Fate Rewritten 2017 by Wordsworthy
Disclaimer: I obviously do not own The Shin Megami Tensei series since obviously Atlas does. This is, after all, just a fanfiction written for the sole purpose of entertainment and no profit motive whatsoever. So please just enjoy the story and do not sue me for this. If you wish to know more about the series, please support the companies producing them directly and purchase their merchandise if you like.
Chapter 1: Decade
Every once in a while, I remember.
A memory, a time some distance back, a time that no longer exists.
I was little back then. I have always wondered if things would have been different if I hadn't been so. If anything would have been different.
However, perhaps for that very reason…
It is said that the upbringing of Man comes from watching the backs of those who had walked ahead of them…
If that was the case, then I have seen two of the best.
One who forged onwards regardless of how broken he was...
Another who took everything unto himself for the sake of the future…
I have no doubt that I've grown up watching the backs of good men...
Even now, I am still chasing after them with everything I have…
A hand reached over from beneath the covers and tapped the black contraption by the side of the bed. The large red digits displayed 0659 for several seconds before lapsing into the predetermined time for the alarm.
The covers rustled for a moment before a bare-bodied form sat up from the covers. The hand that waylaid the alarm was brought to his eyes, as if dusting off the cobwebs lingering from an eventful sleep. However, a quick check of his surroundings allowed him to come to a quick conclusion.
"A dream huh… guess today is just one of those days…"
Despite the heater's best efforts, the apparent chill of the still winter-esque air made leaving the luscious warmth beneath the covers a reluctant matter of affair. Nonetheless, his fastidious attitude and commitment to routine won out and he finally got out of bed and into the adjoining bathroom.
A quick splash of heated water finally brought an end to the remnants of slumber and the half-light, as a deep sigh echoed within the tiled wash area. The pleasant heat from the steam was a welcome change from the persistent chill, even though it did fog up the mirror. The back of a large hand wiped away a part of that white shroud, revealing a head of ruffled hazel bed-hair and cowlicks. The young man leaned in a little and eyed his reflection briefly before the edge of his lips turned up in a wry manner.
"Not so little anymore huh…"
Completing the last of his morning rituals, the young man put on his familiar track suit before picking up a long rod from a corner of the room. A light ring from movement of the heavy metallic shaft seemed to have brought another series of rustles from the covers. The young man stayed shock still for a moment before moving over, pulling the said covers over the dazzling white that peeked out.
A little while later, the young man emerged on the street outside brick and mortar apartment block with the heavy rod slung over his shoulders. The tall, lanky figure stretched languidly for a few minutes before breaking into a jog up the street towards Naganaki Shrine.
"Arf!"
"Ah, good morning to you too Koromaru-san."
"Arf arf!"
"Jogging in this weather? You sure are committed Koromaru-san."
"Arf arf! Arf! Arf arf!"
"I see, well… it's best not to keep Ken-san waiting then."
"Arf!"
The unlikely conversation between a white albino Shiba in an orange hoody and the blonde android in a doctor's robe concluded with the small canine figure bolting off for the main entrance while the latter continued with her rounds.
"Good morning Aigis-sensei."
A chorus of greetings rang out from the large entourage of nurses and apprenticing physicians that were awaiting her arrival before the first of many clipboards was reverently handed to her.
"Good morning everyone. Shall we begin? I will be unavailable later in the afternoon so I would like to address any issues right now if possible."
"Yes madam. The first case is…"
As the procession of medical practitioners began their reports on the move, a young trainee nurse glanced over intermittently at the curious sight.
"Head Nurse-san… who's that?"
"Hmm? Ah, that's Aigis-sensei. She's technically the chief of the Neurological Department. Still, I'm more surprised by the fact that you don't know her."
"Eh, should I?"
The matronly head nurse sighed at the rookie's absent minded response before listing off the number of titles and appellations associated with the person of interest.
"The world's first medical android, the robot surgeon, one of pillars of the current Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, the Kirijo Group's secret weapon…"
"Ah! I know of her!"
The Head Nurse sighed once more, a little concerned about the HR future of this facility. After all, Tatsumi Memorial Hospital had been little more than a municipal hospital just a few years previously. However, that changed when the Kirijo Group took over and provided a huge infusion of funds.
The majority of that money went into the construction of the new west wing which became a new research centre on Neurology, complete with the latest in their medical technology and prototypes. A direct tie-up between hospitals and medical research hotbeds weren't entirely uncommon, but the degree and spectacle of their cutting edge advancements presented so far stood out so much that they were propelled into the international stage. That, and the ridiculously advanced Special Ward that served as Aigis-sensei's office.
Of particular prominence was the addition of Aigis-sensei herself, a medical android that shocked many in the field who were experimenting with similar ideas in parallel. Of course, the robotics that provided unmatched precision in surgery and a programmable mind that comes replete with all known documented medical knowledge in an immense specialised network were both amazing feats in itself, but the degree of sentience and individuality present in her artificial intelligence sent unprecedented shockwaves throughout the industry. As a result, the Kirijo Group became the foremost authority in medical and robotic technology in one swoop. There were even numerous attempts to abduct Aigis-sensei by various dubious entities, but none of them got close to succeeding. Few would have guessed, but Aigis-sensei was originally designed as a combat specialist, and retained many of her firearms and close quarter combat abilities. A literal secret weapon.
"In any case, please do pay more attention to your surroundings. Aren't you due at the Nurse Station right about now?"
"Eek! Yes Head Nurse-san!"
The elderly woman helped herself to another heft dosage of sighs as she sent the young trainee scurrying off. Having lost her distraction, she brought her focus back into her most immediate task, the management of Aigis-sensei's schedule for the next few days.
"Arf! Arf!"
"Mommy Mommy! It's Woofie!"
"Hmm? Ara…"
Having had her hand shaken so vigorously by the tiny yet abundantly energetic one that she had been holding, the cool-looking red-haired lady finally registered the familiar pair that rapidly came into view.
"Arf!"
"Morning, Chidori-san, Minako-chan."
"Good morning to you too, Amada-san and Woofie-san."
The normally taciturn character turned one of her rare smiles towards the two who could be considered close friends.
"Woofie!"
"Arf!"
The miniature version of the red-haired beauty wasted no time in cuddling up with the white Shiba that pulled up alongside, perhaps with the expectation of being cuddled as well.
"Minako-chan sure gets along well with Koromaru-san as always."
"Yes… she takes after her father in curious ways…"
"Chidori-san's not a dog-person?"
"I like dogs well enough, but I do prefer cats more."
"I see… it does seem that way…"
Looking at the young mother's attire, the lanky college student couldn't help but agree. In fact, the image of a black cat came to mind a little too readily. After all, both mother and daughter were wearing matching black and white Gothic ensembles that seemed a little thin and plenty too frilly for the chilly early spring air. The more amazing thing however, was how neither seemed to mind the cold at all.
"Anyway… how is Junpei-san coping with the elementary school?"
"Hmm, he's settling down nicely. He was grumbling about how Takeba-san kept on browbeating him about his new responsibilities, but I think it just shows how well they get along."
"Ahaha… I can somehow imagine that a little too easily."
The relationship between his two close seniors had always been tight after all, even though they seemed to never stop fighting. While it did resemble a longstanding manzai routine at times, the young man had always been a little envious of them every now and then.
"Now then, we best be on our way. Tell Junpei-san I said hi later as well, Chidori-san. Oh, and if you could, please give him a gentle reminder about our gathering this evening."
"Of course. Minako, say goodbye to Woofie-san."
"Aww… bye bye Woofie…"
"Auu…"
After a slightly overdramatic parting between canine and girl, the mother and daughter pair set off once more for the Gekkoukan Elementary School, with the packed lunch that a certain husband had forgotten to bring to work.
A knocked sounded on the heavy oak doors.
"Come in."
Accorded with the proper permission by the mistress of the room, the doors swung outwards to reveal a neatly-dressed petite lady with beautifully braided teal-blue tresses that trailed to her waist. A bright smile appeared on her lips upon seeing the person that she was here to find, endowing the previously frigid air with a much needed sense of warmth.
"Forgive me for intruding… Are you done for the day, Kaicho-san?"
The said chairwoman looked up from the pile of papers on her table at her long-time employee, colleague and friend before flashing a small apologetic smile.
"Just give me five… no two more minutes. I just need to look these over and sign them, and I'll be done with them."
The petite woman nodded and helped herself to one of the seats directly opposite the chairwoman. She had been pretty sure that she freed up the chairwoman's schedule as the secretary, but certain pressing things might have sneaked past her radar. Even when inwardly flustered though, her friend retained her stately presence and noble bearings as she did her utmost best to earn the later part of the day off.
"Even though she's the boss…"
"Did you say something Fuuka?"
"It's nothing. I was just wondering what could possibly hold you up today of all days. I hope it's nothing catastrophic this time."
"Hardly… just a bunch of bureaucratic whining that will take some compromises to keep under wraps."
"Is it Public Safety again?"
The chairwoman looked up from her work with a knowing smile at the tinge of worry in her friend's tone.
"Not to worry. They've been quiet so far. After all, we have Akihiko and Kurosawa-san around, along with various other kinds of pressure in place."
"That's good to hear. In any case, are you done now? The food's going to get cold if we don't get going soon."
"Ah, yes. Thank you for waiting… did you just say food?"
"Yes… I thought it would be nice to bring some… what is it…?"
The petite woman detected something amiss in the chairwoman reaction, like a flicker of dread or fear that shook her usual aura of indomitability.
"You didn't make it… right?"
A mysterious shiver ran down the spine of the silver-haired figure that had been leaning on the side of a red convertible, prompting a quick series of looks to his left and right.
"What in the world was that…" wondered the man aloud. Unbeknownst to him, it was probably one of the drawbacks of having a heightened intuition; a premonition of impending doom. But that will probably come to pass later.
"Akihiko-sempai!"
A certain brunette woman wearing a stylish wine-red woollen coat appeared from one of the nearby buildings with a certain, somewhat tired looking goateed individual in a wrinkled track suit in tow.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting. I had to go all the way to the Elementary School department from the High School department to pick up Stupei."
"Ugh…"
"It's fine. Rather, what happened to Junpei?"
"Hah! Wait till you hear about this sempai. Stupei here got too fired up in an argument with a bunch of kids and ended up running a dozen rounds around the track with them. Seriously! "
"… And what is he teaching again?"
"Physical Education!"
"Ugh… Akihiko-sempai…. please make her stop… I've been regretting that enough already for the past three hours…"
The oldest of the three friends stifled a dry laugh while easing himself back into the driver's seat.
"Now now Yukari… we all know why he decided to join the school regardless."
"Yeah, impure intentions."
"Hey, I resent that. It's because Minako will be starting school sooner or later okay? I'm just getting ready to be in the right place, at the right time later."
"Hahaha, I think that's commendable actually Yukari. For once."
"Haiz… a literal idiot parent. They can be the most tiring to deal with sometimes. Enough about that though. How's work sempai?"
"Hmmm… the usual I suppose. Too much paper work and not enough action."
"Isn't it a good thing for a superintendent to not have enough action?"
"Well, it's not so much not having action, but not being able to act… It's complicated."
"It sure does seem that way… It's been a while since I've seen any action as well… I wonder if they're alright…"
"I'm sure they are. They're in good hands after all."
"Hmmm…."
"Zzzz…."
"Ah, damn it Stupei! Don't you dare drip your spit on my coat! It's expensive!"
A light chime sounded a few times before the phone on the desk was finally picked up.
"Yes?"
"Aigis-sensei, your guests have arrived at the lobby."
"Thank you for telling me. I shall be there shortly."
"I'll let your guests know. Please enjoy your day off as well Doctor."
After placing down the handset, the blonde in question turned an apologetic smile towards the blue-haired figure inside one of the many screens in her sizeable private office.
"I'm sorry Sister. It seems that Mitsuru-san and the others have arrived."
"Aw, come off it. I was just calling to say hi after all."
"Regardless, it is always nice to hear from you. Please take care of yourself and stay safe."
"Will do. Ah, Souji-kun and the others send their regards too. Tell Mitsuru-san that we said hi as well."
"Of course. Till next time then."
"Bub-bye!"
…
The blonde closed her eyes as she leaned back into her recliner. Alone with her thoughts once more, she recanted the deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for the people who had made her current life possible. And of course, at the very top among them, was the person that was her most important other.
After a brief moment, the blonde finally stood up from her armchair and turned around. Located just behind her work space was what passed as the Special Ward of the refurbished Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. However, the truth was far simpler; it was designed for just a singular, eminently important patient.
"Our friends are here to see you."