Chapter 14
Haru sits silently underneath the window, the sunlight filtering in, the picture of him and the dark-haired woman in his hands. If the kid in my nightmares is me, then...the woman... He thinks back to a previous nightmare in which he remembers hearing the woman’s screams. ...That woman...is her. Who is she, then? Why can’t I remember her?
Haru recalls the other day, when he and his friends had gone hiking, and Asha had asked about the picture.
“Who is that with you in the picture? Is it your mom? She’s very pretty.”
“My mom...” Haru murmurs. I – I don’t even remember my mother...What did she even look like? He remembers that in his dream, he had been grabbed away from the woman. She had tried to protect him. Was she...my mother? “Why...? Why can’t I remember?!” Haru cries. All I do remember is...running... I’ve been running forever... No matter how hard I try, the earliest I can remember is after I’ve already started running...
A stinging pain courses through his left arm and he drops the photograph to grip the bandaged wound. Kind of ironic...that even though I’m a healer...I can’t even heal myself. “It…hurts...” he cries. He tries to use his ability to heal his arm, but it doesn’t even dull the pain the way it had the night before. Instead, the rest of his body begins to ache and he doubles over. What happened?! Why does everything hurt?! In the next instant, Haru is on the ground, unconscious.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“Hikaru-san, are you all right?” Asha asks. She knocks on the bathroom door again.
“Is he still in there?” Ari asks irritably. “My cookin’ ain't all that terrible.”
Hikaru comes out a few seconds later, his face still pale, holding his stomach. “What did you put in that food, anyway?” he groans.
“Just a little seasoning and some cream,” Ari replies, her voice sharp.
“Ugh...Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ari looks surprised. “What for?”
“I can’t handle dairy products...” Hikaru groans. “They mess up my stomach.”
Ari starts laughing. “You’re lactose intolerant?!” she cries. “Man, that’s a riot!”
“I’m not joking...” Hikaru moans.
“Hah... heh heh....heh......” Ari’s grin melts. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Hikaru gives her an irritated glare. “Lemme get my mom,” Ari says, sidling past them down the hallway.
“I’m sorry, Hikaru-san. It was my idea to add extra cream. I didn’t know,” Asha says.
Hikaru sighs. “It’s okay.”
Asha looks up at him, her eyes beckoning. “Does that mean we can’t go see Haru-san today?” she asks.
“You can,” Hikaru says, “but I doubt I’ll be going with you this time. Do you know how to get there?”
“I’m sure Ari-san knows. I’ll ask her.”
“Just...don’t let her come with you, okay?” Hikaru says.
“Why not?”
“I don’t think Haru cares for Ari much,” Hikaru replies. “She’s too nosy.”
“All right, then,” Asha sighs.
Ari and her mother come down the hallway, and her mother takes Hikaru aside. “Ari-san,” Asha asks, “could you tell me how to get to the place where Haru-san stays?”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Asha arrives at the building, she knocks on the door and calls, “Haru-san, it’s Asha! Are you here?” Asha hears a small meow and turns to see Haru’s kitten squeeze its way under the door. She kneels down to pet the cat and it meows loudly and turns back to the door. “Is something the matter?” Asha asks the kitten. It meows again and pushes against the door. “Haru-san, I’m coming in!” Asha calls.
She swings the door open and steps inside. There under the window, she sees Haru lying on the ground. “HARU-SAN!” she cries, running over to him. “HARU-SAN! Please wake up!” She shakes him gently, and he still doesn’t stir. “HARU-SAN!!!” She shakes him harder. “WAKE UP, HARU-SAN!”
Haru flinches, then his eyes flicker open. “...Asha?”
“Haru-san, are you okay?” Asha asks. She glances down at her hand and realizes that there is blood on it. She glances back at his arm and sees his wound. “Your arm!” she cries, her eyes wide with panic.
“I– It’s okay,” Haru says, struggling to push himself up. “ACK!” He grips his left arm and doubles over.
“You’re hurt!” Asha cries. “I’ll go get your supplies!” She scrambles to find his medical bag, then brings it over to him. “Here!”
“It’s okay...” Haru says, sitting back up. “It doesn’t hurt as much now...”
“Haru-san...”
Haru looks over at Asha. Her face is flooded with worry. “Please don’t look like that,” he pleads. “I’m okay, really.”
Asha shows him her hand. “You’re bleeding...”
Haru reaches for his bag. He wraps up the wound with another layer of bandages. “Let’s get you washed up,” Haru says. “Come on.” Haru leads Asha out to the hose outside the building and has her wash her hands, then washes his own. After a few rinses, they walk back inside.
“Why were you on the floor when I got here?” Asha asks.
“I guess...I just fell asleep,” Haru lies. He doesn’t want to worry Asha any more than she already is.
“Haru-san, can’t you heal your arm?” Asha asks.
Haru frowns. “For some reason, I can’t heal myself,” he tells her. “Kind of pathetic, isn’t it?”
Asha frowns. “Please, don’t say that.”
“I’m sorry I scared you,” Haru says.
“Please just get better...okay?” Asha says, tears beginning to flow down her face.
“Don’t cry,” Haru pleads.
“I know you’re lying to me,” Asha cries. “You weren’t just asleep...!”
“Asha...”
“You weren’t just asleep! I thought you were–!” She breaks down crying uncontrollably
.
Haru leans forward and wipes her tears. “Please don’t cry,” he pleads again. “It’s okay.” Asha finally calms down enough to stop crying. “C’mon,” Haru says, trying to smile. “Let’s take a walk back to Ari’s house. We can take the kitten with us if you like.” Asha sniffles and wipes the rest of her tears away, then nods.
Haru scoops the kitten up and puts it in her lap. She laughs as it paws its way up her shirt and rubs its face against her shoulder. Asha gently strokes it and picks it up as she gets to her feet. “Are you sure you can make the trip, Haru-san?” Asha asks worriedly as she watches him laboriously pull himself to his feet.
He nods. “I think so.”
Asha and Haru leave the building and start off toward Ari’s house. Along the way, a rundown building catches Haru’s eye and he stops and stares at it. “What is it, Haru-san?” Asha asks.
“This place...” he murmurs.
“What about it?”
For some reason, Haru finds himself drawn to the building. He begins walking toward it. Haru’s kitten jumps out of Asha’s hands and bounds after him, Asha following close behind. “Haru-san!” she calls. “Come back!” Asha follows Haru into the building. It is deserted and dark, destroyed machines and file drawers all over the place. Dark marks on the equipment and on the walls are tell-tale signs of a fire.
“Haru-san...what is this place?” Asha asks.
“I think it’s...an abandoned BIOTECH factory...” Haru says.
“Bio...”
Haru looks uneasy. “A company...They’re the ones who...”
“They did what?”
“Maybe I can find out...why they’re chasing me,” Haru says.
Asha’s eyes widen. She glances around again. “Maybe the cabinets have something important that you can look at,” she suggests.
Haru glances around once more. Then he searches some of the file cabinets for anything that could give him clues.
“Haru-san, what is Guh-net-ics?” Asha asks, as she looks over a file.
“Genetics,” Haru corrects her. “It’s what makes a person have certain traits–whether it’s looks or abilities...” Haru glances over another file. Then he sees it: a file with a description of his abilities.
“This is–!” He reads further and finds out that his abilities came from genetic experiments, probably held in this very building. He remembers the nightmare he’d had the night before, about the fire in the lab. This was where it had happened. Now all his nightmares – his memories – begin to make sense as they fall into place. Then his eyes run across a frightening piece of information: his powers were slowly damaging his body. That explains why... Haru puts his hand over the bandaged wound on his arm.
Haru keeps going through the papers to find that most of them are too ruined to even be legible. “Where’s the rest?” he wonders aloud.
“Haru-san, most of these papers are burned,” Asha says.
“You’re right...” Haru murmurs.
Asha tugs on Haru’s shirt. “Let’s go, Haru-san. This place scares me.”
Haru nods. “All right. Let’s go.” Asha grabs the kitten and follows Haru out.
“Did you find anything?” Asha asks.
“Very little,” he replies. “Maybe I’ll do some digging around on my own later.”
Asha nods.
When they finally arrive at Ari’s house, Ari, Ryo and Hikaru are outside. “Look, it’s the Loner!” Ryo cries.
Haru’s face flushes. “Please, enough with that.”
“Didn’t expect you to come here,” Hikaru says. “What’s up?”
“I just thought...I’d walk Asha back.”
Asha glances up at him and asks, “Are you going to be okay...by yourself?”
Haru motions for her not to say any more. “I’ll see you guys later,” he says, turning back down the road.
“What an awkward guy,” Ari comments.
Hikaru glances worriedly at Asha. Is something wrong with Haru? he wonders.
