"I'm sorry, but... who are you again?"
Ino's words hung in the air, leaving Sai shocked as he tried to process what she'd asked. She didn't recognize him at all? Studying her gaze, he could tell that had to be the case; she looked baffled as if she couldn't trust him, yet she hadn't called for one of the nurses. This was exactly what Dr. Senju had warned him about. He should have expected it more, but somehow it was still a shock.
"I'm... Agent Sai Gaka." There was so much to explain. Where did he even start? "I... there was an accident, and you may not remember everything exactly, but... You and I were together when it happened, and you were injured. Your memories may be... fuzzy at best." He hoped that was the case. Fuzzy meant they could come back. At least she remembered who she was; he'd experienced that himself, only knowing his name. Up until recently, that is... The more he thought about the dream he had, the more he was convinced it was a resurfaced memory, not a dream.
Shin... Sai thought to himself, hanging his head. What he'd seen happen to Shin made sense when it came to his missing and fragmented memories. He'd been a child; to be traumatized with such a sight likely caused his memories of any time before that to be repressed. No one would be foolish enough to try and bring those memories back. It wouldn't have been worth the risk of re-traumatizing him as a child. As an adult... he could handle it a little better.
"Agent Gaka?" Ino was trying to wrap her head around that. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint why. He looked familiar, too; had they gone to school together, perhaps? That sounded right. The last thing she could remember was finishing law school, and she was supposed to be studying. She had to take her final exams soon to be certified to practice law in Konoha's jurisdiction! She couldn't be spending time in the hospital like this!
"Where's Sakura?" Ino asked, looking around. If she was in the hospital, her best friend had to be here somewhere. Sakura wouldn't have left her alone like this, even if she had to work. No, scratch that–Sakura would have taken time off to be in the hospital with her best friend. The two of them were practically sisters; no way Sakura would have left her all alone with a stranger. She could feel the panic setting in, her heart racing as she looked around. The monitors started beeping erratically as she was trying to sit up, crying out in pain as her medication was slowly tapering off.
"Ino, please, calm down." Sai tried to coax her to calm down, but he was quickly pushed aside by two nurses who spoke gently to Ino and convinced her to lie down. They put something in her IV drip, and she settled quickly, her breathing less laboured. Sai watched with a mix of shock and worry, his stomach churning over and over as he waited for her to stabilize. Once she appeared to be calmer, he approached her, pulling the chair at her bedside closer.
"Listen, I know everything is confusing for you right now." Confusing was putting it mildly, but he understood how Ino felt. He knew what all of the feelings she felt were like. He'd experienced it for years; he knew very well about the mental disconnect it could create. "You were injured, and your memories may feel... jumbled." She'd asked for Sakura, which he knew was a difficult subject. "Sakura is... not here at the moment. She..." He pursed his lips, checking his surroundings before speaking in a lower tone to Ino.
"Sakura, at the moment, is on the run. She ran with Dete- Sasuke Uchiha. Ino, there is... something big going on here, and it's the reason you're in the hospital, I'm certain of it. It's what caused all of this mess." Sai reached his hands out, grasping one of Ino's between both of his own as he looked directly into her eyes. He wanted to tell her about the dream he'd had; she'd told him that he could rely on her when it came to his memories, but this wasn't the time for that. She was the priority right now, and the more he could help her remember about her own life, the better.
Ino's head was swimming the more Sai talked. Her best friend was on the run? And... Detective? Sasuke Uchiha? The names were all familiar, but she was struggling to put a name to a face. Why couldn't she figure out who these people were? Why were they so familiar, yet she couldn't put a name to a face? She could feel the frustration creeping up on her, and coupled with the pain she was in, she felt overwhelmed beyond belief. She squeezed her eyes shut, hands balling into fists as she hung her head. She was at the point that she wanted to throw something at a wall and scream in frustration. Tears came down her face, dripping into her lap as she crumbled under the pressure.
"I know... I know all of those names, but I... why can't I remember any of them? Why can't I remember anyone's faces, or that I know them, or... Why?" She tore her hand away from Sai's and buried her face in her hands, a soft sob shaking her shoulders. Sai saw the change in her demeanour and shifted closer, awkwardly wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He felt so sorry for her; Ino was such a kind, gentle person, and she deserved none of what she'd been pulled into. The fact that her best friend wasn't there for her didn't help the case either.
"Ino, listen to me. I know everything is frustrating and confusing right now, and that's okay. You're allowed to... experience those things." He wasn't very good at any of this; he'd never been the emotional support type, and though he'd grown closer to Ino, he wasn't even sure he was doing it right. "What I do know is that we're going to do everything we can to figure this out, no matter what it takes... and although you're caught up in all of this, I promise you. I will protect you, Ino. I will make sure you are safe. And I will make sure your best friend is taken care of as best I can." He had to rely on Sasuke for that for now; he trusted that the detective would take care of Sakura where he couldn't. He was nothing if not trustworthy.
Ino couldn't find the words to answer Sai, leaning against him and pressing her face into his arm. Her sobs were quiet, subsiding quickly as she leaned against him. Something about him felt safe, something she couldn't explain or comprehend. They were feelings she'd never experienced before, and it was bizarre given what she knew about him for the moment was very little. Her head was jumbled, and she had a growing headache just from trying to remember things.
"So... what do I do, then?" She asked, leaning away and trying to rub at her eyes; every moment caused her to wince, and in response, Sai reached up with a handkerchief and gently wiped her face. "I mean, like... my job, what do I do? The last thing I remember is that Sakura was finishing her residency, and I was supposed to be taking my exams to practice law." Now that she said it aloud, that felt strange to consider; she could remember bits and pieces about cases she'd done, but nothing specific. It felt like a jumbled mess.
"You're the district attorney for Konoha, actually." Sai smiled gently as he dabbed at the tears on her face. "Most people say you're the best prosecutor they've ever seen, and you have the highest win rate for how long you've been in the position. You're an expert and a force to be reckoned with in a courtroom. No defence lawyer wants to mess with you." He chuckled and sat back down, then glanced at her hair. It was a mess, to say the least. Some of the length was still there, but portions of it had been burned and singed. Her hair had been so long, well past her hips and waist, and she'd always seemed proud of it.
Seeing that he was staring at her hair, Ino reached up to feel it, a little shocked at how it felt. Up until her waist, it felt fine, but past that she could tell that it was severely damaged and that likely chunks were missing. Her hair had always been long; she hadn't kept it short since she was very young. She remembered cutting it once in elementary school when a bully had got a chunk of gum stuck in Sakura's hair, forcing her to cut it off; Ino had done the same in solidarity with her friend. Since then, she'd grown it incredibly long and was proud of it.
"Oh... I guess I'm going to have to deal with this," she mused, tugging at some of the strands. "Could, um... could you call one of the nurses?" She was sure a nurse could at least do a rudimentary job, enough to clean up the ends so she could see a hairdresser in a couple of days.
Nodding, Sai did as requested and flagged down one of the nurses, bringing her in to allow Ino to explain what she wanted. The nurse nodded and disappeared for a moment, returning with what appeared to be a small hairdressing kit. She helped Ino to sit upright and pulled her long, blonde hair out from underneath. Sai could see why she'd want it cut; parts of it were singed and shorter than the rest, and other portions were twisted and matted together. They'd done their best to wash it before getting her into the bed, but in a hospital situation like this, shorter hair would be preferable.
He watched as the nurse sliced off her long blonde locks, now no longer than her shoulders. Naruto arrived, and after a brief conversation, Sai was allowed to use one of the showers to freshen up. It wasn't long before he was able to come back and relieve Naruto of his guard duty. He'd at least had the opportunity to sleep; Naruto, from the look on his face, had yet to be given that opportunity.
The nurse did her best to ensure the cuts to Ino's hair were even, point-cutting to ensure there wasn't a terrible blunt edge. Ino instructed her to save what hair she could and donate it; she knew there were organizations out there that would take someone's cut hair if donated and use it to make wigs for those who had lost their hair due to various medical procedures. What was left could be used for something; she had plenty of it to give away. Once it was done, the nurse let Sai back into the room. Ino couldn't stop touching the ends of her hair; it felt so much lighter now that it was shorter.
"It looks good," he commented, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "You're... okay with it being that short?"
Ino shrugged. "I don't really have a choice. Parts of the bottom were so destroyed, there's no salvaging it. It'll be... nice to have a change at least." She missed her long hair already, but she knew there was no going back. It was just hair; it would grow back eventually, even if it would take her a few years.
"All right," Sai said, taking a seat at the edge of her bed. "So… are you ready to hear everything that's happened?"