Shinjiro had thought about death a lot. Since the day he took that first pill he knew his life was limited and that time was soon running out. He was okay with that though. Death, he knew, was nothing really to be scared of. At one point in time he would have called it repentance for the sins he had committed and would have welcomed death with open arms, greeting it as an old friend with whom he had lost contact.
It was different now though.
All it took was one girl, with piercing red eyes, and a criminally cute pony-tail to turn his world upside-down and make him re-think all of his past choices.
She had captured his attention all those months ago, in the hospital. He hadn't even heard her speak, yet he couldn't tear his eyes away. The radiant optimism she was practically emitting drew his eyes to her and he knew she was special.
They met again in that damn alley. She and her stupid friends were wandering around where they weren't supposed to be. Honestly he thought she was smarter than this but looks could be deceiving he guessed. He did what he had to and got rid of the scum hanging around before giving them the information they were looking for. Once again he was drawn to her, despite her foolishness.
They had grown extremely close in the last month before the full moon. Each night they would talk, eat ramen and share stories. The gleam in her eyes and the happiness she exuded when he would agree to spend time with her, made his heart flutter for just a moment. He had never felt a connection with someone like this. He was content just to hear her speak and for the first time in a long while, he enjoyed being alive to hear the words.
All he could think of now though, staring up into her tear-stricken face, was that this was not supposed to happen. He wasn't meant to fall in love, that wasn't part of the plan. Yet here he was, lying on the stone with two bullets in his chest and a small girl crying over him. Large tears marring her beauty. She wasn't a pretty crier, not at all, and he could feel the warm droplets falling onto his own face, but he couldn't, wouldn't cry with her.
"This is how it should be" He said. Except it isn't he thought.
He watched as she continued to cry, gripping harder onto his coat, as if trying to cling to the last remnants of life. Slowly she seemed to loosen her grip and Shinjiro could feel a warm breath ghosting over his face. Then that warmth spread to his lips. She had gently pressed her lips to his and still he could feel her tears running down her cheeks and pooling on his. He felt her shift away and once more looked up to see her wiping her face and pressing her palms into her eyes. Her quiet sobs louder than all the other cries of those around him.
It was getting harder to form words now, everything he wanted to say, all the things to stop her from crying just wouldn't come. He could feel his eyelids getting heavier and each breath was becoming more painful than the last. The sounds of Aki's anguished cries, Fuuka's sobbing, Ken's ragged breaths, Junpei's swearing and Mitsuru's frantic pacing, all getting more and more distant as the world around him turned to black.
I love you were his last thoughts before the darkness took over and everything went silent.