Moshi Moshi

Kinda shocking when you think about it.... (editing)

The next day Sasuke checked out of the hospital. Shikamaru wheeled him out on to the curb and they set off down the street. The air was cool and refreshing after spending so much time in the stale hospital. The sky was a white washed blue and the clouds were like thin pieces of string hung out to dry. Sasuke wanted to touch everything, he had this feeling that was like he forgot what things felt like, and reached his arms out wide to touch the trees, the grass, pets, and people. Shikamaru shook his head with amazement as if he was caring for a newborn child, and turned the corner into the developments where he and his partner lived. They reached the front door and he rang the bell, only to be greeted by the sound of a barking dog. Someone opened the door and the dog leapt out on to Sasuke’s lap and began licking his face furiously. Sasuke could not help but laugh a wholesome laugh that even he had not heard in a while. Sakura stood at the door with an apron on and a wooden cooking spoon in her left hand. She tried to grab the dog but had no success so she let him stay with Sasuke. Shikamaru carefully wheeled Sasuke inside and set him in the middle of the living room. Locking the wheels, he walked over to Sakura and kissed her affectionately. The dog barked and Sakura yelled “Shut-up Rodger!” as she continued kissing Shikamaru, playfully this time. Sasuke was happy for them, but at the same time felt a sickening pang in his stomach as he watched them exchange air. He set Rodger down and wheeled over to the back window on the right, opposite of Sakura and Shikamaru’s make-out session. He glared out the window at the dense forest that blocked most of his view. At the moment, he just remembered that he promised Akemi that he would visit her as soon as he could walk on his own. He smiled and turned around to find that Sakura went back to making dinner, and Shikamaru went upstairs. He wheeled over to the kitchen and offered to help but Sakura just shook her head and said that she didn’t trust him around sharp objects and he assured her that he would not do something like that again, but she wasn’t so sure.

Dinner that night was quite plain and very quiet. Sakura prepared rice, seasoned salmon, and miso soup. Sasuke ate gratefully with the spoon they gave him and left the room before the others even finished. He went outside and rolled along until he came to a clearing in the middle of a forest. It was dim, the golden sun laying its head onto the periwinkle clouds, taunting itself to sleep. He decided that this would be the best time to practice walking, so he locked the wheelchair and unlocked the footholds. He broke off a nearby branch to use for support and thrust all his weight upon it. The branch sagged into the ground and creaked but netherless did not break. He pulled himself up and shuffled slowly to a tree, touched it, then shuffled back to the chair. He repeated this several times until his legs felt like jelly with bits of lead mixed in, for his legs wobbled madly and were heavy to carry. He flopped down on his chair, exhausted but able to walk a couple of steps without stumbling over and falling. It was too dark now to walk back to the house on an unfamiliar path, so he decided to camp out. He set up a small fire near the tree he was working with, but not too close. The Fire-Ball Jutsu he used was rusty, so the fire was small. He didn’t remember all the hand signs and forgot to breathe in deeply before blowing out. He felt terrible now and just realized how hot and sweaty he was and that he was still in his hospital clothes. He closed his eyes before he could think anything else and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The sound of chirping birds awoke him the next morning. He jolted up on his feet as everything within the past few days rushed into his mind. Then it hit him. He had forgotten everything about life; it was almost as if someone was giving him a second chance to start over. He decided to start out the day by going and seeing Akemi. The walk to the hospital was grueling, but he made it before noon, sweating and panting. Air conditioning had never felt so good. When he got there he found out that she was just about to leave so he wanted to ride the elevator up before he missed her. Instead the woman at the front desk took pity on him, and paged Akemi down saying that she could leave early and that someone was here to see her. Akemi was thrilled to see him and greeted him with a hug. She invited him home for lunch as she took his wheelchair and put it in the back of her car. Sasuke sat in the front seat and clipped his seatbelt on with some uncertainty. Why was he going home with a complete stranger? His judgment got the better of him as he argued himself the whole way home, ignoring Akemi’s attempt at small talk and the fact that her hand was slipping dangerously close to his. They arrived at her home half an hour later, the baby blue house with a neat lawn and bright yellow shutters snugly fit between two large buildings. It was like looking at the sky, only on the ground. Akemi opened the door to a very neat home furnished all white. The carpet, the furniture, everything was white as snow. She took off her shoes and washed her feet very quickly before walking into the white house. She looked back at him and smiled. “That’s to keep dirty feet from making a dirty carpet. So, go ahead, wash yours.” She grinned. It took Sasuke a while to wash his feet without hurting himself or getting the floor dirty. In the meantime, Akemi made a tossed rice salad with vegetables and protein for Sasuke to build up his strength. He walked into the kitchen ten minutes later with the cleanest feet he had ever seen. After lunch they sat on her couch and discussed Sasuke’s time in the hospital. When it came to the part of Sakura and Shikamaru’s visit, Sasuke couldn’t bear to mention it and he shifted his eyes away. Akemi moved a little closer and placed her hand on his thigh, stroking it gently, moving her index finger in circles. Sasuke could not help himself and placed his hand on top of hers. He looked back, and saw she was very close now, he could smell the sweet peppermint and orange on her breath. “I really like you Sasuke” she said shyly. She leaned in closer, and so did he. Their lips brushed for a tender moment, and then he plunged in for the kiss. It was the most amazing feeling he had ever had in his entire life. Her tongue sweeped the front part of his lips as he opened his mouth for access, tasting her mint lip balm and feeling her tongue in his mouth. All he wanted to do was just hold her there, tasting her and staying like this forever, but Akemi had other plans. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she lowered them down until her arms were under his and pulled the string to his hospital shirt. The front sagged a little and she flung it right on the floor.