This story was the idea I submitted for Ryuchu's story "The ABCs of KenxMinako" a while ago. But by the time I sent it, she was already working on the chapter. Since she complimented the idea, I figured I could write it out for her while she focused on her own story. (Hint: this is an invitation to read her story if you haven't yet.)

Obviously, this will be KenxFmc. If you don't like/abhor/or are weirded out by this pairing, I can almost guarantee that you may not like this story. That said, you have been warned. Anyway, Feel free to make any comments, criticisms, suggestions, or whatever you want. Even though this is a one-shot, I'll still be able to use what I get for other stories.

Persona 3 Portable, characters etc. are copyrighted material by Atlus.

A Hermit's Advice

The moment the minute hand landed on twelve, Ken Amada quickly packed his things and sprinted out the classroom door. He barely remembered to switch his shoes at the shoe locker before bursting out of the main entrance.

He glanced down at the red notebook that he held tight in his arms. There was no way to bail out. The fact that he was given this opportunity must have been a sign that he shouldn't hesitate; it was time to go on the offensive. It only took a few minutes to reach the neighboring high school, but the shock of the scene on the other side street made him come to a full stop and hide behind a lamp post.

The very reason he was rushing to get there was standing right by the gate and talking to some girl he hadn't seen before. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He already decided that it was now or never. He was going to stick to the plan.

"Mina-," was all he could get out before he stepped hard on something, it tugged on his other foot and soon he was crashing toward the asphalt only a few inches away from the sidewalk.

"Ken-kun!" cried his target. He tried to pull himself up on his hand but felt a sharp pain in his elbow. Determined not to let it show, he looked up at his senior SEES member who was kneeling next to him.

"I'm alright, Minako-san," he could barely keep his teeth from clenching as she pulled him to his feet and lead him to sit on the edge of the sidewalk. He saw the other girl jog into the street and retrieve one of his sneakers. He blushed at the childish error while he brushed the tiny pebbles from the wound. He was in such a rush that he forgot to tie the laces when he changed to his outdoor shoes.

"That's a pretty bad scratch," the other girl commented as she examined the large red spot on his knee. "I'll get something for that."

"I'll go Saori-chan," Minako offered. "It'd be bad if you end up running into Ekoda again."

Saori fell silent for a moment, and sighed. "Thank you, I'll take care of things here then."

The cheerful girl smiled and stood quickly, "I'll be right back…That is, so long as Edogawa isn't there."

With that, the ponytailed girl jogged off back into the school building, leaving the older girl and Ken behind. It was only after he had tightly laced his sneakers that Ken remembered the notebook he had carried in his arms all this time. He sighed heavily and let his shoulders droop. What else could go wrong?

Silently, Saori evaluated the boy's expression. The way he had rushed to her friend, the way he reacted to her leave, the way he stared at the notebook like he failed somehow. Ken glanced up, remembering he wasn't alone. He noted how her face was heavily made up. Her eyes particularly stood out with the amount of mascara that clung to her eyelashes. She only returned his stare with a smile that could only be described as practiced. "It's not easy, is it?"

He looked at her quizzically, "What isn't?"

"Being in love," she said plainly, "Especially with someone older."

The boy's eyes widened and he felt his face start to burn; the thumping he heard in his chest was deafening. He exclaimed, "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"It's okay," she said reassuringly, "I won't say anything."

"You," Ken trailed off as he looked her in the eye, "You promise?"

She took a seat next to him and offered her pinky finger, "I swear."

He sighed and looked away, embarrassed by the gesture, "That won't be necessary."

She smiled sadly; maybe it was a sign to have met him here today, of all days. "You're very mature for your age."

"Oh," his expression seemed to brighten a little at the statement, "Thank you very much."

A small giggle passed through her lips when he thanked her, this entire situation was just too ironic. "You and me, we're a lot alike. Or rather, used to be a lot a like."

"Huh?"

"When I was your age," she began, "Younger actually, I wanted nothing more than to hurry up and become an adult."

He listened to her speak, but still wasn't sure where she was going with this. In fact, why would she just tell him this all of a sudden? Especially since they never met. He waited for her to continue, feigning patience.

"I was always quiet and nice to get the attention I craved from adults. I didn't like playing with kids my own age. They were messy, loud and I couldn't stand the idea that I was always grouped with them."

She cast her eyes down; the smile she kept was still on her face, even as her eyes and voice dared to betray her. "I wanted to become an adult and be recognized by the first man I ever loved."

"Who was that?" Ken could barely keep his curiosity under control. He could begin to see the parallels to his own situation. If he could get advice on what to do next he was all for it. "How did it work out?"

"I can't tell you that," trying to keep her composure. "But I can tell you it never happened and would have never worked."

"Oh…I see," so his situation was hopeless after all. She gently patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to discourage you. I just wanted to warn you about adults and to not end up like me…"

"What do you mean 'like you'?"

"When I was younger, I was in such a rush to grow up that I just ended up isolating myself. Some of my classmates would be intimidated by me while others see me as an easy target. In the end, I've only been causing trouble for the only true friend I have." She managed to keep her smile but the corners of her eyes threatened to leak. The boy panicked as a couple of tears ran down the sides of her face, digging frantically in his pockets for a tissue. She laughed delicately at his efforts and dabbed the droplets lightly with the ends of her sleeve before he could get one. "You won't get to be a kid forever, and you have the rest of your life to become an adult. So make these years count."

"These years count…" He repeated the last line to himself. He let the words sink in but didn't get far in his reverie before a familiar voice called out to the pair. Minako was carrying a small bag of cotton balls, a clear plastic bottle and a couple of bandages.

"Sorry, it took so long, but at least now I know how the weather is on Venus," she joked. She didn't seem to pick up on the seriousness of the atmosphere that was so heavy just a moment ago. "Anyway, let's get you patched up Ken."

Minako kneeled next to his leg, drenching a cotton ball with the antiseptic. The boy's arms were shaking, but he refused to let it get the best of him. She began to clean the wound while Ken clutched at the concrete edge of the sidewalk.

The torture finally ended when she softly blew on the tiny burning cuts. The blood began to rush to his face and he quickly looked to the fair-haired girl next to him. She had covered her mouth with her hand, hiding her amusement. Minako slid the adhesive bandage in place over his scraped knee and smiled at her handiwork.

"Thank you, Minako-san," he said, his tone was apologetic. "You didn't have to though, it wasn't that bad."

The boy began to stand up; his injured knee was kept slightly bent as he put more weight on his feet. He slowly straightened it; silently wincing at the pain as he did so. The sight of his efforts brought an idea to the older girl.

"I don't think you should be walking on that," Saori said. "Minako-chan, will you be able to take him home?"

"Yeah, we live in the same dorm." At that moment, Ken's heart stopped. She couldn't possibly be implying that Minako-

"That's great! You can probably carry him on your back." How could someone who understood how he felt possibly even suggest such a thing? The redness in Ken's face deepened once he saw Minako looked all for the idea.

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I won't drop you," She said cheerfully as she kneeled down in front of him waiting for him to move.

"I-I don't need to be carried!" Ken cried frantically. "I'm not-"

"Just trust me on this," Saori interrupted him. When he looked up at her face she flashed him a genuinely kind, knowing smile. "It'll be better for you in the long run."

Her tone wasn't condescending or teasing, but why would she humiliate him like this? He reluctantly placed his hands on Minako's shoulders. She responded by hooking her arms under his knees and hoisting him up while she stood.

"See? Not so bad right?" Minako said cheerfully. She turned to look at her schoolmate. "Call me whenever, okay?"

"Right, I'll see you when I get back." Saori answered as she waved her friend off and began walking down the opposite way of the sidewalk and disappeared around the corner. Minako took that as her cue to leave as well. The pair travelled in silence for a few minutes while Ken searched for something to say.

"Minako-san," he began, "Can I ask you something?"

The SEES leader glanced at him from the corner of her eye and replied, "Sure, what's on your mind?"

"Do you think I'll grow up to be a good person?"

Minako raised her eyebrows at the question then smiled. "Of course, so long as you stay as you are."

"Stay the way I am?"

"Yeah," she answered quickly, "You're smart, kind, thoughtful, mature and strong...though you do have a problem of being too worried about how people see you."

"Oh," in spite of the compliments he couldn't help but feel a little let down at her blunt criticism.

"You should enjoy yourself more; life's too short to waste time like that," she explained. For a moment, it seemed to be like what Saori was telling him about. He felt a twinge in his chest when he thought about her words.

"Do you think if I keep trying to grow up fast I'll end up alone?"

"No, I don't think so," she said quickly and with full confidence. "Because no matter what, you'll always have me."

"But, I'll just keep causing you trouble, just like now!"

She laughed at his outburst, "But I like being with you Ken-kun."

Ken was speechless at the sincere statement. Maybe he was reading too much into it, she probably said that to everyone. Even if that were the case, at least he knew that she wouldn't lie about something like that. "I see…"

"So why were you coming to Gekkoukan anyway? You looked like you were in a rush."

"Oh!" he looked down at the notebook he still had in his hand. "You left your notebook on the coffee table this morning. I wanted to give it back to you. Though, you probably don't need it anymore…"

"My notebook," Minako trailed off as she tried to think. She wasn't missing anything she needed today. Ken jumped when her shoulders started to shake as she stifled a laugh. "I know what you're talking about now. I left those notes for Junpei. We had a test today and he wanted to cram for it. I guess that's why he kept calling me a traitor."

"I see…" Ken sighed; this whole plan had been doomed from the start. The boy did his best to keep from pouting, he knew it wouldn't accomplish anything but make him immature. He finally let himself relax, accepting that was going to be up there for a while. Aside from that, he was tired after all that's happened today and over thinking things only made it worse.

His hands slipped forward over her shoulders and clasped together; he rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. A content smile had spread on both of their faces as they walked along. Minako's face had tinted red as she silently decided to take the long way back to the dorm. After all, it was rare that they could be alone and these little moments matter.