Minako came home with her usual happy-go-lucky facade. This time, she made sure that it as impenetrable as how it once used too; she made sure not a shred of her true emotions would show. But despite of the image she displayed, she still receives anxious gazes from her friends. It made her wonder if perhaps they've already heard of the death on Bunkichi, but she doubted that since it only occurred earlier that day. She's sure that Mitsuko was still at the hospital and that the old woman's niece could not have told them since she didn't even know they existed. Maybe it's because of what happened last night, she thought as she watched the boy across her, Ryoji, fidget at the table with a cup of already-cold-tea in his hands.
"Ryoji," she called him, making the boy flinched. He hastily turned to her with a nervous smile on his face. Once she saw that he was listening, she began to ask a string of questions as gentle as she can. "Is something wrong? Why are you and Aigis all edgy? Did you two fight or something...Did I do something?"
The black-haired boy shook his head and sighed. He traced the rim of his cup with his thumb pensively. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that...I guess I did something really horrible in the past...Because of me, you and Makoto lost your parents...
"I know if apologize to you now," he said with deep solemnity, "it won't bring them back. But still..." He slouched forward, his forehead almost touching the dining table. "I'm sorry." Ryoji remained in that position and waited for her to respond or do something like punish him.
"Ha...Ha." The sound made the boy raised his head. When he looked up, he saw the girl covering her mouth with her hands. Her body shook as she stifled a laugh before finally exploding like a hyena. Ryoji gawked at her like she's grown to heads.
Why is she laughing?
"Is that what you two were worried about?" the Wild Card asked while wiping a tear of mirth on her eyes. She beamed at her friend once she was perfectly calm and said, "I'm sure I've forgiven you a long time ago. And I'm sure he did too. Back then, you guys didn't have any control of what you were doing. So what happened back then wasn't yours, or Aigis' fault. Do you understand?"
"No... No I don't understand. I killed them! Aren't you the least bit mad?" By now, Ryoji was panting. He didn't know what came over him to suddenly be so self-loathing and penitent. But he didn't really care, because he always knew that a day like this would one day come - the day where he would receive judgement from his past actions.
"Ryoji," the redhead said softly, "don't be too hard on yourself."
"Like you're the one to talk."
Minako ignored him and continued. "What happened back then...Sure it was sad, but somehow I'm thankful that it happened."
"Why?" he asked, sounding cynical and somewhat hopeless.
"Well..." the closed her eyes thoughtfully for a while. Then she grinned at her friend and said, "If that didn't happen, then I would never have met you and everyone else. So I'm glad...No matter how painful the past was, in the end, something amazing happened."
Teary-eyed, the boy ran to his friend and hugged her. He buried his face on the nook of her friend's neck and tried his best to keep calm. But he couldn't keep his cool and ended up crying like a child. Minako patted the boy's back comfortingly.
"Aigis, I know you're there," Minako said. The mechanical maiden came further down the stairs to reveal her own tear-stained face. "Come here, you." Aigis ran and embraced the girl as well. With Ryoji on her left and Aigis on her right, the Wild Card felt smothered by the arms wrapped around her neck and body. But she didn't mind, because she'd rather be here now than elsewhere.
"Please forgive me, Minako-san," Aigis said, her voice muffled by the girl's clothes.
"It's okay, Aigis. It's not your fault."
Should I tell them now about Bunkichi-san? She buried her face in their arms. She could feel her own tears, hot on her eyes. Maybe I'll just tell them later. The three sobbed for a good thirty minutes. During that time, Shinjiro and Ken came down to prepare dinner. The two teens didn't know what to do with their crying friends, so they just awkwardly did their task.
"Huh?" Ryoji lifted his cup of tea.
"What's wrong?" Minako asked between her sniffles.
"My tea is hot. It's been here for over an hour now."
"Cool. What did you do?"
Should I say something like "it because our love burns so hard that it affects the physical plane?" He looked at the girl and saw Aigis still sticking close to the girl. Minako won't understand it anyway...and I value my life. "I don't know...Oh well."
The funeral happened a few days before Showa Day. Somehow, after their waterworks and dinner, Minako was able to break the news to them. She still felt that it was her fault, but sometimes she would imagine hearing Makoto's voice telling her that it wasn't her fault. Sometimes she felt like she'd gone mad. She even considered consulting a doctor, but decided against it since she doesn't really have the time. She spent most of her free time that week, checking up on the Bunkichi's widow and pondering over what Mitsuru told her.
"If you still insist on withholding information, then I will never forgive you for whatever happens to anyone harmed by this 'force' you speak of."
The words reverberated in her mind. Even now as she gazed at the newly added headstone in the shrine's cemetery, she could still feel Mitsuru's hot breath on her ears and her cold glare. I guess she'll never forgive me now.
"Just tell her the truth," a voice whispered to her. "It'll be fine." She felt some pressure on her shoulder, making her eyes go wide. She spun quickly, expecting a certain blue-haired friend of hers to be right behind her. But when she did, all she saw was Mistuko smiling sadly at her.
"Mitsuko-baasan...How can I help you?" The woman took the girl's hand in hers. She gave the girl a kind and warm look.
"Minako-chan," she began, "thank you for all the time you spent comforting me and visiting my love."
"It's no big deal," the girl said lowly.
"Oh no child. It was. Without you and your friends here to support me, and you were also there to visit him and help me take care of him. Without you and you're friends, I'd probably be buried under the ground now. So thank you."
"But Bukinchi-san...I wasn't able to do anything to do anything for him..."
"Dear, I am absolutely sure that you did. If you didn't then I am sure we wouldn't have known your name. It was just his time now because his body was not as strong as before. I guess I'm not really helping much, but always remember dear, my husband and I are grateful to have met a children like you and your friends."
Minako could feel the tears threatening to fall again. But she didn't stop them and allowed them to shamelessly travel down her face. She swiftly enveloped the old woman in her arms and buried her head on the Mitsuko's shoulders. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry for everything. You're the one who needed comforting the most, yet here you are trying to make me feel better. I'm sorry."
"It's alright, sweetie. It's alright. There, there."
After that Mitsuko's niece came. She told Minako that they had to leave because they still have some packing to do - Mitusko was going to leave Iwatodai to live with her niece, to where, Minako never knew. When the two were no longer in sight, the girl gave the stone one last look. "I guess I wasn't able to save you soon enough...But I'm glad that you knew the name of someone you never met. Thank you for saying my name, Bunkichi-san. And have fun there. Tell my parents I said 'hi'."
With that, Minako exited the cemetery. She expected all her friends to went on ahead, but then she saw Ken, trying but failing to do a proper back hip circle. The girl decided not to disturb her friend and discreetly made her way to the bench. She watched him try again, but he ended up hanging backwards. It was then that he noticed the girl.
"Minako-san!" Ken tried to reach for the bar so he can get off. Once he was on his feet, he walked over to her. "I was waiting for you?"
"Why?"
The boy rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. He sat down beside the girl and sighed. "I wanted to ask you this for a long time now, but I never got the chance...What did Mitsuru-san tell you?"
"Something I expected from the imperious Mitsuru Kirijo," she said nonchalantly. " 'Tell me what you're hiding or face my wrath,' is what I heard, though I'm sure that's not exactly what she said."
"...I see. Are you going to tell her and everyone?" he asked gently.
The girl shook her head and said, "I don't know yet. In the first place, I don't remember the whole truth...What if it's not just my memories? What if I'm just replica of him too? What if I'm not real?" She turned sharply to her friend and pinched his arm so hard that it probably left a bruise.
"Ow, ow. Please let go! Let go!"
She released him. "I'm sorry, I was just testing. I guess I'm real."
"Very real," Ken agreed, nursing his arm. "If you're worried about facing this alone, then please remember that I've got your back. We both know the truth, or part of it. We will tell them together."
"That would be like sentencing you to death. You know how scary Mitsuru-senpai is? Plus, you're shaking; it's obvious you're scared."
Ken raised his hand and scrutinized it. True enough, his hand was cold, sweating and shaking. He gulped before looking back at the girl with all the courage and determination he could muster. "I'll still do it."
Crimson orbs, gazed at brown ones for a while. Despite the fear in his eyes, Minako still saw in there that he won't back down. It made her envious, his determination. And it made her feel bad for always trying to escape, for always thinking of an excuse to not say.
Though it may be true that revealing to them what they know will not do much, their friends still have the right to know. That much, she owes then after causing so much trouble.
"Alright."
I must look like a pervert now, Makoto thought as lay on the bed - Mitsuru's bed. What would Junpei say to me now?
"Is this really necessary?" Mitsuru asked as she watched Yukari brushed Fuuka's hair. It was night; the moon was almost at its peak. The women were in their pajamas, sitting on Mitsuru's grand king-sized bed.
"We're here to make sure that you get your sleep," said Yukari. "You're under a lot of stress senpai. You need to rest every once in a while. If you overwork yourself you'll get sick."
"Still..."
"I don't mean to be blunt senpai, but we can't really do much as long as we don't know anything." Yukari sets the brush down.
"Senpai," Fuuka began. "What if Minako-chan doesn't really know anything? Aren't going a bit too hard on her?"
"I know she's hiding something," Mitsuru stated. "I can feel it. Also, she's said so many things that doesn't make sense."
"I can't argue with you on that," Yukari said. Fuuka nodded. "Now come on, let's go to sleep."
The two did as told. Fukka lied on the middle, Yukari on her left and Mitsuru on her right. Despite the size of the bed, the teal-haired woman could feel her friends snuggle closer to her. She giggled at that. "It's kinda cold. Do you guys wanna move closer?" As an answer they wrapped their arms and legs on her like she was a body pillow.
By this time Makoto was at the foot of the bed, sitting with his legs crossed. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble," he said. He glided his fingers on the blanket and made it warm enough for them to sleep comfortably. After that he left - he disappeared.
"Did you say something, Fuuka?"
"No, senpai."
"Yukari."
"I think I heard a ghost." The brunette held on to her friend tighter.
It was two days before the start of Golden Week. But somehow the Minako couldn't find it in her to look forward to it. She and Ken fidgeted under the gazes of their friends.
"Are you sure about this?" Ken whispered. Minako nodded.
"What do you want to say?" Teddie inquired. The gears of his brain began concocting something. An image of the two teens in front of him holding hands popped into his mind. "Don't tell me Ken-ken beat Ryoji?!"
"What does that even mean?" Ryoji said.
Instead of answering, Teddie said, "I know it's hard Ryoji, but you have to accept the fact that you lost to Ken."
"What are you talking about Teddie?" The raven-haired boy eyed the blond confusedly.
He is in denial, Teddie thought. He placed a hand on Ryoji's back, giving comforting pats. Poor thing.
Ken cleared his throat to get back their - actually Teddie's - attention. "Minako-san has something to say." He glanced at the girl before sitting beside Labrys.
"You guys..." Minako breathed in and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry. I've been lying to all of you."
It's midnight here so this whole chapter probably meh. My brain's just to tired now.
Thank you all of you, and to joae12, templeofsyrinx, and Aniki120.
xxRisexx: I highly doubt they'll be dating, so don't worry. They're just really good friends, platonic love. This isn't even romance so I'm not sure if anything romantic will happen XD
Asahar4: Funny mischief, huh? I've already though of something, but it's not with Yukari, Mitsuru, or Chie though. Maybe I'll make an omake once I feel like it.
Megami Tensei Emperatriz: Yep, she has weird powers. Mitsuru doesn't believe her. I'm actually procrastinating now, I really feel like doing my homework.