[ didn’t have her memories of this place. oh. that’s… not what he wants to hear. it’s not overly common, but there’s enough of a revolving cycle that it’s a well established fact that gembonded come an’ go. at any given point, he can be sent back to their reality. he gets that. fully accepts it. but up until, well, right now, he figured he’d remember his time here. it’s a tough pill to swallow because although going back has always been a necessity in his mind, there’s fear embedded in that responsibility. he’s dead there. he will return to being nothing; just a stray soul locked in purgatory, forced to watch from the sidelines as his friends suffer.

he thought he’d at least have this to remember. but he won’t, which also means… keith won’t. keith, who swears up an’ down that he’ll save shiro somehow, some way. if he doesn’t remember where shiro is though…

doesn’t matter. it was a pipedream. he made peace with his death ages ago, he can do it again. but acxa says... -- but it's difficult to trust that too much. as long as keith escapes the clone fiasco in one piece and manages to get back in time to help the team, then that’s all that really matters. wrapping up such dismal thoughts nice an’ neat like, he saves them for another time and refocuses on the mention of apology.

a beat of misplaced amusement catches him then and he’s weary on it, finding something exasperating, yet humorous about her being the one to apologize. ]

You’re only allowed to apologize if I get to too. [ not that he’s going to let her beat him to the punch. ]

I know I dropped the ball here. [ do alteans use this idiom? excuse shiro, he’s busy sighing. ] And I’m sorry that it turned out the way it did, Princess.