From P3: Fallen Messiah by Nightlyy, Chapter 71: Fall of Man
I personally like to call this chapter "Fall of the Fallen", but he's not really a messiah or anything in this chapter, just a man.
Here you go, my favorite scene in FM. To be honest, it feels like I'm just rearranging some words and didn't change much. I even leave some original sentences there. Nightlyy's writing is already so good hnngggg...
"I'm so tired."
She healed all his wounds.
"Save me, Elizabeth."
She gave him a hug.
"What are you wishing for?"
"I wished to be your messiah..." Elizabeth wiped her eyes. "I wished with all my heart and soul, I wanted to be your messiah."
For the first time in this year, Minato felt sorrow, for Elizabeth, for anyone at all.
He moved forward. She attacked him. She summoned Personas.
The physical pain was a blur as he crashed into a pillar. Minato held his sword with a shaky hand and took slow steps toward Elizabeth.
"Stay away from me!" Elizabeth tossed countless cards in his directions. They grazed his skin everywhere but he kept walking. It was his heart that was wounded.
"I'm sorry." Minato was the one forgetting her. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth…." He reached out and got slapped on the face again. He deserved it.
For destroying the life of that one person who truly cared, who never forgot him, who risked everything to fight destiny, all for him...
"I was willing to give my life for you."
How could he forget, when she had been believing in him all this time? How dare he betrayed her trust? Caught up in self-pity, he disregarded her effort and sought for his own salvation.
"What about me?" Elizabeth asked. "What am I?"
Elizabeth started sobbing, also affected by the visions as well. She could only take so much. She wiped her eyes but more tears kept coming. "Minato!" She cried her heart out.
Minato's sword dropped onto the top floor of Tartarus. His salvation wasn't with Nyarlathotep, no more… Elizabeth was his salvation, his messiah.
"Elizabeth," Minato whispered. Having realized that, he gave her a genuine smile, the first one in years.
Despite all that he did to her, Elizabeth knew the smile was real. It was the exact same one Minato gave her when they first met.
On top of that, he gave the Dark God a middle finger.
"M-Minato." Elizabeth grinned from happiness. He was back. Minato really was back.
"Elizabeth." Minato smiled. "Your wish will be fulfilled, I promise."
"Oh no, you don't."
Minato heard the cold voice and started shivering.
"You are mine," Nyarlathotep said. "And you will do what I say…"
Minato's vision started to blur. He touched his head. "Ugh…."
Insanity, blood lust, they took over his mind at that moment.
Elizabeth took a step back.
"No," Minato tried to fight back and hold onto the little consciousness he had left, it was slipping away. "No no. No...!"
"Minato!" Elizabeth called out to him in worry as he started screaming and a blast of darkness damaged the area.
"Elizabeth, r-run!" Minato yelled,
And lost himself to the Dark God. His eyes went from grey to blood red. Another blast of darkness destroyed the remaining pillars.
Elizabeth started shaking. This wasn't her Minato. The possessed fixed his red eyes on her.
"DIE!"
Elizabeth didn't see him moved until he was already in front of her. "Minato, wake up...!"
He let out a roar,
Summoned a blade into his grip,
And stabbed Elizabeth right on the chest.
Elizabeth widened her eyes as the cold blade drove in deeper and deeper into her flesh. Blood soaked her clothes. She was done…
Minato blinked a few times. He got his consciousness back only to freeze in horror at the sight.
His own hand was around the hilt of a sword, and the blade was deep inside Elizabeth's chest. Her eyes were losing life. Her body became colder in his arms. She's going to die…
"Elizabeth!" Minato pulled the blade out and threw it away. He rested her body on the flat ground. "Elizabeth, for God sake don't die!" His hand placed on the wound, spamming healing spell after healing spell. "Shit, shit, shit!" Dread was creeping into his heart when the wound refused to heal. "Wake up, please!"
"Minato…" Elizabeth gave out shallow breaths. Looking at him, she reached forward and tried to lean in closer.
"You'll be alright." Minato hugged her, so tight he noticed his own shaking arms. "You'll be okay."
"I'm sorry..." Elizabeth sobbed, tears running down her cheeks. "I tried, I honestly tried…"
She touched his cheek where she had slapped him in the past.
"I-I tried, gave it all I had…"
Minato grabbed her hand on his face. Nothing else he could do. His attempt to heal didn't work. She was going to die and there was nothing he could do.
"To be your savior," Elizabeth choked out. "B-but I wasn't good enough..."
Minato choked as well.
"I apologize for failing my duties, my dear guest." Elizabeth kissed his cheek and rested her head against Minato's chest, soaking his shirt with tears.
Minato squeezed her hand he forgot he was holding. No, this wasn't happening, he finally found his light and it was taken right away. No one was to blame. It was his fault she would be away.
"M-Minato," Elizabeth summoned her tome and placed it against his side. "Death is cold…"
"Elizabeth, please don't go." Minato found his voice again, and his innocent request felt so wrong. He didn't deserve to ask for that, for her to stay. He was the cause of all this. Her pain, her tears and suffering...
Elizabeth looked up to Minato with teary eyes, but she was smiling.
"I still love you…" Her body slipped away from his grip. "... Forgive me…."
Elizabeth's body started breaking apart. The heat and power of the particles around him were burning his skin. That wasn't important.
His heart was crushed. He... He couldn't breathe. Too painful.
Minato looked down. Elizabeth was gone. Forever. All that remained was the pulsing ball of energy floating right next to him. He grabbed the tome and opened it. There was a colorless mask inside.
"Elizabeth…" Minato bit his lip to stop the tears. "Come back, please…"
He got no answer. Minato slowly stood up, only to collapse again. He was tired. He was covered in blood and most of it was hers.
This was too much….
Minato stood up again and eyed the pulsing sphere of power. It was going to burst and he knew very well the destructive power of the explosion.
"Elizabeth." Minato reached out and touch the sphere. His hand got burned. He didn't mind. He wanted to be forgiven. "I'm not going to move."
The sphere was going to explode any second now. Minato braced himself and shut his eyes.
"I want to die!"
At that moment, the sphere exploded. The wave of energy crashed into his body. He coughed out blood. Another wave pushed him further behind, and the third one knocked him off the edge.
Minato glanced at the spot where Elizabeth was one last time before the gravity took effect. Falling down, wind rang in his ears, all sensation blurred together and his stomach sank. The top of Tartarus was getting further away.
In that numbness, there were no excitement or fear. His chest hurt and he's so damn tired.
At the peak of Tartarus, there were explosions. The dimensional gates were finally cracked and the world belonged to Nyarlathotep. All the quakes and explosions were happening above him.
It didn't matter.
Nothing matters.
Minato felt the ground beneath him cracking and returning the force to him, his bones snapping into pieces and blood pooling under his body. His limbs bounced and dropped back onto the ground. He felt no motivation to move a muscle, only staring at the shattered sky.
Minato looked up. Elizabeth was gone. Forever. All that remained were his memories...
Elizabeth's death flashed across his eyes. Her eyes were teary but also blank and lifeless.
He felt something cracked inside him.
It hurts. Minato didn't heal himself. That was not where the pain came from. Elizabeth didn't go away. She smiled at him. Her hug was warm and relaxed him every time. She caressed his cheek. Her blood, her tears, and her final moment were right there, with her weak voice saying 'I still love you…'
It was so fucking painful. He wanted to cry but he was just so damn tired. He wanted it to end.
He lay there for how long, he didn't know. With little power he had gathered, he stood up and walked toward the dorm. Elizabeth's dead body was still there, in his head. He shook his head. It kept coming back. All good and bad, she kept popping up in visions way more than the compendium had shown him. Her hand was cold as she let out the last breath. That was his memory.
Minato tripped and fell back onto the floor. "Stop..."
…
Minato was not in his room.
Hamuko paced around on the second floor hallway. Something horrible had happened. The entire world was shaking and they could feel it from the dorm. She told the rest to stay in their rooms.
"Where is he?" Hamuko couldn't calm down. She wiped sweat from her forehead and kept pacing outside of his room.
She froze. There were footsteps.
"Minato…" It was him, no doubt. He was back, but why did he take the steps instead of just teleporting?
Minato limped his way up the steps and Hamuko gaped in horror. He looked busted up and bruised as usual, his face was a bloody mess and his legs were bent awkwardly at the side. She could understand that but, but the worst part was his eyes. There was nothing but defeat. The fire of vengeance was no longer there.
Hamuko moved closer and grabbed his shoulders to support him. Minato shoved her away and kept walking.
Hamuko widened her eyes. Did he really shove her? She looked at him who eventually tripped and hit the ground. Minato couldn't walk anymore. He was crawling his way forward, totally ignoring her.
Hamuko's heart clenched. This was too painful to watch. She wiped her tears away. What happened to him? Minato was beaten to near death several times but he always had the fire and will to bounce back... but right now, he looked absolutely shattered beyond repair. She no longer saw his will to live.
Minato pushed the door open and whimpered before making his way inside. Hamuko had half a mind to leave him alone but she couldn't. She slowly made her way towards his room and stepped in.
Minato was lying on his bed, soaked in blood. His eyes were blank and focused at nothing. Hamuko walked to the bed and hovered over him. She winced. His whole torso looked carved in and broken.
"Minato, what happened..." Hamuko took his hand and clasped it.
He weakly pulled it away. It dropped back to his side. He was still once more.
"Please tell me." Hamuko sniffed. "I can't look at you like this."
"Leave me alone, bitch," Minato spat and coughed out blood. He made no attempt cleaning blood off himself.
Hamuko didn't miss the harsh word but she ignored it for now. "I-I know, I can tell by looking at you. You have a lot of baggage..."
She took his hand and squeezed it again. Minato made a low growl, annoyed but lack the will to resist.
"Open up, Minato, please. I can't stand seeing you like this..." Hamuko started crying. "I will always love you, Minato… so please tell me."
"I will always love you, Minato."
That was Elizabeth's voice.
Those words set him off. Memories caught up to him once more. He felt another cracking.
"Elizabeth!" Minato shouted at the top of his lungs, shocking the hell out of Hamuko. He started kicking and punching as it happened again. Elizabeth with the blade in her chest, his hand on the hilt, blood, her blood, and tears running out of her eyes.
His chest was burning for oxygen. He was gasping yet still shouting her name and pleas for it all to stop. The pain was brutal, too much, torturing his very soul.
He's so tired. That's enough. Couldn't take anymore...
"Minato?" Hamuko tried to restrain him but he started thrashing even more aggressively. "Please calm down, breathe!"
"Make it stop!" Minato yanked his own hair. "Fucking make it stop!"
"What is it, Minato?" Hamuko asked. "Tell me!"
"Stop, stop. Stop!" Minato kept yelling on top of his lungs, pulling his hair and hoping that the physical pain would distract him from something else, something inside.
Hamuko was scared. She didn't know what to do. Minato was cracking….
Minato rolled off the bed and dropped down on the floor. It should hurt, but he wasn't feeling anything outside anymore.
"Stop, please fucking stop. I can't handle it anymore."
But it never stopped, only increasing in intensity.
"Make it stop!"
Hamuko knelt down and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I want to fucking die!"
"Minato, tell me. I swear I'll help." Hamuko's voice didn't reach him. Nothing reached him, not even the pain he was inflicting on himself.
Minato hit his forehead against the floor. He clenched his fists until his nails dug into skin. It was not enough.
"Elizabeth!"
His last scream was filled with sadness and loss that hurt Hamuko even more.
Finally, he dropped to the ground and did not move after that. His head was facing the door he came from.
"Elizabeth…"
So,
I can see that the original tries to maintain the air of badassness. It needs to remain. FM Minato needs to still function after this and continues being an antagonist he is.
But this here, I just want to imagine him as not a godlike being. I want him down to being just a man at the lowest point and suffer like a human. I don't care whether he recovers or not.
But err yes, he needs a hug.