Chapter 4

"Hyotei! Hyotei! Hyotei!" the war cry of a defeated team still echoed in his head as he rode in the back of his Volvo. He looked out the tinted glass windows of his car, the sky seemed to reflect his cloudy mood as it began to rain.

"How was the match Keigoboc-chan?" asked the driver trying to break the awkward silence.

"We lost," was the dull reply. Atobe just kept looking out of the window, as the rain poured down the road began blurry, a mere smear of colour, greys, blacks, greens all the colours you'd expect when driving through a suburb. As he glanced back for one moment he spotted something. "Stop the car!" he instructed, the car pulled to a halt, he raced out and into the rain.

A white duvet laid at the side of the road, splattered with blood as it covered a female not much younger than Atobe himself; lifting her off the tar road and into his arms he gently shook her.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, warm tears trickled down her cheeks, she was shivering from the cold, the bloodied duvet her only cover from the rain, her clothes were ripped to shreds and her body covered with bruises, both new and old. "Hey, can you hear me?"

All she whispered was, "Trickster…"

* * *

"Is she okay?" Atobe asked his mother Atobe Anne; an English born business woman. He stood beside her as they watched a doctor carefully examine the female's wounds as she laid unconscious in one of the Atobe mansion guest rooms.

"So far they found more bruises on her body than I have fingers," replied his mother crossing her arms over her black suit. "We've already reported her to the police but it'll probably take weeks even months to find out who she is and what she's been through."

"What do you think happened to her?"

"Rape, assault and a long list that ends with me suing the bastard that did it," assured his mother, Atobe smiled and kissed his mother on the cheek; it was well known where he got his personality from.

"Atobe-san," said the doctor, a male in his late thirties. "We're done; may I please speak to you in private?"

"Sure, is something wrong?" asked Atobe's mother leading the doctor out of the room and to her office. Atobe sat down on a chair beside the bed as the nurses packed their equipment and left the two alone in the room.

"Hello," Atobe felt like an idiot talking to an unconscious female, looking closely, past the many bruises on her face she was quite beautiful. Long black hair and pale skin now purple with bruises, she'd seen hard times. How long was she out there in the cold before he found her? Would she have frozen to death? Would she have died? Knowing he'd saved her life lightened his mood, she needed him. Even if it was for one moment, he was needed by someone.

Slowly she began to stir, opening her eyes she revealed a pair of sapphire blues eyes, it suited her hair and skin tone. At first she looked around aimlessly, but her breathing began to grow heavy, a heart rate monitor began to pick up pace as her eyes flickered around the room.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked reaching to calm her down, she pulled back and her tried to scream but her throat was dry, slapping away his hand she scratched him with her nail as she tried to run. Pulling at the tubes and wires inserted into her body she tried to run but her legs were too weak to even stand and she stumbled to the floor. "Hey," Atobe moved towards her and once again she slapped his hand away, pure fear in her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" asked a nurse running into the room, when she spotted her on the floor and moved towards her but the female managed to find her voice and screamed, lashing out at anyone who came near her she backed herself into a corner of the room, trembling in fear.

* * *

"Amnesia or more specifically in this case mind regression," explained a doctor. "She's lost all ability to speak, understanding the human language even the knowledge of how to walk."

"What caused it?"

"Human beings have a tendency to unconsciously block out unwanted memories and experiences from their past, my guess, she went just that little bit further."

"Is there a cure?"

"Only time will tell, but most importantly we need to create an environment for her where she feels safe, waking up with wires and needles inserted into her arms certainly didn't help her cause…"

* * *

Atobe peered through a small gap between the door and the doorframe as a nurse went inside and carried her lunch out, it was untouched, all the girl did was sit in the corner of the room, at in the end the doctor had begun feeding her through a tube but the damage to her mental state was so great, it further traumatize her.

"Has she not eaten a thing?" he asked as the nurse exited the room, he hated seeing her pinned down with a needle stuck into her body.

"No, she hasn't eaten since she got here, whenever someone enters the room she hides in the corner, the doctor tried to talk to her but she scurried away, Atobe-sama has decided to call a psychiatrist."

"More strangers will only make it worse though," Atobe pointed out.

"Don't you think I know that? More old farts looking down their hooked noses at her, real good it's going to do," she sighed and walked away. Atobe took one last look at her before he left for school.

* * *

"You ask," whispered Shishido Ryo.

"No way," replied Oshitari Yuushi as the two stared at Atobe as he smashed a ball. "If the fan club finds out that Atobe was scratched, they'd probably hunt the perpetrator down and kill them."

"Probably make it painful as well," added Shishido.

"Hey Atobe, where'd you get that scratch?" asked Mukahi, the red head was almost a entire head shorter than his captain but twice as energetic.

"Mind your own business Gakuto," replied Atobe coldly as he threw a ball in the air, Mukahi frowned in thought.

"Did you get a cat?" he asked, for the first time in years Atobe missed the ball.

"What?"

"Come on, I know the signs, you got a new pet and it scratched you so your angry," elaborated Mukahi, Atobe continued to looked at him as if he was filth. "Wait right here okay?" he said before running off.

"A cat?" whispered Shishido, Oshitari shrugged.

"I always pegged him as a dog person but looks like I was wrong."

When Mukahi returned he trusted a picture book in Atobe's hands titled 'Your first pet', Atobe rolled his eyes when he spotted the name of the Author 'Kukahi Mugato'.

"What's this?" he asked.

"A book, picture book for that matter," replied Mukahi. "Use it, follow it's instructions and it'll have its rewards."

* * *

Congratulations! You just got your first pet; your new pet will be scared and afraid of its new environment. Let it roam its new home and during this time keep a distance between the two of you, be there but do not communicate, let it know you're there and mean no harm. No physical contact of any kind during this phase!

Atobe sat in her room reading a book and pretending not to notice her, from her hiding place she stared at him curiously, still unable to walk she dragged her legs across while crawling, surprising, she made little sound.

Your new pet is now familiar with its surroundings, retain a small distance between the two of you, but now acknowledge its existence, smile, and wave or call out her name. Only when it willing comes to you on its own can you pat her.

As she continued to curiously gaze at Atobe he set aside his book and smiled at her.

"Hey," he greeted, slowly she moved towards him, always stopping after a few steps and taking one back for every three, Atobe waited patiently, she was interesting to watch as she prowled around the room. Slowly, but surly she sat next to him watching him as he fiddled with the closed book in his hand.

Unsure, he reached towards her, she flinched slightly and Atobe pulled his hand back, after a while of sitting in silence he tried again, this time she did not move and proceeded to let him pat her on the head. She giggled as she took his hand and began examining it, comparing it to her own; she held them up for him.

"Ahh! La nahh lee," she said, her soprano voice sounded no more than a child who could not speak. Atobe smiled sadly as he watched her fiddle with his book, the book mark fell out but he didn't mind, she fascinated him. As she flipped the pages she accidently cut herself and dropped the book, her eyes began to water from the pain as she held out her cut finger.

"Hush now," said Atobe softly, although unable to understand his words she understood his tone and wept in silence. Atobe raised the finger to his lips and sucked the blood; removing a bandaid from his pocket he bandaged the cut. "There."

She raised her finger to the light and examined it, gently poking the bandaid on her finger, laughing and giggling as she did. Atobe smiled once more, his stomach grumbled when he spotted the tray of untouched of food on her bedside table. Reaching to it he took one of the apples when he noticed her starring at him; he reached for another apple and handed it to her.

She held the apple in her hand looking at it then at Atobe, he raised his apples to his lips and took a bite, chewed then swallowed. She watched intently as he ate, looking at the apple she took and bite, aside from a few dribbles from the corner of her mouth she did extremely well for one who had forgotten how to eat.

"Monkey see Monkey do," said Atobe, be brought the tray and placed it before him, picking at the fruit and eating it little by little as she copied. "Come to think of it, I don't know your name; I don't think you know your own name either."

"Lee ahh lee," she sang softly, Atobe smirked and ruffled her long black hair causing her to giggle.

"Le ahh lee," he echoed. "Le-ah-lee… how about Lenali? The first words you ever said to me. How do you like that?" Lenali smiled as she reached for another grape and popped it in her mouth. "Lenali it is."

* * *

Days passed, the time Atobe spent with Lenali was what he lived for, the moment he returned from school and training he went to her room, every time, she'd be looking out of the window, searching for him and every time he entered the room she'd hug him tightly, as if afraid, afraid he'd leave and never return.

"She's grown attached to you," noted his mother.

"Have you found anything on her past?" asked Atobe but she shook her head.

"Not yet," she replied. "Keigo, listen to me, they ran a rape kit on her a few days back, it came back positive." Atobe swallowed. "We're currently searching for the person who did this to her, and Keigo," she looked her son in the eyes. "When we do, I'll personally make sure he spends life rotting behind bars."

Atobe never doubted his mother, she was the type of person who'd make a promise and always keep it, except for her wedding vows, those Atobe thought was justified by the fact she and his father never had much communication between them.

"Keigo!!!" exclaimed Lenali as Atobe walked through the door; Lenali threw his arms around him. "Keigo! Keigo! Keigo!"

Atobe smiled down at her, she'd begun learning to speak again having already taught herself how to walk, run and swear (with credit to Atobe), the colour returned to her skin and she the bruises disappeared.

"Hello," said Atobe. Lenali opened her mouth and imitated him but it wasn't perfect.

"Ello," she said, Atobe shrugged.

"Close enough," he sighed.

"Close enough," she copied.

"How'd you get that spot on but mess up hello?"

"Ow'd you get that spot on but mess up ello?" she said, Atobe smiled and laughed, although bewildered at first Lenali joined in. Days turned to weeks and there was still no word on her past, Atobe almost began to wish she would never be identified.

But one day as he searched for the single working pen in the Atobe mansion, Atobe rummaged through his mother's desk, she never minded, he was to take control of the company some day and it was good that he showed interest. As he searched he came across a file sitting at the top of a large pile of them which had fallen to the ground as he search.

"Shi-" but Atobe held his tongue, the last time he swore Lenali learnt it right away. As he picked up the files he came across a photo of Lenali, dressed in a red pink kimono along side a beautiful woman with long black locks and wore a black kimono. "What the?" he began looking through the rest of the file.