[She's startled, hearing Ryoji's voice out of nowhere, that instinctively she looks around for him, as if he might be so playful as to hide behind a pole or be crouching on the floor in the midst of a dangerous being like Thanatos. But the uncomfortable twist in her stomach supplies her mind with the answer, even as she cuts her gaze across the whole bridge looking for her best friend.
Her best friend is right here. Even with Thanatos in front of her, his voice is unmistakable.]
Oh. Oh no. Ryoji.
[She takes one weak step forward. Stumbles, rights herself, and then she's running, flying forward, her spear abandoned so she has both hands to search for what is hurting him, anxious to soothe his worries and fears and dry his tears even if she were thousands of miles away.
But she can't do that this time. And the distance might as well be the same. This horrible change has made her gentle Ryoji into something he never, ever would want to be, and she can no longer believe that there's a parallel universe or they've been seeing hallucinations or whatever other fucking bullshit excuse she's been trying to delude herself with. This is Ryoji. This is real. He's become the fearsome creature of his visions, the memories of pitch black ichor, of green night skies and too large moons and violent, uncontrollable power-- all true. Inescapable. Cold, unrelenting fact.
And she can't do anything for him. What is she, compared to an avatar of death? What is she compared to the force that made him so in the first place? She is nothing. She is one pebble in a flooded river, hurled down the stream, with no choice but to accept the path that is rushing past her.
She can't do anything. But she's damn well going to try. She is nothing, but to Ryoji, she is something. Someone. That has always been enough for him, so that is who she will be, if she is nothing else. She will be strong for him, because she has taught herself how to be strong, and because if there is no other choice, that's the choice she's going to make, damn everyone else.
So by the time she comes to a stop in front of Thanatos, Minako has made up her mind.
She is on the verge of tears as she holds out her hands to Thanatos, to Ryoji, offering them for him to take, just like ever before. As she ever will.]
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Her best friend is right here. Even with Thanatos in front of her, his voice is unmistakable.]
Oh. Oh no. Ryoji.
[She takes one weak step forward. Stumbles, rights herself, and then she's running, flying forward, her spear abandoned so she has both hands to search for what is hurting him, anxious to soothe his worries and fears and dry his tears even if she were thousands of miles away.
But she can't do that this time. And the distance might as well be the same. This horrible change has made her gentle Ryoji into something he never, ever would want to be, and she can no longer believe that there's a parallel universe or they've been seeing hallucinations or whatever other fucking bullshit excuse she's been trying to delude herself with. This is Ryoji. This is real. He's become the fearsome creature of his visions, the memories of pitch black ichor, of green night skies and too large moons and violent, uncontrollable power-- all true. Inescapable. Cold, unrelenting fact.
And she can't do anything for him. What is she, compared to an avatar of death? What is she compared to the force that made him so in the first place? She is nothing. She is one pebble in a flooded river, hurled down the stream, with no choice but to accept the path that is rushing past her.
She can't do anything. But she's damn well going to try. She is nothing, but to Ryoji, she is something. Someone. That has always been enough for him, so that is who she will be, if she is nothing else. She will be strong for him, because she has taught herself how to be strong, and because if there is no other choice, that's the choice she's going to make, damn everyone else.
So by the time she comes to a stop in front of Thanatos, Minako has made up her mind.
She is on the verge of tears as she holds out her hands to Thanatos, to Ryoji, offering them for him to take, just like ever before. As she ever will.]
Ryoji.