Okay, actually, I didn't really plan to continue this one, and so the update is really, REALLY late, and I'm really sorry about that. Bet you didn't expect this, either. Very special thanks and love for everyone that has reviewed and read this story! Your encouraging reviews are what made me able to continue this story. Flame me if you like; I probably deserved it.

Prepare yourself; here comes the fluffiness!…or not.

Disclaimer: I don't own Odin Sphere, as if it's not obvious enough.

Lost and Forgotten Memories

It was cold, pleasantly cold. The chilling night air felt familiarly comfortable against her teal wings. Diving through the darkness of the night was not something she used to do, but it did wonders in helping her calm her mind.

"Mercedes, Ingway did die back then…"

Velvet's words kept replaying itself in her head.

"…He is no longer Ingway…"

Again and again, Mercedes was reminded of her conversation with the Valentinians, and the complicated mixture of feelings that came with it.

So he didn't forget, She thought. He simply doesn't know…

Her small feet gently landed on a high branch of a tree, and soon her back was leaning against the sturdy tree. She looked ahead as she sat on the strong branch, taking in the view of the dark forest surrounding her.

This was her home, and yet it wasn't.

The same forest and yet so different. The forest that was once so radiant, even in the darkest of night, had now rendered into a normal forest, as dark as any normal place would be under the night's blanket. Only the starry sky stayed the same. Only her memories of the forest stayed the same. Only she stayed the same.

Only her.

Years, decade had passed and changed the world. So why did she return, staying the same as she was a hundred of years ago? Why did she return with the memories that will forever stay as memories? Why did she return with him in her memories, when he did not?

Complicated feelings and thoughts filled her, and she was lost in it. To who now should she turns to in her confusion, now that every one she knew and loved was gone? She wanted to cry but she didn't feel sad. She wanted to be grateful for being brought back to life, but she didn't feel happiness. She was simply…confused.

Thoughts and feelings that was alien to her, tiring her mind every time she was lost in them. The night breeze washed over her, and the silence of the forest was inviting her into a peaceful slumber. All she needed to do was closing her heavy eyes….

"Found you."

She snapped out of her drowsiness as a familiar voice was heard. She looked to the ground below her, and found the man who had been haunting her mind standing just a few feet from the tree on which she was sitting on.

Ingway.

"Taking a night stroll?" She could hear him asked from below and realized that he was now swiftly climbing up the tree. It wasn't long before he was already standing on the branch just next to the one she was on.

She looked away and gave a silent nod in her reply, somehow not feeling ready to face him just yet. She wanted to ask why he was here, and yet she just couldn't seem to find her own voice.

"A night stroll is nice every now and then, but the forest at night might not be as friendly as it is at day, you know." A warning, she recognized. "Not that I could talk about dangers when I'm the one covered in bandages."

His last statement successfully gained her attention, as she quickly turned her gaze to him. With their close distance, she could now see the bandages that were warped around his head and right arms, and even some cuts on his face.

The remains of what the last accident did to him.

Guilt washed over her again, as she had blamed herself wholly as the cause of what had happened to him. Almost twice she lost him right in front of her eyes, and she couldn't bear the thought. She floated gently and reached out her hand, carefully touching the bandages covering his forehead.

"…I'm sorry." She said weakly, almost like a whisper.

Ingway was silent, dazed as it was the first time he had seen her in the night's shade. He knew that she was nothing like humans. She was a fairy, a being belonged to a long lost race. And yet, he couldn't help but to be dazed by her soft radiance.

He had watched her as she dived through the night sky. The way she floated so gently, the way she glowed when the whole world succumbed to the night's darkness, truly a beauty that didn't belong to this world. Truly like nothing he had ever seen.

"…Ingway?" Her sweet voice was heard.

And yet, nostalgic feelings kept overflowing him every time her voice called his name. As if he had known her before.

As if he had known her forever.

"You… So you truly do exist. I never thought I'd meet with a real fairy." He said as he caught her hand in his, making sure that she wasn't a mere illusion.

It was a simple comment, and yet a pang of sadness struck her as she was reminded of the fact that she had wished to be wrong: the fact that she didn't exist in his memories. But then, what had happened when he had called her name? Was it just a fleeting illusion when he had spoken of their old promise and held her?

Disheartened as she was, she slowly pulled her hand back, releasing herself from him and floated away. He was Ingway, and yet he was not.

Silence was heavy as she refused to look at him again, and instead just fluttered around, feeling the breeze of the night.

"You're avoiding me." His voice broke the silence, flat as he stated his thought. "Why?" He asked, his tone demanding answers as he watched her floating around.

Her wings stiffened as she heard his question, making her floating still mid-air; her back still facing him. "…What are you talking about?" She tried to sound indifferent, yet the slight quaver in her voice betrayed her.

Heavy silence once again hung in the air, as one tried so hard to act calm and the other carefully read his company's acts. The first to break the silence was the later.

"You looked away when our eyes met; turning away on the sight of me, and now you won't even face me. I think you know more than enough about what I'm talking about. " He stated, sounding almost impatient as a cynical tone escaped him.

Her heart throbbed as his words rang very true. True that for the past few days she had stayed with the Valentinians—Velvet and Cornelius had insisted her to—Mercedes had half-consciously tried to avoid any unnecessary contacts with him, if not almost ignoring him completely.

She was afraid, afraid of many things. Afraid that she would be reminded by the harsh fact, afraid that she wouldn't be able to manage her own feelings, afraid that she would unnecessarily reveal his past. After all, she might have been a part of the past he had wished to leave behind.

Yes, though as much as she'd hoped he would remember of their time together, of their promise, she was afraid that—though the chances were slim as it was—if he was to remember his past, it would end up hurting him instead, breaking his present life, his present happiness. And so, in her own way of trying to protect him, she had been trying to hold back and refrained herself from getting too close to him.

"I'm not." She denied, a bit too strongly than she intended to. "It's just… your imagination."

The last thing he had wanted to hear: lies. No matter how hard he had hit his head, he couldn't be that delusional. Though he didn't understand why, he grew even more impatient as she kept looking away. In one swift move, he reached out and caught her hand again, pulling her to him so that she was finally facing his way.

"You know me, right? Even before we first met." He said as their eyes finally met, remembering how she had called his name and cried on their first meeting. Or was it really their first? "And I knew you."

Surprised by the sudden force, she quickly looked away seconds after their eyes met, trying to struggle her hand out of his grip but to no avail. He had tolerated with her strange behavior long enough and now he needed answers.

"You're… wrong. As I said, you're just being… delusional." She tried reasoning her way out, shifting uncomfortably as she lied away. But he was not in the mood for petty act.

"Look at me in the eyes and tell me that the tears from that time were just my imagination too." He said, fiercely as he grew impatient.

She was at loss of words, unable to think of any logical reasons without revealing the truth. And then that feeling overflowed her again; the exact feeling she had felt when she had seen him again after a hundred of years had passed, when she had believed that he was forever gone.

He was there, right in front of her, so close to her, alive. And yet, he was not him, no longer the man that she had cared for back then. Her hands trembled as fear filled her. In the world where she no longer had a kingdom to rule, no people to protect, no home to return to, no one to turn to, she felt so lost and helpless.

So alone.

"I…" Her weak voice was finally heard, wavering as she tried hard to fight back her tears. "What am I….supposed to do?"

Her voice, trembling as her hand was, made him realized that he had almost lost his temper. He loosened his grip; a pang of pain struck him as he watched her tremble. They had just met, so why did he worry about her so? Why is it that every time he looked upon her feelings of lost and longing struck him so? As if she was always a part of his memories, a dear part that he seemed to have lost somewhere, an important part that he shouldn't have forgotten. And yet, no matter how much he searched, he just couldn't find her in his memories.

"I…" His heart was set, determined as he softly lifted her chin and gazed upon her hazel eyes. "I will definitely find you in my memories."

A.N: I don't know about this one… It's been so long since last I played the game so the mood is kind of…not right. And I know Ingway is OOC here, but that's because he is indeed currently not the Ingway we all know and love. Think the story is getting too sweet? Too fluffy? Need more action? Or maybe more fluffiness instead? Don't hesitate to click the review button and send your critiques! ;)