The morning sunlight, a tentative promise of a brighter day, pierced through the window and landed squarely on Raven's face. He stirred, a familiar ache settling in his bones. Three years. Three years of waking to this same scene. He shifted, and there she was, Shu, still and silent beside him.
He gently stroked her head, his fingers tracing the soft curve of her cheek. "Good morning, my love," he whispered, the words a well-worn comfort. Even after all this time, he treated her with the tenderness of a new love. He hadn't given up hope she would wake up again.
Then, as he pulled her closer, hugging her against him, he felt it. A faint, almost imperceptible movement. Shu's hand, resting against his back, had twitched.
Raven froze, his heart hammering against his ribs. He pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers, then focusing on the hand. It moved again, a slow, deliberate flexing of fingers.
"You're coming back, honey," he breathed, a sob catching in his throat. "I knew you would come back to me." But Shu remained unresponsive, her eyes still closed. It was a start, a sign, but she wasn't fully present. She would need guidance to re-enter the world.
He didn't hesitate. He surged from the bed, the urgency coursing through him. He needed Ri, the kingdom's best healer. Throwing open the bedroom door, he strode out and headed towards Ri's house.
The doorbell chime was still echoing when Jihu pulled open the door. Raven barely registered his childhood friend's face. He still smarted from Jihu's outburst last night, the stinging slap, the harsh words. Jihu couldn't understand Raven's unwavering devotion, couldn't see the love that bound him to Shu. He only saw a man clinging to a ghost, and worried about the future of Freedonia.
Ignoring Jihu altogether, Raven bellowed, "Ri! Ri, are you there?"
Jihu's face flushed. Last night's argument hung heavy in the air. He hadn't intended to hurt Raven so deeply. "If you need my wife's help," Jihu said, forcing a light tone, "you'll have to ask for it nicely. Get permission from me."
Raven simply stared at him, his face a mask of cold fury. Without a word, he turned on his heel and walked away.
Jihu was stunned. He hadn't expected such a reaction. He opened his mouth to call after him, but Raven was already gone.
Raven's next destination was Ash and Fang's house. As Ash opened the door, Raven, his voice tight with suppressed emotion, spoke with a formality neither of them had ever witnessed.
"Ash," he said, gritting his teeth slightly. "Will you go and sit with Shu for a while? It seems she's regaining consciousness. I need to bring the African healer as soon as possible, but I can't leave her alone. I would be grateful for your company."
Fang, standing behind Ash, exchanged a confused glance with her. What was with the politeness? Last night, he'd practically lived at their house. Had Jihu's words created such a rift?
Ash, sensing the underlying turmoil, simply nodded. "Yes, I'll go to Shu. You go get the healer."
Raven managed a curt nod, then, without another word, opened a shimmering portal and vanished.
Ash went to Shu and sat quietly beside her. She was startled when she noticed Shu's hand barely moving again.
Meanwhile, Fang, his curiosity piqued, headed to Jihu and Ri's house. He relayed everything to them, emphasizing Raven's unusual behaviour, the stiff formality, the way he'd only spoken to Ash.
Jihu looked stricken. "I was just teasing him, Fang! I swear!"
Fang's voice was tinged with annoyance, "He clearly didn't take it as a joke. He's clearly remembered what happened last night."
Ri, sensing the tension escalating, stepped in. "There's no use arguing about this now. We need to go to Shu. Let's see what the African healer has to say."
With a shared sense of urgency, they all headed towards Shu's house, the weight of the past hanging heavy in the air, overshadowed by the fragile hope that bloomed in Raven's heart.
The air in Shu's room was thick with anticipation, a stark contrast to the stifling silence that had permeated it for the past three years. Raven, his face a mask of controlled anxiety, ushered in the African healer. Jihu and Fang shifted uncomfortably, the memory of their transgression the previous night hanging heavy in the air. They knew Raven was furious.
Ignoring them completely, Raven directed his attention to the healer. "Look at her, how is Shu?"
The healer, a woman named Hela with eyes that seemed to hold ancient secrets, moved with a quiet grace. She pulled up a chair beside Shu's bed and began examining her, her fingers tracing the delicate lines of Shu's wrist. After a mere thirty seconds, Hela's head snapped up, her gaze meeting Raven's with an unsettling intensity.
Raven's chest tightened. He couldn't bear the way Hela was looking at him. "What happened? Is something wrong?"
Hela's voice was low, laced with surprise. "Which vampire ever bit Shu?"
Raven recoiled slightly, unprepared for the question. "Yes, I did. Three years ago. Why? What's the problem?"
Hela became serious then. "I believe none of the treatments we have done for these three years were effective. But the bite you inflicted three years ago… her vampire cells were dormant then. Now, it appears, they've activated. After all this time. She's slowly regaining consciousness as a result." She paused, her brow furrowed. "But… she will be reborn. Whether she retains her previous memories is uncertain. She may not remember anything, or she may slowly, painfully, remember her past."
Jihu, ever the pragmatist, broke the tense silence. "How long will it take for her to regain consciousness?"
"I believe within a week," Hela replied, her eyes still fixed on Raven. "But let's see. Report any changes. I'll be back." With a final, enigmatic glance, she departed.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Jihu and Fang moved to approach Raven, their apologies hovering on their lips. Raven cut them off, his voice sharp and tired. "I am very tired. You can go."
They left silently, chastened. Ash and Ri, lingering in the doorway, offered their support. "Call us if you need anything, Raven," Ash said softly before they followed the others out.
Raven was alone. He stared down at Shu, her face pale and still against the crisp white linen. He sank to the floor, his back against Shu's bed, and took her hand in his. The coldness of her skin sent a fresh wave of despair through him.
Without warning, tears began to spill from his eyes, silent and uncontrolled. He clutched Shu's hand tighter, his voice a choked whisper. "Will you really forget me, Shu? Will you not remember anything about us? All of our days, everything we shared… Gone?"
His voice cracked. "If you forget me, I'll have no one, Shu. Please… don't forget me. I want you to remember me for the rest of your life. Please."
The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken fear and a desperate plea. Raven closed his eyes, his grip on Shu's hand the only connection to the past he so desperately clung to. The threat of losing her, not just to death, but to oblivion, was more than he could bear. He could only hope, pray, that somewhere within the nascent vampire stirring within her, a spark of the Shu he knew and loved remained. And that she would remember him.
The air in Raven's small house hung heavy with unspoken anxieties. Four days. Hela, the African healer, had been so sure. Seven days, she'd said, and Shu would awaken. Today marked the fourth, and hope felt like a fragile bird trapped in Raven's chest. He'd spent hours staring at Shu, lost in the memory of her laughter, the sparkle in her eyes that now remained stubbornly closed.
He walked to the worn futon where she lay, its faded colours a testament to their shared life, now seemingly lost. He gently laid down beside her, his arm instinctively going around her. He studied her face, a silent plea on his lips. He wanted to tell her everything he'd held back, all the anxieties swirling inside him. But the words wouldn't come, choked by the fear that they would never reach her. Exhaustion finally claimed him, and he drifted into a restless sleep.
The morning broke with the same unsettling stillness, but then, a sound. A gasp. A scream that sliced through the silence, a sound unheard in almost three years.
Shu's eyes were wide, filled with a terror Raven had never seen in them before. "Who… who are you?" she stammered, shrinking back against the wall, eyes darting around the room with frantic confusion. "Who is this boy?"
Ri, who had been visiting to check on Raven, burst through the door, drawn by the piercing scream. "Shu!" she exclaimed, relief flooding her features. But her joy quickly turned to confusion at Shu's frightened stance, hiding behind her.
"Help me!" Shu cried, gripping Ri's arm so tightly her knuckles turned white. "This man was sleeping with me! I don't know him! What does he want?"
Ri, stunned, turned to Raven. He stood frozen, his face a mixture of disbelief and heart-wrenching grief. Hela's words echoed in his mind: "If she wakes, she may not remember. The mind protects itself, discarding the trauma, the pain…" The fear that had haunted him for years had manifested. He had lost her. Again.
"Shu," Ri said gently, trying to pry Shu's fingers from her arm. "Don't you recognize us?"
Shu shook her head, her eyes fixed on Raven with suspicion. "Who are you? Do I know you?"
Ri took a deep breath, forcing a calm into her voice that she didn't feel. "Shu, I'm Ri. Your best friend. And that… that's Raven. He's… he's your lover."
Shu recoiled as if struck. "Lover? No! I don't… I don't remember." Despite her fear, Ri's unwavering confidence, her gentle tone, chipped away at Shu's panic. Eventually, she relented, though suspicion still lingered in her eyes.
Ri, sensing the fragile thread of trust, quickly sent a message to Jihu. "Come now. With Ash and Fang. Shu is awake but doesn't remember anything. It's bad."
While waiting, Ri tried to fill the gaping holes in Shu's memory, speaking of shared laughter and whispered secrets. But Shu remained wary, her gaze constantly flitting back to Raven, who stood silent, a statue carved from heartbreak. The joy of her awakening was now replaced with the crushing weight of her amnesia.
Finally, Jihu, Ash, and Fang arrived. Ash, ever impulsive, rushed forward, engulfing Shu in a hug. "Shu! Oh my god, you're awake! I knew you would pull through!"
Shu stiffened, pushing Ash away, bewildered. "Do I… do I know you?"
The air crackled with tension. Ri stepped in, carefully explaining their relationship, introducing Jihu as her husband and Fang as Ash's boyfriend. She reiterated Raven's role, emphasizing the unwavering care he had shown her for the past three years.
Shu's gaze landed on Raven, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. "Look," she said, her voice hesitant. "Maybe… maybe you were my lover. But I don't remember any of it. So, I need you to stay away from me. I'm not leaving the house. I will stay at home but from today we will be separate, I am telling everyone here that I will try to bring back my memories but please don't force me."
The words hung in the air, heavy with finality. Raven simply nodded, his eyes filled with a pain so profound it silenced the room. Without a word, he turned and walked out. He was scattered into pieces. Jihu and Fang, their faces mirroring his anguish, followed him.