March 20, 2012
There were dark circles under his eyes. He couldn't see them, but he could feel them. Swollen with an exhaustion that was both unearthly and distant, Yosuke pressed a hand do his face tentatively. He was cold. And when Chie slipped her hand into his, he realized she was cold too.
It was almost as if the curse still had it's grip on them. A gauzy haze that softened the edges of the electronics department and muted the obnoxious colors, advertisements, and notifications that covered the walls of Junes enveloped Yosuke's mind with a softness that felt like cotton.
With a distant, bleary noise of realization, Yosuke wondered exactly how long it took someone to come back from the dead.
Chie's hand was firmer now and warmer around the palm, though her fingertips were still frigid. Yosuke brought them between his own hands and rubbed gently, instinctively trying to warm her with the friction. She didn't protest like usual. In fact, she leaned against him as they shared a very, very rare moment of silence. She seemed content to press her face against his gakuran, reminding him distantly of a small child curling into a friend or parent. Yosuke wrapped an arm around her but, for once, didn't comment on it.
Instead, Yosuke watched the others.
Rise was all smiles, cheeks flushed while her hair bounced along with the rest of her. Out of everyone, she looked the most alive. Yosuke hadn't asked her what happened after they were all gone, or if Izanami had cursed her as well, but even if she had Yosuke wouldn't have been that surprised by Rise's bubbly enthusiasm. It helped considerably, actually, and Yosuke felt a grin tugging at his lips when she tugged off Naoto's hat and twirled it around her finger with the smug glow of a cat who'd caught the canary. Naoto huffed, trying to reach for it, but a game of keep away had already begun. Kanji eventually took pity on the detective and reached down, plucking the hat easily from the idol's grip before tugging it snugly over the small first year's head. He was rewarded with a glare for pushing her bangs into her face (along with a small peck once she thought no one was looking; Yosuke was, unfortunately for her).
There was the sound of laughter directly to his right and as he turned, Yosuke was surprised to see that Chie had removed herself from his jacket. She was grinning, a look of relief and pride lighting up her eyes in a way that made Yosuke's stomach flip nervously. Yukiko was next to her, her own distinctive snorting coloring their conversation. Yosuke, himself, couldn't pick up exactly what they were saying; his mind was still trapped in the odd, gossamer vertigo between living and dying. The others seemed to have snapped out of it, which made sense, when you thought about it.
After all, he had been the first to go.
"Chie, her left's exposed! Right th-yes, there!"
A 'huttah' that was barely audible above the wrenching and creaking of dead limbs sounded before a roar of pain. It had been a strong attack, clearly, as the blade of her shoe slid out easily from where it had imbedded in a the monster's side. Dodging a flurry of retaliating clawed arms, Chie returned to her position to Souji's right. With a small nod to her leader that she was alright, Souji took his cue and fell into stance. Summoning a tarot from the mist, he let the warm card rest in his palm for a moment before clenching his fist around it. The card shattered, shards imbedding themselves into his palm. The pain only lasted a moment, however, before a warm blue flame ran up his arm. Even though Yosuke had seen it a thousand times or more, the sight never stopped fascinating him. There was a grace and efficiency to the gesture that Yosuke's own acrobatics lacked, considerably. And it went without saying that the few seconds before a figure appeared above his best friend's head were always exciting ones. You never could tell what was going to appear.
Although, when Izanagi's swirling form appeared over Souji's head, no one watching was particularly surprised.
The beast screamed again, her voice aching with hatred and longing. The attack connected, sending powerful shocks of electricity through the goddess's body. Yosuke could feel his hair floating upwards from the lingering static when Souji gave him a nod and silently urged him to attack. Yosuke raised his daggers, getting as far as procuring his own card -- the blue hued Magician -- from the fog when Izanami let out another gurgle of rage from her rotted throat.
"Wait, no, Yosuke, stop! Guard! Everyone, guard!" Souji voice was higher than usual, prompting Yukiko to take a step closer and check to see if their leader had been struck by fear. Souji only roared at her, jumping back sharply, "Get the hell away from me, Yukiko, now!"
Stunned, the girl obeyed. A current of confusion ran through the group, all staring at Souji with concern and panic as their leader stood still, staring at the writhing goddess. Out of all of them, only Yosuke knew that look. It was distant, searching, and strained with mental exertion. He and Izanagi were conversing. But there was something new this time too. His best friend's eyes were glassy while his mouth formed a tight, firm line. The hand that gripped his sword was shaking.
What was Izanagi telling him?
"Goodbye...accept the reality of your death."
Yosuke's head snapped to the goddess, then back to Souji. To his surprise, Souji was staring back at him, mouthing something. Yosuke was terrible at reading lips, but he could make out part of it.
'Lead them and win this for me, alright?'
Yosuke's eyes widened as a black spot slowly started growing beneath Souji's feet like a bruise.
"W-wait! Partner!"
Swirling red hands drew out of it, gripping and tearing at Souji's shirt, scratching at his face, nearly knocking his glasses askew.
Yosuke moved without thinking, barreling towards his friend while he set his face in a mask of grim determination. This bitch wasn't taking his best friend; not for anything in the world. Voice hoarse and thick with resolve, he shouted at the deity roughly.
"Not a chance!"
Shouldering Souji hard in the side, the grip of the hands weakened and released him. Yosuke let out a sigh of relief, moving to grab his best friend by the collar and run through the forest of arms unscathed.
That was when he felt the icy grip of a hand wrapping around his ankle. He tripped, falling to his knees as he tried frantically to free himself. Slashing at the arm with his knives was useless -- for all their strength, they had no real form to connect with. Panic gripped his chest, but it was a new kind of panic. It came along with a realization that he felt had been forced upon him. A hand grabbed a fistful of his hair, dragging him back in the center of the black circle of limbs.
"Y-Yosuke!"
Souji was staring at him from where he sat on his knees, dazed from the rough shove. The fight he had been battling with tears was lost and they were running silent and clear down his face. Yosuke couldn't feel much anymore; everything was either numb or ice cold. But he managed a smile and a wink, almost as if to say, 'What the hell are you crying about, you idiot? We still on for Okina next Saturday?'
The last things he heard was Souji choking out a sob, followed by Chie screaming and Kanji swearing up a storm. Then the icy chill of the hands gave way to warmth. Yosuke sank without struggle.
"Yosuke?" Chie's voice chimed, cheerful and glowing with accomplishment. She wasn't cold anymore, the life and vibrancy of her presence warming Yosuke's own chilled body, "Yukiko and me are going to go to her place to clean up. Do you want to come?"
Yosuke could tell it was a courtesy invite from the way she and Yukiko exchanged glances. Under normal circumstances, he would've been offended (weren't they supposed to be dating?), but today he merely smiled, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and shooed her along. Chie swatted him at the burst of affection while Yukiko giggled and flushed.
The two girls linked arms, waving to those that remained. Naoto and Kanji left shortly after, hands brushing very, very lightly as they walked. Soon, it was just he, Teddie, Rise, and Souji who remained.
"Yosuke!" Teddie whined, tearing off the head of his bear suit, "I wanna go home! It's curry night!" Somehow, the thought of eating anything makes Yosuke's stomach lurch.
"I'll meet up with you later, Ted. I think I'm going to stay here for a little longer."
Teddie nodded enthusiastically, clearly already tantalized by the prospect of more curry for him. Yosuke gave him a small wave as the bear scampered excitedly down the aisle as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His world was safe now and, for whatever reason, it is that moment that the magnitude of their achievement. They were heroes. He was a hero. That's what he wanted all this time, right?
He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Rise had her arms wrapped around Souji's neck, whispering something to him. Out of respect, Yosuke looked away, fiddling idly with his headphone cord while he waited for them to finish…whatever it was they were doing. It wasn't long before he heard a wet smack of lips, followed by a small, tearful, "Come home with me. Just this once, please."
There was a pregnant pause, followed by something that surprised.
"I can't. But I'll see you tomorrow, alright? Promise."
He turned to look at them upon hearing that, surprised. Rise punched Souji lightly in the arm, forcing out a watery laugh as she made him promise a second time. Then, with a soft click of kitten heels, she was gone. And it was just them, just like the beginning. The fifteenth of April.
It seemed like forever ago.
"This is a familiar setup," Souji smiled, amusement in his voice as he leaned against a cell phone display, "I can remember a time not long ago when two brave youths traversed into the unknown for justice and glory; just them, their iron will, and one golf club between them."
"Nice tagline, dork," Yosuke grinned, the warmth returning to his chest at the memory, "You're hanging around with Teddie too much."
"Well, can you blame me? I'm not going to be getting many spontaneous haikus after tomorrow." The words sting, even though Yosuke knows they weren't meant to. Souji seems to pick up on that, but then again, of course he would. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" the brunette shoots back, making a point to shrug his shoulders in the most carefree way possible, "It's not like we didn't know it was coming. And it's like I said back there -- no regrets now, right?" Souji stared at him for a long moment, which would've been awkward had Souji not backed out of it at just he right moment.
"Right."
The boys fell into silence again and Yosuke took the moment to check his phone. It was late, nearly eight o'clock, and there were a few missed calls from his mother. Teddie would take care of that, though, and Yosuke flipped his phone shut. Pocketing it, he took the opportunity to break the quiet they'd fallen into.
"Hey, did I ever…," he thought for a moment, suddenly grinning, "Nope, I would've remembered. C'mon, I want to show you something."
Souji looked up, his expression of deep thought giving way to bemused confusion, "Is it the two headed rat in the basement you keep talking about? Because I'm not interested."
"No," he scowled, though a mischievous expression quickly replaced his scorn, "…But come to think of it, you haven't met Itachi yet…"
"I'll pass, thanks."
Yosuke grinned, clapping Souji on the shoulder as he passed him and made his way for the employee stairs, "Suit yourself."
The two boys climbed the deserted stairwell together while Yosuke gave the rundown of Recent Junes News. They were getting a new coffee machine for the break room and Yosuke was inches from securing a raise; something that was rather difficult to achieve when your father was in charge of payroll. The people he was competing with for a pay bump didn't get penalized for coming home past curfew, after all.
Souji would laugh at all the right parts of Yosuke's rambling, but the brunette could tell his heart wasn't in it. Giving the gray haired boy a few sidelong glances while he fumbled around in his pocket, Yosuke gave a short victorious cry as he pulled out a small brass key. With much fanfare and a waggle of the eyebrows (That made Souji laugh more genuinely, Yosuke mentally applauded himself), the key was inserted into the lock and the door thrown open.
It was a roof. Souji looked a little confused, voicing his thoughts.
"It's the roof."
"Huh?" Yosuke asked, frowning at his friend's lack of enthusiasm for something so obviously spectacular. The surface was covered with an inch and a half of gravel, which flew up and got into your sneakers if you kicked at it the wrong way. There was a large chimney and a room-sized box with electrical warnings plastered to the sides. Slightly more striking were the tall, tree-like power lines that ran parallel to the street below. In the light of the sinking sun, the scenery took on a sepia tone, almost like an old photograph. Yosuke sighed, allowing the nostalgia to wash over him uninhibited.
"Is this what you wanted to show me…?" Souji asked, confusion still coloring his words.
"Yep!" Yosuke was enthusiastic, walking out from the doorframe and into the heatless rays of the sun. There was a chill in the air, but Yosuke found it bracing. Something about it was distinctly alive, not like the deathly chill that still gripped him in the legs and stomach, "Isn't it great? Man, this place brings back memories. I haven't been up here since…last April, I think. Maybe May. It was a long time ago."
It wasn't long before the comfortable, familiar presence of his best friend joined him. Souji was silent for a while, his effort to absorb Yosuke's words in conjunction with the setting tangible.
"You know what it reminds me of? The-"
"-The overlook, yeah." Yosuke smiled, flushing a little at his presumption to finish Souji's sentence for him. The look his best friend gave him, however, hardly seemed annoyed. "I don't think I got that until much later, though. I guess it was because I hated the overlook so much and this place…it was great. No one ever comes up here, y'know?" Yosuke kicked at the gravel, watching it spray over the edge of the building and clatter down to the ground with a satisfying shower of 'plick's.
"Oh yeah?" Souji asked, the start of a small knowing smile playing across his lips.
"Yeah, it was…it was nice, especially when people started getting on my back about my responsibilities and how I was part of the 'fall of Inaba' or some shit. I didn't have to mind my manners up here. I could watch the part timers from up here -- you know the two I mean -- and curse them out without them hearing." He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with a touch of embarrassment. Souji didn't react with disappointment or disapproval over his childish past behavior. After all, he'd seen all that pentup rage first hand. Who knew something Yosuke thought would be so horrifying while it happened could turn into one of his greatest comforts?
"Sounds nice," Souji nodded, moving to sit down cross-legged on the gravel. Yosuke followed suit. "Why'd you stop coming?"
"Busy, man, busy," Yosuke laughed, brushing his hair from his eyes, "We got involved in the cases and from then on there was always somewhere to go or something more I could be doing. And I didn't have to talk to myself anymore."
"Oh?" Souji asked, voice casually curious.
"Yeah, dude, I had you," Yosuke was flushing a little at the admission, but soldiered on admirably, "You're a better listener than gravel, y'know? And you talk back. Even if you can say some weird shit sometimes."
Souji chuckled softly, smiling widely and leaning back on his palms to look at the sun. Yosuke caught the smile, returning it with his own bright grin before falling into a similar pose.
"I guess everyone needs a special place at some time or other," Yosuke mused, picking up a fistfuls of gravel before letting them drop slowly from his lightly closed fist, "Dontcha think?"
"I haven't met anyone who's never had one, so…"
"What about you?" the words fell past Yosuke's mouth before he had a chance to stop them, but even then he felt little remorse for the question. Souji was a private person but this was him. The fond expression on Souji's face as he looked over the town only reassured that.
"Well," Souji began, "It's going to sound weird, but, this. Right here."
"My roof!?" Yosuke asked, shocked and a little possessive.
"Yeah," Souji confirmed, earning a disapproving pout from Yosuke. Souji only laughed. "Let me finish. It's not just 'your' roof, okay? It's all of this. This whole town, y'know? I…I'm different here. I've never felt as open to be myself when I'm with you guys or home with Nanako or anywhere, really. Just so long as it's here."
Yosuke stared at him for a long time, processing what Souji had just shared with him. It didn't make much sense when he first considered it -- after all, an entire town a 'special place'? That didn't seem possible. But the more he thought about it, the more he could see Souji's reasoning. Here he was a leader, a hero, a star student, and a best friend. He wouldn't stop being all those things once he left tomorrow, but would be different. Yosuke's mind didn't sugar coat that part and neither had Souji's.
"That doesn't sound weird. It makes a lot of sense, actually. I think Inaba's probably special to all of us by now…I mean, we nearly died saving it. It's like we're a part of this place now." Yosuke allowed his words to trail off naturally, leaning on his palm as the sun set further. "You're going to be taking part of it with you when you go, though, dude."
"Am I?" Souji said, voice distant and…hopeful? The tone was a little jarring.
"Of course," Yosuke asserted vehemently, "A really good part, too. I'm…I'm, uh…" There was the audible sound of Yosuke swallowing, "I'm going to miss it a lot. It's my favorite part, I think."
Souji was beaming. Yosuke noted that this one was very, very genuine. The chill went out of him instantly, rushing out of him like rain through a gutter. It was nice.
"Get up," Souji said suddenly, rising to his feet with a scrape of gravel. Yosuke looked up at him quizzically, half wondering if they were going to fight again. Before he got a chance to question his friend, however, he found himself being pulled up by the wrist.
"Souji, what are you-"
"You said that no one could hear what you said while you were up here, right?"
"Uh, yeah, but-"
Yosuke didn't get a chance to finish his protest when Souji cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "THANK YOU INABA!" at the top of his voice. Yosuke's mouth fell slack.
"D-dude, what are you doing!?"
Souji's grin was easy now, cheeks pink from invigorated shouting, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm giving Inaba a proper goodbye." Before Yosuke could answer, Souji's hands were back around his mouth, yelling again, "THANK YOUUUU!"
"Stop it, you freaking weirdo!!" Yosuke was blushing furiously, embarrassed for reasons he couldn't really place. Maybe because in all their months of close, close friendship he'd never, ever, ever seen Souji let go like this. Had the final showdown with Izanami made him snap or something?
"You try, Yosuke," Souji grinned, breathing hard, "You said you were going to miss a part of Inaba too. Your 'favorite'." Yosuke blushed redder, if possible.
"I can't believe I'm…fuck," Yosuke cupped his mouth with his hands, shouting halfheartedly, "Yay for Inaba~." Souji looked at him quizzically.
"That was awful."
"Shut up!"
"No, really, that was pathetic. I'm sorry, I wouldn't have asked you if I knew you were going to embarrass yourself like that."
Souji was keeping a straight face as best he could, but the corners of his mouth twitched upwards just slightly. Yosuke was scowling too deeply to notice.
"Oh yeah?" Yosuke challenged, hackles raised in defiance. Bracing himself dramatically, he leaned forward as if providing added reach to his shout, "HEY INABA, SOUJI SETA LIKES TO SUCK-" Inaba never got to find out what Souji Seta liked to suck. The Souji Seta in question had tackled Yosuke to the ground with a peal of defiant laughter. They wrestled for a bit, insults occasionally being screamed conversationally to Inaba before the other would throw gravel in their face. At one point, Souji stole Yosuke's headphones and player, racing around the roof with them while he screamed off the names of Yosuke's most embarrassing artists ("YO, INABA, DID YOU KNOW YOSUKE HANAMURA HAS A THING FOR MILEY-ow!") while the red faced brunette followed him hot pursuit. A few concerned residents dialed the police once it got dark and the noise persisted, but they were met with a shrug and a promise to send a squad car once their officers were through with the processing of a very important criminal. None ever came.
Meanwhile, Souji and Yosuke laughed until all the tears that had been building up since that afternoon had been shed. And as they parted ways late into the night, with a hug that neither of them protested to, neither boy could think of a better way to cry.
This is the last chapter I have written, as well as the end of Part I, but there should be more coming.