Chapter 9: Drifting Soul

"Minato! Retreat for now, Minato!" Kotori's demanding voice barely registered in his ear.

Despite her reasonable-sounding judgment, Minato did not heed it.

Kurumi had just murdered someone, and there were definitely other victims that he missed. His focus on her didn't waver, even if there was a pang of uneasiness. Many questions sprouted in his mind, but he simply spoke one word.

"Why?"

Kurumi's smile didn't falter.

"Would you believe me if I told you this all won't matter in due time?" She responded cryptically.

He wasn't given an opportunity to continue the conversation when Kurumi was suddenly sent flying toward a tree by an unseen force, colliding with the bark and then falling down to the ground. Eyes widened, his hand reached out toward her on instinct. It happened so fast that he couldn't react quickly enough.

"Are you okay?" A blue ponytail entered his vision from above, landing in front of him and blocking his way. The set of armor was unmistakably similar to what Origami and the AST girls would wear.

It seemed his suspicion from a few days ago was spot-on.

"Mana…" Minato acknowledged, pursing his lips. He could not tell if her timing was good or not. Ratatoskr was able to detect Spirit activity, hence it was a matter of when the AST would involve themselves as well. And although he was hesitant, he was ready to pull his Evoker out if he felt threatened.

"Arisato-san," Mana gave him a brief look before shifting her gaze back to Kurumi standing up, "please stand back. This may become messy."

"So many distractions," Kurumi sighed, dusting herself off. "Is it too much to ask for a girl to have a nice date without being interrupted?"

Letting out a scoffing sound, Mana then took up a fighting stance.

Minato didn't know how strong Mana was compared to Kurumi. Regardless, he needed answers from the latter. Neither Kurumi retreating nor being slain were desirable.

One way or another, this was going to be problematic. And he begrudgingly made a decision.

"What… are you doing?" Mana's astonishment was plain to see as he stood between her and Kurumi.

"Ara, what a twist," amusement laced Kurumi's tone.

Perhaps in an alternate timeline he would have sided with Mana, but he had his reasons. And strangely, he couldn't get the memory of Kurumi and himself surrounded by cats out of his mind.

"Get out of my way, Arisato-san!" Mana pleaded. "The girl behind you is a murderer, and a repeat offender at that! She wouldn't hesitate to throw you into harm's way to save her own skin!"

"Hmm, I must disagree with you on the last thing," Kurumi countered. "Because this boy is vital to me."

Curious about Kurumi's choice of words, he turned his head to her yet found himself being wrapped by her arms.

"Why don't we take our date somewhere more… private, Minato-san?" She suggested, placing her head on his shoulder.

"Huh?" He was caught off guard.

There was barely enough time for him to register that he was sinking with Kurumi into a puddle of darkness beneath them. Kurumi had held him tighter, likely to prevent him from escaping. Mana had feebly stretched her arm out toward him, but he was already too submerged for a rescue attempt to be made.

He could only pity Mana as he saw her look of helplessness before being completely enveloped by shadows.

Shido didn't realize how late it was getting today until he noticed a visible sunset in the distance. Double-dating was not something he wished upon anyone to endure, ethicality notwithstanding. He was on his way back to Tohka after Origami suddenly left in a hurry, telling him that she had to end her date with him early. Shido was perplexed but was kinda relieved about not having to run around the city anymore, even if he could utilize Fraxinus's teleporters.

It had been a while since he previously saw Minato, and he wondered how his friend's date was going right now. Come to think of it, things had been quiet from Ratatoskr's side, but they could be occupied with helping Minato.

"Shido," the voice of Kotori spoke up in his ear. Speak of the devil.

"Oh hey, sis," Shido responded. "What's up?"

"I need you to rendezvous with Tohka asap so we can teleport both of you back to Fraxinus," she explained. "We've got a situation."

"We do?" Shido's eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

There was a short pause prior to Kotori continuing. And what he finally heard made his blood run cold.

"Minato and Kurumi have both vanished."

It was dark around Minato. He was in a seemingly endless void. Aside from himself and the person who invited him into this area, nothing else of note was visible.

"Welcome to my personal domain, Minato-san." Kurumi was as polite as ever. "Forgive my snap decision, but I do so hate getting interrupted. Nobody else should be intervening while we are here."

He could sympathize a little. And he technically got what he wanted too.

"No complaints from me," Minato acknowledged. "Because I have several questions for you, Kurumi."

"Hehe, straight to the point?" Kurumi giggled. "I have a proposition, then. Why don't we take turns and ask each other questions that we're comfortable answering? Otherwise, we have to move on to new questions."

Something told him he would not receive all the answers he desired from this arrangement, but considering the circumstances beggars could not be choosers.

"Alright." Minato nodded agreeingly.

"Splendid," Kurumi clasped her hands happily, "then you may have the first move, Minato-san."

He recalled the bloody mess he witnessed earlier. Maybe he was being naive, but Kurumi did not strike him as the type to kill without reason.

"Why did you kill those people? I'd appreciate it if you didn't dodge this time."

Kurumi frowned.

"Now that's a bit unfair," she pouted. "You asked this before we arrived here, but I suppose I can allow it."

Minato crossed his arms, waiting.

"It's as I previously said: I was disposing of garbage," Kurumi stated. His brow furrowed, not completely satisfied yet. This prompted her to sigh and continue. "While we were briefly separated, I stumbled across a group of men. They were using pellet guns to attack a defenseless cat. It… angered me, to say the least."

There it was, albeit the response was a bit surprising to him. He was aware that Kurumi liked cats, given the time they spent together at the cat cafe, but to go that far to save one… He had definitely underestimated her.

"I see…" Minato had sensed her shift in demeanor and felt somewhat guilty.

"And now it's my turn." Kurumi paced around Minato, probably deliberating what to inquire first. She decided a moment later. "You are a Spirit, and I know you said you have amnesia. But surely you possess a power that you can show me?"

The blue-haired boy blinked. Normally, he wouldn't indulge a request such as this. Given the enclosed space they were in, he guessed he didn't have to fret over the AST barging in. And he thought it was a fair trade for the transparency shown to him.

Kurumi's eyes locked on to his Evoker as he pulled it out of his pocket and raised it to his head, his finger placed on the trigger. The grin on her face appeared to widen, oddly enough.

Since Minato was still cautious, the Persona he chose was the one he felt the most comfortable with.

"Come, Orpheus."

A mechanical humanoid materialized behind its summoner, carrying a lyre on its back. Wings spreading, Minato's own clothes had transformed into his Astral Suit – a term he finally learned after conversing with Kotori and her team.

Orpheus's red eyes glowed, and between Minato and Kurumi was a flame that sprung into existence. Both Spirits felt the flame's warmth radiating, and in the next moment the Persona's eyes flared again, dispersing the fire.

"That should suffice for now," Minato said as Orpheus slowly faded away. Kurumi clapped.

"Indeed!" She approved, nodding. "You've fulfilled my request, so you may ask another question."

The next thing that came to mind was Mana's accusations of Kurumi's killing streak. He wished to understand better.

"Takamiya Mana implied that you've killed other people in the past," he addressed. "And if that's true, then how come?"

Kurumi wryly smirked.

"Intriguing," she remarked. "I assumed you would've demanded me to stop murdering, yet you're curious about the motive behind my actions instead."

Minato didn't condone senseless killing, but he was aware that individuals could sometimes feel justified in taking lives. Kurumi was currently one such example.

"Despite what that girl might say, I do not kill people indiscriminately," she clarified. "The ones I do target are rather… unsavory. Not many would miss them. But I'm not some vigilante trying to punish evil wherever I go."

It was a unique theory, truth be told. But if that wasn't the case, what was she really after? He remained silent, awaiting further elaboration.

"I guess you could say my primary objective is revenge," she stated. "And I need power to accomplish this."

He grimaced. Her sprightly tone he had grown accustomed to hearing was gone. In its stead was the most solemn she had looked and sounded to him thus far. Depending on the severity, vengeance was hardly a route that ended with pleasant results. He couldn't help but speculate what sort of mark she was chasing to force her down this path.

Yet Minato kept his inquisitiveness in check, knowing it wasn't his turn any longer.

The pause that followed was fortunately short as Kurumi's lips formed a new smile.

"What is it that you desire, Minato-san?"

That was an awfully broad question, and strangely he was beginning to feel déjà vu.

"What I desire…?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's noble of you to support a friend's ambition," Kurumi slowly approached him, "but there has to be other things that drive you. Like reclaiming your lost memories, for instance."

'Where is she going with this?' Minato was confused.

He opened his mouth to reply, though no words managed to eek out. Her comments had struck a chord with him once he pondered more. She was not wrong. Recovering from his amnesia had been a persistent thought, but as time passed it became less of a priority. He had since devoted himself to Shido and Ratatoskr's cause, finding both to be admirably altruistic.

It wasn't doubt from his allegiance and memory pursuit that plagued him at this moment. He stood firm by those choices. Rather, was there anything else he wanted beyond all that?

"I…" Trailing off, Minato narrowed his eyes with a downward glance. Had he really been going with the flow this whole time? What did he want?

For the first time since he awakened in Tengu City, he felt lost.

"Ara, ara," Kurumi tittered, "I apologize for putting you on the spot, Minato-san. I simply wish to get to know you better."

He was partly relieved she spoke up, because he was not certain if he could have responded immediately. Until now, no one had spurred him to deeply inspect himself.

"There's no need to rush," Kurumi added. "You can think about it tonight and give me your answer tomorrow at school."

Again, before he could react, he found him getting dragged down into another portal, but by several white hands instead, while Kurumi hadn't moved from her spot. Gritting his teeth, there was still more he wanted to discuss, and Kurumi seemed to realize this as her expression turned somewhat apologetic. So she said one last thing to him before they parted.

"Thank you for taking me out on a date today, Minato-san. I really did enjoy my time with you."

A wave of relief washed over Shido as the door to Fraxinus's medical bay opened.

After being informed by his sister that Minato had been recovered, he didn't spare a second thought in rushing to his friend's side. Sitting up straight on one of the beds, the other bluenette appeared no worse for wear.

"Thank goodness you're okay, Minato," Shido rejoiced.

Minato showed him a tired smile.

"I suppose. I'm still trying to collect my thoughts."

"By all means, take your time," Shido assured, planting himself by Minato's bed.

And so Minato obliged. Shido had waited patiently as seconds went by, and he couldn't help noticing his friend's discomfort. There seemed to be a lot on his mind. What transpired between him and Kurumi?

Their gazes met once again and Minato imposed a question.

"Shido, what do you desire?"

"Huh?" Shido blinked. "That's an… interesting thing to ask. I'm not quite sure how to respond to that yet, haha."

"Hmm," Minato hummed, "then I should be more clear. Is there anything you want beyond saving Spirits?"

Shido rubbed the back of his head, trying to come up with an answer. Minato sounded pretty serious, so it was only fair that Shido provided a serious response.

After a short while, what ultimately showed in his mind were the smiling faces of Tohka, Minato, Kotori, and Yoshino. Nodding to himself, he had his answer.

"I want the people I care about to be happy and safe," Shido articulated with resolve. "It might sound simple, but that's my honest-to-god wish."

Briefly, Minato's lips formed a thin smile.

"I see…" Minato then turned away with a contemplative expression.

Though he was honest, Shido didn't know if Minato was satisfied. What was the reason behind the question? For as long as he knew Minato, Shido had held him in high regard. The amnesiac was calm and decisive – somebody easy to talk to. Rarely were their conversations philosophical like this, so Shido was kind of taken aback, but in a good way. It always seemed as if Shido consulted Minato very often, and the opposite seldom occurred.

If any chance arose where Shido could aid Minato in some shape or form, he would do so in a heartbeat. Minato already had a lot on his plate due to his unique status, and Shido wanted to ease that burden as much as possible.

"Minato," Shido started, "I-"

The medical bay door opening cut him off, and both boys' eyes flickered to the girls entering.

"Minato!" Tohka rushed over and inspected the Persona-user's body from various angles. "You don't look hurt; that's a relief."

"You all worry too much," Yoshinon shrugged. "Minato-kun is super strong, after all."

"He is," Yoshino murmured meekly, making eye contact with Minato, "but when we didn't know where you went, I did get scared."

"Tohka and Yoshino were worried about you, you know," Kotori elaborated, staring at him.

Minato's face altered with remorse.

"Sorry…"

The redhead shook her head.

"You better be. You even ignored my orders to escape. There's still too much we don't know about Kurumi, and we need to be a team."

"Why don't we cut him some slack?" Shido interjected, raising his hands up. "He's had a long day."

"It's okay, Shido," Minato spoke up. "I realize what I did was foolish, but…" His fists clenched. "I couldn't just leave Kurumi alone, and I didn't want to risk her getting injured or worse by Mana."

"Minato…" Shido softly said. He had been informed earlier about Mana's allegiance, and at least that was one assumption confirmed. He was glad they didn't fight each other.

"I swear, you and Shido are so similar sometimes," Kotori professed, sighing loudly. "Well, I'm not a fan of beating a dead horse, and I already forgive you."

The tension in the air had vanished. But Shido did notice that Tohka seemed puzzled, and before long she voiced her thoughts.

"Kurumi didn't say anything weird to you, did she, Minato?" Tohka placed her hands on her hips. "You two were gone for a while."

"She did ask me a couple questions," Minato revealed, "and I was also able to ask her some."

"For real?" Kotori became instantly intrigued. "What did you learn?"

"Kurumi… has killed others in the past," Minato stated, and everyone else understandably frowned. "If I'm to take her word for it, she mainly murders people she deems unethical. She wants revenge, but against who or what – I'm still in the dark."

Upon the mention of vengeance, Shido caught a brief glimpse of Tohka biting her lip.

"Revenge, huh?" Yoshinon mused. "Sounds a little scary."

"Kurumi-san sounds really different from Tohka-san and I," Yoshino added. "I'm not sure if we can save her…"

There was an awkward silence after she spoke. The Itsuka siblings looked hesitant. Yoshino and Yoshinon didn't seem to be completely on board with the idea of saving Kurumi. Crossing her arms, Tohka was in deep thought.

Slowly standing up, Minato then met everybody's gaze with sudden determination in his eyes.

"I still want to try," he asserted resolutely.

"You do?" Shido inquired.

Minato nodded.

"I now know what I desire."

Just like she promised, Minato encountered Kurumi at school the next day. The latter was eager to know if the blue-haired boy discovered his answer, but as classes were about to begin, they settled on continuing their talk later.

They had agreed to make up excuses to temporarily leave while class was in session. Ratatoskr believed it was ideal so that they could reduce the odds of normal students intruding upon them. To no one's surprise, their peers gossiped about the two of them leaving simultaneously, but Okamine-sensei was gracious enough to curb such chatter and allowed them to go.

And so, Minato and Kurumi found themselves on the roof once again. There was a lock on the door, but Kurumi had manifested her pistol to blast it off. It was astounding nobody immediately came to inspect the sound of gunfire, but it didn't seem to matter as Kurumi innocently smiled at Minato as they arrived.

"How scandalous," Kurumi said gleefully, "the two of us sneaking off like this."

"Kurumi," unvexed, Minato cut to the chase, "I've thought about a lot since yesterday."

"Oh?" The girl tilted her head. "Go on, Minato-san."

It may have taken him more time than he would've liked to realize it, but in the end, he was grateful to Kurumi. She gave him a push that he needed. And his friends reinforced it.

"I'm indebted to Shido," Minato affirmed, "and I'm content with upholding his ideals of peace and saving Spirits. But you were right. That's not all I want. There's still so much for me to learn and experience – about the world, myself and my memories, and people close to me."

His gray eye stared directly into her red eye. Kurumi had been observing him quietly, maintaining a smile, and awaiting his continuation.

"What I hate most is apathy." His mind recalled the events that led him to this point. The rescue attempts for Yoshino and his scuffle with Origami were the most prominent memories. "It's… difficult for me to turn a blind eye to all that's happened around me. I feel compelled to understand why things are the way they are, and make a difference."

"And what is your heart currently telling you to do?" Kurumi couldn't help asking.

After receiving enough input from his friends, he was confident in his intuition.

"Right now, I want to become closer to you, Kurumi," Minato declared.

Kurumi gasped lightly.

"Ara, that's quite bold, Minato-san," she composed herself. "Are you certain you want to become more intimate with a murderer such as myself?"

"Yes," Minato retorted decisively, causing Kurumi to flinch a little. "I've barely scratched the surface of getting to know the real you. Although I'd prefer you didn't kill, you're not a monster. I don't care what people like Takamiya Mana say. And if your goal really is revenge, I won't stop you. But don't let yourself become consumed by it. If you're willing to do at least that much, then I will help you."

"What…? What are you saying?" Kurumi was stunned. Her natural grit was falling apart. "You're not making any sense! I'm not worth the hardship. I'm… beyond saving."

Finally, a glimmer of salvation he had been searching for.

"No, that's not true," Minato denied, shaking his head. "If you were, you wouldn't be feeling regret or have enjoyed yourself from our date as you told me. Cross my heart – I want to save you. I want to get to know you better. I want us to spend more time together."

Minato extended his hand out to her, which evoked another gasp from Kurumi.

"I want you to be happy, Kurumi. That's my desire."

Each word flowed out of him so naturally, even he amazed himself. But he meant all of it. It could be that he had spent so much time around Shido that his friend rubbed off on him, or this behavior was always a part of his soul, with or without amnesia. There was something about Kurumi he was drawn to. Selfish as it was, this had become less about Ratatoskr's mission to him. It became a tad personal.

Uncertainty was apparent in Kurumi's features, from her face to her body language. She had focused on his hand for what felt like an eternity, until eventually she gingerly reached out to it.

"Why? How can you be so kind?" She sounded hesitant, yet it did not deter her hand from advancing. "Am I… really worth it?"

When it looked as if he actually got through to her, their hands nearly grasping each other, Minato caught a glimpse of a puddle of shadow forming behind Kurumi. She didn't appear to be consciously aware of it, and instantaneously he was filled with dread, remembering yesterday when he was too slow to prevent her from being attacked.

And he'd be damned to let something like that happen twice.

"Kurumi!" The blue-haired boy lunged forward and shoved the girl to the side.

"Wha-"

Kurumi fell backwards, taken by surprise, but was able to witness an arm from darkness piercing through Minato's body.

The bluenette's gaze weakly traveled downward to where he had been struck and saw his bleeding.

"This is a problem," a peculiarly familiar voice spoke. Emerging from the portal, the assailant was revealed to be another Kurumi, adorned in her Astral Dress.

Minato started to assume he was hallucinating, given his situation. He suspected this to be true until he turned his head toward the Kurumi he pushed, who wasn't wearing her Astral Dress and was staring at him with distress, and then back to the one in front of him.

Oh. There truly were two Kurumis.

"Wh-What…?" He managed to utter prior to coughing up blood.

A/N: Happy holidays, everyone. I'm happy to release at least one more chapter out before the year is over. I got hit with some inspiration at a good time.

Minato's approach to saving Kurumi isn't vastly different from Shido's in canon, but it's also not totally similar.

Until next time, take care.