The Popping of B, Part Two: The Unpopping of Matt

[12panelwonder]

Beyond stood in front of a kernel of popcorn. Instinctually, he knew that this one represented Mail Jeevas, aka Matt

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[mello_n_choco]

I'm at the point where I can walk around the campus and not be too worried about who I meet. It's been awhile. I need to start moving forward, moving on. It's not like me to hide all the time.

So, it's more of a test of myself than anything, walking by the popcorn room, looking for his name.

Only...only...why can't I find it? I know his real name. I know both of his names, they're not there. Fuck...

No...he was gone. Near wouldn't do that to me. He wouldn't. It was too hard on him. I look into the room, around the corner.

Fuck...

[12panelwonder]

"Mello? Hey. Did I pop? I don't remember coming here on my own. Last thing I remember's being on the computer...shit! I just left that open for anyone to get into!" He began to run out of the popcorn room.

[mello_n_choco]

"It's been put away," I said, my voice sounding weird to my own ears. "Weeks...Fuck..." I can't move away from the wall. Fuck...why? Why?

[12panelwonder]

"Wait. Weeks? So I did? Man, I'm sorry, Mello, I don't know what happened. Hey..." Matt tilted his head quizzically. "You okay?"

[righteous_pen]

Mikami had been checking the popcorn room regularly ever since finding Ofdensen. So far he hadn't run into anyone else there, severely injured or otherwise.

Today was different.

"...it would have to be you, wouldn't it."

[12panelwonder]

"Excuse me?" Matt remembered some things about Hogwarts.

Mikami was not one of them.

"Do I know you?"

[righteous_pen]

"You don't remember?" He hadn't heard about the memory loss effects of popcorning. Matt seemed genuinely confused, though.

[12panelwonder]

"No, I don't. I know that popping can apparently affect your memories. I know I can't remember you, if we met." He nodded. "Matt."

[pre_l]

It was a test, really, to see if he could look at Matt's name on the plaque. As he was approaching, an owl came up to him bearing a letter. He stood to the side of the hall, just around the corner from the popcorn room, holding the note between his thumbs and index fingers, reading quickly. Once through didn't make a lot of sense. He read it again. Why would B want them to go to the popcorn room?

He went around the corner, the note shoved into his pocket along with a hand, the other hand, thumb to his mouth. He slouched, partially an attempt to look harmless, partially because he was so used to standing and moving that way he moved better, if he needed to defend himself.

What he saw, though, he had no defense for.

"Matt," he said, his voice bland, calm. He felt anything but.

[12panelwonder]

"Ryuzaki."

Matt dragged on his cigarette.

They were close. He remembered that much. How close? He didn't know that. Were they just as close friends as he and Mello were? Brotherly? Lovers?

Matt didn't remember.

[pre_l]

Well, that was something. Matt wouldn't have known his name, that name or any of them by sight, if he'd forgotten everything. "What do you remember?" L asked, keeping his emotions out of his voice. Hope is too much. Dread too close. Chaos would be the best word for his mental state.

[12panelwonder]

"Some things. I know you and Mello and Near are here. I remember working on runes. I know you and I were close." He sighed. "How close I can't say."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I remember working on something on my computer. Then I found myself here. Mello said weeks passed. Is...is that true?"