6: Pain and Pleasure

I woke up with a cold sensation in my eyes, a moment ago for no apparent reason... I burst into tears... My chest feels different from how it used to feel when I wake up in a nightmare, if I were to describe it... it felt as if someone was hugging my heart.

I wiped my tears and looked around my surroundings, I was lying down under a medical tent... My fight with that guy must've made me severely injured.

I remove my clothes to check out the dozens of wounds from the battle earlier, to my surprise these wounds were quickly recovering I touch one of my fresh wounds located in my neck to see if it would still hurt but no. It felt as if the skin tissues had already wrapped up the wound in just a span of a few hours.

What's going on...

For some reason, my body just started to recover rapidly...

I looked at the scar next to my shoulder, and to my shock, the scar had fully healed after recovering for 2 days, not only that but my body was in optimal condition to fight again. An idea suddenly sparked into my brain and I grabbed the knife next to me.

This better work... I don't want to look like an idiot.

I placed a towel in between my teeth to muffle my scream, and I cut off a portion of my index finger.

Mmgghh!

I gasped for air and stared at my index finger hoping it would miraculously heal

Please.... Please work....

After a few minutes of rambling myself, my expectations didn't come to reality.

Argh! For the love of God!

I kicked the aluminum bed and because of my stupidity, I broke Tarsus.

This is stupid!

Did my body just trick me or something?! I swear that my scar just healed after 2 days!

Rustle....

"Is, everything okay here?" asked a familiar voice at the entrance, I turned to see who that was and to my shock, I saw Haniel wearing an Exile uniform.

"Haniel? What are you doing here?"

Haniel looks at me with a shy expression as he wobbles around while crossing her legs and biting her nails,

"Well, uhm I just... wanted to check on you."

I vaguely smile for a moment, glad that Haniel still has a hint of concern for me after we've been distanced for weeks.

"Come, sit here," I offered her, as I sat down on the soft mattress.

She quickly walked to the bed and sat down next to me, she leaned slightly closer to me and asked,

"How are you feeling?" she asked with a slight panic in her expression, seeming as if she was overthinking something.

Should I lie...

"Uhm, I'm feeling good!" I nervously replied, I scratched my head and a thin red line dropped slowly into my palm.

Haniel looks at me with concern and grabs my hand, "Hey! You're finger's gone!"

Well.... There goes my cover....

I attempted to fake my reaction by grabbing my hand,

"Oh, what the hell my... half my finger's gone..."

"How didn't I notice this when I woke up?!"

Haniel looks at me with a slight expression of discontentment and tells me with a sarcastic tone.

"It's not like you chopped that off using the knife in the table right?"

I looked at the bloody knife placed right next to me with a disappointed look.

I should've dumped that knife for real...

Haniel scolds me with a disappointed look, as she tightly grips my forearm with slight tears in her eyes.

"Why would you do this to yourself?! Losing a finger is like losing a limb, you idiot!"

"Wait wait I can explain!"

Shit, now she's gonna think I'm stupid if I tell her that I think I could regenerate

I took a deep breath for a moment and thought about what I was gonna say.

"I was testing my pain tolerance...." I said with a straight face

That was so stupid!

"Yeah no shit, give me that!" She forcefully grabs my hands, sucks out the blood from my finger, and swallowed it, flustered by what she did my heart started thumping faster than it had ever thumped before, It felt as if my chest was about to explode.

"Wha- what are you doing?!" I asked her as she grabbed the alcohol from the table and applied it to her towel, rubbing it on my finger.

Ow....

It hurts a little... but her hand feels warm.

I look at her gray eyes which seem to flicker with light, out of instinct I softly rub her head as he rubs disinfectant on my severed finger.

"What are you doing?" she asked confused about my actions as she continued to carefully rub my hand.

"I don't know too, all I know is that it feels good for me... does it feel good for you too?"

I asked hoping I wasn't doing anything wrong.

She placed the bloody towel with a disinfectant on my head and rubbed it while I was rubbing her smooth dark gray hair...

Haniel gently rubs my hair, she drops the towel and with her soft hand, she shifts to the back of my neck and pulls me to bed.

It was dark outside, Javier and Luna laughed as they were holding some booze outside of the tent, as they headed to Felizch's tent they noticed Felizch's shadow holding a feminine figure.

"Hey, isn't that?" asked Javier, they went to the tent's entrance to take a peek from the small crack.

What is this feeling...

It's the same feeling I felt when I woke up...

"I had a dream..." I whispered with a melancholic tone while rubbing my hands in Haniel's soft face.

"What did you dream about?" she whispered as she leaned me in closer to her, I could feel the warmth of her palm wrapped around me, while her warm breath gave me comfort despite the cold gusts of the night.

I looked at her gray eyes as I rubbed the stray hair blocking such a mesmerizing sight, "I dreamt about someone." I whispered back and smiled.

"What were they like?" she whispered to me, I felt a sense of comfort just by hearing her ask questions with such sparkling curiosity.

"They were like you. "

She smiled and put her index finger in her mouth, she let it out and rubbed it to my lips, with a gentle smile on her face she whispered to me, "Open."

I slightly opened my mouth and she placed her index finger inside my mouth and whispered to me asking, "Did I do this to you in your dream?"

I stared at her for a moment, while she curiously waited for an answer from me...

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer to me, I felt her thighs touch mine and a gentle rub of her small chest as I hugged her tight with her finger on my mouth.

"You did..."

"Well in that case..."

She removes her finger from my mouth rubs it into my chest and she leans in for a slight kiss on the lips, we stare at each other for a moment and she wraps her hand around my head as we lay down together and kiss me again.

I felt the slight texture of her tongue, with the kiss tasted like grape wine... she let go of me and got up on the bed as I gazed at her mesmerizing beauty, she smiled.

"I'll get going now, your friends are watching us."

So... that's what it means.

Javier and Luna enter the tent, and they try to hide their happy expression by acting disappointed,

"Felizch... W-well you shouldn't uhm... " said Javier as he tried to put his words together.

"If you're gonna congratulate me just say it, you're holding a bottle of beer right now."

"Oh... Well, okay... You've chosen the right... Woman Felizch" said Javier with a smile on his face

"Don't waste this chance kid, finding someone you truly love is like finding a needle in a haystack. It's difficult but not impossible." Luna said while drinking his rum

"Grape wine..."

"What?"

"She tastes like grape wine."

"That's a good flavor for a first kiss, what do you say I'll treat you with some grape wine with the other Exiles outside!"

Badump...

I vaguely smiled remembering that moment Haniel kissed me, I stood up and looked at my hand.

What... It grew back!

I was right after all!

I vaguely smiled, as I looked at my index finger I wrapped my arms around Javier and Luna.

"Let's go drink away this night!"