I saw the fic of Yuu going home and it was so good!
Imma leave this here. What if Yuu forgot all of their memories about the twisted wonderland the moment they step inside the mirror? As in wiped out. Then Yuu comes back with no memories but they're still keeping the gifts like charm, bracelet, etc they received from them because they can't let go of it for some reason. Like "The mind can forget but the heart can't."
The Mind Can Forget, But the Heart Can't
a/n: I'm glad you liked the previous fic!!! this is an INCREDIBLE idea!!!!!! (I cried too Writing this if anyone cares.)
So I just re-read what i wrote rq and just realized i have misunderstood the request, i heavily apologize !!!!! i hope its still to your liking...Sorry this took a while, lets say I'm just like Floyd haha !!
The Mirror of Darkness had never been so bright; it's silver surface shimmered like liquid starlight, swallowing the walls of the chamber until nothing remained except the glow and the people gathered before it.
No one spoke, no one wanted to be the first as Yuu looked at each of them one last time.
Ace stood with his hands shoved into his pockets, chewing the inside of his cheek to stop it from trembling.
Deuce kept blinking rapidly to prevent the tears from falling.
Cater couldn't even put on his usual fake cheery smile.
Not even Trey couldn't manage a reassuring smile.
Riddle stepped forward first.
"...Prefect." he held out a neatly wrapped box. "I thought... it would be improper to let a guest leave without a proper farewell gift."
"Thank you." Yuu accepted it with shaking hands.
One by one, they all came forward.
Jack tied a braided leather cord around Yuu's wrist.
"It's like a lucky charm."
Ruggie scratched the back of his neck.
Leona didn't come any closer, he merely tossed something through the air. Yuu caught it.
It was a polished lion's fang hung from a simple chain.
"...Keep it." that was all he said.
Azul adjusted his glasses three times before speaking.
"There are... no contracts attached."
Inside the velvet box rested elegant seashell cufflinks.
"They don't have to match anything you wear..."
For once, Azul wasn't trying to gain anything.
Kalim nearly tackled Yuu into a hug.
"I had everyone make something!"
"I narrowed it down." Jamil sighed, he handed over a tiny gold scarab charm.
"It travels well...Unlike all of this."
He gestured toward the mountain of gifts Kalim had wanted Yuu to take.
Vil adjusted Yuu's collar one last time.
"There. You'll represent us properly."
"I don't even remember agreeing to represent anyone."
"No, but you simply always did." Vil smiled.
Epel shoved a carefully folded violet ribbon into Yuu's hands before quickly looking away.
"If you don't like it, don't tell me. I already know it's embarrassing."
"It's not embarrassing..It's beautiful."
"I made you something!" Ortho bounced happily as he presented a tiny mechanical keychain.
"When you press this-" It projected a miniature constellation"It's... kinda lame." Idia muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"...Oh." His ears, along with the end of his hair, turned pink.
Silver handed Yuu a pressed white flower.
"I wanted you to have something that wouldn't fade quickly."
Sebek loudly insisted it was an honor worthy of legends.
"I wonder if fate enjoys reunions as much as it enjoys farewells." Lilia merely smiled.
Then...Malleus approached. In his hands rested a tiny stone gargoyle. No larger than Yuu's palm.
"It resembles one near Ramshackle."
"So I'll remember this home..." Yuu smiled sadly.
"...Yes." His voice became almost too quiet to hear. "So you remember home."
Crowley cleared his throat.
Nobody moved as the silence stretched painfully.
"No." His claws clung desperately to their jacket. "You promised!"
"I know." Yuu wrapped both arms around him.
"I don't wanna be the Great Grim without my henchhuman."
"...I have to." Yuu buried their face into his fur.
Grim cried so hard his words became impossible to understand.
Eventually...Yuu stepped one foot toward the mirror, then another. They didn't turn back, they knew they'd hesitate even more, they didn't want to gamble.
Everyone watched as the light grew brighter, stronger. Almost blinding.
A sharp crack echoed through the chamber, The Mirror of Darkness shuddered. Its voice, ancient and calm, rang through the room.
"One born beyond this world may return."
"But no soul may carry the memories of Twisted Wonderland beyond its borders."
"...What?" Crowley's head snapped upward. "What did you say?"
"Such is the balance between worlds."
"...Memories?" Yuu's heartbeat stopped for a second.
"No." Ace took a step forward. "No, no, no—"
"Upon crossing..." The mirror continued. "All memories shall be surrendered."
Grim looked between the mirror and Yuu. "...What?"
"There has to be another way!"
Idia already had dozens of floating screens surrounding him.
"There has to be, there always is!"
But there was nothing. Every calculation ended the same; just like those months spent looking for a way home, what Yuu had once thought was...IMPOSSIBLE.
Kalim looked ready to cry again.
"So...They won't know us?"
"...No, we'll only be a mere dream." Silver lowered his eyes.
"Henchhuman..." Grim's tiny body trembled.
Yuu knelt, they cupped Grim's face.
"No, you need to remember. You promised!"
"I know, Im sorry.." Tears streamed down Yuu's face.
Ace suddenly grabbed Yuu's shoulders.
"Write everything! You'll read it back home!"
Hope sparked through the room. Immediately...
Azul pulled out his mini notebook and ripped a page and Jade offered his pen.
Names, birthdays, memories, inside jokes. Everything they considered important.
Yuu clutched the stack against their chest.
The moment Yuu crossed the threshold, the page burst into silver flames. Every word disappeared, the blank paper fluttered to the floor.
Ace watched the page drift down.
The gifts remained, only the memories were taken.
Yuu looked back one last time, changing their mind, deciding looking back is worth it.
"I'll..." Their eyes were already unfocused. "...Who are..."
Before Yuu could become more confused, the light swallowed them whole.
Yuu woke up in bed, their own bed. A soft matress supporting their back, a comfortable pillow underneath their head.
Sunlight filtered through the familiar curtains, curtains that aren't ripped.
A voice shouted from right next to them, "You're awake!"
Their parent's voice. Yuu frowned at it.
"...Was I asleep?" apparently, for much longer than anyone could explain.
Their life resumed, school, friends and family. What they always had, it was the ordinary.
Except, sometimes Yuu would catch themselves laughing before realizing nothing had happened. Or instinctively reaching for someone walking beside them, only to find empty air.
One rainy afternoon, while unpacking boxes from storage...They discovered a weathered wooden case.
Inside rested objects they didn't recognize;
-An odd robotic keychain.
-A deck card with tiny hearts in one corner.
None of it looked familiar. Yet, the moment Yuu picked up the bracelet, warmth spread through their chest. It wasn't magical, magic doesn't exist after all. Just comforting.
They should throw them away or sell them, shouldn't they? Its just a bunch of random junk, objects from... somewhere.
Instead Yuu carefully cleaned each one. They bought a small shelf and decided to display them neatly.
Without understanding why.
Months passed and every morning, before leaving the house...Yuu unconsciously touched the bracelet.
At every exam, the clover charm sat in their pocket.
Whenever they were afraid, their fingers found the lion's fang.
The little gargoyle watched over their desk.
The ribbon was tied around the handle of an old journal.
The strange robotic keychain never worked.
Still, Yuu changed its batteries every year, just in case.
Far away, beyond mirrors and beyond worlds...Grim sat on Ramshackle's porch. He quietly placed a tuna can beside the front door.
"...Happy birthday..." his ears drooped. "I know you ain't coming anymore..."
Malleus found him there after sunset.
"You still do this every year."
"What if one day..." Grim sniffled. "...they remember?"
"Perhaps." Malleus looked toward the stars. "The mind is fragile, but in their heart...Yuu holds remarkable memories."
That same night, in another world. Yuu awoke from a dream.
"...Why am I crying?" they didn't remember any nightmare, nor any sadness they could've felt before falling asleep.
Only the overwhelming feeling that someone had just smiled at them and said goodbye.
They sat up slowly, without thinking. Their hand reached for the old bracelet on the nightstand.
The moment their fingers brushed the worn leather, the ache in their chest eased. Yuu smiled through tears they couldn't explain.
Across worlds, beneath the same stars, Grim suddenly looked up from Ramshackle's porch.
For no reason he could name, the night felt a little less lonely.
And though neither of them remembered the same story anymore;
Somewhere beyond magic, beyond mirrors and beyond memory itself...
A promise was still being kept.