Amnesia, His Memory Block ~Chapter 3~
Title: Amnesia, His Memory Block
Author: kore_dake
Length: Multi-Chapter
Pairing: Yabu/Inoo
Rating: PG-13... to keep it safe. XP
Genre: Angst/Fluff (these will surface later on. It's leaning more toward on angst though.)
Disclaimer: Only owns the plot... If i owned these guys, would I really be writing all this? HeeHee >.>
Summary: Ever since a few months ago, ever since that happened, Yabu has stopped coming to work, at least everyone says so. Inoo doesn't believe what the others might say, and he doesn't remember what happened; he sees Yabu everywhere. As the days pass, a confused Inoo desperately tries to find out the truth behind the rumors. The sleuthing begins and Inoo slowly finds out a horrible secret that his mind has been hiding from him all along.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Please just stay home and rest. We shall call for you to come back to work when we feel that you are ready. Until then just enjoy yourself.”
Inoo sat in the hospital room alone, the words never leaving his head. He stayed up that night in his hospital room, sitting in silence. He had no words to describe how he felt other than alone. He knew the hiatus was inevitable; Kitagawa-san’s words were absolute, there was no way of escaping it.
Before Inoo knew it, the sunrise was peeking at the other side of the window, and soon enough the sun rose from its hiding spot. He looked over at the clock located next to his bed. 5:02 a.m. Inoo lay down to rest his back, aching from the countless hours of slumping over since the night before.
At exactly 5:30 a.m., a doctor rushed into the room.
“Good morning, Inoo-kun. Did you rest well?” The doctor began to check the monitors, periodically writing something in the clipboard he brought in with him.
“Yes, sir.” Inoo lied as he lay there looking at the doctor.
The doctor mumbled an approval. He motioned for Inoo to sit up, and began to check his heartbeat. He mumbled another approval, and turned his back to Inoo to write something in the clipboard yet again.
No words were exchanged between the two other than the greeting, leaving the rest of their encounter in silence as the doctor did his job. The sound of the pen scratching on paper filled the room.
Through it all, Inoo silently waited… Waiting for the words that he feared and dreaded to hear the most at the moment.
More scribbling. More rustling. With a final sigh, the doctor finally put down the pen and ripped out a piece of paper.
The words he feared were almost near, he could feel it; it was causing a gut-wrenching feeling that squeezed his dismayed heart.
“Congratulations. You are discharged from the hospital as of today.”
‘Yeah, congratulations.’ Inoo thought bitterly. His heart would only hurt in pain and sorrow.
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo opened his closed eyes as the memories of a few months ago flashed slowly across his eyes, making sure… Making sure that he would relive the memories he made in the two days he spent in the hospital…and the events right after.
“Please just stay home and rest. We shall call for you to come back to work when we feel that you are ready. Until then just enjoy yourself.”
The words replayed in Inoo’s head as he lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. Inoo grabbed one of his pillows and covered his face with it. He muffled a scream of aggravation into its white body.
“Please just stay home and rest. We shall call for you to come back to work when we feel that you are ready. Until then just enjoy yourself.”
His face showed annoyance; he was impatient, restless to get back to work. They said they would call him when he felt ready. He was assured that he was ready. The discussion in his hospital room affected him, for the words would not leave his head, that conversation was almost 4 months ago. Yet, they still haven’t called.
Inoo closed his eyes again, but this time different memories swirled in his head.
Memories that he knew he had to hold onto for as long as he could.
~ooxOxoo~
“Yabu!” A younger Inoo called out. “YABU!!”
“In here!” A voice answered.
Inoo ran towards the voice not caring about the voice’s whereabouts. Before he knew it, he found himself in an empty staff room. He looked around the room puzzled.
“Yabu?” He whispered.
Suddenly the lights switched off. The door closed with a bang. Inoo turned just in time to see a figure closing the door; he knew he wasn’t alone.
He stood alone in the darkness for minutes, in fearful silence.
Unexpectedly, a force pushed him to the wall and held him there, oddly enough in a gentle manner. Inoo was too scared to even notice, all he knew was that someone had pinned him to the wall.
Tears filled Inoo’s eyes as his mind attempted to register what exactly was going on. He felt the perpetrator’s face drawing closer to his so he clenched his eyes closed, causing the tears to stream down his cheeks. Inoo’s arm involuntarily twitched, hitting what felt like a switch on the wall. Then he felt it.
Lips.
Lips that kissed Inoo’s with such gentleness that it surprised Inoo. It felt kind and affectionate, full of controlled passion. It was zealous.
The warmth of the kiss spread through Inoo’s body like wildfire, his heart rate shot up to 155 beats per minute. Even before Inoo was able to open his eyes, the warmness left his mouth and the body that held him tightly now loosened their grip.
Hesitantly, Inoo’s eyes fluttered open and his eyes came face to face with Yabu. Yabu stepped back and smiled.
“What was that about, Yabu?” Inoo said finally finding his voice.
“Well, we can’t be seen can we? You wouldn’t want a staff member to see us and report us. If we get reported, Johnny-san will surely do something to one of us.”
Inoo tilted his head, clearly understanding, but still unsure.
“Why did you kiss me in the first place? That was my question.”
Yabu looked at him with concern.
“You didn’t… want to? Didn’t you… want to?” Yabu’s eyes were filling up with sadness and embarrassment at his actions. Inoo hurried to Yabu’s side as the other one slowly sank to the floor.
“I didn’t mean it that way!!” Inoo tried explaining, rapidly becoming flustered by the second. “I was… I was only curious I didn’t mean it that…”
He was silenced by a pair of lips contacting with his own, but instead of freezing up, this time he responded and welcomed it. Yabu broke it and laughed. He could be so childish sometimes. Inoo grimaced at the sudden action, but his eyes showed happiness.
“You still didn’t answer me.” Inoo stated looking even more innocent than Yabu did. A thought entered Inoo's head. “Do you like me?”
“I like you.” Yabu beamed. “What about you?”
Inoo nodded his head vigorously, agreeing with excitement evident on his young face.
“Then let this be our little secret.” Yabu whispered. He closed the gap between their faces and kissed Inoo once more.
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo got up from his bed and walked to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face and reached over grabbing a towel to wipe his face. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. He touched his lips as the memory ran through his head, reminding him of his first kiss with Yabu. He kept the memory replaying in his head and it imprinted itself freshly into Inoo’s mind. He wasn’t sure why but he knew he just had to hold on to it as long as he could. The memory of what happened few years ago, it was the memory that started everything.
A few minutes passed and he walked to the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast. He glanced over at the clock, 1:31 p.m. He sighed.
‘Must everything mock me?’ He thought resentfully as he fixed his breakfast, which was really his lunch.
~ooxOxoo~
“You’re all good to go, Inoo-kun. You did well in these couple days. We’ll call your industry to send someone to come and pick you up.”
The doctor turned to leave but Inoo stopped him.
“Do you have to call them? Can I just stay here for a while?”
The doctor looked at Inoo and was faced with a despairing set of brown eyes. The doctor sadly shook his head.
“Unfortunately Inoo-kun, last night your manager informed us that once you were able you have to leave the hospital. No circumstances can be made. I’m sorry.”
Inoo looked away, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. The doctor looked at the sullen boy with compassion. He sighed.
“Listen, Inoo-kun. I may not be able to let you stay here for a few more hours, but what I can do is delay your departure by an hour, the most. One hour, that is all I can offer. If it was any longer, your industry will find out that we have broken their orders. If that happens, this hospital will be shut down, for such is the power of Kitagawa Johnny-san.”
Inoo faced the doctor hope returning in his eyes. He nodded as the doctor spoke.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll gladly take the hour.”
Inoo smiled. The doctor was not done yet.
“I cannot guarantee it will be for a full hour. I imagine that Kitagawa-san and your manager will remain anxious until you are discharged, so they might do anything to get you out of here. I believe I can hold them off, but I cannot guarantee you a full hour here. You may have to leave in 45 minutes, 10 if anything happens. Is that understood?”
Inoo indicated that he understood. He moved and swung his legs over, letting them rest as he sat on the side of the bed. The doctor headed for the door once more, Inoo stopped him yet again.
“Sir, if I may ask… Was there a patient admitted here around the time I was?”
The doctor chuckled at Inoo’s question.
“Inoo-kun. This is a hospital. There were plenty of other people admitted at the time you were. Can you be more specific? Do you have this person’s name? Age? Gender? Anything?”
Inoo nodded.
“He’s about my age. Yabu Kota. Was he ever admitted into this hospital?”
The doctor’s laughing smile disappeared in an instant. A frown was openly plastered on the older man’s face.
“Yabu Kota? Yes, he was admitted into this hospital. He works in the same company as you do, does he not? If I’m not mistaken, your manager has already told you about what has been done to him and his current condition, did she not?”
“Yes, sir she has… but I wanted to hear what exactly has happened to him directly from you. Could you please tell me sir?”
The doctor shook his head in dismay.
“Sorry to say, but I cannot tell you anything about him.”
“Sir, it’s only us two. Can’t you tell me, anything? Anything at all?”
The doctor only shook his head again.
“Even if we are alone, Inoo, you cannot trust the walls. For even walls have ears.” He pointed to the door and sure enough, shadows could be seen and whispers could be heard from the other side of the door.
“Kitagawa-san directly told me that this matter should not be discussed. If the press hears the true reason behind the hiatus of two of the JUMP members, the press will be all over the news like a pack of wild animals. So I’m very sorry to say that I cannot speak to you about Yabu-kun. If it leaks to the media… I’ll be out of a job as well. For such is the power of Kitagawa Johnny.”
Inoo grimly nodded. With a final wave, the doctor proceeded to the door.
“Don’t forget, Inoo-kun. You have under an hour. Sorry I cannot make it any longer.”
Inoo thanked the doctor as the doctor left the room.
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo gulped down the last bite of his lunch and began to wash the dirty dishes. He calmly scrubbed the dishes and felt something rub against his leg. He looked down and he saw one of his dogs. Inoo shut off the water and petted him; the canine growled at the good feeling of Inoo’s hands. Another dog that was lying on the couch raised her head and sauntered over to where Inoo and the other dog were. Inoo welcomed her with a smile.
Minutes passed and his dogs left to do their own things. Inoo turned back around and finished washing the dishes. He looked at the clock before leaving the kitchen, 3:26 p.m. Sighing, he walked over to the couch. He lay facing the ceiling.
This was how it was for the past 4 months; he’d wake up at lunchtime, eat, and lie on the couch. He was able to focus more on his studies at Meiji University and spend more time with his dog, but he was just so bored. He didn’t go out unless he was giving Pam and An their walk. Inoo didn’t really do anything productive other than schoolwork and clean the house. Besides that he’d just loaf around and think.
~ooxOxoo~
45 minutes after the doctor left, the door opened, revealing a nurse who came into the room. She briefly introduced herself and handed Inoo a slip of paper.
“From the doctor, Inoo-kun.”
Inoo reluctantly took it and read it:
Inoo-kun, it is time. I cannot hold them off much longer; Kitagawa-san is getting suspicious. I am sorry to say that I cannot keep you here much longer. I have already called the industry and they are now sending a driver to you. Pack your things and ready yourself before the driver arrives. -Sensei.
Inoo thanked the nurse standing still inside the room.
“Give sensei my thanks.” Inoo told her with a fake smile. The nurse blushed, bowed, and left the room.
Inoo quickly went around the room and started to gather his belongings. There wasn’t much anyway, he was in the hospital for only 2 days anyway. All of his possessions fit in one bag.
Not even 5 minutes after the arrival of the doctor’s warning note, there was knocking on the other side of the door.
“Come in.” Inoo answered.
A man, who looked like he was about in his mid-30s, entered the room. Inoo knew who he was, he was a friend of Yabu’s, he knew that the man watched over Yabu during his Junior days. He was expecting a greeting instead the man immediately walked over to Inoo with hasty strides.
“I’m the driver sent by Kitagawa-san. Your belongings, sir?”
Inoo pointed to the bag on the bed and the man picked up the bag at once and headed for the doorway. He stopped once outside the room and uttered one line.
“Do not take too long, sir.” With that, he left.
Inoo stood there for a minute, frozen and baffled by the harshness in the other’s words. Inoo was confused because he didn’t know the meaning behind the tone of the words. He could only shrug it off at the moment, and he headed out the door.
When he reached the lobby, he spotted the man next to the awaiting car right outside. Inoo walked over to the car and got in, the man buckled himself in the driver’s seat, and as the car pulled out of the hospital, the driver briefly explained that Inoo was not allowed to eat out or go anywhere other than straight home. In other words, the driver was rushing Inoo’s arrival home. Inoo could do nothing and willingly agreed. Seconds later, the car was headed for Inoo’s home.
The car ride home was quiet; the driver made no attempt to start a conversation with Inoo neither did he. Before he knew it, Inoo’s things were out of the car, and he was standing outside of his house. He turned around to thank the driver, but the driver had been long gone, leaving him to enter the empty house alone…
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo blinked at the ceiling, as he remembered the way he was sent home. He felt like he wasn’t needed, like he could have been just thrown away and replaced with a snap. His brow furrowed. To forget the unhappy experience, Inoo directed his thoughts to JUMP.
JUMP would visit him from time to time, all 8 of them with the exception of Yabu. The visits were always the same. They’d say hi, that the group was doing well, and that they are all working hard. Whenever Inoo tried to bring up the subject of Yabu, JUMP would all say the same thing. Yabu was “fine and still recovering. His hiatus is really helping out his body.”
Once Inoo remembered that he had asked Daiki, who happened to be the one visiting that Inoo at that time, why couldn’t Yabu visit him and why Inoo wasn’t allowed to visit Yabu…
~ooxOxoo~
“Daiki…” The other boy inside the room looked at Inoo. “Can I ask you something? But you have to give me the truth.”
Daiki hesitated, but in the end he managed a nod.
“What is it, Inoo? Has something been bugging you?”
“Yeah… Yes, something has been bothering me.” Inoo paused and looked at Daiki’s worried face. “Why aren’t Yabu and I allowed to see each other? I’ve seen the rest of JUMP, but not Yabu. Why have we been ordered not to see each other?”
Daiki knew that the question was coming; his answer was already prepared.
“Well… The stress of you two seeing each other might be too much for you guys to handle with your bodies at it’s current state. Johnny-san put strict orders and instructions not let you see him and vise versa. He’s just worried that’s all.”
Inoo nodded, partly relieved, but not satisfied. The two sat in silence until Daiki had to leave.
“Uhmm… I guess I better go.” Inoo nodded and followed the younger boy to the door to see him off. When Daiki was about to exit Inoo’s house, Inoo jokingly said a line that made Daiki stop dead in his tracks. Daiki spun around and faced a laughing Inoo with wide eyes.
“What did you say?”
“Huh? Oh…”
“What did you say? Repeat what you said.” Daiki looked as serious as he sounded. Inoo’s face suddenly became serious as he repeated the line.
“I said… You, JUMP, and the rest of the Jimusho aren’t hiding anything from me are you?” Inoo stared at Daiki, never breaking eye contact with the shorter boy.
“What do you mean by that Inoo?” Daiki asked, managing to hold his composure.
“There isn’t some secret that only I don’t know about. A secret that not only concerns me but something that I should definitely know about.” Inoo continued seriously.
Daiki only gazed at Inoo in silence. Suddenly Inoo’s façade fell and he began to laugh.
“I’m kidding!! I was only playing around! What’s with the serious look on your face?”
Inoo was pushing Daiki out the door before Daiki could say anything. Once outside, Inoo waved goodbye to Daiki enthusiastically, as Daiki walked away smiling, a look of relief washing his face.
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo reran his meeting with Daiki a few more times. For 30 minutes, Inoo kept recalling the encounter, and soon enough Inoo shot up and swiftly sat up.
“Why was he acting like that?” Inoo thought out loud. He finally realized Daiki’s odd behavior and started to ponder about Daiki’s actions. He was analyzing the situation and what happened; he was almost close to reaching a conclusion. He started to voice out his thoughts.
“They always avoided the topic of Yabu. They never answer me straightforward. Why is that? Are they hiding something? If they are… What? Could it be that Yabu-.”
RIIINNNGG!! RIIINNNGG!!
The telephone interrupted his thoughts. Inoo rushed to the phone located in the kitchen and hastily answered it. He had already forgotten the words in his head only moments before.
Butterflies danced in his stomach. Aggravation will soon be replaced by joy. News so shocking to Inoo that it overflowed his mind, pushing away anything that he was thinking about out of his mind. Without knowing, he quickly forgot everything he was thinking so hard about before the unexpected phone call. Yes. Everything.
“Hello, Inoo residence. Kei speaking.” He said smoothly.
“Inoo-kun? This is your manager. Did you enjoy yourself? I hope you rested well. We need to discuss the schedule…” The manager’s voice faded as his thoughts were filled with words he hoped to hear for 4 long months.
Inoo shook his head, trying to focus on what the manager was saying.
“Inoo-kun, Johnny-san has approved for your return.” A smile evident in the manager’s voice and… Was that worry? She chuckled. “May you come to the building at once?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Finally an update on Amnesia!! :DD YAY!! Personally I thought this chapter was particularly draggy. >__> Well.. some stuff happens here. but i thought this was a boring chapter. Well...
Remember:
-Comments are Sprinkles to my Cupcakes
-Criticisms are Music to my Ears
-Suggestions are welcomed.
Author: kore_dake
Length: Multi-Chapter
Pairing: Yabu/Inoo
Rating: PG-13... to keep it safe. XP
Genre: Angst/Fluff (these will surface later on. It's leaning more toward on angst though.)
Disclaimer: Only owns the plot... If i owned these guys, would I really be writing all this? HeeHee >.>
Summary: Ever since a few months ago, ever since that happened, Yabu has stopped coming to work, at least everyone says so. Inoo doesn't believe what the others might say, and he doesn't remember what happened; he sees Yabu everywhere. As the days pass, a confused Inoo desperately tries to find out the truth behind the rumors. The sleuthing begins and Inoo slowly finds out a horrible secret that his mind has been hiding from him all along.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Please just stay home and rest. We shall call for you to come back to work when we feel that you are ready. Until then just enjoy yourself.”
Inoo sat in the hospital room alone, the words never leaving his head. He stayed up that night in his hospital room, sitting in silence. He had no words to describe how he felt other than alone. He knew the hiatus was inevitable; Kitagawa-san’s words were absolute, there was no way of escaping it.
Before Inoo knew it, the sunrise was peeking at the other side of the window, and soon enough the sun rose from its hiding spot. He looked over at the clock located next to his bed. 5:02 a.m. Inoo lay down to rest his back, aching from the countless hours of slumping over since the night before.
At exactly 5:30 a.m., a doctor rushed into the room.
“Good morning, Inoo-kun. Did you rest well?” The doctor began to check the monitors, periodically writing something in the clipboard he brought in with him.
“Yes, sir.” Inoo lied as he lay there looking at the doctor.
The doctor mumbled an approval. He motioned for Inoo to sit up, and began to check his heartbeat. He mumbled another approval, and turned his back to Inoo to write something in the clipboard yet again.
No words were exchanged between the two other than the greeting, leaving the rest of their encounter in silence as the doctor did his job. The sound of the pen scratching on paper filled the room.
Through it all, Inoo silently waited… Waiting for the words that he feared and dreaded to hear the most at the moment.
More scribbling. More rustling. With a final sigh, the doctor finally put down the pen and ripped out a piece of paper.
The words he feared were almost near, he could feel it; it was causing a gut-wrenching feeling that squeezed his dismayed heart.
“Congratulations. You are discharged from the hospital as of today.”
‘Yeah, congratulations.’ Inoo thought bitterly. His heart would only hurt in pain and sorrow.
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo opened his closed eyes as the memories of a few months ago flashed slowly across his eyes, making sure… Making sure that he would relive the memories he made in the two days he spent in the hospital…and the events right after.
“Please just stay home and rest. We shall call for you to come back to work when we feel that you are ready. Until then just enjoy yourself.”
The words replayed in Inoo’s head as he lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. Inoo grabbed one of his pillows and covered his face with it. He muffled a scream of aggravation into its white body.
“Please just stay home and rest. We shall call for you to come back to work when we feel that you are ready. Until then just enjoy yourself.”
His face showed annoyance; he was impatient, restless to get back to work. They said they would call him when he felt ready. He was assured that he was ready. The discussion in his hospital room affected him, for the words would not leave his head, that conversation was almost 4 months ago. Yet, they still haven’t called.
Inoo closed his eyes again, but this time different memories swirled in his head.
Memories that he knew he had to hold onto for as long as he could.
~ooxOxoo~
“Yabu!” A younger Inoo called out. “YABU!!”
“In here!” A voice answered.
Inoo ran towards the voice not caring about the voice’s whereabouts. Before he knew it, he found himself in an empty staff room. He looked around the room puzzled.
“Yabu?” He whispered.
Suddenly the lights switched off. The door closed with a bang. Inoo turned just in time to see a figure closing the door; he knew he wasn’t alone.
He stood alone in the darkness for minutes, in fearful silence.
Unexpectedly, a force pushed him to the wall and held him there, oddly enough in a gentle manner. Inoo was too scared to even notice, all he knew was that someone had pinned him to the wall.
Tears filled Inoo’s eyes as his mind attempted to register what exactly was going on. He felt the perpetrator’s face drawing closer to his so he clenched his eyes closed, causing the tears to stream down his cheeks. Inoo’s arm involuntarily twitched, hitting what felt like a switch on the wall. Then he felt it.
Lips.
Lips that kissed Inoo’s with such gentleness that it surprised Inoo. It felt kind and affectionate, full of controlled passion. It was zealous.
The warmth of the kiss spread through Inoo’s body like wildfire, his heart rate shot up to 155 beats per minute. Even before Inoo was able to open his eyes, the warmness left his mouth and the body that held him tightly now loosened their grip.
Hesitantly, Inoo’s eyes fluttered open and his eyes came face to face with Yabu. Yabu stepped back and smiled.
“What was that about, Yabu?” Inoo said finally finding his voice.
“Well, we can’t be seen can we? You wouldn’t want a staff member to see us and report us. If we get reported, Johnny-san will surely do something to one of us.”
Inoo tilted his head, clearly understanding, but still unsure.
“Why did you kiss me in the first place? That was my question.”
Yabu looked at him with concern.
“You didn’t… want to? Didn’t you… want to?” Yabu’s eyes were filling up with sadness and embarrassment at his actions. Inoo hurried to Yabu’s side as the other one slowly sank to the floor.
“I didn’t mean it that way!!” Inoo tried explaining, rapidly becoming flustered by the second. “I was… I was only curious I didn’t mean it that…”
He was silenced by a pair of lips contacting with his own, but instead of freezing up, this time he responded and welcomed it. Yabu broke it and laughed. He could be so childish sometimes. Inoo grimaced at the sudden action, but his eyes showed happiness.
“You still didn’t answer me.” Inoo stated looking even more innocent than Yabu did. A thought entered Inoo's head. “Do you like me?”
“I like you.” Yabu beamed. “What about you?”
Inoo nodded his head vigorously, agreeing with excitement evident on his young face.
“Then let this be our little secret.” Yabu whispered. He closed the gap between their faces and kissed Inoo once more.
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo got up from his bed and walked to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face and reached over grabbing a towel to wipe his face. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. He touched his lips as the memory ran through his head, reminding him of his first kiss with Yabu. He kept the memory replaying in his head and it imprinted itself freshly into Inoo’s mind. He wasn’t sure why but he knew he just had to hold on to it as long as he could. The memory of what happened few years ago, it was the memory that started everything.
A few minutes passed and he walked to the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast. He glanced over at the clock, 1:31 p.m. He sighed.
‘Must everything mock me?’ He thought resentfully as he fixed his breakfast, which was really his lunch.
~ooxOxoo~
“You’re all good to go, Inoo-kun. You did well in these couple days. We’ll call your industry to send someone to come and pick you up.”
The doctor turned to leave but Inoo stopped him.
“Do you have to call them? Can I just stay here for a while?”
The doctor looked at Inoo and was faced with a despairing set of brown eyes. The doctor sadly shook his head.
“Unfortunately Inoo-kun, last night your manager informed us that once you were able you have to leave the hospital. No circumstances can be made. I’m sorry.”
Inoo looked away, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. The doctor looked at the sullen boy with compassion. He sighed.
“Listen, Inoo-kun. I may not be able to let you stay here for a few more hours, but what I can do is delay your departure by an hour, the most. One hour, that is all I can offer. If it was any longer, your industry will find out that we have broken their orders. If that happens, this hospital will be shut down, for such is the power of Kitagawa Johnny-san.”
Inoo faced the doctor hope returning in his eyes. He nodded as the doctor spoke.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll gladly take the hour.”
Inoo smiled. The doctor was not done yet.
“I cannot guarantee it will be for a full hour. I imagine that Kitagawa-san and your manager will remain anxious until you are discharged, so they might do anything to get you out of here. I believe I can hold them off, but I cannot guarantee you a full hour here. You may have to leave in 45 minutes, 10 if anything happens. Is that understood?”
Inoo indicated that he understood. He moved and swung his legs over, letting them rest as he sat on the side of the bed. The doctor headed for the door once more, Inoo stopped him yet again.
“Sir, if I may ask… Was there a patient admitted here around the time I was?”
The doctor chuckled at Inoo’s question.
“Inoo-kun. This is a hospital. There were plenty of other people admitted at the time you were. Can you be more specific? Do you have this person’s name? Age? Gender? Anything?”
Inoo nodded.
“He’s about my age. Yabu Kota. Was he ever admitted into this hospital?”
The doctor’s laughing smile disappeared in an instant. A frown was openly plastered on the older man’s face.
“Yabu Kota? Yes, he was admitted into this hospital. He works in the same company as you do, does he not? If I’m not mistaken, your manager has already told you about what has been done to him and his current condition, did she not?”
“Yes, sir she has… but I wanted to hear what exactly has happened to him directly from you. Could you please tell me sir?”
The doctor shook his head in dismay.
“Sorry to say, but I cannot tell you anything about him.”
“Sir, it’s only us two. Can’t you tell me, anything? Anything at all?”
The doctor only shook his head again.
“Even if we are alone, Inoo, you cannot trust the walls. For even walls have ears.” He pointed to the door and sure enough, shadows could be seen and whispers could be heard from the other side of the door.
“Kitagawa-san directly told me that this matter should not be discussed. If the press hears the true reason behind the hiatus of two of the JUMP members, the press will be all over the news like a pack of wild animals. So I’m very sorry to say that I cannot speak to you about Yabu-kun. If it leaks to the media… I’ll be out of a job as well. For such is the power of Kitagawa Johnny.”
Inoo grimly nodded. With a final wave, the doctor proceeded to the door.
“Don’t forget, Inoo-kun. You have under an hour. Sorry I cannot make it any longer.”
Inoo thanked the doctor as the doctor left the room.
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo gulped down the last bite of his lunch and began to wash the dirty dishes. He calmly scrubbed the dishes and felt something rub against his leg. He looked down and he saw one of his dogs. Inoo shut off the water and petted him; the canine growled at the good feeling of Inoo’s hands. Another dog that was lying on the couch raised her head and sauntered over to where Inoo and the other dog were. Inoo welcomed her with a smile.
Minutes passed and his dogs left to do their own things. Inoo turned back around and finished washing the dishes. He looked at the clock before leaving the kitchen, 3:26 p.m. Sighing, he walked over to the couch. He lay facing the ceiling.
This was how it was for the past 4 months; he’d wake up at lunchtime, eat, and lie on the couch. He was able to focus more on his studies at Meiji University and spend more time with his dog, but he was just so bored. He didn’t go out unless he was giving Pam and An their walk. Inoo didn’t really do anything productive other than schoolwork and clean the house. Besides that he’d just loaf around and think.
~ooxOxoo~
45 minutes after the doctor left, the door opened, revealing a nurse who came into the room. She briefly introduced herself and handed Inoo a slip of paper.
“From the doctor, Inoo-kun.”
Inoo reluctantly took it and read it:
Inoo-kun, it is time. I cannot hold them off much longer; Kitagawa-san is getting suspicious. I am sorry to say that I cannot keep you here much longer. I have already called the industry and they are now sending a driver to you. Pack your things and ready yourself before the driver arrives. -Sensei.
Inoo thanked the nurse standing still inside the room.
“Give sensei my thanks.” Inoo told her with a fake smile. The nurse blushed, bowed, and left the room.
Inoo quickly went around the room and started to gather his belongings. There wasn’t much anyway, he was in the hospital for only 2 days anyway. All of his possessions fit in one bag.
Not even 5 minutes after the arrival of the doctor’s warning note, there was knocking on the other side of the door.
“Come in.” Inoo answered.
A man, who looked like he was about in his mid-30s, entered the room. Inoo knew who he was, he was a friend of Yabu’s, he knew that the man watched over Yabu during his Junior days. He was expecting a greeting instead the man immediately walked over to Inoo with hasty strides.
“I’m the driver sent by Kitagawa-san. Your belongings, sir?”
Inoo pointed to the bag on the bed and the man picked up the bag at once and headed for the doorway. He stopped once outside the room and uttered one line.
“Do not take too long, sir.” With that, he left.
Inoo stood there for a minute, frozen and baffled by the harshness in the other’s words. Inoo was confused because he didn’t know the meaning behind the tone of the words. He could only shrug it off at the moment, and he headed out the door.
When he reached the lobby, he spotted the man next to the awaiting car right outside. Inoo walked over to the car and got in, the man buckled himself in the driver’s seat, and as the car pulled out of the hospital, the driver briefly explained that Inoo was not allowed to eat out or go anywhere other than straight home. In other words, the driver was rushing Inoo’s arrival home. Inoo could do nothing and willingly agreed. Seconds later, the car was headed for Inoo’s home.
The car ride home was quiet; the driver made no attempt to start a conversation with Inoo neither did he. Before he knew it, Inoo’s things were out of the car, and he was standing outside of his house. He turned around to thank the driver, but the driver had been long gone, leaving him to enter the empty house alone…
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo blinked at the ceiling, as he remembered the way he was sent home. He felt like he wasn’t needed, like he could have been just thrown away and replaced with a snap. His brow furrowed. To forget the unhappy experience, Inoo directed his thoughts to JUMP.
JUMP would visit him from time to time, all 8 of them with the exception of Yabu. The visits were always the same. They’d say hi, that the group was doing well, and that they are all working hard. Whenever Inoo tried to bring up the subject of Yabu, JUMP would all say the same thing. Yabu was “fine and still recovering. His hiatus is really helping out his body.”
Once Inoo remembered that he had asked Daiki, who happened to be the one visiting that Inoo at that time, why couldn’t Yabu visit him and why Inoo wasn’t allowed to visit Yabu…
~ooxOxoo~
“Daiki…” The other boy inside the room looked at Inoo. “Can I ask you something? But you have to give me the truth.”
Daiki hesitated, but in the end he managed a nod.
“What is it, Inoo? Has something been bugging you?”
“Yeah… Yes, something has been bothering me.” Inoo paused and looked at Daiki’s worried face. “Why aren’t Yabu and I allowed to see each other? I’ve seen the rest of JUMP, but not Yabu. Why have we been ordered not to see each other?”
Daiki knew that the question was coming; his answer was already prepared.
“Well… The stress of you two seeing each other might be too much for you guys to handle with your bodies at it’s current state. Johnny-san put strict orders and instructions not let you see him and vise versa. He’s just worried that’s all.”
Inoo nodded, partly relieved, but not satisfied. The two sat in silence until Daiki had to leave.
“Uhmm… I guess I better go.” Inoo nodded and followed the younger boy to the door to see him off. When Daiki was about to exit Inoo’s house, Inoo jokingly said a line that made Daiki stop dead in his tracks. Daiki spun around and faced a laughing Inoo with wide eyes.
“What did you say?”
“Huh? Oh…”
“What did you say? Repeat what you said.” Daiki looked as serious as he sounded. Inoo’s face suddenly became serious as he repeated the line.
“I said… You, JUMP, and the rest of the Jimusho aren’t hiding anything from me are you?” Inoo stared at Daiki, never breaking eye contact with the shorter boy.
“What do you mean by that Inoo?” Daiki asked, managing to hold his composure.
“There isn’t some secret that only I don’t know about. A secret that not only concerns me but something that I should definitely know about.” Inoo continued seriously.
Daiki only gazed at Inoo in silence. Suddenly Inoo’s façade fell and he began to laugh.
“I’m kidding!! I was only playing around! What’s with the serious look on your face?”
Inoo was pushing Daiki out the door before Daiki could say anything. Once outside, Inoo waved goodbye to Daiki enthusiastically, as Daiki walked away smiling, a look of relief washing his face.
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo reran his meeting with Daiki a few more times. For 30 minutes, Inoo kept recalling the encounter, and soon enough Inoo shot up and swiftly sat up.
“Why was he acting like that?” Inoo thought out loud. He finally realized Daiki’s odd behavior and started to ponder about Daiki’s actions. He was analyzing the situation and what happened; he was almost close to reaching a conclusion. He started to voice out his thoughts.
“They always avoided the topic of Yabu. They never answer me straightforward. Why is that? Are they hiding something? If they are… What? Could it be that Yabu-.”
RIIINNNGG!! RIIINNNGG!!
The telephone interrupted his thoughts. Inoo rushed to the phone located in the kitchen and hastily answered it. He had already forgotten the words in his head only moments before.
Butterflies danced in his stomach. Aggravation will soon be replaced by joy. News so shocking to Inoo that it overflowed his mind, pushing away anything that he was thinking about out of his mind. Without knowing, he quickly forgot everything he was thinking so hard about before the unexpected phone call. Yes. Everything.
“Hello, Inoo residence. Kei speaking.” He said smoothly.
“Inoo-kun? This is your manager. Did you enjoy yourself? I hope you rested well. We need to discuss the schedule…” The manager’s voice faded as his thoughts were filled with words he hoped to hear for 4 long months.
Inoo shook his head, trying to focus on what the manager was saying.
“Inoo-kun, Johnny-san has approved for your return.” A smile evident in the manager’s voice and… Was that worry? She chuckled. “May you come to the building at once?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Finally an update on Amnesia!! :DD YAY!! Personally I thought this chapter was particularly draggy. >__> Well.. some stuff happens here. but i thought this was a boring chapter. Well...
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