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Hoshi's heart was beating so loudly in his chest that he thought he might vomit, but instead, the hope held it back. Two of the places were empty, and Hoshi could feel himself dropping more and more into dispair. He really couldn't take all of this hope that he held onto with longing, but then he couldnot drop it, either, until they had searched every last palce on this earth for Shina.

Even to Hoshi, who had no gift in that of auras or spirits, besides that of Shina, could feel that this clearing was different from the others. Closer and closer Hoshi drew the car, his heart pounding. The Starkeeper could make out the slender form of Akina through the trees, and so he stoped the car, openning the door cautiously.

All at once, Shina's lonely spirit hit him, as it hadn't done in months. Hoshi could feel the whole in his heart become filled, and he seemed to nearly faint himself, but he held onto the life, though it wasn't full yet. The Fa'e began to sprint towards the clearing, but after only a few steps, he felt himself thrown back by an electric force, and Hoshi stumbled to his knees.

"Shina!" he called with a gasp, feeling at last, her spirit's aura flooding with light, the way that his own had not been able to do until he had found his beloved. "Shina!"

Hoshi's mind caught the traces of the memories that had been given to Akina, and he stopped short, his heart and his stomach unsure that they could go on. Cautious eyes glanced around, until he could see the obviously distrubed form of Akina, a trickle of blood from underneath her.

The fa'e remained torn: To run to Shina's body, in the center, or to care for the person that had led him all of this way. "Shina," Hoshi whispered, though only a longing glance was thrown at the mound, and instead, he ran to Akina's limp body.

Hoshi had just begun going over the fallen Akina, in search of any scars or injuries, when Shina's own mind called out to him. His fumbling fingers dropped the wrist he had been exaiming as his eyes grew as wide as stars it seemed.

'My beloved!' he nearly shouted, but instead only thought in the solumn clearing, having to first shake his head, to assure himself that it was not a mirage. "Shina, my love," Hoshi gasped, unable to suck in the gulp of air as he found his body hurled into the air and sprinting to Shina's body.

"Shina, Shina, Shina," Hoshi mustered, his voice choking his dry throat as tears streamed down his face. The Starkeeper knealt beside his fallen lover, stroking her soft cheek as he wiped away the sliver of silva. "Shina, Shina," he called again, trying to keep her spirit from slipping, keeping her here with him.

'Darling, hang on,' his spirit cooed as Hoshi whispered kiss upon kiss onto Shina's open mouth and face. 'I'm here, beloved, hang on, just for me. For the child in you. Don't go,' Hoshi pleeded, all too unsure that this was not a dream, not just a fragment of imagination. 'Baby,' he called, stroking mother's belly, still in an attempt to draw Shina's spirit back into the proper realm.

That had been the reaction that Hoshi had been hoping for. He was no longer thinking on his actions, merely reacting by instinct to slivers of hope that Shina gave, as he settled into the ground beside Shina, lying a prone position to be next to her.

"That's right, love, Hoshi's here," The Starkeeper cooed, stroking her baby soft cheeks and wispy hair, whispering sweet, soft words of love to his beloved. "You can do it, love, come back. I'm right here," he offered, his words of encouragement tickling her ears as he continued to attempt to return the circulation with only his lips.

'C'mon, love,' Hoshi's spirit beckoned, trying to give Shina some of his strength to mix with Akina's, to make her strong once more. 'The baby needs you to be strong.'

The tears were still streaming down Hoshi's hceeks, though he had stopped crying, for he had decided to focus his energy on reviving Shina from her slumber. "Can you wiggle your fingers and toes, Shina?" he asked, the only thing that he could remember that doctors asked coma patients.

The tears started anew as Hoshi laid his body beside Shina's prone position and laid his head gently beside hers. It had been so long since he had been able to feel her body next to his, and even now, it gave him strength to hold on, though it was still cold to his touch, the unnatural coma still having its affect on it.

"You are so brave, my darling," Hoshi whispered into Shina's soft ear, holding on tight to the hand that Shina seemed to be able to move, a sign of his physical as well as emotional support.

In some way he could sense that this was something that Shina had to do herself, that he could not do for her, but all the same, Hoshi reached out with his other hand, the one that was not still clinging tightly to the hand, and began to gently massage the luke-warm arm, in an attempt to help Shina regain the circulation.

"I love you so much, my Shina. I'm here," he whispered once more, his gentle hand finding it's way to Shina's face, which he cupped in his palm. He had not wanted to ruin his hope, but Hoshi could see now that Shina's eyes were unseeing, merely open because that was what the muscles had been told to do. He pressed a finger against the top of ech cheekbone, and trailed them gently down her face, his heart a mass of black, wriggling snakes.

"Can you see me?" Hoshi finally worked up the courage enough to ask, trying to divert his eyes from the fragile sight as he worked his hand down Shina's other arm, pressing the loose muscles with rough fingers.

Hoshi inhaled a deep breath of air as Shina's tension released in her body and she rolled loose, her spirit obviously gone. "Shina?" he choked out, in a half-whisper, before he could feel her body fill again, as a pillowcase that had lost it's pillow, and he clutched ever tighter to her hand.

"I was wondering what was keeping you," Hoshi joked, trying his hardest to release the pressure that had gathered as Shina had left her body and then reentered it. "But I didn't feel it was my place to ask," he whispered, squeezing her hand tight as he realized the predicament she seemed to be in.

"Love, I'm not sure I could could your lovely hair, but it seems to be the only thing seperating us," The Starkeeper fumbled in his small belt packet for the pocket knife that Ardre had given him for his birthday, having to had used it very rarely so far, but this would be the most important taskt that he could perform with it. "Just a moment," he whispered, afraid in a sense that if he didn't go now, he might never work up the courage to sever Shina's gorgeous hair.

Hoshi cupped Shina's head with one large hand, lifting it up slightly from the ground and pulling the hairs so that they were not loose, for the knife would cut better if they were pulled tight. "Here we go," he whispered, his comforting hand still holding her head up as he sawed away at the hair. Less than half of the length had to be cut, and when Hoshi was done, it hung about to Shina's shoulder blades, and Hoshi was left holding one end of a thick bundle of hair in one hand, and Shina's suddenly loose head in another.

So as not to startle Shina, Hoshi left his hand still against her head, and let the hair drop to the ground as he gathered Shina up gathering her slender body into her larger one and holding on for what seemed to be dear life, showering loose kisses all over her face and neck.

Mildly unnerved by the serching eyes, unseeing no matter how hard Shina tried, Hoshi diverted his gaze, choosing instead to soak up the beauty of his beloved. The glowing presence that she had begun to find as her pregnancy advanced, her comfortable muscles, the smooth curves.

Hoshi watched cautiously as Shina yanked her hair from the ground, kissing her forehead when she was done wit the last rembrance of childhood. She was the same Shina, and yet, her hair was not the only thing that had changed. The Starkeeper pushed into the back of his mind the blind eyes, though he could feel a weight pressing down onto his stomach - the predicament could be dealt with later.

He noted now, that in pregnancy, or just in her idle state, that Shina's belly had not grown in size since he had last seen her, but she had become more aware of it, it seemed, and though her spirit still seemed frail, Hoshi knew that she would soon become the strong woman he knew. Until then, though, he could hold her vulnerable state and return the soft kisses.

"You've never been away," Hoshi replied, a gentle grin on his face. "Even when you aren't with me physically, I think of you every moment of every day... I couldn't live without you." His lips locked with hers, carressing the life back into them as Hoshi tried to feed his strength and senses into Shina's needy system.

The Starkeeper broke away for a moment, casting his glance around the field of fallen bodies and heaved a small sigh. Soon, he would need to take inventory on them all, for now that they were found, he couldn't leave them out here. And Akina needed tending to, Hoshi would never be able to repay his debt to her for finding his love. But for now, Hoshi could not seem to break away from the embrace of Shina, holding her tight in his arms.

"More than sick with worry," Hoshi offered, wrapping his arms tighter around Shina as he broke their embrace, and nestled his head into her hair to sniff the fresh scent of moist dirt and tiny earthworms. "More like deathly worried."

As the other Fa'e mentioned her close family, Hoshi lifted his eyes slowly, to look around the field. Eyes growing stronger as the sun began to go over the horizon, he could make out the shape of Akina's form, and he willed himself to widen his eyebrows, a question he hoped that she would see.

But even now, he could tell that all he wanted to focus on was Shina, and not the others. Though he felt like a horrible person feeling like that, and knew he shouldn't, as if he were a child that was going to try to steal a cookie in hopes he wouldn't be caught, he still wanted to keep this precious moments with Shina sacred.

"It's been a long time, love," Hoshi finally said, laying his head on the top of hers. "A lot has happened."