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 is gazing 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.
Everything exudes a sense of foreboding. "This is Ishimura Sato, from the Department of Special Affairs. I am calling with an urgent and difficult matter regarding Alicia Mikhailovich-san. Are you in a position to speak privately at the moment?"
A man's voice, seeking confirmation through the phone.
Though she is reluctant, she still answers it with a confirmation, her eyes lowered as she felt some 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 and 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 is hitched at her throat, and her thoughts go 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.
Up until this point, she didn't hear anything nor want to hear anything at this moment. Her body trembling, tears slowly welled out of her eyes, and still, the voice on the other end did not pause.
"I know and realize 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 covered her face hard, unwilling to accept the reality in front of her.
"But, there is also some other news for you, Mikhailovich-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."
———
Two hours later.
The bright city seems so small in the distance, and clouds drifted past with the flight.
Riscia is looking through the window absentmindedly. Her hair is a bit unkempt, and her eyes are swollen from tears. Her sky-blue eyes have lost their luster, gazing lifelessly at the passing night.
'First of all, let's hear what they need to say.' Though she is grieving and looking empty, her mind never stops thinking about everything that has happened.
After knowing the information, she rushed from Russia by private flight and informed the family about the matter. Before she closed the call, she gave the instruction to her butler.
'Dig up everything, ALL YOU CAN ABOUT THIS MATTER! I want to know everything, and how could such a sloppy reason be used against this matter!'
Her lifeless face lit up slightly, turning into a scowl and then anger over the call she made earlier, hands clenching above her lap.
Who would believe such a reason? What gas leak could bomb an entire city and leave an impact crater out of it? Do they think of her as a fool?
Narrowing her sky-blue eyes, hatred flashed by. But now, she has to bear the prospect of going blind this time. The root of her company is in the Motherlands; she doesn't have much influence to use in Japan aside from the grassroots level.
Of course, unless she dares to ask the family itself. Taking her eyes back from the window wearily, pushing back her sleeve to check her watch.
'This will take some time.' After determining the current time, she sighed and leaned her head softly against the headrest, shutting her eyes tightly in pain.
'How could this happen, sister?' Everything is too unbelievable, too suspicious, and too strange. Rubbing her two palms above her lap and squeezing them hard.
'I promise, I will uncover everything and anything behind this mess.' The impact of her work and grief gradually accumulates; her thought wanders, unable to resist the sleepiness that comes.
'Wait, just wait.' She still seems to be holding a small hope, like a kindling in her heart that they will be safe and sound. Eventually, her hands loosened, and slowly her face became peaceful, her breath steady.
———
A dreamless night after. Eleven hours later, the ruins of Chiba City, Japan.
The sound of footsteps echoed as a figure walked further down the silent corridor.
Bright morning light is seeping in through the window at the side, illuminating her pale and tired face. Wearing a brown trench coat on top of her yesterday's office suit.
A breeze was blowing from the windows, carrying warmth and heat 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 continues to go deeper, she spots a crowd in one of the rooms along the corridor. The door is already open and the doctors and nurses are going in and out in a rush.
Unconsciously, one of her hands that is holding the flower basket tightened, and as she moved her gaze further, she spotted three strange figures.
Two women are chatting while standing on the side of the observation window; one of them is wearing a blindfold and a windbreaker, and the other one is having her mouth covered with a mask in an unknown pattern.
And… Riscia stopped slightly in her step, her face frowning. Leaning on the wall is an aged man in his 70s, donning a black jacket and some kind of 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 earlier 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, then it means… her eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, 'They are here for a reason.' Despite this, she did not want to underestimate this matter.
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…" 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 turn to a standstill at this moment, as Riscia is looking carefully at them; Akiha and Tomori are also looking back at her.
And amidst this ongoing silence for a while, the aged man spoke, "Well, that's quite the reaction. First of all, let me introduce myself, Miss Mikhailovich. I am Yohara Senji."
Riscia is listening in silence, allowing them to continue while crossing her hands.
Ignoring her, 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; you can read it for yourself." Giving the files to her, while the two of them are just standing 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?"
The aged man tilted his head for a moment, his closed eyes opened, something moved in those eyes, a pitch darkness without a single light, then he clapped his hands as if he remembered something, "Ah, yes, the kids, three kids, right? Right, right, they are in here."
Riscia is creeped out for a moment, as her eyes winced; it feels like she sees something slithering in those eyes, but still gritting her teeth, she ignored the file that was handed to her, "I'll see them first, and after that, we will see what your explanation of this is."
She is sure that they knew what she meant, so she didn't want to bother more with it, passing them, she goes directly to the inside to see her niece and nephews.
It is bright, the ceiling light illuminates the room as if not allowing for a speck of darkness. Other doctors and nurses ignore her as they are busy checking the condition of the three.
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 in her hands tightly, she finds herself struggling 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.
Snapping her head to the side, her eyes are red, and tears welled up at the corner. The aged man appeared silently at her side, watching them with the same uncanny smile.
"I suggest you read this first, Mikhailovich-san." He 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 that is handed to her. Feeling the lightness of the files in her hand, she opened them casually and began reading them intently.
Ignoring the 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, her face turned into a frown slowly but surely, until it became perplexity, and in the end, she arrived at the end of the files, at the signing part of it.
"We exactly meant what we meant, Miss Mikhailovich." The aged man is still beside her, waiting in silence like a statue; that unsmiling face did 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, Mikhailovich-san. The children will be safer there."
———
"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, to know even the specific rhythm of her footsteps, and the angle of the window light of the afternoon.
Wearing a pink blouse, a white casual shirt, and a skirt, the same pattern every single day, nothing has changed for nine months. The same boy is still trapped in the past.
Her face is serene yet sad as she gazes out of the window for a moment, looking at the afternoon sunlight.
But now, a doctor and a nurse passed by her side, something she knows, and as surely as it is, they stopped for a moment as she passed them.
The world seems to slow down at this very moment, watching the breathless doctor who is held by the nurse at the side, "We… we detect that Patient Akane has awakened, Miss Mikhailovich. 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 her.
Watching the figure that began to run farther away 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, there he is.
'Finally, you're awake.' His bloody-ashen 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. Thus, she decides to walk in, and 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 protect him.
A while later.
The pen dances above the paper, the black signature quietly engraved above the white.
Laying down the pen with a click above the table, Riscia raised her head to look at the person opposite her.
His face wrinkled as he looked at the paper absentmindedly; the eyes behind those round spectacles seemed to be hesitant, thinking about something deeply.
Riscia just waited patiently opposite him, sitting on the sofa in the office, the orange light falling through the back window, and the room appeared to be darker.
For her, there is a conflicted feeling inside, some part of her is happy, very happy with the return of her nephew after all this time, but… 'What actually happened?'
Rubbing her hands anxiously, the changes in Akane that she saw must be linked to the accident nine months ago, which she doesn't know about.
She still remembered that the two of them, Irina and Ayato, only needed two weeks to wake up, and even then, not only she is curious about what happened that day and that time; apparently, the government is also on the list.
Then again… 'They know nothing.' And this is the problem: both her niece and nephew know nothing about what happened that day and that time, which makes Akane a standout in this accident.
Even then, 'Regardless of everything, I'll make sure that nothing will get in their way.' With this thought, a heavy cough echoed across the office, from opposite her.
"I hope this is truly a good choice, Mikhailovich-san." With a sigh, the old doctor also took the paper and signed his name, Kouno Tabata. After being done, he fully leaned on the backrest, as if the action cost him a heavy toll.
Shaking her head slightly, Riscia took the paper from him and prepared to leave, "You don't have to worry, Kouno-san. Also, he has already stayed long enough in this hospital… I'll handle the rest from here."
The doctor took off his spectacles with one hand, and the other took a handkerchief, carefully wiping the round glasses.
"You know, Shirakami-kun is my long-time patient; if there's any inconvenience, I'll feel guilty about it, thus you can contact the hospital at any time, if there is any… unknown sequelae after this."
"Will do, thank you once again, Kouno-san." A bit emotional after all this time, Riscia put on a smile, standing up and bowed slightly, to which he waved his hand in dismissal, returning a smile.
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.
With clear blue sky eyes 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, although seeming helpless with her antics, shaking his head, he looks out to the transparent door instead, towards the scenery of the city.
"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, reaching towards the city at this moment.
Akane is looking out of the window, still in his white patient garment, sitting on 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 back his gaze towards the interior of the car. Looking at the dashboard of the car 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 and smooth leather, and the lighting is also 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 something analytically, a hint of a cough entered his ears. He snapped up to the front, noticing the side gaze of his aunt. 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 through the rear-view mirror.
And true as she said, Akane's face seems to be off for a moment, right as the shadow of the building is covering his face. His gaze hardened, the air turned still, there it is again, the low sound of the tide seems to echo in his ears.
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 in a hurry.
After a while, the air seems to be 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 resurfaced. Turning on the driving assistance, she took her hands from the steering wheel and placed them on her lap.
She let out a sigh before she began her recollection…
"Yes, we are moving to Osaka after that event for a fresh new start here." She is smiling, looking down at her hands, rubbing them lightly.
"We live in the apartment, it is a high-rise apartment that has a big open window, and from there you can overlook the Osaka Castle at a distance, though it may appear a bit blurry, ehehe." Chuckling for a bit as she shared her story.
Turning her head for a bit, she looked to the backseat. The boy, with messy black hair, is listening attentively, with his hands crossed. Her chest and eyes started to feel warm all of a sudden.
Then, turning her head back to the front, while looking at the scenery of the road, she continued, "Irina is now learning to draw some painting, and cook, even now, I can't quite believe it that just in a month she has become quite skilled at it."
And Ayato… the school…
She tells him everything, starting from their everyday life, their hobbies as of now, and how their school is going; it feels like she is reporting to her sister, as it is her responsibility.
Akane often interjected at the side, adding a remark and responding on his own about them as the story goes,
"Mmm."
"I see, well, the two of them are no less clever than me after all."
"Irina can be anything if she wants it to be, as for that brat Ayato… let him fend for himself…"
The two go on and on, the interior of the car that started in silence is gradually becoming noisy in harmony with the banter of the two.
"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 enough, though again feels hollow and empty, his smile seems to become more genuine as time goes on, the bloody red 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 directly ask what he thinks rather than beating around the bush.
A beat of silence, as 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 bit, but she composed herself in a matter of moments, then, looking to 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 about nine months ago is really 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, 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 seems to dismiss it, taking back his gaze to the car and looking to the front instead.
Unknowingly, Riscia let out a breath as if she had passed a hurdle. Then again, both of them know that each of them 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 casually about it; 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?"
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 covers her mouth.
"Please don't laugh, you know, it is a serious matter." He retaliated lightly at the back with his plain voice and hazy gaze, a bit annoyed at 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 simply and closed his eyes, ignoring the remark and the laughter of his aunt. Despite what is lost, maybe there is something that will take its place instead.
Maybe this bleeding color 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 the back, and finally entering the living room, she wants this as a surprise, then so be it.
The bright living room came into the boy's eyes, with a big and tall window on the side, along with a very spacious space.
But more importantly…
Silent, he is silent, his empty eyes moving towards the source of sounds, the lit-up television, and the two figures in front of it.
They are the same as always, those white hair and stupid face of his brother, even after nine months, despite everything, they are still the same.
"Eh…" The words stuck in their throat as they stood up to welcome their aunt, faces frozen, greetings for the most unexpected person.
"Akane…?" The first to come to his senses is Ayato, his hands trembling, walking slowly, trying to reach out to the figure in a wheelchair.
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 and anything.
"Uwaaahhh, Akane!" He hugged him hard so that the entire wheelchair rattled, and Akane returned it, holding tight, "I didn't know you are such a crybaby." He remarked calmly.
Holding the sobbing Ayato in, while his gaze moves to the bewildered Irina on the sofa. "It seems that you don't miss me, no?" joking lightly to her, her figure is reflected in his bloody, ashen eyes.
Irina flinched from that gaze like a rabbit being stared at by a predator, her mind went blank in an instant, and her mind was confused as tears streamed down her cheeks.
But then, as she hears his remarks and that cheeky tone, she then runs towards him and hugs him at the side, "Aka-nii!!!" ignoring everything, 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?"