[Voice] Arcana III - so much to lose

[onelastpromise]

[Minato couldn't not notice, this time. He'd thought at first that he might be wrong, but well... A few days and no contact can only mean one thing, can't it? The message comes late at night, and is brief. His voice is level and calm, but trained ears could tell it's only barely so.]

...I know not many of us were close to them, but I figured it's worth knowing: Marie, my housemate, seems to be gone. I'm pretty sure Shirogane Naoto is, too.

[He shuts it off quickly. Two of his closest friends here, vanished. He doesn't know if they went home or what. He's...never really thought about where the people who are no longer in Avalar may have gone. Home? Some other world? He can't help but be sad about it, no matter what the case may be. It hurts.]

Comments

[Action]

[onelastpromise]

[There's no denying he needed that and had needed it for months. He knows better than to try.]

I want to be alive. I want that more than anything, but I have no idea what other way there could be. And...my best friend would still be behind the seal. I don't want to leave him alone, he deserves better.

[Action]

[wantedittobeagame]

You mean... that kid that showed up, Ryoji-kun?

[Hunh...]

Then I'll grab the both of you. C'mon; how hard could it be?

[Action]

[onelastpromise]

[He blinks, a little stunned that Adachi not only knows Ryoji, but figured out it was him that was behind the seal. Minato had wanted to leave that part of the story to Ryoji.]

...Yeah. He's Death, the Shadow that was sealed inside me in 1999. He's also Thanatos, the one who gave me the contract, and...the Appriser of the Fall.

[It's all very tangled and Minato doesn't know if it's even possible to open the doors and retrieve Ryoji without breaking the seal.]

[Action]

[wantedittobeagame]

...why is it you kids have so much crap to deal with?

[Despite his tone, Adachi offered him another smile.]

I mean it, kiddo. I'll do everything I can to save you, all right?

[Action]

[onelastpromise]

We kept asking ourselves the same thing.

[Ken was only eleven. No one should have to deal with that kind of crap at that age. No one.

Those last words, though... Minato looks like he may be about to cry again. He really isn't used to people caring so much for him that they'd go to those kinds of lengths.] I-I... Thanks. I... I'm counting on you.

[Action]

[wantedittobeagame]

[Adachi smiled broadly, knowing he had helped the kid, if only a little.]

Leave it to me.

[Action]

[onelastpromise]

[He's quiet for a while after that. For all his eyes are red and his cheeks are puffy, he looks lighter than he has since he first met Adachi. Keeping all of that pent up was tearing him apart.]

You...know, I feel a lot better now. Thanks for listening. Thanks for everything.

[Action]

[wantedittobeagame]

Anytime, kiddo.

[He reached over, mussing up his mop of blue hair.]

We heroes gotta stick together.

[Action]

[onelastpromise]

Right...

[Finally, there's a smile out of him.]

If there's anything you still have questions about, about my time... I can talk now. The rest of the crap that happened is easier.

[No, the story isn't over.] Though that's probably enough for one day, huh?

[Action]

[wantedittobeagame]

Yeah; if I got questions, I'll ask.

[He grinned.]

Even heroes need to take a break every now and then.