Days That Shook The World
a/n: I'm not... entirely sure what all of this is. But it's been sitting on my hardrive since September, and, I don't think it's going to gain much progression other than short thoughts for each 'day' that I'm covering. And, to be honest, I like it like that. Snapshots into lives when the pain or the grief was the most. So, I think it's time to share what I've got. I may write more, eventually, over time, as I think of certain situations... but for now, it's this.
The first three days of this is running on 'presumptious' canon - in other words, that Shinjiro/Minako did reach rank 10 of their social link. Please be aware of that!
I'll be splitting each 'day' up into seperate chapters. Some of them are significantly longer than others, but, it's good for breaks, I think. All of this contains unmarked spoilers. Please be aware. The dates are your guideline! They are much a part of the drabbles as the words themselves. I'll also specify the characters included, too.
October 5th, 2009
Yukari, Junpei, Minako
The bell tolled, and the teacher eventually dismissed them. Students scrabbled from their seats, making beelines for friends or darting out the door to their respective club meetings, chattering away as they want. Normal, everyday; people full of laughter and heart. Those without a care in the world.
But some students weren't so quick to go, and were silent, quiet, and still. Three of them in particular.
Yukari was the first to push herself out of her seat, biting the bullet. She'd been watching the other two, and it seemed to be a battle of wills as to who would move first... or maybe that was just her imagination. She knew why they didn't move, why she too, didn't want to move. But someone had to eventually. It was finally time for them to go home, where they didn't have to suffer in the open.
Junpei was still sat, staring absentmindedly out the window, and Minako... had been doing what she'd been doing all day. Staring at one spot on the blackboard, straight ahead of her.
Minako hadn't moved as much as an inch all day, save lunch, where she ate, then came back, mechanically moving through the familiar routine. There wasn't as much as a peep.
"Hey, Junpei," Yukari whispered, walking next to his desk, hands clasped behind her back.
"Mmm?" he said, turning to face her, and just blinking once. "Oh. Yuka-tan. What is it?"
Yukari twitched her head, indicating the still frozen form a few seats back. He looked: they both did. Still no movement from their leader.
"I'm worried," Yukari said quietly, her mouth creasing into a frown. "Do you really think there was something between...?"
"Who knows," Junpei shrugged. But Yukari persisted.
"Oh, come on..." she started, about to fall into one of her rants, but her energy expired. She couldn't do this today; today of all days, the day after losing a comrade. It was true, that somehow, miraculously, he was in a coma... but that didn't stop the pain. There was an almost zero chance that he would ever wake up. They'd all lost a comrade then. But Minako... she'd had her suspicions. Well, not so much suspicions, but they'd gone out a lot, come back in together a lot, it was clear she liked to be with him (even if it was just as a friend), and...
He had told her not to cry.
"... I think we should walk her home," she added, voice barely more than a whisper.
She didn't get an answer immediately, as this was the moment Mitsuru chose to walk in, asking them to meet her later. Minako finally moved, to look at Mitsuru... and kept looking. Her eyes never focused, continuously glazed, empty, absent. Mitsuru, wrapped up in her own grief, didn't notice as she left the room the way she came. Or perhaps it was simply because she hadn't been there all day.
Junpei and Yukari exchanged a more worried glance than before, and Junpei finally took the opportunity to move, nodding to Yukari. His answer. Yukari nodded back.
"Hey, Minako," she said, and the same absent gaze fell upon her. It was shattering to watch. "Let's walk home together, okay?"
A nod.
She managed the standing up, even as her head hung low. She managed the walk to the school gates. She managed the methodical pacing of one foot in front of the other. Somehow, she managed her way back to the Dorms.
But that was probably only because Yukari held one hand tight, and Junpei had an arm over her other shoulder, steering her, leading their leader, their best friend in the entire world, back to their sanctuary away from prying eyes. Perhaps in the fear, or the knowledge, that if they let go, the world would slant, slide away from her, and she'd fall. She'd never make it back.
And as they went, she finally cried, silent tears swabbing her cheeks.
The three of them didn't say a word.