Urgh…well, where should I start…? I've been playing Persona (the one for PSP only) for about 2 years now, but it never occurred to me to write a fic for it until now. Hell, until a few months ago, I didn't even know it had a fandom… Anyway, this idea came to me randomly. And I'm not sure I'm even thinking straight…
But enough of that…I'm gonna try to make this cannonish, but I'm not sure how well I'll do with that. The farthest I've gotten is when you're climbing the final block of Tartarus as the Nyx Annihilation Team, and then I realized I'd never be able to build my team up enough in time to fight Nyx, so I restarted, and well, basically, my interest in the game has been recently rebooted. Unfortunately, reading so much fanfiction has revealed a lot of spoilers (which I hate), especially about the ending…I thought I'd played through all the best parts when I restarted, but leave it to Persona to keep you guessing up 'til the end. Heh…anyway, hope this works out for me.
I don't own the Persona series, though I think it's brilliant.
This is an eventual FeMCxmulti with lots 'o fluff on the side. I didn't use the name "Minako" when I played, but I've found out it's one of the default names for the main character, and I admit it's kinda grown on me, so she'll be known as Minako Arisato here…got it?
Summary: Everyone knows her as the fearless yet cheerful leader of S.E.E.S., but when a powerful Persona fusion goes wrong, Minako somehow transforms into a five-year old little girl with no clue how to use her amazing powers. Uh-oh…how is this clandestine group of high schoolers going to handle this new ordeal when the only one who can save the world isn't even knee-high anymore?
"Mommy…? Daddy…? W-why aren't you moving?" the little girl stared helplessly at the slouched forms of her parents in the front seat of the family's car.
There had been a blinding flash of light, and they'd swerved into the railing on Moonlight Bridge, but she'd somehow managed to make it out with only a few cuts and bruises.
Blinking back tears, she slowly opened the door and climbed out on the eerily quiet bridge. Her legs shook terribly, and a small whimper passed her lips, but she was determined to search for someone…anyone that could help her parents.
She gazed around at the cars parked on the sides of the bridge, but didn't see anyone in them. Her small legs carried her further down the bridge, where she could just barely make out two figures.
It almost looked like one was floating, but she was exhausted and in shock, so it could have been anything. As she wondered closer, she could tell that one was a woman with short blond hair, her back faced to her.
And in front of her, just like she'd thought, was a floating creature unlike anything she had ever seen. "A m-monster…" she whispered.
Her body screamed for her to hide, but she was frozen scared and wide-eyed as another creature, blue and wearing a helmet, appeared before the woman, the crackling sound of electricity shooting through the air.
The large black creature surrounded by what looked like a ring of coffins countered the woman's electricity with its own powerful charge beam.
They seemed to be struggling to defeat each other, but neither one was giving in. She could feel the heat from the sparks on her face now, the glow from their light seemed to illuminate everything in short bursts.
She watched in awed terror as the monster's power slowly began to overwhelm the woman.
Suddenly, the monster's yellow beam broke through, shooting right through the creature and towards the woman.
"L-look out!" she cried before she could stop herself. A second before the beam hit, the woman turned around to look at her with glassy blue eyes.
"Ah…!" Minako shot up with a short gasp.
Placing a hand to her chest, she blinked, slowly looking around the room to be sure of her surroundings.
'It was just a dream…' she told herself with a sigh. But it was a strange one nonetheless. Not that she hadn't had plenty of strange dreams since coming to the dorm.
The thing that made this dream so strange was that it almost seemed like a memory from her past, and Minako never dreamed about the past.
She could hardly remember anything up until the age of around seven, when she had left Port Island with her foster family.
The other shocking part of the dream…was how strangely familiar the woman's face was…she looked just like Aigas! Could it be Aigas?
"I'm almost sure we've never met before though…even though she seems to think she knows me from somewhere." Minako muttered to herself.
Before she could give it more thought, there was a knock at her door, and the next thing she knew Yukari was asking her if she was almost ready to go. "Go where…?" the brunette wondered before looking at her alarm clock.
It was almost eight. She was going to be late for school! Quickly stumbling out of bed, she threw the door open, noticing Yukari's surprised face but ignoring it. "I gotta go get ready. I can't believe my alarm didn't go off!" she whined. "Don't we have a test today?" she asked, still racing down the hall to the bathroom.
She really hoped none of the other girls were in there. After knocking and getting no response, Minako barged in and found her bath materials on the cabinet's second shelf.
Each of the girls stored their personal items in different places, to avoid any confusion. Minako practically threw off her flannel teddy bear pajamas as she stepped into the freezing cold shower.
"Cold, cold!" she squealed, quickly adjusting the knobs before grabbing her cloth and body wash.
When that was done and she had rinsed the shampoo from her hair, she wrapped herself in the fluffy white towel waiting on the rack.
Since her clothes were in her room, she rushed out and back down the hall, passing Yukari, who was watching with amusement. "Wow, that's gotta be a new record." Minako heard her giggle.
"I'm not through yet." She called back as she slipped into her bedroom and swiftly pulled out her uniform. She hopped awkwardly into her underwear and then clipped her bra.
Next, was her skirt and knee-high socks followed by her blouse and lastly, Gekkoukan's black female blazer.
She readjusted her hair into its normal clips before opening the door, panting slightly.
Yukari leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and whistled as if she were impressed. "Wow, you're really something else. You did that in less than three minutes."
Minako rubbed her neck sheepishly, "It's not anything amazing to be a tardy klutz."
"Still, you pulled it off. Come on, let's hurry up and go grab some breakfast before Junpei eats all the toast again." Minako followed with a slight laugh. They arrived in the kitchen to find everyone else already downstairs.
Fuuka was the first to notice them, "Oh, Yukari-chan, Minako-chan. I was just about to come and see if you both were coming down soon. You're just in time for breakfast." she told them happily.
Of course, this caught the group clown's attention as he looked at the girls almost smugly. "Yo Yuka-tan, Minako-chan!" Junpei called with his usual grin, happily loading his plate with food.
"What took you guys so long? We almost started without you." Akihiko added.
"Yes, Minako-san…you are unusually late to arrive." Aigas observed in her monotonous tone.
They all usually took turns with things like breakfast making duties, but sometimes everyone just grabbed whatever they could if they were in a rush. Today, Mitsuru had made a simple breakfast of eggs, toast and bacon.
"Sorry, Yukari had to come and get me…I guess I kinda slept in a little." She grinned slightly. She noticed the newest member, a senior named Shinjiro Aragaki quietly reading the paper in his seat and occasionally sipping coffee. Minako didn't know very much about him, just what she'd been told by Mitsuru and Akihiko.
Apparently he was an old friend of Akihiko's and they'd grown up together. He had been in S.E.E.S. a while back, but quit for some reason, until about a week ago, when Akihiko had asked her to come with him after school, where he managed to push Shinjiro into rejoining.
He seemed rather rough around the edges, and most people seemed to think he was unapproachable, but the time they had all gone investigating at the gang spot behind Port Island Station, he had saved them from a group of local punks. Somehow, Minako just knew that he wasn't as bad as he looked, as much as he seemed to want people to believe so.
"Good morning, senpai." She smiled cheerfully at him. He slowly glanced at her from over his paper, his gaze looking cynical as usual.
"Hey…" he muttered curtly.
Minako figured that was the most that she would get out of him for now, but it was a start. She'd decided to make an honest effort to get to know him better, maybe make him feel more comfortable at the dorm.
"I hope everyone's ready for today. We will be having a meeting to discuss important news in the lounge tonight. I expect to see everyone there." Mitsuru told them before exiting the kitchen.
Yukari frowned, before sighing. "Always secretive, huh?" she murmured.
Junpei cocked his head to the side as he looked after her curiously. "I wonder what that was about?" he mumbled through a mouthful of toast and eggs.
Yukari's nose crinkled in disgust. "Ew Junpei, don't talk with your mouthful."
It wasn't too long before Minako found herself staring out the window of the monorail on the way to school.
The ocean glistened beautifully, as always, and the clouds drifted lazily across a sunny blue sky. "Wow, on days like this…it's hard to believe something as horrible as the Dark Hour is real…" she whispered, her eyes focused on the beauty of the journey.
Beside her, Yukari was rummaging through her bag frantically. "Crap! I forgot my notebook back on my desk. Hey Minako, do you have the notes for Classic Lit—" she noticed her friend zoning out and frowned. "Minako…?" There was no response. "Hey, earth to Minako." Yukari's hand waving in front of her face quickly snapped her out of her intense daydreaming.
She flushed slightly. "S-sorry…what were you saying?"
Yukari arched a brow. "You sure you're ok?"
"Of course I am! I mean, why wouldn't I be?" she questioned innocently. Yukari studied the girl who had become both her teammate and friend over the past few months before shaking her head.
"No reason I guess." Minako smiled cheerfully as if to reassure her.
"Heeey, chickies? You guys ready to own the next Shadow in our operation?"
Yukari immediately scowled while Minako blinked questioningly as Junpei slid in next to them.
"Ugh, Junpei…you sure do know how to ruin beautiful scenery." Yukari told him, glaring out the window as they drew closer to their stop.
"What do you mean, Junpei? Our next mission isn't for another two in a half weeks." Minako reminded him, her vivid crimson eyes gazing at him curiously.
"Yeah, I know. I'm just really revved up for some reason, this time. Ya know?" he grinned. In his mind, he was envisioning a certain redhead Lolita. She'd be so impressed when he told her about how he took out this Shadow.
Of course she thought that he was actually the leader, but he was sure Minako wouldn't mind if it meant helping him out. She was cool like that.
Yukari just rolled her eyes with a grunt. "Whatever, just try not to say stupid stuff out loud, got it? We are in a public area." Luckily, not too many other passengers were in their car at the moment.
Minako gazed at the sky as they exited at the station to walk the remaining two blocks to school. She got the feeling something bigger than usual was coming her way...
And that was saying something.
In class, Minako had a hard time paying attention. It wasn't the lesson, exactly, or even their weird philosophy teacher, Mr. Edogawa.
Her mind was too busy wondering over the parts of the dream she could remember. Was that little girl really her?
Why couldn't she remember what happened to her parents? And why was Aigas in her dream? The voice of Mr. Edogawa drifted through her ears in the background.
"…such as a magic spell that can cause a person to age in reverse. The incantation actually comes from a popular Buddhist prayer in the late fifteenth century, though it is possible to properly perform the spell without one if the right conditions are met."
The bell suddenly rang and Minako jumped, surprised she had daydreamed through the entire class. "Well, we're out of time. Be sure to try that alchemy potion I told you about. Ehehehehehe…." He gave his strange chuckle, his glasses glinting as he walked out of class.
Minako walked back to the dorm that afternoon with Junpei, seeing as Yukari was at archery club practice. Minako was on the volleyball team, but her club didn't meet today, so she had decided to come back a little early. She was still in a daze, but tried to be polite and listen since Junpei was eagerly talking to her.
By the time everyone had gotten back, it was time to meet upstairs. Mitsuru, Akihiko, Aigas and Fuuka were already there ahead of them. Minako walked in, Junpei and Yukari following shortly after.
Then, Koromaru trotted in and laid down under the coffee table, followed by Shinjiro, and lastly, Ken. She noticed that Ikutsuki wasn't there, which was unusual, since he had been every time they'd ever met in the command room. She guessed Mitsuru must have taken it upon herself to call them together.
"Thank you everyone." Mitsuru began, nodding at them, "I know it was somewhat short notice that I only told you this morning. But we're still not sure what we'll be up against in two weeks, so I think we should try to increase our excursions to Tartarus. The Shadows are becoming increasingly stronger, and their methods of wreaking havoc are becoming bolder and more complex. We cannot allow them to run amok; we are Port Island's only salvation." She paused, her delicate eyebrows arching slightly, a sign that she was thinking, "Of course, I understand if not everyone is able to attend every time either for health or academic reasons, but let's all try to put in some extra time."
Junpei whooped his agreement, while Ken nodded solemnly and Akihiko looked excited. "Alright, we'll go tonight then. Meeting dismissed."
Minako got up from her seat and instantly felt a chill run down her spine. What was this feeling of foreboding she was getting. She felt it had something to do with Tartarus, and for some reason, her instincts were telling her to visit the Velvet Room as soon as possible. She quickly went back down stairs and exited the dorm quietly.
Fifteen minutes later she was at Paulownia Mall, headed toward the secret passage to the Velvet Room at the end of the alley. The door instantly opened for her, and as usual, an ever smiling Theo was there to greet her. "Welcome Minako-sama, how may I be of assistance?"
Minako looked down at her feet, only just now realizing she wasn't exactly sure what she was doing here. Something had just told her to come, so here she was. "W-well I…" she glanced at Theo, seeing he held her gaze intently, patiently waiting for her to continue.
She blushed lightly, hoping he didn't notice. For some reason, Theo always gave her butterflies…in the good way. From the moment they met, she felt intrigued by him.
"Does it perhaps have anything to do with your dream?" he asked with a mysterious twinkle in his eyes.
Minako gaped, "How did you kn—"
He held up a gloved hand, smiling quite smugly with his eyes closed. "How is not important now." Minako stared, still feeling uncomfortable. Did that mean he knew about all her dreams? Even any embarrassing ones she might have?
He chuckled at her, which only made her flush brightly. "Don't look so alarmed. I promise that this is the only dream of yours I've ever observed. I would never violate the trust of our dearest guest." Minako breathed a sigh of relief, but still looked apprehensive.
"Do you know what it means, Theo?" She watched him anxiously, as if he could help her shed light on her confusion. Minako then studied her hands purposefully as she nervously wrung them together "I…I've never been able to remember much about my past before…um, the foster home. I don't even really remember my parents' faces anymore, or why I kept having to move so much to begin with."
She sighed, looking him the eyes. She usually felt a little nervous having to talk about her history, but she felt like Theo would understand. He always had.
To her surprise, instead of answering, the fair-haired young man moved forward, delicately placing a gloved hand on her cheek and barely grazing it with his thumb. The touch instantly felt like jolts of electricity shooting from her stomach.
Minako hoped he hadn't noticed the way her knees shook slightly. She stared into his beautiful golden eyes, always so bright and expressive. She really loved his eyes.
They could light up like a child's when he learned something new, or twinkle with mirth sometimes when he was being secretive. They'd held fierce protectiveness the time he'd pulled her out of the way of an oncoming car, and when he became embarrassed, his eyes grew large and innocent as he pouted.
He gave her a charming, sympathetic smile, and her heart beat dully in her ears. "I apologize, Minako-sama, but I know just as little about that side of your subconscious as you do. I sincerely hope you can lay any worries you may have to rest soon. It concerns me whenever I see you distressed. But please know that I will offer my assistance in any other way I can possibly continue to aide you."
She beamed up at him, and Theo stared back with slight surprise, his cheeks tinted a light pink. It seemed like he always knew just what to say in moments like this. He was mysterious and infinitely wise, yet at times, simple and as refreshingly open as a young child. She found herself intrigued by both sides of him, and considered herself lucky to have such a loyal and invaluable ally.
Minako didn't stop to think as she slowly leaned forward on her tiptoes and delicately placed her small hands on his surprisingly firm shoulders, laying a quick peck on his cheek. Theo's eyes instantly dilated and his cheeks grew warmer by the second. "M-Minako-sama…" he sputtered, making her giggle sweetly.
"Thank you, Theo. You're absolutely right; I don't have time to be worrying about something as silly as a weird dream. My team needs me and I should stay focused on training."
Theo blinked, seeming to come out of his light daze. He gave her an awkward but encouraging smile after clearing his throat. "Of course, Minako-sama. I'm happy to be of assistance." he replied sincerely. "Speaking of your explorations of Tartarus, my master wishes to speak with you about the possibility of being able to activate new fusions."
Minako looked surprised, before she nodded. A quick glance around the room revealed no Igor, however. "Sure, where is he?"
"Ah, I do apologize for being late. But I had other…matters that needed to be settled. I hope my assistant has attended to you well?" the short, long-nosed man suddenly appeared, taking his seat on the antique couch as usual.
Minako nodded, and Igor continued. "Now, I'm sure you recall the basics of fusion?" He asked, and when she nodded again he cleared his throat. "I would just like you to know that the development of your abilities have led to new fusion possibilities. You may now fuse four Persona at once. Would you like to try it?"
The brunette grinned eagerly, her eyes glowing. "You know it! Which ones can I fuse?"
Igor stroked his chin in thought, before calling to Theodore. "Theodore, please bring our cherished guest her compendium." he commanded, and the young man instantly produced the thick, ancient looking book filled with pages of all kinds of odd creatures in every imaginable form. Some pages, however, still remained blank, but Minako was working on that.
"That's the thing—we're not sure this time. Please just choose whatever cards call to you, and we'll see what results."
"Well…okay, I guess I could try it," she shrugged, though something felt off this time.
She chose four cards at random—Unicorn of the Priestess Arcana, Orpheus of the Fool Arcana, Angel of the Justice Arcana and Inugami of the Hanged Arcana. They were all relatively weak, easy to obtain cards in the beginning. But she had been working exclusively to boost up even her weaker Persona, so they were all at fairly high levels now.
The four cards floated in midair above the clock like so many times before, but when they started to merge, something unusual happen. An alarm sounded, and the fusion area glowed, an angry red.
"W-what's happening?!" Minako heard herself shriek as the whole room began to rumble, and it felt like her body was being sucked into the middle of the blinding white light in the center of the fusion chamber.
"T-Theo!" she desperately reached for him and within moments, he had caught her arms, but then a particular strong force of suction ripped her away from him and she was thrown into the light.
"Minako-sama!" was the last thing she heard before her senses began to go numb.
Her body began to glow, tingling uncomfortably, and it was all she could do to shield her eyes. A warm pressure built up and surrounded her body like a heavy blanket, and then, there was quiet…there was nothing.
Ok, I'm sorry if the beginning was rushed, but I'm anxious to get to the cute, fluffy harem with little Minako and the guys! Please let me know how I did on this; I'd really appreciate it. Also, I know that's not how the four-way fusions work, but just stick with it for now.
REVIEW PLEASE!