Amber Memories, Forgotten

-It's Only Fate to Forget You-

A/N: Glad to know that the content for the previous chapter had been alright. Less pairing this time round; but there would be more revelations. Hope you'll enjoy(:

Did you guess at my happiness?

I guess not, for I wear a mask for the world and failed to recognize it myself.

I need to confess my doubts, as I felt awkward feeling so.

One of the many qualities I have come to love in you

Is your ability to expand my narrow world-

How to be human and to love.

"It's cold," teased Momo as he wrapped his own arms around himself and shivered. "Hug me, Aki, to give me some warmth… Aki?"

Crack laughed and placed his hand on the latter's back. "I'm sure Tyki would mind that, wouldn't she? Aki?"

The young lady suddenly shook her head and looked up, surprised to find all three and a half man staring intently back at her. She had been in a daze, she noticed, and quickly thought up of something to answer. "I thought you were more interested in stripping for those teens?"

The group roared in laughter as they picked up their luggage to continue with their journey. Aki smiled weakly in reply. Her thoughts were still back in the train where they had met the group of three young men. She felt somewhat nostalgic when she saw their black clothes, lined with white that struck something in her. Something; she sighed because she could not recall what it was. Furthermore, the youngest lad whom Tyki insisted was an old man appeared familiar to her. Was he the same clown in her dream? But the hair-

-Ring

"Hey Tyki, it's your call. Man, you do have lots of such special jobs these few days eh?" said Crack helplessly as he passed the phone to the latter. The phone in the train station had a peculiar metallic smell to it, thought Tyki as he took the phone over. "Hello, yes-" he paused a while with a frown that disappeared as immediately as it had appeared. "Yes, I understand. I'll be coming."

Ezzz tugged on Tyki's sleeves as he glanced at the bespeculated man with disappointed eyes. "Would Tyki be off again?"

Tyki smiled. Tenderly he fussed his hand over the blonde's soft hair and bent down to reach the boy's height. "I'll be away for quite some time this time round so behave, okay?"

Sticking his lower lips out, Ezzz nodded his head in silent and looked away to hide his frustration. "Tyki must take care then," he said eventually and went on to grasp Crack's hand.

"Hey," muttered Tyki as he gazed upon his sister, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't be so upset, I know you'll miss me," he teased, laughing as he gave a gentle smack on her arm and puffed out a steady stream of smoke from his cigarette.

Momo laughed instead. "Seems that our Tyki has finally begun to treat his sister better, eh? Come on Tyki, Aki doesn't even care. She's in her little own world again."

The young lady glanced up suddenly at the man as if having just been kicked out of her circle of oblivion. "I…" stuttered Aki, her words hanging in midair before feeling herself being dragged away and all the way behind a pillar, away from the other's view. His grasp on her felt strong as his fingers dug into her skin. A thick surge of tobacco smelled choked her as she felt herself being pinned to the brick wall. "What- what are you doing?"

"What's wrong?" asked Tyki in his usual nonchalantly yet demanding tone, his voice low and soft. A smile was on his face but Aki knew that there was more to behind the expression. "You'd been in a daze since we got off the train. Does your head still hurt?"

Aki shook her head and removed Tyki's fingers which had come to place itself gently at the side of her forehead. "It's nothing," she reassured the man as she tried to walk away from the space he had created. "You should get going soon."

"I'll be there for quite some time, Aki," said Tyki suddenly as he pulled her into his embrace, tightening his arms around her and burying his face into her hair. However, the latter only let out a loud laughter and pushed the man back. "It's not as if you'll never be back, silly. Now, shoo shoo," Aki said as she waved her hands at him.

All of a sudden, something cold struck Tyki, seizing his emotions harshly. The man let out an awkward chuckle and took a step away from his sister. He bowed a little at her and turned around to walk off, never returning a gaze back from there on.

Why was it that it disturbed me how much my human side actually treasured you?

Yet it was when he was able to stick his hands into his jeans pocket that he realized something flat and brittle was inside it. Turning the cloth out, a grin seized his face when he saw what that had been placed in it, a comforting feeling.

It was a maple leaf, the last one that had fallen- the one with a little hole near the stem of the leaf.

Hey Tyki, did you know that it was meant to give you good luck?

The sun shone down its warm rays though the clouds, showing that it still cared despite the chilly winter weather. His breath came out as a mist as the man exhaled, taking in energy for courage and strength to encounter the change of life he would have now. As he crossed under the train tunnel, a smile began to creep across his lips, spreading its wickedness.

"Yo Earl, good day to see you!" greeted Tyki as he approached the absurdly-dressed man, his fingers combing through his hair before placing a top hat on it. It was going to be havoc back home again, wasn't it?

They had appeared out of the blue, scaring everyone present as they hoarded closer, the melody of death approaching with each and every step. To them, the screams had sounded like soprano, the cries like tunes, and the shouts like opera. Music to them was all about emotions- raw feelings human possessed, and it would be at its best when fear struck a chord with them. Terror, that was what satisfied and fed them.

The group that now lacked one person stumbled back when they saw the crowd running towards their direction, face stricken with horror, as they tried to escape from whatever that was coming from the back. Soon they too were caught up in the panic and began to run as fast as they could.

"Ezzz," yelled Aki, forcing her way against the crowd to reach the boy. Why did their hands slipped at such a crucial moment? Her head was spinning and aching, as if someone had stabbed a knife in it and was rotating it at top speed. Yet no matter what, she was to reach the boy; she must.

"Aki!" exclaimed the boy in relief when the familiar face appeared right in front of her. He cried as she pulled him up to his feet, and was about to prepare himself to run again when the young woman suddenly stopped her tracks, staring up with an expression that sent fear shivering down his spine. "Aki?"

Aki let go of the boy's hand and pushed him behind her sternly. With a harsh tone, she ordered him to run and escape, her eyes fixed on the monsters and showed a look of recognition. A fire cannot burn forever; it will soon consume itself or be consumed by others. The monsters, gray and ugly, laughed as they inched their way closer, confidently approaching their prey with that horrendous smirk.

"Miss, you must hurry," said a man in an exasperated tone just a few feet away from her. He was some police officer, she realized. "Throw me your gun," she demanded, eyes still transfixed on the monsters. Akuma was their name.

"Miss-"

"I said, throw me your gun."

"But there are no bullets in it…"

"Just pass it to me; I know what I'm doing."

Shaking, the policeman stumbled to take out his pistol and threw it at the young lady. Who was she-?

"I know why I can turn flames green now," said Aki in a monotonous tone as she took aim at the monsters, the gaze in her eyes hardening.

I realize that when you cry hard enough in your dreams, you would find your cheeks stained the following morning. Yet why is it that when I look upon these people who I have come to love, I fail to cry out so as to wash out these sorrows now?

She could only feel her eyes dried and drained out even though her cheeks were dry as she stared out of the window, watching blankly as the trees and rocks flew past her, dashing, running as if there was no tomorrow. Images of what had previously happened flooded her brain, replaying and recalling each and every scenes and chapters. She wished for them to stop, but unlike a movie, such memories can never be played and stopped at will.

"-But there would be no one to teach Ezzz how to count and sing anymore," whimpered the young boy in between each heavy sobs. "Aki-" cried the latter as he broke down again.

"Ezzz-" comforted Crack as he wrapped an arm around the boy's small shoulder. "You're making things hard for her…She's not our Aki anymore…"

The young lady swallowed something in her throat, feeling it hurt as she tried to ignore the pain that slowly seized down to her heart. Is this what they call heartache- how many times must she endure it? Did she never really belong after all?

"Of course she's our Aki!" Momo interrupted as he smacked the girl on her head. "She will always be our Aki no matter what! But Aki," The man paused as he attempted a dramatic tone for additional effect. "Don't get knocked up again…"

"It's knocked out!" chided the lady in reply, before cracking up in laughter like the others. Amidst the joy, her thoughts wandered to the days that she had spent with them, where it had been without pretense, and only of fun and cheer. It was only then, she realized, that she could really laugh out loud and not be reprimanded for it. Ostracism was no problem here, neither was social ranking. Her life, for once, revolved around herself and not the others. Then as if something had struck her hard suddenly, the young lady glanced around within the boundary of her cabin window as she tried to look beyond her three friends who were standing in front of her window, before hurriedly shifted her glance back to them.

"I doubt Tyki's coming," said Crack gently when he noticed what the girl was doing. "But," Crack reached deep into his jacket and came out with his fingers wrapped around something. "That silly man did mention to me to pass you this if you ever leave without him sending you off."

Aki took over the object from Crack quietly and stared when she pried open her own fingers one by one to reveal the item- a craved bird from wood about the size of his fist.

"I guess he had already prepared himself to leave you already," muttered Crack as he placed a comforting hand over Aki's shoulder. He was tall enough to reach in anyway. "But I'm sure that he had always lo-"

The young lady immediately cut off his words. It seemed that Crack had known all along. "It's okay. Thanks, really." She tried to glance over them to see the station wagon. The bell soon began to ring. "Hey, the train's leaving."

"Bye," chorused the group as they waved in a mixture of emotions, voice trembling.

"Bye," she said weakly as her hands gripped harder onto the gift. It fitted her hand just right, just like how his hand had always managed to fit through the wrinkles and curves of her hand. His warmth still lingered even though he was gone during early winter and it was already late spring now. Cursing softly just like how he had always did, the young lady shifted her gaze back into the train and tried to erase off that image that had engraved so deeply into her head. She did not want to, also, look at that boy who so resembled her own brother if not for the blonde hair.

Why, why did her heart ached so much to stroke the little boy by his cheek for just that one more time?

She had to leave as she was Kaeda Amber, an aristocrat lady in the gentry with missions to accomplish, to kill; not Aki the aloof vagabond with only headaches and laughter.

She had to leave him behind too, that bespeculated man with his stubbly chin and calluses on his fingers; that man whom she had come to love.

She had to leave. It would do him no good if she was to stay with him.