Shakily I grabbed her hand and begged, "Where am I?"
The place is dark, lit up only by a small lamp by the bed, yet I can't see it. My mind is hazy, vision blurry, although I can identify the woman next to me holding my hand even if her features are smudged together like leftover paint.
What happened to me? The last thing I can remember is heading towards the train station to catch the early train home. It's my dad's birthday, and I wanted to surprise him...
I squinted, trying to make out her appearance. Rasing up for a better view I hiss at the sharp pain in my abdomen. That's right... I've been stabbed... more than once if I recall correctly...
"Don't try to move, just rest. You've been through a lot." Her soft hand brushed away my bangs, keeping the pressure to prevent me from hurting myself further. The cool hand feels good on my heated skin.
"What... happened to me?"
"You've been stabbed 28 times in the abdomen and have a concussion. Rest now." She kept her voice low and friendly, trying not to raise my panic at the fact that there's no way I survived that. The possibility of someone finding me before I bled out is close to none giving the circumstance.
"I was jumped... by a blond female... in her early 20s..." that's all I can make out right now as a headache prevents any further exploration. There's movement as the lady presumably covered her mouth with how muffled she sounds.
"Who could harm an innocent child with such cruelty..." she whispered, talking to herself. What child? I'm around the same age as the blond as I saw her around campus a few times, never knew her personally, but I heard she's hot, top of the class, and talented. Typical mean girl, it seems. Never expected to see one of those or be on the receiving end of their wrath.
As I was lost in thoughts, I didn't notice I dozed off until I was woken up for breakfast the next day. I groaned at the in aiding sunlight l, covering my eyes with my arm. There's a soft chuckle, animating me to open my eyes. I expected to see the same lady from before but what greeted me was far from what I anticipated.
"Good morning, dear. How are you holding up? In any pain?" I observed her mouth move, bewildered, like an animation on a TV screen. Her eyes are larger and more colourful, her skin has only three shades, same as her attire, while the room has more shades except for the objects she's interacting with. I'm mystified. Is there a symptom where you see the world in 2D after head trauma? Is that how anime was invented? Did the first person get smacked in the head and suddenly became the inventor of manga? Why is she so big? I feel like a small child compared to her.
"Are you alright? You're pale. Need me to get the doctor?" I shut my gaping mouth and shook my head, not trusting myself with talking at the moment. As I looked down at my lap, I finally understood what she was talking about yesterday. My hands are small, plumb, much smaller than I remember. My childhood scars are also gone. I brushed the smooth skin that's unlike my rough ones, slowly realising that these are mine.
Before the realisation hit hard, the lady offered a glass of water, distracting me from a potential existential crisis I'll be dealing with later. I accepted it eagerly as she assisted me into a sitting position that doesn't put too much pressure on my stomach. She placed the bed tray table on my lap with the standard hospital food. In my famished state, it looks like a plate made for royalty. I dug in as soon as she moved away, almost using my fingers just to start quicker. When I was halfway through it, I noticed the lady was holding a clipboard and already writing something down... What the hell is she writing down? The patient is a pig?
"You wouldn't mind answering some questions, would you?"
"Ask away."
"What's your name?"
"Ayako Kopimoho Novak."
"How old are you?"
"2-... 12. I'm 12." Yeah, I'm a 21-year-old adult trapped in a child's body, great to meet you! Oh, I'm going to the asylum? Fair, fair.
"Where are you from?"
"Trebnje."
She raises an eyebrow. "Trebunjay? Where is that?" Fuck, we're speaking English, not Slovene.
"O-oh... sorry... I... don't know where I'm from. I don't even know where I am, to begin with..."
"You're in Konoha hospital."
"Say wut?"
I blankly gape at her, eyes not blinking, struggling to process it while she holds eye contact patiently. Did she say Konoha? Like THE Konoha? Not like... Korea?
"Korea?"
"Konoha--" you gotta be joshing me "--You were found outside of the town walls deep in the forest. An Anbu spotted you when he was returning from a mission and brought you here."
I took a deep breath and exhaled all the stress I'm going to deal with at a later date. I think the headaches coming back. "Can I meet this anbu?".
"He's actually in charge of watching over you. He's been outside your window this whole time."
Wait, what? I peeked over my shoulder to discover a man perching on the outside of the closed window ledge. His masked face is staring straight at me with no visible eyes behind the dark holes.
I flinched back in surprise to then stiffen as pain wracked through my body, distressing the nurse who was instantly by my side, carefully laying me down, yelling about the importance of rest and no frantic movements. I'm sorry, but I didn't expect to see a man gripping the ledge with the power of his one ass cheek as he peers down to my soul like your creepy next-door neighbour.
I look him over; His short brown hair is poking out around his mask that resembles a cat's face covered in green and red intricate markings.
Wait... I've seen him before...
"Yamato?"
"Who's Yamato?" Damn, I forgot I'm not home watching this!
"What Yamato? I said no Yamato. Who said anything about a Yamato?"
The nurse just deadpans and shakes her head before a smile graced her lips. "Do you want to speak with him?"
"Who? Yamato?"
"The Anbu." Same thing.
Before I can even replay, she glides the window open. ''Here you go. I'll leave you two alone to talk while I get your medicine."
No, don't go! I'm mentally not prepared to face this! Come back! The door clicks shut, leaving me alone with Yamato, who slid his knee through so he can sit cross-legged. I can feel his hidden eyes staring at me while I fidget with my hands. This is awkward. What should I even say? I can'remember the last time I was at a loss for word. Hell, I was lecturing the blond about morals while she was stabbing me... That's probably why she kept slashing me... Ugh! This is not how I imagined meeting Yamato would be. Hell, I didn't think any of my made-up scenes would even have the chance to be realised! He's a fictional character, for god sake!
"Thank you..." better start than any. "For saving my life. I owe you one." Yamato straightened up. Even with the mask, I can tell he lit up a bit, even a bit embarrassed with the way he looked down.
"You don't owe me anything. I did what was right."
"May I at least know the name of my saviour?"
"...Tenzo." Oh right... I forgot he goes by the name Yamato later on.
"I'm Ayako. Nice to meet you, Mr Tenzo."
He seems more uptight than when he's Yamato. Probably because he's still an Anbu, following the rules and so on. He's hiding his emotions behind the stoic reminder but I've observed enough people to notice the small twitches of feelings. Yamato is quite please with the compliments even if the deed is minor in his mind.
"If I may ask, what happened to me?"
"You got stabbed."
"I know about that! I can certainly feel it..." I brush the bandages under my gown. "I'm asking if there was anyone with me. Or if there was anything that could tell me what did this to me."
He stayed quiet for a moment. "Nothing... There was nothing, not even a dent in the grass or a broken twig. It seemed like you were dropped from thin air."
What? "How is that..." This is all so confusing. It's like I'm in a bizarre sort of dream... That's it! I'm surely dreaming! Or maybe heaven exists, and this is a form of paradise. But that doesn't explain why I needed to be this hurt. Couldn't they just pop me in married to Kakashi or something? And why a child? I can't seduce a grown man like this. The FBI would arrest his ass.
"Here. Your backpack. I had to look through it to see if you were an enemy or had any contraband." I should really stop spacing out. It's getting ridiculous. I accepted my backpack eagerly, so delighted to see something familiar. Oh, my dear bat-pack! How I missed you!
Inside I found everything I packed for my trip home except my essentials which were in my suitcase. I pulled out my phone and tried to turn it on. Nothing... Low battery, probably. Good thing I have a solar charger. I doubt this place has proper plugs.
"What is that?"
"Hmm? This?" Oh right, they don't have phones, fuck. "It's a small device my dad gave me. It can play music, be used as a notebook, has access to books and guides; you can also see the time and date, plus it's a communication device. You can contact anyone who has the same device, but you need their device's number to do so."
He listens intently, nodding here and there. "How does it work?"
"Right now, it's low on battery. I need to charge it first. Scoot over." I placed my long strip solar charger on one windowsill and plugged it in. I sighed in relief when the charging icon popped up. It was low, thank god. Tenzo poked at it before settling back to just observe, deeming it not hazardous. While I waited for it to get a few % before I turned it on, I searched through my bag again.
Earphones, wallet, sketchbooks, pencil case, smart water bottle and my keys with a horde of keychains are all I have. Suddenly Tenzo, plucked one of the sketchbooks, coincidentally the one with building designs, and started flipping through it. I'm not particularly clingy with it, so I let him have it. It's Tenzo, after all.
"I've never seen a design such as this. Did you come up with it?" I peeked at the page. "Nope, that's my home. Used it to practice composition. These here are my original."
"You put a lot of thought in its design. You made it realistically with your touch of creativity. Also--" I forgot he was so into architecture. He looks cute, being so hyped about it. He's finally more relaxed and mobile, dissipating the tense air.
I lay back and listened to him talk about different structures and their uses. He even let me add some points to the discussion, which he praised as very innovative. All this praise is making my cheeks heat up... Gah, stop it! I'm grinning like a fool!
"Out of all of your drawings, I prefer your house."
"Huh? Why? It's not that special."
"I disagree. You put the most work into it with so many details... It's beautiful."
"Really?" I took the sketchbook and flipped through it, comparing my other works. He's right. I didn't even notice. The lines are much smoother and done with care, the shading is just perfect, and the composition is on point.
"You must really love your family."
"I do... I love them very much ."
"Do you know where they are?"
"... I can't remember... Everything is a blur..." I feel bad lying to him but it's the only answer he can understand. I'm either sleeping or dead, and the latter isn't a comforting thought, especially now when I really wish my father was here. He would know what to do, he always does.
I jumped as Tenzo placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed as If he read my mind. "We'll find them. Don't you worry." He brushed away my tears I didn't notice had escaped and rubbed my head. If I could purr, I would.
"Thank you, Tenzo."
"You should rest. I'll be right outside." As he moved to leave, I grabbed his hand.
"Wait. Why are you assigned to me?"
"That I can't tell you. Hokage's orders." There's no way I can get more from him, so I let him slide out and close the window...not before moving my charger.
I sighed and covered my eyes with my arm. This is all so exhausting and confusing. Exhilarating, but I really want to wake up now.
Please just let me wake up.