Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider OOO, and I am making no money off of this. This is solely for my own and other's entertainment.
AN: Chapter 3! Only one more to go it seems. Enjoy!
Warnings: Spoilers through 48. Mentions of shonen-ai (Ankh/Eiji)
Returning and Reacquiring: The Memories
That night, for the first time he could remember, Ankh dreamed. He didn't dream of any one event in particular, but rather a collage of images, moments, and sounds that somehow managed to form one cohesive whole. He dreamt of the Medals and the Greed as they were before, of handing Medals and seal over to a man he'd just met. He dreamt of arguments fueled by stubborn personalities, of moments that had been so ridiculous and frustrating yet hilarious later on. He dreamt of working with another, trusting him as he hadn't trusted anyone before. He dreamt of a caring voice, of a hand extended to help. He dreamt of fear and pain that went hand in hand with joy and laughter. He dreamt of warmth both physical and not. All in all, he dreamt of Eiji, things the brunette had said and done that had led to who he was before to love the man who had stood next to him.
Ankh awoke the next morning feeling more confused and – though he'd never admit it – scared than he could ever remember feeling before. Without thinking about what he was doing, Ankh stalked silently over to the window and let himself out. It was still early, the sun hadn't fully risen over the horizon yet, so there was no one around to watch him as he leapt up and then from roof to roof, seeking higher ground and clearer air so that he might be able to clear his head.
He ended up at the top of some hill or other, and, by the time he had settled, the sun had fully risen and people could be seen on the streets down below. Taking a deep breath, Ankh calmed himself and tried to think rationally again. That odd, overwhelming dream he'd had had definitely been composed of some of his missing memories – the blonde even recognized a few from what he'd been told – there was no doubt in his mind about that, and, really, he should've expected something after the revelations of the previous afternoon.
What the hell was he supposed to do about it all anyway? It wasn't like he could act like it hadn't happened, not now that he had those memories in his head – soft touches, hushed whispers, smiles, and warmth that went deeper than the purely physical – and he had a feeling that those were just the tip of the iceberg. He also couldn't avoid Eiji forever, he knew that even if his first instinct was to get out. Closing his eyes in an effort to shut everything else out so he could just think, Ankh didn't even notice when he slipped seamlessly into sleep and straight into a dream.
"You're an idiot," Ankh heard a strangely familiar voice state, irritation clear in his voice.
Opening his eyes, Ankh found himself face-to-fact with a carbon copy of himself scowling down at him. Glancing around, he realized that they were in a different part of the park he'd found Eiji in yesterday. Looking back at his doppelganger, Ankh simply asked, "This is a dream isn't it?"
Giving him a look that clearly repeated his previous statement, his doppelganger said, "Of course, otherwise I couldn't be standing here in front of you."
"You're that damn voice in my head that keeps shouting at me," Ankh accused as sudden realization dawned on him. "Who the hell are you?"
The look the other blonde was giving him didn't change as he answered, "I'm you. More specifically, I'm the part of you that still remembers everything, so, yeah, I was the one shouting at you from inside your head."
Scowling at the other male, Ankh snapped, "So what the hell do you want? You keep yapping in my ear without telling me what I can do to shut you up."
The other blonde's eyes flashed for a moment before he had Ankh's lapels in his curled fists and was pressing him up against the tree as he snapped, "You need to stop being such a fucking coward."
Temper flaring in turn, Ankh grabbed the other male's arms in what should've been a bruising grip as he growled, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Snorting in disgust, the other blonde pushed away from him and stood with one hip cocked and arms crossed as he answered, "You know damn well what I'm talking about. That avoidance bullshit you pulled with Eiji. You knew something wasn't right, you knew from the beginning, but, instead of trying to delve into your memories or even just fucking asking, you pull this avoidance act to the point where every-fucking-body was telling you to man-up and talk to him."
Ankh opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn't form a retort because, god damn it, the other male was right. Instead he snapped, "You say that like it's so easy, but you aren't any better. I don't exactly remember you pouring your heart out or being Mr. Grace and Acceptance."
He saw something flash across the other's – his own – face before it was replaced by a sneer, "I am you or have you managed to forget that already? Besides, that's exactly why I'm telling you to start moving your ass before things go to shit again. We already made that mistake once and nearly lost the chance completely. I don't want to watch myself make the same mistake twice, especially when I know how it worked out for both parties last time."
Startled by the change, Ankh asked cautiously, "What happened?"
His other self looked away, and Ankh saw the same look flash across his face again, only this time he recognized it as…pain. Then Ankh was distracted again as the other blonde started speaking, "When we died…well, Eiji didn't handle it well to say the least. He barely waited long enough to heal before he started out, and that was mostly so he could earn a bit more money to travel with. When he said he spent those three years traveling to find a way to bring us back he wasn't exaggerating. He only stopped when he had to earn money or help others, and even then he never stopped more than a couple of days. Eiji very literally ran himself ragged for three years just to bring us back."
Stunned, Ankh stammered out, "But how…why?"
The other blonde smiled sympathetically and answered, "I know because we followed him, we didn't feel right about moving on until he was okay again. Obviously he never was. As for why, the reasons were the same for us as they were for him. Though neither of us said it aloud, we both knew we were falling. We left it alone because there was so little time an because I…you…we, whatever, were too stubborn, especially right at the very end."
Ankh thought for a moment then asked, "So, we were really…" He couldn't quite form the words, the idea was just so foreign – so human – that he couldn't imagine it. Then again, so were the concepts of self-sacrifice and death, and he had obviously gone through those.
His other self's lips twitched in amusement as he answered, "In love, yes. I'm still not sure how it happened, but it did. We love Eiji, and by some miracle he loves our stubborn, bitchy self right back."
After another moment, Ankh snorted as he muttered, "We're all idiots." The other blonde just nodded in amusement, and there was another pause before Ankh asked, "So how do I get everything back?"
The other blonde rolled his eyes at him and turned to walk away as he answered, "You just have to want to remember. If you go looking, thinking back, you'll find it all easily enough."
"Two more things," Ankh called a little louder as the other male began to walk away. "How do I know I won't just disappear into the background if I remember it all? And how the hell do I know this isn't just some really weird dream?"
Ankh could hear the eye roll this time as the blonde called back over his shoulder, "We may have become more human, but we didn't change that much. You're still you even if you have those memories; you just care a bit more. Also, of course this is a dream, you're talking to yourself after all. Doesn't mean that the advice is any less right, should make you trust it more as a matter of fact."
With that, the other blonde was gone, and, the next thing Ankh knew, he was opening his eyes to be greeted by mid-day sunlight on the hill where he'd first settled to think. Well, he had some of the answers he'd been looking for along with some he hadn't been. Now he just had to listen to his own advice and start digging up his memories.
It took longer than he thought it would. Ankh spent the rest of that day, not stopping until he was too tired to think anymore, and all of the next day to get everything back. In the end, though, he had it, and he had all his answers. Now he just needed to go talk to the useful idiot again.