Chapter 18 - Revelations Part 2

The rhythmic pitter patter of the rain rang loud in Kakashi's ears in the silence of his office. Those words were the only thing on his mind in the last month. He hadn't approached Mizuki at all since that day, he couldn't bring himself to. Unfortunately, he had stumbled into her on several occasions. From what he's gathered, her amnesia was only temporary but it would be slow to return. She didn't recall anything from the last three years of her life so she was distressed when she woke up in an unrecognizable environment. The more she surrounded herself with familiar people and settings, the quicker her memory would return.

The first time he ran into her was a few days after he received the news of her situation. He was walking back to the office from the memorial stone. He was lost in his thoughts and didn't notice until a body ran into him. Reflexively, he reached out and steadied the person that he collided with.

He was about to apologize when a very familiar voice halted him.

"I'm so sorry!" They said bowing over and over again. "I didn't see you there, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi watched Mizuki apologize over and over again. Running into her had properly shocked him into silence. Hearing her refer to him as 'Hokage-sama' instead of Kakashi sent a pang through his heart. That unfamiliar greeting was a harsh reminder to him that all he was to her is a stranger.

Mizuki was ridden with anxiety. Why wasn't he saying anything!? She kept worrying that she had upset him which is something that she didn't want to do. She was hoping things would be a little smoother during her recovery phase. She had been terrified when Tsunade told her that she has amnesia and that she had moved to Konoha a little under a year ago.

People kept approaching her introducing themselves to her. It frustrated her to no ends because she couldn't put a name or memory to the face she saw. Every time someone re-introduced themselves to her, she would feel a dull throb in the back of her head trying to find the memory of that person. She had approached Tsunade to tell her about that and, thankfully, Tsunade had made sure to inform everyone that they couldn't force her to remember. In due time, things would come back to her slowly but surely.

"It's fine." He hastily said before disappearing, leaving the perplexed blonde standing awkwardly in the middle of the street.

He had several more similar run-ins with her after that and each time she would only ever refer to him as 'Hokage-sama.' His mind would always replay their time together, sharing nice meals, showing her new places, seeing her eyes light up with happiness. It saddened him to know that she didn't remember any of that. A part of him wished that she got her memories back soon, but another part of him dreaded her remembering the moments leading up to her departure from the village.

A sudden movement from the corner of his eyes caught his attention. The rain pelleting against his window distorted his vision but he could still see her.

'What on earth was she doing out in this weather?' He wondered to himself.

Mizuki rapidly blinked her eyes to shield them from the rain that dripped down her face. She laboriously dragged several planks of wood behind her while trying to balance a bag of tools on her hip. A sudden gust of wind blew her off balance and she dropped the bag, tools spilling everywhere.

"Darn it." She cursed under her breath. She set the planks of wood on the ground and dropped to her hands and knees to pick up her tools. She was reaching for a hammer when it was plucked from the ground and presented to her. She glanced up and was startled to see the Hokage crouched in front of her with the hammer in his outreached hand. Mizuki wordlessly picked up the rest with his help.

"What are you doing out in the rain?" She heard him ask, eyeing planks of wood behind her.

Mizuki followed his gaze and frowned. "Could you help me carry that and I'll explain on the way?" She asked, wanting to get out of the rain.

Kakashi nodded and hoisted the wood onto his shoulder. He silently followed her through the streets en route to their unknown destination, not at all caring about the rain. He was just curious to know what she was up to. After some time he followed her up to a house and, alarmingly, he noticed a fallen tree that had taken a portion of the roof off.

He followed Mizuki into the house. He was pretty sure that she hadn't moved so who's home was this? The first thing he noticed was the flooded floors. There was about three inches of water covering the floors and more water poured in.

"Who lives here?" He asked Mizuki who was in the process of rummaging through her tool bag.

Mizuki didn't spare him a glance before answering. "This home is Hamira-san's, she's the orphanage director and a friend. I came over for tea and it started to rain, but the rain got heavier and the tree outside ended up collapsing. I took her back to my apartment and I promised her I'd quickly patch up the hole just so no more rain would get in."

Kakashi watched her fix a tool belt around her waist and grab a wooden plank before jumping onto the roof. He grabbed a spare hammer and a plank before joining her on the roof. They worked silently and efficiently so they didn't have to stay outside for too long, not like it mattered since they were already drenched on the way here. The patchwork wasn't perfect but it had to do for now. Once the rain clears up then Hamira-san could get professionals to finish the job.

The next hour was spent trying to dry the house as much as possible. It was a pretty simple process with Mizuki being able to manipulate the water. Pretty soon the floors were only slightly damp.

They were currently cleaning up the fallen debris from the broken roof. As they worked, Mizuki couldn't help but glance at Kakashi. Earlier, she had referred to him as "Hokage-sama" out of respect but he immediately corrected her. When she told her to call him Kakshi, she felt the familiar throbbing in her head, indicative of a forgotten memory.

Everytime she stole a glance, the throbbing became more painful. It was obvious she had a past with him, but she didn't know whether it was good or not. She didn't mention it but she noticed the apparent frown appear beneath his mask whenever she regarded him with unfamiliarity.

She desperately wanted to learn what her relation was to him but her memory wasn't making much progress. She recalled some of her co-workers and Hamira-san but that was about it. It helped that she spent a lot of time around them but she couldn't say the same about Kakashi.

One day her curiosity got the best of her and during her lunch break, she went to find Tsunade. She didn't hesitate to ask Tsunade about Kakashi but her reaction was terrifying. Mizuki slowly backed away from the older blonde. The killing intent that emitted from Tsunade was suffocating. Her mentor's reaction to her question worried her. From what her co-workers have said, she was under the impression that she and Kakashi were friends but Tsunade's reaction made her think otherwise.

"Mizuki?" She heard Kakashi ask. She blinked her eyes and blushed. She hadn't realized during her inner monologue, she had been staring at him the whole time.

"Sorry." She said, quickly looking away from him. She could feel Kakashi's gaze linger on her as she fumbled with the garbage. She let out a breath of air that she didn't even know she was holding when he started working again.

"How have you been?" He asked cautiously.

Mizuki frowned a little. "Fine." She replied. She was just a little annoyed that she could feel a huge part of her was missing. So many kind people have been coming up to her, just to chat and spend time with her and she felt horrendous when she unconsciously treated them as a stranger. She prayed to Kami that things would return to normal as soon as possible.

Mizuki sighed when she saw Kakashi's shoulders drop at her curt answer. She stopped what she was doing and turned to face him with a regretful look on her face.

"I'm sorry…I really wished I remembered who you are to me…" Kakashi turned to look at her. "I'm really trying, you know? It's...it's just hard, I don't know where to start. I-it's easy with my co-workers because I'm always around them but everyone else that I've met…"

Kakashi watched her slouch with a heavy sigh, a tear rolled down her cheek. Kakashi's eyes softened. He didn't like seeing her so sad. It reminded him too much of the day when he fucked up their relationship.

For a long time now, he was so worried about the moment where he knew he had to come clean to her about his feelings and insecurities. Seeing her looking so torn right now made him want her to regain her memories, no matter what happened after she was back to normal. He just wanted her to be happy again and remember him and all the wonderful moments they shared.

So it was at this moment he decided. "Let me help you."