Chapter Text
He wasn't entirely sure how he ended up at the bedside of a raven-haired woman. One moment he was walking through the hallway of the hospital, and the next he was beside her holding out a red rose that was intended for another. He had spent all afternoon looking for the perfect rose for Sakura.
He vaguely remembered passing by her room, the door wide open, and glancing inside only to stop dead in his tracks. The sun gave the woman in the bed an almost holy look and he couldn't seem to look away. When she turned to look his way, that's when his feet moved towards her.
He held out the blood-red rose, waiting for her to take it. His eyes never left hers. A brief look of confusion passed over her beautiful face, but she reached out and gently took the single flower from his hand. Her delicate fingers brushed over his. A shiver ran down his spine at the brief contact they made.
She met his eyes once more and smiled. Rock Lee swore at that moment his heart stopped in his chest.
"Thank you,"
Lee found himself unable to say anything to her. Not trusting his voice, he merely nodded and forced himself to leave the room. He walked through the hallway, his face blank and his heart thumping loudly. He was sure that the nurses he passed by could hear it hammering away in his chest.
He completely forgot why he had originally come to the hospital. The thoughts in his head were a mess and he couldn't think straight. Eventually, Lee opted to leave the hospital to train and get his mind off the raven-haired woman.
~X~
She wasn’t entirely sure where she was or how she managed to wake up in a hospital. When she closed her eyes and tried to remember, well, anything, she was hit with a super migraine. Eventually, she gave up trying to remember what had happened or where she was. Instead, she watched as patients strolled through the small garden just outside her window.
When she closed her eyes all she could see was a person dressed in red and a clawed hand aimed at her. She remembered a burning feeling across her back. Then she was falling, the last thing she saw was angry red eyes and white hair.
When she did wake, it was with a splitting headache and the slight feeling of being squeezed, but not uncomfortably so. She reached her hand to her hand only to feel the bandages wrapped comfortably around her head. She peeked down her shirt and saw bandages wrapped all around her.
A nurse came by to give her some pain medication for the headache. She mentioned something about the Hokage coming to talk to her. She wasn't sure what a Hokage was, but she nodded her head. The nurse checked her wounds before leaving her to her thoughts.
She turned her gaze to the window to stare out at the scenery. She only looked away when she felt a pair of eyes watching her. When she turned her gaze to the doorway, there stood a boy wearing a green jumpsuit. He stood mesmerized in the doorway. Not a word was spoken as he approached her bedside and held out a red rose.
She was certain she had never met this boy before. Nonetheless, she reached up and gently took the flower from his hand, her fingers ghosting over his. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Thank you,"
The boy nodded and stiffly turned away and walked out the door. "I didn't even ask for his name." She brushed her fingers over the soft petals of the rose and smiled softly. "It's beautiful." he learned later on his name was Rock Lee and he was a frequent visitor to the hospital.
She sat there staring at the flower for another hour before someone knocked on her door. A blond woman approached her, taking a seat at her bedside. For a moment they just stared at each other. The woman seemed to be analyzing her.
"I'm Tsunade, the Hokage of this village," she finally introduced herself.
"Hello..." she meekly replied. Her brown eyes felt like they were piercing into her very soul.
"Do you remember what happened or where you are?"
She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to force the memory to resurface. "I don't. The last thing I remember was someone attacking me. I remember feeling this intense pain across my back and waking up with a killer headache."
Tsunade nodded her head. "It appears that you have amnesia. My scout found your body laying in the middle of the forest half dead already. You're very lucky to be alive. If he had been any later you'd be dead."
"O...oh...." Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat. "What... happened?"
Tsunade shook her head. "We aren't sure. We were hoping you could fill in the blanks for us, but, as of right now, that is not possible. Your wounds were severe. It was like a bear swiped their claws on your back. I did what I could to heal your wounds, for now just relax and get some rest. If any of your memories return, I want to know immediately."
"R... right."
"Do you know who you are?"
"My name..." She once again closed her eyes, searching for the answer. One name passed through her lips.
"Kagome… Higurashi."
~X~
As Tsunade left the hospital, she came across none other than Might Gai. “I suppose he and his team will do.” She could only imagine the whining she would get from Naruto if she asked Team Kakashi something like this. Just the mere thought of it was beginning to give her a headache.
“Lady Hokage!” Gai approached her with a bright smile on his face.
“Ah, Gai, you’re just in time. I was wondering who I could entrust with a very important mission!”
“Of course!” he let out a boisterous laugh.
Tsunade motioned for Gai to follow her as she explained the ‘mission’ he and his team were about to receive. “About a week ago, a scout detected an abnormality on the outskirts of the village. Upon discovering the exact location he found a half-dead woman at the bottom of an old, dried-up well. I just spoke with her and it appears she has a serious case of amnesia.
I am assigning your team to keep your eyes on her once she has been discharged from the hospital. You are to determine whether or not she is a threat to this village. If her memory returns at any point in time, I want someone to report to me immediately, understood?”
“Not a problem! Team Gai will not fail you on this mission! If you’ll excuse me, I must inform my students!”
Tsunade nodded her head and Gai took off. “Now to speak with the Yamanaka clan.”
A few hours later, Tsunade stood outside of the door to Kagome’s hospital room with a member of the Yamanaka clan. The man entered the room to find the strange woman fast asleep. Tsunade waited patiently outside the door, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.
Maybe ten minutes passed when a loud crash was heard from the inside of the room, followed by a yell.
“STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!” Tsunade rushed inside the room to see the man out cold on the opposite side of the room and Kagome clutching her head and glowing pink. Tsunade could only stare at the woman in stunned silence as she tightly gripped her head, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
“What’s going on!?” A nurse rushed into the room and upon seeing the scene before her, dropped her clipboard. The clattering from the clipboard drew Kagome’s attention to them. Tsunade could practically feel what she was feeling.
Pain.
Anger.
Sorrow.
Betrayal.
When her eyes landed on the unconscious man on the floor, her face warped into an expression of guilt and regret and the room calmed down. Kagome was no longer glowing, but the tears still flowed freely.
“I… I’m sorry!” she cried, “I don’t know what that was or what was happening.” The woman buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
“Take care of him and speak about this to no one,” the nurse nodded her head and called in another aid to help her remove the man from the room. Tsunade sat at the edge of Kagome’s bed and let out a sigh. “It’s alright. It was my fault to begin with. I shouldn’t have had him or anyone probe your mind like that.” The only conclusion Tsunade could come up with was that this girl unconsciously sealed away her memories.
Kagome continued to sob into her hands as the Hokage stayed by her side and comforted her until she eventually fell fast asleep. The woman sighed as she removed herself from her bed and from her room.
“I need a drink,” Already she could tell that this newcomer was going to cause a lot of trouble. For better or for worse, she wasn’t sure.