And he said "take my hand, live while you can..."

[dragonspeak]

[Some time in between the battle with Izanami and the start of the new school term, the much changed world inside the TV had become his place of solace. The fog-covered, dangerous dungeons of the old world had been replaced by wide, sweeping landscapes that reminded him of Camelot. Of Johto. Places like this are difficult to find in the modern world, even in small, rural Inaba.

As soon as he'd been convinced the others wouldn't regain their memories, Merlin had made a habit of stopping here from time to time, releasing Viridios just to stir up a wind like he'd have felt in either world he'd once called "home."

He does that now, standing in a field of wildflowers, his Persona hovering close. In such a place, it's easier to let his thoughts drift to his argument with Yosuke just a week before, to wonder how things had gone so wrong and if there is a way to put everything back to the way it was before.]

Comments

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[Things have been awkward, so say the least. Class was uncomfortable, and not just because he felt far too out of place, but because even Yosuke knows the other students can sense the tension between he and Merlin. He's guilty -- he knows he let his emotions get the better of him, and it eats away at him.]

[He knows he has to say something, and even after being told by Teddie that he's been going to the other world a lot, Yosuke doesn't know just what to say. He enters the TV, immediately summoning Susano-o. It won't help him find Merlin, but doing it for the first time in what - to him - was nearly five years? It was freeing, in a sense.]

[It's a vast enough that it takes a fair amount of time, but he spots the figure and his accompanying Persona in the distance, and he pauses once he's in ear's range.]

...Hey. [He says it quietly, tone neutral, but somehow apologetic.]

[dragonspeak]

[His first reaction to flinch and quickly shift into a battle-ready stance while groping his side for a scythe that he doesn't carry around anymore. After seeing that it's Yosuke, and not a Shadow trying to sneak up on him, Merlin straightens, sheepishness temporarily overriding any other emotion he might feel at seeing Yosuke in close quarters.]

Sorry. Habit, you know? [Never mind that he hasn't seen a Shadow even once after the fog had lifted. Then again, a few weeks isn't enough to erase nearly a year's worth of time being alert in the TV world.] But I guess Viridios would have warned me if there was something around.

[He seems to remember what had transpired between them at that point, smile fading to something curious and wary at the same time.] What're you doing here?

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Ted told me you've been coming to this side... [His words come out a bit reluctantly, ruffling his hair a bit sheepishly. He can't make eye contact with Merlin yet -- something of a pride thing, he guesses. Tilting his head back, he looks to the sky; it's still unbelievable that this was once full of fog and shadows.]

[While he does this, Susano-o is floating above him, saw-blade shifting so it can put his hand on Yosuke's shoulders - it's an obvious showing of Yosuke's acceptance of himself, especially in a case where it could have been easier to run and not face the situation head on like this.]

I wanted to talk... you know. About last week.

[dragonspeak]

Reminds me of Camelot sometimes. It's peaceful here. [A soft chuckle crosses the chasm between the two, filling the empty space with something a bit brighter. By the light smile that pulls at his lips, Merlin obviously knows the slight irony of that statement. He, too, looks up at the clear skies.] Strange, isn't it? Knowing this place used to be so dangerous.

[It's only by chance that Merlin focuses his attention on Yosuke just in time to see the gesture passing between the Persona and man. He, too, knows that Yosuke would have avoided this confrontation before. It's a good reminder of the twenty two year old mind housed in the seventeen year old body. It's also a good reminder that he, too, had lost his temper despite the hundreds of years he has over Yosuke now.

The thought is a shameful one.]

I'm all ears. [There's a quick, blink-and-you'll-miss-it grin at the joke. He keeps his posture open, easy to show that he's willing to listen.]

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[He draws a breath in, relaxing ever-so-slightly. The contact from his Persona, the subtle jokes being cracked made it all seem a bit more bearable for him to confront this situation. It's still not easy for him, but boy, he's learned from this mistake one too many times to ignore.]

I... kind of overreacted. Well, I totally overreacted. I've... I dunno, my train of thought's just been really screwed up since I go back. I wasn't thinking straight when I came to you last week.

I'm still not really, at all... [Which is obvious just based on his features already beginning to look hollowed out, a shell of himself, to some extent.] But I couldn't just let it sit, you know?

You're been through a lot of shit too. Way more than me. I... shouldn't have said all that. S-sorry...

[dragonspeak]

[Something in him loosens--a knot of worry, perhaps--allowing Merlin to smile brightly at Yosuke.]

I know what it feels like to wake up and realise everything's...gone. Everything you built up for years, everyone you'd gotten to know and trust. I shouldn't have let myself get angry, but I did. I'm sorry, Yosuke.

[Viridios' movement above him jolts his memory, making him remember something he'd promised he would do once the time was right. ] Actually, there's something else. When I faced my Shadow, it said things about Camelot and Johto... [Merlin winces.] I had to make sure my identity wasn't revealed until you remembered on your own.

[That said, Merlin's eyes flash gold for a second as he undoes the memory spell he'd placed on him.]

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[The fortunate thing about removing a spell that's already mostly undone is that it's painless. But the memories that are there suddenly seem clearer - the recollection of words Merlin's Shadow having uttered is still overwhelming. His breath hitches slightly, the words becoming clearer.]

[There's a weight, a reality to the fact that this is here. That these memories exist and justify that nothing in Johto was a dream. It was real, more real than he could ever imagine. There's a part of him - a small part, that holds a bitterness to having that magic used against him, even if it's for his own good. He doesn't let that overcome him, though. Instead, his hand clasps over his mouth, processing everything.]

Shit... I... shit.

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[It's one thing to know that the spell shouldn't hurt and another to see Yosuke's reaction. Within seconds, Merlin's striding over to him, concern overriding caution and distance.

The memory he'd just unlocked had taken place months ago, but Merlin can still hear his Shadow's taunts as if they were spoken just moments ago. He darts a look over at Viridos before grasping Yosuke's shoulder.] All right there?

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[It takes him a full minute before he does anything else, but he gives his head a firm nod, looking up with a weak smile on his face.] Yeah... Yeah, I'm okay.

Actually... for the first time in a while, things feel clearer than I remember. [It doesn't change a lot of other things, but Yosuke does find a bit of solace in this.]

...oh I'm lame. I forgot we were supposed to respond to the entry /)__(\

[dragonspeak]

[While Merlin regrets having to use the spell on Yosuke like that, he also knows it was necessary. Souji's one of the brightest students in the school, and Yosuke's no slouch at putting the pieces together either. They would have asked questions, figured out something wasn't quite right with their English teacher, and everything would have gone to pieces, most likely.

It's not a risk Merlin was willing to take, and still isn't willing to take.]

Kind of like everything just fell into place, yeah?

I did too. Failures!!!

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Yeah, exactly. [He draws in a small breath. It's just another thing to add to the shit pile, as far as he's concerned. So many memories of different things flooding his mind is a bit much to handle, though he's doing well enough.]

I think this... on top of... well... all the other memories, is just a lot to take in. It all makes a hell of a lot more sense now.

[dragonspeak]

I had to use it on Teddie and Souji, too, since they were there.

[And that's another problem. While he can remove the spell from Teddie if the bear remembered, how's he going to do the same for Souji? And what would happen to his friend even if he did remember Johto? Souji's moved back to the city now, miles and miles away from where Merlin and everyone else is. Technology's advanced enough that they could probably chat with one another on the laptop like they used to with the Gear, but...it's not the same.]

I keep expecting Rise and the others to burst into my class one of these days. [Yosuke they wouldn't question, but Merlin's definitely not supposed to be there, and he knows it.] But none of them have remembered anything yet.

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[He nods his head. He gets it, totally.] They will... I hope. I really hope it'll happen eventually. I mean. It's still early, right? It's only been a couple of weeks since Souji left, so even if everyone was from after that, we don't really know when.

[dragonspeak]

That, and well...time's always been sort of strange when it comes to Johto. Even if they return, they might not regain their memories until much later, especially with the coma-sleep thing that went around back then.

[Though not everything is okay just yet, releasing the memory spell surprisingly makes this all a bit more bearable. He has someone to talk to now, someone who actually knows everything for once.

Merlin crosses the distance between them and pulls Yosuke into a hug that he'd been meaning to give hundreds of years ago.]

It's good to have you back.