Chapter 4

I didn't dream that night. There were no images, but voices instead. The cold voices of my conscience were arguing over my decision of taking Hiten home instead of the hospital.

"Take him to a doctor! If he dies you'll never live it down!" A more innocent one.

"Keep him! He'll rat you out. You don't want to go back there do you?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Saying this I woke up in a cold sweat. It was still dark out, The Band of Seven and Suzako laid all around me in either sleeping bags or blankets. I had given my bed to Hiten so I had to sleep on the hard floor. I looked up, the bed was empty.

My heart skipped a beat and I rose to my feet. A light came from the hall way through my open bedroom door. This gave me an idea as to where he was. A crash down the hall confirmed his location. Either that or it was my cat, Mr. fluffly. I tripped over Jakotsu heading to the door.

My eyes watered slightly from the brightness of the hall light. I ran to the room from which I had heard the crash, the computer room. Opening the door I called for him softly, knowing my parents were sleeping down stairs.

There, tangled in his own bandages, was Hiten. He was rolling around on the floor chasing one end of the long bloody bandage while one end was still taped onto his forehead. I raised my brow slightly, weirded out. A jingle came from the other side of the room, where the computer desk rested against the wall. Mr. Fluffy made his appearance by pouncing after the same side of the bandage Hiten was playing with.

They both rolled around, bumping into walls and the desk. I was shocked. Rubbing my eyes to make sure I truly awake I felt a soft brushing sensation against my leg. I assumed it was Mr. Fluffly and bent over to pet his when I noticed that there was no fur.

Looking down Hiten was there rubbing himself on to my leg like a cat, making the best purring sounds a human could possibly make between breaths.

"Hiten, what the hell are you doing!" I growled to him. His eyes seemed larger than they were the other day, and the light from the computer, which somehow turned itself on, showed off his huge gaping wound.

"Meeeoowww!" He said, and commenced licking my feet. It tickled like crazy.

"He- ahahaha! Hey stop it! Stop! Ahaha!" I almost screamed. I used the door way to keep my self from falling over. I kicked him slightly.

"Meow!" He hissed and then bit my foot, damn did he have pointy teeth!

Had I not been doubtful of my own sanity, I would have knocked him into next week.

"Hiten! I order you to STOP IT!"

His huge eyes widened even further, which looked a bit scary. "Hi…ten" He said.

"Yes, dumbass, that's your name."

"Hiten" He smiled. I squinted my eyes in confusion, what was he getting at?

"Um…ya…"

"Hiten!" He stood, somewhat like an infant at first, and took on my exact posture, with arm crossed and his brows raised. Damn, he did look almost exactly like me.

"STOP IT!" I ordered.

"STOP IT!" He ordered back.

I was getting fed up with him, but bit my lip to prevent further yelling. I was going to get someone else to deal with him, most preferably Suikotsu. I head a crash from behind me. Hiten was laying out on the floor, just outside of the doorway. He lifted his face, making a heart wrenching expression, all while reach for me crying. "HITEN HITEN!"

His wound looked as if it had reopened, and I panicked. I burst in to my room.

"Suikotsu Kikyou is single!" I lied. He sat up instantly. "Actually she isn't." He grabbed me by my braid and pulled me to his face, his eyes still closed.

"What do you want!" He hissed.

"I need your help."

We all circled around Hiten as he sat on the desk chair with his hands placed shyly on his lap. He was swinging his legs rhythmically. Suikotsu snipped a new bandage and tied it to his forehead.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Suzako asked. Suikotsu held up his hand holding up to fingers right in front of Hitens face.

"How many fingers and I holding up?" He asked. Hiten leaned forward sniffing the fingers and the bit them.

"ooOO-ANIKI, GET THIS LITTLE BASTARD TO STOP!" I rushed over behind the assaulter and pulled on his shoulders. He stopped and fell back in the seat.

Suikotsu was making a murderous face now, with a vein popping out of his forehead.

"Ani-ki!" Hiten shrieked. "Aniki Hiten!"

He jumped from the chair and scurried behind me. I almost fell over when he squeezed my legs while sobbing loudly.

"I think you scared him." I laughed.

Jakotsu stood shaking his fist to the ceiling. "The one time I don't bring a camera and two sexy guys start to hug on each other!"

I rolled my eyes, and noticed Hiten crying the word aniki over and over again.

"He has Amnesia…and it's severe too." Suikotsu said wrapping a bandage on his own finger. "That's quite a bump on his forehead."

"No Hiten, don't call me Aniki, only band members can call me that, call me Bankotsu ok?" I said, with nurturing tone slipping itself into my voice.

Hiten sniffed back his whimpers and looked up to me, with yet another heart wrenching expression on his face. "Aniki!"

Suzako's eyes sparkled with delight. He placed his hands beside his head, clasped together. "Aww that is too cute! I could eat him up!"

Despite the fact Hiten had no speaking ability he was frightened by Suzako's words, or maybe just his face, and hid behind my legs once more.

Renkotsu smiled slightly. "First things first. We have to try to renew his memory. And I know just the place!" He twirled car keys on his forefinger.

Tokyo was lively that Saturday afternoon. It was hard not to be split up from the rest of the group with the opposing crowd. Hiten learned haw to walk quickly as we rushed along the many stores and carts. Renkotsu would stop out of nowhere and point to random things and name them.

"That is a car. You ride in those to get places."

Hiten looked up at him. "Car, does bald one have car?"

Renkotsu smiled. "Yes, Hiten, I do have a car."

We continued down the street and Hiten ran over to me, grabbing my hand.

"Where is Aniki going?"

"Ani…I mean I am going to the music store. You are going with Jakotsu to go do…Jakotsu things." I answered. His bright smile faded drastically when I pilled my hand from his own. I understood he had the innocence of a child, yet he had the body of a16 year old. People were staring at us.

"Does Aniki hate Hiten?" He asked, bowing his glumly.

"No I do not hate you.:

Jakotsu, who was walking behind us the whole time, caught up and snatched Hiten by the collar of his "The Ramones" tee shirt. Hiten whimpered as he did so. "This is our stop."

Jakotsu, Suzako, and Hiten parted from us into a bookstore.

I squinted my eyes as I looked over the many different brands of metal guitar strings. The music store was a huge enclosed building, with white walls decorated with band posters. Neat aisles separated different products, I was in the strings section, naturally. Suikotsu came over.

"Aniki, you shouldn't get that brand. Their cheap and break so easily. Not good for concerts, don't you say?" I nodded and put it back.

I heard a scream from outside of the store but assumed it was a young child giving its mother a hard time. It had gotten louder as I mover over to the sheet music section.

"Lets see…where is…" I started to mumble to myself, right before a screeching wail pierced the air itself.

"ANNNNIIIIKKKIII!" I braced myself for embarrassment but not impact. I was struck with the force of a football players tackle. I was knocked to the ground. "Aniki! Girly one tried to show Hiten naughty things!"

"Hiten! Get off of me!" I yelled. He obeyed and rose, crawling to the end of my feet.

I rose quickly and continued to my browsing, acting like nothing happened. He joined me and picked up a book started flipping through it. He had no idea that he was holding it up side down. I noticed he had a plastic bag hanging looped around his arm.

"So what's in the bag?" I asked, giving up my search for the sheet music.

"Red one got Hiten book with pretty pictures." He said plainly. He then looked up to me smiling pleasantly. "Is this a book for people who cannot use eyes?" Clearly Renkotsu even taught him about brail, yet he still didn't teach him anything about using words besides proper nouns and adjectives.

"No Hiten, that's sheet music, it tells you how to play music on an instrument."

My band had voted against me. On our way home from the big city all fingers pointed to me when we were appointing the position of Hiten's care taker. Three hours passed since then and I sat on my bed as the digital clock turned its red numbers to 10:01 pm. Hiten rushed into the room with his bag, which strangely enough he never put down, and plopped next to me.

"Can Aniki tell me what is going on?" He started to pull a magazine from the bag. Knowing Suzako I cringed, but for no reason. As he handed it to me I saw nothing that would scar me mentally.

"Band Times." I read out loud. "Special story! Okihama Marching Bolts lose Drum Major!" The cover had an emerald green field, split up with numbered white lines. There were dots shaping a lightning bolt on it. I really didn't see what was so "pretty" about the cover myself.

The light from the lamp gave the room a warm glow. I read article after article for him, finding myself growing tired. He, on the other hand, was wide awake.

My parents were asleep, as always. They had no clue I had Hiten, which was precisely what I needed.

"Aniki, what are those two doing?" He asked, pointing to a picture of a Chap Stick ad. A man and women were kissing each other, a colorful sunset behind them.

"Their kissing, that's what you do when you love someone." I answered him, that nurturing tone making yet another appearance into my voice.

"What is love?"

I was taken back slightly, how does someone explain love after all? I really didn't want to confuse him, and give him the wrong message.

"Love is when you care for someone very much. There are two types of love, family and husband/wife love. Family love is when you just care about the other person. Husband/wife love when you can't stop thinking about that person, like when ever they talk to you, your speechless."

"Hiten wishes someone loved Hiten. Love sounds nice!" He laughed.

"Don't worry…love always finds itself in everyone." I replied. Hearing myself I realized that that was the deepest thing I've ever said before in my life.

Hiten groaned, holding himself. "Hiten hurts!" He cried.

"Where!" I asked sitting up from my original position.

He pointed to his crotch; I instantly realized what was going on. I grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him into the bathroom across the hall. I ordered him to pull his pants and sit on the toilet.

"Only if Aniki turns around." And so I did. He was shy, which meant his mind was rebuilding itself. I heard him, well, do his business. He stood up and pulled up his pants.

"YOU HELD THAT IN ALL DAY?" I exclaimed.

He shrugged as I turned back around to see it. I then forcefully made him wash his hands. We walked back to my room. Hiten rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Hiten's eyes feel heavy." I smiled to him. "Hiten your tired…you can sleep on my bed." On the floor were blankets my band members slept on. I bunched them up and made a bed out of them. I turned off the lamp light after helping Hiten into the sheets.

I lay down and sleep took over me quickly. "Sweet Dreams" I mumbled and dreamed the rest of the night.