What is this place?
[ He leans against the large door at his back, idly thumbing the strange device in his hand.
The sun is wrong, at an odd angle, meaning that his flight took him away from Japan at the very least.
But there is an oddness in the air, and something tastes wrong. Smells wrong. He would have picked up on it even as a human. In a breath, he tries ( Read more... )
The sun is wrong, at an odd angle, meaning that his flight took him away from Japan at the very least.
But there is an oddness in the air, and something tastes wrong. Smells wrong. He would have picked up on it even as a human. In a breath, he tries ( Read more... )
That's wrong. He's wrong. It's all wrong.
There are no deus ex machinas in real life. Kids that look like Death do not show up in magic mansions hidden in the in betweens to tell him that the end could be...had been...averted.
If there was one thing that had returned alongside his memories, it was the absolute knowledge that the end cannot be averted, whether that applies to a person or to a world. When the time comes...it comes.
He looks at the boy's eyes and sees nothing but honesty.
Certainty.]
Maybe...maybe there are more than two worlds.
[ And maybe Nyx was different. If Minako could be replaced by Minato, then the Fall could be...something that was not the end of all things.
...
Minato had faced the Fall, even if that meant something different in his world, and he knew who Ryoji was.
And he had smiled at him, like he was genuinely glad to see him.
If Minato and Minako were the only differing pieces, then-]
You know me, because I was with you, wasn't I? In your world, I was placed inside you, not her.
[ He knows there's desperation in his eyes, because despite his denials, hope is hard to fight ]
And, if I was the same, I gave you a out.
And you didn't take it.
[And even if the Minako this kid knew wasn't his, if a Minako in any universe could have been strong enough save herself, then...maybe...]
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This Ryoji standing before him might not have been the exact same one he had known back at home, but everything about him, from the concern about the world itself, the anxiety over and yet the acceptance of the inevitable and his role within it, was the same. For all of Ryoji's smiling and occasional mischievous ways, he was still as perceptive as ever. Wisdom and insight came to Ryoji so easily.
It was comforting in a way for Minato as well, and though he might not have said it out loud, he really did miss Ryoji in any reincarnation he might have taken or from any world he may have originated, as anyone would miss one of their closest friends after having been separated for the longest time.]
You were with me since that day on the bridge. Until the promised day.
[Minato still smiled at him, soft and reassuring. It wasn't something that Minato had wanted Ryoji to worry about either, not when the world was peaceful and safe. And not when he knew, even after what he had done, that a new group similar to SEES had continued to ensure the safety of the world.]
We both let you live. You were right. Nyx cannot be defeated. She was sealed away instead.
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It was that tone, more than anything, that chipped at Ryoji's resolve. In his own mind, he could admit that he wanted to believe. Fear was not something he knew how to cope with, but he had held onto it, knowing that believing, and then returning to the world he had only just left and to the inevitable cold press of her gun to his forehead, would be so much worse.
But if he...she (strangely, it increasingly seemed not to matter)...could let him live and not die begging as a result...
And then the words caught up.
A seal. That was feasible, actually. An immortal buried alive was still an immortal, but, perhaps, behind locked doors, Nyx would stop being a bother.
Ryoji was smiling before he even thought to stop himself.]
How did you think of that?
[ And what would it take to make a seal strong enough to hold back the maternal being herself?]
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Minato knew there was the determined resolve not to give up. None of his friends did despite the odds against them. He heard them try to stand up and fight against that crushing power... All the while, he also had his allies in that velvet-lined elevator who gave him guidance... and ties with everyone else who had been a significant part of his life in that single year.
In that final battle, he heard them all. Even Ryoji himself as the Avatar had imparted words that he wouldn't forget. And it had to have been the same for her.]
I had help.
[Which didn't say much, specifically. But Minato elaborated as best he could.]
I faced her by myself. But I wasn't alone. Everyone was there with me.
... We both found the answer to life's greatest question.
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Whatever the answer had been, though, it must have been enough to...wait.
Minato had faced Nyx by himself?
It was not surprising that Ryoji's old vessel would have been at the heart of matters - frankly, there was a sort of cosmic justice in it - but to have ended up in a one-on-one fight with the goddess of the night herself...
But others had been there for him, and a voice in the back of Ryoji's mind, one that spoke of Magicians and Moons and Stars, understood what that meant. Minato had been alone, yes, but the world had sent its power along with him.
The last ditch effort. The prize fighter's final match.
But Minato was human, and any warmth their discussion had brought Ryoji seeped out of him as cold settled into his arms, back and neck.
A human could not take that kind of strain.]
You said that it was March.
[ His voice was cold, too. ]
Did you and Minako both come here during...during March? From when it was peaceful?
[ His hands shook. ]
I don't understand how you could have lasted that long.
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Minato nodded. It must have already been jarring for Ryoji to have to hear this from someone whom he hardly, and yet somehow intimately, knew. But Minato had been honest: It was indeed so peaceful. And Minako had said it was for her as well. The world was bright, beautiful, and he wished that Ryoji could see or could have been there to see it. All of February and those few steps into March, everything was touched by some sort of serenity.
How had he lasted? No one had ever asked him that either, not even the one who swore to protect him with her life, the one who remembered everything while everyone else just needed some more time to catch up with their memories. Perhaps for him it was just... a little bit of borrowed time and... sheer willpower.
And perhaps because Ryoji needed it, Minato reached out and gently touched one of Ryoji's hands as it shook.]
We all made a promise. I had to keep it.
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There was so much to process, too much, between the bridge last night at midnight and the boy before him, now, who knew what he was and what that meant for the world and still had a smile for him, but if Minato could stand there and talk about the Fall with something bordering on tranquility, then he could pull himself together.]
I'm just glad you were able to keep it. Promises, contracts between people, are important things.
[Something warm in Ryoji's chest hoped that, maybe, his contract with Minako was responsible for their extra time at the end. If he/she had to take responsibility for their actions, then that would account for promises, too. They had to keep their promises, despite the will of the world.
He jerked his chin out of the confines of his scarf.]
Thank you. I mean that with all that I am. Thank you for telling me what you know and what you've seen. I can't know whether or not the Minako you knew was the one I know, whether the Nyx you faced is the one I...represent...but...at least, now, I have something.
[ He stared down the hall, at the doors and along the ceiling. ]
It will be a pity if what Mr Dean said was true. I would rather not forget this were I to return to Iwatodai.
[A thought occurs.]
Though, if I were to simply stay here, I doubt that I could act as the Appriser. I cannot feel Nyx's presence in this place at all. That might solve a good deal of problems.
[A smile.]
Perhaps it's best that I don't look for a way back.
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He let Ryoji hold onto him as long as he needed. It was Minato's turn, in a way, to be there for Ryoji just as Ryoji had been there for Minako and for himself.]
You're welcome... It's the least I can do.
We didn't regret our decision. So you don't have to worry.
[Looking for a way back home had always posed some sort of debate within Minato. He had his duty to attend to, safeguarding the world, and when the time came to return, then he would, though he knew it wouldn't be easy to go back. A part of him had to be thankful to Wonderland, as much of a prison as it was: It had given him that extra, again, borrowed time to be with friends and to make new ones. But there was indeed the possibility that everything about Wonderland would be forgotten when they returned home.
Being here was a second chance, or a last chance, before Minato had to depart and leave his friends behind once more. There were others who were similar, who had already passed on at home as well, and they preferred to stay in Wonderland as they were alive again.]
You can be you, as Ryoji, here. We'll make the most of it while we can. There's time to become reacquainted.
[Minato couldn't think of a better word to describe the cultivation of this new bond. He felt a very strong and familiar Social Link already, one that needed to be nurtured and developed. Ryoji also needed time to figure out more about him too; it was almost unfair that Minato had the advantage of knowing him more than the other way around. But to also be fair, Minato now had the opportunity to learn more about Ryoji as Minako had known him.
His smile never faded, and he gave Ryoji another nod.]
Mn, we'll find you a room. There's one near mine. It used to be hers.
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A month is...it is a remarkably short amount of time. Time works differently for my kind when people are involved. For the most part, eternity can be...nothing. It can mean nothing, but on the flip side, a day can be infinite. But...all that aside...when I was a human, I perceived the passing of time like one, and...nobody wants to pack all of their living into twenty-four days.
[ But he was smiling, warm and wide, and there was a sparkle of life at the edges of his eyes.]
It will be good to have more time, and taking over her room seems so...fitting, somehow. I think that would be for the best.
[The melancholic drop to his voice began to ebb, and his words took on a lighter, almost lilting edge as humor, forced or otherwise, quirked his lips into a playful grin.]
I mean, it certainly would not be the first time I haunted one of her rooms.
I wonder if it looks like her dorm room in Iwatodai or perhaps her room before that.
[ He slowed in the hallway, pulling Minato up short.]
How does one furnish a room in a place like this if we are unable to leave?
[ He realized that, due to the emotional upheaval their conversation had caused, he had not stopped to consider the wrongness of the mansion they strode confidently through. He tried to recall what Minato had shown him, but while the layout was etched easily into his mind, he had trouble remembering the actual appearance of any of the floors.]
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[That smile, Minato was happy to see it again. Time did hold a great amount of significance for all of them as they watched the calendar, kept track of the phases of the moon, counted down for school trips, holidays, or judgment or promised days. Sometimes the days lasted so long, and sometimes they passed by in the blink of an eye. Minato only had that one year that had changed his life. It might have been short, but he wouldn't have changed a thing.]
I'll take you to her room then.
[Minato headed up to the Third Floor with him. He had to smile again at the mention of haunting. There wasn't anyone else Minato could talk to who would fully understand what that actually meant. He did slow down a bit to address Ryoji's question, but it would be easier to show him since Minato was still unable to figure out how exactly this brand of magic in the Mansion worked.]
The closets can give you things you need. And the room will change to how you like.
You can try it. Here.
[Once they reached Room 4, Minato opened the door to it. It was empty for now, and he stepped aside to let Ryoji inside and to let his imagination design and decorate his new living space as he saw fit.]
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Then, Ryoji blinked, and, in an instant, his vision doubled. Perhaps it was simply because he knew that Minako had once lived in this room, but, while he could still see the dark, dusty floors and the bleached walls, he could also see striped, beige wall paper and coral-and-green bedding and carpeting, and, with a second blink, a window seemed to open along the far wall, because light was streaming in through light, blue curtains.
Each time his eyes moved to take in a new feature, the thing he had been looking at before seemed to become more real. In a breath, he forgot that there had not been a window in the dark room before. As he exhaled, a phantom desk and TV in the corner turned solid and irrefutable.
But the room had not stopped changing. As soon as it seemed to perfectly resemble her room, it started to not. Where there had been coral before, there was now a blue and purple check pattern. Where there had been airy blue fabric before, now there was yellow lit by dappled light.
He strode forward into the space...his space, he realized mutely...and turned in the middle of the room, taking in the anomalies, like the strangely elegant black trim along the ceiling and the striped carpet beneath his shoes.]
It's-
[Not for the first time that day, words failed him.]
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Then Ryoji's room had to be a good, close second. For what was once a familiar sight had slowly and gradually transformed into something new. Who was to say that even a Shadow, even Death, could not have hope or even this vivid of an imagination? The room said volumes about his thoughts, his interests, and his identity, the inner workings of his mind. Minato realized that he never did have the opportunity to see where or how Ryoji had lived either.]
It's you...
[In its style, its grace, its own personalized touches down to every last detail.]
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He staggered a few steps backwards, and the back of his knees hit the bed frame making him stumble back onto the checkered comforter.]
So - [He laughed and then bit down on it, trying to keep his smile serene.] - I've got a room, now. My room.
[As irresponsible as it probably was, he was warming to the idea of this...this mansion, this sinkhole in time where, apparently, he did not have to worry about the impending Fall...or at least, he did not have to worry every minute. He doubted he could banish his anxiety completely, but, already, he felt lighter.
After a beat, he surged to his feet, bouncing in place as excitement burned through him, making him almost jittery.]
I know you've been here a while, or...I mean, I am assuming...and, logically, I should probably stay here and get settled, but would you like to explore? Does this place allow that?
[He paused, deflating a bit.]
But I have probably taken up too much of your time. I would like to go some other time, though. If you don't mind.
[ He probably should not feel comfortable enough with Minato to make demands, but Ryoji was more than capable of being selfish. ]
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Minato hadn't minded the idea of exploring. Wonderland could always use another thorough investigation. Though he stated that they did have more time together, no one exactly knew when any of them would be sent back home. So the more time he could spend with Ryoji, the better. He smiled, reassuring him that he shouldn't think he was being selfish or had taken up any of his time. In fact, out of anyone, Ryoji should be allowed to be that selfish, to be free of all the worries he had carried with him, even if it was only temporary.]
My time is yours, Ryoji. We can explore any time. Now, if you'd like.
[Either now or later was fine with Minato. He left the decision up to his friend. But of course, he also offered the following. He might not have been Minako, yet he thought Ryoji would understand the sentiment.]
I'm in Room 5. You're welcome to visit or stay there whenever you wish.
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