The silence of the apartment was broken only by the soft rumble of a cat's purr.
Ginger, the cat was finally named.
It was well past noon, and the two friends were deep in the comfortable silence that came with a shared past.
Aki, with Ginger curled comfortably on his lap, was lost in thought. Aki couldn't get the image of Joshua's hazel-eyed cat out of his mind. Though Ginger is different, their look in the eye feels similar for some reason. And moreover, who brought back Ginger home is the quest...
A sudden beep-beep-beep from the front door broke his thoughts. The sound of a lock being disengaged echoed through the quiet space.
Deja vu… Aki felt a sense of familiarity, a similar scene replaying in his memory.
'Oh! You're home! That's surprising,' a beautiful woman entered, her voice ringing with warmth and cheer. She was followed by two children, no older than five or six, their tiny feet pattering on the floor.
Aki's eyes widened in surprise. It had been a month since he last saw them. "Mom!" he exclaimed, a smile breaking across his face.
'I thought I'd check on you early this month. I have to go somewhere far away,' she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. 'Oh! Noah! You're here too!' She was really enthusiastic to see both Aki and Noah.
'Hello, Auntie,' Noah said with a warm smile, greeting the woman.
She walked into the kitchen, placing down the groceries while chatting with him. 'How have you been?'she asked, turning to give Noah a hug with her question lingering in the air.
'As usual,' Noah replied, smiling as he began to put the food away.
'Aki, you don't even notice me,' the little girl said, pouting. Her feigned disappointment was adorable, and Aki's heart melted.
'How can I forget you, my kitty!' Aki said, reaching down to lift her.
Suddenly, the little boy stopped him. 'What about me!' he demanded, wanting to be lifted as well.
The room filled with laughter as Aki easily picked them both up. Even together, the two kids weren't very heavy.
"Kids! I told you not to insist on getting carried!" their mother said, scolding them lightly.
'But... but... Ayan doesn't like it when brother only carries Aysha,' the boy said, pouting from Aki's arms.
"Kitty!!!" he suddenly shrieked. The two kids spotted Ginger and excitedly jumped down from Aki's arms to chase the cat.
"Kids!" his mom and Noah both screamed, a wave of panic in their voices.
Aki, caught off guard, stumbled slightly as the children excitedly jumped out of his arms to chase the cat. He held his breath for a moment, letting go of them as they were now on the floor.
His mom, her face etched with worry, quickly came over to make sure he was okay. 'Are you hurt?' she asked, her eyes scanning him for any sign of injury.
'No Mom! It's nothing!'Aki said, trying to ease her tension with a reassuring smile.
'What do you mean 'nothing'! You know you're not supposed to carry weight, and you still picked them up,' his mom scolded him, her concern turning into frustration.
Aki smiled, scratching the back of his cheek. 'Well, they'll grow up soon. I won't have the chance to do that anymore.'
His mom went silent, her gaze falling on the cat. The cat looked at her, and a shiver ran down her spine.
'Tanya has returned,' she said like she wanted to know more..
'Yeah, more than two weeks, maybe,' Aki replied, his tone emotionless.
His mother, hearing the lack of warmth in his voice, realized her initial suspicions were correct—they had broken up.
'Is everything alright between you two?'she asked, needing to confirm her doubts.
'No, and we won't be,' Aki said, a deep sadness in his voice as he sat on the sofa. 'I can't ruin her life. I would only hinder her.'
Sensing the weight of his words, his mom tried to change the subject. 'I bought some lunch. Let's eat.'
Noah quickly finished arranging the food, so there was nothing for her to do. Taking the opportunity, she grabbed a stethoscope to listen to Aki's heart. Aki sat obediently as his mother placed the cold instrument on his chest.
'Where is Ayush?'Aki asked.
'At Uni.' She replied, her focus entirely on the rhythm of his heart. She told him that Ayush, would join them after his lectures were over. "Breathe," she reminded him, and Aki took long, deep breaths.
Aki looked at her, his mind drifting back to his past. Ayush was his brother, but they didn't share the same mother. The person in front of him wasn't his biological mother; she was her twin sister. Aki was only three when he saw his mother's death. The traumatic event had left a deep, unhealing wound in his mind. How could one ever cope with a loss like that?
The aftermath of the trauma had been a long and arduous journey for Aki. The shock of his mother's death had caused him to suffer from a fever that lasted for several days, leaving him weak and delirious. It was during this time that he saw Sara, and in his fevered state, he mistook her for his mother, Sakura. He clung to her, a desperate child holding onto the last semblance of his mother.
A few months passed, and Sara saw a marked improvement in Aki's mental and physical health. She had always loved him and her sister unconditionally, so she decided to stay with him. In the meantime, both their families, hoping to provide Aki with a stable home, suggested that Sara and Aki's father, Aito, should marry. They agreed, putting Aki's well-being above their own happiness.
But their marriage was not a fairy tale. Aito, despite his best efforts, could never forget his high school sweetheart, Sakura. Their love story, once so full of promise, came to a bittersweet end.
Sara, however, found her own happy ending after the divorce. She found her soulmate and now lives a fulfilling life. But for Aki, the wounds from the past still run deep. The most painful realization came years later, after the birth of his half-brother, Ayush. He was old enough to understand the truth now, and he remembered the gruesome details of his mother's death. This knowledge shattered his world, and the family he thought he had was torn apart. The marriage ended, and Ayush, like him, was left to navigate a world without a complete family.
Ayush mostly lived with Sara. Their father, Aito, is a busy businessman, rarely had time for him. Now as a professor, Ayush had a settled life, and despite not sharing a mother with Aki, the two brothers were close. Aki admired Ayush's ability to cope with difficult situations, something he felt he never truly mastered. Still, a sharp, constant pain of guilt gnawed at Aki's heart, a feeling that he was somehow responsible for the hardships Sara, Ayush, and their father had endured.
"Your heart is..." Sara's voice trailed off, her brow furrowed as she listened to the stethoscope. She could hear the irregular rhythm of Aki's heart.
'Oh, sorry! I was lost in thought,' Aki apologized, pulling himself from his reverie.
' Everything is okay, I don't think there will be a problem, but still, be careful,' she said, removing the stethoscope from her ears and looking at him with a worried expression.
'My heart has been ok since the operation,' Aki assured her.
But Sara still insisted he be cautious.
'Don't worry, Aunty. I'm here. I'll check up on him when you're away,' Noah reassured her. 'But, Aunty, it's been fifteen years, isn't it alright now?'
Aki's body had adapted well after the surgery, but Sara's anxiety never fully subsided. She felt the need to check on him every month.
'There are actually many things that began…' Sara's words were cut short when her eyes fell on a newspaper with a headline about a car accident. She looked up at Aki, who tried to avoid her intense stare.
'Are you having those nightmares again?' she asked, her frown deepening.
Aki never ceased to be amazed at how quickly Sara picked up on things, 'No, not really,' Aki tried to deflect.
'Do you... see her as well?' she pressed, her gaze unwavering.
'I... not really,' he said, and then fell silent.
Noah stopped arranging the food and watched them, caught in a silent debate about whether to mention Aki's recent fever. He decided against it, but a look passed between him and Aki. Noah subtly gestured, trying to signal to Aki that he should just tell her about the fever before she figured it out herself.
'So you did see her. I knew it. I was also informed that you didn't go to your doctor. Do you wish to stop going?' Sara asked, her voice sharp on the last line.
'It's not that I was unwell. I just don't need it anymore. I'm not depressed,' Aki protested, even as he felt the hypocrisy in his words.
'You're the type to hold back your thoughts and be considerate of others. I just want you to at least share them with your doctor so you don't feel so burdened.'She said.
Aki smiled faintly. 'Mom, I'm not like that. You know that very well.'
'I'm not so sure anymore. You've become like that after... anyway, this person is very well-known for being a modest and respectful human being, not just a psychiatrist. I haven't met him yet, but he's your age, and I heard he even meets his patients outside. So if you want to avoid being stuck in a treatment room, you can meet with him elsewhere. But please don't think I'm forcing you. Sometimes there are things inside us that we don't even know exist. Just like this cat. You never thought you would adopt one, but you did, and I bet you're finding it amusing.' Noah agreed with Sara.
'Just try to visit once. If you don't feel good, then you can stop,' he chimed in.
Aki shot him a glare for siding with Sara, which she saw. 'He knows it will be good for you,' she said softly.
Aki finally relented and agreed to visit the doctor. A wide smile broke across Sara's face.
Ayush arrived at five, his features a mirror of their father, Aito. Aki, on the other hand, was the spitting image of his mother, Sakura. This resemblance was likely the reason for the undeniable affection Aito had for Aki, a difference Ayush had always been aware of but never resented. They had grown up together, fostering a deep understanding that transcended their different upbringings.
The moment Ayush saw the cat, his jaw dropped. 'You... have a cat?!'
'Yup! Meet Ginger,' Aki said, pushing the feline onto his lap.
'Woah! Isn't it just like the one Mei used to have?' Ayush exclaimed. Sara, overhearing, gave him a playful slap on the head.
'I know. I was surprised as well.' Aki said, smiling rather than feeling sad. 'He just adopted me.'
'It came to you? No wonder he's so fat! He must be the type to get loved so much. He's not even afraid of me,' Ayush remarked just before Ginger scratched his face. Sara laughed, 'Good! You offended him. You deserved that.'
'Yeah, yeah, anyway! What have you been doing? Why didn't you come to the university? I checked on you.'
Aki made an excuse, saying he had been busy with the company and had to reschedule.
Ayush nodded, 'Oh! And how are your eyes doing? Is there any…'
'Nothing! Everything is fine,'Aki said, cutting him off before he could finish.
Aki offered him lunch, guessing Ayush hadn't eaten yet. Ayush, indeed hungry, immediately started to eat.
After everyone left in the evening, Aki began to clean the room. He put on his headphones, and the room was filled with a comfortable silence. He took a deep breath, the noise-canceling headphones a welcome escape from the chaos of the day.
Aki pushed open the door to his darkroom, the faint smell of chemicals filling his nose. For a long moment, he simply stood there, staring at the photos hanging to dry. Then, with a practiced hand, he began developing more photos.
Ginger watched him, its tail twitching slowly, its eyes fixed on Aki with an unnerving intensity. It was as if the cat was studying him, and Aki felt the weight of its gaze from the corner of his eye.
Meanwhile, at the train station, a few figures entered the stationmaster's chamber. Joshua followed them in, only to find another Joshua already sitting in his chair. The imposter smiled, shifting his form to resemble Mei. "Brother," he greeted the real Joshua.
Joshua responded with a curt nod. 'How was everything?' he asked.
'All good,' the other smiled.
Joshua sighed, his frustration evident. 'Why did you postpone the order? Because of you, we have lost the culprit.'
'Doesn't that mean he's not the one?' the imposter countered. 'The real one has realized we're looking for him, so he's stopped working. I don't think he's the one.'
'He has canceled his classes, and he was the one at the border. The entity follows him. All the evidence…' Joshua began to list.
'Brother, they're all fabricated,' the other interrupted, 'Those pieces of evidence were too easy. Something isn't right with this guy, but he's not the one we think he is. I'm sure of it.'He paused, then continued, 'There are only a few human beings descended with the ability to see through us. He is one of them. So he's not someone who would do that. I also want to see why the entity is following him.'
"Reiji!" Joshua snapped, his frustration boiling over, 'Why are you being so stubborn? You never showed any interest in anything other than…'
'I don't know, and I want to know that too,' Reiji said calmly. 'And anyway, I can always kill him if he is the one, and... you know that.' He gave Joshua a reassuring look.
Joshua looked at him, a new thought dawning on him. 'Surprisingly, the tea didn't seem to work on him. He didn't forget anything. If he doesn't, that will be a problem. I heard you met him. Did you make him forget?'
'No, I didn't…' Reiji was cut off as the hazel-eyed cat rubbed its body against his leg.
'What the hell are you doing?' he yelled.
Joshua's eyes widened in anger. 'Why the hell are you scolding him?'
Reiji bit his tongue, realizing his mistake. 'I thought it was mine. Wait... where did mine go?'
'Go home now. Do your job. Mother will be meeting you soon, so arrange the evidence to support yourself,' Joshua advised, his voice laced with irritation.
'Why did you tell her?' Reiji's face filled with worry.
'I didn't. She knows sometime before we say anything,' Joshua replied, not admitting his part.
'I bet you didn't shield your mind again,' Reiji grumbled.
'I never do. She would know even if I put up a shield. She can see through the lies,' Joshua said, leaning against a lamppost.
'Well, yes. Mom is awesome. Oh! How is Mei? Why did he collapse again?' Reiji's expression became worried. Joshua sighed, 'He's all right now. Thunder Lightning has shown him something again.'
Reiji didn't seem surprised. 'What was it?'
Mei didn't remember.
Reiji knew that with some time to relax, he would recall the vision.
They stood in silence for a while.
The cat beside Joshua kept moving its tail just like Ginger.
A fellow who had been standing behind them nodded and left.
Joshua looked up at the sky. 'It's gonna rain again.'
'Ah! I have an appointment tomorrow. I don't want to go,' Reiji complained.
Joshua scoffed. 'Why do you feel annoyed when you just have to erase them? Easy work.'
"Huh!" Reiji scoffed in return, mocking Joshua's silly suggestion.
Meanwhile, Aki lay down, the silence of his room punctuated only by the song playing through his headphones. He held the business card in his hand, the psychiatrist's office address a short distance from his own. Within moments, he fell asleep, the card still clutched in his hand.