Finding Home

Chapter Twenty-One: Life Again

I awoke in a small room with bamboo walls and tatami mat floors on a futon, I sat up and saw I was wearing someone else’s clothes a large t-shirt and boxer shorts. I then felt intense pain in my head and bent over holding my head and putting it between my legs. I heard the shoji doors open and a man gasp before running and yelling for someone telling them I was awake. Soon a hand was on my shoulder having me sit up straight, he put a pill in my hand and a glass of water, I looked up at the man. He had brown hair and light skin but unlike any Japanese I had seen before he had pale blue eyes like a foreigner. He told me to take the pill and lay back down and within a few minutes I was asleep once again.

When I woke again I could hear it raining outside the window and my head did not hurt so much anymore. I looked around the room again and found the two men playing go in the floor. The man with blue eyes noticed me first and we stared at one another until he stood and left the room coming back with a glass of water and some food.

“Eat” he told me as he sat down next to the futon putting the tray holding the food and water on my lap. I nodded before eating, I had not noticed I was so hungry and ate it all in no time. Once I was finished he had the young man who looked to be about 20 take the tray to the kitchen, he nodded and did so running there and back. The man shook his head at the young man. I assumed that it was his relative, for he did not look old enough to be the young man’s father.

“Do you remember who you are?” he asked me and I nodded.

“My name is Hotaru, Akemi, I am 26 years old. I was born on October 19, 1989. I have not forgotten anything but what happened?” I asked him looking around the simple room, “Where am I?” I asked.

“You are at my home here in Isshiki, you are quite a ways from home, Akemi-san. My nephew, Fujimoto, Katsuo, saved you from drowning when you hit your head against the rocks out in the bay” he said and I touched the bandages wrapped around my forehead, “He said you were calling after someone when you ran out into the water but he never saw anyone. My name is Takenaka, Hiroto” he told me and I nodded.

“This is going to make me sound crazy but on two occasions now when I have visited this beach I see an old friend that died a year or so ago, I am not crazy though I have seen a psychiatrist and he told me I am just suffering from the loneliness of losing my first and only friend. I guess I should have known better than to go there alone” I told him trying to laugh it off but they did not find it funny.

“Well, we took you to a hospital to get your head checked out and they sent you back home with us until they could figure out who you were or you woke up. I run a clinic down the road so you are in good hands though I am sure you would like to go home now that you are awake. Katsuo has a motorcycle, he could drive you back to Tokyo” he told me.

I nodded, “Thank you, Takenaka-san, Fujimoto-san, for everything you have done for me” I told him as I stood bowing, I fell though having become dizzy though I had not moved fast. I was caught by Katsuo, I had not noticed before just how tall he was. I see why he had a motorcycle instead of a car.

“Thank you” I told him as he stood me up straight again holding onto me until he was sure I would not fall again and even then he stayed within arm’s reach of me.

“It seems you lost more blood than thought, I will go get your clothes and you can take a quick bath. Katsuo, take her to the bathroom and watch her, will you?” the young man nodded as his uncle went to go get my clothes.

Katsuo lead me out of the room and down the hall into a small bathroom where he sat on the floor with his back turned so I could bath. I washed myself quickly before stepping into the warm bath that they had made earlier that day. I sat there for a moment before resting my forearms on the side of the tub and resting my chin on top of them, I looked Katsuo over. He had tanned skin probably from working outdoors and his hair was short and spiked, if he was not so tan, tall, and muscular I would have mistook him for Itsuki himself.