I never thought this fic would even reach part 5 ^^;; but thanks to all the encouragement I'm receiving... there will be a part 5 and many more to come ^___^ Ahahaha... Die and Toshiya... I love torturing them in this fic =P

When things were starting to look a bit better (toshiya: whaddaya mean better??? i'm in a coma, dammit! >_<) I had to go and do this... gomen gomen! ::ducks flying mortar headds:: Is this a mixed blessing? Or did things just take a turn for the worse? C&C please.

PART FIVE: MIROIR

The sun bore down upon him relentlessly as he stepped out into the dry desert-like climate of Addler. He could see the mansion up ahead but wasn't sure if it was merely a mirage playing tricks on his mind, seeing as how the heat made the air around him shimmer. He brought a hand up to shield his eyes from the glare, and was slightly surprised to see a figure jogging down the path to meet him.

"Jun, so nice to see you again! How's it going?" he grinned as he teasingly slapped the other on the back.

"I'm doing very well, Daisuke-sama. The doctor is in his lab, waiting for you. Shall I help you with your bag?"

Giving him a mock-offended pout, Die sighed but nevertheless shoved his luggage into the waiting man's arms, "Mou, are you implying that I am weak? How could you, Jun-chan?"

The other just giggled and swung the duffel over his shoulder, only now noticing that someone was missing. He turned to Die questioningly, "Ano, where's---"

"Ah, I think I'm going to melt if we don't get inside now," Die interrupted. He trudged towards the looming mansion, not waiting for the other, not wanting to see the unspoken question in Jun's eyes. He didn't want to explain the current situation to him, and he left it at that.

"I heard."
"You did? From who?"
"Kaoru. So you come running to me... you think I'll give you another one that easy?"

"Damn that Kaoru! Always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong!"

Dr. Morard Carbyte looked up from his work and regarded Die over his glasses. He was none too pleased when he found out what his nephew had been up to with that poor fatima, and he didn't waste any time showing his displeasure. From the moment Die set foot in his lab, he bluntly refused him even before Die could open his mouth.
"He's not defective and you know it. This is merely your excuse--- a pathetic one at that--- to get away from a potential situation where you might be forced to confront your feelings. You are not getting a new fatima, and that is that."

Dejected, Die let his head fall forward, hitting the table with a loud 'thunk'. He searched his brain for a convincing alibi.

"But how can I fight if I've no support? You don't expect me to perform in tip-top shape if there's no fatima to control the MH."
The doctor sighed and thought about it for a minute. Die waited impatiently and almost groaned out loud when his uncle gave him a withering stare.

"You wouldn't need to fight because you're on sick leave, remember? Aisha Codante gave me reports on your accident and assured me that you're in no condition to fight so soon."

"Damn it! My leave ends three days from now and I don't suppose Toshiya will be conscious in time for my assignment."

Carbyte merely pointed to the door and said, "I'll think about it. In the meantime, get out of here and leave me in peace!"

The knock on his door was unexpected and Die called for the person to come in without averting his gaze from out the window. He waited for a minute or two for whomever it was to talk, but when none came, he was forced to swing his head back and look. Jun was shifting his weight from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable in his presence.

"Jun?"

"A-ano, why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you?"
Jun wrung his hands together as he plopped himself on Die's bed, not wanting to anger Die with his questions but was curious enough to know details. He'd listened in on Morard's conversation with Kaoru earlier and was greatly saddened by the turn of events back in Delta Belun. He knew the current news hadn't reached Die yet.

"Kaoru-sama called to say that Toshiya is awake," he said, watching for any signs of change on Die's face.

Die squelched the happy bubble that threatened to burst within him with an indifferent mask, shrugging a shoulder in apparent unconcern, but bid Jun to continue.

"But he said that Toshiya has suffered severe memory loss. He doesn't even remember his own name," Jun whispered brokenly, almost choking on a sob.

Shocked to no end, Die could only stare at Jun's face as his friend cried openly before him. He finally screamed for his limbs to move and he backed away slowly, finally turning around to run away from a startled Jun.

He pounded down the steps, uncaring of the mess he made when he roughly shoved a servant aside, the contents of her tray spilling all over the floor. With a growl, he unceremoniously slammed the door open and marched towards Morard with a certain wildness in his eyes.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

Die was in no mood for trivial conversations and his uncle's calm demeanor certainly irritated the hell out of him. He brought a fist down hard against the worktable, sending several glass bottles flying. Alarmed at this, Morard rushed towards him and took a hold of each shoulder, shaking some sense into him.

"He is suffering from retrograde amnesia... he did injure his head in the fall. Either that or it might be psychogenic and I think---"

"What? Excuse me, but not everyone here speaks medical science," Die rudely interrupted.

"It means that he's forgotten everything that has happened before the accident. Retrograde amnesia... it can be cured by psychotherapy. Of course, he will need to be retrained in MH handling and reeducate everything that was taught to him while in the soup."
"That's retrograde. What the hell is psychogenic and why does he need to be classified in two?"

Morard silently bade him to sit on the only available chair in the room, while he himself walked towards a stack of books and pulled a large, worn-out medical textbook out, flipping through its contents until he found what he was looking for.

"Of all the trauma he has suffered, it's not surprising that he might unconsciously choose to forget all that happened to him."

Morard gave him a meaningful look; one that Die didn't miss and he hung his head in shame. He looked away from the meight only to let his eyes fall onto a picture frame that rested on top of the disheveled desk, and he picked it up with a rueful smile.

"I miss those days, when I can freely let my heart take the rudder. It cost me a lot though and I'll never forgive myself for that."

He let a finger trace along that dearly beloved face, forever captured in one photograph. A hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up to see Jun bent over him. The older fatima took the frame from him carefully and set it down on the desk before he turned back to Die and cupped his face in his hands.

"The heart is such a trivial thing, Die. I don't believe that anything can make it harden into a cold, unfeeling stone. It merely needs to be shown a second chance by a kind and generous soul. You need to let go and move on, to welcome that special someone into your heart... and I'm sure that that is what Shinya wants."

Die looked deep into Jun's eyes and found truth behind his words, warming his soul immensely, and he let his eyes drift back towards the photo. In those eyes that used to shine so brightly for him, he found the strength to let go of that frayed thread of misery.