Aarmau: Remember Me, Remember Us, Just Remember

Chapter 21

As Aaron hands Aph her phone she drops it into her lap and covers her ears as the room erupts into a noisy mess. She wants to know what happened as much as Garroth and Zane but everyone talking at once is not helping.

Aaron is almost as overwhelmed as Aph but it's her racing heartbeat that forces him to react. "Hey! Everyone talking at once is not getting us any answers. I think someone needs to talk to Zianna first and then if you don't learn anything new talk to someone who's good with magic."

Lucinda looks up at the ceiling, "Of course, we'll talk to my mother. She can help us figure this out. Garroth, Zane, if you don't have anything to do please come with me and we'll get to work."

Aph closes her eyes and practically collapses against her pillow. Just listening to everyone is draining and she feels her mind begin to drift.

Within 15 minutes the only ones left in the house are Aaron and Aph. Garroth, Zane, Kim, Kawaii~Chan and Lucinda leave for Hydria's. Laurence, Dante, Travis, Rowan and Carter head for Laurence's house to hang out and give Aph some quiet. Melissa tells Aaron she has to go to work for a couple of hours while Katelyn, Sylvana and Eric, despite Sylvana's protests, head to Katelyn's house. Everyone else wanders off to either go to work or just to get away from the chaos.

Aaron finishes putting the breakfast dishes away while Aph gathers her thoughts. Who would make someone purposefully forget someone? She looks at Aaron and wishes his memory loss was that simple. She knows it's her fault he was hurt. She waited too long to turn him back.

She shakily lifts her phone again and struggles to search through her pictures again. She finally stops on the picture Kawaii~Chan took of their group at A-Con when Aaron first asked her to be his girlfriend. It was so long ago.

Her hands and phone drop to her lap and her eyes wander to the ceiling as she considers the hell her life has become. She would do anything to go back in time and change things. To be less stupid, less weak.

She tries to block out the sound of Aaron walking back to her bed but her heart refuses. She turns her head to look at him and sighs.

Aaron can see the sadness and it bothers him. "Hey Shu, what are you thinking?"

Aph forces herself to look back at the ceiling and then closes her eyes, "It's nothing F.C."

Aaron might not remember Aphmau but Shu was always able to tell him anything. "The Shu I do remember would never keep anything from me. And she would always listen when I needed to talk."

Aph opens her eyes again and shakes her head, "I just...I just wish I could go back and give everyone a do over, you know? I want to be less stupid, less weak. If I had just listened, if I had just paid attention things might have turned out different. I went into that damn cave to confront Ein. If I hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to use me to get to you."

Aaron reaches out to grab her hand but she pulls her hand away, grabs the collar of her gown and pulls it down until he sees the scar over her heart. "If I hadn't been in the cave, you wouldn't have come looking for me and he wouldn't have been able to do this. You wouldn't have had to watch me die. I know what happened after that. The Guardian Force made sure to show me. I know it's my fault!"

The image of a cave appears before his eyes. He sees Aphmau standing up on a rocky ledge next to a man with dark black hair and a blue streak between his eyes. He can't make out what the man is saying but he watches Aphmau jump from the ledge and begin running away. Seconds later a green ray of light races through the air and bursts through Aphmau's chest. He watches her freeze in place as she looks down at a hole close to her heart and then drops to the ground.

The image vanishes and without missing a beat Aaron reaches for her hand again. He makes sure she's looking at him as he sits on the side of the bed. "Shu! Aphmau! It's not your fault! Things go wrong! You can't predict them; you can't control them. All you can do is accept them and go on. I have no doubt you did what you had to do. If I came to that cave it was because it was my choice. Everything happens for a reason and going back would not change the outcome. All we can do is learn and grow from the experience. We either chose to let it destroy us or move past it. I will not let this guilt destroy you. If I'm going to find myself, to find us I can't do it alone."