My Father's Secret

Chapter 7

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sister?

"What do you mean Yuuka?" Aki asked in confusion when she saw Yuuka kneeling by Kimiko's side.

"Gouenji Katsuya is the name of my father. If we both have the same father, it must mean we are sisters." Yuuka explained still in tears.

Never in a million years would Kimiko believe that she was the sister of the Gouenji Shuuya, despite having the same last names.

"Why hasn't my father told me anything about this before?" Yuuka wondered aloud.

"Why don't we go visit him." Kidou suggested.

***

They arrived at Inazuma General Hospital were Gouenji Katsuya originally worked until he got sick. Now he was hospitalized here with Alzheimer's disease, according to Yuuka.

Maybe that's why father stopped visiting me. Kimiko wished that was the reason and not because she had angered him.

As the group of 5 entered Gouenji Katsuya's room, Kimiko gasped once she saw her father lying on the bed.

Yuuka explained that ever since they found out that father was having signs of Alzheimer's disease, he requested to be hospitalized since he didn't want to be a burden to his children. He's been here for about the last 3 years and he can't remember much from the past - she wasn't sure wether he would be able to remember Kimiko.

Yuuka gestured for the others to stay back while she took Kimiko by the hand and walked towards the bed, anxious and excited. She too wanted to know what kind of relationship she had with this foreign girl and the only way too find out was to try to get her father to remember as much as possible. She'd always wanted a sister who she could go shopping with or gossip with, but she never dreamed that day would come.

"Dad" Yuuka whispered as they approached the side of his bed.

"Yuuka, back already? Where's Shuuya?"

"Onii-chan is very busy nowadays. I'm sure he'll come visit when he's free"

"And who is that? A friend?"

Kimiko walked nearer to her father as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Dad, this is Kimiko. Gouenji Kimiko"

"Kimiko?"

"Do you remember her?"

"I feel like I've seen her before but I cannot remember where. Is she related to my brother?"

By now, streams of tears flowed silently from the eyes of the girl whose father had forgotten. After hearing that he was sick with Alzheimer's disease, she knew it would be hard for him to remember her, but a little part of her had hope left.

Now, that little shard of hope was left to crumble into nothing more than dust.

Yuuka wrapped her arm around the poor child's shoulder as tears continued to flow from her eyes.

"Do you really not remember your own daughter?" Kimiko spoke through tears.

"Daughter?"

"Don't you remember me? You used to come visit me every once in a while at the hospital back in the States. Do you not remember that? I'm Gouenji Kimiko the daughter who always asks and complains if she could see her family. Please tell me you remember me..."

She was crying as hard as ever and Yuuka pulled her into an embrace.

"I'm sorry but I really don't know who you are"

Those words hurt her the most that day and every day after that. Her heart ached. The pain of being forgotten by the one she loved most was indescribable. It was beyond words.

Kimiko continued to sob into Yuuka's arms as she tried to comfort her. The tears soon began to dry up once there was none left to cry. All that was left was the feeling of emptiness, abandonment, and pain...

Gouenji's father has Alzheimer's disease and because of that, he can't remember Kimiko. That means there is no evidence yet that she is really his daughter. But Yuuka still acts like Kimiko is her sister. Is it for the better?