Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 1 (A New Oumeno)

Himiko Forgets (2)

       "H-Himiko?" Kokichi stared in bewilderment at the confused stranger sitting on the couch. "It's me...Kokichi."

   "I...don't know who you are," Himiko said in a frightened voice. "I-I don't know who ANY of you are!" She looked around frantically at the other students who, like Kokichi, stared at her in shock.

   "Mikan...what happened to her?" Tsumugi asked. 

    "Y-Yeah!" Tenko cried. "It's as if she's a whole different person!" 

    "Um...it seems like Himiko has amnesia," Mikan said. The other students gasped. Kokichi felt his heart plummet as he watched Himiko look back at him as if she were a defenseless creature. 

    "I...I have amnesia?" Himiko asked. Mikan nodded.

    "How long will it last, Mikan? Do you know?" Rantaro asked. 

   "Is it permanent?" Maki also asked.

   "No, usually, it's temporary," Mikan replied. "In rare cases, it may be permanent, but usually, it could last for a few hours, days, and maybe even weeks. I'm not sure how long it will be in Himiko's case, but she should try and get lots of rest. I also recommend doing something that will jog her memory. Like, something that will trigger her ability to remember. Other than that, I think you guys can handle it from here. Be gentle with Himiko, and take good care of her! If you have any more questions, let me know!" With that, Mikan stood up and left Casa V3, waving goodbye to them. 

   "Great, now we gotta try and fix Donkey Lips, huh?" Miu spat. 

   "Yeah, no thanks to Kokichi," Maki said, glaring at him. Kokichi didn't even hear her. He just kept staring forlornly at Himiko. 

   "Maki," Kaede warned, frowning at her. Then, she turned to Himiko with a kind smile. "Um, Himiko, how about we take you to your room? Mikan said you need to get some rest, so maybe that'll help!" 

    "Okay, if you say so," Himiko replied with uncertainty. Kaede helped Himiko up from the couch and led her to Himiko and Tenko's room. "So...this is where I sleep, huh?" Himiko asked, looking around the room.

   "Yup!" Kaede replied cheerfully. "You share this room with Tenko!"

   "Who...is that?" Himiko asked hesitantly. 

   "That's me!" Tenko said from behind Kaede and Himiko. She had followed them to make sure Himiko was okay. "I'm your roommate! And your best friend!"

   "I see..." Himiko replied. "I'm sorry...I don't remember you." She shrugged her shoulders sadly.

    "That's okay, Himiko," Tenko replied, putting a sympathetic hand on Himiko's shoulder. "It's not your fault. It's that degenerate male, Kokichi's fault!"

    "Tenko!" Kaede scolded. Tenko looked at her sheepishly.

    "Degenerate male?" Himiko asked. "What does she mean by that?"

     "Nothing," Kaede responded. "Right now, you just need to rest, Himiko." Himiko climbed into her bed and laid her head down on her pillow. 

    "So, this is my bed, huh?" Himiko stared up at the ceiling. "It's nice. I hope it makes me remember whatever I'm supposed to remember." Her eyes became to droopy until she finally drifted off to sleep.

    "Poor Himiko," Tenko whispered. "I hope she gets better as soon as she wakes up."

    "We can only hope," Kaede replied in a grim voice. They headed back downstairs where the others sat worriedly. Kokichi was the only one missing. "Where's Kokichi?" Kaede asked. 

   "Pfft...he went back to his room," Kaito grumbled, waving his hand dismissively. "I swear, that dude is gonna get everyone here killed." 

   "C'mon, Kaito, he feels bad enough as it is," Kaede sighed. "We shouldn't spend this time talking badly about him. We need to do whatever we can to help Himiko remember. As long as she's in this state, we can't just sit around pointing fingers."

   "She's right," Ryoma said. "We should be focused on Himiko and how we can make her feel better. Now, think. How can we help get her memories back?"

    "Hmm, I suppose we can buy her some of her favorite snacks," Shuichi offered. "Perhaps that might help her jog her memory." 

     "Great idea, Shuichi!" Kaede exclaimed. "Anybody else have any ideas?"

    "I've caught some of her magic shows on tape," Keebo said excitedly. "I can be used as a projector and show recordings of her magic shows on screen! Perhaps that'll help her, as well!"

   "And maybe Gonta catch butterflies and show them to Himiko to remind her of when we caught butterflies few weeks ago," Gonta suggested. 

   "Awesome!" Kaede said. "Okay, Gonta, you do that! Me, Shuichi, Maki, and Kaito will go out and get her snacks. Kirumi, Ryoma, Rantaro, and Kiyo, you guys should go to the library and find out more about amnesia. You guys might learn something useful that'll help us later on! Keebo, Miu, Tsumugi, Angie, and Tenko, could you guys go get dinner? We'll all probably be out for a while, and by the time we get back, we'll need something to eat. And Himiko will probably want something, as well. That just leaves, um..."

   "Kokichi," Kirumi said with concern. 

   "I'll go talk to him," Kaede said, and went to Kokichi's room. She slowly opened the door. "Kokichi?" she asked. "Are you in here?"

   "Yes," came Kokichi's despondent whisper. He was curled up on his bed and looked as if he had never smiled in his entire life. 

   "Kokichi, everyone is going out to find something that'll help Himiko," Kaede said. "Do you want to come?" 

    "No," Kokichi replied sorrowfully. "I'm better off not trying to help anyone. Not even my own girlfriend. I can't help her. I'll only mess her up even worse." He buried his head deeper into his pillow, clutching his head and trying to hold back tears. Kaede held her hand up to her chest. She felt bad for him, but she didn't know what to say to make him feel better.

    "Okay, Kokichi," she said. "If you're sure. You can stay." She stood up and left the room, but not before giving Kokichi a look of sympathy. She closed the door, leaving him in complete darkness.