Erased/Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi

KayoXSatoru

Chapter 6:

*Author's Note: I have returned with a new chapter, most of it is from the manga. I will be trying to finish another chapter by the end of this weekend for this story and, if possible, finish up with the resolution of capturing the murderer. I greatly appreciate the fans who like my work and I strive to write more for all of you. I am also working on an original story and would appreciate any help, encouragement or anything I can get. The story I am working on is quite massive and, to be honest, is more of a task than I, alone, can handle. I am continuously doing research as I prepare for my transition out of the military and back into a civilian life. I hope that it will spark all of your interest like my stories. Also, if you like this story, please check out my other fanfics for Bleach and a few other anime, movies, books and more. Thank you and enjoy.

Kayo and Sachiko sat next to the bed, both exhausted as they sat there. It had been over a year since he'd slipped back into the coma. The doctors were uncertain what had happened as he'd been doing so well up to that point and his recovery was on track. Kayo had had to go back to work but she'd called every day asking Sachiko about his status. It had been May of 2005 that she'd decided to take another trip to see him. She wasn't sure exactly why she'd felt the need to go at that time but the principal of the school was happy to allow her to go again.

There she was, lying beside him in his bed, waiting and hoping for him to awaken, when, suddenly, she felt him stirring and she turned to face him and she saw him looking at the thousand paper cranes made by Kumi.

"Those are paper cranes Kumi-chan made," Kayo said, watching him turn his head to look at her and he smiled softly. "She stopped by this afternoon."

"G...g-g...glad to s..ss..see you," he stammered out with a slight smile.

"That's our line," Sachiko said, with a smile, as she stood from her makeshift bed on the floor, resting her hand on Kayo's shoulder. Both had tears in their eyes. "Don't make us too worried."

"O...oookay," he said, smiling again. "S..ssor..sorry."

After a moment, he looked at Kayo who brushed a hair from his face.

"How many days did I sleep?" he asked.

"How many days was it?" she asked Sachiko who gave a thoughtful glance before responding "Three hundred eighty six."

"What?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Yeah," Kayo answered. "It's May eleventh, two-thousand five."

"So that's why I have trouble speaking," he said, after a moment. He looked at his arms and legs. "And why I can't move my body."

Kayo took his hand in hers gently.

"You'll have to start rehabilitation all over again," she said, squeezing his hand gently.

****Erased****

Kenya stood on the stairs next to Satoru as he spoke about his vivid memories of having lived a life where others had died instead of him going into the coma. He presented his theory to Satoru and they spoke a bit more about seeing if he could possibly find the memory of his attempted murderer. After they finished their discussion, he left and Satoru took his walker down to the courtyard to continue his rehabilitation exercises within sight of Kayo and his mother who both smiled.

"Satoru-san!" came a shout from nearby and Satoru turned to see Kumi running towards him. She stopped in front of him and smiled. "It's been a long time!"

"Long time no see, Kumi-chan!" he said happily smiling as he took a seat in the grass beside her. "Thanks for the thousand paper cranes."

She took a seat next to him and smiled.

"You're welcome."

"I'm guessing your operation went well," he said, noticing her full head of blonde hair.

"Yep," she said, smiling wider. "Thanks to you, I wasn't scared. Hard to believe it's already been a year since then. Now all I have to do is take pills and have a test every month. They say eight out of ten times is a full recovery!"

"That's great!" he said.

The two made idol chat while, unbeknownst to them, a figure approached from the shadows.

Satoru's eyes focused on a toy strapped to her bag, which Kumi noticed and held it up for him.

"Onee-chan gave this to me," she said with a smile. "The one that punched the guy with the camera a year ago. You remember right?"

"Airi..." he said, his eyes losing focus as he thought of the timeline where she'd saved him. He was suddenly snapped free from his thoughts as the two of them felt drops of rain strike them.

"Oh no!" Kumi spoke, "It's raining."

Satoru stood shakily and began walking towards the hospital as Kumi grabbed her bag.

"Satoru, you keep walking and I'll get an umbrella from inside," she shouted. She didn't make it very far before a stranger appeared before her holding up an umbrella.

"Here, use this," he said with a smile, his hair matted down somewhat by the rain and some stuck to his glasses. He wore a black t-shirt and had a goatee and wore a jacket and a loose-fitting pair of pants. He winked at the girl as she took it and said, "You should get it to him fast."

"Thank you!" she shouted, rushing back to Satoru with the umbrella in hand.

Satoru's eyes focused on the man who walked through the hospital's park. He couldn't help the feeling of familiarity from the man as he watched him, but his thoughts were disrupted when he saw Kumi running back with an umbrella in her hands and yelling his name. He looked at her in surprise.

"That was really fast," he said, inching forward with his walker.

"There was a stranger that loaned me his umbrella right there," she said, pointing just ahead of them, but there was no one there. "Huh? Did he go inside?"

Satoru remained silent as he turned his head towards the direction he'd seen that man walking moments before. An ominous feeling settled over him as he cast his eyes forward again.