Lost Among the Memories We Were Never Meant to See

Kairo walked back home.

He was exhausted. He didn't know how to deal with any of it.

How could he possibly tell his friends what was really happening?

And yet, the inevitable had come to pass.

He was hurting them—especially the one person he never wanted to see cry... Aenna.

But what could he do? He couldn't tell them the truth.

"Ahhh! Damn it, I screwed everything up! I'm the worst best friend ever!" he shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

"Honey, what's going on?"

His mother peeked in from the kitchen.

"Nothing... I just messed things up with Aenna and the others."

She walked toward him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder while holding a cup of tea, smiling warmly.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Do I have to?" he replied, eyes tired and heavy.

She chuckled softly. "You really are your father's son. Always closed off, always stubborn. But the Kaiabas taught me more than just that—"

She hugged him. "—kindness, and the strength of your determination."

Kairo squeezed her tighter, a single tear sliding down his cheek.

"If you don't feel like talking, that's okay. Just know I'm always here," Sayuri reassured him.

He couldn't tell her. What could he say?

About the glitches? The Memory Drift?

But deep down, he knew he wouldn't be able to hide it forever. For now, he just held onto her embrace.

He looked his mother in the eyes. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime," she said, standing up and heading back to the kitchen. "Just don't wait too long to apologize. Aen may be tough, but you know how much she cares about you."

Kairo stood and returned to his room—with a real smile, the first one in almost two days.

The room was dark, lit only by the soft blue glow of the terminal. Kairo sat at his desk. His bag was still open, his boken resting beside the bed. In front of him, his father's worn-out book, the cover tattered like a memory touched too many times.

The open page showed a sketch of the nine-tailed fox.

But something new caught his eye—a symbol: an incomplete circle crossed by a line.

It looked almost... like a key.

He typed into his digital journal:

"Date: 09/12/24 - Time: 21:17

Today I saw the light again. But it wasn't a glitch. It was… memory. A memory that pulses within me as if it's always been there.

The answers aren't in dreams. But dreams… they're the warning."

He glanced at his smartphone, recalling his mother's words.

Then—a knock at the door.

He opened it to find a small tray on the floor: steaming ramen, a bottle of water, and a post-it note.

"Dinner for tonight. You're tired, so I won't bother you. But don't shut yourself off too much. –Mom"

Kairo picked it up with a smile and retreated to his room again.

But from the hallway, his mother waited silently to make sure he took it.

"Ugh, Kenji… I hope you come home soon. I don't know what to do with him," she murmured, walking off.

She crossed paths with Yuto on the way to Kairo's room.

"Yuto," she called, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Take care of your brother. I think he really needs it right now… and I don't know how to reach him."

"Don't worry, Ma. I'll keep that grump grounded," he said with a goofy thumbs-up and a 32-tooth smile.

Sayuri smiled. "Thanks, my son. Now I've gotta go to the office—I forgot some documents."

Then she added, in full mom-mode: "Don't do anything stupid. And don't wreck the house. Or no dinner for three days."

"Yeah, yeah… got it," Yuto groaned, rolling his eyes.

Back in his room, Kairo stared at his phone.

Should he call her or not?

"Oh come on, Kairo… just call her, dammit."

He hesitated for a moment. Then took a deep breath and tapped Aenna's contact.

His heart pounded.

Calling...

"…Hello?"

Her voice was tired. But alive.

"Aen… it's me. Riven told me you… cried."

Silence. Then a sigh from the other side.

"You're such an idiot! You scared me. You show up late, you're distant, you disappear—and then come back like nothing happened."

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you. But… I…"

"Stop closing yourself off. If something's eating you alive, share it. Split it. Always."

Kairo smiled bitterly.

"I don't want to hurt you all."

"Then let us in. Stubborn bastard."

A beat of silence. Then the call ended.

Aenna had hung up—in the kind of affectionate way only she could.

Moments later, Yuto entered the room with two sodas, his high-end laptop, and a mischievous grin.

"You made Aenna cry? You monster."

Kairo rolled his eyes. "Are you gonna help me or not?"

"Always. Software genius, remember? What are we doing?"

"I want to access Saito Corporation's data."

Yuto froze. "…You're kidding, right?"

"I've never been more serious."

"Tell me this isn't one of your 15-day cycle meltdowns."

"Oh, it is. And if you don't help me, I'm not covering you in the Cybersecurity Project anymore."

"Hah! I'd help you anyway. You didn't have to blackmail me!"

"I know. But where's the fun in that?"

"You're a demon," Yuto muttered, already typing.

Kairo kept his eyes on the glitchy screen, hoping to find some kind of clue.

"This encryption is a nightmare—feels like trying to break into a damn fortress."

"Think we can get in?" Kairo asked.

"Might be impossible but… wait…"

He chewed nervously on a lollipop. "Actually—hold up!"

He ran to his room, came back with a USB stick, and grinned.

"Ta-dah!"

"…And that is?"

"Our Trojan Horse into Saito's Fortress of Solitude," Yuto said proudly.

"You're the expert. I don't understand any of this tech crap," Kairo laughed.

Yuto plugged in the drive. "Well yeah, you're too busy swinging that stupid stick around. I invest in the present—"

Kairo bonked him on the head lightly.

"Yeah, yeah…"

A few minutes and thousands of lines of code later...

"ACCESS GRANTED."

"Hell yeah!" Yuto fist-pumped.

"Nice job, little genius," Kairo said, ruffling his hair.

The files were encrypted. But nothing could stop Yuto now.

"Wait… found it. Codename: Kairos – V1.0 – Classified Subject."

Kairo froze.

"Kairos…"

"Yeah, it's your name… but in Ancient Greek. It means 'the right moment.' Or maybe… 'stolen time.'"

"This is getting creepy."

"Big time."

He tried clicking the file—but the screen froze.

Then… it glitched.

And a red message appeared:

"UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS – MEMORY BREACH."

Yuto backed away from the terminal. "I didn't write that."

The screen went black. And then—a distorted voice filled the room.

"Kairo… bold of you. I didn't think you had this much courage."

Kairo stared at the screen as a masked figure emerged.

"…Azrael."

"Oh, so you remember me. Did you like my little gift the other day?"

His mechanical laughter echoed.

Yuto stood frozen, speechless.

"I see you've got company. Very well," Azrael said.

"You're with Saito. I knew it," Kairo accused.

"Ahahaha. No, sorry. But you won't be reading these files. I won't let you ruin my plans."

Suddenly, both brothers winced. A pulse through their minds.

A flashback.

A room filled with neon. No—an underground ruin.

A dark portal pulsed like a black hole ready to consume.

Four figures stood before it. One, tall in a suit over cybernetic armor. Two in white lab coats—one man, one woman.

And then… Kenji Kaiaba.

Fragments of words:

"Orion… the experiment failed…"

"You can't force a Rimembranza…"

"James… Alexya… Kenji, watch out—"

A massive shadowy hand grabbed them, dragging them into the portal.

"Time… does not forgive."

Azrael stood at the edge, facing the armored man—then vanished into the portal.

Kairo and Yuto collapsed, heads pounding.

Darkness.

Only the terminal's glow remained, defiant against the night.

"You okay, bro?" Yuto asked, groggy.

"I'll never get used to these damn glitches…" Kairo muttered, on his knees.

"Glitches, huh? Yeah, fitting name…" Yuto tried to laugh. "I think you owe me a big explanation, Kai."

Kairo hesitated. He didn't want to involve Yuto—but now, they were in this together.

The screen shut down. A single phrase remained:

"Subjects: Yuto Kaiaba & Kairo Kaiaba

Memory Drift: 5%

Status: Sta-ble."

Yuto read it aloud. "What the hell is Memory Drift?"

Kairo sighed. "I'll tell you… just not now."

Yuto was about to answer when—

A knock on the door.

They exchanged glances.

Kairo grabbed his boken and opened the door.

Two officers stood outside, clearly annoyed by the hour.

"Kairo Kaiaba and Yuto Kaiaba. You're coming with us," one said.

"You've accessed sensitive private data," added the other. "You're under investigation."

Yuto gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah… I think we've been caught."

They were escorted into the police car.

But up on the Kaiaba household's roof, a dark mist swirled—and a whisper echoed into the night:

"Now that you know… Oblivion claims you."

Inside, the terminal flickered once more.

A final line appeared.

"Subject: Yuki Aenna – Memory Drift 15%"