The Other Sleigh Beggy [Ancient Magus Bride]

Chapter Seventeen

"Hold still." Joseph smirks and leans his fingers to where my eyes are. I can't move, nor can I scream because I think he has in some sort of trance. 

"Wait!" I manage to say and he blinks, stopping in his tracks. "Prove to me that you still have my memory! I can't know for sure if you're lying or telling the truth! So, show me my lost memories so I can believe you. And then... Then you may have my eyes!" Joseph doesn't say anything to me, but smirks and nods his head. 

"Alright then." He taps my forehead and I see nothing but white. I open my eyes and realize that I am in the park with my parents and... there's another couple there. They seem familiar. And there's a girl there... She looks a lot like Chise. What am I looking at? This must be when I was around 4 years old. 

"Chise! Come play with me!" My little me shouts as she waves at the younger Chise. Have Chise and I met somewhere before? What is she doing here? 

Little Chise runs over to little me and plays with her in the sand. "Ne, Chise? Do you think you can stay over tonight? I love having you over!" Little me smiles at the young Chise. 

"I can ask mommy." Younger Chise smiles and shouts over to her mother. "Mama! Can I stay over at Piper's house tonight!?"

"Sure, Chise. Why not?" Chise's mother smiles as she waves at the two little girls. 

"Thank you, Auntie Chika!" Little me waves back as her smile brightens. 

Chika....Chika Hatori? And little me called her Auntie... Does that mean we are cousins? I'm so confused. I continue to watch my forgotten memory play out while I am standing in the middle like a ghost.

 I watch little me and young Chise play together and sing together until the night begins to rise. I looked so happy back then. It seemed like Chise was my whole world. 

"Look! There's the north star! Daddy taught me about them!" Young Chise points to the star as her and little me are looking out the window, staring up at the starry sky. 

"You're smart, Chise." Little me smiles at her. "I wish you didn't have to live so far away. We can always play together and be together forever!" 

"Me too!" Little me and young Chise smile at each other. "Piper, can I ask you something?" 

"Sure!"

"If we never see each other again, will you keep me in your thoughts? You mean so much to me, Piper. And I want to be with you like this forever. You're more than a cousin to me. You're like a little sister."

"Of course I will! I don't want to ever forget you, Chise. You're like a big sister to me." Little me cheers and takes young Chise's hand. "No matter what, I will always think of you and have you in my heart. I promise." Little me pokes young Chise's chest and smiles once more. "You will always be my favorite cousin. Also, my best friend." 

"Yeah!" Young Chise smiles back at little me. 

That's right... We were cousins, until mind was erased. Despite all that's happened, I couldn't remember a thing while growing up. All I could remember were the deaths around me. So... How was this memory forgotten? Who erased it? Wait. There's more. 

While little me and younger Chise sleeps, a dark shadow is creeping through the window and makes its way toward me. I am asleep to not notice anything. The shadow forms into a man, like Joseph, and towers over me. A wide smirk is on his face as he stokes my face with his thumb.