Chouji's eyes where fully widened now as he leaned back in his chair stunned. He didn't know whether to be happy Temari was finally awake after five years or the be sad because she had amnesia. However, it didn't really surprise Chouji that much that she had amnesia. After all, he would be more surprised if her mind had nothing wrong with it. After what happened to her it was a miracle that she only had amnesia and nothing else.
"What do we do uncle Chouji?" Shikadai asked with a troubled sigh.
"We take her back to the hospital." Chouji said firmly as he crossed his arms.
He could sense that the last thing Temari wanted to do was to go back to the hospital, but that didn't matter to Chouji. When his best friend wasn't in the village he had an unspoken duty to take care of his family in his absence.
"I told you, I'm not going back." Temari said glaring at Chouji.
"Why? What's wrong with the hospital?" Chouji asked.
"I just don't want to go back." Temari said.
"Mom, please just go back to the hospital. Sarada's mom is a good doctor and can help with your amnesia." Shikadai said looking at his mother.
"Shikadai is your name right?" Temari asked as her tone softened.
"Go back to your bed and sleep Shikadai." Temari said in a soft yet firm way.
"But mom..." shikadai tried to argue, but got stopped.
"Listen to your mom, Shikadai." Chouji said, his voice just as firm.
Shikadai looked between the two adults, sighed then stood up and silently walked to the Akimitchi's guest room where he stayed. However, Temari and Chouji stared each other down, Temari's glare more potent than Chouji's.
"Should we take this outside?" Chouji asked, failing at this stare down.
He wasn't a scary person that started fights, Temari was that person...
"I think that'll be best." Temari said as she pushed herself up since she was still struggling to stand on her own.
"If that's how you want it." Chouji said with a sigh as he stood up and walked out the front door followed by Temari.
Just then the yellow-eyed woman came back out to the kitchen. She stopped as she watched the two walk outside. She sighed then walked to the door, leaning on the door frame as she watched the two stand opposite each other. This was so unlike Chouji...
She crossed her arms to protect herself from the cold as she watched Temari win the staring competition. Temari kept the blanket that was given to her because even she couldn't withstand the cold.
"This is ridiculous Chouji, just grab her and take her back to the hospital." The yellow-eyed woman said with a much more tougher look than Chouji.
"Karui..." Chouji started with a sigh, but she gave him no chance to speak.
"You know Temari, Chouji. She's not going anywhere without a fight and the kids are in the house trying to sleep. Besides Sakura is probably worried sick about Temari right now." Karui said with a scoff making Chouji sigh.
"Fine." Chouji said with a sigh as he enlarged his right hand.
"I'm not going down without a fight." Temari said in a hard tone.
"We weren't expecting you to go quietly." Karui said with crossed arms.
Temari jumped into action, discarding her blanket, but Chouji could see she was more sluggish than she was before she went into the coma, but he didn't blame her, he probably wouldn't even be able to get up after sleeping for five years. Chouji swiped his giant hand to Temari to grab her and end this quickly, but Temari just as quickly jumped up and landed on top his hand.
She ran as gracefully and balanced as she possibly could, but that seemed somewhat challenging for Temari. Temari scowled as she lost her balance however she wasn't going down alone. She was close enough to land a kick to Chouji's head. Temari swept her leg in the air to Chouji's head, smirking at him as he scowled at her.
However, her leg never connected to Chouji's head. Karui stood behind Chouji and blocked Temari's leg with her right arm. Now Temari was the one scowling and Karui was the one smirking. Karui grabbed her leg with both arms and tossed Temari overhead, but let go when she was above their head making her fly through the air. Karui didn't want to slam her into the ground.
She just wanted her immobilized.
"Quickly, grab her!" Karui said as she softly smacked Chouji's back repeatedly so he could move faster.
Chouji ignored Karui's furious smacking as he turned around and grabbed Temari while she was still flying through the air. Temari scowled at them as she was trapped in Chouji's hand.
"Nice catch." Karui said with a smile while Chouji smiled back at her.
Temari squirmed in Chouji's hand as she tried to escape, but it proved futile. She was captured.
"What's going on here?" A female voice asked as she dropped from the roofs next to Chouji and Karui.
"Sakura..." Chouji said surprised.
The woman had pink shoulder length hair, Temari reckoned that's where she got her name from and a green diamond on her forehead. She wore a pink coat over long brown pants with black shinobi sandals that had a heel to them. Sakura looked over to what Chouji had in his hand and once her eyes landed on Temari her eyes widened.
"You found Temari!" Sakura said happily, a wave of relief flooding over her.
"Actually Shikadai found her." Karui replied.
"However this whole situation comes back to my first question, what's going on here?" Sakura asked as she motioned at Chouji holding Temari captive in his hand.
"We wanted her to go back to the hospital but she refused." Chouji answered.
"Why?" Sakura asked confused.
"Ask her." Karui said nodding her head to Temari.
"Why didn't you stay at the hospital?" Sakura asked as she walked over to Temari.
"Because I didn't want to be alone." Temari said as she reverted her eyes.
"But you're not alone." Sakura said in a comforting voice.
"I woke up alone." Temari said softly.
"The only reason for that is because Shikamaru is away on a mission, but don't worry, he'll be back in a few days." Sakura said with a smile.
"Who's Shikamaru?" Temari asked looking back at Sakura questioningly.
Sakura's smile fell slowly as she looked Temari in the eyes, her question making Sakura's heart drop. Did she really hear that question correctly?
"She has amnesia." Karui said in a serious tone as she crossed her arms.
That means when shikadai found Temari, she didn't know who he was. Her heart bled for shikadai. His mother has been in a coma for five years and now that she's finally awake she doesn't know who he is...
"Well, I did expect something to be wrong with her brain. I guess amnesia is better than brain damage..." Sakura said with a sigh.
They expected there to be problems if Temari woke up and she told Shikamaru this. She told him that if Temari woke up she'll never be the same again...
"Why would I have brain damage? Why do I have amnesia? What happened to me? And who us Shikamaru?" Temari asked in frustrated as she voiced the questions that were floating in her mind, driving her mad.
"Let's go back to the hospital then I'll explain everything to you." Sakura said with a sigh.
"Do I really have a choice in this matter?" Temari said as she gritted her teeth.
"Not really. Chouji will you carry her to the hospital?" Sakura asked as she looked back at Chouji.
"Of course." Chouji answered.
"I'll be back soon." Chouji said to Karui with a smile while she nodded.
He kissed her cheek before he walked with Sakura to the hospital while Karui went back into the house.
"Well since I'm being taken against my will you two might as well answer my questions." Temari said with an irritated expression.
"Sure." Chouji said with a shrug.
"First question, what happened that caused my amnesia?" Temari asked looking at the two shinobi for answers.
A guilty look came over Sakura's eyes as she reverted her eyes to the side while Chouji looked at the ground.
"It's not a story to be told in this situation." Sakura said softly, it sounded like an unpleasant story Sakura didn't want to tell.
"Next question." Chouji said as he looked back up.
"You barely answered my first question." Temari said annoyed.
"You heard the man, next question." Sakura said.
"Fine, second question. Who is Shikamaru?" Temari asked.
"He's your husband and the father of your child." Chouji answered.
"And how does my said husband look like?" Temari asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Shikadai is the spitting image of Shikamaru, the only difference is shikadai has your eyes." Chouji answered.
"I see." Temari said as she visualized how her said husband looks like.
"We're here!" Sakura announced as they arrived at the hospital, pulling Temari out of her thoughts.
She still wanted to ask more questions, but she pushed her questions aside for later and focused on the building in front of her. Temari face turned to one of focus as she thought of a way to escape again.
"If your thinking about escaping, just know if you try I'll sedate you and tie you to the bed." Sakura said as she gave Temari a warning look.
Temari gasped at her, how did she know what she was thinking.
"Who says I'm thinking about escaping?" Temari asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I know you Temari, we're actually good friends so I know how your brain work." Sakura said with a smile as she led Chouji who still held on to Temari to a hospital room.
They entered an empty room that had no other patients in. A lonely room with only beds and medical equipment in. Temari's face hardened, as soon a the big oaf let her go she was making her great escape.
"Now Temari, Chouji is going to release you now and once he releases you I want you to remain calm." Sakura said in a calm voice as she tried to get Temari to be calm as well.
However even tough Temari was calm, she had no intentions of staying. All Temari wanted was to see or hear something familiar, but nothing around her was ever familiar... everyone knew her, but she didn't recognise anyone...
She guessed her said son was correct, she did have amnesia.
Oh, how life smiled upon her... what did she do to deserve amnesia? But one question that tugged at her mind furiously is what happened to her that caused amnesia?
"Okay Chouji, release her slowly." Sakura said making Chouji nod and Temari to smirk slightly.
Chouji slowly unwrapped his giant fingers from Temari as he sat her down on the floor. Temari stood still as Chouji made his hand go to a normal size. However as soon as Chouji's hand was a normal size Temari sprinted to the door, her only problem was the pink head between her and the door. However, Temari reckoned she had a better chance with the medic than an actual ninja.
After all, how much damage can a medic do...
Sakura looked bluntly at Temari as she ran towards her. Temari glared at a calm Sakura. A medic being calm while their patient is trying to escape. Sakura pulled a syringe from the pouch she wore in a flash and stuck it in the back of Temari's neck as she ran passed Sakura. Temari stopped as Sakura pushed the button to allow the fluids to enter Temari's bloodstream.
Temari almost immediately felt drowsy as Sakura pulled the needle out her neck.
"I warned you." Sakura said calmly as she threw the syringe away.
The world around Temari begun to spin at a sickening pace as her eyes grew heavy and before Temari knew it she found herself on the floor. Temari watched from the floor in a daze.
"Chouji, get her on a bed." Sakura said, that was the last thing Temari heard before everything melted away and she entered a dreamless state.
However, just before she completely lost consciousness an eerie smirk played through her mind, one that looked oddly familiar and an ominous chuckle that accompanied that forbidding smirk. But both faded away as the black abyss consumed her mind.
xXx
Temari eyes slowly opened. There were no birds singing and there wasn't a bright cheerful sun shining down signalling that it was morning. It was cloudy and gloomy outside, it made it hard for Temari to determine whether it was morning, afternoon or later in the afternoon. The wind was blowing a cold wind around as the wind tugged at the empty tree branches. There were no birds singing and no kids laughing in the streets. Temari blinked groggily as she looked around with confusion, trying to puzzle together what happened. However as her mind woke up, she clearly remembered what happened the previous night. She woke up from a five-year coma with amnesia, she met her son, she found out she had a husband and the medic sedated her.
Temari looked to the side and smiled softly. The little boy she met last night that claimed he was her son sat in a chair next to her bed, fast asleep...
Temari sat up but felt something tuck at her wrist while she sat up. Temari looked down at her wrist with a frown. She had a metal handcuff on that restraint her to the hospital bed. Temari tugged on it loudly, but of course, the metal handcuff stayed.
"Sakura-sensei handcuffed you to the bed because you're trying to escape the whole time." Shikadai commented lazily next to her bed.
Temari looked from the handcuff on her left wrist to the boy in the chair next to her bed.
"I thought you were asleep." Temari said.
"I was." Shikadai said with a sigh.
"What hospital has handcuffs anyway." Temari asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's not the hospital's, she probably lent them from Sasuke-sensei." Shikadai said with amusement, however, Temari just raised an eyebrow.
"That's her husband." Shikadai explained.
"Well as long as it doesn't have fluff on it." Temari mumbled.
"What?" Shikadai asked, he couldn't hear what his mother said.
"Nothing." Temari said quickly.
She didn't need her son to know what a fluffy handcuff was for, not at his age...
"Did Sakura say how long she wants to keep me here?" Temari asked Shikadai as looked at the needle that was yet again stuck in her arm.
"She said she wanted to run more tests then I can take you home." Shikadai said as he leaned his head in his hand lazily.
"I'm supposed to take care of you, not the other way around." Temari said as she cocked her head at him which made him smile in amusement.
"So mother of mine, tell me where we live then." Shikadai said with an amused, victorious smirk which made his mother glare at him.
"You know I don't know where we live." Temari said with a sigh.
"Let me take care of you, even though it's a drag." Shikadai said making Temari smile softly.
"Well until dad comes back anyway." Shikadai shrugged as he leaned back in the chair.
"When do you think Sakura will start the tests?" Temari asked, she had to admit he was organised for his age.
However, she had an idea it was only because his dad was away and his mother had amnesia. Temari could see the boy had a lazy attitude on him. He would only do something if he had to do it.
"She already ran a few tests this morning while you were still asleep. She said they were going to process the results today then they'll run a few test later. So if you ask me, she's going to let you stay the night." Shikadai said noticing the displeased face Temari had.
She didn't want to stay another night.
"I can stay." Shikadai suggested.
"No, you should go to the fat guy's house. He looks like he takes care of you and you need your sleep." Temari said seriously.
"His name is Chouji Akamitchi. He's dad's best friend. Our clans have been working together for like forever." Shikadai said.
"Then it's settled, you'll stay there until I can go home. Besides you can't stay the whole night, it's against the rules." Temari said.
"It's no big deal, I've done it before. Why do you think I was awake and walking in the streets so early in the morning." Shikadai said making Temari rise an eyebrow.
"Oh, you have, have you?" A dark voice said at the door of the room, making all the colour drain from Shikadai's face.
"No, I would never do that." Shikadai said nervously making Temari chuckle.
"I'll let it slide this time." Sakura said as she glared at him.
"Are you here for the rest of the test?" Temari asked.
"I see Shikadai has filled you in and yes I am." Sakura said with a smile as she walked into the room.
"Let's get it done and over with then." Temari said with a sigh.
"Sure, so you have three choices..." Sakura started as she watched Temari.
"Let's hear them then." Temari said.
"I can either take the handcuff off and you can walk on your own there or we can take you there in a wheelchair since your muscles are still weak or we can roll you in the bed still handcuffed to the bed." Sakura said in a voice that challenged Temari as nurses started to enter the room as well.
"Don't challenge her mom." Shikadai said with a sweatshop, but she ignored him.
"I'll walk thank you." Temari said in a voice that challenged Sakura.
"Okay then." Sakaru said as she uncuffed Temari.
Temari smiled as she rubbed her wrist and climb off the bed, her knees giving in as her feet landed only the floor.
"Careful now." Sakura said as she rushed to help her while Shikadai also jumped up just in case.
"I'm not a newborn baby." Temari said irritated as she waved Sakura off.
Temari wobbled on her legs as she quickly grabbed the side off the bed to stabilize herself.
"Remember the drip then." Sakura said as she took a step back.
"Follow the nurses, they'll show you the way." Sakura said.
"You're not coming?" Temari asked as she left the bed then held onto the pole that held her drip and used that to keep herself from falling.
"I'll catch up." Sakura said as she watched Temari slowly make her way out the room.
"Suit yourself then. I'll see you when I get back Shikadai." Temari said with a grin as she walked out the room with the nurses hovering around her.
"Stop hovering!" Sakura and shikadai heard Temari yell from outside the room, making them sweatdrop.
"How are you holding up?" Sakura asked Shikadai.
"I keep wanting to ask her questions about herself because to be honest I only knew her through stories since nobody can remember when they where 3, but then I remember she has amnesia." Shikadai said with a sigh as he watched the door.
"What happened to her was really unfortunate... We'll find a way to fix her amnesia." Sakura said comfortably.
"Dad would be happy to find out she's awake when he comes back." Shikadai said with a small smile.
"No doubt, it's a shame he wasn't here when she woke up. He would've saved us a lot of trouble." Sakura said with a sigh.
"What makes you say that?" Shikadai asked confused.
"Your dad knows how to handle your mom. If he didn't he probably would've died a long time ago." Sakura said chuckling slightly.
Sakura rubbed Shikadai's head which made him grunt in displeasure because she messed up his hair. Sakura smiled as she walked out the room to do tests on Temari so they can solve her amnesia.
In all honesty, amnesia was the best possible outcome they could've gotten. Temari could've been brain dead or brain damaged. She could've never woken up or she would've woken up and wouldn't be able to move properly or speak properly. She could've woken up with serious mental issues, but she woke up with amnesia and amnesia is something that they can maybe reverse.
Sakura was hopeful...
A/N: Hey guys, hope you liked the chapter. I'm supposed to be learning for my exam that I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail anyway but instead I'm bench watching (not sure how that is spelt) Kami-sama kiss. It's a fantastic anime, you guys should watch it :P