Persona – Bonds of the Confidants
Welcome readers! Ever since I played Persona 5, I've been hooked into the Persona series as a whole. From the story to the worldbuilding, everything just seemed to click for me. The biggest thing that I enjoyed though was building the relationships between confidants. It allowed you to get a deeper look into some of the characters, while also being able to get in a relationship. I just wish I had the chance to build bonds between other characters, besides the one you're playing as (i.e., Makoto/Minato, Yu/Souji, and Ren/Joker). That's why I'm writing this little series of one-shots, to show off some of my favorite ships. From common pairings to rare-pairs, I hope you enjoy my little stories.
Note: Some of the stories may contain some game spoilers, just as a warning.
List of Ships:
Persona 3: Makoto/Minato x Yukari, Akihiko x Mitsuru
Persona 4: Yu x Yukiko, Yosuke x Chie, Kanji x Naoto
Persona 5: Ren x Makoto, Ryuji x Ann, Yusuke x Haru, Akechi x Sumire
I'm not sure how long I'll make this little series, but I know that when it does eventually come's to a close, I'll have ending chapters for each of the pairs. But without father ado, lets get to the first story. Please Enjoy!
Chapter 1: The Trickster and his Queen
(Ship; Ren x Makoto)
When Ren Amamiya came to Tokyo, he thought that he would be an outcast amongst the students at Shujin academy, what with him being accused of a crime he didn't commit. After a series of fortunate events however, he was able to find friends in Tokyo, both inside and out of school. Some examples of those friends would be the former track star Ryuji Sakamoto, the part-time model Ann Takamaki, the strange but kind artist Yusuke Kitagawa, the former shut-in and brilliant hacker Futaba Sakura, to the energetic and upcoming gymnast Yoshizawa. But the most notable out of all of them would be the student council president of Shujin academy, Makoto Nijima.
Admittedly, they're first introduction to one another wasn't that good, what with Makoto trying to spy on Ren to catch him in any sort of "Phantom Thief" activity. From going around Shujin and asking some students for information to following Ren around at Shibuya and Kichijoji, she was definitely determined to catch him in the act. Even though Ren had to be on high alert during those instances, it was really hard to deny that even though the following was a bit excessive, it was pretty cute to watch. Especially since Makoto did quite a poor job at being discreet about the whole thing.
Ren did have to admit one thing though, and that was Makoto was a very smart and cute individual. Sure, she was trying to find proof of him being a phantom thief, but that didn't stop her from being cute as hell. Before he knew it, Ren had fallen for the student council president, and the feelings grew even more once Makoto awakened to her Persona "Johanna" in Kaneshiro's palace.
So, when Makoto asked Ren for help in broadening her horizons, he couldn't say no. From that point onward, Ren helped Makoto expand her views whenever he had the chance. With each hangout, Ren learned more about Makoto, from her childhood to her insecurities about how the student body found her unapproachable. With every moment, Ren just grew more determined to help Makoto with her problems, even going as far as to be her "boyfriend" to investigate some sleazy club host from Shinjuku. Even though the point of this said investigation was to help Makoto's friend Eiko, Ren loved the thought of being Makoto's boyfriend. So once the investigation was over and done with, Ren thought that their time together would be less frequent. But after a brief conversation and choosing the right words, their fake relationship blossomed into a real one.
Fast forwarding to the present day, Ren was enjoying his coffee and curry at Leblanc, when he got a text from Makoto. She was asking if he was available later to talk about some stuff. With his signature Joker grin, he finished up his meal and got ready to see his beautiful Queen. Arriving over at Shujin academy, Ren met Makoto outside the front gate. They had only become a couple a few days ago, but Makoto was ready to take the next step, that being, going to Ren's room. With a simple smile, Ren agreed to take Makoto to his room for the afternoon.
Once the pair arrived at their destination, they spent some time talking about some things.
"So," Makoto started, "I finally made up with Eiko."
"That's good to hear Makoto." Ren said.
"You know, I think Eiko knew it deep in her heart that Tsukasa never really cared for her, and seeing him for who he really was finally helped her realize that."
"That's incredible." Ren responded.
"Yeah, I'm so relieved that she didn't get caught in his web of lies. Right now, she doesn't know what she wants to do, but she going to focus on her studies and figure things out one step at a time."
"Do you plan on doing some similar things Makoto?" Ren asked.
Makoto closed her eyes and smiled. "Something like that," she said, "I'm going to be focusing on my studies like I normally did, but this time I'm not seeking anyone's praise or trying to show off my intelligence. I simply want to fulfill my own goals and dreams."
Ren smiled at Makoto as she continued talking, "Before now, I didn't have a clear vision of what that meant, I was so lost in life… But thanks to you Ren, I've finally come to realize it. My dream is to become a police commissioner, which is why I have to study so hard."
"That sounds difficult Makoto," Ren said, "but if anyone can do it, I know that you have it in you."
"Thank you, Ren. There are so many incidents in this country that haven't been brought to life, and that host was one of them. Villains who prey on the weak, using legally questionable methods… My father risked his life trying to catch those people. I will never forgive them, but I know that I can't eradicate them on my own… Instead, I want to head an organization that will destroy the lawless and recuse victims."
"That's an admirable goal to have," Ren said, "Your father would be proud of that dream."
Makoto turned to face Ren and said, "I hope so. That is the justice that I aim for. I also believe it will continue my father's legacy. I still find it funny that the true meaning of my studies outside of my studies. Thank you for all your help Ren. It must've been difficult looking after the uptight Miss President, right?"
"It was no problem Makoto," Ren responded, "I really enjoyed our time together."
Makoto blushed as she said, "I'm really glad that I asked for your help. I think I'll be able to see the world even more differently now, and it's because I have you at my side."
As Ren and Makoto were gazing into each other's eyes, Makoto felt something inside her change. Her persona Johanna had evolved into Anat, gaining even greater strength. After a minute of comfortable silence, Makoto said, "By the way Ren, you can rely on me for anything you need. I want us to be equals after all."
"Makoto," Ren said, "I know that you can do this, but just promise me that you'll be careful."
"I will be, I promise Ren." Makoto assured, "After all, it's not to different from what were doing now, exposing the evil lurking in the shadows and bring criminals to justice."
The pair smiled at one another before Makoto looked away with a visible dusting of pink on her face. "Everything alright Makoto?" Ren asked.
"O-oh, uh, everything's fine. It's just… you see…"
"Do you want study?" Ren asked with his signature Joker grin.
"Well... I was thinking that we could study some things we don't have experience in yet…" Makoto responded, "Would that be alright with you Ren?"
Ren grabbed Makoto's waist and pulled her on his lap, causing her to yelp in the process. She then looked up into Ren's eyes as he said, Anything for you, my Queen."
Upon hearing that, Makoto felt her whole face heat up, but she couldn't help but smile. The two thief's faces drew closer to one another until there lips met, sharing their first kiss. One kiss soon turned to a second one, and then a third and so on, as Joker held his Queen close to him, as Makoto did the same. They stayed like that until the evening, where Ren then walked Makoto to the subway station. All in all, neither of them was going to forget this day.
Notes:
Man, this took a lot longer to write than I thought. I tried basing this off of the Rank 9 confidant with Ren confessing to Makoto, but it sounded to much like another story someone else wrote. I'm still happy how this turned out though, since Ren x Makoto is my favorite ship from Persona 5 as a whole. The characters just seem to mix so well, and there are definite impactions of the game pushing them together with the number of scenes between them. I hope you liked this one and any feedback would be appreciated. The next chapter will either involve Ryuji x Ann, or Yu x Yukiko. Whatever it is though, I'm sure it will be great.