Author's note: More Persona 3 fanfics, yeeees! It's been ages since I've written for the game. Must thank Atlus for releasing P3 Portable. I never would've thought a female counterpart would be made.

Comrades

"Whoo, what awesome weather we have today. Anyone want to-?" Minako may as well have been talking to herself when she passes the dorm's entrance and nobody is inside. The sitting room is devoid of life. Either everyone is way too busy to come back right after classes or they were abducted by a UFO that whisked them off to a different planet.

Her alien theory is off. There's somebody here. Koromaru sits by the TV, tag wagging, happily munching away on some edible in his food dish. A leftover sachet of dog food lies next to him. The spunky dog barks when she approaches.

"Hi there, Koro-chan. How's my fuzzy guy doing? Good dinner?" Minako kneels and rubs his fur between his ears.

Koromaru eagerly gulps more doggy treats in reply. Minako takes that as an affirmative.

She plucks up the partly empty sack to look at it. And whistles at reading the classy label.

"Koro-chan, you are the dog. What did you do to deserve such a gourmet? Fight Shadows all on your own and cleared a floor? Anyone who can do that deserves 'the quintessential meal of royal pedigrees'," Minako reads off the description. Was this bag some promo thing?

Another exuberant yap, followed by another louder. Probably Koromaru's way of saying what a silly girl she is for stretching her praise a little too much.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'," a muffled voice grumbles out loud from somewhere behind the separating wall behind Koromaru. Minako frowns in confusion. Someone is here?

As her brain guesses at the who, her answer comes around the wall's bend in the form of Shinjiro. Her eyes widen at him being here and his expression mirrors hers at being discovered. A bowl of water is cupped in his hands and when Minako sees the careful way he's balancing it she makes the logical connection that Shinjiro has something to do with the dog food. Pricey dog food.

Shinjiro's mouth wraps around an uncomfortable greeting as if the motion is foreign. "Hey."

They've known each other for a week and though they chat regularly, they act like strangers when they are alone. Minako waits until he sets down the bowl in front of the snacking dog before she composes her own greet. "Hi, Shinjiro-san. It's good to see this place isn't an empty haunted dorm."

"Yeah, kicking Shadows' asses is a pain enough without ghosts to worry about."

"That's sweet of you to get that food for him."

"The hell are you talking about?" Shinjiro mutters like he doesn't know what she means, the creeping red rising in his face betraying him.

"He's not eating typical boring-o food."

Shinjiro tugs the beanie lower over his eyes. "Tch, whatever."

They sit and listen to the crunching sounds of munchies being devoured, both of them watching Koromaru. Shinjiro takes the surprising initiative by asking, "How was your day?"

Minako wonders what to say as she draws her knees up to her chest. She doubt he's interested in gossip, but the whine of irrelevant school subjects he takes no part in is even less relevant for him. Still, she wants to give him a reply, so she explains like he is a part of everything. "Pretty good, except there was a speech in History. Some impromptu thing where the teacher points at someone and they blab on about yesterday's homework. You either know your stuff or you don't. I fell into the second boat. Plus I'm not the speechy type." Burying her face in her arms resting on her knees, Minako can't help the wave of despair that washes over her at the difficulty of speaking aloud.

"You're tellin' me stuff now, right? What's so hard?" Shinjiro tries to console her.

"Not the same. Poor weakness the leader of SEES has, huh? I need to command everyone what to do in battle. Someone else should've been in charge."

Silence fills the air and Minako knows Shinjiro thinks the same.

"You're doing fine."

Minako slowly lifts her face. Shinjiro's dark eyes aren't agreeing with her statement. She laments. "You should've been leader. You've got a knack for commanding." He does shoot out orders without hesitation. Minako has to think about the right path to take and the consequences and who is best to fight with certain enemies. It takes her forever to figure out a plan and execute it through voice.

"Leading you guys to your deaths is more like it." Shinjiro scoffs and shakes his head in rueful admonishment. "Naw, you wouldn't live if I gave the orders."

Now it's Minako's turn to disagree. "You'd lead us to victory."

"Why say that?" Shinjiro frowns as if she's leading him on to some twisted joke.

Koromaru has stopped eating and turns his attention to them with soulful, encouraging eyes. It is then that clinches Minako's belief. "Because you care. You didn't have to buy Koromaru food. He's got plenty."

"It's just this once." Shinjiro clears his throat. His shifty eyes mean otherwise. Koromaru barks to contradict him and Shinjiro swivels his frown to shush his comrade. The smart Koromaru has the truth.

Minako giggles at the dog's adamant refusal to let Shinjiro off the considerate hook and Shinjiro's attempt at not hanging himself on it in the first place. Shinjiro, appearing caught between his lackluster rebuff and two people, soon follows her line of laughter and lets out a private chuckle.

Minako can't control her laughing for some reason and her happiness is ballooning. She raps Shinjiro on the arm. "We're on to you, Shinji. You can't get away!"

The startled way Shinjiro pierces his gaze into her makes her stop. What's wrong? Did she offend him by hitting him?

Her words flow back and she understands her slip. "I- I mean, Shinjiro-san. Sorry."

Shinjiro glances away to the blank screen of the TV, his expression unreadable. Minako shifts awkwardly. Only Akihiko calls him by his nickname since they've known each other for years. Heck, everyone else doesn't call him any nicknames. Even Mitsuru who has been friends with Shinjiro as long as Akihiko.

"Shinji's fine."

It takes a couple seconds to register what Shinjiro's admission means and Minako feels her face heat up. "N-no, I can't."

"Sure you can. Leader." Shinjiro emphasizes the last word and looks at her with the encouragement Koromaru had given them.

Minako puffs herself up and her head spins at what she's about to say. "Mina. Call me that, 'k?"

With a self-conscious rub of his ear, Shinjiro has trouble meeting her vision, debating what to do when she has let him call her name without the formal honorifics. "You sure? You might have to get speechy to the others if they hear me." The spark of jest in his eyes catches hers when Shinjiro connects to her stare at last.

He's right. The girls will badger her with a flurry of questions. Junpei will never cease his zest for juicy knowledge. Even Akihiko, with his disdain for gossip will be allured by wonder. Ken is already the inquisitive sort.

Feeling some of Shinjiro's rebellious nature rub off on her, Minako felt a rakish grin spread on her lips. "Aw, let 'em come."

- THE END -