Chuuya x OC ~ Let the memories cry (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Chapter 4

The first thing he noticed was the strong accent she had when she spoke Japanese. However, at the time, Chuuya was unable to determine what country she was from just by listening to her.

Then, as he became aware of the meaning of her words, he realized that the situation was much more critical than at first sight. This girl had amnesia. She did not know who she was, let alone what she was doing in Yokohama' streets at night.

And, of course, she did not remember her attacker. He tried to bring back some memories by explaining that he had found her in an alley with her neck open, but nothing. He saw her raise a trembling hand to her neck, as if to prove his statements, and run her thin fingers over the thick bandage that wrapped her wound.

An amnesiac stranger, that is what he had gotten himself into without knowing it. And, of course, it was too late to turn back. He could not bring himself to abandon her to her sad fate, without her even knowing her own name.

He told her the story of her rescue, but she was not familiar with anything. Swallowing a sigh of frustration, he excused himself for a moment, leaving the room as the doctor asked Chuuya to follow him.

The two men entered an adjacent office, as clean as the rest, with mid-height dark wood-paneled walls, and green wallpaper with abstract white scrolls on the other half. Chuuya placed his hat and jacket on the coat rack at the entrance, then took a seat in the incredibly comfortable black leather chair for visitors.

The doctor stood behind the desk, facing Chuuya, and put on his glasses so that he could read the documents that lay on the wooden surface.

"As you can see, this young woman has total amnesia. We tried to ask her who she was and what she remembered, but to no avail. Everything we have here is mostly suppositions," he finished by handing a file to Chuuya.

The redhead looked through the pages and almost instantly noticed all the question marks next to most of the sentences. They had estimated that this girl was around fifteen years old, maybe sixteen, and that she expressed herself in a rather elaborate Japanese.

It had been speculated that she might be from North America, but again there was some doubt. Chuuya finally got to the part that was much more complete, the part about the medical check-up the girl had undergone since her arrival.

As he read, he felt his eyes widen. He looked up, so as to meet the doctor's gaze, who was watching him attentively behind his glasses.

"... Is it true what it says here?"

The doctor did not need to know what he was talking about.

"Yes, unfortunately. She doesn't know yet, though."

"Don't tell her, then," Chuuya replied, snapping the file shut. "Is it possible for you to make me a copy of this report?"

The doctor nodded, responding positively to his two consecutive requests. Then, dialing a number on his phone, he asked someone to come and make a copy of the file in question.

A nurse arrived a few moments later, taking the papers with her and promising to return them as soon as possible. This little interlude had allowed Chuuya to put some order in his thoughts, slowed down by the intense tiredness he felt. Which had not improved during the last hour, moreover.

"Do you think she will be able to recover her memory soon?"

The doctor turned his attention back to him, also taking time to figure out what to say.

"If I may be honest, I have no idea. The memory loss is most likely due to the trauma of her attack, but we don't know the exact circumstances..."

And, obviously, no one was around when this girl was left for dead. It was cold, it was snowing, people were all at home, wrapped up in their blankets with a hot drink in their hands. The only person who could have helped them was the victim herself...