Forgotten Memories

Recurring Dreams

The man stared at her with eyes as cold as the chilly wind that was enveloping the place. He was standing just a meter from her but she felt as if he was already drifting away. He was truly beautiful under the moonlight although his eyes were as emotionless as ever.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

She didn't look up from where she was sitting. The words didn't seem to reach her. It's as if she had been deafened by the cries of the child in her arms. She rocked the little infant to make him stop wailing but she herself couldn't keep the hot tears that were beginning to run down her cheeks. He would be leaving them out in the cold for good.

"I have to go," he slowly turned his back on her, "Sayonara…"

"Please don't leave us!" She pleaded to no avail.

He began walking away from them --- walking out of their lives, without looking back.

The clock read 5:30 AM. The blond itako stirred in bed. She was silently weeping in her sleep.

"I've been gone too long. I'm coming back for you."

Anna Kyouyama woke up with a start.

That dream again.

It was the fifth time she had this week. She felt really cold as if she had been in that place just a moment ago.

It seemed so real.

She remembered clearly the cold eyes, the baby's wails, her soft cries and the familiar voice that whispered to her ear before she woke up. Why was she having this dream? Was it a premonition of a sad future for her and Yoh? She shook the thought away. Yoh can be naïve sometimes but he was not cold-hearted like his twin brother.

He won't do that to me.

She was completely sure of it.

I've been gone too long. I'm coming back for you.

She repeated the words a couple of times. Will the fire shaman rise from his grave to make them suffer then?

No, that's not possible. That man is truly dead.

It had been a year since Hao was put to the afterlife by her fiancé. Although she never saw the body, she didn't have any doubts that Yoh had finished him off.

But the scene felt ancient. It must have been a memory from the past.

If it were, she would find it hard to digest that she was connected to that wicked man in a more personal way. She was crying out for him to come back for Pete's sake. Just the thought of him returning sent shivers running down her spine.

This is ridiculous! He's dead. He won't be coming back.

Then again, that sounded more like a wish than a fact. She began to grow anxious. A tiny part of her soul is convincing her of the possibility of Hao's return. She felt the sudden urge to investigate.

This dream is killing me. I need to find answers.

She rose from the bed and looked out of the window. A speck of sunlight was beginning to streak the dim sky. She changed to her usual black dress and red bandanna then took her blue prayer beads from the table's drawer. She slowly slid her bedroom door and heard faint snoring from the room across hers. She thought twice about telling her recurring dream to Yoh. She did not want to spoil his excitement. Manta and the rest were coming over to the inn for the summer vacation. It's been a year since they last visited. 

Yoh, I'm sorry to leave you right now but I need to get my sleep back.

She tiptoed towards their living room table, got a pen and paper and scribbled down a note to her fiancé. She had the note stuck on the refrigerator door where Yoh can easily find it. With full determination, she went out to the quiet streets.

I will find answers...

and she knew where to start looking.

That man left us at Osorezan.