Author's Note: Hey everyone. Thank you for reading this fic :] This is some kind of my own… interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. With a twist, no doubt. I see Ryoji and Minako's love as forbidden. Ryoji himself said that. That's why, I think, Romeo and Juliet suits them perfectly.

This fic is a manifestation of my hopes and wishes. Don't get me wrong, I love the male protagonist as much as the next guy, but I feel rather…attached to the female protagonist. Maybe it is through her eyes that I can feel that I'm actually a part of the Persona 3 world. Anyway, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Persona Series.

Quote of the Day:

"For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 5.3

My Dearest, My Juliet

Prologue

I love him; so very, very much. This feeling I have for him is bleeding out of me, making me feel vulnerable and oblivious. I cannot hide my true self from him. No matter how much I try to, he can always, always, see right through my façade. That is one of the reason I feel strangely… attracted towards him. It's as if he was a magnet and I, the steel. Yet, how ironic as it seems, our love is forbidden. We are, no matter how much we try to change fate, worlds apart. It doesn't seem fair that a feeling this great is to be sealed away; untouched and invisible for eternity.

Chapter 1: Where It Begins

1997

The story started when Minako was a little girl; 4 years old, to be exact.

Fate is cruel. She has known that since then, because she has a living proof—herself. She is cursed; picked out almost randomly by God to suffer from this illness.

Yet, despite the suffering she has to go through, Minako is a bright girl. She is full of life and completely radiating off light—a gift from heaven itself. But alas, Minako is also filled with darkness; a shadow created by the intense light within her that continuously followed her wherever she went—her curse. The auburn-haired little girl suffered from a very rare disease. A disease that kills the brain cells. A slow death, indeed.

To fight this, Minako's parents—scientists of the Kirijo Group—had been developing a serum, named 'Evoker', designed to attack her illness, that regenerates new brain cells, and repairing broken ones. This serum proved to be successful, and noticing this, the head of the Kirijo Group produced more of said serum and planned on testing them out—against Minako's parents' denial, on hundreds of normal, perfectly healthy, orphans. The plan was to supply the serum to humans as a vitamin that evokes the brain to function more properly, and better than before.

Minako's parents had tried, and failed, to convince the head of the Kirijo Group that the serum was made especially to attack her disease. He, of course, didn't listen, and continued with his plan, threatening to fire them or better yet, kill them and their beloved daughter.

Oh, how cruel and twisted is fate, for the little girl felt compassion for one of the orphans. Yes. A certain raven-haired young boy.

April 3rd, 1998

"Mommy, Daddy," crimson orbs shone brightly as she clung to her parents' arms, "you'll be back by dinner, right?"

"Of course, sweetheart," said the little girl's dad as he patted her head, getting ready to leave for work.

"Look after the house, okay, dear?" The girl's mom hugged her tightly.

Auburn hair bobbed up and down as she nodded. "Mmkay."

And so, after the soft 'thud' of the door, she was alone. Again.

The little 5 year old girl sighed and locked the door. She hated being alone. The empty vastness that she felt after her parents left was so choking, she couldn't help but frown a little.

Little pale hands reached for the little Jack Frost doll on top of the shoe drawer, with a red crayon scribbling that said, 'Property of Minako' all over its white tummy. Well, at least she wasn't that lonesome. She had her dolly to accompany her faithfully anyway.

It's okay, she thought to herself, I'm not lonely.

Minako wrapped a blanket around her frail body and sat on the tatami mat, turning the TV on.

The TV was showing that commercial she loved the most: Tanaka's TV show. The TV show always made her feel a sudden urge to pick up the phone and order something. But she quickly put the thought away when she remembered she didn't have that much amount of money. Next up was another TV commercial she loved: Gekkoukan High. The commercial was promoting a high school that was well-known in the area.

The little girl dreamed of going to school. A place where she can learn, make friends, and just socialize. She was desperate for human contact, for she was confined to chains that bound her to the house; imprisoning her.

Just as the little auburn-haired girl let daydreams of going to school invade her mind, the phone rang its catchy tune. Minako, perfectly trained to pick up the phone by the third ring, ran to the phone and picked it up breathlessly.

"Hello, Arisato residence," Minako chirped. "To whom am I speaking?" She was trained to be very polite, too.

"Hello, sweetheart," the voice on the other end spoke so softly, Minako barely heard anything at all.

Recognizing the sweet voice, Minako asked, voice laced with curiosity, "Mommy, why are you whispering?"

Mommy giggled a little. "Mommy's at work, dear. She can't talk on the phone at work, but Mommy really needs something."

"Oh," Minako said. She was a little bit disappointed that Mommy didn't call her just to say hello. "What do you need, Mommy?"

"I'm so sorry, Minako-chan. I forgot to bring my house keys with me," Mommy whispered. "So could you bring my house keys to me, dear? And…"

Mommy's sweet voice trailed off.

"And?" Minako pushed impatiently.

"…I'm really, really sorry, Minako-chan. But we'll be late for dinner. Just…eat without us, okay?"

Late for dinner. Again. How many times did she say it this week? Two, three? Maybe four.

"…Mmkay," Minako said, hiding all trails of sadness in her voice, "I'll do that. And I'll bring your house keys too. Where are you?" All this time, Minako's parents never even told her once where they work. Although, yes, the girl knew that her parents worked as scientists.

Minako's mother's voice, however, suddenly turned cheerful. "I know you're gonna love it here, dear. We're at Gekkoukan High. Just go to Iwatodai station and walk from Port Island station. Gekkoukan is big enough to be seen. Well, anyway, the train pass is beside the TV."

All of a sudden, on the other end of the line, an unknown voice called out Mommy's first name.

"Oops," Mommy said, panicking. "I gotta go now, sweetie. Be careful!"

Beep, beep.

Mommy hung up.

Gekkoukan High, Minako thought, I can finally see it in person!

Practically jumping out of joy, the little girl ran to the TV and grabbed the train pass beside it. Minako held the train pass as if it was a weapon—something that was so dangerous and yet so mysterious, and was the ticket to freedom; to the outside world. Something that seemed so surreal and so far off was now within her little hands' reach.

Minako fixed the barrettes she had on the left side of her head, making sure it looked like the Roman numeral XXII and pocketed the house keys.

She stopped before the front entrance to her house. The joy and excitement that bubbled through her suddenly turned nauseating. This was her first time going out of the house, after all. The disease that rampaged through her left her body weak and frail, although, she felt a lot better when her parents injected her with that weird silver-colored liquid. Her parents made sure that she was never to leave home. But desperate times called for desperate measures. This was her ticket, anyway. The bridge that connected her to the outside world. Will she let herself lose to the apprehensive feeling inside her? The answer was a big, written in red, 'N-o'.

Here goes, Minako thought. The girl took a deep breath that completely filled her lungs and opened the gate to her house.

Iwatodai station first, Minako noted to herself, making sure she wouldn't forget, and then walk from Port Island station. Okay. Easy enough.

The train station was buzzing with people rushing to reach their destination. And of course, Minako was the shortest among the sea of people. She was the only one that had to stand on her tiptoes to tap her train pass; the only one that had to run because she needed to catch the train with her short legs. And she was the only one being stared at.

Minako felt self-conscious and being under the intensity of those stares, she fiddled with the edge of skirt and tapped her fingers on her seat. Oh, and it was a good thing that she got a seat, too. With her height, she couldn't possibly reach the handle above her.

Getting increasingly bored, Minako looked around. Wherever her crimson orbs went, they'd always make eye contact. Giving up, she decided to stare out the window rather than accidentally having eye contact. Oh well. She couldn't have possible said 'stop staring at me' at them. They have eyes, and it's up to them on how to use it.

Sighing, she let her body sway as the train sped off towards their destination. She blankly gazed out the window, wondering when she was going to arrive. But suddenly, there it was. Glittering with beauty and shining off light, was the sea itself. Was it a sin to be so immensely beautiful? She surely hoped not, for the sea was so breathtaking, she gaped in awe. This feeling, where it felt like you're gliding over the sea, was a feeling that Minako decided she'd cherish for eternity to come.

So this is how it feels to ride the train, Minako chirped to herself. What a nice feeling.

As if it was too good to be true, the scenery changed to the same sea of people and the same intense stares she got in Iwatodai station. Then, she felt the train skid to a halt.

"Port Island station," the announcer said. "Please take care to board before our departure."

"Oh! I'm here!" Accidentally letting herself getting caught up in the moment, Minako spurted out the words that etched her mind, triumphantly standing up. Noticing the amount of stares she was getting, she bowed her head down and muttered a soft, "sorry."

With that, she scurried off the train and ran outside to revel in the beautiful sunshine she loved so much.

Minako's parents were scientists for the Kirijo Group—a group that had a large effect on Iwatodai itself. That's why they were allowed to use Gekkoukan High as a site for research. But of course, they conducted the research after school hours, which meant that there weren't many students wandering around school grounds.

Gekkoukan was a very big school with vast corridors. The Kirijo Group added a few tweaks to the school so that it had large laboratories perfect for conducting research, and underground places that Minako wasn't allowed to go to. That was what the security guard said, anyway. But, humans have the tendency to go to places they were forbidden to go to. A very good example is now. The guard's words had left a big question mark in Minako's head, letting her imagination take place. What was that place? Why was it forbidden for her to see?

The guard led her to her parents' laboratory. She was told to be extra quiet and not to touch anything at all. Her inexperienced hands were very much capable of breaking anything and everything she touched.

Minako gave the guard a nod and a smile before going in the huge lab.

Whoa, Minako thought. Everything is super duper clean. And white, too.

Minako, even with her small figure, was correct. The lab was huge, even for adult sized humans. This proved how wealthy and how in power the Kirijo Group was.

And there, at the corner, she spotted her Daddy pouring some sort of liquid into test tubes. Grinning, she went to her Daddy, wondering where Mommy was all the while.

"Daddy." Minako tugged on the edge of Daddy's lab coat softly. "Where's Mommy?'

The middle-aged man was surprised at the sudden tug and managed to spill some of the chemical contents on his lab coat.

And Minako's head.

"Minako-chan!" Daddy panicked and lifted Minako up. "What are you doing here?" Apparently, Mommy didn't tell Daddy that she left her house keys. Maybe she was afraid that she'd be scolded at.

Thankfully, the chemical contents weren't dangerous, but it was still a mess. He placed the test tube back to where it belonged and carried Minako to the restroom.

"You spilled something on my head." Minako crossed her arms over her chest petulantly, ignoring Daddy's question. "Look at the mess you made."

The copper-haired man laughed and wiped some liquid off of his daughter's face with his sleeve. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. You did startle me, you know."

Minako waved her arms frantically in mid-air. "I wasn't even trying to startle you, Daddy!"

He laughed again. "Sorry, sorry."

Minako insisted on coming in alone to the woman's restroom. Seeing that it was pointless to argue with his daughter, the copper-haired man gave up and told Minako to wait for a fresh change of clothes. In the meantime, she'll just have to take another shower herself.

Satisfied that she had won, Minako went inside the restroom…

…and was totally shocked.

No matter how absurd it sounded, the restroom was even bigger than the lab. This was the Kirijo Group we're talking about here. But, it didn't seem possible that a restroom would be bigger than the lab she'd seen before. The restroom even had showers. And a sauna. How can this get any better?

Minako, eager to try out the shower, practically ripped her clothes off, took a towel that hung on the hanger and bolted inside the shower, locking the door behind her.

A few minutes later, a knock resonated throughout the room, followed by none other than Daddy's soft voice.

"Minako-chan, may I come in?"

"Yeah," Minako replied as she wrapped the towel around her body. "Come in, Daddy."

The man came in with a red shirt in his hands. It looked pretty big.

"Sorry, Minako-chan," the man smiled sheepishly. "I never bring a fresh change of clothes to work, so I borrowed this from my friend. She said it's alright if I lent it to you."

Minako took the oversized red shirt in his hands. It was just a normal shirt, but Minako loved the red color. It also seemed big. Just wearing this shirt will cover her body nicely. She guessed it'll have to do.

"Thanks, Daddy," Minako gave him a wide smile. Then, all of a sudden, it turned into a glare. "Just don't spill anything on me again, okay?"

The man gulped. "Okay, Minako-chan."

"Good!" Minako twirled her point finger in the air. "Now, turn around, please."

Daddy obeyed her wishes and turned around. Sometimes, it was hard to see who the more mature one was between the two.

Minako let go of the towel and started to dress.

"Daddy," she said.

"Hm?"

Minako button downed the red shirt. The last button was right over her knee, making the shirt look more like a dress. The sleeves are too long, too—it completely swept the floor.

"You can turn around now."

The sheepish man turned around and almost choked on his own breath. I mean, just look at her! She was so adorable with her wet shoulder-length hair, her XXII barrettes clipped hastily on the side of her head, the long sleeves that swept the floor, and the shirt that reached her knees. She looked like a little delicate doll wrapped up in cloth that was as red as roses.

"My little Minako-chan," the man said as he hugged her tightly. "You look so adorable right now!"

"Er…thanks?" Minako replied questioningly. "Anyway, where's Mommy?"

The man let go of his daughter, but rested his hands on her shoulders. "Mommy? She's underground, dear. Why do you ask?"

Underground. Even the word made her feel jittery with curiosity. This was her chance to go that place. But…she was just delivering Mommy's house keys. She could've given them to Daddy and would have been shooed away to her house. No. She couldn't let happen. She wanted to go underground so very, very badly.

"I need to talk to her," Minako lied. "It's a girl thing."

Upon hearing that, Minako's Daddy was thrown aback.

What was so important that she went all the way here? Minako's Daddy thought. What was so important that she even asked Mommy where we work? I haven't even gotten the chance to tell her where we work. It never seemed like it mattered, anyway.

"D-did you," even though it seemed so unreal and impossible, Daddy continued on with his stupid guess, "just got your period?"

What? Minako thought. Was getting 'period', whatever that was, that important? But if it was that important, then…

"Yes," Minako lied, "I did."

She didn't think it would be this easy to go underground. Or maybe it was all thanks to Daddy's stupidity and naïve thinking that got her here in the first place. She owed him one.

Minako and her dad went into some sort of tube-like lift, situated at the end of the Faculty Office hallway, which had so many buttons, Minako found it hard to count them one by one.

Daddy scanned through the buttons and pressed the bottommost one with a big 'U 5'.

The sensation of shooting down the floors like a bullet was not as good as riding the train at all. It was ear-popping and Minako felt a shiver go up her body from her toes. Minako particularly hated the ear-popping part.

After what seemed like hours, the lift finally gave a loud 'beep'. The red light that shone above the doors of the lift changed to green and the doors slid open.

Revealing a huge white room filled with little kids that sat on the floor, lifelessly.

Another big white room, Minako noted to herself. I hope this is worth it.

As she stepped on the floor of the white room, the sound of her shoe tapping on the cold tile echoed throughout the space, successfully gaining herself another batch of audience.

Great, Minako thought sarcastically. More stares. Happy me.

"Well, since it's a girl thing," Daddy said from inside the lift, "I'll be going now. If you want to go back up, just press the button '1', okay? You can go straight home from there."

Minako turned around and nodded, gripping the brown bag that held her dirty clothes and Mommy's house keys tightly.

"Have fun," he said before pressing a button and the lift closed. There was a 'whoosh' sound that indicated that the lift was shooting upwards, leaving her alone with the staring little kids.

Of course, Minako thought with sarcasm. I'll have so much fun, Daddy.

Gaining some composure, Minako turned around and bowed politely.

"Hi there. My name is Minako Arisato, and it's a pleasure to meet you," Minako said nervously.

When she heard no response, she sheepishly, face red with embarrassment, lifted her face up to make eye contact with the kids in white hospital clothing.

They were quiet. Not even the slightest sound, except for Minako's voice, filled the air. All they did was stare. Intensely so.

"Uh," Minako covered half of her face with the bag, "hello there. I'll be going now."

Their stares were so much more intense, so much scarier than the ones she got from both Iwatodai and Port Island station. Their eyes were giving…blank stares; filled with no curiosity or determination. They were simply…staring. But that was the exact reason why Minako felt super self-conscious and scared, too. The kids' stares were boring holes into her, and she felt like crumpling to dust right there and then.

That was, of course, until she heard her Mommy's voice from across the room.

"Minako-chan!" Mommy called out. She waved her arms in mid-air, trying, and succeeding, to get her daughter's attention.

Minako's ears perked up at the voice and she felt like crying out of joy. "Mommy!"

The little girl ran as fast as she could in that oversized shirt of hers to Mommy, who was waiting by a large iron door.

She hugged her Mommy's legs with all her might. "Mommy…"

"It's alright sweetheart," Mommy said soothingly as she brushed her daughter's now dry hair. "Let's go inside." Being the mother, she knew that her daughter was curious to see what the underground contained. She must have heard of this place from the security guard. Sighing, she can only marvel at how curious her daughter can get. How she managed to get down here was beyond her imagination.

Well, Minako is still a little girl after all. So, this won't matter, right? Minako's mother thought.

All Minako could do was nod.

Mommy closed the iron door behind her, punching some sort of code into the rectangular device on the wall. There was a huge 'click' sound before Mommy turned towards Minako, who was staring at the boy in the middle of the room.

This room was different. It was dimly lit and the walls were filled with computers and hundreds of test tubes with varying colors. And in the middle of the room was a sleeping boy, strapped to a chair. His hands were bound by strong leather cuffs that made it impossible to move his arms. There were 2 leather straps that bound his chest, making it hard to breathe. But he was just sleeping there so defenselessly, loose strands of raven lightly touching his pale cheek.

"Why is he tied to a chair, Mommy?" Minako asked. Her voice was laced with both curiosity and concern; there was no doubt about that.

The black-haired woman gulped visibly. It seemed like she had forgotten the fact that there was a boy strapped to a metal chair in the middle of the room. Her little girl was not supposed to see that.

"Uh… he…" Mommy trailed off. The poor woman's mind was frantically trying to search for a good enough lie. Not knowing what else to say, she said, "He was a bad boy. He didn't obey the rules and I'm trying to punish him, dear. I don't want to do this, but Mommy's boss commanded her to do so. I'm so sorry, Minako-chan."

Said girl was left with a question mark above her head. "Why are you apologizing to me? You should apologize to him because you're going to punish him, Mommy."

"I…" Mommy averted her gaze away. "I can't, dear. He just won't listen to me."

"Well." Minako placed her hands on her hips. "That's rude. People should always listen to what other people has to say."

And at that very exact moment, Minako gave her beloved Mommy a grin. "I'll go talk to him for you, Mommy."

"No, wait—" Minako's mother said. The serum was recently injected to his veins and it was still new for him. His brain was slowly readjusting itself and suppressing the side effect that came with the serum—if tested on normal humans—insanity.

At this rate, if she wakes him up while his brain is suppressing the side effect, Minako's mother thought, his brain will be premature, and the first thing he sees will be the cause of—

It was too late.

Minako had woken him up.

Author's Note: Finished chapter one. And now, move on to chapter two.