Disclaimer: All the Hana Yori Dango characters are owned by Yoko Kamio
Chapter 3: A Total Blank
"Well," Doumyouji said. "I've decided. Makino shall go to Rui's house. At least with Rui, I know that he'll keep his hands off her. He's got a sense of chivalry." Saying that, he glared at the other two.
"Hey, we've are chivalrous too, you know. What we do to the girls is what they want us to do; we always compile with their wishes," Akira wagged his eyebrows in a suggestive way.
Doumyouji grimaced at that, "Yeah, you continue doing that. But you would not be doing it to my Makino."
"Woooh, did you hear what he said? 'My Makino'," Soujirou ragged Doumyouji.
Doumyouji's face was a permanent red now, "Would you shut up? By the way, if the three of you are out here with me, then Makino is alone in her room…with that bastard, Junpei!" He was off in a flash to 'save' Makino.
He slammed the door open, expecting Junpei to be performing some nefarious acts on Makino, but it was worse than that: what he saw was Makino and Junpei talking animatedly together. When Makino saw him, she immediately became more guarded, "Ahem, hi, Doumyouji-san. When can I be discharged from the hospital?"
Doumyouji was so jealous that he wanted to shout at Makino but he wanted Makino to be able to trust him so he made a conscious effort to gentle his voice, "Makino, the doctor says that you can be discharged tomorrow."
Her face lightened up, "Good, then I can go home."
"You won't be going home, Makino."
She tilted her head questioning at him, "Why not?"
"First of all, your family is away so if you go back you would be alone in your house with no one to care for you," Doumyouji said.
"I can take care of myself," a hint of the old Makino Tsukushi surfaced.
"I know," Doumyouji tried to pacify her. "But it would make me feel a bit more comforted that there would be someone there to look after you if something happen."
"It would make me feel better too, Makino-sempai," Junpei entered the conversation at this point.
Doumyouji said belligerently to Junpei, "Who cares if it make you feel better? Oh wait, maybe it's your guilty conscience that's bothering you?"
Junpei jumped up to his feet. The two guys stood feet to feet and glared at each other, then a timid voice interjected, "Excuse me, what does Junpei have to feel guilty about?" They turned to her but before one of them could answer her, a nurse came into the room, "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over. The patient needs her rest. Please come back tomorrow." With that she bustled them briskly out of the room.
Makino was left alone in the room. She laid back on the bed and contemplated on what had happened that day. She woke up from being in coma for a week and found out that she had lost her memories. Then before she could even come to terms with that, she was bombarded with the presence of the four guys who called themselves Flower 4 or F4, as they're more commonly called. Makino remembered that she had laughed hysterically at that point when the leader of the group proudly introduced themselves as such. And they had thrown such disgruntled looks at her laughter; acting as if being called a flower was a thing to be proud of. She thought to herself that she would never understand guys.
The F4, a band of guys who acted if they owned the world, or at least Japan. From her conversation with Junpei, it seemed that they do own most of Japan and different parts of the world as well. First, the leader, Doumyouji Tsukasa, the one who claimed to be her boyfriend. Hotheaded, domineering and all too possessive were her immediate thoughts about him. His snake eyes looking so intensely into hers, making her feel so freaked out. She could not deal with him so soon, not with most of her memories gone. And then there was Hanazawa Rui, the quiet guy who just stared at her. His marble eyes were so detached. Yet she felt something stirring within her when she thought of him…Then there were the two jokers Nishikado Soujirou and Mimasaka Akira. Half the time, she took what they were saying with a grain of salt. And the things that they implied about herself and her 'boyfriend', she blushed upon thinking back. Finally… Junpei. He was an enigma yet he seems so open at the same time. He was the only one she could remember. And that was why she cling to him like a leech. She sighed. Her head felt so tired from all the excitements of the day. She would try not about think anymore. As she drifted off to sleep her mind conjured up distorted memories of Doumyouji and Junpei who were both holding their arms out and calling her to them…
***********
"But I wanna see Tsukushi," a whiny voice awaken her from her slumber.
"Hush, she's still asleep," the now-familiar commanding voice of one Doumyouji Tsukasa warned.
Then there was a sweet feminine voice asking, "Is she alright, Doumyouji-san?"
"As well as can be expected. She would be discharged today." Then his voice turned virulent. "What are you doing here again today? I thought you were thick-skinned to turned up yesterday but now that you show up again today, you must be totally brainless."
'Oh no,' Makino thought. 'It must be Junpei. I better intervene before there is bloodshed.' "I'm awake. You can come in," she called out.
The door immediately opened and there were squeals and groans as the people standing outside all tried to be the first to get through the door. She saw three unfamiliar faces today. A boy rushed to her bedside and grabbed up her hand, "Tsukushi, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm feeling much better, thank you. I'm sorry. I've lost my memories. Could you introduce yourself to me?"
"Makino-sempai, does that mean you do not recognize me as well?" an extraordinary pretty girl asked.
"Sorry, I really can't remember anything or anyone at all."
"Except Junpei," there was a snide whisper from Doumyouji.
There was an awkward silence around the room. Then the very pretty girl said, "I'm Sakurako."
"Tsukushi, we've known each other since junior high. I can't believe that you have forgotten all about me," the boy who was still holding her hands cried out.
"Hush, Kazuya," the girl who had been quiet until then said. She turned to Makino and said, "Hi Tsukushi-chan, I'm Yuki. Kazuya, you and I were in the same junior high. You also work part-time with me in a confectionary shop."
Makino's mind was in a fluster, trying to assimilate all the information that she had just been given. She felt so troubled: there were so many things that she could not recollect at all and it was terrifying, almost as if she was in a stranger's mind. She caught the attention of the only person she could remember and as he looked at her, he felt as if her eyes were begging him to help her. He said brusquely, "Stop badgering her. Can't you see how's she feeling? She can't recall a thing about any of you at all. And here are you guys trying to push yourselves at her."
Soujirou whispered as if to Rui but in a volume that is audible to everyone, "The pot calling the kettle black."
Rui addressed Junpei coldly, "Why do you persist on coming back? You're the cause of all these trouble in the first place."
"Yeah, well, I'm the only one she knows here," was Junpei's retort.
"Why you!" Doumyouji could not bear it anymore and started to strike out at Junpei. But before he could fit Junpei, he found his arm being restrained by Makino.
"Stop all this nonsense! Why are all of you so hostile towards Junpei? What has he done?"
And the whole sordid tale was told to Makino.
AN: I've finally finished! insert insane laughter Well, I hope you all are not hoping for an update in the near future. That goes for my other fanfic "his true self" (sorry rame). Coz I'm really tied up with sch work this sem. However I would try my best to update bimonthly but I can't really promise much. Sorry. But rest assured, my fics would not be abandoned! Not even if ppl r not interested in it anymore. I would definitely finish up wat I had started. Thanks for all your kind reviews and I hope you would continue to like my work and continue leaving ur reviews behind. They'r the best sorts of fuel 4 any writer, the fact that ppl r reading their story even if it's to say that the story sucks.
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