It's over.

That particular phrase keeps repeating in her head, only able to look on numbly as the Shadow God tossed the boy's body off the edge of the tower. The body of the boys she loved, more than anything, more than their own life.

She can't feel anything.

Everything burns, the tower, the air, the bodies of her friends and allies and foes alike, the Shadow God reveling in the destruction of the apocalypse he had wrought. The world shatters, the skies are aflame, and Kaminari Yurie silently burns with it all, malicious laughter ringing in her ears.

She opens her eyes with a violent gasp.

A warm, dainty hand cups her face, and in a moment of terror, she slaps it away harshly, instincts kicking in as she rolls back, summoning God Eater to her hands and Izanami-no-Mikoto coalescing into existence behind her, a Megidolaon at her lips.

"Yurie, please calm down," The voice is familiar, a dear person, and it breaks through the haze of Yurie's fear. Yurie breathes, and she sees Margaret, donned in her usual attire, carrying her usual Compendium, but none of her usual placidness. There's grief, but it's overpowered by determination. "It's me, Margaret."

Yurie breathes, body going slack, and she falls to the floor on all fours, her Persona and weapons disappearing in a shower of blue sparks. Yurie breathes, and she chokes on a sob, suddenly able to feel and she feels it all. Devastation at not only losing Minazuki but Shou as well. Her beloved boys, her sun and moon, the holders of her heart. Grief at the realization of losing everyone she had grown to care and love to a Shadow God. Hate at her herself for failing at her only job. Despair, at the fact that she lost.

And her beloved people and the world paid the price.

"Why am I alive, Margaret." She ask, hands curling into a fist as the Velvet Assistant kneeled before her, cupping her face and making her meet those piercing golden eyes, with the peculiar black ring around the pupil, expressing sympathy and sadness, all for her. "Why am I alive?!" Yurie snarls, ripped herself free and back pedaling away, hauling herself to her feet.

She summons God Eater as she walk the length of the blue room – wait, the Velvet Room isn't in the form of a limousine – and with a roar of fury she slices at the air, a blade of black rushing out to tear up the floor in front of her and the wall it hit, the gouges alight with small black flames.

She wrecks the room, mindless in her fury, mad in her despair. Margaret lets her, and only when Yurie's back on her knees, tired and drained and openly crying now does the Velvet Assistant dared to approach the Wild Card, gathering the girl into her arms and simply holding her, a meagre comfort.

"Why am I alive, Margaret?" Yurie asks again, desperate, when all she wants is to join Minazuki and Shou and everyone else in the other side, if there is one. "Why am I not dead?"

"Because I broke the law, for you." Margaret says, her voice serious and firm. She pulls away, and holds Yurie's face, silver meeting gold. "We don't have much time, I could only hide us for so long, so I'll have to speak quickly. This is of the utmost importance, and everything you hold dear is on the line."

Yurie chokes, tears brimming once more. "But everyone is-"

"Not with what I did." Margaret interrupts gently but firmly. Yurie shuts up, eyes wide as she clings desperately to her last living friend- no, sister. "As you know an I'm an Avatar of Power, and thus I have power of aspects beyond the realms of mortal comprehension. One such aspect is the Aspect of Time, and I tore it asunder, and rewound it. I turned back the time for you, Yurie, and for this very act I will suffer a fate worse than death."

Yurie shakes her head, frantic now. "No, no, no, no, no, you don't get to do this Margaret, you can't-"

"But I did," Margaret holds her tighter, and a whine of distress escapes Yurie's throat, tears hot and flowing freely down her face. "I did it for you. Just this one time, let me help more than what my duty allows me. I'll not meet you in the rewound time, most likely, but know this."

Margaret pressed her painted lips to Yurie's forehead, pressing a tender kiss there. "You're the most wonderful person that I've had the pleasure to meet." She pulls back, a soft, bittersweet smile on her face.

Nonononono, Margaret, I can't lose you too.

"I'm honored to serve you, Kaminari Yurie. I'm sorry it ended this way." Margaret says.

Before she shoves Yurie back and the girl starts falling.

Yurie screams as she fell, taking her farther and farther away from Margaret, and in the chasm she fell through she sees the world above her – the room she was in moments before – explode with blue and black flames, and that's another wound in Yurie's torn heart.

She falls, and falls, and falls…

Until she opens her eyes and sees herself in a train to Yasoinaba, with the countryside flying past her outside, and Izanami-no-Mikoto crooning to her in worry in the vast space of her own mindscape.

EDIT: OKAY SO AFTER THAT EMBARRASSMENT, I LEARNED TO NEVER POST FROM MY GODDAMNED PHONE AGAIN. UGH. I'm so sorry for that ;-; it looked fine when I check, but apparently noooooooooo my phone screwed shit up. or something. Ah. So sorry, please forgive me. *bows*)

Okay, I'll be honest. This is purely self-indulgent, because I have needs for these problematic boys. And fem!Narukami. Mix them both you get this! This… I don't even know. Anyway, if you enjoyed this, cool, if not, then who am I to force you? Leave a PM if you like, and I'll go ahead and say that getting updates for this is going to be RARE because school, a few upcoming artcons for me, and having to buildup a decent portfolio. This author is an art student and all art students say THE HOLY PORTFOLIO.

Also, disclaimer. I'll do this just once.

All things Persona related are owned by Atlus. If you see new things, it's probably mine. Probably. I make no profit out of this, and never will.

(Though I totally would be done to work in Atlus, given the chance. Shigenori-sensei is Inspiration™)