A/N: Had a few troubles going along with this chapter but finally here it is! Hope you enjoy!

21 / Fantastic Lovers, the Remix Part II

The building was small, almost homely. It was a simple building, square all around, a small walkway made of stone going straight to the glass door, a large window by its side. There was a sign posted on the window that read, "Mizuno Clinic. Opening Soon," followed by a phone number and an email.

During his research, Okoba had found out, with some surprise, that Dr. Mizuno had actually moved all the way from Tokyo to Saga. At least, that's what the secretary at Mizuno's old workplace had told him. No one knew why she had decided to move all the way to Saga but with what Okoba knew now, it made sense. Dr. Mizuno had obviously seen that girl, that girl that shared her daughter's face, and had come to Saga looking for answers. But that was all speculation on Okoba's part. For all he knew, Dr. Mizuno had just moved from Tokyo on a whim, preferring the calm of Karatsu to the busy Tokyo Metropolis. Still, Okoba had an inkling that Mizuno moving to Saga was related to Franchouchou in some way, he just needed to play his cards right. He could still be wrong about everything after all.

For now, he gets out of the taxi, pulls out his phone and calls the number plastered on the sign. Then, he waits.

/…..

Aoi let out a small yawn as she glanced around the mostly empty room. There was the spotless desk, an armchair by the side and a large, rather bare bookshelf behind them. In a couple of days, the office will be fully furnished and then, Aoi will be open for business.

The loan had come through a couple of weeks ago but Aoi still had a long way to go. Aoi had yet to buy most of the equipment she'll need for the clinic, there was also the matter of getting extra chairs, more desks, more everything. There's also the matter of the secretary but Aoi figured she had to take care of the building first. The clinic had a few months to go before it was opened, after all. Aoi wasn't worried about the money. She had saved up for years for this, her own practice...her own…

(...but Ai was dead)

Some of the doctor's old patients had called a few days back, mostly to ask if she was doing alright while others asked her if she was opening her clinic soon. A handful of her old patients were more than willing to make a trip all the way to the Saga Prefecture just to see her. Her older patients had been seeing her for years now and weren't interested in changing doctors. Aoi had managed to talk down her older patients to find new doctors back in Tokyo, giving the elders names and addresses that she was familiar with that would take care of them. The younger patients, however, were a little stubborn but still, a few of them relented when Aoi pointed out the hassle they'll have to go through coming and going from Tokyo to Karatsu every time they had an appointment. Still, she was expecting a few familiar faces in the coming months once the clinic was opened and running.

Others called her, too.

They were the typical businessmen, some insurances businesses, scammers and the forgettable wrong numbers. All in all, everything was going well.

A part of her couldn't believe she's actually going through with this. Aoi knew that she wanted to open her own clinic one day, maybe her own hospital, but nothing had mattered when Ai had died. A clinic wouldn't be able to bring her daughter back. Nothing would. Ai would still be dead. And now, here she was in Saga, chasing her daughter's ghost.

Aoi didn't know why she kept doing this to herself.

(what was she looking for?)

Franchouchou were an odd group of girls that had made waves around Saga and were rather popular in Karatsu and Imari from what she had found on the internet. The girls were named Zero to Six, an odd choice of names if Aoi was being honest. Three was the one that had caught her eye almost immediately. The resemblance was almost uncanny. Three looked exactly like Ai, smiled like Ai, danced like Ai...at least, that's what Aoi kept imagining. Three was just a girl that looked like the dead Ai Mizuno, nothing more.

Aoi let herself fall unto her armchair, tired.

She couldn't keep doing this to herself.

That girl wasn't Ai. That girl had never been Ai. Ai was dead and buried and that wasー

Bring…! Bring! Bring…!

Aoi shakes out of her dark thoughts, letting out a sigh of relief as she goes to answer her phone. She's glad for the distraction, if only for a little while. Work had been a great distraction these years.

(and Ai was dead...Aoi had to learn to accept that)

"Yes?"

"Is...is this Dr. Aoi Mizuno?" the man's voice sounded nervous from the other end, coughing a bit as he finished his question. Aoi took a few seconds to react before nodding.

"Yes. Dr. Mizuno speaking. How may I help you, sir?"

"Ah, err...Dr. Mizuno," the man took a deep breath as if unsure of what to say next, "you, ah, eh...are you...are you taking any new patients?"

"Not at the moment, no." Aoi replied. "Are youー"

"I would like to talk to you about...a delicate situation," the man interrupted, "It's...it's rather urgent."

Aoi raised an eyebrow at that last remark, a little apprehensive.

Urgent matters were usually reserved for an emergency room unless it was a real private matter, the sort the man wouldn't want people to know. Criminals usually didn't come calling to the new gal in town, though, so that seemed out of the table. For now. Unless he wasー

"Dr. Mizuno?"

"Ah! Oh, yes...ah, yes...sorry about that...got a little distracted...for a moment," Aoi glanced at her empty desk and office before asking, "What did you say your name was?"

"Okoba. Shinta Okoba."

The doctor repeated the name in her head; not a name she was familiar with. Good. Or maybe not, depending on what he wanted to talk about. Aoi had the slight suspicion it wasn't to ask about her rates.

(was he one of the vultures that still remained?)

"I see...well, Mr. Okoba...if your problem is rather...urgent, as you say, I suppose I can make an exception. Why don't you meet me at the clinic? We can talkー"

"I...I'm outside."

"Oh! I...I see...alright...if you could just…"

"Of course," and with that, Okoba hung up, leaving Aoi alone with her thoughts once more. Aoi frowned, a part of her wondered if she should just leave Okoba waiting outside instead of letting him reopen the wounds of the past if Okoba was who she thought he was.

Aoi sighed. "Might as well get this over with…" The woman got up, threw her phone uncaringly on the desk and marched.

She hoped her assumptions about this mysterious Okoba, hoped with all her heart that he was just some shy patient and not a reporter in disguise here to sniff out a story that had long run its course.

Ai didn't really know what to think about Genji Kurosawa.

Her first impression of the guy involved him literally assaulting their manager and revealing that he knew that his dead sister was alive somehow, someway.

Aggression aside, Genji was practically an unknown. Sakura's personality was a total 180 compared to her brother's, who seemed to be blunt, antagonistic and quiet all in one. Kotaro, the girls had learned to handle, Genji on the other hand was a different matter altogether.

Saki had been furious when the girls made it back home after picking up Sakura from her little outing with her brother. Their leader had berated her for what seemed like hours with Sakura not even bothering to defend herself and Ai butting in once or twice (maybe more) into the conversation and saying a few things she regretted almost immediately. Sakura had accepted her punishment with a certain sad sort of grace, with her only defense being a rather lame whisper of "missing her brother". That little whisper had eventually stopped Saki in her rant, the ex-biker just letting out a groan and placing a hand on her forehead. They had stayed quiet after that, the sudden realization hitting them all at once.

Ai and the others had realized a little too late that Sakura's amnesia had caused the poor girl more harm than good in the long run. Sakura had forgotten herself for almost a whole year and now that her memories were back, so was the baggage that came with them.

The other girls knew who they were from the start. They remembered their lives, their families, their friends. Sakura, and Tae to a certain extent, did not. Sakura had been a blank slate the moment the other girls all woke up, unable to be anything but what Kotaro had told her to and latching unto that in hopes of recovering her memories. Their friend had been more worried about who she was that she hadn't worried about her parents, about her friends, about everyone, not like the other girls (minus Tae) had had.

Ai had missed her mother for the first few months before distracting herself with practice and work. Junko had accepted that her parents were dead. Lily accepted that she wouldn't see her father again. Saki had accepted that her gang was no more. Yugiri had accepted the passage of time. Tae had become more human, so to speak. And Sakura? Well, Sakura had just remembered her bad luck, her death and finally her family. Sakura did not have the time to get over the fact that she wouldn't see her family again and that baggage was something she had not had the time to deal with.

(Ai worries that it was this baggage that made her feel so down all those months back)

And now, Sakura had revealed herself in a moment of weakness.

The girls could trust Sakura but the same couldn't be said about her brother.

Once everything had settled down, Saki decided to give the guy a chance and Sakura had been ecstatic. It had been the happiest they had seen her in awhile, the happiest she had been outside of their concerts.

Away from Kotaro's prying eyes and ears, Sakura had called her brother using the mansion's only working phone, telling him to meet her friends early in the next day. Her brother had agreed in a heartbeat.

When morning arrived, Saki, Ai and Yugiri quickly met with Genji Kurosawa outside of the gate, the young man carrying a black laptop shaped bag next to him. He looked rather awake for someone that had woken up earlier than five in the morning. Saki went straight to the point, that they knew about them being zombies due to Sakura's revelation and that they were willing to let him in on their secret. The young man had just stared at Saki before nodding. Saki went on to say that just because he knew their secret didn't mean they could trust him fully just yet. Genji smirked when he told her that and said, "You don't know me and I don't know you. That's fair." Yugiri had just nodded with a smile, Saki had grunted and Ai had raised an eyebrow at him. Not the kind of response Ai had expected but it seemed fair enough.

Their meeting with Kotaro had gone well...sort of.

Kotaro had reacted just as Ai had predicted by screaming and pouting and getting annoyed. Genji had actually threatened Kotaro in the mix but it was obvious he had not meant the remark, at least, Ai hoped he hadn't. Sakura had chastised him of course but he hadn't seemed the least bit apologetic. Well, Kotaro's behavior rarely called for people to feel sorry for him.

Genji, as it turned out, was a freelance sound designer and someone like him was not bad to have. Especially if Kotaro ended up burning himself up. The fact he was willing to do it for free did not surprise Ai in the slightest, nor did the fact that Kotaro would try to fight him on the matter.

Their manager, despite everything he did and the weird way he went on about some things, was rather talented. He wrote and composed most of their songs and even had a hand in creating their routines for their dances. But Kotaro was just one man and he had plans to make the girls the most popular girls in Saga. he will eventually be forced to realize that he couldn't juggle everything by himself. It could take him days, maybe weeks, to get the lyrics going and a couple of days to get a song that fit, not to mention the dance moves.

If Genji proved to be as good as he said, Kotaro would only have to worry about the lyrics while the girls worried about their dance routines.

Ai glanced at Genji as he took out a laptop, it was a pink laptop surprisingly enough. It looked used, the color almost draining into a pale pink. Sakura seemed to recognize it almost instantly, smiling a bit. "Oh! My old laptop!"

Genji smirked. "Yep. The old reliable. Hasn't failed me yet…" He opened a few folders and clicked on a few other files here and there, Lily and Tae watching with great interest while Junko and Yugiri showed a few degrees of confusion. Saki glanced at Kotaro, noting the annoyed expression on his face. Ai just listened.

The tune was simple, like water, flowing all over the place, calm, cool, collected. Like ice. The next track was on fire, marching fast, beating drums, beating sticks. Third track was in between, calm one minute and calm the next. All in all, they were good.

Kotaro just scoffed. "That's it?"

Genji smirked his way, looking rather smug. "That's a preview, man...here, I'll make something so you can stop bitching." Sakura just sighed, shaking her head as her brother quickly opened a program and everyone watched as it opened. It looked like your typical run-of-the-mill music creation software. The one Genji had opened, however, seemed rather complicated, Ai saw wavelengths, too much menus, too much of everything she didn't understand. Genji turned towards the girls and asked, "So...what of composition do you want? I'll make it short and sweet."

"How about something that sounds cute!" Lily suddenly cried, her childish curiosity ignited by the program in front of her. Genji actually chuckled at that and nodded at Lily.

"Cute it is, then."

Ai tried not to be too impressed by the end result just ten minutes later.

Okoba nodded politely as he was led inside the clinic by Dr. Mizuno.

The reporter took a moment to examine the woman; Dr. Mizuno had longer hair, the same shade of blue as her daughter's already a bit of strands were turning white with age. Her face was older, sterner, a bit more serious than he was expecting, her light red eyes seemed fierce but tired as if the years were finally taking hold. All in all, Dr. Mizuno looked like a more stern, less happy, version of her daughter.

Okoba stared a bit around the rather empty room. A waiting room, most likely, as Dr. Mizuno watched him, silent as if judging him for something he had yet to do.

"Dr. Mizuno…" he began, throat suddenly dry, fingers shaking. Okoba knew this could only go two ways; either Mizuno wouldn't believe him and call the police, or she'll just kick him out and threatened to call the police.

"You said it was urgent, yes...Mr. Okoba, correct?"

"Ah, yes…well...you see...it's about…" Okoba took a deep breath. "It's about your daughter, Ai Mizuno."

Dr. Mizuno's expression suddenly changed. Gone was the tiredness from her eyes, instead, they seem to light on fire, forming a rather piercing glare. Her mouth formed a thin line. "...Get out." Mizuno's tone was cold and calculated, eyes still glaring at Okoba's own. Okoba knew he was threading over broken glass and he tried again.

"Listen, doctor...it's not what you…?"

"What I think…" Aoi Mizuno began, seething. "What I think is that you vultures won't stop until there's nothing of Ai left...she's dead...let her rest in peace. Now, get out." Aoi pointed at the door and began to walk away.

"Ah! Doctor! Wait, Iー"

"I'm not going to tell you again! Leave! Now!" Aoi was yelling now, eyes filled with despair. "Get out!" But Okoba stood his ground, stepping closer but still keeping his distance, he said,

"Ms. Mizuno...I know this is an upsetting topic but if you could just let me…"

"There's nothing more to say!" Aoi cried back. "Let my daughter rest in peace! Now, get out before I call the police! Do you hear me!? Get out! Get out!" Okoba took a few steps back but still stood his ground. Noticing that Okoba was planning on being stubborn, Aoi turned away, moving as fast as she could towards her empty office, internally cursing for leaving her phone behind.

"Listen! Doctor! Doctor! I know why you're here!" Okoba said, causing Aoi to stop in her tracks and stare at him, bewilderment clouding her rage. "Listen...Ms. Mizuno...I know why you came here...there's this girl that looks like Ai...right?" Aoi just stared at him, her eyes widening slightly. Realizing he had her attention, Okoba went on. "She's part of a local idol group...Franchouchou...goes by the name of Three." Aoi finally turned away, expression lost.

"...th-that has nothing to…"

"The resemblance is almost uncanny," Okoba went on, interrupting her. "Three could almost pass as her twin but your daughter was an only child, so that can't be it."

Aoi let out a shaky breath. "...so…? What are you trying to get at…?" Okoba was getting confident. He could do this, he could do this.

"You came to Saga because of that girl's resemblance to your daughter, right?" The doctor just looked away in shame, confirming what Okoba already knew. "A few months back, I also noticed the resemblance between Three and Ai...and a few days ago, I noticed something very peculiar...their voices."

"Their voices…?" Aoi whispered.

"Their voices were almost an exact match…almost perfect side by side." Okoba stepped closer. Aoi was looking paler and paler with each passing second. "Ms. Mizuno…" Aoi couldn't bare to look at him. "Three...Three is Ai." Aoi, suddenly angry, face still pale, glared at him.

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Three is Ai." Okoba repeated. "She's been brought back from the dead."

For a moment, Aoi just stared at Okoba, face expressing anger, confusion, and pain all at once. The doctor shook her head.

"That's...that's…"

And then, Okoba was taking out a piece of paper. It was a picture. Aoi had recognized it almost immediately. It was from that calendar she had bought weeks ago. That creepy photo of the girls, disguised as corpses. Okoba was pointing at Three. Her head lay on the lap of Four, while the rest of her body was sitting next to her, all bandaged up, like a mummy.

"Your daughter was burned from head to toe when that freak lightning struck her, wasn't she? Her body was a mess." Okoba tapped a finger on the picture. "Three's bandaged from head to toe, too. Her body is seemingly damaged beyond repair, right? Or at least, that's what the picture tells us. But, isn't it odd that Three here is basically a mummy? Ai's body was charred beyond recognition…"

"That...that doesn't prove anything…" Aoi says weakly, feeling a bit faint.

"Three isn't the only one, you know," the reporter suddenly says, pointing at Six and then at Four. "Four here is a dead ringer for Junko Konno...an idol from the 80s...Six here, is the living image of the famous child star, Lily Hoshikawa." Aoi is vaguely familiar with Lily Hoshikawa's name and shakes her head. "Two's doppelganger died in the late 90s...her name was Saki Nikaido...Five's was a woman named Yugiri, all the way from the Meiji period...and One...One is a hit-and-run victim named Sakura Minamoto...she died four months before your daughter was struck by lightning." Aoi just keeps shaking her head. All the names, except for Hoshikawa's, are unfamiliar to her. This is too much, this is not happening.

This guy, this guy was crazy, spouting nonsense, whispering nonsense, saying nonsense.

"Dr. Mizuno…"

"...Leave...please, leave…" Aoi doesn't have the energy to get angry. She's tired, tired of the past, tired of the ghosts.

"Dr. Mizuno…"

"...leave...just...just leave…"

Aoi turns and walks away, leaving Okoba behind in the empty room.

There's nothing else Okoba can't do. If Aoi won't believe him, there's nothing else to do. The man sighs, pockets the picture and turns to walk out. He's almost at the door before he takes out a small card from his shirt's pocket. It's his personal card from Sagazine. He takes a look around, notices the chairs and the boxes nearby and lays the card on the top of a box, hopeful that Aoi will find it and then, Okoba is gone.

Ten minutes later, Aoi decides to go home. She's tired, she just wants to fall into her bed and forget this day ever happened. The doctor spots Okoba's card almost immediately as she's digging for the keys to close up the clinic. Aoi hesitates for a few minutes before grabbing the card, holding it, staring at the number, unsure of what to do next.