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“Kiana! Come on, let’s go!” the giggles of a black haired child sounded through the halls of the guest house. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she was wearing a red kimono with a white floral design. Her hand held tightly onto the one she referred to as ‘Kiana’.
“Tsuki-- Tsukiko....!” Kiana gave a soft whine, struggling to keep herself steady as she was dragged through the halls. Similar to Tsukiko, she had black hair that was cut shoulder length, bright cyan eyes, and a matching kimono in a pale blue with pink floral designs.
"We don't have a lot of time before papa comes back! I want to play while we can!" Tsukiko's giggles grew louder, grabbing one of their favorite balls and going outside. Their father was a politician, so he would often go out of town for political reasons. The twins, Tsukiko and Kiana, would often make a point to try and find a good area to play together in. They never went too far from the guest house, especially when they knew their parents would be back from a meeting.
"Oh no! I'm sorry Tsuki!! I didn't mean to throw it that far!" Kiana gave a soft whine, apologizing for sending the ball past her sister. They had been playing for a little bit by this point and the sky was starting to change colors.
"Don't worry, I can go get it! You wait here!" Tsukiko waved to her and ran off towards the ball. She slipped through the alleyway towards the ball, grabbing it, and turning back towards her sister. Her eyes got wide and panic began to settle in the pit of her stomach. Her sister was nowhere to be seen and blood was splattered on the ground where they had just been playing.
"Please, if you've seen our daughter... We won't ask any questions, please just bring her back to us. There's a reward and you can contact us at the number on the screen."
Akemi, the twins' mother, held Tsukiko in her arms, shaking and still in shock by the disappearance of her other daughter.
Not long after the announcement was made on TV, missing posters were put up all over. Anything and anywhere they could, they put her picture on alongside the reward and plea for her return. All of their efforts were in vain, however, as days and weeks passed with no sign. Half a year passed and before they knew it, it had been an entire year she had been missing. The couple never stopped looking, but focused most of their energy to Tsukiko and to help her deal with the loss of her sister.
"Sou-chan! You're going out, right?" the dark haired doctor asked, smiling at the young Shinsengumi member. He turned towards her as she spoke.
"Yeah, do you need something, Ki-chan?" Sougo Okita, captain of the first squad, smiled back at the girl. It wasn't often that she asked for favors, so he didn't mind helping her.
"If you could bring back some rice, I'd really appreciate it. I'll pay you back when I can get out tomorrow. I just need it for dinner tonight," she explained quickly.
"Don't worry about it. I'll just get Hijikata to pay me back," he snickered as she gently smacked his arm.
"Don't you dare! I'll have lunch ready for you when you get back. Be safe," she giggled and gave him a hug before a small wave as he started walking off towards his destination.
"Sougo!" The older man shouted cheerfully, walking up to his young student with someone hiding behind him. "I wanted to introduce you to my daughter, Kiana. She doesn't talk much, but she's very sweet." He moved so that the girl was now in front of him, his hands gently on her shoulders.
The girl looked younger than his sister, but was definitely older than he was. He wasn't good at guessing people's ages, so he just left it at that. She had her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, nervously fiddling with her fingers before giving the smallest wave to him. He blinked and grabbed hold of her hand, shocking her slightly.
"Ki-chan, have you met my big sister?" With barely a shake of her head, he was pulling her off to meet Mitsuba.
"How much does she need?" Sougo hummed to himself, looking at the grocery store on his walk. He planned on grabbing it on his way back, but he figured he should decide how much he should get before that point. He didn't want to over or under buy, but he wasn't sure how much she usually cooked for everyone. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when one of the big screens nearby suddenly changed from what it was previously advertising.
" Hello, we apologize for this interruption but we would like to bring you a very important message this afternoon. If you have any information that can help, please contact the number at the bottom of your screen. We will now air the message from model Tsukiko Mochizuki ."
Sougo shifted his weight and turned to look better at the screen, watching the broadcast with a rising curiosity. It soon changed to a video of a fairly well known model, causing his brow to raise. He had heard her name before, but only seen her in passing. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but she seemed oddly familiar...
" Hello, as you may know, my name is Tsukiko Mochizuki. I am posting this message in hopes to find my lost twin sister, who was attacked and abducted when we were little girls. On the screen there will be an image of what my sister, Kiana Mochizuki, might look like today. If anyone has any information about her... please, please call the number on the screen. " The broadcast continued with Tsukiko's explanation, talking about where it happened and precisely when it happened. Sougo pulled his phone out, quickly typing in the familiar phone number.
"Hey, Kondo-san? You near a T.V.? Turn it on, there's this model that looks just like Ki-chan. I'm on my way back, I can talk to her when I get there. Huh? Okay, yeah, sure."
The weather was currently rainy with a terrible side of rain. A man was making his way back home from the grocery store, tightly gripping the umbrella in his hand as the wind tried to blow it away. He was lucky he remembered the route by heart, because the heavy rain made it hard to see too far ahead of him. There was one thing that caught his eye, however, when he decided to look at the street in passing.
There was, what he could barely make out, a small figure lying in a puddle with blood seeping from a head wound. His eyes grew wide as he dropped everything to rush over and scoop up the child, running to the nearest doctor as fast as he could.
Hours passed as he waited to see if the girl was okay. She seemed so frail that he was afraid she wouldn't make it...
"Kondo? Isao Kondo?" The voice of the nurse brought him from his thoughts, glancing up.
"Yes?" was all he could manage, eyes big with worry.
"The doctor wanted me to let you know that you can come back to her room. She's physically going to be okay."
"Physically...?" His brow raised, worried what might come next.
"Unfortunately, we don't know how she is mentally yet. She's still unconscious."
"Sweetheart, can I talk with you for a moment?" the Shinsengumi leader, Isao Kondo, leaned into the office of the doctor. A smile spread on her lips as she turned in her chair, looking up at him.
"Of course! What is it you need?" She was used to seeing her father-like figure for trivial medical reasons, but still enjoyed the company now and again. It was usually very quiet when she didn't have any appointments, so a change of pace was always nice.
"Let me start by saying, you'll always be part of our family. Okay?" He sat in the chair across from her, gently taking her hands into his own. She blinked, nodding slightly in a quick reply to him, her brows raised in confusion. "There was a report that aired recently, that we may think you're connected to."
"Like on the news? Why would I-"
"Yes, on the news," he quickly cut her off in an attempt to finish, "This woman... the one who made the video, she's looking for her lost twin sister... Her name is Tsukiko Mochizuki, her sister's name is... Kiana Mochizuki and she looks... a lot like you, almost identical really. I think... it might be worth it to look into this." He finished, watching her face contort with confusion.
"You think... You think this Tsukiko person could be part of my... birth family...?" Her brows knitted together, concern rising as she squeezed his hands gently. A slight worry could be heard in her voice, but he couldn't quite pinpoint at what part she was specifically worried over.
"Now, listen... Sweetie, calm down. No matter what happens with them, you have family right here. I just... I think we should definitely talk to them. I mean, even when you couldn't speak--"
The small girl clung tightly to Kondo's hand as the doctors tried speaking with her, seeming to already trust the male.
"Now, sweetie, do you remember your name?" The doctor questioned, sitting in front of her. She shook her head silently in reply. His brow raised. He asked a few more questions, trying to fully understand her situation. When he finally asked if she could speak, her tiny mouth opened but no words came out.
"Can you remember if you were able to speak before this-" Soft sobs could be heard before he finished his question, clinging to Kondo and crying. He sighed as the other male held her close to him.
"We'll try to work with her over time... We can find a foster family for her to stay with during that period."
"That's... No need. I'll take care of her," Kondo quickly blurted out, patting her head very gently.
"Traumatic mutism, most likely caused by the injury of what happened-"
"Let me finish, sweetie... I normally don't mind you explaining everything, but let's finish this conversation, okay?" He hated cutting her off so much, but he needed to get it fully out with as little distractions as possible. "When you weren't able to tell me anything, you still managed to find a way to tell me your name... the name you wanted to be called... Possibly the only thing you managed to remember after your accident."
"I remember..."
"Well, hello there princess. You enjoying your book?" His grin was contagious as her own lips pulled into a wide grin. She pulled on his sleeve, signalling that she wanted to sit with him while she read.
"I can't right now, I'm-"
Tug. Tug. Tug. He sighed and sat with her, glancing over what she was reading. To his surprise, she was pointing out a specific name in the book. It was one of the larger books she often read, but he couldn't understand what she was trying to say with this name.
"Kiana... That's a pretty name. What about it?" His brow raised and she gave a small pout. She insistently pointed at the name again, then quickly pointing at herself. He blinked quietly as she did this a few more times, before it finally clicked.
"Is that your name?" A wide smile broke out as he picked her up. She nodded and hugged him.
"We can call the number, have some tests done, and they'll call us after they get the results. Okay? We'll have some time before we have to see them so you can prepare yourself... Does that sound alright?" He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, smiling softly at her.
"I... I guess... I hope we're not wasting anyone's time..." She shifted in her seat, staring at the floor. He pulled her into a tight hug, not expecting how tightly she would hug back. His hand gingerly patted her back, trying to calm her down when she began shaking.
"Mitsu-chan, you should really be relaxing," Kiana gently scolded the older female, handing her a glass of water.
"But Ki-chan-"
"No buts! Sou-chan was really worried when you started coughing. Just... Give it a couple of days and you should feel a bit better."
Mistuba sighed and took the water, drinking it slowly. Kiana sat next to her bed quietly, looking her over to fully make sure she was alright.
"You're going to make a great doctor one day, Ki-chan. If you become famous, just don't forget about us." She couldn't help but giggle as the other's face went bright red.
"I'm... Not gonna be famous... Sure, I'll be gone long enough to get my doctorate... But my home is here... With daddy... With you... And with Sou-chan."
It was a few days after their initial call that they were brought to the Mochizuki's personal doctor. Sougo and Kondo were with her during the visit, only leaving behind Hijikata to make sure the men stayed in line. Kondo held her hand during the entire time they were there, reassuring her that everything was alright. Being a doctor, she was fairly used to the needed medical procedures, but her anxiety was still fairly high over the whole ordeal. The trio left after she gave multiple DNA samples and were told that they should have the answers within the week.
"Kiki-chan... You doin' okay?" Hijikata asked upon their arrival back to the Shinsengumi, looking down at the smaller figure. She merely gave a small nod and the quickest flash of a smile, forcing his brows to knit together.
"Oi," he grumbled and grabbed her, pulling her into a hug despite the risk some of the men would see, "stop being so pessimistic... We're here for you. We're all here for you. No matter what happens, we'll always be here. Okay? You're part of our family, no matter what the tests say."
"Thanks, Hijikata-san," she replied in earnest, hugging him back with a soft smile. The four walked inside together, Kondo suggesting they watch a movie to ease their nerves.
"Hijikata-san?" Kiana's voice trembled softly as she addressed the new face that had been appearing around the dojo lately. Hijikata's brow raised at the sudden voice, turning to look up at her.
"Ah, you must be his daughter. Sorry, I'll leave." He began to stand, thinking he was troubling her and her family.
"Please wait...! I thought you might be hungry, so I made you something to eat..." She held out a bowl of food, causing him to blink in confusion. He took it from her slowly.
"Thank you... But how did you know how I like my food...?" He frowned at her soft giggle, concerned she was going to make fun of him...
"I saw the mayonnaise bottles in the trash. I started to notice there always seemed to be a certain number after meal times, so I figured you were putting it on your food. I hope I did it right."
"Yeah... Thanks."
"Hijikata, there's a call waiting for Ki-chan. Can you go get her?" Sougo was currently holding the phone, covering the receiver so that the line would be mute or muffled at the least.
"Who's calling?" His brow arched, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"Well..." The younger one's face said all he needed to know.
"Ahh, I'll be back then."
It was a short walk to the doctor's office, giving a quick knock to see if she was currently busy or not. The sound of papers shuffling could be heard before the door opened, pulling her hair back behind her ears before smiling up at the vice chief.
"Hijikata-san! To what do I owe the visit? Do you need a check up-"
"You have a call waiting for you."
"A call...?" She blinked, not immediately making the connection like he had. Before he could explain, a soft frown formed on her lips, "...oh..."
"It'll be alright... They can't force you to do anything you don't want to. Best case scenario is that you know your birth family and can reconnect with them; worst case scenario this was all a waste of time. You're still the doctor of the Shinsengumi either way. Nothing will change that. Now, c'mon, we can't keep them waiting forever." He gently put his hand on her back, leading her to where the phone was.
Almost everyone was waiting around the corner, wanting to hear the news on what would happen to their doctor... Many in the Shinsengumi were around long enough to remember when Kondo first found her... Thinking of her like a little sister figure. Others came to know her after she got finished with school and became their doctor. One thing was certain, though, they all cared about her and knew that this whole situation was stressing her out a great deal.
Upon seeing the group of men hovering nearby, Hijikata growled at them to get back to work. While he was nervous for her as well, he knew that needlessly suffocating her with attention wasn't going to help any... He caught a quick glimpse of her just as she hung up the phone, deciding it was now an okay time to go check on her.
"So... What did they say?" he asked lowly, trying not to spook her. She slowly turned her gaze up to him, eyes still big in shock.
"It's... a match... They want to meet me... and they've already set up a day... I can't... Not so suddenly... I have appointments... And... And... I..." He quickly put his jacket around her, pulling her close and taking her to another room. He wanted her somewhere dim and quiet, hoping to help ease her down before a panic attack occurred.
"Kondo and I will figure everything out, okay? Just calm down for now and we'll work it out soon enough."
"Excuse me," an unfamiliar man spoke as he walked into the Shinsengumi, "I'm looking for Dr. Kondo? I'm her driver."
"I'll go get her," Yamazaki blinked and left the area to find her. They all knew this was coming, so he first looked around for the chief or vice chief. It didn't take too long to find them, seeing the two of them with Kiana.
"Is that a new kimono? It looks nice." He gave a small smile, hoping it would help ease the tension he felt upon entering the room. "Uh, a driver is here looking for Kiki-san."
"Thank you, Yamazaki-san... You can let him know we'll be out in a minute." He nodded and left the three to let him know.
"Come on, sweetheart. It'll be fine. Both Toshi and I will be here with you," Kondo reassured, pulling her gently to stand. The three made their way out the building, blinking at the limousine parked in front.
The ride to the Mochizuki residence was fairly quiet and unexpectedly long. Kou, the father, was a political figure and had been since before his daughters were born. His wife, Akemi, became a fashion designer; initially only doing it in her spare time but it began to really take off in the past decade. Her clothes were particularly popular among Amanto, so were often shipped to other planets as well. Tsukiko, the older of the twins, became a model for her mother's clothing line. Aside from her modeling career, she typically spends most of her life fairly privately and out of the public's eye.
Due to their wealth, they currently resided in a small mansion that was a bit closer to the big city over. This was most likely due to where his work in politics took him.
The trees passed by the car in a long blur of brown and green, slight variations appearing every few seconds. It was all Kiana could do to keep herself mentally well. She had gone over so many questions and possible answers in her head that by this point all she was left with was an empty worried feeling. The first thoughts that had come to her when she realized she was indeed related were fairly angry and illogical ones. They consisted of: " how could you abandon me? ", " why didn't you try harder to look for me? ", " why wait until now?! What's it matter so many years later? " She knew logically that between grief and other issues it would've been difficult to locate her, especially so with her memory being gone.
Before long, the mansion in question began to come into view. It was much larger than she had expected, seeing a fountain out front in the middle of the round about driveway. What looked like a pool could barely be made out on the side and towards the back.
"Tch," Hijikata gave a soft scoff, glaring at all the... Lovely additions that the place had. "Typical rich bastards, always needing to show off their wealth."
He earned a jab in the side from Kondo, grunting before realizing why the other had done it. "No offense to you, Kiki-chan..."
"We may be related, but we're practically strangers... They're going to be so excited to see me... But I... I don't know how to feel."
"I'm sure they'll understand, sweetheart. I think they'll be very emotional upon seeing you, but remember it's been years for them... After the initial shock, I'm almost positive they'll try to work on your terms for rebuilding a relationship." Kondo gently held her hand as the limousine came to a stop right out front.
"He's right. They've spent this long looking for you, I don't think they'd wanna risk losing you again due to clinginess."
"You're probably right... Thank you. Both of you." She smiled softly, exiting the car after the driver opened the door for them.
The trio were greeted by a man, ushering them to follow him to the dining room. She couldn't help but look around curiously, taking in all the new sights. It was surprisingly homey compared to how it all seemed from the outside. There were framed pictures of the family or articles of achievements. The furniture looked like it was well used and not simply for decoration, and if the cat lazing about on the sofa said anything- it was that they were fairly relaxed about the use of them for animals and people alike.
Kiana was suddenly pulled from her thoughts as Kondo grabbed her hand and pulled her to a multi-leveled shelf full of smaller pictures. "Honey, that's you," he spoke softly and pointed out a picture of two black haired girls sitting together. "That's the exact kimono you were wearing when I found you."
Her eyes grew wide, picking up the picture to get a closer look at the girls. She knew that was her, but everything else just felt... So strange and unfamiliar.
"Ah, that picture was taken the day you went missing, Miss. That's you and your older sister, Tsukiko."
"Tsu... ki... ko..." She blinked rapidly, a sudden warm and wet feeling gracing her cheek. She pressed her finger to her cheek, surprising herself to find she had teared up a bit.
"Kiki!"
"Sweetie, are you alright?!" Kondo pulled a tissue out to gently wipe her face, concern heavily on both his and Hijikata's faces. 'I'm fine,' she sort of mumbled, quickly putting the picture frame back with the others where she found it.
"I'm not sure why I did that," she admitted, gently grabbing Kondo's arm and turning back towards where they had originally been headed. They arrived in what they could assume was a waiting area, a couple of chairs and couches set about for idle chatter. A brown haired man with icy-blue eyes stood up, wearing a black and white three piece suit. The lines on his face became much more prominent as he smiled, glancing at each of them from behind his glasses.
"Welcome, my name is Kou, and this is my lovely wife, Akemi." He gestured to the woman who had been sitting next to him. Her dark raven hair was pulled up in an elegant bun and they could feel the warmth and love from her dark blue-green eyes. She smiled and stood up as well.
"Tsukiko will be along shortly. She's been the most anxious out of us to meet you... Would you mind if I hugged you?" Akemi spoke, soon taking a step closer to Kiana. It was a weird new sensation for her, but not a bad one.
"Okay," she replied very quietly, feeling out of place with having so much attention on her. The older woman gently wrapped her arms around her, fully knowing she might not be hugged back but enjoying the brief closeness to her daughter. Kou soon followed suit for a brief hug before the two began speaking with Kondo and Hijikata. They wanted to know more about her life, but wanted to avoid stressing her out more than the current situation already was.
As they chatted, Kiana wandered into the dining room for a bit of quiet. It was large and could very well fit a table for twenty or more, but there was a much smaller table placed in the middle of the room. It looked like they specifically brought out a large enough table to situate the six of them for the meal.
"Mom and dad always like having meals together if we can. So, small tables for conversations and closeness." The sudden voice startled her slightly, turning to see what she assumed was Tsukiko. Tsukiko's black hair was pulled up in a ponytail, bangs framing the sides of her face. If it weren't for the slight differences, such as hair and minor details of the face, she would've assumed that there was a mirror and not another living person in front of her.
"I have to say, it's not fair," she muttered before giving her a chance to reply, standing right next to her, "I'm the older one, and a model, and yet you..." She made a gesture of curves with her hands, snickering to herself softly.
"Tsukiko," the doctor's voice rang out softly, almost strained and full of sadness as her eyes teared up. The overwhelming feeling of sorrow overcoming her, chest suddenly feeling tight. "Tsukiko!" and with that, Kiana latched onto her older sister, starting to sob quietly. Her body shook slightly, a sudden feeling of love and longing for her twin filling her. It was all she could remember, but it was such a strong emotion that it was almost unbearable.
Tsukiko blinked, but smiled softly and gently pulled her to sit on one of the couches. While she hated to see her cry, it made her happy to know that somewhere deep down inside of her still remembered her family. This was enough for her for now. She finally had her sister back and they could work on everything else with time. Her hand gently pet the other's hair, holding her close.
"Was that Kiki?!" Hijikata blurted out after hearing her shout and then began to cry. Kondo grabbed his shoulder to stop him from bursting in on the sibling reunion.
"Tsukiko-san seems to have things handled. I think it just took being with her sister again to remember anything." He explained his thoughts, smiling at the two currently curled up on the couch.
"I haven't seen Tsukiko smile this much in years," Kou admitted, arm around his wife's shoulders.
"It's such a lovely sight. Why don't the four of us go elsewhere for the time being? I want them to have some time alone together."
Hijikata muttered softly but gave a small nod, following them away from the dining room. Kondo lingered for a bit, smiling at the two of them together. He would always be her family, but he couldn't help but feel happy for her to have finally recovered some of her memories. What a crazy little world they lived in.