18 / 06 / 2018 - Yekaterinburg, Oblast Sverdlovsk, Russia.
"Hello? Who is this?" a soft voice echoed in the empty office. Leaning on the backrest, a woman gazes at the office window, overlooking the entire bright city.
Her soft profile is frowning, the warm touch of the screen touching her ears. Apparently, it is a strange number to call, as not many people know her private number.
She didn't know why, but everything felt wrong — a creeping sense of foreboding she couldn't name.
"This is Ishimura Sato, from the Department of Special Affairs. I am calling with an urgent and difficult matter regarding Alicia Mikhailovna-san. Are you in a position to speak privately at the moment?"
A man's voice, seeking confirmation through the phone.
Though she was reluctant, she still answered it with a confirmation, her eyes lowered as she felt dread, her heart instinctively beating faster.
Then, the voice on the other end is silent for a moment.
Tightening her hands around the phone, she adjusted her seat, anxiousness creeping in further.
"We are sorry for your loss." An apologetic formal voice was conveyed through the phone.
"A massive gas leak occurred in Chiba three hours ago, at 15:32 precisely, resulting in a crater accounting for 200 km."
Unconsciously, her breath hitched in her throat, and all of her thoughts and guesses went blank in an instant.
"The entire city of Chiba has been erased from the map, leaving an impact crater, and one of the victims is Shirakami's residence."
The phone slipped through her hands and fell to her lap.
'Eh?'
Up until this point, she hasn't wanted to hear anything more than this.
'Sister?'
Her body trembling, tears slowly welled in her eyes, and still, the voice on the other end did not pause.
"I know and realise this is a terrible shock for you. Words cannot express my regret for having to deliver such news over the phone. We are currently coordinating with the local authorities."
The voice continued, and she clenched her hand tightly above her lap, unwilling to accept the reality.
"But, there is also some other news for you, Mikhailovna-san, our medical team has discovered three children, and after a series of identification on the register, they belong to the Shirakami Residence."
Lowering her head, the sound of sobbing drifted apart.
"We hope that you can come in person, and we will try our best to give the support that they need."
———
A dreamless night after. Eleven hours later, Japan.
Riscia arrived at the ruins of Chiba. She hadn't slept much, only to call her butler from the plane, after seething with rage.
'Dig up everything. I want to know how a gas leak could leave an impact crater.'
The footsteps echoed as a figure walked far down the silent corridor; the night conversation resurfaced in her mind.
Bright morning light seeps through the side, illuminating her pale and tired profile. She was wearing a brown trench coat over her office suit.
A breeze was blowing the windows, bringing some warmth to her body.
Lack of sleep and the urgency of the matter really take a toll on her body; her mind is almost on the verge of breaking at this point.
But, despite the tiredness, her sky-blue eyes are still sharp and cold, like a hawk, which didn't allow her to be careless in the slightest.
Eventually, as she turns right and deeper, she spots a crowd in one of the rooms along the corridor. The door is already open, and the doctors and nurses are in and out in a rush.
Unconsciously, one of her hands holding the flower basket tightened, and as she moved her gaze, she spotted three strange figures.
Two women are chatting while standing at the observation window.
One of them is wearing a blindfold and a windbreaker, and the other is having her mouth covered with a mask in an unknown pattern.
And… Riscia stopped slightly in her step, her face frowning, what's with these weird things?
Leaning against the wall is an aged man in his 70s, in a black jacket and some lacquered ceremonial headpiece, the kind worn in old paintings of court officials.
'What the hell is this?'
She doubts her eyes at this very moment. She had rushed here after the embassy had told her of this address, which is a hospital at the edge of the ruins of Chiba itself.
So she can't be mistaken or deceived by the government itself, it means… her eyes flashed with a hint of coldness,
'They are here for a reason.'
Despite this, she did not underestimate this matter out of professionalism.
And as she stood in silence watching the three of them, the others had also noticed her, too, after all.
The old man is the first to notice her, raising and turning his head towards her direction.
"Akiha, Tomori, the guests have arrived."
A dry voice drifted apart into the two, ceasing their activity to look in Riscia's direction as they knew it all along.
Riscia resumed her step and came to a stop at the front of the three,
"May I ask if it's right? This is the room of the Shirakami siblings? And…"
Speaking perfect Japanese, her gaze full of scrutiny towards the three of them,
"…who are you? And what are you doing at this place?"
The air seemed to come to a standstill for a moment, as Riscia carefully looked at them; Akiha and Tomori were also looking back at her.
For a while, the silence was ongoing, until it broke; the aged man spoke with a cough, his lips upturned.
"Well, that's quite the reaction. First of all, let me introduce myself, Miss Mikhailovna. I am Yohara Senji."
Riscia listened in silence, allowing them to continue to speak. Crossing her hands, her head hung low.
Ignoring her attitude, Yohara is smiling while also pointing at the two on the side,
"This one is Tomohira Akiha and Tomohira Tomori. As for what we are doing here…" he took up a document slowly from the pocket inside his jacket.
"…I'm at the request of the higher-ups to deliver you this; please have the courtesy to read this first."
Hands stretched as the brown paper files in his shrivelled hand, while the two of them stood silently like statues.
Riscia did not take the file that was handed to her, just staring silently towards the aged man,
"You did not answer my first question: Are the Shirakami siblings in here?"
Heard it, the aged man Yohara tilted his head for a moment.
Then, his closed eyes opened, pitch-black, and something was moving deep inside. Snapped his fingers as he remembered something.
"Ah, yes, the kids, three kids, right? Right, right, they are in here."
Riscia is creeped out for a moment; it feels like she sees something slithering in those eyes. Her eyes twitched, but she still gritted her teeth and ignored the files.
"I'll see them first, and after that, we will see what your explanation of this is."
Riscia is sure they knew what she meant, so she didn't want to bother them with it. Passing them, she goes inside to see her niece and nephews.
It is bright, and the ceiling light illuminates the entire room, without a speck of darkness.
Riscia's head turned, overlooking the room. Other doctors and nurses ignore her as they are busy checking the condition of the three.
Walked, her eyes then snapped on the three beds. That's it, the three of them.
Riscia's eyes are glued to the small figures on the beds, her hands trembling as she approaches them slowly. They are sleeping peacefully, bodies bandaged with injuries.
Gripping the flower basket tightly. Finding struggle to control her emotions, the breaths and words seem to be stuck in her throat, unable to move.
Moving her leg, she arrives at one of the beds, looking down at the sleeping immature face, white hair, the same as hers, Irina.
"They were found at the edge. Remarkable, isn't it?"
At this moment, a dry sound like a branch chimed in beside her.
Turning her head to the side, her eyes are red, and tears welled up at the corner.
The aged man Yohara appeared silently at her side, alone, watching them with the same uncanny smile.
"I suggest you read this first, Mikhailovna-san."
Yohara still handed her the file from earlier.
Riscia is silent, for a moment, she left those hands hanging in the air. Pulling back her gaze from the file, she slowly placed the basket on the bed.
Then, lowering her upper body, she caresses the soft white hair in her hands,
"I assure you everything will be all right. No one can get out of this. I'll make sure everything comes to light."
Words said quietly, a promise to the sleeping child.
Raising her body, without looking to the side, she takes the file handed to her.
Feeling the lightness of the files in her hand, she opened them casually and began reading them intently.
Ignoring her surroundings, for a while, only the sound of paper being flipped can be heard in the space. The accompanying doctor and nurses have mostly gone.
As she read further, Riscia's face turned into a frown, but then, slowly, she became perplexed, and in the end, she reached the end of the files, at the signing.
"We exactly meant what we meant, Miss Mikhailovna"
The aged man, Yohara, is still beside her, waiting in silence like a statue; that unsmiling face does not change at all, and he spoke without waiting for her remarks.
Then, opening his eyes slightly, looking up towards Riscia, his eyes are pitch black without white,
"Go to Osaka, Mikhailovna-san. The children will be safer there."
"Time is ticking."
———
"It's been three months, do you think he will be able to make it? Nee-chan?" A measured, immature, and cautious voice drifted from the phone through the empty office.
"I… don't know, Ayato, but I'm sure… I'll make sure he will wake up one day." She answered in pain, her hands tightening around the phone, various files and images scattered above the desk.
"I'll make sure of it." A whisper before the phone is closed off.
———
Osaka, Japan.
Footsteps sound in silence, just like nine months ago.
She had walked this corridor many times, knowing even the specific rhythm of her footsteps and the angle of the window light from this afternoon moment.
Wearing a pink blouse, a white casual shirt, and a skirt, the same pattern every single day, nothing has changed for nine months.
She visits the same boy, who is still trapped in the past.
Her face is serene yet sad as she gazes out the window for a moment. Looking at the afternoon sunlight.
But now, a doctor and a nurse passed by her side, something she knew, and as surely as it is, they stopped for a moment as she passed them.
Her head tilted in confusion, brushing her hair, confused about what they were about, running, breathless.
Lowering her head, she waits patiently for the breathless doctor, who is held by the nurse at the side, to talk,
"We… we detect that Patient Akane has awakened, Miss Mikhailovna. Please follow us if you may!"
Suddenly, all noise seemed to be lost, as she stood in silence, stupefied by the news.
"Eh…?"
A small sound of confusion escaped her lips, but apparently, the doctor had already moved faster than.
Watching the figure run farther down the corridor and enter a room on the left, she also began to walk without thinking much; her eyes were crystal clear.
Arriving at the open door, she is.
'Finally, you're awake.'
Her breath stuck in her chest. Hand holding the side of the door, she composed herself as the room came into her sight.
But this time…
His bloodshot eyes are gazing at the doctor who had begun to ask him about his condition.
Her heart skips a beat as if she finds something she can't quite place; something is wrong.
But still, she decides to walk in, and as he is sitting up. He notices her. His eyes find her face.
And now she saw it, what's wrong, what's missing, and maybe what has replaced it.
'What did you actually see that day, Akane?'
She cannot name it; she has felt its shape before, in a man with ashen eyes, it is his father.
'No, you can't, Riscia.'
She bit her lips inward, composed herself in one breath, and then smiled for him. No matter what happens, she will still protect him.
A while later.
After signing the discharge papers immediately at noon.
Doctor Kouno hesitated for a bit, the urgency, unknown sequelae, etc., he'd written in the margins, but Riscia still took them anyway.
Akane has been staying long enough; she can afford to invite the best doctor and the equipment as long as he is home.
She turned around and directly left the room, again, walking down the corridor, but… this time will be different.
After a while, she arrives at the front lobby, spotting a boy in a patient's garb above the wheelchair, waiting patiently in silence, while looking around curiously.
Her eyes are clear, bent into a crescent and a happy smile. She approached him,
"You good, Akane?"
From behind, she spoke suddenly, catching him slightly off guard as the corner of Akane's mouth twitched slightly.
"If we're done, we should get moving, nee-chan." He responds flatly, a bit helpless to her antics.
Shaking his head, he looks out the transparent door instead, towards the city's scenery.
"No worry, no worry, let me get you to the car!"
Today, too, seems to be a good day; humming a tune with a smile as she pushed the wheelchair to the automatic door, leaving the static world behind.
———
With a thump, the door closed shut, finally leaving the hospital behind.
By the window, they are gradually leaving the residential and suburban area, and they are reaching towards the city at this moment.
Akane is looking out the window, still in his white patient, sitting in the backseat.
His bloody-ashen eyes are thoughtful, accounting for every detail or arrangement of the buildings that pass by in passivity.
And after a while, he is a bit tired of the same scenery, so he takes his gaze towards the interior of the car.
To the front, looking at the car's dashboard and leaning against the backrest.
In the past and now, luxury did not pique his interest in the slightest, but looking at it again… his head turned from the front dashboard and the empty seat beside him.
This car is neat, comfortable, and practical. The cabin is clearly spacious enough not to feel cramped.
It's wide, smooth leather, and the lighting is ambient, which can be auto-adjusted by intelligent assistance.
A hint of understanding flashed in the depths of his eyes; he just did it to measure something casually,
'Hmmm, this sure is down-to-earth with Cia-nee's net profit, heh.'
As he thought about it analytically, a hint of a cough entered his ears.
He snapped up to the front, noticing his aunt was secretly glancing at him. Akane is a bit amused by this,
"Well, do you have something to say, nee-chan?"
"Ah…"
Off guard, it is not something that she would expect.
She thought that Akane would be curious about everything, about his siblings and what happened, but… he is calmer than she thought.
"Akane, you… have been sleeping for nine months, you know…"
Riscia eventually said it first with a troubled expression, gauging his reaction in the rear-view mirror.
True to it, Akane's face seems off for a moment, but he quickly composed himself.
He had already guessed it, but the time itself is quite shocking. She said it to his face, and it really hit him differently in the head.
There it is again, as he lowers his head, the sound of the tide reappeared.
But despite this, he is trying to hold it in, closing his eyes, and adjusting his breath.
The air turns eerie for a moment, and she diverts her gaze from the mirror, her heart unknowingly beats faster.
After a while, the air is a bit oppressive, but then… "I can guess it a bit, nee-chan. And this, too, we are not at Chiba anymore, are we?"
The silent air seems to be flowing once again, and Riscia, who held her breath, is gasping lightly; this time, she could discern something familiar, a pang of sadness in that tone.
Riscia, too, feels a slight melancholy as the memory of nine months ago resurfaces.
Turning on the driving assistance, she took her hands from the steering wheel and placed them on her lap.
"Irina is now learning to draw and cook, even now, I can't quite believe it that just in a month she has become quite skilled at it."
His expression did not change, but the corner of his mouth curved ever so slightly, as if pleased.
"And Ayato?"
"Schools, he is doing fine."
"Mmm."
"I see, well, the two of them are no less clever than I after all."
"Irina can be anything if she wants it to be, as for that brat Ayato… let him fend for himself…"
"In short, everything is good now."
Lastly, Riscia said with a smile, crossing her hands and puffing her chest proudly, she is taking her role as the big sister seriously after all.
And Akane, too, has heard and knows enough, though again feels hollow and empty.
His smile seems to be more genuine as time goes on, the part in his eyes gleaming, reflecting the setting light.
For a moment, the entire car fell into silence once again.
Akane turns his head to the window, back to watching the scenery once more, "Why Osaka specifically?" he asks after a while, still looking outside.
As if prepared to answer this question,
"Well, the school is good enough, there is a sufficient family connection here, and the environment is also good, right?"
'This should be enough to deceive him, right?'
A bit unsure, she turned her head slowly towards the backseat, trying to see his reaction to her answers.
"Hmmm, I understand," Akane responded plainly, the corner of his mouth upturned slightly, unaware of what he thought of her response.
Deep down,
'It's too smooth, there is not enough data for another conclusion,' he thought calmly, and thus he decided to ask what he thinks rather than beating around the bush.
A beat of silence, and she is back to watching the front. Watching in the silence, he said casually—
"How did you find us?"
Riscia's eyes hardened for a moment, but she composed herself. Then, looking in the rear-view mirror, she tells of what she knows about the accident nine months ago.
With a complicated gaze, "You were found by the disaster response team under the debris at the crater's edge. At that time, there were many ruined buildings on the side, you know?"
Her tone is a bit emotional, as everything nine months ago was like a miracle; despite such a huge impact crater, they could survive those by a small margin.
Akane at the back is quiet for a moment, then says, "At the edge."
It is a repetition, not a question.
She goes still for a moment at what he said. All of a sudden, she feels something stir inside her chest, because…
'The way he said it seems like he knows something…' but…
"Yes." Despite it, she said carefully, "At the edge."
"Hmmm, is that so?" Akane seemed to dismiss it, took his gaze back to the car and looked around instead.
Unknowingly, Riscia let out a breath as if she had passed a hurdle. Then again, both know each hides something, but neither side wants to admit it.
So…
'Just let it be, she should be careful of me, not the other way around though.' He thought about it casually; he had enough time in his pocket to play the long game.
Then again, as he thought about something, his face changed slightly because he felt the long-delayed feeling, "Nee-chan, have you cooked something for today?"
It was such a mundane question, the kind of considerate kid that he would have asked without thinking. Hence, she grabbed it like a lifeline.
That's right, it's hunger that he felt just now. To which Riscia, upon hearing it, instantly went back to her former self, chuckling as she covered her mouth.
"Please don't laugh, you know, it is a serious matter." He retaliated lightly from the backseat, a bit annoyed by her reaction.
"Yes, yes, I've just remembered something, we don't have anything at home, wanna buy a takeout instead?"
She asks cheekily, her voice drifts from the front.
"Well, suit yourself, as long as I can eat,"
Akane replied, closed his eyes, ignoring her remarks and the laughter. Yet, for what is lost, maybe something will take its place instead.
Maybe this bleeding colour is not so bad after all.
….
A short while later.
The door opened with a click.
There is some hazy feeling inside, the dead heart starts beating faster and faster as he is pushed to the corridor.
Riscia is just silently pushing him from behind, and finally entering the living room, she wants this to be a surprise, then so be it.
The bright living room came into his eyes. Out of the corridor, a tall panoramic window on the left, along with a very spacious space.
But more importantly…
Silent, he is silent, his empty eyes moving towards the source of sounds, the television is lit, and the two figures in front of it.
They are the same as always, those white hair and stupid face of his twin, even after nine months, despite everything, they are still the same.
After a while, they heard footsteps. Irina turned her head first.
"Eh…" The words stuck in her throat as she wanted to stand up to welcome Auntie, faces frozen, greetings for the most unexpected person.
Unknowingly, Ayato also began to realise something as he saw his little sister, confused. He turned his head to the side, frozen.
"Akane…?" Quickly coming to his senses, Ayato's hands were trembling.
Standing slowly, and then stumbling, walking slowly, with his eyes glued, trying to reach out to the figure in a wheelchair.
Akane, he is so different, lifeless, empty, yet he is smiling, trying to appear as he usually does. And thus, he ran towards him, ignoring everything, or concern.
"Uwaaahhh, Akane!"
He hugged him hard so that the entire wheelchair rattled, and Akane's eyes winced in pain for a bit, before he returned it, holding tight to Ayato's back,
"I didn't know you were such a crybaby," Akane remarked calmly.
Holding the sobbing Ayato, his gaze fell on the bewildered Irina on the sofa.
"It seems that you don't miss me, no?" Smiling and jokingly said lightly to her, her figure is reflected in his bloody, ashen eyes.
Irina flinched from that gaze like a rabbit caught by a predator. Her mind went blank in an instant, and she was confused as tears streamed down her cheeks.
But then, as she hears his remarks and that cheeky tone, she runs towards him and hugs him at the side,
"Aka-nii!!!" The same, everything does not matter, for every change, 'My brother is my brother!' and so be it.
And Riscia at the back, watching the long overdue reunion of the three. Tears welled in her eyes. She wiped them with the back of her hand. "Did you see it, sister?"