Persona 3: Tempest

Disclaimer: I do not own Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3/Fes. I do not own the Shin Megami characters. The OC's are merely a fragment of my imagination and are not real people.

Chapter 2: Awakening

The last thing he remembered was sitting on the roof of Gekkoukan high school. The young man's head resting heavily in Aigis's lap. He could hear the voices of his comrades drawing closer, calling out to him. He could barely keep his eyes open, but still, he wanted to see them one last time.

He knew it was coming, the consequences were unavoidable. He should have died the moment he sacrificed his spirit to make the Great Seal. But his commitment to his friends kept him going. Even though he was little more than a shell of his former self, a body with almost no soul left, he held out for two more agonizing months of life. His very heartbeats were numbered. He had to keep his promise though. Even when everyone else had forgotten about all that they had been through, Minato still had hope that his friends would return to him on Gekkoukan's roof top, graduation day. The moment he heard them coming for him, he knew that he could pass on, satisfied.

"Don't worry, I will always be by your side… protecting you." He heard Aigis's voice, softly comforting him, as his eyes closed and his consciousness faded into darkness.

Arisato Minato had fulfilled his duty. Every life has a reason to exist, and his was to be a sacrifice to protect humanity. A Messiah. But for Minato, there was no Heaven or Hell after he passed, no Purgatory or afterlife what so ever. Just darkness… emptiness. He remembered those final, terrifying moments when it became clear what he alone had to do. The feeling of his very soul being ripped from his mortal body, and becoming a dimensional barrier to keep the darkness of human hearts from reaching the certain death called Nyx.

"Minato-kun?" He could hear Ryoji's voice fill the air all around him, as his nearly lifeless body floated between the dimensions. "Your friends are calling out for you… can you hear them?"

All he could see was blinding white light all around him. The voices were faint, but as he listened, they became louder and louder.

"You should answer them, they are very worried about you." He heard Ryoji speak again.

"I'm not dead?" Minato asked.

"Not yet. Fate has given you the opportunity to say one last goodbye to everyone. However, your time is limited. I am not sure how long you have, so please use this precious time wisely."

"It's alright!" Minato called out. The next thing he remembered was waking up in his bed back at the dorm.

He died there on the rooftop, in Aigis's arms, his friends gathered around him. Everyone had thought he was just exhausted and went to sleep. They had no clue at the time of his fate. After his consciousness slipped away, he was surrounded by a definite and palpable darkness.

Minato wasn't sure how long he existed in that state of nothingness. What he did know was that his consciousness was coming back. Slowly he became aware of his surroundings. He could feel a soft bed beneath him. Minato started to open his eyes. Everything around him was a chilling, velvet blue. I can't be… he thought to himself. A horrible, gut wrenching stench floated past his nostrils, causing him to sit bolt upright. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a white haired woman clad in blue, fussing over a pot of rapidly boiling liquid. The flutter of his movements caused her to look in his direction. She let out a gasp upon realizing that Minato had awoken.

"You're finally awake!" Elizabeth cried as she ran over to his bedside.

Minato had a dozen questions running through is head. However the only thing he asked was "What's that smell?". It was nearly enough to make him pass out again.

"Oh that, I was just making some squid and cabbage soup for dinner. It is a new concoction of mine. Would you care to try some?" Elizabeth gave him a hopeful look.

"Errr…um no thanks, I'm not hungry" If given the choice, he would have chosen death instead of squid and cabbage soup.

Elizabeth almost looked disappointed. "Oh well if you are not hungry then I won't force you." She went back to her cooking. "I am sure you have many questions, and my master and I will answer them all for you, once I am done with my cooking that is."