Welcome

One of the biggest questions I ask myself before I go to sleep is, why the hell did I unquestioningly sign a contract by a mysterious phantom boy the day I transferred to a new school. I ended up saving the Earth from their collective malice, yes, but I would think that I would have a slightly more suspicious reaction.

Ah, well. Nothing has been normal for me since I first pressed the Evoker against my head. Shadows, Personas, somehow learning how to use a weapon with great efficiency despite lack of training…that's just the way life is for me, I guess.

Of course, I'm not going to complain about that. While it's been stressful, pounding those bastards with the facets of my personality makes me feel like I'm the main character in an awesome video game, saving the world and whatnot notwithstanding.

That's enough tough talk for now. I'm probably just berating myself for how much trouble I've caused.

In absolute honestly, what I appreciate most about my destiny is the fact I made so many great friends. I was doomed to live as a seal until the nature of mankind changes, but then the wonderful people in my life saved me. I don't know how to thank them, and I really don't think I deserved it. But then, they appeared before me, one by one, smiling radiantly when they freed me from my prison.

"Welcome back, Minako. We missed you."

…

"A'ight! Are we ready to get this welcome back party started?!" Junpei shouts, grinning widely while he slams his hand against my back. "You don't know how much we all missed you!"

"I'm sorry for troubling you!" I clasp my hands and close my eyes apologetically. "I can't thank you enough, everyone!"

It's true. I don't even know how long they've stuck themselves in the maze of time and space, relentlessly searching for a way to save me. I've lost count on just how many times I apologized, but no matter how much I do so, it ends in someone telling me not to feel so responsible for it. I didn't ask them to save me. Everyone complied under their own individual wills, risking their whole existences to save a normal girl like me.

"We're your friends, Minako." Akihiko smiles softly at me, and then straightens his lips as he continued speaking. My heart flutters for a moment—my senior really is handsome—but I politely listen to what he has to say. "No matter what, we have your back."

"Alright, enough with the mushy stuff. Minako doesn't need anymore of that. Come on, let's all enjoy the hotel!" Junpei hops from his seat, ready to party as per usual.

"If I may, shouldn't we ask Minako what she would like to do first? After all, it's a celebration just for her."

That's right. Theodore came to my aid as well. He promised that if I were to ever need him, he would do everything in his power to reach me, and he did just that. He set aside his beloved duties and teamed up with my friends, spending who knows how long in an anomalous abyss without ever turning back.

I really am blessed. I could cry my eyes out right now, but I'm going to hold my tears in for the sake of their happiness.

"Mm! Let's party!" I nod enthusiastically, throwing my fist energetically into the air.

In the end, the celebration was a great success.

…

Most everyone went to bed, but I honestly couldn't sleep. I still can't wrap my head around the fact everyone did all this for me. I still can't wrap my head around the fact they risked their whole lives so I can sit here with them, laugh with them, and reminisce about the past as a group of fire-forged friends.

That's why I'm walking aimlessly around the hotel, trying to comprehend everything that has happened.

"Minako? You're not asleep?"

I turn around to the sound of a familiar voice, and see an equally familiar face. White hair, piercing gray eyes, a slender, athletic build—it can only be Akihiko Sanada, one of my most trusted companions. I smile sweetly, though he seems concerned, for some reason.

"I can ask you the same thing, Akihiko." I teasingly point out, though with all good intention.

"Heh, you still have enough energy to joke around?" his lips curl gently upwards, and I can with utmost confidence say its one of the most satisfying rewards I've ever received.

"I'm just happy, Akihiko. Thanks, really." There I go again. I really just can't stop thanking and apologizing to everyone, can I?

"Minako." My friend's voice suddenly becomes solemn, and my face mirrors his expression in response. "Err… I've actually been wanting to talk you like this for a while now." His pale cheeks dust with pink, and if he had not looked somber the second before, I would have ran up to him and pinched them so!

"You look so cute, Akihiko. What did you want to talk about?" I walk towards him curiously, my hands clasped behind my back.

"I-I'm cute? Really? That's good then. I mean, it's not that—well, it is…damn it."

Akihiko stammers, his face flushing as he stumbles through his words. He's always been a blunt, succinct person, but rarely does he stutter like this. His cheeks remind me of strawberry ice cream right now, until he just stops and stares straight at me in the eyes.

Time stops for a moment.

"Minako, I told you, please shut up with thanking me and apologizing. I told you before, I'm your friend and…" My eyes have widened at this point, but I'm not mad. It is Akihiko, after all, and I believe it's better to be honest than to lie. "I didn't mean to come off harshly. It's just, well,

you don't know how much I wanted to see you, Minako. For a while, I've been wanting to ask if…"

If? He looks so flustered right now, and it's making my heart beat a thousand times faster than it usually does. I must have broken his concentration earlier without meaning to, and now I've evidently messed up his train of thought.

"Will you be my girl?"

…

I lean back against the bedpost, trying not to close my eyes as his body leans into mine. Akihiko's lips touch my stomach, and he leaves a trail of tender kisses from the midline of my breasts, ending his path with a kiss to my lips. There, he pauses, and my mouth quivers while I'm trapped in this lust.

Akihiko, understanding the subtle movements pressed against his lips, leans further into me and meets his tongue with mine. I arch back, my chest rising when I feel the electricity circuiting throughout my body, but he holds my wrists painlessly and explores the inside of my mouth.

He abruptly pulls back, and my body shivers from the sudden release. Akihiko just looks at me, his silver eyes staring into mine without a hint of his previous bashfulness. Even after our tongues danced together with the rhythm of each other's breath, my cheeks heat up when I feel him studying my visage.

Then, he licks my neck.

"Aki-" I try to protest. This is just to good, if I just let him continue, I think I won't ever be able to tell him to stop. "Aki, yo-"

He releases his grip from my wrists, locking me down onto the mattress with his hands firmly clutching my waist, his tongue still searching all through my neck. My eyes have been long closed; whenever I squint them open, my head twisting, drunk from this sinful pleasure, I just end up closing them again when I feel something sucking on my naked skin.

I let out a long moan, and I swear I felt him smirk while he begins to travel downward. I'm not even going to tell him to stop anymore, as he pushes further and further down my body, below my breasts and waist and hips. I'm already in total submission to this primal feeling. Oh my god, he's…

"Akihiko!"

Akihiko's tongue traces my slit, and my knees jolt upwards and trap that man where he was meant to be. My juices are flowing madly inside of me, and I can't tell whose wetness belongs to whom. He sucks on it, he sucks on everything, and even as my body falters from this intensity, he refuses to budge.

Finally, he kneels on the bed, my legs spread out shamelessly to him. He, too, gazes handsomely at my moistness, his thick member erect, just for me.

"I'm going to put it in now," he says, breaking the carefully built tension of the moment. God damn it, of all the places he has to be awkward, it has to be now.

"Shut up and do it…" I murmur, and the two of us were as taken aback at my display of forwardness, though delightfully so.

Without speaking, he complies, and I clutch the bed sheets tightly as he breaks my barrier.

"Does it hurt..?"

"Do it!"

I feel myself contracting wildly from below when I envelop him, sending a wave of sheer pleasure across our faces. Akihiko moves slowly at first, in awe at realizing this new sensation. Quickly, his thrusts grow stronger and stronger, pounding deeper inside of me while my moans grow ever louder.

I whine, and he lowers his chest so our bodies touch, silently responding to my wishes. While our passion blinds both our eyes, our lips crash into each other, and our tongues intertwine in sweet reunion.

"Akihiko… Akihiko…" I groan, though my voice is muffled against his decadent lips. "Akihiko…"

"Minako… Minako…" He moans into me, his voice husky as his dick moves inside of me, completely surrendering to my body. "I'm g-going to…"

"M-me too… Together, okay?"

Without another word, each thrust becomes impossibly more succulent, and we press our figures against each other with all the strength we can muster while together reveling in this indulgence. Our hearts and breaths race rapidly; we can hear each other near the state of pure happiness, impatiently waiting for the ultimate release.

For a brief moment, we die. Heaven enraptures us in its most magnificent bliss, before sending us back into each other's arms, panting from our short departure to Nirvana.

Akihiko embraces me, rubbing small circles on my back. "I love you, Minako."

…

No words can describe how grateful I am towards everyone for saving me. When I sacrificed myself to protect humanity, I had never known how much I would come to love to hear a voice greet me each day. I had never known that three simple words would eternally remind me of my life's meaning.

The door swings open, and I'm met with a beautiful smile. "Welcome back, Mommy."