Eternity's Passing

"S-Souji! Look out!" Yosuke Hanamura cried out, dashing forward in a panic. He had to get there in time to take the blow, he had to...!

His efforts were for naught, however. Souji turned in time to see the Angry Table, but not to block or deflect its attack. With a grunt of pain, the grey-haired teen fell to the floor, blood gushing from a new cut across his face, down his neck, and across part of his chest.

It was barely a second later that Yosuke collapsed to his knees at Souji's side. Laying one hand gently on the other teen's face, the brunet turned his face slightly, trying to get a better look at the injury. Gasping with shock at the sight that met his honey-brown eyes, Yosuke recoiled slightly. His partner, their leader, had just lost an eye.

"Y-Yukiko-san! Hurry, you have to heal him!"

"Amaterasu!" cried the black-haired girl, spinning her fan to snap the tarot card in half.

The soft glow of healing surrounded the entire party as Naoto finally finished off the last shadow. Hurrying over, the blue-haired girl knelt alongside her other two companions.

"Is Senpai okay?"

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Yosuke shook his head. "D-dammit...no! Yukiko...try Samarecarm! Oh my g-you have to help him! Souji, wake up, dammit!"

As Yukiko tried her next healing spell, Yosuke patted Souji's cheek frantically, calling for his friend to wake up.

Three spells later, a panting Yukiko shook her head, tears creeping into her eyes. "I-it's no good...I can't heal him..."

"D-don't say that, Yukiko-san...you can't be...try again!"

As the two were talking, Naoto moved in closer to Souji. Pressing her fingers to his bloody neck, she felt for a moment before gasping and jerking her hand back.

"S-senpai..."

"What is it, Naoto-kun?" asked Yukiko, clearly shaken as more tears of fear and frustration threatened to leak from her eyes.

"Souji-senpai...he...he has no pulse..." Naoto muttered softly, her calm composure badly shaken.

"W-what? No way!" Yosuke cried. Grabbing Souji's wrist, he tried to feel for a pulse, only to be rewarded with...nothing. "D-dammit, Souji, wake up!" Wrapping his arms around his best friend—his boyfriend—Yosuke held him tight. "Y-you...have to wake up..."

"What's going on over there, guys? Senpai's down...why haven't you helped him yet?"

Yosuke barely noticed as Naoto got up and made her way back slightly further back down the hall to where Rise was with Teddie, Kanji, and Chie protecting her. He barely even registered the shocked gasp, followed by feet pounding up and surrounding him. He simply clung to Souji's limp form, quietly murmuring for him to just please wake up.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually he registered that someone was rubbing him gently on the back—had he been crying? He wasn't sure.

"Yosuke, we should get out of here..."

Turning to face Chie, Yosuke shook his head. "Nanako-chan...we can't leave her."

"We've all agreed that saving her is...going to have to wait until another day, Yosuke," Chie explained to him, her own voice hoarse from sobbing. "Right now...Yosuke, he's dead. W-we need to take care of Souji."

Clutching Souji to him, Yosuke rose in a daze, oblivious to Naoto pulling out a Goho-M and warping them from this hell-hole. What would they tell Nanako when they finally rescued her? That her beloved big brother had died trying to save her? And Doujima...he would surely be livid when he found out. Where could they take Souji, anyway? It wasn't like they could just walk into Junes with him, or...

"Yosuke...Yosuke!"

Yosuke was snapped from his thoughts by Chie yelling to him. Turning to her, he blinked slowly in acknowledgement.

"Oh gosh, Yosuke...look, let Kanji carry him. Y-you're a mess..."

It was only then that Yosuke realised how tightly he was gripping the still form of his best friend. Clinging to him like somehow it would be real if he ever let go, but as long as he held Souji, it would all just be a horrible nightmare.

"No..." he heard himself mumble, as if from a distance. "I want to carry him..." 'Because this is my fault,' he added to himself, 'I failed him.' He should have gotten there faster. If he had just moved faster, then...then Souji wouldn't be...

Unable to bring himself to even think it, Yosuke glanced around the entry hall, where the whole party now stood, clearly uncertain as to what to do.

"D-dammit!" Kanji yelled, stomping his foot in agonised frustration. Yukiko and Rise had begun crying again, Chie doing her best not to break down again also while comforting her friends. Although, it was obvious Chie would not be able to hold out long herself. Teddie remained silent, although his suit seemed to just have...deflated.

And then there was Naoto. The short girl's calm facade was clearly broken, but she managed to hold it enough to support the team.

"H-how...are we gonna explain this one?" Rise asked, tears flowing from her eyes.

Covering her face with one hand, effectively hiding her eyes, Naoto shook her head. "We're...not going to have to."

"How? How is that possible?" asked Yukiko, her voice wavering noticeably.

"We...we can't take him back."

Yosuke said nothing. He had already reached the same conclusion earlier, as his mind was frantically trying to work everything out. Junes...was no place for a body. Not even Souji's.

"What? How can you say that?! S-senpai, h-he...we can't leave him here!" Kanji yelled, eyes narrowed in a mixture of anger and pain.

"But we have to," Yosuke stated quietly. "We have to leave him here...to re-enter our world during the next fog..." Yosuke was amazed at how calm and controlled his voice was—he was sure it was just the initial shock—but he carried on resolutely. "I don't want to anymore than the rest of you...but what choice do we have?"

Slowly but surely, the others began to nod their agreement. They did not want to do it—none of them did—but they realised that it had to be done. They really had no other choice.

Setting Souji down carefully, Yosuke motioned for the others to start filing out. Of course, when they returned to rescue Nanako they would have to see him, cold and still, every time they came here. It would be like going through hell. Once the final person had departed through the television, Yosuke bent down and planted a gentle kiss to Souji's brow.

"I...I love you, man. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you that before." Righting himself, the brunet teen ran for the exit, diving through it without looking back. Sure, they would likely be back the next day—Nanako could not wait—but for now, Yosuke knew he needed to go home and sob until he died of dehydration.

When Yosuke emerged in Junes, he was unsurprised to see the others already dispersing. Pulling off his blazer to hide the blood staining it, Yosuke did the same. Heading straight home to collapse on his futon and sob all night long. Tomorrow would be another day, but for now he knew he had failed worse than he ever had before.

"Souji..."

Yes, yet another kink meme fill for me. And this one angsty. I hope I got the emotion right, that's all I can say. Feedback would be wonderful. Hope you enjoyed it!