"Minako." Bright red eyes glanced to the shadowed figure, brown eyebrows furrowing in frustration.
"Igor… What is this place?"
"Minato." The figure identified as Igor ignored the girl, his shadow turning to face the blue haired boy standing beside him.
Minato nodded, taking slow, lazy steps to the girl, grinning at her confused expression. "Minato? Is that your name? Igor, what's going on?"
"Listen well, Wild card users." Both teenagers looked to the figure, watching as a hunched man with a long nose stepped into the green moonlight. A tall platinum blonde man stepped beside him, his face pinched in pain. "You both have passed your parts in life."
"Wait!" Minako interrupted, her face twisted in confusion. "Theo! Igor! Minato- whoever you are-! What in Tartarus is going on!? I mean, it was like, an hour ago that I sacrificed myself to seal that hag from destroying the world! What's going on!? Shouldn't I be fighting the bastard right now!?"
"…I like her." Minato nodded, sliding his earphones into his pocket. "Igor, care to explain now?" His blue eyes had taken on an icy exterior, face hardening from his bored look.
"You are both dead."
Minato nodded while Minako's eyes shadowed until she finally gave a discreet nod. Painfully ignoring her silent whimpers, Theo took over for Igor. "It is… nice to meet you Minato. Pleasantries aside… You have both finished your part in this life. You are both…" He glanced to Minako. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he continued, "…And now you need to move on."
"But I just died!" Minako exclaimed, lifting her face to show tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "I died to save the world! Ryoji-!" She choked on her words, her pained red eyes looking to the ground. "Shinji, he-…" She remembered her final moments, listening to Shinji race to the rooftop, taking Aegis' place, holding her while she died. She heard everyone run to the rooftop a few seconds too late, heard them beg her not to die… She was looking forward to seeing Ryoji's face at the Seal, looking forward to him after so long… And then she woke up here. Dead.
"I apologize, Minako." Theo said, and even though she heard the pain in his voice, even though she knew that it was not his fault, she still hated him- hated Igor. She hated the Velvet room, hated anything that dealt with her having to fight so much and give up so much and- and-…
"I'm dead…" She looked to her hands, scarred from holding onto her Spear, from when it broke while fighting Shadows, from when she took to climbing heights while battles raged in front of her and in her mind.
"Well…" Igor cleared his throat, the grin on his face growing as he talked. "You're being rewarded. He has decided to… help." Theo scowled, his gloved hands clenching into fists. "And so, I bid you both goodbye."
"Wait- Igor!" Minato reached forward, only to grab onto Minako as they both fell. He didn't know what they were falling into, only that it was deep, and the utter darkness that consumed them frightened him so much that he just-
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Week 8
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"I am thou…" A sharp pain goes through their head. There is a voice, and it is calling them, and they must… "Thou art I…" They needed to find it. They needed to find them, all of them. "Thou art the one who will open the door…"
.
"NO!" Minako screamed, her red eyes darting everywhere, looking for her Persona, looking for Orpheus, looking for those bastards that were beating at the gate, trying to destroy the wor-
"Minako." She broke out of her thoughts, looking to her blue-haired counterpart. After being stuck in this new world, no explanation whatsoever, they both grew close, and they both found similarities in each other's life that they vowed to skin Igor should they see him next time.
"…Morning Minato." She smiled weakly, rubbing at her eyes while the taller boy nodded. His apron, colored pink, was splattered with flour, smudges of sauce stains randomly dotting it. Holding his spatula threateningly, he hardened his eyes, shaking the utensil in the air.
"You don't eat enough. Come on, I made Okonomiyaki. I'll give you a minute."
"Wait, Okonomiyaki shouldn't be eaten in the morning…" Her eyes widened at his smirk.
"Exactly." Shaking his spatula at her one more time, he exited the room, giving her time to fully wake up.
Minato knew it was hard for his female counterpart. To her, she thought she died only hours before waking up to Igor. To him, it had been almost two years. He sat beside Igor, infuriating Theo while constantly marking down changes made in Minako's own life. He knew his part was done, and soon, her own part would be over. He could see the stirring of potential in another person, a young boy with grey hair and eyes, who noticed things he shouldn't have.
Minato knew too much for this life. He was only sixteen years old. He was in love with an android, though, so he guessed there were several things that had to do…
"This smells weird…" He glared at his counterpart, eye twitching as she took a giant bite of the food he specially prepared. "Ah! Hot!"
Sighing, he handed her a glass of water, wondering when she would step into her position instead of depending on him. Minato saw too much, he knew too much, and now… He didn't know. He had no idea what this world would hold for him, for them. He didn't know what impact they would have on this world, on their inhabitants.
He hated not knowing.
"Thanks for the meal, Minato…" He blinked, looking back to find the table empty of food. "I got a little hungry…"
"You even ate my share…?"
"…sorry…"
"…"
"H-Hey! Put that spatula down! Minato-!"
"You're looking a little chubby, let's work out a bit."
"Who are you calling fat!? I'm gonna kill you!"
Life was good.
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The two were out shopping when they first encountered the mafia. Minato had his trusty sword hidden in his jacket, while Minako's spear was hidden in her sports bag.
They bought their food using their money from home that they exchanged for the local currency. They worked to earn money, speaking in English where they could and Japanese when they worked as translators (a job they'd taken for the fluency they spoke in English and Japanese).
It was a hard life, but it was one they had to accept and live by to survive. Who knew when Igor would contact them, who knew if they were going to get any help in this life?
The only way to get help was from each other, and nothing would change if they did not start.
"VOI!" Minako winced from the shout, her red eyes darting to where the voice came from. The people in the streets were hurriedly rushing away, their eyes cast to the ground and their movements controlled but scared. This must have been a common occurrence.
"Let's go, keep your eyes to the ground like everyone." Minato pulled her along, his blue eyes catching her own red eyes, a message flowing through them.
"YOU BLUE-HAIRED TRASH!" The voice was right behind them, and soon, Minako found her hand void of Minato's and she was staring at his calm blue eyes that were reassuring her.
"Let him go!" Minako yelled in English, her hands gripping her sports bag. The bags of food lay forgotten at her feet, her attention focused on the white-haired male that held the only person in this world who knew her. "Let him go!"
"Keh, can't speak Italian even though you're in this country," The rough guy scoffed. He tugged on Minato's jacket, letting the sword hilt poke out from the collar. "You're carrying a sword, so that means you're free game." He dropped Minato, pulling a sword out from the scabbard strapped to his back. He gave a shark-like grin, shifting easily into a stance.
"In movies, people like you usually ask for a name." Minato knew he was stalling, but it had to work. He gave Minako a hard glance, eyes flicking to the groceries and back. He hated being wasteful, and on the salary they had, it would hardly matter if he lived or died, because they were slowly on the way to starvation.
"I'll know your name if you're worthy enough to be called anything but Trash. For now, know me as your Maker, Superbi Squalo." With that, he wasted no time in charging.
Minato, used to the fast paced movement of Shadows, locked onto Squalo's movements, noting several parts to the sword he carried. His one hand did not have the same fluid movements as the other, so it had to be noted for later.
He pulled his sword out, drawing it at the last moment to block the strike from his opponent. Squalo, though, only grinned. Minato's eyes widened, watching pieces detach from Squalo's sword and begin to ignite.
He saw it all in slow motion, using the time it took to explode to try to do something, anything, to save himself. So he did the only thing he could remember.
"Persona!"
.
Minako looked back, watching clouds of dust rise from the explosion she heard. She'd run as fast as she could to save the groceries, and only now was she making her way back. She'd abandoned the sports bag, freely carrying her Naginata as she sped through the streets. In her pockets she carried Inari beads, anything that could heal or help them.
All the items that they had in their world, the Inari beads, the items that helped them when they were in Tartarus, it was all sent in a velvet bag. Minako knew it was from Theo, because Igor would not do this at all. Still, she wished he would send something to let her know that her- that their friends were alright.
"Ushishishi." She stopped in her tracks, looking to her left where a blonde boy with his eyes covered stood with a grin on his face. He wore a purple striped shirt, a tiara? perched lopsidedly on his head. "You're the companion of Squalo's opponent. He's proving a good fight." She tensed, watching him stalk up to her. "Let's see how well you do."
The knife flew past, slicing her cheap shirt and making a thin line of blood drip down her hand. She reacted in kind, detaching her spear and letting the chain fly. She could see the wires in the air, could hear them whistle as they flew past. The boy was a genius, that much she could tell from his actions and quick thought processing, but she spent years in Hell, and he was nothing compared to the Shadows.
Willing her body to cooperate, she jumped into the air, pulling the chain to her spear back and reattaching it. She stuck the spear into the ground, taking off at a run as she landed. She could hear him give chase, hear his mad laughter as he followed her, and somehow, she was not at all afraid.
She found Minato, bruised and bloodied but with a small grin on his face, his blue eyes icy and hard. She could imagine that he was fighting Shadows instead, with Junpei and Aegis and Ken and Akihiko and everyone else at his back, their weapons at the ready and waiting for his command.
In that moment, she hated that their lives paralleled each other. She hated that he was best friends with Junpei and Akari when they were her best friends. She hated that he was such a good cook while she was mediocre, and she hated, absolutely hated, that his skill far surpassed her own.
She was going to catch up to him, and she'd show him who was awesome.
"Minako! Use your Persona!" She did not doubt him, truly, but she doubted herself. What if Orpheus did not come to her as it apparently did to him? She only had one way to find out.
She drew her gun out from her jacket, pointing it to her head. She took in the narrowed eyes of the white-haired male, saw his disgusted glance, and grinned at him. "Persona!"
She and Minato both disappeared in a flash of light.
Thou hast called me. Now, thou must fight Shadows to balance this world.
-I'm not ready- Two voices, one male one female, replied at the same time. The voices couldn't be distinguished, the monotone of them causing confusion.
Thou hast called. Thou must act. Thou shall open the door.
-I can't- The voices grew panicked. –I need to go home and fight and save and Ryoji is still-
The power of The World rests on thy shoulders. Take heed, take aim.
-I…- The voices distorted. -We have our powers?- A male and female voice could finally be distinguished from the other.
Thou must open thy door to life. With thy door closed, thou shalt remain forever in darkness.
-I understand- The male voice replied. -…I will take responsibility- The female voice responded with strong conviction.
Thou hast opened the door.
Week 10
In two weeks, the two had relocated to a tourist island far from where they used to stay. It was run by crime gangs, and the tourist island had no tourists but plenty of beat down locals.
Minato and Minako decided to change that.
Week 14
Four weeks later, they'd run out most of the crime gangs, only the stronger ones managing to oppose them. Their first encounter was a success, having targeted the lesser gangs and slowly moving up the ranks. Only three major crime gangs were left, having brought bigger guns to give them bigger trouble.
Of course, with Minato and Minako being who they were, they gained the supports of several… unique… individuals.
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Week 11
"Ciao!" Bright blue eyes peeked from under a fedora, a large smile on his pretty face. His two friends, one tanned with messy white hair and an eye patch, the other with short brown hair and glasses. "We heard you're opposing the crime gangs running this place."
Minako looked up from her lunch, turning to Minato. "Well, yeah. Since you're not attacking us so far… Does that mean you're not a part of those assholes?"
"Well, Bambina," Eye-patch purred, leaning down into her view. "We have tried overpowering the gangs, but obviously, we have not had enough manpower."
While he talked, Minako made eye contact with him. Her eyes glazed over, and she could hear glass shattering. As the other two made eye contact with her, she could hear the sound of glass shattering two more times. She nearly fainted from the voices echoing in her head, the sound of 'Social Links' being made and Personas shouting out the names of their connections. The Temperance, The Hermit, Strength- the Personas involved with each of those all cried out, and Minako and Minato, both sharing the link to the Personas, felt the relief as they made contact with their new hosts.
"What…" Glasses gasped, looking up from his position on the ground. He was sweating, out of breath and eyes wary. "What just happened…?"
"Let me start from the beginning," Minako began, knowing Minato as not much of a social person. "I am Minako, and this is Minato." She smiled, helping each one to their feet. "You have just made a mental connection to your true potential, an Arcana Persona."
"What does that mean?" Fedora asked, his blue eyes shining. Minako could tell he was making deductions, that he was the leader of their group of friends, that he was the one who proposed plans and strategies. She knew he knew the answer.
"It means that we now have the manpower to overthrow the crime gangs."
.
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As soon as they met Luca, David, and Pace, their group of two grew rapidly. Not even a week after becoming a group of five, they met more people. They met Dante, who had raised Liberta, a blonde-haired cheery teen around three years younger than them, and then Nova, a blue-haired teen whose resemblance to Minato was eerie and was responsible for helping save citizens from out of control attacks from the crime gangs.
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Week 12
"You're under arrest for smuggling." Minato made it a point to be blunt as possible. It saved time and led them straight to the fighting. He was a lazy person at heart, but he knew that going through so many words would be more than worth the effort when it always led to the fight. Minako, who had more than enough energy to spare, suppressed a noise of protest. She was the one who had suggested he lead the party, after all.
"Fongule e tuo capra!" The lead guy shouted. Pace, David, and Luca took that as cue to attack. Sighing in resignation, Minato grabbed his sword from the scabbard strapped to his back, falling into fighting formation with Minako behind his right elbow. Unlike Minako, he was ambidextrous, and he was capable of adapting to other weapons unlike her specialization of only the naginata.
He rushed forward, taking out another sword, this time hidden in his jacket. He slashed down, not taking heed of the blood marring the steel of both swords, not caring that many of the men would die because it was a life or death battle.
They would just end up becoming Shadows on the Other side anyway.
"Oi! Watch out!" Pace ran to the boy, trying to save him and unsuccessfully trying to summon his Persona. So far, none of the three made any progress at all, only being able to manifest the powers of their Persona into physical attributes, such as Pace's strength, Luca's ability to heal, and David's power to see bits of the future.
Minako reacted quickly. She summoned the avatar of Orpheus, not being in a physical, or solid, state in this world. He carried her, her red eyes flashing while in control and wielding her spear with expertise. The boy was afraid, and his eyes, looking for help, made Minako scared for him.
If she would only make it in ti-
"Liberta!" A large tanned man made it in time, shoving a sword through the man about to attack his charge.
"Dante!" Liberta exclaimed, his fade hardening from the scared one earlier. "I just-!"
"Not the time! This is what we came here to do!" Dante revealed a bazooka, aiming it to the smuggler's ship. Grinning, everyone fighting against the crime gang cheered as the ship went up in flames. Since there were no police on this island either, having only been inhabited for thirty years, the rebels against the crime gangs built their own Justice system. The town, who was only focused on expanding and growing into a major trade and port city, could not manage the upkeep of their own police, and the crime gangs took over that until it did not exist.
"You're all under arrest," Minato monotoned, snapping his fingers. Several dozen strongmen cracked their knuckles, roughly grabbing the criminals and twisting their arms behind their backs. "Take them to the dungeon district, Benio told me it was just finished. And guess what?" He smirked. "They have stone beds."
"That was great!" Liberta exclaimed. Minato glanced to where his counterpart was being praised, Oorpheus shrinking back into her form. "When that thing came out of you, it was like schwoom!" He raised his hands in the air, a large grin on his face.
"We do all we can to help," Minako laughed, glancing to the large man next to the blonde. Her eyes glazed, two Persona in her head, The Emperor and The Tower making connections to their hosts. Minato, who she could see was helping the civilians recover, was staring at a kid who looked to be the same age as Liberta. The Judge echoed in her mind, having made a connection to the smaller blue-haired boy.
"What's going on?" Liberta asked, his eyes glazed and unfocused.
Dante was staring at Minako, his thoughts somewhere else. "Il Imperatore…" He murmured in disbelief, his eyes on Minako. "…"
"I… think we should explain…" Minako panted, hearing Luca make his way to her.
"Princess, what's wrong?" He had a worried look on his face, his hand twitching to the vials in his pocket. Luca had taken a liking to alchemy, and was experimenting recreating the Inari beads and other artifacts.
"I made new friends," Minako replied, smiling at Liberta's beaming face. "I think Minato found a long lost brother or something, too." She laughed at Luca's astonished face once he spotted the two, who were sizing each other up.
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Week 19
"Bambina," David purred, snapping Minako out of her thoughts. "You are thinking too deeply for this joyous night. Relax." She blinked, catching his amused golden eye. She'd convinced him to remove his eye-patch for the night, revealing his purple colored eyes with strange markings in the pupil. It was an amethyst, he'd told her, implanted in his eye by his father's friend before he died.
"I know David, but there is still one gang out there causing trouble. I just want this to be over with already. I want to throw them off the island and have a nice happy home." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
David laughed. "You know, if it weren't for you and Minato, this island would still be overrun by criminals."
"David!" Pace exclaimed, running to the pair. "You won't believe this, Dante's actually funny!"
"…"
David rubbed at his temples while Minako laughed, standing up.
"I guess we should go in or we'll miss all the fun." Pace grabbed her hand, pulling her inside while David stared at the sea.
This island would still have criminals if it weren't for them, huh…
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Week 20
"Uhh, who are you?" Minato blinked sleepy eyes at the purple eyed man at the door, waving the smoke away from his face.
"You can call me Jolly," He grinned, tilting his head back and blowing smoke above them. A gust of wind carried it away, but Minato was still irritated with it. "I've come to make a proposition."
Minato raised a brow. "Okay. What is it?"
"The last crime gang on this island, I've been working inside them for about two years now. I slowly introduced rebel forces to put a stop to it. The only thing we lack now is the power to permanently break them." He took his sunglasses off, revealing purple eyes hard in resolution. Vaguely, the sound of glass shattering in the background could be heard, and The Moon made its own connection to its host. "We'd like your assistance."
"I have a feeling there's a catch," Minato said, leaning on the door frame. His simple house with Minako was starting to get crowded, and the two bedroom two bathroom house would soon need to be upgraded.
"I just wish to be able to kill the leader, that's all. Now there must be a catch for you, too."
"Welcome to the group."
.
That night, on October 18 on the Trade Island now named Regalo, the locals named their heroes the Arcana famiglia, the rebel group dedicated to keeping their island and lives safe.
- Present Day-
Minato glared at the paperwork on his desk. He was only eighteen damn it, not old enough for this kind of stress. Sighing, he slumped on his desk, pressing the receiver. "Lucaa…" He called, his voice the regular monotone, "I'm bored. Get me Lemon Pie…"
"Minato," Luca's voice replied, a sigh sounding soon after. "That would be the second time today. The last I checked, you haven't even touched the paperwork."
"It's not my fault Minako has bad hand writing," He replied, this time doodling on a piece of scrap paper. "Just get me something sweet to eat. Hurry, or I might not do anything today and it would fall to you to-."
"One Limone Pie coming right up!" The receiver hung up, leaving a smirking Minato as a result.
"Yay," He cheered unenthusiastically, looking at the paperwork once more. "If Mitsuru-senpai were here… It would be Tartarus all over again…" He sighed, then decided to get to work.
.
Meanwhile, Minako was out strolling with Liberta and Nova, visiting the locals and making sure there were no troublemakers afoot.
"Hey, do you think this would taste good…?" More like, Minako kept getting distracted by food stalls and was always wandering around. Liberta was ecstatic; Nova was wondering why he couldn't have just stayed at their home and trained.
"Let's check the harbor next!" Liberta offered, leading Minako.
Nova followed at a sedate pace, knowing the blonde only wanted to go there because Dante was always working on the ships. He was in charge of trade regulations, while Minato controlled the paperwork and Jolly took over managing the shops and increasing economic growth. Minako was in charge of Social Networking, along with several other land development ideas, while David handled opening tourist attractions. Pace built several buildings with Luca as the architectural supervisor, and Liberta and Nova were still only training. The two would take over the Justice system once they were old enough and had more training, but right now they were following Minako around.
"Dante!" Liberta called, waving to the bald man donning a trench coat and now a tattoo on his head. He grinned at his charge, shouting out orders before making his way down.
"You three!" He greeted, smiling happily. "How nice to see you today."
"Its always great to see you Dante!" Minako replied, giving a quick bow to him and handing him a wrapped lunch. "I brought you a bento again today!"
"Thanks again!" He laughed, patting her head. Everyone had gotten used to the Minato and Minako's odd mannerisms, having later learned that they were from Japan. Liberta and Nova already had their own wrapped lunches, called bento in Japanese, given to them when they met her earlier. "Where will you guys be heading now?"
"I was thinking on patrolling the town one last time before going to give Minato a break at the office. He'll be bringing the two out later for some training."
The two young teen's ears perked up. They were both interested in the art of the sword, and Minato, with his arsenal of swords collected from the battles, agreed to teach both of them the art. Nova was interested in the katana that Minato carried, wanting to use one for himself, while Liberta found a curved long sword more to his liking.
"Keep up the good work, Princess," Dante said, and then bid them a farewell. Minako looked to the sea, spotting a cruise ship in the horizon. An idea sprung into her head, then. A marvelous idea, certainly, and then thoughts of Greece entered her mind. With a mad grin on her face, she grabbed the two scared boys and raced to Minato.
After all, he was also in charge of the funds.
.
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Month 6- Day 27
Minato was out walking when he met a strange man. He was a tall, muscular blonde man who was sitting at one of the cafes wearing an orange jumped and a shovel beside him. He shrugged, then hearing his stomach growl, decided to get something to eat.
This was his favorite café anyway.
"Prince!" The barista exclaimed, smiling and waving Minato over to him. He could make out the strange blonde man staring at him, watching him with curious eyes. "How are you?"
"Just fine," Minato replied, waving a hand in the air. "I traded places with Jolly and Minako at the offices, its his turn to see how much of a terror she can be." He shivered at past memories.
The Barista, remembering Minako's cheery personality, could not begin to imagine their Princess as anything but. "Well, you want your usual?" Even as he spoke, he was preparing the order.
"Yeah, sure." He glanced at the table in front of him, the plate of a simple egg sandwich with custard-filled bread to the side and a cup of black tea. He loved this café.
"I've been hearing rumors that you were building a new home?" The barista asked, cleaning some glasses.
"Yeah," Minato said, taking a sip of the tea. Perfect as always. "Pace and Luca are nearly done. With the growing amount of tourists and the locals in an economic stability, we can expect a better growth in imports. I'm betting the harbor will have more stalls set up by next year." It was a start, and Regalo was starting to live up to its claim as a tourist island.
"Maybe I can even get a new shipment of Ginori dishes…" The barista sighed dreamily, snapping out of his thoughts when Minato stood up. "Oh, hey! What's this?" He pointed to the money on the table, his eyes wide. "Prince!"
"Its for the food, like always." Minato's face was the usual blank face, his posture slouched and stance lazy.
"I-I can't accept it!"
"You said that last time too. See ya." Minato walked out the door, leaving the barista with a resigned smile on his face.
"Master," The blonde man said, catching his attention. "I've noticed everyone can speak English."
"Ah, that is because of the Arcanas," The barista laughed, gathering the dirty dishes in front of him "Its been almost a year since they regained control of Regalo from the crime gangs that used to run this place. Now, they help with promoting Regalo as a trade island." He wiped the cup in his hands one last time, placing it on the cabinet. "If it weren't for the Prince and Princess, we would still be a rundown city controlled by nothing but scum." He started. "Ah, what am I talking about? If you want, there are some beautiful scenery on the island, but for shops you should go to…"
Sawada Iemitsu wondered if he should report to Vongola. This trade island was already prominent, and not even a year after recovering from a wrest of control. These Arcanas… he had to look up on them.
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Month 6- Day 29
Minako blinked at the poster shoved in her face. "Can you tell me where this is!?" The desperate voice made her pity the person, that is, until she saw his face.
"…You again…"
"Please!" The person on the ground looked up, blinking brown eyes. "Signorina!" He shot up, latching his long arms around her. "I have been missing your warm beauty!"
"Uhh… Mr. Shamal… Please go back to your inn…" She barely restrained herself from kicking him the nuts and stabbing him with her spear.
"…I was looking for that, actually." His cute smile did nothing to Minako, who gave him a blank stare. She could tell her red eyes unnerved him, but he kept smiling, his arms still not removed from her waist. "But then I got distracted by these pretty signorinas, and then…"
"Princess," She heard the deep voice of Jolly behind her, the weight of his hand settling on her shoulder. "Do you need help?"
She smiled. "Yes!" She exclaimed, feeling Shamal let go of her. She grabbed his arms, latching them onto Jolly's. "This person needs help finding his inn! Ja ne!"
Jolly watched her run, sighing. "Well, Shamal, who were you chasing this time…?"
"…The clothes maker…" He smiled. "Uhh, wait, where are you going?"
"You should know where you live by now. Ciao."
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Year 3- Month 2- Day 1
"Happy Birthday Minako!" All the people in the Arcana Famiglia gathered in the ballroom clapped, cheering as they watched one of their leaders blow the candles on her cake. Today, she was turning seventeen, Minato's birthday having been last year on December. He was already nineteen.
"Our Princess is already grown up," Luca cried, sniffling into his handkerchief. "Time has passed too fast!"
"Stop sniveling," David groused, shaking the taller man off his person. "Go eat cake or something…"
"Pace! David won't hug me!"
"What? Lasagna?"
Minato sighed at the scene. Two years, and nothing felt different… Except, that somehow they were established as a Mafia Famiglia, and they had control over a lot of trade across Europe, and they kept being targeted by several Mafia and crime gangs (seriously?) who had it in their head that they were weak enough to take control over.
Yeah right.
Minako, being the friendly get-in-your-face-until-you-become-my-friend type of person, had everyone on Regalo wrapped around her pinky. Minato, meanwhile, was the person everyone looked up to, their role-model.
"Boss." He turned to the side, sighing at the serious-faced Nova.
"How many times have I told you not to call me Boss?" Minato waved his hands, slouching more into his seat. "Besides, that's such a stuffy title. Call me Your Highness."
"Y-yes, Your Highne-,"
"I didn't really mean that…" Minato sighed again. "What happened to the cute little kid I found at the harbor? He called me onii-chan instead of Boss…" Minato pouted, enjoying the extreme look of discomfort on the thirteen year old's face.
"T-that's because I didn't know what that meant back then! You told me it meant 'leader'!" Nova huffed, crossing his arms.
"Same thing," He said, eyes flicking over the crowd. There were several top merchants present in the ballroom (located at the largest inn on island, right next to his favorite café) and all members of the Famiglia. Allies, such as the Jericho Family and the small Bovino Famiglia were in attendance, the two families, both producing weapons and scientific research, were great assets to the island (and were given free use of the harbor for trade purposes that did not put the island at harm).
"Minato!" He turned to his counterpart, giving her a small smile. She was wearing a red dress made by the famous seamstress on the island, Federica, that emphasized the nickname given to her- Princess. "Let's dance!"
"I don't dance," He refuted, even as he was dragged up from his seat on the platform. He sighed.
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After the party was finished, Minato took Jolly and Dante with him to have a meeting with the heads of the Bovino and Jericho famiglias. It was a simple meeting, the four of them sipping wine (Minato didn't really drink the wine, he just made it touch his lips and he pretended to drink it. What?) and making small talk.
"The Princess has grown so fast, huh?" The head of Jericho, Apollo, said.
"Indeed," The head of Bovino replied. "We have been thinking…" He waited at Minato's nod to continue. Though the blue-haired man was younger than the two, he was on equal strength with them, and thus deserved their mutual respect. "We both have ties with the Vongola, the strongest Mafia Famiglia in Europe."
"We don't really have anything to do with Europe," Minato said, leaning into his chair. "We're too far into the ocean to be nothing more than a prospering port town. All we really have going for us here is trade and fishing."
"You've also been targeted for being the port town that regulates trade to Europe. You've also been attacked three times the past two weeks," Apollo said. He placed his empty wine glass on the table.
"We have received word from Vongola Nono that he would like to offer his hand in friendship," Bovino said. "It is a fortuitous offer."
"Excuse me for interrupting," Jolly said, fixing his sunglasses. "I have a feeling there is a catch to this proposal."
"Well," Apollo sighed, slouching. "Vongola Nono has received word of Minako and your existence as the Heads of the Arcana Famiglia. He has a son, Xanxus, a strong boy the same age as you. He is to be the next head of the family. He would like for the Princess to meet him."
"No." Shinji was crying over Minako's dead body and there was nothing Minato could do for her because he died the same way and AegishelovedAegisand- "Its up to Minako." I can't let her.
"Also," Bovino coughed, gaining their attention. "Well, I lead a low-class famiglia in Italy. This is a great offer, and it will lead to better protection for your famiglia." He look pained trying to convince Minato. "Consider this idea."
"I'll bring it up with Minako." He leaned his head back, the plush chair giving him little comfort. He could hear Orpheus whispering to him, telling him to accept it, telling him that Thereisadoorthatmustbeopenedandthoumust- "I'll think about it."
Year 3 Month 2 Day 23
Minako looked at the helicopter that came to take her. She then looked to her counterpart, an eyebrow arched in question. "Are you sure you don't mind me going with Apollo to Italy?"
"No problems at all," Minato replied. The hand on her shoulder squeezed just a little harder, the tenseness of his shoulders clearly visible. "Its just that, if you ever want to come home, you don't have to be afraid. Its okay if the big bad people over there scare you on over he-,"
"Minato!" She punched him, her red eyes glaring at him with no malice at all. She smiled, the glare slipping easily off her face. "I'll be fine, I promise. I swear that if I am in any trouble, I won't hesitate at all!"
"The helicopter's ready," Apollo called, setting an arm on the blue-haired boy. "We'll take good care of the Princess in Italy. Its only two weeks, anyway, so don't worry so much."
Scenes of horror in Tartarus flashed through Minato's mind. He imagined the Reaper, he imagined the victims of Apathy Syndrome and heimaginedAegisblowingupandtheothersfightingoverwh ethertoturnbacktimeandbringhimtolife-
"I'll try." He really would.
.
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Minako landed in Italy six hours later. The helicopter ride was uncomfortable, and several times she wished she could summon Orpheus or any one of the multiple Personas housing in her mind, just so she could fly into the horizon and back home.
She never felt so helpless.
It was always her and Junpei and Ryoji and Akari and Ken and Akihiko and Aegis and Mitsuru and ShinjiandshecouldnotbearitifhediedohGodwhy-
"Princess, look!" Land was coming into view, and so was the mansion perched on the cliff. She could make out the emblem of Apollo's family, the Jericho, on the cliff face, bearing the mark of a Starfish and bullets. "That is the main family mansion. You will be staying there for a week, and then we will introduce you to the Vongola the week after."
"I don't get why we have to be allies." She listened to Orpheus, who was whispering that yes, they must be allies, and yes, it is important that a Social Link be made. Orpheus did not specify who, but Minako had suspicions.
"It is highly honorable to be in the Vongola's favor. They have contract with the strongest Hitman in the world, along with a veritable team of guardians and hitmen. The Varia, an assassination squad, is said to be led by Vongola Nono's own son, Xanxus." When Apollo spoke, it was with awe, along with hidden envy. He looked to Minako, his golden eyes serious. "It is an honor, Princess."
"I guess." She looked out the window. If only she could fly out, fly on the wings of one of her Persona, see if she could summon Thanatos if possible… She missed Ryoji.
.
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Month 3 Day 9
Minako had spent a week playing with children from the Jericho family. She spent a week watching them learn how to protect themselves as children of a strong Famiglia. She watched them beat each other, then laugh with each other as they shared a meal. She watched men and women of various ages come into the mansion in varying states of health- many were not over thirty.
"We're here to escort the Arcana Famiglia's princess." She looked outside, dangling on the edge of the balcony. She was positioned precariously on the rails, one small move and she would fall forward.
"We'll go get her," One of Apollo's nephews, Leonardo, smiled, purposely not looking up because that was where Minako was known to hang out. He rushed inside, Apollo's own son Donatello making small talk with the two men.
Sighing, Minako let herself slip.
"What the Hell!?"
She easily landed, having gotten used to being thrown from heights by Shadows (and the help of Orpheus was also something to be grateful of). "Hello, nice to meet you," She said, ignoring their wide-eyed stares and giving them a cheery smile.
They drew their guns. Minako sighed- It was going to be a long day.
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AN: Yoho~! Hello everybody~! I know that its been forever since I've written, and a decade since I've made a new story, but I have the writer's blues. More like, my internet is hogged by a vindictive bitch who I happen to be related to -dammit- and I am only able to start uploading on Saturdays. So... uwahh... I hope you like this story- and don't forget to review! Reviews give me motivation to write~! Also, I've been adjusting my writing style, so no complaints for now, k? Or wait... complaints are welcome. I need fuel.