With You (Souyo)

Go Time

Yosuke's POV:

"I'm so... so proud of you."

"...Thanks."

"I mean it, partner. I honestly couldn't be prouder," I smile. "But... Shit, man. I should have been there."

He shakes your head. "I'm glad you weren't."

I frown. "...You are?"

"There are some things that... I just don't want to involve you in. Things I want to leave in the past."

I nod. "I get it... Hey, Yu? About Giichi..." I turn to him, hoping he catches my drift.

He closes his eyes and sighs deeply. "I'm not a bad person, Yosuke."

"I know that."

"If killing him would hurt you... Then I can't do it."

"Fuck that," I scoff. "I don't give a damn about him, and you know it. I just don't want you throwing your life away over someone like him."

"I'd do it," he shrugs. "If you wanted me to."

"I need you with me."

"Even when you chose him?"

"Yu-"

"Sorry," he mutters, shaking his head. "That was a dick move."

"It's fine," I shrug.

"Killing him wouldn't be true justice," he murmurs. "It just means he gets the easy way out."

"...What were you thinking?" I say quietly.

He hesitates for a moment. "I was scared. Scared of him, I guess. I was... afraid of what he would do to you. What he'd do to me."

"Dude..."

"Because if he wins..." He sighs. "If he wins, Yosuke... I could never live with myself."

"He's not gonna win," I smile. "We will. You and me. Just like we always do."

"You keep saying that, but..."

"How many times do I have to tell you, you big idiot?" I chuckle. "Giichi has nothing on you. And now that you have your Persona back, we can kick his ass."

"You don't want him dead."

"I don't want anyone to die."

"...But after everything he did-"

"I hate him for what he did, Yu," I shrug. "That's why he'll atone for it."

"Even then, you were willing to give him a second chance."

I close my eyes. "I won't deny that."

"...So, you meant it."

"I did," I mutter. "And if he had accepted, I wouldn't have minded."

"Yosuke-"

"He's not a bad person, either. He was just driven to do bad things."

"Oh, so now you're excusing him?" He scoffs.

"He's broken."

"So, what!?"

"You were, too," I snap. "And you were a shitty person for a long time, as well."

He clenches his jaw, flaring his nostrils.

I swallow hard, feeling a little intimated by him. "...Sorry."

"You think I'm like him?" He says, slowly, but angrily.

"No... I- I didn't mean it like that, Yu. But... you can't deny that you were acting weird, too."