Summary: On his way back home, Seishirou discovered an unconscious boy buried under snow. Still in the middle of winter, Seishirou carried the boy home and nursed him back to health only to discover the boy had amnesia. With no knowledge of the world they lived in, Seishirou let the boy stay with him until he regains his memories.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Tsubasa is the property of CLAMP and this is a story that has been stuck in my head for a very long time.


February 25, 11:13 AM

When the boy opened his eyes, he was greeted by a foreign ceiling. Hazy emerald eyes flickered repeatedly adjusting to the light in the room. It was bright, too bright for his liking. It was close to noon with endless amount of sunlight beaming through the window directly at his face.

Registering the ceiling above him, he slowly got up on his back. A honey yellow towel with floral patterns fell from his forehead down to the blankets, the towel was lukewarm. Turning his head, he noticed there was a bowl of water on the bedside table.

Lowering his gaze down at himself, the boy wore an oversized navy blue pajama with white strips near the end of the collar and selves. There were three golden bottoms on his pajama and each one had a cherry blossom crest on it. The boy looked around the room slowly observing his surroundings. He didn't know where he was.

Snow were pilling outside the window but that didn't seem to grab his attention. The window was open with a small creak and he felt a gentle winter breeze flowing by. Light lavender curtains swayed with the wind.

The room was small with cemented walls and wooden floors. He was on a single-sized bed near one of the corners in the squared room. Several layers of blankets covered his body keeping him warm from the cold. Bedsides the bed was a small bedside table with a lamp and a bowl of water on top. Across from the bed was a wooden closet around his height. Two chairs were place on the left side of the closet, one with a set of clothes folded neatly on top and the other with nothing.

The door was located on the opposite end of the windows. It was an old wooden door with a bronze handle the shape of a maple leaf. The room was clean and kept in the best condition possible. There wasn't much furniture in the room but they were organized to not take up much space.

"…Where… am I?" he whispered to himself. He had no recollection of how he ended up in an unfamiliar room. His mind was filled with blanks. It was the same as taking a vacuum cleaner and sucking out every thoughts and memories inside his head. Every corner of his mind was empty. Just like a white canvas before an artist leaves a single mark. His mind was empty, he was empty.

The bronze handle turn and the door slowly opened reveal a person behind it. The person was surprised at first to see him awake but his expression was soon replaced with a soft smile. He was a tall handsome man with jet black hair and golden amber eyes. He wore black cassocks that reached down to his knee and black pants. A small silver cross hanged around his chest and he wore a pair of black spectacles over his eye. He was a priest.

"Ah, I see you're awake," the priest said in a deep gentle voice. He was a man in his mid-twenties but his appearance made him look younger than expected. Emerald eyes couldn't help but stare at the stranger before him. The priest wore a smile that was warm and welcoming to everyone. The priest took the empty chair by the closet and placed it besides the bed before taking a seat.

"How are you feeling?" he asked in a soothing tone.

"…" He tilted his head staring at the priest in confusion. "…Who are you?" he asked with cloudy emerald eyes.

"Oh, where are my manners, I should introduce myself first. My name is Seishirou, I am the priest of this village," the priest in black introduced himself and placed a hand over his silver cross. "What is your name?"

"My name…" he mumbled staring blankly at the taller man. Searching his mind for an answer his thoughts remained hollow. "What is…my name?" the boy asked, answering Seishirou's question with another question. His voice was toneless and lacked any signs of emotion. His expression too was empty and vacant.

"You don't remember your name?" Seishirou's brows frowned as his smile slowly faded away and was replaced with a concern look. "Do you remember anything?"

"…" The boy shook his head. When he closed his eyes, all he saw was hollow white space. There was nothing for him to remember, nothing to look back on. A blank slate? No. He was the same as a discarded shell. Curling his fingers into a tiny fist, he tried his hardest to recall his memories but everything was empty.

"Amnesia perhaps," Seishirou suggested to himself, he was just as puzzled as the boy.

"Amnesia?" the boy questioned slowly widening his innocent eyes. He didn't understand what the priest was saying but the word itself gave him an unpleasant feeling inside.

"Amnesia, losing part of if not all of your memories." That uneasy sensation continues to grow inside him. Spreading like pathogen it was eating him from the inside out. The boy unconsciously frowned at the revelation of his memory loss. Lowering his head again, he stared at the blankets with sorrow.

Noticing his words causing the boy sadness, Seishirou quickly thought of something to reassure him. "But in most cases that I seen, amnesia is only a temporary thing. So don't worry, your memories will return when the time is right, I'm certain of it," Seishirou said with a smile. His words reached the boy's ears and it gave him a fragment of hope.

"Thank you, um…ah S-Seishirou…san," the boy replied looking back at the priest. Releasing his fingers, he nervously gave Seishirou a small smile. His worries and confusions did not subside but a part of him felt he could trust the priest's words.

Although it may be temporary, no one really knows when a person's memories will completely return. It could be months. It could be years. It could also never return. Certain "triggers" are required when it came to regaining memories after all.

"Where am I?" he asked looking around the room.

"You are at my church. I found you a week ago in the Sakura forest. You were unconscious with a high fever, I couldn't just leave you along so I took you in and nursed you back to health." Seishirou explained slowly and carefully. "I'm glad you're awake now, I was really worried since you were asleep for seven days." Seishirou's hand slowly reached to touch the soft cheeks of the pale boy. Pushing aside few strand of jet black hair, Seishirou's thumb gently caressed the boy's cheek in a circular motion.

Looking into the emerald Jewels, his smile soften even more. Pale cheeks but at a feverish temperature, perhaps from sleeping under all those layers of blanket. Seishirou had place four layers of blanket over the boy while he was asleep, he wanted to keep him warm.
The boy didn't show any signs of emotion or reaction. He observed him with wide emerald eyes. He was simply confused, he simply didn't understand the meaning behind Seishirou's action. He remained silent and continued his blank look waiting for Seishirou's next action.
Seishirou lowered his hand down to the boy's pale white neck. The boy was skinny as a twig and fragile like a glass cup. If he was not careful, Seishirou could easily snapped the boy's neck in half. His touch lingered against the smooth skin, tracing the structure of the younger one's collar bone. 'So very delicate indeed.' Seishirou chuckled to himself. The priest eventually retrieved his arm away and he leaned back against the chair. The man continued to smile, the boy didn't understand what he was doing, Seishirou's action left many questions in his head.

"Since you don't remember anything, should I give you a name for the time being?" Seishirou offered. The boy need a name to be refer to.

"Give…me a name?" he mumbled slowly giving Seishirou a confused look.

"Yes, a temporary one for the time being, think of it as a placement until you regain your memories. It would be inconvenient if I don't have anything to call you." Listening to the priest's explanation, the boy nodded at his suggestion. He too wanted a name to refer to as himself.

Names are important, it is a crucial aspect to a person. Names are bestowed upon a person by birth and is the key to their souls. A person's name holds a part of their identity and should remain with them until death. It should be kept safe and never forgotten.

Seishirou narrowed his brows and began brainstorming for a name, he need to think of a perfect name for the boy. Placing his index under his chin, he thought long and hard before reaching a name he believed would suit the boy best.

"Hmm, how about Pochi?" Seishirou suggested proudly clapping his hands together.

"P-Pochi?"

"Yes, don't you think it's an adorable name," he gave the boy a bright smile, he was really proud of himself. "Or do you want to be called by something else?" he asked wondering if he was forcing the boy into accepting a name he did not want.

"No…Pochi is fine."

"I'm glad you like it." Seeing how happy it made the priest, it was difficult for him to decline the name. The boy didn't dislike the name but did thought it was a strange name.

Seishirou reached forward again and took a hold of the wet towel on the blanket. Dropping it into the bowl of water he realized how cold the water had become. The water was boiling hot three hours ago when he brought it up to the room. Winter was near the end yet it was still cold as the beginning of the season. The winter in their world is short but harsh, everyone was trying their best to keep themselves warm.

His body felt heavy being buried under layers and layers of blanket. A small growl escaped the boy's stomach and reach the priest's ears. The boy didn't realize it but his stomach had been rumbling for some time now. It was only natural since he was asleep for a week after all.

"Oh, my apologies, your body must be famished. Wait here, I'll go get something for you to eat." Seishirou got up from his chair and began to walk towards the door. Along the way he took the bowl of water with him as he took his leave. Seishirou's footsteps echoed outside the hallway as it grew fainter and fainter until it could no longer be heard.

With the priest gone, anxiety began to spread again. His slender fingers traced over the area Seishirou had light glazed earlier. Lowering his head his expression was still emotionless and unresponsive. Placing his palm over his chest, he felt vacant as if there was a giant hole in his heart and all his identity was seeping out.

Pochi held up his right hand and curled his fingers slowly again. Mustering all his strength he tried to hold a fist. But all he could do was curl his fingers. His body felt foreign and weak. He shifted his legs under the blanket, his body felt crushed being buried under those layers of heavy blanket.

The door let out a tiny creak, with a jolt of anticipation Pochi quickly lifted his head towards the door, a small spark exploded within him when he thought the priest had returned. However, what he saw was not the person he was hoping for. A small flash of yellow and white passed by the door. Pochi blinked, for a second there he thought someone was staring at him through the half open door. There was no one now.

He heard another tiny creak outside the hallway but this time, the noise was faint, almost nonexistent. Whoever was outside his door was walking away from his room. Pochi continued to stare at the door waiting for Seishirou's return. He wondered if he should push aside the blanket and stretched his legs. His legs was asleep and they felt numb. Both his mind and body haven't fully awakened from his slumber.

The boy was tempted at the idea of exploring the church, curiosity was getting to him. However, before he even lifted a single finger, Pochi recalled Seishirou's words informing him to wait for his return. Lowering his hand he reframed himself of leaving the bed. Will Seishirou be angry at him if he left the room? Will Seishirou be angry at him for walking around the church? Will Seishirou ask him to leave? Fear struck his heart immediately, he grew afraid of his own thoughts.

Few minutes passed by before the priest returned with a tray in his hands. On top of the tray was a plate with chicken curry over rice and a glass cup of water.

"Sorry for the wait," he said offering Pochi the same warm smile from earlier. Seishirou placed the tray where the bowl of water was and took a seat next to the bed.

"…" Pochi remained frozen silent.

"Is something the matter?" Seishirou asked with concern on his face. He gave the boy a worried look, "Perhaps you are still feeling unwell. Would you like to rest a bit longer?"

Pochi shook his head, "No… I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he replied with a small smile.

"Alright," Seishirou said softly, "but please inform me if you are not feeling well." Pochi nodded at his request. "It's not much but I hope you like curry." Seishirou said as he carefully balanced the plate on his lap. A wooden spoon was placed besides the plate. Picking up the spoon, Seishirou scooped a small portion of the curry.

"Here say 'ah'." Leaning closer to the boy, he said holding up the wooden utensil with one hand and another under to prevent any spills.

"…" Pochi tilted his head in question.

"Say 'ah~'." Seishirou repeated emphasizing on the last part.

"Ah?...Nn!" Pochi said mimicking Seishirou's lips movement, he wasn't expecting food to enter his mouth, nonetheless he chewed and swallowed the curry in his mouth.

"Do you like it?"

"…" the boy didn't know what taste good or what taste bad but he nodded in response.

"I'm glad," Seishirou said with a soft smile. Seishirou made the curry with fresh ingredients he got from the market the day before. He was lucky to receive certain vegetables that were out of season.

To a human, the curry might have tasted above average but for Pochi it was odd. The curry tasted like nothing. Pochi felt he was swallowing air instead. Was it supposed to taste dull? Was it difficult to swallow? Was it supposed to give him a craving for something else?

His throat felt dry, his hunger was not being satisfied. He wanted something else but what was that 'something' that he yearned for? The boy did not know. He lost his memories and his knowledge was limited. The boy accepted the taste as how it was. Seishirou held up another spoonful of curry to his lips. Pochi ate it hoping it would fill his hunger.

It didn't.

Pochi ate slowly and quietly. He finished eating after a quarter of an hour had passed by. The glass cup of water was the only thing that filled his hunger. His stomach may be full but he was not.

"Thank you…," he thanked the priest.

"No, the pleasure is all mine." Seishirou picked up the empty cup and plate and placed it on the tray. "I'll be back right away," he took the tray downstairs with him to the kitchen. The church was empty, it was the weekend after all. Seishirou dropped the dish into the sink letting it soak in room temperature water. He will take care of that later.

Instead of returning to the guest room right away, Seishirou took a detour and made a stop at the attic, it was where he stored all the books in the church. The room was narrow with five bookshelves and a rectangular table in the center. Looking through the shelfs, Seishirou picked out a thin dictionary along with a handful of colorful picture books.

Seishirou want to help the boy recover. Since the boy lost his memories, his knowledge must be limited. He thought he will start off with educating the boy on the world they live in and their language. Seishirou returned to the guest room and the boy was how he left him, sitting on the bed waiting for his return. Just like the name given to him, he was adorable.


Apologie:

There is something I want to apologize for. Ten months ago, I created a story. It was a giant mess in my eyes. I was not proud of that story and I hated how I portrayed the characters. Eight months later, I deleted that story. I did not feel comfortable continuing the story since I was going through a long case of depression. So, I scraped the story and began everything again from square one.

Once again, I apologize for suddenly deleting a story and not saying anything for four months.

Ritsu: You're starting the story over again?

ShiroM: Yeah.

Ritsu: Okay…


This is the end, thank you for reading and have a good day or night where ever you are.