Ju San slowly opened her eyes. Sudden light made her wince and squint, she had not seen light this amount for quite awhile. She looked around, confused. Why was there light? Where was her caregiver, had he not come last night?
"Look who's awake," a female voice said.
Ju San, surprised, lifted her head to see who was speaking to her. Much to the servant's shock, Nijuhachi stood at the end of her bed. She turned her head side to side, and she realized she was on one of the cots in the nurse's room.
"Nijuhachi," she said, finally able to find her voice.
"Hello there Ju San," she said. "We've all been awfully worried about you. You've been missing for over a month."
"Has it really been that long?" Ju San asked wearily.
"Is she awake?" a recognizable male voice said.
Naki stood in the door, a concerned look on his face. When he saw Ju San's doe eyes, he ran to the side of the cot.
"I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed, tears falling down his face. He kneeled down so he could be closer to her and took his hand in hers. "What the hell happened? Where were you?"
"I don't remember being taken," Ju San said. She felt bad about leaving out everything with the Cards, but her having no memory of being taken was not a lie. "But I couldn't see, my eyes were swollen shut. I was kept in a room and nursed back to health because I was all broken."
"Who took care of you?" Naki asked, scrunching his eyebrows together.
"I don't know," Ju San said, heart wrenching as she thought of 'Scarf Man'. "I was not allowed to know his name, what he looked like, who the Boss was, or what the organization was."
"Did they hurt you?"
"No, never."
"Master Naki," Nijuhachi scolded. "She's tired, don't ask all the questions right now."
"What I need is a hot shower," Ju San mumbled.
"Then take one," Nijuhachi said.
"You can use the one in the guest bedroom," Naki offered.
"Thank you," the doe eyed servant said.
"I'll get you some clothes," Nijuhachi said. "Naki, get going. She needs rest."
"I have to go to work," Naki said, standing up. He gave Ju San a desperate look and mouthed the words 'love you'.
Ju San smiled mouthed the words back, and watched her boyfriend leave. Nijuhachi returned with fresh clothes, and then helped the smaller woman up the stairs to the guest bedroom.
"It'll be good to get out of these dirty clothes," she muttered to herself when she was alone in the guest bathroom.
She looked in the mirror, and she let out a sigh. Ju San was happy to be home. But she could not ignore the fact that she missed the man who had been taking care of her for the past month or so.
She began to undress, pulling off her coat and dropping it onto the floor. She pulled off her shirt and pants and then her undergarments. She stood in the room completely naked and tired and sad.
She looked on the floor, and was surprised to see her plastic flower crown. She picked it up and smiled; the man must have given it back to her. Suddenly, the corner of a black and white piece of fabric caught her eye. It was sticking out of her coat pocket. She picked up her jacket and pulled the fabric out. It was long, and her heart wrenched when she realized what it was.
She held the scarf in her hands, examine it. It was zebra stripe patterned and very soft. Ju San smiled, tears in her eyes. He had given her his scarf. She collapsed onto her knees on the bathroom floor, and the doe eyed servant began to cry.