Anarameha

Chapter 21

Ana woke in the early evening. Carefully she sat up, trying to avoid waking Jiro. Her fingers traced over the bite mark on her neck. It hurt a little, but it wasn't as bad as she'd expected.

Jiro asked, and Ana was curious, so she agreed. He said that he wasn't hungry so there was no danger. Not that Jiro would ever allow himself to do that. What he needed was a little bit extra to top up what had been lost, and the steaks could not give him.

Slipping out from the bed, Ana picked up her camisole and shorts and put them on. Then she collected her laptop and moved to the lounge. She was curious about a tattoo on Jiro's back and wanted to search earlier but became distracted.

Ana said nothing directly to Jiro. It's why she started asking about his lack of memory. She knew that the tattoo meant something.

It looked like something from the military, the old one, not the militia. Looking at the internet, Ana searched for all of the insignias for the varied sections. What she found was not what she expected.

"Damn," she whispered.

With the revelation, her heart began hammering. It could not be possible, in her opinion. Yet, the facts were as clear as the vampire asleep in her bed. Was it possible?

Hearing a sharp inhale, Ana knew that Jiro had just woken. Opening a new tab, she searched for all of the members of the corp that was attached to that particular insignia. Her heart was racing because she knew that all the members of this corp had been wiped out when the coup happened.

Ana only checked to see if the members were noted as being dead. If Jiro was who she thought he was, it was probably better that the world continued to believe he was.

Ana thought that Jiro looked like one of the members that she was familiar with, but there were differences that she'd shrugged off. Ana wondered if she was trying to hide from the truth. The memories in her mind were fading, and she did not have any photos. Keeping hold of the past was something that Ana craved but was slowly losing.

Maybe her mind played tricks on her because she didn't want to believe that this was possible. It was a painful time in her life, and remembering any part of it was difficult. She knew that all of the members had died. He should not be alive.

It wasn't an extensive list, and worryingly, there was a lot of information about the group. Ana soon found the truth, and it was like a bomb had hit her. It was true. It was him.

Ana felt the years of sadness hit her. The mourning of his loss. The loneliness compounded the grief. Wiping the tears away, Ana took a deep breath. Trying to compose herself while forgetting the sorrow she'd suffered was not easy. Ana figured that one day, it would burst out everywhere. For now, she found her composure.

She read about the SC's. All were listed as dead. Which, as sad as it was, was a relief. Jiro was safe.

"Ana?"

Inhaling deeply, Ana lifted the laptop and moved to the bed. She sat at the end to face Jiro, who was now sitting up. Composed, not about to cry or yell out with joy. He survived the coup but lost his memory. It wasn't the greatest outcome, but it was far better than it could have been.

"So, before I get into the finer details of the past, I'll briefly go over facts."

Ana clicked on the tab for the insignia and turned the laptop to show Jiro.

"This is the tattoo on your back, yes?"

Jiro nodded quietly.

"It's a part of the army, and the tattoo artists are pretty strict with abiding by the rules. If you can't prove you're in the army and the division, you don't get the tattoo. So that means that for you to have it, you were in the army."