A/N: First P3 fic, so this was born from my headcannon of Minato Ryoji and the Female protagonist all living together inside the great seal, also call me lazy but I decided to name the Female protagonist after Movie Minato because I liked it more than Minako/Hamuko so yeah and I kept Minato as well Minato because I prefer that over his other names
Ratings: K MAYBE K+
Warnings: Mentions of Death/regrets er oh ending spoilers for both P3P and P3 FES.
Words: 2,408
Genres: Drama. Friendship. Hurt/Comfort.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3, Persona 3 FES, Persona 3 Portable, or any of its characters they all belong to their rightful owners, ATLUS.
Minato died...
Or more accurately he killed himself - no sealed himself inside of the great seal, it was the only solution he could think of, the only answer if it wasn't possible to kill death because of Erebus he would seal it, stopping both problems even if it caused him his life, really it was a small price to pay if it saved the ones he cared about.
But apart of him hesitated, the part of him that didn't want to die...the part that wanted to live and be with his friends not die and be some 'messiah' Minato didn't want that he wanted to live...he...he...wanted to start over. to try again at his crappy life filled with death to fix his mistakes to save those he originally couldn't.
And that's exactly what she did the girl reborn in his place the girl created from his wishes and regrets, living his life hanging out with his friends doing everything he couldn't, except one thing, the one thing he wanted the most...to live.
She failed she did the same thing he did, sacrificed herself for the sake of others for her 'friends' But Minato felt somewhat ...happy that his other self, his female counterpart still cared enough to sacrifice herself for the sake of her 'friends' but he was also slightly annoyed angered even because when it all came down to it she made the same choice as he did, she didn't kill Ryoji although possibly because of her own special reasons and she still sacrificed herself like some kind of martyr, it was annoying and he didn't like it,
Was it impossible? was there no way for him to save both his friends and himself? was he destined to simply die forever guarding some stupid seal forced to watch as others went about their daily lives.
Minato Couldn't stand it any longer he had to do...something! so instead of ideally standing by as his female counterpart clung to her last couple days of life, Minato decided to test his abilities as a spirit and pay her a visit.
And so as the girl struggled to open her room door Minato managed to go inside of her world sitting leisurely on top of her bed with a wide grin on his face as he watched the door knob slowly turn and with a click the door opened revealing an exhausted girl with shoulder length brown hair done up in a ponytail and ruby-red eyes.
She stared at Minato bemused as if she didn't know what she was looking at, standing in the door-way barely able to keep her eyes open, it was truly a depressing sight, and Minato couldn't watch another second of it, he reached into his school jacket and was surprised when he felt his evoker inside, he pulled it out and pointed it at the girl, which seemed to wake her up from her odd dazed state.
She closed the door and walked in. "Who are you." She spoke the exhaustion very much apparent, and Minato's grin faltered he lowered his evoker although really it didn't matter what he did with it, he was sure he didn't need the little fake gun to summon his persona and well he obviously couldn't shoot her with it so the contraption was pretty much useless at this point.
"Minato, Minato Arisato, I'm you or more accurately you're me." Minato answered and the girl frowned but took a step towards her desk to sit down. "Hard to believe isn't it?" He added with an unreadable expression.
He wanted to save her though but it wasn't possible he didn't have the strength to do that, even as he sat on the bed staring at himself Minato felt...tired for some reason, he wanted to sleep, to take a long nap, but Minato had a good idea of what that 'unknown' tiredness was coming from, it was the same 'unknown' tiredness nagging at the girl sitting in-front of, it was the seal calling their consciousness to it less it crumble to dust.
Minato took a deep breath and was about to say something before another presence suddenly entered the room causing Minato to stop and glare at the intruder, whom simply smiled wryly back.
"Its been awhile hasn't it...Minato." The intruder said looking at Minato from across the room.
"Ryoji." Minato replied his glare fierce, despite the fact that they both were stuck inside the seal Minato hadn't exactly ever seen Ryoji inside theseal, he assumed the other was simply avoiding him.
Ryoji stared at Minato a little longer, then his smile faltered and his expression turned serious. "Minato what you're doing is wrong." Ryoji said and Minato narrowed his eyes and stood up.
"Who are you to tell me whats right or wrong." Minato shot back obviously angered by Ryoji's words. "Whats 'wrong' is to sit back and watch as she struggles to open a door!" Minato yelled causing his female counterpart to suddenly get up and walk in-front of Ryoji, she looked at Minato for a while, then glared at him.
"D-don't blame Ryoji!" she yelled back, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It's not his fault..." She tried to continue before exhaustion got to her and she collapsed to her knees.
Minato's eyes widened and he quickly ran over to her and pulled her into an embrace. "I'm sorry please just...just do what I couldn't." Minato started rubbing the girl's hair as she clung to consciousness. "Please live." Minato desperately pleaded, wishing...praying that the girl would live that there was still hope for him still a chance he could comeback.
But the next day as he watched the girl pretend she was alright, make false promises she knew she couldn't keep, that night Minato left his limbo and entered her world and glared at her as she entered her room.
"You're here again..." She said seemingly in much better shape then she was the last Minato met her although she was still obviously very tired, and Minato's glared turned into a sly smirk.
"Feeling awfully tired lately aren't we?" Minato joked and the girl rolled her eyes and collapsed onto the part of her bed Minato wasn't sitting on and crawled behind him.
"What do you want from me?" The girl asked, her voice slightly muffled by the pillow.
"For you to live." Minato answered and he could practically 'feel' the girl rolling her eyes again at him.
"I'm alive right now aren't I?" She answered and Minato let out a dry empty laugh.
"Not for lo-" Minato started before he was cut off by the dreaded smell of Death - excuse his rudeness Ryoji or maybe Nyx? or perhaps Thanatos? but what difference was there anyway.
"Minato!" Ryoji yelled and Minato simply rolled his eyes and laid back falling onto his female counterparts belly a small yelp escaping her throat.
"What do you see in him Female me?" Minato questioned the girl, turning his head to the side to look at her.
She groaned at the name he called her. "My names Makoto." She spoke and Minato gave her a curious stare.
"Makoto...Makoto...Makoto..How about I call you Mako." Minato said still staring at the girl.
Makoto looked down giving him a look that said 'do what you want' then stared at Ryoji whom was glaring at Minato with a scolding look on his face.
"Minato you shouldn't be here just come back to the seal." Ryoji argued Minato ignored him rolling over to pretend he was sleeping, using Makoto's stomach as a pillow. "Minato you can't just-" Ryoji started but Minato interrupted him.
"Says who exactly?" Minato asked looking at him from beneath half-lidded eyes.
At that Makoto got up causing Minato to roll off her stomach and onto her lap. "What are you two even arguing about?" She asked, and they both went silent but Minato spoke up first.
"Whether or not its okay to tell you the day you die." Minato bluntly said, now sitting up no longer laying on her lap, and she smiled sadly at him. "You...already know...don't you?" He asked and she nodded her head.
"In about two days right?" She guessed and Minato looked away with a pained expression on his face suddenly losing all his snark, she had hit the nail straight on the head, in two days she would die on graduation day on top of the school roof, before being able to keep her promise, but Minato felt he couldn't tell her that anymore that everything she's doing now is worthless that she wouldn't be able to keep her - their promise.
Ryoji glanced at the door and turned around to leave before Minato called out causing him to turn around and raise an eyebrow.
"We need to talk." He said then Ryoji left leaving Minato alone with his female counterpart, whom was looking at him curiously, confused about what just happened. "Don't worry about it, anyway how about we get to know each other?" Minato asked smiling gently at her.
And she complied, both sharing stories of their own 'journey' the similarities and differences, until Makoto could no longer stay awake and fell asleep.
Minato Moved the hair that was hanging in-front of her face and whispered something into her ear then left.
And that was the last Minato visited her but he did continue to watch over her and when the last day approached Minato decided it was time he had his 'talk' with Ryoji.
"You're in love with her aren't you?" Minato suddenly asked catching Ryoji off guard causing him to fall over tripping over thin air, Minato tried not to but he couldn't help but laugh. "You suck!"
"Wha-what!? n-no well yes- but that's not, I don't." Ryoji started stumbling over his words before nervously glancing at Minato and sighing. "I Mean thats...wait why are you asking me that!?" Ryoji asked and attempted to glare at Minato but failed do to the fact that he was now furiously blushing.
"Because, if you love her, why is it that you don't want to find a way for her to live?" Minato asked genuinely confused.
Ryoji looked down at the ground sadly. "Because I can't, if I could I would." Ryoji answered and looked back up at Minato. "But somethings just can't be changed... you know that, don't you?" Ryoji said and Minato's eyes widened, Because he knew...he knew it well that no matter how much he tried, wished, hoped, cried, nothing would change, everything, everything would always be the same...he would always, always die, and his 'friends' would never try to change that, they would always disagree with each other always fight each other, and Aigis would always win...
He couldn't intervene he couldn't go inside he could only watch no matter how hard he tried Minato could never intervene with an event that took place after he died, because of the seal... 'less it crumble' he thought, because the seal will crumble if he tried to leave if he wanted to return to his lifeless body that would mean allowing the seal to crumble and letting Nyx free making everything they did a waist, because the seal couldn't function long without him, it needed him, because it is him.
Minato glanced down at the other world he had created and watched as his other self stared up at the sky and said. "You're watching aren't you." She knew he was watching... and she smiled up at the sky with a sad hopeless smile. "I'll be there soon." She said, and that's when it struck him, she had no hope, no optimism, nothing, she was going to die and she knew it, she knew that there was nothing that could be done no matter how many times he - no they... tried to redo everything nothing, would change, because they weren't strong enough to defeat death without being a sacrifice, because that was the only solution 'they' could think of.
Minato went down and entered her world and stared at her, and she stared back, then Minato smiled he smiled what would be his last genuine smile, because there was no hope in the world for him or anyone because people were filled with malicious thoughts and intentions and as long as the world was like that Minato had to stay as a seal forever, watching the lives of the people he loved and saved, unable to die or live just stuck in some in-between state inside of a seal.
She died in Aigis arms the same way he did unable to say goodbye unable to say thank-you unable to say sorry for not being able to say goodbye, that was the one other thing Minato would always regret the same thing he'll never be able to change no matter how much he wished and hoped that would stay the same.
But...despite all that Minato's life inside the seal wasn't so bad after meeting his other self because Minato wasn't completely alone in this little seal he had created because there were two other little annoying acquaintances with him, two very very annoying acquaintances.
"Guh!?" Minato abruptly fell over when something - someone crashed into him. "What the?" Minato turned around and looked up to see his female counterpart sitting on him and rubbing her head.
"Uh...sorry." She apologized and Minato glared at her and she ran behind Ryoji, because some how for some reason instead returning to her seal she was inside of his seal her positive up-beat personality was strange but It wasn't bad, and although he would never admit it he quite enjoyed the company, she kept Ryoji from depressing and apologizing over the same crap over and over,
So maybe just maybe his 'life' wasn't completely bad, despite how horrible his current predicament was...he wasn't suffering.