The Lantern Holder

Chapter 8

By Aryn

Nari slowly came to the realization that she was waking up. It was an odd yet familiar feeling. She kept her eyes closed, trying to concentrate on what she was feeling, or what she believed she was feeling. She wasn't about to believe that she was in a human body till she saw her own reflection. But for now, she was going to relish the feelings. It didn't take long for the relish to give way to down right pain. The sheets on the bed, as well as her clothing were rubbing against her skin in a rough manner, making her think the clothes they gave her were made of sandpaper. She tried shifting, but that only seemed to cause more friction on her newly sensitized skin. Deciding that laying still was her best defense, Nari remain motionless and concentrated on her other newly awaken senses. She carefully opened her eyes to look around the room only to shut them again. The light from the window was too much and tears sprung to her eyes. Tears. It was one of those things that she longed for. How many nights had she tearlessly wept over her past? But that thought was too depressing right now. If she couldn't see enough now, then she would at least try to hear. She was surprised to hear someone breathing heavily next to her. From the sounds of the even, steady breathing, they were alseep. But who was it? She was scared to open her eyes again for fear of the pain. Nari took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of the room. The first thing that struck her was the smell of antiseptic that the room had been washed in. She nearly choked on the sterile oder from the walls, floor, blankets and even her clothes that assaulted her senses. Sifting through the unpleasant oder, Nari found another scent that had been overpowered by the antiseptic. It was a clean, freshing smell, that she would associate with rain in a very dry place. Carefully she turned her head in the direction of the breathing and opened her eyes ever so slightly. At first, her vision blurred, due to the large amount of light that was in the room. Shutting them once again, Nari blinked away the tears that had gathered and tried to open them again. Her vision swam once more, but objects began to take form. She was able to discern the form of someone slouched in a chair next to her. She didn't have to guess who it was.

"Quatre..." she tried to call, but nothing came out. She licked her dry lips and tried to clear her throat before trying to call the sleeping Arabian again.

Quatre thought he heard something, but the level of sleep he had reached ordered him to go back to sleep. But someone called his name again, and he fought sleep's grip. Blinking his bleary eyes, he looked over at the hospital bed to find Nari facing him, but she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Thinking he had just heard things, he bowed his head to sleep again.

"Quatre." a rough whispered voice called. Quatre opened his eyes and knelt by the bedside.

"Nari?" he whispered back, afraid to wake her if she wasn't already.

"Hm." she responded, the corners of her mouth slightly twitching. "I'm sorry for waking you."

"Shh. Don't talk. You're throat sounds raw." he told her. Then he noticed that she hadn't opened her eyes yet. "Do your eyes hurt?"

Nari slowly nodded her head. "Light's too bright." she managed to squeak out.

Quatre looked around the already darkened room. All the lights had been turned off and the drapes had been closed. One small crack of light shined through the space where the two curtains met. Quatre got up and pulled the two pieces of fabric together so they overlapped, not allowing any light to shine through. Sally had told him that all her senses would be heightened immensely from the time she woke up to a few days afterward, then they would start to return to normal. He just didn't expect them to be this heightened. He made his way back over to the bed and carefully sat down on the side.

"I closed the curtains. See if that helps." Quatre kept his voice down to a low whisper. If her eyesight was this sensitive, then her hearing would be equally as sensitive. He watched as her eyes fluttered opened and stared up at him. Slowly, the bright green eyes focused on his blue ones and a smile tugged at her lips.

"Much better." she mouthed.

Quatre gently brushed a few locks of fiery red hair off her forehead. Nari closed her eyes again, relishing the feeling of being touched. Even though Quatre's touch was just a brush, she could feel every pore on his hand. It felt wonderful.

"How do you feel?" he asked her, slightly concerned by her shutting her eyes again.

"Human." she answered, perfectly content.