Kyle knocked on the door, waiting to be let in, wondering why he was taken off the mission. Then he heard a loud thud within the room. Thinking the worse, Kyle rushed in. Seeing Hunter lay on the floor, Kyle rushed to his side. Checking if his father hurt him in any way.
Kyle sigh in relief but turned to his father. "What happened to Hunter?" Kyle keeping his anger in check.
Gotama looked at Hunter. "Nothing too serious, you will be watching him as now."
Gotama began to walk out the door before Kyle grabbed him. "What did you do?!"
Gotama looked at his son, "You will find out in a day to three. Just take care of him for now at the house." Pulling away from Kyle's grip. "I don't him to wake here, I have my reasons for not telling you."
Gotama slipped away, Kyle gripping the air, turned to his friend. Laying lifeless on the ground. "Curse that father of mine." Kyle lifted Hunter, over his shoulder. "I hope he didn't do anything too cruel."
As three days past Hunter started to regain consciousness, his head felt funny. He rubbed his head trying to remember what had happened but could not. Kyle walked into the room with some warm food.
"You finally awoke it seems." Hunter turned to Kyle, but he could not recognize him. Kyle looked at him puzzled, leaned in to check if Hunter had a fever. Hunter pulled away in fear. "Hunter are you okay?"
Hunter stared blankly at him. "Who's this Hunter?"
Kyle's heart dropped, he knew what now had transpired between his friend and his father. Stepping back slowly Kyle fixed his glasses. "You are Hunter, and you are about ten years old but look twenty-six."
Hunter looked at him like a child. "If I'm ten then I'm nothing more than—what's that?" Hunter pointed at Kyle's pendant.
Kyle realized that Hunter's mind was damaged. He looked for something to keep Hunter occupied while he rushed to his father. Grabbing an old puzzle, he used to play with and handed it to him. Hunters childish eyes lite up. "Here play with this for a while, I have to go talk to someone." He rushed to the door, "Oh, one other thing, do not leave the house or…or you'll be…you will be standing in...in the corner for a …for an hour." Hunter waved goodbye, as Kyle ran to his father.
Kyle found his father just walking into the house, Kyle grabbed him and lead him to the yard. "What the hell did you do to Hunter!?"
Gotama crossed his arms, "I used low wind incense to clear his mind, why?"
Kyle was ready to punch his father. "He does not remember me or his name, and who knows what else?! He also thinks he's ten and acts ten!?" Gotama stared at him, unfazed by Kyle's rage. "You have to fix this, because…because this isn't right." Tears welling up in Kyle's eyes.
Gotama looked at the window seeing Hunter playing with the puzzle. "Well that is not what I expected but the drug will wear off within two weeks. His memories will come back within that time, one fragment at a time."
Kyle clenched his hand tight, where blood dripped from his hand. "So, what am I supposed to do tile then?"
Gotama turned to him. "Raise him within two weeks to have a childhood. He may be a clone but he started to become his own person and I think that he might benefit in just enjoying life as a child or rather act like a child in this instance."
A crash came from within the house, Gotama walked away waving Kyle goodbye. Kyle growled as he entered the house to check on Hunter. He noticed Hunter with a mouse in his hands, Kyle's glass slid down as he did not know how to react to Hunter's childish demeanour. Kyle fixed his glasses and grabbed the mouse. Hunter got up and poked at the mouse, Kyle had noticed the mouse died by Hunters grip.
"Is it okay?"
Kyle walked outside with the mouse, "It will be once it's back outside." Tossing the mouse into the glass, then teleporting it far.
Hunter went to find the mouse again, Kyle could only sigh as a long road ahead awaited him with his father's plan. Looking at Hunter's child-like state, Kyle felt guilty for trying to save him. To see his friend lost the way he had hurt him, but he also knew that it might be for the better. Kyle told Hunter to stay once more and that he was getting supplies. Hunters cheery self waved at him.
Hunter looked around the house, his heart feeling heavy as Kyle left. A memory of what he did in the past scared him as he curled in a corner, waiting for Kyle to return. He gripped his head trying not to think about his lost past. The only thing he remembers where what Gotama had said to him before becoming like this. As if he did not want Kyle to know his suffering.
After a while Hunter got up and looked around the house, he could see many pictures of a young boy with Gotama and another woman. The boy seemed upset in every photo except for one. The boy seemed happy about something. Hunter took a closer look to see a baby in the background. He picked to photo up and opened the back. A simple note what in the back.
/On this day I will be happy for the birth of my younger brother, Kyle Longfeather, and will do everything I can to protect him.
—Lau Featherwind/
Hunter could feel tears running from his face could not understand why he was crying. He put the picture back, and sat at the couch, trying to wipe the tears away.
"Why am I crying? Did—did I do something to hurt someone and I just don't remember?" Hunter had overheard Gotama and Kyle's conversation. And knew that he lost his memories and that is why he could not remember much. Though the name Lau did not seem familiar, the boy's face did. He wanted to understand everything he could.