Hello everyone,
Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday so far. Wanted to apologize for the slow update, but I've been incredibly busy with things. Anyways, thanks for the awesome support and reviews. I'll be honest with you all, but from now on, updates may be a little slower then what it was in the past. I'm finally home and have to return to everyday life so please be patient and bear with me.
As for those who were scared that Tomoe is back in this story, fear not, she has a very minor role and won't be seeing much of her for much to longer. With that being said, enjoy the new chapter and have a happy holiday! Oh and don't forget to review for my sake. Still would like to know what you guys think, better then the original or not so much? any pros or cons?
CHAPTER 7
Somehow I'd managed the rest of the week with ease. I'd fallen asleep only to wake up and realize that it was already Sunday. The devastation of my accident and waking up three months later with amnesia had finally worn off and I was now starting to make some real progress. Physical therapy was mundane but proving to be effective. On the third day we had progressed to working on my balance and walking skills. I won't remind you how unhappy I was about the balance beam, but I pushed my fears aside and sucked it up. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. Tomoe and Dr. Satou were there standing next to me as I attempted multiple times to keep my balance steady for as long as possible. After I had accomplished that small feat I slowly made to place one foot in front of the other several times. I had slipped the first few attempts as my balance decided to take a hike elsewhere, but eventually it had returned and I was able to slowly walk forward in a straight line with no support, though it was only for a short distance. My legs were still not as strong as they could have been, but I didn't need any help getting to the bathroom, so I suppose that was better than nothing.
On the sixth day, Dr. Satou had mention that I didn't need the wheelchair anymore and that I should continue to practice walking around the hospital campus to help gain some of my leg strength back. I did as he suggested and though I was slow at first, my legs were starting to build back some of their muscle and I was now on my feet more than in my bed. I would walk around the hospital bored before going out into the courtyard Dr. Fujino had shown me earlier and aimless wonder, enjoying the freedom and cool breezes that tended to pass by. I noticed it was a popular place the more I visited. Medical staff, patients and even visitors tended to come out here throughout the day to relax in the sun or hide in the shades of the trees.
Eventually, I ended up having lunches outside since there were multiple open spots with picnic tables, liking the change of scenery versus starring at a white wall. Nao and Mai had made it routine to try and join me for these little outings. They were both very considerate and Mai would supply us with her hand-crafted meals. Of course, Nao and I would both relish and devour the delish dishes like starved little beasts, but Mai didn't seem to mind and neither did my appetite. After lunch, they both would usually stay a little while longer, chatting about random things such as movies, work and family, daily life stuff. Occasionally, I would get a sly comment from Nao retaining about my dear ruby-eyed doctor and try to dismiss the remark while avoiding Mai's anxious and confused gaze. I had come to a conclusion that the flame-haired girl may have had feelings for me, but I decided not to dive into that topic… At least not yet. I didn't know what to say if the subject were to ever arise. Obviously, my feelings weren't on the same pages as hers, harsh as that sounds.
Anyways, as the week had progressed so did my dreams. It was always the same. It would start off with me lost in an empty darkness only to walk around confused as I tried to find the source of the voice calling my name. Then, suddenly, I would be running in the opposite direction until blood-red orbs appeared out of nowhere before being replaced with the headlights of a car, honking and speeding closer to my shock-filled form, ready to crash into me. I would wake up abruptly in a collection of nasty sweat only to groan and sigh a heavy breath of exhaustion.
I had told Nao of the dreams, and she seemed fairly interested in them more so than me. She would ask questions about the red eyes and the voice whispering my name but I wasn't able to form any answers for her. I honestly didn't know what it all meant or if it even meant anything at all. I did, however, find out that the red eyes in my dream belonged to a woman as well as the voice. Oddly enough, the voice almost resembled that of my doctors - Dr. Fujino to be precise- and the more I thought about it so did the red eyes. I managed to hide this fact from my cousin, fearing that she would make up some crazy excuse that I was having rather odd/scary dreams about my gorgeous doctor only because I was completely attracted to her. The fact that my brain was substituting this mysterious shadow in my dreams for my doctor wasn't that all surprising. Well, maybe a little, but with how things were going between the two of us, I wasn't that all shocked when realization hit me.
Dr. Fujino was still sincere and caring, but ever since that day in the courtyard her character had become more teasing, more open and playful, as if that was how she really acted on a daily basis. At times, I would catch myself daydreaming about her too, imagining my lips pressed up lightly against her own while smiling in the kiss as I felt her body stiffen and gasp when my hands slid slowly down her sides. I fought hard to not think of my doctor in such intimate scenarios, but the more I tried to think differently, the more my imagination said, "screw you" and defiantly pictured me kissing my way down her soft neck and between the valleys of her breast. It really is a pain when you're trying to be good but can't. It didn't help my defenses either when she would manage to show up randomly at my PT sessions and offer to help like the good doctor that she was. The woman had no idea what her touches did to me and that playful grin she placed on her cheeks didn't help to lessen my highly-creative thoughts. Not that I minded her presence. Oh, no. I was highly responsive to this woman just like a fat kid was with chocolate cake on a Sunday night. I just couldn't get enough.
It's times like these where I would venture out into the courtyard to try and gain some sensible control of myself and push away the lust for this woman building in me. In terms what I had hoped to accomplish, it only gave me more reason to be bolder with the brunette and develop romantic feelings instead. My thoughts would continue to roam around her like a plague and eventually, I would manage to leave coy glances and fleeting touches as well, innocent of course and not quite as obvious, but enough to gain a couple of blushes and hesitant smiles in return. The real problem now was did she have the same intentions as me? Perhaps, this was how she acted with everyone. I had happen to come across her playfully flirting with some of the other doctors in the hallway and watched as they all laughed and smirked at something she had said.
And let's not forget the fact that she might not be gay at all. Hell, I'm surprised that I was. I didn't even know until my imagination began to run wild with thoughts of kissing the beautiful doctor some days ago. Getting use to that had been no easy feat, but it was probably the main reason to what allowed the attraction to grow into something more than a simple girls crush. Nonetheless, I was still unsure of the woman's orientation. I suppose asking her would have been a lot easier and faster than guessing, but that only proved to bring awkward stares and situations if the answer would have been anything but, "gay". Not to mention, I was still a patient under her care. It probably wouldn't have been professional at all on my part… not that I really cared.
So, here I sat, alone on the bench in the corner of the courtyard and underneath a tree with its branches swaying softly in the light breeze. It was particularly entertaining that I had also come to meet a small girl named Kaori during my third outing into the courtyard. I had been trying to escape one of my lust filled fantasies of the beautiful Kyoto doctor. Apparently, the girl's mother was diagnosed with cancer and made it a habit to visit the woman along with her father. She would then give the two some privacy and come outside to sit lonesome on a bench like me… that is until the little brat spotted my hiding form.
At first I thought the girl to be odd. I mean, who would choose to sit next to a lonely stranger and start up a random conversation like we were old friends when you had various vacant spots elsewhere. I could only glare at the kid not understanding her simple logic. But, I came to find that I reminded the poor girl of her mother and felt sympathetic for the kid, allowing her to scoot even closer to my form. We had ended up in a small routine of meeting each other in the same spot at the same time. As a matter of fact, the little runt should be here any second now.
"Natsuki!" A young raven-haired girl yelled as she ran closer to our spot.
I smiled and allowed her to give me a brief hug before sitting down, "Hello, Kaori. How have you been?"
"I'm doing fine. Papa, is upstairs with mom talking with some of the doctors."
"Oh, yeah? Is she finally going to be able to go home tomorrow?" I ask remembering a couple of days ago that Kaori had something in the lines of that.
She nods, "I hope so. I miss mom so much."
I give her a gentle squeeze, "I'm sure she misses you too, kid."
Kaori smiles and quickly grabs my arm, snuggling closer into it. She's lucky she's cute otherwise I'd probably bump her on the head and wag my finger back and forth while saying no. "Do you remember anything, yet?" she asks.
"No not yet." I say while glancing up into the clear sky. "I'm not worried about it though."
She pulls back, "You're not worried?"
"Nope."
"Why not?"
I chuckle at her confused expression. "Because there's no point in worrying when you're trying to move forward. It'll only slow the healing process." I say.
"I wish mom would hurry up and get better, all papa ever does is worry about her." She says and I can't help but feel a pang of sadness for the girl.
"You're dad loves your mom, it's his job to worry."
She snuggles back into my arm, "Sometimes I think dad worries too much, though."
Dang, when did this kid become a grown-up? But then again, you probably have to be strong and brave when your mother is sick and your father does nothing but worry himself half to death.
"Hey," she perks up, "do you want some candy? I brought some for mom, but the doctors said she couldn't have any."
I watch as she reaches in her sweater pocket and pulls out tiny-silver wrapped Hershey kisses. "Sure, thanks."
I glance at the smile playing on her innocent cheeks and reach my hand out and hold it open for her. The moment the silvery dollops hit my flesh a flash of white hazes over my eyes and I'm thrown into - what I assume - a flashback. Images from various unknown places enter my confused mind. It was as if time itself was trying to rewind in my head while flashing quick glimpses of unfamiliar objects and places. I could feel a heavy ache in the back of my head as my brain continued to swim all over the place, throwing random pictures here and there as if it was searching for something in particular.
Eventually, the images stopped their blinding flashes and I could see myself standing in what looked like to be a store. My breathing hitched and I clutched at my chest, feeling the erratic pounding of my heart. The store was dim-lit and quiet, the only noise was of my labored breathing and I managed to glance around, absorbing the new environment. I was standing next to someone in the middle of the aisle but was unable to see the woman's blurry face. She was a tad taller than me with light brown hair but I couldn't make out anything else. I then watched as my former self turned to grab for a bag of chocolate kisses only to have my hand clash with the woman's.
"Ara, I apologize. You may take the bag if you wish."
Time forwarded and I was now outside watching the woman offering me pieces of the Hershey candy.
"Is there something I can help you with Miss…?"
"Shi-…"
Seconds later, the images distorted and blurred interrupting what was taking place and instead I watched the mysterious woman begin to cross the street. Seeing the car in advance, I continued to watch as my former self sprinted towards her only to watch as I got struck by the speeding vehicle while pushing her forcefully to the side.
"Natsuki! Natsuki!"
I snapped my eyes open and found Kaori staring hard with tears forming around the edges of her hazel orbs. I quickly grabbed her into a quick embrace. "Shh, shh. It's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
She pulled away confused, "What happened? Are you alright?"
I looked around a little confused myself. "I think… I think I just remembered something."
"What was it? The whole time you looked scared and froze up. I didn't know what to do."
"It was about my accident."
Her eyes widen. "Really?! What happened?"
I turn to look at her curious expression, "Well, I was at a gas station I think and saw this woman crossing the street. She was about to get hit by a car so I ran and saved her."
"Wow, are you okay?" she comments.
I stare at her raven hair as it glides softly amongst the cool breeze. "Yeah, I think so. Just surprised."
I still couldn't believe what had just happened. It must have been the candy that triggered the memory, but it was incomplete. I still had no idea who this mystery woman was, but it did answer my small question about knowing her. Apparently, I did happen to know this woman even if it seemed only for a short moment. Damn, but everything about her was blurry and even her voice was so distorted that I couldn't recognize it.
Ugh, c'mon brain. Is it too much to ask for you to actually function properly when important crap like that pops up?
"So you know the girl you saved now?" Kaori asked.
I shook my head, "Unfortunately, no. Everything was too fuzzy. I still have no idea who this woman is."
Her face saddened for a brief moment before looking back up at me with hope. "Oh, well that's too bad. But at least you're starting to remember, right?"
"Yeah, I guess that is good news." I say while smiling. This girl was always optimistic even when things weren't so great; it was one of the things I liked about her.
I raise a hand to run it through my blue hair and lean back against the bench. The kid had a point though. It had been relatively close to a week and a half with no luck of remembering anything and I was beginning to get a little concerned that I would be one of those ten percent that never gained their memories back. So, I was willing to take anything I could rack my head around, whether it would have been about a pet fish I once had or the moment I had my first kiss.
I scratched my chin.
Remembering the accident wouldn't have been my first memory of choice. It was a little intense and kind of a shocker, but it was a start to something, so I couldn't complain.
"Natsuki?"
"What is it, Kaori?" I say and watch her stand from her position.
"I have to go now. Papa doesn't want me staying out here too long today." She says before reaching into her sweater pocket again. "Here, I want you to have some of these. Papa always says chocolate is good for the heart and always makes people feel better."
I could only smile, "Thank you, Kaori."
She nods and hesitates for a few moments before speaking, "I probably won't see you anymore since we will be taking mom home soon. The doctors say she's getting a lot better…" I smile at her shyness as she places her hands in her pocket and starts to swing from side to side. She really is a cute kid. "So… I hope you get better real soon too, Natsuki. Thank you for being my friend." And with that she quickly swoops down and places a quick-short kiss onto my cheek before running in the opposite direction, a small giggle leaving her throat. My eyes widen as I reach up to touch the spot where she had placed the simple kiss and couldn't help but softly laugh with the girl. When she was by the entrance she turned to wave and with a small smirk on my lips I waved back.
"Silly brat." I breathe out.
"Oh my, it seems Natsuki still has some charm left in her."
I knew that accent and didn't bother to turn when Dr. Fujino took a seat next to me.
"Why, if it isn't my favorite doctor." I say smoothly and glance in her direction.
She laughs, "Your favorite? I would only hope so."
Crap, is she flirting back with me?
One of my thin eyebrows rose in question and I tried to clear my throat. I could only play it off by scratching my neck and chuckling like an idiot as I glanced away from her ruby eyes with insecurity.
"So," I start, "what brings the almighty Dr. Fujino down into the courtyard?"
A roll of the eyes and she smirks. "Well, for starters, I actually came to see Natsuki."
"Oh?"
"I wanted to see how you were doing. Dr. Sato seems to think you're doing wonderful, but I thought I'd come and ask for myself."
I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm doing good physically. I feel like I'm getting stronger every day."
"What about emotionally?"
I'm drained because I can't stop thinking about you…
"Umm, good I guess."
A corner of her lips rose. "Just good?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to make sure." She answers. "What about memories, have you had any yet?"
I reached up to twist a strand of my dark hair around my finger while looking at the tips as if it had become more interesting than our conversation. "Actually, I just had one moments before you showed up with Kaori." I didn't bother to look up at the doctor and decided to wait for her response.
"Ara, that's great news, Natsuki." She says excitedly while grasping my forearm and slightly squeezing it. "What was it about?"
"It was about the accident." And just like that, her excitement had disappeared and her hand quickly released my arm. From the corner of my eye, I could see her body stiffen.
Awesome… that's always a good sign.
"Oh… Anything… in particular?"
Particular? Yeah, who the hell was the lady in my memory?
"You know, I've been wanting to ask Dr. Kanazaki, but I would assume that you might know as well."
"Know what?"
I glanced at her making sure to grab her full ruby-eyed attention. "The woman I saved. Who is she?"
Her eyes widened and I noticed an increase in her breathing. "Ara, I…" She paused and for a moment and I thought she was going to get up and leave. Crimson eyes wavered as it managed to sway away from my gaze and land on the ground instead.
"Yes?" I said. I needed her to continue. I didn't understand what was so difficult about my simple question.
"Natsuki… I-I don't know."
Seriously? You don't seem to not know.
"You don't know, or you can't tell me?"
Her head whipped up and searched my face before answering, "Natsuki, I'm sorry but I can't."
"So, you do know who this woman is but you can't tell me?" My voice raised a pitch. She knew who this woman was but she couldn't come forth to tell me who? Why the hell not?
Dr. Fujino nodded, her fingers fidgeting uncomfortably in her lap.
That was it. I was pissed and annoyed. "Why the hell not!?" I said loudly and managed to make her flinch in response. I felt bad but she wasn't helping me when I needed it.
"Natsuki-"
"No, don't Natsuki me. You're my doctor; you're supposed to be helping me. But instead you're just pretending, not giving me any information when I ask." I stood up from my spot, staring down at her, watching as she bowed her head lower in shame. "How the hell do any of you expect me to remember if you won't tell me anything?"
"Natsuki… I-"
She tried again but my blood was beginning to boil the more I stood there, "No, I'm done for now. I'm going back to my room." And with that I began to walk off towards the entrance of the hospital, "Have a wonderful rest of your day, Dr. Fujino."
