Chapter 6: Carpe Diem

"Yeah
Every day living like death is near
All the bullshit feelings then disappear
I ain't strong, no I only face fear
Cause fear blurs my vision
I just want to see clearer"

There were two Sandalphons.

Minato initially wasn't sure why Tohka was so astonished when he told her the name of his Persona. He couldn't afford to test the waters with the AST anymore by using one his weaker Personas, as those girls were likely to try to kill him on sight now. Sandalphon was one of his strongest Personas, in fact Sandalphon was his ultimate Moon Arcana Persona, so it sounded like a good idea.

It never occurred to him that there was another form of Sandalphon until Tohka enlightened him, but not before she accused him of being a copycat of names. Minato almost believed she had a Persona called Sandalphon too but the truth wasn't so convenient. He hadn't seen Tohka's Angel, so his curiosity was piqued when Tohka showed him her Sandalphon.

Tohka had trouble summoning her Angel at first, however, which frustrated her greatly. It was clear Tohka hadn't tried using her Sandalphon after Shido sealed her powers. He sympathized with her. He really did. It may not be what Shido and Kotori wanted, but he commended Tohka's desire to help.

With his limited knowledge, Minato had briefly assumed further attempts from Tohka would've been pointless and that he would still be the solo Spirit operative assisting Shido.

He was pleasantly surprised when an elaborate-looking throne and sword spontaneously appeared in front of him moments later. Tohka managed to manifest her powers partially somehow. Underneath her regular garments was some sort of purplish dress with a skirt. The red ribbon that tied her hair was swapped for a purple butterly-shaped accessory.

"My Sandalphon's pretty cool, don't you think?" She asked afterwards.

Tohka later admitted to not being at full power, doubtlessly a result from the Spirit-sealing process, but was confident regardless in her combat capabilities. Minato couldn't help but worry slightly, yet they had come this far so they might as well keep going until Yoshino was rescued.

Through his earpiece, Kotori took issue with these circumstances. In her defense, having Tohka participate in AST conflicts after sealing would defeat the purpose Ratatoskr embodied.

Theoretically speaking, if Minato removed himself out of the equation along with Tohka, who would be there to protect Shido in these AST and Spirit clashes? And how long would it take for Tohka or other Spirits saved to realize Shido was constantly putting himself at risk and try to stop or assist him? Yesterday's misunderstanding with Tohka only further cemented this viewpoint. Despite Ratatoskr's good intentions, on paper it sounded like suicide to send Shido alone. The fact that Shido got shot in the past didn't help ease Minato's mind as well. Although Shido presumably possessed a regenerating ability, receiving injuries shouldn't be taken so lightly, not to mention the effects it could have on Tohka and other Spirits' psyche.

Kotori was unable to provide a strong counterargument after Minato explained his concerns, and she begrudgingly acknowledged the faults in her thinking. Even the members of her crew were speechless. This wasn't some game they were playing with infinite retries. The redhead may be the commander of an advanced organization, but she was also quite young. Minato hoped she would learn from this and continue to grow and become a better version of herself for everyone's sake.

He had faith she would, deep down. It was just a matter of when.

The skies provided Minato a rush of exhilaration. To his surprise, taking flight came somewhat naturally to him.

Uncertain he was of his flying capabilities, yet he was put to the test when Tohka nonchalantly pushed him off the building. Bless her soul, he knew she meant well, but nearly smashing head first into concrete without a sufficient Persona made him grimace. He fortunately prevented his impact by quickly believing he could fly. His whole body was floating a few inches above the ground when he got his bearings.

The trick had been willpower. How high or low and what direction he wished to go could be manipulated through simply thinking. It amazed him how straightforward the trick was. He wouldn't go as far as calling himself a master of flying just yet, however. For now, he was fairly confident in his maneuverability as he and Tohka went to confront the AST.

It was sort of impressive how fast Origami detected him, but on second thought it was likely due to her organization's technology. Speaking of, he noticed Origami was by herself. Whether she broke off from her teammates of her own volition or not, he didn't know.

Tobiichi Origami: the first person he had met upon awakening with amnesia and one of the brightest students at their high school. Rage wasn't something he had associated with her until his eyes were opened to the truth of spacequakes. She was the prime example of not judging a book by its cover, which only made Minato more curious about her. What motivated a typically calm and intelligent girl like herself to join the AST? Additionally, there was the complex situation of himself being designated as a Spirit, which obviously bothered Origami a lot. He could tell the road ahead was going to be bumpy, but he still wanted to traverse it all the same.

"Tohka. Would you mind if I handle Origami alone?" Minato requested. "Make sure Shido and Yoshino safe, okay?"

Tohka showed hesitation briefly before nodding with confidence and shooting a final glare at Origami. The thought of Origami attempting to bar Tohka's leave crossed Minato's mind and he was anticipating it, but Origami never took her eyes off him as Tohka left the area.

"You should've listened to my advice, Minato," Origami spoke up sternly.

He frowned. He had made his peace with getting in her and the AST's way, but it still didn't absolve the bitter taste in his mouth.

"Trust me, I wanted to avoid a confrontation with you as well," the bluenette stated.

"Then why come?" She asked.

Minato crossed his arms and sighed.

"I already told you. I disagree with how you and your team operate. It's one thing to protect people from actually violent Spirits. Excluding spontaenous spacequakes, I don't remember Yoshino lashing out at any innocents when she was discovered yesterday. She ran away from you girls, and I'd wager Tohka acted in self-defense also. But I suppose to the AST, just existing is enough to shoot first and maybe ask questions later."

Origami furrowed her brow.

"Ironic, coming from you," she snapped back. "Did she or did she not blast you out of that mall yesterday? And you're still willing to defend her?"

He had to admit, that was an adequate comeback. Of course, she didn't know the whole story, and any further insistence may fall on deaf ears.

"There was a misunderstanding, but that's been taken care of," Minato addressed. "I might not know what happened to you in the past that made you join the AST, but I will stop you from going after spirits like Yoshino, Tobiichi-san."

Origami's stare remained steadfast, her body displaying no signs of relaxing.

"Why do all this for Hermit?" She demanded. "You could've continued pretending to be a normal human student instead of getting involved, and I'd be none the wiser. Why reveal yourself and insist on getting in my way?"

She had a point. Had he refused Kotori's hand before, there probably wasn't much the redhead could do to make him join Ratatoskr, outside of blackmailing perhaps. He could've easily walked away, plugging his ears and closing his eyes to this top secret conflict. That would've been the safer, apathetic route.

A gold angel-like being manifested behind Minato without warning, and Origami had received his answer to her questions.

"Because that girl needs a hero, and I'll become one for her."

Unlike yesterday, he had a better idea of what the AST used for weapons. Going in unarmed, so to speak, was an intriguing prospect, but he wasn't willing to take his chances. He needed a weapon to defend. Origami wielded a laser blade with proficiency, and he felt a tad envious of her skill.

However, he was no amateur either.

Sandalphon had his back, but he wasn't limited to using just one Persona at a time. And thus did another Persona stir within the sea of his soul, and a suitable one at that.

Under his breath, he spoke a name.

"Alter, Michael."

Origami blinked and almost thought her eyes were messing with her. His hand had gripped onto a golden hilt. He summoned a weapon seemingly out of thin air. The blade itself was opulent, nothing like a katana from Japan.

No, it was as if it was, for lack of a better term, holy.

He made his choice, so she responded in kind by flying towards him with her own blade drawn.

Her speed was remarkable, but so was his as he blocked her downward slash.

Origami gritted her teeth but didn't let up.

"I won't be deterred. I'll defeat you here and now, Minato."

Such stubbornness.

Well, two could play that game.

There was so much Kotori didn't know about her newly acquired wild card, and she had a sneaking suspicion the surprises would keep piling up as time went on. Wild card was a rather fitting term for Divine. He was a new Spirit, so gauging his combat prowess was difficult to say the least. She can say with absolute certainty that he was not weak. He can make himself faster, negate damage, and create potent vortexes. Unless the AST was slacking big time with their training, their swift defeat yesterday was an undeniable feat of power.

But that was merely an appetizer. A full course was currently being transmitted visually to Kotori and her crew in Fraxinus.

Messiah hadn't been chosen, and in its stead was a Persona that had been called Sandalphon. She was taken aback by that, since Tohka's Angel shared that name, but she assumed it was a coincidence. Maybe.

Kotori needed to remind herself that Arisato Minato claimed to possess a staggering amount of over 100 Personas at his disposal, each providing various abilities and effects no doubt. She was excited. Minato was such an enigma that he would most assuredly throw a wrench in the AST's operations from now on.

"How intriguing," Kyouhei commented next to Kotori. "I don't recall Minato-kun mentioning anything about summoning weapons as well. And his swordsmanship appears to be adequate enough to hold off someone like Tobiichi Origami."

It was intriguing. Several eyes were glued to the duel between Spirit and human from the beginning. Every strike attempted by Origami had been met with well-timed parries. They winced when Origami took a kick to the abdomen that sent her back with a bit of distance after another clashing of swords. She had recovered quickly enough to bounce back and continued swinging her blade at Minato as they flew through the sky.

"They seem to be equal in combat," Reine remarked. "However, neither have yet to deal a decisive blow."

"You're right," Kotori replied, arching an eyebrow. "I can't really tell, but I don't think Minato's been using that Persona of his. I'm not expecting some massive explosion or something like that; what's he waiting for?"

"Hmm... He hasn't made any actions that would put him on the offensive," Kyouhei pondered aloud. "In a way, it almost feels as if he's been toying with Origami."

"Gah! How are we supposed to gather any data from Minato if he doesn't show off what else he has in his arsenal!?" Kotori exclaimed.

"Perhaps he thinks it would be unnecessary," Reine answered. "Here is how I see it. The less we know of his capabilities, the same applies to the AST. It may have been his plan from the start to be on the defensive."

Kotori sighed. Reine's perspective did make sense. Minato's wild card status was becoming a double-edged sword, because at this rate both the AST and Ratatoskr would be unable to accurately assess the bluenette's potential.

And Kotori disliked not knowing things.

"Commander!" One of Fraxinus's members brought the redhead out of her musings. "Hermit's mood has dropped considerably! Switching footage now!"

Kotori frowned. An upset Spirit was never a good sign.

"Now what...?"

Minato was starting to believe he underestimated Origami. Her tenacity surpassed his initial presumption. His defensive maneuvers were met with relentless chases.

Nevertheless, he had been holding back this entire time. His ploy had gone off without a hitch. If he was Ratatoskr's wild card, then Origami would be the AST's wild card. He came to this conclusion after deliberating and gathering information from his friends. Her hatred for Spirits noticeably clouded her judgment in contrast to her teammates. There was no telling what Origami may have done to accomplish her goals if left unchecked.

He was banking on Origami to regard him as a larger threat compared to Yoshino, and thus would prioritize him over her. And he was glad to have been correct.

Yet for all her strength, her stamina was waning quicker than his. Sandalphon providing a constant stream of stamina rejuvenation for him certainly helped. Furthermore, Michael, in his sword-state, proved to be a mighty adversary against her arsenal.

"Stop it..." Origami said tiredly.

Ah, she finally realized what was happening.

"Stop what?" Minato feigned ignorance.

"Don't take me for a fool!" She shouted. "You're suppressing yourself, Minato. This can't be all that you have to offer. Not after your acts from yesterday."

There was the astute side of her that he knew. Too late alas.

"You're not wrong," he confirmed.

"If you have more up your sleeve, then use it!" Origami stated in frustration. "Why drag this out?"

She sheathed her laser blade and swapped to a Gatling gun, but refrained from pulling the trigger immediately. He assumed she sought answers first.

"Again, I never wanted to fight you. No matter how you may feel, Tobiichi-san, you're still my friend."

This girl was not a raging killing machine. His goal was not to incapacitate her, if possible, but to stall while Shido made his way to Yoshino. On top of that, he placed his trust in Tohka fending off the AST.

Now that Origami realized his intentions, he probably should finish this.

"That being said..." He began, locking eyes with her.

Michael had dissipated from his hand, returning to the sea of his soul. Sandalphon then fully materialized, spreading his striking wings. Origami felt the bursts of wind colliding with her body and had to shield her face with her arms until the turbulence ceased.

Greeting her vision upon lowering her arms were multiple, luminous swords behind Minato and Sandalphon, all pointing directly at her.

Minato observed her stiff posture and widened eyes, and finished his sentence.

"You cannot handle my true potential."

He took no pleasure in his attempt at frightening Origami. Obviously, he had no intention of unleashing his conjured blades on her. He thought a scare tactic would cause Origami to back down a little, if not entirely. Because she had been resolute in her path, he too had to demonstrate his determination by giving her another small glimpse of his abilities.

These AST girls were merely humans with advanced weaponry. His desire to protect by fighting remained steadfast. It was unnecessary to unleash everything he had right now.

He offered her not an ultimatum, but mercy.

A cold breeze then kissed his skin, confusing him briefly. Last time he checked the current season was spring. Given that summer was around the corner, he realized the source was likely Yoshino.

Veering his head into the direction of the breeze, he was surprised to find what seemed to be a blizzard dome, and it was enormous in volume. There were AST members who tried to protect themselves with barriers, and although they were indeed protected, said barriers instantly became frozen and fell to the ground.

Minato clicked his tongue. The AST must have cornered Yoshino a bit too well, and she resorted to using her own barrier to keep them away.

He promptly dismissed the blades he had created and turned to pursue Yoshino.

Origami hadn't given chase. She wanted to go after Minato, but her body didn't listen to her.

It took a moment for it to click in her mind that she was trembling.

"Damn you, Minato..." She clenched her fist.

Minato had his reservations, but Tohka had been a perfect decoy. The remaining AST girls were pursuing her, shifting their focus for the time being and being led away from Yoshino.

In the meantime, he had flown to Shido's location at Kotori's behest. Through his own earpiece, he overheard the siblings' conversation about Shido planning on braving through Yoshino's freezing rampart.

Admirable of him, yet foolish too. Shido did have some sort of healing factor, but whether or not it could withstand extremely cold temperatures was hard to say. And to Minato and Kotori, it was better to be safe than sorry.

If it weren't for Minato preemptively grabbing Shido's attention by placing a hand on the latter's shoulder, Shido may have turned into a human popsicle.

"I wouldn't attempt going into that unprotected if I were you, Shido," Minato advised.

Shido looked at Minato with a frown.

"Then what should we do? I can't think of anything else but try walking in and hoping I don't freeze to death. The AST couldn't even do anything, so I'm all out of options."

Minato's answer was bringing out his Evoker.

"Hence why you should have protection."

This time, Minato opted for a practical solution. To Shido's confusion, what appeared to be a snow elf manifested next to the two boys. The snow elf held its hand up, causing Shido to think it was asking for a high five which sounded silly.

"Go on, give Jack Frost five."

And suddenly Shido thought Minato was the silly one. The Ratatoskr operative was skeptical but listened and gave the Persona called Jack Frost a high five.

"Hee ho!" Jack Frost cheered. Shido then found himself being surrounded by a transparent blue barrier. Wondering what it meant, he looked at his friend.

"Now you're ready, hero," Minato stated.

"Can we have a chat, Minato?" Kotori asked the bluenette as they stood outside of Yoshino's room in Fraxinus's sickbay.

Rescuing Yoshino had been successful finally. Shido was able to reach her thanks to Jack Frost's Ice Wall with no severe repercussions and return Yoshinon. One kiss later, and Yoshino's powers were sealed into Shido. Her blizzard dome disappeared shortly after, along with her clothes which Minato didn't expect at all. That was something nobody told him apparently.

With the mission accomplished everybody returned to Fraxinus, and Yoshino was quickly sent to the sickbay for Reine's inspection. Shido and Tohka went back home some time ago, while Minato remained on the airship with Kotori.

"What did you want to talk about?" Minato wondered.

"Firstly, I want to thank you for your support today." Kotori smiled. "Things went smoother than I thought. Shido nearly gave me a heart attack from his pigheadedness. Your powers came in handy."

"You're welcome," Minato responded.

"You also handled yourself well against Origami," Kotori added. "But now, I don't know what to make of you."

He raised an eyebrow as she continued.

"Your claim about having over a hundred Personas makes you unpredictable, which normally is a good thing since the AST and other Spirits won't know what to expect. At the same time, we at Ratatoskr also don't know what you're capable of. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"With knowledge of my strengths and weaknesses, you'll be able to plan more efficiently for the future?" Minato concluded.

"Bingo," Kotori confirmed. "So? Willing to share your secrets?"

Her points were valid. And normally he would agree with sharing the extent of his powers.

"Even the most skillful of magicians keep tricks up their sleeves," he calmly argued. "I do understand where you're coming from, Kotori. But believe me, I think it's best that I play my cards close to my chest for everyone's sake."

Kotori was predictably disappointed by his answer as she sighed.

"Can't say I didn't see this coming. You are full of mysteries but offer little to no answers. How unfair," the redhead said with a wry smile. "What you've seen up to this point is just a taste of what's to come, Minato. You might be strong, but knowing this, will you still help? Who knows how many Spirits are left out there, and what kind of situations they'll bring. This may as well be your last chance to walk away from all this and become 'normal' like Tohka and Yoshino. We can still make that happen."

He was a little shocked Kotori gave him the offer. It was kind of her.

However, he was rather certain he was never "normal" to begin with. There were no recovered memories yet, and he knew that something about him was fundamentally altered as well.

Recalling Shido's method of reassurance, Minato mimicked his friend by giving Kotori a pat to the head. The young commander looked bewildered while Minato's stoic expression didn't falter.

"I won't back out. We're in this together."

He refused to lose this semblance of peace he found despite his predicament.

A couple of days passed, and Minato found himself impressed with Ratatoskr.

The apartment complex Kotori mentioned a while back was actually constructed by Ratatoskr as a home for Spirits once their powers were sealed, and it was already complete. This was done to provide Spirits proper living arrangements so that they could live normal human lives. Eyebrows would be raised if every Spirit ended up living in the Itsuka home due to the imbalance of boys and girls, according to Kotori and much to Shido's relief. Fortunately, each room was outfitted with all the essentials Spirits would need, and should anything happen that would require the Itsukas' presence, they were literally neighbors.

Although, the thought of living in the Spirit apartment complex didn't cross Minato's mind until Kotori told him he had his own room. He was admittedly fine remaining in the Itsuka house but concluded it was probably better to reside with other Spirits.

And it was on this day Yoshino was released from her inspections and able to join everybody else.

The small girl was given a white sundress to wear and wore a white hat to match. Yoshinon had returned as Yoshino's faithful and loudmouth companion.

Things were pleasant, he thought, as he watched how Yoshino herself was making the effort of talking more to Shido and Tohka. Yoshinon was still more outspoken, but progress was progress.

A sly grin formed from Kotori's lips as she then squatted down to Yoshino, replacing said look with a cheerful one.

"If you ever need anything, Yoshino, you can rely on Shido and your big brother Minato."

Yes, Minato was more than willing to aid Yoshino if she ever had trouble with something. And Shido would do the same.

...

Wait, what did Kotori call him?

"Ahahaha!" Yoshinon laughed. "Big brother Minato-kun! I like that!"

The blue-haired Spirit shrugged as he heard Kotori snicker. Now she was comfortable enough to start teasing him, he guessed. It was minor to him, so he thought nothing of it.

"Big... brother," Yoshino softly whispered to herself.

Minato considered himself a heavy sleeper. His friends could testify to that, as they occasionally struggled to wake him up in the past so he wouldn't be late for school. It wasn't his fault that sleeping could be so cozy. He blamed the manufacturers of the mattress he slept on, as they were totally the guilty party.

He also blamed Kotori for making his room's doorbell distinctly louder than Tohka and Yoshino's in their apartment. That redhead was practical, if not devious.

Groggy but roused from his slumber, he dragged himself out of bed to answer whomever required his presence during the dead of night. And greeting him upon opening his door was Yoshino and her eyepatch-wearing rabbit buddy.

"Heyo, Minato-kun!" Yoshinon's exuberant energy was truly admirable for someone up so late. "Do ya mind if we crash at your place for this lovely evening?"

Minato rubbed his eyes, yawned, and glanced at the time on his phone.

"It's three in the morning," he answered curtly.

"The perfect time for a late night snack!" Yoshinon declared nonchalantly.

He was on the verge of sighing but held back.

"Um... Sorry, Minato-san..." Yoshino's demure voice interjected. "I had a bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep, so Yoshinon said we should come see you. B-But I didn't think Yoshinon would say anything about staying with you."

"It would really warm our hearts if you let us stay over tonight!" Yoshinon added with a pleading tone. "Whaddaya say?"

Considering how young Yoshino was, getting frightened by nightmares and then wanting someone she knew to be near for reassurance was reasonable. Shido was resting in his own home, and walking over despite being next-door neighbors this late was not ideal for a child, Spirit or not. Tohka was another option, but the two female Spirits haven't gotten quite that close to each other yet. So Minato was her best option, and he personally didn't have the heart to turn her away. Not after all that happened lately.

After all, he was her "big brother" now, thanks to Kotori's teasing suggestion.

He gestured for the pair to enter.

"You two can sleep in my bed. I'll set up a futon next to it that I'll use."

Yoshino's eyes lit up.

"Woohoo! Sleepover!" Yoshinon gushed.

Minato smiled lightly as they quickly shuffled inside. He had a feeling he'd be around Yoshino and her rabbit partner more in the coming days.

His eyes were greeted by a dark void. There wasn't anything else in this space but a velvet couch he found himself sitting on.

He scanned his surroundings but only saw darkness. Was this a dream he was having?

The sound of footsteps caught his attention moments after. Someone was approaching him, but who?

A womanly figure emerged from the shadows. Her blue dress hugged her frame, and covering her hands and feet were blue gloves and boots. She even wore a blue hat. Her peculiarly specific clothing aside, her yellow eyes and platinum blonde hair were noteworthy. She stopped, just mere footsteps away from him. The smile plastered on her face hadn't budged as she stared at him.

"My my," she spoke, "I wasn't expecting guests. How you arrived here is also perplexing."

Her tone sounded as if she was surprised and not simultaneously.

He was curious. About this place and this individual. If there was any meaning to this dream, it was lost upon him.

"Ah, but it seems as though it wasn't meant to last," she stated abruptly. "In the end, time waits for no one."

He supposed this dream was going to end and that he would soon awake in the real world. This was no doubt an odd dream, and he would likely forget it all eventually, but he chose to ask one question regardless.

"Who are you?"

The girl simply bowed while retaining her smile.

"You may call me Elizabeth."

Next: Chapter 7: Insatiable

A/N: Good lord, we're finally finished with Yoshino's arc. I love Yoshino, but I didn't want to drag this out longer than necessary. Many know who gets the spotlight next, and I can have a bit more freedom for creativity.

I'll admit fight scenes are not my forte, but I've attempted anyway. If I'm being honest, like Kurumi, Minato could plow through the entire AST at this point in time if he wanted to. Those girls could never match up to other Spirits from my perspective, not counting DEM of course. Origami is nowhere close to being strong enough to take down Minato for now, hence why I decided to go down this route.

Addressing some reviews and messages I've received, I definitely could've done things differently in the past such as Minato's codename and Astral Suit. But I'm sticking to what I've picked as I go forward, even if I do think otherwise now compared to the me from years ago. May not quite be as cool or creative, but it still lines up with what I have planned. It is amusing to see people's assumptions though as things have barely started, I might add, haha.

Also the brother-sister dynamic I've given Minato and Yoshino is going to be gradual and not instantaneous. I thought it'd be cute after reading some reviews.

In the meantime, stay safe, everybody.