[ | Post-script: | § | A short chat in the moonlight... | ]
Spoilers for Persona 3 apply. Read at your own risk.
While this Ryoji is AU, the ending is similar. If you haven't finished the game or don't want it spoiled, don't read.
The moon was nice, that night... it was calming... a natural, glowing, gentle yellow. Ryoji looked on from the top of the dorm in silence, just a smile on his face. He'd climbed up here all on his own, yet... he didn't have a clue why. His uniform was packed, as was everything else. He had no reason to stay, but... he did, anyway. The only remaining thing was the scarf, wasn't it...? But he liked the scarf fine, despite the weather. Even though it was a warm January....
That's right. ... It was finally January. He'd looked forward to this. And in a way, it was melancholic. He looked behind him as the latch to the door leading to the stairs down to the dorms closed. Someone had joined him, hadn't they...? A familiar blue mop caught his eye, and Ryoji motioned to the seat next to him. It was Minato.
"... Fuuka was looking for you." Minato was quiet, expressionless, still. Ryoji, on the other hand, laughed.
"I know. I needed to get out of the kitchen... it was hot in there." No surprise. Fuuka's cooking or the heat from it--which would have made them sick? Either or, really; it depended on your level of tolerance. Minato couldn't help but smile, too; just a little.
"Yeah." He didn't say much else; just looked in front of them. It was nice, the quietude, at 12am, for once.
"You know, Minato-kun..." Ryoji began, but the other shook his head. He really didn't need to say it--Minato already figured it out.
"... You replaced their memories, didn't you." It wasn't a question. Almost never was, with Arisato.
"You caught me... I did." He laughed a little more, but it was slow and quiet. "But I had to. If they remembered everything, we wouldn't be able to leave, right...?"
Minato finally smiled almost as much as Ryoji did, glancing at his friend. That's right. Regardless of their mistakes... they'd be friends, right...? They'd promised each other. A small breeze blew the other's scarf about, and the long, yellow cloth looked like a flag that reflected the moonlight.
"... I know. Why, though?" Finally, a question; not a statement. This, Ryoji could answer. He also thought it was a silly question, honestly.
"Because you didn't get to have the time with them I did, Minato-kun... that's why. You deserved that time." His face didn't leave much room for argument, did it... and it wasn't like Minato tried to stop it. He could've woken them all up, but he didn't. Ryoji had asked him not to, after all, and they promised. They promised that last night. The last, dark night.
"You didn't have to do this..."
"... I wanted to. I didn't want them to worry...." Minato shot the other a glance, as if to almost say, 'Why would they worry about YOU? You only caused them trouble all year, after all.' Ryoji caught on, and ended up smiling like a fool again. Couldn't help it. "Minato-kun..."
"... Hm?"
"When it's time... you know it's possible that one of us will go sooner than the other. I can't tell who, but..." He paused, inching closer to the other, and leaning a sleepy head on his shoulder. Minato tolerated the other's annoyances, because despite it all, he understood what he meant. He was tired because it took all of it out of him to finish what he started. It took even more to keep their memories like a nice, quiet night: subtle and unthoughtful... unneeded.
"I know," he said, quietly. "What about it?"
"Well... if I can't stay..." Ryoji began, wrapping the other in his scarf.
"... You want me to do it, don't you." The wrapping annoyed him, and Minato felt like a mummy, but he tolerated it. Never should've replaced the damn scarf, really. "That scarf will be the death of you. Get caught in a bus door, or something."
"Nah." Ryoji was firmly defiant. He'd keep it.
"What makes you so sure...?" Minato said, eying the other, amused.
"Well... I just am." He said, confident. "Because... I'm death. Well, sort of. Half of it. You know what I mean!"
"Yeah, I do. Stop confusing yourself; you'll wear out quicker."
So they sat there in his annoying, mummy-bandage like scarf, watching the moon rise and then almost set. Ryoji nodded off quietly and awoke to be alone, taking it as a sign the other had left on his own for a bit. It was okay; he'd know if he was gone. But why would he know...? He'd know because you can't have a coin without a Heads side, and a Tails side. It just doesn't happen....
While this Ryoji is AU, the ending is similar. If you haven't finished the game or don't want it spoiled, don't read.
The moon was nice, that night... it was calming... a natural, glowing, gentle yellow. Ryoji looked on from the top of the dorm in silence, just a smile on his face. He'd climbed up here all on his own, yet... he didn't have a clue why. His uniform was packed, as was everything else. He had no reason to stay, but... he did, anyway. The only remaining thing was the scarf, wasn't it...? But he liked the scarf fine, despite the weather. Even though it was a warm January....
That's right. ... It was finally January. He'd looked forward to this. And in a way, it was melancholic. He looked behind him as the latch to the door leading to the stairs down to the dorms closed. Someone had joined him, hadn't they...? A familiar blue mop caught his eye, and Ryoji motioned to the seat next to him. It was Minato.
"... Fuuka was looking for you." Minato was quiet, expressionless, still. Ryoji, on the other hand, laughed.
"I know. I needed to get out of the kitchen... it was hot in there." No surprise. Fuuka's cooking or the heat from it--which would have made them sick? Either or, really; it depended on your level of tolerance. Minato couldn't help but smile, too; just a little.
"Yeah." He didn't say much else; just looked in front of them. It was nice, the quietude, at 12am, for once.
"You know, Minato-kun..." Ryoji began, but the other shook his head. He really didn't need to say it--Minato already figured it out.
"... You replaced their memories, didn't you." It wasn't a question. Almost never was, with Arisato.
"You caught me... I did." He laughed a little more, but it was slow and quiet. "But I had to. If they remembered everything, we wouldn't be able to leave, right...?"
Minato finally smiled almost as much as Ryoji did, glancing at his friend. That's right. Regardless of their mistakes... they'd be friends, right...? They'd promised each other. A small breeze blew the other's scarf about, and the long, yellow cloth looked like a flag that reflected the moonlight.
"... I know. Why, though?" Finally, a question; not a statement. This, Ryoji could answer. He also thought it was a silly question, honestly.
"Because you didn't get to have the time with them I did, Minato-kun... that's why. You deserved that time." His face didn't leave much room for argument, did it... and it wasn't like Minato tried to stop it. He could've woken them all up, but he didn't. Ryoji had asked him not to, after all, and they promised. They promised that last night. The last, dark night.
"You didn't have to do this..."
"... I wanted to. I didn't want them to worry...." Minato shot the other a glance, as if to almost say, 'Why would they worry about YOU? You only caused them trouble all year, after all.' Ryoji caught on, and ended up smiling like a fool again. Couldn't help it. "Minato-kun..."
"... Hm?"
"When it's time... you know it's possible that one of us will go sooner than the other. I can't tell who, but..." He paused, inching closer to the other, and leaning a sleepy head on his shoulder. Minato tolerated the other's annoyances, because despite it all, he understood what he meant. He was tired because it took all of it out of him to finish what he started. It took even more to keep their memories like a nice, quiet night: subtle and unthoughtful... unneeded.
"I know," he said, quietly. "What about it?"
"Well... if I can't stay..." Ryoji began, wrapping the other in his scarf.
"... You want me to do it, don't you." The wrapping annoyed him, and Minato felt like a mummy, but he tolerated it. Never should've replaced the damn scarf, really. "That scarf will be the death of you. Get caught in a bus door, or something."
"Nah." Ryoji was firmly defiant. He'd keep it.
"What makes you so sure...?" Minato said, eying the other, amused.
"Well... I just am." He said, confident. "Because... I'm death. Well, sort of. Half of it. You know what I mean!"
"Yeah, I do. Stop confusing yourself; you'll wear out quicker."
So they sat there in his annoying, mummy-bandage like scarf, watching the moon rise and then almost set. Ryoji nodded off quietly and awoke to be alone, taking it as a sign the other had left on his own for a bit. It was okay; he'd know if he was gone. But why would he know...? He'd know because you can't have a coin without a Heads side, and a Tails side. It just doesn't happen....