Persona 3 YNA: And Life Goes On
April 4, 2010
"11:25… S-She should be almost here…"
Yukari is anxiously standing outside Tatsumi Port Island Paulownia Mall, a bead of sweat trailing down her face as she tugged at the collar of her shirt. She doesn't usually dress this formally. Pink blazer, white buttoned up shirt, and a tight pink skirt. Clothes that an office worker woman would wear and it wasn't really her style at all. Still, she knows that wearing certain clothes can help your mood in certain situations… and she needs to stay calm and professional right.
It's a surprisingly perfect day today. Not a cloud in the sky, the wind feels nice, and the temperature is ideal. Funny, considering the world was so close to meeting its end two months ago. Not to mention today's the day the pink archer's been looking forward to: Her meetup with her estranged mother. They haven't seen each other in ten long years and haven't been on the best of terms, so it won't be easy. Still, Yukari finally has closure for her father after what felt like ages of looking. All that's left is for her to confront her mom.
Yukari takes a couple deep breaths and pats her chest, trying to ease her pounding heart.
I-I-It's gonna be okay. Stay calm, stay calm.
*tap tap*
"H'OH GOD!" Yukari jumps when somebody suddenly taps her shoulder. She turns around to see a woman with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a modest gray sweater, gray jeans, and white strap sandals.
Yukari glares at the woman, who giggles at her expense.
"Ugh! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Yukari exclaims.
"Ahaha! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You just looked so tense, so I couldn't resist."
"You're still teasing me nonstop. Just like when I was little."
"Of course I am… After all these years, you still adorable.
"Oh, stop it." The two share a quick laugh and smile at each other.
"That did help a lot though," Yukari says. "... How was your trip down here, Mom?"
"Nothing to really complain about… But even if there was… I'm just… really happy to see you."
This was her. Yukari Takeba's mother, Hiyori Takeba. Age 39. When Yukari left her, she was working all kinds of night jobs at red-light districts. After her dad died, she would wander around with most risque clothes and alluring makeup on. This is the first time in years she's ever seen her look this modest… or this tired.
Hiyori rubs some of the drowsiness from her eyes before spreading out her arms to Yukari, like a mother would call to her child. But naturally, Yukari gives her an awkward look and rubs her arm. She wasn't mad, by any means. More like uncertain. A sign that her mother reads loud and clear as she brings her arms back and chuckles awkwardly.
"R-Right. Sorry. Little too early for that, huh?" she asks.
"After ten years apart, you know it… Let's just see how this goes first." Yukari's entire body told her to be wary of her since most of their exchanges have been so toxic. Still, she really wanted to give her a chance deep down. Especially after that phone call.
xxx
Yukari: "Hello?"
Hiyori: "U-Um… H-Hey, uh... I-It's me."
Yukari: "...!"
Hiyori: "D-Don't hang up! Please! Just… h-hear me out for a second. So… remember how I was thinking about… getting married again?"
Yukari: "... Uh huh…"
Hiyori: "... The thing is…"
…
Yukari: "What?! You're not gonna?! … You want me to forgive you…?"
Hiyori: "... The other day… when you said I wasn't being considerate of your father… you were right. I wasn't… And me shouting about him being gone and how we need to grow up and deal with it? … That was stupid. Me believing that getting married again to do so was stupid too… I-I'm thinking of maybe just... breaking the whole thing off."
Yukari: "B-Break up with him?! Wait, no! Don't do that! Do what you wanna do!"
Hiyori: "Ah ha ha. Well, that's a surprise. Here I thought you didn't care if I rotted in a ditch somewhere."
Yukari: "That's not what I meant. The whole thing with you getting married again? If that's what you wanna do, go ahead… I-I don't really care, so…"
Hiyori: "W-Well, I care if you care. That's why I…"
Yukari: "Listen, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine…"
Hiyori: "... Yukari, this… this isn't something I wanna talk about like this… Not over the phone…
Yukari: "Huh…?"
Hiyori: "S-So… I-I mean… if it's alright with you, maybe we could… uh…"
Yukari: "What? D-Do you… wanna get together and talk about it…?"
...
Hiyori: "I wanna see you… I wanna see your face… Just once… I-I know I'm the last person have the right to ask for something like that… but… I just really, really wanna see you! Please!"
Yukari: "H-Hey, stop! Don't cry! EEP!"
Hiyori: "Y-Yukari?! Yukari!"
Yukari: "H-Hey, you still there? Listen, I'm actually out right now, so I gotta go! But, um… I'll call you later, okay? We'll talk about it more then."
Hiyori: "Oh… Y-Yeah, okay. Fine by me."
xxx
She sounded so desperate and weak back then. Like she was on her last legs and life didn't matter unless she got this chance.
"So! Where's that amazing boyfriend you were raving about?" Hiyori asks. Yukari starts walking towards the door.
"He's running a little late," she says. "We're meeting up later. Let's go inside."
"Oh! O-Okay."
xxx
The estranged mother and daughter stroll into the mall, browse around for awhile, and finally end up in Chegall Cafe, talking about various things. Tv shows, fashion, food, Yukari's education. Anything that would help smooth out the path to the serious talk.
Yukari and Hiyori are laughing over Pheromone Coffee at the booth in the very back of the cafe.
"I never knew you had the talent to be such a crack shot with a bow!" Hiyori compliments.
"J-Just for stationary targets. I'm not that good."
You wouldn't believe how many times I missed my target fighting Shadows.
"So, what's keeping you busy these days?" Yukari asks. "Find any new night jobs worth all the trouble?" Hiyori stares deeply at her reflection in her coffee and smiles warmly.
"Y-Yeah, actually… Babysitting." Yukari cocks an eyebrow in sheer confusion.
"Uh… you know that job doesn't pay well enough to live off of, right?"
"This one does… That little boy's smile is all I need." The plot thickens.
"Okaaay?" Yukari says. "I'm gonna need a little context." Hiyori pulls out her wallet, takes out a picture, and shows it to Yukari. It's of her happily playing with a tiny baby boy.
"My boyfriend's son," Hiyori says. "His name's Kenta. Isn't he cute?"
"Y-Yeah. He's adorable, but…"
"But…?"
"... I never pegged you for being the kind of person who willingly gets into a relationship with someone with a kid…"
A shadow casts down over Hiyori's eyes as she recalls the events from last year and began telling her story.
"Tomoya… I didn't meet him like I did the others. I hit low… The lowest I've ever hit. I'd just got fired and left… another fling and it went pretty badly. I got really drunk and collapsed in the middle of a dark alley in a red-light district. Whether someone took me to the hospital or raped me or even killed me… nothing really mattered at that point.
To my surprise, I was allowed to wake up and it was morning. I had a major hangover, of course, but the weird thing was… I had been sleeping on a bed in a regular apartment. And I was cleaned up and had pajamas on, so no one had their way with me. Tomoya walked in with a breakfast platter, a full bottle of aspirin, and a warm smile. He asked the kind of questions you'd expect a nice guy like him to ask: How I was feeling, what happened, etc. I just told him to drop me in a drainage somewhere so I could rot. He said, 'It sounds like life has convinced you that rotting's better than living.' He dragged me into the other room and introduced me to his bouncing 3 year old. He let me play with him for most of the day and we… well, he talked. I just listened. And when I was ready to leave, he offered me a job as a live-in caretaker. Said he's been looking for one for a while since his office job's getting more hectic and it might help me find life more enjoyable then rotting. I didn't know why the hell he'd let a drunk stranger take care of his kid, but I said yeah cuz I didn't really have anywhere else to go. Only until I found a new job and a new place.
A long time passed and I really started to like looking after Kenta and talking with Tomoya. I knew I had to look for a new job, but every time I thought about leaving, I'd think about how I'd miss those two. And I started to really like Tomoya. We eventually started dating and his sister volunteered to take care of Kenta when we went out. I evolved into a proper housewife and the three of us were really happy together…
Then, he asked me to marry him out of the blue. I was so close to screaming "Yes"... but then I remembered: I've felt this happiness before. We'd been avoiding the subject for a while, but I opened up to him about Eiichiro… and you. I told him if we got married, you'd unknowingly have a baby brother and I didn't want to spring that on you, so I told him I wanted to hold off on my answer until I talked to you first… It was a miracle I still had your number.
After you and I fought, I… I fell apart again. You shouting at me and seeing how Tomoya was able to take care of himself and Kenta after his wife died made realize how weak I've been all these years. After the accident, I could feel my heart hurting like nothing I've ever felt before. I've so desperate for someone to comfort me that I pretty much turned into a total slut to make it hurt less. That escape from reality was all I cared about… and I drove you away because of it."
All Yukari could do was listen and watch as her exhausted mother started breaking down in front of her as she talked. Her body trembled, her voice broke, and her eyes flooded with a river of tears. She hasn't seen her cry like this since the night she was told her husband died.
"I-I started thinking about the last time we were together," she sobs. "You… were so young… so little… so innocent… and you had to deal with me and all my bullshit… I got so used to ignoring everyone who pushed me away after the accident… that I ended up ignoring you too when you needed someone to be there for you just as much as I did… I was… so damned pathetic…!"
"... M-Mom…"
Hiyori stops to rub the tears out of her eyes before bowing her head towards her daughter.
"I-I know ten years is a whole lot to make up for…" she sniffs. "And to be perfectly honest… I-I don't think I'll be able to… B-But… I-I know can't go on like this without at the very least trying… I don't expect you to let me back into your life… In fact, I think it's a good thing you left back then cuz… y-you were definitely better off without me the way I was… I-I just want you to know that… nothing I do will ever be enough to show you how sorry I am for everything that happened… And… I hope… you can find it in your heart to forgive me…"
…
Had the tired and broken mother's eyes not been cast downward, she would've been able to see her brunette archer daughter's body shaking, her thinning her lip, and the gleam of her eyes as tears started to swell. The current state of mind of the woman before… Having gone through another emotional wringer just recently, this was all too familiar to her. So familiar, it hurt like hell.
Yukari takes a good deep breath before taking out her phone and sliding to the other side of the booth to be next to Hiyori. She then taps her on her shoulder to get her attention and shows her a picture of a certain blue haired boy sleeping peacefully in her lap. Hiyori cleans her face and takes the phone in her hand to get a good look.
"O-Oh… I-Is this him?" she sniffs. "W-Wow, I… didn't think you'd be into the dark and broody type…"
"Well, he is like that half of the time… Not much of a talker either and he has these eyes that say "I don't care about anything". Not so surprising if you consider the fact that he's an orphan."
Hiyori turns to Yukari with widened eyes.
"Yeah. Someone else who lost people they loved during the lab accident too," Yukari says. "Both his parents died in a car crash caused by the aftershock and by some freak miracle, he survived. He had to move away from here and was stuck in the foster care system for ten whole years. No family, no friends. He was all on his own without anyone to talk to, so naturally he comes off as really stoic… But once you get past his shell and get to know him, you find this." Yukari smiles warmly and her cheeks turn pink as she stares at the picture.
"Minato Arisato," she sighs. "Isn't he cute? He transferred back here for his second year and… I guess you could say I was his caretaker? The student council president put me in charge of looking after him. There's nothing I find more peaceful than his face while he's asleep. And that's not all. He's the top of his class, he's the kendo team ace, and he has this surprisingly pure heart. He doesn't really care about himself that much, but he cares about other people a lot. He's made a bunch of life-long friends and he even helped me make some. We even had our little tight circle with the kids we lived with in the dorms." Yukari shows her mom her black and pink heart piercings.
"He gave me these pair of ear piercings for my birthday," she explains. "I didn't tell anybody about it because of… reasons, so it went by without him noticing. He found about it a few months later near December 1st, when his birthday was. And you know what he did? He gave up his birthday to celebrate mine." Yukari felt the inside of her chest warm up as she plays through her memories of him in her head.
"When I told him that he and I were alike, he made it his personal mission to always look out for me. Funny because I always thought I was the one who had to look out for him. I could be happy, miserable, or even so angry I'd lash out at anyone I saw and he's always right there when I need him. Even when I was a total bitch to him, he'd never let me be alone. I swore I'd live on my own with no plans on falling in love… but I ended up falling for him. And when I told him that… it was the first time I'd ever seen him cry. He said he was so happy to feel the love of someone he cares after ten years of being alone." Despite being a total mess a few minutes ago, Hiyori couldn't help but feel incredibly happy that her daughter has found a good man in her life. Seeing her all giddy and smiling was a sight she hadn't seen in a long time.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say this kid is the love of your life," she teases.
"Minato's a whole lot of things. He's strong, brave, selfless… kind… and…" Hiyori leans in to listen as she trails off.
"And…?" she leads.
"... Gone."
"Huh?" Yukari frowns, heaves a deep sigh, and turns to her with a sorrowful smile.
"S-Sorry, Mom… My boyfriend's not coming… H-He uh… passed away last month."
As quick as it was healing as she listened to Yukari's story, Hiyori's heart dropped like a megaton brick at the sound of her reveal.
"... W-Wha…?"
Yukari does a subtle nod as she looks down at her lap and pats it, remembering the last time his sleeping head laid there.
"A-Apparently, he was… really sick…" she lies. "He was tired non-stop all through February and just kept getting more and more tired, no matter how much sleep he got. And he always sleeps a lot. On Graduation Day, we skipped the ceremony and hung out on the roof… I gave him a lap pillow… He took a nap… and never woke up." Hiyori covers her mouth as she gasps in horror.
"... Yukari…! O-Oh my god, I am so sorry!" Hearing that her daughter has been through a similar nightmare experience was heartbreaking. And the ending was far worse. Eiichiro's passing was so sudden and Hiyori never saw it coming, but Yukari unknowingly had to watch as Minato's life faded away and was there at his final moments.
"H-He… really wanted to meet you too…" Yukari mumbles. "In fact, the reason I even considered talking things out with you was because of him… A-And… after…"
Feeling herself starting to crack, Yukari held herself in her arms and took a few slow deep breaths to sort through the maelstrom of emotions she's been trying to keep in check this past month. Not just from when after he passed, but from the supernatural ordeal she was forced into because of it. The walls she put back up around herself, the void she was sinking into, the irritation of being dragged back to the place she and her love called home… and the fighting.
Dear lord, that was the lowest she had ever sunk. Minato was the one who brought S.E.E.S. so close together and, for a moment, she had completely destroyed it and had everyone at each other's throats for some selfish wish that wouldn't have even worked. She was even willing to kill Minato's closest friend and mechanical guardian angel out of childish jealousy because she got his powers. It took her getting the crap beaten out of her and everyone standing against her after she refused to accept defeat to make her stop.
She could still remember the exact moment she finally saw that she had hit rock bottom.
xxx
"... So… what're you gonna do with get key…?"
Everyone was standing in the dark arena where they had fought fiercely over the True Key. The key that could either bring them back before the time of the last battle with Nyx or open the sealed dorm doors and return them to the present, which the heavily armored Aigis had won and is now holding in her hand.
Yukari slowly approached her, her cold, lifeless narrowed glare locked on the magic key.
"That was a nice speech back there," she hissed with venom. "But you still haven't made a real decision, huh…?" Yukari suddenly lunged at Aigis, grabbing the metal hand the key was held it and trying to yank it away from her.
"... THEN GIVE IT TO ME!" she screamed. "GIMME THAT KEY!" Aigis grunted as she held onto the key for dear life.
"Yukari-chan!" Fuuka exclaimed. Metis, the mysterious robot girl who claimed to be Aigis' sister, shook her head.
"It's no use," she said. "Only my sister can use the True Key now." Aigis took advantage of Yukari's surprise and retreated out of her grip. Yukari just stared at her, hands shaking and eyes widened with disbelief. She got it again. Aigis got something Yukari thought she deserved out of everyone else. First, it was Minato's special Persona power. Now, the True Key. She got it all again.
In denial, Yukari glared the Evoker strapped to her thigh. Aigis, sensing what she was about to do, took a step back, looked at her with pleading eyes, and shook her head while preparing her right vulcan arm. The first time was already agony by itself, but she'll do what she had to.
"Please don't," she mumbled. In a flash, Yukari glared at Aigis with murderous intent and whipped out her Evoker.
There's still a chance! I can still-
Before she could get it close to her head, a hand lashed out like a striking cobra, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her arm into the air.
"OW!" The hand painfully squeezed her wrist until she let the gun fall out of her hand. When she turned to see who grabbed her…
*SMACK!"
Yukari is sent stumbling back after she is struck in the face by a fast and extremely painful backhand, the impact echoing through the area. Rubbing her face on the red spot on her cheek, Yukari turned again to see that the person who slapped her was her senpai and best friend who had sided with her, Mitsuru. And she was looking at her with her signature executioner's death glare as she slowly walked to stand between her and Aigis.
"S-Sen-"
"ARF, ARF! ARF!"
Yukari jumped at the sound of Koromaru's threatening bark, then hastily backed away when she saw him rush up to her, fangs bared.
"W-Whoa whoa! H-Hey! E-Easy, bo- WHOA!" Yukari leaped back, almost falling over when she landed, to dodge the young shiba inu's bite. She stepped more in shock and fear as he snarled at her loudly, crouched into fighting position. He'd never threatened anyone in S.E.E.S. like this before.
"... Good boy, Koro," Ken says. Yukari looked up to see Ken joining Mitsuru in opposing her and protecting Aigis. Then Fuuka joined in, followed by Akihiko and Junpei. After getting into such a heated argument, all opposition was now directed straight at her.
"T-This… This has to stop, Yukari-chan!" Fuuka exclaimed.
"You've been acting like the world's biggest selfish bitch ever since he died!" Junpei shouts. "Now, you've gone dragged everyone else into your crap!"
"Selfish?!" Yukari spat. "I'm trying to get us all back together! I'm trying to fix things-"
"For yourself!" Ken interjected. "You blamed us for being selfish, but look at yourself!"
"Fixing things?!" Akihiko scolds. "You're destroying everything! You don't care what happens as long as you get what you want! I saw it in your eyes… The way you looked at Aigis..." Akihiko briefly turned to Aigis with a pained look before glaring at Yukari again.
"The chance of her dying if she lost… We all may have ignored it, but… you really were trying to kill her, weren't you? … If you don't care about her life, you sure as hell don't give a damn about anyone else's!"
"N-No… That's not-"
"Do you really think this is what Minato-kun would want?!" Fuuka asked as she stepped forward. Yukari's heart dropped at the mention of his name.
"H-He… He cared about all of us," Fuuka mumbled with tears forming in her eyes. "So much that he gave up everything just so we could live on, so we could all still be together… It hurts, but… this is what he wanted in the end…"
"All that time you spent together and you didn't get that at all…?" Junpei asked. "... And you were supposed to be his girlfriend?!"
Seeing all of them stand against her like this reminded of when they would all stand against an enemy, when Minato lead them into battle. Except now, she was on the wrong end of it.
Overwhelming emotion made Yukari drop to her knees. These were… are her friends. The people that she and Minato considered a family when they had none… Now look at them. Everything's a complete mess without him.
Aigis stepped out from everyone's protection as Yukari's shoulders started to shake.
"... B-Bring… Bring him back…" she begged. "P-Please…! I… I-I want…" She pulled out her phone to look at the phone strap and the pain that had been building up in her heart for a month is allowed to burst forth as she shut her eyes and screamed.
"I WANT TO SEE HIM!"
Aigis placed a hand over her ribbon, where her "heart" is, and everyone's gaze softened as her true feelings, along with her tears, started flooding out.
"I-I… I made a promise with him too!" she sobbed loudly. "I promised I'd try my best to change this world, so that people would stop wishing for The Fall. It wasn't like yours, Aigis… It was something I promised myself while holding his cold hand… That's why I decided to put the past behind me and look forward…"
"... Yukari-san…" Aigis mumbled. Yukari lightly punched her legs and contorted her face in anger.
"B-But… But I can't…" she admits. "I can't be that person… I'm not strong enough to keep that promise… The past means too much to me… because that's where he is…" She put the phone strap to her face.
"I wanna see him! I don't care about anything else! I just want to see him again!"
Aigis tried to reach out to her, but Mitsuru stopped her and kneeled down to her instead.
"Yukari…" she began. "There's no way to truly put the past behind you. You can try, but in the end, you only succeed in running from it. It's painful to face, but if you don't, your wounds will never heal." Yukari snapped her head up to glare at her.
"So if I keep facing it, someday everything will be okay?!" she shouted. "Eventually, I'll just forget all about him or stop caring?! Like that's ever gonna happen! No one knows that better than us… N-No one… No one knows that better than me…" Yukari hung her head again and lets her tears fall as she remembered how her lover fought for the cause and the people he believed with no fear of death holding him back.
"I-I pretty much knew already…" she sniffed. "That I can't do anything he did… I can't be who he was… I'm weak… So weak that I was willing to let everything die… just so I could spend my last moments with him… Throw away everything he taught me… I-I knew it was wrong, but… I couldn't help it…!" She placed a hand over her broken heart.
"I… I-I love Minato! I love him! I love him so much! I just want the chance to be with him again! To see him smiling again! To fall asleep in his arms!"
All the rest of the S.E.E.S. members could do was watch and let her break down. They were so angry at her before, but they couldn't be more sorry and sad for her now. She was closer to him than anyone else. Of course she'd lose all sense of reason.
"I… just can't do it…" Yukari sniffed. "I want to… but I can't… Not without him… I could if this pain in my heart would go away… but as long as he's gone… I know it never will." Mitsuru hung her head and let out a deep sigh.
"... You're right," she admitted. "But… at the very least… can't we be there for you when things are at their worst…? The way you were there for me last year…"
"... H-Huh?" Yukari looked up at her senpai as she turned away, recalling how she stuck by her after her father was killed.
"That may not have been what you meant at the time," Mitsuru mumbled. "But even now… I consider you being by my side in November as one of the most cherished moments of my life… That's why… when we lost Minato without being able to thank him, I swore deep down… if something ever happened to make you, I'd put my own feelings aside and stand with you… That's the least I can do for you both… For my best friend who helped me get back up after being knocked down… and my brave leader who gave his life to protect all of ours." Shock flooded Yukari's face at her revelation.
"... Mitsuru… senpai…"
Mitsuru never agreed with her decision in the first place. She knew she was in the wrong from the start, but she sided with her anyway. She just wanted to be there for her, just like everyone else had been trying to do.
Everyone, aside from Metis, gathered around her to support her with warm smiles on their faces.
"Yukari… To lose someone you had such a strong bond with is agony," Mitsuru said. "But there's no need to suffer alone. You have us with you. Isn't that the whole point of forming such bonds?" Akihiko kneeled down beside Mitsuru.
"You should already know that," he chuckled. "... Because he knew that better than anyone else." Yukari felt Koromaru lick the tears off her face and nuzzle on her. Staring at the pup's smiling face, her loneliness finally faded away and the light that had left her eyes when he passed returned.
"... I miss him…"
They all kneeled down to her as she fell into Mitsuru's arms and wept.
Fuuka: "We know, Yukari-chan…"
Ken: "We all know…"
Junpei: "And you aren't the only one."
xxx
"L-Let's just say… I went through a pretty bad phase of my own," Yukari grimaces. Hiyori rubs Yukari's shoulder to ease her internal pain.
"They were trying so hard to help me…" Yukari mumbles. "And I pushed away everyone I cared about… I whined and got angry more than I usually did… I even turned everyone against each other… It took me getting smacked pretty hard to snap me out of it… I-I did… terrible things that I'm definitely not proud… Things that I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for." A small smile appears on her face.
"... But thanks to that… I think… I understand you more than I ever have before." She turns to her mother with sympathy.
"It was only for a bit because I had really close friends there to help me… You didn't… did you…? Everyone blamed Dad for happened, so no one even gave you the time of day."
Hiyori starts thinking back to the time right after her husband's death. Everyone was shunning her and calling her out because he was responsible for those who were lost in the explosion. And since she was more of a housewife, she didn't have any friends willing to back her up. She had to deal with that and take care of her daughter all by herself.
"That's why you started throwing yourself at random guys, isn't it?" Yukari asks. "You were really lonely… and that loneliness turned into something you didn't want to be…"
Hiyori purses her lips and she trembles as her painful past opens up old wounds on her heart. Yukari places a hand on hers to calm her down.
"I was way too young to understand what you were going through," Yukari says. "But… I-I understand completely now… because I know what's like to lose the person you love most and end up alone… And it hurts…! It hurts so much…!" Hiyori feels Yukari's hand shaking and turns to her to see tears running down her cheeks.
"T-The night you told me you wanted to see me…" Yukari sniffs. "After that night… I-I started having these vivid dreams… I was a little girl again… and you and I walked around town… stopping by the flower shop before we went home, just like we used to… A-And then… I'd dream that I was older… and we were still doing that… Deep down… that's what I've always wanted all these years…" Yukari cups her mother's face in her hands and gives her a big smile.
"I-I'm… I'm not angry at you anymore for what happened!" she sobs loudly. "I'm just sorry no one was there for you when you needed it…! No one was there for either of us when we needed it…! M-Maybe we didn't have each other then… but… at least we have each other now… right?"
That warm innocent little girl smile reminded the exhausted mother of when Yukari was still a bouncing baby girl being held in her arms. She had to go without it for so long, but it came back to her… She came back to her.
Unable to hold her happiness back, Hiyori yanks Yukari into her tightest hug and bursts into tears, wanting to hold her daughter and never let go again.
"I'm sorry…!" she cries. "I-I'm sorry! … I'm SO sorry!" Yukari, feeling the warmth and security of her mother's embrace, hugs her right back, rubbing her face into her shoulder and rubbing her back. It was all of the negative feelings she had towards her had melted away in only a brief moment… and she couldn't be happier.
"... I-I missed you, Mom… I missed you so much…"
xxx
The rest of the day went on like a usual mother-and-daughter date. Hiyori talked a little more about her fiance and future stepson and Yukari talked a bit more about her social life, including her friends from S.E.E.S. (without all of the paranormal details).
Hiyori mentioned how anxious and happy Tomoya is at the idea of suddenly having a step daughter because it means Kenta would have a big sister to play with. An idea that Yukari didn't really mind too much.
In response, Yukari talked about how it was really difficult to talk to Mitsuru at first because of her connection to the Kirijo Group, but now she's one of her best friends. Hiyori then tells her that she would really like to meet her one day and Yukari says she'll try to arrange something.
The two were having so much fun together that before they knew it, it was getting dark out. So they headed to the Iwatodai Strip Mall, where they agreed to part ways.
"Ironic, isn't it?" Hiyori laughs. "We make up after ten years and now we have to say goodbye already."
"It won't be forever. And we'll be keeping each other posted now. Make sure you let me know when the wedding is the second you two agree on a date."
"As long as you tell me when your graduation date is first. I want it to be after that."
"Gotcha."
The two just warmly smile and stare at each other for a while. Not awkwardly; they just wanted to look at each other a little bit longer after spending so much time away from one another. An exhausted recovering mother who lost her husband and her daughter who just recently lost the love of her life. The pain is definitely still there, but at least now they have the love from their blood family back.
The two embrace each other once they've had enough.
"Talk to you soon," Hiyori says. "Okay?" Yukari nods, they let go, and they wave goodbye to each other as Hiyori proudly walks off with a lot more energy than what she had this morning. Once she was completely out of sight, Yukari pulls out her phone and stares at her home screen, which is a picture of Minato smiling at her.
… No more chickening out… I'll be okay now… I promise.
xxx
Years later...
"Aaaand cut! That's a wrap, people! Great work today!"
After the director for Phoenix Rangers Featherman Victory announces the end of today's session, everyone packs up their things and starts heading home. The actress that plays the role of Reiko Kujakuin, a.k.a. Pink Argus, receives a phone call.
"Yeah, fighting Minionlings is always really exhausting… Kenta, you know I'm not allowed to tell you anything about the new episodes until they get released. I can't break the rules, even for my little brother… Ha ha! Good boy! Tell your dad I said hi, okay? … Alright, love you too."
Yukari hangs up the phone after talking to her precious baby stepbrother. The baby brother she's been bonding with ever since her mom got married after her graduation. Tomoya has been a very good guardian to her and she's felt as close as she could be to her mom. Even though she's living in the dorms of a prestigious university in Port Island, she still maintains a tight bond with her family.
"Can't believe it's already been four years since then," she says to the toy figurine on her old cell phone strap. She still talks to the toy every now and then, but not escape into the past because she hated her present. This time, she does it to give herself peace of mind that the two previous people in her life that are connected to it, her father that watches her from the heavens and her lover that now protects the world for time eternal, are giving her strength to move towards the future.
"I hope I'm doing you proud… Both of you…"
As she is approaching her dorm building on the university campus, she sees a boy desperately dragging a massive tuba case on the ground. He looks like he's really struggling, so she rushes over.
"Hey! You need a hand?!"
xxx
After she helps him carry his tuba to his dorm, the freshman boy escorts Yukari back down to the lobby.
"Hrgh… Tuba…" he groans as he favors his arm. "Why did it have to be Tuuuubaaaaa...?"
"You okay? You didn't sprain your arm bad, did you?"
"Nah, I think it'll be fine by tomorrow. Still, it's a crime for band teachers to actually expect their students to walk around with those things everywhere!"
"I would say 'They might trying to make you stronger for later on' or something like that, but they're band teachers, not PE teachers."
"Anyway, again, thanks a lot, senpai! I really appreciate!"
"No problem, no problem. See ya around. And take it easy on that arm!" The boy runs back up the stairs after they reach their destination. As Yukari starts walking towards the door, she bumps into someone and papers from a file scatter across the floor.
"Agh! Oh, geez! I am so sorry!" she says in a panic as she scrambles to pick them up. "I didn't see you there!" She and the boy in the hoodie gather up all the papers and she hands him her stack.
"H-Here ya go."
As the spiky black haired boy sorts through his papers, Yukari notices a mysterious allure in his eyes. Dark grey… and holding an unusual light within them. And the aura that the light gives off… So familiar.
She steps back when the boy notices her staring.
"Oh! Uh… Sorry, it's nothing," she says. The boy tilts his head in confusion, then shrugs it off and walks towards the stairs.
"Oh, wait!" she calls out. "You're new here, right? Welcome to TPU!" The boy gives her a nod and she walks out of the building, taking an awkward feeling of nostalgia with her. She knows that was the first time ever seeing that boy… But…
… I feel like… I know him…
...
All things end
…
To be Reborn from the Sea
Fin
Author's Note: Well, as disappointing as it may be, that's it for the "You're Not Alone" saga. This also marks the day I officially move on from and move onto Archive Of Our Own.
Again, I'm really sorry to those of you who were following "True Protector" that I couldn't follow through. Hopefully this one-shot at least gives you some kind of closure. Most likely not the best kind, but still. I'm not expecting anyone to read "Reborn from the Sea" either. Especially since it'll be a while before I get back to that. But it's here and on AO3 if you're curious.
That sad and awkward note aside, those of you who are waiting for the "Shots Through The Heart" sequel, REJOICE! Tomorrow will officially mark the story's 2-year publishing anniversary, so the sequel will go live to celebrate exclusively on AO3. Look forward to it.
Anyway, thanks to all of you here who stuck around for this long and I hope to see around the Archive.