Chapter Text
Yukari Takeba
Tatsumi Memorial Hospital
2017
“You must wait, and do not disturb me during the process.” Elizabeth spoke, once again.
“O-Okay…” The actress said, drumming her fingers on her thigh as she took a nervous glance towards the floor. “It’s… just-”
“Are you sure this is… working?”
“The miracle is working, but his soul will take time to leave the Sea of Souls.” Elizabeth explained. “It is essential that we be careful to not move his body, less his soul is sent adrift.”
Elizabeth had her arms outstretched over theform of Makoto Yuki, or at least his technically lifeless body. To the side of the bed were the various members of the Shadow Operatives, with their postures tense and expressions stiff.
“Right… uh… Elizabeth, whaaaatt exactly are you doing?” Junpei muttered, hands grasped to the side rail of the hospital bed. Yukari noticed his fingers moving in a paced manner.
Huh, so he’s as tense as the rest of us.
“Like I said before, I am merely protecting his body from the natural processes that occur at the end of one's life” Elizabeth replied. “It is of utmost importance that I don't leave his side, as Makoto-san will be unable to survive with a decayed body.”
Yukari found herself shuddering at the word used. He was practically already decaying that month…
True to her word, Elizabeth stood the closest to the body of Makoto Yuki, both arms outstretched over his form. Projected from her hands was an ethereal green glow, which illuminated his entire body with the same mystical spectacle. Yukari focused more on the form of the boy–-technically a man–-and his features. Makoto looked as pale as he did on the day he died, and everything that screamed life was missing.
She didn’t fail to notice the other miscellaneous changes, like the slight increase in hair density on his arms and the lightest traces of facial hair. Isn’t this just Makoto if he was an adult? I’ll have to ask Elizabeth later.
Mistsuru perked up. “Take as much time as you need, I have already explained to the nurses and you will be able to stay for as long as you need.”
Elizabeth responded, a small smile on her face. “Much obliged, Kirijo-san, I will make sure that the procedure will go as smoothly as possible.”
“I suppose there is nothing left here that we can do for him.” Mitsuru sighed, and she stood up. “Make sure to call us as soon as he wakes up.”
“Understood. If everything goes according to plan, he shall wake by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.” Elizabeth focused further, the green light around Makoto briefly intensifying.
Junpei, before also leaving the room, shot a nervous glance towards Yukari’s way. “Yukari?”
She didn’t even bother to turn to face Junpei, instead focusing on Elizabeth’s work. She hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t speak further.
“It’s been seven years…” She breathed out. Too long.
Junpei failed to understand if Yukari was talking to him, or to herself.
“Makoto…” You left me behind. You left me and you never warned me.
Junpei, now getting an idea of what was troubling Yukari, shot an understanding glance even if she wasn’t looking at him. He stepped beside her, also watching Elizabeth at work.
“Yeah… seven years, huh?” He weakly chuckled. “He’s gonna have to get used to all the new crap we have now, won’t he?”
“Seven years…” she breathed out again. I have too much to say to him. Too much.
What would he think of me? Would he think I'm weak? I’ve moved on, I shouldn’t be feeling this way.
“...Yuka-tan?” Junpei shot another concerned glance. His words shook Yukari out of her stupor, as she slowly moved her gaze to Junpei.
She starts.
“Junpei… d-do you think he’ll still want to be around?”
Junpei’s expression instantly turned incredulous. “Wha?!- Of course he would!” Junpei yelled, which caused even Elizabeth to send a brief, confused glance at the two. “And I know for a fact that he’ll be thrilled to be with you again!”
Yukari looked down on her feet. “But, still… seven years is a long time.”
“Please.” Junpei snickered, a small smile on his face. “You guys were like… a match made in heaven?”
Yukari couldn’t help but blush, but this time it came fainter than it usually does. He never went to heaven. He died and whatever remained of him became the Great Seal.
“Given all the stuff I've seen, I don’t think there's a god kind enough to make any kind of heaven…” She chuckled dejectedly, which made Junpei’s smile fall.
Junpei closed his eyes briefly, not before letting out a large sigh, the kind you don’t even realise you were holding in. His eyes opened and turned to Yukari once again. “I… I know it’ll be strange, y’know…. Getting used to him being around again…”
“But, Makoto’s gonna need your help, ya know?”
“Y-Yeah, but it’s been so long… and what if he doesn’t-” Yukari rapidly mumbled. “-Godamnit, he’s been gone for so long…”
“Psht, i’ll bet you a thousand yen that the first thing he’ll say to you is something like-” Junpei’s voice began to imitate what he could assume was Makoto’s voice, having to rely on memory. “I’ve never stopped missing you, Yukari.’”
“Ugh, shut up.” Yukari muttered, though her abashed smile betrayed her true feelings.
Suddenly, Yukari’s face fell, and she turned towards Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth kept her focus on Makoto’s body, but responded nonetheless.
“Yes?”
“I-Is…” Yukari tried to stress her words.. “Was…he conscious, you know… as the Great Seal?”
Elizabeth glanced back at Yukari, and then turned to focus on the unmoving face of the man she still loved as much as she did all those years ago.
“Unfortunately, I do not have the answer for that.” Elizabeth sighed. “That will be something that you will have to ask him later.”
Even despite the mix of emotions within her—uncertainty, hope, and despair swirling together—and the wounds Yukaris’s heart that she hadn’t even realized she was letting fester, the concept of a ‘later’ with him was something that never failed to thrill her.. There should’ve always been a later from the beginning.
Ugly memories started to resurface in her mind.
Memories of Yukari at her lowest points. Her fight in the Abyss of Time where she had hurt her friends because she wanted to bring Makoto back was the most prominent of the given memories… and the one she dreaded the most bringing up to Makoto.
Eventually she had learnt that there was no way to save him. It was the cold, bitter truth she had to accept. Makoto was essentially her world. She had to give up on her world, if it meant protecting another one. The less important world, she had found herself thinking bitterly on those long, cold nights.
In the end, Makoto was gone, and that was it. To wallow in her misery and to curl up into a ball until she decomposed into the very ground would be to desecrate Makoto’s grave, metaphorically speaking. He died so they could live, and for Yukari to just simply… exist and not live would be going against everything Makoto died for. Even if it would be hard, she’d try to move on. For her sake, but mainly for Makoto’s sake.
As it turned out, saying you’ll do something was easier than actually doing it, as Yukari would find out the hard way.
The final year of high school was relatively lonely. She still had SEES (technically its former members), but the giant Makoto-shaped hole in her heart remained ever since that day.
In her weakest moments she would think of Makoto, and she realised that every minute she’d spent wasting away in her bed, she was wasting away time that Makoto had died for. As time went on, the final year drew to a close. She can still remember how hollow the graduation ceremony felt for her. Makoto deserved to make it this far… He should’ve made it this far.
She graduated from college as normal and secured a role as a model. Her ensuring popularity had opened many more doors for her, career-wise.
One day, she had recieved a call. The producers for some TV network had wanted her to cast the new role of Argus Pink for a new reboot of the Featherman franchise. She remembered her words when explaining to the others on her potential new, unexpected career parth.
“Makoto died to prevent Nyx and Erebus from meeting each other, right? And Erebus is supposed to be the negative thoughts of all of humanity?”
“Well... I hope that I'm able to inspire the younger generation. If they gain the same hope for a better tomorrow, that would mean weakening Erebus too.”
She had accepted the offer, and while the pay wasn't enough to get her a particularly nice home, she was able to rent herself an apartment with the combined funds from modelling gigs and being an actress. As time would have it, her tenure as Pink Argus drew to an end in the fall of 2014.
She had hoped that her role as an actress had inspired hope within the youth, and would hopefully ease the burden on Makoto, even if it was only by a little bit.
Yukari had to give herself a small smile after thinking about it more. Did I weaken Erebus enough so that Elizabeth could free him? Of course, it wasn’t just her efforts alone… well, she didn't even know the specifics of it all. There were more important manners at hand here. Apparently, Erebus had been weakened enough that only a fraction of Makoto’s soul needs to remain in the seal to keep it in place.
Yukari, knowing that a piece of Makoto would be missing, shot anoter glance at Elizabeth. Without even needing to look at them all, Elizabeth had sensed the mutual discomfort of the group, and had made sure to quell their fears by also telling them that Makoto wouldn’t be suffering in the same way he did right before his death.
With her fears settled, Yukari became more thoughtful. She could imagine herself bragging to Makoto that it was her that managed to weaken Erebus enough so that she could return. She would just have to omit Elizabeth’s mention of another group of persona users last year who had played a role in the weakening of Erebus.
Yukari returned to thinking about the sheer length of his absence and the status of their relationship. When Makoto died, they were still technically dating. Maybe not as emotionally tense when her memories were briefly lost, but she still had affection for the boy.
As far as Yukari was concerned, they were still going to be dating. It would be up to Makoto when he wakes if he still reciprocated the same feelings, or if he wanted to break things off. Maybe her absence made Makoto fall out of love with her or that 7 years of separation would be too awkward for any normal relationship to continue. She found herself grinding her teeth together slightly at the thought.
Despite Junpei having somewhat settled her insecurities earlier, they had come back with a vengeance. What if he rejects you? It’s been seven years, he might not be interested in you anymore.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Junpei placed his hand on her shoulder, the sensation anchoring her back into reality. She squeaked and turned to face Junpei. She hadn’t realised that she had spent the past 5 minutes thinking to herself, with Junpei having stayed for reasons she didn't care enough about to find out.
“C’mon, let Elizabeth do her job. You need to get some sleep.”
“R-right… yeah...” She shook her head, and shot another nervous glance to Elizabeth.
“If it helps you, Takeba.” Elizabeth settled. “His soul is beginning the process of being separated from the seal.”
“Alright… Thanks, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth hummed thoughtfully, her attention still on Makoto.
Yukari turned away from him, and thought to herself. Makoto… you have a lot of time to make up for.
She soon left the room, but also made sure to switch off the silent mode on her phone. Not that it would matter anyways; she had found herself unwilling to sleep that night. The reason was obvious enough.
Junpei Iori
Tatsumi Memorial Hospital Parking
2017
The evening had just been a blur, swirled together by intense emotions that rendered remembering the specifics obsolete. It had started off with a phone call while they were all together in the compound, and that same phone call had made them drop everything in the blink of an eye.
Makoto… is he really coming back?
Junpei remembered what the voice on the other end of the line had said.
“I’d like to report a major breakthrough in my journey.”
“I have found a way to free Makoto… but it seems that I will require your assistance.”
Yukari might have beaten him in being the fastest person to jump out of the chair at that very moment. None of them could have believed it at first. Junpei had noticed Fuuka, Ken, Aigis and Akihiko rushing into the armoury, while Yukari and Mitsuru stayed near the phone. Junpei, in a daze, followed the others into the armoury. Koromaru had just resorted to barking and pacing all around their legs. If he understood what was happening, or if it was a natural response to the chaotic emotions everyone felt, it was a ultimately a mystery to Junpei.
Junpei had many personal regrets of what went down in 2009. He had spent a majority of that year jealous of Makoto, the same Makoto who had for nearly the previous 10 years of his life, stopped caring about anything at all. The same Makoto who went through the motions, not really caring about anything at all. The same Makoto, who had suffered for that long. Junpei could continue punching himself over it for all of eternity, but he knew that’s not what Makoto died for.
Regardless, even if he still had regrets that he would still have to live with, he would still continue to make the most of the life he was given for Makoto’s sake. It helped if he thought of it as making up for how he treated him, even if it wasn’t probably the healthiest way to go forward. Time was unrelenting for them all, for the worse or for the better.
Junpei reckoned that the old him would have made a much bigger deal about being third years, but Makoto’s death was sobering, in a way. Being a third year felt weird when one of them will never be there to join them.
The void never really faded, but time will always march on, regardless if you make the most of your life or if you throw it away. A notable upside of the year was that Chidori finally came around. It hurt that she had forgotten at first, but her being alive was enough for Junpei.
We don’t need any more dead people
As luck would have it, Chidori suddenly remembered everything; the Dark Hour, the memories with Junpei, her almost would-be sacrifice, her past with Strega. Junpei was elated, to say the least.
From what he had remembered, there wasn’t any definitive cause for the sudden lucidity. Mitsuru had suggested that the flowers she was given had also stored her memories as well, however that works. It just took a little longer for the memories to come around.
Junpei didn’t care about the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ though, if he had to personally speak.
It would take too long to recite the details of what happened exactly after, but without the threat of Strega and the Dark Hour, their relationship soon blossomed. Junpei couldn’t help but feel bad for Yukari. He had almost anticipated jealousy from her, considering that her lover was dead. She never acted on the jealousy though, but in the corner of his eye whenever he left the dorm to go out on dates with Chidori, Junpei could always notice the longing expression that Yukari had always worn.
I’m so sorry Yukari… I knew how much he meant to you.
Honestly, even if Makoto’s death hurt him greatly, the reaction of his friends made the pain even worse. Most notably of all, the reactions Yukari and Aigis had. To say that Yukari was put through the emotional wringer would be a major understatement.
The love of her life was ripped away from her, on the very same day that would symbolise a new beginning for their lives. It was supposed to be the end of a chapter to their lives, but for Yukari, it may as well have just been throwing the entire damn book away.
Junpei could relate to Yukari, in a way. They both had their partners die for them; In Makoto’s case, it was dying for essentially the entirety of the human race and in Junpei’s case, it was Chidori dying for him. Junpei was glad that he could be there for Yukari, given that he could personally relate to having lost somebody he had loved, even if briefly. He still had nightmares about the entire thing. He shudders at what Yukari's mind would brew.
Things would later turn out for the better. With Chidori alive and with the help of Mitsuru, Chidori was finally able to enroll as a third year student in their last year of high school. She did need to catch up, but it was fun having Chidori, Yukari and Fuuka all together in the same class for their final year in highschool. Of course, a notable edge remained. They sometimes acknowledged it's presence, but most of the time it remained in the background of their school lives.
The awkwardness it had brought along would become less noticeable as that school year went by. After graduation–which he had managed to pass with average grades–Mitsuru had came to to him with a job offer. A job at the newly formed Shadow Operatives. He had three choices; either he could be employed as a full time member of the Shadow Ops, become an auxiliary member of the Operatives to be called in during emergencies, or simply reject the offer.
“Of course, the offer will always remain open if you decline as such. As long as you can harness the power of Persona, you are welcome to join our ranks.”
He decided to become an auxiliary member. Sure, he could’ve chosen to reject the offer and get to live a nice and simple life with Chidori, but if it meant that he could still continue to help his friends in some way, he wouldn’t mind getting back into the game a little. When he told Chidori the news, he didn’t know what to expect. In actuality, her response was to simply smile.
“That’s what I like about you… you aren’t leaving them behind, like how you never left me behind.”
Being an auxiliary member of the Shadow Operatives meant that he wasn’t going to be in active service all the time, so he would have to find a job in the meantime. The job had turned out to be something for a hobby he’d left behind years ago: Baseball.
It began in the final year of high school. In between normal school life and hanging out with his girlfriend, there wasn’t exactly much stuff he was interested in. One day, while he was telling Chidori about his younger years, he had brought up his time when he played baseball. He would’ve simply left it as a memory of a past Junpei, if it wasn’t for Chidori encouraging him to pick up the hobby again.
He soon started going to the local batting cages. Sometimes with Yukari, if she was willing, and sometimes with Kenji. It was mostly by himself though, it helped him to concentrate more when the sole thing he could focus on was the way he would need to hold the bat.
The most surprising part of it all was that despite Junpei’s rustiness, he had regained a new passion for the sport. Junpei later decided, soon after joining the operatives, that he would become a coach. Partially because he enjoyed the sport, and partially so that he could share the same passion with the younger generation to hopefully ease the burden for Makoto. Inspiring them would weaken the darker thoughts of humanity that empower Erebus in the first place.
And so, for the past 7 years, he’s simply honoured the sacrifice of Makoto by making the most out of his life. Between the life threatening missions that naturally came of being a Shadow Operative, to the many doors that were opened in his career of being a baseball coach, he wouldn’t have had it any other way… well, besides for one thing.
Junpei, despite all of the crazy things he had seen as the result of being a persona user, would’ve never imagined seeing the body of Makoto Yuki when Elizabeth had called for their help. The same Makoto Yuki who died 7 years ago. The same Makoto Yuki who died for all of them, had the potential chance for a second shot in life, and goddamn if he wasn’t tearing up in happiness at the thought.
Fast forward to today, where his body laid in a hospital bed inside a room of the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, it was almost unreal, in a way. Sure, what he was looking at for all intents and purposes was just the corpse of his best friend that died 7 years ago, but the mere thought that in a few hours, he would be alive and kicking again never failed to thrill him.
He had way too much to say, so many things to apologise for, but his word would have to wait. Their miracle was in the process of being sought, and the last thing he’d be doing was trying to disturb it. He’d imagine that Yukari would tear him into a million tiny pieces on a single moment's notice if he even tried to do anything funny, despite her own skittishness.
As the afternoon drew to the end, and soon began the evening, they all (minus Yukari, who took a little more encouragement to even bother leaving) filtered out from the hospital room. There was nothing more they could do for him, with Elizabeth already hard at work.
He stood outside in the car park of the hospital, the cold wind sobering him up. Yukari soon made her way next to him. Junpei simply stared at the full moon that hung high in the night sky, a sense of nostalgia crashing over him as he gazed at the celestial object.
“Yuka-tan, remember when we fought Nyx? It was on a full moon, right?”
“I’ll never forget that day.” Yukari sighed. “I’ve always hated when the moon is full, It always brings back memories…”
I’d say ‘join the club, Yukari’, if it wasn’t for the fact that you’re already the head of it.
“Heh, it’s almost poetic in a way, isn’t it? He died on a full moon, and is now coming back on one!”
For that moment, Junpei and her shared a quiet, but comforting silence. It also felt strange at the same time, the extraordinary circumstances still baffling Junpei. I mean, your friend who has been dead for 7 years is gonna be kicking around tommorow, is there anybody else besides their friend group who could relate in such a way?
“It won’t be long now, Yukari.” He said idly, after a long bout of silence between the two.
“J-Junpei… can I ask you something?”
Junpei raised an eyebrow at her question. Better not be just you self-depracating again. “Go ahead…”
“Do… Do you think M-Makoto will be proud of me?”
Huh? Weren't you an actress? Why wouldn’t he be proud of you?
“I-I mean, he died because he wanted me to live… but to be honest, I don’t think I've felt alive at all ever since he….”
Oh. So it’s that again, huh?
Junpei sighed. He put a hand on her shoulder as she looked down at the ground. “I think for what it’s worth, Makoto would be proud of ya.”
“Y-you don’t know that!” Yukari half-yelled back. “He’s been dead for seven long years, and I've spent those seven years doing everything… for him…”
“I mean,” Junpei sighed. “He’ll probably be glad you're doing things in his memory, right?”
“T-That’s the thing though!” Yukari, by this point, was already on the verge of crying. “I-I always keep thinking of him...”
“Yukari?”
“I-I couldn’t stand the image of him looking disappointed in me… I tried finding a way to live my life… something that wasn’t tied to Makoto, I think it worked but-”
“Yukari.” Junpei said more sternly, trying to make her cease her frantic rambling.
“I-I've hoped I could move on... I did move on but he's coming back-" She choked a horrible noise back down her throat. "How am I supposed to tell him that he basically killed a part of me when he left!"
“Yukari!”
That had seemed to make Yukari pause. She squeaked in surprise and looked up at Junpei in response to his shout.
“I-I know this is hard for you... but save it for when Makoto’s back.” Junpei turned to look her straight in the eyes. “You can get your answers then… if he’s disappointed or not, but I know for a fact that the last thing he wants you doing is hurting yourself over him.”
Junpei finished. “If ya wanna make it up to him, start by just getting some rest.”
“O-okay… I’ll try.” Yukari wiped her eyes. “I-I guess im gonna head back to the compound now.”
"Are you coming back too?"
“Nah, I think I need to catch some more fresh air.”
“Oh, okay.” Yukari sighed, looking up with Junpei at the full moon. Soon, she turned around and finally disappears into the bustle of the island city. However, Junpei stayed there. He didn't know why, but he didn't feel compelled to move from his spot. He could probably guess why.
Just a little longer.
Mitsuru Kirijo
Tatsumi Memorial Hospital
2017
When Mitsuru decided to form the Shadow Operatives back in 2012, there were a multitude of reasons for why she decided to get back into the side of work that dealt with the Shadows. Some of them were for noble and obvious reasons, but some of those reasons were also much more personal. So personal, in fact, anybody who didn’t know the real Mitsuru Kirijo behind the status and the wealth would have to double check if they were dealing with a real Kirijo.
First and foremost, the Kirijo Group had always been linked to the Shadows, formerly for the worst and now for the better. Most of their early history involved the clandestine operations of trying to tamper with forces that were never meant to be harnessed by mere humans. Some of their experiments had almost cost the world itself.
Mitsuru had always known that the Shadows were the enemy of mankind, so to do nothing with the knowledge they had would be extremely irresponsible, especially if the fate of mankind hinged on the extermination of Shadows.
Secondly, she saw it as a way to ‘help an old friend’, or at least that’s how she would put it if she was talking to somebody who didn’t personally know Makoto Yuki.
Of course, Mitsuru had accepted the reality a long time ago. He was dead, and paid the ultimate cost with his life for the continuation of the human race. Mitsuru wasn’t sure what Yuki would think of the world he saved, and she couldn’t deny having a few reservations about it herself. Either way, she was going to fight for the future that Yuki gave them.
Alongside the formation of the Shadow Operatives, who were akin to a clandestine paramilitary force that operated in the dark, she had resumed the research of Shadows. Before any of her friends were able to tell her that she couldn’t repeat what her grandfather had done, she had made sure to clarify her reasons for why she resumed into this field of research.
The new study of Shadows was unlike its predecessor's goal of trying to harness a forbidden power, but rather the suppression of said power. It was to ensure that it would never harm anyone—anything—again.
A month before Mitsuru had officially restarted the Kirijo Groups research into the Shadows, she had remembered the words of a certain eccentric blue woman. The promise that she would do anything in her power to free Makoto from his burden as being the seal between Erebus and Nyx to prevent the ultimate end.
The woman had never specified if it meant letting him pass on into whatever afterlife that awaited them all, or if she meant a full-blown resurrection.
Whatever it was, Mitsuru would do anything in her power to help. There was another side to all of this though, only a side she had admitted to Yukari. It was something that had been eating her up on the inside many years ago, only just having resurfaced now.
It was probably the extraordinary circumstances that revived the dormant feeling that she thought she left behind years ago. And that feeling?
It was guilt.
Mitsuru Kirijo
2014
Shadow Operatives Compound
Mitsuru’s room
Mitsuru watched as Yukari entered the room. She looked at Mitsuru with a face of concern, who then proceeded to sit on the bed next to her. This isn’t 2009. Yukari is your friend, and you’ve already hidden enough from her. I need to tell her this before it eats me up.
“Y-Yukari… I need to admit something to you.”
“Hmm? Sure, what’s on your mind?” Yukari raised a brow.
“I-I… W-welI, I know it’s been years but…”
“I-Its okay… well, it’s not… but I miss him too-”
“No, it’s not that.” Mitsuru sighed, holding a hand out to shush Yukari.
This is the only way to get it off your shoulders.
“The truth is that…” Mitsuru tooka deep breath “Well… I feel responsible for his death, in a way...”
“W-what?!” Yukari exclaimed. “None of us killed him! It was Nyx and Erebus that killed him!”
“I knew you would say that…” Mitsuru huffed dejectedly. “But… If I never pressured him to join SEES… then maybe he’d still be-”
Mitsuru was interrupted by Yukari hugging her, having descended from the chair near the bed. She froze in place, blinking stupidly. Yukari sighed sharply.
“Don’t say that.” She snapped.
“B-but, it’s true… If it wasn’t for him joining SEES then-”
“Y-You’ve been thinking about his life… but what about yours?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Do you think your life would’ve been better if he was never there in the first place?” Yukari responded. “Do you think our lives would’ve been better without him?”
Still frozen in Yukari’s arms, Mitsuru stuttered. “N-No… that’s not what I meant-”
“I-I… I’ve thought the same, to be honest with you.”
Mitsuru was about to speak before she was shushed by Yukari again. Only Yukari and Makoto could’ve gotten away with interrupting any Kirijo, let alone the head of the group. “I’ve always thought about it… w-what if something went differently… what if he never joined...”
Yukari continued. “A-and, I realised something. If he had never joined SEES, then I would’ve never got to know him at all.”
“Yukari-”
“I-I’m not done yet… but tell me Mitsuru…” Yukari tightened the hug, and Mitsuru slowly found her arms wrapping around Yukari, but only very loosely. The uncertainty kept her arms slack. “Would you rather have him die… or have never got to know him in the first place?”
Mitsuru’s eyes widened as it clicked in for her, and those same wide eyes began to water.
“Y-you know…” Yukari was already on the verge of tears. “A-all of us have our own regrets about him.
“The truth is that without him… it’s not gonna be easy.” Yukari sighed, wiping her eyes. “I mean, I know that well enough already.”
“Of course, you were the closest to him.”
“Yeah…”
Mitsuru slightly pulled away from the hug, and looked down at her shoes. Yukari sat back down on the chair. “When I founded the Shadow Operatives, It wasn’t just to protect the human race... but I also saw it as some-”
“...Way to avenge him?”
Mitsuru's eyes widened, and her mouth opened to say something. If there was supposed to be a sound, it didn't come out, or perhaps being so quiet Yukari didn't catch on.
Finally, she sighed.
“In a way… yes. The purpose of the Shadow Operatives was to both ensure the survival of humanity, and to ensure the suppression of the shadows worldwide.” She turned back to Yukari. “But, you know the true reason why I made the Kirijo Group return to the study of Shadows.”
Yukari nodded, and Mitsuru continued. “To beat the enemy, you’ll need to understand them. As much as our power makes us forces to be reckoned with, our friends aren't scientists.”
“Maybe, but Aigis could probably fit the role.” Yukari joked, with Mitsuru smiling in response.
Mitsuru might have given Aigis the role if it wasn’t for the fact that she was designed in mind to be more combat oriented then to be a scientist. What knowledge Aigis already had was pre-existing data put into her by the scientists when she was being constructed. If anything, Aigis would most likely be a technician like Fuuka if she was to have any non-combat role within the operatives.
“As I was saying, this research into the shadows was not just simply for the benefit of mankind, but also to try and help… him.”
“I-I could tell, back then…” Yukari chuckled weakly. “I think I would’ve done the same, except that I would’ve had every goddamn scientist on his case.”
Mitsuru chuckled slightly.
“Yukari… do you remember Elizabeth?”
Yukari didn't fail to notice the dejected expression Mitsuru faced her with.
“Of course... I remember her promise as well, if that's what your asking.”
“Well… I had hoped that my research would’ve assisted her in some way… in hopes of freeing Yuki or letting him pass on, but... she already has a superior understanding of the Shadows... what can a Kirijo Group led by mere humans do to assist such a powerful being?"
“Elizabeth doesn’t know everything.” Yukari chuckled. “Makoto once told me she dumped a million yen into a fountain to try and make her wish come true, only to realise she didn’t come up with one beforehand.”
Even if Mitsuru’s interactions with Elizabeth were brief and spread apart, she didn’t fail to notice the air of eccentricity that surrounded the blue woman. She wasn’t surprised to hear something like this. Is she richer than the Kirijo Group? Does she even need money?
Yukari sighed, continuing on from Mitsuru’s last spoken sentence. “I-I mean, you might be right, but hey… at least your research is helping the operatives, right? I-I mean… even if it wasn’t in your intention to do so.”
“I suppose that’s true, but does that mean I should give up? Give up on him and just let Elizabeth continue on her journey?”
“To be honest, you’re asking the wrong person.” Yukari shuddered “I’ve tried to accept he’s gone, but it still hurts. I don’t think it’ll ever stop hurting.”
“B-but look at it this way, right?” Yukari motioned with her hands. “Your research hasn’t been totally pointless if you think about it. We… Well, you know more about the shadows than we did nearly 4 years ago, right?”
Yukari’s right. With our further understanding of the shadows, the Kirijo Group will be able to create even more powerful weapons to defeat them more effectively.
“I’ll think about it.” Mitsuru finished. “Thank you… Yukari. I feel much better about everything now.”
Yukari smiled, and got up from the seat. “No worries.”
Before she already started walking off, she suddenly froze and turned back to Mitsuru.
"Hey... so you know how there's going to be new auditions for Pink Argus?"
"Yes?"
"Well... I've been thinking about getting back into modelling as a full time thing..."
Mitsuru smiled to herself at the memory. She could always rely on Yukari if she needed somebody to talk to. It wasn’t that the other members of SEES were unreliable, but besides Makoto, Yukari was the only one who she thought could understand her. She must’ve learned a thing or two from Yuki-
Right, Yuki.
Makoto Yuki is coming back
Well, it would be more apt to say ‘could be coming back’.
She found herself rubbing her eyes because of the mere notion of thinking about a future where Yuki-san was alive. It felt so unreal, yet at the same time, Yuki was coming back. The Makoto Yuki.
She wondered how Yukari felt about all of this. She’s probably either feeling elated or scared. Probably both.
She was sitting in the lobby of the hospital after leaving Yuki’s room. She would’ve gone back to the compound herself if it wasn’t for the paperwork she had to collect. As it turned out, forging the documents of a person who had been dead for the past 7 years wasn’t an easy nor quick process, especially as the news came so soon.
It was a bit surreal to think. In a few hours time, the lifeless corpse she had been staring at moments earlier would be a living, breathing human. Not only that, but it was Makoto. Elizabeth had not yet explained how she managed to obtain a perfectly intact replica of his body, if not slightly adjusted for his change in age.
She assumed that she’d get her answers later. As she was idly sorting through her paperwork, one of the physicians on the Kirijo Group’s payroll opened a nearby door, stepped into the room and cleared his throat.
“Um… Kirijo?"
“Yes, what do you need?” She huffs out a bit more sharply then she was intending. She couldn’t help it. Everyone was feeling tense tonight.
“About the ‘patient’... he’s been dead for 7 years, correct?”
“Yes, and why do you ask this?”
“If he wakes up-” He said, adding more stress to the ‘if’ in his speech. “-then you may need to create a new identity for him.”
“Yes, that’s exactly why I'm here. I was just collecting his documents.” Mitsuru propped the binder to her side, countless sheets of paper contained within.
The physician began writing stuff down on his notepad. “Does the patient have any friends or family that may need to be contacted?”
“...Yes, and no.” Mitsuru’s face turned somber. “Yuki-san had been an orphan since the age of six, and we were never made aware of other relatives. On the other hand, Yuki-san may potentially have a few associates still in the area. That will be… more troublesome.”
“It may be necessary to move him out of the city.” The physician replied, while Mitsuru’s eyes widened.
“W-well, I don’t think he’ll be staying in the area permanently.” Mitsuru said, the visage of a girl in pink briefly entering her mind. “As for his friends… I’ll leave it to him to see what he does.”
“B-But, how do we explain it? We may have to silenc-” The Kirijo held out a hand, signalling the physician to stop speaking.
“Anybody who has the honour of calling Yuki-san a friend will be trustworthy enough to keep quiet. I am sure of that.” Mitsuru smiled, closing her eyes. “I don’t think he’d want to be the centre of attention in the first place.”
“The patient never graduated from high school, did he?” The physician grabbed his own pair of papers. Mitsuru wondered if it was more of Yuki’s documents that needed to be altered. She’d probably call a few people who knew more about altering records later when Yuki woke up to finalise his new identity.
“Unfortunately, yes.” She sighed, the question of Yuki needing to catch up academically briefly entering her mind. When somebody comes back to life, they don’t often consider the specifics of it all. They would need to make up for the gaps in his knowledge, having been dead for seven years and all.
“He died on graduation day as a second year student. He… never made it to be a third year student.”
“Should we refer him to an education module focused on rehabilitation? It’s the same thing we do for younger patients who have been comatose for more than a year.”
“...I don’t think it will be necessary.” Mitsuru spoke under her breath. “Yuki-san had always scored near, and sometimes directly at the top of his classes.”
Mitsuru’s face turned more thoughtful.
“If he also decides to join the Operatives, then the Kirijo Group can directly oversee his further education as he gets further acclimated into his new life.”
The physician's face grew concerned, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
“Er… Kirijo, I do not recommend that you try and push that against the patient. He may need to go through physical therapy first and foremost, given the atrophy his muscles may have sustained.”
Mitsuru glared at the physician.
“No,” Mitsuru sternly said. I won’t make a repeat of 2009. “He will have the choice to do whatever he wants in his new life.”
She brushed the hair out of the eye as her posture turned more straight. Her red bang fell back into its original place.
“Whatever he pursues, I will try to support to the best of my ability. It is the least I can do for the man who saved the world and had to pay the ultimate price.”
Even if Mitsuru felt awkward talking about her influence and power to her friends, Mitsuru’s vast amounts of money and connections could pull enough strings to set Makoto for life, no matter what career he decided to pursue.
The physician's face became more concerned. “The patient is still technically dead, right? Shouldn’t we relocate his body to a more suitable environment to reduce the rate of deocomposition-”
Mitsuru held her hand out, this time smiling. “It’s fine.” Her brain quickly flickered to Elizabeth, her arms outstretched over his form. “Let’s just say that certain… special arrangements are in order.”
The physician was about to retort, but eventually his face fell with a sigh, probably recognising that arguring otherwise was futile. Mitsuru grabbed the last pieces of paper she needed, humming in satisfaction as she attached them all to the red binder she was carrying. She soon left the room, leaving the physician to attend to whatever tasks he was doing.
???
???
In the farthest corner of reality, there was a plane of existence which sits right before where every soul goes after the death of their body. Far beyond the living world, there sits a yellow, colossal door in this vast void.
It was the ultimate solution to end a battle. A battle between the overwhelming voices chanting for the sweet relief of death, and the few that see hope in a better tomorrow. the side that chose to live had won, well, it would be more apt to call it a stalemate in its conclusion. After all, some people will still crave death and it's release. Negative feelings will always exist for as long as mankind roams Earth with the ability to think.
You can’t destroy something that ultimately made you human, and through the miracle of the Great Seal, it was almost a compromise. Negative aspects of humanity would continue to fester, but what they could result in were prevented by some sort of middleman
Two unfathomable beings sought to meet each other. Their union would bring the ultimate end of all life as we knew it. It would’ve been every living creature falling into apathy before dying in a miserable, pathetic end, or the falling moon that would’ve vaporised whatever had remained below. The most important thing to know was that the merging of these two entities would bring about the end of the world.
These two beings were conjured by the cries of humanity. One was formed out of the desire to taste the sweet relief of death, and accordingly it sought out to execute the will of humanity. It wasn’t malicious, it was just a part of its nature. It was not pleased or disgusted at humanity for its desire to die; if humanity wanted death, it would deliver.
The purpose of the Great Seal was to prevent this union. A price had to be paid though. The life of a boy that meant so little to anybody beforehand, and now something that was worth more than gold to those who had the honour of being close to him. Attached directly on the large, golden doors of the Great Seal was the form of said boy. Crucified and affixed to the door, this was his burden and only his to serve for as long as humanity needed it for.
The boy had already came to terms that if humanity never needed the seal, it would be many years after his friends had passed too. The boy wasn’t sure if he would be reincarnated, or simply die and pass on into the afterlife. It didn't matter in the end—This was his burden to uphold alone.
“..Ma..To…”
The briefest sound enters your ears. Your eyes slowly open for the first time since you’ve been in this place.
“..koto?…Ma…”
The voice began to grow louder in your ears. You flex your stiff fingers as you feel the sensation of being tied to a large object. In your vision, bright streaks of light starts to pierce through the void that you were just met with.
“..Wake… Makoto…”
The clarity of your hearing becomes better. You recognise the faint sound of a heart monitor, the sound surrounding you despite sounding so far at the same time. Your head suddenly locks onto the growing light, and your eyes widened.
Suddenly, you feel weightless. The chains holding your arms feel as if they had been blown away. Your vision was still blurry, but you can see the light approaching. You then realise that you were in fact floating towards this great light.
“...No way! It’s working!”
You hear the familiar cry of somebody you know, the voices much clearer than ever before. The light engulfs you suddenly as you ascended higher and higher. The voices by this point are mingling together, becoming increasingly incomprehensible as the sounds turn into nothing but loud white noise.
“...PreparetheIV-Makoto!-Checkhisvitals-Wakeup!-Standback!-...”
You glance back to see your form still on the seal, and briefly wonder for a moment on what this would mean. You have no time to ponder before your senses were overwhelmed, and everything finally goes white and fuzzy.