Archive of Our Own ^beta

“How are you even standing right now?” Yukari asked, looking at Makoto.

However, he simply kept on walking, his friends calling out to him begging him to stop and explain himself. Yukari felt her chest get even tighter now, she knew what this was.

“No, wait…!”

She tried to move, to catch up to him as he began to float, but she couldn't because the sheer pressure Nyx was putting on them was simply too much for her. It was just like when her dad left for work that morning, back then she couldn't tell why she was scared that day, but now she knew.

How could Makoto do this to her? Not now, not when she had finally found someone to love her for her, and someone she could also love so deeply.

“Makoto! Why aren't you listening?! Come back!” She pleaded with him.

He turned back slightly, a single tear cascading from his eye. “I'm sorry Yukari, but this is something I have to do, for you…”

And then he vanished into the black hole in the moon. That was it. He was truly going to take on Nyx's core by himself.

Yukari's hand was outstretched hanging in the air as if she could somehow reach him now. This can't be how it ends, she thought.

“No, screw that!” Yukari protested. “I didn't come this far just to watch you die! You have so much to live for, you remembered what it meant to be alive again! I won't let this thing take that away from you, even if it means my own death! So please let me go with you!” Yukari yelled the loudest she ever had.

In that moment of sheer desperation she suddenly regained the ability to move again. She couldn't believe it, was this her chance? It didn't take much for her to be certain it was, as she immediately ran to the edge of the tower and leapt into the air. Before she knew it, she too was floating towards the center of the moon. Her face now determined, she was going to defy death with all her might, this wasn't how it was going to end, this was her answer to him.

When she finally landed inside she was surrounded by pure darkness. She could hardly see anything and then a large explosion set off in the distance, that's where he was, she was sure of it. She ran as fast as she could before she finally saw him, he was struggling. He held his arm, his stance staggered. Above him she could see what looked like an egg. That must be Nyx's core, she figured.

“Makoto!” She called out.

The blue haired teen thought he was imagining things, but when he turned he was stunned to actually see her there. And he dreaded the notion that she was here now, putting herself in harms way.

“Yukari, what are you doing here?! I can't guarantee your safety if you're…” before he could finish that sentence he felt her hand swiftly go across his face, he was taken aback stumbling by the sudden impact.

“You don't get to be suicidal, on our friends behalf, and especially not mine!” Yukari said angrily. “What happened to being a team, Makoto? I thought we were all in this together!”

“That was before I knew what stopping Nyx truly meant!” Makoto bit back, holding the side of his face. “There's no way to defeat it, it'll just keep coming back as long as humanity continues to wish for death!”

“So what was your big plan then?! To offer yourself as a sacrifice?! I refuse to let that happen! We've been through so much together, you've helped me become who I am now, and in turn you gained that part of you that you had lost all those years ago!” Yukari insisted, this time tears began to stream from her eyes. “You mean too much to me, Makoto, I love you, you know that! It's not fair that you get to decide without telling me!”

“But Yukari… I have the power to stop all this, the power of the universe, to give you and our friends a long and happy life! And, I know you'll find someone else that can give you what I can't!” Makoto felt his voice shake, while trying to remain steadfast.

“I know you don't mean that! You want to live, I can see it in your eyes! They betray your every word, Makoto!” Yukari remained stubborn. “I'm choosing to defy death because I don't think it's fair what life has dealt you. If I can, right here, right now, I'm willing to lay down my life, if it means you live instead!”

“I can't ask that of you, you know I can't!” Makoto shook his head in frustration.

“Then don't! There's gotta be another way, I just know it,” Yukari paused, a sudden realization came to her. “Makoto, what if you wished away humanity's desire for death. Maybe you already thought of it, but you were alone before, but with me here, you could increase your power even further, could you not?”

Before Makoto could reject the notion, he heard another voice come from behind him and Yukari. “Not just your's, Yuka-tan, but all of ours!”

“Junpei?! And the others?!” Yukari asked in surprise.

“You didn't think we'd let you hog all the glory now did you?” Akihiko smirked.

“It would seem our leader has found himself in quite the predicament, but hiding it from his teammates, is very unbecoming of him,” Mitsuru added.

“You have my support as always, you just need to ask!” Fuuka said.

“Arf! Arf!” Koromaru barked.

“Truth be told, you sacrificing yourself didn't sit right with me. Only one person was capable of doing that for me, and I want to save you, not lose you,” Ken remarked.

“It is still my soul mission to protect you, no matter what! I put death inside you, now I will help you defeat it!” Aigis said.

“Everyone…” Makoto couldn't believe his friends. They were all insane, he figured. Willing to put down all their lives just so he wouldn't have to do it alone.

Yukari walked closer to him, holding his hand tightly. He turned to her and before he knew it his lips interlocked with hers, although brief. Now he knew now that he could change humanity's desire, and he would.

As if death itself could feel, at that moment Nyx's core began to shake violently and from it erupted a new creature. Human arms on one end, human legs on the other, both sides accompanied by two large distorted faces with glowing red eyes and large horns.

Everyone readied themselves knowing that this would truly be the greatest battle of their lives. Or so they thought at first, Makoto looked at all of them and commanded a knowing look.

“We'll do it here, there's no need to fight it, the miracle will take care of it.” Makoto said confidently. “Everyone, follow my lead.”

Yukari and their friends nodded. Makoto slowly began to raise his hand with a single finger pointed towards the air. With a confident smile he uttered a single word.

“Change.”

March 5th, 2010

“And with that, that concludes Gekkoukan's graduation ceremony for all of the third years of Class of 2010! Thank you to all our staff for organizing such a memorable event, and to our students for succeeding in their everyday school lives to reach such an achievement!”

“Guess that's it,” Yukari said.

“Yeah, guess our senpais won't be with us as much anymore,” Junpei said.

“Oh, but we still have time before they actually move out! We should think of ways to spend that time with them!” Fuuka suggested.

Yukari looked next to her to see Makoto smiling with all their friends. “You see? And you said this wasn't possible.”

“That's because I needed you to show me that there was another way,” Makoto nodded. “Honestly, you were right, I wouldn't have wanted it to be anyone else sitting next to you right now.”

“Makoto…” Yukari blushed.

“Geez… get a room, you two,” Junpei teased.

“I'll be sure to remember to say that next time Chidori is over, Junpei,” Yukari smiled deviously.

“You'd do it anyway,” Junpei sighed.

“Only because I love seeing my best bud finally have a partner that can make him happy,” Yukari smiled.

“Aww, thanks Yuka-tan.” Junpei, pulled his hat down to hide his flushed face.

“Well, I think we should get going now,” Fuuka said. “We promised our senpais to meet up somewhere today, remember? I'm sure Aigis, Ken, and Koromaru are already on their way.”

“That's right, the school roof,” Yukari nodded. “Time to go see the bright new world we created.”

“Yeah,” Makoto said.

They stood up from their chairs in the assembly room and began to make their way outside. Yukari and Makoto holding hands as they walked at a leisurely pace behind the others. She looked to Makoto and brimmed with joy because she knew that this time was finally it. They could finally live their lives in peace, no more Tartarus, no more shadows, and no more Nyx to torment them. It could be different because this was her answer to life.