A/N: FFFFFF this story's probably going to be waaay longer than expected...so chapters will probably start to become longer, updates (quite possibly) more stretched out, depending on how long it takes to write the chapters. FFFF Fay (my twin :D sorta.) messed up my weekly update schedule this time =_=. She was loafing around my house all weekend XD ILY FAY XD

What's in store for this chapter? More angsty fluffish..stuff..:D yea!


Satoshi's mind went blank.

"Satoshi..."

He knew that name. Recognized it. Somewhere recessed deep in his mind, the name rang a bell. Keiichi noticed he tensed when his name was said. The brunette hoped it would jog his memories and help the blonde remember something, anything. He watched the other for some kind of sign. Instead of an epiphany, the blonde looked confused. He frowned slightly and looked like he was staring off into space. Keiichi waved a hand in front of his face in an attempt to get his attention. When that didn't work, he poked the other's cheek.

"Hey,"

Still nothing. The blonde just kept staring straight ahead, looking at nothing in particular. He didn't look like he was all there. In fact, Keiichi was almost positive he was, at the moment, disconnected from reality. The only movement Satoshi was making was the slight rise and fall of his chest due to his soft breathing. Keiichi sighed and scooted backwards, giving the other space. The other's eyes seemed empty, almost lifeless. Even more so than before, Keiichi realized. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything. What if this wasn't Satoshi? No, it had to be... Keiichi sighed and leaned back, supporting himself with his arms. He stretched his legs out and waited.


"Satoshi...Satoshi...Satoshi..."

The name painfully echoed around in his head. Time felt frozen. He was no longer in Keiichi's room. Keiichi was no longer there. It was just him, and that resonating voice that filled his head. Everything was black. Opaque. Nonexistent.

"Satoshi..."

That was his name, wasn't it? Irie called him by that name at the clinic when he woke. He was Satoshi. Satoshi was him. He vaguely remembered nameless others calling him that. He couldn't picture their faces. It all seemed so familiar though.

"Who am I...? Why am I here...? Why can't I remember...?"

The voice was now replaced by these echoing questions. His hands left his lap and covered his ears as he shook his head. He didn't want to hear them anymore. If there were no answers, he wanted the asking to cease. He was Satoshi. Satoshi wanted freedom. Satoshi just can't remember why.

"Stop it..." He whispered, but the voices kept echoing. The questions seemed to seer his mind. He let out an agonizing scream as he tugged at the hair on his head. Anything to dull the mental pain. The more he ignored it, the more it burned.

"Satoshi!"

The boy looked up, tears blurring his vision. That hadn't come from the voices. That was lucid, unlike everything else. He found the strength to wipe his eyes, not that he could see anything anyway. Blissful silence only lasted mere seconds before the mental anguish hit him again.

"They're coming for you Satoshi...They're back...She's not dead...She wants revenge, Satoshi...She'll get you..."

Satoshi was thrown to the floor again. Another scream escaped his lips as paranoia lurked behind him, just waiting to grasp its cold hands around his neck. A jolt of fear ran down his spine, causing him to shiver.

"Satoshi! Hey!"

There it was again. Satoshi heard it. A clear voice, a gentle voice, calling his name.

He felt a pair of hands grab his shoulder's and lightly shake him. Before he was brought back to reality, he heard a voice whisper, so real sounding he could have sworn he felt breath tickle his ear.

"They'll come for you..."

That thought fresh in his mind, he was jerked back into realness of the world.


Keiichi sighed. It had been awhile and Satoshi still seemed out of it. The brunette was slightly worried but decided to just let things play out. After an interminable amount of time, the brunette lay his head on his knees and closed his eyes. That's when the screaming started. Keiichi sat up instantly at the first sound Satoshi made. It started out as a low sounding whimper. Soon, he was screaming at the top of his lungs. He'd fallen on his side, hands on either side of his ears, knuckles turning white. His eyes were clamped shut. Keiichi crawled over urgently and placed a hand gently on his side.

"Satoshi!"

The screaming ceased, but his eyes were still shut. His breathing seemed so shallow and empty, Keiichi noticed. He was also trembling much like he had earlier. Keiichi backed away slowly, freaking out on the inside.

"My God, what do I do now? This isn't good, geez, this isn't good. He seems to be in pain... I...I don't know how...Nothing's touching him...It's all in his head...His head...he has some serious brain damage..."

Keiichi bit his lip as he turned to look back at the other. He seemed to have calmed down slightly, and the grip he had on his hair wasn't nearly as tight. Keiichi let out a small sigh of relief. He slumped against the nearest wall and let his heart rate return to normal. All this stress seriously wasn't good for his health, he joked with himself. He decided he'd calm down first, think things through, then try and pull the other back into reality and out of whatever dream world he'd wandered into. No sooner had he calmed himself down, Satoshi began to go into fits again.

Keiichi cursed under his breath and ran over to the other, this time placing both hands on him and lifting him up.

"Satoshi! Hey!" Keiichi yelled out over the frightened screams. He shook the other lightly, back and forth. The fits began to cease, and Keiichi thought for a split second he saw the other's eyelids flutter. He continued to lightly shake the other and call his name. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed to be working. Soon after (but not soon enough for the freaked out brunette) Satoshi's eyes opened. He looked around, like a shocked animal.

"...You oka-" Keiichi began to ask before Satoshi practically leapt into his arms, knocking him back to the floor painfully. "Ow." He grumbled. He lifted his head up and was about to lecture the other on warning him before doing something like that before he saw how violently the other was trembling. Satoshi's arms wrapped tighter around Keiichi as he buried his face deeper into the the other's chest. His shoulder's shook as he fought back the tears he didn't want to come. Keiichi was taken aback. He swallowed nervously and took a deep breath. He let his hands wrap around the trembling other in a comforting manner.

"It's okay, Satoshi...It'll be okay..."

The trembling lessened and the blonde's breath began to even out. He was doing his best to keep his tears subsided. He clutched Keiichi's clothing tighter and let out a hitched sigh. Keiichi wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but he decided he'd do the best to comfort the other. Satoshi obviously needed it. He patted the blonde's back in a comforting manner and held him close. His trembling ceased but Keiichi could tell he was still fighting the urge to burst out into tears. Keiichi closed his eyes and let his head fall back on the ground. They stayed like that, in complete silence, until Satoshi seemed to have calmed down. Keiichi opened an eye when he felt Satoshi move. The blonde sat up, still over the other. He looked Keiichi in the eyes for a split second before averting them elsewhere.

"Keiichi...I'm-"

Keiichi frowned. Before the other could finish, the brunette tugged Satoshi back down so he could hug him again.

"Don't you dare apologize..." Keiichi told him. The other was obviously not well. Keiichi saw no reason for him to apologize when he'd done nothing wrong. He was scared. If Keiichi were him, he probably would've done the same thing.

Satoshi's eyes widened as he was cut off and pulled downwards. Keiichi placed one hand on his back and the other on his head. Satoshi closed his eyes as Keiichi's fingers ran through his hair once. A single tear drop ran its way down the blonde's cheek.

"I'm scared...Keiichi..."

And that was all it took. From that moment on, with no doubt in his mind, Keiichi knew he had to help. Everything up until now, he'd been unsure of. Hell, he'd thought he'd just picked up a loony off the streets. He had no idea it would turn out to be the Satoshi Houjo, the one who went missing well over a year ago. Yet, here he was, with some serious case of amnesia and people after him. And he was scared.

Maybe it was just Keiichi's natural response to this kind of stuff. Maybe he found himself having a soft spot for the other. Maybe he just knew it was the right thing to do. Either way, the brunette knew that he had to help Satoshi Houjou at all costs.

Keiichi shut his eyes again and gave the other a comforting squeeze.

"I won't let anything happen to you...now how about you go take another bath to calm down and then tell me what happened?"


Keiichi sighed as he scrounged up some snack food for the two to munch on. Satoshi was still soaking in the bath while Keiichi grabbed a bag of chips and wandered into the living room. He jumped on the couch and flipped on the TV. It was almost 8, so it was almost guaranteed that nothing good was on. Not even trying, he just turned the device off and rolled over on his back. He mindlessly grabbed a chip from the bag and ate it slowly, deep in thought.

"So what now? I've promised to help this guy out, but I have no idea what to do...maybe asking him about Satoko or things I remember people telling me about his past...?" Keiichi frowned slightly. It was really the only thing he could think to do. Maybe it would help jog something else? Keiichi could only hope. Time passed slowly but eventually Satoshi reemerged. Keiichi put on a cheery front and sat up as the other walked in.

"Welcome back," He grinned and patted the cushion of the couch next to him. Satoshi walked over and sat down, taking a chip for himself. Keiichi waited patiently, hoping to get an explanation. Satoshi glanced over at him and sighed.

"I don't know what's wrong with me..."

Keiichi wasn't sure what to say, so he stayed silent. Satoshi continued a few seconds later.

"I just...I remember...the clinic...where they kept me...I remember...Waking...but...then...I remember running...I don't know why...I just know I needed to get out...I needed to get home...and while I was out...I...I don't know...I was being chased...I was scared...and..." There was a pregnant pause. Keiichi waited as patiently as he could. When Satoshi didn't say anything else, Keiichi urged him on.

"And...?"

Another sigh.

"I...I don't know... I remember I was on the ground...I woke up from there...and all I knew to do was keep running... so that's what I did...I heard footsteps...people were chasing me...I was injured...I was scared...then...you found me..."

Keiichi nodded. He worked to add it all up, but it wasn't all connecting...

"And...as for...whatever happened awhile ago...I don't know either...There were...these voices..."

Keiichi cringed. This was starting to get a little to creepy for him. Just the way the other said it, it seemed so haunting. The added fact that his friend wasn't all right in his head right now didn't help.

"They...they kept saying something...a her...was going to get me...I...I don't understand...but...I didn't like it..."

Keiichi smiled as reassuringly as he could.

"Don't worry, everything'll be okay. Promise. We can work all this out."

Satoshi looked over at the brunette and shook his head. Keiichi caught a faint smile on the other's lips. Satoshi looked back over at the other, in the eyes this time. He returned Keiichi's smile.

"Yeah,"

Keiichi was a bit surprised. The blonde had seemed so gloomy before all this. Keiichi guessed talking helped him open up a little more and get all that weight off his chest. It was a genuine smile on the other's face. Keiichi's smile widened.

On the inside, the brunette wished he could help the other more. He felt so useless. He didn't know much about his past. In fact, he knew almost nothing. And it wasn't like he could ask the others. The topic of Satoshi was very sensitive after all. And as much as he wanted for the other's to know that Satoshi was alive, he knew that the amnesia would just cause more heartbreak. He couldn't let anyone know until Satoshi remembered. They were already making progress. It could work. Whatever memory block he had, whatever brain damage was there, it could be repaired. Keiichi was sure of it. He was going to do anything and everything he could to help.

"I think we've done enough thinking today...Wanna watch a movie?" The brunette asked, still sounding cheery. Satoshi blinked once and tilted his head a bit to the side. He appeared to think a minute before another small smile and a nod. Keiichi jumped off the couch.

"I will be right back!" He yelled dramatically, causing Satoshi's small smile to slightly grow wider. That being said, Keiichi ran off to grab a movie. It was the least he could do for right now. While Satoshi was out, he might as well enjoy his time. They couldn't be all gloom and doom forever.


Satoshi realized it had been a long time since he smiled like that. A genuine smile...he missed the feeling of it. He could somewhat remember that he used to smile a lot... It wasn't something foreign. He also appreciated Keiichi's obvious effort to cheer him up. Surprisingly, it worked. Satoshi was more than grateful. He stretched out and became more relaxed. The more time he spent here, the more he felt himself returning to normal, whatever that was. He felt more and more like his old self. Maybe getting all that off his chest was a good idea. Then again, it wasn't good for him to stay here at the same time. He was endangering Keiichi...he was worrying Keiichi... Maybe it was better if he left... He knew he couldn't grow too attached... Keiichi was so kind to him... If he was going to leave, it needed to be soon... He didn't have much time to ponder over it, since Keiichi reappeared with some random movie. Satoshi put on a perkier facade. He didn't want the other to worry about him.

"Let's watch this one! It's one of my favorites!"

Satoshi knew this without Keiichi telling him. The brunette was even more over exuberant than before.

"Well, put it in then," Satoshi told him. Keiichi wasted no time.


Keiichi had put in some slapstick comedy movie. It was obvious he'd seen it millions of times, by the way he could practically recite the whole thing. Satoshi found that more amusing than the movie. He vaguely wondered if he'd ever done that in his past. He grimaced immediately after. Yeah right. He couldn't even remember his own name without someone reminding him. The movie ended around 11. Satoshi found himself grateful. He was tired, more tired than he thought he'd be. He rubbed his sleepy eyes as Keiichi stood up and took the VHS out of the VCR.

"Ah, what a great movie," He sighed happily. Satoshi yawned unintentionally. "Fine be a buzz kill." Keiichi joked. Satoshi's eyes widened, not picking up on the obvious sarcasm.

"No I didn't mean-"

"I'm kidding, lighten up." Keiichi smiled. He then proceeded to stretch and yawn himself. "Gah, I'm tired. C'mon, let's go to bed."

Satoshi nodded and rose from the couch, stretching himself. He followed Keiichi up the stairs and stumbled into his room. Keiichi was already tucked into his makeshift futon. Satoshi frowned slightly. Instead of laying in Keiichi's futon, he chose to lay beside the brunette again. Keiichi rolled over and looked at him.

"Why're you down here again?" He asked, confused. His futon was much comfier than this... Satoshi shrugged slightly.

"I feel safer when I'm next to you...it helps me sleep..."

Keiichi couldn't fight the small sympathetic smile that found its way onto his lips. He sat up and climbed into his own futon.

"Guess it can't be helped then...But just until you get used to sleeping here," Keiichi told him as he scooted over and made room for Satoshi. The blonde nodded and crawled in. Snuggling in close to the other he whispered 'Good night...'. Keiichi closed his eyes. The other sleeping here did have its plus...Satoshi was really warm.


A/N: I was going to drag this chapter out even longer, but I don't think I will. I'll save all that drama for the next chapter :3

Geez, this chapter had line breaks galore =_="

Also, I hope I didn't move things too fast ._. trying to fit what Satoshi remembers into one chapter, along with them slowly growing closer and trying to be happier OTL

Review and tell me what you think?