Persona 4: Music Meme Drabbles
Apr. 29th, 2009 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chisotahn posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ikuzeaibouTitle: Music Meme Drabbles
Fandom: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
Characters: Souji/Yosuke
Summary: And now for something completely different! Ten drabbles/microfics with musical inspiration, from a meme.
Notes: This post will spoil you in the face for the good ending. (And one of the drabbles will spoil the ending to my fic Reach Out, so if you want to read that and haven't yet, go read it and then come back to this entry.)
Here's the meme this was all based on:
I followed the rules pretty much exactly, so these are much less polished than usual - but eh, it's a fun writing exercise. Not serious business. :) By the nature of the beast, these are of varying themes and varying quality - also, my playlist is kind of strange, don't judge me, okay? >>;
Some of these I really like, some of them I don't, but the former outnumber the latter. Also note that they're not posted in in-game chronological order, so you might find a good ending drabble coming before a mid-game drabble, and so on. :) Enjoy!
1. Katamari Damacy - Lonely Rolling Star
You're lonely rolling star
akiramenaide yo nee (Don't ever give up, ok?)
You're lonely rolling star
tama ni wa denwa shite (Give me a call once in a while)
You're lonely rolling star
aitai yo ima sugu (I want to meet you right away)
You're lonely rolling star
haa tameiki ga hitotsu koboreru (Haa, a single sigh escapes)
"-just shut her down! Revenge is sweet," Yosuke laughed, sitting back in his chair. "Kashiwagi's never liked Rise, but man... I wish I'd seen that!"
Souji's answering laugh came easily, slightly tinny from distance and bad reception. "I wish I could have been there."
"Heh - yeah, I wish you could've too," Yosuke sighed, glancing out the window.
"Oh?" came the instant, teasing response, and Yosuke blushed sharply even though Souji wasn't within a hundred kilometers of him.
"Yeahh, well - third year's a bitch for homework, y'know? Studying with Chie just isn't the same."
"Hah, I bet it's not. How many fans has poor Yukiko had to break over your thick skulls?"
"Hey, that's not fair," Yosuke protested, grinning. "Nah, we're doing fine. Don't worry about us."
"I'm not," Souji said mildly, and Yosuke tensed for a moment. "Not about school, anyway."
"Yeah, well." Yosuke hesitated, then sighed into the phone. "Still miss you, though."
"I miss you too," Souji replied, his voice quiet. "But you'll make it without me. Somehow," and then that teasing edge was back.
"Heh, yeah, somehow," Yosuke said, and if Souji could tell his jovial tone was slightly faked, he didn't mention it.
..............
2. Persona 3/4 - Jika-net Tanaka
Anata no
Terebii ni
Jika-net Tanaka
Minna no
Yoku no tomo
Anata no
Terebii ni
Jika-net Tanaka
Kawu no wa
Imasi-ka nait
"Dude. Dude." Yosuke glared at the knives Souji was holding out, then back at Souji, a half-bemused, half-insulted look on his face.
"What?" Souji raised one eyebrow at him.
"What, you think I don't watch TV? These are for... for housewives, Souji, not for fighting-"
"So... these are for girls, too?"
Souji's tone was mild, with only a hint of teasing; Yosuke flushed red, and glared just a little longer before snatching the knives from his best friend's hands.
..............
3. Blue Stone - Circles
Round and round we go
Am I just a dream?
Around we go again
Water cleanses deep
Around, around we go
Silence sets me free
Around we go again
Yosuke wakes up dazed, dizzy, a sour taste in the back of his throat. There's something to the startled look in Souji's eyes, to the confused tilt of his head that's somehow deeply familiar, a freaky sense of deja vu.
"Hey, partner? Did you-" Feel something? Remember anything strange? There's a weird, fleeting sense of something getting away from him, a flicker of images and sound that dance through the ache in his brain - shadows sliding along cracked streets, the sky gone livid red and black, something (maybe him?) screaming, and-
He shivers, and he doesn't know why; a moment later, Souji's hand tightens convulsively on his arm, hard enough to bruise. Their eyes meet for just a second, and in that moment there's a deep, terrifying understanding between them.
And then it's gone, as Yosuke closes his eyes, shakes his head slowly, and laughs. The sound's shaky, but whatever the hell's suddenly intruded into their time together, he has to get rid of it. They have to focus; time's running out and the fog's pressing tightly against the windows again. But it was inside, says a soft distant memory, and that's just crazy.
Yosuke checks the window, just in case, to make sure it's closed before he goes back to the futon, back to wrapping their arms around each other and thinking about nothing but shadows and things that just happened haven't happened yet.
..............
4. Caramell - Caramelldansen
Dance with us
Clap your hands
Do as we do
Take a few steps to the left
Listen and learn
Do not miss this chance
Now we are here with
The Caramelldance!
Yosuke waited as Souji slipped his headphones on; his best friend had a bemused expression on his face. "So what's this I absolutely have to listen to, or you'll explode?"
"You'll see," Yosuke assured him, though Souji raised one eyebrow at his amused smile. "All set?"
"I think so," Souji began, then stopped talking as Yosuke pressed play. Yosuke stifled a laugh as Souji blinked, his look of confusion deepening, then suddenly recoiled. "What the... hell is this?"
"It's from the internet," Yosuke informed him, still trying not to lose it at the combined confusion and vague horror on Souji's face. "What do you think?"
Souji took off the headphones, and for a moment the sharp, hyper techno beat was clearly audible before Yosuke pressed pause. "If you ever do that again, I'm throwing you through the computer screen," Souji informed him.
Yosuke punched him on the arm and laughed. "Pretty sure that's impossible, partner."
But Yosuke checked when he got home, just in case.
..............
5. Delerium - Euphoria (Firefly)
Every nerve like a firefly
Every nerve like a firefly
This feeling emblazed inside
Every nerve like a firefly
I never want to lose what I have finally found
It took a while for Yosuke to find his voice again afterwards, as usual. Not that Souji was much better, what with the whispering largely incoherent words against the side of Yosuke's neck, but none of it really mattered. Even if, after the first time, Souji had teased him about how he'd finally found a way to shut Yosuke up.
"Should probably get up," Yosuke mumbled, finally, though he made absolutely no move to actually do so. "Teddie'll be home soon."
Souji sighed and flicked the blanket over both of them. "Not interested."
"In what? Teddie? God, I hope not-"
That got him an elbow to the side, but he'd earned that one. "In getting up, dumbass."
"Agreed." Yosuke turned slightly to one side, facing away from Souji, but he kicked the blanket off again as he did so. Too damn hot for that, even if they were pretty much undressed at the moment. "You did lock the door, right?"
Souji shrugged and shifted so he was pressed up close against Yosuke's back. "Maybe... maybe not. Don't care."
Yosuke paused for a moment, then grinned and let his eyes slip closed. He'd probably regret it later, but for now - nah. It didn't matter.
..............
6. Aurora - Ordinary World
Where is the life that I recognize?
Gone away
But I won't cry for yesterday
There's an ordinary world
somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way to
the ordinary world
I will learn to survive
note: this uses Souji and Yosuke as they are at the end of my AU fic Reach Out.
Yosuke had to wonder, sometimes, how it felt - he didn't feel any different, true, but then he hadn't been... well, dead for months. Maybe a few hours, if that. It wasn't the same.
Nothing was the same; it couldn't be, even though they'd had hopes. Everything was complicated, and absolutely nothing was easy.
This, in particular, wasn't easy at all.
Nanako-chan was sitting below them, on one of the rocks that jutted out into the Samegawa, humming a nameless tune that occasionally veered into the notes of the Junes jingle. She was flicking pebbles into the water, and Yosuke bit his lip hard. He didn't dare look at Souji; he could tell from the way his best friend was trembling that this was hard, beyond hard. It was so tempting to shed the disguise, go down there, make her eyes light up as she realized her cousin was back-
-but they hadn't figured anything out yet, hadn't figured out any way to make this feasible. Naoto wanted them to wait, to take time to plan and try and figure out what the hell they were going to do. She'd all but ordered them to, and they'd complied.
Souji sighed raggedly, then turned away; Yosuke glanced up, reached out one hand to grab Souji's automatically. He felt Souji shiver again, felt his best friend's grip tighten sharply around his fingers.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Souji said, and they both knew it was a lie, but Yosuke just nodded, and they kept walking.
..............
7. Within Temptation - See Who I Am
See who I am,
Break through the surface.
Reach for my hand,
Let's show them that we can
Free our minds and find a way.
The world is in our hands,
This is not the end.
Yosuke thought he was going to be sick; he might well have been, if he'd been able to move, but all he could manage was rapid, shallow breaths as his heart thudded in his chest. Whatever that thing was, it was somehow draining him; he could feel a cold lethargy creeping over him, growing heavier every minute. He could distantly hear that damn bear-thing's words, squeaking something, but he couldn't make out specifics past the roaring in his ears.
Just run, damnit, he tried to say, and failed utterly.
The thing that the other-him had become twirled itself upright with a single easy, impossible movement, then directed a blast of wind that shook the liquor store; Souji stumbled back a few feet but held his ground, though Yosuke was dimly aware of how the golf club wavered visibly in the other boy's grasp.
He might just suffocate right here, he thought, dizzily - that other thing might just take the last of it, leave him unable even to breathe, and that'd be it-
But Souji tensed and that other new thing - Persona - sprang into being above him; directed a spear of lightning down to crash into the not-him's head - and the thing let out an incoherent, burbling cry and collapsed, sending a pile of sake barrels tumbling to the ground.
Suddenly, Yosuke could breathe again, move again; he took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to calm the furious pounding of his heart as he watched the shadows break away from the not-him, watched it take on his own form again, yellow-eyed... but blessedly, blessedly silent.
And then Souji was there in front of him. "It's okay," he said, "you're still yourself-" here, get up, and he held out one hand. Yosuke hesitated, but there was no censure in his friend's gaze. Only sincerity, and that was crazy given that he'd just seen the absolute worst Yosuke had to offer-
Yosuke swallowed, then reached up, took Souji's hand, and let the other boy pull him to his feet.
..............
8. Conjure One - Manic Star
Time doesn't stop for anyone
It doesn't matter what you've done
I want to lose myself in you
Are you afraid of dying too?
Time doesn't stop, but it slows down sometimes - just enough. Because Yosuke's fast, fast enough to make it across the room and throw himself between Souji and the Shadow's attacks.
Fast enough to make himself feel better, even as the pain hits him and sends him sprawling, even as Chie takes out the damn thing, as Yukiko runs over and scolds him roundly for being so reckless. And yeah, it hurts, and yeah, Yukiko's right... but it doesn't matter, because Souji's safe, and that's what matters.
So Yosuke is taken completely by surprise when Souji corners him one day in Junes, after everyone else has already scattered. "Stop doing that," Souji says sharply, in that tone he uses for giving orders. "I mean it, Yosuke. Stop it."
Yosuke just blinks. "Stop... stop what?"
Souji sighs and turns away, shaking his head. "Stop jumping in front of me, taking hits for me - I can handle it myself, damn it."
"No," Yosuke shoots back, fists clenching at his side, a cold shiver creeping down his spine. "No. I can do that for you, damn it - you protected me back then. Just... let me do it, dude, it's fine, I can take it-"
The look on Souji's face when his best friend turns back to him takes his breath away - there's an unexpected intensity there, a pained, desperate expression that seems out of proportion in comparison to what Yosuke's been doing. "No," Souji repeats, his voice much quieter.
"Souji, look - we can't lose you. We need you, you're our leader, and-"
But Souji grabs his arm roughly, leans in, cuts him off with a kiss that's almost angry. "No," and his breath is hot against Yosuke's cheek. "I can't lose you either, damnit."
And Yosuke doesn't have any words, but he doesn't need them, not with Souji so close.
..............
9. Persona 3 FES - P3 FES
Every man's gotta fight the fear
I'm the first to admit it shear thoughts
Provoke the new era become a big terror
But my only rival is my shadow
Shut up, Yosuke hisses inwardly, shoving at the damn thing with that twist of his mind. Sometimes this happens, sometimes freakin' Susano-o talks back with a touch of yellow-eyed malice, like if he lost control the Persona would just melt back entirely into Shadow. And he can't let that happen.
Fine, it laughs. Keep deluding yourself, then.
Yosuke grits his teeth and tries to ignore it; he's not going to deny it, not going to give it an edge. Wishes it'd shut up and go back to being silent and strong, not bitching at him-
"Yosuke?"
Yosuke's eyes fly open, and he starts forward - Souji's there, right in front of him, head tilted to one side in silent curiosity. "Uh."
"You okay, partner?"
"Um. Y-yeah. Sorry, Souji," Yosuke sighs.
Liar, liar, it laughs. Just tell him. Special, huh. Tell him.
Shut up, Yosuke grumbles, and follows his leader.
..............
10. Conjure One - Extraordinary Way
On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You take what I can give and you treasure it
On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You turn to me and say, I believe in this
There wasn't anything particularly special about this afternoon - sure, it was decent out, but there were gray clouds marring the sky, that edgy calm before the storm. Quick, sharp breezes tugged at the branches, yanking blossoms down and scattering their petals across the asphalt.
"You're really sure you have to go? Really, really sure?" Yosuke said for what felt like the hundredth time; it might have been, he'd lost count.
"Yeah," Souji replied, just as evenly and tinged with regret as it had been a hundred times ago. He lightly squeezed Yosuke's fingers; the contact somehow wasn't reassuring any more. It was just a reminder that soon they wouldn't even have that.
Yosuke stopped walking and sighed. "Sorry. Just - two more days, man. Seems like I oughta do something special, or... I dunno, make them extra memorable so you'll have something when you go back, but... I can't think of anything," he finished, miserably.
Souji laughed, then, and held his hand tighter still. "You don't have to do anything. I'll remember."
There was something about the way Souji said those words that finally stilled Yosuke's protests, and the two of them kept walking in now-comfortable silence, a faint smile on Yosuke's face.
Fandom: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
Characters: Souji/Yosuke
Summary: And now for something completely different! Ten drabbles/microfics with musical inspiration, from a meme.
Notes: This post will spoil you in the face for the good ending. (And one of the drabbles will spoil the ending to my fic Reach Out, so if you want to read that and haven't yet, go read it and then come back to this entry.)
Here's the meme this was all based on:
Music Meme
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like. (Obvious pairing is obvious.)
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
I followed the rules pretty much exactly, so these are much less polished than usual - but eh, it's a fun writing exercise. Not serious business. :) By the nature of the beast, these are of varying themes and varying quality - also, my playlist is kind of strange, don't judge me, okay? >>;
Some of these I really like, some of them I don't, but the former outnumber the latter. Also note that they're not posted in in-game chronological order, so you might find a good ending drabble coming before a mid-game drabble, and so on. :) Enjoy!
1. Katamari Damacy - Lonely Rolling Star
You're lonely rolling star
akiramenaide yo nee (Don't ever give up, ok?)
You're lonely rolling star
tama ni wa denwa shite (Give me a call once in a while)
You're lonely rolling star
aitai yo ima sugu (I want to meet you right away)
You're lonely rolling star
haa tameiki ga hitotsu koboreru (Haa, a single sigh escapes)
"-just shut her down! Revenge is sweet," Yosuke laughed, sitting back in his chair. "Kashiwagi's never liked Rise, but man... I wish I'd seen that!"
Souji's answering laugh came easily, slightly tinny from distance and bad reception. "I wish I could have been there."
"Heh - yeah, I wish you could've too," Yosuke sighed, glancing out the window.
"Oh?" came the instant, teasing response, and Yosuke blushed sharply even though Souji wasn't within a hundred kilometers of him.
"Yeahh, well - third year's a bitch for homework, y'know? Studying with Chie just isn't the same."
"Hah, I bet it's not. How many fans has poor Yukiko had to break over your thick skulls?"
"Hey, that's not fair," Yosuke protested, grinning. "Nah, we're doing fine. Don't worry about us."
"I'm not," Souji said mildly, and Yosuke tensed for a moment. "Not about school, anyway."
"Yeah, well." Yosuke hesitated, then sighed into the phone. "Still miss you, though."
"I miss you too," Souji replied, his voice quiet. "But you'll make it without me. Somehow," and then that teasing edge was back.
"Heh, yeah, somehow," Yosuke said, and if Souji could tell his jovial tone was slightly faked, he didn't mention it.
..............
2. Persona 3/4 - Jika-net Tanaka
Anata no
Terebii ni
Jika-net Tanaka
Minna no
Yoku no tomo
Anata no
Terebii ni
Jika-net Tanaka
Kawu no wa
Imasi-ka nait
"Dude. Dude." Yosuke glared at the knives Souji was holding out, then back at Souji, a half-bemused, half-insulted look on his face.
"What?" Souji raised one eyebrow at him.
"What, you think I don't watch TV? These are for... for housewives, Souji, not for fighting-"
"So... these are for girls, too?"
Souji's tone was mild, with only a hint of teasing; Yosuke flushed red, and glared just a little longer before snatching the knives from his best friend's hands.
..............
3. Blue Stone - Circles
Round and round we go
Am I just a dream?
Around we go again
Water cleanses deep
Around, around we go
Silence sets me free
Around we go again
Yosuke wakes up dazed, dizzy, a sour taste in the back of his throat. There's something to the startled look in Souji's eyes, to the confused tilt of his head that's somehow deeply familiar, a freaky sense of deja vu.
"Hey, partner? Did you-" Feel something? Remember anything strange? There's a weird, fleeting sense of something getting away from him, a flicker of images and sound that dance through the ache in his brain - shadows sliding along cracked streets, the sky gone livid red and black, something (maybe him?) screaming, and-
He shivers, and he doesn't know why; a moment later, Souji's hand tightens convulsively on his arm, hard enough to bruise. Their eyes meet for just a second, and in that moment there's a deep, terrifying understanding between them.
And then it's gone, as Yosuke closes his eyes, shakes his head slowly, and laughs. The sound's shaky, but whatever the hell's suddenly intruded into their time together, he has to get rid of it. They have to focus; time's running out and the fog's pressing tightly against the windows again. But it was inside, says a soft distant memory, and that's just crazy.
Yosuke checks the window, just in case, to make sure it's closed before he goes back to the futon, back to wrapping their arms around each other and thinking about nothing but shadows and things that just happened haven't happened yet.
..............
4. Caramell - Caramelldansen
Dance with us
Clap your hands
Do as we do
Take a few steps to the left
Listen and learn
Do not miss this chance
Now we are here with
The Caramelldance!
Yosuke waited as Souji slipped his headphones on; his best friend had a bemused expression on his face. "So what's this I absolutely have to listen to, or you'll explode?"
"You'll see," Yosuke assured him, though Souji raised one eyebrow at his amused smile. "All set?"
"I think so," Souji began, then stopped talking as Yosuke pressed play. Yosuke stifled a laugh as Souji blinked, his look of confusion deepening, then suddenly recoiled. "What the... hell is this?"
"It's from the internet," Yosuke informed him, still trying not to lose it at the combined confusion and vague horror on Souji's face. "What do you think?"
Souji took off the headphones, and for a moment the sharp, hyper techno beat was clearly audible before Yosuke pressed pause. "If you ever do that again, I'm throwing you through the computer screen," Souji informed him.
Yosuke punched him on the arm and laughed. "Pretty sure that's impossible, partner."
But Yosuke checked when he got home, just in case.
..............
5. Delerium - Euphoria (Firefly)
Every nerve like a firefly
Every nerve like a firefly
This feeling emblazed inside
Every nerve like a firefly
I never want to lose what I have finally found
It took a while for Yosuke to find his voice again afterwards, as usual. Not that Souji was much better, what with the whispering largely incoherent words against the side of Yosuke's neck, but none of it really mattered. Even if, after the first time, Souji had teased him about how he'd finally found a way to shut Yosuke up.
"Should probably get up," Yosuke mumbled, finally, though he made absolutely no move to actually do so. "Teddie'll be home soon."
Souji sighed and flicked the blanket over both of them. "Not interested."
"In what? Teddie? God, I hope not-"
That got him an elbow to the side, but he'd earned that one. "In getting up, dumbass."
"Agreed." Yosuke turned slightly to one side, facing away from Souji, but he kicked the blanket off again as he did so. Too damn hot for that, even if they were pretty much undressed at the moment. "You did lock the door, right?"
Souji shrugged and shifted so he was pressed up close against Yosuke's back. "Maybe... maybe not. Don't care."
Yosuke paused for a moment, then grinned and let his eyes slip closed. He'd probably regret it later, but for now - nah. It didn't matter.
..............
6. Aurora - Ordinary World
Where is the life that I recognize?
Gone away
But I won't cry for yesterday
There's an ordinary world
somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way to
the ordinary world
I will learn to survive
note: this uses Souji and Yosuke as they are at the end of my AU fic Reach Out.
Yosuke had to wonder, sometimes, how it felt - he didn't feel any different, true, but then he hadn't been... well, dead for months. Maybe a few hours, if that. It wasn't the same.
Nothing was the same; it couldn't be, even though they'd had hopes. Everything was complicated, and absolutely nothing was easy.
This, in particular, wasn't easy at all.
Nanako-chan was sitting below them, on one of the rocks that jutted out into the Samegawa, humming a nameless tune that occasionally veered into the notes of the Junes jingle. She was flicking pebbles into the water, and Yosuke bit his lip hard. He didn't dare look at Souji; he could tell from the way his best friend was trembling that this was hard, beyond hard. It was so tempting to shed the disguise, go down there, make her eyes light up as she realized her cousin was back-
-but they hadn't figured anything out yet, hadn't figured out any way to make this feasible. Naoto wanted them to wait, to take time to plan and try and figure out what the hell they were going to do. She'd all but ordered them to, and they'd complied.
Souji sighed raggedly, then turned away; Yosuke glanced up, reached out one hand to grab Souji's automatically. He felt Souji shiver again, felt his best friend's grip tighten sharply around his fingers.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Souji said, and they both knew it was a lie, but Yosuke just nodded, and they kept walking.
..............
7. Within Temptation - See Who I Am
See who I am,
Break through the surface.
Reach for my hand,
Let's show them that we can
Free our minds and find a way.
The world is in our hands,
This is not the end.
Yosuke thought he was going to be sick; he might well have been, if he'd been able to move, but all he could manage was rapid, shallow breaths as his heart thudded in his chest. Whatever that thing was, it was somehow draining him; he could feel a cold lethargy creeping over him, growing heavier every minute. He could distantly hear that damn bear-thing's words, squeaking something, but he couldn't make out specifics past the roaring in his ears.
Just run, damnit, he tried to say, and failed utterly.
The thing that the other-him had become twirled itself upright with a single easy, impossible movement, then directed a blast of wind that shook the liquor store; Souji stumbled back a few feet but held his ground, though Yosuke was dimly aware of how the golf club wavered visibly in the other boy's grasp.
He might just suffocate right here, he thought, dizzily - that other thing might just take the last of it, leave him unable even to breathe, and that'd be it-
But Souji tensed and that other new thing - Persona - sprang into being above him; directed a spear of lightning down to crash into the not-him's head - and the thing let out an incoherent, burbling cry and collapsed, sending a pile of sake barrels tumbling to the ground.
Suddenly, Yosuke could breathe again, move again; he took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to calm the furious pounding of his heart as he watched the shadows break away from the not-him, watched it take on his own form again, yellow-eyed... but blessedly, blessedly silent.
And then Souji was there in front of him. "It's okay," he said, "you're still yourself-" here, get up, and he held out one hand. Yosuke hesitated, but there was no censure in his friend's gaze. Only sincerity, and that was crazy given that he'd just seen the absolute worst Yosuke had to offer-
Yosuke swallowed, then reached up, took Souji's hand, and let the other boy pull him to his feet.
..............
8. Conjure One - Manic Star
Time doesn't stop for anyone
It doesn't matter what you've done
I want to lose myself in you
Are you afraid of dying too?
Time doesn't stop, but it slows down sometimes - just enough. Because Yosuke's fast, fast enough to make it across the room and throw himself between Souji and the Shadow's attacks.
Fast enough to make himself feel better, even as the pain hits him and sends him sprawling, even as Chie takes out the damn thing, as Yukiko runs over and scolds him roundly for being so reckless. And yeah, it hurts, and yeah, Yukiko's right... but it doesn't matter, because Souji's safe, and that's what matters.
So Yosuke is taken completely by surprise when Souji corners him one day in Junes, after everyone else has already scattered. "Stop doing that," Souji says sharply, in that tone he uses for giving orders. "I mean it, Yosuke. Stop it."
Yosuke just blinks. "Stop... stop what?"
Souji sighs and turns away, shaking his head. "Stop jumping in front of me, taking hits for me - I can handle it myself, damn it."
"No," Yosuke shoots back, fists clenching at his side, a cold shiver creeping down his spine. "No. I can do that for you, damn it - you protected me back then. Just... let me do it, dude, it's fine, I can take it-"
The look on Souji's face when his best friend turns back to him takes his breath away - there's an unexpected intensity there, a pained, desperate expression that seems out of proportion in comparison to what Yosuke's been doing. "No," Souji repeats, his voice much quieter.
"Souji, look - we can't lose you. We need you, you're our leader, and-"
But Souji grabs his arm roughly, leans in, cuts him off with a kiss that's almost angry. "No," and his breath is hot against Yosuke's cheek. "I can't lose you either, damnit."
And Yosuke doesn't have any words, but he doesn't need them, not with Souji so close.
..............
9. Persona 3 FES - P3 FES
Every man's gotta fight the fear
I'm the first to admit it shear thoughts
Provoke the new era become a big terror
But my only rival is my shadow
Shut up, Yosuke hisses inwardly, shoving at the damn thing with that twist of his mind. Sometimes this happens, sometimes freakin' Susano-o talks back with a touch of yellow-eyed malice, like if he lost control the Persona would just melt back entirely into Shadow. And he can't let that happen.
Fine, it laughs. Keep deluding yourself, then.
Yosuke grits his teeth and tries to ignore it; he's not going to deny it, not going to give it an edge. Wishes it'd shut up and go back to being silent and strong, not bitching at him-
"Yosuke?"
Yosuke's eyes fly open, and he starts forward - Souji's there, right in front of him, head tilted to one side in silent curiosity. "Uh."
"You okay, partner?"
"Um. Y-yeah. Sorry, Souji," Yosuke sighs.
Liar, liar, it laughs. Just tell him. Special, huh. Tell him.
Shut up, Yosuke grumbles, and follows his leader.
..............
10. Conjure One - Extraordinary Way
On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You take what I can give and you treasure it
On an ordinary day
The extraordinary way
You turn to me and say, I believe in this
There wasn't anything particularly special about this afternoon - sure, it was decent out, but there were gray clouds marring the sky, that edgy calm before the storm. Quick, sharp breezes tugged at the branches, yanking blossoms down and scattering their petals across the asphalt.
"You're really sure you have to go? Really, really sure?" Yosuke said for what felt like the hundredth time; it might have been, he'd lost count.
"Yeah," Souji replied, just as evenly and tinged with regret as it had been a hundred times ago. He lightly squeezed Yosuke's fingers; the contact somehow wasn't reassuring any more. It was just a reminder that soon they wouldn't even have that.
Yosuke stopped walking and sighed. "Sorry. Just - two more days, man. Seems like I oughta do something special, or... I dunno, make them extra memorable so you'll have something when you go back, but... I can't think of anything," he finished, miserably.
Souji laughed, then, and held his hand tighter still. "You don't have to do anything. I'll remember."
There was something about the way Souji said those words that finally stilled Yosuke's protests, and the two of them kept walking in now-comfortable silence, a faint smile on Yosuke's face.
