Summary: Aigis may not be human, but her love exists nonetheless.
Genre: Tragedy, Hurt/Comfort
Rated: T+
Warning: character death
Author's Note: In this piece, Aigis has experienced two time fluxes: one where she attempts to save Minato from the cannon and the other where she attempts to save the female protag Minako from a similar fate, both of whom die giving their souls to save the world in the context of this piece. This is from her last moments with Minako after the final fight in the infamous rooftop scene, and is my alternated take on Persona 3 Portable.
Credit to featherofmetis' image of Aigis found on their tumblr as their feature piece for Inktober Day 9 at .com. This image inspired this entire piece. I really love the style: it makes me think of Megaman's art style ,and is very nostalgic.
Aigis was battle worn, a clockwork princess in ruins. Half of her was torn, skin flayed to reveal shiny, grey metal, greased with oil and clicking and thrumming. But in this moment, she threw that away, invisible heart skipping beats for another reason.
This was the second person to come to rest in her arms, the second soul to hear the rattling of the gears inside her, whirring quickly like a heartbeat, body processing data as a rapid click as she tried to form the flux of heat inside her into feelings. "I do not understand," Aigis intoned. "What have I done incorrectly?"
Her voice broke, a malfunction of the system, cracking as she tipped her head back. The first had been so raw: she hadn't known that he was going to die, that Minako was going to give all of his life energy up in that final fight. When he said he was tired, she though that he was going to take a nap, but when thirty minutes, forty minutes, fifty sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety minutes later he hadn't woken, and his skin was clammy, sure something bad was happening, and that his heart was slowly coming to a halt, body drained of every bit of life in order to trad tangible existence for that of being The Seal.
For saving the world. Again, Aigis thought. Again.
This time though, she knew what would happen, had known what Nyx planned when she threw her back in time to the beginning to play this out again. Aigis knew that this Minako, so sweet and kind –so unlike Minato when they first met, but so like him in the end – her hair unbound and framing her face, would die too, fading away with her head in Aigis' hard, metal lap.
Minako looked up and saw Aigis, still destroyed from the final battle, part of her shoulder exposed down the the hard, metal structure, the left side of her torso and neck ripped down the framework. For some reason, it made Minako chuckle humorlessly, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Oh Aigis," she breathed, a wan smile on her soft, pink lips. "We need to fix you. I can see your shoulder." She chuckled lightly again, sighing deep as the sound faded away.
Aigis turned her head and saw, for the first time, a large gear, spinning around slowly as she lifted her arm. She dragged her twitching fingers through Minako's hair gently, watching the gear spin. "That is alright, Minako," Aigis said. "It is fixable."
Minako nodded numbly and turned her head back, suddenly going limp. Her eyelids fluttered and she exhaled in a deep whoosh. If she had nerves, Aigis would have flinched, but she didn't, instanly reminded in that very moment of how inhuman she was. "We will fix it together," Aigis chocked out.
"Ssssh," Minako whispered. She opened her red eyes, looking directly at Aigis. "I wanna take a nap."
"No naps," Aigis whispered. "Please." She felt broken, as beaten as her arm and side, as wounded as a human.
"Ssssh." Minako turned and curled up on the bench, head pillowed in the center of Aigis' lap. She yawned again and groped around for Aigis' hand, and found it, cradling it gently. There was silence for a moment, then Minako spoke once more, opening a single eye. "Thank you, Aigis," Minako whispered.
Aegis felt an invisible lump form in her throat, a clump of gears and oil slicking up the back of her mouth. If there was nausea in her gut, this was it: an intangible, sticky feeling that gummed up the works. "Thank you?" Aigis asked. She felt something inside of her click, nudging another gear that bumped against her metal ribs.
"For being my friend. I love you, Aigis." Minako yawned once more and closed her unblinking red eye, breathing a final time.
Something trickled down Aigis' cheek. She registered the mixture: saline, diluted and cleansing for human eyes. It rolled down her chin and landed on Minako's forehead, a clear drop against the pale, clammy flesh. "L-Love," she whispered. "I… love you too."
There was no again this time, Aegis thought, running her fingers across Minako's parted lips. She closed them, watching them settle into a natural smile, the one that only weeks before had disappeared in the face of danger. It was back now, resting upon Minako's soft cheeks, making her look peaceful as she journeyed into the afterlife. Yet it gnawed fiercely at Aigis, drawing up fresh, raw emotions.
"Love," she said aloud this time. Below ,she could hear the Investigation Team. They wre coming , just like last time, would find Minako asleep, slumbering forever on Aigis' lap. It built up inside her, that same sticky feeling, a gummy emotion that made her entire endoskeleton feel heavy, a burden that weighted down her infinite memory.
In that moment of grief, of indescribable sadness, Aigis let her head fall back and loosed a scream, saline rolling down her cheeks as the foot steps hurried to her, sobs all Aigis could hear.