This is it. It's been a long road to get here, but here we are at the end of the story that was supposed to be just a few chapters and side ideas. Funny how that works, isn't it? Looking back, there's been a lot put into the story that I didn't expect to be, some things that I figured would go differently from how they did, but I wouldn't change any of it for anything. The best sentiment that I can come up with, after this many words and years, is one of gratitude. Thank you to Enact and Firion for sharpening the chapters and helping me make a great story even better. And thank you to all the readers who have tuned in, whether you've left likes and kudos or not, whether you've reviewed or not, whether you' trailed off part way or been here from the beginning or picked this up after it's finished, I thank all of you for your interest and dedication. A story might be more than its audience, but it would be a pretty sad little tale if no one stopped to listen to it. So, from the bottom of my heart: thank you, everyone.

As to what's next, it doesn't stop for me. I promised that I would get back to Continuance when I was done here, and I will do just that. Firion and I have a Persona 5 fic planned for after that by the name of Casino Advantage, starring the pugilistic Student Council Prez and everyone's favourite rebel without a cause. If that interests you, then stay tuned and drop me a line when we get there. There are also other projects I have on the go, professional and otherwise, that I'll be sharing with you all when they are closer to being finished, and I hope you'll join me for the ride.

I-KL-I: I do my best to never disappoint. If anything, I do what I can to give more than what people ask for, like scenes that get them crying with happiness. Seems to work out for me. Enjoy the chapter, and let me know how I did this time, yeah?

Now, one last time. Enjoy.

Chapter 29 - Change of Engagement

Being alive again was a joy Minato didn't know he'd ever miss. His room at the hospital held more than 80% of the memories where he'd woken up hurting from some injury or other (some self-inflicted, the staff helpfully reminded him), but the sheets were far inferior to the ones on Mitsuru's bed, and the food was as bland as hospital food the world over. Yet for the first couple of days all he could think was how wonderful it was to be back. His first morning in particular, after sleeping and waking up in the same place, not being part of the Seal, gave him a sense of relief that nothing he'd been through to date could match.

But neither the stiff bedding or bland food accounted for what was needed to get him back to normal. His nurses had stretched his muscles while he slept to stave off the worst of the atrophy, but he was nowhere near the peak of performance he'd been at on December 31st. He needed exercise and physical therapy to get back into the swing of things, and that wasn't including the mountain of homework he needed to make up for if he wanted to graduate with Fuuka, Junpei and Yukari. As it was, the school year was effectively over, and he had to make up for everything while going into the next grade. So Mitsuru arranged for the best she could find to come in and help him, academically and physically.

Minato loved her dearly, but he got the feeling she was punishing him for disappearing. He could barely sit up, but the experts were pushing him to walk and stretch every muscle out. His high threshold for pain was put to a whole new test, and all he was doing was trying to make it down the hallway and back. And when the muscle cramps struck and the regular massages (administered by Mitsuru, who learned the craft in an evening because she was adamant on being part of his recovery) didn't work, Yukari was there with a jolt of healing so he could be pushed even further.

Mitsuru he wasn't sure about, but he knew for certain that Yukari was getting even with him for making them all worry. There was an intensity to her healing that he didn't remember being there before, and while it got him back on his feet, it also made his muscles tremble with how much juice she was shooting into him. When he apologized after one particular round that left him shaking and about to fall on his face, she blinked innocently and said, "I don't know what you mean. I just want you to get better as soon as you can." The vindictive smile she wore put a lie to her words, and she wasn't the only one who was there to "help" him. Koromaru coaxed Minato out of bed regardless of whether he wanted to sleep in or not, and walking exercises were aided by the little monster snapping at his heels and then looking pleased with himself, clearly expecting scratches for his efforts. Even Aigis was there to offer moral support in the form of offering to carry him back to his room if he slowed down. Not only did that mean starting over, but being carried by a girl, even if that girl was an android, hurt his pride more than the cramps hurt his muscles the one time she did it. "You're all doing this on purpose, aren't you?" he asked as the nurses laughed, behind his back if they were polite or right next to him if they weren't.

"I have been instructed to tell you that such an assumption is all in your head, Minato-san," Aigis told him, actually pulling off the innocent look. "I would never consider causing you temporary discomfort out of some misguided sense of spite."

Minato wasn't sure if he should be more worried that she was badgering him out of good intentions and wasn't listening to him, or that someone might have taught her how to lie so effectively. Either one was enough to lose sleep over, but that was the last time he ever let himself falter so hard. He'd be trembling with pain and sweating so much that one could hook drier fish, but from then on his limits were only there to be broken.

It wasn't just his days that were occupied. Minato had been about to go to bed that first night when Mitsuru came in, spare clothes in hand and looking ready to sleep. Without a word, she pulled the curtain on his room and quickly changed into her nightwear, then got into her bed right next to his, complete with pillows and blankets he recognized from her room.

"Is this compliant with hospital protocol?" Minato asked, still barely able to move around on his bed.

"I asked nicely," she answered. "They said it's fine."

Minato knew there was more to the conversation than that, but he also knew that when Mitsuru wanted something, she'd find a way to get it. That was the least of his worries, though.

He wouldn't admit it, but throughout his recovery he remained afraid of going to sleep. Memories of Nyx and the Seal were too vivid and fresh to brush off, and he was afraid he'd be pulled back there somehow, scared that this was some elaborate fabrication like what Ryoji had done before the exchange had been made. He finally nodded off from exhaustion, but instead of waking up the next morning, he came to in the middle of the night to the sound of whimpers from the other bed. Whimpers that he'd heard before when Mitsuru was at her worst, and the sound tore at his heart. When she was in distress, he would be there, and the Seal had done nothing to change those feelings. In that moment, he realized that while time had compressed for him, she'd been left without answers or assurances for sixty days and nights. Given how she always bottled things up and pushed herself forward, that was 1440 hours she'd been running on hope and fretting while he'd been gone.

The sounds got worse. He leaned over and could see tears trickling down her cheeks while she curled in on herself.

Never mind the doctors with their advice and training regimens, and forget the cautions of overexertion, this wasn't something he was going to allow. Struggling with every breath, fighting with his weakened arms and dragging his near-useless legs, he pushed himself past the pain and crawled over next to her. "It's okay, Mitsuru," he said, slipping his hand onto her back and jostling her. "Shhh, it's okay."

She came to, blinked blearily at him through tears, and murmured, "You came back?"

"Yeah. I'm here." Grinding his teeth, he pulled her close and endured her hugging him tight. Her muscles were taut with desperation and he didn't remember her being this strong, but he stroked her back and soothed her, and she slept undisturbed. "I'm not leaving again. I promise." He nodded off again, this time with the scent of her hair and soap clearing his mind. No memories of the Seal bothered his sleep, and when the next morning found them, they were both still there.

There were other bad nights though, times when he did come awake in a cold sweat, swearing that Nyx was right there or that being in the dark meant he was back in that place. There were nights when she shook him awake, tears on her cheeks, to ask him random trivia just to make sure she hadn't dreamed about him getting back. Both of them were stuck in the slow speed of healing with the complete lack of direction that their freedom had granted them, and reaching some sense of normalcy for two people who had so little idea of what that actually was meant undergoing growing pains and toughing it out. It was a fresh challenge for them both, but whether it meant him holding her close to stabilize himself, or her finding ways to assure herself that he was there, they were both on the road to recovery.

But recover he did. Even without the Wild Card, he still had the same healing speed and metabolism as before. In a week and a half he was cleared to go home, and while his physio sessions would continue at the hospital, Akihiko volunteered to supervise him at the dorm to make sure that he was getting his exercise in. The boxer wore the same smirk as Yukari when he signed up for the task, and Minato felt a similar chill run up his spine. Furthermore, Minato's workload for his studies was giving Mt. Fuji a run for its money, so his meals were taken with books open and notes nearby. Perhaps the biggest contributor to his wellbeing, however, had been the absence of opportunities to damage it. With the Dark Hour ended and the Shadows gone, Minato was left with the unexpected chance to get a full night's sleep on a regular basis, and he made the most of it.

He wouldn't forget that first day he got to go home to the dorm, though. He'd been driven back by a Kirijo driver, Mitsuru supporting him under his arm, and he stood in the foyer to take it all in. The smell, the sense of a place where people lived, their joys and sorrows seeped into the wood and furniture, it all told him he was home. Ryoji's recreation, to his credit, had encompassed all of this, the only real differences being the scenery outside and the stairs being accessible, but there was a subtle difference, perhaps from the building itself, that told him he was home.

"Are you okay?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a strange feeling, that's all."

She understood, and they spent the rest of the day getting him situated back in the life of the dorm.

That evening, he took the stairs one at a time, but when she offered an arm, saying, "You've done a lot already today. Let me help," he wasn't going to turn it down. By the time they got to the top, he'd smiled and slipped that arm around her waist, falling into their old routine from coming back from dates. Her breath hitched and she bit her lip, reddening with that soft smile. Going to her door, she was leaning into him out of habit, taking her comfort despite the added weight on him, and by the time they got to their room, she had parted from him, squirming in place, hands twitching in a way he recognized.

His girl wasn't embarrassed, he realized, and she wasn't just acting spoiled; she was fired up, eyes darting between him and their bed.

Understanding went on in his head like the proverbial light bulb. His time unconscious had also meant an enforced celibacy for them both. Two straight months was a long time for a couple who had so enthusiastically jumped into the pleasures of sex, and atrophied or not, he wasn't immune to that particular itch.

Minato glanced at her, then stretched to test his muscles. It would probably hurt tomorrow, but that was for tomorrow; he would consider it a suitable recompense and endure any discomfort with fortitude and grace.

He took her wrist and pulled her close, cutting off any protest or surprise with a fast, hard kiss. She was off guard only for an instant, then she embraced him back, kissing just as hard. They re-established the familiar rhythm between them, but when they broke for air, she had her hands on his shoulders. "We… shouldn't," she struggled to get out, clearly warring with her own desires.

He pushed her blouse up, finding the smooth skin of her stomach underneath, and kissed her again. He wasn't going to bother with buttons just yet. "Why not?" he murmured against her lips.

"You're… the condition you're in… I might…"

She cut off with a moan when he slipped in close and softly kissed her neck, one hand stroking her lower back while the other firmly cupped her lovely rear. Gods, he'd missed this. "I won't break," he growled. "I can take a bit of exercise."

She had her hand on his chest, pulling his shirt up, while her voice went low and throaty, rich with promise. "You really think it would only be a bit?" That competitive light was rising in those red eyes.

Minato knew she was close. "A little or a lot, I'm game if you are. I'll live with whatever happens."

His girl's switch flipped fully at that. A promise of sex, but also a challenge made without fear of consequence, and she was in. She turned fierce and needy, pushing them both toward the bed until they fell in a pile of exposed skin and grasping hands and kisses that were as much tongue as not. Neither knew what happened to their clothes, only that they mostly made it off of them. The short look Minato got of her underwear indicated she'd worn something lacy with frills, but even that vanished under the weight of hormones and their burgeoning bond.

Then it was all skin and sleek muscle, beautiful curves and touches that trailed fire in the blood. Familiarity guided them when the lights were too dim to really see each other. They moved by touch, and with this person, that was more than they needed. He ended up atop her – how, he had no idea – and he had the presence of mind to grab at the condoms they had left. "Only four," he noted with a growl.

"Buy more tomorrow," she ordered, disheveled and wanting.

For the rest of the night, they reacquainted themselves with each other. His weakness and her fears were forgotten as they were reconnected like they had never been apart. No matter how hard or gentle, how slow and loving or fast and desperate, they each kept pace and knew just how to move and what to do with the other to make them feel it. By their third round they were reasonably sated, but after a short nap, a make-out session after midnight got them both fired up again, making her bed – solid and constructed out of the best wood money could buy – creak and groan. By the end, Minato's bravado had given out along with his stamina. Luckily, Mitsuru's itch had been well and truly scratched, and she curled atop him like a content cat and purred in her sleep.

The next morning, Minato appreciated just how many muscles he had torn or pulled, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The only minor upset he experienced, aside from walking with a limp, was Yukari giving him a deeply unimpressed look when she saw him in the hall.

"Look," she began, more than a little annoyed and seeming rather tired and cranky, "I get that you two are an item, that you're into each other and you've been apart and all, but could you keep it down at night? Or maybe stick to a set time like between 7 and 9pm? Some of us need our sleep."

Sore or not, Minato was in too good a mood not to smirk in reply. "Sorry, she was helping me get better. We were trying a new exercise routine, wanted to see if we could make it a regular thing."

"You're calling that exercise? Four times, once in the middle of the night, and that's exercise?"

"Of course. Calisthenics is very important for endurance, coordination and flexibility. Just ask Mitsuru, she'll say the same thing." His smirk deepened, his eyes telling Yukari, Got you back.

She blushed a little, but glared in exasperation. "Right. Well, if you're going to keep that up, you can buy me some earplugs or something to block the noise out. It's either that or you can get a workout moving my bed over and soundproofing the walls."

"Yes, ma'am. Earplugs it is. It just so happens I'm going shopping today. Essentials, you understand."

If Yukari's eyes could have fallen out of her head from rolling, they would have.

It was great to be home.


Of course, it wasn't all fun and games, even if neither Minato and Mitsuru had trouble sleeping after that (or minded being sleep deprived when they did). Akihiko-senpai rode Minato like a slave driver, checking his stretches and reps and going right into his diet to ensure he was making a full recovery. Before anyone was really sure Minato could get up to a decent run, Akihiko-senpai was pushing him to jog laps around the block, Koro nipping at his heels again and loving every minute of it. Aigis even offered to carry him again if he needed it, saying that with a perfectly straight face.

Minato cursed his friends for what they were doing to him, whether he could even move by that point or not, but pain was a good excuse for Mitsuru to practice her massages. Doubly so if it led to more than that.

By the time classes resumed, Minato had earned his way into the senior year. Several of his prior classmates were surprised to see him, and within hours his shoe locker had no fewer than six letters in it, all politely – so very politely – informing him that things were better when he'd been gone and that he should go back to wherever he'd been since January. One said that Mitsuru – or "The esteemed and precious scion of the Kirijo family, the cool beauty whose gentle wind fills the sails of only the worthiest of her chosen" – was wasted on him, and one even consisted of "STAY AWAY FROM TAKEBA!" without spelling his name right.

The utter familiarity of it all had him laughing and catching the attention, and no few glances, of his classmates. Honestly, with people this entertaining, why had he ever left? Even more so when he threw the letters into the nearby trash one at a time, just to turn the screws of whoever was watching. He could feel the hatred and killing spite from around the corner, and calmly ignored them. That was when his phone rang, and when he saw it was Mitsuru, he greeted her lovingly and lavishly, feeling the nearby hatred intensify.

"I love you too," she replied with clear amusement, "but what's going on?"

He explained the letters, even summarized a few of them for her benefit, and she sighed in both amusement and weary recognition.

"Honestly, you would think people would have better things to do with their time. Once you're done having your fun, come to the mall. Someone's here to see us."

Minato quirked an eyebrow and braced himself. There were only a few people who could command this sort of attention whom he and Mitsuru both knew.

He ditched his plans to irritate his classmates even more and went to the address in the mall, after having stopped at a sweets shop and picked up a few of her favourites. He slipped through the springtime crowds and the shopping displays and went into the back of an art studio, opened the door, and said, "Hi, Elizabeth."

She wasn't in blue this time. On a chair hung her designer leather jacket, and she was dressed in a flashy skirt and her bandana and glasses, and yet for all her glitz she wasn't the most impressive thing in the room. Her wall painting, started so many months ago, was here, and she had continued from where she'd left off and started sketching the outline for the rest. The scale of the project was massive, and Minato, even recognizing so many of the shapes, was impressed. "Arisato-sama," she greeted, putting her tools down and coming off the chair where she was working. "Thank you for coming."

"I wouldn't miss it. Here, I brought you these." He set the sweets on the table sitting in the middle of the room and kissed Mitsuru on the cheek when he got close enough. He handed her a small package of treats as well, something much more in line with her strict diet.

"You remembered," his girlfriend murmured happily, pulling her favourites out.

"I'd never forget," he replied before getting down to business. "Is everything okay, Elizabeth? With Ryoji and the Seal?"

Their guest needed a moment to thoroughly enjoy the pastry he'd brought her. "This is marvelous, Arisato-sama. Rich and decadent, I don't know why you don't enjoy these more."

He didn't say because he would have to run a marathon everyday to keep the weight off. He knew better than to even joke about that around girls. "All down to preference, really."

Elizabeth took a minute more to indulge in the dessert, then cleaned her hands off and sat primly on her chair. "All is well. Ryoji is keeping himself very entertained. Some of the things he has fabricated could only be rivalled by your imagination, actually, and he has become quite exceptional at making his own realities. I hadn't expected him to take to the task as well as he did, to be honest, but he appears to be enjoying himself to the extreme."

"He was good at it to begin with," Minato noted. "Hopefully he's not spending all his time with college girls in swimsuits. Even he can't be that much into it."

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow.

"It was his choice, not mine," Minato assured her, kissing her again. "I told him that none of them held a candle to you."

She smiled. "Very good."

"He doesn't always allow me to see what he has created," Elizabeth went on, either oblivious or uncaring as to why that was, "but I am confident that he is content. As he said, he is much more suited to that place than he is to here."

"And Nyx?"

"As you left Her. I have been most diligent in investigating any fault with the Seal. I have found none so far, and Margaret has been most helpful in aiding my efforts."

"I'm glad that worked out for you," Minato said. "Losing ties to your family because of me would have been a lot to handle."

She straightened. "That would have been a price I would have accepted, Arisato-sama. I would not have given it a second thought." She smiled then, softening a bit. "But thank you for your concern, once again. I too am glad that everything has turned out as it has. She and I have found new territory to bond over in investigating the Master's Seal, and fighting her was a joy I haven't had the opportunity for in far too long. We are considering making it a regular occurrence, actually."

Minato cleared his throat, quite certain he didn't want to be anywhere near wherever those battles were happening. Mock or not, with family or otherwise, he wasn't going to take his chances around more of whatever Elizabeth was. "I… see. And your other sisters? Maybe they aren't reliable with the Seal, but what about sparring?"

"They are rather..." Elizabeth looked aside, searching for words, "flighty, to put it politely. Unfocused. It can be an asset to fight such opponents, but to learn more from them and grow with them, they are not suited for that. They would not think to ask, thankfully, and they are busy elsewhere."

Flighty and unfocused versions of Elizabeth. Minato was very sure he didn't want to be near that.

"Can we do anything to help Ryoji?" Mitsuru asked. "Something to make his task easier or to ensure that Nyx doesn't return?"

Elizabeth was quiet for a few long moments. "That is a complex question, even for what we have been discussing. The nature of the Seal, the nature of Nyx and why She and the Shadows came here in the first place, none of those are easy to explain. Even with what I know, there might be much less that I can offer that would help you."

"Anything would give us more than nothing at all,'' Mitsuru insisted. "Even if we can't use technology like we talked about before, if there is something I can do with the Kirijo Group or that SEES can accomplish together, it's worth a try, isn't it?"

Elizabeth smiled. "It is always worth a try, and I believe your efforts would defy all expectations. I have seen what you are all capable of. That is what is wonderful about your species; the gift and curse of hope. To simplify an idea that is infinitely more complicated, I can say that Nyx is drawn to suffering and pain, but also to the fascination with death and self-destruction. The nihilistic side of humanity is like pollen to your bees for the Shadows, and the worst humans are those who carry such negativity furthest. Your grandfather, Mitsuru-san, was one such power, and whatever contempt Death held for him, his breakthroughs were not a coincidence. Such drives encourage Nyx and spread Her influence as She approaches, such as you saw with the Lost. Because death and self-destruction as the mechanism for rebirth are natural to your species, that hurdle will always be present. If you want to make Nyx less inclined to come here, then She would need to have no grasp on humanity to begin with, and that is a greater undertaking than any one of us, no matter our abilities, can accomplish. There will always be weak and resentful people, and I would not presume to try and change your nature."

"I'm sensing a 'but' in there," Minato noted.

"Most astute, Arisato-sama. That is indeed more than you can accomplish, even with your great potential, but I do not feel that such grand actions are required. You do not need to change the minds of every person in the world, or Japan, or even this city. I do not think you would enjoy yourself very much if you did undertake such an exercise, and you fought too hard to let your life slip away like that. Such grand gestures are the preference of the Master, after all, so I believe that living your life as best you can, the way you wanted when you had everything to lose, is best. You will show others and guide them, whether they believe it or see it or not, and they will grow and show others, and the flow of humanity changes. It is not a perfect transmission of ideas, nor is it a guarantee, but for what you have fought for, this is the avenue I feel is best."

Minato smiled. "You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?"

"Mochizuki-san and I both did. There was a great deal of time needed to ensure that the Seal was secure, and we discussed this, among other things. He asked that you enjoy your life and make the most of it, and show others the same so that humanity would avoid its past mistakes."

"So he's still pulling for us."

"He is."

Mitsuru held Minato's hand and looked at him fondly. "Live the best lives we can. Make the most of the freedom we've earned. That sounds like a good life."

Minato squeezed back and nodded.

"As tribute to that," Elizabeth said, rising from her chair and returning to her project, "I have decided to dedicate this to you, Arisato-sama, so your victories can be remembered forever."

"Elizabeth…" Minato muttered while Mitsuru laughed.

"It is the least that I can do. You can see it, can you not?"

Minato looked at the visual labyrinth she had created, the blends of demons and gods and kings that no one without a Persona would understand. He thought it was a clash of the powers that were, but then he picked out Artemisia in passing, and then Caesar and Juno. One by one the Personas of his friends revealed themselves to him, some only a sketched outline and others in picture-perfect detail. There was Thanatos, he realized, and Moros, Hypnos, Medea and Death on one side, and the SEES Personas on the other. Behind them was the sheltered mass of humanity, the innocent and unknowing who were protected by these demigods, and above all of them still was the outline of the Seal, and the Angel of Light ready to do battle on behalf of life itself.

Mitsuru stepped up next to him, apparently seeing the same thing he did.

"You're going to finish this?" Minato asked finally. "Show it off at an exhibition?"

"My, my! I'm deeply flattered that you would think so highly of my skills, Arisato-sama! I had considered something of the like, but I haven't decided yet."

"You should," he said. "People should see this. Even if they can't say what it means using words, I think they'll get it."

"I agree," Mitsuru put in. "This and anything like it that you are interested in putting out, Elizabeth, I'm sure it will become a hit."

Their odd comrade positively glowed. "You too, Mitsuru-san?! I'm grateful for your praise."

Mitsuru began talking about sponsorships and a proper art studio where Elizabeth could work on her own, and Minato looked at the figure in the middle of the Seal. It was still just an outline, but he could already see the form it would take, the darkness that had shifted to light and that perfect, boyish smile, the guy who had started as a Shadow and had become so much more. Unseen by the others, he tapped his forehead in a salute.

"Thanks for everything, Ryoji."


This was it. Graduation. The rest of the year had flown by in a battery of school work and exams, including study sessions among himself and Yukari, Fuuka and Junpei, trips to all parts of the country, and the commonplace events he had missed when SEES was the central element of his life. Minato had even assumed that he could coast on his extracurricular activities, just stay as the Student Council secretary and get his credits in while Chihiro-san was pushed into being president, but then Mitsuru had caught onto his intentions and let him know he had to change them.

"You would make a good VP," she told him while they were in bed. "You know Fushimi, you know how everything works. Why not go for it? I hear no one is applying for the position."

"I'm not sure if me being there would help her or make things worse."

"If it gets harder, then that's a greater challenge for both of you to overcome. Give it a try."

"I'm not really sure-"

"I am," she said firmly, rolling on top of him and staring him in the eye. "She doesn't need you as a secretary. You'd be wasting your skills there, don't you think? There are all sorts of skills you'll pick up as a VP that employers look for, too."

He stared at her, trying to work out just what had inspired such intensity, calculated the look in her eyes and the way she held herself when the flicker of insight presented itself. "And that way," he hedged, "I would only have been your secretary and not hers?"

"Very good."

"This is only in the context of the Student Council, I hope. I mean, I do have female friends and all."

She stroked his hair back. "Of course, and I would never get in the way of that. I know that petty jealousy is beneath me, but I want this much."

She was mumbling and pouting by the end, and he chuckled and brushed her cheek. "My girlfriend wants to be spoiled every now and again, does she?"

She nuzzled into his hand. "Yes."

He hugged her and kissed her forehead. "I'll apply for the VP spot tomorrow. In return, I want a date this weekend, homework or not."

She purred and burrowed into him, her reply clear.

That was how he wound up as the Student Council's VP. The day after he put his name in for the position, two more students applied for it out of spite. What had started out as an election of formality became a dogged race that he'd put his all into winning. Between Mitsuru's guidance and several support pockets he was sure were there only for novelty's sake, he edged out his opponent by only four votes and made poor Chihiro-san's first two weeks all about dealing with the complaints about him being there. A mandate brought down with the force of a hammer (and elegantly worded, which suggested Mitsuru had helped with it) silenced dissent, and things went on as sickeningly normal as anyone could hope. That normalness excepted, of course, the antics he and the others got up to, the most salient of which was when Mitsuru had visited to break in the duelling ring again. Minato kissed the scar on his hand as he put his pads on, meeting her with blades as they re-enacted their fight from so long ago. The poor referee gave up trying to call hits or misses; she couldn't follow them to save her life. Mitsuru and Minato clashed like they meant to win, their movements as fast as when they were still hunting Shadows, and it wasn't until they ran out of time, locked in a firm draw, that they let their abused weapons rest. "You're back to normal," she commented as she pulled her pads off. "I'm glad to see it. We're doing this properly next time."

"I'll be there," Minato promised, high on the rush of the fight and the assurance that he was, indeed, back in shape. More than once they sparred after that, often at the Kirijo Compound to avoid scaring the other students, but that didn't stop the rumours from spreading. Indeed, no few people wondered who his trainer was and whether he'd won Mitsuru's love by fighting her, like some ancient courtship ritual from a family that went back to the Warring States era or something. One student actually said he'd tracked Minato's lineage back further than that, just to give weight of that idea.

Other students who hated Minato continued hating him, the letters kept coming, and Minato just laughed.

The trials and hard work put him in peak condition, both physically and academically, and here he was, staring at the ceremony schedule and getting ready the morning of.

Minato had taken to the day with the focus of a battle plan. He'd missed Mitsuru's graduation thanks to being an invalid, and he wanted to put on a good show for her and the others. His suit was crisp and pressed, his shirt starched and his shoes polished, and he's taken the time to get his hair trimmed and styled into something respectable. He'd spent a week practicing knotting ties just so he could get this right, and he took what anyone might call an unnecessary amount of time getting ready. But when he was at last satisfied with the result, hopefully what Mitsuru would ogle over, he went down to the foyer where the others were starting to gather.

Fuuka and Yukari had spent all morning getting their hair done and looked great in their attire, a professional dress for Yukari and a kimono for Fuuka. Junpei had cleaned up only after threats from the girls for looking sloppy by association. Akihiko-senpai was dressed well as a visiting alum, and Mitsuru had opted for a sharp business suit that still highlighted her femininity. It wasn't a dress like what she wore on their dates sometimes, but she'd also said she didn't want to outshine the girls on their special day. Still, she looked great, and she blushed when he said so.

"Are we ready?" he asked his team one last time once they were assembled.

"Let's do this," Yukari said.

That led them to the schools and through the structured ceremonies, the speeches, the songs and the dedications. Mitsuru gave the keynote speech as a member of the community, setting the stage for the student speakers. Chihiro-san did a great job, having come far in her last year, and the principal almost put everyone to sleep when he took the mic. Before too much longer, they were all given their diplomas before the cheering crowd. Then they scattered to their own corners of the school and Minato slipped up to the Student Council room.

He'd come by to pay his final respects to the place, not sure if he would be able to come back and visit anytime soon. Strictly professional, and he didn't expect to reminisce here, but the place held a surprising number of memories for him. From the first invitation, to seeing Mitsuru run the show – enthralling even before they were going out – to everything he'd seen since, it had all been here. Good memories and better ones, he could honestly say that this was the part of school that he might miss most of all.

The door opened behind him, and familiar footsteps approached. The scent of peppermint embraced him as Mitsuru came up next to him, slipping a hand into his and leaning her head on his shoulder.

He didn't know when it happened, either during his recovery or while he was connected to the Seal, but he'd gained a few inches in a last-minute growth spurt. Now, finally, he was a bit taller than her even when she was wearing heels. Having her look up to him, however slightly, was intensely gratifying once he'd replaced all his clothes.

"Here," he offered, handing her the second button from his suit jacket, cleanly cut before the ceremony. It was a tradition that went back generations, to give the button closest to the heart to one's beloved. The most popular guys had girls by the class lining up for their chance to be that one, but Minato's precaution was almost entirely unnecessary – except for a couple of girls he barely knew, there was no competition for his attention; he still had almost all his buttons to spare.

The one girl that mattered though, his girl, took it with a loving smile and had a jewel box ready to put it in. "Thank you." She put the box in her purse, another memento of many in their life together to follow, and stood next to him. "You're missing out on your own graduation, you know. They're all outside or getting up to whatever out there."

"I'm coming. I just wanted a minute." He went to the window with her and watched the antics of his classmates. Everything from confetti to sports jerseys and tubs of water were being thrown from the windows, groups were gathering for pictures with teachers and friends and family, celebratory streamers and balloons filled the air, and the staid formality of the ceremony before was nowhere to be found. The school grounds were a riot of liveliness, of life, and it was a great memory with which to replace the nights spent in the Dark Hour and climbing that damned tower.

"It was worth it," he decided. Here, now, with all the battles behind him and the future beckoning, all the smiles from those who had regained their loved ones who had been Lost, all the pain and suffering erased by the bloody efforts of SEES, he could say, with his girl beside him, that the scales were well and truly tipped for the better.

She leaned close to him. "No regrets?"

"Nothing that outweighs this." They had been tested, they had stumbled, but they had persisted and prevailed. They were free now, free to do as they wanted, and that was a gift whose value was greater than any precious metal or monetary value. He looked at her, amazing in her suit and done-up hair, and added, "nothing even comes close to this."

She glanced over and realized what he was saying, smiled and leaned in to get a kiss.

It was a kiss they both felt, one that fluttered in their chests with the unbroken love they had for each other. It was a love that had pulled them from the abyss and pushed them forward, urging them with the quiet, persistent voice when nothing else was there, Hang on. Keep going. It was the love that had kept her strong in his absence and had let them both endure the worst that the Shadows and the Dark Hour and even Nyx threw at them.

It was the love that would stay strong through their trials to follow and would lead them to their greatest joys, from him proposing marriage to her in university to her rise as the Kirijo Group's chairwoman with him as her assistant, to them supporting their closest friends and building a family of their own with three brilliant children – two boys and a girl.

Beyond every struggle and challenge and setback, past every muster and riposte, through every change of engagement they would be there for each other, bolstered by the strength of the other and standing tall together on the foundation built by their fortitude and grit. No matter where they went and how hard it was to move forward, the one at their side would always be there.

After all, if the machinations of madmen and gods couldn't break them apart, then what chance did the rest of the world have?

They broke apart from that kiss, partaking in their long moment together, apart from the world in this sliver of time that was theirs alone… before a cheer went up outside, and Minato thought he heard someone calling his name. "We should go out there," he said. "Find the others before Junpei does something crazy."

"It's probably too late for that," Mitsuru murmured, but she slipped under his arm and moved with him. He stroked her side and slid his hand down to her waist. The guys would all hate him when they saw him, but they had hated him for years now. He would manage. He chuckled, she hummed contentedly, and they left the student council office, closing the door for the last time and heading into their future together.

~ Fin