You were here on these grounds. In Akito's garden in fact, though now it looked lush and green. You were chasing a butterfly, and someone had been chasing you. You could feel the stones beneath your bare feet and heard someone call your name, but it was muffled. Suddenly you tripped, and just as you were certain to splash face first into a small stream, you instead woke with a gasp.
You panted from the shock and checked your surroundings. There was no garden, no stream, no butterfly. Only you alone on your mattress, your boxes of things you hadn't needed yet still piled up around you. There wasn't much space here, and you were still dreading the idea of getting all your things to fit together nicely. Your mother always called you an impulsive slob, and maybe there was some truth to that, but you preferred the term eclectic.
"A messy room is a sure sign of a messy mind." She would say.
Akito had been occupied at some family meeting Friday, and you and Hatori had been running around all weekend taking care of all the Sohmas that had seem to come down with colds simultaneously. You hadn't really had a free moment, but tomorrow-- er- you looked at the clock that glared 3:46 AM at you.. Today, you would sort through your new house, and your new thoughts.
Sunday was your day off, and you weren't sure how strongly Hatori was going to follow the rules he made up, but you had a feeling if he did call you it would be a emergency. He truly was a good man. Strong, handsome, smart, kind. And with Shigure he seemed to really loosen up. You were proud to be working for him. And for once, you were proud of the job you were doing.
You fell asleep again, and were thankful for no more dreams- good or otherwise. That one had felt too real.
Hours later, you rested your chin on your knees, visualizing where everything would go... "I need caffeine."
Since it was your day off, you decided to venture outside of the Sohma village. You slipped on one of your favorite day dresses and styled your hair, silently hoping that it would make you feel more put together. You walked towards the gate, eyes glued to your phone screen, trying to decipher where the nearest coffee shop was, when-- BAM!
You collided with someone, knocking them flat on their ass. "Ohmygodimsosorry!" You cried, kneeling down to help them up. The ginger-haired person was vibrating, and you worried you'd caused them serious pain. Suddenly they pulled you down even closer to them and began screaming.
"I'M SO SORRY HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID, SO RUDE!! HOW DO I ALLOW MYSELF TO GO OUT INTO THE WORLD WHEN I KNOW I CAUSE NOTHING BUT TROUBLE FOR EVERYONE AROUND ME!?! IM SORRY, WORLD!!!!"
They spoke so quickly, you struggled to pick out just the key words. You giggled and watched their face snap away from God and back to you, undeniable curiosity.
"No need to be sorry.." you started, and gently touched one of the hands that had been shaking your shoulders. "I wasn't looking where I was going, it was an honest mistake, it's alright." You smiled. You recognized this one as Ritsu; the ever timid monkey. You stood up yourself and offered your hand to the man. He looked up at you shyly and accepted, and you were thankful now for the quiet.
"I was just trying to see where to get a good coffee around here, do you know a place?"
You watched Ritsu dust himself off before stopping completely to think. "Oh um, Jarrod's coffee is pretty good, it's not too far from here. But I probably don't know what I'm talking about, I don't know what you like after all, I'm sorry for making assumptions.." oh boy, you thought. What happened to this kid?
"Jarrod's coffee sounds fine, thank you for helping..." Ritsu bowed slightly and turned to walk away. You shrugged your (mildly sore) shoulder and offered, "Would you maybe want to go with me?"
After a moment of awkward silence, Ritsu turned on his heel and looked at you with a charming smile.
"Really?"
The two of you headed out, Ri leading the way, and exchanged small talk. While you were waiting for your coffee and admiring some of the wall art, you felt Ristu's eyes on you. You blushed and smiled awkwardly, raising your brows at him. His eyes darted back to the art, before softening.
"(Y/n), I have to tell you something.."
You turned to him, giving your full attention.
"I--.. Back at the village.. It was my fault." You were about to protest when he continued. "I ran into you on purpose..." His voice was soft and even, and you knew this was a rare occurrence. "It's just.. Well I heard that a (L/n) was living at Sohma House, but when I saw that it was you I almost couldn't believe it.
You see, I remember you."
The barista calling your name rang like a distant echo in your ears as you looked at Ritsu. You tried, you searched, but you could find nothing.
"I'm sorry, Ritsu.. I don't remember you."
He smiled softly and you followed him to your drinks. "I know."
You sat down across from him and he divulged a childhood friendship you knew nothing about. You sat there dumbstruck while your coffee cooled, until Ritsu chuckled. "It was a very long time ago. I'm not surprised you don't remember me."
You shook your head. "No I can't believe I forgot you.. It won't happen again." You chuckled and finally took a sip of the unappetizing coffee.
"I hope that's true." He said. "Anyway I recognized you instantly and felt like I had to do something to meet you. I guess for me that meant making a fool of myself." He covered his coy smile with his delicate hand. "And I'm glad that I did.. Because you really haven't changed a bit. You know just how to calm me down... I've missed you."
Ritsu and you spent the rest of the day together, mending a bond that hadn't existed to you hours before. He helped you put your house together and only apologized 5 times the rest of the day! It was easy to talk with him, laugh with him, and you honestly didn't doubt the two of you had been best friends at one point.
But you were beginning to doubt your own mind. How could you be forgetting entire people? You hadn't remembered the Sohma house at all until you were standing right in front of it, and even then it was hazy.
You worried what else was missing from your life story, and why it disappeared in the first place.