Her eyes opened slightly, just barely. She started being aware again, after what seemed to be a state of paralysis. Something very similar she felt like a bit before she came to this stupid place called Hell. As days went by, she forgot just how that state felt more and more, but she knew it was similar. She wanted to stand up, but her neck hurt a lot. It was piercing whenever she tried to move.
"Ah, don't move much, dear. It'll just hurt." A male voice said near her.
She recognized it anywhere. His deep voice was very easy to recognize, except it didn't sound as cold as it usually would. She could hear sympathy from Adrien. Instead of making her feel relaxed, it made her feel paranoid. It was unusual for him to act this way, it made her on edge.
"Why does my neck hurt?" She asked, her throat dry, her voice croaky because of it.
"I'm... Sure you'll remember soon." Somehow, he sounded pained as he said that.
She moved her neck slightly, just for it to heart the least as possible. She wanted to see the person she was talking to. Dark red short hair, neon red eyes. It was Adrien indeed. But he looked so tired and sleep deprived it was horrible and sad.
"Is something wrong?" She questioned but started coughing from the dryness in her throat, causing her neck to hurt like hell.
"Do you want some tea for that?" Adrien questioned.
She could only nod through coughs. Her tears were watery from the pain, she never felt so much pain, as long as she could remember anyway. She noticed him bringing a cup of tea to her mouth. He already had it prepared? More importantly, he was going to help her drink? She let him help her, kind of thinking that he'll feel better if she let him. Adrien put one hand behind her head. He tilted her head forward a little bit and with his other hand slightly put the tip of the cup near her mouth. She was surprised at how gentle his hands were. She drank a bit of tea. Her throat felt much better after some warm tea.
But she remembered something. Just how she got in this position. How she hung herself. How her neck snapped with a loud noise. Her legs and hands twitching violently. How he tried to make her relive something. Nobody cared. She just wanted to die. She thought she would.
... How was she still alive?
"Why am I still alive?" Her eyes got watery, feeling desperate from the situation.
She really couldn't escape from this. She couldn't just run away. She had enough of this painful existing without any memories. She had enough of this emptiness and confusion.
"You can't die in hell. We regenerate every wound." He told her, somehow looking like he disliked the idea as well.
She never was going to die. How will she live with herself when she couldn't even remember the basics of her life? What was the meaning of life here if you would never die?
"I'm sorry this had to happen to you..." Adrien told her, to which she got surprised.
"W-What do you mean?" She questioned, a bit scared and very suspicious of him now.
"My pride got the best of me... They told me I'll lose my job if I don't find out how to bring your memories back. I was so focused on my job that I forgot you were a person with feelings. You tried killing yourself because of me..." He apologized, his eyes oddly glassy.
She always wanted to hear an apology from him, but hearing it like this just made her feel guilty. She felt sympathy for him for some reason. She cursed herself for having sympathy when she knew he was in the wrong, but somehow she felt like this wouldn't have even happened if she just remembered everything like a normal person.
"I'm sorry for not remembering..." She mumbled, not knowing how to cope with the guilt.
"You would remember if I was better at my job." He stated, criticizing himself with a very harsh tone.
"But you were trying your best, I mean, I don't know what else you could've done." She tried comforting him for some reason, but he really wouldn't budge.
"I have a lot more to do, but I should've done some things with a different mindset." He stated, saying it oddly factual.
"As you might have noticed, I removed your handcuffs and gave you new clothes... I made Miss. Amyot change your clothes, just to avoid discomfort." He continued, but he took everything so oddly seriously that she found it a bit funny.
"Thank you for that. But, um, do you maybe have a time limit?" She asked him, a bit afraid of the answer.
"Well, I have one more week or else I'm fired. But I decided to let you rest a couple of days." Adrien told her, his tone of voice not worried, but she had a feeling like he was very anxious from the inside, judging his bags and messier hair.
She gave him a very panicked look.
"And maybe I shouldn't have told you this to avoid putting pressure on you." He stated blankly, sighing and rubbing his temples.
He was so tired that he kept making obvious mistakes. He would rest but he just didn't know how to rest. If he tried closing his eyes, a new idea would pop into mind, or the thought of losing his job would keep him awake at night. He slept three hours a day at most, but it wasn't helping him in the slightest and it was making him annoyed. He was all about sufficiency, how was he supposed to be sufficient with so little sleep?
"I don't need rest though! We have very little time!" She yelped out.
"Don't worry. We're starting tomorrow. You've been sleeping for a day or so." Adrien told her nonchalantly,
"A day?!" She yelped.
"Ah, I don't think bones recover as quick as other type of wounds. But count on having long sessions starting from tomorrow." He always said everything as if it was the most usual and normal thing ever.
She felt horribly pressured now. If she had known from the start that his job was on the line, something which he obviously loved dearly, she would've tried harder too. She was just being wimpy and whiny the entire time. She completely understood him now, which she was glad she did. Now she had motivation to help him. Which was odd, but she liked the idea of helping him. She couldn't wait to start.
