~*Rhythm and Beats*~

"One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart you can't utter."

~*X*~

It's irrational, but it's always been that way.

Minato Arisato knew it was probably laughably idiotic to worry over the condition of a robot made to combat the Shadows. Regardless, he was still wearing a worried expression—worried for him anyway, the stoic leader of S.E.E.S. didn't show a lot of emotion—as they mowed down another twisted abomination. He beckoned Aigis over and reprimanded her sharply with: "You shouldn't use so much of your stamina. Persona attacks are strong but they're useless if you're leaving yourself with barely enough energy to stand—that just makes you easy prey for the Shadows."

Aigis inclined her head slowly. "I comprehend. Reducing stamina usage, commencing now."

"…Good. But, well…" Minato cast a quick glance around. Yukari was seeing to a wound that Junpei had, and was paying them no attention. He smiled at the android, a slight one, but it transformed his serious face so that he looked much friendlier. "I know you're just doing this to protect me." He turned away. "So thanks." And with that he went to investigate Junpei's injury, making sure that it wasn't anything too serious.

Behind him, he heard Aigis murmur "You're welcome."

That incident…had been a while ago. Minato knew why he had suddenly begun thinking of such an event. It had to do with his staggering disbelief on how different Aigis was since she had first joined them over the break. He was pleased by the change. It made her more approachable…more…human. The Anti-Shadow Weapon was slowly, but steadily, starting to gain human emotions and he had a sudden, strong urge to be there for her as her heart developed.

It scared him more than Tartarus or any Shadow ever could, but he couldn't find out why.

It was Saturday, and as school let out Minato picked up his satchel and prepared to leave. He caught Yukari's eye as she departed with a group of her "gal pals" as Junpei referred to them. Strangely, she held his gaze for only a moment before looking away with a blush. He figured he'd just stop by a ramen place before going to bed early. After all, if they wanted to defeat Nyx, they'd have to work fast. Though they had already reached the top, as Akihiko repeatedly stressed, training was mandatory regardless.

Minato sensed a familiar presence and he stopped his journey down the hallway to let her catch up. "Hey, Aigis."

Aigis looked straight into his eyes with a startling intensity that he would never grow used to. "I would like to spend time with you today, if you're available, Minato-san."

"…Of course," he said. One of the things that annoyed him most was Aigis's Arcana, Aeon. He had no Personas of the Aeon Arcana at the moment and his inability to easily adapt to her personality sometimes left him uneasy. It meant he had to rely on his own judgment—and that was literally his own judgment, not Messiah's opinion, though it was of the Judgment Arcana. He knew how to make an Aeon Arcana, but—

Aigis smiled. Like him, it completely transformed her appearance. "Thank you very much. Shall we go?"

Minato put his hand out and wordlessly took her satchel, deciding to do the gentlemanly thing and carry it for her…at least until they could drop their stuff off somewhere. As they exited the high school he remarked, "So where are we going?"

Aigis tilted her head. It was a surprisingly human gesture, coming from her. "I am uncertain, though I believe we could find something to do in the Mall. I apologize for inviting you out without having a course of action, I just…" She moved her eyes to the side. "…Wanted to spend time with you."

He tossed a hand carelessly. "That's fine. I don't mind spending time with you." He snapped his fingers as something came to him. "Let's hit Power Records, if you don't mind. I need some new music."

"That's fine with me, Minato-san." Aigis seemed pleased by his response.

They boarded one of the trains for the short trip to Pawlonia Mall. Minato knew for a fact that Aigis was fond of window seats so he let her have it as they both sat down. She appeared enchanted by the golden rays hitting the water's surface. Despite how cold it was, the presence of the sun almost made it feel like spring. He didn't like letting long silences fester between him and his friends, so he commented nonchalantly, "It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?"

Aigis nodded, facing him. "This week's forecast calls for sun, but snow is expected to fall around the end of this week. I'm sure it will be just as beautiful."

"Snow? That's good to hear. I love snow."

"You do?" He could just imagine her filing that away somewhere in that mental hard-drive of hers. "Why is that, Minato-san?"

He tapped his fingers along his thigh, considering how best to respond. "It makes everything look…new. Even dirty urban slums can become winter wonderlands with the right amount of snow." He scoffed at himself. "Pretty stupid, don't you think? It just hides the truth after all."

Aigis almost seemed offended. She sat up a little straighter. "I don't think it's stupid at all. I have not yet experienced snow—"

"Then how do you know?" Minato grouched, harsher than he meant to. He internally berated himself. This was just due to his lack of a Persona! He almost always said the wrong thing when he was without a matching Persona for whoever he was hanging out with. Messiah was likely laughing its ass off in some corner of his mind, along with the other Personas he had squirreled away.

"…You're right." She went back to staring out the window.

"Ah, Aigis, no…" Hesitantly he extended a hand and put it on her shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. The metal was freezing cold beneath his fingers, even through the fabric of her shirt. "I'm sorry; I'm just in a bad mood for some reason." He shrugged lightly. "If it really does snow, I would love to hear your opinion on it."

She slowly met his gaze. Again, she smiled. "It's all right. We're almost at our stop."

It only just occurred to him, as they stepped off of the crowded train, that he had spoken the android's name without any sort of honorific whatsoever. He frowned, unable to fathom why, even as he shoved his hands inside his coat pockets in an attempt to keep them warm. The day wasn't exactly cold, but the wind was freezing.

As they walked across the plaza, Minato pointed out things of interest to Aigis in an attempt to apologize for his needless roughness earlier. "You know what's strange?" He said as they continued their meandering, which was in reality bringing them both closer to their destination. "I never see you doing any hobbies. Tell me, what do you like to do?"

The question apparently caught her off guard. Her steps faltered. "I am an Anti-Shadow Weapon, and that used to be my whole existence…"

"But now…?"

"But now, I'm also Aigis. Though this remains the truth, I haven't yet decided on something that interests me, as boxing does Akihiko-san, or you, your music..." She seemed to be very deep in thought after what he said, so he left her alone until they reached Power Records.

He politely held the door open for her before following her inside of the music shop. Its lighting was dim, and the rows and rows of CDs, along with stands for sampling them, actually made him a bit excited. He toyed with his headphones absently as he prowled up and down the aisles, his eyes not skipping over any genre. Aigis followed him like a shadow, and it was only then that he realized how rude he was being.

"Oh, sorry again." Minato stopped and faced her. "I got kind of distracted…What type of music do you like, Aigis?"

She bowed her head. "I haven't really thought about it. What type do you like, Minato-san?"

"All types. If you want, I'll help you find some songs." He offered her his hand, praying that he wasn't about to screw up his link with her. With any luck, Persona or no, he knew her well enough to strengthen their friendship on his own.

Aigis smiled once more, but her eyes lingered nervously on his outstretched hand, as if she was unsure of how to respond. "…I would very much like that," she decided, placing her hand in his. He closed his fingers around hers, ignoring the way her metallic skin leeched the warmth from his own, and led her to the first aisle.

"Alright, let's begin." He offered her a rare grin. "Do you like frenetic music? Or slower songs? Maybe somewhere in-between?"

Aigis puzzled it out. "In-between."

"So not hard and fast rock songs, but not slow either…Try this." Minato took off his earphones and gave them to her, whilst switching through a playlist on his MP3 player. "If you like this one, I have plenty more of the same kind…" He eyed her. "Tell me truthfully if you don't like it, okay? It's not going to hurt my feelings or whatever."

She nodded and closed her eyes as he jabbed the Play button. For a full minute and a half she did nothing, standing absolutely still as only a robot could, and he wondered if maybe she had fallen asleep. Standing up…? Could she do that? Hell she could fire bullets from her finger so why not.

She opened her eyes and said, "This song…It has interesting lyrics…What is it called?"

"Brand New Days."

Aigis began mouthing the words. "When I wake from a dream, I can meet a new tomorrow…"

"Do you like it?"

She beamed at him. "I like it very much Minato-san."

"Well let's get you an MP3 player," he said, taking his back from her. "And we'll fill it with songs. A few CDs for the lounge won't hurt either."

"An MP3 player…?" Aigis appeared uncertain. "I cannot allow you to spend—"

Minato interrupted her with a snort of derision. "It's okay; it's my gift to you for saving my life God knows how many times in Tartarus." He looked around and lowered his voice. "I've practically got yen to burn thanks to all the cash we make when exploring. And don't worry; I've already got our new equipment anyway."

"If you are certain." Her tone was doubtful, but this was definitely the most human he had ever heard her. "Thank you, Minato-san."

He found himself smiling at her. It was unheard of for the leader of S.E.E.S. to do such a thing so often…

They went around and around Power Records, selecting CDs and testing the new beats, searching for things that would please not just them, but everybody in the lounge. This was easier said than done, since everyone had vastly different tastes. Mitsuru detested heavy cursing in songs, yet Junpei loved rap music. Yukari had a thing for sappy love songs, yet Akihiko would probably lose his lunch after hearing it. Koromaru, according to Aigis, liked instrumentals and R however Ken enjoyed a good guitar solo. It was difficult to say the least.

"What is music?" Minato mused aloud as he turned a potential candidate over to examine its track list.

Aigis's response was immediate, like she was reading from a dictionary only she could see. "The art or science of combining vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion." His expression morphed to one of bewilderment, which evidently was so hilarious that Aigis actually chuckled at it. "Am I incorrect?"

"That's the scientific explanation, but I think it's deeper than that," Minato explained.

Aigis blinked at him curiously.

"Sure, I guess you could say music is just a bunch of people vocalizing with maybe some rhythm and beats thrown in," he relented. "The rhythm and beats themselves might count as music alone, but it resonates differently from person to person."

"Music resonates differently from person to person," she echoed.

He nodded. "For example, listen to this." He handed her a pair of big black headphones, which were attached to one of the music sample stations. "That's a decent song, isn't it?"

She nodded hesitantly. Her clear blue eyes held a million questions and he hoped he had the answers.

"To us it means nothing. But," he took the earphones back and hung them up. "Somewhere in the world, someone's lost their loved one just like in the song. Therefore the song has more meaning to that person than to us teenagers—I mean, me and you, don't you think? Since we never lost anyone quite like that."

Aigis processed this information, and then she nodded. "I comprehend." She seemed pleased with herself. "You are very knowledgeable about music, Minato-san."

He closed his eyes and laughed. "Not really. It's just my opinion after all. Music existed long before science so what does it know?"

She detected the teasing note in his voice, obviously, because otherwise she wouldn't have smiled. "Yes, what does science know?"

Never mind the fact it created her.

Minato paid for their purchases and together the two set off for home.

~*X*~

Though at first Aigis had pointed out the legal repercussions, Minato insisted that he would take the blame and thus the two were surfing the internet for songs to put on Aigis's new MP3 player. Since Aigis lacked such a computer in her room—and right now at least she was too flustered to invite him in anyway—he took her to his room.

…Which just made her even more embarrassed. He thought it was all rather odd since previously she had expressed no qualms about being in his room, after all she had once wanted to be "on standby" there.

"There you go," Minato said, slipping her MP3 player around her neck. "You've got almost one hundred songs on there with plenty of space for more." He yawned and leaned back in his chair.

She touched the tips of her fingers to the device. "Thank you very much, Minato-san. Maybe we'll even be listening to the same songs while in Tartarus."

"It's pretty likely since you have most of my songs," he replied. Minato stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "You better go. If you stay here much longer Junpei's going to start thinking something stupid involving you, me, and the fact we're alone up here. Despite the fact you're a robot."

Something passed through Aigis's eyes. She looked down. "…Minato-san…Does it bother you that I am a robot?"

"Where'd this come from?" Minato lifted his shoulders and let them fall. "I couldn't care less. You're my friend no matter what you happen to be."

"Even though I sealed Death within you?" She lifted her eyes as she spoke.

"It all worked out in the long run. I've got great friends and an exciting nightlife." He smirked. "And we're going to defeat Nyx…no matter what."

"…Yes, we will. We must." Aigis's words held conviction but her gaze was still melancholy.

Minato didn't really think about it. He pulled her into an embrace, holding her against him. He heard her gasp, and he wondered why she did so, since she didn't breathe. Maybe just an unconscious reaction? Nonetheless, he hugged her with everything he had. "I'm not worried. After all, you'll protect me, right?" He murmured softly.

"I will try my best, but what if that isn't enough?" Her voice was a whisper.

"Your 'best' is more than enough. There're many ways to protect someone." Minato was surprised by how long he was continuing their embrace. She felt…different when compared to hugging anyone else, and yet, he thought it was a different he could grow to like and enjoy.

"Minato-san…" She spoke abruptly, changing subjects. "You have music in you."

"Huh? What do you mean?" He pulled back enough to see her face.

Aigis searched his eyes before leaning her head against his chest. "Your heart. You said music can sometimes consist of only rhythm and beats…Your heart has both."

Minato smiled. "Well, I guess that true."

She closed her eyes. "I don't have a heart."

"That's a lie," he growled. "You might not have a physical heart but you have more heart than most humans in the world." He tapped the spot where her heart would have been, if she had one. "I believe that."

"Minato-san…!" He swore she was blushing.

"I'll see you later, Aigis. Tell the others to leave their nights open too, we've got Tartarus tomorrow." He released her and stepped back, hands in his pockets.

Aigis inclined her head. "Of course. Good night, Minato-san."

"Good night, Aigis."

When she had gone, he sat down on the end of his bed and rubbed his forehead, unsure why he had said all of those things when he didn't even have an Aeon Persona to justify it. It made no sense.

~*X*~

Aigis continued to climb the stairs, still feeling the warm touch of Minato's arms around her. She never wanted to lose that feeling.

Minato-san…he believes I have a heart.

The knowledge made her less afraid of these strange emotions that were developing within her. Why? Because he already thought she had a heart, and thus, the emotions that came with it. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a happy sigh, though she did not understand why Minato-san was always so very kind to her.

It's irrational, but it's always been that way.

Author's Note: An OOC mess I'm sure. XD Regardless MinatoxAigis is one of my favorite Persona 3 pairings. It's tied with MinatoxYukari...I think? Anyway, review if you want!