"Huh, what's going on? Who are you people?"

They remained silent as the shadows casted on their faces were terrifying.

"You're coming with us."

Half asleep, I feel around for (F/N) and take hold of her. I squeeze her tightly and murmur into her ear, "Morning, my love"

'Good morning folks! It is June 21st, 2020 and a bright sunny morning to ya! If today is your birthday, happy birthday and hope you have a great one! Now with Midori with current events... Thanks Jun, I have Udai corporations, a billion dollar volleyball company on the brink of bankruptcy. News reports say the recent owner Udai Usui has passed, handing down his company to his children. A big responsibility considering his children are quite young, don't you think Jun? Yes indeed, now we have an upcoming update on the COVID-19 vaccine in Russia...'

"Heh, look how cute he is when he's sleeping."

I feel my heavy eyelids refusing to open, but they comply when I hear the nurse dropping off the breakfast food tray. It makes a small 'clink' as the tray makes contact with the steel table. In a haze, I hear the nurses giggling back and forth.

"Someone's lucky, don't you think?" one chimed

"Yupyup." the other agreed

I fully open my eyes as two nurses leave the room. I realize I was hugging onto a body pillow and I instantly let go out of embarrassment.

Wait, did they see me naked?! Was I hugging a pillow the whole time? They'll probably report me! I'm not even a patient here?!

I hastily retrieve my clothes off the bed and floor and throw them on my body. Super red in the face, I recalled last night events and it made you dizzy thinking about it. The hospital sheets were a mess, sprawled in a chaotic manner. All the hospital beds were still empty and surprisingly, (F/N) wasn't in bed.

Hm, she must be in the washroom.

Dazed by last night, I fell asleep abruptly from the intense game yesterday. Shiratorizawa really did a number on me. I was in a deep sleep.

Maybe she heard me snoring, maybe that's why she's awake early. How embarrassing...

I ruffle my bed head and do the classic yawn and stretch. In a daze, I head to the bathroom and knock gently.

"(F/N)? Did you sleep well last night? Sorry if I woke you." I mumbled. Knocking the bathroom door, I realized it was open. I take a peep inside to reveal no one was in there.

Hm, where did she go?

"(F/N)?"

No response. A sense of loneliness crept up my shoulders, consuming me. I've always known the feeling of being alone as I spent a lot of time by myself when I was younger. Thinking I'd get used to it but somehow, this was different. I recall Kiyoko's words of her being in danger. The thought itself made me shiver.

I'm not losing her again.

I head to the nurses station and try to straighten my clothes and fix my hair. At least make myself presentable or rid any suspicion that I slept in a patient's bed. Or with a patient for that matter.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?" The desk clerk looked up to me and smiled, "how may I help you handsome."

I flinch at her straight forwardness, but nonetheless I needed her help.

"Have you seen patient 207-1? Shimizu (F/N)?" I point to the room and the nurse props up her chin and taps her cheek. She slightly sways back and forth in her spinning chair with her legs crossed.

"Ah let me take a look hun. Not sure if the night nurse said anything about her."

She types furiously away on her computer as her nimble fingers pressed the keyboard like a second language. A few clicks there and typed words here, until she says, "Ah ha. She was discharged yesterday."

DISCHARGED?!

"Ah that can't be right?" I laugh nervously. I bunch up my fingers together and lightly tap them on the counter.

"Nope, says right here. Her father picked her up." she adjusts her glasses and points at the screen.

FATHER?!

"Ah well, do you know where her father was headed?" I ask as my voice went up an octave. A big lump formed in my throat.

"Umm..." she types again on her computer and says, "he didn't leave much information, just a phone number."

She gave it to me and I thank her for her time. Going back to the room I pace up and down and decide to call her cellphone. I could feel the tension in my body as my throat was closing up from all the panic. Dialling her number, which I memorized by heart, I listened patiently as I bit my nails. I hear her ringtone somewhere in the room. Searching for the phone, I find it wedged between the mattress and the bed frame.

Her cellphone is still here?

Retrieving her phone, I end my phone call and notice her missed calls from Kiyoko displayed on her screen. Out of panic I call her,

"Kiyoko, where is (F/N)?!"

~

Arriving at the Shimizu residence, I knock the door in a panicked state,

"Open up Kiyoko! It's me Suga!!! I don't know what's going on, but I need your help!"

The door swiftly opened and I was greeted with tired eyes and messy black hair. She was wearing pink pajamas with her matching pink glasses crooked on her face.

"Suga, you called so early. What are you doing here?" she mumbled, still half asleep.

"(F/N)... She-she's gone missing!" I managed to sputter out.

"WAH! What are you talking about? She's probably still in the hospital right now." Kiyoko exasperated. The news seemed to have fully woken her up.

"She was... but when I checked this morning she wasn't!" I yelped with my hands in the air all defensive.

Well I'd say I was with her the whole night but... that would look bad on my part.

"Where would she have gone?!" Kiyoko exclaimed.

She hastily invited me inside and I took a seat in the living room. Even in my seat, I couldn't sit still. All the anxiety in my body was pleading for a way out. I constantly shift my legs and continue to fumble with my messy hair.

"We have to find her. I'm worried and I remember what you said earlier. About a woman wanting to find her." I say all breathy. I'm shaking just the thought of (F/N) feeling scared and alone.

What is that woman going to do with her?

"Woman? What woman?" she talked slowly and blinked a few times in confusion.

Damn it. Her memory is failing her again. She can't remember what she saw. Think Suga, THINK!? What do I do...

I suddenly remember what (F/N) said on one of our dates a while back: 'she keeps a notebook so she can remember things, sometimes she forgets to write in it though.'

"Kiyoko, can I go to your bedroom." I stated blankly before I realized what I said probably sounded weird.

"Ah, er yes?" she responded with a questionable face.

"I swear it won't take long." I grab her wrist and walk as fast as I can to her room. The pain in my ankle from yesterday was throbbing non-stop. It was swollen like a balloon with red and purple spots.

Stupid ankle.

I reach her bedroom and my eyes dart immediately to the journal. Flipping rapidly through the pages, I was having difficulty navigating through the several dates.

"C'mon, c'mon where is it." I mumble to myself, biting my inner cheek. The pages were sticking together as sweat accumulated on my fingertips.

"Suga, I don't know what you're doing..."

One entry read:

Dear Future Kiyoko,

'(F/N) told you about how we're half siblings. You thought she was pulling your leg at first, but her face was serious, so she must be telling the truth. She said that your dad was Kageyama's father, and that he had a grudge on your dad for a long time. She showed me through this file on her USB. Dad's name isn't even Taiyo Shimizu, it's Tenma Udai. He's the Tiny Giant. He also had a twin sister apparently, but he cut ties with his family a while ago. Not sure why though. (F/N) didn't really know either. Something to do with mom, you guess. All of this sounds like a bizarre dream, you don't think you could handle any of it.' - Kiyoko Shimizu (01/13/20)

"Where's this USB Kiyoko." I ask suddenly as she hovers over my shoulder.

"Well it's probably in her room." she says as she points to the sentence in her journal.

I retrieve it from her room and before I dash out, I notice a picture on her nightstand. It was a picture with me and her having a picnic in a field of sunflowers. She put the timer on the camera but we weren't ready. Picking it up, I trace my fingers on her face and a dorky smile formed on my lips. She's laughing away and smiling at me. I held her by the waist as she sat in between my legs. A candid photo that was my phone background.

I'll find you (F/N). I'm not losing you again.

Placing the photo back down, I run back to Kiyoko and plug in the USB into her computer. It makes a whirring sound indicating it's starting up.

I begin reading another journal entry:

Dear Future Kiyoko,

'A woman knocked on the door and mom answered it. She had long dark hair and brooding eyes. A lanky build with a slight crooked smile. For some reason it made you uneasy. You didn't want her in the house. Mom had a quick glance at her and shut the door. However, the lady blocked it with her black, knee high boots and said, 'you better let me in'. It was uncanny and strange. You hid behind the corner so she wouldn't see me. It was a quick dispute, too fast for you to follow but, I only picked out one word that spoke to me: '(F/N)'. ' - Kiyoko Shimizu (2/21/20)

Clicking on the icon, the USB contained more pictures of us, which gave me a warm feeling. However, this wasn't what I was looking for.

"Where is it..." I grumble with my eyes darting back and forth from the screen.

A pop up of a class photo came into view and I zoom in on the Tiny Giant. He was in the front of the class, as the shortest people usually would be situated. He held a solemn expression. I assumed pictures weren't his favourite.

"Dad." Kiyoko suddenly remembered, "Dad's sister is in this photo."

Hm?

Zooming in on each person's face, my cursor falls onto the girl that's sitting on the opposite row of Shimizu-san.

"Her. It has to be her." I point to the screen and my phone suddenly rang, jolting me to my senses. I glance down at the screen and it shown the number that the nurse gave me earlier.

The knot in mh stomach grew tighter and my palms were sweating just from the taunting ringing. My hesitation grew as Kiyoko and I were staring at the phone screen. The atmosphere in the room changed in an instant. My hand hovered over the phone, shakily.

I'll admit, I'm scared to answer it, but if I don't, what's going to happen to (F/N)? Should I call the police to file a missing person report. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet, but I know for sure something is wrong. Something is missing in the equation and if I don't find her, I don't want to think the possibility that-

The phone stopped ringing because I was taking too long with my thoughts.

CRAP.

My heart races as I stare down at the phone. My fingers tremble as I pick up the phone and redial the number. It only takes two rings until a deep, terrifying voice spoke lowly onto the phone,

"If you come after (F/N), I will kill her."

My hands trembled uncontrollably but it didn't matter, I wasn't going to back down because I were scared. Gripping the phone tighter, I held it to my ear, trying to steady my breathing.

"And if you call the police, I will kill her."

With that, the mystery man hung up the phone. I slammed my hands on the table, making the table wobble. Kiyoko face was full of concern and uncertainty, as she studied my face. I gripped onto the cellphone and furrow my brows. I know that I'm scared, but this was my breaking point.

If anyone lays a finger on her. If anyone ever hurts her again. I can't live with myself. The world is immensely cruel. She doesn't deserve this!

"What are you doing Suga! You heard the man!" Kiyoko stifled a cry. Swiftly turning around, I hold onto her shoulders firmly.

"I'm going to find her."

--------- end p. 51 ---------