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When Rin went to the past, he hadn't expected to return to the present two years older than when he left. It was so strange to have grown and changed, seen things he had never expected or wanted to see, while his friends hadn't changed a bit.
He’d have been changed even if he hadn’t spent so much time in the past. The near-destruction of his demonic heart was as life altering as his demonic awakening, just in a different way.
It was a little different with Shiemi because she was in a similar situation as him, only hers wasn't because of time travel. It was some other time altering thing that Rin couldn't understand. At least it seemed to have done her good. She seemed stronger and surer than before, which couldn’t be a bad thing.
Rin didn’t think his adventures had the same benefits for him. Fresh grief threatened to crush him and he was still struggling with Shirou’s death before getting to see him. Still, there was no time left to doubt. They were so close to the finish line. So close to ending the war, one way or the other.
He wasn’t sure how seeing the past was supposed to help him move forwards. Why make him feel sympathy for Lucifer and Satan before throwing him into battle with them? Mephisto must have had a plan, even if Rin couldn’t see. Rin wasn’t the smartest or the best strategist (unless the strategy was to use his flames to burn everything) but he knew Mephisto was. At least, he was better than most people.
(Mephisto was probably cheating with his time powers as well)
Getting to talk to everyone (see and properly talk to his brother for the first time in what felt like a lifetime) was a balm on a wound he hadn’t realised how much it hurt until it stopped. He didn’t think much about how lonely and isolated he’d been while exploring the past with only Mephisto to talk to but now he was all too aware of how awful it had been.
He couldn’t tell them everything that had happened. It was too much to go through in too little time and some of it was entirely too personal. Rin also had a feeling that Mephisto was right when he said Yukio shouldn’t know. Maybe one day but not now.
For now, he’d celebrate being back in his present and his friends could celebrate his return.