Chapter Text
The Moonlight Bridge was a clash of shimmering blue light, the ground shaking as blasts tore through the cement, slashes and cuts tearing at where the explosions hadn’t reached. A silver and yellow blur burst across the bridge, blasts of orange rocketing from their fingertips as a blue aura engulfed them, seeming to be moving faster with each passing second.
Aigis, one of the many Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons at the moment, slid to a halt, her metallic feet generating sparks as they skidded across the ground. Her expression was blank and composed, her shimmering blue eyes wildly scanning through her surroundings as her robotic mind attempted to generate some sort of plan. The blue wings of energy that sprouted from her back emphasized the blue sparks of her eyes, narrowed in determination. Smoke emanated from the metallic barrels at the tips of her fingers, bullet casings lining the floor as she unleashed hellfire upon her target.
In front of her stood a cloak of shadows, chains rattling around them as their form swayed in the wind, the only sign that Aigis’ actions had done anything being the bullet holes in their cloak.
Death stood before her, the personification of the vision produced by the crazed patriarch of the Kirijo Group. Through their hubris, and perhaps even their own nihilism, the birth of the world’s end had commenced, although the end had not become inevitable quite yet. For instead, here Aigis stood against it, tasked with sealing it away by the fractured remains of the Kirijo Group to prevent the world’s annihilation.
To prevent the descent of Nyx upon the world, the end of everything.
But Aigis, despite being a powerful machine built specifically for war against these Shadows, was losing. Despite throwing everything she possibly had at this monstrosity, it just wouldn’t go down, beating her back with a power that far exceeded her own, barely holding on as she clashed. The machinations of her brain were uttering a single truth.
Even though she could probably keep fighting for a while, she was rapidly running out of options, and she was severely lacking in enough firepower to actually put this creature down. She glanced around, trying to come up with any sort of plan as Death seemed to patiently wait for her next attack.
However, as her gaze flickered through her surroundings, her eyes fell upon something in the distance.
On the great Moonlight Bridge, a car suddenly careened off course, crashing into one of the metal railings hard enough to instantly crumple the front. The vehicle was in flames, the two parents lingering in the front already dead from the collision. The combatants on the bridge didn’t even notice they had caused this car to crash in such a way. It could’ve been a rogue slash from Death itself, or perhaps it may have been an explosion generated by Aigis, but either way their actions resulted in this destruction, and the death of all of the car’s inhabitants.
Well, almost all of them.
Despite the gash across his forehead, a young Makoto Yuki had managed to crawl his way out from the wreckage, shaking as he wobbled onto his feet with a cough. His small blue eyes widened as they fell upon Aigis and Death, his child brain barely even processing what was going on. His hair drifting over his right eye, staring in utter disbelief as his childlike world came tumbling down around him.
An idea pulsed through Aigis’ head. A terrible, immoral idea that could result in dire consequences for humanity if done incorrectly. However, she was a machine, and logically speaking the risk would be far greater trying to fight this shadow further than it would be to commit such a heinous act.
To seal death away within this boy, trapping him within the confines of humanity to never again damn them to annihilation.
Her brain saw that single option as the most logical one of all, briefly diverting the power away from her weapons.
With the boy in her sightlines, she charged up the power within herself, ready to put everything she had into sealing Death away. Given her capabilities, the task itself was possible, but doing so would probably use up all of her energy. It may destroy her, but her brain wasn’t considering that.
She only saw the mission.
But, before she could embrace that mission further, a set of headlights suddenly engulfed her back, causing her to glance her head around in surprise.
On the great Moonlight Bridge, a car frantically sped forward from the other side of it, breaking every possible speed law as it barrelled down the road like a bat out of hell.
However, even though Aigis had now caught sight of it, Death had noticed its approach first, and more importantly, noticed how the single car had suddenly distracted the robot. Raising one of his arms slowly, with Aigis’ head still turned away, he sent as powerful of a slash as he could muster in her direction, the very act tearing through the bridge’s concrete flooring as it propelled forward.
Sensing its approach, Aigis acted on instinct, launching herself out of the way to avoid being destroyed by the attack.
However, the mighty slash still managed to find a target.
The blow immediately struck the approaching car, blasting into its front and rocketing it off course, the vehicle now slamming into another railing much like the Yuki’s.
The clinking of machinery echoed through the bridge for several moments, Aigis staring on as the boy on the other side of the bridge jumped back in surprise, hands on his ears from the loud metallic groans crackling through the air.
A deafening silence lingered for several moments, before one of the car’s back doors creaked open.
The driver of the vehicle was pressed face down against the wheel, the horn blasting a single dull tune as the activator remained compressed. She wasn’t dead, but she certainly wasn’t conscious. She had been speeding off in the direction of the Kirijo Group’s base of operations, hearing on the news maybe an hour ago about the apparent explosion which rocked through the building.
She had to know for sure if one person in particular had survived, not even wanting to wait for the news report as she gunned down the roads of Japan. Her husband had to be alive, and it didn’t matter what she had to do to uncover the truth of it all.
However, she wasn’t the only one present in her car when they crashed.
A young Yukari Takeba groaned as she slid out of her mother’s car, gasping for air as she managed to find stable footing, even with the wobbling of her legs. She rubbed at her arm, the appendage having taken the brunt of the crash, but other than that she was relatively unharmed. She panted profusely as she glanced up, her widened eyes flickering around in a sudden panic.
Aigis now stood directly between the two children: Makoto Yuki and Yukari Takeba.
Across the bridge, both of them made eye-contact with one another, staring at each other with a wide-eyed curiosity with the battered bridge around them as their setting, covered in spreading flames and rubble. Their breathing was harsh, their brains barely able to comprehend what had just happened as they stared at one another, running on fumes.
Aigis glanced between them slowly, another idea pulsing to life in her mechanical brain.
Sealing Death within one boy was a risky decision. If the power was too much for him to handle on his own, Death could still burst free of the child and reap havoc upon the world.
However, if the manifestation of Death were to be split in half, and instead sealed within two separate targets instead of one…
It would be trickier than just sealing Death within one, but it was still possible. At least, it appeared to be possible according to Aigis’ calculations.
On instinct, Makoto raised his hand up into the air, reaching out to the only other person he saw through all this destruction. His hand was extended out to the young girl. He didn’t know anything about her, not even her name, but still he clung to her as some form of hope. He had no idea why he was so compelled to do so, but his mind wasn’t exactly stable at the moment.
Slowly, Yukari noticed his movements, and unbeknownst to her, began to mirror them, raising her own arm up as a blue aura engulfed Aigis almost completely. Somehow, she managed a quiet smile his way, flashing the biggest grin her tiny face could muster in an attempt to sooth his soul.
Aigis took one final glance at the two children, briefly pondering her actions, before directing her attention fully on Death, manifesting all the power within herself to hopefully rid the world of this calamity.
Makoto paused as he stared on, his arm still raised as the world began to be engulfed in a powerful blaze of white. Even as his vision left him, he could feel the smile creep across his lips.
Whatever had happened, and whatever terrible fate caused this severe misfortune, the young boy at least took solace in the fact that he wasn’t alone.
Their fate was now one that they shared together.
***
Tuesday, April 6th.
The full moon beamed overhead as Makoto stepped off his train, sliding open his flip phone to double-check he got the address correct.
Iwatodai Dorm…
His headphones hugged his ears tightly, blasting out his music as he peacefully walked through the station, checking the time briefly.
11:59 p.m.
“Hope somebody will be awake to let me in,” he mumbled quietly, scratching at his head as he examined his surroundings with each step. A few people littered the largely empty streets, going about their evenings without much fanfare. Makoto didn’t pay them much attention, slipping his flip-phone back into his pocket with a sigh.
However, as he continued to walk, stepping down the stairs at the Iwatodai Station, a pulse of anxiety coursed through his body, his hair standing on end as a sudden chill engulfed him.
“Hm?”
Makoto glanced up into the sky, his brow furrowing as something about the air didn’t feel right.
Is the sky… greener than usual?
Sure enough, the sky around him was now a murky green, blended amongst the blackened clouds that made the air around him almost feel polluted. At the same time, the music blasting through his ears suddenly cut out, Makoto glancing down at his player in annoyance. He tapped the play button multiple times, trying to adjust volume or anything that could’ve caused the sudden outage.
But no matter what he did, the player just wouldn’t restart, frozen in that one moment in this recent track. He sighed, removing the headphones from his ears and placing them around his neck. He glanced up at the sky again, the gloomy atmosphere capable of sending chills through even the most stalwart of people.
However, Makoto just shook his head, brushing aside this single moment of weirdness and pushing forward, a powerful indifference coursing through his body and mind.
Must be more tired than I thought I was. That train ride was awfully long.
I hope my music player isn’t broken or anything. I’d hate to have to get a new one.
However, if the green sky didn’t cause a significant pause in his stride, the strange set of coffins he stumbled upon certainly did so. His heart jump started as they appeared before him, emanating an ominous red aura as they lined the fronts of empty shops, drifting through the vacant sidewalks.
“Huh?”
He paused in his stride to stare at one of them, almost able to feel the powerful glow oozing from it as he lingered for a couple seconds. But once again, he shook his head, turning on his heel as if it wasn’t the wildly perplexing sight it should’ve been.
Every city’s got some weird gimmick I suppose. This one just so happens to be…decorative coffins I guess?
And so, despite what should’ve been moments that stopped him permanently dead in his tracks, Makoto just continued, the large dormitory eventually coming into view.
If Makoto Yuki was anything, he was a man who was very hard to faze, his blank expression essentially permanent.
He placed a hand on the metal handle, sighing in relief as the door eased open at his tugging. The metallic clicking of the hinges echoed through the empty streets, and yet despite everything reading like a horror movie, Makoto just peacefully entered without a care in the world.
Stepping inside, Makoto raised an eyebrow at the darkened dormitory, not a single light on as the door creaked shut behind him.
Suppose everyone’s asleep for the night. At least they remembered to leave the door open for me. Maybe I’ll meet whoever’s in charge around here tomorrow.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, lackadaisically glancing around at what was supposed to be his new home for the foreseeable future.
“Welcome,” a cool voice called out to his left, causing Makoto to shift his head to the side curiously. He didn’t even jump, not even flickering his eyes over too fast as he directed attention to the voice without a second thought.
Standing behind the counter was a small boy with bright blue eyes, appearing to be wearing attire that resembled prison wear. His hair was dark, and cut decently close.
Even with the strange prisoner outfit, the most unusual part of his appearance was a single, black eyepatch, currently strapped across his right eye, although the brightness of his left made up for the loss.
Even with the odd circumstances, Makoto just nodded in his general direction, wiped out from the journey.
“Hey,” he simply replied, swiveling around to try and figure out on his own what room was his.
However, within his peripheral vision, the young boy somehow managed to appear right beside him, now on the opposite side of the counter with that same complacent smile.
“You’re late. I’ve been waiting a long time.”
That actually managed to cause some pause, Makoto glancing over his shoulder briefly before fully turning around.
Is this kid part of the staff here or something? Pretty impressive for someone who appears to be so young.
“My train got delayed,” Makoto explained simply, brushing the hair out of his face as he hoped it would suffice. “Sorry if that’s any kind of incon-”
“If you wish to proceed, sign your name here,” the boy interrupted, a small booklet that Makoto hadn’t seen before materializing in front of him on the counter. “It’s a contract.”
The book flipped open right in front of Makoto, and despite the exhaustingly long paragraph that lingered over the top, his eyes latched onto the single line near the bottom.
Please sign your name here.
An actual quill and ink well also lingered nearby, staring back at him as this contract showed itself. Makoto raised an eyebrow.
“I thought I already signed everything the school needed me to?”
The young boy chuckled into his hand, something about his voice ringing hollow, as if a pale imitation of what true laughter was supposed to sound like.
“This is much more important than that. There’s no need to be concerned about it. All it says is that you accept full responsibility for your actions.”
His eyebrow was still cocked in confusion, but he still shifted his gaze over to this contract yet again. Even as he briefly scanned over the explanation above, it still really gave him no clear answer as to what this was about, speaking to him in vague terms like “responsibility” and “free will.” However, despite the oddness of it all, something within Makoto’s body still motioned to grab hold of that quill, dipping it in the inkwell and striking his signature across the page.
Makoto Yuki.
Not even letting the ink itself dry, the boy slowly picked up the freshly signed contract, smiling at it joyfully.
“...Good. Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. You can’t plug your ears or cover your eyes.”
He chuckled yet again, shutting the contract and tucking it under his arm.
“And so it begins,” he further prattled on, Makoto not really processing much of what this child was saying. “The first piece is in motion. Perhaps with the second, everything will become clear.”
However, as those words left his mouth, the boy glanced over Makoto’s shoulder, his smile growing wider as a higher voice let out a small gasp.
“Who’s there?!”
The female voice was laced in confusion, Makoto turning back around to face whatever the source was.
There, standing at the opposite end of the hall, was a woman his age, her widened eyes staring at this boy who by all accounts shouldn’t have been able to be here. His hands were dipped into his pockets, but other than that much of his features were hidden by shadows. The same was true for Makoto Yuki’s vision, although her clothes were a lot brighter than his, and thus gave more visibility. A pink cardigan was draped across her body, a red ribbon and arm band popping against it.
Her hand hung dangerously low to her leg, the glimmer of steel briefly flickering to Makoto’s eyes, although he wasn’t quite sure of the source.
“How are you here at this hour? Don’t tell me…”
She shook her head. While that detail itself was perplexing, it wasn’t the only aspect of this entire scenario that was vexing her.
“And…who was that boy with you? He a friend of yours?”
Makoto cocked an eyebrow, swiveling around to gesture to the kid who was clearly standing right behind him.
However, upon taking that glance back, it appears that the boy had vanished, disappearing without a trace. Makoto’s eyebrows furrowed, shrugging his shoulders as he moved back to this mysterious woman.
Weird...
“Um…huh? I’m not sure I follow,” he replied, his even tone laced with confusion. “Does he not live here too?”
His honest questioning didn’t seem to defuse the situation at all with this young woman, her expression growing all the more incredulous the more he ran his mouth.
“Huh? You think I wouldn’t remember some kid living here with us? I’m not an idiot!”
Makoto scratched his head, his visible confusion only serving to frustrate this woman even further.
“Then who did I just sign a contract with?”
“A…A what? Are you messed up in the head or something?”
Not knowing what else to do, Makoto just stood there utterly befuddled and unbothered as the young woman stammered in front of him, reaching for whatever was glimmering on her leg.
“Wait!”
Both present jerked up in surprise at the sudden yell, the darkness fading away as light engulfed the darkened dorm hall, the young woman glancing up in shock and surprise.
“Huh!? The lights…”
Upon the room actually being illuminated, Makoto was able to finally catch onto some details about this young woman aside from some of her clothes. She appeared to be around his age, with a short set of brown hair that swooped off to his left. Her stockings were black and up to her knees, white hearts etched across the surface. Her expression appeared panicked, not knowing what on earth was going on as another woman stepped into view, this one with a powerful set of deep crimson hair.
She stood beside the first woman with a sigh.
“I didn’t think you’d arrive so late,” she began, her voice carrying a tone of elegance and regality. Makoto just shrugged, this night already filled with its fair share of oddities and weirdness.
“Sorry about that. My train ride was a little delayed,” Makoto announced, feeling like a broken record saying it again.
His gaze flickered back towards the empty space behind him once more, still devoid of that child.
“It’s not a problem, don’t worry,” the redhead assured, brushing her hair over her shoulder while placing her free hand upon her chest. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mitsuru Kirijio. I’m one of the students who live in this dorm.”’
The woman who initially ‘greeted’ Makoto turned towards this Mitsuru, confused.
“...who’s he?”
“He’s a transfer student. It was a last-minute decision to assign him here. He’ll eventually be moved to a room in the boys’ dorm,” Mitsuru further explained, although it didn’t appear to remedy any of the concern brewing within her chest, her eyebrows furrowing.
“Is it okay for him to be here?”
Mitsuru just shrugged, her calm and measured gaze lingering on Makoto’s, the boy feeling as if he was being cross-examined.
“I guess we’ll see,” she said hopefully, shifting over to Makoto while gesturing to the woman beside her. “This is Yukari Takeba. She’ll be a second-year this spring, just like you.”
Sighing to herself, she pushed her hands behind her back, nodding firmly to the new transfer student.
“...call me Takeba.”
Now in clear light, Yukari could finally get a better look at this new transfer student, one who she briefly may have threatened for a little bit there. Almost immediately she raised an eyebrow.
Despite not even having attended a day of school yet, he was already decked out in his Gekkoukan High uniform, with his blue bag draped over his left shoulder. His hair was a dark shade of blue, the bangs of which actually served to hide his blue eyes. He appeared to be on the shorter side, his build incredibly lanky.
Why does he look..?
“Makoto Yuki,” the boy introduced, shaking Yukari out of her brief stupor as he tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Why um…Why do you have a gun?”
Yukari visibly blanched at the question, completely forgetting her Evoker clung to her leg.
“Well, uh, it’s sorta like a hobby? I mean not like a hobby but..”
Makoto raised an eyebrow.
“Sounds like a pretty loud hobby to be doing at midnight,” Makoto countered, not at all convinced by Yukari’s attempt at an excuse. Mitsuru chuckled, finding her choice of reasoning amusing.
“You know how it is these days. It’s for self-defense,” she explained, gesturing to her own pistol on her hip. “It’s not a real gun of course.”
Mitsuru clicked her tongue, closing her eyes with a shake of her head.
“It’s getting late. You’ll find your room at the end of the hall on the second floor. Your things should already be there. Why don’t you get some rest?”
“Oh, I can show you the way. Follow me,” Yukari noted, the redhead already moving away as Makoto nodded. The brunette swiveled around, motioning the boy to follow as she climbed up the staircase to the next floor. Makoto glanced around at his surroundings the entire time, noting how clean the facilities appeared to be.
Much better state than my previous school. Quieter too.
I do wonder how many people actually live here. I suppose I can investigate that later.
Eventually, Yukari led Makoto to the end of the hall, placing her hands behind her back with a smile as she gestured to the door.
“Here’s your room,” she introduced. “Pretty easy to remember, huh? Since it’s all the way at the end here. Um, do you have any questions?”
Makoto scratched at his end, mentally running through if he had anything he exactly wanted to ask.
I probably shouldn’t bring up that random child again. She didn’t seem to understand at all earlier.
“No, not at the moment. I’ll let you know if I think of something.”
Yukari nodded, however, before Makoto could move to enter his room, she cleared her throat.
“Can…I ask you something though? On your way here from the station, was everything okay?”
Makoto raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
He pushed her further to get a deeper explanation, but instead she just sighed, shaking her head.
“Well, if you don’t know I guess that means you’re fine. Don’t worry about it then.”
Not feeling as if there was anything else to say, Makoto nodded in her direction, nonverbally thanking her for the guidance before reaching for the handle, tugging the door open.
“Hey um, have we… met before?”
The young transfer student paused in his movements as Yukari’s sudden question rang out, already having stepped into his room. The door remained open, his hand still stuck upon the handle. He glanced over his shoulder, perplexed.
“Hm?”
Yukari’s gaze was directed towards the floor, a film over her eyes as if prodding into her deepest memories. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, there was no pushing aside this strange familiarity that twinged in her heart, along with the frustration at not being able to determine its source.
“It was… kind of hard to tell in the dark,” she further explained, rubbing at her forehead slightly. “But… looking at you now, something about you just seems so familiar, and yet… I can’t place it at all. Did we go to the same elementary school together or something?”
Makoto’s brow furrowed, glancing her up and down as he logged every detail of her within his mind.
She does look familiar…but I can’t really place why...
However, rather than pushing on that point further, Makoto just shook his head, glancing away from this curious woman.
It’s probably nothing.
“I don’t know,” he answered plainly, releasing his grip on the exterior door handle. “But, if I think of something, I’ll let you know.”
With that, he placed his bag on the ground, and gently shut the door behind him, leaving Yukari alone within the empty dorm hallway. Yukari crossed her arms with a scoff, blowing the hair out of her face.
“Jeez, isn’t he a ray of sunshine?”
Shaking her head, she suppressed a yawn as she wordlessly exited, the extra hour awake within the Dark Hour proving to take a toll upon her.
I haven’t had this power for a long time, but even still getting used to this time frame is awful.
How in the hell does Kirijio-senpai or Sanada-san maintain this schedule? I feel like I’d pass out in class if I had their schedule.
Yukari shook her head as she entered her dorm’s third floor, her footsteps clicking in the empty halls. Funnily enough, her room too, like the transfer’s, was located right at the end of the hallway, making it easy to remember. To be fair, only her and Mitsuru lived on this floor for now, so at the very least it was easy to remember where to go.
Then again, it didn’t take away much from the quiet, the two only ever really conversing when discussing the Dark Hour itself. She sighed, shaking her head at the thought.
Why would I want to get close to her anyway?
She turned her handle slowly, ready to crash for the evening.
First, I’ll probably show the new kid around the school for a bit. Hopefully he’ll be able to acclimate decently well. Let’s hope guys like Junpei or Kenji don’t get to him first. I’d prefer for the guy to be living here to be actually normal.
Then, I have to figure out my schedule and where my class is located, and then some archery practice, along with anything Dark Hour related that will inevitably happen at some point.
Yukari sighed, stepping into her darkened room and shutting the door.
Jeez, I was talking about the others, but how the heck did I end up with such a packed schedule as well?
“My, you took quite a long time, didn’t you?”
Yukari practically jumped out of her skin as a cool, quiet voice echoed through the darkness, sending shivers up her spine as she released a mild shriek.
“G-Ghost!”
Her phasmophobia kicking into overdrive, Yukari’s hand fumbled with the lightswitch, desperate for any light within her room as the voice chuckled, Yukari’s eyes widening as she could finally glance around.
There, standing in the middle of the room, was the same boy she spotted earlier, only really getting a glimpse of his short stature and black hair before he apparently disappeared. Still, it was enough details for her to log in her mind, with the present light now allowing her to get a better look at the boy.
His attire was prison wear, his hands folded neatly behind his back as if he had been waiting in that same spot for hours. Across one of his bright blue eyes was a black eyepatch, the left one to be exact. His smile was thin-lipped, although he appeared to be ten seconds away from cracking into a full-toothed grin.
On complete instinct, Yukari scrambled for the nearest object to her, currently being a soda resting on her mini fridge. With a light yell, she hurled it at the boy full force, the can flying through the air towards his skull.
Her heart however plummeted into her chest as the can didn’t make contact with the boy at all, whistling as it phased right through his skull and crashed into a pillow on the ground.
Is… Is it actually a ghost??
“Do not fear, I am no ghost,” he assured with a laugh, doing absolutely nothing to calm the hammering of Yukari’s heart as he practically read her mind. “However, if you wish to proceed, sign your name here.”
Before Yukari could comment any further, the boy extended his open palm out, a small booklet suddenly materializing within it. Yukari was desperately trying to push her hyperventilation away, still not totally sold that whoever this was wasn’t a ghost.
“You’re…that boy from earlier,” she trailed off slowly between breaths. “How the heck did you get in my room?”
Another chuckle echoed out, feeling just as hollow to the young girl’s ears. It was almost as if the laughter was playing on a singular, creepy loop, repeating in the exact same tone and pattern.
“Nevermind that. Your contract is what is important. It simply says that you will take full responsibility for your actions.”
Yukari was still pressed up against her wooden door, not wanting to get any closer to this strange boy who had somehow appeared within her safe space. It was a very different image from the unbothered Makoto, although it appeared as if nothing was going to faze that transfer boy tonight.
“And if I refuse?”
The boy just shrugged, although he didn’t make any move to put the contract away at all.
“Well, that is your decision to make as well, if you do not wish to proceed.”
This vague game of question and answer was starting to push the mild fear out of Yukari’s heart, instead replacing it with a powerful annoyance at the boy talking in riddles.
“Proceed? Proceed with what? Why’re you being so damn vague about this?!”
The boy’s gaze actually appeared to soften, briefly closing the booklet as he took a couple steps in Yukari’s direction. She flinched at his approach, although made no move to throw anything else like she did earlier. With his one eye, he glanced her over, cocking his head to the side in amusement.
“You’re afraid.”
Yukari crossed her arms, no longer holding any sense of fear as a part of her brain recognized that whatever this was couldn’t be a ghost. Instead, all that remained was annoyance, cocking an eyebrow at the little pipsqueak.
“Of what? You?”
“Of the neverending march of time,” he further clarified, causing Yukari’s eyes to widen. “You’ve been trying this entire time to run from it, escape it. Yet, death is something no being can escape. You will age, and you will die. Such is the nature of life itself.”
That certainly elicited a response from Takeba, letting out a scoff and glancing away from this bothersome boy.
“You don’t know me, whoever you are.”
The boy shrugged.
“Perhaps you’re right, but I have the feeling that I understand you far more than you realize.”
He opened up the booklet again, allowing the young woman to finally gain a complete glimpse of this contract, along with the bottom line.
Please sign your name here.
“So what is this then? Accepting that…I’m going to die or something?
“No,” he refuted, shaking his head as the calm never left his tone. “It is asking if you will accept how you are going to live, Yukari Takeba.”
She stared at that blank page for a while, the young boy generating a small inkwell and quill he managed to balance within his other hand.
Yukari’s heart pulsed as she thought back to her father, remembering that horrible day where she not only lost him, but her life was utterly turned upside down.
Am I living for his sake? Mother certainly isn’t, off in some faraway land with probably the twentieth nameless boy of the month.
But, am I? Is that even…what I want to live for?
Yukari chose not to linger further, gruffly sighing as she drew the quill out of the well.
“Fine,” she declared fully, striking her name across the contract and sealing it. Her name was now emblazoned within the text, taking full responsibility as the boy turned it around, the well vanishing from view.
Yukari Takeba.
“Good. Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. You can’t plug your ears or cover your eyes.”
However, despite the utter weirdness of this situation, there was still something within that was still gnawing at her mind.
“You were there with Yuki-san too, weren’t you? If that’s the case, then why only the two of us? What, did you pay a visit to Kirijo-senpai as well?”
“I was only awakened when my other half came within my presence,” the boy cryptically answered, although for once, his expression appeared to drop. “Everything else is…fuzzy at best. I can’t say I remember much.”
This really only served to confuse Takeba even further.
“Your… other half?”
The boy smiled, shutting the small booklet and tucking it under his arm. He adjusted the eyepatch over his left eye, staring fully at Yukari with his right.
“Do not fret. I’m sure your questions shall be answered in time.”
Before she could ask anything further, the boy suddenly vanished from view in a puff of smoke, the young archery captain lurching forward in surprise.
“Wait! Don’t just…gah you little…”
She let out a number of swears and threats under her breath, her fists tightening as she angrily sullied the name of a boy she didn’t even really know. She debated running out to Mitsuru, relaying what she just saw to them.
But, at this present moment, she decided to hold her tongue.
I don’t know if I can even tell anyone anything. If I mention it, they might just think I’m crazy. I mean, Personas are one thing, but some random little boy appearing with a contract, and then disappearing? Yeah, real sane behavior there Takeba.
Besides, I’m not really close enough to either of them to receive the benefit of the doubt.
She of course wasn’t aware of the fact there were cameras placed around the entire dorm, at least not yet.
Sighing under her breath, she marched across her room and collapsed into her bed, wanting to rest her eyes for a bit before proceeding with her evening routine.
“Responsibility, death, time,” she listed off, unable to shake the odd conversation she just had. “What does any of that have to do with anything? And…afraid? Everyone dies eventually, so of course everyone’s afraid of it right?”
She shook her head, finding the subject ridiculous despite agreeing to sign off on everything.
She glanced down towards her floor, reminded that she lived right above that new, seemingly undisturbed transfer student.
I was only awakened when my other half came within my presence.
Yukari’s eyebrows furrowed, that single line for some reason the only one that seemed to stick as that same familiarity over Makoto’s appearance twinkled within her mind.
She knew him from somewhere, she knew that for certain now. But, where it was she knew him from just wouldn’t connect, that final puzzle piece lost to her as she groaned, reverting her gaze back to her ceiling.
“Why am I connected to you, Makoto Yuki?”
***
Bound by Fate, Two Souls Reunite.
Three Days Remain Until the Next Full Moon
***