Hello P5 Amino, I'm back again with a drabble-
This is based on a personal headcanon that Ryuji used to live on Tatsumi Port Island when he was a kid and knew Minato for a while! I hope you like it!
"Minato-san!"
The young voice is excitable, and Minato turns towards it with the patience of a saint, visible eyebrow raising in acknowledgement. "Hm?" The younger boy in the yellow shirt who'd called him was bouncing up and down on his toes, cheeks flushed.
"I decided what I'm gonna be when I grow up!" the brunet declared, and Minato's face broke into a smile.
"That so..?"
"Mhm! I'm gonna be a runner, just like you! I'm going to train super duper hard, and go to the Olympics!!"
"That's awesome," Minato replied gently. "Just , there'll always be someone faster than you."
"Huh?" the boy's face fell, looking discouraged. "Well what's the point if I can't be the best??" Minato crouched so he was eye level, brushing his bangs out of his eyes so both were visible.
"It's not about being the best. If it was, almost nobody would ever try, because only one person can be the best at any given thing. The point is to do your best, and never stop pushing yourself to do better. Does that make sense?"
"Mm… yeah, I think so."
"Running is hard," Minato went on. "Sometimes you don't want to train cuz you're tired, or it's cold, or too hot. And in my case since this is just a club for me, if it's cold, I don't exercise outside; because I hate the cold. But if you wanna go all the way, it can't just be for fun. You have to push through."
"Yeah...I still wanna run though!!"
"Then you're well on your way," Minato grinned, ruffling up the boy's hair. "C'mon. Wanna run a lap with me?"
"Yeah yeah YEAH! I'm going to win!"
"You just might."
7 years later
Ryuji exhaled sharply through his nose, looking to where the lifeboat was attached to the main cruise ship. All around him, some of his teammates were freaking out, and he could hear Futaba hollering about not being able to swim. And in that moment, he knew what he had to do. This was his family, and he was going to do everything in his power to protect them, even if it killed him.
...which, considering the stunt he was going to attempt to pull, it just might.
He crouched, as he always had, eyes forward and steady, and took off, the cries of his teammates calling out to him to come back; but it only drove him faster and faster and he felt as if perhaps Mercury himself ran with him, carrying him upon his wings.
Running isn't about being the best. It's about pushing yourself as far as you can go; and that being enough.
His leg hurt, but stopping wasn't an option, not now; and it was a small price to pay. As he loosened the lifeboat and his teammates cheered, he knew that he wouldn't be able to make it back- not in time, anyway. Somehow though, that was okay.
If you're going to run for real, you need a reason. Not just "Oh, it's fun", cuz you'll quit as soon as it gets hard. You gotta find your drive. Life is like that too. If you don't have a reason, you're not really living. You're just surviving. But, when you have things, or people, to live for, life's great, Ryuji.
Their smiles morphed into fear as the realization struck them that he wasn't coming back, and everyone began to yell for him. Ryuji gave them a wink and a thumbs up, clinging to the rope as if his life depended on it with his free hand.
The race isn't about winning.
It's about making sure you finish.
And while he wasn't going to be getting any medals, it was his best, and that was enough.
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