Chapter 8: Flashback

14 years ago…

"Gilbert, Zeit, um innen zu kommen (Gilbert, time to come in)!" Gilbert's mother called from the house, the young boy still playing in the snow.

"In einer Stunde (In an hour)!" He laughed. "Let's see if I can climb the old tree."

…inside the house…

"He can get a cold," Gilbert's father sighed, "He's been a bit moody lately."

"I know, Wolfrik. He's just saddened that we moved. Where in the world is he? He's supposed to be in here by now."

…..outside…

"I can see my school from here!" Gilbert giggle, his legs swinging as he sat on the unstable tree branch. When his mother walked out of the house, she saw her son and gasped.

"Get down from there right now!" She yelled.

"Alright, alright… I'll come down, mom."

The branch snapped, and the boy plummeted to the ground, breaking a few bones and crying out in pain.

"It hurts! It hurts!"

…..reality…

"It hurts! It hurts!" Gilbert woke up from his nightmare, sweat going down his forehead. He had a nightmare of when he was younger, when he couldn't walk without crutches. Now, he has to be in a wheelchair… He got himself off his bed, and into his wheelchair, going outside to the hallway. He then saw Roderich, and Gilbert rushed outside to the courtyard, stopping next to a concrete bench.

"So, it's you again." Roderich had caught up to Gilbert…

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to come out here, and"-

"And what? Get on my nerves?"

"Well, at least my father wasn't a drunk."

"Excuse me? How do you know about my father?"

"My father knew him at work. You father is a drunk idiot who doesn't care about anyone, especially you."

"Shut up."

"Why should I? What I'm saying is true. He'll forget about you in no time, you'll be here for a long time!"

"I've already been here for half of my life!"

"Well, you'll be here much longer then!"

Gilbert swung his arm at Roderich, and instead of hitting him, he knocked over Roderich in his wheelchair. He fell to his side, unable to get up at all.

"Good luck getting back up, Roderich." Gilbert laughed, going back into the building. Roderich just lay there, his glasses cracked, and he couldn't get up…

….

"He had what?!" Director Leonard was outraged by what Kiku had told him.

"Matthew had gotten into a fight with another patient."

The Director grumbled, and adjusted his glasses.

"Put him into Ward #234: the Psychiatric Ward."

"That can really affect a child! Are you sure about that order?"

"Yes, I am very sure. We can't risk him running away."

…..

"No! Don't touch me!" Matt yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to run from the Doctor.

"Calm down, we are just moving you to another room!" He yelled at him, dragging him by the back of his shirt. Matt bit the doctor's hand, and got away, running into his older brother's room.

"Alfred!" He yelled, "Wake up! Please, they're taking me away! Wake up!"

The doctor grabbed him, and took him to another room.

"Alfred!"

"Huh…?" Cerima opened her eyes, a dull pain in head bothering her. Was she at home? She noticed someone opened the window, and she shut her eyes.

"Mom…. It's too bright… go away…"

"I'm not your mother or father, Cerima."

She opened her eyes once more, and this time, her vision cleared. She was actually in a hospital, and, a man was standing by the window.

"Where am I? What happened to me?"

"You earned excessive head trauma falling, and hitting your head on the train."

"Oh, now I remember…" Cerima rubbed her head slightly, whimpering at the pain.

"My name is Kiku Honda, a doctor who works here."

"You are from Japan, correct?"

"Of course I am, why do you ask?"

"Because, I'm in a school program where I have to go to Japan when I'm older. I wish to be a scholar."

"Oh, then… Tokyo University is the best choice for studying. Excuse me, I must see the Director."

Kiku left, and Cerima yawned, she was very tired like she was yesterday. Wait, how long was she unconscious? It was nighttime when she was going home, now, it's daytime. She didn't worry about it, she just tried to go back to sleep.

'Things to do when I go home,' she thought to herself, 'Go see Ludwig, then, I'll save my money for the extra school programs I'm taking, including karate… then, I'll just sleep, study when I wake up, and just focus on tackling the rest of the school year.'

Cerima was woken up by the sound of wheelchair being moved, and she slightly opened her eyes, seeing what the noise was. It was just a young man going back to his room, who looked as if he was paralyzed from the waist down. He looked a lot like Ludwig's brother in a picture she saw...