much affection, in case it made her angry or upset. But his touch just now...it had made her heart race so much she'd been surprised he hadn't been able to hear it...and it certainly hadn't been from anger.

He still stared at the tiled floor, and she still studied him. His long blonde hair was messy, windswept, and the blue shirt he wore was hopelessly crumpled, looking as though he had slept in it. "So..you don't know how to iron?" she asked softly, and Mwu looked up at her. "Well, yeah, but I..." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not very good at it.." She giggled at that, and he went a bit pink again. "Oh, here," he said, seeming to remember something. "I brought you these."

He handed her the paper-wrapped object he had brought with him, watching expectantly as she opened it. Inside was a bunch of flowers, but different from the kinds he usually brought. Normally, he brought her roses, the delicate blooms myriad shades of pink and red. But today...the bouquet was a mixture of dozens of different flowers. Roses, asters, carnations, cornflowers...a riot of types and colours. She gazed at them in surprise, and he grinned. "I was going to bring carnations this time...cause I didn't want to pick all your roses. But when I started picking them..the princess decided that she was going to help, and she followed me all about the garden, picking whatever she thought looked pretty. And when I told her the flowers were for Mama...she got really excited, and well...I couldn't upset her, could I?"

She smiled, bringing the bouquet close to breathe in their scent, imagining the little girl she had seen in the photographs with an armful of flowers. Her infant daughter, named Stellar. "Tell her...thank you..." She wiped away a tear. "You know...even though I've only seen pictures of her, I love her. Does that sound strange?"

Mwu smiled gently, lifting the flowers from her arms to set them in the china vase that sat on a tabletop. "Of course not." he replied. "You might have lost your memories, but that doesn't mean all the feelings you had have gone too, does it? I learned that for myself. That even though the mind may forget, the heart never can.." His voice sounded wistful, sad, and she frowned slightly, wondering if there was something he hadn't told her. But like a cloud passing before the sun, his melancholy disappeared, and he looked up at her again. "Is there anything else I can do for you? Something you need?"

His question reminded her of a problem she had discovered. Nothing serious, just a niggling feeling. "Well..." she replied, staring at her hands, then at the patch of sky she could see through the window. "There might be...something you can help me with. Lately, it feels like I'm missing something beside my memories. Like there's...something I should have, but I don't know what that is..."

Absently, she rubbed at her fingers while deep in thought, so focused on trying to figure out what was missing, that she didn't notice Mwu smile again. Leaning forward, he slipped the gold ring from his left hand, and lifted her own small hand. Surprised, she turned to him, watching as he carefully placed the band on the third finger. "Is that it?"

She lifted her hand to stare at the ring, her cheeks pink for a reason she couldn't explain. It was much too big for her, of course, but the feeling of it - it gave her a sense of security, of belonging, and she nodded slowly. "Yes...this is it..." At her soft words, Mwu reached under his shirt to pull out a metal chain. Strung on this chain were a pair of military dog-tags...and two golden rings. "These are yours." he said, slipping the bands from the chain. "When you were brought in here, the doc gave them to me, since I was next of kin..." He held them out to her, smiling when she took them hesitantly. She stared at them for several minutes, the diamond from the engagement ring twinkling in the sunlight. "Thank you.." she whispered. "I knew something was missing, and now I know what it was.." Removing his ring from her finger, she took his left hand, sliding the ring back where it belonged. He grinned, eyes twinkling, and did the same for her, gently placing the two rings on her own thin finger.

"Is there anything else?" he asked after a moment, squeezing her hand.

She thought for a moment, then smiled. "Actually, there is. Would you help me..see the view out of the window? All I can see is the sky, and I'd like to know what else is there..." Without replying, Mwu pulled back the covers and lifted her up in his arms. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're really warm.." she murmured, and he laughed quietly, carrying her easily over to the window. Outside, she could see the street far below, the brightly coloured cars moving along it. Beyond the street was a small park, the green trees waving in the breeze...and beyond that was the sea, perfectly reflecting the brilliant blue sky.

"It's beautiful!" she said happily. "And this is home? We've..always lived here?" For a second, a trace of sadness flitted across his scarred face. "Not always." he replied. "You've lived here for four years now, and I've been here for two."

"Only four years? Where did I live - we live - before that?" she asked, a little disappointed that she hadn't always lived in a place as beautiful as this.

"You told me once that you came from California. We were..soldiers, in fact, I still am a soldier. That's how we met...in wartime. But when we got here...you gave up being a soldier, and I was happy about that." Mwu replied, holding her a little closer. She stared at the view outside. "I wondered, you know.." she said quietly. "There was something that the doctor pointed out that I didn't know how to explain, and I didn't want to ask about it. He said that there was a scar on my right shoulder...from a bullet wound. Did I get that from being a soldier?"

"That's right," he answered. "The day we met, in fact, four and a half years ago. But everything's okay now. There's no war now, and for the past two years, we've all lived in peace. This is home now, and it always will be.."

"I see. Thank you.." she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder again. "There's only one more thing I wanted.." He tilted his head to rest it on hers, the ends of his long hair tickling her neck. "Which is?" he asked. She giggled. "Close your eyes."

He was obviously confused, but did as she asked. Lifting her head, she pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. Mwu's blue eyes opened wide for an instant, then slowly closed as he returned the kiss. The exchange was gentle and sweet, full of love, and she could feel her heart racing. Their kiss seemed to last forever, and when it broke, she smiled happily, touching her forehead to his. "I wanted to know what if felt like...to kiss you.." she explained. "I tried to imagine it at night, when I couldn't sleep, or felt lonely. And you know? It was everything I'd dreamed it would be.."

Mwu laughed, hugging her close. "That's good to know.." he replied, carrying her back over to the bed and settling her back under the covers. She held onto him a little while longer, then leaned back against her pillows.

"You know?" she said, smiling up at him. "Even if I don't get my memories back, I think I'll be okay..."

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( I don't know how this ended up fluff. But it was a cute idea.

Please read and review! )