Awaken My Love

Answers...But Just A Few

Namjoon

I sat next to Aster's bedside and watched her sleep. In any other circumstance this might be creepy, but I didn't care. Just seeing her lying there peaceful made me feel relieved.

Reaching out with my hand, I brushed her hair back from her head. I inadvertently grazed her cat ear and it twitched a little. I couldn't resist the urge I was feeling. I slowly caressed it with my fingers and felt the soft white hair on it.

I looked at the angry red marks on my hand as I pulled it back from her hair. Her claws had almost broken my skin but thankfully, it just left deep indentations before she released me.

I sighed and leaned forward, holding her hand once again. She never moved.

"Aster," I said, my voice a bit raspy from having not spoken in a while, "you scared me. I was afraid I was going to lose you...again. You gotta stop scaring me like that. I care about you too much. Every time something happens to you, I go crazy. I miss you, Aster. Please come back to me. Safe and whole. I don't even care if you never regain any memories. I've lost all hope for that. I'm willing to work to win you over as you are. I've been known to be annoyingly persistent. Just ask the guys..."

My eyes were burning. Tears I did not want to cry pooled around my eyelids. With my free hand, I swept them away and took a deep, shuddering breath.

I released her hand and leaned back in my chair, using my hands to rub my tired face. We were still planning to go back to Korea very soon, but I wasn't going to hesitate on delaying our return if Aster wasn't ready.

I noticed her hand that I had been holding was moving, like it was trying to grasp something. I put my hand back into hers and she calmed once more. I was now staring at her like a crazy person watching a pot of water to see if it would boil.

Her eyelids began to slowly open, then close, then open again. I tried to rein in my excitement.

"Mmmmmmmnn," she groaned, raising her other hand to feel her head. "Hurts..."

I stayed quiet and still.

Finally, her eyes opened wider and she looked around the room and finally settled her gaze on me. Then her eyes went down to our interlocked hands and she quickly pulled it away. I slowly returned my hand to my lap, a bit disappointed in her reaction, even though I truly did expect it.

"What happened to me?"

I took a deep breath and relayed the troubling tale. She grimaced and frowned occasionally, then looked up at the ceiling and sighed heavily.

"I seriously think it's that sludge Dr. Park gave me. I don't know...I just know my head hurts and I had the craziest dreams."

My ears perked up and I leaned forward a bit. "Oh? What were they?"

Surprisingly, she proceeded to tell me.

"I was in this building...long hallways...lots of fog...this white cat was walking in front of me and every so often it would stop and I would hear these voices. I heard General Li's voice but I never heard in my life those things he said... but there was one name that I heard over and over."

Her blue eyes focused on mine and then her eyes narrowed as she asked her next question.

"Namjoon, who is Xander?"

I felt a cold chill wash over me. "Where did that name come from? Do you remember him?"

"Did I know him? The cat in my dreams seemed to think he was important. I really don't know what to think of it. I heard my own voice saying that name but I don't recollect ever knowing someone like that. I swear that sludge is making me insane."