A/N: Okay, I messed with a lot of things in this fic. It's somewhat based off of the 'Memory's Crannies' ending. Garry still gets Ib's handkerchief, but he doesn't check his pocket immediately and ends up leaving Ib in the gallery, where she remembers everything on her own after Garry's lemon candy falls out of her sleeve. Sorry if anyone gets confused!

Well, I won't bug you guys anymore. On to the fic!

One month after the gallery incident…

"...If you need help...I'll come running..."

"Wait...no, n-no-GARRY!" Ib jerked up in her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she shook from silent sobs. 'It was a dream...' She reigned in her tears and rubbed her eyes, puffy from both sleep-deprivation and crying, before glancing over at the clock placed beside her bed through her hazy vision.

2:57 a.m.

She sighed and stretched her arms, knowing from past weeks that she wouldn't get back to sleep. Her scarlet eyes zeroed in on the piece of candy on her dresser, and she recalled that it was lemon flavored and that Garry had given it to her when she had passed out in the Fabricated World. He had been very kind to her, but now that they had both escaped that nightmare Garry had no memory of her. It made no sense to her that only she could remember what had happened back then.

~Flashback~

Ib blinked and looked around. She couldn't remember what she had been doing. It appeared that she was alone in a small room, which was empty except for a long painting across the wall in front of her titled 'The Fabricated World.' It seemed strangely familiar and, although she couldn't place why, she suddenly felt as though she had just won the lottery. Deciding to embrace the sudden happiness, she beamed at the painting, having nothing else to smile at, and a confusing thought made its way through her head.

'We escaped...we're okay...'

This baffled her, regardless of it being her own thought. Who else had 'escaped' with her? What were they escaping from? Was it really so dangerous that she felt so relieved when she realized that she was okay?

She shook her head with a small frown. It was probably nothing, so there was no point wasting her time on such thoughts. She headed swiftly out of the room, vaguely noting that the further she went from that room, the more her happiness increased.

She didn't understand why she couldn't bring herself to approach 'The Lady in Red,' nor could she comprehend why she avoided the headless mannequins the way that she did. It was as if her body knew something that her mind didn't, and was making sure to steer her away from certain exhibits.

Or, in the case of the sculpture 'Embodiment of Spirit,' towards them.

She hadn't realized that she had been standing before the giant rose, staring quietly at the petals on the ground with a contemplative expression. A strange sadness filled her heart, as unexplainable as her happiness minutes before had been.

It took her a moment to realize that she was not alone. A man who looked to be at least twice her age was standing beside her, gazing at the statue with the same expression she had worn moments before. His eyes were a striking shade of blue that almost looked purple, standing out against his pale skin. His hair was a light violet, with highlights of a darker purple that seemed to have minds of their own. He had his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his coat, the blue fabric appearing to have gone through a paper shredder around the edges. Beneath that was a loose green tank top and brown pants.

Ib was sure that she had never met the man before, so why did her heart suddenly swell with happiness when he glanced over at her?

He said nothing, and for a moment the two of them simply stared at each other, earning looks of concern from some of the gallery's other visitors. Eventually, though, Ib decided that he wasn't going to speak, so she asked the first question she could think of.

"What are you looking at?" Her voice had come out somewhat hoarse, although she didn't know why. He gave a questioning 'Hm?' and shrugged at her, his eyes straying back to the sculpture.

"Well, let's see…It's a rose sculpture, I guess." He paused. "…When I look at this sculpture…I feel somehow sorrowful…I wonder why?" A sudden look of realization appeared on his handsome face. "Ah, I'm sorry if I said anything to trouble you…Never mind what I said…Well, bye."

Ib couldn't explain why, but she felt the strangest sadness as she watched the man's retreating figure.

'What's wrong with me? I'm sure I've never met him before…but I feel like I was supposed to stop him…' She let her hands, which had been crossed behind her back, fall limply to her sides, and was startled to hear something small and hard hit the floor beside her. A small piece of candy had fallen from her sleeve.

She frowned and picked up the treat. It was in a yellow wrapper, signifying that it was lemon flavored. Her head began to throb painfully, but she ignored it for the most part, staring at the item in her cupped hands as she racked her brain for where it could have come from.

She was still staring at the lemon candy when the images started-dolls, mannequins, roses…

Her eyes widened, and her breathing suddenly felt labored, though she barely noticed as she answered all of her previous question in her head.

Why did she feel so happy leaving the room containing 'The Fabricated World?' That painting was the reason she had been sent to the fake gallery in the first place.

The man that had just left had escaped with her.

They were escaping the gallery, but a distorted version of it, and Mary.

Was it really so dangerous that she felt so relieved when she realized that she was okay? Absolutely.

She had avoided 'The Lady in Red' and the mannequins because her body had remembered that they were the pieces of art that had wanted to get her and the man the most.

She had felt sad when she approached 'Embodiment of Spirit' because it had subconsciously reminded her of the fake gallery, of the connection she had had with her rose.

She had been drawn to the sculpture because deep down, she remembered everything.

And she had wanted to stop the man who had left because she had remembered their bond, the bond that had been forged in under twenty-four hours and yet was stronger that any she had ever had. She remembered the man's odd speech patterns, his love of macaroons, and his wish to bring her to his favorite café so that she could try some.

Ib had forgotten Garry, and he had forgotten her, but while she had retained her memory, he hadn't.

The nine year old was still sobbing quietly on the ground when her mother found her ten minutes later.

~End Flashback~

"I wonder what Garry's been up to…" Ib muttered thoughtfully, pulling on her school uniform. "Maybe he started a shop dedicated to macaroons?" She giggled, slipping the lemon candy into the pocket of her coat along with a small keychain, which had a red rose intertwined with a blue one.

Garry didn't remember her, but at least she still had a rose to remember him by.

I have no idea where this came from, but I'm just gonna roll with it.

Review please~!