Well, I was on a bit of a roll, and I managed to write this chapter a little quicker than expected, so here it is! Enjoy!
Rule: Don't get side-tracked. Do what you came here to do, then leave.
Easy enough, but what she came here to do was more of an abstract concept anyway. Recovering memories was not the same thing as retrieving a vase or some shipment of weapons. But she'd try anyway. She tip-toed carefully into what had probably been the kitchen. It was small and falling apart. The oven was still there, nestled underneath dusty counters, and there was an empty space where a fridge would have once stood. She walked over to the taps near the sink, and sure enough, no water came out. The kitchen windows were boarded up, so she couldn't see outside. She grimaced at the dust, felt the need to clean it up, but she couldn't. Don't get side-tracked. She had to hurry. Besides, from what she knew, she wouldn't have been in the kitchen anyway. In the first place, she had no clue how to cook back then. In the second place, Natsuki wouldn't have allowed her. No, the place she had to look was the bedroom. That's where she had been back then, anyway. In a bedroom.
"Upstairs it is." She said aloud to herself, just to make sure she was still awake. And then she found herself wandering into some sort of dining room, stripped bare of furniture. Instantly, she face palmed. This was a huge house- almost a mansion. Of course getting to the stairs wouldn't be simple task.
Rule: Keep going unless there is no other option.
She had time, and she wasn't tired despite not having slept. She'd manage just fine. And that's exactly what she would do. So she continued on, hoping to eventually find the room. And with it, some answers.
…
At some point, Chitaru must have fallen asleep, because she found herself waking up to the faint rays of sunshine peering in through her bedroom window. These same rays shone onto Hitsugi's side of the bed, revealing it as still empty. The realisation made her sit up, and she just blinked.
She didn't come back.
Clearly, Hitsugi was still angry, or just pissed off. At the very least, she was wondering how to face her. And Chitaru didn't blame her- knowing that she'd actually had two daughters instead of just the one was bad enough. To know that they hadn't died at birth was even worse. But the fact that any chance of getting to know them had slipped out of her grasp? Chitaru had been the one to take Mami and Sachika in, to bring them up. That didn't mean what she'd lost was the same as Hitsugi's loss, but it came pretty close. So Hitsugi was entitled to whatever she felt. Chitaru just wished she'd talk to her about it. For a moment, she considered phoning in sick, and just staying at home until Hitsugi returned (because she had to return, she just had to). But then she thought of Inukai. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was wrong there.
"How did you know about the Kirigaya family name anyway? We've never dealt with them, have we?"
"You haven't. It was one of the cases we didn't need your input, an old one, a couple of cases before the Ichinose family homicide."
They both remained silent for a moment, remembering the horrible events that had brought Haru to Azuma. There was also an irony there, in that the things they were discussing now had somehow come about because of a similar chain of events.
"Oh." Chitaru said. A gang related case then. It would make sense. Gangs networked everywhere, even if they were only based in one part of the country. Why would Hitsugi's family have been different? Inukai nodded, clearly satisfied.
"Like I said, I'm fully aware plenty of people can share family names without actually being part of the same family, but it's enough to get me checking it out just in case, and sure enough, Hitsugi is the daughter of Tora and Minori Kirigaya. Except that they don't consider her as such, anymore. They did back then. Not now, and not for four years. "
That conincided with what she knew about Hitsugi's coma. And then, as if she read her mind, Inukai said just that.
"You know about her hospital stay?!"
"Can't delete medical records, Namatame. Of course, the story behind that is all under wraps and all, but you have to admit that it all adds up to some fishy things."
"Seriously, Inukai? That's a bit far-fetched. Hitsugi's finished with that part of her life, you know. Don't bring it all back for her."
Inukai just gave her a look. Chitaru stared back to the extent it was uncomfortable.
"What? What is it?" Inukai just shook her head.
"Nah, no biggie. But let me tell you something else…."
Sighing, Chitaru got out of bed. Staying in would definitely alert Inukai. She didn't want that to happen. Even though they were friends, she sort of blamed Inukai for things going bad. Illogical, but there it was. If she went in as normal, that would be the best thing. She'd leave a note for Hitsugi, send messages to her phone, and then wait for the evening. Then things would be fine. They had to be.
...
Eventually, Hitsugi managed to find her way to the stair case. It was a large, winding one, and it would have been magnificent back in its day, but now the house had fallen into disrepair, it, too, was shabby.
"Keep walking! What are you dawdling for?" The moment she hesitated on the stairs, she was poked in the back with Natsuki's gun or the handle of his knife. A reminder that perhaps next time, it would be the blade of a knife or a bullet from the gun that would touch her. She steadied herself with the banisters the best that she could, and gritted her teeth. When she was sure she wasn't going to slip off the step and fall to her death, she spoke.
"I'm not. You know I can't move as fast now." She didn't mention her tied wrists and ankles.
"Ugh, just get on with it." Natsuki sounded peeved at being reminded of her pregnant state. As if he needed reminding. Hitsugi just rolled her eyes and continued climbing up clumsily. Perhaps defiance was reckless, but she couldn't bend to his will, because if she did, that really would be the end. Unless another solution presented itself to her, defiance was the only way.
"Fine, fine."
She hopped and stumbled up the stairs, Natsuki behind her all the time. She heard two of his buddies shuffling around somewhere in the vast upstairs area, moving furniture by the sound of it. She supposed that furniture was for her 'jail cell' as Natsuki had termed it when he'd sprung out of nowhere three days ago. Not that she wanted to think of it.
"This way.", "That way, no that way stupid.", "There, nearly there." Hitsugi followed the directions blindly, sometimes throwing sarcastic comments at Natsuki, but otherwise ignoring him. Especially when his words became soft, almost comforting. Almost like the old Natsuki, the one she thought he had been. She wasn't about to fall into that trap again.
"And, here we are. Thanks, guys." Natsuki added to his two friends. Hitsugi kept her head down as they passed each other. One of those friends was also friends with an ex-boyfriend from high-school, and the awkwardness-although petty in comparison to what was going on-was not what she needed.
"What do you think, Hitsugi?" Natsuki asked, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up. "I made it just for you. So you can stay with me all the time." His voice sounded like that of a child who'd drawn a picture for their mother, much like a little girl she'd seen at the shopping centre one time.
"Why would I want that?" Hitsugi spat. She wriggled her head, and managed to shake his hand off, which angered him. He pushed her violently so that she almost hit the bed head-first.
"Just get in the bed."
Hitsugi staggered at the sheer strength of the flashback. It was the first clear memory of those times she'd had. Almost unconsciously, she rubbed at her wrists, as if soothing the rope burns. She squirmed for a moment, trying to clear her mind. And then she noticed how the room was a little lighter. It took her a moment, but she soon realised that the sun had come out. It was daylight. Her time was running out.
Rule: When something unexpected wastes your time, work faster!
And so she did. Being less cautious about noise, she ran up the stairs, and followed her memories up until the room she had kept in, not stopping for a single second. Occasionally, her feet got caught in sticking-up floorboards, but she somehow managed to stay upright and continue moving. When she got there, she skidded to a halt, out of breath. She breathed heavily for a moment, dropping to her knees. But since she didn't have time to just waste, she quickly pulled herself together, and looked up at the door. It was in surprisingly good condition, and was pulled closed. But now it seemed formidable, unknowable, scary. But what I seek is behind it….Taking in another deep breath, she stood up, and stared at the door. She allowed herself only one more moment of hesitation.
Then, she opened the door.
So, after this, there are two more chapters before the story ends, and then an epilogue. The next chapter will be entirely from Chitaru's POV, and then the one after that, the final one, will be entirely from Hitsugi's POV. As for whose POV the epilogue will be from...why, that'll be a surprise! So look forward to all that ^^
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave feedback!
