Author: Evil Day
Title: Precious
Rating: PG-13 for boys touching/kissing, language
Disclaimer: Persona 3 and all Shin Megami Tensei titles are the property of Atlus. Not me. Wouldn't cha know it?
Summary: AkihikoxMinato Tension and angst abounds, (woot/dance), as Minato realizes how he truly feels after almost losing Akihiko forever.
Author disclaimer: All submissions from Evil Day are works of fiction. All characters mentioned are of legal age of consent in the state of California, regardless of the canon age given in the original work. This includes the work itself and any comments posted afterward.
Spoilers: None, really, I suppose technically, up to July 2009, maybe. Set when the only available party members are Junpei, Akihiko, Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Yukari. Yeah…pretty much the beginning.
"Oh, no…it looks like you guys got separated." Fuuka's voice crackled and spat over the wavelength.
"Shit," Minato whispered under his breath. There was no way the rest of his party would be all right here. They'd never gone so high in Tartarus before, and each battle had been a struggle to survive up until this point.
"It's my fault…we should have come back on the last floor."
Minato heard a static silence, and then finally Fuuka responded. "Everyone's all right. They're all on the same floor as you. Just keep searching until you find everyone and come back."
"Right…" Without a second thought, Minato ran at full speed into the darkened hallway. Several paths opened up and forked off as he continued, but the telltale sounds of battle and Junpei's cocky voice told him which way to go, and he quickly veered off to the right.
"Get back here, you son of a bitch!"
Minato ran into a large, dead end room just in time to watch Junpei deliver the final blow.
"Junpei! Are you all right?"
As if expecting to see him there, Junpei glanced over his shoulder at Minato with a confident expression.
"No problem!" He gave a thumbs-up and grinned, and Minato couldn't help but give him a small smile back. Junpei said and did a large number of things that drove Minato crazy most of the time, but he was irreplaceable, nonetheless, both in the team and in Minato's life.
"Come on…we have to find Akihiko-senpai and Yukari."
"I'm here!" Yukari's voice echoed towards them from a hidden hallway, and within moments she was in view, running towards Minato and Junpei with her bow in hand. "This way's a dead end." She slowed to a stop and placed her hands on her thighs, trying to catch her breath. "Where's Akihiko-senpai?" she asked, looking back and forth between the two boys.
"We haven't found him yet," Junpei began, but before he could finish, Minato took off at a run down the only hallway that they hadn't searched out yet.
"Come on, we have to keep looking!" he called back, motioning for the other two to follow. Sharply clattering footsteps behind him made him feel more at ease, but there was an unrest inside of him that tugged and pulled at the frail stitching holding his soul together. Akihiko-senpai was normally the first to find Minato if they happened to get separated, and for him to be missing for this long…
"This isn't like him…" Minato dashed through a large room, avoiding a small group of shadows as he ran along the wall, leading Junpei and Yukari around them. They made it past the shadows unnoticed, but just as Minato made a sharp left, he found what he had been so desperately searching for.
"Akihiko-senpai!"
Yukari's scream rang in Minato's ear, punctuating the moment with a raw finality. It was enough for even Minato to stand silent and still for just a few small seconds, taking in the scene. He felt as though he'd been slapped in the face by reality.
Surrounded by a group of five shadows, Akihiko was standing, but just one look told Minato that it wouldn't be for much longer. Blood tricked down over his temple from a cut on the side of his forehead, running in tiny rivulets down his cheek. His hands were up in front of his face in a boxer's stance, but he heard Yukari call his name and he looked up just in time to see Minato and the others enter the room.
"Senpai!" Junpei stepped forward, but instead of making an attack he glanced over to see if Minato would give an order. Just then, Akihiko's legs finally gave out, and he shuddered as he fell to his knees.
Before Minato could even decide to run he was suddenly kneeling at Akihiko's side. He hadn't been more than ten or fifteen feet away from the battle, but the shadows were closing in on him, circling around like vultures. Minato dashed through them all and bent down, ignoring them completely as he took Akihiko's arm, careful to avoid his hands and the deadly weapons he wore on them.
"Minato…I don't know where they all came from." Akihiko's eyes met Minato's, and the look that Minato saw in that gaze made him see stars. Akihiko's face held a number of fleeting emotions, but the one that threw Minato so hard was the panic, the fear that consumed his face. Never once had Akihiko been afraid, and the moment that Minato realized that it was true, that the older boy might not have made it had he not come at that moment, a surge of anger filled him to his very core.
He stood up and turned, facing the shadows that swarmed all around. Without hesitation, he moved to stand in front of Akihiko, determined to protect him, and to make sure each and every shadow suffered for causing such an emotion in such an undeserving person. He could hear Junpei calling him, could hear Yukari's frightened voice trying to reach him, but there was nothing that could stop him.
In a flash he put the evoker to his head, never once questioning his ability or his decision. He was free of doubt and fear, for Akihiko's sake. For Akihiko-senpai.
"Orpheus!"
Minato pulled the trigger, transferring his rage and his resolve to his trusted other self.
The next few moments descended into a whirlwind of blinding heat and frantic shrieks of agony. Through Minato's blurred vision he saw each and every shadow in the room engulfed in a blaze of crimson flames. They only lived for a few seconds after the wave of fire claimed them, but for that short amount of time they screamed and wailed, sounding almost human in their terror and pain.
Dissolving into ash and scattering across the stone floor, the remains of the shadows swirled and spun as the sheer force of the fire spell halted suddenly and disappeared like a lost wind. The air became stale again, as it always was inside the monstrous building, but a hint of something singed remained and lingered under the noses of Minato and his group of friends.
"Akihiko-senpai…are you all right?" Yukari's shaky voice made both Minato and Akihiko glance over to where the girl stood with Junpei. The two of them looked visibly shaken, but they were unhurt, and Akihiko became top priority.
"I'm fine…I was just taken by surprise that's all. It's my own fault…" Akihiko wore a strained smile, and he moved to stand up but Minato stepped up and took his upper arm before he could try it on his own. "Thanks…I owe you one."
Minato shook his head. "It's my fault." He let go of Akihiko, who had regained composure of his stance. "Can you make it back?"
Akihiko waved a hand towards Minato, brushing off the concern. "I'm all right."
"I know where the access point is." Junpei motioned back into the hallway where they'd come from. "Follow me!"
The other three ran off after Junpei, swiftly navigating the murky hallways and ever shifting layout of Tartarus. Minato kept an eye on Akihiko until they were safely back on the bottom floor, watching him for any signs of fatigue or further injury.
They reunited with Fuuka and Mitsuru outside the school gate just in time for the Dark Hour to come to a close. The tower of Tartarus trembled and shifted awkwardly, until finally it was nothing more than Gekkoukan High school once more.
"Let me see…" Minato motioned for Akihiko to stand still, and he closely inspected the cut on the older boy's forehead. "It's minor…but I'll clean it when we get back to the dorm."
"No, it's nothing…don't worry about it." Akihiko made an odd face, somewhat embarrassed by all the attention.
"No! I made a mistake…" Minato shocked himself and his friends with the tone in his voice, but he was determined. "I should have taken us back to the bottom before all this happened…I'm responsible. I'll take responsibility for your injury…" Feeling very strange that something as small as a simple cut could cause him to feel so distraught, Minato looked away from Akihiko and addressed the group. "Come on…let's go back."
The dorm was dark and silent when they returned. Yukari, Junpei, and Fuuka said quick goodnights, while Mitsuru disappeared behind the front counter for a few moments. She approached Minato only to wordlessly give him a first aid kit and a small, reassuring smile.
"Goodnight…" Minato whispered after her, not sure if she heard him or not in her ascent towards the girls' dorm. He turned around to find Akihiko waiting silently on the couch in the sitting room, hands folded over his knees.
"Hey…thank you," Minato said as he sat down next to Akihiko, trying to avoid his eyes. It was too difficult for him, and within moments he found himself searching the dark depths, looking for traces of that obscene emotion he'd witnessed earlier that evening in Tartarus. It was gone from Akihiko's features and seemed to be completely forgotten, but still the guilt crept around in Minato's soul and ate away at undernourished places.
"For what?" Akihiko looked honestly confused, and he watched as Minato opened the box Mitsuru had given him.
Minato dug around until he found an antiseptic packet, which he ripped open and applied to Akihiko's forehead.
"For letting me do this. I know its kind of…well, it's not much, but…it's the best I can do to…show you how sorry I am. And maybe…" Minato brushed at the cut with the cloth, which wasn't deep at all, and the blood came clean off. "Maybe I'm doing it for me, too. I can't take back what happened to you."
"Minato…it's not your fault we were separated. It can happen at anytime."
Minato pulled back, balling up the disposable cloth and clenching it into his fist.
"I know…but just before we went up that last staircase, I thought to myself that it was the wrong thing to do. I knew you all were tired, and I…went anyway. That's why it's my fault."
Akihiko sat back against the couch, studying Minato's face with a serious expression.
"That spell…" he mused, seemingly to himself.
"What?"
"That spell, the one your persona used…what in the world was it?"
That particular detail had been the farthest thing from Minato's mind, but at the mention he frowned, thinking back. "I don't really know. I didn't…really give a command. I was so angry then, with the shadows, and with myself. I just called him, and it happened."
Akihiko blinked, trying to understand. "Do you remember thinking anything? What were your intentions? Besides destroying the shadows, of course."
Minato revisited the moment, feeling a surge of the emotion he'd felt earlier. The moment he pulled the trigger of the evoker, one thought had been very steady and absolute. It sang and spun around in his skull, and he was hesitant at first to share it. It was a strange thing for him to say to anybody, let alone an upperclassman.
"I was thinking…for Akihiko-senpai. I was thinking I had to protect you…no matter what." Minato looked down at the coffee table next to where he sat, cheeks burning with an unknown hesitation.
Akihiko shifted and sat forward on the couch, closer to Minato, who looked up suddenly at the unexpected move. His eyes met his senpai's; dark, unreadable, and as reflective as a mirror. He saw himself in that reflection and paused, feeling his heat stop momentarily.
"You know…I've never once regretted the decision to make you leader."
"…"
"I was hesitant at first, but you had already been leading the group for so long I thought it might be better to leave it that way. And I was still recovering, anyway."
Minato wanted to say something, although he wasn't sure what. He felt he ought to, just to make sure that Akihiko knew he was still listening, but something had a hold on his throat and wasn't letting go. Perhaps it was his guilt, but he thought that it didn't feel right. It felt like…it was Akihiko himself. It had always been difficult for Minato to look him in the eye directly, but now that they were so close, on the couch with nothing at all in between them save a few inches of empty space…Minato was having a difficult time just breathing properly.
"Um…"
"What I mean is…I still don't regret it. I know we don't know each other that well…not nearly as well as you know Yukari or Junpei, but…I've learned enough about you in the time we've known each other to be able to trust you, as the leader. I know you wouldn't intentionally put any of us in danger."
Minato nodded, still trying to regain control over his vocal chords. Clearing his throat, he mustered up enough willpower to voice himself shortly.
"Thank you, senpai."
Akihiko shook his head. "I should be thanking you. You saved my life." He stood up from the couch, straightening out his clothes. "It's late. You should get some rest."
Minato felt instantaneous relief as well as a nagging sense of separation when Akihiko stood up, but he followed suit and said goodnight to the older boy before turning and heading for the stairs.
"Oh, wait." Minato turned just in time to see Akihiko digging around in his pocket. "I forgot to give you this."
"What is it?"
Akihiko held out his hand, revealing a jagged purple stone. "It's an amethyst. I saw it in that room when I was trying to find you in Tartarus. I stopped to pick it up, and that's when…when all those shadows appeared. Anyway…here." He took Minato's hand and put the stone against his palm, closing his limp fingers around it with a searching stare that Minato couldn't drag his eyes away from. "You can use this, I'm sure."
Without another word, Akihiko was gone, walking up the staircase and disappearing into the shadows that laced the walls and floors of the dorm at such a late hour. Minato watched him go, unable to move from where he stood until his senpai was out of sight completely.
"Oh, my goodness…look at this!"
The older woman who ran the antique shop in Paulownia mall dug through the box of stones Minato had brought. She exclaimed over a few of them, lifting them up to light every once in awhile.
"Where did you come by all of these? They're beautiful…they're not tumbled or cut, but they're all the real thing, that's for sure." She turned over the box carefully over the counter and spread the stones out on the glass, separating them into groups.
"Well…" Minato rubbed the back of his neck nervously, trying to come up with a much more plausible story than, 'I found them inside a giant tower crawling with monsters'. "They were given to me by a friend."
"I see." The storeowner sifted through the stones one more time, admiring them privately. "This one is especially exquisite." She picked up a piece of amethyst and rolled it around in her palm a few times, watching the bright, fluorescent store light glitter and sparkle off the rough planes and edges of the rock.
Minato recognized it as the one Akihiko had given him. Mitsuru had advised him earlier to take any precious items found in Tartarus to this antique store, assuring Minato that the woman who owned it would know what to give him in return. Still…Minato had felt strangely taking in that particular piece of amethyst. Akihiko had given it to him, and there was something odd about the way he had done it. It felt as thought it were for him, personally, and that it wasn't meant to be given away, for whatever purpose.
"This is amethyst…I trust you know that, yes?" The woman looked into Minato's eyes, piercing his thoughts straight through the heart.
Minato nodded, unable to escape her pinning stare.
"Someone gave these stones to you?"
"…Yes."
"Hm." She set the stone down, not part of any group but separate from the other stones. It sat alone on the glass counter, singing silently to Minato, who stared at it and tried his hardest not to snatch it up.
"What do you know of amethysts?"
"Um…they're purple?" Minato wasn't at all learned in the ways of precious rocks and gems, but clearly the storeowner was, and she nodded at him approvingly.
"Yes…but what do they do?"
Minato shook his head, confused. "I don't know."
"Well…amethysts are very special. They keep away panic and keep your mind clear. They also protect against attacks…perhaps it's something you can use."
It wasn't a question, and with a nervous gulp Minato nodded, wondering just how much she knew.
"But," she continued, "a gifted amethyst is different. When someone gives you an amethyst, it means they trust you with their life."
"It does?" Minato watched the old woman with wide eyes, suddenly devastated with curiosity as to what other esoteric knowledge she might be able to give him. "What…what else does it mean?"
The woman eyed him with a suspicious smile, but she picked up the stone and admired it once more, holding it between her thumb and forefinger.
"Amethysts are strange stones…they are technically a quartz, but there are strong differences. To give someone another form of quartz, say, a rose quartz, well, that would be an obvious gesture. But the amethyst is a very…ambiguous gift. The best way I can describe it would be to tell you that the person who gave you this feels very strongly about you…but to know whether they mean friendship or something else…"
"…Something else?" Those familiar feelings rose to the surface once more, just as they had on that night when Minato was so close to Akihiko.
"Well, it's not clear, just from this." She smiled at him honestly this time, and held the stone out to him. "Either way, I suppose you'd better keep this one for yourself."
Reaching out, he took the amethyst and put it in his pocket, feeling lightheaded. How could she tell all of that, just from a stone? She had said that Akihiko trusted him with his life, and Minato knew that it was true.
"Um…do you think that the person who gave me this…well…do you think that they meant it that way? Or could it have just been an accident?"
The antique storeowner laughed, scooping up the rest of the stones into her palm and putting them somewhere behind her counter. "Oh, I'm sure they knew just as much about the stone as you did. Knowledge of these sorts of things isn't commonplace, as I'm sure you know." She smiled warmly as she spoke, twisting a large silver ring around one of her fingers in thought. "But awareness wouldn't change much. It's the gesture that speaks, not the information behind it."
She waved goodbye to Minato as he left the shop. Fingering the stone in his pocket, he wandered around the mall for a few minutes, feeling as though he needed to do something normal just to get the strange thoughts out of his head. He wasn't entirely sure if she had been telling the truth or just playing with him, but she had given him the stone back, which he appreciated more than he let on.
In all honesty, he'd never once wanted to part with it in the first place. But now it had been given to him a second time, and he wouldn't ever let it go again.
End part 1
Thank you for reading!