Post
by Eprlide » Mon Jan 14, 2013 12:48 am
(I give up. Things will update when they update. I'll just focus on not killing this one again.)
Someone's dead. I finally have that instinct, that something has gone so terribly wrong that a life has been spent.
I don't think rushing to the scene will change anything, but I feel its more of a sense of responsibility then a chance to change the way of fate.
My senses awaken up slowly. Bright lights speed out of my view, many scents enter my nose for it to identify anything, and screams overcome my hearing.
I don't think I precisely know what happened to kill someone. Maybe I do, but it's just hasn't implanted itself into reality just yet, like a shock over someone dear dying.
Then I stop. Then I realize; I'm only adding more to the problem. I'm sorry, whoever you are. I've failed you.
Stranger from Fiction
Panic. Sweat. Heart thumping. Eyes darting. EKG beeping. All of the normal things welcome me as my lovely dreams return once more. But with it brings something I haven't even considered yet.
Death. The inevitable conclusion to life. This body I was given has a condition which titers me on the borderline of danger and risk. I'm safe here in the custody of the hospital, but even this must come to an end eventually. What will my future be like when this is all over? Right now, I don't need to worry about going to school, studying everything I need to know for some big test, doing any chores around the house I live in, nothing.
It's good for now because of my inability to remember a single thing of my past, but it brings in a frightening perspective on the future of myself as well. Will I still go to school with anyone else? Will I be sent somewhere distant, so far far away that I may have some chance to restart my life? That may be for the better, but how can I continue with no background to give out? A good amount of personality comes from what's been done by you and to you, and talking about the past is a good chunk of day-to-day conversation. How am I supposed to deal with not knowing who I used to be, especially with those who know the old Hisao, if I'm destined to stay here?
Well, right now it's no use asking questions. I'll wait until the nurse comes around with breakfast, then I'll ask for more of those books on amnesia or how the mind works. Maybe psychology books too.
-------
*knock knock*
"Come in."
The nurse enters in a few hours after breakfast. She got the books i requested back then and I've been reading them since. However, it's currently to no avail. Knowing how amnesia works isn't going to solve the problem itself, and it just makes me more frustrated then anything else.
"I can see you've taking a liking to those books. Are you interested in that kind of science?"
"I guess, kinda." I can't really make this statement. I'm more or less reading these to try and help myself, but I will admit some of the stuff here sure is interesting.But perhaps while we're on this, I can get some information from her.
"I've wondered what it would be like to suddenly loose your memory. Have you dealt with anyone with amnesia before?" The nurse takes a breath and looks down at the floor.
"Only once, and I can only hope what I got was the worst of it."
Uh oh.
"What happened?" Maybe whatever she can tell me from experience can help.
"I don't like the story, but if it does interest you, I'll tell you."
"Please do." She sits herself down in a chair, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, probably in remembrance. She then begins her story, even though she seems to be pushing herself a bit to say it.
"A man got into a car crash with his daughter. The girl suffered major injuries of her own, but the father took the worst of it, including a large dent in his head. When he finally regained consciousness in the hospital, he didn't recognize his wife when she stood near his bed, waiting for him to recover. He had forgotten everything about himself; his name, work, friends, and his family. One day, I overheard him talking seriously to his wife. I know I shouldn't have listened into what they were talking about, but he was apologizing because he couldn't find it within himself to love her again. The feelings he had for her and his daughter had completely disappeared, and with no experience behind him anymore, he didn't know how to love someone again. He... had lost his maternal instinct." Her hands shook as she went though to finish the story.
"She was devastated, but somehow found it within herself to forgive him. However, the day after he was released from the hospital, he was found dead. He committed suicide, believing he was useless to the world for not being able to love his family again."
"Thats..."
...Terrifying. Reality is always worse then any conspiracy theory. Even when he was told what he used to be like, not being able to come back to the person he was crushed his family, and cost him his life. I can only imagine how the remaining family dealt with it and are doing now.
"Doctors and nurses have it hard and we're trained to deal with the worse that comes at us, but there are some things which even we cannot heal." The nurse sighs heavily. "At least be thankful you don't have it worse off then anything else it could have been."
I can't tell good from bad in this. It's bad irony that I'm still affected by this and haven't told anyone, but should I be thankful it's not worse? I guess, but it's already bad enough as it is. I can, however, now imagine it being far worse.
"Thank you for the story, nurse."
"You can call me Kaede." With a small smile she exits the room.
I think the problem now is that I've been taking this the wrong way. I've hid my amnesia from everyone; trying to act naturally only to see that it's completely different then who I used to be. From Kaede's story, apparently even your base personality and emotions can be changed permanently due to a loss of memory. This could work if the person forgot a particularly traumatizing experience, but from what I could tell from his room the morning I was in there, he seemed like a normal kid. The only real event that ever happened to "him" occurred after the memory loss.
Maybe we're more alike then we think we are. Hiding behind a wall that we make ourselves, whatever it may be, to conceal something deep that we don't want anyone else knowing about. But if this something is so important to his character, why haven't I remembered it yet? The dreams come to mind with the reminder that they're one way I can regain fragments of my past. Even so, there's a lot about it that still confuses me. I can only get that someone died, and thats it. I guess if Hisao was young enough, seeing someone die would be particularly traumatizing. The person that died should also come into play too; I don't think I forget someone close to me dieing in my arms, be it family or friends.
But I don't even know them anymore. My mother and father may as well be my guardians and nothing more. I don't feel anything from them anymore. Not some radiance of warmth that I guess you could expect from those that take care of you. Hisao's friends/classmates are the same too. Showing that they care for my recovery was nothing more then a class project, and the number of visits have started to dwindle down as well.
Then there's Iwanako. Who was she to Hisao before all of this? Were they close friends and she just wanted to close the gap once and for all? Perhaps they never really talked much, only knowing each other as being in the same grade, but giving each other the occasional glance and greeting.
I. Don't. Know. Anything. And it's a big problem.
...
Maybe I should give up on it. Iwanako was right all along, even if she didn't exactly see what I was suffering from. She thought that "I" was pushing back the pain of the events happening, when I only acted naturally because I've never experienced anything beforehand that I could compare it with. I've been pushing back the truth of my amnesia, my hidden condition. In my eyes, it's far worse then any heart disease nature could throw at me.
If I'm going to let out the truth, though, it should be to the person I trust the most right now. That means all I need to do is just wait and hope she comes back. She hasn't since two days ago. Although, what I did was trying to get at whatever I could find. It was something only someone stupid would do. Maybe that's how I am now. I can live with that.
I just hope she can, along with everything else I need to tell her.
-------
"H-hisao?"
The soft voice lures me out of my nap, opening my eyes to see the setting sun casting an orange glow on Iwanakos' face, who then immediately looks away in her chair.
"I had a feeling you would come back soon." I reply with a smile as I right myself up in my bed. "i actually was thinking of you earlier today." That gets a cute blush out of her.
"Are you feeling better at all?"
"It's been a few days since the surgery, so I've been doing well."
"Thats good..."
The silence hangs over us, as if knowing that each of us have something to say. If this was some bad, cheesy drama movie we would both try to begin at the same time. But I think I need to tell her my condition as soon as possible.
"Hey-"
"You know-"
God damn it.
"May I please go first? I have something important to tell you."
"Ah, sure." My request catches her off guard. I hope she isn't thinking of things too badly. Now, how to start this...
"You were half-right, Iwanako."
"Huh?" I've caught her attention now.
"On the first day you visited me, you were right. About wearing a mask, to hide something. But you're only half right that I was hiding something... Jeez, how do I break this to you without being so blunt about it?" At times like this I feel my thought process shutting down, and i just talk what I think.
"Then just be blunt about it." Iwanako interjects me, and she looks different then before, somehow bolder then before. "There's no point in cutting corners when it's something serious."
Shes... gotten stronger. Did I do this to her? Maybe that's why she's pushing me to get it out.
"Alright then." Deep breath. In, out. Eye contact. Now begin.
"I've had amnesia for a while."
"Amnesia?" From her tone, it probably wasn't what she was expecting.
"What I've been holding back, so to say, is the lack of knowledge of knowing who I am. It wasn't until the nurse told me of a story of an accident where a victim suffered amnesia that I realized that I was hurting myself by not admitting to it. Needing to go along with what everyone else was saying without knowing what should have been the appropriate response from me has slowly been hanging down on me. I thought for a while that I could take care of this myself, that since it was my own problem, I should be the one to solve it. Now I know I'm not the only one whose suffering from my missing memory. If I'm not the only one affected by it, then I should at least tell someone else whats going on. And you, Iwanako," I smile at her "are the only one I can trust right now with this."
Iwanako looks away and closes her eyes, but the pain isn't on her face. It's more of a look of understanding, until the pained look comes.
"Did it happen when-" She speaks with fear in her voice.
"It was before that." I should have seen that coming.
"Before?"
"It was actually the morning of. I just woke up and had no trace of my memory. I figured out what I could from what I had in my pockets and my room, which wasn't everything." I lie myself back on the bed, trying to sort things out in my head before talking, which usually comes to nothing. "I went to the confession because I felt like it was something I needed to do. I'm sorry for not being the Hisao you remember, because I don't remember him. I'm just... trying to act natural, what I feel like. From the reactions I've seen, I can see it's nothing like Hisao used to be, or how he should be acting, but how would I know specifics when I don't remember them?"
She seems more stunned now that I've further explained how I've had to deal with everything.
"All I can say is, I don't know if the Hisao you liked will ever come back to me. I'm sorry."
I lower my head to her. I can't imagine how it must be for her now, but-
"There... is still Hisao in you." I look up to see her... smiling. "You just did something Hisao would have done, if he ever got the courage to say it. You used to be kind and thoughtful to those around you, but when it came to thinking about yourself, you still put others first before you. Holding onto something until you realize how it affects other people sounds a lot like you. From what I can tell, you're much bolder, daring and even a bit stranger then you used to be."
"Ah, really now?" I haven't changed much, it seems, for better or for worse.
"But I don't dislike that at all." She adds in while widening her smile. "It seems to better you. But why haven't you told anyone else?"
"Like I've said before, you're the only one I can trust with this information right now. There's a reason why I responded to your confession, right?" She blushes again and looks away a bit, but still holds on to that beautiful smile of hers. "Sorry if that wasn't the best confession ever, or at least one you wanted to have. In all honesty, though, I really am starting to like you, so I wouldn't have responded otherwise."
"T-thank you." She responds. "I'm sorry too, for how I was acting these last few weeks. I was thinking of how exactly I should be treating you, over these last days, but I finally realized something I think you were trying to teach me."
"Which was?" I hope I got the right message across.
"You can't ask for strength, you need to find it within yourself."
"That's one cheesy proverb but you are exactly right."
We share a laugh. A good, refreshing laugh, one of those that makes you feel glad you're still alive.
"I guess I should be going then. It's getting a bit late." She looks out the window, then back to me. "I'll come by tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure, I would love that. Have a nice day." She stands up and heads for the door. "Hold on a minute." She stops just before the door handle and looks at me.
"You've changed too, but it's not something I dislike either." We share one last smile before she exits.
Well... that's done. I've fixed things up with Iwanako, which I'm pretty sure is my girlfriend now, and let my amnesia secret out. What could go wrong now?
,,,
Damn it, I just jinxed myself again didn't I?
"That's the worst, I think. When a secret stays locked within not for the want of a teller but for the want of an understanding ear." -Stephen King
My current fan-fic,
Gazing from Different Eyes.
Screw math, learning my moon runes is more important!