A/N: I want to apologize for the long hiatus. I went on vacation in Hong Kong and when I came back, I'd completely forgotten about this story. There were only two chapters left anyway. The epilogue will be posted soon. I never got around to writing it. If you're still reading, thanks for sticking around.
When I woke up again. Everything was over. Everything had changed.
March 3
I'd been in a violent crime. That's what the doctors told me when I woke up. I didn't remember a majority of the past year. They said it was a miracle I'd lived at all so I couldn't complain. My pocket watch saved me.
"So you woke up." Akihiko stood in the doorway, his blazer hung over his shoulder.
"No. I'm still asleep." I was trying to be sarcastic, but this was a good day. I was leaving the hospital. I started laughing. He started crying, fat tears spilling down his face. He was like a kid. "Everything's okay, you idiot."
"I thought you were going to die." He punched my in the shoulder. It didn't hurt as much as it should've.
"I won't die that easily. Besides, all this bed rest did me a lot of good. They say I don't have to take any more meds." I'd forgotten those pills were going to kill me. I'd forgotten everything.
"Shinji!" Minako ran into my room, panting. Tiny stature, pins in her hair, and ruby red eyes. She looked sicker than I did.
"…You…Who are you?" Her face was familiar, but I couldn't remember why.
Her eyes grew wide, surprised like a deer in the headlights. They moved quickly between me and Aki, judging the expression on our faces. She pressed her hands to her sides, her expression relaxed, even showing a small smile. "I...I'm…sorry… I think I'm in the wrong room. I will see you both at the dorms later, Akihiko senpai. " She bowed once before retreating out the door. It gave me a headache watching her leave.
"Who was that?" I turned to Akihiko. Something inside me told me I knew her. That it was important to remember.
"She's a girl who lives at the dorms. Really cheerful. I think you guys talked a little before your accident."
"She called me Shinji." I was still staring at the doorway, willing myself to remember. My head. My chest. Everything told me I needed to remember. There were other emotions too: regret, longing.
"Yeah. That was a little strange. Maybe she was looking for someone else named Shinji?" Akihiko shrugged, picking up my bag. "Let's go home."
I didn't see her that night.
March 4
I made it back in time for one day of classes. Graduation was tomorrow. It was kinda funny, really. Everyone looked surprised to see me. My classmates were whispering all around me, wondering who I was. The last day of classes was the first time any of them had seen me.
I saw her again in the hallway. I was walking with Aki and Mitsuru. They had pointed her out, saying she was staring at me. "It seems that Arisato would like to speak with you."
I looked to where she was pointing. The girl with the ruby eyes had clearly been staring. She smiled and waved when she caught our eyes before turning and walking away. Aki waved back. "What'd you say her name was?"
"Arisato. Minako Arisato. She's a fine student. It's her first year here, and she's always been at the top of her class."
I didn't answer her. Minako Arisato. Even her name sounded familiar to me, like I'd heard it a million times. I told myself I would talk to her later, but not right then. She was already gone.
I went in search of her after classes had ended.
"Hey." She was standing with a dog on the roof, watching the city. Her headphones were around her shoulders. The duo turned at the sound of my voice. Their eyes were both red, a strange pair on the backdrop of the sun setting over the city.
The dog ran to me, pawing at my coat. I bent down to pet him, the reflex surprisingly familiar. Did I know this dog too? He seemed to know me.
"Hello." Her voice was quiet, tinged with sadness that I didn't get.
"You look really familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" It probably sounded like a cheesy pick-up line to her. She was pretty. She probably heard it often.
"Yes." She smiled. Her reply curt. All of that bothered me, like it always did.
"That's it?" I still didn't remember, but I should've. Those sad eyes should've been enough. "Most people usually say no or answer with how they know them."
She was silent for a minute. Probably debating whether or not to tell me the truth I knew was there without really knowing it. "Yes."
"You're a weird girl you know that?"
"Yes."
I turned my back on her and left.
March 5
Graduation Day. I'd tried pushing her out of my head, but it didn't work. I kept having dreams about her. I wanted to talk to her again later. I told myself I needed to know what was going on. I don't have dreams about girls. It didn't happen. Ever.
The auditorium was crowded. This was the graduation ceremony. She was a junior, but everyone was required to be there. I didn't see her around.
"This last year, I accepted an important responsibility as Student Council President." Mitsuru had taken the stage. She always looked like she belonged up there, in front of the spotlight. This would be the last speech she ever gave us. "When I first addressed you from this podium, I spoke to you all about seizing opportunity while you had the chance. Well, it must have been fate that intervened and gave me an important reminder of this. As many of you may know, my father unexpectedly passed away due to sudden illness…"
"Illness...?" She stopped talking, her face confused. That was rare. Mitsuru never stumbles during a speech. Something was wrong.
Akihiko stood up. So did three other underclassman. I knew them. What were their names? Iori. Takeba. Fuuka. Seeing them all together was what did it. I remembered. I knew them. My head was pounding. Graduation Day. Our mission. Shadows. Strega. Getting shot. SEES. Minako. Everything was rushing back to me. Where was she?
"I remember… Yes… Upon my father's death, I was set adrift in life… No longer will I run from the future. I will face it head on. In memory of my father's will. I am resolved: Free from doubt or hesitation. This is because I have such wonderful, such priceless friends! We swore to each other never to lose hope. No matter what tomorrow brings." They rushed the stage.
I didn't have time. I knew where she was. I needed to see her.
The roof was bright, and empty. She sat on a bench in the center, the wind playing with her hair. Aegis stood on her left.
"Minako!" I was wheezing, gasping for air. My crappy health was biting at me hard. I wasn't even sure she heard me, but she turned around slowly. Her face was pale.
"Shinji…?" She ran, throwing herself into my arms. I collapsed to the floor, too tired to hold her up. "Shinji…" She repeated.
"You shouldn't make a sick guy run like that, you know? But I guess it's my fault. It was pretty pathetic of me to forget about you."
She laced her fingers through mine, resting her head on my chest. Even with Aegis standing just a few inches away, it felt like we were alone. There was nothing on this rooftop but us and this moment. "It's okay… Wasn't your fault…" She sounded tired. Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
"But I still felt the same way. Even when I couldn't remember you." It sounded like I was making excuses, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered now. Everything was over. The shadows and Nyx were gone. We could be together again. For as long as she wanted.
"I know." She reached up her other hand to caress my face, my hair. Her hand was cold. Colder than I could ever remember. "I knew you would never really forget about me."
"I've got one thick skull. Nothing could make me stop thinking about you. I had a dream about you at the hospital. You were crying and laughing." I smiled into her shoulder. She smelled like oranges.
She chuckled. "Maybe you're dreaming right now…"
I laughed. Her voice seemed to drown with mine. "This ain't a dream. You're really here…"
"Yeah…" She closed her eyes. She looked so peaceful, I almost thought she could be asleep. "I love you, Shinji…"
I could hear the others thundering up the steps. Aki was probably leading the pack. They'd be here any moment. I lifted her up in my arms and carried her over to the bench she had been sitting on earlier. She weighed practically nothing. Her head was still resting on my chest. Her right hand clung to my jacket. She was wearing my watch. "Those guys sure know how to ruin a moment."
"I'm so… happy you're here…" She was smiling, but she was also crying. This was how I always saw her in my dreams. This is how I remember her now when I dream about it at night. Small. Quiet. The smell of oranges.
"Me too, Mina… I'm glad I met you."
A/N: This is where the game ends. However, there will be a short epilogue detailing some things that happened a few years later. Again, if you're still reading, thanks for sticking around. I really appreciate the support.
