Disclaimer: Persona is not mine. However, there are many lines in this that were taken directly from in-game. It lends realism… :-P -guffaw- In any case, if anyone finds it suspect, I will happily label every line I used to blend the game with this fic and keep the New Game+ feel.

New Game+

The Osculation

"Don't let the past control you, and don't look to the future; simply live in the moment…" - Takaya

7/21/09 ~ Operation Babe Hunt

"…Sounds like a hassle."

Akihiko groaned, nodding with a much put-upon look. "You're right, it does sound like a hassle."

Minato's head hurt. This had been asinine the first time, and it was only going to be worse this time. There wasn't any element of surprise here. The best part would come in foisting the transgendered chick off on Junpei and watching the boy's face… he glanced to Akihiko. He looked miserable, still slightly shining with the large amount of sunscreen his pale skin needed so he wouldn't burn. Minato forced himself not to question the other boy on who in their right mind would wear a Speedo anywhere these days.

"Let's commence Operation Babe Hunt!"

Minato went through the motions, giving the worst answers he could think of when spoken to and trying to keep his eyes off the brush of Akihiko's t-shirt against his bare thigh. His mind strayed often to Aigis, and he kept checking the surrounding area for a flash of blue dress. Anticipation was welcome in this respect, and he could hardly wait until that afternoon on the dock.

"What do you say we ditch him and go back to Mitsuru's?"

Minato was too surprised to hold back a grin, and he peeked at Akihiko from the corner of his eye. "I don't even think he'd notice we were gone until he had no one to help him when some girl kicked his ass."

Akihiko laughed in his usual quiet way. Minato tried not to read too much into the light pink dusting to the boy's cheeks, instead smiling himself and looking off into the waves.

"Do you think there will be time tonight for me to come out here? There might not be a marker, but I'd kill for a long swim with the resistance of the ocean."

Minato nodded. "I'm sure there will be."

"Do… do you want to-"

"Hey, you jerks! I spotted a lovely lady who's all alone! Get your asses over here!"

Minato smirked as Akihiko noticed the woman's five o'clock shadow, smiling to her and nodding even as he walked away, leaving the other two to catch up.

"That was lame! Lamer than lame, I tell you! Did you see how lame that shit was, Minato?"

"Of course I did."

"…You don't you have a sympathetic bone in your body, do you dude?"

Akihiko snorted. "I don't think even a saint could pity you right now."

Whatever retort Junpei might have given was cut off by his gaze locking over Minato's shoulder, eyes wide. "Woah… talk about saving the best for last...! Now that's what I'm talking about. Man, she's cute."

Minato turned around so fast he thought he would break something, eyes lighting on Aigis's not-quite-human form against the cerulean of the ocean. He fought down a happy laugh. "How much do you want to bet me that I can get her to talk to me?"

Silence greeted him, but he was already running forward, skidding to a halt behind the android and touching her shoulder lightly. "Aigis?"

Blue eyes were blank as she turned, her head tilting to the side. "You are…?"

"Yes, Aigis, it's me. You've been looking for me, haven't you?"

"Further observation is necessary to be sure…"

He simply nodded, relief going through him. Maybe it was a little pathetic to say that his best friend was a robot, but… well… his best friend was a robot. How otaku of him.

She stared for long moments, giving Akihiko and Junpei time to catch up. But this time she didn't bother running off, never breaking her gaze on his face. As Aigis smiled, he couldn't help but smile back. "I have been searching for you. My highest priority is to be with you."

"You've gotta be shitting me!" Junpei wailed.

Akihiko looked vaguely constipated, and Minato really hoped the boy wasn't taking this the wrong way. Sure, it was rather easy to confuse this with a love confession, but... since when did he care about how Akihiko took things? He had slowly began to come to terms with his attraction, yes, but that was hardly enough reason to be worrying about whether Akihiko might think wrong in this situation.

He sighed and wrapped a hand around Aigis's arm, muttering to them all about going back to Mitsuru's place. Aigis followed along obediently, the small smile never leaving her face.

8/4/09

Aigis stared blankly into his eyes, head cocked to the side. "I am afraid I do not understand, Minato-san."

Minato shook his head lightly, leaning back on his hands. "It isn't important that you do, Aigis. But when the time comes, know I don't blame you for anything, okay?"

She hummed, looking down at her hands. "As you wish. Humans are… confusing."

It was a nice afternoon, he thought. He picked at the food he had gotten from Wild Duck Burger and was eating with Aigis outside. She seemed content just to sit beside him, but he could see the questions she had. Aigis didn't like not understanding.

"I'll tell you more someday. For now, though-"

"You know me."

He didn't answer, but it seemed that the blonde didn't need one.

"Do you know why I feel like I must remain beside you? My memory unit appears to be damaged, but I do recall that you are important. Very important. I will protect you, Minato-san."

"Please, Aigis, just Minato."

Silence fell that wasn't entirely comfortable, but Minato contented himself with picking at his meal. The setting sun cast a golden glow over the area, reflecting off of Aigis's hair. He smiled. This time, he wouldn't take Aigis's friendship for granted, nor the friendship of anyone else.

"Is it… human to feel uneasy, Minato-san? When I look at you, I feel like I have lived through this moment before, and it… hurts me…"

He had no response for that.

8/16/09 ~ Summer Festival

"Oh, that yukata is so cute! I didn't know they made ones like that. I should have looked harder."

He smiled at Yukari and waved her away from where she'd stopped to stare after a girl, taking the time to admire how lovely she looked in her own yukata. "You look good already," he said simply. While he thought she often overdid it on the pink, the shades went well with her hair and eyes.

"R-Really?" she said, a blush dusting her cheeks. He subtly tried to usher her towards the Takoyaki stand. "Wait… have you been checking me out?"

He rolled his eyes as she ranted, the pleased smile quirking her lips ruining her upset.

"Yukatas are pretty skimpy, if you ask me. They're nice in warm weather, but they don't offer much protection. They take some getting used to."

He could see what she meant. It was the main reason he wasn't wearing one, actually. He didn't like feeling exposed… and wearing something that he'd only ever worn after a bath out in public felt like he was pasting an 'attack me!' sign on his forehead.

He finally succeeded in moving Yukari towards the food, and she sniffed happily. "Mmm, smells good. I guess it's dinner time, huh? I guess that explains why I'm so hungry. Hey, Minato-kun, do you want to get some Takoyaki?"

He'd thought she'd never ask. He nodded quickly and she grinned, moving to the counter and reciting her specification for her order. He frowned a little when she told the woman to go easy on the mayo, but he didn't want to sound like an old man.

"Did you hear that?" she said as she came back, giggling. "She called you my boyfriend."

The woman had made assumptions like that about he and Yuko the last time he'd gone to the festival, too. He wondered if she said that to everyone. Instead he smiled patiently as Yukari handed him a portion.

They didn't stay at the festival long, instead taking the short walk back to the dorm.

"Hey, Minato-kun…" she sighed, hands behind her back and toying with the end of her obi. "Do you ever wonder what will become of us? I mean… when the Dark Hour has ended. Will we lose our memories like everyone else?"

He shrugged. "Who knows? We won't know if we did."

Her face scrunched, and he knew that wasn't a good thing to say. But he was honest, and they really wouldn't know the difference. He remembered the month of February, how carefree they had been. Though it niggled at the back of their minds that they were missing something, it didn't really bother them.

"But… what if I forget you all? What if I forget you?"

Minato carefully didn't cringe. "You won't ever know you knew me to begin with, so you won't miss me. We can't spend our time worrying about what might happen."

She sighed then, silence falling between them. He could see their street coming up, and admitted to being a bit thankful. He'd hoped that maybe… maybe spending time with Yukari would have reawoken the soft feeling she'd given him, taking his mind off of less familiar thoughts. But instead it was awkward and made him feel guilty as she smiled at him with hopeful eyes.

He held open the door to the dorm, returning Yukari's smile as she hurried inside. And as he entered and saw Akihiko sleeping on the couch with a newspaper over his face, his smile became more honest.

He was so screwed.

8/22/09

"Alright, Koromaru, go wild!"

Minato stretched his arms over his head as Koromaru yipped an affirmative, migrating towards the place he usually sat. He didn't know why Akihiko had agreed to walk with him, but he was glad anyway. Things had been tense between them even as they tried to act normally.

Akihiko sat beside him, watching Koromaru sprang around the Shrine's playground. "It is awfully hot tonight…"

"Not for much longer."

Akihiko nodded, giving one of those soft smiles that so endeared everyone around him. "So this is my last high school summer vacation, huh…? I don't feel like that's good or bad…" he paused, eyes turning up to the stars that peeked through the dusk. "I do have some regrets though."

"It is fine to have regret, but we have to learn to be happy with the choices we've made - mistakes included."

From the corner of his eye he watched that smile blossom again. "Yeah. You're right. Since when were you wise, Minato?"

'Since I died to save the world.'

He didn't actually say that, nor did he say anything else. He was pleased when Akihiko seemed content with his silence. It was hours before they went back to the dorm.

9/3/09

Minato groaned, fingers pressing into his eyes to block out the early morning sun. He wished his alarm was as easy to tune out.

"Greetings, it is now morning. The institution of school begins in thirty minutes and fifteen seconds. Have you commenced wakefulness, or shall I assist you?"

Minato rolled out of bed, swearing and kicking at his sheets as they tangled around his legs. He glared towards the door without any anger. "I'm awake, Aigis."

"That is good. However, that does not remedy the twenty nine minutes and forty three seconds remaining until school begins."

It took him ten minutes to locate and don his uniform, and another five to brush his teeth and flatten his hair to its usual style. He'd fallen asleep with wet hair the night before, exhausted, and he was regretting it now.

"There are now only fifteen minutes remaining," Aigis reported from outside the bathroom, the light clank of her metal appendages obvious in the quiet. Minato was too tired to respond. Nightmares had plagued him all night, and though he couldn't remember their subject anymore, the damage to his energy had been done.

Going with Akihiko to recruit Shinjiro the day before had reminded him of the prices that laid on his shoulders. If he didn't find a way to save him, Shinjiro would die. But he was stuck with the difficult problem of saving him while still inspiring both Ken and Akihiko to be stronger… because Shinji's death had given them both drive to do the impossible.

He talked Aigis out of 'transporting' him to school, speaking softly and convincing her that they would be on time. He took the stairs two at a time and barely made it to the train to catch the last one that would get them to school on time. By the time they made it to the school gates, all the students had already made it inside. They ran for the doors, and Minato barely managed to burst through the door to 2-F as the dull tone announced the beginning of class.

"Please take a seat, Minato," Ms. Toriumi said with a glare. "Making our new student late on her second day of school? What kind of example are you setting?" He was tempted to make a flippant remark and refer to her as Maya, but he didn't think she'd forgive him for that in front of the class, no matter how amusing her reaction would be. Perhaps another time. He nodded respectfully and slipped into his seat, ignoring Junpei's snickers.

He laid his head down to doze as Ms. Toriumi lectured on homonyms, dreaming of green-tinted nothingness and a boy's voice that begged Minato to kill him before it was too late.

He walked behind his friends as they made their way to the cafeteria, a once-a-week ritual that had been decided on after the summer. It was a chance for them to check in with their upperclassmen, though Minato strongly believed it would be a chance for Mitsuru to lecture them. They were lucky to have a cafeteria at all in which to meet; his old high school certainly hadn't. They would still eat in their classrooms most of the time, but this weekly gathering would be good for them, he thought.

He tried to banish the last vestiges of sleep from his weary body, rolling his shoulders as the playful complaints from his friends washed over him. He focused instead on the sway of Yukari's skirt; it was mesmerizing the way the pleats moved.

"Minato-san, is it not considered discourteous to stare at another's backside?"

The group stopped, and Minato blinked rapidly. "What?"

Yukari screeched that he had been spending too much time with Junpei, and said boy's retort ended up sparking an argument between the two as Mitsuru and Akihiko joined their group.

"What's all the commotion about?" Mitsuru said impatiently as she led them to one of the few tables in the small room. Minato's eyes trailed over the sparse student population that chose to eat in the cafeteria; the way they stared was odd. However, he supposed that between two of the most recognizable people in the school (Mitsuru and Akihiko) and Yukari's popularity in their own grade, it was to be expected.

"Minato was staring at Yuka-tan's ass."

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow in question, and Minato grimaced. "I wasn't."

"You weren't?" Yukari said, and he was vaguely amused to note that she sounded disappointed.

"No."

"Dude, seriously? You're insane! Who wouldn't look at Yuka-tan's ass?"

"Shut up, Stupei!"

"Someone who isn't interested," Minato grumbled, opening his obento. Mitsuru had them delivered to the dorm daily.

He didn't know where the comment had come from, but as he was goggled at by the table full of his friends, he realized how true it was. He was going to die in five months, and he had no real interest in revisiting his short-lived romance with Yukari. Or Mitsuru. Or Fuuka, or Yuko, or Chihiro. In fact, even if new possibilities were to open up, he didn't think he'd want to date them, either. Befriending people for the sake of fusing strong Persona felt cheap.

His eyes strayed against his will to Akihiko, who was looking at him with a contemplative frown. Minato looked away quickly.

"You really are insane!" Junpei was ranting, arms waving. His chopsticks nearly stabbed Mitsuru in the head. "Totally nuts. Off your rocker! Out of your mind! A few tacos short of a combo plate!" He finally stopped as his wrist was seized in a painful grip by Mitsuru, but he didn't stop staring at Minato like he was an alien. "Or gay."

"Hmph. And if I was?"

He wasn't, of course. He liked women quite a bit, and he had dated enough of them to know the positives in several different types. But, beyond his general apathy for repeating the year he'd already lived through all over again was the thought of how… of how alive he'd felt for that short time under the Lovers Shadow's spell. He was endlessly curious to find out if it had just been a fluke caused by the spell, or if there was something he'd been unknowingly missing.

"You're gay?" Yukari shrieked, calling the attention of the entirety of the small lunchroom.

Minato sighed and put his head in his hands. "No, I'm not. I said if." He saw her sag in relief and narrowed his eyes, shrugging languidly. "I'm not interested in gender. I'll date who I want."

Her eyes flew up to him in shock, as he admitted to being amused as he looked around the table at the varying degrees of widened eyes. His gaze lingered on Akihiko, who looked like he'd swallowed something sharp. Minato smirked to himself and took up his chopsticks.

9/17/09

Minato threw a stick for Koromaru, leaning back onto his elbows on the shrine stairs. The dog yipped happily as he chased it down, and Minato was glad to see him getting to act like a dog for once. He smiled.

"Oh, Minato-chan! We haven't seen you all week!"

Bunkichi smiled down at him, hand laying atop Mitsuko's where it laid on his arm. She sent him a kind smile that made her eyes nearly disappear, and he returned it warmly.

"Good evening, Bunkichi-san."

"Oh, none of that, now. You know better."

With everyone being either busy or absent over the remainder of the holidays, Minato had spent most of his time in Bookworms helping the older couple with the heavy lifting that they could no longer do. Even long past the time the voice of the collective Personas in his psyche had told him that their bond was unbreakable he had kept going back. He was determined to live and make bonds on his own, and the old couple had been two of the most sincerely caring (and entertaining) people he'd ever met.

"You seem content, Minato-chan," Mitsuko said. "You seem to relax more and more every time we see you."

"Life is… good. I can't ask for more than I have."

"Why, of course you can!" Bunkicki chortled. "That's what life's about. You can appreciate what you've got and still try for better, you know."

Minato's smile froze as he considered that. He was content with the idea of living out the last months of his life comfortably (at least, as comfortably as could be expected) and then dying to save his loved ones. Truly. But… more?

"You look like I just ate your muffin, Minato-chan! Cheer up!" Bunkichi paused. "Hey, do you want a muffin? We've got a few at home…"

"I'm fine, really. Will you need help at the bookstore this week?"

"Well, on Thursday we could use some of that young energy of yours, but you know you don't have to bore yourself coming to visit old people like us, huh?"

"We appreciate all you do for us, Minato-chan."

He smiled softly. "Thursday it is."

Koromaru bounded back as the old couple left, tongue lolling happily. Minato stood and stretched his arms above his head. "Ready to leave, Koromaru?"

"Minato-kun! Koro-chan!" He turned to see Fuuka heading toward them, arms laden with groceries. "Taking Koro-chan on a walk? That's very kind of you."

"It isn't kind. I enjoy the walk."

The walk was crammed with small talk from Fuuka, with a few perfunctory answers from Minato. A drizzle was starting to fall. Minato frowned as he remembered the storm to come, ushering Fuuka inside and closing the door behind them. This time, he refused to take ill for days. She moved toward the kitchen with the food and smiled over her shoulder. "It looks like that typhoon might hit us after all, Minato-kun. Would you like to go to Tartarus tonight? It might be the last chance for a few days."

Minato sighed and nodded, pushing away any uncomfortable contemplation. "Sure."

9/20/09

Junpei banged his head against the back of the couch with every word he groaned, agitating his dorm mates. "So… bored. Stupid… storm!"

Minato thought to snap at his friend, suddenly wondering if sleeping through the storm hadn't been the better course of action, but Akihiko beat him to it handily. "Would you shut the hell up already, Iori? Go to your room if you're going to whine like a kid."

"I take exception to that," Ken muttered from across the coffee table, sniffing.

"Don't worry, Ken-kun," Yukari said with a smile. "We all know that you're tons more mature than Junpei is."

Junpei made mocking noises and flapped a hand. "My name is Yukari and I have a stick up my ass. Nyuh!"

"Why, you… !"

Akihiko let his head fall into his hands, and from the other side of the couch, Minato mentally mirrored him. The senior glared through his fingers. "All of you, scram. This storm should be letting up tonight or tomorrow, and then school will be back on. Until then, get the hell out of my hair."

From his sprawled position opposite Akihiko, Minato watched through his bangs as the three others left slowly, migrating back towards their rooms. He didn't follow. He was sure Akihiko's mandate extended to him as well, but he wasn't much for following directions.

He found himself watching Akihiko's collarbone where it peeked from the v-neck of his red shirt. Minato had never considered himself to be particular about body parts… but it drew his attention for one reason or another. He had an odd urge to press his lips there that made him swallow and raise his eyes, instead watching the silver-haired boy scrub at his face.

When he finally lowered his hands, he didn't bother looking up. "Minato. You should rest, too."

He shrugged. "I will. But you've been avoiding me."

"How do you figure?" The strong sentence might have had more impact if Minato hadn't seen the flinch that preceded it.

"You are. Maybe not physically, but you sure do anything you can to avoid being alone with me."

Akihiko ran a hand roughly through his hair, finally meeting blue eyes with a glare. "What do you want from me, Minato?"

"Nothing." With a grimace, Minato tried blunt honesty. "Everything."

The sound of Akihiko sucking in air sounded painful. "Come again?"

"You heard me."

"There is nothing there, Minato. Just forget it."

"Says you."

They glared hard at one another, and Minato knew he was treading on dangerous ground as Akihiko's jaw twitched. But he wasn't afraid of the champion boxer. Even if the experience levels weren't so disparate, Minato didn't think Akihiko had it in him to hurt someone unfairly.

This wasn't the right way to go about this, though. Minato looked way from the glaring contest, moving his gaze to his hands and attempting the near-impossible - talking about himself. He hated talking, and he wasn't some sappy girl that could go on for ages about his thoughts and feelings. He knew it was better to get it out as fast as possible; procrastinating hadn't been helping so far.

"I don't know what's going on. But are you going to deny what happened that night? Are you going to deny that you've been watching me since?"

A shuddering hitch to the measured breaths made Minato plow on, trying to spit out anything he could come up with.

"I consider myself straight. I've never been attracted to a male, and I might never have been if not for being thrown together like we were. But I won't lie and say that I am not attracted to you. I am. I'm not all that comfortable with it, but I am. If it was going to pass, it would have passed already. Can you say it has stopped bothering you?"

He raised his eyes slowly, meeting silver with blue. They were silent for long minutes.

"It hasn't," Akihiko finally said with a frown.

Minato chalked up a victory, even if that admittance was as good as it got.

"I've never even considered a relationship before. Sure, I'd like to be able to talk to girls more easily, but it isn't a big deal. Between Shadows and school, when would I have time?" Akihiko shrugged. "The only options would be to date one of the girls in SEES, and that is a scary thought."

Minato thought back to his own experience doing just that, and a shudder went through him. They were great girls, amazing even. But they were all intense enough in their own ways to burn a man to a crisp from the inside out. He understood what Akihiko meant.

"So being in a relationship has never mattered to me. Is that what you want to come out of this… this?"

Minato shook his head, then immediately nodded before groaning. "I don't know? Would you want that?" That was more than he'd even dared to imagine. "And what if it is all just a fluke anyway?"

Akihiko stood. Minato sighed. He must have made him run again. For all his overpowering confidence on the battlefield and in the ring, Akihiko could wriggle his way out of any less… optimal situation faster than anyone Minato knew. It was a talent, to be sure. But it left a hell of a lot of things unresolved.

The hand gripping the shoulder of his jacket made his eyes fly up, and he was hauled to his feet by a determined Akihiko, eyes narrowed seriously. "Fine. Let's test it."

Minato opened his mouth to ask what in the hell Akihiko was talking about, but all he managed to get out was a muffled exclamation as lips collided with his own, a tongue pressing into his mouth. And Minato melted. There was no finesse, no picture-perfect fairytale moment. He was quite sure one of them was drooling a bit and there was way too much tongue involved for his taste, but not a single bit of that mattered. He was sagging against Akihiko in moments, hands clenching the boy's hips even as he reciprocated as well as he could.

It couldn't have been more than a minute that they stayed pressed together. Minato's lower lip might have been bleeding a bit from contact with his teeth in the initial moments of the kiss, and his lips were too moist. And he was in heaven, staring up dazedly at Akihiko and getting a stunned look in return.

"Huh… I think that answers that…" Minato grumbled, clenching his jaw.

"Umm… yeah…"

"What now?"

He wondered if Akihiko was aware of the arms he kept wrapped around Minato's waist, and if the small circles a thumb was rubbing were on purpose or reflexive. The boy seemed lost in thought for long moments, and Minato was pathetically content to stay as he was. And as long as he kept ignoring that snide voice in his head that told him he was acting like a girl, he would remain that way.

The shy smile he got when Akihiko finally looked back down at him made his heart triple its speed. There was hesitancy in every dart of silver eyes, but the determination that so defined Akihiko was there too. "Do you… can we try this, maybe? See if it is a bust or… if maybe…"

Minato tried a smile back, unsure of how sure it seemed in the face of his own hesitancy. He wanted this, no matter how convoluted and atypical it was for him. He knew he did, he had known for weeks now. But all the things that could go wrong…

Minato was surprised at how well Akihiko could read him as he responded to his sudden indecision. "We're teammates, aren't we?" he said, gaining confidence. "Friends even? I think we can do this and still be alright if it doesn't work, don't you think?"

Minato didn't bother with an answer, and instead pulled the other boy down into another kiss, one far less clumsy than the last.

Had his Personas been influencing his relationship with Akihiko, he thought that this might be the moment they informed him that the relationship was growing more intimate.

Right. Like he needed to be told that.

And he'd never been more happy than he was in that moment to be living for himself.