Chapter 10: A System is Made of Parts
A/N: I recommend listening It's Alright (Also know as This is Fine) from the Persona 3 OST found on Youtube as you read this chapter. Or at least parts of this chapter. I know at what moment it plays in the actual story, but I felt it fit here as well. Also the song that Minato will sing is at watch?v=yugACaFW88U . Copy and paste it to the address bar to listen to it while Minato sings it.
"Man cannot face death without first finding meaning in life…" — Takaya Sakaki
Floor: 3
"It's Alright. This is... fine, for now."
He played the song well as he walked through the hallway of Tartarus. It was a song inspired by his pain, yet it did nothing to ease it. It was not alright, but that was why he had named the song that. It was... an attempt to comfort himself. This song seemed to have its own ability. The same pain he was feeling... was being sent towards the Shadows that approached him. They seemed to give up. They had no purpose anymore. This was what he was feeling. It was the pain of betrayal. If circumstances were different, perhaps Minato would have just shrugged off the fact that Mitsuru had called him that name. Maybe he would have just nodded and accepted it, like he had always done. He could have even made a joke out of it. However, things didn't turn out that way.
What was he? What was his purpose? Did he really fight for people who saw him as nothing more than a robot? A tool? A possession? Why was even fighting in the first place? To be a hero that nobody would recognize? Even if he was recognized, his "creators" and "owners" would be praised. Nobody thanks the tool. They thank the one who used it, the ones who created it. The tool would be cast aside as soon as something better was created. What point was there in being a hero if... you only felt pain? If you were only recognized as a tool? Was Minato even a hero at all?
No... He was no hero. He couldn't save his parents. He couldn't save the mother of the boy who had been killed by Shinji's rampant Persona. He watched them die. His purpose had even been given to him. Like a tool. Heroes were supposed to choose their own purposes, to do what is right and come to their conclusions on their own despite the tough choices. Heroes were granted power and decided to save people with it. He didn't match that at all. When he had no purpose, Takeharu Kirijo gave him one. He happily accepted it only because he had no other purpose. He didn't have to make any choices with what to do with himself. If he'd been recovered by an evil corporation after his parents had been killed, he'd be a villain. Who exactly was Minato Arisato? Was he a person that made choices, or just a tool?
Minato didn't want to be seen as a tool.
He had feelings. He had a name, not a serial number. He was Minato. Not M1N470! That wasn't his name! Nobody saw that! Nobody saw him for what he was! Why couldn't they understand?! Did they think nothing of him during of all the time, all the fun they had together?!
Maybe... they did.
Minato felt... excruciating pain, yes, but there was something else that was rapidly bubbling up to the surface. It was an emotion he had not truly felt since his parents died so many years ago. Since then, he had only tasted it, felt the mere presence of it nudging his conscious mind. He had felt it strongly then, but even that paled in comparison to the extent of the emotion he felt now.
Minato's playing grew faster, more high-pitched. The tone began to scream, shrieking out into the air around him. It was no longer a song of his pain, but a song that caused others pain. The song didn't sound good or masterful by any means. It was just a method of expression. The Shadows began to wail and scream before bursting into flames. Black ichor exploded into the air, coloring his white and blue hair pitch black. It splattered onto his S.E.E.S. armband he wore, obscuring it. He didn't even know why he wore it. Perhaps out of habit. Minato wasn't even wearing his school uniform. He simply had his metal showing, like a true robot. His face no longer showed pain. It was... expressionless. Minato began to walk up the stairs calmly, still playing the song which had somehow been... convoluted.
"It's fine... to feel this. I think I have deserved the right to it."
What Minato was feeling was that singular emotion every human being knew well.
Anger.
It wasn't anger towards Mitsuru.
It wasn't anger towards the Kirijo Group.
It wasn't even a burning anger or rage that spoke of passion.
It was a cold, calm anger filled with silent loathing and backed by pain.
It was anger aimed at himself.
He was angry at his foolishness. He knew that getting close to others would only cause him pain. It was a lesson he had learned as a child. Striving to get close to others was idiotic. Yet still he tried to be close to others. He had thought if he got stronger and didn't die, fall, or break, then he could live happily with his bonds. He had thought mankind would see him for who he was and not what he was. He... would not forget his lesson so easily again. He was angry at his powerlessness. He had been unable to tell the truth. Unable to tell them that beneath the steel were feelings that were not robotic or manufactured. Real, human feelings. But even then... he had thought he didn't need to tell them. He had thought they knew he was something more. He had been foolish for thinking that, and he paid the price. So now he felt anger on top of all his pain.
Another band of blue formed beneath the black ichor in his hair. This one was diagonal and crossed through all the other bands before it.
"Enough of this worrying about my identity. I hate feeling this... angst. I just really need a punching bag right now. No... I need a myriad of punching bags. Although, even that may not be enough. I'm going to kill everything. And then... I'll feel better. It works for Akihiko, right?"
Minato was speaking to nobody.
However...
He wished someone would answer back.
Floor: 4
He felt the form of his lyre shift to his familiar short sword as he reached the next floor. He was going to climb as high as he could until he reached an enemy that was strong enough to take enough blows to dull the pain. He may even encounter the Reaper. A large number of Shadows met him at the next floor, as if they were waiting for him. There were approximately 15. Did the Reaper do this? It was the only explanation he could think of. Did the Reaper want to slow him down so it could appear? Minato welcomed the challenge. Fifteen was too low of a number.
Minato could only use a single fireball from each hand, so it often made multiple groups of enemies difficult. He didn't have any attacks that could attack them all at once. However, he had remembered something Elizabeth had once told him. He had decided to visit the Velvet Room before entering Tartarus to make sure it worked. He was certain it would be effective in battle. He threw his sword up into the air. It stuck in the ceiling. He'd need both arms for this.
"This Forge serves the purpose of turning Persona into Parts or Sets that you can either mix and match or swap."
"Part Add On: Left Arm of Angel." His left arm was consumed by the black that was Angel's armor in that location. The Shadows began to approach him readied to attack. One lunged at him. Minato sidestepped and aimed both his arms at the Shadow. His eyes emptily stared at the Shadow. He briefly wondered how many he would have to destroy to rid himself of his pain.
"System Spell: Firebomb." The fireball emerging from his right hand fused with the Garu he held in his left. The result was a humongous ball of flames that were fed by the wind spell. Minato fired it at the Shadow. The fire came into contact with the Shadow, instantly incinerating it. The flames were then carried and fueled by the wind like shrapnel from a grenade and caused the rest of the Shadows to be destroyed, their wails of pain could not even escape as their flesh burned. Minato checked his SP. He had a quarter of it left. The song had taken half. The System Spell took a quarter. He'd need to use the rest sparingly. However, the dark puddles that remained did nothing to curb his pain. He needed to kill more of them.
More Shadows came to block his path. There were thirty, twice the number of the last group. Instead of lunging at him, they stayed their distance. Then they began to launch spells at him. A mass of fireballs as well as shards of ice were launched at him. He even felt the ground rumbling, indicating they were trying the Bufu variation that attacks from under the ground.
Minato jumped.
He pulled his sword from the ceiling and came crashing down, slicing the ice spikes that had emerged underneath him in two. The fireballs were coming in fast, approaching him. Minato calmly walked towards the attacks. Then, for some odd reason, he remembered a song. It was a song an anime character had sung, the protagonist. For some strange reason that he himself did not fully comprehend, he began to emptily sing it as he walked towards through the flames. Something in him was broken. No, it had always been broken. Putting a bandage over it was only a temporary relief. At some point, the bandage had to come off. And come off it did. He continued to walk, readying his sword as he did so. He felt no joy at killing Shadows, though he thought he should at least feel something. As the opening words to the song came from his mouth, he felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into the pain and anger.
"Total slaughter... Total slaughter..."
He emerged virtually unscathed from the attack. A bit of his hair had been singed as well. The white gloves, sleeves, pants and boots he wore turned black around the edges. He dashed forward and slashed one of the Shadows upwards. He then proceeded to jump into the air and grab the Shadow with his right hand. The Agi from his right hand lit the Shadow aflame. Minato threw the Shadow at the rest of the Shadows that had attacked him. He didn't care if they were resistant to fire. His fire was strong. The Shadow hurtled through the air, destroying several of its kind as it crashed into them.
"I won't leave... a single man alive."
They weren't men, but it was how the song went. Oh well. At this point, he didn't care what he was killing. Minato then went to kill the rest on the floor.
He never noticed the figures that were following him.
Floor: 5
Three bird-like Shadows faced him. They seemed to be the only Shadows on this floor. Minato launched an Agi at one. The flames streamed into it, as if it was absorbing the flames. Challengers had appeared. If fire didn't work on them, then perhaps his sword could be of some use.
"La de da de die... Genocide..."
The Shadows sent blades of wind at him, threatening to slice him to pieces. He sidestepped, ducked, and jumped to avoid all three of their attacks. He then suddenly ran and slid directly underneath the three Shadows. His turn. He jumped up, swinging his sword around him and creating a small hurricane of his own. The left arm of Angel's armor infused his sword strikes with blades of wind. He cut through all of the Shadows several times before he landed and continued on his way. Black ichor rained from the sky where the Shadows once were. They began to pool at the floor and drip down between the cracks.
"La de da de dud... An ocean of blood."
Past the Shadows were a bit of treasure. Among them, Minato found something quite interesting. He immediately popped it into his mouth.
Minato just ate a Snuff Soul. His metal, red eyes seemed to glow brightly as he continued his climb of Tartarus. He changed his lyre to the form of Shinjiro's old axe he used to use. Minato hefted it with one hand easily.
"Let's begin... the killing time."
"Where's Minato, Mitsuru?" Labrys asked the red-haired heiress. Labrys had just recently gotten home after finishing the last of her research she had been doing. As soon as she returned, Mitsuru solemnly told them they were going to Tartarus. Mitsuru had been suspiciously quiet since she had ordered a trip to Tartarus. Everyone else felt unnerved by the lack of the familiar robot. He had never been absent from a trip to Tartarus. Now they were walking to Tartarus and were nearly there.
"He's... already there. He went on ahead." Mitsuru said calmly. The pause that Mitsuru gave made Labrys suspicious. Mitsuru could fool everyone else, but Labrys had been one of her bodyguards for years. She knew when Mitsuru wasn't telling all of the truth. Normally she would let it slide, but this was about Minato. Labrys hadn't been able to see Minato a lot and had been looking forward to seeing her fellow ASW. If something happened to him when she wasn't around to save him...
"Mitsuru. What happened to Minato?" Labrys asked sternly. Junpei, Aigis, Akihiko and Yukari all stopped. Something happened to Minato? Mitsuru stopped. Her hands were clutched into fists. Whether she would cry or shout, nobody knew... but whatever happened to Minato must have affected her greatly.
"Senpai? Are you okay?" Junpei asked, caught completely off-guard by this sudden change in her personality. She didn't respond.
"Mitsuru... It's okay. It's alright. Just tell us what happened." Akihiko asked softly. He never saw her this... vulnerable. She seemed perfectly fine just a few minutes ago.
Yukari and Aigis simply looked on, not sure what to do or how to respond to the Kirijo heir's current state.
"He's... I... We had...a..." She trailed off, her voice so quiet that nobody could hear her. This state she was in... It seemed to only happen whenever Minato was involved. Minato...
'Mitsuru, I swear if you did something...' Labrys felt a rage slowly her in her, a rage that had been building since she was given the location of those who had caused the conditions for the deaths of her sisters. Labrys quite liked Mitsuru, so it wasn't anger aimed at her. It was a general anger aimed at her life. It was an anger she had thought she had long forgotten in the days she spent with Mitsuru and Minato, yet... it still remained.
"Speak up, Mitsuru. Please," Labrys asked, no, ordered.
"We had a fight and...no, it was my fault... I-I jumped to conclusions and said something that... hurt Minato. I called him by... his serial code and then he ran off... to Tartarus," Mitsuru said, her voice barely above a whisper.
'Hurt Minato? That... bitch.' The thought came completely out of seemingly nowhere in Labrys. Labrys was too shocked to even respond. For the entirety of the time she knew him, Minato never was hurt except for one other time...
"Have you ever felt like… you've failed? Like the original goal you set out for yourself is unreachable? Like you can't do anything to change the way this world works… powerless…"
It was right after Shinji had gone berserk. Except this time, it was not that Minato thought he had failed. It was Mitsuru that failed Minato. That was completely different. Being an ASW is difficult. Especially when you are surrounded by people who aren't familiar with the way an ASW functions. People simply assume that you can't feel, that you are programmed. The Plume of Dusk inside of every ASW gives them individuality, gives them the ability to make their own decisions. While there are some base parameters, those can be overcome by the will of the ASW. Being constantly treated as if you can't feel is difficult; this was one of the reasons why Labrys tried to distance herself from all of the humans in the dorm save for Mitsuru. Minato was unable to do that. Coming to the realization that the people he knew saw him as a machine first and Minato second, must have sent him into a spiraling... depression. Maybe... into a rage... Mitsuru doing this of all people... Minato needed Labrys. He needed her now. But first...
SLAP!
Mitsuru held her red cheek with tear-filled eyes as Labrys ran after Minato, axe in hand.
"I don't understand. Minato-senpai is a robot, right? Why would he be hurt by being called his serial code?" Yukari asked, confused.
"Yukari-san, why do you think the word bitch is an insult? A bitch is a merely a female dog. However, it's dehumanizing and demeaning to be called that because you know yourself to be human. You know you aren't some animal that survives on instinct or is kept as a pet. You know you are human and thus believe you deserve to be treated as such. If Minato-senpai doesn't think of himself as a simple machine that can be serial-coded, but as an actual person, then how do you think being called that feels? The same as being called a bitch, maybe even worse merely because it was Mitsuru-senpai. It's dehumanizing and demeaning. He's in pain. We need to help him, need to show him that we didn't meant to push him away." Aigis said before running after Labrys. Mitsuru wordlessly followed her into Tartarus, tears coming from her eyes. Her attempts to stay strong had failed for the first time in a long time.
"Then? All those times I called Minato a robot, I was hurting him? Dammit Minato! You should have said something! It didn't have to be like this!" And with that, Akihiko was off as well, leaving only Junpei and Yukari outside of Tartarus.
"Yuka-tan, I don't know about you, but I like Minato-senpai. He's a cool guy. A real bro. And us bros stick together." With those wise words, Junpei charged into Tartarus.
"W-wait!" Yukari shouted. She wasn't very familiar with Minato. He saved her life, yes, but... she never felt like she could connect with him like the others seemed to. But Aigis had a point. They had returned his kindness with insult. When he saved her, she called him a robot. She was partially responsible for this mess. She... had to go save him. Maybe they could hang out afterwards. She never even tried to get to know Minato before. If Minato could inspire all these people to save him, become their friend, then she could be his friend too, right?
"Wait for me!" She exclaimed as she ran after Junpei.
They were going to apologize. They were going to save their friend.
But... while they were busy talking...
Floor 10
"Forneus."
The armor of one of his new Personae covered his body. Like the others, he had picked it up in one of the Shuffle Time opportunities. A large mouth and eyes appeared on his chest. His skin and armor all turned to beige with black spots. His hair remained covered in the black ichor. The armor seemed to have a translucent layer of skin that came with it, allowing him to glide in the air, which was what he was doing now as he dodged the multiple element attacks of the three hand-like Shadows below him. His mind was lost in the battle. Nothing else mattered. All he had to do was kill everything.
"Tarukaja."
He dropped from the sky, switching his armor back to that of Orpheus, his base. His lyre transformed into an imitation of the pair of gloves that Akihiko was partial to. He dashed towards one, delivering a deadly uppercut that destroyed it in a single blow. He jumped into midair and flipped to avoid the Agi and Zio which nearly hit him. He switched his armor to Angel's.
"Garu."
The wind sent him flying towards the second hand. He flew through it with his fist, completely annihilating it. He turned towards the last hand and charged once more, dodging the Bufu it attempted to hit him with as he pounded it to the ground with a single fist. Black ichor was sprayed into his emotionless face. He walked away, continuing to the next floor. All the Shadows on this floor had been destroyed. This killing had little to no thought behind it. There were no songs, no System Spells, nothing but him eliminating the enemy. Anger and pain had consumed him, leaving him nothing but an empty shell, once more.
The remnants of a battle remained. The walls, floor, and even the ceiling were covered in the black ichor of dead Shadows. No Shadows stopped S.E.E.S. as they all ran towards the next floor. It was obvious Minato had come through here in a rampage.
Labrys quickened her pace. The rage, confusion, pain, all of it could be seen in her surroundings, even though he was most likely entire floors above her. 'Minato! I'm sorry I couldn't protect you! I'm sorry you had to find this awful truth about ASWs and humans out for yourself! I should have told you! I should have been with you!'
Floor 13
"Nekomata."
The pink fur that covered Minato quickly became black with the ichor from Shadows. The armor came with a black facemask that covered his mouth, a tail, and black cat ears over his regular ears. He ran on all fours, pouncing off the wall and diving through more Shadows. Fireballs and lightning came from all directions, but on all fours, he was too fast to be hit by them. He jumped off the wall and grabbed his lyre from his back, transforming it into a sword.
"Cleave."
Many Shadows died under the large sword swing. He landed and prepared his sword for many more slashes. He was going to eliminate them all. He rushed them all once more.
Aigis worried for her senpai. He was a nice, slightly eccentric person. She never just thought of him as a robot. Even when she found out he had steel instead of flesh, she knew he wasn't just some machine. In her mind, he was more alive, more human than most people she met. And she had met many people.
'Back then when I spoke to him about his powers, he lied. And then how he reacted when called by his serial number. Him and I having the same powers... It makes sense. Because he also lied when he said he was just an ASW. He thinks he's human.' Aigis concluded in her head as she continued to climb Tartarus Then... something began to poke at the edge of her memory. It was a soft prodding, but it grew harsher and harsher until it finally unveiled itself. And when it did, the last piece of the puzzle was finally there, taunting her.
'The dreams!'
Aigis ran even faster.
Floor 14
The single Shadow on this floor repelled his punches, causing him to injure himself. It blocked his sword slashed, resisted his fire. He switched to Apsaras to take out the large Shadow with ice. He jumped back to get some distance between himself and the Shadow.
"Bufu."
A pillar of ice appeared beneath it, sending the Shadow flying up into the air.
"Bufu."
Another icy pillar appeared from the ceiling, stopping the Shadow's ascent as the pillar from beneath suddenly grew, crushing the Shadow between the two pillars of ice.
Minato walked towards the next floor. No matter what he did, no matter how he killed these weak Shadows, he didn't feel better. If anything...
He felt worse.
Mitsuru rushed towards the next stair room, intent on getting to Minato and begging for his forgiveness. She had made a mistake. People... people make mistakes, right? She didn't think of Minato as just a machine! She might have doubted him on a... few occasions, but Minato was more to her than a robot! He was more like family! No, he was more than that to her! She just thought Minato didn't think of her...
'I'm sorry...'
There was nothing else she could say, nothing else she could do. Despite all her power, her money, her resources, there was nothing she could do but run faster to get the chance to apologize. She felt so... powerless.
Floor 15
Chains were rattling, indicating the appearance of a familiar figure.
The Reaper appeared. Minato was quickly on all fours in the Nekomata armor. He ran from the shot and bullets surrounding him. The craters that appeared all around him did not faze him. He was too far gone to feel fear.
"Minato. You must cease this at once. This is not how it's supposed to be. Stop running away from your problems! Face me!" The Reaper spoke to him for the first time outside of the VIP Lounge. The words didn't enter Minato's mind. They were not enough.
Flames, spikes of ice, lightning, wind, all the familiar elements were shot at him, attempting to stop him dead in his tracks. However, even though the familiar craters surrounded him, indicating that he was almost shot multiple times, Minato outran the Reaper.
Akihiko ran the fastest he ever ran. He already lost Miki. Shinji was lost in his feelings of remorse. Akihiko couldn't stand to lose anybody else. Minato and he had grown rather close. Akihiko continued to run faster and faster.
'Minato! You should have told me it hurt you! You should have relied on us all more! Do you want another incident like Shinji's to happen? Just trust us more! Give us one chance!'
Akihiko sprinted, leaving Junpei and Yukari far behind.
Junpei ran fast as well, despite him not being the best in P.E.
Yukari, on the other hand...
She couldn't move another step. She caught her breath for a second, and then continued to run.
Minato and her might not have been the best of friends, or even friends for that matter, but she couldn't give up on him. After all, when she was in trouble, he had saved her. He didn't give up on her and he barely knew her. She was indebted to him. And Yukari Takeba repays her debts.
Floor 16
Minato reached the first barrier, but it did not stop him. He pounded on the barrier repeatedly, as if his attacks could break it down. Nothing happened. The barrier was too strong, but he still beat on it.
He had no other choice. He could not go down. There were no Shadows to kill down there. He could only go up. He needed to go up. Up was the only direction available to him. Up. Up. Up!
His mind was nearly devoid of reasoning. It was sad, in a way. Minato Arisato had fought his hardest for years to protect those he cared for.
Yet... why? Why... him? Why did these things always happen to him?
"I've finally found you, Minato."
Labrys was continuing to run. She was fast, her machine legs were proof of that. She was nearly to the 16th floor. It was the floor that Mitsuru told them had the barrier back when they were leaving the dorm.
'Wait up! I'm going to catch up to you! I'm going to protect you!'
Labrys didn't know how she would protect him. She would do her best to save Minato from the awful, awful things in the world.
She would not fail.
She was save the person who saved her. Her whole current life, everything she had experienced since she was released from her deactivation, every happy memory or bit of joy she felt since then...
She owed to Minato. She could never thank him enough for what he has done.
She reached the top of the stairs with Mitsuru, Akihiko, and, amazingly, Aigis to find that on that floor was...
"I've finally found you, Minato."
Minato stopped attacking the barrier that had been preventing him from going upwards. He turned to face the person who had spoken to him.
There were four people there who had found him. Among them was...
"I...Ikutsuki?" Some clarity was brought to Minato's mind. Ikutsuki treated him like he was human, right? All those serious discussions... Ikutsuki cared about what he had to say and listened. Ikutsuki... He could trust him, right?
"That's right, Minato. I'm Ikutsuki. I'm glad to see you remember me. And these are some of my colleagues. Meet Takaya Sakaki, Chidori Yoshino, and Jin Shirato. We all know the truth, Minato. We know that you are truly human." Minato froze at that. They... they knew? That he wasn't just a machine or something in between a human and a machine, but a human? His mind seemed to clear even more so.
"You are wondering how we know, correct? It's rather simple. After the incident on Moonlight Bridge, I was in charge of the clean-up operations. A little boy named Minato Arisato went missing 10 years ago. His parents were gone, but the child could not be found. I always wondered where he went. Then when you took the name Minato Arisato upon coming to school, I finally understood. You are that little boy. You are a victim, Minato. You are a victim to the cruelty of mankind. The Dark Hour which caused your parent's car to crash was caused by the Kirijo Group. Mankind brought destruction upon itself. Even when you try to be a hero, they will never acknowledge you. They will despise you."
Minato was avidly listening to everything Ikutsuki said... He was a victim... No... No, that did not seem right. It was wrong. Wrong. He was not a victim... He just... he was... What was he?
"Do you remember the first question I asked you when we had our first discussion?" Ikutsuki asked. Minato nodded.
"Y-you... asked why I fight." Minato shakily said.
"Correct. You responded by saying that there were 'good people' in this world. Do you feel the same? Mitsuru Kirijo betrayed you. Her father is the leader of the organization that killed you parents. Your parents may have been 'good people', but where are they now? You know all of this is true, Minato." Ikutsuki said.
"What do... you want me to do about it...?" Minato replied, unsure of how to react to all this. He felt so many emotions right now; he didn't know how to respond. But... he felt that what Ikutsuki was saying... might be true. But then why did it feel so wrong? Why did Ikutsuki's words feel... empty? Ikutsuki smiled broadly.
"It is rather simple. You once told me a hero is supposed to save people, correct? But your idea of saving people is temporary. People will continue to feel the same pain you feel, perhaps even worse. I want you to do this with me: Give the people what they want. Put an end to all the misery and suffering in this world. Help yourself and help the others who feel the pain that you do. You know what I'm asking, right?" Minato nodded. He understood where Ikutsuki was going.
"You want to put them out of their misery..."
"Exactly. It is the most selfless act I can think of. To stain one's hand for the sake of billions of people. You are a hero, Minato. You are not some tool or machine to be manipulated, used, and then thrown away. These three youths right here," He motioned to the other three beside him. "Suffered immensely under mankind. They were experimented on by the Kirijo Group to force Persona powers to manifest. The result is that they all have very short life spans and constant pain that they carry with them, yet they fight for the salvation of others. The Kirijo Group knew you would not be enough, so they went to harming innocents. Do you see their true colors now? Do you see the filth that has become mankind? Will you help us by being the hero the world needs to know you are?
Minato Arisato, will you join Strega?"
"... I just want..."
Nothing. The 16th floor was empty. They had been too slow.
Mitsuru fell to her knees and cried. Labrys continued to look around the floor in disbelief. Akihiko punched a wall in anger. Aigis... was silent. There was nothing more to say. They were too slow. Perhaps if they hadn't spent that time interrogating Mitsuru, if they had run just a little bit faster, they could have made it. And that hope was what hurt them the most.
Minato Arisato, also known as Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon: M1N470, was gone.
"...I just want to be alone. Being close to others only causes anguish."
"You won't have to worry about being close to others in Strega. It's one of our policies."
"Good. Where do I sign?"
SWS: Labrys Part 2: Alone
I failed.
I failed to save the one who mattered most. And now I was alone. I could not face or even speak to Mitsuru. I was so angry. It took all my self-control to not beat her severely. I didn't know where this anger came from because not all of it seemed related to Minato. I didn't talk to anyone in S.E.E.S. For the rest of the night and even until morning I searched for him, hoping to just catch a glimpse or a single clue as to where he had gone. I found nothing, but I still continued to search. I couldn't even pay him back this much. I couldn't help him when he must have been in so much pain, so much agony. My petty plans of vengeance paled in comparison to this one failure. I had pushed him out of my mind, focused on a singular goal. Because of that, I lost him.
Are we ASWs just a cursed existence? Why must happiness always be pulled away from us? What did we ever do wrong?
All the research I had accumulated for the next target seemed pointless. Until I found Minato...
What point was there to doing all this?
I suppose... I wanted to move forward by cutting my ties with my past. I always found it hard to be around Minato. He always was much more social, much better with humans than I was. If I had severed those ties...
Maybe we could stand together. Maybe I didn't have to be the ghost of the dorms, but instead be an integral part of it.
Those had been my thoughts...
Minato? Where are you? Why do you always disappear? Are you running away, or is something keeping us apart? Is it fate? Together we had been a team. S.E.E.S. had been a working system! And if a system is made of parts, then you're the crucial part of it! Don't you understand that! Without you... I don't know how we'll be able to work with you missing. A system with a missing part is like a person without a heart. Neither of them works.
The next day I went out looking for him. However, I would not be seeing him again for a while. And when I did...
He would be different.
Omake: Stregadventures!: Welcoming Party!
"Welcome to Strega!"
Minato looked around. There was a mini-fridge, couch, 70 inch plasma T.V., every single gaming console he'd ever seen, a popcorn machine, and just... awesomeness. Why was this place so good?
"Here in Strega we believe in our motto of 'live in the present'! It's better to burn out, then fade away! Have a cold one! It will cure all your pain, man." Then Jin started chugging beer as he held one out to Minato. Minato hesitantly grabbed it.
Takaya was smoking weed, sprawled out on the couch, and looking as if he was in complete bliss.
Chidori was... drawing and giggling while doing so, her cheeks completely flushed. She was drawing rather obscene pictures at that. Because she was drunk.
"Uhm... Am I really with the right people?" They ignored Minato's question. He shrugged and grabbed the beer.
Could he really get drunk with his body?
"Live life in the present, man! Who cares about the future? Who cares about the past? We're in the PRESENT. Don't let the Man bring you down, dude."
Now Takaya was talking.
"Hehehehehehehe... Hahahahahaha! EW, that's so AMAZING!"Chidori exclaimed.
Minato didn't even want to know what Chidori was drawing. Minato shrugged and held the beer bottle to his mouth. He'd be finding out very soon if he could get drunk.
If you can't beat 'em, get drunk enough to join them.
NEXT: Chapter 11: The Dark Side
A/N: A hero is not somebody who saves everybody, contrary to belief. Heroes are often thought of near perfect beings that always walk in the light. A hero is just a normal person and, like a normal person, he or she will stumble and fall throughout life. A hero is somebody who can get back up from the depths of despair, who can rise after falling, for the sake of others. A hero finds his meaning in life through both the good and the bad. Sometimes, a hero makes a mistake, a critical error. However, the hero will work to fix it. To be a hero means to have stumbled and fallen, to have failed and to have made mistakes. To be a hero means to find your own meaning in life, your own purpose and beliefs, and to fight for them. Minato... is not a hero. Not yet. But through his errors and the errors of others, he may find the correct path. Life is easy. Living is hard.
Now that my speech is out of the way, I want to clarify a few things. Minato is really strong and a bit overpowered,as you can see. The Shadows he fought did not level him up. Until he faces stronger Shadows, he won't get stronger. So he will only be overpowered for a little bit longer. However, he does possess many tricks to use if he is in a pinch. Yes, Minato has left S.E.E.S. for the time being. He will most likely return. Ikutsuki may or may not know if Minato is really human. However, he does know that Minato at least thinks he's human from all the data he's collected.
Big thanks to The Shard of Flame Ice for betaing!
There's also a poll for the last crossover/new story I'll be doing for the year on my profile page.
And I hoped you guys enjoyed the little omake. It was to cheer you guys up after this downer chapter.
REVIEW REPLY TIME!:
MyLifeForAiur: I liked showing that review to my family on Christmas. It got some laughs :D
Twin Judge of Gemini: It does hurt to not know who you are. But... we all have emptiness inside and we all have answers to find. It's part of being human. Minato is learning that lesson the hard way.
Mzr90: I know all three of those series. :D Two of them are on a poll on my profile page I'm now doing.
SuperNova23: Alice armor... will happen. Too many people want it, including myself. :D
The Shard of Flame Ice: Here's Labrys' reaction. However, in a twist that nobody saw coming, none of S.E.E.S. save for Ikutsuki found Minato. I'm speeding up the pace starting next chapter.
Yuuji Narukami: Look at your review and then look at the title of the next chapter. Lol. It was unintentional!
ChaosRune: Minato... well... his character is going through major development, I guess you could say.
Vince329: I'm glad you like it! You don't need to put a criticism. Your support is all I need to keep writing. :D
mendeskt2: I shall consider those. I'll be thinking about where they would fit while I listen to them :)
Leomitch: Mitsuru and Labrys are both protective in their own way. Mitsuru's protectiveness is more angled towards jealousy, however, and she will protect him that way. Unfortunately, she was doubting herself and Minato, causing her to spout something completely on accident. She didn't mean to do it, it just... happened. Her protectiveness can hurt Minato. Labrys is more protective of Minato as one who owes her current life to him as well he and her being the only active ASWs remaining. This can cause her to disregard others in her goal of protecting Minato.
Blue Bragon: Minato is not yet a hero. Every experience he is going through, every encounter, is slowly forging him into one. Right now, this story isn't about a hero. It's more about the creation of one. Minato needs his own ideals, his own beliefs, instead of having something handed to him. While his talks with Ikutsuki did make him more of a hero, he was just talking. He needs to experience everything for himself. I chose the quote at the beginning of the chapter for a reason. Also, hate-sex? Well, that is one outcome, lol. I'd have to turn up the rating for that. As for Minato becoming a hero to alleviate guilt... It was more of something just being handed to him. He recognizes, however, that he tried to be a hero after his parents death because he had failed to save them. But he knows it could have just as easily turned him into a villain if somebody told him to kill the killer of his parents.
wilson santoso: Thanks! :) I'll try to do more of Elizabeth's requests in the future.
SoulBlack: I'll answer your PM here. Aigis is going to take a big spotlight in the upcoming chapters as well as Labrys. I estimate this story will go on for well over 100 chapters, if only because of the way I write. It may be even longer. And also, I started out just watching an LP of Persona 3 and Persona 4. So... I bought P3P before starting this story and I got P4 for Christmas. Does that surprise you? As for my grammar and whatnot, I'm going over older chapters more in-depth than normal to fix anything that doesn't fit or is wrong. I finished chapter 2 and I'm currently procrastinating when it comes to chapter 3. I'll... get there eventually.
BlackFang27: Lol. No Mara Armor then. LET IT BE CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WORLD! And Mitsuru couldn't catch him. Don't worry, though. She and the others will find him eventually.
That's all folks. How many of you expected it to turn out like this?
Question of the Chapter: ... I don't think I need one for this chapter. I'm sure you all have your own reactions to attend to.
REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW. Pretty please with a RAMPAGE DRIVE ON TOP?! AAARGH! IT'S CRUSHING MEEE!