Love of Amnesia [2]

​I closed my eyes as I saw a girl with long black hair wearing a yukata. I couldn't see her face nor even hear her voice clearly. It was as if a fog hid her face and voice from me. Mom and Miyu came to my aid as they asked me what's wrong as I screamed yet again.

​Who are you?! Thud! I hit my head on the table. Why are you in my head, huh?! Thud! I hit it again. Every time I yelled in my thoughts, I banged my head on the table as my forehead began bleeding. Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get ouuuuut!!! Why can't I remember you?! Why do I have the urge to remember you, anyway?! What's going on with me?! 

"MY HEAD HUUUUUURTS!!!!!! IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HUUUURTS!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!! "

​“HIROSHI, STOP IIIIIIIIT!!! YOU'RE HURTING YOURSELF!!! MIYU! HELP ME RESTRAIN HIM!” Mom ranted as she used her toned strength to hold me tight. “MIYU! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! COME ON!”

​Miyu simply froze in place as her shaking eyes gazed at me in horror. Her mouth hung agape, her eyes widened, her entire body shaking. It was as if she was experiencing fear for the first time. And she actually was. She had never been afraid of anything—until now.

​I-I... screwed up, big time… what do I do… please… someone… help me… WAIT! Something came rushing to Miyu's head as if recoiling a memory. Chiyoko, Chiyoko, yes, Chiyoko—she said I should give him that if things go south! Things definitely went south!

​In a panic, she sprinted out of the kitchen as she blurted the word ribbon over and over again like a record that's long since met its end. She broke her door as she kicked it open, and immediately she went into her clothing shelf; there, she found the pink ribbon I had given to a girl whose name I couldn't remember. She took it and left her shelf open as she bolted back to the kitchen, and then she yelled as she flew into the kitchen:

​“Chiyoko, you owe me big time for this f'd up plan of yours!!!”

​As Mom heard that, her face twitched as her eyes widened a bit. She let go of me and replayed Miyu's sentence in her head, as if analyzing everything she said in that sentence—especially the beginning. I breathed through my mouth as I gasped repeatedly.

​Miyu placed the ribbon near my nose as she closed my mouth, probing me to breathe through my nostrils. “Remember her, Hiroshiiiii! She's your—” she choked out while I inhaled. Then, a myriad of timeless memories came rushing in one by one as the fog on the girl's face disappeared, and her voice became distinct. I knew her. I actually knew her. No, I know her.

​“Her name is… her name is… Chiyoko…. Chiyoko Watanabe, and she's… my fianceeeee!”

​I yelled loudly as the tears that were forming in Miyu's eyes stopped, while Mom's expression worsened as she heard what I said. It was as if a nightmare was unfolding right before her.

​“I remember, I remember everything. Owww, my forehead hurts, so does my head. What the hell?”

​“I'm… so glad… you're back… Hiroshi. I'm gonna go… lie down now.” She said that with such an uneven voice, it sounded like it was a different person talking. Or maybe because it's the first time I've ever heard her speak with a fearful tone.

​She walked out of the kitchen and entered the passageway while her knees buckled. She fell and fainted right there. Meanwhile, Mom stared at me with a confused and pitiful expression as she inquired:

​“Did you say Chiyoko Watanabe?”

​“I… I did. You see, I was gonna tell you, but I uuuh…” I trailed off as I saw Mom's face. “Mom, what's wrong? If it's because of the blood, well, we can patch this right up—”

​“Hiroshi!” she muttered with a cry. “I need you to listen carefully.”

​“Oh, okay.”

​“Which Chiyoko are you talking about? Because I only know one person with that name in this place. Tell me this: Is she around Miyu's age? And also, what's her middle name?”

​“... She's one year older, and her middle name is… Dilara.”

​“Good lord,” Mom inhaled, then exhaled. “Hiroshi, don't freak out. What I'm about to tell you is most likely going to come as a shock…”

​“You're freaking me out as is, Mom.”

​“You see, that girl died in the year 1993. We are in the year 2023, which means she died 30 years ago, and to this day… her body hasn't been found.”

​I tilted my head as my eyes narrowed a bit, then a small, awkward, and somewhat weary laugh echoed in the room. “Mom, forgive me in advance for what I'm about to say, but… if that's your idea of a joke...

​It's not funny. Uh-haha.”

[To be Continued…]

*****

Chapter 14 Recap: the complete conversation between Chiyoko and Miyu:

“Your room is lovely, Miyu-chan. It reminds me of my own room back home. I never knew or even guessed that you might like pink.”

“Naturally, it is my room, after all. But thanks for the compliment. I'm proud of this room, too. If your's is like mine, then I guess it was destined that we'd both end up as sisters.”

“Yes, about that. There's something I have to tell you, sister…”

“Lay it on me.”

“You see, I don't even know where to begin, but… I'm not human, at least not anymore, I'm a ghost, or rather an apostle of the goddess of heaven. I'm one of her lost lambs.” 

Huh?! I gasped as I heard her words, then I looked at her as she avoided eye contact and looked at the ground. My voice came out bitter unintentionally as I muttered, “You haven't told him, have you?”

“I… haven't. And please, don't tell him, I want to be the one to do it.”

“Why! I mean, do you even realize how crazy this all sounds. If I were a normal person , I would have thought you'd gone insane. How could you lie to us… to him. I thought you said you loved him.”

“I did, and I still do—”

“Then why are you lying to him?”

“Because I'm afraid! I'm scared that he'll not like me if he finds out I'm this weird existence. Especially because… I don't have much time left.”

“What?”

“My dying wish has slowly been granted by Hiroshi.”

“What was the wish?”

“To experience what it's like to be in love.”

“This is way too much information, I—”

“Shhh… I can sense Hiroshi's presence. He's headed this way.”

“Sigh, we'll continue this tonight. Because I respect you… I'll let you do things your way, but sooner or later, you'll have to tell him, okay?”

“Yes, thank you, Miyu-chan…”