Shinjiro hated the hospital. There was just an atmosphere that always made him uncomfortable; the white walls almost felt like a prison to him. It also gave him a nasty reminder of the hospital staff trying to save Miki, only for her to succumb to her burns and injuries.

So of course he was stuck in the hospital until further notice. Shinjiro let out a suffering groan. It had been one day since he had woken up.

His former teammates all were distracted. Apparently Minato had died from unknown complications, so unknown that they were still in the process of figuring out even with Kirijo's best. That was one hell of a thing to wake up to.

Though that didn't stop Aki from yelling at Shinjiro for being stupid and for worrying him like that (like the idiot could talk).

"Aragaki."

Shinjiro snapped to attention.

For as long as he could remember, Kirijo was poised, always looking immaculate. It reminded him of how he assumed that she was a prissy little princess back when they first met. But not today. Her complexion was pallid and the shadows under her eyes were dark, even though Shinjiro could see that she was trying to mask it with make-up.

Kirijo folded her arms over her chest. "I… apologize for the chaos. With Arisato's death…"

"It's nothing, Kirijo," Shinjiro said brusquely.

Kirijo pursed her lips. "There's nothing I can do for Minato. However, the same can't be said for you."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Shinjiro asked.

Kirijo's expression became unimpressed. "Eloquent as always, Aragaki. I'm referring to your current state. Your… condition was a blessing in disguise. It bought the Kirijo scientists time to determine a cure. We will be able to reverse the effects of the Persona suppressant drugs. It'll be slow—"

"Why?"

Kirijo blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"I was in a fucking coma, Kirijo," Shinjiro said with a scowl. "Why pour money into this?"

"Why…" Kirijo's eyes widened before her expression grew steely. "You're really asking me that? There was a chance that you would awaken but it was never a certainty! I cannot allow even a chance of you dying after all that!"

Shinjiro couldn't help but stare. Kirijo had… really changed.

"Besides that, we've faced too much death already," Kirijo finished softly, her expression turning mournful.

Did he… want to know? Though Shinjiro supposed he would find out eventually.

Kirijo took a deep breath. "It won't be a quick procedure. You did take the drugs for two years. But my scientists are confident that it'll be a success. And… Yamagishi will be aiding in monitoring your progress."

"Yamagishi?" Shinjiro repeated, baffled.

The scanner of SEES was nice enough, though she really had to stop overthinking things when cooking. Though Shinjiro was really confused on why she wanted to help.

Kirijo shrugged in response. "She volunteered."

Shinjiro slowly lifted his gaze to look at Kirijo. He really hadn't known she cared so much.

"Uh… thanks, Mitsuru. You didn't have to do this."

The statement earned him a raised eyebrow. "Well… you're welcome, Shinjiro." Then she brushed her hair behind her back. "Though, regarding Amada—"

Panic spiked inside of Shinjiro. "You don't have to drag the kid into this."

He still felt guilty about everything he dragged Ken into. He didn't feel ready to look at the kid, never mind talk to him.

Mitsuru pressed her lips together. "You can't keep running away from Amada. You two really need to speak to each other, so you can work things out."

Aragaki scowled. "Sure, once you work things out with Takeba."

Mitsuru suddenly looked amused. "Yukari and I have. Months ago."

…Dammit.

"Tch. After I get out of the hospital," Shinjiro bluffed.

Kirijo sighed. "You'll have to face Amada at some point, Shinjiro. Otherwise… you'll never be able to move on with your life."

Without another word, she turned and left the hospital room.

It's been four days since Minato-san's death and Ken still didn't know how to process it. Mitsuru-san had been talking about closing the dorm since SEES's purpose had been fulfilled. He had… mixed feelings. He was happy that they had accomplished what they sought to do but… he was also sad that the dorm would be closed and he would have to part ways with everyone.

He'd tried to distract himself by reading a book, but the words were swimming off the page. His concentration was completely shot.

Everyone else wasn't doing well either.

Yukari-san had shut herself in her room, hardly speaking to anyone; though that was understandable given how much she had loved Minato-san.

Aigis-san withdrew from everyone as well. Junpei-san was out of the dorm constantly, usually visiting Chidori-san—which they all knew was equal parts love and distraction. Minako-san was swamped with funeral preparations. Their female leader's smiles were all fake but at least she had Akihiko-san to help her.

And Fuuka-san… she was busying herself with helping Shinjiro-san.

Ken's heart twisted at the thought of Shinjiro-san. He had thought that was the end of Shinjiro-san when he took a bullet so Ken could live. Despite all of his resolutions, Ken was still scared of facing the older teen. He felt almost… paralyzed.

Beside him, Koromaru whimpered as if sensing Ken's self-conflict. The shiba inu pressed his paws against Ken's lap, his red eyes suddenly mournful.

"I-I'll be okay, Koro-chan," Ken mumbled out, taking the moment to scratch behind Koromaru's ear.

But the door suddenly opened.

"Hello?"

Ken perked up at that, as did Koromaru. Koromaru then ran over to Fuuka-san, giving a couple barks. Fuuka-san laughed softly.

"Hi, Koro-chan." After bending to give him a pet, she looked over to Ken. "Oh, hi Ken-kun. What are you up to?"

Ken shrugged. "Trying to read."

Fuuka-san just gave him an understanding smile. She probably knew how he felt. He guessed that's why she volunteered to help Shinjiro-san.

"So… how's everyone?" she asked quietly.

Ken quickly rattled off a summary of what's everyone up to, finishing up with Minako-san's preparations for the funeral. The older girl just sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Poor Minako-chan," she said, her voice soft with pity.

Ken sighed. Unfortunately, all of them knew the feeling. Just a few months ago, Mitsuru-san had to bury her father. He still couldn't believe he had forgotten about his resolution. He had promised to live in order to honor his mother, especially after everyone in SEES supported him, but…

"…getting stronger."

Ken blinked. "Huh? Sorry could you repeat that again, Fuuka-san?"

Fuuka-san just smiled faintly. "I was saying that Shinjiro-senpai's already getting stronger."

"O-Oh, that's great…" Ken said, doing his best to sound neutral.

The problem was that he did care—too much. And that made him anxious thinking about facing Shinjiro-san again. He knew that Shinjiro-san had pulled that sacrifice with no regrets but… what could you even say to the man who you were trying to murder?

"Ken-kun," Fuuka-san's voice was gentle as she looked at him, "you have to talk to him."

"He's still recovering," Ken mumbled out, praying that Fuuka-san would buy the excuse.

To his dismay, Fuuka-san shook her head.

"He's just as confused as you too, Ken-kun. He expected that… night to be the end of it. But he's alive now and Mitsuru-senpai's determined to ensure that he'll make a full recovery after everything. But he won't be able to fully recover… not until you two work it out."

When Fuuka-san spoke of it, it sounded so simple. Ken couldn't help but feel that the words were stuck in his throat, trapped like a bird in a cage.

Fuuka-san smiled softly at him before reaching out to give him a rub on the head. Ken didn't have the heart to swat at her hand, though, like he did when anyone in SEES tried to give him a headpat—he blamed Minako-san for starting it.

"Just think about it, Ken-kun," she said, tone coaxing. "Shinjiro-senpai's a good man and I think that if you take a chance, you two could become friends."

"I'll… think about it," Ken hedged.

Fuuka-san just smiled, nodding. "That's all I ask for, Ken-kun."

She then excused herself, citing that she had to take Koromaru on a walk. But Ken couldn't help but feel that it was an excuse to leave him alone.

He knew that she was right though. On top of that, she wasn't the only one. Just earlier today, Minako-san had given him a letter, penned by Minato-san just a few days before his death. Even though Ken was much closer to Minako-san, Minato-san tried to help him with his homework. He also let Ken ramble on for ten minutes about Neo Feathermen R and even suggested that they watch the show together sometime.

Minato-san had written to Ken an apology for not realizing the conflict between Ken and Shinjiro-san sooner. But… he had also encouraged Ken to reach out to Shinjiro-san.

Minato-san's handwriting had been wobbly, a physical sign of how his health had been deteriorating for the past month. He had only held on for that long to fulfill their promise.

It was one of Minato-san's last requests…

Could he really just let things be? Besides that, they would be all leaving the dorm soon. He didn't want to let things go unsaid especially since he might not see everyone again…

Shinjiro was bored. It hadn't been a week and he was dying to get out of this damn hospital.

Yamagishi was nice enough to bring him recordings of his favorite cooking show to watch—even though Shinjiro had been horribly embarrassed the first time she put in the recording. He appreciated that Yamagishi showed her concern in a quieter manner. Minako and Aki both raked him over the coals, Mitsuru's near-hovering was stifling, and the list went on.

The silver lining was that the doctors seemed to think that he would be strong enough to leave the hospital soon. He had to come back for monitoring and other crap, but still.

He looked up at a light knock on the door. The nurse in charge of him poked her head in.

"Aragaki-san, a visitor for you," she announced.

Shinjiro gave a curt nod. She opened the door and his visitor walked in.

Ken looked like a skittish animal, looking like he didn't even know what he was doing here. Shinjiro barely registered the nurse excusing herself.

Ken clutched a bento box as he walked up to Shinjiro-san's bed. His eyes were darting back and forth from Shinjiro and the door, as if he was unsure if he wanted to make a break for it.

"H-Here!" he blurted out, all but thrusting it in Shinjiro's face. "I-I, um… I got it for you… I don't think hospital food is very good…"

Shinjiro couldn't help but stare. Okay, hospital food tasted like crap, but it wasn't like bento boxes from the convenience store were any better, nutrition wise.

"Uh… thanks, kid," Shinjiro said, just to be nice.

He'd eat it to get a break from the shitty food since it at least tasted better. Ken fidgeted as Shinjiro nibbled on a piece of tamago. He tried not to grimace at the salty taste; the kid obviously bought it for him, so he had to eat it.

"I'm sorry, Shinjiro-san," Ken suddenly said.

Shinjiro swallowed the last of the tamago as his eyes swung to Ken.

His voice started to shake. "A-About that night. I was dumb a-and I almost got you killed… You would've gotten killed if Minako-san hadn't found your watch…"

"Stop." When Ken looked at him in shock, Shinjiro sighed. "Look, Ken, you were a confused and lost kid. I stole your mom from you. And you couldn't get closure from it thanks to Mitsuru's dad—what I did was completely covered up.I couldn't stand it, either, so I left. I started taking the drugs. It was my way of running away. I couldn't forgive myself for what happened. I should've been stronger."

Ken just bit his lip. "But—"

"I ain't done," Shinjiro said sharply before sighing. "Did you know… why I joined SEES?"

Ken silently shook his head.

"It was 'cause of Aki. The idiot was so excited when Mitsuru approached him about his potential. I couldn't let it be. I didn't want him to get killed—he was always reckless like that. I turned out to have the potential too, but I guess… I was trying to push myself when I wasn't ready. My control of Castor had been shaky, but I had insisted on going into the field anyways. And that had been costly… too costly."

Ken just stared at him, wide-eyed. An awkward silence hung in the air and Ken swallowed hard.

"I still dream about that night," he said suddenly before wrapping an arm around his torso.

He suddenly looked small and… fragile.

"Sometimes I wonder if it would've been better if Takaya had shot me," he said quietly.

"Shut it," Shinjiro snapped. "If you keep thinking that, I will get up from this bed to smack some sense into you."

He exhaled shortly.

"If you had been the one lying in this hospital bed or worse, I would've felt even worse about myself. I killed your mom in a freak accident and if I couldn't even keep you safe? That would've been the worst scenario. I'm alive… somehow. I have a second chance, so don't go beating yourself up for this."

He wanted to save Ken from himself. It was a dangerous path, revenge. He didn't want an innocent kid to stain his hands with blood.

Ken sighed. "I just… can't help but keep second-guessing myself. And I don't know what to do with myself… I spent so long working towards this that I just feel… stuck."

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "Ken. You're eleven."

Ken suddenly puffed up in anger. "Don't treat me like a kid!"

Shinjiro couldn't help it. He laughed.

"Stop laughing at me!" Ken whined out, a pout on his face.

"I'm not laughing at you," Shinjiro replied.

"Well, you're not laughing with me because I'm not laughing!" Ken said, still indignant.

Shinjiro snorted. This kid was a piece of work, wasn't he?

"Well, do you wanna hear what Aki and I were up to when we were eleven?"

Ken blinked in surprise. "Um… sure."

"Well, take a seat then." Shinjiro waved a hand at the seat by his bedside.

Ken hesitated for a moment before pulling up a chair. He was a little more relaxed now, some of the tension draining from his little shoulders. He was looking at Shinjiro curiously.

Shinjiro paused, combing his mind for a story.

"Didja know that Aki had a phase of trying to sneak strays in the orphanage?"

He talked, longer than he had expected. He even got Ken to laugh a couple times. The kid looked different—like he was actually his age—when he laughed. It was… nice to see.

Shinjiro was in the middle of telling Ken a story about how both Shinjiro and Aki were both getting heckled about their hair habits—Aki had been assumed that his hair was dyed and Shinjiro had too long hair in the eyes of the teacher—when the nurse suddenly knocked on the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but visiting hours are over," she said with an apologetic smile.

Ken's face fell at that, but he nodded slightly. "Okay. I'm coming."

He suddenly gave Shinjiro an almost shy smile.

"Um… would it be okay to come see you some time, Shinjiro-san?"

Shinjiro waved a hand. "Yeah. I'm kinda stuck here anyways."

Ken pulled a face at his attitude. "You don't have to sound so annoyed about it."

Shinjiro couldn't help but snort. He had never noticed it but Ken was actually kinda amusing to tease. Even more than Aki.

But Ken gave him a small smile as he left with the nurse. And after they were gone, Shinjiro found himself staring up at the ceiling. He felt… at peace for the first time in a long time. It felt like he could finally start afresh. He wouldn't be able to fully forget what happened during that godawful night… but he and Ken could finally move on.

Together.

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted the first fic, but I wrote this piece for Rank Up: A Persona Friendship Zine. While I left some things vague for readers of the zine who don't have context for Ace in the Hole, I wrote this to align with the AU! If you're interested in picking up a copy of the zine, check out upzines on Twitter! Leftover sales are still open!

The next chapter of Ace in the Hole is in the works too! I've been chipping at it. I was transferred in my job and it eats more into my time, due to the commute. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading!