Memories of Old

Chapter 57: A Common Path

Chapter 57: A Common Path

The next memory cleared to show Feliciano sitting on the bathroom counter. His left leg swung lazily off the side as he leaned against the wall. Luci was staring back at him through the mirror, a somewhat haunted look in his eye that wasn't there before.

Feli sighed, leaning his head against the wall. "I'm sorry, Luci... I couldn't protect you."

"Idiot. It's not your fault... It was my own arrogance and stupidity that led us here." Luci argued.

"What loop number are you on?" Feli asked, shifting his gaze to lock eyes with his 2P.

"108." Luci stated with a grimace.

"So young..." Feli muttered, causing Luci to give him a strange look.

"Young?"

"I'm on loop 10,835." Luci choked on his spit in shock, causing Feli to snort in amusement.

"Dear God, Feliciano! How the hell are you still sane?!" Feliciano laughed. It was quiet at first before he dissolved into a fit of unmistakably unhinged laughter.

"I'm sorry." He wiped away a tear from his eye. "I just didn't realize my acting skills had gotten good enough to fool even you. Luciano... I haven't been sane since Loop One."

"I can see that, now... Wait... what's that shadow behind you?" Luci pointed to a transparent Yang, and Feliciano winced.

"Something I don't want to explain at the moment."

"Understood." Luci sighed. "So... apparently we can only communicate when we're in the same room? I tried to contact you earlier, having figured everything out—sort of—but all I saw was a reflection of the room I was in."

"I suppose so. How irritating. And here, I thought I'd finally found someone that could help me carry this..."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Memory Yang complained.

"No; even liver has value." Feli retorted back mercilessly.

"Buuuuuurn..." America whispered.

"Shut up." Yang twitched.

"At least we aren't truly alone..." Luci said, smiling softly at Feli. "I mean, even if we're moving at different speeds..."

"Different speeds?" Feli tilted his head in confusion.

"Si... you mean you didn't realize?"

"Realize what?"

"Most loops... we move at different paces. I could have one loop in the time it takes you to have several."

"Is that why I'm so drastically far ahead of you?" Feli wondered. "And here I thought you just went in 108 loops ago for me."

"It makes sense. Parallel worlds and parallel Mansions... time's already screwed up beyond even our comprehension... why can't our Mansions be moving at different paces?"

The scene abruptly shifted to show the two of them talking in the other bathroom, where Japan would fight the Thing in the early part of most Loops.

"I'm on Loop 173." Luci sighed.

"10,947" Feli answered.

"So you really do move faster than me..."

"What's your loop average?" Feli asked. "I mean, roughly how long does each loop last?"