Reader's P.O.V.

When I woke up, blurs were hovering over me. I held my breath as I buried myself into the mattress below me. I blinked about for a while, trying to adjust my blurred eyesight.

"Is she alive?" I heard the worried whispers of one.

"Of course. You were there. She's barely opening her eyes, but she might knock out again. Who knows at this point?"

Where was I? Why was I so tired? My eyelids shut as I accepted the weight of sleep take over. I'd ask questions later. As for now, I really just wanted to sleep.

Len's P.O.V.

"I keep asking myself the same question: who the fuck did this?!" I shouted as I paced across the room, "They injured one of my best members and a bystander!"

I was holed up in my office, ranting into thin air as Gumi watched me. As much as she always held up a cool and confident face, the facade fell into bewilderment and worry. However much she wanted to say, she fell short and stayed silent.

"Gumi, it's been days. What do you think their families are thinking? A few of us haven't been to school or gone to work for a while either. They might send out search parties!"

"Now's not the time to think about that, Len. We have to take [_____] and Gakupo to a hospital soon. Miki can't really do much, as good as she is. Taking IVs and other medical supplies from our contacts is gonna make us owe them big time." she assertively stated.

"Don't you think I know that?! I can't risk this right now: it'll expose the members of our gang and if it came out, we'd all be dead. You don't think other gangs want our blood? The territories?" I banged my hands down on my desk, my anger tearing apart every seam of my being. My door opened and Miku stood at the doorway with tears in her eyes.

"[_____] kinda woke up again." Miku reported. Her voice was hushed from her crying.

"Really?" Gumi asked hopefully.

"Yes, but..." Miku hesitated to continue, wiping her eyes.

"Spill it, please!" I growled. She fiddled with the hem of her sweater as she bit back the tears.

"She doesn't remember us!" Miku shouted.

Both Gumi and I were taken aback, but my heart shattered. Without a word, I bolted straight to Miki's room, where Miki and Teto were taking care of [_____].

Teto's P.O.V.

I pressed the damp cloth against an unconscious [_____]'s forehead. She'd been knocked out for days, coming in and out rarely. Rin came in earlier asking for an update with tears in her voice. It was rough for me too. I was unsure if this kid was even gonna make it, so I had to hold back tears in front of Rin.

"She's doing fine." I said with a sad smile. Rin hesitantly nodded then left, feeling useless... we were all feeling useless. Miki and I sighed, heavy hearts pinning us down.

"How's Gakupo doing over there?" I finally asked, breaking the silence that lay so heavily upon us.

"He's doing much better. He woke up yesterday and insisted on finding the Eros to murder them all, but, his ribs are shattered, so I keep having to tell him he shouldn't move much. That could take up to two months to heal, but with our "expertise" I can't really give an estimate."

I nodded, wondering why he insisted on taking out the Eros. Were they really responsible for this attack or was Gakupo on just too many painkillers to recognize what he was saying?

When [_____] ran out the other day, Gakupo ran after her because it was so easy to get lost in this forest and Len was caught up with Neru in a big fight that resulted in a breakup.

Almost half an hour later Gaku shows up going on and on about [_____] getting hurt, but didn't say much before he passed out. They'd both been under our watchful eyes for the past several days. I'm surprised they even lasted this long.

The door opened and Meiko walked in with a tray of coffees.

"I wasn't sure what y'all'd've wanted, so I got two black coffees and two decafs... but I spiked the decafs so heads up," she said as she placed them down on the desk.

"You're amazing," Miki said and read which one's were which before snatching up a coffee. I did my best to smile at Meiko given the circumstances, but I thanked her. Meiko smiled back at me but it didn't reach her eyes. The stress and uncertainty we all faced was something we hadn't felt before. I used to think we were so strong and then this happened...

Meiko placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts and stared at [_____]. Hesitantly, she nodded her head at her, "How is she?"

"Well, [_____] hit her head against the ground or maybe even a tree root really hard from what Gakupo told us when they showed up. If it was the Eros that attacked them, that's messed up. [_____]'s not an official member and we all know attacking a nonparticipant goes against every gang's code. You can scam or scare them, but under no circumstances are you allowed to hurt civilians... makes me wonder just how close to the base they were."

I worried about that too, but for now, I had to focus on [_____]. This news hurt me so much. [_____] was one of my best students and such a pure soul. Poor kid's been through so much and I feel like the storm of crap keeps pelting her with more misfortune.

"How are you doing?" she quietly asked me. I looked up at her and grimaced.

"Not great, but I have to keep doing what I can," I said. It was the truth. I'm not one for lying. Meiko muttered a curse word and shook her head. She pulled a flask out from her pocket and took a swig.

"After this calms down, you need to take some time for yourself, okay? Please don't work yourself to the bone, Teto."

I greatly appreciated her concern and agreed softly.

"Only once this has settled. I promise."

"Good," Meiko told me, "You need the rest."

I thanked her again, but this time for her words and company. She pat my head and winked at me taking another drink.

"You be careful with that," I scolded her. She huffed out a small, good-natured laugh, and nodded.

"It's actually more of a wine cooler than a vodka this time, I swear. Waning off of hardcore liquors is harder than it looks during times like these, but I'm trying. I need to go check on some things, but I'll catch up with you guys, okay?"

I nodded and watched Meiko leave, Miki calling out another "thank you" before she fully walked out the door. I sighed softly, feeling a bit lighter than before, but this suffocation couldn't easily ebb out. I grabbed the spiked coffee, taking a sip and nearly immediately regretting it. The bitter burn certainly wasn't very fun for me, but I drank it because I wasn't doing my best.

"Where am I?" a weak little voice croaked out.

I glanced over at [_____]'s bed. She was staring at me. I glanced over at Miki and her shocked expression matched mine. We were equally stunned. I snapped out of it without a second to spare and had Miki hand me a cup of water.

"Hey, [_____]. Right now you're in Miki's room. We're kinda using this as a makeshift infirmary. It's a long story, but you're okay."

The door opened yet again and this time, it was Miku who walked through. Miki and I greeted her with a big smile, "Look who's finally up!"

Miku practically ran in and tackled the poor girl in a strong embrace, tears falling out of her eyes.

"Miku!" Miki cried, "She's still fragile, you can't be doing that right now!"

Miku gave one final squeeze, causing [_____] to yelp a little before she backed away. Amidst our joy in her recovery, [_____] stared at us oddly as if she was trying to place us, but she couldn't. And that's when my heart sank.

"I'm sorry, but where am I? What exactly is going on? Who are all of you?"

After those very words left [_____]'s lips, it caused us more anguish than before. The three of us stared at her in disbelief. She was pulling a prank right? This was a joke, right?

Len's P.O.V.

After hearing Miku's news, I ran to see [_____]. It couldn't be true. Memory loss is for movies and dramas for suspense and plot twists. These things weren't real, so it had to be fake. [_____] had to retain her memories... what Miku told me was just a cruel joke.

When I got to Miki's door, I knocked and walked right in. [____] was in the middle of a conversation with Teto. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she looked normal and cozy minus all the scratches, cuts, and various injuries she sustained.

She looked at me with a form of recognition so I knew Miku was just pulling my leg. I ran up to her and hugged her with all my might. Both Miki and Teto chorused about not doing that, but I ignored them. I was just happy she was awake.

"Wait, what's going on? Who are you?" I moved back and stared into her frightened eyes and officially understood... This was beyond unreal.