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He didn’t know how it spiraled down to this.
It feels … like yesterday, even though it’s been two years since then. Two years since his graduation from Gekkoukan High School. Two years since he was a part of S.E.E.S. Two years … since he was Minako Arisato’s boyfriend and she his girlfriend. Some small two years has it been and it was strangely so far off. From the fated day he and the rest of S.E.E.S remembered their forgotten memories of fighting Shadows, Akihiko was the first to run far ahead from the others. He ran and ran ignoring the yells of the teachers heading straight to the rooftop. The promised place of meeting together… with her.
Admittedly on his way running to the rooftop, he felt ashamed in himself for forgetting that promise and more ashamed that he forgotten the memories he made with her. It was no wonder how she looked sad during those few months before March came rolling in. She was the only one who remembered those memories, despite the irony of her being an amnesiac. Once Akihiko was at the rooftop, he saw the girl who seemed so strong at times, now leaning weakly over on Aigis’s shoulder. It was a tender, intimate moment— but it ended, as Minako seemed to instinctively know he was here. (Well, he didn’t quite make his presence hidden with his coughing and everything, uh.)
Everything seems slow that very moment. He sat down with her as Aigis went away but a close distance to give them space. Before he knew it, he was spluttering out words as Minako nodded away in his lap. It seemed so nice for a moment, with the two of them together. Yet it seemed to be all like a lie when everyone came up to the rooftop and they surrounded him as he was carrying their dear leader in his arms. Everyone was chattering loudly, and the mood was so happy, yet as Akihiko tried to gently wake her awake, his breathing stop as he realized she wasn’t waking up. He shook her some more, almost hoping that she was just playing around, but she just wouldn’t wake up. Her heart stopped and breathing seemed to be so slow, it immediately sent everyone to a panic.
Mitsuru managed to calm herself down quickly, although he saw through her composed self. She was nervous and worried, so worried that … she might lose another important person close to her. Aigis was the only one who acted calmly despite how protective she was of Minako… and she went down the stairs quickly to get a teacher for help. Junpei looked so shaken up as he was holding his cap tightly, but he kept a brave, calm front as he sat down with Ken who was looking like he was going to cry, but Koromaru sat in the boy’s lap before he could spill any tears. Takeba and Yamagishi were huddled together whispering things he couldn’t hear, but he could tell from their movements they were also scared to death. He himself… didn’t know what to feel. He held her in his arms and she was awake for those few minutes yet so tired and sleepy.
He wasn’t… just sure anymore.
The moment the doctor pronounced Minako was in comatose and needed to be on life support … the whole room went into utter silence. He wanted to punch something– anything but his hands are on his side limp with no feeling, no strength. How could they say anything— when hearing the girl who lead them to the top of the now long gone tower, the one who lead the fight to fight a entity, the one who went alone against the moon is in coma? How could it be with the same girl now laying down in another room was in coma? It was just unbelievable. He wanted to ask, plead, speak but his voice was gone and his shoulders slumped. He never… wanted to feel like this, feeling weak… but what could he do?
The doctor claimed that the coma to be highly unnatural and too sudden, posing the question of any odd symptoms or any causes, and everyone even him looked away. Of course, everything came down to unnatural or too sudden. They hadn’t have the words to answer him, but Aigis finally spoke. She spoke almost mechanically, so mechanically and unfeeling that it unnerved him for how emotionless she seemed. She spoke of how during the month of February and the days before March fifth, Minako had shown signs of tiredness and weakness, but never ever signs of sickness. Somehow Akihiko feels mortified to know that Aigis knew much more of his girlfriend’s well being than he did, but he didn’t say anything only to look down.
They weren’t allowed to visit her just yet– despite of everyone wanting to visit her, but the doctor was persistent of not letting them go visit their coma-induced friend– as they were not relatives nor related to her in anyway. There were grumbles and sighs, but they all decided to leave as it was almost nearing night. Only he and Mitsuru stated to stay behind as … it was their own responsibility as seniors to do so, despite having graduated already. Aigis on the other hand seemed hesitant to leave, until bowing down and saying good night following after the other juniors. There was silence between the two longtime friends, as both were hesitant to speak. It was funny in a sad way, as the two of them always had something to say to one another, but not now as the air seems to thin and the tension was too high.
How could they even speak so casually at a time like this?
“She… I mean Minako wouldn’t like this at all. Minako wouldn’t want us to fight each other just to change the past nor the future.”
They were being dumb. So dumb, that he wished it never happened, but it happened.
Their hearts were in chaos, and even despite knowing Minako was in coma, the time of Abyss had opened due to the their unopened feelings and growing distance between one another. It was strange … but the friendships between one another began to deteriorate because of her sudden coma. Yet inside, he knew why their friendships began to disappear slowly. It was because Minako was not there at their sides anymore. She wasn’t in the dormitory nor at their side making them cheerful, mad, laugh or cry.
Without her around everyone simply disconnected from one another.
It wasn’t as if they stopped being friends but … it was hard being friends with one another. He couldn’t possibly describe it but it was heart wrenching to a point their conversations wouldn’t have the same feeling of being friends. There was one more reason for their friendships fading away. He knew it himself too, because … he wanted it too. It was an answer.
An answer to their leader’s misery and coma. An answer and truth to why, just why, she was laying in the hospital in comatose with life support. The doctors could never give them answer, the many tests and the many, many research could never give them an answer. So it left them in desperate despair as they cling on to nothing.
Although their search for an answer and truth lead everyone excluding Junpei and Koromaru to do stupid things. It lead to Aigis having to fight everyone of her friends including Akihiko. He knew she never wanted this to happen, but he also knew she wanted an answer too, but she never wanted to fight any of her friends just to find an answer.
After all the fights against one another and finding the last door … the answer was shown to them, literally.
Being cradled in the vast space of stars, as he stood among his friends while looking up, seeing her again pointing up at Nyx, it was a strange difference seeing her being brave and strong to the girl who was lying in a hospital bed. His heart shattered inside because he knew something, just something had happened to make her become the weak girl who was in coma. She pointed upwards and flew towards Nyx, soon… everything faded to black— as a large golden door appeared in place.
He couldn’t find words to speak seeing Minako’s form attached to the door. She was hanging upon the door like a statue hanging on. Her face was blank and he wanted to cry but he kept stoic. He couldn’t cry at a time like this … after all he finally found the truth to what happened to her. The boxer wondered if she knew that she was sacrificing herself for everyone in the world, despite knowing that no one would know what she did to protect them.
Maybe just maybe, he could do something help, even with just fighting off Erebus. It would lighten her burden just for once and … he knows it will help.
He still thinks about Minako to the point Junpei calls him out about his sappiness, and instead of getting mad Akihiko laughs but he still chases him down anyway. It’s been two years since then, and he headed to college although he went to another direction. He went travelling around the world just to perfect his punch, and in hopes of getting stronger one way or another. Shinji called him an idiot but didn’t bother to stop him as he stayed back in Japan.
Despite everyone separating after those two years, they kept minimum contact with one another, although Akihiko hardly kept contact due to being travelling every so often. He left the music box in the hospital room at Minako’s bedside, but he ended up collecting jewelry for it, just in case. (Okay, maybe he was more of a sap like Junpei had called him.) It wasn’t as if he was hopeful but he definitely was as the doctors said that she was making progress of waking up.
He traveled far and wide, and he might have got some new scars or two from his constant fights. He wasn’t looking for Death, (although he would have wanted to give a certain boy that wore a yellow scarf a punch into the face), but he was rather looking for a challenge. It wasn’t a game this time, because he grew out of it, really. Those days of wanting a game was kind of foolish of him, now that he thinks about it. This time it’s for real … the need of getting stronger for others and himself. Maybe his aggressive side of wanting fights had toned down, but he does love having a good fight some time to time.
Probably it was destiny of some kind when he got called in by Mitsuru to investigate the disappearance of the cargo other known as the 5th generation anti-shadow humanoid weapon, Labrys.
After a very odd Golden Week and entering into a TV, seeing the recreation of Tartarus and meeting the Mastermind being a high school student who was apparently the son of Ikutsuki, he wonders what would Minako do.
It’s all these maybes and all these wonders, but Akihiko thinks that Minako would try to connect with Sho, despite how angry he is.
… He’s probably going to visit her at the hospital again, to tell her what happened during those two years.
It was sudden.
When he got the call from Mitsuru, her voice was cracking and couldn’t keep calm despite of her wanting to keep calm. Akihiko tried to calm her down asking her slowly what happened to make her be like this, she broke down even more as she whispered as the heiress wouldn’t able to keep her voice loud.
“She passed away. A-Arisato passed away this morning.”
He dropped the phone in shock and Aigis dropped her mug on to the floor as her hand came to her mouth. The mug broke as it crashed to the ground and Akihiko looked towards Aigis. The android was crying, as tears came falling down. He himself was stuck between sadness and distraught to not being able to form words as he picked up his phone listlessly. His voice cracked as he spoke, “… W-what do you mean, Mitsuru?”
He felt helpless.
Helpless as when he saw Miki was stuck in the orphanage’s fire, as Shinjiro was shot down by Takaya and was laid down into coma. This time he felt like he was reaching into nothingness as someone else precious to him was now gone. This time it was someone who made him feel whole and now, …. she was gone to the everlasting. He wanted to break down crying but he tried to keep himself strong for Aigis who was wiping tears from her eyes.
Mitsuru’s voice was hoarse this time, almost stoic yet he knew she couldn’t handle saying the news again. He felt sorry for making her repeat what she had told him, but he needed a confirmation. A real confirmation even if his heart breaks even more. He waits as Mitsuru clears her throat slowly and begins to speak.
“Her brain’s consciousness had suddenly declined rapidly and her life began to slip away. Even with all of the doctor’s efforts, they couldn’t do anything … as she eventually passed on.”
Those were the painful words to confirm … that she was longer in the world. Akihiko clenched his fist tightly, as he realized he was crying. He didn’t want to cry but he found tears coming down like rain. Before he knew it he was bawling silently, as Aigis awkwardly wrapped her arms around him. It was a somewhat intimate moment, yet he didn’t really care. The phone soon had a hang up tone, and it left the two of them cry over the girl that they lost.
It’s been two weeks since her funeral.
It was a strange thing to say, as the words would roll on his tongue, his heart would break little by little. Everyone is still grieving, including him. Even if they went on with their regular lives, her presence would eventually haunt them, and the feeling of her not being there is discomforting. Visiting her in the hospital as she was in comatose was okay, but now that she’s long gone and passed away … it’s a harsh feeling of coldness.
He himself did not quite handle it well despite trying so hard to accept the reality she was gone. It was hard, very hard that at times, he thought about crying alone in his room and crawling under the blankets and disconnect from the world. But he knew it wasn’t right to do this to keep falling into grief and being desperate to hold on to what’s gone. He been through with this with Miki, but to go with it again with Minako was just more sadder.
Akihiko now kept the music box in his possession as the nurse told him each time it played the patient seemed to be in deep sleep not in coma. It was a thing to know, but holding in his hands, he didn’t know what to do with it. He had all these jewelry that he collected, but now who would he give it too? Even with his initial wonderment, he thought it would be a bit foolish just to throw it away, the music box as he kept it with him. Call him sentimental, and that’s what he probably is.
He also kept his old voice messages from Minako to text messages. He wasn’t sure if he was the only one who did this, but when he asked his old companions during their time to time reunions, they all sheepishly said they did keep it as a reminder she was now gone. Aigis had an odd suggestion which was odd from her, since she was the one who cared for Minako the most after everyone else, that they each one of them share their voice mail of her voice, just in remembrance of Minako Arisato was.
They thought about it for a long moment, and Akihiko was the first to hesitantly agree. Although most of the voice messages she left were sure embarrassing to silly to almost stoic as she was once before, he played it for his sake and his friends. Soon, everyone played their voice messages, except for Amada, Shinji and Aigis who hadn’t had a phone during that time, but they told about their times with Minako. It was a nice thing to do, and somehow it let them grasp upon reality that she was truly gone, even though it ended with choked laughter and some shared tears among each other, and each of them sharing a hug with Koromaru.
Soon five months pass by, and everyone steadied into their lives little by little. Akihiko wasn’t sure what everyone was doing, but he kept in touch with them often. He now studied towards becoming a police officer and he also kept in contact with the kids that lived in the little country town Inaba. They were graduating soon, and he remembered his time of graduating. His graduation day was a bit sad, but it’s been too long to think about it.
It was about high time for him to visit Minako’s grave at Naganaki Shrine in Tatsumi Port Island. He brought orange and pink flowers bouquet as suggested by Takeba and he went alone, as it seemed to be what everyone does going alone to the graveyard. He said hello to Koromaru who had his own daily visit to the shrine and left him on his own, heading towards the grave alone.
There was no one there at the graveyard with many graves laid about, but he recognized Minako’s grave right away. It was at the Arisato family grave, where Minako’s parents were laid to rest, and Minako herself too was soon laid over there too. As usual, it seemed like the former leader had many visitors, as noticeable by the many letters and many flowers that now rest on the stone. He made sure to himself to collect those later and put it into her box.
Yet right now, he was lost in his own thoughts as he stares at the gravestone, soon leaning down to place his flowers in respect. Before he knew it, his voice got caught up in his throat and he never planned this, why did he have to feel like choking up on his own words again and again? He wasn’t sure. But as he finally calmed down, he felt tears coming down again from his eyes. He was such a sap, he was as he wouldn’t stop tearing up, but he didn’t stop himself from crying, he was soon smiling despite of feeling sad.
“It’s been two years since then. We were still in high school, calling ourselves S.E.E.S and fighting shadows, but we were still students. Now … we’re fully adults, well except for Amada who entered middle school… but we all changed.” He pauses as he clears his throat. He wasn’t good at this kind of thing, talking and all. “We changed… because of you Minako. You changed us all, from when you entered our lives during back then, until when you went into comatose.”
“We changed our outlook on life and we grew up bit by bit, but that wasn’t enough I guess. I guess … you also struggled to keep on, but in away you also changed too despite the fact you passed on. You … had tried to keep on but I think, maybe you thought it was better to pass on as… you probably saw from the Great Seal, we changed.”
It was hard to accept it. It was still hard to accept it for him, and for everyone else. Even though they moved on to the Shadow Operatives, to their jobs, to their school and their own lives, everywhere they look they would get reminded of her.
The girl who wasn’t with them.
“Even… though I changed a lot from high school, I … guess I’m still the same on the inside. The same is for everyone I guess. It’s kind of silly but we’re still the same despite our appearances had changed a lot…”
He pauses again, as he wipes off the dry tears off his face, he smiles. “…Do you remember the words I said during graduation day? That we will never be apart? I guess I was wrong on that one, but maybe in the future, or later on when I’m old …. I’ll see you again. But right now…. I have to keep on moving right, Minako?”
Akihiko smiled widely despite his eyes were about tear up once again, as he turned around from his grave, his only thoughts as he left the graveyard,
“I miss you, Minako.”