~*Reasons Unknown*~

I will never leave you.

~*X*~

Aigis woke up to a familiar heartbeat.

She didn't open her eyes, didn't really stir, she just stayed completely silent and still as she listened to the rhythmic cadence that her sensors were picking up. A quick check of her system functions showed that they were all working without flaw, and she allowed herself to settle comfortably into that cozy border between being awake and…not.

Sleep was something her conscious mind had required ever since she had fully come into herself—that is to say, when she finally became human. Though she technically could go without it, she found that she was able to operate more efficiently if she allotted some time to resting.

Of course, she had synched such periods of slumber to operate alongside his.

He shifted a little, chest swelling as he took in a long drag of air and exhaled it in a deep sigh. Aigis smiled to herself as she felt his fingers trail absently through her hair, muttering something she couldn't quite catch.

Neither of them needed alarms. They seemed to have an uncanny ability to wake up when they needed, and today was no exception.

She lifted her head from his torso and sat up partway, her heart swelling with a rush of warmth as she regarded the dark-haired boy with blue, blue eyes. He looked much the same as he always had, despite the fact that it had been nearly three years since Nyx had been sealed. There was something ethereal about him though, a nameless vibe of otherness that pervaded his being. That coupled with his near perpetual weariness had worried her and the others an awful lot, but he had shown no signs of illness, and after all this time Aigis had dared to hope that perhaps it was nothing to fret over.

He seemed to be almost ageless, and she had to admit to herself that she wouldn't have minded if that was the case.

Minato draped one arm over his eyes and sighed again, as he was prone to do, but the corners of his lips were quirked up. "Aigis. Do you think Mitsuru-san will notice if we don't show up perfectly on time?"

The honorifics were a formality more than anything. They both had long ago obtained the familiarity needed to abandon them, but they had remained through force of habit. It felt odd addressing their boss without some sort of term attached.

Her tone was apologetic. "I'm certain that she will, considering today is the day that she assigns us our new mission. Are you not feeling sound…?"

Pulling his arm away, he smiled up at her. "Just tired like usual."

Aigis frowned. "Minato…" Even after all the time they had been together, she felt intensely compelled to attach "-san" to his name. She resisted the impulse. "If you are feeling unwell, perhaps we can delay the procedure? From the briefing we received yesterday, it seems that this may require a large amount of physical activity, and—"

"I've told you a thousand times. I'll be fine. No Shadows have bested me yet, right?"

She flexed her fingers, uncertain. During their stint in the Shadow Operatives as some of the highest ranking members of Mitsuru's private organization, they had faced a variety of frightening foes. Minato was indeed a terrifying force to be reckoned with, Messiah and a host of other Personas tearing apart most anyone with ease. However, he had a new weakness to a great deal of physical exertion thanks to the odd exhaustion that was always dragging at his body ever since that fateful battle with Nyx.

It worried her. Badly.

Minato sighed again and, looping an arm around her neck, pulled her down close. She pressed into his side and the familiar warmth of him, her fears of her mechanical body being something he would find unpleasant surfacing distantly as they always did. He didn't seem to care, stroking her hair affectionately, pressing a kiss to the corner of her lips.

"I'll be fine. I know you'll keep me safe, but I promise to be careful." He chuckled very softly, meeting her gaze and maintaining his small, gentle smile.

"I will protect you…I promise I will, but…" She clutched the fabric of his nightshirt, avoiding his eyes. "I cannot help but worry, knowing that you haven't been in perfect form since before…before…"

"I know." He waited until she finally looked at him. She could see the dark rings beneath his eyes that never quite went all the way away, though some days were far better than others. "It was my choice to join the Shadow Operatives, knowing that my…ailment would put me at risk. Even if something were to happen, I wouldn't regret a thing."

"M-Minato—"

"Well…that's not true. I would regret one thing." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering there. Aigis felt as if her heart was twisting into a knot, and a meter that only she could see told her that her internal temperature had just skyrocketed. "You're worrying for a good reason. I'll try not to push myself too much."

"…Living requires risk, does it not?"

"It does." Minato chuckled wryly, wrapping his arms tighter around her and pulling her as close as possible. Aigis would be blushing something fierce if she could. "You, along with everyone else…You're all the reason I can keep going."

He sounded so tired.

"Are you certain you're all right? Minato…Perhaps this really isn't the best course of action…What if all of this activity begins to strain your body even more? Please, could you find another way to assist the Shadow Operatives that doesn't require so much field work?"

"Sorry, I can't do that," he murmured into her shoulder. "It'd be a waste of my abilities, wouldn't it?" He didn't wait for a response. "I just…have a feeling that this is something I'm supposed to do."

"You won't change your mind?"

He said nothing, tracing reassuring circles on her back.

"Very well." The words carried a sigh of their own. "Then of course, I will do my best to support you, no matter where your feelings may take you."

Minato pulled back slightly and looked at her. Something about the weight and intensity of his gaze made her feel incredibly shy, and Aigis dipped her head down, fumbling with her hands. He caught them between his own, twining their fingers, bringing their joined hands up for a kiss.

She still didn't look at him.

"Aigis."

She concentrated on attempting to cool her systems down.

"Aigis."

His tone was faintly teasing now. She fidgeted.

"Aigis," he repeated in a sing-song fashion, nuzzling into the area between her shoulder and neck. She could hear him laughing and she felt as if she was burning.

"Y-Yes…?"

"I love you."

No hesitance, no amusement, no trace of the constant fatigue that was embedded in nearly all his movements and words. Nothing but a quiet, passionate, firm devotion that she felt more strongly than any electric shock that had ever been flung at her.

"I…I love you as well…"

When Minato once more leaned back to examine her reaction, she gave him what she had intended to be a quick kiss—even after all this time, she was so nervous about this kind of thing—but he placed a hand upon her face and held her still, deepening it.

She was reminded of the fact that he could have had anyone. Easily. Anyone at all. But he had chosen her over any other potential candidate, despite the fact that she wasn't even human.

Nothing else created such elation in her.

At last, breaking the kiss, Minato muttered that perhaps they should get ready for the meeting later that morning. He stood up with yet another sigh, ruffling his hair with a grimace.

"Minato?"

"What's up?"

"I…am very happy that you allowed me to stay with you."

He looked back at her, appearing aloof as usual, but she knew the truth was so much more. Not a single word was uttered, he just smiled, which told her a thousand different things that even his carefully chosen vocabulary could not have replicated accurately.

Less than an hour later, they were leaving their shared apartment, walking into the golden spring sunshine side by side.

Author's Note: A rather baseless drabble of sorts written with loose ties here to Persona 4 Arena; sorry for the actual lack of depth, it was just a scene that was on my mind for a while.