Hi again! So, most of you were really really REALLY angry that I had Tombo forget who everyone was. I get it, you all want a happy ending. But for this story to get there, our hero needs to make him remember who he was to himself, to others, and to her. This chapter might be the longest I've written for this fanfic, so please enjoy it! :)

Chapter 13: Stories of the Past

Five days. Tombo had been awake for five days. Everyone had learned of Tombo's amnesia and how, remarkably, the only thing he remembered was the accident. Aimi visited him every day before and after she left for work. Tombo was aware she was his sister, but the relationship they shared was completely severed. Nori, Kazu, Aina, and Lin all visited one time I was there and we all caught up later on in the day. Osono and her husband took Kimi to see Tombo once a day. Ursula and Louis came by twice, both times when I was there. And lastly, there was me.

Tombo figured I was important to him. I went to visit him every single day. I would leave before the sun came up and wait for him to wake up. He would find me sitting in the guest's chair, my head resting on hand and my eyes closed shut. Osono would call the hospital to tell me if I had a delivery, and right after I came back to him. We said our goodbyes before Doctor Watanabe would say Tombo needed to rest, and the day started all over again.

I had just woken up on the fifth day. I had been counting the days that it had been since he had awaken, and also until he regained his memories. I so desperately wanted him to remember me, to remember everyone. We all had a special place in our hearts for Tombo, especially Aimi and me. What was painful for her the most was having to tell her little brother how they're parents died. It was a sad story, and I was in the room when she told it. I had never heard the whole story, mostly because Tombo never wanted to talk about it. It started out the second day he was awake…

"Aimi?" She had just arrived after work, and I was there after a couple deliveries that day. "So, you're my sister, right?" Aimi sat up and nodded, no smile in her face. I would be feeling the same. If I had a brother or sister who didn't remember me and they had to be sure we were related, I would be feeling terrible. "So, do we have any other siblings?"

"Nope, it's just you and me, bro." He smiled when she called him bro. I saw her want to smile, but she could not. Aimi was afraid, but of what I hadn't the slightest idea.

"And our Mom and Dad?" That was where Aimi looked down at feet. She didn't want to tell him the story again, but knew he wouldn't rest until he heard the answer.

"They…our parents…" She looked at me, and I nodded. I knew he needed to hear it. It wouldn't have been fair to keep it from him. I knew that from experience. When Osono and Ursula deliberately decided not to tell me about Tombo, I felt betrayed and wronged. She continued. "When you were ten and I was twelve, our parents were leaving to go to work and were going to drop us off at school, like any normal day. We were all in the car, and Mom and Dad looked so happy…" It was becoming more and more painful to remember their past, the past she now how to remind her little brother of. They were so young when it happened, and it didn't make any sense. Tears began streaking down her cheeks, but she kept moving forward. "We were almost there, if we had left earlier like we planned to things would have been so different," I placed a hand on her shoulder, showing my sympathetic feelings. "A car was coming the other way, not knowing what he was doing, and crashed into us. You and I were fine, but Mom and Dad weren't." She wasn't able to talk anymore. And there was nothing left to say, either.

"I…didn't know…" Tombo said. But he did know. He wasn't able to remember it, or anything else. I nodded, staring at my feet. There was nothing I could say to make that sound better.

"But you need to know Mom and Dad loved us," Aimi said, trying to brightened up our spirits, "They would have loved Kiki. I know it." I smiled at that. I always wished I had met their parents. "I brought some photos before that," Aimi began searching through her bag, trying to find the pictures she had to jog his memory. She pulled out a stack of pictures, showing them to him one by one. "This one was the picnic trip we took in the forest when you were eight. I remember you got mosquito bites everywhere and said you would never go camping again." She picked out another one. "This was when you became obsessed with flying. Dad took you to an aircraft show and you just loved how anything could soar like that." And more and more pictures after that came. She told him plenty more stories about their childhood, and then she got to one picture I was predominantly interested in.

"It's you," Tombo said, pointing to me. I was astonished. Tombo didn't remember me, but he remembered what I looked like seven years ago. I took the picture and stared at it. It was me and Tombo, flying in the air together. He was in his airplane-bike and I was on my broomstick.

"Yeah," I said, still confused, "how did you know that was me? I don't look anything like I did then."

"I just know," he replied, "Something told me it was you. And you still have that dark hair. And the bow is now around your waist inside of around your hair. Of course, your hair has grown and you're taller than this, but I can tell it's you." I smiled. He remembered. Something is better than nothing, and I was glad to have a part of him knowing me.

"I remember this," I said, "it was almost the end of summer, and you wanted one last ride before school began again. We flew everywhere, even over the ocean!" I was getting too excited, but Tombo didn't seem to mind. He actually enjoyed watching me feel contentment. My chair was right next to his bedside, and we stared at each other's eyes for the longest time. I had the sudden impulse to just give in and kiss him, but I restrained myself. I stared back at the picture one last time before handing it over to Aimi, who, for a second, I forgot was even in the room.

The time when Nori and her group came in, they shared a lot of exciting tales. "I'm guessing ya don't remember us, do ya?" Kazu said. Tombo shook his head. Kazu was more of a rebel and a street kid. It was hard to believe that Tombo and Kazu had been friends since kindergarten. They were as close as brothers, never letting one down.

"Well, how 'bout I tell ya one of my favorite stories." He sat down in the chair next to me and began. "We were fourteen; just starting school the summer Kiki came in. Man, was freshman year a great time or what?" He asked Tombo like he knew the answer. "Anyway, you were acting like a geek, as always. Not trying to be offensive, but ya dressed kinda like one. So these bullies come in and start, well, bullying you. I was the one who saved your ass from those losers and they never showed their faces on our turf again!" Tombo found amusement listening to Kazu's stories about their high school life. Most of them were about him saving Tombo from some group of kids who wanted someone to bully. I felt bad that I wasn't there, except for his first year. Once I left, it seemed as though things got worse. For him and for me.

"How about the time we went into the Dirigible?" Nori asked. Lin, Aina, and Kazu was excited to go to that topic. "Oh, man, it was crazy! We were, like, a hundred feet in the air. Maybe even a thousand! We were above the whole city, looking down at all the losers who didn't get a chance to go in there like we did!" Kazu was all about parties and having a good time. All his stories involved him and Tombo having a good time. I was uneasy about the next story he was about to give.

"How 'bout Prom?" Lin asked. I was anxious to hear that. Nori, on the other hand, was trying to stop him from telling the story. "So we all get to Prom and under my coat I hid a bottle of vodka to spike the punch bowl, ya know. Anyway, so I make you, Lin, Aina, and Nori distract the teachers there."

"And that's the end of the story!" Nori interrupted, "He spiked the punch, everyone was sick the next day. The end!" Kazu and I were suspicious about her.

"What's wrong, Nori? Don't want to remind Tombo about who his date was that year?" That got my attention, and obviously Tombo's.

"I had a date to the Prom?" Tombo asked. Kazu made it seem like Tombo was unable to get a date, let alone for Prom. I was interested in hearing what Kazu had to say, but I already knew the answer.

"Yeah! You asked Nori!" And my predictions were correct. Nori put a hand to her forehead and shook her head. I felt awkward after that. Even though Tombo didn't know my feelings for him yet, he knew he went to Prom with Nori now, which would bring up some memories I did not want to hear.

"Really? I asked Nori?" Tombo and Kazu were already acting like best friends again. Nori and I, however, just looked at each in an uncomfortable way. She knew how I felt about Tombo, but I wasn't sure about her.

"I'm a little hungry," I said, making an excuse to get out, "Anyone want anything?" Big mistake asking that.

"Sure!" Kazu said, "I'll have three cheeseburgers, one for my good ole buddy, Tombo, chocolate ice cream if they have it, and a soda."

"Would like fries with that, sir?" I asked sarcastically. Tombo chuckled, but Kazu gave me a rude look. I left the room before I said anything else. "Really? Nori?" I thought to myself. As I was on my way to the cafeteria, someone stopped me.

"Kiki!" I turned around to see Nori running after me. "Kiki, listen. What Kazu said, it didn't mean anything. We were going as friends, that was all. And it was years ago! I don't, nor did I ever have feelings for Tombo."

"Nori, I get it," I said, "And it doesn't bother me. Really." I smiled and walked away, knowing in my heart how much I wished I had never heard that story.

Ursula and Lewis came a couple times, both times when I was there. She was carrying some of her paintings in with her, and Louis was carrying at least three times more than she was.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" Ursula shouted, waking up both me and Tombo. I was not in the mood for a rude awakening like that after the story Kazu gave the day before. But I had a feeling Ursula would give a great story that day.

"Hi, Ursula," Tombo said. He was getting better at remembering who was who. Although once he confused Ursula with Osono and things weren't pretty. But ever since the first day, he never forgot my name.

"How're you feeling, sport?" Louis asked.

"Better than I was a few days ago, I guess," He replied. Ursula grabbed the paintings Louis had in his arms and placed them on the floor, out of view for anyone.

"So, want to hear one of our stories?" She asked. He nodded excitedly. "When Kiki left, you used to come to my cabin all the time," Ursula said, starting the story hastily, "You wanted to help me out a bit with my artwork, so I gave you a summer job. I taught you different painting techniques, like the ones I showed you, Kiki." It was true. When I wasn't working at the bakery or delivering, I would help Ursula with her paintings. "I kept working on that one painting, the one I should you with the moon and the birds and you," She kept referencing back to me. It was his story, not mine. "You wanted to help me, and this was what you did." She took out the painting I hadn't seen in over six years. The face was different, though; it looked more like me. "You painted that, Tombo." Ursula said, pointing to me in the painting. He and I were both astounded.

"I did that?" He asked, "There's no way, that's like what a professional would do."

"Well that makes sense, since you were taught by the best," Ursula said, whipping her back like she was a model. Louis and I chuckled in the back, but she ignored our comments. "You never forgot about Kiki, and she never forgot about you. That's all I wanted to say." Ursula smiled. She gave Louis the paintings again and they stayed only a little while longer before returning to work. Ursula and Louis had to plan what they were going to show in his gallery.

There were so many stories that Tombo had forgotten and that I was learning. In the six years that I was gone, I had missed out on so many moments that would have meant so much to me. If I had gone to their school, if I had just stayed, things would have played out so differently. But I made the decision to stay at home and train to be a master witch, but I stayed too long.

Kimi had great stories to tell us when she and her parents came to visit. Those two were like best friends. Nothing could separate them. "You and I had so much fun!" Kimi began, "You taught me so many games to play, like hide-and-go-seek and airplane! But the most fun was hearing the stories of the little witch girl, Kiki!" I looked at Kimi with wide eyes, and then back at Tombo. He blushed slightly, as did I. "What exactly did I tell you?" Tombo asked. I wanted to know the answer to that, as did I. "You told me how she could fly on a broomstick and convinced me it was possible! And how she had the cutest hair and the prettiest eyes ever!" More blushing between us happened. He really said those things about me? "I remember one story about how you took Kiki to see the Dir…Dir-i-gible." Kimi was only seven, so she had a hard time pronouncing big words like 'dirigible.' "Anyway, you took her on your bike that had a propeller and you two tried flying without a broomstick! Then, you two almost crashed into a car, but Kiki's magic saved you!" She was mimicking what happened as if she were there herself. Osono and her husband laughed at their daughter's reenactment of what happened that day.

"Wow, I never realized how much fun Kiki and I had back then," He smiled at me, and I returned it. I couldn't tell if he knew my smile was faked. I couldn't show him how disheartened it made me feel that he couldn't remember that moment. One of the greatest moments I had with Tombo.

"Well, I think it would be best if we went back to work," Osono said after a while, "Kimi, you need to eat your dinner and get to bed if you want to make it to your field trip tomorrow." She stood up and smiled, all her teeth showing, except the ones missing.

"Yay! We're going to the zoo and I'm going to see all the animals!" Kimi began clapping and running out of the room. Her father ran after her, trying to make sure she wouldn't get lost in the hospital. Before Osono left, she gave me a glance and said, "Not too much longer, Kiki. I need you to work at the bakery tomorrow morning bright and early."

"Alright, Osono, just a few more minutes." She smiled and left Tombo and me alone.

It was an awkward silence for a while. We just sat where we were, glancing at one another, exchanging smiles and going off to look at the wall and think about what to say to the other. Fortunately for me, Tombo was the one to break the ice.

"So," he began, "in the last few days, all I've heard were stories about my life that my family and friends remember, but that I don't." I nodded in response, and he continued. "But ever since I woke up, you've been the only one to come and see me every day and stay the longest, yet I don't believe you've shared one story about us." I looked at my shoes. There was a reason why I wasn't sharing anything with him. I knew he wouldn't give up until I gave him an answer. "Kiki? Can you hear me?" I looked back up at him.

"Tombo," I began, "I've been keeping the stories of you and me a secret for a reason. I...I just don't want to be hurt anymore than I already am. I feel…no, I know, when I tell you, you'll nod and pretend everything's okay, but in your heart you know I'm right. You don't remember any of us…you don't remember me." Every day that week, I wanted to weep over Tombo's lost memories. I just couldn't take the pain any longer.

"Kiki," Tombo's hand grabbed a hold of mine, "When I hear the stories, something inside my head hurts, like it's trying to remember what they're saying. And when I hear the stories with you in them, you're the only thing that makes sense in it." I didn't know how to respond. I just answered his question from before. I was sure he would like to have heard that story.

"The first day I came to Koriko, it was like a day gone wrong. At first, Jiji, my black cat, and I were flying, and I was trying to show off, being a witch and all." He laughed at that, and I continued, "Well, as I was flying I didn't see there was a giant bus coming right at me, and me being only a witch in training, I panicked. When I landed, one of the police officers was going to write me up, but you got him to go away. You said there was a thief or something, and he immediately ran away to catch him. I snuck away, and you followed me."

"That was the first moment we met," Tombo said. I nodded and kept going. "I wasn't too pleased to see you at first, and I tried getting you to go away, I said something like-"

"Just go away and leave me alone," he said. I looked at him, eyes opened, mouth wide. "What did you say?"

He shook his head. "No, no. That's what you said that day. Go away and leave me alone."

"Yeah, that's…that's exactly what I said. How did you know?"

"I…I just do. I don't know, I just remember someone saying that…" He looked me directly in the eyes, and leaned in slightly. I moved closer, closing my eyes. I wasn't sure what made him do that, but I didn't ask.

"Hi, Tombo! I'm back from work!" Aimi shouted as she walked into the room. I quickly moved back, knocking over a tray full of Doctor Watanabe's equipment. I picked it up and looked back at Tombo. "So, um, I'll…I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow sounds good." Tombo replied. I smiled at him before I left, leaving him and his sister alone. I closed the door, and felt like things were beginning to become more and more complicated.

So we see he's remembering one person in all of these stories: Kiki. But why? What's so important about remembering Kiki? Well, you all know the answer to that already. And the kiss scene...well, almost a kiss scene... I just wanted to spice things up a bit. You're all pretty mad I had Aimi come in right before the scene you all were waiting for, but it had to be done. There will be plenty of time for them to do all that stuff. But I really hope you liked this. I wanted you all to get a feeling of what Tombo's life was after Kiki left. And the Prom thing, well, I'm sure there will be more talk about that...

Anabelle ;)