Chapter 1: The Girl From the River
"Time to get up dearie!" a charming, boisterous voice ordered, waking her up from her sleep. "Its morning, sleepyhead!"
Morning? Already? Why couldn't she hear the birds singing? She sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning and wondering what was going on. No, she couldn't hear any birds. It was bright enough for morning though... Maybe the birds were taking a day off?
"Wh-who are you?" she asked between yawns, sitting up and trying to get a good look at the woman who was rummaging through a small dresser drawer.
"Furiyama Kaede, dear. Feel free to call me Ka-chan though, all the children in the ward do," the grey haired woman said cheerfully. "I'm the nurse in charge of your discharge."
"Nurse?" she asked confused. Had she been hurt?
"Yes dear. Those stomach pains meant nothing except it was that time of the month. Really, you're poor parents were over-reacting..."
"Stomach?" Her stomach had been hurting? That was strange. The only thing that hurt was her shoulder. Where was she anyway?
"Hurry up and get dressed, dear," Kaede said cheerfully, placing a small stack of clothing on the bed. I'll be waiting just outside for when you're done." With a quick smile the woman was gone, shutting the hospital door behind her.
The girl in the bed yawned again and tried to figure out what was going on. Why was there a nurse? Was she in a hospital? For stomach pains? She frowned. Really, her stomach felt fine. Empty, but fine. It was her shoulder that hurt. And her head. And her ankle seemed to tingle strangely whenever she put weight on it.
The clothes were familiar enough. Black, worn trousers, a kimono-vest that had a tie at the waist and came down to her knees, and a silver chain with a small silver ball charm on it. She found a pair of sandals, uncomfortable but familiar, by the window and slung over a chair was a bright orange jacket which she did not recognize. Was it hers? When she tried to put in on she realized that the shoulders were too tight and the sleeves too short for it to be comfortable. Maybe it was not hers? Was it her brother's? She frowned. Did she have a brother?
"You done, dearie?" Kaede called from behind the door.
Clutching the jacket tightly to her chest she nodded silently as the door opened. "Y-yes Ka-chan..."
Smiling brightly, Kaede led her from the room into a brightly lit lobby filled with many people. "Just sign here, dear, and you're free to go," Kaede said handing her a clipboard.
Sign? Sign what? Her name? For a moment she almost panicked, trying to remember her name, before she thought of what Kaede had been calling her. Frowning, she carefully wrote 'Dear' on the blank line before handing the clipboard back to the nurse. "I've signed it," she said quietly
Kaede smiled at her once again, and escorted her to the door. "Bye-bye dear! Hope you feel better soon and hurry home!" the cheerful woman said giving her a slight push and waving.
Unsure, but smiling she waved a little back before turning and heading out to the bustling city street.
-
-
"Early stages of hypothermia, a shattered ankle, a dislocated shoulder, a nasty hit to the back of the head ... Yup, that girl was a wreck," Tsunade said reviewing the chart. She glanced up at the man who was walking alongside her and smiled. "You concerned?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Not really," he said calmly. "She is here now... Besides, all I came for was Naruto's jacket. He whined about it all day yesterday."
Tsunade snorted. Yup, that sounded like Naruto. "So why are you here for it?"
"Something about avoiding someone named Furiyama."
"That scatterbrain? All she does is mother everyone," Tsunade said. She winced remembering an embarrassing incident when she first toured the hospital. "He--"
Frantic shouting filled the hall as a pair of hysterical parents shouted at a smiling Kaede.
"Speak of the devil," Tsunade sighed rolling her eyes upward. "It's that one," she said pointing to a closed door. "Be sure not to wake her, she needs her rest. And..." at this point Tsunade glared at the tall man, rising to her full height, "...if you dare touch her I will kill you. Don't look sheepish! I know whose books you read!"
"It's a great series..."
"...Right." Turning, the Hokage turned to approach the frantic parents as Kakashi entered the darkened hospital room. "What's going on?" Tsunade asked trying to appear helpful and approachable.
"You said that you would hold her over night for observation!" a hysterical father shouted. "Now we hear that she has hypothermia!?"
"Well, she did fall into a river," Kaede supplied helpfully.
"River!?" the mother shouted. "When did she fall into a river?"
"Sometime before or after her injured her ankle. Not to mention the bruise on the back of her head, the poor dear."
As the parents began to hysterically rant and rave, Tsunade studied the medical chart that she had been reading to Kakashi. "Kaede-san, does the patient also have a dislocated shoulder?"
Kaede looked at her surprised. "Why yes, Tsu-chan. However did you know?"
Tsunade held back the desire to brain the elderly woman with her clipboard. Tsu-chan!? Out of all the terrible nicknames... "BAKA!!!!" she shouted, not managing to reign in all of her anger. "That's the patient in room 201! This is 210!"
Kaede looked down at her copy of the chart. "Oh my... You're right Tsu-chan... The charts must have been mixed up..."
Nerves grating Tsunade glared at the nurse. "Take a lunch break!" she snapped. Turning to the parents she reassured them ('your daughter is fine,' 'our mistake,' 'charts misplaced,' 'so very sorry for worrying you,' 'yada, yada, yada,') before leaving the room to place the chart back in its proper place.
She had just put the chart back in its spot and removed the incorrect one when Kakashi exited the room, empty handed. She checked the chart (yes, this was the one for the girl with the menstrual stomach pains and the frantic parents) before glancing up at the silver haired Jounin. "The jacket gone?"
"Yes." Kakashi replied.
Tsunade smirked. Sucked to be him. Naruto wasn't going to let himself be disappointed silently. "Oh."
"The girl's gone too."
"WHAT!?"
-
-
Panting a little she sat down in the little side alley feeling confused and in pain. Her shoulder ached, her ankle was throbbing, and with every step she took she felt dizzy and nauseous. Worst of all she didn't recognize any of the landmarks that surrounded her. The giant cliff was unfamiliar, the marketplace confusing, and there were so many people...
She wasn't supposed to go near people, right?
Placing her head on her knees she took a few deep breaths before slowly standing up again. Ka-chan had ordered her to go home, maybe she would spot something familiar once she got to the next block...
"Time to get up dearie!" a charming, boisterous voice ordered, waking her up from her sleep. "Its morning, sleepyhead!"
Morning? Already? Why couldn't she hear the birds singing? She sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning and wondering what was going on. No, she couldn't hear any birds. It was bright enough for morning though... Maybe the birds were taking a day off?
"Wh-who are you?" she asked between yawns, sitting up and trying to get a good look at the woman who was rummaging through a small dresser drawer.
"Furiyama Kaede, dear. Feel free to call me Ka-chan though, all the children in the ward do," the grey haired woman said cheerfully. "I'm the nurse in charge of your discharge."
"Nurse?" she asked confused. Had she been hurt?
"Yes dear. Those stomach pains meant nothing except it was that time of the month. Really, you're poor parents were over-reacting..."
"Stomach?" Her stomach had been hurting? That was strange. The only thing that hurt was her shoulder. Where was she anyway?
"Hurry up and get dressed, dear," Kaede said cheerfully, placing a small stack of clothing on the bed. I'll be waiting just outside for when you're done." With a quick smile the woman was gone, shutting the hospital door behind her.
The girl in the bed yawned again and tried to figure out what was going on. Why was there a nurse? Was she in a hospital? For stomach pains? She frowned. Really, her stomach felt fine. Empty, but fine. It was her shoulder that hurt. And her head. And her ankle seemed to tingle strangely whenever she put weight on it.
The clothes were familiar enough. Black, worn trousers, a kimono-vest that had a tie at the waist and came down to her knees, and a silver chain with a small silver ball charm on it. She found a pair of sandals, uncomfortable but familiar, by the window and slung over a chair was a bright orange jacket which she did not recognize. Was it hers? When she tried to put in on she realized that the shoulders were too tight and the sleeves too short for it to be comfortable. Maybe it was not hers? Was it her brother's? She frowned. Did she have a brother?
"You done, dearie?" Kaede called from behind the door.
Clutching the jacket tightly to her chest she nodded silently as the door opened. "Y-yes Ka-chan..."
Smiling brightly, Kaede led her from the room into a brightly lit lobby filled with many people. "Just sign here, dear, and you're free to go," Kaede said handing her a clipboard.
Sign? Sign what? Her name? For a moment she almost panicked, trying to remember her name, before she thought of what Kaede had been calling her. Frowning, she carefully wrote 'Dear' on the blank line before handing the clipboard back to the nurse. "I've signed it," she said quietly
Kaede smiled at her once again, and escorted her to the door. "Bye-bye dear! Hope you feel better soon and hurry home!" the cheerful woman said giving her a slight push and waving.
Unsure, but smiling she waved a little back before turning and heading out to the bustling city street.
-
-
"Early stages of hypothermia, a shattered ankle, a dislocated shoulder, a nasty hit to the back of the head ... Yup, that girl was a wreck," Tsunade said reviewing the chart. She glanced up at the man who was walking alongside her and smiled. "You concerned?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Not really," he said calmly. "She is here now... Besides, all I came for was Naruto's jacket. He whined about it all day yesterday."
Tsunade snorted. Yup, that sounded like Naruto. "So why are you here for it?"
"Something about avoiding someone named Furiyama."
"That scatterbrain? All she does is mother everyone," Tsunade said. She winced remembering an embarrassing incident when she first toured the hospital. "He--"
Frantic shouting filled the hall as a pair of hysterical parents shouted at a smiling Kaede.
"Speak of the devil," Tsunade sighed rolling her eyes upward. "It's that one," she said pointing to a closed door. "Be sure not to wake her, she needs her rest. And..." at this point Tsunade glared at the tall man, rising to her full height, "...if you dare touch her I will kill you. Don't look sheepish! I know whose books you read!"
"It's a great series..."
"...Right." Turning, the Hokage turned to approach the frantic parents as Kakashi entered the darkened hospital room. "What's going on?" Tsunade asked trying to appear helpful and approachable.
"You said that you would hold her over night for observation!" a hysterical father shouted. "Now we hear that she has hypothermia!?"
"Well, she did fall into a river," Kaede supplied helpfully.
"River!?" the mother shouted. "When did she fall into a river?"
"Sometime before or after her injured her ankle. Not to mention the bruise on the back of her head, the poor dear."
As the parents began to hysterically rant and rave, Tsunade studied the medical chart that she had been reading to Kakashi. "Kaede-san, does the patient also have a dislocated shoulder?"
Kaede looked at her surprised. "Why yes, Tsu-chan. However did you know?"
Tsunade held back the desire to brain the elderly woman with her clipboard. Tsu-chan!? Out of all the terrible nicknames... "BAKA!!!!" she shouted, not managing to reign in all of her anger. "That's the patient in room 201! This is 210!"
Kaede looked down at her copy of the chart. "Oh my... You're right Tsu-chan... The charts must have been mixed up..."
Nerves grating Tsunade glared at the nurse. "Take a lunch break!" she snapped. Turning to the parents she reassured them ('your daughter is fine,' 'our mistake,' 'charts misplaced,' 'so very sorry for worrying you,' 'yada, yada, yada,') before leaving the room to place the chart back in its proper place.
She had just put the chart back in its spot and removed the incorrect one when Kakashi exited the room, empty handed. She checked the chart (yes, this was the one for the girl with the menstrual stomach pains and the frantic parents) before glancing up at the silver haired Jounin. "The jacket gone?"
"Yes." Kakashi replied.
Tsunade smirked. Sucked to be him. Naruto wasn't going to let himself be disappointed silently. "Oh."
"The girl's gone too."
"WHAT!?"
-
-
Panting a little she sat down in the little side alley feeling confused and in pain. Her shoulder ached, her ankle was throbbing, and with every step she took she felt dizzy and nauseous. Worst of all she didn't recognize any of the landmarks that surrounded her. The giant cliff was unfamiliar, the marketplace confusing, and there were so many people...
She wasn't supposed to go near people, right?
Placing her head on her knees she took a few deep breaths before slowly standing up again. Ka-chan had ordered her to go home, maybe she would spot something familiar once she got to the next block...