Disclaimer: Although I wish I did, I do not own Love Hina or any of affiliations. But if someone is willing to sell me some of the franchise on the black market then blink once...Oh wait, I can't watch you wink...Damn it!
Forsaken Memories
By Yamiga'sLight
Chapter 1: Accident
What is a memory? An image, something that's there but, at the same time, isn't? The sound of someone's voice, the feel of something underneath your fingertips, the smell of a heavenly aroma, the taste of something rolling across your tongue. Each of these exist somewhere in your mind: solid or blurry, near or far. Something, somewhere, someone...or nothing at all. What can you remember? What do you forget? What stays with you forever and what leaves the moment it's out of sight?
Are all memories accurate? What you remember as one thing does someone else recognize it as another? Was the memory big or small, happy or sad, exciting or boring? It's like a ghost, flitting around the deep recesses of your soul, appearing without a moment's notice, or locking itself away into a prison, allowing no one to ever see it again.
Why do we have memories? To remember the good for happiness and the bad so as to not make the same mistake again? But then, if that's the case, why do we forget the good only to become sad and the bad only to relive the same misery over again? Do we choose to forget, choose to remember, or does it all get decided by some higher being? Are our memories nothing more than someone's idea of a joke, or do we remember because we are alive and aware?
The answer to this...is unknown. Whether or not human beings will ever figure out why they recall, recognize, or realize something will probably forever elude them. No one knows why, and those that do choose not to tell. Is it pride, the fact that they know something that no one else does? Or is it because the answer to it so horrible, so mind numbing, that they are afraid to release it?
Only time will tell.
But there are those that forget. Not just certain things...but everything. Their names, their family, their past, present, and sometimes even their future. The grief handed to these people and their loved ones are boundless. The knowledge that they have no knowledge strikes fear into their hearts and souls.
This is the story of one of those people.
The people...who cannot remember.
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"Where in the heck am I?"
The young man turned around, his eyes taking in the vast wasteland that laid before him. Nothingness stretched far beyond his sight, reminding him of the despair he had felt so many times before. His brown eyes darkened with sadness at the memories. A second later he snarled in resentment. Memories...The only memories he ever had were filled with nothing but pain and loneliness.
This was not an exaggeration on his part. Keitaro Urashima did not have the easiest life. Not only was he the social outcast for most of it, he also managed to flunk his college exams three years in a row before (astonishingly, he considered) finally making it in. But that wasn't the end of it. On the opening day of the school year, a decorative statue had fallen on top of him and completely shattered his left leg, forcing to miss most of his hard-earned education.
But besides his academic maladies, his home life wasn't any better. Through a stoke of luck, and he still hadn't decided whether it was good or bad, he was chosen by his grandmother to be the manager of her all-girls dormitory. Most men would kill for this kind of position, being able to be surrounded by cute, hot girls. Unfortunately for Keitaro, the cute and hot bit applied, but the job description never said he would be beaten on a daily basis by each of the dorm's inhabitants, ranging from nine-year-olds to just about his age. His klutziness and horribly bad luck only helped them find new reasons to punish him.
Not only that, but his love life had been flushed straight down the toilet and was traveling through the sewers as we speak. After finally finding the courage to express his affections to his love, fate only managed to intervene with incident after incident to prevent Keitaro from saying what he really felt. And when he finally did confess in a desperate attempt of fear, the girl he loved did the one thing he most dreaded she would.
She ran...literally and figuratively, out of the room and out of his heart. His heart bled with sorrow and bitterness, and it seemed like nothing would ever patch it up again.
Keitaro sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose due to the sudden pain emanating from it. Where was he, and why was he there? Why did all of these painful recollections have to appear out of the blue? Sure, they were rather recent, the latest one not even a month ago, but...
"Still," he muttered softly. "Why do I have to remember them? If all I have are bad memories, than I'd rather have none at all. I wish I could just forget, just forget everything."
As if responding to his desire, the dark plane suddenly brightened. Keitaro shielded his eyes from the sudden change in light. When he lowered his arm, he was surprised to find that three other figures now accompanied the space with him. Even stranger, however, was the fact that the people looked exactly like him. The one on the left was himself as a child; the middle looked exactly as he did now, and the last one seemed to be him aged about twenty to thirty years.
Keitaro tilted his head in confusion and pointed a finger at them. "Who are you? And...why do you look like me?"
The three other "Keitaro's" looked at each other and then back at the original before replying in sync, "We are you."
This only caused him to be even more confused than before. "What do you mean? How can you be me when I'm right here? It doesn't make any sense."
They looked at each other again and, in another show of synchronicity, sighed. The one on the left, chibi-Keitaro the original had aptly named him, took a couple of steps forward until he was standing right in front of Keitaro. Keitaro bent down so that he was at eye level with his younger double. Chibi-Keitaro smiled warmly before he chirped out, "I am Keitaro from the past, and I remember all that has happened." He then looked over his shoulder and winked at Keitaro's twin.
He nodded in return and walked forward. Keitaro switched his attention to his mirror's image. His twin only gave a small smile compared to his younger self and a wave before talking. "I am Keitaro from now, and I remember all that will happen at this moment." After finishing, he gave the last Keitaro double a quick sharp nudge in the side with his elbow.
The older version of Keitaro merely nodded, showing none of the warmth and kindness that the previous two had. "And I am Keitaro from what has yet to come, and I will remember all that will happen from now on." His voice was somber and low, sadness echoing from its interior. It was like he had witnessed an unknown amount of a melancholy lifetime. Keitaro involuntarily shuddered, subconsciously thinking if this was what he would turn out to be, depressed and alone.
His thoughts were broken when chibi-Keitaro tugged on his clothes. Keitaro looked down at his younger self's smiling face. "So now do you know who we are?"
"I...think so," he responded. He sat down cross-legged and scratched the back of his neck, a thoughtful expression his face. "You're me, the me inside of me, right? But then, why are there different versions of me? There can only be one me, right?"
"Close but still wrong." Keitaro looked up to his double shaking his head in disbelief. "I still can't fathom the idea of how stupid you are. You make me so proud to be part of the same brain." Keitaro blanched at the fact "he" was insulting "himself." "Now listen up..." He bent over and pointed a finger at the other. "We, to put it quite frankly, are your memories."
"My...memories?"
"That's right. We are all that you remember. He..." At this, he pointed to chibi-Keitaro, who had glomped himself to Keitaro's arm and was grinning gleefully. "Is your memory from before any of this ever happened. I..." He placed his hand on his chest. "Am your memory from this exact moment in time. And he..." He motioned towards Keitaro's older self, who only nodded again. "Is your memory from beyond this point in time and on."
Even after this explanation, Keitaro was still confused as to what was going on. He understood a bit, but it was all very mind-boggling to him, explanation or not. He shook his head slowly and looked back at his double. "Okay...I still don't really get what's going it, but if you say that you're my memories I guess I don't have much of a choice than to believe you. It's not like anything weirder has ever happened to me before. There's only one thing that hasn't been cleared up..." He paused, considering how to best phrase his inquiry. "Why are you here? It's not like I called you out or anything, did I?"
"As a matter of fact, you did." Keitaro's head whipped around in shock to see that his older self had snuck behind him. Not only had he done that, but the grim look on his face scared Keitaro even further than the surprise caused by his sudden appearance. "We are your memories, correct?" Keitaro nodded dumbly. "And you desire to forget all of your memories, correct?" He nodded again. "Then, in essence, you wish to destroy us. Isn't that correct..." The older version leaned over, his hard cold gaze burrowing itself into Keitaro's mind. "...My foolish young one?"
The revelation hit Keitaro like one of Su's missiles. Of course his memories, as intangible as they were, would want to protest against their deletion. Even though they weren't of flesh and blood, they were still a vital aspect of him, and survival instincts would apply just as much to them as they would to anyone else.
"Is it true, oniichan?" Keitaro looked down to see his younger version gazing up at him in childlike sadness. "Do you really want to get rid of us?"
"I...I..." At a loss for words, Keitaro could only stutter. After a few moments, he was able to recollect his thoughts and speak again. "I honestly don't know. I mean, almost all of my memories do nothing but fill me with pain. If you were me...wouldn't you want to do the same? Just...forget?"
"Perhaps we would," Keitaro's image replied. "But you must know something. Memories are never truly forgotten, merely...repressed. And repressed memories usually lead to catastrophic ends for the repressor."
"Maybe, but it's gotta be less painful than what I'm going through."
"Perhaps...but you must remember one thing, even when you forget everything else." He stepped closer to Keitaro and slightly bent his neck down. "Be careful what you wish for because you just...might...get it."
Another flash of light and the entire world of Keitaro's mind winked out of existence.
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Slowly opening his eyes, Keitaro's first vision was that of the hole in his ceiling. Immediately afterwards, he clamped a hand over his face and turned onto his side. Seeing something that brought up cynical thoughts was not what he wanted to do first thing in the morning. He groaned in frustration. What was he going to do about the entire situation? Naru acted like he didn't even exist, so how could he even begin to discuss with her what he was feeling.
Keitaro shook his head. Thinking along those lines would bring no answer or solution to his problems. Instead it would only bring more questions that he would have no way of dealing with. He would either have to do it or not do it. Of course, due to his low self-esteem and inferiority complex, the latter was much more likely to happen.
He sighed. But besides the current problem, what a strange dream he had just had. The details were blurry and, like water through a person's hands, they flowed through the cracks of his mind and disappeared into the emptiness of his subconscious. However, what he did remember...his memories leaving, him forgetting everything...it all seemed like...like...He shivered, not from the cool breeze coming from his open balcony door but rather a feeling in the pit of his stomach, one that warned of events yet to come...
Ridding himself of these malicious ideas, Keitaro grunted as he forced himself to his feet, careful to be gentle with his broken leg. He chuckled at the irony of it. Him, the immortal Keitaro, able to withstand blows that would kill normal people, brought to a broken leg all because of some damn giant stone onion. He wondered where the line between his mortality and immortality lied, but he wasn't eager to test it or find it out the hard way.
Ignoring the crutches leaning against the wall, (he wouldn't need them for such a miniscule task) he hobbled over to his dresser, stripped out of his pajamas, and put on his normal, everyday clothes. Due to his injuries, the doctor forbid him from doing any of the more strenuous tasks for the inn. This left only cooking and cleaning, and since Shinobu had made these her own private chores, there was really nothing else for Keitaro to do.
He hobbled back over to his crutches, put them under his arms, and made his way out of the room. On his way down the hall, a voice shouting his name accompanied with a loud roaring sound caught his attention. Turning around, he was quickly greeted by an unpleasant view.
Su, the blond-haired foreign girl with a stomach to match her boundless energy, rode on the back of yet another one of her brand-new inventions. What looked like a mini-hovercraft spliced with a turtle zoomed down the hallway at a breakneck speed towards the helpless landlord. Keitaro barely had time to react before managing to dive into one of the nearby rooms. Luckily no one was in it at the time so he didn't have to worry about being called a pervert and getting slapped around on top of his narrow escape.
Unfortunately, the same luck didn't apply for his leg. After flinging himself away from the path of Su's contraption, he landed on his broken limb, causing a crack of pain to shoot up it. Keitaro yelped at the sensation, holding onto to the cast as if that alone would miraculously stop it from hurting. It didn't, and he could do nothing more than whimper at the pain.
"Keitaro?! Are you okay?!" The mentioned person looked up from his leg to see Su leaping through the open doorway and then on top of him. He let out an "oof" of discomfort when she bowled him over, landing on his stomach as the two of them stopped. "You're not dead, are yas?"
"Erghh...I don't think so..." He slowly sat up, forcing Su to scramble off of him and to his side. "But what the heck was that, Su? What crazy contraption did you come up with now?" He paused for a moment before asking anxiously, "And am I any part of it?"
She grinned proudly at his recognition. "That little ol' thing? That's my new invention, the Tamago Waxer-Daxer! Or TWD for short!" She waved her arms around, trying to dramatize the moment. "Since you got your leg broken, you can't wax the floors, right? So I though I could help by making something that could it for yas! Ain't it the cooliest?!
Keitaro patted her on the head like he would a family pet. Strangely enough, Su reacted to the attention as Tama would, craning her neck and giving off what could only be considered a purr. "Urm, it's very...nice, Su. But...don't you think that it's a tad too big to use?"
She tilted her head. "How can anything be too big?"
He sighed. "Forget it. Just..." He waved his hand vaguely in the direction of the hallway. "Just tell me where you parked the thing."
"Park?"
"You did turn it off, didn't you? Or at least stop-"
A crash and a girlish scream was his swift (and unwanted) answer.
The two scuttled out of the room to see the TWD buried halfway into the stairway's wall with Sarah, Keitaro's young American charge, plastering herself right next to it. On another note, Keitaro thought absently, at least the floor's all shiny and smooth now. It seemed like Su's invention had done what it was supposed to do, even if it did cause more trouble that it was worth.
Su yelled in joy at the sight of her friend and jumped over to her. The two bickered with each other over the safety of Su's newest tool as Keitaro made his way over to the brand new hole created. He sighed. It wasn't easy to fix these things; he would know, he had to patch every hole made by his forced exits via the girls. Still, at least he could do something to help out around the inn. Turning to the friends, he said, "C'mon, guys, get downstairs. I'm sure Shinobu has breakfast all ready for us.
Su stopped in mid-sentence. A fervent look in her eye, she let out a call of "breakfast!" before vanishing down the stairs. Keitaro laughed silently at her reaction. It was amazing what effect any word associated with food had on her. A moment after he began to follow her, a tug on his shirt forced him to stop and turn around. Sarah was standing there, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.
"Hey, dork, aren't you gonna get rid of that thing. You know how dangerous it is to leave Su's stuff laying about."
He sighed. "Her stuff's gonna be dangerous if I move it now or later. Right now I wanna eat. I'd rather have a full stomach before being blown to bits if it makes any difference to you."
"Yeah, yeah," she scoffed. "Just make sure you get rid of it soon or I'll give you a beating you'll never forget."
"Yes ma'am." She nodded curtly at his submission and then ran down the stairs too. Keitaro sighed again. Threatened by someone only half his age? It was sad but in its own twisted way, cute. He was getting used to the young American's threats, and by now he could now tell when she was joking or not. If she did actually beat him up, it was usually either a tag-team attack by her and Su, or a bonk with one of her numerous archaeological pottery. More than likely one smack to his face or rear. Shaking his head, he followed after the two before entering the kitchen.
Inside he saw Shinobu, the indigo-haired girl who had a huge crush on him (though he was too dense to know this), quietly stirring a pot of miso soup. Hearing the young man come, she lifted her view from the morning meal and gave her sempai a dazzling smile. "Good morning, sempai!"
"Mornin', Shinobu," he smiled back. "You seem bright and cheery today. What's up?"
"It's Golden Week," she chirped. "So there's no school!"
"Oh yeah, that's right." He sighed as he leaned against the counter. "Not like it would matter much anyway. With my leg broken I couldn't go to school even if I wanted to."
Shinobu looked at him sympathetically. "Oh, don't worry, sempai. I'm sure it won't be long. You'll see! I'll bet that cast will be off before you know it!"
Keitaro smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Shinobu; at least I have you to always root for me." She blushed at his compliment before making herself focus back on breakfast. A thought occurred to him at that moment. He looked around, the silence and lack of vitality only confirming his notion. "Hey, Shinobu?" She looked at him and smiled in acknowledgement. "Where's everyone else? Usually things would be bustling with activity right now, but so far I've seen Su and Sarah."
"Oh! Ummm..." She let go of the ladle and put the same hand to her chin, an expression of thoughtfulness on her face that Keitaro couldn't help but find adorable. "Kitsune's out barhopping again..." He gave her a look to which she could only giggle and shrug. "Motoko went to her kendo meeting, and Naru and Mutsumi are out with some friends."
"Really..." His heart let out a small pang at hearing Naru's name but he quickly shoved the feeling of sorrow down before it could make an appearance on his face. He didn't want to worry sweet Shinobu with his personal problems. It wouldn't be right. "Well...thanks, Shinobu."
As he made his way out, Shinobu's calling out to him made him stop and look over his shoulder. "Breakfast will be ready in a moment, sempai. Oh, and before I forget..." She walked over to the fridge and took a piece of paper off of it. Heading back, she handed it over to Keitaro. "Haruka called and said you have to meet with your doctor for your leg. The time's on there."
Looking down, he read that his appointment was at 1:00 PM. Huh, only a few hours away, he thought. Well, at least it would give him time to fix the mess Su had created. "Thanks again, Shinobu," he smiled. He tucked the note into his pocket and then left the kitchen to go sit in the lobby on one of the couches strewn about. Sighing, he collapsed onto the lumpy cushions and sank into them. Just another ordinary day, just another plain day.
And yet...that dream. It brought such an ominous feeling to his heart, mind, and soul. What did it mean? What would it bring? How would it affect his life and the people surrounding him?
Only fate knew the answer.
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"Well, Keitaro, your leg seems to be mending just fine." The doctor took the x-ray just taken and placed it on the viewing screen. "It's amazing," he said pensively, cupping his chin. "Just a month ago your leg was in nothing but pieces. And now, with absolutely no surgery, you have only one major fracture right below your knee. I must admit; your resilience is quite astounding. Are you store you won't let me test this supposed invulnerability of yours?"
"Ahahaha..." Keitaro scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I'm quite sure. I get experimented on enough by one of my tenants, thank you very much."
"Pity..." he sighed in disappointment. "Anything else you would like to know?"
"Yeah, how much longer do I have to wear this cast?"
"Well, if I had just seen your injury I would say only a few more weeks." Keitaro's face lit up in delight. "However..." It drooped back down. "Considering I know the severity of your injury, I can't in good conscious allow you to take it off so early. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait out the remainder of the two months.
Keitaro sighed in displeasure. Another two months? Sure, it was better than not being able to use his leg ever again, but it still wasn't helpful when it came to the jobs assigned to him as the landlord. Well, it wasn't like he could do anything about it. All he could do was listen to the doctor's advice and wait until it was certain that his leg was healed.
"Thanks, Doctor Chikei. Anything else I need to know or am I allowed to go now?"
"Yes, we're done now. I'm going to look over your x-rays and if I find anything interesting I'll call you, okay?" Keitaro smiled in gratitude and hopped off of the examination table. He shook hands with Chikei and was about to leave the examination room when the doctor spoke up. "Oh, and don't forget to pick up your pet. She's with Makie at the moment."
"Thank you again, doc." Chikei smiled back at him and turned around to study Keitaro's file once again. Keitaro walked out of the room and down the hall to where the reception room was. There he saw his small turtle friend and residential mascot of Hinata House resting on a young woman's shoulder. He looked over the scene with a sense of merriment and comfort. The woman was currently sitting behind a counter and typing on a computer, apparently putting down some of the various hospital information into it.
She was quite a pretty girl. Her shortly cropped blazing red hair was easily the most unique aspect of her. Then again, the way her bright green eyes scrunched up as she focused on the task at hand could also be considered very cute. All in all, Keitaro thought her to be one of the more beautiful examples of her gender. He shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts. It wasn't kind or polite to think such things of his friend.
He chuckled at how he berated himself and shambled over to the two. "Hey, Makie."
The young lady glanced up and, when noticing whom it was, smiled brilliantly. "Hi, Keitaro. Your appointment with Doctor Chikei over already?"
"Yeah, I'm here to pick up Tama-chan." He bowed his head in embarrassment. "Sorry you had to watch her like this. She's just seemed so attached to me lately. She hasn't left me alone since I first got out of the hospital."
Makie giggled at his guilty expression. "Aww, don't worry, she was a total sweetheart." She leaned her head near the turtle and nuzzled Tama with her cheek. "Weren't you, little Tama?"
"Myuh," she cooed in reply.
Makie giggled again and Keitaro smiled. He couldn't help it after seeing that heart-warming show of affection. Fleetingly he thought how it would be nice if any girl would show the same kind of adoration to him as Makie did to the tiny turtle. The idea passed in nothing flat, effectively wiping itself from Keitaro's train of thought before he had the chance to brood on it.
"I'm sorry anyways," he apologized again. Extending his hand towards her shoulder, he motioned to the reptile stationed on it. "C'mon, Tama-chan, we've got to get home." He grimaced after a moment's thought. "It's my turn to clean the toilet and the girls will kill me if I'm late." The last part wasn't true but it might as well as been. The last time it was his duty to clean he had managed to walk in on Naru yet again as she was taking care of her business. Rather than punch Keitaro into the next cosmos, she had allowed him to scour the toilet clean...by using his head as a mop. He swore he could still feel the grime that had coated his face and hair.
Tama nodded lazily and crawled up his arm to lie out on his head. Giving him a compassionate look, Makie replied, "That sucks. You own your own inn and yet you still have to do all of the chores." She tapped her temple and gave a frown. "With a broken leg even."
He shrugged. "It's okay. It's the least I can do for all the trouble I cause them. Besides, I should consider lucky that they even allow me to stay. After all, to them..." His voice darkened with distress. "I'm nothing but a stupid pervert."
"Now that's not true and you know it," Makie interrupted. She stood up from her position and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I realize I haven't known you for long but what I have seen paints a very nice picture of you. You're kind and sweet and considerate and obviously care a whole lot for those friends of yours who you think couldn't give a damn about you." She put on a sly grin not unlike Kitsune's, the self-proclaimed "fox" of Hinata House. "And you're also a very cute little boy. If you're not careful and watch yourself, I might fall for you..."
Keitaro's face burst into a furious crimson. "M-M-Makie!" He stuttered in unbound embarrassment. "D-don't joke around like that!"
"I'm sorry..." she laughed, ignoring the stares being directed at them after Keitaro's flare-up. "But it cheered you up, didn't it?" He nodded, albeit a bit in irritation. He was teased often enough by his tenants without needing a new person to do so too. "See? In any case, what I'm trying to say is that you're a good person, Keitaro Urashima, and don't you ever change or think otherwise."
His blush subdued, he gave a small smile. "Okay, thanks, Makie. See ya soon."
"Buh-bye, Keitaro," she crooned back at him. She giggled, a tinkling tone in her voice at the flush that reappeared on his face. He waved goodbye and then walked out the hospital's main doors.
Makie Kijin. She had been the nurse to take care of him since his accident at Nihon Budoken Hall. Keitaro was surprised when he found out that such a young (and gorgeous) lady would be his caretaker during his stay. Of course, due to his history with all females, he was afraid of how she would react to his background. Imagine his surprise when the first words out of her mouth after reading his records were, "So I take it you're quite the ladies' man?"
He was happy to find that her personality was bubbly, amiable girl who had become an invaluable friend to him. They spent a lot of their time together talking about each other's lives. Keitaro discovered that she was a graduate student and had just begun her job as a nurse only a few months before his accident. As a matter of fact, her first major "nursing" job was the young man himself, so she had thrown herself into it with gusto, making sure that Keitaro enjoyed his forced visit as much as possible.
He smiled. Although she was a couple years older than him, she still treated him like an equal and not as a child. Makie had been rather empathetic after hearing his plight with Naru, telling him everything would be okay. Keitaro was glad that she hadn't just laughed him off; he needed a shoulder, any shoulder, to lean on, not to be ridiculed. It was fortunate that he had someone like Makie.
"Myuh!"
Keitaro was brought out of his reminiscent daze when Tama spoke and nudged his head lightly. He turned to the turtle on his shoulder, the ever-lasting smile plastered on her face as he did. "Huh? Oh, sorry, Tama-chan," he apologized. "Guessed I sorta zoned out there."
"Myuh!" She waved it off with a flap of her flipper, showing that he wasn't at fault. "Myu myu myuh?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," he responded. He had learned what Tama was saying a long time ago. He supposed being around Mutsumi, the Okinawan rose and "turtle girl," so much had finally begun to rub off of him. How else could he explain suddenly being able to understand fluent Turtlese? "The doctor said I won't heal for a while so I won't do any tiring activity until then. Happy?"
"Myu..." she cooed.
Keitaro sighed. "You know what, Tama-chan? My life sucks. My leg's broken, I haven't been able to go to the school that took me forever to get accepted in, and the person I love absolutely hates my guts. Could my life get any worse?" A muted snore caused him to look down at the tiny turtle, who had fallen asleep during his mini-tirade. He sighed again and chuckled bitterly. "Guess I'm just being a pessimist, huh?" Another snore unknowingly proved his point. He moved his view up to the sky. Still, he thought ruefully. I wish I could at least talk to her. Explain my intentions and feelings...
"Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen."
Shrugging to himself, he set off down the road to the nearest trolley station. On the way down, Tama woke up from her nap and was now circling around his head. Keitaro blushed at the wide berth and stares he was receiving from the people around him. A mixture of intrigue, awkwardness, and even fear focused about the young cripple man and his pet flying turtle as they ambled down the city's walkway. Keitaro had grown used to the attention caused by Tama whenever he was out with her, but it was still discomforting to some degree. Though it seemed like that degree was decreasing or he was becoming less conscious of it as he then began to strike up a conversation with Tama.
"Hey, Tama-chan, do you believe in dreams?"
She stopped circling and landed on his head. She crawled forward until she could crane her head over his and looked Keitaro straight in the eyes. "Myu?"
"I mean that dreams are connected to real life, that they can predict what will happen next."
"Myuhu?"
"I had a really weird dream last night. It was about my memories and how I wanted to lose them." He shook his head abruptly, knocking Tama off of her perch. "I just don't know, Tama-chan...I know it was only a dream but it...it seemed so real. I just can't seem to shake off a sense of foreboding, no matter how far off it might appear to be."
Tama closed her eyes and nuzzled herself against his neck. "Myuh," she murmured. "Myuh myu myuhu myuh. Myu myu myuhu."
He laughed softly at the way she put things. Imagine a turtle giving him a perspective on life. He patted her on the neck in return, tilting his head so as to nuzzle her back. "Thanks, Tama-chan. Nice to know I'll always have you to help me set my priorities straight." She peeped in reply. He laughed quietly again before stopping at the crosswalk for the street. Going off in his own dream world again as was his way to avoid the harsh ways of reality, Keitaro began to cross the street once the light changed, totally unmindful to his surroundings and their happenings. Only the terrified screams of other people, the screeching of brakes, and Tama's shrilling broke him out of it.
"Hmm, what is it, Tama-cha-"
The last image he saw was that of a truck barreling down on him. A sickening crunch, a flash of pain, and then all of Keitaro's world sank into pitch-black darkness, like light into the never-ending abyss of a black hole.
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--Crack--
"Huh? Oh no, that was my favorite cup..." Haruka, Keitaro's aunt (the term she so loathed to be referred to as), picked up the teacup that had suddenly formed a long, jagged fracture on its side. It had already started to leak the drink so she quickly tossed the contents of it into the sink before setting it back down. "Hmm...I wonder if that means something bad happened," she mused out loud. "Oh well, long as it's not me."
Fishing a cigarette from her apron's pocket, she stuck it in her mouth before lighting it and taking a drag. She snorted the smoke out her nose, sneezing a bit when it tickled. She grumbled at the sensation before leaning back on her stool to stare out of the window. Right in the path of her sight was Hinata House. Her mind wandered to the events that had occurred just recently within its walls.
Although many saw her as a stoic woman, not truly caring about anything in particular, she was actually a very astute and perceptive one. Haruka knew the problems that were happening between her nephew and Naru. She knew...but chose not to do anything about it. She wasn't the type of person to meddle in others' affair; more often she preferred that the two opposing sides would talk it out without any need of outside force. If the situation warranted it (which it did more often than not), she was more than willing to step in and calm everyone down so that life went back to its normal hectic pace.
Heh, funny. Reminds me of the days I used to work with Seta. Haruka scowled at the idea. Ergh, why did I have to go and think about him? Childlike basta-
--Ring!!--
Broken out of her quickly fouling mood, Haruka reached over for the impatiently ringing phone. Picking it up, she removed the cigarette from her mouth and replaced it with the phone. "Hello, this is the Hinata Café. Haruka Urashima speaking."
"..."
A smirk crept across her face when she heard who was calling. "Oh, really? What did he break this time? Did a building collapse on him now?"
"..."
The smirk quickly faded from view at the speaker's reply. Her eyes grew wide with shock and fear, her body rigid and upright faster than she could blink, the hand holding the cigarette numb, allowing it to fall from her unfeeling appendage. "He what?! But...how could he..."
"..."
"...Yes, yes. I understand. Thank you so much for calling."
She quietly sat back down, her face a representation of horrific shock and turmoil, and set the phone back on its cradle. How could this happen? Why would this happen? How...how would the girls react to all of this? Haruka bent over, burying her face into her hands as stricken sobs slowly wracked her body like the tide on the beach.
"Oh, God...Keitaro..."
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Shinobu looked up from the book she was reading. A sudden chill she couldn't explain had passed through her. What if it meant something bad would happen or, even worse, had already happened to Keitaro? Voicing her concerns, she said, "I wonder where sempai is? He should have been back from the doctor's a while ago."
"Who knows?" Naru answered. She had finally come home after going out with Mutsumi and a few new friends from Tokyo U. It was innocent enough, only a trip to a karaoke bar, but it was still fun to be back home among people she had known for much longer. More specifically, a person she had feelings for but would never admit it even if wild horses dragged her about. "That perverted little imp's probably lurking around a public bath or something."
"Now, now, Naru-san," Mutsumi giggled, her tone lilting and joyous. She tucked her legs underneath her as she sat next to Naru, her same carefree attitude as obvious as it had always been. "You know Kei-kun isn't like that. The only public bath he lurks around is the one here."
"Mutsumi, that really doesn't make me feel any better."
"Oh my, and why's that?"
"...Never mind."
"Oh, please...no more talking..." Kitsune groaned from her sprawled out, undignified position on the couch across from the two Tokyo U students. Her hangover felt like a living being was pounding on her head the tune to a heavy-metal band with metal rods tipped with spikes. Okay...maybe she was exaggerating a bit but suspend your disbelief for her sake, would you? Then again, no one could really pity her after the giant beer run she had just been on that morning. "My headache's killing me."
"Well, maybe if you didn't drink so much..."
"Oh, just shut up!"
Their argument was interrupted when Haruka walked in, slapping Kitsune soundly upside the head. Kitsune winced and tried to glare daggers at her assaulter, but the look on Haruka's face instantly froze it in mid-air. Her face was hardened, her mouth pulled into a grim frown, her eyes cold and unmoving like shards of ebony. Kitsune could have sworn she saw tear streaks on Haruka's face, but that wasn't possible...was it? Their former housemother never cried once for as long as Kitsune knew her, never showed almost any type of emotion other than indifference. So why...?
Su, as happy and oblivious to any situation as always, failed to notice the melancholy air that Haruka gave off. In her usual exuberant fashion, she yelled a greeting at the older women. "Heyo, Haruka! What'cha doin' here?! Don'tcha have to watch your teahouse?"
Haruka ignored the question, instead opting to sit on the arm of the couch. She sighed heavily, prompting the other girls to listen. It wasn't often that Haruka actually came to visit them except when something important was about to happen, like when Keitaro had first arrived at the dorm. "Guys...I don't how to say this but...I have some really bad news."
"What is it, Haruka?"
"Keitaro's...in the hospital."
All of them blinked. How was that different from any other day? Keitaro had become such a frequent visitor to the place the staff was considering making a "Patient of the Year" award just for him. The income from him buying bandages alone could put each and every one of their children through college. What she said next, however, blew their minds right out of the water, leaving them to gasp for much needed and unattainable air.
"A truck ran him over and he's now in critical condition over at the ICU. They're not sure..." She took a deep breath, forcing the tears back. "They're not sure whether he's going to make it or not."
If someone had been listening closely they would have heard a crashing noise. It was the hearts of all the girls, breaking together as one.
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"I...take it you're Haruka Urashima, Keitaro's aunt?"
The mentioned person nodded. Ever since Keitaro had moved into Hinata House, he had named his aunt as his primary caretaker had anything debilitating happen to him. This was actually a rather wise choice on his part, as the frequency in which he was injured would bring his mothers into a teary nervous breakdown in no time flat. With Haruka as the person who the doctors would notify, at least he would spare his parents of knowing about the satirical beatings he received on a daily basis.
"And who are the rest of these young ladies then? You can't possibly expect me to think that all of them are also his relatives." He gestured to the Hinata tenants that crowded the hospital hallway.
"They might not be blood-related to him but Keitaro is as precious to them as any family member would be. You can't expect me not to tell them if something bad happens to my nephew. They have just as much right to know what happens to him as I do." She wasn't about to say that each one of them was completely distraught with grief. The expression on their face and the atmosphere around them spoke as clearly as if they had shouted right in the doctor's face.
"Even so," Chikei sighed. "Hospital policy does not allow anyone other than immediate family to visit."
"B-but..." Shinobu burst out, blubbering as she did. "You let us see sempai when he broke his leg! W-why can't we see him now?!" She was quieted when she found herself pulled into Naru's chest. Looking up, she saw her older friend shake her in admonishment. Not being able to hold the tears back anymore, Shinobu let them flow. She turned around in Naru's arms and buried herself into her chest, crying her heart out.
Chikei couldn't help but feel guilty at the innocence of the young child, even though he was not at fault in the smallest sense. He rubbed his forehead, unable to ignore the sadness generated in the form of her tears. What had happened to the calluses that were supposed to have grown over his emotions? "I'm sorry but that was a different situation. His injuries are much more extreme than before. I can't just-"
"Doctor, please..."
He looked at the young woman holding a crying Shinobu. Her usual vibrant auburn hair was limp and dull, her brown eyes dark and sad. His heartstrings were slowly being plucked, and his brain was quickly following en suite. After one glance at her forlorn look, along with the ones projected by the others, he came to a decision. "Very well...I suppose I could make an exception. Keitaro does speak very highly of you all, so I guess that he would be happy if you were there for him. However...!" His raised hand cut off the relieved looks growing on their faces. "You must promise me you will not touch anything and also...you might not like what you see..."
With that, he opened the door to the room. The girls filtered in after him, each wanting to see what happened to their landlord for their own reasons. But, true to Chikei's word, the sight that awaited them was not a pleasant one. Keitaro was lying in one of the hospital's cots, an almost complete body cast covering his prone form. Wires and tubes were connected to him at various intervals; either checking over his vitals or delivering needed nutrients to his battered and broken body. All in all, it was terrible to behold, especially to those who were so close to the mangled person.
"So, Makie...How's the patient doing?"
Keitaro's nurse/caretaker/friend stood up from her seat by the young man's side, releasing the hand she had been holding not only to take his pulse but also for mutual comfort. "The patient's condition has stabilized. Unfortunately, he has not regained consciousness and there are no hints as to when he might."
"Thank you, Makie." His eyebrows rose when he noticed the confused expression on her face before realizing she was staring at the gaggle of girls right behind him. "Oh! Almost forgot to introduce you." He stepped to the side and gestured both of the two groups to each other. "Makie, this Haruka Urashima, Keitaro's aunt, and the tenants of his dorm. Ladies, this is Nurse Makie. She'll be the one to take care of your landlord until he is ready to be released."
"Hello!" Makie bowed formally to them. "It's nice to finally meet all of you. Keitaro has told me so much about you."
"How do you know about...?"
"I'm sorry," Chikei interjected, a flustered blush on his cheeks. "I also forgot to mention that Makie was also the nurse who watched over and took care of Keitaro after he broke his leg."
"You...you took care of Keitaro?"
"Yes, I did," she smiled back. It was obvious Makie was trying her best to lighten the circumstances for the girls. But from the looks they were directing at her, she could tell that her attempts were only hitting a proverbial brick wall. Deciding to go at a different angle, she clasped her hands in front of her and smiled. "You're all really important to him, you know? You were all he could talk about when he was here. It's clear you all hold a very special place in his heart."
As she said this, the girls felt a certain twang of guilt appear in them. Although for some, namely Shinobu and Mutsumi, the guilt was more along the lines of not expressing their more; for others, Naru and Motoko, the guilt was much more declared as memories of various bashings of their unlucky landlord suddenly came to light. In any case, each of the young woman standing there, save for Haruka who kept her usual emotionless mask on, couldn't help but harbor some sort of regret over Keitaro's predicament.
If the stated male could have been watching the scene at that moment, he would have been baffled at what he observed. Except for the worried and teary expression Shinobu had on all the time, the features of the rest of them were nearly the complete opposite of what they usually were.
Kitsune's patented "fox-grin" was wiped off her face completely. Instead, the corners of her lips were pulled into a grim frown, her playful, mischievous features gone. Su and Sarah's youthful energy seemed to have been sucked out of them, their bodies overtaken by the sorrow that permeated the air. Mutsumi's lighthearted and oblivious nature appeared to be nothing more than a façade. Her "true" face was that of a dead woman: lifeless, empty, her eyes twin pools of darkness. Naru's mirrored Mutsumi's, though remorse was the more dominant edge to her features. Motoko kept her face of apathy. However, her eyes held what looked like worry and concern, but it was barely visible to the naked eye.
Keitaro might have laughed at them. His usual lively and eccentric boarders looked like they were children who had just been caught doing something naughty. If it weren't for the fact that he was the reason for their mourning (a very rare occurrence indeed), he would've teased them saying something along the lines of them acting like him. This in and of itself was confusing but it was neither the here or now.
Doctor Chikei cleared his throat, causing the others to focus their attention back on him. Although this part of the explanation was always the hardest, waiting wouldn't dampen or lessen the pain anymore then if he said it out right. Instead, he chose to give a choice, hoping that it would ease the situation in easier. Most of the time it helped; he just hoped it would this time.
"Well then, now that we've gotten through the introductions..." He turned to his assistant and nodded. "Makie, if you could?" she nodded back at him and slipped over to the night switch, flipping it off and casting the room into darkness. The only light source was the viewing screen located above Keitaro's cot. Chikei shuffled through the file he held, pulling out a few x-rays. "Now, I'm afraid I have some good news and bad news. Haruka, since you're the top emergency relative on Keitaro's policy, I'll allow you to choose either one first."
Haruka sighed. Considering Keitaro's luck, what she was about to hear was a lose-lose situation. But true to the human race, she decided to hear the better one first, desiring it might put a more optimistic spin on the worse. "May as well tell us the good news first."
"Very well." Fumbling with the x-rays, he found the one he was looking for and slapped it on the screen. "Keitaro has suffered from massive bodily trauma. Aside from multiple lacerations and bruises, nearly all of his bones are broken somewhere. Both his arms and legs have compound fractures and the rest of him didn't fare any better." He pointed to the chest region of the x-ray. "Several of his ribs are broken, causing his..."
"I thought this was the good news!" Haruka cried out in dismay. She knew her absentminded nephew had gone through his fair share of grievances but this was beyond belief. The fact that he had such serious injuries despite his well-known immortality was more than she (not to mention the others) could handle.
"This is the good news!" Chikei responded. "Several hours ago his body was in even worse condition! One of the ribs had pierced his right lung, letting it fill up with blood; his liver was ruptured, his kidneys crushed, and his spine had snapped in two different places! Now, inexplicably, it's as if nothing had ever happened! Do you have any idea how medically amazing it is for the body to heal itself so quickly and flawlessly?! There's not a single blemish as to think that he was injured in those areas in the first place!"
A tap on his arm from Makie triggered his rant to wind down. He sighed at the embarrassing way he got caught up in explaining the ronin's injuries. Hearing that he was hurt like that and that he could have died or been permanently maimed was not something his friends needed or wanted to hear. Chikei coughed uncomfortably at the morose stares produced by the girls. "Sorry for getting carried away like that. I just wanted to say how-" The words "lucky Keitaro is" never left his mouth as he bit down on his tongue. After all, how lucky could a person be after being run over by a sixteen-wheeler?
"Ahem. In any case, physically Keitaro will recover in a few months. His resilience will no doubt be a great help to the healing process. So you have no reason to worry about that."
A sense of relief flooded throughout the room. The dorm's residential pervert would be up and peeping in no time. As if a giant weight had been lifted from their souls, reluctant smiles and tears of gratefulness slowly appeared. However, for one, she knew that the worse was yet to come. Haruka's grim frown wound itself even tighter, a feat not easily done. Her voice was low and soft, but the force put into it was enough to stop short the others' hesitant joy.
"And the bad news?"
"The bad news...is this." Chikei took another x-ray and placed it next to the first. This one was a headshot. Even the untrained eyes of the Hinata House Honeys could see the hairline fractures that traversed all over Keitaro's skull. Chikei pointed to where the fractures seemed to have originated, right behind his left temple. "This is where the problem lies. This blow to Keitaro's head has caused an undetermined amount of brain trauma to him. We performed a series of brain scans on him and found his mental activity to be dangerously low. It even went so far as to be considered medically dead. And since he hasn't revived due to any of our attempts, we are afraid that this condition may become permanent."
Haruka's patience snapped. Rushing forward, she grabbed Chikei by the collar and growled menacingly. "Enough of the medical crap! Just tell me what's gonna happen to my nephew!"
Chikei remained surprisingly calm and pried her fingers from his coat. "He's in a coma," he stated simply. "And to the best of my ability I can't tell when he might wake up. It might be today, tomorrow, next month or next year. Or..." At this he laid a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it.
"He may never wake up at all."
A/N: Hey guys. Thanks for reading the new story. Forgive me if I got any of the medical terms wrong. I just ad-libbed things I remembered from CSI or ER. I know the plot idea of memories has been used and abused by multiple authors but I've been kicking the idea around ever since I read Bugsy's "Love Hina - Memories" (who is a master author genius by the way.) Finally I couldn't take it anymore and decided to write one up. Hope it's up to your expectations. Anyway, I'll be updating new chapters every week or so from both my fics, "And Life Goes On" and "One Kiss Can Change It All" (now know as "A Moment Worth A Lifetime") for the next month. Hope you like those too. Oh, I also decided not to add an interview to this story. Sorry to those who actually enjoyed them but my mind can't handle the pressure at the moment. I'll continue to use them though on my two other ones, so don't worry. And so...please review, and remember, no flames!
Preview!
Next Chapter: Awakening
In the darkness of the hospital room, a lone heart monitor gave a small flicker and bleep as the statistics on it jumped. The person it was checking had slowly begun to revive, characterized by the sounds they were making as the slumber slowly fell from their body. Their limbs felt dead from so much time of unuse, and they struggled just to lift a hand over the side of the bed. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, the person strained the hand upward, the fingers reaching out for some unknown goal. Gradually, steadily, the patient's eyes opened up, revealing two orbs of chocolate. They were confused and astounded by the brand new world they had just awoken to...