Recap:
Ariadna, a girl from our world suddenly awakens to a bizarre world. In the process of trying to survive and finding a way back home, she had the great misfortune to come across a group of people who deemed her highly... suspicious. With no proper way to communicate and being held against her will, she falls ill during the process of what feels a lot like an interrogation. Once awakened and for the briefest moment, she's relieved to find herself in a hospital but such a feeling is short-lived once she realizes their English is incredibly… butchered.
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Fifteen
Nurse
"I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart."
― Vincent van Gogh
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
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It was another beautiful day in Konohagakure.
No, not just a beautiful day—it was close to perfection.
Yes, perfection.
Spring was here and she was outside with the people she cared and loved. Enjoying the slight breeze that raked the tree branches above them— that which served to both protect them from the sun and offer them a nice shade to picnic underneath. She was definitely lucky enough to be out and experience this weather on the very first day of the new season.
No, she wasn't just lucky—she was blessed.
To Kotori Nomura, it was these little things in life that she had come to cherished.
Despite the difficulties that life had thrown at her and her family, there was plenty to live for and enjoy.
Such as today – having lunch outside in the park instead of the plain and uninspiring break room in the hospital. Despite it only happening once a week, it was something that she looked forward to having with both Hideaki and her niece, Sakura. It also eased her mind that Sakura did not mind taking Hideaki to meet her on these little family outings. While it wasn't as if she never saw her child, the majority of her day – even up to most of her week, depending on the rotations- was spent in the hospital. With her hours varying week-by-week, and between taking him early to the Haruno's and returning home way past his bedtime, there wasn't enough time in the day to spend with her six year old son. So these little outings that mostly consisted lunch at a nearby park by the hospital were definitely worthwhile for Kotori.
It also helped her immensely that Sakura offered herself to bring him for lunch, which Kotori was quite thankful for and appreciative. Not only was Sakura happy enough to help her out, but she was willing to use one of her days off to bring Hideaki to her. Though, admittedly, because Hideaki was staying with them for the day, that eased the traveling distance between that of her home and the Haruno's. Not only was Sakura a readily-available caretaker but as one who works in the same field as that of her late husband, Sakura offered to tutor Hideaki as well—no surprise at all, considering she was the one that brought up the topic about him wanting to join the Academy.
'He wants to follow his father's footstep, Kotori,' she recalled those words vividly as well as the emotion that ran through her when hearing them.
It had taken her more than a bit of convincing and direct assurance from Sakura to allow Hideaki to join the Academy. While her son definitely had the starting qualities of one who wanted to be an upstanding citizen for their village – as was a requirement for admission-, Kotori was hesitant in allowing her son to join in the beginning. It didn't help that his father had died in the field, and while that was always a possibility for a shinobi, she – at first – refused to allow her only child to walk down such path. It was only after she found out more on what takes place in the first year of a student's life, did she give in. Thankfully, it eased her mind that the first year consisted nothing more than the basics – and if it was a whim that made Hideaki want to join, it wouldn't hinder his studies once he joins a civilian school where he no longer interested in the shinobi life. He was a smart boy and would easily catch up with his classmates—and the other side of that coin, Kotori half-halfheartedly admitted, he could as well succeed in the Academy if he put his heart into it. She knew her boy and with Sakura tutoring on the very basics—which Sakura promised she would only do- so as to be ready when classes begins next week, she needed to let the mama bear side of her to rest.
"I'm already good at throwing my paper shurikens, so I think I'm ready for the real ones," Hideaki said as he fingered around his self-made shurikens.
"Not happening, kid." Sakura commented as she closed the lid of her now-emptied bento box. "I told your mother once you get to know and see the different types of chakras, will you be taught about the weapons." She last said this as she gave Kotori a knowing wink.
"Sakura knows best, Hideaki," Kotori said as she took Sakura's empty bento box and placed it within the wicker basket they brought along. "There will be plenty of time for learning anyway."
"Well," the young boy sighed with a slight pout, "I already know some chak-"
"Oh dear," Kotori interrupted as she looked down at her wrist watch. "I'm afraid I need to go now," she said as she quickly placed in her own empty bento box inside the basket. "Hideaki, I'll see you at seven. Sakura, thank you so much again for this," she smiled at the teen. "You know how appreciative I am."
"No worries, I don't mind this at all—it's our little get together," Sakura responded with a smile. "Plus, Hideaki and I always have fun cooking up ideas on what to bring, right kiddo?"
The young boy stood up from his seat with a start, "Yeah! I came up with the noodles, though Sakura said I would be the first in adding sardines."
Kotori couldn't help but chuckle as she stood up from her seat, "I suppose I should had expected that; you want to be a shinobi and not a chef after all."
A minute hasn't even gone by since Kotori returned her time card back in the slot when Hitomi, another fellow nurse, passed off the message that Dr. Takasu wanted to see her in his office. Ten years her junior, she considered Dr. Takasu a hardworking, diligent and serious in demeanor. Occasionally, she would get a special case from him if he needed her help and she could only assume this was the case if her presence was being requested. In normal circumstances, she would had gone straight to the nurse's station and pick up on her routine with whatever patient needed her care, whether they were civilians or shinobi's.
Whatever it was the Doctor needed from her, she hope it would keep her busy for the rest of her shift—last thing she wanted to do was file papers or transcript them. While that was included in her job description, she still considered it a task reserved for the new nurses in the field and she was definitely not a new one. Confident in what she did and always willing to learn so as to improve her person, Kotori considered herself both a student and a teacher despite working nearly seven years in the field though technically eight, if she considered the year she took a couple months off from working.
It was four years into her residency when her life took a drastic change.
With the loss of her husband and with a three year old to take care of, she had been granted a leave of absence that extended up to two months. With the help of family and friends, she was able to work through her grief and take upon a new life path with just herself and her young child. If it weren't for them, she could not see herself working where she was.
A frightening thought considering this was all she knew about.
It wouldn't be fifteen minutes later when she will welcome the new change in her life.
"You will be rotating with Nurse Hitomi," Dr. Takasu informed her as they walked down the last stairs leading them down to the isolation rooms. "Your normal duties with your other patients will continue, but with each hour you'll make a routine check on Patient Z."
"Patient Z? Does she not have a name?" Kotori asked as they stopped in front of a closed door.
"She does," Dr. Takasu responded as he pulled out a set of keys. "Like I previously stated while we were in my office, she does not exist - at least officially. Only a handful of people know of her existence and that's how Lady Tsunade wants it to remain for the time being." He held out a pair of keys out to her.
Kotori glanced down at the set of keys before she took them, "she's being locked up? Is that even safe, for the patient?"
"She was seen walking around yesterday and had it not been for Hitomi, she would had likely walked out of the hospital." He last said as he opened the door, ushering for Kotori to walk in first.
She had been down here before, mostly to treat infectious diseases which explained the lack of windows – something that was common for patients room. Other than that, the room had everything – including their own personal bathroom. Were it not for the fact this was a secluded room, away from the other patients, it would had served for a nice, albeit, cheap hotel room. Like any other patients room, the bed was the main focus once you entered the room, and awhile she was hoping to see the patient in action – even if that meant awake and laying in bed –, she was mildly disappointed to see the girl was asleep.
Throughout her career as a nurse, she believed she had seen everything that came into her field but nothing like this. Of course, once Dr. Takasu had informed about the patients' diagnosis of sorts, she couldn't help but be in disbelief. It was impossible for a human to be without a life force and yet still be alive – but with Patient Z, well, there was clearly an exception and a bizarre one at that. If the lack of chakra wasn't enough of an anomaly, her speech pattern and origin was – so she heard.
"I was hoping she'd be awake," she heard Dr. Takasu murmur as he walked around her towards the patients bed. "Last I heard, the patient had not eaten anything of the breakfast they had brought in for her," he unhooked the patient's file from the bed frame. "We were hoping she'd be awake to see if there was any difference with her chakra."
"Is her chakra checked upon daily?" she asked as she took the file from the Dr. Takasu.
"Bi-weekly. We were hoping Hyūga would be able to conduct it while she was conscious and have the results ready for tomorrow's visit. I suppose we should conduct it later this afternoon."
"Could it be possible," she said as she browsed through the notes on the file. "Her body is merely in a deep rest as her core is working overtime to catch up?"
"That's something we thought while she was in her coma last week, but she had awoken from it yesterday so I don't see how her bo–"He stopped, seeming to have realized something. "Unless, it is – bizarrely – slows her growth while conscious?"
"Like you said Doctor," Kotori responded as she closed the file and glanced at the sleeping patient. "It is a bizarre case – you just can't expect the norm when it isn't normal to begin with."
