Chapter Text
The dream always started the same, the image as crisp and clear as it was on that day many years ago. The eyes of a past-self wandered, fixing themselves on each member of his team. Chie and Yukiko leaned on each other for support, Yukiko’s energy waning from her constant need to heal gashes and broken bones. Kanji was one step away from carrying a limping Naoto up to the last floor of the fog-filled dungeon, but his pride and embarrassment made him falter, instead settling on spotting her from behind. Teddie’s fur had some bald patches (which made Yosuke wonder if he actually had skin underneath. He shuddered at the thought), and he tried his hardest to patch them during the small interims between shadow ambushes. Rise had the least amount of physical blemishes on her, but she paid for it with the slouch in her shoulders, the unsteadiness of her knees. Kanzeon was working overtime the past few floors, she couldn’t afford a mistake, not when they only had one day to find the truth.
Even Yu, the firm and seemingly untouchable leader, moved his feet in a sluggish shuffle, a voice once confidently barking out orders going hoarse with overuse. They were all exhausted after their nine path trek through Yomotsu Hirasaka, the weight of the battle that loomed ahead pressing down on their hearts. The goddess, the one who whose gentle prodding started a mystery that only a group of teenagers could solve, stood before them, taking them all in. Yosuke would always remember how intimidating she looked, even before she transformed into the behemoth they were to face.
Izanami gave the weary group a smug smile; in her mind there was no way she could lose, even with her third little pawn holding up his sword unsteadily towards her. His voice shook as he called his team to order, evidence of the toll this place, this year had taken on him. But his eyes betrayed his hidden rage, a burning fire underneath a normally icy calm exterior, and charged blindly forward.
And for a while that was enough.
The addition of the Orb of Sight, a strange object given to Yu by a “friend” (he refused to say who, and team at this point were more than willing to trust his judgement), had revealed her true form. Yosuke could have sworn that he heard Izanami grunt in pain at a strong Garudyne spell he unleashed, a spell that had barely grazed her not moments before. They were winning, they were defeating something stronger than they’ve ever faced before. More powerful than Kunino-Sagiri, the god filled with despair that had nearly killed the one person that gave them all hope. Even more powerful than Ameno-Sagiri, the god willing to plunge the world in an empty fog as he deemed it was mankind’s wish. They had defeated them both, and were about to end this horrible game that the goddess set forth.
It was foolish to assume she wouldn’t have one last trick up her sleeve.
A black pit opened up underneath their leader, and for a moment Yosuke was convinced that Yu would fall in immediately. His pulse quickened, ready to pull him out if need be, just as he had with Mitsuo all those months ago. But something kept him firmly planted in the spot Yu assigned him, a memory of a lecture long past. Izanami and her thousand curses, her ancient fury coursing through her veins and killing hundreds by the day. This was her coup de grace, she was going to kill them all.
Without thinking, for when was Yosuke one to think before acting, he ran. The brunette was always the quickest of the team, the one whose strides would often outmatch Yu’s and be forced to wait for the rest to catch up. He was sure that at this moment his pace could surpass any record he had set in the past, and his arms outstretched towards his leader, his partner.
No, he thought in a daze, he can’t be the one to die.
His ears were ringing, but he heard a faint grunt coming from his left at the impact of two bodies, and a familiar male voice calling his name. Though this time, the once calm voice had a hint of fear, of almost desperation. Yosuke tried not to let the guilt overpower his feeling of affirmation; he made the right decision.
The darkness seemed to swallow him whole, dark tendrils grabbing onto him at all sides as if tethering him down. He could not pinpoint the source, nor decipher exactly what the blackness was, but one feeling outshone the once overwhelming feeling of fear. Emptiness. He stretched his arm, reaching towards the surface to escape the nothingness that would soon encompass him, only to have it pulled down by one of the icy hands that only multiplied the more he struggled. He was drowning in the pit, he couldn’t breathe for there was no air, only black oblivion below. The boy struggled, thrashing his body about, trying to claw his way out of the void; he made the right decision but he didn’t want to die! But the more he resisted, the tighter the curse’s hold, wrapping itself around him until he felt nothing but cold hollowness. Was he screaming? His mouth was open, but no sound came forth. Perhaps he couldn’t hear anymore. That didn’t stop him from trying, from attempting to produce sound from his mouth, from writhing out of the reach of the thousands of hands that seemed to encompass him…two hands in particular holding a firm grip on his arms, holding them crossed together so he couldn’t move, he couldn’t get those two arms off of him he—
He found out he was screaming shortly after waking up.
Two strong arms held his own down crossed over his chest, though their reasoning was far less malicious than the hands in his dream. They were both panting by now, both too frightened to say a word to the other. Finally, a calm voice broke the tense silence.
“I,” Yu started, unsure of how to go about calming the other young man. He sighed, voice shuddering after the ordeal, and eased his hold on Yosuke’s arms. “Sorry, I just…didn’t want you to hurt yourself.” Yosuke was too in shock to respond to the statement, or the lack of weight on his body. He had had this dream often, but never had his body reacted to the terror as much as his mind had. He became more aware of his shaky breaths, how the marks on his arms might turn into bruises the next morning, how his heartbeat was convinced he was going into cardiac arrest. But he took comfort in everything, despite the terror and the pain, for he was so unbelievably alive because this man had brought him back…had brought them all back.
Yosuke found his eyes beginning to sting in spite of himself, but even he didn’t have the energy to let his pride prevent the tears from spilling. Yu hesitated, almost afraid to touch him after the firm grip he was forced to have on his best friend. He didn’t have long to ponder, as Yosuke in an almost uncharacteristic fashion initiated the touch, almost flinging his arms around the silver-haired man. Yu’s hands were shaky, but much gentler, wrapping one arm to keep a sturdy hold around his waist and the other to rub circles on his back. This wasn’t the first time he had seen Yosuke cry, but he supposed that it wouldn’t get any easier to witness. Especially now, stifled sobs escaping the poor boys throat, whispers of apologies and fears of mortality. And one phrase that almost put him in the same state.
“I made the right choice.”
Yu held onto Yosuke as if his life depended on it.