Author's Note:

Hi, hi! I'm still alive and do feel bad for going so long without an update ^^;

In the last chapter, Ariadna was being interrogated by none other than Tsunade in regards to that infamous cloak she was wearing. Safe to say, neither her or her people are buying the story of her being a poor victim… but, perhaps fainting in the process of being interrogated helped?

Onto the chapter…

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Fourteen

Language

"I know all those words, but that sentence makes no sense to me."

― Matt Groening

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

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"...this it separated..."

Seperated...

Huh...

Wait, is that...

English?

English!?

Quickly, I opened my eyes as my thoughts picked up pace but just as quickly – I closed them shut. Wherever I was had been too bright for my eyes to take in. I could feel myself swelling up with excitement though despite the hindrance of my eyesight, which at the moment, was of no concern.

Despite the discomforts and life threatening events I confronted, the knowledge that I would finally be able to communicate with people trumped over this slight discomfort. This time around, as I slowly opened my eyes, the lights were no longer as bright as before, at most, they appeared dimmer as I slowly blinked away my bleary vision. With them finally adjusted to the brightness, I came to stare at the most interesting thing in my sight – a plain, white, ceiling.

It was quite a pleasant thing, really. It clearly showed I was no longer in a cell...

So taken in by this thought, I could not help but realize I was no longer laying atop a hard surface, but in a bed – a comfortable bed at that! I could sense the downy pillow my head rested on and see the white, clean bed sheet that covered most of my body. Not too cold or too warm, it was just right. I turned my head to my right and saw a closed door with a white light switch right next to its door frame. About two feet away from it stood an overbed table. Sitting right next to the bed appeared to be a simple bedside cabinet. Across from where I laid, I could see a partially opened door, the interior shadowed in darkness. On my left side and near to my head stood what I assumed to be a vital monitor in all its intricate details, a soft beep emitted from the machine and it was then that I saw the wire leading down to my left hand, connected to it was a finger clip at the end of my index finger.

It was clear to me that I was in a hospital, there was no doubt about it. Though, curious enough, there was something off about the room itself. While it had the typical characteristics that I had recently observed, there was something missing. The room was too sterile for my taste – plus, there was no window whatsoever, not even a small rectangular one to show what was on the other side. Perhaps, I mused to myself, I was not in a hospital but a clinic? That would explain it. The excitement I had felt earlier was slowly dissipating and in its place, apprehension was setting it.

No, I could not go through with this feeling again.

It was one thing being out there, lost in the wilderness and attacked by strangers while being treated as a criminal. It was another when I was here, in a room that – while sterile in appearance – did not feel as threatening. Slowly, I exhaled the breath I was unaware of holding. It was clear my whole experience out in the wilderness had been too much for me to handle, leaving me on high alert for anything remotely out of the norm. Clearly, I was brought to this room due to what I assumed was my fainting. While I had no idea as to the why, it would explain my headaches and the overall feeling of my body.

As I moved my hand in search of a call button I assumed came with all hospital beds, I felt a pinch on top of my right hand. Taking in the sight of the piece of white tape stuck on my skin along with a thin clear tube that ran underneath the end, I knew I had been inserted with an IV. Following the trail of the small tubing attached to it, I saw the all familiar see-through bag with a clear liquid hanging by a hook. Apparently, my health must have been serious enough to receive whatever was inside the bag. Not to mention my senses were still not up to par if I had missed seeing the IV.

Looking over the bed on both sides and underneath, I found it odd that I could not find the call button. Didn't all hospitals require those for their patients? What if there was an emergency? Unless the hospital wasn't exactly a hospital, it would explain the lack of a common object. Perhaps the nurses made their rounds every ten minutes or so? Come to think about it, it would explain how I heard the comment. How long has it been since? Five, ten minutes? What if it was a dream? A remnant from the unconscious world marking itself into my conscious life? No, of course not.

Those voices – they were real.

Well, if those nurses were making their rounds, it was a matter of time before they reappeared again. So all I could do was wait the time out.

No, I could not do that.

What I also could not do was sit myself up on my own, slightly baffled at this, I took hold of the bed railing and pulled myself into a sitting position. Slightly slouching forward, I could not help but wonder how long I was "out of it" if my body felt the way it did– the slight cracking of my spine as I slowly sat myself up, the stiffness of my extremities and a lingering, strange sensation in the pit of my stomach. I allowed my body to get used to the feeling of moving around, before I slowly moved my legs over to the side of the bed. Sitting straight up and with my legs slightly dangling from the edge of the bed, I gave myself a minute for my body to readjust itself with my movements again.

Seeing no sign of slippers, I attentively placed the sole of my feet against the cool tile floor and when I did, two things happened. One, I felt a cool draft on my back only to realize that I was no longer wearing my clothes but that of a typical white hospital gown. Secondly, I took hold of the bed railing and placed my full weight on my legs, only to notice how weak they were if the light trembling I felt was any indication. As I stood there – allowing my legs to get used to the feeling of being used again – I took the rolling pole that held the bag connected to the IV. Adjusting myself and the gown – trying to cover all the gaps that were being made –, I made my way to the door.

I stood in the doorway, looked left and right and was surprised to see the hall quite empty and without a nurse in sight. Just as I had found the room I had first awakened in as strange, so did the hall that I stepped out into. Not only was the hall quite empty, but it appeared to me there were about three rooms on this floor and that included the one I had awakened in. Curiously, I turned to look up at the door I had opened, and there was no identifiable room number at all. Where all the nurses on break? I thought to myself as I ambled out of the room, careful not to tip over the pole – last thing I wanted was to rip the IV away from my flesh. Painful, I'd imagine that to be.

I could not have taken more than four steps down the hall when someone rounded the corner in the direction I was heading. Finally, a nurse! Dressed all white – hat included – the female nurse stopped in her tracks with what I could only describe with a confused look as she noticed me standing there with a pole and all.

"I was looking for a nur – " I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed the strange look she gave me. Suddenly self-conscious, I quickly looked over myself. Didn't really have a chance to look at myself in the mirror, but if her reaction was any indication...

"How to –-– don't go out of your room," she said as I tentatively took a step towards her.

I was about to say something in return when I decided against it. There was something off about her way of speaking. Clearly it was in English but... "um, you speak English?" It would have been rude had I pointed out the mistake. Instead, I opted in making a fool out of myself to see if the person understood what I was saying.

"Well, there is no. Please return to your room," she pointed down to the room I had come from.

I let out an awkward chuckle as I responded, "well, that was partially answered, but really, I would like to spea –" The nurse raised her hand, stopping me in mid-sentence with that strange look on her. With what I could only perceive as an awkward smile of my own, she pointed once again down the hall.

"-oom"

I stared at the brown haired nurse with what I could only assume was with a dumbfounded look of my own before I slowly shook my head. That. Did not make sense at all. 'Oom'? What the heck did that mean – wait, was it 'room' instead? "Look, I rea –"

With a soft chuckle from her part, she approached, extending her arm so as to gently turn me around. "To awaken just a mess; lead to your room," she said as if she were speaking to a young child, her tone of voice noticeably condescending. A voice adults often used to reel their children to do something. Annoyed as I was getting, I knew there was no point in talking.

The woman was not going to let me talk.

I either had pissed off the nurse or something because the second time I was led back into the room, she made sure to lock me in. So while I was no longer locked in a dingy cell, I still felt like a prisoner. Especially so since nameless kept talking to me as if I were a freaking child! Each time I tried to put in a word or protest, I would be shushed and just ugh. If there was anything positive about this, it was the fact the nurse said something along the lines of 'they... informed...", which was about freaking time!

After I walked away from the door after jiggling around with the doorknob to see if I was really locked in – which I was – , I noticed a clipboard hanging from the bed's metal frame. Seeing as there was nothing worthwhile to do in my new cell, I went ahead and picked it off from the hook. Naturally, I had expected to see the hospital's name, the information the doctors had written about me, but what I saw was gibberish...

Of course, how stupid could I had been? I was still in Japan, no duh!

The words, well, they weren't really quite words but dainty figures that were printed throughout the front page, and in some they were written with a black ink pen. Right at the top of the form was the universal hospital sign and below it – I assumed – was the hospital's name. I did find my name – well, something that looked a lot like my name. Surprisingly, it was Romanized – something that pleased me considering the rest of the form was in Japanese characters. Not long after my name, I found two numbers: 16/17. Happy to see some numbers, I took a wild guess they represented my age? If so, they were quite close considering I was in fact eighteen. As for the rest of the forms, they were plainly in Japanese and not worth deciphering. Though, I found it particularly interesting how in the last page there was a lengthy – guessing, a paragraph – written entirely in Japanese characters.

Speaking of the characters...

What was up with the language?

Granted, I was in Japan and the nurse knew English despite it being butchered up horribly. I was sure of myself had the words that I heard been written down, I would be able to understand the translation better but it was not. Not only did it not sound correct but it had taken me a couple of seconds to process and re-organized some of the words that had been said. Considering how international Japan was, I thought they'd hired someone who was well-versed in speaking English. Though, if I was in fact in a clinic, perhaps in a small village, well – I should consider myself lucky getting a translator here, right? It wasn't like I had awaken in the middle of a bustling Tokyo.

Then I heard it.

The voices.

With the clipboard still in my hands, I looked around the room and wondered where the voices were coming from. There was definitely more than one, that I was positive with and it was getting closer. Quickly, I placed the board back in its place and made my way to the bed when I stopped. Either the doors and walls were incredibly thin or they were in fact speaking loud enough to...

"...she is already running and her intensity is not so in her state. Sedative, managing her gentle and Takasu to arrive."

Click.

I was seated on the edge of the bed when nameless walked in followed by a blonde haired nurse. With what I supposed to be a gentle smile sent in my direction, nameless turned and whispered to the blonde. "You are watching her. It's like something has never been heard."

Okay...

Where was this nurse's bedside manners? Speaking about me as if I were some bizarre animal worth being observed, as if I did not understand a word she was speaking. Which was quite impossible even if she spoke in broken English. Just as I understood what she was saying, surely she understood me...

Unless...

I scoffed out loud at this insane thought that dawned on me.

There was a thing called 'reality' and that goes against everything that's been taught. You couldn't not have one without the other. "No, I must be crazy if I think –"

"She will be gone. And come on, let's get over it." The nameless one said as she stepped towards me with the fakest smile I had ever seen. I watched as the nurse took hold of the pole, gently pulling my hand away from the tight grasp I had on it. "Girl you too hard not to. Hitomi, is ready."

Oh shit, that was impossible!

"No!" I yelled, letting go of the pole and standing up with such force that I cried out in pain when I felt a sharp stinging sensation on my hand. Looking down, I caught sight of the first drop of blood seeping out from my new open wound. So much was going on, that I accidentally I yanked out the IV from my own hand. Instinctively, I grasped it and stared at the nameless nurse.

She clucked under her breath, "Look at what you did well, did not need it. Now, you instead of injecting it."

I shook my head vigorously as I backed away from her only to have my legs buckle underneath me, and once again, I was seated on the bed's edge. "Stay away from me!"

"We mean no harm. Try now, settle down," she emphasized as she reached out to me.

I was so concentrated on the nameless one, I had forgotten about Hitomi until the very moment I felt a strong hand take hold of my arm from behind. My reaction was too late – or sluggish – to pull away when the sharp needle of the syringe broke into my skin. Normally afraid of needles, I could not help but stare as the clear liquid was slowly injected into my arm. "See the complete!" Hitomi announced pleasantly as she let me go from her grasp, but not before placing a small gauze against the injection site.

"Why?" I croaked.

"All the fuss for nothing," the nameless one responded.

T-this can't be possible; I shouldn't be able to under-

"Hitomi let's get her back on the bed, the side to take."

How could it be possible?

"Need to insert IV in this hand we come."

Where am I…?

"But I thought she understood one minute…"

AN: Was debating italicizing the butchered English but they are speaking English though - a bad translation at least. Even so, there's still a tiny problem which I'm sure you've noticed.

Last but not least, I have a twitter account [AstrumVida] dedicated to my writing adventures for my stories. So if you need to nudge me for an update, you'll know where to find me x)

Thank you for reading!