At long last, I've released this chapter. I'd like to thank everyone who has read this so far and put up with my slow updating; I hope you enjoy this!

Chapter Four: Attempted Remembrance

With a snarl like a wild woman's, Yukari slammed the chalk down on its designated tray by the blackboard, pointedly ignoring the stares she received from her pupils. She remained hunched over the writing implement for a beat before turning around and flashing a smile at her class. "Okay, kids!" she said perkily—too perkily. "That's it for today; you're all dismissed."

Two seconds and a glance at the wall clock later, Tomo raised her hand. "Hey, Yukari!" she said, not waiting for her teacher to call on her. "We've still got ten minutes before the final bell rings. What are you…"

A glare sent her way promptly shut the wildcat up. This look was immediately replaced by the sweet smile soon enough, however, and, with a final, "Buh-bye!" Yukari dashed out of the classroom in a flurry of papers. Shrugging, her students rose from their seats and left, chatting about the day's events or the "quirks", as they were euphemized, of their teacher.

Yomi sighed from her desk and shook her head knowingly. "She probably just wanted to start playing Final Fantasy XII is all," she mumbled half to herself.

"Yeah…" Kagura replied. A moment later, her eyes lit up, and she said, "Oh, yeah! Weren't we going to meet Sakaki outside of school today?"

"Oh, right," Yomi said, scanning the room for her friend. "Hey, Sakaki, we're ready to… huh? Where is she?"

Tomo, who had been standing by the window for the past minute, glanced outside, clearly bored, and saw… "Hey, guys!"

"What is it now?" Yomi groaned, already exasperated.

Tomo pointed out the window. "Sakaki and Chiyo-chan are already out there!"

"Huh?" The sound escaped the lips of Kagura and Yomi simultaneously, and they both turned toward the window in twin movements of surprise and curiosity. Sure enough, the tall girl stood outside, school materials in hand, clutching Chiyo close to her. Sakaki stayed completely still, a set look on her face, as she held the girl, who flushed and trembled beneath unmoving fingers. It wasn't their overall position that had surprised the girls, though; it had been the fact that, for once, Tomo had told the whole truth.

"I really don't know what to say…" breathed Yomi, still in disbelief.

"Me either," agreed the athlete.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" cried Tomo, reverting back to hyperactive mode. "Let's meet them!"

"'Kay…" came Yomi's distant reply.

"Wait, what?"

The three girls turned and, in doing so, stared right into the bleary eyes of Osaka. She rubbed one and yawned, saying, "Guess I fell asleep. What's happening?"

"We're going to go meet Sakaki and Chiyo-chan outside," Yomi reminded.

"Oh, yeah," Osaka said, smiling not-as-wearily. "I remember us talkin' 'bout that."

"It's a miracle you can remember anything," Kagura muttered, starting for the door, Tomo, Yomi, and Osaka following suit. Outside, Sakaki checked her watch, impatience written over her usually stoic features, as she waited for her friends to arrive… and for Chiyo's recollection to begin.

"Here we are at the Mihama residence," Tomo called out once the house was in sight, making a sweeping motion with her hand toward it. "Home to one twelve-year-old genius and her family!"

Chiyo's eyes widened visibly. "I… I live here!"

"Yup!"

"But… it's so… big!"

"I know, isn't it?" the energetic girl replied, crossing her arms and smiling smugly. In response to this, Kagura turned toward her and said, "What the heck is that smirk for? It's her house, not yours."

"Ch," Tomo said as she dropped her arms and walked toward the house. "You're just jealous."

"Oh for the love of…" Kagura started, though she trailed off soon enough. She took a deep breath and followed after Tomo. Just ignore her, she thought, inhaling again. Don't listen to her at all.

In the meantime, Sakaki opened the front gate, her gaze darting about the large front lawn that greeted her. In the cafeteria before, she'd come to the conclusion that Chiyo had lived on the grounds she was presently standing on her entire life; if something here couldn't jog her memory, Sakaki had no clue what could. Still, that didn't mean that, even if her plan did fail, she would give up that easily. No; she would do whatever it took to get Chiyo to remember…

After a moment, Sakaki found what she'd been looking for. Glancing back toward her friends—Kagura and Yomi were in the middle of a light conversation while Osaka was trying to teach Tomo the proper way to say "Fuhgedaboutit"—Sakaki said, "Um… shouldn't we try to get Chiyo-chan's memory back now?"

"That's why we came here," Yomi said. "What was your idea, Sakaki?"

Sakaki turned her face toward a tree on the lawn, mumbling, "Him." All five girls walked to one side of her, trying to see what she did. Finally, their eyes landed on a white mass beneath the tree, a mass whose shimmering black eyes stared expectantly at them, its pink tongue lolling out of one side of its fanged mouth…

"That's… a dog?" Chiyo questioned, confused as ever.

"Banzai!" This came from Osaka, who threw her hands in the air triumphantly.

"Yes, a dog," Sakaki continued, remaining still. "He's yours. His name is Mr. Tadakichi."

"Mr.… Tadakichi…" murmured the pigtailed girl.

"Banzai!" Another whoop from Osaka.

"And he's mine?"

"Ban…"

"Will you shut up?" shouted Yomi.

"Do you remember him?" Sakaki went on, her eyes sliding in Chiyo's direction.

The once-prodigy shook her head. "No… but… can I… introduce myself?"

Chiyo interpreted the tall girl's silence as a yes and took a step toward the animal. She reached out a hand to him, prompting Mr. Tadakichi to get up and trot toward her, tail wagging. Chiyo recoiled at the motion, but kept her hand outstretched, her fingertips shaking. "Mr. Tadakichi…" she mumbled, unsure of how the animal would respond should she make contact, "Mr. Tadakichi… Mr. Tadakichi…"

Once he reached his mistress, the dog pressed his nose into her hand and licked it, coating her nails with a thin layer of saliva. Chiyo flinched slightly at the touch, but, once she realized that the dog would not harm her, brought up her other hand and patted his head, ruffling the snowy fur underneath. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she whispered, "Mr. Tadakichi …"

Though she didn't wish to break up this tender moment between pet and master, Sakaki said, "Um… Chiyo-chan… do you not remember Mr. Tadakichi?"

Chiyo paused for a second and then shook her head. "No… no, I'm sorry… I don't…"

Sakaki tried a smile, though the end result was more than a little misshapen. "It's alright… really. There's a houseful of things here that are bound to make you remember. Would you… like to see them?"

At that moment, Sakaki's voice changed. No longer was she a girl who hid behind a mask of stoicism. No longer was she the "cool" chick many of her classmates looked up to and admired. No. Now, she was a young woman, one who, despite the fact that Chiyo's remembrance of everything was unlikely, was still hopeful for her recovery. Chiyo donned a smile wide enough to convince her that everything would be alright, and said, "Yes, please… Miss Sakaki?"

It was all Sakaki could do to keep herself from sucking in her breath through the hole that her mouth had become. Miss Sakaki … Her name, plus a term indicating great respect… Chiyo's name for her. Now, Sakaki really was smiling. "Let's go inside, then."

And, as the two made their way to the front door, pulling the portal open, their four friends following on their heels soon after, Sakaki realized that, though Chiyo still hadn't acquired her memory, allowing her to pet Mr. Tadakichi had somehow awakened a part of her that, for the majority of that day, had been laying dormant, desperately trying to break through the surface of confusion and lethe. And Sakaki knew; Chiyo would get her memory back; she would remember who she was and the entirety of her past; and, without question, Sakaki herself would be there when she did.

Photo albums.

Video tapes.

Antiquities.

Trinkets.

Old drawings from childhood past and present.

Sources of blackmail? Yes. Tomo especially realized this and chose to exploit this goldmine of memories waiting to be recovered and, instead of helping out Chiyo, collected certain items for her own questionable uses.

But did these things themselves bring the memories back? No.

In a few hours' time, the group of girls had traveled from room to room of the house, touching a few objects that looked as though they held some sentimental value that could help rid them of the presence of "amnesiac Chiyo-chan", as Kagura had dubbed her. At each item, one friend would say something along the lines of, "Do you remember this?" or, "Does this bring back memories?" or, in the case of some, "Banzai, Chiyo-chan!" The answer to all? "No, I'm sorry."

While Sakaki and Yomi, especially, would simply nod their heads at this and move onto the next potential memory, Tomo would make a remark such as, "Aw, shucks! Can't she remember anything?" Kagura could almost see Chiyo's disrespect for the short-haired girl reflecting in her eyes.

By the time seven o'clock rolled around, the gaggle had reached the final room of the house, the only one that hadn't been searched; Chiyo's room itself. No sooner had Osaka opened the door did Tomo plop herself down on Chiyo's bed, groaning. "Oh, man, am I bushed! Are we done yet?"

"Heck no, we aren't," Yomi said, whapping her friend upon the head slightly with a stray stuffed animal.

"But I'm bored," Tomo whined.

"So help us out with Chiyo-chan's problem and you won't be bored anymore."

Her response was a sigh from Tomo, who had since turned onto her belly, and a muffled noise that sounded something like, "No…"

"So, this is it," Kagura said, not even sparing a look in her fellow bonkura's direction. "This is your room."

"Does it look familiar?" This came from Sakaki.

"Uh… no… I…"

"You don't have to apologize," Yomi cut in. "Here, let's show you around." The bespectacled girl made her way over to a pile of stuffed cats to one side of Chiyo's bed. She smiled fondly at them, remembering that, two years ago, when Chiyo had invited her friends over to celebrate her eleventh birthday, nearly all of the guests had given her some variation of a stuffed animal. The question was, though, would Chiyo remember it?

Yomi picked up a tiny white cat with a wide, felt mouth. "This is Monpuchi," she said. Sakaki, who had given her the toy in the first place, nodded in verification. She wanted to add, "Monpuchi is a girl and is the youngest of her family," but knew in her heart that that would bee too much information for Chiyo to handle. Instead, she stated, "I… I gave it to you two years ago…"

Chiyo whipped around to look at the taller girl, and Sakaki vaguely saw her eyes grow wide and her chest expand as she sharply took in air. A second later, Chiyo bowed her head, pigtails drooping low. Her body language was enough to confirm that Monpuchi didn't ring any bells in the hollow that was her past.

Sakaki's gaze traveled back to the pile, falling on one cat in particular. That one, fat and orange, was Osaka's gift to the amnesiac, Chiyo-chichi. Of course, Sakaki knew that Chiyo's real dad was away on a business trip, wife in tow, but that still didn't stop her from believing that this was her father. She sighed, half-wishing that this chubby blob of feline was her dad; perhaps he could have helped Chiyo recover her memories…

But it wasn't.

It was just a stuffed animal.

Stuffed animals couldn't do anything, Sakaki reluctantly admitted.

They just wouldn't make Chiyo remember…

But she still couldn't lose hope.

She couldn't surrender, thinking that her friend would forget so easily…

And so, Sakaki, in an attempt to stay confident, made a full sweep of Chiyo's room, showing her baseball players' autographs, photos from their vacations to her summer home (including a few embarrassing shots that Tomo immediately snatched up, despite her previous exhaustion), and even Maya, Sakaki's Iriomote cat, who had wandered into the room at one point.

And, though "amnesiac Chiyo-chan" persisted, saying that nothing—nothing—brought back memories, no one disheartened.

Especially not Sakaki.

However, by eight o' clock, it became apparent that Chiyo herself was becoming both tired and discouraged. The former was understandable, as the girl was normally on a strict early-to-bed-early-to-rise schedule. But the latter…

Eventually, Sakaki noticed Chiyo yawn, though the movement didn't even begin to hide the tears in her eyes. The dark-haired girl said, "I… I think Chiyo-chan's had enough for the night. Should I walk you guys home?"

Yomi was the only one of the group to respond. "Nah. Sakaki, I think it would be best if you stay here with Chiyo-chan for the night. We'll be fine from here on out."

After a moment's hesitation, Sakaki nodded her agreement, asking Kagura, who lived closest to her house, to tell her mother that she would be elsewhere that evening. Five minutes later, the four girls took their leave of the building. Once they were gone, Chiyo said, "Miss Sakaki, I'm sorry I couldn't remember. I just…"

"It's alright, Chiyo-chan. You'll be okay, I promise."

"No…" Chiyo paused. Was that a blush on her cheeks? "No, it's not that. I… I just don't want to disappoint you…"

Sakaki turned her head abruptly. So that was it? That was why she had been fretting so much ever since they'd stepped onto the lawn? That…

Sakaki interrupted her own thought process by saying, "It's fine. I'm not the one you should worry about. You… well… you're my greatest concern as of right now."

Silence. "Miss Sakaki…"

"Is there anything you need?" asked Sakaki suddenly. "Are you hungry? Tired?"

Chiyo, in recognizing that Sakaki was trying to be helpful, smiled slightly. "All I really want is to go to bed now…"

"Alright. Do you need help finding your clothing or brushing your teeth or…"

"No… I'll be fine."

Sakaki nodded. "Okay, then." At that, she headed for the door. Due to her frequent visits to the Mihama estate, Sakaki had a guestroom at the end of the hallway set aside for her, toiletries and a set of pajamas included.

"Wait… where are you going, Miss Sakaki?"

The older girl paused. "To my room. I'll be sleeping in there tonight."

"Um… actually…" Chiyo shifted from foot to foot and fingered the end of one of her pigtails. "I'd prefer it if you… sleep in here… with me… please…"

The pause that ensued was momentary, though to the two, it seemed endless. Finally, a response. "A… alright… just… let me change…"

Chiyo smiled. "'Kay."

Another smile. "O… okay…"

Fifteen minutes found Sakaki sprawled out on one side of Chiyo's bed, already breathing heavily and clutching both "Chiyo-chichi" and Maya to her pajama-clad bosom. Chiyo watched her quietly. Of all the girls she'd met today, she'd liked Sakaki the most. She seemed really kind and concerned for her and was really willing to help out. She had an air about her that made her much more… respectable; likeable; sister-like, even.

Chiyo grinned again. What was it about Sakaki that made her like her so? Had her relationship with her been different when she had had all of her memories? And, if it had, how?

The girl sighed, falling backwards onto the pillows. No matter how many questions she asked herself, no matter how hard she thought, no matter how hard she tried to remember… she always came up blank; empty. That was all there was to it.

She just couldn't remember.

But then…

If this was the case, Sakaki would be disappointed; disappointed in her.

Chiyo didn't want that.

Beneath her blanket, Chiyo clenched her fists. Tomorrow, she decided, I'm really going to try to remember. I'll do it for her, for Miss Sakaki. I know I can if I try hard enough. And then I'll be happy.

Happy with Miss Sakaki.

Her eyes slid closed, and she smiled sleepily.

Yeah… with Miss Sakaki…

And, right before her dreams overtook her, Chiyo reached over toward her pile of cats and grabbed onto Monpuchi, Sakaki's gift to her—not to "amnesiac Chiyo-chan"; to her—and pulled it close, grinning even as she journeyed through the subconscious.

End chapter. Don't forget to leave a review. Thank you for reading!