Disclaimer: Still don't own Digimon.
Amnesia:
Familiar, yet Distant
By Charbonne
Ken cracked an eye open and groaned. Eric's plane just had to come in early in the morning, and he knew it just had to be the curse associated with himself and his brother. Osamu's life always took precedence in the household before he disappeared, and Ken wondered briefly about whether or not murdering the teen would let him get more sleep.
Ten minutes later found him getting up from bed, grumbling good-naturedly at anything that came to mind. Homework, evil digimon, Eric, the way it always seemed to rain lately every time he had a soccer game, Eric, Daisuke and his antics, and Eric were among the first things he thought of. Besides, getting his mind off the fact that he was seeing his long-lost brother again was good, considering he had gone through every single possibility of how he could have survived the crash and tossing them out, finally settling on the fact that Osamu probably had a guardian angel watching him that day.
Ken had finally made his way to the bathroom, flicking on the lights and blinking away at the brightness. After his eyes had adjusted, he groped for the toothpaste in the cabinet as his other reached for the brush. He tried to ignore the mental image that came up when he looked at his reflection. He had long ago stopped comparing himself to his brother, but as he got ready for the day, he suddenly found himself comparing him and Osamu.
Blue hair, blue eyes, both of us are geniuses, and I remember the both of us being good at soccer, but he never liked it. Then again, if it hadn't have been for the Dark Spore, I wouldn't be a genius. He alone would be the intellect of the family, and I would just be average, although, sometimes it is better to be normal. He spit the foam into the sink and rinsed out his mouth. Grabbing a comb, Ken started on his hair, blocking out the voice in his head.
How many times, before the Dark Spore took over, had he wished Osamu was still alive? How many times had he wondered how life would be different if his brother hadn't gone for the exchange student program? Ken was still as far from those answers as before, and no amount of mulling over the possibilities could change what had happened. His brother was still alive, although Ken wished that Osamu still remembered him.
Placing the comb back down, he looked back into the mirror. The similarities were still there, although from the recent pictures, Ken knew that Eric now sported a scar on his temple. How he got it was anyone's guess, but the bluenette had his own guesses. One that definitely sprung up was that he had gotten it from the plane crash. Besides, Ken could ask when his brother came home, or when he was adjusted to the family again. It would just take time.
He left the bathroom and started getting dressed. It took a full five minutes, but that was because his room had been switched around. Smiling slightly, he left his room, ready to face whatever challenges awaited him today.
***
Eric seemed like a nervous wreck by the time that they touched down at Tokyo International. He had hated the trip overseas, and his heartbeat was finally starting to return to normal as they landed. Finally able to open up the window, he noticed that the airport seemed to be very large considering the fact that they were on an island. Trying to ignore his thoughts, he looked at the scenery beyond the tarmac. The city of Tokyo rose behind the airport, skyscrapers rising to reach for the early morning sky. One large building even had a large TV screen which was showing some sort of game show. He turned in his seat to see his mother staring open-mouthed at the scene before her. He wasn't surprised. San Francisco had its share of large buildings, but none such as the type in this large metropolis.
Standing up, he helped Chhoeun get their bags from the overhead compartment, noticing that people were leaving the plane. He definitely overheard two Americans saying that they were going to buy a lot of anime and bring it back overseas with them. He sighed. There were more sights to see in Japan, especially since in three months the cherry blossoms were going to bloom again, and he really wanted to witness that. It had been four years since he had seen them bloom…
Shaking his head, Eric frowned. Where had that come from? He couldn't remember ever being in Japan, much less watching that. Helping his mother off the plane, he walked along the airlock into the airport and froze in his tracks.
Standing about ten feet from the mob of people waiting for loved ones were three people. One had a sign above his head that said Ichijouji in English. People behind him were starting to complain, but Eric ignored them. He could see from where he stood that the woman had brown, bushy hair while the man had darker hair than she did. But the one that caught his attention was the boy located off to the side, watching them with a guarded expression. Finally finding his legs again, he escorted his mother over to them, talking in slow Cambodian to tell her that the people he was leading her to were the Ichijoujis.
The boy definitely looked a lot like him, blue hair and eyes just like his, although he had definitely inherited his father's facial shape. He seemed to be tall, but something seemed odd about his eyes, like he had seen too much in his relatively short life. Shaking off his dejá-vu, he looked back to the two people that were watching him. He was caught unprepared when the woman threw her arms around him and sobbed. "Osamu, my baby!"
He stood there stunned, while he heard a sigh escape his mother. Chhoeun looked a bit lost, and the strange exchange that was going on before her probably made her feel uncomfortable. Eric stepped away from the crying woman and gestured. "Mom, these are the Ichijoujis." He spoke in Cambodian for her benefit. "This is my mot… Chhoeun. I'm Eric."
"Ohayoo gozaimasu." Evidently the younger boy decided to do the introductions. "I'm Ken, and this is my mom Toyoko and my dad Yoshida. Welcome to Japan."
"I'm just so glad that you're home. We thought you were dead when the news came about the plane crash." Toyoko sniffed as she spoke, her voice heavy with tears.
Eric didn't know what to say to that. He looked at the people standing before them, confused beyond belief. Yoshida must have sensed this, because he started to grab their bags. "You guys must be tired. I mean, what with the jetlag and all." He looked at Chhoeun. "And don't worry about getting a hotel room. We set up our guestroom so that she and her husband can stay there."
Eric paused briefly before translating. Chhoeun nodded at the Ichijoujis and bowed before them. Toyoko finally composed herself and gave Eric a small smile. "Well, let's be off." The group of five made their way to the baggage carousel and picked up Eric and Chhoeun's luggage before leaving the airport.
***
Eric flopped down on the bed Ken had shown him. He was confused beyond belief. First of all, Toyoko had insisted on fixing them breakfast, and then made sure that Eric had seconds. She had also asked about his life, listening while Eric told her a bit about it. Not only that, she also asked questions of Chhoeun, asking about her family and what "Osamu" was like. Chhoeun answered all of the questions patiently, while Eric translated. He also found out how long they were going to be staying. Chhoeun stated that they were going to be staying a week at least, and Eric knew that when they left, he would be alone with the Ichijoujis after that. His father was going to be coming over tomorrow and spending the last week with his adopted son. Eric didn't really want the Prems to leave, because when they did that, it would mean that his last ties with them would be severed and he would be left with complete strangers.
He definitely wasn't tired, spending the majority of the trip over sleeping on the plane, so he took the time to look around the room. Some things looked familiar to him, although he couldn't place where he'd seen them before. A computer sat on a desk, its screen having a window up that looked odd. There were several pictures lying around, some of them depicting Ken and a group of friends, and others showing a young boy with glasses, squirming under the intense glare of the light bulb. There were books lying around, some of them familiar titles to him. He picked one up and flipped the cover open. Inside the cover there was a note someone must have written in it. Osamu, I hope you enjoy the book. I know that you read this book a lot from the library, and I thought you might like a copy of your own. Keep up with your studies. Mrs. Tachigura.
Eric slammed the book shut, frowning. The name sounded familiar, but he just couldn't place a face. Looking around the room again, he noticed that this must have been Osamu's room while growing up. Everything looked familiar, except for the newer additions to the room. He placed the book back on the shelf and got up, going to the balcony. As he opened the door, a cold blast of air came through the door, making him shiver. He stood on the balcony, watching the traffic pass below. There was a park on the other side of the street, and even though it was early December, he felt like going there.
He walked back into the room, shutting the door behind him as he did so. Taking his hair down from the ponytail he always had it in, he made his way into the bathroom, intent on brushing his hair before doing so. He then stopped in his tracks.
There was a green worm-like creature sitting on the sink, getting a glass of water. The creature turned as he saw him. "Oh, Ken, I thought we should go into the digital world and spend some time there…" The worm's eyes widened when he realized it wasn't Ken. "Either you've grown out your hair and gotten taller while you were out, or you're not Ken."
Eric was still staring at the creature. Ok, so now he was seeing talking green worms the size of housecats. It didn't in the least look familiar to him, and Eric found himself walking backward out of the room. "W-what the heck are you?" he squeaked, finally able to find his voice.
"I'll just go find Ken," the worm stated, looking worried. It then jumped down from the sink and crawled out of the room. Eric made sure it was gone before slamming the door shut. He didn't just see that, he reasoned. It must have been his imagination. There wasn't a green worm talking to him. He was still trying to convince himself of just that when he heard the door open behind him. Turning to look, he saw Ken standing in the doorway, looking sheepish.
"Sorry about that. Wormmon must have startled you. He didn't realize you were here yet."
"That thing has a name?" Eric asked, astonished.
"Well, sure. He's been in the house for a while now. He just hasn't met you yet, that's all." Ken reasoned.
Eric nodded, dumbfounded. It was odd that Ken was being so calm about the subject when Eric himself had almost been scared out of his mind by the creature. He grabbed a comb out of the bag he had brought into the bathroom earlier that morning and started combing out his hair. When he had finished, he tied it back up and left the bathroom to find Ken sitting in the chair beside the desk. He frowned as Ken's gaze settled over him.
"What are you up to?" Ken asked, trying to hide the fact he was curious and failing.
"I'm just going out for a walk. I'll be back."
"Do you realize that you could get lost really easily if you don't know your way around?" Ken's brow furrowed as he gazed at him. "No offense, but you do have a problem with your memory."
"I don't have a problem with my memory." Eric argued. "So I can't remember before I was twelve. It doesn't mean that I have a bad memory."
"Alright, but do you know this area?" Ken crossed his arms. "I seem to remember that you happen to come from America, not Tamachi, Japan."
"And do you think I can't remember the way back to this apartment?" Eric was starting to get angry.
"All I'm suggesting is that you bring somebody with you when you go out. It would be better than going out and not knowing your way around."
"No! I really need time to myself, and that means not being around anyone!" With that, Eric turned on his heel and left the room, leaving a confused Ken behind.
***
Eric had stormed out of the apartment, intent on getting to the park across the street. If he didn't know better, he was being kind of an ass, but that really was because he was away from anything truly familiar to him. All his friends were back in America, and not only that, the school year was different in Japan. He was going to miss the rest of the American school year and start up in January at the local high school. That would mean redoing the stuff he already did. He would have to take the entrance exams too, supposedly the most hellish of any exam ever. He actually heard of people committing suicide because of them. Hopefully he wouldn't go that route, because of some stupid exam. Besides, if he needed help studying for them, there was always asking somebody. He wouldn't ask Ken, though. He really didn't think of Ken as a bad guy, it was just that he didn't know him that well.
He didn't notice where he had sat down, but he found himself on a bench. There was a soft sigh to his left, and he turned to look to his left. There was a girl there, dark brown hair reaching just past her chin and falling over her face. When she looked up she blinked, her brown eyes wide. "Oh," she said, "I didn't realize someone was sitting here."
"Don't worry about it. It's really here for anyone," he stated, smirking a bit. When she didn't answer and continued to stare, Eric waved his hand in front of her face, trying to get her attention. "Are you ok?"
She jumped a bit, startled, and then regained her composure. "Yeah, I'm fine." She frowned a bit, and then added, "I just realized you look a lot like a boy I knew."
Eric looked confused. "I guess that's a good reason."
"Well, he was kind of my first boyfriend, but he's gone now, so it doesn't matter much." She smiled a bit. "I just thought that since you looked a lot like him that, you know, I kind of thought you were him for a minute."
"So what got you in the mood to walk in this cold?" Eric asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just thinking. I was actually considering going over to a friend's house to confirm a rumor I heard." She brushed it aside, and then gave him a look. "So, what brings you out here? You asked me, so I want to know."
"Actually, I got into an argument with someone I was staying with right now." He didn't want to add that the person he argued with could be his brother, that the reason he was even in Japan was to help him remember his past, or that he was living in Japan now.
"So you don't live here?"
"Nope, I live in the United States. I'm just here visiting."
"Oh." The girl sounded disappointed. She started to stand. "Well, I'd better get going. I'll see you around…"
"Ichijouji Osamu." The words tumbled out before Eric could stop them, and he saw the girl's expression change to one of horror. "I-I mean Prem Eric."
"Osamu? What do you mean Osamu?" The girl sounded accusatory.
Eric almost cringed from the look in her eyes. "I meant Eric. I'm sorry."
"Uh huh, so how do you know that name?" The girl took a few steps back and crossed her arms.
"I don't know," Eric admitted. "It just came out."
"You know, that boy I told you about had that name, and his brother said something about Osamu still being alive." She gave him a hard look. "I hope that you're not lying."
The girl left, making Eric feel bad about what he had said. He didn't want to admit to being Osamu Ichijouji, and he certainly didn't want to be put into the position he was currently in. Eric just wanted to be back home with his friends, with the people he knew and cared about. He didn't like the fact that he was in a now foreign land, with no one but his mother there to tell him it was all right. Not only that, even though he loved his mother a lot, he had a hard time understanding what she said, and all he could really do was speak in conversational Cambodian. He wasn't as fluent as his father or mother in that respect. Frustrated beyond belief, Eric stood up, deciding to take that walk that he had told Ken he was going to do.
***
Ken sighed as he heard the doorbell. Ever since his brother yelled at him, he kept getting the impression that there was a lot more than what Eric was letting on. Mrs. Prem was currently asleep in the guest room, and his parents were out getting groceries, so that left Ken to answer the door. He walked up to it and opened it, but was surprised to find his brother's old friend, Ayame Baisotei standing there. He frowned, confusion evident on his face as he asked, "Ayame, what are you doing here?"
"I needed to come over," the brown-haired girl replied. She fixed him with a hard stare that made Ken feel like he was being scrutinized. "So, how are you doing?"
"Fine, I guess. What's the matter?"
"I just met a boy in the park. I thought he was Osamu, but decided he wasn't." A worried frown marred Ayame's features. "I have the feeling I'm wrong, though."
Ken arched an eyebrow. "Did he say his name, by any chance?"
Ayame thought for a second. "I think he said Erin or Eric Prem, but don't quote me on that."
"Eric?" Ken couldn't believe his ears. "You're sure?"
"Yes, I am. He said he got into a fight with someone, and left the apartment he was staying at. He's from the Americas', so I guess Tamachi is new to him." She gave him a hard look, the same look she had given Osamu whenever he didn't tell her everything. "Why are you asking?"
"Because he's staying here." Ken watched her face pale. "He's here from California because we think he's Osamu, though we're not too sure. He's got amnesia."
"Then why'd he say he was leaving in a few weeks? Isn't he getting help for it?" Ayame crossed her arms, looking at Ken for the answer.
"Well, he is." Ken frowned, watching her. "I'll tell you what happened."
***
Toyoko looked worried. Ken had said that Eric had gone out earlier that morning, but now it was almost two in the afternoon. Chhoeun had woken up, but nobody had been able to ask her if she had seen Eric. Now the two mothers were worried, since Eric was missing now for six hours. Toyoko got up once more, going over to the window to look out of it. She sighed and sat back down as her look outside had been fruitless.
Ken brought in something for both women to drink, and sat down next to his father. Yoshida had a look of concentration on his face, as he read the newspaper, so Ken decided to try to talk to Chhoeun. "So, you haven't heard from Eric ever since this morning, right?"
Chhoeun nodded as she tried her best English. "Last saw him breakfast," she answered, speaking slowly and trying to hide her strong accent. "Boy need learn tell people when go out."
Ken frowned, and then changed the subject. "You know a bit of English, I see."
"Learn from David. He good teacher." A small smile played across her lips. "Eric good teacher, too. He learn Cambodian help out."
Toyoko had stopped looking worried and looked al Ken in wonder. "I didn't know you knew English, Ken dear."
"I learned at school. They decided that with my grades, it would be good to learn a foreign language." He didn't add the fact that he had fallen behind in his class. He still made good grades, but with his workload, he was having trouble getting all of his work done. Besides, his mom had enough things to worry about. He didn't want to compound on it.
They all jumped when the door opened up. Eric was standing there, hanging up his coat, and the scar that marred his temple stood out. He didn't seem to notice the four adults watching him, as he started making his way to his bedroom. In a flash, Chhoeun stood up, and started spouting off in Cambodian. Ken and his parents didn't know what she was saying, but evidently Eric did, as he spoke in the same language. The two went at it for a good five minutes before Eric turned and headed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. The three Ichijoujis jumped at the sound, and all three were now trying to avoid looking at Chhoeun. However, Ken had to wonder as to what had just transpired. The argument had made Ken a bit uneasy, since he had never seen his brother with such a look of anger on his face. It just made Ken wonder at how much Eric hated staying here. And from what Ayame had told him, the older boy wanted to go back to the US. If only there was a way to get him to talk, then maybe they could help him. But only if he talked.
To Be Continued…
Yep, the second part is finally done. Thank you to all my reviewers, and hopefully the next part doesn't take five or six months to get out. Till next time, sayonara.