Mangareader13: I dunno. I mean, I don't consider myself good at writing anything to be perfectly honest. As for Blue, he's hasn't been okay since before the start of this story. Guy needs a break.
Mercos99: Unlikely. I'm a poor college student struggling to write as-is, never mind trying to think of two other fics. After this, I'll probably focus the rest of my efforts on Order and Chaos, and then I'll probably retire. I might rewrite my first fic, although I've been having second thoughts on that despite having multiple drafts that I ultimately scrapped.
Minato's head remained lowered, watching the world continually shift around him. His body would remain in the present, only for his soul to return to the place it fractured years ago.
One moment, he saw his parents' car burning in front of him. The smell of gasoline filling his nostrils and the intense heat causing him to break out into a sweat.
The next, he was freezing in an unknown building. The only figure visible through the darkness was the phantasm, sitting across from him waiting.
More gunshots echo, snapping his attention. Following the shots was an unhuman shriek and the ground trembling coinciding with another loud explosion.
"Aigis," Minato breathed out her name.
"She's going to die," Minako said, her voice full of regret. "I think she knows it too. He won't make the same mistake again; he won't leave anything left to be repaired."
Minato kept his silence, focusing his attention on the battle happening in the distance. Even if she found a way to survive the battle, it was all pointless now.
"Hey," she called out to him again. This time, turning his head and realizing she had moved, taking a seat beside him and smiling weakly, "I think she's okay with that, too."
Minato could only ask a single question. "Why?"
Minako almost giggled. "Same reason as you, dummy!" she exclaimed, capturing his attention and confounding him. "She's trying to atone, so she won't stop protecting you."
"Atone," he scoffed, but there was no hostility in his voice. "Is that what you think I've been trying to do?"
"Nope," her response was instant. "But neither of you will take forgiveness as an answer."
"There's no one to forgive me," he hissed, briefly shocking the apparition back. "You're gone. Mom's gone. Dad's gone. Everyone is gone! I—"
"That's a lie," she interrupted, frowning. "You're still here."
Minato laughed, nearly doubling over. "Whatever is left of me. It's like broken glass—there are just too many shards to ever be put back together, and what's left will only hurt people."
Minako let out a long sigh. "You're determined to hate yourself, aren't you?"
"I have plenty of reason too," he chuckled.
Minako let out an exasperated groan, standing from her seat. No matter what she says or does, he won't listen.
The wounds he has have festered for too many years, and now he believes he deserves them and more. She can't help him if he doesn't want it, but she can't leave him like this again.
"Who are you?" she demanded an answer. "Are you Makoto Yuki or Minato Arisato?"
A slight smile crept his way up his lips. Chuckling, he said, "would it matter?"
"Answer the question." She glared, brushing off his obvious attempt at deflection. "Who are you? You bear Makoto's sins, but not his name. You take his faults and nothing else. Tell me, who are you?"
Where does the line begin and end?
If he is to acknowledge one side of himself, then he would have to do the same to the other. There were two pieces of his soul in conflict; one fell deeper into the sea of despair, while the other did what he couldn't—sacrifice himself for the one he loved.
Both are parts of him. He cannot claim that all the sins are his to bear without claiming that the sacrifice was as well.
Their shared sin is what molded them, and he can choose which path he takes now. The one that surrenders and allow the guilt to consume him, or the one that fights to keep living—to ensure their deaths weren't for nothing and protect all he holds dear.
"I don't know," his voice was barely above a whisper. "The only thing I know is that I let you die. Whoever or whatever I am, that's the one thing that will always be true."
Minako shook her head. "That's a lie," she said in a low but confident tone. "You love Kotone, don't you?"
Minato froze at the mention of her name, his entire body becoming stiff. He had been trying to avoid thinking about her ever since their previous confrontation.
Minato scoffed, "why does that matter? Here to give dating advice now? Is that what you want?"
"God, you're such an idiot." She repeated a phrase he had become all too familiar with. Kneeling down in front of him, she continued, "I want you to save the life you have before losing it all over again."
Exhaling once more, he felt the full weight of the fatigue begin to set in.
Defend and save what you have, people will tell him. Ensure their deaths meant something—live a life they couldn't. Try to make them proud from beyond their graves.
Their words were meaningless to him. The life he had was a life he didn't deserve. The things he's done disgusts him, and he spends every moment thinking how horrified they must be of what he has become.
The cycle of despair resumed undisputed. The further he falls into the pit, the more people try to pull him out. The more they pull, the more threads he cuts and allows himself to fall deeper.
It's a trap he set himself; a locked door that only he possessed the key to and has thus far refused to use.
The irony was almost enough to elicit a chuckle from the boy. It would be most humorous was it not as equally pitiful.
"Minako," he called the phantasm by its supposed name, "if he's back—if he's here, fighting them… you know what that means, don't you?"
The figure of his late sister nodded its head. "Yes," she admitted, "but death is something that can't be avoided. Everyone knows it. One day will be the last day we wake up."
Looking up, he saw her beaming at him. "But we live, don't we? Just because you know how the story ends, is it any reason not to listen?"
His story should have been over years ago, he thought. Instead, his became intertwined with Pharos', and now Kotone's as well. The point of no return had been crossed long ago and here he is, wasting what little time he has.
Minato's body had become lethargic, his muscles fighting and screaming at him forcing himself up. Reaching an arm out to the wall, he steadied himself before standing on his own.
Minako gave a disapproving frown as her brother walked past her, "you don't believe anything I said, do you?"
"Probably not," Minato shrugged.
"Then," she raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "what are you doing?"
He paused at the door as if he wasn't entirely sure himself. Taking a moment, he answered, "making sure no one else pays for my mistakes."
Gunshots echoing through the streets.
The ground trembles and is reduced to rubble.
The coffins and blade drag on the ground, kicking up dirt and tearing away at anything caught in their path.
Aigis' new persona is strong, Death thought. In his place, she has taken the role of being his new guardian. It's a selfless action, so it should feel… admirable, yes?
Admirable that she would take the place to guard him. Despicable that she would get in his way, despite being the one who had first united them. No matter how admirable or respectable her actions may be, this transaction was beyond forgiveness.
Holding his sword in a reverse grip, Death launched itself forward, stabbing it into the ground where she had been but a moment ago with a snarl.
The shattered, pieces of debris flying through the air, joining the mechanical maiden up above. Despite this, she was unrelenting in her attacks, continuing to fire upon him.
It's a helpless fight, of course. She knows it as much as he does.
He… is that true? Before, Death was an 'it,' but now it is a he. It's a sign of personhood, something that should be impossible.
The thought was clouding his mind, bearing more of his attention than the surprise assault from Athena, piercing its spear through its torso while using its shield as a barrier between the two.
Minato changed him but how much, he pondered, grabbing the persona's head with his free hand and crushing it without effort.
Anger isn't something unknown to him, but what about joy? What about all those years he spent with Minato, laughing by his side?
He knows what he doing is right. He knows what he's doing has to be right. So why is there this emptiness, so similar to the one he felt in Minato?
These sensations he was never meant to feel—what do they mean? Minato must know, surely. He feels all of this because of him, so of course, he must be able to explain everything!
They've had disagreements. They've been at odds before. But they have never betrayed one another; he knows this!
So why does everything keep coming between them, he thought, his attention returning to the android with his fury reignited. She brought them together, but she's mistaken if she thinks she can tear them apart.
Death's movements were akin to an animal; snarling, hissing, and growling with wild movements only vaguely resembling that of a humanoid.
Its posture remained hunched over, occasionally dropping to the point of using its free appendage as a third leg, utilizing the coffins on its back to disguise its movement and pathing.
This was bad, Aigis recognized; the distance was her only defense against this atrocity. If she cannot predict its erratic movements, then she's already dead.
Capturing her attention was the creature's low chuckle, laughing but its expressionless eyes glaring daggers into her before becoming a blur, leaving behind only a trail of dust.
Routing all power to her locomotive systems, Aigis dodged out of the way of the incoming attack, hearing the building that had been behind her absorb the impact.
Looking back, she saw Death's sword embedded into the wall, fissures surrounding the entry point. Hissing, the beast rotated its blade, twisting the sword and borrowing it further into the building.
Aigis was already moving. Using its unnatural strength, Death tugged at its sword, dragging its blade through the wall, partially crumbling the building and coating the area in a thick layer of dust and debris.
The lack of visual on her opponent would be her undoing. It hasn't scratched her, but she was at its mercy.
Desperate, Aigis resorted to summoning Athena once again, taking shelter behind its shield. Her efforts did not go in vain, as she soon felt the full force of Death assaulting her once more.
Her persona was buckling beneath the monster's strength. She couldn't stay like this for long.
Mustering all of her strength into her persona, Athena pushed back against Death, striking and sending it back several feet away and creating some distance.
Death dug its sword in the ground, almost instantly breaking its momentum. It let out a grim chuckle; it was having fun toying with her.
Aigis felt her systems beginning to suffer from sustaining this engagement for so long, but she had to keep going. She couldn't allow herself to fail now.
Already recovered from her attack, Death was ready to continue.
Something was wrong.
Something was horribly wrong.
The further into the city she and the others traveled—the closer they approached the source of what Fuuka sensed—the more she felt the feeling intensify.
It wasn't just the chill sending shivers down her spine, but this overwhelming sense of dread. The type of dread that makes you want to fall to your knees, trembling in fear at what comes.
Catching a glimpse at the others, Kotone saw everyone showing signs of unease. Junpei futilely trying to suppress any signs of fear, but nothing could hide his eyes quickly darting from street to street. Mitsuru and Akihiko both put similar strong fronts, though Kotone noted her male senior clenching his fists a bit too hard. Ken sticks close to Koromaru, receiving what she assumes to be a few comforting words from Yukari.
The last time she felt anything similar to this was during Makoto's rampage, but now it was ten times stronger.
"God, you're such an idiot," she silently cursed beneath her breath. It can't be a coincidence that he disappears before this happens; he went to do something on his own, leaving her and the others again. "You better be alright."
Despite it all, she didn't want to imagine the alternative. Once she knew he was safe, she could wring his neck.
Disrupting her thoughts were the sounds of gunshots accompanying loud shrieks. Shrieks that were too similar to…
"No…" she mouthed in a breathless whisper. That couldn't be it. It couldn't be. She couldn't believe that it was her worse nightmare come true—that the thing she feared and prayed every night would never happen.
Remaining oblivious to her turmoil but not its source, her teammates' concern for their missing member grew.
"Is that Aigis?" Mitsuru asked with a stern expression. Her previous experiences with Makoto coming to her mind as fresh as the day they occurred.
But if Minato was involved and Aigis, then that would mean…
"That sound," Akihiko took note, "what is that thing?" There was a brief quiver in his voice. The noise brought with it a sense of familiarity.
The unnatural cold.
Minato missing.
The sense of dread that Fuuka continues to feel.
That shriek.
The denial was becoming more and more foolish as the evidence continued to pile up. None wanted to admit it, holding onto the dim hope that they were wrong; that their paranoia was misplaced.
The light they held dimmed ever further as they heard their answer approaching.
Slippery - that was the word Death would use to describe the Mechanical Maiden.
She knew she couldn't defeat him, not with brute force; instead relying on her smaller stature and evasion, adopting a more hit-and-run strategy.
A good effort, he found himself commending silently. But her attacks were futile, incapable of inflicting any lasting harm.
He could have ended this fight before it started. An open secret shared by both of them.
Some would call it hubris, and they may be correct, but he couldn't kill her like that. No, she needs to know how incapable she is of being his protector; how foolish it is to stand between them.
She sought to take his place, yet is incapable of even harming him. She seeks to keep them separate, yet doesn't have the strength to stop him.
Foolish. Insulting. Infuriating.
He would have her know how hopeless it is—to make her regret ever standing in his way. Nothing will stand between them anymore, especially not this hapless weapon that thinks itself a human.
A wild slash upwards cut through the air, narrowly missing the android jumping to the side to avoid the attack.
Aigis' eyes widened when she heard the faint chuckling escaping Death. She had fallen for his trap.
Aigis raised her arms in a desperate attempt to brace herself, but nothing could prepare her for the strike from Death's bare fist, launching her several yards away.
Her body hit and dragged on the ground, leaving several marks on both her body and the ground beneath her. Had Kirijo not been sure to upgrade her chassis following her past defeat, she would surely have been destroyed.
Attempting to rise on her feet, Death watched on and tilted his head in mild surprise. Her joints were audibly creaking from the damage, yet Aigis continued pushing her body for the boy's sake.
But everything has its limits.
Aigis rose again, standing before him.
She took one step,
Then two.
At the third, she fell. Having put too much strain on her body, Aigis fell limp as a puppet that had its strings cut, visibly radiating intense amounts of heat from her overuse of Orgia mode to survive.
She was still aware of her surroundings, evidence by her eyes following Death as he approached closer.
What must she be thinking, he wondered. Was she lamenting her failure, cursing herself for not being stronger? Aigis must have known she could never defeat him, so was she accepting what's to come?
But she's a machine that thinks of itself as a human. It's not a stretch to believe that she fears what comes next. There's no shame in it; everything alive has an innate fear of death.
A fear that he could see present if hidden beneath the stern glare directed at him. She's scared, afraid of dying, but she also despises him. Such hatred she must have for it to overcome natural instincts of self-preservation.
But for all her defiance, she was still in a hopeless state. A single strike and—
"Aigis!"
Death freezes still upon recognition, becoming a motionless statue. Were it not for the subtle breaths he took out of habit from his human form, it would be easy to believe he was only an object meant to be admired from a distance.
What was this that he was feeling? Shock? Shouldn't be; he knew they would come eventually. They always come like moths to a flame.
Fear? Of what? They can't stop him. Nothing can or will prevent him from achieving his reunion. He has no reason to be afraid.
It's when Death turns to face them that this becomes overshadowed by a different sensation; Boiling hot anger melding with disgust, forming a repugnant mixture when he looks down at them—
No, not them—her.
"You…" Kotone calls out to him in a breathless whisper, eyes wide and shaking her head, wanting to deny what she's seeing.
Death couldn't hold back the chuckle. She's afraid—they all are. It would be foolhardy to forget him simply for disappearing for a month.
Attempting to swallow the fear taking hold, Kotone asks, "How…? How are you—how did you come back?"
Death shook his head. "Oh, Kotone," his voice is teasing. She's afraid and he's reveling in it. Deciding to have a little more fun, Death lowered his voice, allowing it to sound almost identical to one she and the others are very familiar with, "I never left."
Whatever grit she managed to conjure shattered instantly. If not for the echo, his voice sounded just like…
"Ryoji-kun?"
The response was immediate. "Not anymore."
As quick as his response, Death plunge his sword into the ground, taking a firm hold before lift it once more, sending a vertical umber shockwave at them with Kotone being directly in the center.
Kotone's body acts before her mind does. "Get out of the way!" she screams at her friends, grabbing Fuuka who had been standing by her side and jumping out the way, hitting the ground barely a moment before the attack past them, leaving a large split in the ground in its wake.
"Ryoji, Pharos…" he repeated his names, momentarily forgoing his hunched posture and raised his voice to a bellowing growl, "my true name is Death, The Appraiser. Unfortunately for you, your kind has been judged."
Mitsuru rose from the ground, her resolve undeterred. It was almost as impressive to him as her next act. "What are you talking about?" she demanded to know, "stop speaking in riddles!"
Death took a conscious effort not to laugh. "It's no riddle, Kirijo. When mankind was in its infancy, Nyx, the mother of all shadows, bestowed death to mankind. Your grandfather awakened me, attempting to bring forth The Fall."
He glances at Yukari for a moment, "but Takeba intervened, splitting my being into thirteen pieces. I believe you're familiar with the other twelve, yes?"
"Twelve?" Mitsuru repeated.
"You mean," Akihiko follows suit, "the twelve we defeated? Those were… pieces of you?"
"Yes," if his form would allow it, he would be flashing them a condescending grin. "Aigis sealed the thirteenth, the main body, inside Minato Arisato after it killed his family. All these years, my pieces remained here, waiting for me."
"Minato," his name shocked the redheaded girl out of whatever paralysis his presence put her in. Standing tall and raising her weapon in defiance, she demanded, "where is he?! What did you do to him."
"I would be more concerned about yourself," Death replied, deflecting her question. "I am complete now. My existence has set The Fall in motion. Even if by some miracle you manage to defeat me, Nyx will kill you all before Spring."
With a few words, the fires of their resolve beginning to take hold had been extinguished—snuffed out by the futileness of it all.
"Wha…" Junpei blinked, the irritating arrogance gone in a flash. "That's… that's bullshit! That's it! You're just trying to—"
"Junpei, don't tell lies that you don't even believe yourself," Death chastised, shaking its head in a mocking form of disappointment. "If I had to hazard a guess, your kind have until January thirty-first. I hope they enjoy their final moments."
"They?" Yukari caught his choice of words.
"Of course," Death hissed. "Though I am impartial towards your race, I am afraid that this is a personal matter."
Fuuka remained transfixed on the creature in front of her. Even without her persona, she could feel…
"I-It's… he's…" Fuuka's trembling lips struggled to describe what she was sensing. An overwhelming sense of dread and unending cold taking hold.
This wasn't a shadow. It wasn't a monster. It's wasn't even a creature trying to kill them.
It was…
"Death comes for you at last!"
This took way too long. Might notice the end is a bit rushed since I just wanted to get something out since it's been so long.
And ain't this something? Dumped his ass, and Kotone's still facing Death for him. You guys are gonna make sure that I make him treat her right after this, aren'tcha?