I don't own the Persona Series or Code Vein both belong to respective owners.
Awakening
Soft winds blew as Minato slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a girl looking over him.
The transfer to this new world left his mind a bit hazy so Minato blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things but true enough there was a girl standing over him with her face being very close covering most of his vison.
Moving her head back he finally got a good look at the girl's face.
She was beautiful. The girl in front of him had amber eyes, a thin mouth, small nose, a black hood over her head where he saw silver hair sticking out of it.
Such a combination of features was uncommon in the world but that only added more to her beauty, but for some reason the longer he kept staring at her, the more he felt some strange connection between them. Like he somehow knew her but at the same time he did not.
Minato only got this feeling the first time he met Aigis on the docks but that was only because Aigis actually had history with him years prior but this girl he did not as this was the first time they ever met.
"Welcome back." She said.
Her voice was soft and soothing to hear but the same time it had the same monotone as Aigis the first time she spoke to him.
"Hello…how are you feeling?" She ask.
Minato tried to answer but couldn't because his throat felt very dry, he guessed that was to be expected after being a statue for years.
So instead he tried to sit up but barely made it half way as he felt his muscles ache from the movement, seeing this the girl helped him until he was in an upright position. From Minato got a good look at his current surroundings and it was safe to say that everything looks straight out of an apocalypse movie.
Abandon buildings, destroyed roads, abandon cars that have rusted over time, bent metal signs or rebar sticking out of the road. But there was something other than the ruins around them, through the buildings Minato could make a giant cloud of red mist in the distance.
Cruz mention disaster in her but never did she mention anything about the red mist, then again she's been dead for a while so the mist must've came after she died.
"It's alright…I don't remember either." The girl said.
'Remember… she thinks I would have questions on what happen.' Minato thought. While it was true that he did have questions, it was best he saved them for another time.
It was there that Minato finally got a good look at the girl.
First all he saw of her was her face but now he has a good view of her body… well safe to say it was not an un-welcome sight.
Her black hood was part of a tattered cloak that flowed like a cape, bandages wrap around her left leg, a few decorated embroideries on her right leg, bare footed, bandages and bracelets around her arms and a necklace. But the thing that really got his attention was what she was wearing. She was wearing a white dress that hugged her figure showing off her hourglass body, it was torn in the middle especially in the chest area that showed off a great deal of her large breast, the only thing keeping them from spilling out was the untorn pieces that remain but they could barely keep them contain.
In a post-apocalyptic setting this girl would be consider a treasure to find in this ruined world.
"Over there." The girl pointed.
Leaning forward Minato could barely make out to what looked like a tree not too far from them.
Standing up Minato felt his muscles ache as he has yet to get use to having a body again. So until that happens the best he could was take slow sluggish walks toward their destination.
See him struggle the girl put his arm over her shoulder and helped him to a strange tree that sat in the middle of this ruined city, the tree was strange as it was not only out of place, but it wasn't a normal tree to begin with.
The tree looked to be crystal in nature almost glass like, it lacked branches and had few glass leaves on it.
The girl knelt down examining the tree.
"It seems everyone everywhere is thirsty." She said. "There is a spring that will cure that thirst. One that weeps tears of blood."
After that she stood and turn towards him. "That's what they say anyway."
It was an interesting saying almost sounded like something you hear in legends about ancient cities filled with gold where your wildest dream can become reality.
In a world like this such things can give people hope.
"This way." She motion him to come closer to the tree.
Minato did but after taking two steps he an urge suddenly overcome him forcing him to bend over.
If Minato had a mirror in front of him he would've seen his eyes turn into blood red further and fangs in his mouth signifying the state he was in. Right now everything felt numb to him the only thing he could feel was that his mouth felt dry.
No… not dry.
He felt THIRSTY really really THIRSTY.
He needed something to drink, but what could he drink in this baren city? Anything at least maybe even a small puddle of water.But somehow he felt that wouldn't satisfy him.
Suddenly it clicked, he's a Revenant now. He should've known, Cruz is a Revenant and it seem having a piece of her soul did more than make him taller, it changed his very nature.
Meaning now he needed blood, but where could he find some. If a Revenant was anything like vampire lore then drinking his own blood wouldn't work and he didn't to attack his new 'friend' so what could he do?
"It's alright." The girl said.
It wasn't alright, because now not only was he thirsty but he was also having a major headache. Clutching his head Minato started to get flashes of things he'd never seen before, flashes of men in uniforms, a lab, a room, and finally Cruz herself only this was the kind innocent girl he met instead she looked different. This Cruz's eyes didn't hold the same kindness as the real one except they held something sinister inside.
Minato was cut off from this when he felt pain in his arm. Looking he saw that the girl bit his arm drawing blood from it. Minato watch as the blood from his wound fell onto the roots of the glass tree.
His blood seems to have an effect on the tree as it came to life with power as small blue light swirled around as roots began to sprout from it. But that wasn't the only thing sprouting from the tree, on its branches beads the size of an apple grew. The beads were strange as like the tree they looked to be made of glass with the color red.
This didn't stop the girl though as she calmly walked to the tree and plucked one of the beads and offered it to him.
Minato was a bit perplex about how he should go about this, the bead was the size of an apple but judging by the texture it was glass like the tree.
He wanted to contemplate on this more but his rising thirst prevented that so he took the bead from her hand and bit into it. As expected he felt hard resistance as the bead really did feel like glass but it seem like his new strength as a pseudo vampire allowed him to bite into the bead without problem.
The moment the liquid from the bead started flowing out Minato drank it greedily as if his life depended on it. When it came to the taste of it, it tasted exactly like blood, and it seemed to have done the trick as Minato's thirst was finally sated allowing him to calm down.
After downing the rest of the blood from the bead the girl offers him another one. Normally Minato would've taken it being the glutton he is, but this wasn't food he was dealing with it was a glass bead filled with by his guess actual blood. That only brought more questions to him, how could a tree grow beads filled with blood on them?
It seem to be a question he'll have to figure out another time. Looking back the girl was still holding the bead out to him. Shaking his head Minato declined the offer and gave it to her instead.
She accepted without hesitation and soon began drinking after getting herself comfortable at the base of the tree where Minato decided to take a seat beside her.
The two sat in silence with neither of them said anything though that didn't seem to bother them.
Minato was never one to start a conversation and it seem like his companion was indifferent to that. So for now he just decided to enjoy the peace for now as he finally gather his thoughts on this world so far.
He didn't know how long they sat there but by the time he notice it was already night. Cruz told him that the Horrors became a bit more active at night. Without a weapon in hand chances of him fighting these Horrors should he encounter them were slim even if he decided to use his hands. And he didn't know the capabilities of his 'friend' and just by seeing her she didn't posses a weapon on her person.
So the best course of action right now was to find a place to sleep for the night. But finding a place to rest was easier said than done not just because it was dark with only the moon being the only source of light but also everything around them was in ruins.
Chances of them finding a place that looked like it wasn't going to fall on them was low, but they didn't much of a choice.
Standing up with his 'friend' the two venture off into the desolate city looking for shelter.
Fortunately, they didn't have to venture far as they found a small office building that looked mostly intact. Entering the building Minato and the girl look through each room for a suitable one to sleep in but each one was either ruined with broken furniture everywhere or was a storage room.
Their search finally bore fruit as they came to the last room. The room itself was bigger than the previous ones probably belong to someone of higher status in the office most likely the manager as the room was not only bigger but there was more stuff in it including a couch.
Like everything else they saw time did a number on the couch, but it looked comfortable enough, so it'll have to do. Only problem was it was only big enough for one person.
Looking to his companion who just stared at him blankly. Even with her expressionless face Minato couldn't help but be mesmerized by her beauty as the moonlight that came through the destroyed window seems to make her look more beautiful than before.
Minato blink focusing back to the matter of the couch there wasn't much of anything else in the office instead of the chairs at the desk. He knew that it'll be rude of him to make the girl sleep at the desk so he gestured her to take the couch as he took the desk.
Sleeping at a desk wasn't new to him he did it all the time back at school. The other students thought that he'll fail because he slept a lot but somehow he always manages to pass his test and assignments. They thought he was either lucky, cheated, or somehow obtain the information while he slept none of them could ever figure it out.
But when he tried to reach the desk, he felt something pulling him back, turning his head he saw his companion pulling his hand back. He looks at her with a raised eyebrow but still receives her expressionless face. They stare at each other for minute before she tries to pull him again, it was there that he saw that she was trying to get him to the couch.
Minato tried to resist but his body was too tired to fight back so he let the girl guide him.
Getting him seated on the couch, the girl moved to far end of it, then she grabbed his head and slowly put it on her lap, normally boys in anime would be flustered by such a thing and Minato's life so far was like an anime but he wasn't like those boys with the cliché response. That and he was too tired to care.
Her thighs felt so soft and smooth, he can see why a girl's lap make the perfect pillow.
Before he closed his eyes there was one thing he had to do that had been bugging him ever since he met his companion.
Turning his head so that the two made eye contact he simply ask.
"Y-your name…what is your name?"
She looked at him for a moment but for Minato with his mind slowly fading it felt like an eternity.
"My name is Io." She answered. "And I will always be by your side."
'Io.' Minato thought, it was a strange name, not very common in the world but somehow it suited her very well.
But what really caught his attention wasn't the name but what she said after that.
'Don't worry. I will always be by your side, protecting you.'
He heard those words before from a beautiful girl with an odd name that suited her, someone that hardly knew how to act in the world, but most important of all one that promise to stay by his side always.
All this brought back the memory of his final moments back on the rooftop of Gekkoukan High where he waited for his friends at his laid-on Aigis lap, although her legs were metallic, they felt very soft in those moments making his time more relaxing before his end.
Honestly so far everything he'd seen with Io so far did nothing more but remind him of his dear friend. The monotone of her voice, lack of expression, the beauty, uncommon name, the declaration to be by his side, and this very moment where he laid on her lap. It's like he was meeting this world's Aigis.
Was fate being kind or cruel to him, kind in the sense that it gave him a new Aegis to be with him on this journey or cruel that it did just that knowing that he might never see the real one again or any other friends of his again.
He guess that was to be expected, fate was kind to him when he met his friends and learned to be alive again, to be human again. But was cruel when it only gave him a year to enjoy it before he became the seal.
Minato couldn't argue with this, he made his choice to come to this world and help. He knew that there would be hardships that lead to pain and the only thing he could do about it was accept it and live with it.
Just like before.
A/N
Hey everyone this is Nicdragon8 back with another chapter of Code Savior, I know it's been a while since I updated anything but I'm slowly getting back into writing it's just that college has really taken a lot outta me.
So updates will be slow but they'll come out eventually so just sit tight for a little while longer.
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This is Nicdragon8 signing off.