A/N: So here's the next chapter! Sorry for taking a while, I had to go over edit and re-edit this 'til I got all the typos out :D Any kind of feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and enjoy! :p
~x~o~x~o~x~o~
The three o'clock chimes usually meant freedom for Souji Seta—they signaled the end of classes, and the start of leisure time he had to do his bidding. On this particular day, however, the sound of them meant anything but freedom. Each note bound him closer and closer to a choice, echoing like death tolls in the air.
"Souji, wake up!" Souji felt Yosuke's hand on his back shaking him violently. He wasn't asleep, though. He had slumped on his table a little longer on purpose trying to make a last minute decision, but in the end, he realized it was too late to change his mind. He had to do it.
Souji sprang up and quickly started packing his bag, arranging the pieces of paper and his books scattered on the desk and on the floor. "Sorry." he said. "I guess the lecture made me sleepy. Oh, hey Yukiko-" he quickly put his hand on Yukiko's shoulder, who was about to leave.
Yukiko turned around, looking back with wide eyes. "Y-yes?" Her cheeks flushed red, a shade almost as deep as her sweater.
"May I walk you home?" Souji felt butterflies in his stomach again, and began to regret letting Yosuke take all his lunch. He had always felt more queasy with an empty stomach. "It's going to be all right." he reassured himself, deciding to suck it up and go through with it. "Just grin and bear it." He imagined Teddie would say, and stood his ground even as he felt like his legs were about to buckle in anxiety.
"Sure." Yukiko said, fixing the bag strap on her shoulder. "But, uhm, can you meet me downstairs? I have to go to the science lab first and submit these research papers to Mrs. Nakayama. She's been making me do this to make up for all my missed classes."
"Oh, that sucks, she made me some of those last year! She got mad at me for copy-pasting from the net though." Chie said, and went to Yukiko's side. "Hey, I'll come with you. Uhm, w-we'll meet you guys downstairs." The two girls then went out, and Souji continued to pack his things. He noticed that Yosuke hadn't said a word since.
"Yosuke..?" he said, putting book inside his bag. The light from the window illuminated Yosuke's face, highlighting his features.
Souji had always considered his best friend good-looking; but at that moment, something was different. There was something almost surreal about how Yosuke looked under the afternoon sunlight. He couldn't find a word to describe Yosuke; calling him "handsome" wouldn't even cut it.
Beautiful? Stunning? Gorgeous? Not even.
Yosuke's brown hair almost seemed golden in the afternoon sunlight, framing his face like a halo. His eyes reflected the rays of the sun, like tiny mirrors set on his face. His profile seemed etched against the light, making every angle, every corner, every slant of his face all the more prominent.
At that moment, Yosuke was perfect.
Before he had realized it, Souji had stopped packing and started staring at his friend. Yosuke didn't seem to notice—he was sitting atop of the desk beside Souji spaced out, staring at the window. His eyes had that same look in them, whenever he was lost in his favorite music.
His eyes. Souji knew them all too well. They were always full of emotion, brimming with whatever Yosuke felt at the moment. It was obvious when he was genuinely happy about something because they sparkled and appeared softer. When he was troubled they reflected whatever feelings he had too; Souji always found it hard to look at them whenever Yosuke was sad or angry, because it always felt like the emotion spilled over, stirring an ache in his heart. It was when Yosuke was spaced out that he was hard to read; his eyes seemed to be a cage of mixed emotions making it impossible to tell what he was thinking or feeling.
Souji's heart almost stopped when those eyes finally met his.
"Oh... yeah?" Yosuke said, snapping out of his trance. He looked away from the sun and straight at Souji.
"Shoot." Souji thought, blood rushing to his cheeks. "Did he catch me staring?" He quickly looked down, accidentally dropping a a book he was holding.
"Are you psyched yet? Here, let me help you out with that." Yosuke hopped off the desk and bent down to pick the book Souji dropped up from the floor. Souji was about to pick it up as well, and for a moment, their hands touched. An electric shock coursed through his entire arm, making him retract his hand. It would've been like a scene straight from a cheesy romantic movie, but instead of being a cute, clumsy girl; he was just the nervous, butter-fingered guy best friend. Souji thought that it would've been a horror movie more than anything for Yosuke, if he had known what he was feeling then.
"I-I'm sorry." Souji said, resuming his packing. "I guess I'm just really nervous."
"You are?" Yosuke asked with a shocked look on his face. "Wow, and here I was thinking you weren't worrying about it one bit. Glad to know you're human like the rest of us!" Yosuke laughed and put the book he was holding on Souji's table.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Souji tried his best not to meet Yosuke in the eye again. Just moments ago, he was captivated by the sight of his best friend, and he couldn't explain why. He almost felt sick, the way his stomach was turning inside of him.
"You always seem so calm about everything. I mean, whether it's about schoolwork or even going in to the TV to fight shadows, you're always as cool as a cucumber. You somehow always make everyone feel like everything's going to be ok."
Generally, that was true. Souji wasn't the type to get worked up about the slightest of things, easily keeping his composure even in the most trying of situations. He took advantage of being a stoic, and being able to hide all his emotions beneath a straight face without any effort. However, like with every rule, there were exceptions.
"If you only knew." Souji thought. "If you only knew how you could make me feel sometimes."
~x~o~x~o~x~o~
"There she is." Yosuke said, as the two of them reached the first floor landing. Yukiko and Chie were standing in front of the bulletin board reading the notices. "Hey, Chie!"
He quickly ran beside Chie, putting his hand on her shoulder and pulling her aside. "Why don't we let these two walk home together, huh?"
"Y-yeah, sure." Chie said, surprised. "Hey Yukiko, Souji... we'll go on ahead."
"Where are you guys going?" Souji asked. For some reason, he had always been uncomfortable leaving Yosuke alone with Chie. He had always felt this certain... tension between them. There was something there that he couldn't explain, and didn't seem to like. No, he didn't like whatever it was at all.
"Well, home... I guess. Right Yosuke?"
"Sure, yeah. We're going home. You guys enjoy yourselves." Yosuke winked, and turned around, exiting through the front door with Chie.
Souji couldn't help but glue his eyes on their backs for as long as he could. "Are they really going home? What do they do when they walk like that together? Are they going on a date?" Questions kept racing in his mind, as something strange tugged within him. Soon he felt foolish because it was really he who was going on a "date". He was alone with somebody too.
"Is something the matter, Souji-kun?" Yukiko asked, trying to look for what he was staring at. "Oh... they look cute, together don't you think so? Sure, they fight a lot but when they get along like that, it's actually kind of sweet."
Souji turned around, only to find Yukiko blushing with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Y-yeah, I guess."
He was red in the face too, but for a completely different reason.
~x~o~x~o~x~o~
"Do you mind if we pass by the shrine again today? I want to pay my respects." Yukiko asked, as they walked out the school. It had always been like that recently; whenever the two of them would walk home, Yukiko would request for a trip to the shrine. Souji never complained because in truth, he enjoyed those little trips more than he first imagined. He found the shrine peaceful and relaxing; almost like a different world within the busy shopping district.
"Of course not." He said, putting his hand in his pocket and staring straight at Yukiko. "I'll go with you wherever you like."
As the two of them arrived at the shrine, Souji noticed Yukiko fidgeting more than she usually did.
"Are you going to wish for something, Souji-kun?" Yukiko looked straight in his eyes.
"What am I going to say?" Souji thought, surprised. He didn't realize he was going to be asked to wish for something. He couldn't just say he wasn't going to, with Yukiko looking at him like that. She was definitely expecting an answer.
Good grades? Money? Happiness? Health? he browsed through a list of really cliché answers in his head, but soon realized that he didn't really need any of them.
What he really needed at that moment was for his confession to go smoothly.
"For you..." he said, despite it being the cheesiest thing he could think of. It didn't seem like Yukiko minded, anyways.
"F-for me...?" Her face turned bright red, casting her eyes to the ground. "Thank you." She paused, trying to gain her composure.
"I'm wishing for everyone's health. For Chie, for you, for the others... and everyone at the inn too. And..." she paused again, as if she were trying to look for the right words to say.
"I'm wishing to to become a woman worthy of you... Souji-kun."
Souji didn't know what to say. "There's your chance." he thought. "She's hinting, go on and tell her already."
But before he could say anything, Yukiko continued.
"Finally, I wish for everyone to be able to smile together. Uh-uhm, let's begin our prayer." Yukiko bowed her head down, and Souji followed. Souji closed his eyes and began to pray. He thought of what he had told Yukiko earlier, and wondered how to go about it. He peeked a little, catching a glimpse of her. She looked like a porcelain angel with her eyes closed, her long black hair getting blown by the wind. It was somehow surreal how someone as beautiful would be right next to him.
He bowed his head, closing his eyes once again. "No." he thought, realizing that it wasn't right to wish for someone. It wasn't fair. If something was meant to be, then it would just happen. He didn't need divine grace to sway the odds towards him.
"I wish that Yukiko will find happiness wherever she goes, in whatever she does in life."
He prayed as hard and sincerely as he possibly could, concentrating on that thought. He wished that Yukiko would make decisions that would make her happy; on her own volition, especially with regards to her future.
As he was about to end his prayer, something suddenly flashed in his mind.
An image of a brown-haired boy, wearing headphones, fully enveloped in sunlight.
Yosuke.
Since he was already in the middle of the prayer, he decided to include him as well.
"I wish that Yosuke would be happy" he started, trying to keep his concentration. "...every day, every hour, every minute... every second of his life."
~x~o~x~o~x~o~
"I've decided not to leave Inaba." Yukiko said, after a few more moments of silence.
Souji looked up, alarmed by what Yukiko had said. "Are you sure? Is that what you really want?" she had seem so set on leaving in the past that what she said came as a surprise.
"I never really objected to being the inn's manager per se; I just didn't like the fact that it wasn't up to me... I felt like my life was on the rails, and I thought running away was my only choice." Yukiko paused, and stared straight at Souji, her eyes filled with what seemed like determination. "But no longer. I want to protect the family inn. After all, it's near to my heart... I-I want to thank you, Souji-kun. I think it's because of you that I realized this; because you were always by my side."
Yukiko smiled gently, her determination making her more mature.
"U-um, I wanted to ask you this before..." she said, suddenly fidgeting with her hands. "Wh-why... why are you always with me?"
Souji was suddenly at a loss for words. "Because..." he started, trying to come up with the right words to say.
"Because you're my friend." he thought of saying, but somehow it didn't seem right. He was with her right now because he saw her as more than that, wasn't he? He tried to recount all the time he's ever spent with Yukiko, trying to think of why he had done so. There was no denying that he enjoyed being with her, but he knew there was something more to that than just her company. She distracted him. She made him forget.
And now, he needed her for that more than ever.
"Yukiko..." he said, finally organizing his thoughts. It was his chance; if he were ever to tell her how he was feeling, that was the time. The setting was perfect as well—they were all alone in the tranquil shrine on a beautiful spring afternoon. There was no turning back.
"Yuki... chan... I-I really like you."
Yukiko seemed so shocked, that she had taken a step back. "Y-you like... m-me?" her eyes were wide open, like the words hadn't fully set in yet. "I feel the same way so... uhm... I-I thought my heart was going to stop."
"So did I." Souji was still a bit shell-shocked, but he felt a deep sense of accomplishment. He had done it. Everything was going to be fine from now on.
"Can you stay here with me... just a little longer?" Yukiko asked, her face redder than Souji had ever seen them before.
"Sure." Souji replied, flashing a warm smile. "We could stay here until it gets dark."
~x~o~x~o~x~o~
As night set in, Souji walked Yukiko to her home. It was pretty far, but he didn't mind. Inaba was a beautiful place even under lamp-light. Walking back to his place after dropping Yukiko off gave him the "alone" time he needed, using it to reflect and to sort his personal matters. This time however, despite what had happened, something bothered him as he trudged to Dojima's.
Everything was perfect. He had a girlfriend.
What could possibly be bothering him?
"Welcome back, big bro!" Nanako greeted cheerfully as Souji entered the residence. He removed his shoes, putting them beside the door.
"Oh hey Nanako-chan, how was school?"
He engaged Nanako in conversation, happily eating dinner with her. He waited for Dojima to arrive before retiring to his bedroom, deciding to take a bath before going to sleep. As he began to remove his clothes, he had forgotten to remove the contents of his pocket—his money and everything else inside fell, scattering on the ground.
He picked them up, and suddenly fixed his eyes on a piece of folded paper, forgetting what it was. He opened it, thinking it was a quiz paper he had received that day. However, it was a drawing and a single line that greeted him.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, partner."
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A/N: That wraps up chapter 2! More on what Souji really feels in the next chapter, and I promise, things will start picking up soon. (I'm a sucker for slow, romantic developments, lol)And, oh yeah. Dungeon scenes are coming up. Please tell me what you thought about this. and if you guys want me to continue :p Thanks!