Chapter Text
"V?"
Darkness.
"The doctor told me that you are doing well..." He squeezed her hand softly.
Neon lights.
"七転び八起き (nana korobi ya oki)!"
Warmth.
“Open your eyes for me please.” He squeezed her hand again.
Fear.
Takemura continued to hold her hand softly, he knew she was awake as the elevated rhythm of her breath betrayed her, but her eyes remained firmly shut.
What was that noise? A steady beeping sound could be heard every now and then. Something warm on her hand, a ghostly weight on her head. Where was she?
"G-Goro...?" She barely managed to say opening her eyes slowly.
"Ah there you are V!" The man was smiling at her. A genuine smile, something was familiar about him. No, he wasn't just familiar, no, V spent the longest weeks of her life with this Man he was more like a trusted friend...an honourable companion.
V slowly pulled herself in a sitting position by pushing her fists on the soft mattress and letting her back rest on the headboard. What happened? Where was she?
She gave a concerned puzzled look at Takemura.
"Your operation went great, the nightmare is over." He had an even softer smile drawn on his lips, a sympathetic smile trying to reassure her that everything was well. "Do you remember our last conversation?"
"...I remember a white cage, and then signing off my soul in hopes that Arasaka would save me..."
Yes, that was right, she chose to be here, she wanted a chance to start new, she wanted to live more than 6 months. But why was it that she only had 6 months? V couldn't remember everything, some of the major events where there, some of them fuzzy some of them like a puzzle pieced incorrectly together and some of them were ripped apart, cut off, an empty void of darkness.
Takemura noticed that she was diving in deep thoughts and her anxiety building up in her breaths.
"It is normal to not remember everything. Your memory will recover with time...most of it. What matters most is that you are awake, you are safe, and your new life begins today."
A nurse opened the door and bowed softly before them. Takemura got up and V instantly squeezed his hand with a scared look in her eyes.
"I will be right outside waiting for you." He said softly and embraced her hand with both of his before leaving her side, and walking out of the room, the door closed behind him.
The nurse helped V to get up, supported her all the way to the small bathroom in the corner of the room and helped her take a shower. She asked to dress herself up. She was feeling that something was missing, something that was always there, something annoying but familiar. The nurse started combing her hair which gave her small shivers that relaxed her head and stopped her from pressing herself to remember. A part of her wanted to forget.
When she walked out Takemura was waiting by the window right outside her room. He smiled again and extended his elbow at her. V was feeling a bit wobbly all this time, so she welcomed the support. They walked together down a long corridor full of windows looking at the blue sky and a huge green garden. "Where are we?" V did not remember seeing such a beautiful sky in Night City.
"We are in an Arasaka private clinic in Tokyo." he responded.
"We are in Japan?" She was both thrilled and worried.
"Yes V-san, a new life." He was smiling again reassuring her that it will be alright.
They final reached what looked to be the clinic's lobby and Takemura spoke in Japanese with the secretary signing off some papers, while V looked outside the glass door at a world that appeared so pure, clean and warmly lit almost like a paradise. Ye this is definitely not Night city.
She held her breath while they walked out of the door and took a deep breath as soon as she was outside, like a new-born baby taking their first. The air felt clean, too clean V thought, with a small hint of an aroma.
"Cherry blossom trees." Takemura said proudly pointing at the beautifully blooming trees in the garden next to the clinic. They appeared otherworldly with their pure soft white flowers, all of them accompanied by a white bed of petals at the bottom of their barks.
V smiled and held on Takemura's elbow as they walked towards his car. She was determined that this is a new beginning in a world that had nothing to do with Night City. The stench of the city was not there anymore, and she could finally breath.
Takemura opened the door of his car and gently helped her in. As he was making his way around the car, she took notice of her arms and hands. They felt different, lighter, smooth untainted skin covered them without a single scar and not a single cybernetic device. It slowly dawned on her why her legs were wobbly, why she felt a lot slimmer and not as muscular while dressing up. This was the new body Arasaka promised, a clone of her previous self, her consciousness copied over, and her life jump started. She hesitantly pulled down the sun visor and looked at herself in the mirror, softly feeling her face. She looked exactly the same, the only difference being the lack of her neck tattoo and cybernetics.
Goro was paying attention to her all this time. He gave her another soft smile when she looked back at him slightly concerned. "Your new body has no cybernetic enhancements. This is something that can change with time, as you adjust in it and your physical condition improves." He reassured her without her having to voice her question.
"Thank you Goro…for everything." She finally smiled back at him. Yes, this was all different, but it was a second chance.
Goro was doing most of the talking during their drive. He reminded her of the events that transpired when they helped Hanako place her father's consciousness into her brother's body. How they fought and bested Adam Smasher and how after her surgery her condition continued deteriorating and she had to make a choice. It all started to come back to her, some of the fuzzy details clearing up, but she was still unable to remember what was missing. Why did she need to have the surgery again? Takemura didn't seem to mention much about that so she persuaded herself that she shouldn't concern herself too much with it.
They drove through Tokyo, a city that looked nothing like her own. Vibrant in a way that felt clean and sacred. V was sure she could find all its dirty secrets, she was good at that. They finally slowed down in the outskirts of the city, after they drove in a huge, enclosed area protected by Arasaka security. It looked like a minimalistic military camp.
"This is one of Arasaka's Research headquarters." Takemura started to explain. "Some of these buildings have training equipment, but most of them are actual laboratories and clinics." The car finally stopped in front of a complex of buildings that fit the minimalistic architecture of the complex. They were single floor semi-detached buildings, in different polygonal shapes, some of them accompanied by a small garden and all of them painted black.
He got out of the car and V observed as he made his way to her door, opening it and extending his elbow once again. She happily accepted his assistance and followed him as he led her towards one of the buildings. Part of the front wall had an inwards corner where the door was placed. As they walked inside V noticed the multiple floor to ceiling windows on each wall, they acted like black mirrors on the outside blending with the walls and providing perfect privacy to anyone inside.
She liked the clean minimalistic design with hints of what she assumed to be traditional Japanese notes. It was nothing like her previous apartment, but a new life required a new home.
Takemura let her wonder alone for a while as she explored the rooms. The entrance was leading to an open kitchen-living room while a half-opened frosted glass door revealed a small bedroom. Inside the bedroom she found one final door, that revealed a spacious bathroom equipped with a shower and a bathtub. V smiled; she always wanted a bathtub.
"Do you like it?" She heard Takemura asking her form the living room. "It is all yours." He followed as she went back into the living room and before she managed to respond.
"This is Arasaka property, right?" He responded to her with a nod. "Am I Arasaka property?" V asked as calmly as before. Her calmness really surprised him, but his well-trained mind didn't let that show. "You are not anyone's property V, you are an asset to Arasaka, an ally to Hanako-sama and a close friend of mine. This is your reward for helping Hanako-sama and choosing to participate in the Secure your Soul program. Part of the program is the rehabilitation of the patient. Hanako-sama wished to keep you close and help you find your place here."
V was silently listening to him. She was not feeling like herself, multiple experiences, choices and people missing from her memories she had to trust him in order to move on.
"I know this must all feel so new to you but trust me you made the right choice." He beckoned her to sit down on the crescent moon couch placed in the indent of the living room floor. As she was walking towards him, she noticed that he wasn't not wearing any shoes. Tracing back their actions with her eyes she found his shoes resting by the door. She walked all the way there to mimic his action, determined to understand and follow traditions as well as she could in order to fit in.
That way of thinking wasn't like her though, was it? Was she always so accepting? Did she ever care about fitting in?
Her self-reflection and questioning were painted over her face as Takemura spoke again. "It is good to keep an open mind, life here is a bit different than Night City, but with time everything will start to feel normal." He took a small bottle out if his pocket and extended his hand towards her. V picked it up but could not read any of the labels as they were all in Japanese. Her translator must have bugged again she thought only to realise a few moments later that she had none.
"V" Takemura capture her attention again "These pills are a huge part of your rehabilitation, you have been through a lot. Both your surgery and…rebirth were very complicated. You need to make sure to take one in the morning and one in the night every day. Your prescription will be renewed accordingly and delivered to you timely."
"What are they for?" V questioned him feeling a hint of dejavu and an anxious emotion creeping up inside her. Yes, questioning and being suspicious that felt more like her.
"It takes time for the mind and body to become aligned and act as one, especially if one has been through everything you have." He abstractly explained, while staring at the bottle.
He got up and walked towards the kitchen area. V followed him with her eyes as he took a glass out of one of the cupboards, filled it with water and walked back to where she was. He extended his hand that was holding the glass towards her, and she understood that she was silently encouraged to take her first pill.
"Bottoms down." V joked before placing one of the pills in her mouth and downing it with the water.
"I would suggest spending the next few days recuperating in order to adapt with your new body. There will always be a guard outside your house, and I would suggest staying within the premises for the time being."
V seemed particularly worried with that last part "Am going to be confined in here?" Another cage, a black cage this time, in her lonesome agonising over the past, present and future.
"No, you will not be confined. This is just a transitional phase, and it is encouraged to take small steps in order to avoid shocking your senses. I will be visiting you daily and we will track your progress together and at the right time more options and changes will be introduced."
V was relieved to hear the yet again reassuring words. She knew Takemura, he saved her multiple times and she had also done the same for him. He was her ally and she had to put her trust in him if she were to survive..