Summary: It didn't matter what had gone wrong, because there was a much bigger question to ask: what happens when a self-aware NPC dies?

Rated for swearing.

This is what happens when you write a lot of backstory and missing scenes and then write a character losing their memory. *snerk* XD; References mostly to Changes, Step by Little Step, and Off Period. Not in this order.

D: D: D: I am so sorry Fairsky, for my horrible characterisation of you!

The scene with Epictank – I have no idea where that came from! Especially the last bit! *is laughing so hard*

Argh, stupid pronouns. :P

Kaoliang is an alcoholic drink.

Reset

By Dark Ice Dragon

Return

The flight back didn't feel like it took that much time at all, but then, they'd been busy with answering Kenshin's questions – their conversations hadn't been linear in any way, Kenshin suddenly asking about something unrelated to what they'd just been talking about, which then set off another slew of questions, and the cycle continued from there. Even though they'd covered topics from travel (the carpet was the fastest transport Lan had been on – but she could only compare it to the ship) to drink (kaoliang was good, but she was never drinking it again) they somehow hadn't broached the subject about the system, NPCs or players. She'd at least been able to PM Lolidragon as soon as they entered Central Continent, explaining the situation to her. Lolidragon hadn't known what to do, but she said she'd talk it over with some more experienced GMs.

Now they were practically on top of Infinite City, the familiar sites laid out below them and getting bigger by the second. Dammit, it never seemed the right time to interrupt with that seriousness, not when Kenshin was so open and curious about everything and actually willing to ask about them. Lan sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. Okay, once they were standing on solid ground, then she'd explain. She wasn't sure what she'd say, but it had to be before Kenshin saw the NPCs in Infinite City.

They touched down in the city square and Lan was surprised she didn't see a lot of players walking around. A few of them recognised her and waved, but thankfully, they didn't approach. It was dark but – No. Nonono-

Shit! That was her alarm going off! But she hadn't-! Dammit! Why hadn't she told him straight away? Now he was-! No time, berate later, try to fix now. Lan span to Sunshine, who nodded in understanding as he rolled up his carpet.

This was not how she wanted Kenshin to re-find out about Second Life! "I am really sorry, Kenshin," she said, her voice strained, feeling guilt heavy in her stomach.

Kenshin looked at her, puzzlement written all over his face. "If you have to go…?"

Lan winced. "I do, but I don't want to."

"Oh."

And Kenshin didn't know why- Feeling like she wanted to crawl inside herself for leaving like this, Lan logged off.

* * *
He didn't understand why Prince had seemed so... against leaving. If he didn't want to go, then why did he?

Sunshine's carpet had disappeared while he had been talking with Prince, and Sunshine tilted his head towards him, his eyes sad. "Kenshin, there's something-"

"Sunshine!" a voice yelled, interrupting him.

He twisted towards where he'd heard it and had nearly freed his katana from its sheath when Sunshine stopped him with a tight hand on his shoulder. Why? They were being attacked! Someone always called out his name just before attacking him.

Running towards them was a human thief, her hair bouncing up and down with every step. She didn't look angry though -her eyes weren't narrowed, her stance wasn't aggressive- and she didn't have a weapon drawn. She sped towards them and then barrelled into Sunshine, rocking him back a few steps.

"Are you okay?" the woman demanded, her shoulders shaking, her head buried in Sunshine's shoulder. "Lolidragon said you were looking for Kenshin but you wouldn't answer my PMs!"

"Ah..." Sunshine hugged her, drawing her close to him. "We were in the Eastern Continent."

That seemed to mean something to her, her shoulders stilling. She peeked at him, and he stared back at her. "Well, you found him and he's fine, so we can spend some time together again!" The woman hooked an arm around Sunshine's, whose eyes widened when she began dragging him away.

"Wait! Fair sky, I need to-" He didn't hear the rest as they had already disappeared around the corner.

Who was that woman...? He hadn't been sure about helping Sunshine, but she hadn't been trying to hurt him, and his hair tie wasn't the target either. The voices had said nothing, apart from telling him what she was.

Hm. It looked like he was going to re-explore Infinite City by himself.

* * *
It didn't seem like he would tire of watching the river flow beneath him as it looped its way around buildings and then tumbled under the bridge. It was soothing to listen to, the constant gushing sound as it passed, and seeing the… stars in the sky as they glimmered in the water was nice as well. He didn't remember much about the river, but he stayed there, content for the moment.

A breeze picked up then, tugging at his hair and haori, and he stared as he saw nearby trees lose some of their leaves. They fluttered around, some landing in the river, others caught in another gust of wind, dancing higher and then out of sight.

Maybe he should explore the parks next. He frowned and examined that thought. There wasn't only one here? He hadn't taken in the full size of Infinite City when they'd landed, still distracted by just looking at every individual thing. It had seemed small when he'd first seen it, but now he wondered just how long it would take until he had seen everything again.

He stayed there for a few more seconds before he began to walk towards the cluster of trees that he could see just beyond where he stood. It didn't take long to get there, and he placed a hand on the first tree he reached. The bark was rough under his palm, deep cracks running up and down its trunk – it was different from the trees outside the Ghost Cave: they had been darker and smoother, though not by much. Grass rustled under his boots, but when he turned around, he had left no mark of where he'd tread, the grass springing back instantly.

It only took a few steps in before he could see that there was a theme of yellow in this park – orchids, roses, and yellow benches surrounded him, and those were the few things that he could name. …There was another park here that was coloured with purple, he was sure of it.

But before he went in search of that one, he would look around here first.

* * *
"Heeeey, wow, did you get on really early, or have you been on all night?" The elf paladin sat down with a heaving sigh on the fountain he had been gazing at (there was a dragon statue with its wings outstretched at the top of it, water sprinkling from its open mouth) and he took a half step away from her, watching her warily from the corner of his eyes. Apart from Prince, no-one had talked to him like… he wasn't sure what the word was. Sunshine, for some reason, didn't count. The elf's armour was similar to Prince's, though not as bulky and the chest had a green crest on its front, while her leggings had red triangles winding down it.

He didn't understand the question but-

'Oh, hey. You're on pretty late.' A pause. 'Or is it early?'

-it was familiar in some ways, if the… memory? –it had to be; he had never heard that voice before, except, he must have- was any indication.

"I don't know?"

The elf snickered behind a palm, though he could still see her teeth from where he stood. "On all night then," she said once her hand was away from her face again. "I'm Epictank."

"Kenshin." That was what he was supposed to use, wasn't it? That was what Sunshine and Prince called him instead of Demon Lord.

"Nice ta meet'cha." Epictank blew a sigh through her teeth, and then she smiled at him. "I only came on to check my mail; I hope I meet you again later – you're cute." She froze a second later and then flickered out of view.

…What?

* * *
He was getting used to not being treated as… someone to be attacked on sight. Some people, for no other reason than the fact that he was there, came up to him and talked to him. They seemed to have a habit of calling him 'Newbie' when he didn't know the answers to their questions, but they were willing to answer his, and the Newbie name was teasing, he could tell that much. They came and went, some taking him to places of interest, especially when they found out this was his first time in the city. He wasn't really lying when he said that. The castle of the City Lord was large and he was interested in what it looked like inside; the stadium where the City Lord sang was just as large, and he stayed there as something teased his memories.

Every seat had been filled, from the top row in the stand to the wide space in the middle. Filled with - people (there had been another word there, but 'people' had slotted itself in before the other could surface). His view was not from looking at the stage though, but looking out from it. Had he been performing?

He heard the sound of someone approaching quietly from behind him, and then that stealth fell as the person rushed towards him. He span around, and there was a screech as two blades skittered across each other. He used his hilt to lock the other blade in place. Dark hair framed a human (warrior) face, brown eyes narrowed in concentration. He pushed forward, trying to use the reach of his katana before the other could use his sword. The warrior leapt away easily. Skin-tight black clothing, highlighted by silver.

They exchanged blow after blow and a few times, he had nearly been hit, but when that happened, at the last second, the other's blade seemed to change direction or lose some of its speed. He knew this man's moves though – he knew them well enough that he also knew how to counter them, but he wasn't quite fast enough, the pause between seeing, knowing and then moving with that knowledge different from knowing and moving before it happened. But as the fight wore on, it became easier to predict from a twitch of a muscle, the distribution of weight and then to counter when the attack came.

In the end, the fight (spar? That was what it had been, wasn't it?) finished when the man lowered his sword from the ready position, his katana following a few seconds later. The man hadn't been trying to kill him, or steal his hair tie and going against an opponent who could match his speed was different from his previous fights.

"You're rusty from not playing for so long," the other person noted. Had sparring together been regular occurrence before? And playing – relaxing helped his fighting ability? "Drink?"

If it helped… "Yeah." Maybe he could try the kaoliang Sunshine and Prince had talked about.

* * *
There was something… different about some of the people around him, but he couldn't tell what it was. By the time he'd noticed when he was drinking with Arctic Fox (a few people had challenged him to a fight, but he'd refused), he had to leave as well so he couldn't ask him.

The whispers only gave him information on certain people, and he couldn't see a pattern for who they would tell him about and who they wouldn't. Their waitress was someone he didn't get titbits of knowledge about, and as he walked around Infinite City again, he saw that there were a few people that were the same. It had been important that he didn't know what Sunshine was when they'd first met, but why?

'We aren't meant to fight each other.'

That had been Sunshine's voice. So, if he knew what the person was, he was supposed to fight them? But… no-one attacked him here, not like when he was in the Ghost Cave. He didn't want to fight to the death either. Did they need to fight? He didn't think so, especially if it was over his hair tie.

He hadn't seen anyone who was the same as Prince though – he knew what Prince was, but there was also something else there at the back of his mind that he couldn't pinpoint, that he couldn't explain in words.

He should ask him about that the next time he saw him.

* * *
Ugh, whhhy did she have to have one class first thing in the morning and then have one class in the afternoon? There were too many hours in between them, but not enough that she could go home and be able to play for a decent amount of time before going back to class! Worriedly, Lan scanned the city square, trying to see if she could see Kenshin. How had he taken it? That question had been on her mind the whole day, making her lose her appetite and unable to concentrate properly.

"Prince, you're back!"

Oh, not now. But Gui kept hurrying towards her, an eager grin on your face. "You didn't end up on another boat, did you?" he asked wryly as soon as he was close enough to be heard.

Aha… Not exactly, no. "I didn't waste any more money," she said, still keeping an eye out for a bright haori, or white hair.

"Whew, that's good – Yulian wanted to talk to you as soon as you got back."

That got her full attention. Erk. She hadn't spent any money while she was away, so she was safe from Yulian's wrath. Unless it was something else. Lan followed Gui back to the castle, her attention split with different worries.

* * *
Well, that hadn't been so bad, Lan sighed to herself once she left the room. It was a good thing Kenshin and Sunshine had gotten her that piece of the door or else who knew what would have happened. Still, she'd been away from the city for so long she'd have to do a couple of concerts to build the funds back up; nothing too bad, and it could have been a whole lot worse.

Lan's arm was snagged and she was pulled down the corridor, hopping all the way as she tried to keep her balance.

"What – hey – Lolidragon!"

"Shh!"

Wha-? Lolidragon's face was uncharacteristically serious and that was enough for Lan to keep quiet. There was no-one else around apart from some NPCs, so they didn't get any funny looks as they ducked into an empty room.

Lolidragon shut the door behind them and then leaned back on it for a few seconds before shaking her head and pushing herself away from it. "I talked to some other GMs who know more about how Second Life and technology works."

Lan would have been happy to know if Lolidragon's tone wasn't quiet. Final. "Okay…?" she said hesitantly.

"There is a way for Kenshin to get his memories back – the system keeps regular restore points so all we'd have to do is… 'reset'-" Lolidragon winced "-his data to a point before he died. Except…" She trailed off, looking away.

"Except what?" Lan's head buzzed with too many what-ifs, spun with so many different emotions flying around in her mind she couldn't name them all.

"I'm not experienced enough or know enough to attempt to try," Lolidragon finished, shoulders slumping. "I don't want to mess around with Kenshin's…" She struggled for words. "Code, just in case I make things worse."

Everything slowed down as the realisation began to take hold. "And you can't ask anyone to help." Obviously. Because-

"They'd think he'd been 'buggy' anyway and leave him as he is."

"But…" Lan shook her head, her breathing going uneven. "He's remembering things. He knew about Snow Village - Sunshine! He knew how to get out of the Ghost Cave! So, he'll remember everything else as well." Right? He would, wouldn't he?

"Lan…" Lolidragon said gently, "Kenshin was supposed to know those things; those were set by the system. And…" She sighed, scratching the back of her head. "When information in the system is deleted, it's not actually 'gone' - not completely. The data's flagged as space that can be written over with new data." Lolidragon hesitated, biting her lip. "The memories are there but," -she took a deep breath- "they're being written over with new information."

Wait. So everything they had done with Kenshin was… Lan's mind blanked, not wanting to finish that thought. "There isn't anything we can do about it?"

Lolidragon shook his head.

Dammit...

* * *
Lan didn't know what to think. She didn't want to think either. She'd certainly feel better if she didn't, if she lost herself in a dull haze.

"Prince!"

Turning her head sharply, Lan could see Sunshine running towards her. Alone. Where was-? He halted in front of her, worry radiating from him.

"I wasn't able to tell him-"

What?

"-Fairsky pulled me away before I could and I haven't been able to find him."

Kenshin had been wandering Infinite City (Maybe. What if he left?) for hours not knowing about Second Life and at that time, NPCs probably outnumbered the players. What did he…? Just – just find him first. "Where do you think he'd-" No, that wouldn't work. Kenshin didn't have regular places he'd visit now. "Where have you looked?"

"The taverns, the purple park, and the sword shops and book shops – no-one's seen him."

And if he kept moving around, he might have gone back to them anyway. It'd be better if they split up again to try and find him but... She threw a cursory glance around her, just in case he was standing somewhere obvious and they were missing him.

Huh? Lan craned her neck to peer into the inn window. "Uh… found him."

"Really?" Blinking, Sunshine peeked inside. Kenshin was still there, sitting at one of the tables, his eyes flicking at everything. Lan and Sunshine shared a look and then went in.

Kenshin noticed them straight away and waved at them, a small smile on his face. So, he didn't know? It made Lan feel better, but only marginally.

As soon as they sat down, a waitress swept towards them, a plate of steaming meat buns in her hand.

"And that's fifteen meat buns for you!" The waitress smiled at Kenshin as she set the plate down. "Would you two like to order?" she asked, turning to Lan and Sunshine.

Lan shook her head.

"Are you going to eat all of them?" Sunshine asked Kenshin, his eyes wide, as the waitress walked away.

Kenshin frowned, picking one up. "I don't know. This was what came to mind when she asked."

…Lan was going to ignore the image of Kenshin trying to eat Meatbun.

Taking a bite and then chewing, Kenshin cocked his head to the side, and looked at her. "Why are you different from everyone else?"

"Huh?" Did he know she was-? No, that couldn't be it.

"You feel… different from other people. Even more different than the…" He stopped, his eyebrows drawing together.

"People you don't know about?" Sunshine finished quietly.

Kenshin's face cleared, and he nodded.

And Lan had no idea what they were talking about.

"That's because you're Prince's pet."

Lan grimaced at the bluntness –not that Sunshine was intending that- but she didn't know how else to put it either. If she'd tried to tell him, she would have probably said the same thing. She looked around the inn and, thankfully, there wasn't anyone close enough to hear their conversation. Lan bit her lip, bringing her attention back to Kenshin.

How was he going to take it?

* * *
He was Prince's pet? He looked at Prince from the corner of his eyes – he was quiet, his eyebrows drawn together.

Sunshine didn't lie.

"Why am I your pet?" he asked, turning to the elf fully. Prince didn't treat him like a pet – he hadn't tried to pet him, leash him or tell him what to do.

Prince winced, his head dipping. "It's because of a quest you helped me to complete." There was a pause as he looked away. "You were the reward," he said quietly.

That was why Prince was different from everyone else? Because he was his master? "And everyone else?" Why were there two different kinds of people? Unless… The people who the whispers didn't tell him about were also other people's pets?

Prince took a deep breath, his fingers shredding one of the napkins that had been on the table. "They're… They're NPCs: Non-Player Characters. It means-" Prince stopped, eyes flicking away. "This world, Second Life," he said slowly, looking up, "everything here, it – it doesn't…" He shook his head. "It was created as a game."

"The people who you get information about," Sunshine said, picking up instantly when Prince fell silent, "are 'players'. Players are people who come to Second Life for fun."

That… didn't make a lot of sense. This world had been created? "How long has… Second Life been-" he frowned, trying to find the right word, "-existing for?"

"A couple of months."

He looked sharply to Prince when he heard that. A couple of months? That couldn't be right. "But I remember growing up in Snow Village. Kaoru." It still hurt to say her name; was she still waiting for him? "I fought the Dark God years ago." He was sure of it.

"Kenshin," Prince said unhappily, holding his gaze, "most of your memories are… They're not real. They were – okay, I don't what they did, but I think they put in information that makes you believe it happened."

But then, what was real? If what he thought was the truth wasn't, then could he trust any of his memories? "Everything I remember…?"

"Maybe," Sunshine said. "Do you remember anything else that isn't about Snow Village, Kaoru, or the Dark God?"

He frowned, probing his memory. But, even if he did find something, wouldn't that also be the same as his other memories? Still. Not everything in his mind could have been placed there. There had to be something that had actually happened.

"A purple ribbon around a tree," he said eventually. He hadn't been able to find that park yet and see it with his own eyes again. There were other images tied to that, now that he was trying to bring his memories to the surface.

"Books, and ice-cream." He didn't know what he'd read, or what flavour the ice-cream had been, but the memory of those items was different from when he thought about the Snow Village, or everything else he thought had happened. It was less clear and that, contradictorily, made them more real than what he remembered in perfect clarity.

A smile grew on Sunshine's face. "I remember those – that had been with Lolidragon."

The name didn't mean anything to him, though he did get flashes of long red hair. "That happened here." He wasn't sure if he meant that as a question or as a statement, but either way, it had to have – there was only one small park in Snow Village, and that had been bare of any decorations; the village wasn't big enough to have a shop that only sold ice-cream either.

"Yes."

Good; not everything he knew was a lie.

Prince's fidgeting had moved to the meat buns, tearing tiny pieces of the dough off. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about this earlier." His eyes were downcast, his shoulders hunched over.

"It doesn't matter." And it didn't. If he'd known before coming to Infinite City, he wasn't sure what he would have thought, but he doubted he would have been so interested in exploring and he wouldn't have talked to the… players? as much either.

His life before was a lie, but he knew his life here wasn't, that there were people here who cared for him, even if he didn't remember them. Even if he couldn't remember, he'd just have to make new memories with them.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to eat all these meat buns." He was fairly sure he would be full after two, and definitely after three (why had he ordered fifteen the first time?) but he wasn't alone at the moment.

Sunshine had already picked one up, and he handed another to Prince, who nearly dropped it as soon as it was in his hand. Prince stared at it for a few seconds, his body relaxing slowly, and then he took a bite.

Smiling to himself, he took a second meat bun and began eating it. Afterwards, he'd ask them to show him around Infinite City; exploring by himself had been interesting, but he'd expect it to be more fun if he was doing it with other people.

I was hoping that Kenshin would start thinking of himself as 'Kenshin' by the end of it, but I wasn't sure how to actually show this. =/

Waaaaah, this could potentially keep going but I have no continuing plot for this, sorry.