Forgotten
Chapter Four: Huntington's Disease

Hiro was shaking, he couldn't help it. His fists were clenched so tightly he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to relax them again. His palms tingled, he felt like he wanted to hit something. No, not something. Someone.

"What the hell did you do?"

The barren eyes of Yuki Eiri, stared him down. "What are you dong here?" He said coldly.

"That's not an answer." Hiro replied. "I asked you what the hell you did."

"What the hell did I do to what, Nakano Hiroshi?"

"To Shuichi."

An exasperated sigh. "What's wrong with him now? If you're talking about his recent trip to the hospital, Seguchi beat you to the punch. I already got chewed out for that one."

Hiro could feel his eyes twitching madly, the tremors growing steadily more violent. "Did you beat him? Hit in the head one time to many? Did he fall down the stairs, or did you push him? What the fuck did you do to my best friend?" His voice was raising octaves by the end of the sentence, and the stoic author before him raised one pale eyebrow curiously.

"What are you talking about?"

That did it.

Hiro shoved his shoulder into the door, simultaneously letting himself into the house and knocking Eiri to the floor. He was on top of the author in a second, ready to beat him unconscious. His first punch met its mark, but then he felt his body flying in midair and suddenly meet with the hardwood floor, the air whooshing out of his lungs from impact as a hand found his throat.

"You don't lay a fucking hand on me, Nakano, not without consequences." The cold eyes were above him, daring him to try to hit him again. "Now, calmly, you're going to tell me what's got you so damn worked up."

The tight grip on his airway was released, sputtering and chocking, Hiro gasped for air before he could speak. "Shuichi… can't… remember…" His voice was ragged and he coughed hard.

"Can't remember what?" There was confusion and apprehension dawning in Eiri's eyes.

It took five deep breathes before Hiro could respond with any clarity. "Anything."

The golden eyes widened in astonishment and comprehension. And then…

… He was gone.

Hiro sat up slowly feeling his ribs for tender spots, wondering if he'd broken anything in the squabble. Then he stared at the open door, at the evidence of Eiri's hurried departure, the coat rack knocked to the ground, the tiny crystal bowl that usually held two sets of keys lying in a thousand tiny pieces on the floor, Shuichi's keys doused in the shining glass. A roaring engine sounded outside and squealed away in almost three seconds flat.

Hiro put a hand to his forehead, massaging a tiny pulse that was slowly turning into a headache. When cold water streaked down his face, he realized he was crying.

Eiri had obviously been as confused as he was when he'd heard. And if Eiri didn't do it…

What had happened to Shuichi?

"Huntington's Disease."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"It's a relatively unheard of genetic disorder, sometimes called HD. It can cause memory loss. This is one of the most severe cases I think I've ever seen."

Tohma Seguchi stared at the friendly young nurse, speaking to him with all the calm and assurance of a mother explaining something unpleasant to a child. He shook his head.

The nurse's polite smile was slightly sad, somehow. When she spoke she was nearly whispering. "HD is usually a little more controlled. I've never seen such an extreme bout of amnesia from it. We're going to have to do some more tests. CAT scans, and possibly an MRI to rule out an even more threatening cause."

Tohma shook his head again. "Were there symptoms, something major we could have missed that might have helped prevent this?"

The nurse seemed just slightly uncomfortable. "Well we're not quite sure if that's the exact disease... it's the only solution we can come up with. As I said, we need to do more tests." She paused and looked down at the chart. "The most obvious symptoms would mostly include jerky or uncontrolled movements. Sometimes stiffness and slow movement can occur instead, or in later stages. It can be easily passed off as a general lack of coordination. As the disease progresses, Mr. Shindo may have difficulty with functions that require muscle control. The doctors are mostly worried about his ability to eat; he's already so thin…"

Tohma shook his head again. He'd never felt such a lack of control in his surroundings. "I'd like a moment, please."

"Certainly. Would you like the room kept private?"

"Yes." Tohma said, then paused and thought better of it. "If Nakano Hiroshi arrives, allow him in, but no other visitors."

"Of course."

The nurse left, the soft sound of her shoes clacking against the tile floors echoing in the room as the door shut. Tohma sank into a chair, one thought running endlessly through his mind.

What am I going to do?

He stared quietly at Shuichi's sleeping form. The sedative they had given him was weighing down on him. Tohma could see the look of exhaustion on the pink haired teenager's face. Too much sleep, too much stress. Too much, too much.

He put his head in his hands. The soft feel of the gloves rubbing against his skin was calming in some odd way. He thought of the company, of the millions he could be losing, of the band and the wellbeing of his talented cousin, of his brother-in-law, to fucking wrapped up in his own world to realize the life of the only person who had ever loved him was sick. Of Nakano, worrying himself into starvation and insomnia, at this rate heading for a hospital bed himself.

He thought of Shuichi. The promise, the talent, the soul, the vivacious spirit, all broken and vanished in an instant because of some freak disease. The purple eyes brimming with life, the perfect smile, full of reckless child-like abandon.

Would anyone ever get to see those things again? Would Shuichi ever be Shuichi?

From beyond the thick wood of the door, Tohma heard the crashes and shouts of angry people, of families hearing the worst kind of news and blaming the doctors who gave it. He felt irrational irritation, couldn't they have some consideration for those who were deep in thought, worried for the outcome of their own loved ones.

The crashing was growing louder. It sounded like glass was being broken, gurneys possibly toppling to the floor, the squeak of shoes on the polished floors and raised voices. Tohma stood and went to the small window with a view to the hallway and lobby room. His eyes met with the scuffle and narrowed instantly, anger boiling past its normal point.

Tohma Seguchi, for the second time in his life, was outraged to the point of becoming homicidal.

Shouts of "Let go of me!" and "You can't go back there!" echoed in the halls. It was a tall blond causing all the raucous, fighting three young doctors as they tried to force him to calm down. Someone was screaming for security, patients were huddling against walls and in the corners of the room in fear.

Determined to end the fighting, he strode into the waiting room, the wrath of countless minutes worrying and agonizing fueling his movements. In ten quick steps he was there, one hand clenched into a fist, the other mindlessly fiddling within his coat pocket.

"Uesugi Eiri." He said coldly, clearly. His voice was a whisper among the shouts, but his intended target stopped and turned, and immediately the noise died down.

"Seguchi."

"I've left instructions that you not be allowed to see Shuichi. I suggest you leave before you are forcibly removed."

"You'd let them do that, to your own family? Damn Tohma, I thought I knew everything you were capable of."

"You don't want to know what I'm capable of." Tohma's angelic smile sent a chill through the room.

There was a split-second pause"I want to see my lover."

"Two days ago you were loathe to even call him that. Suddenly he's so important to you. Why?"

"Nakano said he couldn't remember anything."

"So your concern lies where? In your need to see if he's okay, or in your need to see if he's really forgotten you so that you can finally hole up in your study and wallow in your self-hate in peace?"

Eiri growled, taking two small steps toward his brother-in-law. The doctors moved to grab him again, but Tohma raised a hand to stop them. "I think we both know that Shuichi would be better off not seeing you. He's asleep right now, as it is, so your efforts would be wasted."

"I'll stay with him till he wakes up then." Eiri's low voice rumbled in the small space between him and his brother-in-law.

"The hospitals visiting hours are over at nine. It's nearly eight. I doubt Shuichi will wake before you would have to leave."

"I don't want him to be alone." There was something new catching at Eiri's voice as he spoke, his eyes searching the endless see of doors, trying to see which one might contain his lover.

"Between Mr. Nakano and myself, Shuichi hasn't been alone from six a.m. until nine p.m. every night since he was checked in. I assure you, he is not without care."

"Tohma…" Eiri said quietly.

"Leave. Now."

"Dammit, no! I'm practically his fucking family, closer to him than you. You can't keep me away from him."

A nurse came into the room just then, the same one who Tohma had spoken to minutes ago.

"Mr. Seguchi," she said quietly. "Mr. Shindo is awake."

Damn it!" Tohma thought, cringing as Eiri's eyes lit with newly kindled hope. You're timing couldn't have been worse! He silently berated.

"Thank you, miss."

"He's speaking, Mr. Seguchi."

Tohma whirled. "What?"

"He still doesn't remember anything," she replied quietly, taking a few steps back as she pointed to Shuichi's room. "But he's regained the ability to speak. Fluidly."

Tohma left his brother-in-law behind, barking commands for the docotrs and security officers to keep Eiri where he was as he quickly strode to Shuichi's room. There he sat, staring at his surroundings with wide-eyed innocence and some small stretch of fear in his eyes. He caught sight of Tohma and gasped.

"Sir, please, can you tell me what I'm doing here?"

Tohma took a few quiet steps forward, concern filling his eyes. "Shuichi, do you remember me?"

"I'm sorry, no. Should I?"

Tohma ignored the question and asked another. "Do you know where you are?"

"In a hospital." He said it like a question.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Just a lot of pain… and a man… I can't remember." He looked genuinely apologetic as he said, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay Shuichi. Tell me, what did this man look like?"

"Is that my name? Shuichi? Everyone keeps saying it like it's my name."

Tohma smiled sadly. "Yes. That's your name. Shindo Shuichi."

"Shindo… Shuichi?" The singer giggled. "Alright then."

"Shuichi, this man, what did he look like?"

Shuichi's eyes got distant, misting over with tears. He put a hand to the droplets spilling over and looked at them, surprised, it seemed, by their existence. "There are two men. One of them was smiling and talking to me, and he had very long reddish brown hair. Then the other… he was so much colder and he was distant, like a nightmare. He looked like—"

There was a crash outside the door, and the shouting resumed.

Suddenly the door banged open, hinges shrieking in protest. Eiri stood in the doorway, panting, shaking two doctors off of him as he stared at Shuichi's shocked face.

"We're sorry Mr. Seguchi. We tried to stop—" one of the doctors began. Shuichi raised a hand to silence him.

"He looked like him." Shuichi said, pointing at Eiri.

Tohma put his face in his hands and silently screamed.

End-5