Disclaimer: ...is it possible for me to be adopted by BOTH Nomura Tetsuya-sama AND Soejima Shigenori? 'Cause then I'll be the heir (sort of) of both KH/FF and P3.
-promptly shot-
Warnings: Minor spoilers for September/October in regards to Akihiko.
A/N: This was originally going to be another installation in Royal Flush, but then it just ended up being SO GODFUCKING LONG that I decided to go ahead and make it its own separate one-shot. Also, I'm terribly afraid I've made the boys OOC in here, so...meep. ;;
Please enjoy.
Knights in Shining Armour
A Persona 3 Fanfic
By Pikagalmish
It came when they least expected it.
They had just finished a night of exploration in Tartarus. Akihiko and Shinjiro had gone up ahead, the former laughing and teasing, the latter glaring at the playful punches being delivered to his already-sore arm.
Mitsuru was a few yards behind them, scanning the area ahead. They were only a few minutes away from the exit, but she wasn't about to take any chances.
They heard it before they saw it.
It didn't seem like anything at first; After all, all sorts of strange sounds came out of the halls of the Tower of Demise. However, soon, they could hear it coming clearly out of darkness.
Chains.
The three of them froze, all of their hairs standing on end.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
They looked at each other, their faces pale. Mitsuru reacted first.
"RUN!!"
The boys didn't need any telling twice. They made a bolt for the exit, Mitsuru not far behind.
Clink, clink, clink, clink.
Akihiko chanced a glance behind them; He suppressed a scream. Coming ever closer was the terrible monstrosity, the chains that bound it hit against each other with every step. It raised its black rifle and sent a bolt of lightning down upon them, very nearly missing Shinjiro.
They put on a burst of speed, willing their feet to move faster as the Reaper followed close behind, launching one attack after another at them.
"Aki, look!" Shinjiro shouted, pointing.
Akihiko nearly burst out in tears of joy. Up in front of them, glowing warmly, was the exit. Just a little farther, and they would be safe--
BOOM.
The Almighty attack hit them like an atomic bomb. Akihiko and Shinjiro were sent flying, crying out in pain as they made contact with the floor. Behind them, Mitsuru hit the wall with a sickening thud.
"Mitsuru!!" Akihiko cried, struggling painfully to his feet. She didn't respond; The girl's head was lying awkwardly on her shoulder, a trail of red trickling down from her temple.
As he and Shinjiro looked on in horror, Death raised its grisly hand, and all was set aflame.
"MITSURU...!!"
"Aragaki. Sanada. Wait." The two boys turned, looking back at the man sitting on the couch. "Yes, Kirijou-san?" Akihiko said. "Stay for a moment; I wish to speak with the two of you," Kirijou Takeharu said, cigar in hand. He glanced towards the door. "Alone." Mitsuru nodded. "I'll be waiting outside," she said to her teammates. "Get changed and meet me at the beach." With that, she closed the door. It slammed shut with a small click! A heavy silence settled upon the room. Kirijou beckoned the boys to sit back down, which they did without a word. Taking a puff on his cigar, the man finally began to speak: "Mitsuru has told you about her Awakening, I presume?" he said. They nodded. "Then you will also know that she has been fighting this battle alone for a very long time," Kirijou said, looking intently at the two with his single eye. "...Too long." He stood up and stepped across the room, stopping in front of a single family photo. In it, a small child with beautiful red hair was sitting smiling at the edge of a swimming pool, her feet dipping into the water. "She does not like to trouble others, and thus, does everything alone. This places her in great danger," the man continued. "I cannot be there to watch over her like when she was a child. She is my daughter; You understand that I want no harm to befall her?" Akihiko and Shinjiro nodded. "I ask this one favour of the two of you." Kirijou sighed. "I understand that we have already placed a great burden upon you both, but would you grant my request, and take care of Mitsuru?" Their eyes widened. "Kirijou-san, ah..." Akihiko started. "You don't think Mitsuru can take care of herself?" Shinjiro cut in bluntly. Kirijou's face darkened. "That is precisely why I am requesting this of you two," he said. "Mitsuru is strong, but not as strong as she herself thinks. Because of this, she will not ask for help, especially not when it means that others may also be harmed. That can be a fatal mistake." He turned back towards them. "At the very least, watch out for her as you would any teammate. That should be a simple enough task, correct?" Akihiko stood up. "You can count on us, Kirijou-san," he said confidently. Shinjiro remained silent. Kirijou nodded approvingly. "Thank you. You may go." The boys bowed, then went out the door. "...Just who the hell does he think he is?" Shinjiro grumbled as soon as they were out of earshot. "Shinji..." "He doesn't need to tell us to keep an eye on the princess," the brunet said. "I wouldn't let anyone with that ego out of my sight." Akihiko stared at his friend. Shaking his head wearily, he grinned. "Yeah, you've got that right," he said, giving Shinjiro a good-natured punch on the shoulder. "But hey, at least now we have an excuse for trailing after her. Won't feel like stalking anymore, just guard duty!" Shinjiro rolled his eyes, then proceeded to shove the silver-haired boxer into a fountain.
It was hot, burning... Flames were licking at his arms and back; He could smell the sizzling of his own flesh.
"Aki...!"
The cry seemed to come from far away...
Slowly, Akihiko opened his eyes. He was surrounded by fire, and...
...clinking...
Without looking, he knew that the Reaper was behind him. However, right now, even Death wasn't his top concern.
Akihiko looked down at the girl in his arms. He could hardly remember jumping in front of her, but it didn't matter. She was safe. That was the important thing. There were a few minor burns on her arms, but Akihiko had managed to take the brunt of the blow.
"Thank goodness..." he murmured, holding her close. The burns on his back were excruciating, but they were nothing compared to what Mitsuru would have felt. "Thank goodness..."
"Aki!"
The familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking up through the flames, he could see Shinjiro trying to make his way towards them.
"Get out of there!" the brunet shouted. "That thing can see your weaknesses!!"
Sure enough, at that instant, the Reaper raised its rifle. The air temperature around them suddenly dropped several degrees.
Swearing, Shinjiro made a leap of faith. Knocking the other two out of the way, he managed to intercept the powerful ice attack meant for Akihiko just in time.
"I-Idiot..." he hissed, his teeth chattering. "You're going to get us all killed, just sitting there like that. Hurry up and get Mitsuru out of here!!"
Slightly dazed, Akihiko nodded dumbly. He carefully picked up the still-unconscious Mitsuru and, shielding her the best he could, ran through the flames and past the Reaper.
The fiend attempted to chase after him, but was stopped by a striking blow to the back.
Shinjiro stood with his Evoker to his head, Castor shimmering beside him.
"Hey bastard, I'm your opponent," he snarled. As Death turned to face him, he braced himself.
"If you think I'm letting you get her, you've got another thing coming...!"
Mitsuru was putting up a fight. This in itself wasn't unusual; What was was the fact that she hadn't already won. Akihiko and Shinjiro stood, arms crossed, refusing to budge on the matter. "Will the two of you stop acting like children!?" Mitsuru demanded. "You're one to talk, Princess," Shinjiro retorted. Ignoring the glare, he continued: "There's only three of us. If even one of us gets taken out of action, we're screwed." Akihiko sighed. "Look, Mitsuru," he said, stepping between them in an attempt to pacify the steaming redhead. "Normally, I'd jump at the chance to split up, but Shinji's right: We've already lost two weeks because of me, and I really don't want that to happen again." "Besides, what will you do without the two of us there to save your ass?" Shinjiro smirked. He barely suppressed a yelp at the powerful ice attack launched on him. "...Are you insinuating that I am unable to take care of myself, Shinjiro?" Mitsuru hissed. Shinjiro leaned down so that they were inches away from each other's face. "I'm not 'insinuating' anything," he spat. "I'm saying that you can't be trusted alone, no matter what your royal Highness may think." At that moment, Aragaki Shinjiro was closer to being stabbed through the heart than he would ever be in his life. "I'll have you know," the redhead said in a voice that would make even hell freeze over, her rapier raised threateningly, "I have been fighting this battle since you two still needed to sit on phonebooks to reach the table. I am very well aware of my own capabilities." With this, she spun around on her heels and stormed off, nearly taking out Akihiko's eye in the process. Shinjiro grimaced. "Geez..." he muttered, rubbing at where Mitsuru had Bufu'd him. "Shinji..." Akihiko glanced worriedly at the girl's retreating back. "Don't you dare move, Aki," Shinjiro growled. "But--" "Just wait." With this, Shinjiro planted his feet firmly on the ground, watching as Mitsuru got farther and farther away. Akihiko fidgeted beside him. After a few minutes, he finally burst out, "Shinji, we really should--" "Let's go." "Huh?" Akihiko stopped, confused. "She's gone," Shinjiro said, moving forward. "Now we can follow her without damaging her precious ego." The boxer blinked, hurrying to catch up with his friend. "...Shinji, did you plan this!?" he exclaimed, awed. Shinjiro didn't reply. The two of them continued on in silence, stopping every now and then to stay out of Penthesilea's range. "...Aki," Shinjiro suddenly broke the silence, crushing a Shadow under his boots. "Get your Evoker ready." "What?" Akihiko started at him. "The Shadows here aren't even worth the effort--" "Just do it, you moron," Shinjiro interrupted, annoyed. Akihiko opened his mouth as if to speak, but thought better of it. Instead, he simply nodded and obliged, removing his Evoker from its holster. As they headed deeper into the floor, Akihiko couldn't help but notice something about the Shadows they were blasting out of the way... Like a lightbulb blinking on, it finally hit him. His eyes widened, glancing over at the brunet with amazement. No way, did Shinji really--? "What are you two doing!?" The boys jumped clean out of their skins. Out of seemingly nowhere, Mitsuru had suddenly appeared in front of them, her arms akimbo. ...and man, did she look pissed. Akihiko stood there, stunned stupid, his jaws moving up and down, but with no words coming out. Shinjiro swore silently for not noticing that they had stepping into the ice-Persona's range. "Were the two of you following me?" Mitsuru demanded. "I thought I told you, I am perfectly capable--" Mitsuru whirled around. The red Shadow behind her was instantly blown to pieces; A few small sparks were all that remained of its Agilao attack. Shinjiro smirked, lifting the Evoker away from his head. Beside him, Akihiko dismissed Polydeuces. "...You were saying, your Highness?" the former said, looking smug. At Mitsuru's shocked face, he continued, "What, you're going to tell me now that you were perfectly aware you were walking into a den of fire-oriented Shadows?" Mitsuru struggled to regain her composure. "I..." Akihiko stepped in between them. "Shinji, cut it out," he said, shooting a warning glance at the brunet, who then shrugged dismissively. He turned to Mitsuru. "You okay?" Mitsuru nodded, still slightly shaken. Akihiko smiled, satisfied. "C'mon," he said, taking her by the arm. "Let's get out of here. Together." "Yes..." Mitsuru looked stunned for a moment, but her lips soon curved into a small smile. "Yes...thank you..." It was the boys' turn to look stunned. "Whatever, let's just go," Shinjiro muttered, turning away. "Y-yeah," Akihiko agreed, his face slightly pink. "Hurry up, Mitsuru." Mitsuru nodded. "The exit's this way," she said, taking them by the hands and steering them in the right direction. Akihiko and Shinjiro looked at each other, then down to their hands, then to Mitsuru, and finally back to each other again. It was a silent agreement: They could certainly get used to this...
Shinjiro fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Death loomed above him, brushing off his attacks as though they were nothing more than flies.
"Dammit..." Shinjiro hissed, struggling to stand up. His left arm hung limply at his side; He couldn't take much more of this...
"Polydeuces!"
The blow from behind took the Reaper by surprise, allowing Shinjiro just enough time to escape.
"Where's Mitsuru?" he shouted, running to join Akihiko.
"By the exit!" Akihiko shouted back, running.
"YOU LEFT AN INJURED AND UNCONSCIOUS GIRL ALONE!?"
"SHUT UP!! What else what I supposed to do, take her back here with me!? I couldn't leave you alone, either! Now come on, it's not too far away!!"
The two of them struggled to keep the distance between them and Death. Three times they had to stop and create some sort of diversion or obstacle in the form of knocked down walls and pillars, just to slow it down. As such, it was with great relief that they finally reached the portal. Mitsuru was lying beside it, the light giving her wounds a morbid glow.
"I've healed up some of her wounds," Akihiko said, picking the girl up gently in his arms, "but her head injury wouldn't stop bleeding, even after I tried everything I could."
Shinjiro swore, hurrying to activate the portal. As soon as the light transported them back to the front of Tartarus, he turned to Akihiko and said flatly, "Call a doctor."
"W-what?" Akihiko stuttered. "Shinji, I know she needs help, but how can we call anyone during the Dark Hour--"
"You want to leave Mitsuru like this!?" Shinjiro roared, motioning to the unconscious girl. "Call Ikutsuki, or whoever, I don't give a shit, just get help!"
Akihiko nodded, stunned; It was rare for Shinjiro to lose his cool like this. Dialing the numbers in a slight panic, he got it wrong four times before Ikutsuki Shuji finally picked up. After a few tense moments in which the Chairman tried to decipher what the hell it was that Akihiko was shouting into the phone, they finally found themselves in the waiting room of Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, the effects of the Dark Hour just fading away. They refused all treatment, instead choosing to sit there in front of Mitsuru's hospital room, their hands clenched into fists, waiting, waiting...
The door slid open. Sitting up, they watched expectantly as Kirijou Takeharu stepped out, closing the door carefully behind him.
"Mitsuru will be fine," he said, putting up a hand to stop them before they could even speak. "She suffered some serious injuries, but she will recover with time. She's just waking up now."
Akihiko and Shinjiro collapsed with relief. Falling back into their seats, the silver-haired boy voiced the question they both wanted to ask:
"Can we see her?"
"No."
They jumped up, ignoring the sharp pains such an action shot through them.
"What!?"
Akihiko stared at him with disbelief, while Shinjiro looked about ready to knock someone to the floor.
If Kirijou cared about this reaction, he didn't show it. Walking calmly past them, he paused.
"Mitsuru is very hard on herself," he said without turning. "How do you think she would feel, seeing you two in this state? You received those wounds protecting her, did you not?"
The realisation hit them like a ton of bricks. If they weren't already in pain from their heads to their feet, they would have smacked themselves for being so stupid.
Of course...
Kirijou moved to leave.
"One more thing," he said, still not looking at them. "The two of you have kept your promise well. For that, I thank you." He opened the door to outside. "You boys will make excellent men someday."
Akihiko watched him go.
"Kirijou-san..."
Shinjiro looked after Kirijou for a moment, then grabbed his best friend roughly by the arm.
"Come on," he said, jerking his head towards the group of doctors and nurses anxiously awaiting them a few feet away. "You want to see Mitsuru, don't you?"
Akihiko stopped, then grinned.
"Yeah," he said, accepting an examination gown from one of the nurses. "Yeah, I do."
Akihiko stared at the bundle of flowers in his arms. "Mitsuru, what...?" The girl looked down at her feet, feeling awkward. "Well, today is the day that you...lost your sister, right?" she said, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I thought that you might like to, well..." Akihiko engulfed her in a hug. Mitsuru's eyes widened. "A-Akihiko...!?" Akihiko broke away, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry about that," he said. "It's just...it's really great, that you thought today was important enough for you to...y'know, recognise personally." Mitsuru gave him an odd look. He scratched his head, embarrassed. "Don't be ridiculous, Akihiko," she said softly. "She was your sister. This is the least I could do, after what you and Shinjiro did on my mother's deathday." "I heard my name," Shinjiro said, coming down the stairs. "You badmouthing me, Princess?" Akihiko laughed. He held out the flowers, grinning broadly. "Look, Shinji!" he cried. "Mitsuru got these for Miki!!" Shinjiro's face went from confusion, to shock, and finally, to pure, simple dumbfoundedness. "...You what?" he said slowly, staring at Mitsuru. Mitsuru looked away. "Yes, well..." "You can talk later," Akihiko said, grabbing his jacket. "Miki's waiting for us, come on!!" At the door, he looked back. "What're you doing standing over there, Mitsuru?" he asked, grabbing her arm. "You're coming with us, aren't you?" Mitsuru looked up in surprise. "What? But I--" "Might as well introduce you to her now," Shinjiro said drily, nudging her out the door. The shocked Mitsuru had no choice but to oblige and tag along. A train ride and short walk later, and the trio was standing in front of a small grave. "Sanada Miki" was engraved into the headstone. Gently, Akihiko set the flowers down in front of it. "Hey, Miki," he said tenderly, a wistful smile on his lips. "It's been a while..." Mitsuru and Shinjiro stood a few feet away, watching silently. A moment later, the girl felt something being thrust into her hand. She looked down: It was a bundle of incense. "Go." Mitsuru looked up. Shinjiro's eyes were on the grave. "Her Highness is the one who got the flowers," he said, giving the girl a light shove forward. "You should thank her, Miki." Hesitantly, Mitsuru knelt down and lit the incense. The sharp fragrance soon filled the air. "Nice one," Akihiko muttered, coming to stand beside Shinjiro. The taller boy grunted. "We messed up with Miki," he said, his eyes set in front of him. "It's about time we redeemed ourselves." Akihiko followed his gaze. There was Mitsuru, hands together in prayer. Her eyes were closed, her whole face aglow with a peaceful expression. He nodded. "Yeah..." he said, looking up into the sky. "...Yeah, it is."
"Mitsuru!!"
Akihiko burst into the room, Shinjiro not far behind.
From the hospital bed, Mitsuru turned her head at the sudden intrusion.
"Akihiko..." she said, sitting up to look at them. "Shinjiro..."
"Are you alright?" Akihiko asked worriedly, leaning over her.
Mitsuru nodded. There was a bandage around her head and gauze covered her arms where she had been burned, but overall, she looked fine.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "But you..."
Her eyes fell upon the wrappings around Akihiko's chest and the sling holding up Shinjiro's arm. Her face fell.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault," she said, looking down at her hands. "If I had detected that thing, none would this would've ever happened--"
Shinjiro slapped his uninjured hand over her mouth.
"You know what your problem is?" he said to the surprised redhead. "You talk too much. Just shut up and quit blaming yourself, will you? It'll make this busted arm seem like it's worth something, at least."
Akihiko grinning, sitting down at the edge of the bed.
"Yeah, quit apologising," he said, taking Shinjiro's hand away from her face. "You're making us feel bad."
Mitsuru stared at them, then smiled.
"Thank you, both of you," she said, placing her hands over theirs. "I owe you my life, many times over..."
Shinjiro smirked.
"No need to get all sappy, Princess," he said. "Just doing our job; Your own personal knights in shining armour."
Akihiko laughed. Even Mitsuru let out a small chuckle.
"You should go back to sleep," Akihiko said, turning back to Mitsuru. "You're still hurt."
"For once, Aki's making some sense," Shinjiro said, ignoring the sputters of protest from the other boy. He placed two fingers on Mitsuru's bandaged head, pushing her down onto the pillows. "Sleep; We'll stay right here and watch your ass."
"Not literally, of course," Akihiko said quickly, not wanting to there to be any chances of them being "Executed". "But we're not going anywhere, so just get some rest," he said, pulling the covers up to her chin.
Mitsuru smiled gratefully at them, and, closing her eyes, accepted sleep without much resistance.
Akihiko and Shinjiro sat in the darkness, listening to the even rhythm of her breathing.
They glanced at each other, and nodded.
They couldn't save Miki.
But they were going to hell and back for this one.
- FIN –
...longest thing I've written in about a year, haha, and it's not going to be stopping any time soon, either. XDD;; Mm, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out; It was fun to write, at the least (The site gave me hell trying to format it, though...). Zwip took care of the editing for this, as usual (Greatest Beta!Comments ever, Arii. XDDD).
Please review if you guys liked; It'll make me work faster on the next senpai-centric-one-shot-that-isn't (maybe).
- SAKU