Thiccfurryboi69: I find it miraculous I managed to make people even like this pairing, especially with Makoto who in the early chapters especially was an asshole. I don't even want to think about how hard a love triangle would be. But yeah, Kotone's story is a bit too similar to Yukari's for my taste too, but this is because her mother was never supposed to show up ever. Past me just decided to change his mind.
I feel I need to say something in regards to Minato's power level since that's been a mess. Really, it's one of the things I'd change if I ever rewrite this fic. He was meant to be OP cuz Death (and cuz I suck at writing fights) but I went too far. Sakuya was my "solution" but... ugh, fuck that abomination.
Minato is still a Wild Card, but Death kinda... broke it. For years, Death was the source of his power, reflected in his Arcana (and Kotone's Social link waaaay back in the earlier chapters) being Death. Now that he's gone, Minato is still respectable when he works that angsty stick out his ass but he's nowhere near the story-breaker he once was. Makoto on the other hand... this story would be a lot shorter if he wasn't recovering from the mindfuck and defilement his soul went through right now.
Still, thought it best that Makoto goes to the Velvet Room so it's clear he's doing something other than sitting around. That, and well, he's far more popular than Minato and for good reason, I'd say.
Throb.
Throb.
Throb.
The pulsing headache is the first thing to greet Minato. Stirring in his bed, he forces his eyes open.
"I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Master M—"
"Huh?" Minato hears a voice. Before he can respond, the pain surges. Wincing from the sudden jolt, the room before him flashes.
He's staring at a gloved hand that carries an odd sense of familiarity. Unnatural umbral darkness lingers over him, but that does nothing to hide the object turning the boy's blood cold.
A familiar grin on a mask greets him. Damaged from before, the upper left side had broken off, resulting in only one of those cursed black sockets gazing back at him. Multiple fractures large and small spread throughout what remains; what was holding it together?
He looks up and sees a long-nosed man grinning back at him.
"Minato-san!"
Another flash. Before him is Aigis, placing her hands on his shoulders to stop him from standing.
"Please, don't get up so quickly," she pleads. "You have been unconscious for some time."
"Unconcious?" he asks, trying to comprehend his surroundings still. His eyes dart around, recognizing the bed and room. "What happened? Last thing I remember, Pharos said—"
"I know. But that doesn't concern me."
"Does it not?"
More pain.
Voices. Voices that aren't his echo through his skull, splitting it in two.
"I had my chance. I squandered it. You should have left me to rot."
Aigis calls out his name, kneeling down. The boy raises a hand to do his best to assure her.
"I'm fine," he lies. He's not even sure how he would explain what's happening—he doesn't even know himself. "My head is killing me, but I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Aigis asks and he nods.
Minato collapses his face into his hands. He tries to stand again, only for his legs to fail him.
Before he can fall to the floor, Aigis catches him. Setting him back on the bed, she offers him her hand. Smiling wryly back at her, he takes it. With her help, Minato is able to carefully stand himself up.
The boy keeps a hand on his head, briefly becoming dizzy but steadies himself before Aigis can intervene. Taking a few moments to ready himself, he nods.
They exit the room, Aigis lingering by the boy's side and watching intently.
"Contract?"
Minato hears the rattling of chains before he sees them in another flash. The velvet blue is swallowed by them, their light is pulled in by the black.
A voice hisses.
"I already made a contract long ago; signed over my family's graves with their blood as the ink. I'm not interested in deals with you."
Another voice sounds like it chuckles. "Is that all that is included? You don't care at all for Ko—"
The first voice booms, sending a shockwave of stabbing pain through the base of Minato's skull. He nearly doubles over in pain were it not for Aigis catching him in time.
"Say that name and I'll rip out that tongue of yours, Imp."
Shaking his head, the image of chains leaves him. Returning is that of the hallway in a familiar dorm leading to a familiar set of stairs.
Of course, there was also his companion by his side. "You should go back to your room," Aigis says, concern on her face.
Minato shakes his head. "Maybe," he might have smiled at her were it not for the pain, "but I want to see the others first. Please?"
Aigis gives no answer, nor does she object when he grips the railing, heading downstairs of his own accord. There will be no stopping him; the most she can do is make sure he doesn't hurt himself.
On the way, they spot Junpei sitting on the steps alone, lost in his own thoughts.
Minato pauses for a moment, looking back to Aigis.
"Changed my mind. Wait for me in my room." Aigis opens her mouth to object, only to be silenced when he raises a hand to interrupt her. Looking at the capped boy, he assuages her, "It'll be fine. I think it's about time he and I had a little chat."
The android looks uneasy between the two of them not entirely convinced. She shakes her head. "I will remain here."
The bluenette looks her up and down for a moment before shrugging. "Fair enough," he muttered, descending down the stairs.
The boy takes a seat beside Junpei who offers nothing in acknowledgment, either too deep into his thoughts or choosing to ignore him. "Figures," Minato thought. It's never that easy.
Inhaling deeply, Minato begins, "hey."
Junpei glances back at him for a moment before returning the gesture. "Hey."
The bluenette bites his lip. For a moment, he wishes Kotone was here to help him break the ice. No, it's better she's not; he's ignored the skeletons in his closet long enough.
If he can't conjure a method of approaching the subject gently, then it was time to go straight for the kill. "You don't like me very much, do you?"
Junpei look back at him once more with a bewildered expression. "... you almost blew my face off, dude."
Minato winces at the memory. Grudges were something he has plenty of experience in, for better or (more often) for worse.
"I mean, Chidori tried to kill you too." Minato reminds him, shrugging. Raising an eyebrow, he asks, "is it the dress? Because my sister gave me plenty of experience crossdressing when I was younger."
"Wha—no, please!" Junpei refuses, shaking his head but snickering at the mental images that were already popping up in his head. "As if you haven't given me enough nightmares."
Minato smirks, crossing his legs and doing his best to ignore the pounding still ongoing in his head. A feeling of what could only be described as a relief. When was the last time he actually sat down just to have a talk with someone besides Kotone? It feels like years ago.
Junpei bites his tongue for a moment before speaking. "That thing was your friend, huh?"
"Yours too, from what I saw."
He shrugs. "I guess. I mean, we hung out a bit but he always nagged me about how you were doing. I found it creepy, to be honest."
"Sounds about right," he admits after sucking in his teeth. "But he was my best—my only— friend when my family died. The time I spent with him… I took his power, made it my own, and what did I do? I let all that pain and all that hate twist him into a monster."
The bluenette leans forward, folding his hands in on themselves.
"I've hurt enough people, Junpei. I don't want anyone else to die because of me."
"I've hurt enough people, Igor. I don't want anyone else to die because of me."
Junpei mutters, "hmm," under his breath. "So, think we can win against him?"
"Wish I knew," Minato says, looking forlorn. "You should go see Chidori. Make every day count for now."
"Yeah," Junpei agrees, standing up and descending down the stairs. On the way down, he hesitates. Looking back, he calls out to the boy, "Hey, Minato?"
"Hmm?"
"I uh…" he bites his lip, looking at the ground for several moments before finishing, "we're good."
"Thanks," Minato nods. "Now go get her."
The little piece of encouragement was all the boy needed before leaving. All things considered, that went rather well, he thought to himself.
"You are going back to bed now."
"Huh?" Minato blinks, looking back at the blond standing on the step above him. "That didn't sound like a request," he says deliberately.
Aigis' stern expression remained. "It wasn't."
The android goes on the offense. Minato shouts many objections when she grasps his frame, hosting him on her shoulder like he were nothing more but a sack of potatoes.
Minato yells, "Hey, hey, what the hell?!" He tries to wiggle free, hands hitting her back and kicking his legs into the air. The mechanical maiden finds the attempts admirable, but fruitless as his human body was incapable of matching her strength.
It's not long before he relents, ceasing his struggle. His surrender brings a satisfied smirk on Aigis' lips. She would always be by his side now, protecting him…
… whether he likes it or not.
"I can do this," she kept telling herself.
She can do this.
She has to do this.
No matter how much she says it, the tension Kotone feels on her shoulders refuses to ease. The knot in her stomach tightens and she wants to fall to the ground in pain. Her sweaty hands keep fidgeting, stinging against the cold air.
She can turn back now and few would blame her. Is this what Yukari felt when she began talking to her mom again? Is the pain that similar? She left her mom, unable to watch her destroy herself. Mother left her, for reasons that have gone unanswered for too long.
It's that single pain that stops her from calling her friend. Abandonment. It's not something Yukari felt, but that has been eating at her for over ten years. It's not a feeling that can be simply described without knowing it firsthand.
Loss is when someone is taken away from you. Abandonment is when they choose to leave you. There's nothing that compares.
What is she expecting from this reunion? An intricate excuse that justifies anything and everything? The ramblings of an old woman who won't stop pestering her?
The cool breeze passes through her leggings. Kotone clenches her jaw at the contact, her body shivering against her will. Leaving without so much as grabbing her coat was stupid. Her being here doing this is even more so.
"God, I'm such an idiot."
Surely, only a fool would be in her shoes; door in front of her, all the answers only a single knock away, and where is she? Standing there in front of the motel room door, frozen like the ice around her.
Kotone presses her head against the door. Her eyes were red but no more tears could fall. Every step forward was another step back—back to when a little girl was tucked into bed and given a goodnight's kiss before waking up the next morning to find her mother was gone.
There's nothing that can erase that pain. But is that any reason to let it swallow her now and forever?
An image of a porcelain white mask with an unsettling grin flashes before her eyes. She's seen what happens when you're driven by nothing but pain; you allow yourself to get dragged into a dark place with no way out.
No, that's enough. No more wallowing. It's time she did what she came here to do.
With a reluctant hand, Kotone knocks on the door.
The time it takes for a response feels like an eternity. The seconds feel like hours. Kotone wonders if she'll get an answer or if this was one more cruel jest from fate to torture her some more.
But then the door opens, and there she is. Kaiya Shiomi, her long-lost mother.
She had forgotten how much they look alike. If the hair didn't give it away, the crimson eyes staring back at her would. The past twelves years had been kind to her; she wouldn't look out of place with college students.
It takes all of Kotone's courage to utter a single word, "Mother."
Kaiya doesn't respond. Too distract is she looking Kotone up and down, her equally nervous expression now betraying concern. "Kotone, what are you doing dressed like that? It's freezing out there!"
"Huh?" The statement catches her off-guard. Twelves years apart, and the first thing she does is…
Kaiya doesn't await an answer, grasping and gingerly pulling her in—enough strength to be inviting without forcing. She wants her here but she knows Kotone might want to refuse. Kotone would be lying if she said she wasn't still tempted.
Kotone doesn't say a word, nor does she refuse when her mother offers her some tea to help warm her. She sits down and observes the place.
The room is rather modest. The heating system provides a comforting warmth wrapping around her like a blanket. That does little to quell the urge for her to fall into the inviting bedsheets, to drift off to sleep and forget about everything. But what has ignoring all her problems gotten her?
Mother comes back with two cups of tea, placing them on the small wooden table set so low that they sit on the floor in a traditional fashion.
Kotone takes a sip of the warm drink. There's a pleasant minty aftertaste.
Kaiya takes her seat in front of her, sipping her tea but never taking her eyes off her daughter. It doesn't take long for her to realize it would be up to herself to break the silence. "How… how have you been? Is school going alright?"
Those were her first questions? Small talk? Of course, what else did she expect?
Kotone looks up from the table and back at her mother. Kaiya must sense what is coming, putting down her cup and visibly tensing as she braces herself.
"You knew where I lived."
Mother nods. "Yes."
"And you knew where I was before years ago," Kotone recalls. "There's no way you could've known where I was—not without someone else telling you."
Once more, Mother nods. "Yes."
"How long have you and Father been talking?" It's the only way. There's no one else she talks to that could have known.
Kaiya looks down, biting her lip. She inhales deeply before answering, "Six months after I left, I called your Father. I… I wanted to know how you were doing."
"You should have asked me yourself," Kotone barks back, unable to hide the resentment that had been festering for so long. "Or been there to ask, I should say."
Mother doesn't argue. She doesn't fight back or attempt to make any defense for herself. She only gives an accepting, "I know."
Kaiya clenches her hands together tightly. "But I didn't come back, and your Father and I decided it was best not to tell you."
"And why's that?" Kotone hisses, standing on her feet. "Why? What excuse could you both have for lying to me all these years?"
The anger is too much to be held back. The tears she thought had been shed long ago came back in full force and the anger that had been welling up for years became unleashed.
"So what was it, Mom? What was it that I did?"
The acceptance became confusion as she could only blurt out a bewildered, "what?"
"You left me! And…" Kotone's breath hitches, "And I… what did I do? Did I lose your brushes too many times? Did I draw on the walls too much? What did… what did I…"
Anger is a fuel that burns quickly. The outburst had left her as quickly as it came and she falls back on her knees. All that could come out of her mouth were incoherent mumbles accompanied by more tears.
Kotone is a failure and she knows it.
She should be better; she should have been better.
She didn't pay attention to her team, and Shinjiro died.
She wasn't with Makoto when he was taken away and twisted by Ryoji.
She wasn't with Minato and she almost lost him again to Ryoji. Not that it means anything now that everyone is going to die anyway and there's nothing she can do.
And now here she was, in front of the woman she spent so long hating and she's completely crumbling. It's no wonder she left her years ago. She can't do anything right.
Suddenly, Kotone feels herself being pulled. Kaiya's arms wrap around and pull her in, resting her head on her bosom. Kotone clutches her blouse tightly but doesn't fight back, all she can do is let out all the agonizing pain she had been saving into a desperate wail.
"Nothing," Kaiya does her best to soothe her daughter through her tears, "you did nothing wrong. Never in your life have you done anything that would ever make me want to leave you."
Mother's hand starts coming through her hair. One wail after another comes, but she never lets go; she would never let go of her again.
"It was foolish of me," Mother confesses. "I thought I was smothered like the whole world was collapsing in on me and breaking me down until one day I just… left. Work, your Father—life. I wanted to get away from it all."
Mother laxes her grip on her daughter, just enough so that she could look her in her teary eye when she declares, "but no matter how hard it became, I never regretted you. But I knew you hated me when I left. I knew, but I didn't want you to hate both your parents. I won't ask you to forgive me, but will not have you blaming yourself for my greatest mistake."
The woman reaches out, wiping away her daughter's tears. Kotone looks back to see her smiling gently at her. She's spent so long hating her but now…
Kotone returns the hug. Nothing they do can change the past but she won't let that destroy their future, whatever it may be. But that's for later. For now, she's the little girl twelves years ago and her mommy's finally home.
Would you believe me if I told you this chapter was originally going to have a mini-lemon scene between the two lovebirds? Nope. Makeup sex for him hurting her feelings is for another day! That is... if anyone is even interested in that. I'm sure you guys will let me know.