Chapter 9: AJ's Leave

I had a good night of sleep. Despite being scared. Maybe because of it. Stupid Raffine… The first thing I did this morning was taking that Ringo's advice. I went outside to pop some Puyos. Endless Tsu rules. I must've popped thousands by now. I still don't have my memory back. I switched to Endless Fever to let out my frustration.

"Flame!
Fire!
Flare!
Blaze!
I-I-Inferno!"

Wow. I feel better again. My fires are so pretty! So warm too!

"Yikes. That's quite the spell set you've got Amitie." Oh great, Arle… Ringo and Carbuncle too.

I wanna have them call me AJ. But I can't for some reason… "Are you alright?" Ringo asked. It's obvious they'rent used to what I'm wearing.

"Are you talking about my memory or in general?"
"Ehm… The latter?"
"Hm." I focused my attention back to my Fever chains. "Nightmares." I mumbled. "My first ones."

They looked at me with sad eyes. I wish they'd stop doing that. "Wanna talk about it?" Arle asked.

I groaned. "Gimme a good reason."
"Studies show that telling someone your troubles makes you feel better."
"Must you talk to me like I'm a kid?"

I silenced them. Why the heck not? I'll tell them in a second. I kept playing until I lost.

"I was being taught by Klug. I was picking flowers with Lidelle, blegh. I was being rejected by Raffine. A creepy boy with a terrifying red arm. And fighting a weird jiggly space thing with you guys."

Those three look amongst themselves. "How are most of these nightmares?"
"Sound's like memories to me."
"Guu…"

I groaned.

"I'm beginning to think memory loss isn't the sole issue here…"

"Puyo Puyo me!" I demanded.

"Which one?"
"All three of you! If one of you could restore my memory before three of you should definitely do it! I don't care what's wrong with me, I just want it fixed!"

We Puyo'd.

I won. "Wow." Arle said as exhausted as I was. "You barely won that."
"R-Remember anything?" A question that took away the satisfaction of winning.

"Can you leave me alone? I'm not in the mood for anything."

"We'll get you some food."

I stopped listening to those idiots.

I made sure they were gone. I lied to them. I am in the mood for another walk.

I walked for hours. I had nothing to do. I felt like Raffine was lurking around every corner. I couldn't have any fun anyway.

"Gu guu." Something pulled at my pants.

"Hm?" I looked down. "You're those overly concerned girls' pet, right?" The weird hat threw me off.
"Gu gu gu… Guu?"

I puffed out some air. The way she speaks annoys me. "Never mind. I don't care, remind them to leave me alone for now, I'll figure things out on my own."

"Gu Guu." It waved good-bye.

I went to a snack bar and ate something. I was hungry. It was delicious. I took the time to definitely come to a conclusion.

I am way too soft. I need to do something big. Way bigger than I normally would. I can't recover from what I've gone through, so I might as well be remembered. As well making Amitie and Melody think whatever I was is just gone. Too priceless!

Now. Something that will catch a lot of attention. I got fire covered. What if I terrorize a little girl? Adults always help little girls. Oh, what if pester a tough girl and make her cry?

"AHEM." Some guy cleared his throat behind me.

"Oh…" It's that tall green-haired guy from yesterday.

"Hello. Amitie. Remember who I am yet?"
"Guuu!?" That pet again…

"Not really, Mr. Satan. I remember meeting everyone before, I feel like I know what they're like. But I don't."
"Do you have something to say?"
"I wanna keep walking around, thinking of how I can trip somebody up good." I was checking what I can get away with saying.

That horned guy took the hat off of Carbuncle. Not before giving it a rub. "Does this look hat look familiar to you?" It does ring a bell. I feel like I saw it before I lost my memory. Not to mention I saw it in all those pictures of me.

"Nope, doesn't ring a bell." I didn't want anything to do with that ugly hat. Threw it back at him like a dirty pair of socks. I resisted smiling seeing him barely catch it. "Can I go?"

"Not until you try your hat on, young lady. It's yours after all." He tried to nicely offer it to me. I pushed it back.
"No thanks, I don't like it and it looks dirty."
"But your friends insist."
"I don't wanna."
"I barely knew you, and I agree you're incomplete without it."
"I don't caaaaaare what you or those busybodies think. I wanna be alone."
"But… Oomph!"

I punched him in the stomach! Wow! I must be strong. He's on the ground. Eh, guess I'll kick him while he's down. And by that, I mean blinded him with this gross hat and ran off.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, my gut…" I heard him squeal like a girl in the distance. That's so funny.

I kept looking around. I want someone old enough not to repress it later. I want to leave an impression while freaking out the masses with a burning ring of fire. They're definitely gonna remember me as a demon and not that dumb looking blonde girl that can't dress right.

It took me half-an-hour but I finally found one. It's afternoon. It's a dark maid that's really short and has a permanent frown on her. Despite her size, she looks like she's around my age. She's holding some bent metal sticks. Can't wait to make a wreck out of her. I'm starting immediately.

I accidentally bumped into her. With my hip against her arm. It made her drop own of her weird sticks. "Hey!" She shouted. It sounded so dry. "What's the big idea?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." I pretended to be nice, I picked up the dropped stick. "What's this?"
"Why should I tell you?" Wow, she's already at this stage with me? I must suck at pretending. Still gonna try.

"I'm just curious."

She sighed. "Well, you're lucky I'm in a good mood. I'm a fortune teller for one thing. I have powers of the occult, very few others have this."
"Hm."
"I got separated from my beloved Lemres and then- Hey."

I swiped the other stick off of her as she stared at me like I was an idiot.

"And now you've lost these things along with your boyfriend."
"Give them back! They're really expensive!" She's so cute trying to jump up and down. Her long hair annoyed face especially.

"What? Too poor to afford metal?"
"Th-they're enchanted."
"So more reason to keep i- oh, hehe almost, dwarf!"
"I'M JUST SHORT!"

I did not expect her to have such a scary face. I almost dropped them. It didn't last long. Like seeing Klug's upset face when I take his book.

We went on with this. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get it. And I denied anything else she tried other than jumping. She's breaking down~

"C'mon. Give'em back already." She sobbed.

I kept dangling her sticks above her. This was relaxing. But now I'm getting bored And no grown-up came to her aid. I'll wrap it up. Or I'll… Ohohoho. "Not until you say sorry for trying to scare me, occult-y stuff neeeeeeeerd. Hey, come to think of it, I think these sticks let me see your future, pipsqueak."

"That's not how it works…" She kept on jumping.

"Pft. Whatever. I'm seeing," She unraveled the goth girl's red string normally tied into a stylish bow with my free hand. "That you'll lose your string! HA!" She twirled it cruelly above Feli's head.

"That's a gift from Lemres…" She sounded like she gave up.
"There you go again, talking your boyfriend. Why don't try and find him? Then face the reality he probably left you there! I'm keeping these to relieve you of your memory."

Wow. That did it. I broke her. The imp ran off crying without her string and sticks.

And I forgot to set fire to everything… Naw, I enjoyed myself. I still have time. And I got two neat sticks out of it. I put the string in my pocket and played around with them. I spin them around like those cowboys spun their heaven machines on the projectors. "Pew pew peeew."

"Hi Amitie." Guess I'm not allowed to have fun though. Ringo and Arle walked up to me. I've seen their pet and that hat too much today.

"Oh, you two… I'm not done yet finding myself."

"But we are." Arle said in the most annoying way she probably could. She took off that disgusting hat. And I don't mean it's dirty, but it is. "We found your identity. We came to give you back." That's a weird way to say something.

"So can you clear something up for me?" I asked patiently.

"Sure."
"Shoot."
"Gu…"
"Carby said I dunno."

"So, this dirty hat." I poked the hat two times. "Is my identity?" They better be kidding.

"Yep."
"An oversimplification, but it's true."
"Gugu! Gu gugu gugu gu gu gu."
"It's comfy."

"So when people see this hat, they think immediately of me?" Looks like I'm gonna start a fire now anyway.

"Eh…"

"Gu! Gugu gu- GUU!" I yanked the thing out of Arle's hands. I stretched the elastics as hard as I could. "GU! Gu-gu gu gug- Guuuuu guuuuuuu…" Why does that thing care? That much? Even its owners aren't as torn up as this hat will be.

I slammed it to the ground as hard as I could. It didn't land as hard as I wanted so I stomped on it too for good measure.

"Stop!"
"Stop!" Both of them yelled.
"No way I'm gonna be remembered like that. I want to be remembered as the girl that terrorized the whole town."
"Excuse me!?" Ringo flinched hard.
"You heard me! I won't be remembered as you remember me. Whatever that was!"
"So you're evil?"
"What do you think? Schmarle!"

I'm channeling a harmless flame spell through my finger. Pointed it at the hat. "Don't burn it!" The two of them got ready to save it.

I've never hurt someone on purpose. I smirked. And it looks like that's not gonna change. "Just try me. Flame."

To my surprise Carbuncle jumped in the way. She took the hit. "Carby!" Arle went to her pet's aid. "Ringo, you deal with her!"

"Of course! Let's Puyo Puyo!" She looks deadly serious. Too bad I fought them already. They're easy. I checked for Raffine just in case. Sh-Should've done that earlier. The coast is clear.

"You're willing to fight for a pet?" I stared at Arle wrapping the scorched thing up. Dousing the flames, cradling it!? "Ha! No dumb hat is worth it, you stupid yellow rat."

"Make her eat those words, Ringo!"
"This is for your own good, Amitie."

"Stop calling me by my Father's name!"

"Your…"
"…father?"

"My name's AJ! I'm so gonna win against you lame-os!"

"Lame…"
"…Os?"

"PUYO PUYO ME!" Fire came out of my eyes and palms. Pretty sure my hair's on fire too.

We're fighting now. And I don't know why. This one girl was suddenly as tough as nails. Why do they care so much about a hat? We're in a struggle lock over that thing. One time she's doing good then I'm doing so. You get the idea.

Hahahahaaa! Hahahahahaaaaaa! I win. Ringo's down, I'm exhausted, and Arle's cradwing hew widdle baby. "Come'm, Superzewo. Thwow that away, and fight me." I was panting a bit hard. Maybe I shoul- Naw, that'll be when I'm gonna burn.

"N-Not yet…"
"What?" Ringo's had enough energy in her to stand.
"Re… Remeh… Rematch please."

"Fine. Make winning more fun for me!" It isn't. I'm totally out of flame. "I won't be forgotten." I inhaled deeply: "Let's…"
"Pfpuyo Pppuyo."

So we started playing.

"Y-You're…" The tired applehead tried to say something.
"Let it out."
"You're creepy."
I blushed and giggled as I stacked my 7-Chain. Creeping her out even more.
"In some ways, you're already what the real Amitie wants to be, except everything…"

I'm confused. "She? What are you talking about?! Who you know me for? TOO BAD! I'M THE REAL AMITIE!"

"We figured." Arle's voice came from behind me. I jumped a litt