Chapter Five: The Morning After

Akatsuki had long realized the morning after never quite lived up to its reputation. That being said, somehow, he doubted it applied to his current situation. Now, staring up at a chandelier that seemed to defy gravity, he couldn't help but agree with his previous assertion.

The light fixture was silvery and had curls and curves, making the eyes follow its intricately crafted design. Symbols and etchings decorated the light. Some glowed, while others gave off a sense of weightlessness. Five purple crystals floated above the curls, each in a different direction. Despite their color, each crystal produced light similar to sunlight within the room. The fixture was fascinating, and Akatsuki had already watched it for an hour.

Of course, that wasn't all that kept him lying face up, staring a what he could only guess was magic. No, his broken and aching body did that. He had tried to get up on his own but had found the best he could do was get out from under the covers. For someone who had always kept his body in peak physical form, it was infuriating, to say the least.

Intellectually Akatsuki knew that it was a miracle he could even move his body this freely after the body had spent five years rotting away. He couldn't help but marvel at his clothing which gave off the same feeling of spring the doctor had when putting Akatsuki to sleep. The fact that he was a miracle patient did little to curve his anger, and if Akatsuki was a lesser man, he might have even kicked and screamed like a child. Unfortunately, his body hurt too bad, and he didn't act on impulse.

Akatsuki had woken often in the night, hoping to wake up within the walls of his estate hungover and recalling a vague but strange dream. Each time he instead woke to mounds of flesh attached to his body and with the mourning of his most precious companion and sword. The loss felt immense, and each time emotions threatened to overtake him, Akatsuki started to worry about his mind.

In the moments of calm during the night, Akatsuki had come to some conclusions, all be them limited since he couldn't leave his room to investigate.

First and foremost, Akatsuki was now in the body of Ashley Von Blanc. She was a young lady who had a rather nasty accident leaving her bedridden for at least five years. His second suspicion was that he was in a part of the world that had little to no technology past the industrial revolution. However, it seemed many of those advances were replaced with a new energy source, magic.

Akatsuki wasn't completely unfamiliar with the term, and his company's ability to breathe new life into those on the brink of death had often been compared to magic. It seemed where he was now actually believed in the energy known as magic, and evidenced by the floating chandelier, Akatsuki was starting to suspect they weren't completely insane.

The fact that magic existed gave him a creeping feeling that he might not even be on earth anymore. The fact that he couldn't even recognize the language he was speaking also solidified his suspicions. Everything pointed to the redheaded beauty who could stop the world around him.

An uncharacteristic sigh of stress and frustration escaped Akatsuki's lips. He suddenly felt the urge to kick and scream again like a child. He wanted to cry. Most of all, he found himself longing for the crying woman. Akatsuki wanted nothing more than to bury his face in her chest and cry. That somehow that act would make everything okay, that he'd be safe in her ears. It was a foreign and terrifying feeling.

"It's quite frustrating, isn't it."

Akatsuki, to his shame, jumped like a scared cat. He hadn't even heard anyone enter the room nor felt their presence. A quick turn of Akatsuki's neck sent a shot of pain through his body, but he didn't care. Upon seeing Akatsuki's reaction and scared eyes, the man, who Akatsuki now identified as the doctor, laughed.

"Sorry, it wasn't my intention to scare you." The man's voice was calm as he tried to reassure Akatsuki, but he doubted the man hadn't tried to spook him, but even after Akatsuki's doubtful frown, the man simply smiled innocently.

Akatsuki had a feeling about the man, and as he watched him, his suspicions were only amplified. The man walked with the assurance and poise of a man drenched in confidence. His footfalls rarely made noise, and the way he analyzed everything within the room reminded Akatsuki of himself. It was only magnified as the man smiled at Akatsuki. The smile never reached his eyes, and Akatsuki felt as if he was being tested, almost probed by the man's gaze.

Akatsuki was almost wholly convinced of the man's true identity. A spook could always spot another spook. The only question was could Akatsuki use him, or did he belong to someone else. And as if the man concluded that Akatsuki wasn't a threat, his eyes softened, and he spoke.

"There is no need to worry, though. With my help, you'll be back to yourself in no time!" The man's face was a perfect mask, never betraying his cheerful, almost sage-like demeanor; unfortunately, the man had no idea it took two to dance.

"How would I even know?" Akatsuki let a hint of sarcasm creep into his voice, but a sudden and overpowering feeling of loss followed, threatening to consume him. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he did his best not to break down crying.

'I had never had Ashley's memories, so how could I feel a loss for them?' Despite his logical thinking, Akatsuki's body refused to listen. The man simply gave a sad smile.

"It is good to see you haven't lost your wit." The man decided to ignore the sadness instead teasing Akatsuki for his sarcasm. "Memory loss can be quite the strange thing. It seems to manifest quite differently in each person." The man seemed to ponder something before closing his eyes and continuing. "For example, you know what a father is, but not your father's name, or how you seem far more aware and sharp than you did in the past." The man opened one eye to gauge Akatsuki's reaction, and when none came, he continued. "You remind me in some ways of when you were younger. You would always try and talk your way around a situation when you got in trouble." Akatsuki stayed quiet, trying not to show a shift in emotion.

The doctor sighed at seeing Akatsuki's reaction and calmly walked over to the bed. He sat down on the side, facing Akatsuki with a soft expression. He placed his hand on Akatsuki's own before continuing.

"You know, Ashley, you are not in trouble." He made sure to make eye contact, and for the first time, Akatsuki felt as if he wasn't being analyzed or interrogated by the man. "It may seem scary, but I assure you your mother and father are not angry with you. They're just..." The doctor struggled to find his words and turned his head. It didn't stop Akatsuki from seeing the tears form in the man's eyes.

"Confused." Akatsuki decided to hurry the conversation along as he wasn't entirely comfortable with the ordeal. A bit of bewilderment passed across the man's face as he turned back to face Akatsuki, and suddenly he felt as if he had made a mistake. A thought came to Akatsuki's mind, and he spoke up before he could squash his curiosity. "How old am I?!".

"Well, you would have turned seventeen last month, but you were twelve when the accident occurred." The man seemed to ponder the question more, tilting his head and holding his chin. "An argument for either age could be made, I guess." He shook his hand as if it didn't really matter. "Don't worry, with the tutor your parents hired, you'll be caught up in no time at all!"

Akatsuki took the words trying to assimilate the information with his thirty-something mind. Only after a couple seconds did he comprehend the last statement. Akatsuki narrowed his eyes.

"A tutor? Do I really need one?" Akatsuki knew the answer to everyone else; at best, in the eyes of others, he was a thirteen-year-old girl with little to no knowledge of her past. No one knew he had thirty years of memories and education; somehow, he doubted sharing that information was in his best interest.

"Of course!" The doctor said excitedly. "If circumstances had allowed, you would have had your coming-of-age ceremony at 16 and currently be a second-year student at the Academy of Magic." The man took on a scholarly tone. "I guess the latest most would wait is the 18th year, but even still, most nobles of your standing would have years of tutoring before attending the academy." The man cleared his throat seeing Akatsuki's glazed-over look of boredom. "Anyways, yes, you need a tutor."

"Don't wanna." Akatsuki acted as if a spoiled child. The man answered back rapid shot and without emotion.

"Then I'd suggest you speak with your parents." It was a good answer, one Akatsuki would have used in his situation.

The exchange made Akatsuki smirk, but he quickly hid the tell. Akatsuki had noticed a problem arising yesterday, and it seemed it wasn't a one-time deal. Akatsuki was finding it rather difficult to control his emotions and his reactions to those emotions. It deeply troubled him as it was a skill he had picked up early in life. Something that he had always been quite good at.

Feelings and emotions were amplified as if they were all plugged into a battery. Joy would bubble up like the giggling of a child, anger like the eruption of a volcano pouring out hot magma for all to see, and sadness deep and empty like the void he had spent what felt like a century within. Perhaps he was exaggerating a bit since he had been plugged up to a battery before during his espionage days, and it had hurt far more than his current emotions, but the point still stood.

During this self-reflection, the doctor had started to leave since his diagnosis was over. Akatsuki spoke up despite his instincts telling him to hide such weakness. Something as important as cognitive ability outweighed the potential danger of the doctor and was crucial enough to ask a doctor about, even if he was a quack that spoke of magic.

"Um, mister doctor." He dawned his newly formed cover, forging it with the little bit he knew about Ashley von Blanc. "I've noticed a problem," Akatsuki acted as if he was nervous shifting his weight back and forth as if debating whether or not to say anything. "I am having trouble with emotions; how do I put it." He acted as if he was searching for the words. He decided on a version of what he described earlier; honesty was the best policy. "It's as if everything is amplified. I can't help but cry, laugh, and get angry." The doctor once again dawned his kind smile before answering from the door.

"Honey, you've been asleep for five years, during that five years the enchantments on your clothing have kept your body active and growing, but your mind did not adapt to the changes." He stroked the few scraggly pieces of hair on his chin. "It's like you are waking up, and five years of growth hit you like a runaway carriage." Akatsuki nodded, having imagined this was the case; then again, it was better to consult someone with more knowledge of the world around him. For all Akatsuki knew, he could be suffering from some kind of magical curse.

The transition from male to female hormones would already be quite the challenge mentally, but he had woken up not only in a female body but one that had been dormant for five years during its most heightened time, puberty. A new, uncommon feeling crept its way into Akatsuki's mind: fear. The soft laugh of the doctor calmed his nerves a bit, only until he released that the reason the man laughed was the look of fear on Akatsuki's face.

"It's quite interesting how the only things you don't understand seem to be personal memories. I've never had a patient with memory loss, so this is quite the show for me." The man teased, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't worry, it should pass over time, but your emotions may be amplified for a year or two; I'll see you this afternoon for physical therapy; enjoy the rest of your day." He said the words and left Akatsuki alone to sit and think about his current predicament.