Amber Memories, Forgotten

-Because you'd always be far away-

A/N: Thanks, really. A lighter chapter for all girls and inconsiderate guys out there. (;

Gomen ne, Aki.

It was only till I experience it personally to know how much it must have upset you

To feel your loved ones' lives seeping right though your fingers but you could only stare at it helpless.

That must have hurt deeply, ain't it?

Now I knew the pain, I never wanted to let you go,

But to hold you in my arms forever.

"Hurry Tyki, there's a catch!" exclaimed the ten-year-old as he tugged at the rod, basking in excitement. The latter chuckled as he took another puff from his cigarette before strolling towards the young boy. "Aw, you're too slow! The fish got away!"

Tyki allowed the corners of his lips to curl a little before going back to his original patch of grass and lied there to bask under the sun. It was their day off from the mine and they had decided to take this day to have fun. Though he had not specifically stated it, he felt good that Aki had suggested for them to play by the river which she found so sparkling clean and beautiful that they must spend some quality time with it. Mind you, that description had been made by her, word by word.

The bespeculated young man huffed out a steady stream of smoke before closing his eyes. It was beautiful alright, the green grass and sparkling river. Furthermore, the weather today was fine with its fluffy white clouds and pretty blue sky. However, these descriptions were made by Ezzz, whose vocabulary had seemed to increase with his growing days spent with that young lady.

That young lady, he smiled unconsciously, as he thought of the latter. He was opening up already. Turning his head a little with his body still in comfortable among the grass, he opened his eyes and was amused to find that she was the first thing he saw. A lazy smile hanged on his lips as he observed the young lady. Sitting alone with the shade, Aki had just made a fire for the lads to grill their catch with, and was fanning the flames. When the guys had suggested her to join them, she declined their offer and allowed no further argument. Strange as it may seem, those lads had shut their mouth and leave her alone immediately. Now, if only that he could use that little magic too. Smirking, he stood up, stretched and strutted towards his sister.

"Yo, Aki," he greeted as he flopped his weight next to her with a soft thud. "What's up?"

Aki allowed a small smile on her lips before turning it back to a straight line, showing no interest in her brother at all.

Her face was as black as the ashes forming by the burnt wood, Tyki teased, as he climbed nearer to her and made sure that his face was right in front hers. He booed when the latter ignored him and shut her eyes, waving her hand in response to the cigarette smoke.

"Go away," warned Aki as she opened her eyes once again and pushed the man away. "I'm going to die young with all those passive smoking…"

"Then I'll have some company with," mocked Tyki as he puffed out smoke into the air, polluting the fresh air.

Aki ignored the smoker and stood away, not before staggering a little. However she quickly picked up herself, clenched her jaws and found a spot a distance away from that annoying man.

Tyki, sensing something wrong with her, quickly made his way after her. Snuffing out his cigarette on the ground, he touched his sister on her forehead gently and queried. "Are you feeling alright?"

Sighing, Aki nodded her head. How was she supposed to explain the dull yet aching pain that she had to experience every month? How was Tyki, a man, ever going to understand the symptoms and agonies that accompanied the bleeding? His persisting annoying ways were certainly not making her mood swings better, she roared silently. "I'm okay. Go on, play with them. Shoo, shoo."

"I've caught a fish!"

Tyki diverted his attention from his confusing sister to his friends. She had been exuberant about the fishing trip initially, so why the sudden change? He shall cheer her up later then. Sighing, he got up and ran towards the others who were now crowding around the first catch of the day.

It had been Momo who caught it.

Listening to the sound made by rushing river, Aki began to hum a little tune that just happened to pop up from the back of head. There had been times when she would remember bits and pieces of certain stuff, find them familiar or nostalgic, but it often concluded to a black report as it would still churn out no recollection of the past. Her head hurt often during such sudden seizure of memories, but it paled compared to the amount of hurt her heart would experience. It was different from the jabbing feeling that her head would feel; her heart had often felt like cramps when it ached.

Laughing at herself at the comparison made, Aki began to swing her legs that were soaked in water from the calf onwards. The disturbance to the water was immediate, creating ripples and swirls on the water surface, just like how relationships could affect a person's emotions. However, the difference was that ripples only affect the surface of water bodies, while experiences affect the whole of human bodies.

Aki placed her fingers gently on her lips as her thoughts wandered. It had been a few days from that incident but the experience still felt like it had only happened yesterday. The soft pressure, the moist sensation and mixed emotions when he… Aki immediately shook her head. The walks had stopped since that day even though it had ended as if nothing had happened. She did not dare to get out of her room even if sleep failed her. To them, she was just someone they decided to take in goodheartedly. She would have to leave them one day, wouldn't she? Even if she could not remember her past as she was now, she would have to walk away from them to find out her past. She would, she knew.

-Shh

Aki scowled when her ear detected the soft sound made just a few feet away. Those guys must be up to something again, she thought. While they were not exactly children anymore, their cheeky innocence still managed to stick on them like honey to bread. Heaving a sigh, Aki braced herself mentally for yet another of their pranks.

"One… Two… Three… ARGH!"

Aki laughed aloud when she heard the splash of water. Someone had tried to push her into the water, but failed, she applauded herself silently. Whoever that was, he had been hauled over her shoulder when he touched her briefly, and coldheartedly thrown in. Turning around with a satisfied smirk on her face, she observed the remaining men who were thrown into a state of shock before bursting out in laughter minutes later. It was her brother, she realized, and spread her grin even wider. No way was she going to get in water during this period of the month, she thought, before strutting- the way Tyki had done it earlier on- towards the cooked fish. Now: lunch. She was going to leave those guys to their device from now.

"Aki- Aki! Ti- Tyki, he-!"

Aki looked up from the fish bone she had been picking on and cocked her head aside to face the young boy who had been yelling for her. "Ezzz, calm down before talking. Chill, boy. Would you like my plate instead?" The boy was innocent, she decided, and offered her own plate to him. She could no longer hear splashes of water anymore.

"No- no thanks, Aki-" stuttered Ezzz as he tried to catch his breath. Pointing towards the spot where the prank had been committed just minutes before, the blonde let out a frightened plead. "Please go back and save Tyki! Crack managed to save him out from the water but- but Tyki's still not moving!"

"What?" Aki immediately dropped her fish onto the ground and speed towards the three grown-ups with the young boy trying to catch up. The two of them were frantically trying to wake up the unconscious man lying in the middle- her brother, for goodness sake. He looked so pale, she thought, and cursed herself for throwing him into the freezing water. It was approaching winter soon; she cried silently and pushed the two men away, the cold could have killed.

"Bro- brother, wake up, wake up please," she cried as she shook the man's body with much effort. She had not expected him to be of a bigger built- he had always looked so lean, his wet shirt was clinging so helplessly to his body even though the latter often towered over her. Aki slapped the man's whitened cheeks as desperation grew. She could hear Momo cursing when water flowed out from her brother's lips. He looked so ill that his black hair made him appear even paler by bringing out the stark contrast when it stuck to his white face. "Move away," she told the others as she settled herself next to him.

Placing her ear on his chest, she could feel his muscle as she checked for heartbeat. Aki then placed both her hands over his chest and exerted pressure, counting and such.

"What's Aki doing," muttered Ezzz as he tugged at Crack's sleeves. Crack shook his head in response. "She-"

The latter had paused suddenly when he saw what Aki was doing. Covering her lips with Tyki's, she tried to suck out the remaining water when her actions began to slow down. Slowly but steadily, a frown hanged on her features as she removed herself from her brother.

"I didn't know you liked my lips so much, Aki," whispered Tyki as he sluggishly stood up and stretched his back. He had made sure his words were only audible to her as a smirk curled his pale lips. "Really, winter water can get very cold-" He was about to pat his sister's head when she too stood up to glare at him, said nothing and walked away. Stormed away, Ezzz would have said, as the three and half a man had their gaze following the fuming woman's footsteps.

"Tyki went too far," muttered Ezzz as he too shook his head and gazed worriedly after Aki.

Why was I even so worried? Aki grumbled as she stabbed an axe right into a small piece of log. He deserved no such concern for being so childish- fancy playing with his life just for some entertainment. Why did he- Aki paused all of a sudden. Why was she so upset? It was only a prank, she calmed herself down, yet the frightening image of her brother pale and cold against her face scared her nonetheless. But he should not have- "ARGH" she yelled out as the axe fall once again onto the log, finally splitting into half.

"What made my dear sister upset, hmm?"

Startled, Aki glanced up to find a stalk of flower right in her face, small and delicate. An aster flower, she noted, purple and pretty, but she looked away.

"Stay away from me," she grunted as she lifted the axe once again. "I said, stay away-" Aki stopped suddenly when her arm could not lift at all.

"I'm sorry," said Tyki softly as he held a firm grasp over Aki's her hand. His other hand was still offering the latter her flower. The purple petals looked upon her innocently, as if it too, had those pleading eyes found on the man even though his was concealed behind misty glasses.

"I'm not that kind of girls that can be easily bribed with such trinkets," said Aki acidly as she attempted to struggle off his hand. "How many girls have you tried this trick on, Mr. Casanova?"

Tyki chuckled as he squatted next to the girl. Many, but you're the most sincere one, he thought.

"It may be cheap flowers, Aki, but it contains the richest emotions," muttered Tyki as his lips approached her ear. The latter jerked her head away immediately but was stopped when the young man released her arm suddenly which made her drop the axe in surprise. Gently, he stuck the flower onto her hair, and ignored her glaring stare. It was so intense that it could have made the flower cry in fear, he laughed softly before placing his gloved hand on her flushed cheeks. "You're scaring the flower."

He knew, however, that her gaze had softened when he planted a small kiss on her pursed lips. It had scared him to lose her, after all.