Piecing the Fragments
Chapter 2: Endlessly
Original Concept: Persona 3 Portable
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Created by: Atlus
written by: wrathie
Author's Notes: Spoilers galore, readers be warned
Author's Notes: Thank you Kaiser dude for the beta edits as well as your thoughts.
Re-mastered and done up on: 03/02/13
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There were many variables in the coming year that would culminated into their meeting and subsequent defeat of Nyx... and of course the final showdown which will culminate in the loss of Arisato Minako's life.
But Arisato Minako knew that the sequence of events leading to it were like dominoes. Each one was relying on the one before it to fall and to activate it.
There had been many variations of the story and journey that she had lived through and it was encouraging to note that one of the criteria that she had identified for them to defeat Nyx was that she needed all of the S.E.E.S members behind her to achieve that feat.
Without their encouragement and the bond that she shared with them, the impossible would never be achieved and it seemed like she was breaking the first seemingly unbroken 'rule' of this journey at the first step that was simply: having all of them trust her.
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All the S.E.E.S members, from Junpei to Ken-kun, all of them must have unwavering faith and trust in her to follow her as their leader. It was only then would the final dominoes fall into place; allowing them to climb up Tatarus on that final night, as well as giving them the faith and the strength to fight the final enemy.
Without her or as she put it, without their bonds together, it was almost certain that they would go for the easy way out and just ignore and accept the 'Fall'. To welcome death into their lives.
In one particular world she did just that; they were all afraid of what was coming and she was tired of struggling...
The world ended around them like a whimper and although she was supposed to know nothing of what was going to happen, perhaps it was her Wild Card Ability that made her remember everything.
To know that the world is ending... and the feeling of helplessness, of denial and of regret culminated in the final moments when she saw how some of her friends totally lose it at knowing what fate had in store for them.
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But now she had overextended and showed off too much of her abilities at the start of her journey. Was it something that guided her to do so or was she just too tired to hide her strength any further?
She needed Junpei and Yukari to be by her side and the former was one of the most crucial friends she could ever hope to befriend. She was very glad that in almost all of the times she restarted her journey, Junpei had always been the reliable friend that she could count on to watch out for her.
There had been a few times that Junpei did not fall for Chidori, the girl who she knew was meant for Junpei and in those worlds it fell onto her to guide him back to the right path.
It was not that he was weak, he simply did not have anyone to live for nor any purpose for him to be pursuing and Minako felt happy that in those few instances, she had been the one who had given him the answer that he was seeking for.
Of course, she knew that Chidori was the one for Junpei and his mental breakdown had started when he accidentally killed Chidori during the Full Moon where the others were fighting the Fortune and Strength Arcanas.
He had confessed to Minako that killing Chidori was like killing a part of himself and Minako realized that some things were probably destined and 'arranged' in this twisted world that she was endlessly repeating.
No matter how many parallel time-lines that she visited, perhaps the 'Gods'; whoever they were, dictated that Junpei and Chidori were meant to be together in the end.
By killing her, even if it was accident, Junpei was able to peer at the invisible veil between worlds, if only for a moment to gain some of the feelings his other counterparts had felt for Chidori.
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It made Minako happy that Junpei found the girl that he was destined to be with and it made her a little jealous as well. It was not that she liked being called a slut or a whore, but sometimes she felt like one as there were many people that she was involved in as she moved from one time-line to the other.
She was not toying with their feelings but she could not help but be a little anxious to discover who she was truly meant to be with.
Was it with Akihiko-sempai, Aragaki-sempai, Hidetoshi-san or god forbid, Ken-kun? Or perhaps... him.
It doesn't seem like she was destined to be with either one of them or perhaps, it really was up to her to make the choice in the end? Except him... in a way his existence was so tied to her that she could not deny him and yet, knowing that she couldn't fully accept him as well.
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Minako blamed Junpei for that dilemma as after learning about the truth of the situation, she had went out on a limb to discover the one she was meant to be with. She started to have relationships with all of them, earning that nickname which made her rile up when she was first exposed to it. But it seemed like she has gotten numb to it by now.
She would do anything for her friends, anything for the people that she holds dear...
Even if she was to be branded something that she was not, in a way she was similar to Saori-san in that she did not care about what others think of her.
Just as long, as her most precious people knew that was not the truth.
She was going to die anyway, no matter what she did... no matter who she was... it doesn't matter at in the end, does it?
But she had to appear optimistic and she reminded herself to make up with Junpei and Yukari later as she looked back evenly at her sempai, Sanada Akihiko who she had dumped the bombshell on.
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'W-What do you mean by that? It was the first time you met Ikutsuki-san after all? How could you say that you know him?'
The new recruit was obviously distraught, something probably happened at Thanatos and Akihiko slowly walked towards her, raising both her hands up as if to coax a child that he was no threat.
It reminded him so much of how he had done the same to his sister that he paused briefly before asking her to calm down and to put down the evoker that she was playing with.
He didn't think that she could be so dangerous, or so powerful, so his hunch that she would be a great asset to S.E.E.S was right after all. If she was willing to help, the Shadows would be gone in no time!
'You probably mistook him for someone else that you know... Now, Arisato, hand me that evoker...'
He smiled awkwardly while reaching for her evoker, but elder boy and champion's blood went cold at the mention of a name that she should not know. It was enough to make her splutter in shock as he stared at Minako.
'I remind you of Miki, don't I?'
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It was a name that was taboo to be mentioned by anyone else but Shinji and he found himself rushing to her without thinking and pinning her to the wall in rage before raising a fist to strike her.
'I didn't know you could be so aggressive, Akihiko-sempai... but did I prove my point? Or should I open more wounds...'
The girl seemed amused, no, not really, she seemed desperate as the boy stared into her crimson eyes. Although it pained him to release her, something in him told her that she felt the same pain in mentioning that name and another, more mysterious part of him told him that he would regret it even more if he did not believe her.
'Who are you?'
Akihiko asked once again as he steadied himself, a comfortable distance away from this mysterious girl as she introduced herself again.
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'I am Arisato Minako, as I've introduced myself before. I am a wild card and I am a witch.'
The girl in front of him was a like a polar opposite to the girl that he met at school prior to her joining the S.E.E.S. The girl before was bubbly, energetic, determined and most importantly optimistic about life.
Right now she was simply laconic, upset and most contrasting of all, resigned as she raised her evoker in the air wildly.
'Why do you call yourself a witch? And what is a wild card?'
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Perhaps she was hoping that he would believe her, it had not worked in the past and so why was she trying so hard now? Was it because of Igor's reading?
Did she sense that she did not have enough time? What was her motive and what was she supposed to do?
There was once, just once where all the dominoes fell into place and she was able to meet Nyx with all the power that she possessed... and for all of that... even with all the precious bonds cheering her on, Minako was only able to hold on for a month.
A freaking month. 30 days, 720 hours, 43200 minutes!
That was all that was given to her after all the effort she put into it just to see if it was possible, if all the elements were brought together, would she be able to finally break free of the curse? In the end, apparently not.
Even with Igor's words echoing in the back of her mind, Minako was very tired and this was perhaps her last struggle to break the cruel fate that the world had for her.
'I can summon different personas. That is a simplified version of what a Wild Card is.'
She pressed her evoker beside her head to illustrate and she chuckled when Akihiko-sempai told her not to do it. Odd, she was sure that Akihiko-sempai wouldn't be so easily intimidated or cowed... and he had been so aggressive earlier too.
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Minako even took the time to reflect a little as she wondered why she had decided to use the word 'Witch' to describe herself. In the end, she blamed a certain manga that she read as she explained to him.
'I am a Magical Girl that can summon monsters to kill other monsters. Why can't I be called a Witch.'
Minako found it amusing that Akihiko-sempai's jaw dropped like that, but she stopped laughing after a few seconds as she turned serious abruptly and without warning.
'Personas are a personification of your true self. They are who you are... to quote Orpheus:
"I am thou and thou are I". As a Wild Card, I possess the ability to summon and use different Personas. But that doesn't mean they are me. I hope you understand that. Still, Thanatos and Orpheus are different from all my other Personas.'
She shrugged as she summoned Pixie easily by firing her evoker and she giggled mischievously as Akihiko seemed relieved at seeing the tiny Persona, not knowing how dangerous that little thing truly was.
'But I am a Witch as I can see the future... and I...'
Minako walked closer to him, enjoying the fact that Akihiko stumbled a little, apparently unsure and apprehensive about her and what she was doing as she forced him against a wall.
'I know everything about you, Akihiko-sempai... from what happened in the past, what will happen in the future... and what you could, and might feel about me.'
The Wild Card smiled at him seductively, knowing exactly what buttons to push in him as she tilted her head to the side, blowing into his ear and tugging at his collar coyly.
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It was no wonder some people call her a slut and Minako eased off him at seeing how Akihiko-sempai blushed as red as a tomato by her teasing.
'...'
There was silence between them for a long time and it was only broken till they heard Kirijo Mitsuru calling them from a distance.
It had only been around 5 minutes since they had separated from the group and only after Minako called back a reply did Akihiko reply tersely to the younger girl.
'I... I believe you.'
The girl whirled back immediately in a shock and it was not an exaggeration when her jaw dropped the same way that Akihiko did when he first saw Thanatos.
'It sounds amazing... but I've been fighting Shadows for so long... so I can't just say it's impossible.'
Hearing Akihiko choose his words carefully, Minako recovered and tried not to look too ecstatic as she knew that Akihiko-sempai was still taking what she said with a hint of salt.
'But... I just feel that I should believe you... did we... meet sometime before?'
Akihiko looked at Minako in an odd fashion as he spoke softly, as though reminiscing about something dear to him.
'I... I think I might have forgotten something important... I know that I've forgotten something, but I can't remember it... but I think that it has something to do with you.'
As Akihiko admitted it in the end, he was rewarded with a ferocious hug that brought the champion boxer to his knees when Minako tackled him.
'S-So do you remember me after all, Akihiko-sempai?! Do you remember who I am? What I did and what we did?!'
It was a shot in the dark and the most impossible of the possibilities to have another person awaken the memories of another world. But if that was the case, it did not seem impossible that they could prevent the final disaster after all!
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But Minako's hopes were dashed when Akihiko frowned and shook his head, failing in his struggle to grab the fleeting moment when he remembered something important. But he did felt hurt as though he suffered a punch in the gut when the girl's face fell just inches away from him and that was not forgetting the urge to just hug and reassure the girl.
Whoever she was, this girl, Arisato Minako was someone special to him.
That, Sanada Akihiko could deduce and he agreed to speak with her again after they got back.
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For Iori Junpei, it was all he could do to not show his frustration as he went back to the dormitory. He wanted to show he was capable, that he was worthy of being the leader in their second trip into Tartarus.
Even if his first expedition into that tower had resulted in him being barely able to call upon Hermes, he was determined to make up for that trip as Yukari had summoned her Persona upon seeing him and Minako getting injured.
His pride had been hurt and he had made a great start tonight, starting by bashing and slashing his way through a crowd of weaker shadows that literally fled from him as he cleared the first few floors by himself.
The other girls had been impressed and although he knew Yukari would never admit it to him, Junpei was happy and strangely ecstatic that Minako was grateful in being able to rely on him.
Not to mention how he was feeling on top of the world after rescuing their field leader from a particularly strong shadow. That didn't last long as he was kicked off from those heights and was dumped to the pits when Minako 'hero-ed' up and beat the living hell out of even stronger shadows.
He was certain that together with Yukari, the two of them looked at her with a mix of morbid fascination, unable to say a single word as she literally demolished and swept the floor with those shadows.
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It made him feel inferior in every way, but despite all of that... despite that gut wrenching jealousy and denial that a 'girl' was able to top his best efforts... Junpei more ashamed of himself ignoring the girl even after all that she had done for him.
It was true that everyone has their own secrets and although the two of them respected Minako enough to not reveal what happened on the last battle, he had avoided her the whole time after she saved him.
It was not supposed to be that way, he was not supposed to be the damsel in distress... but Junpei was too disturbed and perturbed to realize the truth as he brushed his teeth while preparing for bed.
No, it was not that jealousy and anger at being lied to that made him ashamed and... well, mad.
He was ashamed at avoiding the girl.
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Junpei felt like he had became friends with Minako even prior to her transferring into school as it felt right when she stepped into the class and introduced herself.
It was as if everything was now right, that it was not complete without Minako around and Junpei was glad that she was eager to make friends with him as well.
Yukari seemed to agree too as the three of them started to hangout in school and during lunch where they would chat and talk about everything under the sun.
They even hung out a little after school too and Junpei was glad to have her as a friend.
Having her as a dorm-mate as well as partner for fighting the Shadows was sweet too as he did not want to see the girl hurt.
Yes, it was odd for him to feel that way as he had just known her for barely more than a few weeks. But somehow that girl, Minako was closer to him than any of his other friends in school in a very short time.
She seemed happy to be with him too and was great friends with Yukari as well.
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He had promised that he'll be a listening ear whenever Minako needed help and wasn't this as good as a time as any to listen to her?
Even if Minako was some kind of super heroine with powers that that she could not reveal due to a vow of secrecy that she had to keep, Junpei wouldn't laugh at her if she just confided in him.
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However Junpei did give a loud shout when he went back into his room and saw the girl in question, Arisato Minako looking curiously at a pair of boxers that was strewn across the floor.
'W-WHAT A-'
He started to scream before he was stifled by the girl tackling him to the floor and covering his mouth.
There were many things in the world that he wanted to experience and top of the list was to have a girl in his room but this, this is not what he expected as the girl literally straddled him, her legs on either side of his while covering his mouth. She listening intently to see if anyone else had heard the scream even as his mind worked furiously to know why she was doing this.
But at the same time, he did not know why but he felt that she was not the one for him and he should not take advantage of this situation in any way.
Mind, he was not really thinking about it that way, no siree!
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'Stop drooling at me and get up, Junpei!'
Minako snapped at him suddenly and he realized that Minako was actually blushing as she crossed her arms and muttered to herself.
'Geez... I'd have thought that you would have cleaned it up a little... you wouldn't want Mitsuru-sempai to come into your room, Junpei.'
With her acting surprisingly normal, Junpei felt his mind and heart settle at being in such close proximity to a girl. He could still feel the warmth of her body and she must be a mind reader as she hugged her body as if in reflex.
'Stop being such a pervert, Junpei, Chidori would be mad at you-'
She stopped suddenly and she covered her mouth as though she had slipped up while he looked at her, puzzled at what she said.
That Chidori... was she someone that she knew?
'Chidori... who is this Chidori?'
As Junpei got up, he found himself surprised that he really wanted to know more about this 'Chidori' person. It was something he couldn't quite explain, like how he felt guilty at abandoning Minako and that feeling was strengthened when Minako seemed apprehensive about telling him.
'Is she a friend of yours?'
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Even after realizing that she slipped up again, Minako swore internally at how things were progressing in this 'world'. Just knowing that Akihiko-sempai might have remembered something must have made her complacent as she had let slipped that name without realizing it and right now she was being pressured to tell Junpei more about Chidori.
Will she change the future if she told him the truth? Or was this an opportunity to make him more likely to fall for Chidori?
She had meddled with the future by revealing her strength as well as tidbits about the future by speaking to Akihiko-sempai already, will this new information tip the balance?
'Chidori-chan... is an acquaintance of mine. She's really a sweet girl who is afraid of many things in life... but yet, goes through life nonetheless. It sounds kinda odd... but that's how I would describe her.'
Minako started nervously and she felt relieved and happy that Junpei seemed to be more interested in hearing about Chidori than anything else, not even caring about what she said.
And there she was, getting all worked up for nothing!
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'I kinda wanna meet her. I don't know why... it's just a feeling I have. Haha, I guess I'm not making sense... but I guess after what we went through, nothing can be the same after all.'
Junpei spoke seriously and it mirrored the look of determination he had when Chidori passed away. It was unlike the usually carefree and joking Junpei that Minako found herself smiling and nodding her head in encouragement.
'I'm sure you'll like her... just; keep your hands to yourself.'
Minako stuck her tongue out to him in jest but she smiled when Junpei looked scandalized at her words.
'I w-wouldn't! Besides, you're the one that was in my room!'
'H-Hey, I wanted to apologize to you... I'm sorry for hiding what I could do... I didn't want to show off more than I had to... so I just moved by instinct.'
Even as she puffed her cheeks and pouting, Minako smiled gratefully when Junpei struck her softly on the head.
'You should... but I forgive you. Everyone has their own secrets... and I won't lose to you, you hear?'
Junpei grinned and Minako reached out to squeeze his hands softly, causing the boy to blush momentarily as he quickly shook her hand free.
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Good old Junpei, even when he could remember nothing of their past lives... he was still the same reliable person that Minako knew.
In many ways, she found herself relying on Junpei more and more as he got to know her better. There are things that are left unspoken between them and yet the two of them knew exactly what is transpiring in their minds.
'I'll tell you, when I'm ready... or, when you're ready, Junpei.'
She mused softly while getting up, relieved and happy that he still accepted her despite all that.
'... I'm ready. I just know you, but I feel like I knew you... from a long time ago, Minako.'
It was strange, calling her so easily and fondly but neither of them minded at all.
No, it was better this way. Really.
'Thank you... and I hope that when you do meet Chidori, you will make the right choice.'
She took her leave silently at that, leaving Junpei a little startled at seeing a pig-shaped key holder dangling from her pocket as it look like the one he had.
Author's Notes: I hope the remastering would make it a more pleasant read!