Chapter Text
Nyx was an unbeatable foe.
Nyx was Death itself, Death was not beatable, Death would come for every living thing, not discriminating, not making exceptions, a constant no one could escape from.
And yet, a boy having reached the Universe Arcana decided the Fall should not occur.
More surprising still, he was ready to give his life in order to prevent it from occurring, sealing Nyx permanently with his own life force.
A kind of sacrifice few humans would make, as it was human nature to fear Death, the end of their life fogged by the unknown.
But Nyx could not feel surprise. Nyx could not feel anything.
A mortal offering their life to save another was rare, but not unheard of. If Nyx could not feel surprise, what was this feeling?
The boy was ascending, floating up to join Death in the Moon’s core. It should have been impossible, but against all odds, he was still standing. Still fighting. Still rebelling.
Nyx could not panic, and yet there was agitation somewhere, somehow. There was something Nyx had to do, quickly, before the boy could reach the core, but why was Nyx so agitated?
Regardless of the boy's intentions, the End was coming, and attempting to defy Nyx would be to defy the very principles of the universe.
But then, what was the cause of this burning dread, this fire coursing through Nyx, this fear-like emotion threatening to overflow?
Why was Nyx even asking questions in the first place?
The boy reached the core. Nyx lunged at him, intending to repel this intruder, this living human who wanted to delay, perhaps even escape the inevitable. Ridiculous. Once Nyx returned, there was no more to do. Once Nyx descended, the Fall would take every life, wipe out every living thing, claiming the world, forever.
And yet, the boy was still fighting. He could barely stand, but the voices of his friends, living or otherwise, reached his ears, and he held on. And he swung his sword. And he summoned his Persona.
The panic Nyx should not be feeling reached a peak, and tore through it, and he tore himself apart from the maternal being.
He can’t be allowed to do that.
I won’t let you do that.
Death was split into two, which should have been impossible at that time, and then Death did something unbecoming.
Death reached through his previously severed and newly restored connection with the boy, and instilled a will he should not have had into it.
Death, or more precisely, Thanatos, acted selfishly, even though Thanatos used to have no consciousness, no emotions, no “self” to be selfish about.
Thanatos reached for the white haired man splayed out on the battlefield, and sent the boy away, back to the warm cradle of his friends’ embrace.
Back to the battlefield.
Back to the world of the living.
Your time will come, but for now, go on, live.
><
Makoto had lost consciousness at some point, and when he came to, it was in a panic.
He shot up, looking around frantically, reaching for his evoker and sword at the same time, his senses overwhelmed.
There were people around him, people who were attempting to calm him down, but how was he supposed to be calm? The fact he was still alive to begin with meant they’d failed, he’d failed, he hadn’t sealed Nyx, which meant she would come back, she was probably on the way to having the moon crash into them-
“Yuuki! Get yourself together!” A firm voice cut into his thoughts, and he felt hands prying open his own, claiming his weapons.
He thrashed around, wide eyes turning to Yukari and Junpei peering at him with concern.
“Yuuki-san!” Another voice said shakily, “Please, calm down! You’re going to hurt yourself!”
“We’re safe, Yuuki,” A deeper voice sounded from behind him, a warm hand suddenly appearing on his shoulder. “Nyx won’t be coming back.”
What?
Something jumped on his lap, and he startled, but a dog’s relentless licking of his hands cut through the fog in his mind.
The blue haired paused, finally starting to take deeper breaths, and his vision started going clearer immediately.
The walls and architecture seemed familiar, the place was well lit, and a lump formed in his throat.
He was in Iwatodai Dorm, surrounded by his team, on the lounge couch.
A gaped for a moment, leaning back to catch his breath.
“Good grief,” Kirijou-senpai sighed, “You gave us all quite a fright.”
“Yeah, I’ve never seen you this panicked,” Yukari confessed, letting out her own relieved sigh.
He started to gently pet Koromaru, lowering his head instead of answering.
The canine seemed to enjoy it, as he yapped enthusiastically.
Warm…
Alive.
“You said Nyx wasn’t coming back?” He eventually asked, the sudden silence grating on his ears.
“Yeah,” Sanada-senpai confirmed, “We beat it. Ryoji confirmed it was gone for good.” He smiled victoriously.
“Ryoji?” Makoto asked in disbelief, “How is he-”
“I’m here, Makoto.” Said a painfully familiar voice.
The scarf wearing boy had been standing behind the couch’s backrest all this time, hidden from Makoto’s view.
The blue haired turned around sharply, feeling his panic come back.
But as he found that crystal clear blue gaze, something in him finally settled.
“If you’re here, that means-”
“No, the Fall isn’t going to happen,” Ryoji interrupted, visibly distressed himself, “Not now, not ever. You’ve defied this world’s rules by fighting Nyx, and you’ve earned the miracle you were seeking.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Congratulations.”
“What about the price I was supposed to pay?” Makoto retorted, his breathing becoming erratic all over again, and why was he panicking again? If Ryoji didn’t seem too concerned, surely whatever had happened meant they were finally safe, and it was okay to relax? To trust in it?
But Ryoji’s eyes weren’t smiling, and that sent dread shooting up the boy’s spine.
The dark haired boy looked away. “About that-”
Makoto’s heart stopped.
“I’ll do it,” he whispered, “I’ll do it, please leave them, don’t take their lives, please, I’ll do anything-”
“Please, let me finish!” Ryoji cut him off again, his high pitched and stressed out tone only exacerbating the blue haired’s fear.
The SEES had gone fully silent, looking from one boy to another with wide eyes.
“Makoto. There is nothing for you to do.” The scarf wearing boy started, looking him in the eye as he explained, “And your team is safe. You are safe. Nyx has been sealed permanently, the Fall isn’t happening, the Dark Hour will be ending shortly, and there is no more price to pay.” He affirmed, then looked away. “The price has already been paid.”
Makoto blinked, confused.
“By who?” He asked without thinking, before freezing in horror.
Ryoji scrunched his eyes shut.
“By me, using power that wasn’t mine to use, with- with a life that wasn’t mine to take.” He said shakily, turning himself away.
“There is nothing left for you to do, and there is no reason to fear. While what I did is unforgivable, none of the responsibility should fall on any of you, and you should not bear any guilt. You- you should live, all of you. Live happily.” He continued, still facing away.
Kirijou-senpai was the first one to break the stunned silence.
“What… what exactly did you do, Mochizuki?” She asked, eyes wide with dread.
The same dread pulsing in Makoto’s veins.
Burn my dread…
“It’s… It’s a long story,” Ryoji started, “but one that needs to be told.”
“We’re listening,” Yukari said, having crossed her arms.
They all settled down on the couches, the blue haired boy staring at the floor, unseeing.
“As you know, my existence was stripped of any tangible form at midnight, on New Year’s Eve,” the boy started to speak, looking down, “And around that time is when I started fusing with Nyx, becoming something indistinguishable from her. When we fought, I was very much Nyx’ avatar, the same essence, not to be separated ever again.” He paused, taking a breath.
“But after the fight, when Makoto started going up to confront Nyx’s core, something… strange happened. It was probably because of me, because I had gained a sensibility to humankind due to having been sealed in him for a decade… Nyx started having emotions that came from me, and they became so strong that I forcibly removed myself from inside of her.”
“You what?” Junpei asked with incredulity, “You were one, but you managed to escape her?”
The dark haired let out a chuckle.
“In a way, yes. I saw your Persona, by the way. It’s a fusion of your own, and another person’s, right? Imagine the opposite happened, imagine your Persona’s and that person’s became separate again. It’s a bit more complicated for me and Nyx, but it’s a similar idea.”
“What happened after you tore yourself from her.” Makoto asked, still staring at nothing.
The mood immediately felt heavier, but the blue haired couldn’t bring himself to care. He had to know. He had to know what had been done with his power.
Ryoji sighed.
“I realized what you were about to do.” He started again, “And I- I panicked. I couldn’t let you do that. So… I acted without thinking. We’ve- we’ve always been linked, until New Year’s Eve, so I thought we’d still be linked as soon as I’d broken free, and I was right! I was right, so I sent an instruction through you, and-”
“Who did you kill?” Makoto interrupted, turning around to turn his cold glare on the other. “Was it Takaya?” He asked, making everyone else gasp.
The dark haired lowered his head in submission. Pathetic, to think Death would submit to him. It made him want to puke.
It should have been the other way around, Makoto had been ready to.
“Is that the name of the man who tried to stop you on the way up?” He asked no one in particular, “Yes, I took his life.”
Makoto turned back to stare at the floor.
“Makoto, I’m sor-” Ryoji cut himself off, “No, I’m not sorry. Being sorry would be disrespectful to the person I killed. But- I don’t want you to feel any guilt because of something I did. Regardless of how it was done- you had no intention to do it. You were going to-”
“Don’t say it.” The leader of SEES interrupted. “Don’t.”
“Even if he doesn’t say it, I think pretty much everyone understood, Yuuki-kun.” Said Yukari, her tone deceptively calm.
“Wait, really? I’m still confused, and so is Amada-” Junpei started, but-
“Yuuki-san… I… I know it sounds terrible, but- I’m glad you’re still alive.” Said Amada, visibly trying to hold back tears.
Makoto couldn’t look at any of them. He couldn’t stop staring a hole into the floor. The lump in his throat had only grown, and he felt hot, much too hot, it was suffocating-
“Yuuki, we all know you never wanted this to happen,” Sanada’s hand squeezed his shoulder firmly, “Shinji believed he was at fault for years, and I-” his voice broke, becoming close to a whisper, “I don’t want to lose another friend to misplaced guilt.”
“Wait, hold on,” Junpei called, “I’m still not understanding what he did! Can anyone explain?!”
Silence fell back onto the team.
Makoto sighed.
“After the fight, I realized Ryoji was right,” He started, “Nyx is undefeatable by normal means. But with my wild card power, I could still prevent the Fall, at a price.”
“I was going to seal Nyx away permanently.”
Using my life force.
Makoto knew exactly what it sounded like, and he didn’t want to finish explaining.
But he was so, so tired, too tired to care what it sounded like.
“It was my choice. My sacrifice to make. I knew what I was doing, I knew what the price was,” He said, turning around to glare at the man who’d killed in his name, “And you took that choice away from me. You sacrificed another human without his consent, when I was right there, I had the power and- You- you used MY power, didn’t you?”
Ryoji nodded sharply.
“You made it so I took his life, even though I would have never dreamed of doing that,” Makoto said breathlessly, “I never wanted to kill anyone. But my life was free to give. It was my gift to them…”
Speaking was suddenly too overwhelming, so he stopped, curling up on the couch, pointedly avoiding all the gazes thrown at him.
In truth, he wasn’t even that mad at Ryoji. And that was scary.
Makoto wanted to live, ever since he’d realized he’d remembered how to. He’d realized thanks to Elizabeth that, actually, living and existing were two different things, and that the moments he’d spent with SEES this year had allowed him to live, instead of just existing as he’d done for the past 10 years.
He wanted to live, not to leave his friends behind, but if he didn’t give his life, there would be no more friends to leave behind, they would all die with him, everyone would die. Life would end- and he had the power to prevent that. So he did what he could, but having prepared himself to die in that moon-like thing, having given his life, how was he supposed to just accept that another had died in his stead?
Another, who might have been his enemy, but still deserved to have a say in the matter, had been non consensually sacrificed, was he supposed to rejoice?
He was conveniently ignoring the glaring issue: even if Takaya had consented to this, Makoto would still have opposed it, offering himself up again.
Self-sacrifice felt wrong when it didn’t come from yourself.
Makoto dying for his friends was okay, it was what should have happened, but anyone else dying in his stead was NOT okay. He could not make peace with it.
Too many people had died because of, or for him. Too many times had he seen people disappear right before his eyes: his parents, Aragaki, Kirijou-senpai’s father, Ikutsuki, for all he had betrayed them, Chidori, even Jin- he’d definitely killed himself back in Tartarus.
Makoto had had enough.
He wasn’t mad at Ryoji. He was happy to be alive, and that happiness was the source of his guilt.
He knew it wasn’t his fault, wasn’t his choice, but he was happy to be alive, and-
He didn't have the right to be happy. Takaya was doomed for him to live.
…Had the dorm always been this quiet? The silence was so oppressing, he had to remind himself to breathe.
“I should go.” Ryoji said suddenly, interrupting his self loathing, “I am only going to be a reminder of what happened. For what it's worth, I'm sorry, not for what I did, but that it made you feel like this.”
“It's not your fault, Makoto. It's okay to live despite what was lost- I was the one who selfishly took a life to save another.” He continued, giving a wry smile. “I'll suffer any consequence you see fit. You'll find me when you look for me. But for now, I'll go.”
“Stay.” Makoto ordered, having gone back to staring at the floor.
“Huh?” Ryoji seemed surprised, “But, wouldn't be better if I-”
“Stay here.”
Don't go.
“Oh… okay then.” The scarf wearing boy hesitantly settled back at his spot behind the blue haired.
“Okay,” Yukari's voice cut through the tension, “Are we all realizing that Yuuki-kun was going to sacrifice himself? I'm sorry but we were going to lose another teammate, by his own hand, and no one is going to comment on it?”
She sounded angry. The exhaustion coating Makoto's bones felt heavier.
“Yuuki-kun!” She called, her voice going a pitch up, “You were going to die for us? Really?” She asked, sounding unimpressed, “You were so affected by all the deaths we've had to deal with that you shut yourself off for weeks until he appeared- until you got better, and you want us to accept that you were okay with doing the same to us?”
“Yukari, anger isn't the best-”
“Mitsuru-senpai, please let me finish.” The light brown haired girl interrupted, her eyes blazing with fury.
Yukari has always been one of our strongest members.
“I'm gonna be honest, I'm pissed off.” She started again, crossing her arms, “We were all powerless, convinced we were going to be crushed alive, but we weren't losing hope! We were still resisting! Who gave you the right to stop, leader?!”
“Yukari…” Ryoji murmured.
“You, shut up!” She screamed, “You're the reason he was going to sacrifice himself! Whatever you did, couldn't you do it before he could even think of that?!”
“Ryoji isn't to blame at all for my decision.” Makoto hissed, hands clenching the fabric of his pants.
“He was just as powerless as we all were at that moment,” He argued, “Actually, I think it may be because he anticipated what I would do that he was able to do anything at all.”
Someone gasped from behind him, probably the boy who’d killed in his name. Makoto’s head was spinning too much to care to ascertain it.
“Yeah, I-” Ryoji choked out, “I… I felt a sense of dread, it was so overwhelming, I don’t really remember doing it, but I tore myself from Nyx. I guess spending 10 years inside of you, becoming part human, that made me a weakness when I merged back with her.” He confirmed, and the blue haired could almost see his wry smile.
“You don’t remember taking Takaya’s life?” He challenged.
“I do- I just don’t remember what I was thinking- Actually, maybe that’s the point.” He paused to take a shaky breath, “I acted without thinking of anyone, all I wanted was for you to live… I wanted you to live, Makoto.” He croaked out.
Makoto didn’t need to look at him to see tears well up in his eyes.
The lump in his throat grew impossibly larger.
“I guess I really stole your humanity,” He continued, his self-deprecating tone grating on his ears, “Death doesn’t discriminate. Death isn’t supposed to choose when it takes. The idea of taking a life to save another is something humans created.”
The blue haired didn’t know what to reply to that, so he didn’t. But the silence was making him want to vomit, so he decided to address Yukari’s anger instead of letting it fester. At least, anger was understandable, easy. Unlike… Whatever he was feeling.
“Yukari, are you happy that Takaya died so I could live?” He asked bluntly, not looking at her.
She huffed.
“If I was, would it make me a bad person?” She retorted defiantly, and it almost brought a smile to the boy’s lips.
“Takaya killed Aragaki-senpai. He almost got Junpei, too!” She argued, “I hate him! If it weren’t for him, Chidori wouldn’t have had to- oh, I’m sorry, Junpei-”
“It’s alright, Yuka-tan,” The latter replied, voice wavering. “I agree, I absolutely hate the guy, too.” He fell back into silence.
“A-anyway, he didn’t want the Dark Hour to disappear because he thought our Personas would go with it,” She started again, “But Personas are a part of us! Even if we can’t fight in the same way, they’re not just gonna vanish! And even if they did, he was being incredibly selfish, and had the gall to call us that! He was nuts!”
“So, is this ‘a life for a life’ with aggravating circumstances?” Makoto asked, suddenly feeling faint.
Yukari paused.
“I never wanted him to die! Who do you take me for?” She sighed, “But I’m not going to be sad about his death, and if it means you’ll live? Then he should stay dead.” She affirmed, voice cold.
Everyone save Ryoji and Fuuka murmured their assent.
“I think that we’re not going to find morality here,” The cyan haired mumbled, “I think we’re all too involved to make morally sound decisions, just like Ryoji-kun.”
For the first time in a while, Makoto raised his head to look her in the eye.
She smiled at him, unshed tears glistening in her eyes.
“I think we’re all just glad you’re still with us, and even though we know what Ryoji-kun did is wrong, it’s something we shouldn’t forgive… We’re still going to,” She said, “And I think that’s alright. Humans invented laws because of things like these, because we’re not morally sound, so we need a system to be ethical for us.”
The blue haired’s breath caught in his throat.
Fuuka got up, kneeled in front of him, and placed a hand on one of his own, which was still clenching his knee.
“I think you should live,” She whispered, “And you should live for yourself, not for him- you’re not living the life he lost. You’re you. You’re not to blame for what happened, so try not to let it get to you. You have the right to be happy, despite everything.”
After years of repressing tears, after losing people close to him, shutting the world away and pushing aside his feelings so he could focus on the fight in front of him, finally, something inside Makoto snapped.
Something wet streaked down his cheek, and a sob escaped his chest, which he tried to muffle, but-
“Makoto,” Ryoji said in a whisper-sigh, sounding close to tears himself.
It was too much. The blue haired couldn’t keep it inside anymore, so he broke down.
He hid his face in his hands, curling in on himself, turning away, anything to escape their attention-
“Yuuki-kun,” Yukari called, her voice laced with pain.
He sobbed in his palms, knowing that everyone was gathering around him despite not seeing them.
At some point, Koromaru had nuzzled against his side, not demanding his attention, but showing support all the same.
Aigis, who had been silent from the start, placed a hand on his shoulder.
Ryoji was a constant presence at his back, and everyone else was kneeling or standing in front of him.
Inside, he felt like something had broken, it hurt, but it hurt good.
Was this why people encouraged others to cry, to ‘let it out’?
The pain inside was tearing him apart in a pleasurable way.
Maybe he was just a masochist.
He couldn’t believe he was crying this way in front of people, even though they were those he trusted the most, how shameful of him.
“I’m sorry-” He gasped, “I’m sorry, I can’t-”
“It’s okay to cry, Makoto,” Ryoji cut him off gently, “This is how humans evacuate their emotions when it gets too intense. It’s actually quite healthy.”
He chuckled through his tears, still trying to repress his wails.
After a while, the hiccups stopped, his chest had given out all its sobs, and the torrent weakened.
He wiped his eyes on his sleeves, looking up through the hair covering his face warily.
“...Why are you all crying.” He said more than asked, a hint of amusement growing in his heart.
Sanada-senpai looked away first.
“Is it my fault if you’ve never shown this much emotion before…” He trailed off.
Fuuka was sniffling despite her gentle smile, still on the ground in front of him.
She gave his hand a squeeze which almost sent Makoto for another round of crying.
Yukari was suspiciously silent, Junpei had his back turned, but his shoulders were shaking, Kirijou-senpai was looking at him with shining eyes, and Amada was petting Koromaru, head bowed.
He couldn’t see Aigis’ face, but her hand had gone tight around his shoulder.
It felt… nice. He felt bad for bringing his friends to this state, but they were all in harmony.
Even Ryoji was suppressing sobs behind him, his shallow breathing joining the chorus of quiet hiccups.
Still, there was something Makoto felt like he needed to ask, to get out of his system, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to find peace.
“Is it… okay, for me to live?” He whispered.
Is it okay for me to thank Ryoji, instead of blaming him for the murder he committed in my name?
Is it okay to be happy with him, with you, to grow up with you?
“Yuuki-kun…” Fuuka choked, tears flowing anew.
“Of course it is!” Ryoji gasped, “You're not the one who doomed him in the first place-”
“You haven't done anything wrong,” Aigis stated, “You deserve to live as much as everyone does.”
“I can't believe you asked something like that…” Yukari sighed, but she was smiling.
“Yuuki, I think out of all of us you are the one who deserves to live the most.” Kirijou-senpai said with conviction, and one look at her determined gaze made the blue haired boy at peace.
“If you don't live, we'll never have our rematch, and I wouldn't forgive you for that!” Amada joked, wiping his face with a grin.
Koromaru barked his assent, and jumped onto his lap, startling Makoto, who started petting him in earnest.
He realized how foolish that question sounded, and flushed.
As if his team would suddenly tell him it wasn’t okay for him to be alive. But hearing the confirmation felt good, it felt nice to have it off his chest, like he could breathe a little easier.
He fell silent again, but a small smile made its way onto his face, and he lowered his head slightly, hoping to hide most of it in the shadow.
“Hey, uh,” Junpei started, “I know this evening didn't exactly end on a fully positive note, but we're all here! Even Ryoji found a way to come back, so don't cha think we finally earned a real party?”
Koromaru barked at that, perking up.
“I agree,” Sanada-senpai said, “So long as we're sure what Mochizuki did guarantees the world is safe, a party would be the perfect way to get our spirits back up.”
“I’m still mad about you planning to sacrifice yourself,” Yukari huffed, “But I’m down! Maybe then you’ll learn to value your life!”
“If no one has any objections, let us meet up here tomorrow evening, and have a celebratory feast.” Kirijou-senpai suggested.
The oppressive silence had been shattered, and hearing his team giggle and chat about what they wanted to eat, Makoto felt like a weight had been lifted in his chest.
He turned back towards Ryoji, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of him, and shot him an apologetic smile.
“I do not intend to darken the mood,” Aigis suddenly said, “What about your memories? Were they not supposed to disappear after Nyx had been defeated?”
Everyone quieted down at that, looking at each other in horror.
“I had completely forgotten…” Amada whispered, clenching his fists.
Koromaru whined.
“That shouldn’t happen,” Ryoji reassured with a wry smile, “I previously said that your memories of the Dark Hour and anything related would disappear if Makoto killed me, right?” He reminded, “Well, as you can see, I’m still here. An incomplete version of Nyx was sealed, but I’m still here, so-”
He suddenly cut himself off, frowning.
His eyes widened in alarm.
“What’s wrong, Ryoji?” The blue haired asked warily.
He sent him a distressed look.
“I don’t know if the Dark Hour will disappear,” He breathed, “If I’m still here… But, Nyx has been sealed, so shadows shouldn’t form anymore… They don’t have any purpose anymore…”
He looked down, trembling hands clutching his scarf.
Fear was not a good look on Ryoji. He should be smiling, Makoto decided.
“Mochizuki, are you still the Appriser of Death?” Kirijou-senpai asked, crossing her arms.
The boy blinked.
“Actually- I don’t know.” He answered honestly, “When I appeared to you as the Appriser, part of me was human, and another was Shadow. I guess if I’m able to access my Shadow form, that will be proof of what I am.”
“What happens if you’re still the Appriser?” Yukari asked, sounding uneasy.
Ryoji smiled apologetically. That smile had never looked good on him. It consistently made Makoto’s chest clench painfully.
“Well, I know for a fact Nyx isn’t coming to cause the Fall right now,” He started, “And I can feel the seal I formed with Takaya’s life force. Despite wishing for the Fall to occur, he had the strength to see his ideals through.”
And I took that from him, he didn’t say, but the blue haired heard it anyway.
“I’m still some incarnation of Death, I feel it,” He continued, “But regardless of what I am, part of me is made of the humanity I stole from Makoto without realizing,” He shot him yet another wry smile, to which he shook his head, “And that can’t be taken away from me, that’s the reason I was able to separate myself from Nyx.”
He placed a hand on his heart, nodding towards the blue haired, eyes shining with determination.
“The Dark Hour may not disappear, but Shadows shouldn’t form, and if they do, I’ll take care of them all.” He swore, “I won’t let anyone else fall victim to them. If the Dark Hour keeps on occurring, it will be my selfishness that made it so, and I will take responsibility for it.”
“We’ll be counting on you, then,” Sanada-senpai squeezed his shoulder, smirking at him.
“Please do,” Ryoji smiled, “And about your memories, I don’t think they will fade, but either way, they can’t be deleted. Even if you had killed me on New Year’s Eve, they wouldn’t have been destroyed, only sealed so you wouldn’t remember. Even then, there would have been a way for you to remember with the right kind of mental push. So don’t worry!” He said, his bright smile almost blinding Makoto.
“If you forget, Aigis and I will remind you of the bonds you shared, until you all remember the time you spent together,” He proclaims, a gentle expression settling on his face.
“Yes,” Aigis confirmed with her own small smile, “We will. We will not be separated anymore, I believe we have earned the right to live, no matter what it means for each of us.”
“Let’s live long and fulfilling lives!” Amada cheered, breaking into a sweet smile.
“As if we could ever forget,” Yukari sighed, shaking her head fondly, “You’ve all put me through too much for me to let you off the hook, got that?!”
“Time to live and let live, ay?” Junpei cackled.
“That’s not how you use that expression at all, Junpei,” Makoto huffed, unable to stop the widening of his smile.
Surrounded by his friends, the one who’d stolen a life to save his, and stolen his heart on top of that at his side, an overjoyed dog on his lap and giggles in his ears, the blue haired felt the guilt that had been eating him inside ever since he’d woken up recede.
It was still there, perhaps it always would be, but for now, it stopped compressing his chest and numbing his limbs.
He was alive and well, so were his loved ones, and by some miracle, the chosen of his heart was smiling, guarding his back in the human form he so favored.
The Fall had been averted, and one of their enemies had died yet again, but humans were constantly moved along by their own lives, the flow of time mending wounds, often not fully, and unbearably slowly, but even a gaping wound had the potential to stop bleeding.
Takaya was no more, but the world had been saved, and was it really so bad that he couldn’t blame Ryoji for his choice?
Humans were fickle creatures, even more so when in love, and if Makoto knew one thing, it was that he was hopelessly, undeniably, madly in love.
It felt warm.