Memoir

Summary: Sequel to "Forgotten." "Time really does change everything, doesn't it? Hard to believe I'm the same person." Hiei/OC

Author's notes: Ah…. A new chapter. And, exciting news! "Memoir" has hit 50 reviews. Yay. I think there was some miscommunication on my part, so I'm going to clear this up now: when I said Hiei would be back in chapter nine, I wasn't counting the prologue as a chapter. So technically, if you go by the website's chapter counter, Hiei'll come back in chapter ten. I probably just made things more confusing… sorry. Well, that's enough of my rambling. Lots of love to my reviewers!

Kurayamihikari: Thanks for the review. Glad to know that the length of the chapter didn't take away from its quality. I'm excited about him coming back too! I'll just have to work hard so that we can get to that point, won't I?

-X-1fallen angel1-X-: Thanks a lot! I'll try to keep the updates coming.

MikoHatome: Yeah, I'm trying to keep them coming. Thanks for the encouragement.

mysadeyes: Glad you liked the chapter. Some of them will be short (sadly), but I'll try to keep the length decent. Thanks for reading.

BlueWater26: Congrats on getting your fanfics posted. Can't wait to see what you come up with. Glad that the mystery has you intrigued. Keep reading!

Bec: Thanks for the compliments. I hope the fic doesn't disappoint you! Keep reading and reviewing.

DarkArcheangel: :Accepts said basket of assorted sweets: Why, thank you! I'm glad you think this is a five star fic! That means a lot. Please keep reading and reviewing!

brezzybrez: Thanks for being interested. I'll keep the chapters coming.

sillylittlenothing: Yeah, the website can be a real pain sometimes. As always, you're asking some wonderful questions, and, as usual, I'll have to leave it to the story to answer them. Granted, you might not find many answers in this particular chapter. Thanks for keeping me on my toes, so to speak. I hope you find your answers as the fic progresses.

Jingenji: I know; I'm sorry it was short. They won't all be like that. I'm glad you're interested in the fic, and I hope that you like the rest of it!

Whew. Thanks for the reviews, people. All FIFTY-ONE of them. I'm so excited.

Oh, and, once again, long sections in italics are dream/memory sequences. Okay? Good.

Part Eight: Alone in the Light

By the time Keiko's doorbell rang, she had already set the whole house up in preparation for her friend's visit. In fact, she had just put a bowl of popcorn on coffee table when her friend arrived.

"Hey, come on in," Keiko smiled, pulling the door open. "How was the drive here?"

"It sucked," Akiko's voice replied as Akiko shook the rain water out of her coat. "God I hate driving in the rain. Anywho, how've you been Keiko?"

The brunette shrugged. "Alright, I guess. I'm glad you got to come over here. It's sad that we only get to see each other in classes."

The girls ambled into the living room and plopped onto the floor in front of the television.

"So," Akiko said. "You said on the phone that you needed to talk to a girl about something?"

Keiko nodded, hugging a pillow next to her. "It's about Yusuke."

"Oh no. What did the lummox do this time?"

"You know we always go to the movies on Wednesdays?"

"Yeah."

"He didn't show up."

"Really? That doesn't make sense. You ask him about it?"

"Of course I did."

"And?"

"He said he just forgot."

"Well, this is Yusuke we're talking about—"

"Every week! We go every week! How can he just forget?"

"Didn't you guys just skip a week?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, before he missed the date. The Wednesday before, did you guys go?"

"Well, no. We met you at the lawyer's office."

"Maybe that threw him off?"

"Maybe. Argh…. He's just so frustrating sometimes."

Akiko shrugged. "I think you're lucky. Luckier than you know."

Akiko rolled over to look at the clock. Four-thirty A.M. God, why couldn't she sleep? She sat up rubbing her eyes and yawning. A few feet away, Keiko was sleeping peacefully—probably dreaming of cute little bunnies or something like that.

What felt like a human hand rested on Akiko's shoulder. Panicked, Akiko spun around to see what had touched her.

Itaka stood behind her, smiling.

"God, you've really gotta stop doing that," Akiko breathed, glancing to Keiko to make sure that the sleeping girl hadn't been disturbed. "You want something?"

The little boy nodded and held out his hand.

Akiko took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the balcony of Keiko's apartment.

Itaka gave Akiko's hand a squeeze and the colours and shapes of the world around them dissolved to darkness.

Itaka was watching the stars. That was his favorite thing to do. His parents had said that that was because he was born under a lucky star. Whatever that meant. This particular evening, the stars were particularly beautiful.

Funny how fate seems to work like that.

His parents hadn't seen the yokai coming. But he had.

Not that he saw it before it attacked him, but he knew that something big would happen that night.

He didn't know how big, but he knew it would change his life.

It wasn't until he felt the first searing of pain that he looked around at the beast attacking him. When he saw that face he knew he would die.

His memory paused on the face of that yokai, knowing that his savior would see it.

A sound interrupted the vision.

"Akiko?"

"Akiko, what're you doing out here?"

Akiko turned to find Keiko, peering worriedly at her from inside the apartment.

"What?"

"It's five in the morning. Why are you on the balcony?"

Akiko looked out at the city from the balcony.

The city. Not where the vision had taken place.

"Damn," she hissed.

"Akiko?"

"I'm really sorry, Keiko, but I have to go." She grabbed her coat and made her way to the door. "If you see Yusuke today, tell him to give me a ring, okay?"

"Y-yeah, I guess. Akiko, are you sure you're alright?"

She lied.

After all, how do you explain to someone that you've just seen the face of someone who killed a little kid centuries ago?

Author's notes: Okay, so still not very long, but longer than the last chapter. And besides, HIEI COMES BACK IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. Go ahead. Be excited. I am. Well, I've really got very little to say here. Aside from I HAVE 51 REVIEWS. I'm still all excited about that. Thanks, folks. And, as always, read and review, please.