Chapter 2 I Walk Beside You

I never thought spoon-feeding was really tiresome. My arm ached from just holding the spoon. She sure took her sweet time blowing the soup in the spoon just to cool it down. After she was sure that the soup was not too hot, she proceeded to seep the soup slowly and then laid her head back to the pillow. This routine was done several times until she finished the entire soup. We didn't talk at all.

Once in a while, I stole a glance to her while I was spoon-feeding her. Confusion was literally filling my head right now. Iris was in Hazakura Temple. Unless I had problems with my ear or Bikini suddenly decided to troll me, she was in the temple no doubt. While I had not seen it myself, Dahlia was executed. Let's just say that the government might have a secret-ultra plan that they lied about her execution, that scenario was still very unlikely. After all, her spirit was undoubtedly channeled by Maya before. Iris was in another place, Dahlia was dead. Who was this woman then?

I remembered when I first heard Iris' voice before. For a fleeting second, I thought this woman was Dahlia reincarnated.

Bullshit.

Naturally, there was a more viable explanation than that, like the possibility of another twin sister. But when I asked Iris about that, in the middle of our short chat to catch up with each other's life, she told me that she didn't know any other twin sister other than Dahlia. Other explanation I could come up with was she was another person entirely but with an exact genetic. But how does that explain the exact same clothing, hairstyle (including the color dye), and the picture she held?

Not to mention what Iris said to me earlier.

"A Picture of us… dating?" She seemed startled that I brought up anything related with our relationship in those times. Maybe she still felt the unnecessary guilty of deceiving me. I should talk to her about that later. But apparently, "…I'm sorry Feenie, I don't think we ever take a picture… right?"

I knew that we had taken a picture only once. I was a bit hurt that she didn't remember it. That just proved that our relationship was a past though. We were not what we used to be anymore. The only thing I had to think about was the woman that currently used my bed.

There were too many mysteries surrounding this woman. I messaged my temple to ease my mind. Right after I had ended my call to Iris, this woman had finally opened her eyes, but she hadn't said anything. I had asked her to stay in bed while I was going to make a quick soup. Even until now, she still had not uttered a word. But I was determined to make her talk to clear the mystery.

I put the bowl on top of the table and called to Borscht, telling the bartender that I wouldn't be able to go to work this night. I closed the connection and found that she stared at me this whole time. I felt blood rushed to my face but I faced away to prevent her seeing my blush, her face reminded me so much of Iris. I needed to get this over with before my mind exploded. After calming myself down, I faced her, ready to finally talk.

"Err… Hi" She didn't respond. Great, Phoenix. What a great way to start a conversation. Awkward silence reigned over the room. So many questions swirling in my head right now that I didn't know what I should ask first.

"…Sorry," blurted the woman suddenly. That caught me off guard.

"What for?"

"It's nice of you to take care of me…" She blushed, "I hope I don't trouble you too much, Sir," She bowed her head as much as she possibly could.

I just scratched my head, "There was nothing else I could do if I found a girl unconscious in front of my door, haha, "She bowed her head even further. I was pretty sure she was even redder than before. That must be embarrassing for any girl to know, "Sorry…"

"Don't be… It's my fault for not taking care of my body…" Now she fidgeted, showing her nervousness, "It has been days, I only ate few and not even once a proper meal," It was just like what Guy said.

"Are you still hungry? We still have foods left in fridge. You don't have to hold back…"

"…Actually yes, I can eat some more if it is possible," she fidgeted again and her face was still red. I didn't respond to her, instead pressing my hand suddenly to her forehead. I wanted to make sure her red face didn't come from her worsening condition. She was startled however. She didn't say anything but her face was even redder than before if it was even possible. I was amused. She was just embarrassed after all.

"Like I said, don't hold back. I'll go fix something quick. You, however, just stay in bed. You are still not well enough to walk around," having said my piece, I proceeded to stand and was about to open the door when she nervously thanked me, "Thank you… Sir. You are very kind. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, "I replied just before I opened the door and left her alone. After I closed the door, I released the breath that I had not realized I had held while we were conversing. He felt like dreaming. He felt like talking to Iris eight years ago when they were still dating. In particular, he remembered the time when Iris fell sick and I had to take care of her, just like today. Back then, Iris also apologized for troubling me. This scene was just like that day. Not to mention that this girl acted like Iris. She was too similar that I wondered if Iris might have duplicated herself. Silly I knew, but I couldn't help it, she was just that similar.

Damn this, I don't know what to think anymore. I had not even asked any question I had.

Just as I promised, I fixed something quick. I'm not much of a cook, Trucy and I usually ate out, but instant noodle was even easier to make than the soup earlier. I made it double-sized to, hopefully, fill her enough until tomorrow. I made a mental note to go shopping tomorrow. While the fridge was filled with foods, none of them could be considered as an appropriate meal. Trucy and me had not stocked it for a long while.

"Is she okay, Daddy?" Trucy suddenly appeared in the kitchen. The song of Steel Samurai ED could be heard faintly from the office room. It seemed that the show had ended now that Trucy had her attention back to the woman. She looked genuinely worried. Well, it's not every day we got sickly woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Yep, she is awake now. She's getting better," I checked the watch and found that it was already 7PM, "Aren't you going to be late for your show?" Every day, Trucy had her own magic show in a nearby bar, Wonder Bar. I was worried at first to let her work at such a young age. But she was very adamant on doing it, saying that she should help me taking care of herself. In the first days, I usually accompanied her to her show. Now, I guessed I was getting used to it to let her by. If anything, the neighborhood was rather fond of and protective with her.

"How about you, Daddy? Don't you have to go to work? I thought I could take care of her instead when you work…"

"I have called absent just now, you should go. I needed to talk to her alone..."

Trucy interpreted that as something else though, "Oh, Daddy! You finally agreed you need a mommy!" She grinned happily. She had been pestering me about that lately. I would be lying if I said that I didn't long for a companionship, but it was not something to happen suddenly. Even more so since my last case, I defensively pushed almost all my friends away from my life. That said, Trucy needed a mother figure.

Sometimes later Trucy, when the opportunity presented itself.

"We are just old friends, Trucy, "Probably, "Now go along, I couldn't use my awesome cooking skill when you were around."

"Cooking an instant noodle was not something to be proud of, Daddy!" She crossed her arms and pouted, "I'll buy something from the supermarket on my home, okay?"

"Just buy enough for 3 of us for breakfast, lest we had Mr. Little carried your bag all the way here again. Count on me for shopping big tomorrow."

Trucy was already running to the door, "I'll remember it, Daddy!" I simmered the noodle and placed it on a bowl when Trucy shouted again, "Treat her like a lady, you often don't care!" And the door was shut.

Of course, I couldn't treat her less.

And so another food wholeheartedly she ate. She smiled and thanked me shyly again for that. How such a simple gesture could make me happily stupid was beyond any logic. Nevertheless, the time for nostalgia (one-sidedly) and courteousness needed to come to an end. I shouldn't delay my right to know any further. I was pre-emptied by her conscience of her duty to explain.

"First of all, thanks for your hospitality to me, Sir..." She bowed again, this time formally and without any embarrassment, to show her appreciations, "But I assumed you, more than anything else, want to know the truth."

"Do tell, I'm all ears."

She raised her head again to match me in eyes level, "It was the least I could do right now, Sir, "She suddenly felt very weak, "Though I'm not quite sure if I could tell you much, "Before suddenly back to her strong façade, "But I'll tell you everything I know… It is for my benefit too."

I was not quite sure what to make of her statements, so I just stayed quiet and let her decide what to speak of next.

"First of all, if you are curious why I was in front of your door this afternoon, not awake to my shame, is because I don't know where else I should go…"

That was quite… multi-interpretable, so I decided to ask her a question this time, "Are you by chance… running away from home?"

"Err, no, I am not. I think I'm not running away from home. I'm not really sure…" Uncertainty dawned on her eyes.

"What do you mean you are not sure?"

She bit her lip, "Well, this is why I couldn't give much explanation myself…" She hesitated to say the next words, but I just patiently waited for her words, "…I can't remember anything before the past three days."

Well, damn.

She had not stopped talking though, "No, that's not quite right. Perhaps it's better to say that… The only thing I have is my memories of the past three days."

Well, shit just got skyrocketed.

Amnesiac was not relatively uncommon to happen, I suffered from it once too when the criminal of a case I handled cowardly hit me in the head with a fire extinguisher. I had recovered my memories not so long after the amnesiac started though. But three days was significantly longer, she might have suffered from heavy amnesia, if there was such a thing. There was another matter of how she got the amnesia, but I might not know it anytime soon.

Before, I was anxious on learning her identity. Now I was not so optimistic anymore. It was still worth asking though, "So, err… Do you know anything about yourself?"

"There is nothing I'm afraid, "She answered solemnly, "I know not who I am, where I live, what I do to work, nothing. Like I said before, I only knows my memories of the last three days. Nothing at all "

She bit her lip again.

"I have tried visiting any places in the city; maybe I will remember something from those. If anything, I only learned their name," she sighed.

There goes my hope of learning about this woman. Somehow, there were always complicated situation whenever it was related with Iris or her sister or this look-alike woman for that matter.

I bit my lip. There was something else I needed to know though. It might be the most important thing that can shade any revelations, "Is this office happened to be one of those places you visit?"

She was silent at first, she suddenly seemed uncertain about something. Nevertheless she gave her answer, "Somewhat like that, but not in a random sense like other locations I have visited, "she picked the crumpled photo that was in her bedside. She stared at it as she elaborated further, "I visited you because of this photo."

It was obvious. If I forgot about everything and found myself holding only a photo of myself with another person, I would look for that person too. Especially if that photo held a really strong memory, but that point is moot since the photo was of Iris and me.

"Have you looked at the photo yet?"

I only nodded in response.

"It was really sweet, yes? In this photo, I was held lovingly by you… I thought you are my lover or at least my friend," she smiled bitterly, "but you were asking me as if you don't know me. Have I wronged you in the past?"

I didn't have heart to tell her that the woman in that photo was someone else entirely. That photo was like her only hope. Still, considering my options, I decided to tell her the truth.

"I'll be honest to you. You certainly bring a resemblance with my girlfriend in my college days. I took that photo years ago with her. But I phoned her just now, she was well in another place."

She looked momentarily depressed after I told her that, but she laughed it off, "Then I must be her twin sister or something, hahaha," she sounded uncertain.

"Well, she had a sister," she got brighter. Though a moment after, it's the opposite. Perhaps she noticed my use of past tense, "…She was dead."

Now she was very visibly depressed. I didn't stay anything to soothe her, how could I? I was never in her position and I couldn't imagine the trouble she was having either. I was troubled as well. None of this conversation led to any sense. In fact, I started to think illogically that she was Dahlia. For all intents and purposes, she might not be dead at all, maybe a failed execution or something, and instead playing amnesiac girl role to stab me on my back when I was not aware. She was really good at acting. Real good. Especially if the role was an innocent woman.

I didn't realize it, but I had backed away a little and felt nervous.

If I expected any sight of her suddenly pulled a knife out of nowhere, I didn't see any. In fact, she was really distressed. It was appropriate of an amnesiac knowing her chance to discover her true self was crushed. I pulled myself together. She was not Dahlia. Dahlia was dead to the world. In one way or another, she must be related to the Hawthorne sisters somehow. Bringing her to Iris might give us some directions. But for now, I must stop her depression.

As I ponder how I could cheer her, she suddenly asked me a really weird question, "Do you know of a guy who wears a black leather jacket with a sentence sewed on the back? The sentence was 'I smile to the World'," her depression had not completely disappeared yet, but she asked me a rather unexpected question. I searched my memories for one. Try as I might, I didn't recall any one wearing a jacket like that.

"No one, as far as I remember. Why are you asking me that? Did you suddenly recall a memory of that guy?"

"That's unsettling," she voiced her concern, though I didn't know of what. She immediately continued, "That man was the one who gave me this photo."

"Wait, so the photo was not with you since you came to your conscience?"

"No, the only things I had that time was this dress I wore and that umbrella," she pointed to where I rested the thing.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but are you saying that you met the man in those three days? And he gave you this photo?"

"Yes, you are right. Not only that, he also gave me this message: 'Seek this person, he will definitely help you'. That's why I started asking around about you."

That man piqued my interest now. He was most likely the key to this little confusion, "How is he like? I might not know the jacket, but I still have good memory of the face of all people I know."

She felt troubled now, "That's the problem. He covered his face. Immediately after he gave me this photo, he quickly walked away. I tried to chase him but he lost me just as fast."

Well, at least now we had another clue to hold. I didn't know for how long though. Identifying the owner of a jacket like might be possible. I could ask Kristoph to help that as the reward for helping on his case. But that assumed the man was still having the jacket. When I thought about it, the man covering his face and his track was obviously to hide his identity. That meant the jacket was most likely just a secondary jacket to throw away after he gave her the photo. Adding to the fact that he most likely knew her and her amnesiac problem, having the photo beforehand, and didn't bother to tell her about anything, he suspiciously seemed to be the cause. And we didn't know who he was.

The atmosphere became heavier. I couldn't blame it, we got more questions created rather than answered. I saw her becoming a bit trembled. Maybe it's because this situation might be more dangerous than I thought. I held her hand. Now I was involved as well. We needed to stay strong and calm to get through this.

She looked startled at first, but I knew she appreciated the simple gesture of touching. I thought she felt a lot calmer now. Her face still shaded red though. That made me want to blush too, you know. Anyway, some encouragement was in order here. I had no sense of a good sentence making, so I decided to tell her what I thought Maya would do in my place.

"Everything will be fine, it always is. For all we know, this might be something silly that we will laugh at in later days."

I grinned.

She smiled sincerely, the most genuine today, without blushing.

I found interest in the document above my study desk, hiding my own blush now. She was really beautiful.

"Thank you, Mr. Wright," she held back my hand for a moment; before pulling it back and stretched. This is the first time she called me other than Sir and I liked that, "I feel a lot finer now. Talking really helps my body to forget sickness."

"That's how you feel. You still look weary to my eyes. Just stay in bed and rest."

"I will do exactly that, Mr. Wright. Please allow me the selfishness to indulge in your hospitality," she bowed again and then rose. She gave me that megawatt smile again. It had been real long since I was this happy.

"What will you do from now on?"

She thought about it a little while, "I will probably visiting places again, I don't know. Then, maybe someone will recognize me and let me stay with them temporarily," she shied away, "I couldn't live forever in street after all. Three days are enough to make me fall unconscious, more than that I don't want to imagine."

That was a really weak way to find a place. Then, briefly, I calculated all the money I had in savings, all steady incomes from my job and Trucy show, and some good business with Kristoph. I thought, why not?

"How about staying in my place? If you are okay, that is," I also have a very good reason for my suggestion.

"But why would you let me stay here? I don't have anything to offer you with," then she got serious, "if I was anyone else, I would downright suspect you for having a not-so-good intention. You are too kind for your own good, Mr. Wright."

"That's what my friends said to me too. I can't help for being what I am. Do you expect me to let go someone who forget everything and not think much about it?"

"No, but-"

"Don't worry about me. I was good enough to cover all three of us," even more so if I won a big poker game.

"But will your wife be okay with it?"

Now that was another unexpected thought she had there, "what wife?"

She saw me like I was an alien, "Of course I'm talking about the wife who gave birth to your daughter, what else?"

Ah, she apparently was not entirely unconscious since she recognized Trucy. But she got the wrong idea, not that I blamed her. A lot of people assumed I have one whenever they came to know Trucy.

"You see, she was not my biological daughter. I adopted her."

"Oh," was it just me or did I see her happy for a short moment?

"Actually, you staying here would really help Trucy. That girl needs a friend to confide in and look up to, a mother for a better word. Who knows if I had led her life inappropriately," I was being honest here. Trucy always looked happy in front of me. But I knew better than that, she was just hiding away her sadness. She wouldn't confide in me since I thought she felt she already troubled me too much by adopting her. She needed a motherly figure.

"A mother, huh…" She pondered this for a moment, and then playfully teased me, "Don't say it freely like that, Mr. Wright. Any woman will interpret that differently,"

I blushed. I didn't mind, but I wouldn't dare saying it.

"That girl seems a really good girl. Now I felt bad for not taking your offer, Mr. Wright."

A moment of silence passed between us. She was thinking whether she should accept my offer or not. I am being hopeful that she would accept my offer.

Actually, there were two reasons why I asked her to stay. The first was obviously because I was now involved. If I ignored this, who knows what tragedy would follow. My experience told me to always chase the truth until the end, lest it would cause unpleasant tragedy, even more so when I was involved.

Another reason was simply because I longed for a companionship, but not in a romantic sense, more in a platonic sense. Since Maya decided to fully accept her responsibility as Kurain Master, she was becoming less frequently showing up in my office, until it became only once in a month. We still held each other as best friend ever, but I knew better than to always depend on her. Our life was inevitably branched differently. But I still missed someone who I could always depend on, to trust and share my trouble. I wanted to take a chance with this woman. Who knows what would happen after she regained her memory, but I didn't care.

That was why I was so happy when she decided to accept my offer.

"Okay, Mr. Wright, like I said earlier, allow me to indulge on your hospitality from now on. I don't know if I can become a mother figure to your daughter, but I will try my hardest," she smiled. It was me who should thank her. She didn't know how meaningful accepting my offer was to me and Trucy. Now I just hoped that this would be going well.

For now, I would take the first step needed in a friendship.

"By the way, don't call me Mr. Wright; it sounds too formal to me, hahaha."

"Should I call you Phoenix then?"

"Yep, that's good, but better yet, "I hope you don't mind, Iris," Feenie."

"Feenie?"

How good that name sounded in her voice. I grinned, "yeah, you said it right."

"Feenie, Feenie, Feenie… I don't think it suits you, but I like it… Feenie," maybe yeah, it didn't suit me in my hobo-like appearance. It didn't change how much I liked that name. It was really good to be called with a pet-name.

"You cannot stay nameless too. Or maybe you would like if I call you 'The Amnesiac Girl'?" I teased her.

She fell silent. I knew any topic regarding her identity would make her saddened. This was something I wouldn't be able to change.

"That-"

"Dollie," I blurted without thinking.

She looked at me questioningly, "Dollie?"

"Yeah… Dollie… I think that name fits with you, "

"Dollie… It sounds… really nice indeed. It is decided then," she looked really happy for some reasons. Did that name really make her that happy? I don't mind such happiness though.

"Okay then, let's start again from the beginning properly, alright?"

She understood what I meant. We fixed our posture to be as if we just met for the first time. We gave each other our sincerest smile.

"My name is Feenie."

"I'm Dollie."

She offered me a handshake, I accepted it.

"I am now in your care, Feenie."

And so, the life of a makeshift family, consisting of a hobo-truth-seeker, a child-magician, and an amnesiac-girl, started. But so was the trouble that caused this makeshift family to exist.

A/N

I will update this story once a week, most likely in the weekend. But if I have important project going on, the chapter might not be finished in time and thus, delaying publish. I will tell about that in my profile.

Anyway, criticism and thoughts are really appreciated! I'm still looking for a beta-reader too. Thanks!