A Prison of Ice

XX.

A chilly wind caused her to pull her shivering arms even closer to her body.

Like most of the White Fang, Blake had always disliked Atlas. Considering that was where the SDC was created, it was almost a requirement for members to dislike the northern kingdom. She had never actually been to Atlas before, but now that she was here; she would have hated the city even if she wasn't a former White Fang member.

Atlas was cold, and she hated the cold.

As she stood shivering on a rooftop while her lone companion peered through a pair of binoculars into the restaurant balcony below them; Blake had enough. She had agreed to go along with his stupid idea, but spying on someone from a rooftop was a stark contrast to doing it from within the confines of a nice warm restaurant building.

"I t-thought we were g-getting dinner, Mercury," Blake growled out in between shivers. "W-why are we standing out here in the freezing c-cold?!"

"They wouldn't give me a table, no matter how much money I offered," Mercury replied as he put the binoculars down. "Apparently, they're booked for the next three months."

Blake sighed.

"…why did I even agree to this?"

Mercury just shrugged in response.

"Because of my natural charm and wit?"

"Ugh…" She groaned. "I knew it was a stupid idea."

"I mean, if you really wanted to eat there, I could always threaten someone for a table," Mercury casually replied as slipped out a knife and twirled it around his fingers. "Wouldn't be too hard."

"Please don't."

"You're no fun," he fake pouted.

"…should have just stayed back at the hotel and read your book Blake," She grumbled to herself. "Could have been nice and warm inside…"

She could have been enjoying a nice warm cup of tea while reading her book. But instead, she was stuck freezing to death on a rooftop while spying on her new boss's love life. Gods, why did she agree to this stupid idea in the first place?

Deep down, she knew why.

It wasn't like she particularly cared about Makoto Yuki and Weiss Schnee's relationship like Mercury did, aside from maybe on a celebrity gossip level. Blake knew Mercury had only invited her out to spy on Makoto, but she would have been lying if she said that she hadn't been at least a little happy about it. It was the first time a boy had asked her out to a dinner date after all, fake or not.

She had only ever been with Adam, and he had never done anything of the sort. There had simply never been any time for things like that. It was always the White Fang first after all.

So, she had been curious.

It didn't help that Mercury was surprisingly easy to talk to. She had always been a guarded person who kept others at a distance, but Mercury had all but bulldozed his way through all of that. She wasn't sure if he simply hadn't picked up on her social cues to 'leave me alone' or if he just didn't care, but he had still tried to cheer her up.

"Here."

Blake looked up and saw Mercury holding out his coat for her.

"You're cold, right?" He nonchalantly asked.

"…thanks," she mumbled back in response as she took the coat and wrapped it over her shoulders.

It was… unsurprisingly warm.

"Come on, princess. Make a move already," Mercury urged on as he peered through his binoculars. "...maybe I should have messed with her some more."

Blake couldn't help but roll her eyes in response.

Honestly, she was an idiot for expecting anything from this fake date. With a sigh, she slowly got up and made her way over towards the silver-haired boy.

"Hey, let me see too."

Mercury put his binoculars down and gave her a pointed look.

"I thought you said that you didn't care."

"I'm already out here, so I might as well satisfy my curiosity," she dryly replied.

Mercury only continued to stare at her before he shrugged and held his binoculars in the middle, so they could both look through one side each. She squeezed next to him and looked through the lens with one eye closed. Spying on her boss and the Schnee heiress was not exactly her ideal activity for a date, but it was still better than anything Adam could ever come up with.

Gods. She couldn't help but inwardly cringe at how pathetic that sounded.

Yeah, her love life was actually that bad.

"Ugh, just kill me now," she groaned to herself.

"Really?" Mercury gave her a look. "We're doing this again?"

"...shut up, Mercury."

Makoto couldn't help but feel that he was being watched.

He couldn't explain why, it was just a gut feeling he had. They were in a private room on a balcony of the highest floor, and whenever he tried to look around the nearby rooftops, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was really strange, since his instincts weren't usually wrong.

"Something wrong, Makoto?" Weiss asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"…it's nothing," he quickly deflected. "So, have you told Winter about your plans about Beacon yet?"

Weiss's face brightened up at that.

"I have! She seemed really happy about it."

Makoto wasn't surprised to hear that. Jacques was furious about Weiss leaving for Beacon after all, and from what he heard about their relationship, anything that would rile up Jacques was always a good thing for Winter.

"Hey, Makoto?" Weiss asked. "You'll come visit me at Beacon, right?"

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"You don't plan on going home for the holidays?"

"Definitely not," she firmly denied. "I'm going to stay on campus the whole time."

It seemed that her relationship with her family had worsened over time. Makoto couldn't help but feel bad about that. Even if they had their differences, they were still her family, weren't they? When he was still a student at Iwatodai, he had spent all of the holidays at the dorms as well, but that wasn't by choice.

It was because he had been an orphan.

"...I'm sure I can find some time to stop by then," he eventually replied. "I've never been to a huntsmen academy before, so it'll be an interesting trip."

"They also have a school dance before the Vytal Festival," Weiss pointed out. "You could come as my date."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Even if I'm not a student?"

"I'm sure they allow people to bring guests."

"Mmm," he simply hummed in response as he took a bite out of his steak. "You're probably right about that."

It was quite a tasty steak, though, he didn't think it was worth the hefty price tag. But then again, everything in these fancy restaurants tended to be overpriced. People paid more for the experience than the actual food itself.

"You know, I really missed moments like these," Weiss wistfully began. "Just the two of us together, like old times."

Makoto couldn't disagree with that.

Even though they kept in touch, there was a distinctly unique feeling from being with someone in person versus over a video call. As someone that valued his friendships greatly, it was definitely a bit sad to not be able to spend as much time with Weiss as they had when they were children. They were both busy with their own responsibilities as respective heirs after all, and being from different kingdoms did not help.

"...maybe I should go to Beacon with you then," he mused, more to himself than anything.

"Don't joke around like that," Weiss replied with a wry smile. "Or I might hold you to your word."

If Father were still alive, he would have honestly entertained the idea.

He could have held off on succeeding father's position and attended school with Weiss. Perhaps he could have taken Mercury with him as well, and they all could have been a team together along with Blake. It could have been something similar to his time back with SEES. Unfortunately, something like that just wasn't in the cards; he couldn't run the Yuki Corporation and follow through on his plans while attending Beacon.

For some reason or another, the thought left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

The moon cast a dim glow over the balcony of the Regal Garden.

It was one of her favorite restaurants and she had made sure to get a table at one of their balconies that overlooked their famous garden, hence the name. Normally, it would have been impossible to get such a highly sought after table on such short notice, but she was the Schnee heiress after all. She was a regular of the establishment anyway, so it didn't take much negotiating to procure a table on short notice.

Makoto had a wistful look in his eyes as he leaned over the balcony, looking up at the stars in the night sky.

Weiss wasn't sure when exactly he had evolved from her childhood friend to becoming the object of her affections. She thought back to their past, of those carefree days they had spent playing various board games he'd always bring her. And of the countless phone conversations they would have deep into the night until she'd inevitably fall asleep. He'd always been such a constant presence in her life, that it sort of just happened without her even realizing it.

Yet, Weiss had long kept her true feelings hidden deep within the confines of her heart, fearing rejection and the potential damage it could inflict upon her most cherished friendship. Tonight, however, she had resolved to face her fears head-on. With her mind made up and her resolve steeled, she glided over to the balcony railing and stood next to him.

"...Makoto," Weiss began, her words carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken sentiments. "There's something I want to talk to you about. It's something that's been on my mind for a long time now."

The boy in question glanced over towards her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"What is it, Weiss?"

For a moment, the words she wanted to say struggled to form.

"I… You have always been my best friend. Someone that I've always confided in. Someone that's always been there for me," Weiss confessed as she locked eyes with him. "I cherish our friendship with all my heart, but lately, I've come to realize that my feelings for you surpass the boundaries of mere friendship…"

Her words trailed off at the end and hung in the air. Time seemed to stand still, as if the entire world held its breath.

Makoto had a troubled look in his eyes. "Weiss…"

She could feel her heart sink.

"Ah… So that's how you feel," she softly replied. Her vision started to get blurry. "I-I understand…"

Makoto suddenly pulled her into his embrace. In contrast to the cool night air, she suddenly felt all too warm.

"It's not like that… I feel the same way," he confessed. "It's just… There's something you should know."

She wiped a tear away from her eye. "...what do you mean by that?"

He released her and looked up at the night sky once more.

"I… I died once, Weiss."

"W-what…?" She didn't understand what he meant.

Makoto looked at her with a wry smile on his face. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"This is a rather bad time for jokes…"

"I'm not joking."

Weiss looked at him, analyzing his features. There wasn't any of the usual humor in his voice or amusement in his eyes. He was being completely serious.

"...Makoto, I trust you more than anyone," she said with some uncertainty placed in her voice. "But do you realize how ridiculous you sound right now?"

"I'm well aware," he dryly replied. "I could show you some proof."

"Proof…?" She dubiously questioned.

"That I was originally from another world."

"Wait, wait. How did we go from reincarnation to being from another world?" Weiss asked with disbelief clear on her face. "Are you telling me you died in another world and got reincarnated here? Like some silly fantasy story?"

"It's… a long story." Makoto let out a sigh. "I'll just show you."

"Show me? What do yo–"

The rest of her words died in her throat as she watched Makoto pull out a handgun that had been hidden underneath his coat. In one smooth motion, as if he had done it time and time again, he brought the tip of the barrel towards the side of his head. Weiss' eyes grew wide as she saw his index finger hover over the trigger.

What was he doing!?

Before she could even say anything, he pulled the trigger.

In hindsight, he should have probably let Weiss know what he was going to do beforehand.

It would have probably saved her a good deal of worry. After all, if someone suddenly pulled a pistol out and tried to shoot themselves in the head, it was pretty natural to be shocked or worried. He had thought little of it the first time he had seen someone else summon a persona, but that was during a time in his life where he had not cared much about anything for that matter.

It just seemed like the easiest and quickest way to explain things. He was never someone that was great with words either, usually letting his actions speak for him instead. They were in a private room as well, so summoning his persona wasn't a problem. Still, giving her a warning first would have been better.

Makoto glanced over at Weiss, who was also staring up at the starry night sky with a blank expression on her face.

She had been awfully quiet since he had recounted his story. He had only told her the important bits; of his battles within Tartarus and how he had died. It was probably a lot to process, even if he had given her the shortened version, so he didn't blame her for the silence. While others might have considered standing in silence with someone else as awkward, it never bothered him like that.

"...honestly," Weiss muttered.

"Did you say something?"

"How am I even supposed to react to something like that, Makoto?" Weiss questioned back. "Everything you just told me, it all sounds so…"

"Crazy? Nonsensical?" Makoto dryly replied. "Believe me, I know."

He would know, he had experienced it himself. Imagine the shock he had felt when he found himself free from his role as the Great Seal and reincarnated as a baby in a completely different world. Elizabeth could have at least warned him before doing whatever it was she did.

Not that he wasn't grateful, being the seal was not exactly a pleasant experience after all.

"...that's an understatement." Weiss let out a tired sigh. "Even after what you've shown me, your 'persona'. I still find everything that you've said a bit hard to believe."

"That's fine," He simply replied. "As long as you know."

"...so what does it change, now that I know?" She made eye contact with him. "In the end, you're still the same Makoto Yuki that I know."

It wasn't as if he expected her to treat him any different. It just felt wrong for him to keep any secrets from her, not after she poured out her heart to him like that. And now came the hardest part of all, answering her confession.

Makoto put his elbows over the railing and leaned back, basking in the cool night air.

He wasn't lying when he said he felt the same way. He was just afraid that he was simply using her as a replacement for Mitsuru. They were so very alike, and he would be lying to himself if he didn't see Mitsuru sometimes when he looked at the Schnee heiress. And that wouldn't have been right, wouldn't have been fair to her.

Weiss Schnee was her own person with her own qualities that he loved about her.

Wasn't it about time he moved on from the ghost of Mitsuru? What he had with her had been almost a lifetime ago. Even if he had initially been interested in Weiss because of her similarities with Mitsuru, that didn't invalidate the time nor the experiences they had shared together. Weiss was important to him, not because she reminded him of Mitsuru, but because he cherished her as a dear friend.

And perhaps… something more.

"...Makoto?" Weiss looked at him with expectant eyes. "...you still haven't answered my question."

He turned his attention towards her and fully took in her visage.

White instead of red. She almost looked like a porcelain doll, one made of pure snow and ice. He could see her nervously adjust the hem of her gown, as she stared at him with those sky-blue eyes of hers. The emotions that swirled in those dazzling eyes of hers were clear; nervousness, fear, and perhaps a hint of sadness.

He didn't want to see that look in her eyes any longer.

Makoto reached out and cupped her face in his hands. He was never the best at expressing his feelings into words. So he answered her question with his actions instead. He leaned in and their lips met in a hesitant, but tender kiss. Time seemed to stand still as they embraced, their souls entwined in a brief moment of profound connection. The world around them almost seemed to fade into the background.

And then he pulled away ever so slightly.

"...does that answer your question?" He breathlessly asked.

Weiss responded by pulling him back in as their lips crashed together once more underneath the moonlight.

Author's Notes- Boom. We finally made it. And with that, its finally curtains on the prologue. I honestly never planned on it being so long, but shit happened and my muse kept going. Whatever, now the Beacon arc can begin! Anyway, leave me a review if you liked the chapter!

Oh, and who's excited for that new P3 remake, eh? Maybe we'll start to see some more P3 stories on here again!

Anyway, until next time~

-SFX