Midnight's Reign

Chapter 13

Awareness slowly returns to her body. Her first instinct is to open her eyes but she can't. It's like her eyes are glued shut. As a matter of fact, she can't seem to move anything at all. All she can do is breathe.

Sounds reach her ears, nothing she can clearly identify as they sound muffled and far away. Her fingers twitch as she tries to move, her limbs feeling heavy. Her eyes finally crack open, but she quickly shuts them as bright light assaults her vision. She takes a deep breath and tries again.

Her eyes flutter open, slowly adjusting to the brightly lit room.

Where am I?

Her eyes catch movement next to her right. She angles her head just enough to see Aoi sweeping the floor. She opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out, her throat feels as dry as the desert.

She must've made a noise because Aoi spins to face her, eyes wide as saucers. The broom she's holding clatters to the ground.

"Oh my god. OH MY GOD, YOU'RE AWAKE!" She shouts.

Aoi runs out of the room, leaving her alone. She wiggles her toes, relieved to see that her legs seem to move without much trouble. She slowly, carefully, lifts herself up into a sitting position. Her back leans against the soft pillows; it feels like her whole body was hit by a truck.

Shinobu bursts into the room, her purple eyes wide in disbelief. She hurries to her bedside holding a canister of water, bringing it up to her dry lips. Asami drinks greedily, the ache in her throat is soothed by the cool water. Shinobu sets the water on the table next to her bed.

"How are you feeling?" She asks.

Asami has to clear her throat before she attempts to speak again.

"Peachy."

Shinobu smiles at her sarcastic response. "It's good to hear your voice again. You had us all worried."

"What happened?" She asks.

Her friend filled her in on everything that had happened. From the first night she was brought into the infirmary, to the present. Asami's eyes widened, her mouth agape. She was in a coma for seven months.

The door bursts open again. This time, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke stand in the doorway. In synchronization, the three boys run across the room and jump onto the bed. All of them hug her tightly as they cry.

"I'm so happy you're okay, Asami!"

"We thought you'd never wake up!!"

"DON'T EVER FALL ASLEEP AGAIN GODDAMMIT!"

She laughs as she hugs them back, even if their embrace was a little painful. Shinobu scolds them, telling them to be careful with her.

A large figure bursts into the room, nearly taking the door with them.

Kyojuro.

He stands there, gaping at her as if she was Aphrodite herself. His lips widen in a huge smile, eyes shining with exhilaration and wonder. She can tell it's taking nearly all of his self control not to jump onto the bed with the boys. If the coma didn't kill her, that surely would.

He's by her side in an instant as he gently takes her face in both his hands. His lips are on hers; he kisses her with the passion of a thousand suns. She blushes as he breaks away, leaning his forehead against hers.

"You scared the hell out of me." He says, breathless.

She smiles and brings a hand up to cup his cheek. "Sorry to keep you waiting."