AN: Last chapter! Woop woop! I hope I wrap everything up nicely for everyone...
He was alone when his eyes slowly opened, quickly adjusting to the bleary darkness of whatever room he was in. A table was set off to the left of his (very hard) bed, and a glass of water set on top. A pair of red pyjamas sat on the matching chair pushed into the table.
Dave felt warm, as always, as he looked around the bleak room, his mind in a haze after his sleep. It calmed him slightly, as he didn't feel threatened, even with the fact he had no idea where he was, and if anyone else was here, and that he didn't actually know how he got here. He just listened to the silence, since there were no sounds, just like...
Just like what? Dave's hand weakly palmed his face as his headache twitched a bit, a flare of minor pain. He took the glass of water beside him and downed it in a short minute, before lying back down. Before long, the minor pain ceased to exist, and the cieling above him didn't sway as he lay there. He had no urge to wonder about anything as he closed his eyes, not quite falling asleep, but not quite awake.
But the calm was easily broken, when the door, which he hadn't noticed quite yet, burst open, and a troll- Karkat - walked in. Loudly, too, may I mention.
"DAVE, WE'RE HERE NOW. EVERYONE IS WAITING SO PICK YOUR ASS UP AND LET'S GO!... OH YOU'RE ACTUALLY AWAKE." There he was, the screamy dude Karkat.
Brought back memories, hah. Dave felt tired as he started at the grey guy in front of him, and smirked a little. No matter how this little douche bag acted towards him, he felt a little affectionate. Dave had the feeling Karkat cared about him too, in some weird messed up troll way. "Yeah yeah hold up for a second will you? My head feels as though it's been trampled on." Dave grasped the sheets on top of him, and threw them off, moving his legs to the side of the bed to hop off. The pressure on his head increased slightly, enough to make it more difficult. It took him a moment to steady himself, then raise his head to look up at the troll.
"GOD YOU'RE SLOW." He eyes widened comically when Karkat walked closer, and helped him up. Since when had this guy been nice enough to help people? Dave laughed internally a little. A lot had changed over the past 3 years on this meteor. He wished that he had been able to see everyone grow up more, he regretted not being able to talk to John and Rose more often. But it was okay, he guessed, seeing as they will meet up in a few minutes or hours or whatever.
A pang of a headache seemed to nudge his mind as he thought that, and Dave groaned, leaning more of his weight on Karkat. His face screwed up in concentration at his feet, trying to get them to shuffle properly on the floor.
"DUDE ARE YOU OKAY?" Karkat glanced at Dave's face silently, concern etched on his own as he took in the paleness, and exhaustion from the boy.
Dave just laughed a little, and waved it off. He was a bit too tired for this, but his friends were waiting and he wouldn't let them down.
Karkat paused. "FINE. BUT DON'T YOU DARE MENTION THIS EVER. IT'S EMBARRASSING ENOUGH AS IT IS." Even so, Karkat took the moment to walk a little slower, helping Dave navagate through the rooms of the apartment-like complex. It took a while, of course, as Dave pointed out some of the rooms and pictures of people or trolls, talking to Karkat about all of the weird events that had occured not so long ago.
Karkat stood on his side through it all, and Dave never caught the odd looks the troll sent him.
'HOW IS HE JUST NOW REMEMBERING EVERYTHING? DIDN'T HE FORGET IT ALL?' Thinking hard about this, Karkat pursed his lips as he and Dave kept moving, confused as to how Dave was acting.
Meanwhile, Dave, as he pointed out more and more things, the nagging feeling in his head, as if he forgot something, with a slightly deja-vu feeling, grew quieter and quieter. But alas, it still left a residue anxious feeling. What had he left behind?
By the time Dave and Karkat left the building, Dave took a moment to turn around, seeing the tall and very dark tower of rooms, with its windows flashing in the light.
He ignored the last of the nagging in his brain, and swiveled to look back at where Karkat was.
Kanaya, Rose, Terezi, and the mayor stood with the yelly troll.
Somehow, the mask on Dave's face broke easily as his mouth formed a grin, running towards his friends that he had, for some reason, missed. He didn't let the small confusion worry him too much as he hugged Rose, and once again missed the odd look she sent him.
"Dave... are you alright?" Rose held his arms in front of her, tilting her head as she studied the minorly pale boy.
Dave just nodded, smiling, and turned towards the others. But that didn't stop them from staring at him as well with confused faces.
Dave felt like a bug under scrutiny, as he looked back. "What is with you guys? You are acting so weird."
"We Could Say The Same For You..."
The boy looked at Kanaya, a raise of an eyebrow very evident. "What?"
Kanaya glanced towards Rose once, and then took a step forward. "However did you manage to remember us all so suddenly? The Last I Know Of, You Could Not Recall Any Single One Of Us." Kanaya looked down at the white-haired boy, a bit sad as she remembered how he had forgotten everyone.
Everyone, needless to say, was shocked at the boy's reply. "What in the world do you mean? I haven't forgotten any of you." Dave just looked at them, now with a tighter, confused face. "Is this some prank John did? Cause it's not all that funny and that dude is losing his touch."
Silence only answered the boy, and he sighed as felt their stares continue. "C'mon. We should get going, John and Jade are waiting for us.
Rose, specifically, stared at Dave as he walked away in the direction of their view point of the planet. What had gone on with that boy? How could this be so utterly confusing?
For a second, Rose looked at the peculiar looks on everyone's faces, and then ran to catch up with the boy.
In any case, as everyone finally met up with everyone else, or rather just happened to 'drop in', the topic of Dave's amnesia was left for the wind, but not before they took some final arrangements to make sure it was all gone.
They had found, looking through Dave's old abandoned room, the computer he had started with, cracked and busted. It still worked, but barely, and has some malfunctions. The CD inside was unharmed, but only not including the odd creature-like scratches adorning its top and bottom. Like something attempting to break it up, or crack it. Black smoke covered the edges, as well, but it still worked nonetheless. Everyone blamed this simply on the computer malfunctions, but, even so, even the trolls and humans had the feeling it wasn't on the computer at all. They eyed the scratches dubiously.
The swords under his bed lay continuously untouched, as blood still lay on the sides. They would most likely never be moved, unless destroyed. Who could destroy the last remaining elements of Bro Strider? That would be too cruel for anyone to handle. (Dave simply watched as they put the swords back under the bed, feeling as though someone had stabbed him in his heart. He would not admit, if anyone asked, that his eyes had teared up.) Everything was as Dave had left, in his room, an odd note on the table- saying that he was going to find the meteor, headphones on the side of his bed- turned on, but no sound coming out, and the covers of his bed completely messed up. The only difference everyone took into consideration, was the absence of scratching as each of them closed their eyes, and the darkness that seemed to flow through the room, not whiteness.
All but Dave, tried to conjure up an image of what Dave had seen- a neighborhood, white and pure. As a result, every one of them felt a weight on their chest, like they missed something they used to have.
Dave, slightly confused still as to what everyone was acting so weirdly worried and confused about, watched everyone look about the room.
"WE SHOULD GO NOW. IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYTHING'S OKAY NOW SO WHY DON'T WE JUST FORGET THIS EVER HAPPENED."
What was left unsaid, however, was the vague creeping feeling that everyone, minus Dave, had down their backs. Either someone would go through this again, or maybe... glancing towards the CD in the computer... maybe those creatures aren't quite gone? What were they in the first place?
It left an unsafe feeling as they all agreed that nothing really changed about Dave, or his room, throughout the...amnesia...?
When the words hit him, Dave shook his head, the ringing headache not quite gone, and paid it no attention. He was just glad no one bothered to ask any more questions about it, as it had passed and they felt somewhat comforted, and at least Dave could remember everyone. That was a really good sign, apparently.
Only, as one specific John smiled and laughed with the others, his heart grew more painful and heavy. He looked down at his shoes as the others conversed, then at the blood on the swords under the bed.
Sometimes, just sometimes he wish he could forget everything that has happened to him- the death, the pain, the loneliness.
What heaven it would be to forget...
AN: Perhaps it was just me, but I felt the need to leave the question about the creatures, what they actually were, unanswered. I felt like it was needed in the story.
However, I hope this might have cleared most of it up?
Just in case, perhaps some hints should be added on...
1. Dave's amnesia was caused by his wanting to forget, he created the entire thing in his mind, similar to a fairytale like Alice in Wonderland, his own place that he didn't have to remember what he had gone through.
2. In the 'Wonderland' he made up in his head, he can't sleep because it helps him to remember, and the creatures are attempting to get him to not enter the game, and continue forgetting everything.
3. The dream-state he was in, where he met Karkat, was similar to sleep-walking. He ACTUALLY met Karkat, since as he slept, he broke through the illusion of his neighborhood.
I suppose, if anyone would like, they are free to answer questions that I'll answer. It'll be like a clearing-up after the story. I'll post the answers in an author's note.