"Are you ready?"
"I- I guess..." I answered, closing my eyes.
"Right. Go ahead," The doctor said as he placed a warm hand on my forehead. Slowly things started to come back to me, strange memories that seemed to have no end, no words… Everything was so fuzzy though, making it hard to make out. Suddenly a named popped into my head, flashing over and over.
Aira...
The strange warm feeling on my forehead disappeared a moment later and I sat up, rubbing my sore eyes.
"Did you remember something?" The doctor asked, rushing to my side as I tried to get up. I leaned against him and nodded.
"A name I think... Aira..." I said quietly. I didn't know why, but for some reason every time someone spoke to me I felt shy, not wanting to respond. Instead I wanted to curl up in a ball, never to be seen again.
"That could be your name," The doctor said, but some how I thought he was talking more to himself than to me. I nodded, saying nothing as he lead me back to my room since my muscles were sore from hanging on the wall.
"Are you tired?" The doctor asked.
"No. Just hungry... Can I have some soup or something? I don't think I can take anything more than that... They didn't feed me for almost a week, and my stomach will be too small to eat too much..." I asked. The doctor nodded, looking at me curiously.
"I'll send a nurse up with some soup," He said. I nodded and pulled the blankets over my legs, avoiding eye contact with him. I hear him leave and I look over at the table, reaching for a glass of water. My hand stopped halfway, looking at the bouquet of flowers sitting in a vase on the bedside table. I blinked before picking them up and looking at the card on it.
i"Hope you get better soon. The Hokage wishes to see you as soon as you feel better to talk about living arrangements.
-Kakashi"/i
I smiled and sniffed the flowers, the beautiful scents making my nose tingle, causing me to laugh.
"Those are beautiful dear!" Someone said. I looked up my face flushed slightly when I saw the nurse holding a tray of soup and what looked like tea and medicine. I nodded in response, setting the flowers down so she could lay the tray across my lap.
"T- Thank you."
"There's no need to be shy dear. You're the one that has the amnesia, am I correct?"
"Y- Yes..." I muttered. She smiled kindly and I looked down at my food, sipping on the hot soup slowly.
"Well just press that button there when your done and I'll come back to take it away," The nurse said, her happy tone never faltering. I nodded, not bothering to watch her leave as I looked back down at my soup.
After the nurse collected my empty tray, I got out of bed, looking around to make sure no one was outside the door or about to come in. I turned and looked for something I could use for clothes, and notice a bundle at the foot of the bed. I knelt down and looked at it, only to see familiar writing from the card on the flower.
i"This is for you. The Hokage had one of the members on my team go out and buy you some clothes.
-Kakashi"/i
"Well that was easy," I whispered quietly, quickly getting dressed in the red shirt that was in the bundle with a white cross on the front and a black skirt that ruffled around my hips. I smiled and turned around to leave when I ran into someone. "Oof!" I gasped, falling backwards onto the floor.
"I don't think you're suppose to leave until the doctor clears you," Someone said, causing me to look up, my eyes wide and my heart racing. My face turned bright red as Kakashi knelt next to me, his visible eye bored. I jumped to my feet and hid behind a curtain, glancing at him from around it. "You're really shy, huh?" He asked, taking a step towards me, causing me to take one back. Of course that ended up not working, because I forgot there would be a wall behind me. He stood in front of me, his visible eye looking lazy and uncaring.
"P- Please let me pass..."
"I will, if you come with me. If you are well enough to get out of the bed without the doctor telling you so, then you are well enough to see the Hokage," Kakashi said. I looked away from him, trying to figure out a way I could get by him without having to hurt him, or without him having to hurt me.
"Don't bother trying to get away," He said, sighing. "I won't end well for either of us." I jumped and looked up at him, deciding to give up.
"O- O.K." I muttered quietly. "I- I'll come with…" He nodded and moved away from me, motioning for me to follow him. I walked out of the room after him, limping slightly. Kakashi snuck a look at me out of the corner of his right eye as he lead me from the hospital and towards the center of town. I stumbled a couple of times, my legs still weak from the week or more in Kirigakure… That was what I had heard someone call it anyway, but I moved on without complaining, trying to find a chance to run.
"Oh and don't try to run. I'll just catch you before you get too far away," Kakashi said, spoiling my plan. He turned to face me, the mask lifting up around his mouth in a smile. I looked away, a faint blush tinting my cheeks.
"Here we are. Come on. I'll take you to see the Hokage," Kakashi said leading me up the stairs and to the old man's office.
Kakashi knocked, and a soft tired voice reached my ears. "Enter..." Kakashi held the door open for me and I walked in slowly, looking at the ground. He looked up at me, smiling kindly. I smiled back as I looked up at him, his face reminding me of a kindly grandfather. "So the doctors cleared you?"
"Uh... Not... Not exactly sir," I said and he chuckled.
"Well that's fine then. Did you figure anything out? I'm sure they did a memory retrieval jutsu," The Hokage asked me. I nodded, looking back down that the floor.
"I think my name is Aira," I said quietly, my soft voice barely audible.
"Is that all you remembered Aira?"
"Well there were many other things, but I couldn't see them. They were too fuzzy to make out," I explained. He stood and walked over to me, tilting my head up to look at him. He smiled kindly and I averted my eyes, looking at the wall instead.
He stepped away and I glanced back at him, the old man still smiling kindly at me, and I found myself smiling back. "Well we need to find you somewhere to live in..."
"She can take up residence with me, Hokage-sama. I have plenty of room," Kakashi put in suddenly. "Until she gets a place of her own."
"That's true. Is that ok with you Aira?"
"I- I guess," I stuttered quietly, my face flushed.
"Ok then. Kakashi take her home and let her rest for awhile," The Hokage said, then turned to me. "And if Kakashi wants you too, you can go meet his team and possibly train with them. If you do it may jog your memory." I looked up at him, my eyes alight with fire just thinking of remembering my past.
"Do you mean it? Do you think that will help?" I asked him, my eyes hopeful. He smiled kindly at me, placing a hand gently on my shoulder.
"It may, but right now you need to rest," He said. I nodded bowing after Kakashi and following him back outside.
I slowly walked beside him, my hands folded across my chest and looking at the ground shyly.
"Here we are," Kakashi said suddenly, unlocking the door to his home. I looked up as he held the door open for me and I step in slowly and walk to the living room, and stop. Kakashi walks in behind me and chuckled quietly.
"You can sit anywhere, Aira. This is your home now too. Do you want anything? I have plenty of food as well," Kakashi said.
"I- I can make us something... I mean if it isn't too much trouble... I think I could remember something if-"
"Aira calm down," Kakashi said and smiled under his mask. I looked away from him. "If you want to cook something go ahead." I smiled, but didn't look at him. He lead me into the kitchen and I started to look around for ingredients.
"What to make..." I muttered to myself.
"What about curry?" Kakashi asked.
"Curry?" I turned to him with a questioning look. "What is curry Mr. Kakashi?" I asked.
"Just Kakashi, and you don't know what curry is?" He asked, and I shook my head.
"No. I've heard of it, I think, but I don't know what it is."
"That's fine. What do you know?" He asked.
"Well I... I don't know..." I said, looking sadly at my feet as tears welled in my eyes. "I thought I remembered something, but now I don't know..." I said, my voice trembling.
"Let me cook then, but do me one favor, Aira," Kakashi said. I nodded, but didn't look up even as he crossed the room over to me. He tilted my head up with a finger, making me look up at him, smiling kindly down at me to try to soothe me. "Don't cry." I nodded slowly, wiping the tears from my eyes. "Good. Now go to the living room and rest. I noticed you limping on the way here, so I know your muscles are still weak."
"You are perceptive. I suppose you need that to be a ninja, right?" I asked. He nodded, smiling under his mask. I smile back, my face turning a light pink before I walk into the living room and waited for supper.