Toshi recoiled from the intense rage coming from Hinako.

 

 

Nobody else spoke, as apparently, this girl was expressing a rage that was shared by all. Toshi looked his sister in the eye and said simply, "No."

 

Hinako looked shocked, "What?"

 

"I said, 'no'," Toshi asserted firmly, releasing Hinako's hand and gently cupping her cheek. "Are you my sister?" He asked, seeking confirmation. Hinako nodded, her expression a mix of sadness and fury. She struggled to contain her emotions, but the aura of intense hatred that seemed to emanate from her possessed a life of its own. Toshi shifted his position slightly, ensuring direct eye contact with her. "I have no recollection of anything. I remain untarnished. My honor remains intact. None of this was my fault, and I refuse to blame myself," he declared. A sorrowful smile formed on his lips as his hand slipped away from her face. "If you spend even a single second seeking out this person, she would have stolen that second from us."

 

Hinako was incredulous, her voice filled with disbelief. "You? YOU! You want me to simply let her get away with this without consequences?"

 

Toshi's head shook resolutely while never breaking eye contact, "No, I expect you to allow the authorities to handle this." Hinako and her mother exchanged anxious glances, they appeared quite confused by what Toshi was saying. Toshi pressed on, emphasizing his point. "Taking matters into your own hands and seeking revenge will not bring me any peace." He emphasized, gripping Hinako's hands firmly to capture her attention. "Instead, it will put you in harm's way or land you in jail." Hinako attempted to speak, but Toshi interrupted her, his voice filled with earnestness. "And THEN... I would be truly devastated, as I would have lost my sister a second time." Hinako fell into silence, her gaze drifting beyond Toshi, her face drained of color, as the weight of his words settled heavily upon her.

 

He then turned his attention to his father, "That goes double for you!" Everyone was quiet because of the tension, but now everyone shifted to a state of confusion.

 

Toshi's father lifted his head up from his wife's shoulder, "Me?"

 

Toshi nodded decisively, donning a stern expression. "Yes, I don't want you to go on a rampage seeking revenge for something I cannot even remember." He asserted firmly. Pointing an accusatory finger at his father, "I need help. I need to piece my brain back together, and for that, I need my parents." Wavering his finger between his father and mother, he emphasized, "Both of you." His father just gaped at Toshi, his astonishment rendering him utterly speechless.

 

Upon hearing Toshi's words, the mother took a step back, her expression of profound shame. No, not ashamed. She was broken. Without uttering a single word, she turned and hurriedly exited the room. The father seemed to understand the reason behind her sudden departure but did not attempt to follow. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the floor. Toshi glanced towards the exit, then turned his attention back to his father. "Hey," He called out. His father looked up. Toshi pointed towards the door. "This is the part where you chase after her."

 

Hirofumi remained frozen in astonishment, his gaze fixed upon his son as if Toshi were an alien. After a moment, his contemplative expression shifted as he thought about Toshi's words. "You know what? You're right," With newfound determination, Hirofumi turned and swiftly made his way out into the hallway. He glanced left, then right, before breaking into a sprint, pursuing his wife with resolute determination.

 

Hinako looked at the doctor, "Can we be alone?"

 

The doctor nodded and quickly stood up, "Of course." She walked out while muttering something about the call button.

 

Hinako looked at Toshi askance, "Now I KNOW you lost your memory."

 

Toshi pulled his head back slightly, "Explain?"

 

Hinako pointed at Toshi, "You wanted to be a pop idol. You started singing and pushing for lessons and everything. You are... were...."She seemed reluctant to admit the next part, "Good at it. Dad was backing you. Mom didn't like..." Hinako spoke like she agreed, "You being whored out." Toshi's eyes went wide at the choice of words, but he didn't comment. Hinako continued, "Dad started devoting more and more time to your career and Mom was feeling lonely and..." Hinako sighed, "A guy started hitting on Mom and she was-"

 

Toshi cut her off with a knowledgable, "Ah." and glanced away.

 

"They've been separated for a year now. I think they were going to get divorced soon." Hinako turned away as she stood up. She started to pace then slammed her fist against the wall, "Damnit!" She turned to face Toshi, "This is such a mess! Mom was right! Look at what happened to you!" Her face was bright red with rage, "SURE! She shouldn't have cheated on Dad but... damnit! This is just... FUCKED!" Toshi pulled back his covers and swung his feet to the floor. His sister quickly returned to his side, "Hey! Do you really-"

 

Toshi grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, "It's okay." She tried to pull away but he kept holding on. "It's going to be alright." Toshi muttered softly.

 

Hinako yelled, "NO! No, it's not! It's not-" She tried to get out of the hug, but he kept holding on.

 

Toshi stroked her hair as he spoke soothing words to her, "It'll get bad, then better, then bad, then better, but in the end, it is all going to work out." She froze up for a moment before she started crying. He held her tight, rocking slightly, "That's it... let it out... your brother is going to take care of everything."

 

Hinako sobbed, "I'm not crying."

 

Toshi nodded, "Okay. You just got leaky eyes."

 

Hinako let out a short laugh then sniffled, "I'm supposed to be taking care of you."

 

Toshi shrugged, "How about we take turns?"

 

Toshi and Hinako heard a sob from the doorway. They both looked up to see their parents. His father was crying, but looking happy at the same time. His mother was working hard to fight back her own tears. She looked to her husband, "I'm sorry for everything. You didn't do this to him. This wasn't your fault. You-"

 

Hirofumi hung his head, "I so wanted him to become what I couldn't be. I never..."

 

Toshi's mother reached over to pull him to face her, "We both really screwed up. Can we just put all this behind us and be a family again?" She swallowed and took a moment to compose herself, "You are the best thing that ever happened to me. I can't believe I-"

 

Hirofumi put two fingers on his wife's mouth, "I... don't know if I can." She looked heartbroken as he continued, "But our son needs both of us right now." She perked up, "And I need you too."

 

Hinako pulled back and ran over to hug both of them, "Really!?" She pulled away to look at both her parents at once, "We can all move back in together?" They both looked at each other, then back at their daughter, and nodded in unison. Hinako laughed and jumped, "YES!" She spun to face Toshi, "Toshi this-" She stopped and just stared.

 

Toshi just smiled back at the three of them and said, "yay?"

 

Hinako closed her eyes and made a fist, "What a horrible reason to become a family again."

 

Toshi clapped his hands once. Everyone looked at him. He took a deep breath, "Stop that. Maybe this is a good thing." They gaped at him. He waved off the looks, "Maybe it is for the best. I don't know why, but I get the feeling that maybe... maybe I needed a fresh start most of all." He stood up, grabbed his IV stand, and shuffled over to the rest of his family. When Hinako tried to help him, he waved her off. He kept moving, step by step until he was close enough, "Okay. I'm not normally a touchy-feely kinda guy, so enjoy it while it lasts." He then held out his arms, "Group hug!"

 

The three looked very confused by Toshi's remark but leaned into the group hug. Hirofumi let out a happy sigh, "The Kimoto family is finally back!"

 

Toshi's Mother let out a short sob, "Yeah..." then wiped at her eyes as she tried to keep herself under control, "We're back. And I'm never letting anything bad happen to my family again."

 

Toshi enjoyed the hug, thinking about how weird this all was, but hey, he got what he asked for. I guess something had to give. However, the more he thought about things, the more he started to wonder if something was...

 

 

very...

 

 

very...

 

 

Wrong.