OMARI: When He Wakes

(5) Together Again

"SUNNY..."

MARI couldn't believe what she was seeing, her breathing growing more rapid with excitement as a genuine smile was coming over her. She felt her heartrate skyrocket the more she looked over him, chuckling through her nose lightly in disbelief.

Her brother, who finally opened his eyes after 4 long years, was actually talking again, and he was moving too. How many times she's imagined him waking, his eye finally having life again and calling to her before they hug, and she feels his warmth. It was just like a dream!

.... Or a nightmare. Disguising itself as a dream to spike her hopes up just to crush her with guilt and pain again. This has happened too many times to her before, and she wouldn't know if she could handle that kind of torture again...

Just the thought of seeing HELLSUNNY lunge at her throat again made her wince, grabbing her neck as she looked away quickly. When she did... SUNNY felt his heart twinge. Memories of his Reality flooding his mind, making him look down depressed. Maybe... MARI wasn't happy to see him at all. He didn't know how long he'd been like this, but by the looks of her... too long.

She looked so exhausted and worn-out, wrinkled clothes and disheveled hair, like she hadn't been taking proper care of herself. The bags under her eyes were dark and heavy, and even though she was facing away from him, he could tell she had a restless, stressed look in her eyes when she looked at him. It broke his heart, the thought of MARI ending up this bad because of him...

His hand began sliding away from hers, both their grips loose until she pulled her hand into his, gripping it tightly. He was shocked, looking up slowly confused as he saw MARI shut her eyes tightly. She didn't know if this was another sleep deprived nightmare... but if this wasn't, then SUNNY...

She wanted to believe it, desperately so... but she didn't know if her heart could handle another lie from her miserable nightmares again. So, she turned to SUNNY hesitantly, taking a deep breath, she asked him something her nightmares kept echoing in her head to SUNNY.

MARI: "S-SUNNY, uhm... D-Do... Do you still... love me...?" She winced lightly, expecting to hear the raspy, mangled voice of her nightmares respond with yelling.

SUNNY'S eye widened as he heard this, a sharp ringing in his ears as AUBREY and HERO'S questions reverberating in his mind, now hearing MARI herself ask him this. So many emotions built up inside him when he heard it: Sadness, Guilt, Regret, Dread... He couldnt handle the weight of everything he's done fall on him at once. Even if he couldn't feel them, but he knew tears were falling endlessly down his cheek, clenching his teeth as his weak grip soon got tighter, wrapping around his sisters hand.

She felt him squeeze, still scared to open her eyes, but did so with hesitation, her eyes adjusting to see... SUNNY crying. No hallucination, no trick, nothing malicious staring back at her. It was just her brother, looking miserable, barely able to keep his eye open as he hiccuped and sobbed. Without hesitation, he nodded quickly and said his answer with a firm resolve.

SUNNY: "Yes... Yes, Yes, I do! I-I love you MARI!! I love you, I love you..." His voice was raspy, getting quieter and more desperate as he kept repeating it over and over, curling his body as he went on, unable to stop himself.

His mind was lost in a sea of emotions, thoughts scattered as he spoke from the heart, clenching to his sisters hand. Even with the weak, numb strength he had in this state, she could tell how hard he was trying not to let go of her.

SUNNY... after so many years, all the illusions and nightmares she's had, seeing him open his eyes only for her to wake up to the grim reality she's lived in... he's finally awake. Finally able to see her baby brother alive again after so long... and he was sobbing.