Kishi: I won't lie – I'm using these one shots to get my writer's block out of the way. If I write enough, sooner or later it'll clear.

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Persona

The Drabble Project

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Looking back on it, Minato had thought that splitting the party up had been a good idea. And at the time, it had seemed that it was. That floor of Tartarus was bigger than usual, and the enemies hadn't been so strong there. And they had been running out of time in the Dark Hour. They needed to make some real progress. So he'd told Yukari and Junpei to split.

And somehow, they'd managed to stay split. Every time they walked up a new flight of stairs, the Tower would see to it that they stayed separated. Even if two people walked up together, they stayed separated. Floor, after floor, after floor.

Honestly, it had sounded like a great idea at first. Minato was the leader, after all. This was his job. Mitsuru had trusted him, and frankly the two who were under him were counting on him to come through. They needed him.

Minato peeked around a blood-stained corner. Yep, there they were. Three Shadows. Maya-types, puddles of black with the red masks. Vulnerable to ice, if he recalled rightly. He took a breath to calm his heartbeat and raised his sword. It would have to be quick.

It was times like this that reminded him how much he needed them too.

He stepped around the corner, put the Evoker to his head and roared, "Apsaras!" The click of the trigger and suddenly the other self burst forth from him. The gray goddess looked scornfully at the enemy and, with a flick of her wrist, sent shards of ice into one. As the first Maya fell, Minato let Apsaras fade away. He dashed to the second and whipped his blade forward. The second Maya suffered several deep cuts before finally shifting out of his way. Minato stabbed forward decisively and struck again, scoring a deep crack through the mask. The second Maya faded away.

Minato turned to the third, and it was only his practiced composure that kept him from dropping the sword. There was the third Shadow - and more coming up behind, a crowd blocking the hallway behind. Despair tugged at his mind. Was this truly it?

And then there was a familiar cry – "Dammit! Get back here you dumb sonuva—" The rest was drowned out in a roar of flame – and there was Junpei, katana in hand. Then Minato saw another Shadow go down with an arrow through its head, and there was Yukari, aiming and firing fit to make the archery club proud.

The three of them managed to finish off their enemies in short order, and stood panting in the murky semi-light of the hall. It was Junpei who spoke first:

"So. Fearless Leader. Got any more bright ideas?"

"Yeah," Minato said. "Let's get outta here."

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Kishi: Huh. I just might be the first P3 ficker to appear on this site. Well, isn't that a nice distinction?

Persona and all related intellectual properties are copyrighted to Atlus Corp. I am just a humble fan.