After that introduction, they had become almost inseperable, though Nico was still a bit ticked off about the Nico-Nico-nii fiasco. It had been about four days since then so currently, they were on the rooftop once again, the idol group's live tomorow slowly creeping in. Eli had once again come to watch with Umi and Maki deciding to tag along.
She may not look it, but Eli had had experience in dancing, being a ballerina in her elementary days and all, so she decided to be the group's dance coach for the meantime. Eli watched each one of them intently, almost criticizing.
"Honoka, you're lagging behind and your movements are a bit stiff! Just relax." Eli instructed.
Honoka nodded with a salute and tried to catch up. A few more seconds passed before Eli's voice rang again,
"Nico, stop moving too close to Kotori! You're about to bump into her!"
"I'm not!" Nico whined while continuing with their routine.
"Focus, Nico." Eli replied sternly.
The time to take a break was warmly welcomed as the idol group sighed, exhausted. Nico plopped down beside Maki who was currently playing on the PSP she had brought with her.
"What'cha playin'?"
"Project Diva F." Maki curtly responded. Indeed, Maki was playing Project Diva F and if Nico's memory served to be correct, she was playing the song Suki Kirai.
"Oooh, can I play?" Nico asked like a child going to an arcade for the first time. Maki finished the song and faced her with her usual stoic face. She shrugged.
"Sure. I don't see why not."
Maki handed over the handheld gaming console and watched while Nico picked a song. When Nico picked a song that she liked (Of course she would pick Nekomimi Switch, Maki had thought), Nico started playing.
Maki tried not to rip her hair out in sheer frustration at Nico's noobness. She either was hitting the buttons too early or too late. The look on Nico's face though was enough to make Maki's annoyance rise. Her face showed sheer confidence, as though she was getting a perfect score.
Once the song finished, Maki quickly snatched away the device and saved before going back to the home screen, this time picking a different game. She settled on Tekken Tag Tournament, as it was her favorite since it came out.
Nico watched Maki with interest, mesmerized at Maki's exceptional playing. Doing combo after combo until she knocked out her opponent. It seemed like Maki had been playing for years.
Once she finished the match, Nico asked,
"Hey, Maki-chan, why are you so good at these games?"
Maki tensed, not expecting to be asked this question. "Uh, why do you ask?"
"No reason."
Well, if it was for no reason, then she can decline to answer it, right? Wrong. Even if it was for no reason, Nico would still bug her to no end. This was Yazawa Nico she was talking about. So she just sighed and decided to just answer it.
"Well, their is a long explanation for it. But for the most part, since I graduated high school when I was 12-"
"Wait, what?! You already graduated high school?! You said you were a first year!"
"Let me finish will you? And, yes, I said I was a first year since I technically am one."
Nico looked puzzled. "What? I'm not understanding anything. You mean to say that you graduated high school when you were 12 but you're still here as a first year?"
Maki made a face. "I decided to go back to school to escape my house more often. But before that, I didn't have anything to do so I turned to video games. Hours of video games really hone your skills."
Nico sighed dramatically. "You've grown up to become a NEET. How sad."
"I am not a NEET!"
"Then why haven't you gone to college yet?"
Maki slumped and turned off the PSP in her hand. "I can't decide on a course. I don't even know what to major, anyway. So I thought going back to high school would help me think."
"Okay, I can understand that much but what I don't get is why you want to be away from your house." Nico said. "Does your father have a gay lover or something?"
Maki's face flushed red. "Of course not!" She tried to will her face back to its original color and replied. "Papa's too busy with the hospital that he rarely comes home. Says that it feels empty without Mama in the house. He doesn't care that I'm still fucking alive and breathing."
Nico looked shocked because of many things. One, Maki's family owned a hospital. Two, Maki cussed and spoke bad of her father. And, three, Maki's mother is no longer alive. She decided to question the third one.
"Your mother's dead?"
"Weren't you listening?" Maki glared.
"Hey," Nico raised both her hands up in defense. "I was just making sure."
Maki dropped her glare and looked up at the sky. "Yeah, she is. Died when I was nine."
Nico watched Maki with concern. "Mind telling me about it?"
Maki's mind weighed the options.
Tell Nico.
Brush her off and change the topic.
Maki sighed. She really can't refuse now, can't she?
'Tell Nico' has been chosen.
"It's going to be long. But, I don't mind telling you." Maki smirked
"Bring it." Nico smirked.
Maki's smirk quickly dropped from her face and gave way to a melancholic frown. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, mussing it up.
"Where should I start?" Maki sighed once again. "Well, when I was younger, I used to play the piano a lot. Mama and Papa would always accompany me in the different contests that came around. I was pretty much well on my way to becoming a world-renowned pianist.
"It happened when we were driving home from a contest in the Kanto Region."
...
A car drove by the silent, still streets, the sound of its engine being the only thing that could be heard, as a family of three sat silently in their seats. The sun had just set, leaving a midnight blue blanket in its wake, and the stars shone brilliantly in the night sky.
A nine-year old Maki sat in the backseat of the car, smiling as she chatted away happily while her parents were listening with fond smiles on their faces.
"Woah, woah, kiddo, slow down there." Maki's father chuckled. "Save all your energy for when we get home. Then you can tell us everything, alright?"
Maki nodded her head, being the ever obedient child that she was. The car had gone silent, since Maki's chatting had ceased. Maki's mother noticed that the little girl still had boundless energy inside her so she thought of putting her to sleep, since the ride home was a still a long way. Now, telling Maki to just go to sleep would be futile, as with all children, so Maki's mother put in one of her piano CDs.
A slow, lulling tune filled the car as the mellow sounds of the piano flowed out of the CD player. Maki brightened up at hearing one of her favorited artists, and favorite composition at that, and relaxed into the backseat. After a while, a yawn was heard.
Maki was about to fall asleep.
The girl's parents smiled fondly as Maki continued to be embraced by slumber. Before she could truly fall asleep though, Maki's mother began to cough violently. Alarmed, the little girl shot up and looked worriedly at her mother. Maki's father seemed to be in a state of panic too as he stepped on the gas pedal, daring to go faster than before. It was a good thing that even in his flurry, Maki's father still was a responsible driver.
The path they were taking was unfamiliar to Maki but her father seemed to know it well. All the while, her mother was still doubled over, coughing into her hand. Bright lights soon came into Maki's peripheral vision as the words 'Nishikino General Hospital, Kanto' illuminated the night. Her father had driven to a Nishikino Hospital branch in Kanto. It didn't take a genius to know what that meant.
Maki's father quickly pulled into the parking lot and ushered Maki outside while he carried his wife, who was still coughing wildly, into the hospital. Maki followed her father, shielding her eyes a bit at the sudden brightness that attacked her vision. When her eyes adjusted, she found that the hospital was in total chaos. Nurses were running left and right, some manic patients had run out of their rooms, and her father had run into the emergency room. Outside, she heard multiple sirens approaching the hospital. People, young and old, were rushed inside the hospital on stretchers, blood covering most of their visage.
She trailed after her father, coming in to seeing her mother being hooked up to an IV. The nurse in charge of her mother was talking frantically into a professional-looking walkie-talkie. Her father was shouting to hurry up. The nurse from earlier nodded and they wheeled her mother's bed out of the emergency room. Their walking was rushed so Maki tried to keep pace as much as her little legs could go. The hospital was still in chaos so they had to maneuver around the nurses, patients and visitors in their way.
Maki was too focused on keeping pace with her father that she didn't notice that one of the patients was about to run into her. The collision sent Maki to the ground while the patient didn't seem to be fazed by the impact, going about to running who-knows-where. Maki felt her vision slowly black out until she lost all consciousness.
...
"W-when I woke u-up, Papa told me Mama could no longer be with us." She hadn't felt tears stream down her face while telling the story, but Maki was sure as hell feeling them now.
Nico's chest tightened at the sight of Maki crying. It just didn't look right seeing tears cascade down a face that rarely showed any emotion. Nico moved to Maki's front, hugging her. She was surprised when Maki showed no attempt at getting free.
"Maki-chan, it's okay. Your mother's up in some place happy with rainbows and fluffy clouds and stuff." Nico said while rubbing soothing circles around her back. "Everything's fine."
..
Kotori and Honoka ran up to Umi and glomped her. Umi turned red and tried to get the two off her.
"K-kotori! H-honoka!"
"Hey, Umi-chan!" Honoka and Kotori said in unison. They got off poor red-faced Umi and took a swig of their water bottles. Umi sighed and resumed drawing.
Honoka later on peeked over Umi's shoulder and her eyes widened. She turned to Kotori and tapped her shoulder repeatedly.
"Kotori-chan, Kotori-chan!" Honoka whisper-shouted.
Kotori looked over to Honoka and whispered back. "What is it, Honoka-chan?"
"Look at what Umi-chan is drawing!"
Kotori did as she was told and she let out a small gasp. On the sketchpad was a drawing of Honoka and Kotori, presumably when they were younger, in a very familiar playground playing on the swings.
"But, how...?" Kotori turned to Umi. "Umi-chan, what is this?"
Umi stopped and turned to look at her. "Oh, this? My memories are a bit fuzzy but I am sure that I had witnessed this before.
"You see, I was in an accident when I was younger that had caused me to lose my memories."
...
Umi's ten-year old self and her parents were riding a bus home on a summer night after a much needed vacation in both parties. Umi relaxed into her seat on the bus, her parents right beside her, as she idly listened to the light chatter resounding inside the vehicle.
"How was it, Umi?" Her father had asked her, taking away her attention from the chatter.
Umi smiled at him. "It was great, father. Though I did not think that you would have chosen the ice rinks and then the beach."
Umi's father rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I..uh..Haha..You got me there Umi. I thought it would have been a fun choice, you know? Something different. Because people go directly to the beach in summer so I thought we could go to the ice rink first."
Umi's mother giggled. "That's very like you, dear." Her husband brought up a peace sign and smiled. Umi shook her head lightly, all the while smiling. Her father was a goofball sometimes, but he meant well.
After making small talk about how the trip went, they decided to get some shut-eye since it was still a long way back. It was night time anyways.
The bus had turned quiet, what with everyone asleep in their seats. The bus driver couldn't resist the tranquil atmosphere and fell asleep for a second. However, that one second was all it needed to cost many lives.
Everything happened so fast. The bus veering out of control, it going over a concrete barrier and rolling over and over again, roughly bouncing with each roll, until it stopped, the vehicle upside down. Umi felt extreme pain in her head, as if it was about to split into two. She looked over to her parents to see if they were okay. They didn't look okay to her, though. Blood covered most of their stature and their limbs were bent in odd angles.
Sirens were the last thing Umi heard before she blacked out.
Umi awoke in an abnormally white room, a beeping sound being the only that could be heard inside the otherwise silent air. Umi tried to sit up but suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. She brought a hand up to her head and felt bandages wrapped around it. A nurse walked in and rushed over to Umi's bedside.
"You shouldn't force yourself now, dear. You had one mighty wound on your head so I suggest lying down for now."
Umi nodded, the action causing another wave of pain to shoot through her skull. She laid down and the nurse went out of the room to call a doctor. The doctor came in a few moments later, though looking a bit dishevelled.
"Sonoda-san, was it?" Umi signalled with her hands to continue, seeing as nodding her head would cause more pain. "The good news is that you have not had any major fractions in any other parts of your body, though the minor fractions will take some to heal. The body parts affected were your left wrist, both your ankles, and your left leg."
Umi looked to the aforementioned body parts and saw that they were wrapped in bandages as well.
"You may not be able to move for a while so please bare with it." The doctor's face grew stern. "The bad news is that you have had severe brain trauma and possible retrograde amnesia."
"Retrograde amnesia, sir?" Umi asked.
"Yes. Often caused by brain trauma, a person with retrograde amnesia simply cannot remember events that happened before the injury that had caused it. Though, people with this type of amnesia usually fall into a coma, I'm quite surprised you've already woken up." The doctor approached her and patted her shoulder. "You have a very strong will to live, Sonoda-san."
Umi, not knowing how to react, just smiled at him.
The doctor continued, "Don't worry, this isn't permanent. You will recall memories, though in bits and pieces, and you can still make new memories. You might not remember anything before the accident or when you were seven years old. I suggest that you find a way to retain memories that you have recalled so that they may be stored in your long-term memory again."
Umi thought about it and suddenly remembered something. "Is drawing the memory alright, sensei?"
The doctor smiled at her. "Yes, that will do. So I take that you will need a sketchpad, some pencils and an eraser?"
Umi nodded. "Yes sir, though I do not know where to get them. May I inquire where my parents are?"
"I... I am afraid that your parents are no longer able to walk this earth. I am very sorry."
Umi took a moment to process the information. "You mean, they're dead?"
The doctor bowed his head. "Yes, I am afraid so."
Umi tried to sit up again, ignoring the pain shooting through her skull. "Though, I am deeply sad of their passing, I will be strong for them."
Her doctor nodded with a warm smile on his face. "In the sort time span I've talked to you, you seem to talk more like an adult than I do." He motioned to the door. "I best get going now. You'll need a lot of rest and the nurses will come here every once in a while with painkillers."
The doctor walked out the door, going to attend to his daughter.
...
"Since then, I had drawn every memory that had suddenly come to mind and kept them in this sketchpad. When I saw you two when me and Maki were tailing Eli, a memory had suddenly hit me. I did not have the luxury to draw it down since Eli was about to reveal my...secret to everyone on this roof, so I decided to do it now."
Honoka and Kotori listened carefully to Umi's story, not one of them interrupting.
"I-i'm sorry for bringing this up, Umi-chan. It must have been painful." Kotori looked down, as though the ground was the most interesting thing in the world.
Umi smiled sadly at Kotori. "It's alright, Kotori. You have nothing to apologize for because you did not know."
Honoka was silent for the most part, taking in the information. She then spoke up, "Hey, Umi-chan, do you remember anything more about this memory you're drawing?"
Umi looked to Honoka. "No, not at the moment. This is the only thing that came to my mind. I am still puzzled as to why you two are in one of my memories. Though maybe my questions shall be answered when I regain the full memory."
Silence weighed heavily once again as two of the second years were in deep thought, one confusedly gazing from one person to the next. When Umi finally had enough of the silence,
"Uhh, guys?"
Kotori and Honoka stood up with so much speed that Honoka nearly stumbled. Honoka quickly caught hold of Umi's shoulder and regained balance. She put a hand behind her head and stuck her tongue out.
"Oops, hahah.."
"Honoka-chan, you should be more careful!" Kotori lightly scolded.
"Don't worry, it won't happen again!"
"I somehow doubt that..." Umi said under her breath.
Honoka and Kotori suddenly turned to Umi.
"Umi-chan,"
"Umi-chan!"
"Y-yes?" Umi stammered.
Honoka nodded to Kotori, who returned the gesture.
"We're going to help you regain your memories back! No mater how long it takes." They said in unison. Umi looked taken aback for a moment, but stood up as well, smiling warmly at both of them. She let out a little chuckle.
"I look forward to it."
Honoka's and Kotori's faces practically lit up in joy.
In their joy, they couldn't resist but kiss both of Umi's cheeks, making the latter flush a deep red. "K-k-kotori! H-honoka!"
Kotori and Honoka could just giggle.
..
Eli leaned back on the railings of the roof, took a deep breath and got her guitar out. She slung it around her neck and started plucking a tune. Not long after, she began to sing.
"Kitto shirazu ni, ita hou ga yokatta?
Sonna itami wo kakaenagara.
Nanimo iwazu waraun da mainichi
Wasureyou tto iikikasete,"
Nozomi approached her and listened to the song for a while, water bottle in hand. She leaned back on the railings as well, beside Eli.
"Arifureta kanashimi, arifureta itami to,
Koboresou na namida koraete miru hoshi wa
Itsumo yori mabushiku kagayaite ochisou da
Watashi wo shizuka ni terasu keredo..."
Eli noticed Nozomi beside her and instantly stopped playing. Nozomi straightened up after hearing that the music was no more.
"Elicchi,"
Eli turned to Nozomi. "Y-yes?" There was something in her tone of voice that made Eli stammer.
"Why did you stop?"
Eli looked away, a little frown etched in her face. "I wanted to."
Nozomi made Eli look at her again. "Why?"
The frown deepened, if by a little bit. "Can we not talk about this?"
Nozomi was a little confused about Eli's behavior. All she was asking was why Eli stopped playing the moment she noticed her. Why would she frown, then?
"Elicchi," She started with a much gentler tone, which made Eli visibly relax, though the frown was still etched in her face. "All I asked was why you stopped playing when you noticed me beside you. That's all." Nozomi thought for a moment.
"You must have a deep reason for this if you act like this for something so trivial. Would you mind telling me?"
Eli sighed and admitted defeat. She really couldn't say no to this one. "You want me to tell you? You better sit down then, it's a long story."
Nozomi did as she was told, sitting down on the floor, Eli following suit. Eli sighed and sat back, leaning her body against the roof railings, looking up at the sky.
"It was about six years ago, I was still doing ballet, and we were pretty much happy with our lives."
...
The sun shone brilliantly in the cool winter morning, Eli outside her house playing with her sister Arisa. Winters in Russia were often very cold, but this was one of the times when it was warm enough to play outside. Eleven-year-old Eli was always fond of snow. How it would flutter down in a gentle dance when it was calm, or when it would blow like a hurricane in blizzards. She liked all of that.
"Hey, Arisa! Don't run off too far! Mom and Dad are going to get mad, you know." Eli chastised her sister when she got too far from their front yard.
Arisa smiled at her lopsidedly. "It's fine, Onee-chan! I won't go too far."
With that, Arisa skipped and jumped on the snow, giggling happily as she did so. When she got closer to the sidewalk though, she tripped on a rock, sending her falling right onto the concrete pavement. At the same time, a car was speeding up to where Arisa was. Arisa's eyes widened.
"A-arisa!" Eli shouted. She wanted to help her sister. She wanted to push Arisa out of the way. She wanted to save her sister. But her legs refused to move. Eli stood there, waiting for the time when the impact would come. It didn't though.
Eli's father had rushed up to get Arisa out of the way, her mother on the other side of the street. The couple were on their way back to their house when they heard Eli's shout and a car horn beeping madly. When they were sure both their daughters were not harmed, they went inside, their father commanding Eli and Arisa to follow.
"What were you doing, Eli Ayase?! You could clearly see your sister out on the road! A car was even speeding towards her! What the fuck do you think you were doing?!" Her father had shouted at Eli in the living room. Her father made Arisa go upstairs to their shared bedroom, probably not wanting her to hear him beat Eli, again.
Eli visibly flinched at the curse word thrown at her. But she wouldn't back down, like she always did. She's learned that when she doesn't fight back, her father diverts his attention to Arisa, which was, to say the least, not pleasant at all.
Eli adopted a cold look and answered, "What does it matter to you? You don't care about us anyway." Eli's father became red-faced with rage.
"Don't speak to me like that young lady! I am your father and therefore should be treated as such!"
Eli smirked coldly. "Really? Wow, I didn't even notice. Such things do happen, no?" Her father looked like he was about to explode. "What's wrong, father? Did you eat chili peppers for breakfast? You look like you're about to blow a gasket there." Eli feigned concern. It sounded like sarcasm, really.
"Eli, please, stop it. Please, just apologize to your father. Please." Her mother pleaded with her. Eli faced her mother angrily.
"What? You want me to apologize to this oaf?" Eli gestured to her father. "Every time I do something, he always finds a way to punish me for things I didn't do!"
Eli's father finally snapped. Right on cue, Eli thought. "That's it. I don't know why I still kept you around, you little bitch, but it's over now." He angrily shoved Eli to the door. "Out! You are not an Ayase anymore! Get the fuck out of my house!" He screamed.
Arisa overheard what had transpired and ran down the stairs, crying. "Mom! Dad! Are you really going to make Onee-chan leave?" Her father's face softened, even by a little, by the appearance of Arisa. He'd always favored her over Eli, though Eli didn't get jealous over it. Her sister was just too kind and gentle to be hated."
"This," Their father gestured to Eli. "Is no longer your sister, Arisa dear. We're kicking her out." At the announcement, Arisa burst into tears.
"No, no! Dad, please don't make Onee-chan leave!" Arisa cried.
Her pleas were ignored though, as their father shouted once more. "You go up to your room, pack your things, and leave. You got it?"
Eli smiled mockingly. "As clear as a bell, father dearest." She laughed as she sprinted up to their room. She grabbed the biggest backpack she get her hands on, threw all the clothes she could fit inside haphazardly, as well as some of her prized possessions, and grabbed her guitar from her side of the room. She went back downstairs, where her (once) family still was. Her father was looking rather pleased with himself, her mother and sister sharing the same look of sorrow.
Eli wanted to cry. She really was going, wasn't she? She didn't let herself cry though, as this would only make her father feel victory so she feigned excitement about leaving. She mustered up the most mocking smile she could make and looked at her father.
"Well then, big oaf I once called my father, mother, Arisa, I'm off. Hell knows I won't miss you, father. But I'll miss both mother and Arisa." She exited the house and walked until her house was out of sight. She sat down on the cold pavement and cried her heart out. In the midst of her crying, a blizzard suddenly kicked in. Eli was all alone on the sidewalk, crying to herself, as the blizzard raged on.
She'd really done it this time.
...
"A-a-and then... after that I-" Eli choked. When had she started crying? When had Nozomi started to hug her?
"Elicchi... I'm sorry for asking about this. I didn't know it would hurt this much." Nozomi was pained to see Eli crying. "You can tell me the rest some other time, okay? For now, we'll cancel practice."
Eli immediately lifted her head up. "B-but, Nozomi, y-you're Live. It's tomorrow, i-isn't it? You can't cancel now."
"Elicchi, you've already practiced us to perfection. We can do it. Just believe in us." Nozomi smiled at her. "You will come to watch, right?"
Eli shakily smiled. "I-i will. I promise."
