7 Years From Now

Chapter 12:- Where It All Starts

“--ruto . Haruto”
He saw Dr Ichiri in front of him.
“Are you okay?? You seem a bit off!”.
“Woah. I really returned!”
“Haruto? Are you alright?”
“ I need to tell you something”
Haruto told about everything which happened.
“ I see.. so you cane back just when I got a call from Kakeru..right?”
“Yes. And someone was coming to visit you”
“Yea. If someone was coming. It was probably that they already know about the files and that you had it and you gave it to me”
“Ohh..”
“yes. And they also keep an eye on me”
“ by the way , is it true that I got a heart transplant from Aoi”
“ Where did you get that thing from?”
“The records and one of my friend told me that my sickness could be healed by a transplant”
“Ohh.. I see.. well they never disclose the heart donor. So it may be or it maybe not”
“But..”
“But??”
“ do you know , why Aoi passed away?”
“ well as far as I remember. She suffered from LMD too. Why do you wanna know?”
Haruto was silent..
“I think I understand. See.. I know that your memory loss is making you anxious. And asking people about past would only mean that they are overwriting your memories. And those memories will be of  Somebody else. They’ll be fake! And whatever happened in the past, it won’t change.”
“ hmm. That’s true “
“Well we went off topic.. ask me .. you were asking me something right?”
“Oh yea . Tell me who took Riku.”
“ohh yea. That person is... Manager Ishiuchi”
“Who??”
“Yes he is the head person at the security department hired by Nishikata hospital.”
“I see..”
“He is usually on the 5th floor of medical ward”
“right”
There was silence. Haruto became frustrated.
“You are really just telling me the name?”
“Yea. That was the deal right”
“Aaaahhh damn it!!!”
“ Haruto!!”
“Im sorry.. it’s just that..I came to this town because I wanted to know about the promise. I thought there was something special about it. But no, that’s more than special. Lost memories.. a dead girl..heart transplant.. friends whom I don’t remember.. friends who are still suffering from illness!! Illegal activities in hospital?? Time leaping?? I mean.. I’m solving one problem and more comes up!!. I just don’t know what’s going on anymore! I really want to know more. And I would like to help Kakeru and Honaka too. And want to know about my lost memories..”
“ calm down.. why don’t you take a walk outside? Just relax in that garden .. figure out things one by one”
“Yea.. I’ll do that..”
And so Haruto left. The weather was good and mild. He sat there on a chair.
“Manager Ishiuchi huh..well..I’ll solve this one by one..”
Haruto ended up dozing off on the bench. He slept for a while and then.. some familiar smell made him dream again..

*Flashback*
Haruto was talking to Aoi.. looking at photograph.
“look at this one Haruto.. it’s another nice shot!”
“True.. but It seems very old”
“But I think it’s important words for someone”
“Like friends and family”
“Yess”
A man with silver hair walked in.
“Haruto, aoi.. what are you guys doing here?”
“Ohh dr Ichiri! Well we were just looking at some photographs.” Aoi answered.
“Ohh . You guys had a camera?”
“ yeaa we had.. it.. actually we go—”
“AOI!!!” Haruto shouted.
“ Oh yea…yea..”
Dr Ichiri was confused. Aoi came near Haruto to whisper few things
“What should we do now?”
“Just give him some photographs”
“Okk”

Aoi went to the doctor
“What are you guys talking about? Secrets huh?”
“Hey doctor take a look at this one.. we took this 4 years ago..”
“Ohh flowers huh.. these are good!”
“Yea”
“well Aoi. You have your checkup now. You need to go”
Haruto looked dissapointed and said.
“Whaat?! Checkup again??”
“Its ok Haruto . I’ll meet you soon.”
“Yea guess it can’t be helped”
“See ya later.”
“Yep see ya”
Aoi left to the medical room for her checkup.
“and yea Haruto. Go get some rest. It’s your time to sleep now”
“Ahh mann sleeping is so boring!”
“hmm well then. Why don’t we go and click some pictures out there”
“we could do that!!”
“its fine as long as you are with me”
“ coool!”
Dr Ichiri and Haruto went out to click some pictures.
“ hey Dr Ichiri. Aoi and others look so healthy, then why do they have regular checkups .”
“Well they look healthy buy it’s a scary disease.”
“Is it true that Aoi won’t recover?”
“Hmm.. well we doctors are working hard to find it’s cure. So in the near future we may find out”
“ I see.. can you tell me more about Aoi’s weakness?”
“Maybe next time…well anyways. Did you get some good pics?”
“ ohh yea. Well I wanted some ghosts pics too”
“Then you should take them at night”
“Doctor. Do you believe in ghosts?”
“I don’t know. But if they were real, I’d be cursed by now”
“Why ? Did you do something bad?”
“ Not me, but my ancestors did so”
“Then that has nothing to do with you”
“Yeaa but ghosts are like that”
“..i seee.. weird right?”
“Yeaa it is..”

*End of flashback*
Haruto woke up. ‘ ohh I slept off… hmm so me and doctor were really close back then..”
Just then the old journalist that Haruto met on first Monday came by.
“ Resting on the bench huh kid?”
“ y-yea . I was a bit tired”
“Well when I was of your age…I used to rest too . Hahahaha”
The old man sat beside him.
“umm you are a journalist right?”
“Aahh kid! You have great eyes. Yes I am”
“And you have seen lot of illegal cases right?”
“All the time..”
“How do you manage to solve it?”
“Well I collect evidences and testimonies.”
“Hmm you have failed?”
“yes. Most of  the time kid. And if I don’t get evidence. I personally meet the people and confront them”
“Does that  work?”
“ Surprisingly enough, most of my cases worked out in that way”
“hmm and don’t you regret the decisions you make?”
“Well I don’t regret the decisions I make. I have never regretted them. All I have regretted are the things and decisions which I didn’t do or make.”
“ I see… well Thanks a lot!..”
“My pleasure, boy”
Haruto got up. He was all motivated.
“Alright! I’ll do this!”

To be continued…