An Archer's Oath
Persona 3 fanfiction - All characters are owned by Atlus.
It had all seemed like a perfect happy ending.
At Port Island where Tartarus used to stand, the ones who saved the world regroup together once more and resume back to normal school life. Rushing out of the school hall, the S.E.E.S. members arrived at the rooftop to find the one who made it all seem possible in slumber, with the android that miraculously came to life watching over him. Excited chatters abound, recalling all the time they have spent together through battles of life, death and the unimaginable. Not suspecting anything, we bought the sleeping one back to the dorm.
The next morning when I went to check on him, his hands were as cold as the grave.
Later that day, I received a call from Aegis when I was still in school. The doctors pronounced him brain-dead.
The days flew by as the next immediate week were exams. I tried to occupy myself with my studies. I alternated in visiting him at the hospital and with extra time in the library to catch things up. I hardly even go back to the dorm anymore. Everytime I return home, I expect a certain bluehead to look up from the couches to question me about my worries. Silly him.. Always thinking of others, but not for himself.
Just a day before the exams were over, I bumped into Mitsuru-senpai at the hospital, in his room. She gave me a grave look; the look everyone was wearing while edging away from each other to find solitude. "Yukari, I need to talk to you." Her request came as a surprise to me, especially now that she's the lone heiress to the Kirijou Group, she would be as busy as ever. Free time? She most probably had not much of those. "What is it?" I tried to ask casually, but the awkward tone ruined most of it. Behind her, he was still sleeping soundly. Not knowing anything. Wearing that damn carefree face of his. I wasn't paying attention to Mitsuru-senpai until I heard the last word in her sentence.
"No. You can't be serious," I told her, pulling her sleeves, almost pleadingly. "You can't do that, anything but that.." She looked at me in the most sympathetic manner possible for someone of nobility. Already she was thinking like a potential successful businesswoman, all logic and common sense. "The doctors have tried their best, but there was nothing they could do. They have already gotten Aegis's and my consent in this matter," she explained, emotions slowly seeping through her slightly broken voice. "Oh, I get it," I said furiously, tears flowing freely from my face. "You went ahead and gave that blasphemous idea an 'okay' with a robot! What about the others, do they know?! Did you discuss it with the others?! If you did not, you have no right to decide on it on your own!!" The red-haired senior cleared her throat. "The others agreed. You were the only one we couldn't keep in contact with for the past few days, Yukari Takeba."
"They'll be conducting euthanasia tomorrow. You have time until then," she said in finality, leaving the room and closing the door with utmost care behind her.
They carried out a simple, but quick funeral for him. My refusal to attend have surprised most of them. After all, I did not tell Fuuka nor Junpei about the small incident with Mitsuru-senpai. I took the time to pack up my things and get ready to move myself out of the dormitory. I did not ask help from any of them, those were things that I could handle on my own. Another dorm nearby had a free room for me to occupy in. I took my luggage, and left the deathly silent building. Not entirely to my surprise, one of my ex-comrades stood at the pedestrian walkway just outside.
"Do you hate us, Yukari-san?"
"No, not really. In fact, I'm sure it's the most logical thing to do. Yeah, let him go. Yeah. Absolutely no chance of reviving him, right? I get it."
"It's something that cannot be helped."
"It could, if you think it over with more emotions and less brains."
Aegis kept silent afterwards, and I took the chance to walk off. Cooling down abit, I turned back to her. "Sorry. I think I need more time to arrange all this mess in my head."
"… Hello?"
'Ah, Yukari-chan? It's me, Fuuka… Um, about today… Are you coming?'
"Um, well.. There's something I need to post on the bulletin board.. Plus, I've got prep school today…"
'I already know about that…'
"I can buy back whatever that I left back at the dorm here, so it wouldn't be much of an inconvenience for me, right?"
'That's true I guess… … Are you alright with this.. ?'
"Yeah… I am. Oh, crap, I need to go, my break time's over. So… give my best regards to the others."
March 31st… huh. Time flies when one's busy. Three weeks had passed since he breathed his last. I held his dead cold fingers then, promising both to him and myself that I'll only look to the future, and let go of the past. But I just didn't feel ready to confront the rest of the S.E.E.S. members as yet.
Which made me wonder if some greater being up there's making fun of me by dragging me into another mess on that day midnight itself.