Disclaimer: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona belongs to ATLUS. Touhou Project belongs to Zun. I have no ownership of the copyrights of either series in any way.
Edit Posted on 7/8/2021
Chapter 5: Bond with the Wind II
Summer vacation has just started. It seems as I get older, the faster time seems to pass. Exams came and went in a flash, almost as if they didn't even happen. The contents are already gone… Right now I'm in the middle of my usual routine to gather more faith for the shrine. So here I am in the town center wearing my shrine maiden uniform, trying to get people to believe in the shrine, a task harder than it sounds.
Strange stares and younger parents shying their children away from me happen all the time, while those my age do their best to ignore me. I admit it's depressing. The only ones who do talk to me are the people over, I'd say, sixty or something like that, maybe fifty or forty at the earliest. But they already have faith in the shrine. I'm happy for that and am grateful they still believe in Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama, but it unfortunately doesn't help the situation, only delaying the inevitabl- no I can't think like that. I need keep myself from losing hope. However, day by day, Kanako-sama, and Suwako-sama's powers wane bit by bit as the faith placed upon them begins to falter. All my efforts do is to stymie the process.
"Please, if you will listen to me for just a moment of your time." Come on Sanae, you have to put your feelings into it…
"Look lady, I'm not into whatever you're trying to sell me. Stop bothering me and go pester someone else." I have to keep trying.
"Please! It will only take a moment."
"I said screw off!" He pushed me away with enough force to nearly put me on the ground. Before I could recover, he had already walked away. Over his shoulder I could hear him say, "Jeez, crazy cult bitch."
That was the fourteenth rejection thus far. I t wasn't the nicest, but it certainly wasn't the worst. At least it was only a shove. The man was very quickly out of sight, but the scene he caused made the stares all the harsher. Ignoring them, all I could do was return to the fountain that the town had at the very center to calm myself.
"How long can I keep doing this?" I asked to no one in particular as I sat down at the edge of the fountain, drained of all my energy from trying to get more worshippers… and not getting a single one. How long have I been doing this even? How long will I have to do this? Nothing's working, but I can't stop, not when they need me. But… if nothing changes…
I need help. I can't keep doing this on my own. I want to save the shrine, my home, so badly but every time I try I can't get even a single person to believe. Please. Someone, anyone, help me. I can't keep doing this alone. Please…
"Doing what?" I whipped my head in the direction of the voice. A voice that was so drowsy that it was like they were about to fall asleep, but it was also so soft and so kind.
"Minato-san!" He was standing there with a box of takoyaki looking at me with a… he was worried, visibly so. I hadn't seen him since the last day of class before the break and was surprised to see him. It was also the first time I had seen him outside of class for that matter and not in a school uniform. He wore a simple set of shirt and slacks but still had his signature MP3 and earphones hanging of his neck.
"Are you okay? You look like you've been… crying?" He asked in a slow, methodical, and careful way. I quickly snap my hand up to my face to find that it was wet. It seems that at some point tears had started to leak from my eyes. I wiped them away. I can't let him see me like this.
I then shook my head and replied, "No I'm fine, just allergies or something." I tried to smile and wave it away, but my voice came out raspier than I had wanted it to. He walked up to the fountain and took a seat right next to me. Once he was situated, he opened up the box and plucked one of the balls of… meat… with the stick. He then blew on it softly to lower the heat.
Once satisfied, he turned to me and said, "Here, say aaaahhhh." I'm not hungry, and I'm not a child.
"I don't want one." I shook my head again.
"They're tasty and eating will make you feel better." He then smiled at me… I, uh, wuh, that, um, talking, right talking. Well okay he smiled… at me. Nothing other than that happened. Nothing at all! Ugh, fine.
"Okay, maybe just a bite," I said as I gave in… it wasn't because of the smile. "But at least let me feed myself." I took the stick from him and bit into it. "Hot!" I eeped out as I did, I don't know I just need to lower the heat somehow!
"Sorry." I heard him say as I was finishing what was left of the takoyaki ball. Once I finished it, taking care not to put my lips or teeth on the stick itself, I handed it back to him. It… wasn't bad.
"You're right. It was good." Okay, maybe I do feel a little better.
"See?" He then paused for second and continued with, "Wanna talk about this somewhere else?" I looked around to see that while there weren't a lot, we were still getting stared out. Besides that, this was a public place. I guess he's just minding my privacy. How sweet of him.
"Sure, I guess we can talk." Yeah, let's go somewhere more private.
-0-0-5-0-0-
Minato rented a karaoke booth, though it was awkward being in one while wearing my shrine maiden uniform. Right now I was just trying to get my bearings and calm down while Minato was looking at the menu. He had already finished the box of takoyaki on the way here, but he already wanted more?
"Didn't you just eat?" I asked him.
"Yeah, but even after seven boxes, I'm still hungry." Seven boxes!?
"Don't you think that's a little much?" Too much in fact. How much of whatever that was did you eat? I mean it wasn't bad, but still…
"Yeah, but I'm still hungry." Well okay then. If he's still that thin then I guess there really isn't anything I can say. "So what were you doing crying in the town center?" He said while still looking over the menu.
"I wasn't crying, just having allergies."
"Right…" He said, and by that response he probably doesn't believe me. To be honest I wouldn't either. "Sanae-san, please, you aren't like that usually. We're friends aren't we? You can tell me what's happening. If something's wrong I'd like to help you. So please tell me what's going on." He's… he's really worried. I don't think I've ever seen him that worried before. This wasn't just the first time I heard him say so much in one go, but it was also the first time I could see emotion on his face other than cool stoicism. And of all things for it to be, it was worry. I sighed and looked down.
"Will you really listen?" I asked him. I tried my best to look him in the eye when I asked, but I just couldn't do it.
"I'll listen." He said with total seriousness.
"Um, then… I don't know where to start…" I really didn't.
"How about from the beginning?" Yeah I guess that's a good a place as any. I then began to tell him of my situation.
"Well you remember that I live and work for the local shrine right?" He nodded his head. "Um, well, the shrine has been an important fixture for the town for a long time and has been worshipped and cared for for generations." I can't tell him about everything. I'd just come off as crazy.
"Recently though, people have just stopped caring about the shrine. Nobody follows tradition and just discards the old faiths and traditions. My shrine, my home is slowly dying away, and nobody but my family cares. The shrine is all I really have and… and…" I need to hold back the tears… "I-if nobody believes in the shrine anymore, then my home is done for. I'll have nothing left. There will be nothing left." My family will be gone… I can't stop them. I put my hands up to my eyes to try and stop the flow.
"I need help, Minato-san. I don't care what it is. If you can believe in the shrine just a little bit then I would be grateful to you, so please just believe a little bit. That's all I ask for." There's no way he would. I left out so much and told him so little. No one but a saint would help in a situation like this.
"I'll help." I snapped my eyes open and stared at him. I still didn't believe what I'd just heard.
"Huh?" Did he really just say that?
"I said I'll help."
"Re-really? You're not just saying that are you?" Please?
"I'm not." He said in all seriousness. "I'll help."
"Thank you, your belief is enough." I finally got someone to have faith in the shrine!
"I'll help more." What?
"I-I can't. I can't ask more than that from you Minato-san. I can't impose any more of my problems on you." I can't take advantage of him like that.
"Yes you can. We're friends," he said as a matter of fact.
"Um, do you really mean that? Really?" He really isn't just saying that.
"Yeah, what can I do to help?" He means it!
"I… thank you… Thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou!" I couldn't help but yell at him as I held his hands in mine. It's a miracle. "Thank you Minato-san. You don't know how much this means to me."
"You can use 'kun' if you want." He told me.
"Okay then, Minato-kun." Perhaps I sounded a bit over eager, but I just can't help it. I'm making real progress for once. Though if he's letting me say that… In return, "And I guess you can use chan." It's embarrassing but I think I can let him use it.
"Alright Sanae-chan. I'm looking forward to working with you..."
"Yeah!" I replied with new zeal in my body.
"First though," He interjected and picked up the call phone on the wall, "Can I have two large sodas, three parfaits, five cheeseburgers, make those doubles, and a large order of fries? Yes I'll be paying for it. Oh right!" What? "Is there anything you want Sanae?"
"Oh! Um, a water is fine, and maybe a parfait for me too…" I was a little hungry after crying a bit… only a bit.
"We'll also have another parfait and a water. Right, I got it. We can wait, thank you." He then turned back to me. I guess I must have looked pretty weirded out since he then asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing…" was my only response, before I followed up with, "So you really are going to help me?" I was still a bit in disbelief at what he said.
"I already said yes."
"Of course! Of course, it's just that I'm surprised you said yes so readily. So, um…"
"Yes?"
"Can you… um… come by the shrine tomorrow to help out? Since you did offer after all I think it might be best to start as soon as possible… at my shrine!" Oh man that sounded awkward.
"Okay, sure. What time?" Right, a time!
"Um, I guess maybe noon. Is that okay with you?" Will he even be awake then?
"Alright should I knock on the door or something?"
"I'll probably be sweeping the outside at that time. If I'm not, then yeah, please knock."
"Okay, so tomorrow then."
"Yeah, tomorrow at noon."
"Alright, I'll be there." He then got up and turned the Karaoke machine on. He then grabbed the microphones and passed one to me saying, "Wanna sing a bit before the food gets here?" Needless to say, I was there for a long while, together with Minato. I didn't know he was such a good singer.
-0-0-5-0-0-
Right now I was sweeping the outside of the shrine waiting for Minato to come. I know he's been here before, but now it somehow feels different from last time. I can't put my finger on it.
"Sanae-chan, you've been sweeping that spot for over ten minutes now."
"Suwako-sama! Please don't sneak up on me like that." When did she get behind me?
"You seem nervous Sanae-chan. Is something happening today?" she asked with a gleam in her eye. Sometimes I can't tell whether she is a goddess or a child. The again, as a goddess I suppose she can do as she pleases.
"Well, Minato-kun is coming over today. He offered to help so I told him to meet up with me at the shrine," I explained, only to hear Suwako-sama break into a small laugh.
"Hoho! Minato-kun?" She asked with an emphasis on the 'kun' part. "Did something happen?" Now her face turned a worrying shade of sly.
"N-Nothing happened Suwako-sama."
"That's not what your face says. I've been around the block you know. You're 1000 years too early to be trying to pull the wool over my eyes." You don't look older than 10. "Well it's none of my business, but if you want my advice, grab him and don't let go. And if he resists, beat him up until he can't move no more."
"Suwako-sama!"
"Joking, joking. Anyways I'll be inside if you need me." And with that she hopped back inside the shrine.
"Sheesh, what was up with that?"
"Up with what?"
"Gah! Minato-kun! Don't sneak up on me like that." That's the second heart attack in the past five minutes.
"Sorry." He stood there scratching the back of his head for a few seconds before also saying, "Well here I am, is there anything we should do?" Oh crap. I was so caught up on the idea that he was going to help out, and so hap…py, well I was so caught up on the idea that he was going to help out that I forgot to actually think about what we were going to do.
"Sorry, I didn't think that far ahead," I told him, not like I could say anything else really.
"That's fine, maybe I can help you clean for now?" He then reached for and put a hand on the broom, of which I let him take without resistance.
"Um, sure. I guess we can start with that." Pausing, I then said, "Maybe we can go out in the town to-" We then heard footsteps coming up the shrine.
"Hmm… this might be our chance. Let's hide." He then grabbed my arm and made us hide behind the nearby bushes.
"Hey what are we-"
"Shhhh…" he put a hand over my mouth. He then pointed to a young man who was walking toward the donation box of the shrine. We then overheard him say-
"I guess it really does work." He then threw in a one-thousand-yen bill and said, with his hands in prayer, "Thank you for letting me nail that interview at the convince store the other day." He didn't say anything else, turned around and started to leave. But before he'd completely left the shrine he also said, "I guess I can tell my friends that those ema things actually work. Maybe they'll give it a shot too. Ah well, I got a shift tomorrow, so I guess I better prepare for it." And with that he disappeared past the gate.
With the coast clear, we got out of the bushes and with a sigh I said- "But we really didn't do anything…" I looked at where the emas where being hung. There were quite a few, at least ten and maybe one or two more, but I always took them down after a while. The ones up there now were the some of the more recent ones. Minato walked over to where the ema were hanging and started to riffle through them.
"Here we go… 'I want to get that job so bad, please let me pass the interview. I'll believe in this shrine if it works, anything.' Yeah that's his alright." He said as he read what was sloppily scrawled on the ema.
"We get a few ema requests every now and then, but it's more wishful thinking than anything else." Sometimes I wonder why we even have those. I guess it helps with piece of mind at least.
"Sanae-chan, I think I have an idea."
"Huh?"
"What if we try to fulfill what's on the ema?"
"What will that accomplish?"
"Did you hear that guy?" I nodded a yes. "That guy said he started to really believe in the shrine, and that he was going to tell his friends." Wait I think I know where this is going. "If we fulfill more of these, obviously the doable ones, then maybe that will-"
"-restore faith to the shrine!" I finished for him. That's not a bad idea at all. It could really work. "Right, that's a great plan! But where can we start? Which ones do you think we should do?" If necessary, I can get Kanako-sama, and Suwako-sama to help out.
"Hmmm, how about this one right here?" He handed it over to me and I read and found it to be a simple thing. This one would be easy to do.
"Yeah, this one shouldn't be too hard. We should first find whoever wrote it and try to help them out." I think I know this girl. She goes to our school.
"Then shall we head out?" He took the ema back in hand pointed to the exit of the shrine.
"Right! We should start as soon as possible. Let's get going!" I then ran off to the exit and turned to face Minato. "Well? Come on! You're the one who said we should go." He then shrugged and said-
"Whatever." This time with a smile on his face as he took his sweet time.
-0-0-5-0-0-
And that was how most of our summer vacation was spent. We took ema requests one after the other. With Kanako-sama, and Suwako-sama's help, we were able to find and help all those who made requests. At the very least the ones that weren't impossible or scummy.
Whenever we found the requester, I stayed back and let Minato handle the talking so that they didn't become suspicious of what was going on. I… stand out a bit with my… entire look, so I had to leave almost all the socializing to him. To my surprise, he wasn't terrible. Not great, but it worked.
Some of them had love troubles, others lost things and wanted them found, a few just wanted to buy stuff they've been wanting for a while. All in all, most of them ended up just being fairly simple requests. Even so, the effects however were tremendous. I wasn't there personally to oversee it, but day after day, the donation box became filled more and more, and the ema requests just kept coming. Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama both began to regain their powers as well, thus making subsequent requests easier when they had something they could contribute to.
Still though, we couldn't do it for the whole summer break.
"Minato-kun, hurry up!" He and I had been spending almost every day together fulfilling requests. Today though, we just decided to let off some steam and just hand out.
"I'm coming, just hold up a bit." He said while walking his usual leisurely pace. We eventually sat down at the fountain where he'd first found me. Today though, rather than my miko uniform, I was in my casual clothes. "You seem happy." He told me as we settled in.
"Is it that easy to tell?" I've finally found a way to bring more faith to the shrine, my home isn't in danger anymore, I think I can be just a little happy about that.
"You've been smiling every day for a while now."
"So?"
"Nothing, I guess." Every day there's someone new to help and more faith to be gathered. The only way I could be happier with it is if the shrine were to ever return to its former glory from before my time. Still that's a bit of a ways off. "Wanna grab something to eat?" he asked me.
"Sure, but what do you want to eat?" I could go for something right now.
"How about takoyaki? I Haven't had it in a while."
"Sure! Let's share a box." That will do. He got up and walked over to a nearby takoyaki stand at the corner and after a few moments, came back with a box in hand. Sitting down next to me, he handed me a toothpick and opened the box, revealing ten succulent, freshly fried balls of octopus, or whatever they put in the stuff. I guess if it hasn't killed anyone yet….
"Itadakimasu!" We both said and we began to dig into our impromptu snack.
"Hot!" I cried as I bit into it. The sudden jolt of pain caused me to accidently dropped my stick along with the ball that was attached to it.
"You should be more careful." He said as he finished off his piece. He plucked another one with his toothpick and blew on it. "Here this one should be fine." He said as he stuck it out for me to eat. I guess it would be okay to eat it like this.
"Aaaahhhh," I said as I opened my mouth and took a bite. As I crunched on it, I found that it was just the right temperature, and didn't hurt my tongue like the other one did.
"See? You should blow on it to make sure it doesn't burn." He said as he moved his hand away and back onto another piece to plop in his…mouth… oh my Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama. Was that… did I just… just now did we?
"Hm? Sanae-chan? Are you okay? Your face is red."
"I'm fine! Everything's okay! I'm just… thirsty! Yeah! That's all."
"Well, okay." And there goes the mood. Shaking the though out of my head, we sat there as he and I finished the rest of the takoyaki (using a different, clean toothpick), before we decided to walk around the shopping district, finally getting on with what we came here to do.
"So what are you looking for?" I asked him, curious about the kinds of things he might buy. He's never really shown that much interest in things, or at least not that I know of.
"Well, maybe a new album. There's this new album called Burn My Dread I want to find. How about you?"
"Oh! Well I don't know…" My voice trailed as I found myself wandering towards the hobby shop. Sitting at the window display, I couldn't believe what was there. A kit model to build a model robot, not just any robot though, but the RX-78-2 with all the accessories and details just right!
It's every mecha lover's dream to find this in such pristine condition! I walked up to the glass to get a closer look at the box to find that it was mostly intact with only a little bit of crumpling on one of the corners. I mean, it could be a lot worse, but I can't believe I found this here.
"Is this the kind of thing you're into?" I whipped my head around in a panic to find Minato standing right next to me. Crap. I never told him about this stuff. Now he'll think I'm weird.
"Um, sort of, maybe…" I said sheepishly. I was too embarrassed to try to explain any more. Oh god, why can't I think of anything to say? Come on Sanae, think! Just say something! Any-
"Give me a second."
"Huh?" He just walked into the store. Even so, thanks to the windows I could see him from the outside. Inside I could see him walking up to the clerk, pointing to the model kit and… he bought it. Wait is he paying in cash? Oh wow… that's a… that wallet is stuffed. While I was still shocked by what just happened, he walked out of the store, attempting to hide the kit behind himself.
"Tadah…" He said as he showed me the box. "Here, for you." Oh no I'm gonna cry… that's so… that's so sweet…
"For… me?" I looked at him, trying to hide whatever my face was becoming. "Really?"
"Yeah. It was what you wanted right?" It was. I carefully took the box from him, delicately making sure that it was both real, and to prevent any mishaps. When the weight of it finally transferred over to my hands… this is real.
"Are you sure? Wasn't it expensive?"
"Hmm… a little. I'll admit I'm a bit surprised how much something like those costs… but it's fine."
"…I don't have anything to give you in return."
"That's okay." All I could do was look down at the box now in my hands. I now have an original RX-78-2 kit in my hands. It's mine. I looked back up at Minato. I have to say this right.
"Thank you very much!" I said to him as I bowed to show my gratitude for giving me what is perhaps, the greatest gift I have ever gotten in my life.
"No problem." No, there was a big problem.
"Can you wait by the fountain for a little bit?"
"Um… sure?"
"Great!" I ran off before I'd even fully heard him answer. I have to repay him. Now where was that store…
-0-0-5-0-0-
About twenty minutes later, I made it back to the fountain to find that Minato was, unsurprisingly, asleep. Impressively though, it was while sitting upright. To be fair, this was the first time in a long time that I have seen him fall asleep like that, but this time it's to my advantage.
"Wake up sleepy head." I held my bag behind me, which held not just the gift from Minato but also something else.
"Huh?" He sputtered as he was waking up. "Oh you're back. Where did you go?"
"Hmmm… a store." I then sat down next to him. I began to rummage through my bag.
"Where'd you get that bag?" he asked, curious. I finally grabbed what I wanted to find and handed it over to him.
"Here you go! This took longer to find than I thought it would." The item was currently wrapped up so you couldn't see what it was. Still it was thin enough to see it was some kind of CD. He gently took the CD from me, flipping it about even though there wasn't anything to gleam from the wrapping. Once he was satisfied with that, he began to take apart the wrappings and, as I hoped, his eyes widened once he saw what was hidden underneath.
"This is-"
"Burn my Dread. The new album you wanted to find right? It wasn't easy, but I did manage to find it." It was tucked away in the back, even though it was a new release. They just hadn't had the time to put it up on the shelf yet.
"Why did you get this?"
"Isn't it obvious, to repay you for getting me this." I said as I held up the bag that held the model kit.
"You didn't have to do this."
"I didn't, but I wanted to." I told him.
He took a moment to think before finally settling on just a simple, "Thanks." You know what? Sure it wasn't exactly much, but it makes me happy to hear him thank me. I guess this is what it's like to have friends. And that of his smile is so sweet too. Just something so calming and comforting about it.
For the rest of the day, he and I just walked around the town, talking about stuff, and also doing a little karaoke. Summer vacation ended about two weeks later, and even then, our routine of helping out those who made requests through the emas still continued. Life was finally starting to look up. The shrine was getting in better and better condition each day. Minato and I hung out together more and more. I even managed to finish building the RX-78-2 and boy did that look awesome sitting next to my alarm clock. Wish I could paint it red, maybe it would go three times faster then, but that would detract from the original colorings. That and it would sort of be blasphemous to begin with.
Life continued on. Fall passed even faster than spring, and winter hit the town pretty hard this year making it a little colder than usual. For Christmas, Minato and I decided to have some cake and sing some karaoke. We exchanged a couple of gifts. He gave me a chibi figurine of the RX-78-2, the kind you could strap to your phone, and I got him another album of songs, this time with stuff like Mass destruction and Memories of You. All in all, it was a small little get together, but it was fun, and I didn't want to be anywhere else.
Perhaps it was a bit forward of me to say, but life just felt perfect during those sweet few months. Nothing could bring me down. Every day was just amazing. As long as I had him, my first friend, by my side nothing could ever be bad. In a sense, I was right.
-0-0-5-0-0-
"So as a reminder, Arisato-san will be moving away by the end of this semester. As such, the following month of February and the few weeks afterwards will be his last days here up to the senior's graduation day."
My heart froze and I immediately snapped my head to where Minato was sitting (Our seats had changed since the end of summer, so we no longer sat next to each other). Minato… was moving? He was leaving…me? It seems that I wasn't the only one who was disappointed in the news. The whole class started to make some noise as I could hear the other students groaning.
"Settle down class. I told you this already at the beginning of the year that he would only be here for the year." He did? Did I just ignore him when he said that? I probably did. "Now then, sad as it is to see a student like Arisato-san leave, it is important that we-"
I didn't stay to hear the rest of what he said. I didn't want to hear the rest of what he was going to say. All that was going through my mind was: He is leaving? Leaving this place? Leaving me? I ran out of the classroom and ignored my teacher's protests and just ran as fast as I could. It all became a blur as I the halls, windows and floor just became an indecipherable mess.
Before I knew it, I found myself on the roof of the school. I sat in the shade and hid myself in the corner, placing my face next to my knees. I didn't want to be seen. All I wanted to hear was the sound of the wind blowing, just like I used to do before he came into my life whenever I felt down. But even that old past time did nothing to stop it. I could feel tears running down my cheeks, and it was becoming harder to breath as my nose and throat began to become stuffy.
My first and only friend was leaving? Why? Why does he have to go? Why can't he stay here? Over and over the thoughts poured out of mind in an unstoppable cascade in tandem with the tears coming from my eyes. Above, the clouds were beginning to move in, though the weather report said there wasn't going to be any rain today. They did make the world feel just a bit more bearable. At some point, as I closed my eyes, I found myself in the lull of sleep, both from being so tired and the calming wind.
-0-0-5-0-0-
"Sanae-chan?" I looked up to find that it was him who was standing in front of me. My throat was sore, but I still managed to get out what I wanted to say.
"Oh, it's you." My throat was hoarse and really needed some water, but that could wait.
"Sanae-chan, if it's about the move-"
"Why didn't you tell me you were moving!?" I yelled at him with everything I had as I got up to glare at him.
"The teacher already-"
"I don't care about what the teacher said! I don't care when he said it!"
"Sanae-chan aren't you being a little-"
"Shut up! And stop calling me like that!"
"Alright Sanae-san…" Once he said that, I was able to get a better look at my surroundings. It seems some time had passed. The clouds were now dark and completely covered the sky. "Um…"
"So you're leaving then?" I asked trying to calm my voice down. It would hurt too much if I kept yelling.
"Yeah, right after the senior's graduation: the day after." He answered. But why aren't you looking me in the eye?
"Can't you stay?"
"No. This has been planned out since the beginning, even before I came to this school."
"So you're leaving then?" I asked for the second time. "Leaving this school? Leaving this town?" I paused for a moment before finally asking "You're leaving me?"
"…Yeah… I am." He said in a somber tone.
"How can you say that so calmly!? Doesn't any of the time we spent together mean anything to you? You offer to be my friend, you offer to help me, and now you just up and leave? Does anything faze you at all!?" I just continued to demand more and more from him. All he could do was stand there and take it. His expression didn't change in the slightest even as I continued to yell. "Well? Do you have anything to say?"
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Why was I getting so worked up? I knew that this couldn't helped. I knew this is not his fault at all. There's no reason to for me to be angry. So why was I so angry!? Why did it hurt so much? The wind was beginning to intensify almost drowning out our voices.
"Sanae-sa-" That was it.
"JUST GO AWAY!" I yelled at him with my eyes closed. As soon as I did, the wind morphed into a huge deafening blast. I opened my eyes to find that Minato was struggling to try and keep his footing. His uniform flapped wildly in the wind, and he kept kicking himself downward to try and keep his balance, but ultimately, the wind simply pressed on and eventually...
"Minato-kun!" I yelled out his name as I realized he was about to be blown away thanks to my power run amok. I then ran over to him to try, and grab hold of him but before I even got within reach, he was blown upward and over the fence of the roof. Then it was gravity's turn to take hold of him.
"Woah!" He let out as he began to tumble down towards the Earth.
"MINATO-KUN!" There was no time to hesitate. I used my powers to jump start my flight and made a beeline straight towards him. However, he was already halfway towards the ground before I'd even gotten a third of the way there.
'Please let me make it in time,' was all I could think of as I reached my hand out to grab him. He was falling faster and faster, as I struggled to keep up with gravity's pull. I didn't want this to happen. 'I didn't want him to die,' raced through my mind in this moment. The ground was fast approaching and was coming faster every passing moment. I can't let him die. I can't let it end like this. Not after everything that's happened between us. I want to make it. I need to make it. PLEASE LET ME MAKE IT! PLEASE!
-0-0-5-0-0-
Minato's head was currently resting on my lap. I'd managed to grab him just in the nick of time right before he hit the ground. At some point he passed out, probably from both drowsiness and the shock of being thrown around like a leaf. Looking down, I could see everything about him so clearly. His blue hair which framed his head so neatly, his features which gave him an androgynous, pretty boy look that I bet even some girls were jealous of.
As I looked at these, I couldn't help but think more of him. He was kind. In class, he would always help the other students whenever they needed help with a problem or needed something done. He would never turn them down unless it was something he thought someone else could do better.
He was smart. I don't know how, but he got top score on all of the exams. I wasn't too far below him, but still it was quite shocking to find his name at the very top of every exam.
He was patient. He was quiet too, but it helped to lend an air that made him feel as if he were someone you could always talk too.
He loved music and always had his MP3 on him. Even then it wasn't like shut out the world around him, at least not to me.
He was attentive. He always paid attention to me whenever I had something on my mind and seemed to know almost exactly what to say to me or anyone else for that matter. He was all of these things and more that I failed to think of at the moment.
I looked back down on him. His face was so peaceful, so much so that it was putting my own heart at ease. It was like nothing bad had happened at all; like it was just a dream. I wished that we could stay like this forever.
"That's it isn't it." I said as I made a realization over what was going on. "That's what was happening wasn't it. The reason I had so much fun hanging out with you, the reason my heart feels so warm whenever I'm with you, the reason it hurts at the thought of you leaving." I felt a smile form as I finally pieced together what I it was. A feeling I never thought in a million years would reach me but did. I finally know what this feeling in my heart was, what I felt for him, and it was this. I love him.
I love him so much. That's why I was so angry at the thought of him leaving. I don't want to be apart from him, not for a second… but that isn't to be.
"Sanae-san?" I snapped back to reality when I heard his voice. I refocused to see his eyes flicker open.
"Minato-kun! You're awake." He's awake. And he's fine, but now's not the time to celebrate. "Minato-kun…"
"What is it?" He asked as he looked up at me from my lap.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you."
"That's okay." I shook my head. I can't accept his forgiveness.
"It's not okay. I let my emotions get the better of me and because of that you nearly got hurt. You could've died. And it would've been all my fault." I was beginning to let the tears fall out of my eyes again today. But before they could fall off my face, I felt a hand place itself on my cheek, wiping away the tears.
"It's okay. I'm fine see. I'm not hurt at all." He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back, even though I was crying. "Besides, you're the one who saved me aren't you?" He remembered that?
"But if I didn't yell at you, none of this would have happened."
"What's done is done. But as punishment, I get to use 'chan' again, okay?" I stared at him a little stupefied at his statement. Was that really all he wanted?
"Um, uh… sure. Of course you can use chan again." I held back a stupid little laugh. Really? That's all you want? You dummy.
"Awesome." He turned his gaze towards the sky. It was now very late in the afternoon and almost evening. The sun had already begun to set and so everything was painted in an orange glow. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself."
"No, it's my fault. I didn't listen to the teacher at the beginning of the year. If I had, then this wouldn't have happened." I have to pay more attention.
"Still, I'm sorry I have to leave." We sat in a warm silence. It was not empty but at the same time not full. It's like we wanted to hold onto something but didn't know what. It took me a bit before I found something I wanted to say.
"If you're that sorry about it, then promise me something."
"Anything." His reply was quick and succinct as always.
"Promise me we'll meet again someday after you leave. If you can't then I won't ever forgive you. I don't care when it is, but you have to."
"I promise." He said as he closed his eyes again. That was the last thing we said before we let the time pass while we let the sun bathe us in the twilight right before it turned into night. We didn't really have any more words between us, but that didn't matter.
Later, as we walked home under the stars, he and I stood at the foot of the hill that led to my shrine. He walked me home today as well despite all that had happened today. We stood there looking at each other for a few seconds before finally I said-
"See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." And like that, ended the first of our last days.
-0-0-5-0-0-
The final weeks, the final days passed by in flash, faster than any wind I could call or conjure. Today marks the end of my first year in high school. Feelings of growing, of excitement, are all toiling within me, but they are insubstantial when compared to this other, more powerful feeling within me: sadness.
This day was a long time coming. I had already made my peace with this day… at least I hope I did. Right now I'm standing, waiting in a very special place. It was here that I made my first friend, had so much fun every day after, had so much anguish, and felt so many new things.
I heard the door creak and click open as a voice rang clear through the air. "Sanae-chan?" There you are.
"Minato-kun! You're early. I didn't expect you here until after the graduation ceremony." I left a note in his shoe locker to meet me up here.
"I can see the one next year at my new school." That's just like you to say that.
"Well it will probably be fancier there than it would be a country town like this. What was it called? Gekkoukan?" I asked.
"I think that's right. Though I'm not really sure what's going to be so fancy about it…" He and I shared a small laugh at his expense. It was just like him to be so blasé about things. I'm going to miss it…
"Thank you." I told him.
"You already told me that."
"Well, let me say it again then. Thank you." I don't think I can thank you enough. You've done so much.
"Sanae-chan, you're crying." I am? I am. Stop. Please Stop. Why won't it stop? I already know I can't stop him from leaving, so why won't it stop? "Sanae-chan?" No! No. Please. He's right there in front of me now. Please, no. I can't let him see me like this.
"It's fine. I'm fine!" It's not stopping. I wipe my tears away over and over again but more keep coming. I'm becoming a mess. I promised myself I wouldn't cry today, but… but…
"Sorry." He whispered to me in his sweetest tone of voice. Right now I was in a place that I dreamed of and yearned for so much ever since I realized my own feelings. Right now, Minato held me in his embrace. It was strong, nothing like his build would suggest. It was warm, in contrast to his usually cold look.
However, most important to me was that it was me who was being held in these arms, and no one else. For me, this was heaven. I could wish for nothing better. I couldn't have wanted anything more even if I tried. Oh no. I was holding in so much but now… now… I can't-
"Awwwwaaaaaahhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" It just broke down. The smallest bit that remained of my will broke down as it all started to flood. Everything I was holding back, all that I wanted to hide… "Why do you have to go? Why do you have to leave?" I couldn't say 'me' at the end of that sentence, my sense of shame still holding even when all else had failed. I wailed all of my heart into his chest. I knew he wouldn't stay. I couldn't ask him too. All he could say to me, each time warmer and warmer was-
"I'm sorry." Every time I asked him why. I don't know how long it took, but after all the crying, the wailing, and the questions, He and I sat down.
"I'm sorry. Your shirt's a mess now." I hope that will wash out…
"It's fine."
"Still as terse as ever, even now." He's still the same, even after all this time. So mellow, taking things in stride like it's nothing. I looked over at the horizon over the city, the view he and I shared countless times; this final time.
"This small city-" he turned towards me in his attentive manner, just as he always does, "I used to not think much of it. The adults always treated me with respect and reverence. Those my age always thought of me as weird and different. But in the end, they all did the same thing regardless: kept me at a distance."
"Because of that, I was lonely, and that loneliness came to be anger. Anger turned into resent. Resent for everyone who I thought was beneath me, resent for the shrine that I had no choice being a part of but couldn't stand to lose," I took a deep breath and continued "And finally, resent for myself for being different. Then, there was you. You just came barging into my life. You intruded in every aspect."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, because… because…" I can't say it. My face is burning!
"Because what?"
"Just because, okay!?" He and I continued to sit there on the roof. We reminisced about the year, our year, our precious year. We talked about everything that had happened between us. Our first meeting, that time we were on clean up duty, every other day of the summer, and so much more… Before I knew it, the sun had already nearly set. Our last day together was about to end.
"Sanae-chan, I'll walk you home." He got up, dusted his pants, and stretched out his hand. It was just like he always did. This time however-
"Thanks." I got up on my own. Sorry about that… I… I want to start getting used to you not being around. He looked a little surprised. When the year started, and well into it, I couldn't tell any of his expressions apart, but now it seems so easy to read his once impenetrable face.
We left the roof and eventually made our way towards the gate of the school. The halls had been abandoned for a while. Everyone had already gone home after the ceremony, not that they would have had a reason to stay. Nothing but the silence between us and our footsteps accompanied us on our little journey through the slowly darkening hallways. Standing in front of the gate, it was now a soft purple thanks to the sun having nearly set.
"Minato?" This is so embarrassing, but it's now or never.
"Yes? Sanae-chan?" I walked up to him. I will leave him with this.
Lightly, gently, I moved my face towards his. My eyes closed, I could only pray my aim stayed true… and it did. My lips were now touching his. It was my first time, but I felt that I needed to do this. I held it only for a short time, however.
"Thank you and good-bye!" I used the final form of the word good-bye. I turned around and ran before I could even hear a response. I ran as fast as I could until he was out of sight by which then I began to fly. The feeling of his lips on mine still lingered like a ghost and only got stronger with the passage of time. Before long, I had made it back to the shrine but couldn't help but turn look back at the direction that the school was in. The place around me was empty. I feel ashamed that it is here that I can say this and not in front of you but-
"Minato, Thank you. I know you can't hear me but thank you. Thanks to you, I found a way to help my shrine; you saved me when I needed help the most. You were my first friend, and the only one to not judge me like everyone else did. You mean so much to me, more than I could have every hoped for." I wiped the last tears that were still on my face. "I promise you that the next time we meet, the shrine will be the best one you'll ever see. I promise that we'll see each other again one day, so please wait until then." I breathed in and out trying to calm my still excited heart.
I turned around to find, standing at the door. My gods, my parents; they were smiling; they were smiling smiles of understanding and motherliness.
"Welcome home Sanae."
"Welcome back Sanae-chan." Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama said one after the other.
"I'm back." It was the only thing I could say, and it was mostly just out of habit more than anything else. "I'll be in my room."
"Take your time." Thank you, Suwako-sama.
I marched to my room, sluggish and tired. I was exhausted but I still had something I had to do. Once in my room, I dragged myself over to the closet. Opening up my wardrobe, I changed out of my school uniform and into my shrine maiden uniform. Today I finish my longest ritual yet. Although I am the Deified Human of the Wind, my true powers lie over something else: miracles. With them I can make anything happen. It just depends on the cast time.
A miracle to keep him here, however, would have taken too long. He would have left long before I would have even gotten halfway through. Instead I decided to bestow upon him another miracle: simple good fortune. As plain as it was, I decided to increase the cast time to amplify the effects. I grabbed the gift he gave me, the RX-78-2, and preformed the same thing I had done since the day we had our fight. The act itself was but a simple prayer in a prepared space, but having done so for so long, it built up its power to an extraordinary extent.
…
…
…
That should do it
As soon as I finished up all the things I needed to do to finally complete the ritual after so long, I flopped onto the bed. If I had to make one more confession today, then I suppose that I had to admit I sort of added one other effect: to be together again soon.
-0-0-5-0-0-
"Minato, it's late August now. You're probably enjoying your second semester at… Gekkoukan High. Yeah that was the name. I have something I need to tell you. Despite our best efforts, the shrine continues to lose followers. It isn't you fault. Things were looking great when you first left, but then something happened that neither of us could stop: Apathy syndrome. It hit the town hard and because of its effects, and the fact that there was nothing we could do about it, people lost faith until it became the situation it is now.
Those hit with it couldn't even give faith and those who were related to the victims tried to plea for help, but they went unanswered. Kanako-sama, Suwako-sama and myself were powerless before it. There was nothing that could be done. Don't worry though; My family is going to be fine. Today we'll be leaving for a special place where the shrine will flourish, and everything will be okay. Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama will temporarily lose all faith and power, but it's a gamble that has potential and can save the shrine. I just wanted to say something before we left. I miss you, a lot."
The RX-78-2 returned nothing but silence. Though it's not like I really expected an answer. Whenever I felt lonely, I talk to it and pretend like it's you. It only talks a little less than you do after all.
"I just want you to know that even though we'll be even farther away from each other, worlds apart for that matter, I'm going to keep my promises to you, no matter what. I don't know when but definitely someday. So can you still wait for me?"
"Sanae, are you ready to leave?"
"Yes Kanako-sama." I turned back to my model robot. "Minato, I… will save my words for when we meet for real." I placed the model in the cardboard box and packed it up. I walked outside to find Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama both ready to leave. Kanako-sama was the one who proposed this plan and would use what little faith she still had to transport this shrine into Gensokyou.
"Okay! Let's get going!" Suwako-sama was as cheerful as always.
"Do you have everything packed up Sanae?"
"Yes Kanako-sama."
"Then without further ado, give me time to concentrate." Kanako-sama's power filled the area, and I could feel us being shifted through space. I looked up at the sky one last time. Even now, or perhaps fittingly now, I can't help but think of you, the only thing I wish I didn't have to leave behind. To nobody, and in the softest voice I could muster, I whispered "Minato, when we meet next time. I'll be you goddess. I will be the best one you'll ever have, and you better be ready."
Edited Author's notes:
There are times I'm reading this and think, "Man what would I do if I were to rewrite the entire thing from scratch?" Honestly up to this point, not much. I'm actually not that non-plussed about the writing direction I took for the fic up until recently. I still think my direction at this time was at its most solid. That being said, it did take a bit to keep myself from making substantial direction changes. The point of these edits isn't to rewrite, but just to bring it up to a standard I'm more comfortable with today, than I was years ago.
That being said, as we are going on in the chapters, the amount I want to edit is lessening. Not completely diminishing, but it is getting smaller. I suppose that's the small improvements I made over time when I was just starting. I don't know how much that will hold, but I know there are things I want to edit in the later chapters, but that's for later, not now.
One other thing, I thought I was going to cut more than I have been. Instead I've been adding words to these chapters. This chapter in particular was about 8k starting out, but my edits have brought it up to 9.5k… I really have a problem with brevity. Anyways, thanks for stopping by, and hopefully the next time will actually be an update.
Author's notes: Well I wanted to try something different with these two chapters. I wanted to try and write from a different perspective than the one I already was writing in (i.e. From Minato's to Sanae's). I hope I was able to make the two of them different enough as well as actually write it well. Regardless, the perspective will be switching back to Minato's after this chapter and will stay that way for a while. If you found this to be annoying reading it from Sanae's perspective, tell me why so I can improve next time. If you liked it, still tell me anything you thought needs improvement in any area. Thanks for reading.
