aaaaAAAAAAAAAA
/poses/ i hate myself but this was fun to write
September 26th, 2009.
Evening.
...Aragaki took him to that back alley. He didn't like this place, just walking by reminded him that he royally messed up and got his sister's face knocked in. It reminded him that he was a major idiot in the past.
...How weird. It's weird to think about how much he's changed in such a short amount of time. Their group had doubled in members as well...
But, they were just going for a little walk together– and soon they'd ended up finding their way to this place. The place was oddly quiet, not a single one of the regular thugs that prowled the space currently occupied it. No, it was only him and his senior.
"...Here we are again." The taller sighs, and turns his gaze towards the shorter man. "That reminds me, I met you here, too... Back then, I never imagined I'd go back there..."
For a moment, Minato remains silent. How is he supposed to respond to that? Almost instinctively he wants to ask if his senpai regrets coming back. He's curious– something he and his sister shared that he'd oft make attempts to suppress. But instead, the words that leave his mouth even surprise himself.
"I'm glad you came back."
The older snorts with laughter. "..I doubt I'm bringing that much to the team, though. I really messed up the other day..."
There's a soft shift, and the crinkling of the maroon trench coat the elder wore, and he moves to lean against a wall. His eyes are dark; darker than normal. If he were a guessing man, Minato would assume that the other is feeling.. a lot less confident in himself than normal. And that was a little depressing..
"You're... a pain." The head of blue snaps up, eyebrows scrunched together with a frown. What the heck's that supposed to mean?! He's doing his best, y'know.. Trying to do his best as the leader of SEES. He's supposed to be someone that everyone can trust– bonding was a part of that. He learned that this year.
"You keep messing things up for me.." Shadowed over eyes close, a deep scowl on the other's tired face. "I keep thinking that my life is the way it's supposed to be, but... Sheesh.. Your face keeps popping into my head..."
What? What? There's a really funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. And his heart's doing that thing again. His face too, feels like it's been set on fire. Has he come down with the illness again? "...Huh?"
"...It's nothing. Let's head home." There's a slight sigh to his tone. "We have somewhere to call home, after all."
September 27th, 2009.
Daytime.
Sanada-senpai had asked her out earlier.. And she wasn't too sure why she had become so excited. She'd dressed all nicely for it and everything.. But, in the end, they ended up going to their usual spot at Hagakure.
She has no idea why she felt it necessary to look nice in front of Sanada-senpai - who lived at the dormitory with her and had seen her in her pyjamas on multiple occasions, but she just.. did it. There's this feeling she has, though. She's getting closer to the answer to that question.
But she's not sure she'll like what it is.
He sighs. "What am I supposed to do?"
Poor senpai.. He looks really tired. Maybe they should just head home? He looks like he needs a bit more sleep.. Maybe she should look up some recipes for energy..? She mightn't be able to make them as well as Aragaki-senpai would, but she's still pretty confident in that field - even if her role's been taken over.
"Oh... sorry. I shouldn't be like this after I called you out here." He leans on one of his hands. "There's just something bothering me right now..."
"What is it?" Ah. Was that a little too forward? "I mean.. If you wanna tell me, that is.."
"It's fine.. The other day, one of the girl's in your year called me up and asked if I'd date her." Eh?! No way! He was confessed too!? ...That's weird.. for some reason, she can't help but feel a little upset at that.. She lowers her eyes down, not wanting to let him see the mixture of emotions on her face, and he continues to talk. "I turned her down... but ever since then, she keeps bringing me letters and gifts.."
Hearing that he's turned her down.. kind of relieves her. It's awful - she feels awful just thinking it, but it really does.
..Why is she like this?
Another sigh leaves the boxer's lips. "I could just ignore her, but I'd feel terrible. What in the world do I have to say to make her stop..?"
He really was a kindhearted man, wasn't he? He didn't even know this girl properly, but he didn't want to do anything horrible to her because of how she feels.. But he can't return those feelings. She's not really sure what to say.. Part of her thinks 'Say you have a girlfriend!' but.. she's not sure how that would exactly work out. It might cause more trouble for him, after all.
Then, something silly comes to mind, and with a grin on her face, she proudly exclaims it.
"You gotta tell her 'Beat me, and I'll date you!'."
"I see..." Oh. He's taking her seriously?! She was only messing around with him.. To get her mind off of that funny feeling in her chest. "So I should challenge her instead. There's no way she'd actually agree to a fight."
Well, duh. Normal high school girls aren't exactly interested in getting into fights. It was that– and the crazy powers– that set the female members of SEES apart from other girls at school. Maybe that was why she had a hard time making friends out of their circle.
...Nobody was like her but the people in SEES.
He smiles, and her heart skips a beat.
"That's a good idea. I'll remember that for next time." Suddenly, his expression falls serious. "Wait... What if she doesn't play fair? Like, what if she poisons my lunch...?"
He becomes lost in thought, muttering possibilities that are unlikely to come true under his breath, and Kotone can't help but giggle a little. This was the Sanada-senpai she knew. A little bit socially awkward, but kind and honest. A strong, proud fighter who worried for everyone like a protective guardian.
This was the Sanada-senpai she had... fallen..
Oh.
Ohh.
Oh, gosh dang it all!
September 27th, 2009.
Evening.
"Junpei-kun!"
Her small fists rap against the door repeatedly, making a constant rhythm of thumping noises. Her hands are beginning to turn red from how much she's hit this wooden door, but he wont answer her cries! Is he even here!? She's seriously going to strangle him once he opens the damn door–!
"Kocchan?" She whips her head around to spot Junpei, standing in the hallway by the staircase. He clearly looks confused, and who wouldn't be, with someone desperately breaking your door down when you aren't even home?
She only growls a little in her throat, and quickly paces toward him, snatching his wrist and dragging him over to his room. She points and gestures for him to open the door, and once he does, she drags him in with her frown only deepening.
"W-Whoa, what's this all about?" She quickly takes a look out the hallway– searching for anyone else, before shutting the door behind the two. Once it's only the two of them, she lets out a huge sigh of relief, and slides down the wooden door with her hands over her eyes.
She's such an idiot..
"Hey, you okay, Kocchan!?"
"I'm fine.." She laughs, filled with self-depreciation and scorn. "I'm just a stupid idiot."
His confusion is evident, as he takes a seat on the floor in front of her. "What do you mean? What happened?"
"...Sanada-senpai..."
"Huh?"
"You were right." This only makes him more puzzled, as he begins to crack his neck and searching his mind for a time he's ever said anything that might pertain to the words coming out of the girl's mouth. "...'Are you interested in any boys..?', you said.. 'What about Sanada-san?', you said.. You were right. I'm such an idiot."
It takes a moment for her words to sink in. And he takes in how she looks, cherry coloured eyes shadowed over by copper bangs, her cheeks stained with the colour of red wine. He honestly can't believe what she's telling him– and he can't figure out why she's telling him of all people. There are plenty of girls in the dormitory that she could talk about this.. girl stuff with, but instead, she's barged into his (gross and messy) room and is currently sitting in front of the only exit that isn't a two story drop.
"Hooly shit." She scowls up at him. "..When did you figure it out? That you were.. uh."
"What? In love with our Senpai!? He flinches a little, and her head ducks into her arms with embarrassment. "..Sorry. And.. earlier today. We were out.. doing our normal thing, and he was going on about some girl who confessed to him and how to get rid of her, and it made me kinda upset, and so I gave him some silly advice that he took seriously and started to mumble about, and I thought it was stupid cute and then I kinda... realised."
Though, if she had to guess.. She's been feeling this way for quite a bit of time. She's not too sure when it started– was it with the July incident?– but she knew that eventually, she stopped wanting to be just a 'friend', or a 'little sister'. At that time, she had no idea what she wanted to be to him, though. Now, she sort of gets it.
She didn't want to be his 'girlfriend', or anything stupid like that. Sure, she was in love with him– but could she be blamed for that? He was charming, proud and honest.. a little unsure and a bit of an aggressive blockhead, but he was truly kind. She just wanted to be special.
Whether that meant her feelings were returned or not, she didn't really mind.
...No, that's a lie.
She'd probably become absolutely heartbroken.
Huh, so this is what those girls who confess feel like.
They have so much more courage than she does.
"Man.. So, you gonna confess to him?" He asks, and she quickly shakes her head.
"I don't think I'll ever tell him, Junpei-kun."
"Huh!? Why!? Come on, I'm tellin' ya right now, he's totally into you!" She really doesn't know why he insists. "Seriously! Just give it a shot!"
"But what if he's not, Junpei!? What if I'm just another member of SEES to him!? Or just a friend!? Or worse, like a 'little sister'!?" She leans her head back, and sighs slowly. "I'm not going to tell him. I want to keep.. what we have now. If it means I have to bottle up how I feel, then so be it. I treasure that friendship with him.."
He sighs, surprisingly compliant with her words, and gives her a pat on the shoulder. How else is he supposed to comfort her? Girls don't like it when you pity them or get too touchy with them– Yukari was the clearest evidence of that. Then again, Yukari was just incredibly moody when she wanted to be.
"Kotone.." That surprises her, just a little. He only calls her by her name proper in serious situations. "..I can't say I agree with how you're gonna deal with it, but it's ultimately your choice."
He grins.
"...Y'not gonna stop me from playing cupid, though."
She giggles, just a little, and nods her head. "Knock yourself out, silly."
September 28th, 2009.
Evening.
It's become tradition– almost.
Every other evening, he and Aragaki would go out for a little while. Well... he really didn't mind spending time with the senior. It wouldn't stop the strange things his heart would do, in fact it only made it worse, but he enjoyed their time together.
Normally, they'd be hanging out somewhere that wasn't inside the dorm, for either privacy's sake or just because, but today, they stand in the entrance, speaking quiet words together. None of it stands out particularly, until suddenly Aragaki speaks up.
"Today..." There's a brief pause, and Shinjiro looks away. "Why don't we stay here?"
He points to a chair in the living room; surprisingly empty for a Monday night. Iori mentioned that he was going to take Kotone out to a movie for a bit (his exact words confused him, something about 'cheering her up'..) and Takeba must've been in upstairs like the other two seniors. Amada rarely left his room these days, and Koromaru was fast asleep in front of the television. That just left Aigis.. who was 'sleeping' in her own room.
It was just the two of them.
"Sit over there." He takes a seat, and there's more silence between the two of them. Clearly, the older notices, as he looks at him with a somewhat exasperated face. "C'mon, say something."
He flinches a little– he's still not used to initiating conversations.
"...I don't know what to say..."
"Anything, whatever." He smiles behind a hand. "...Something that'd make you laugh would be great."
He has such a gentle expression. This Aragaki was a lot better than the one from earlier in the year, who had only ever come across as 'terrifying'. Maybe he was a little bit shy, and a whole lot bad at talking in a way that made him come across as approachable– but neither of them exactly were able to do that.
It was why they confided in each other, why they found each other's company so easy to relax in.
"Then..." He think for a small moment. "..Would you like to hear about my childhood?"
"Sure."
He has to truly dig into his memories, particularly for the good ones from before the incident. Something that would make him smile.. That was what he wanted. Aragaki wanted something like that, and he didn't want to disappoint.
"This'll surprise you... when I was little, before the accident, I was probably even more cheerful than Kotone." The other raises an eyebrow in disbelief, and he smiles. "Hard to believe, right? Actually.. she used to be pretty shy around strangers. Our roles completely reversed."
He likes the memories of him playing in their front yard– chasing his sister around with a stick in one hand and a sun sized grin in the other, while she squealed in a mix of the playful terror that came with children playing. Their mother would watch from the porch, a book on her lap and a cup of warm tea by her side, hair the same shade as his own making waves in the wind.
They were good memories.
"Once.. we were playing tag with the other kids in the neighbourhood. We weren't playing regular tag, though. We had been playing that 'freeze' tag, y'know? The one where if you get touched, you have to stop in place and wait for someone to touch you again." The other nods, signalling that he was paying attention (though, his expression hardly changes, as usual), and he continues. "Kotone was a big scaredy-cat back then, and some of the boys would make fun of her because of it. And one of those boys was 'it' at that time, and he managed to tag me underneath a tree."
He begins to laugh a little.
"We hadn't seen Kotone the entire game, but the second I was tagged and the boy ran away to get someone else, she came falling out of a tree and quickly bought me back into the game! I thought she must've been a ghost! I didn't even know how she got up there– It was such a tall tree." He closes his eyes, trying to remember that summer day with as much accuracy as he can. "Then again... It must've only been tall because I was so small."
He continues to speak about things from the past, whatever comes to mind leaves his lips.
He's never known how much about the past he's wanted to tell someone.
How much he's wanted it all off his chest.
But for some reason.. Aragaki seems lonesome.
Once he finishes all his speeches– a bit of embarrassment on his face out of how much she's spoken, and the other finally speaks up. "Are you done?"
A smile wrinkles the dark eyed man's lips.
"C'mon, tell me more. Encore, encore!" He laughs with such a sweetness that he didn't know was possible from the senior.
With his heart fluttering and butterflies in his stomach, he continues to go on and on. He's lost things about the past to talk about– not without talking about the more.. upsetting (and boring) parts that came after the incident, so he begins to go on about his school life.
The people he's closest to: Kirijo, Sanada, Takeba, Yamagishi, Aigis and Iori. He even off-handedly mentions Kenji.
The clubs he's in: Track. He mentions how much fun Nishiwaki Yuko and Miyamoto Kazushi are to talk to, and how much fun he has on the field.
He talks about things he's watched on TV: He goes on and on about the latest episode of Featherman, and how he used to love sentai shows like that.
And he just listens to his constant babbling.
That's the best word for it. 'Babbling'. He's never spoken so much in a small amount of time in his entire life.
And it's still a little embarrassing for him, but the encouragement he had received lessened that feeling, just a little.
"Sounds like you're enjoying your days." He nods his head, a smile plastered on the senior's face. "You look best when you laugh. You need to do that more."
The other falls silent, and his face becomes serious.
"..That's why.. Don't cry, got it..?"
That only confuses him.
What's going on?
Why is Aragaki speaking like that?
"..What are you trying to say?"
"Just what I said." He looks down. "..I gotta make sure I don't leave anything behind.. No doubts, no regrets.."
"...'Leave behind'..?" Minato narrows his eyes, a mix of anger and confusion in his heart. What's Aragaki talking about!? Why... Why does he sound like he's preparing to leave them all?! Like he's going to leave him behind!?
"..." The other huffs, his dark eyes never meeting blue ones. "I keep telling you what to forget and what to remember... What to want and what to not want.. I'm selfish, aren't I?"
The blue haired teen scoffs. "Hardly. That's not true at all."
The other doesn't speak. Is he not believed? Well, he's telling the truth. Aragaki did a lot of selfless things for everyone. He took care of everyone, loathe as he seemed to admit it. And yet.. he wants to just.. leave them all?
"Hey.. As long as I'm already being selfish, I want you to do one more thing for me."
He remains quiet for a moment– trying to think of something to say. He's angry, really angry, angry at how little Aragaki cared for himself, how he spoke as though he'd be gone soon, but he can't help but give the elder the reply he wants.
"..Alright."
"You don't have to forgive me... But forgive everything else.."
"What're you talking about?"
"..You'll understand later." He leans back on the lounge, his eyes on his hands. "It should be like this for a little longer.. I just want it to be... normal.."
There's such a sad, wistful smile on his face.
He doesn't understand a thing of what Shinjiro is saying.
..But, it's important, isn't it..?
almost. all of this chapter is minato and shinji talking..
i cant believe aragaki shinjiro is made up of 100% real tears
im depressed,, my children are so dense, and the fated day is coming soon
... and when i say 'coming soon' i mean.. next chapter
... :^) ...
wontonnoodles! im so embarrassed and grateful to hear that ur interested;;
ive actually read the first chap of ur fic! im super interested too!
lets both do our bests!
anyway! i hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!
the next chapter will definitely be.. a long and depressing one by the end, so
we needed a lil fluff to bring us all up!
im going to add the romance genre to this fic btw, it deserves it lol
anyway! see y'all next chapter!