Mizu no Yakata
It was a nice day. The sky was clear and blue, an excellent day for hiking. Everyone would've have gone except that the police blocked that entire mountain since there was a fresh accident. Hiroto Suzuhara, a fourteen-year old hiker, went missing after he got separated with his friends. His friends, however, were able to find their way back home but they have no idea about Rakiel's whereabouts.
Suzuhara, on the other hand, found his way by a humongous mansion. It was starting to rain and he didn't want to catch a cold.
"Should I knock or should I shout?" Suzuhara asked himself. 'Whatever!' he thought and he knocked.
Knock…knock…knock
Silence answered him. Suzuhara stared at the door. He observed how old the door looks. It has a touch of ancient European art. For a while,Suzuhara forgot why he is there until droplets of rain started to fall on his head. He knocked again, this time with a lot of force. Again, deafening silence replied him. He is starting to get irritated so he kicked the door, achieving nothing but excruciating pain. Finally, somebody answered his summons.
"What do you need? This house hasn't been visited for many years ever since it was half-burned." The man with deep blue eyes said. His face pulled into a pout—expressing nothing but a miserable life.
"I would like to ask for shelter for the meantime." Suzuhara said.
"Alright… come in, boy. Go and make yourself at home. By the way, my name is Sonoda Mike. Relief yourself to one of our rooms." He said—fully opening the door.
"Thank you, sir"
The sun has risen up. It was 5 o'clock in the morning yet, a half-awake Suzuhara is already busy making up his bed. A light knock awakened his consciousness.
Knock…knock…knock…
Suzuhara opened the door. Outside his room was Sonoda Mike who was wearing hiking clothes.
"I and my brother, Sonoda Michael , are going to the forest to work. We do this everyday at the same time. You can act like you own this place. But, head my warning, boy. Promise me you'll not go to the east side of this mansion." He said. "If you still wish to stay alive…" he added with a hint of threatening.
"Sure." Suzuhara promised. I think that 'Sonoda Mike' added that last line to make me stay out of the eastside. He wants to hide something.
Something he would keep from a stranger, like me
Something I will discover myself
Today, he thought—smirking slightly.
He quickly ran to the door that leads to the east side of the mansion. When he opened the door, he gasped—not because of fear but because of shock that overwhelmed him.
That side of the house seemed like it was burned. It was repaired but was shabbily done. There is only a single room in the east side. He peeked at the room and when he realized that nobody is in the room, he opened the door at full-length. The room is burned but you can identify the items inside. He was observing the room when—
"How'd you get here?" a voice asked.
Suzuhara spun on the spot where the voice came from. He expected to see an ugly ghost dressed in a bloody-red shirt. Instead of the one he dreaded, he saw an astonishingly beautiful girl who is about his age. This girl is dressed in an exquisite white dress.
"I—I am a hiker who met an accident by the forest." He stammered, showing his wound in his temple. " I met the folks living here if I could stay here… and they agreed."
"Uh-huh…so I see that thou already met thy twin?" She asked with much air in her voice.
"Thy twin? Your twin?!?! What do you mean 'your twin'?" he explained, completely taken aback. Suzuhara looked more closely to Mako's face. Her eyes. Mike's eyes. It's the same, completely the same! He blinked to make sure that everything's real.
"You…Mike? But …how…? No…You're kidding, right??" he added.
"Would you please stop blabbering?!? And what kind of question is HOW? We were born on the same hour of the same day by the same person. DUH?!?! I just died. Does dying change everything?" she asked with slight annoyance in her face. Suddenly, her expression changed. It was kind of odd. From the annoyed look, her expression became hurt. "…I guess it did change everything…"
Suzuhara saw the ghost turned… err, drifted around. Suzuhara was having internal arguments. Should I comfort her…? She's still a ghost… Get a grip of yourself! He ignored his panic and walked towards her.
"It's ok, tell me what happened" Suzuhara comforted.
"Ok, my name is Sonoda Mako…."
Mako told him everything. That she died, that the east side of the mansion was burned, that she was trapped in her room.
"It's ok; I will be here, Mako." Suzuhara comforted Mako again. Ever since that moment, they continued to meet each other secretly. Absentmindedly, they fell in love with each other. They both knew that it was impossible for them to continue but they tried.
One sunny day, Suzuhara went to the nearby lake to ponder on his thoughts. After he made up his mind, he half-run back to the mansion to tell Mako about his decision. But when the mansion came to his view, it was burned to the ground. He found Mako watching the mansion burn away.
"Mako!! What happened?!" he asked while breathing heavily.
"I burned the house together with my brothers because I want to be with them…I love them… so much." She answered, her eyes filled with sorrow.
"Why didn't you wait for me so you can burn me together with your brothers? I want to be with you forever, too!!!" Suzuhara asked,hurt. He didn't notice that tears started streaming down his face. He wiped them but continued to look at Mako.
" I didn't burn you together with my brothers because I love you very much. I want you to continue your life. Please do it for me…" Mako answered with full of emotion.
Suzuhara, maddened with grief, collapsed on the ground.
* * * * *
Suzuhara half-opened his eyes. He couldn't identify his surroundings so he opened his eyes. He is in a white room.
Beep…beep…beep
The very annoying sound continued on that Suzuhara wanted to rip the machine apart. But questions in his mind hindered him. He groaned.
"Where am I? What is this place? Am I dead? I couldn't be dead… it's too uncomfortable." He said without stopping.
And then, finally, he saw something that answered his questions. He saw a calendar. There was a big red circle around the 19th of January 2000.
"What the----!!" he exclaimed.
He tried to get up but he discovered that there are some tubes taped in some parts of his body.
"What are these? Isn't there anyone who could tell me what the hell happened to me?!?!" he almost yelled in frustration.
He wanted to ask the nurse. He noticed a red button with bold letter that read 'call button'.
He was about to press the button when the door opened. The man outside the door is dressed in pure white lab coat—a doctor. The doctor opened his metal clipboard and looked at Suzuhara's medical records. Suzuhara peeked at it. He wished he hadn't because what he saw made his eyes open wide and his jaw to drop. The records read:
Name: Hiroto Suzuhara
Date Admitted: July 19, 1999
Illness/Sickness: Comatose
Doctor-in-charge: Dr. Ichinose Kaoru
Condition: Fast recovery…
. . . . . . . . . Suzuhara slumped back into his bed.
"Hang on, Hiroto-san. I'll just check my other patients." He abruptly said as he left the room.
I want to know more about my condition, he thought as he reached the red button. He pressed it and the speaker said, "Just a moment… a nurse is on her way to your room."
The door opened and the nurse came. It was the face he knows even if he is asleep. She is Sonod