Chapter 10: Find Your Flame
Tokisaki Kurumi didn't know when or how she let herself become attached to Arisato Minato.
It was supposed to be simple reconnaissance, gathering information about the blue-haired Spirit and hopefully having an opportunity to see what he was capable of. This had been true ever since they first crossed paths not too long ago.
The boy was a mystery to her, and doubtlessly to himself. He had fascinated her, from his hidden potential to his mannerisms. Until he came along, she had scarcely interacted with anybody else in a meaningful fashion. Granted, he was worthy of her interest and not instant fodder for time replenishment. No, she possessed much greater ambitions that involved him.
It was the plan up to now.
Kurumi did not expect Minato's determination in saving her. Normally, she would have scoffed at the mere notion of someone talking her out of her goals. She was a killer, plain and simple. Her history had been tainted with so much bloodshed.
But here was this boy, willing to reach out to her in spite of it all. When he spoke to her earnestly, he had reminded her of a desire she thought to have abandoned years ago — a peaceful life. He wanted to accept her, and her heart had raced the more she listened to his desires.
She had been on the path of vengeance for so long, and he was like a light on a divergent route, shining brilliantly. And she took that first step toward it.
It would have been very romantic to grasp his hand and see where the future took them, if it weren't for her prime self ruining the moment.
In reality, she was simply a clone of the actual Kurumi, used to gain intel on Minato. But she was capable of independent thinking and actions. Really, she should have suspected that the true Kurumi would eliminate her from straying away. Yet she persisted, and that proved to be a deadly mistake.
Her eyes witnessed Minato paying the price for her carelessness. The real Kurumi had impaled him with her arm, and then with a frown she retracted said arm. Minato fell to his knees, clutching his abdomen. The Kurumi clone was shocked he was still clinging to life after that attack, realizing she had underestimated his durability.
"Your altruism truly is admirable, Minato-san," the original Kurumi smiled wryly, "but you shouldn't waste your time seducing a 'younger' version of myself."
Minato slowly picked himself off the floor while still covering his wound with one hand.
"You can… make copies of yourself?" He asked tiredly.
"Hehe, you catch on quick," the original Kurumi admitted. "They're rather handy for espionage… but also when I need backup."
With little time to react, Minato was restrained by white hands and arms appearing beneath him. Despite his struggling, he couldn't break free. Gradually, the forms grabbing him revealed themselves to be even more clones of Kurumi. One of them then sifted through his pockets and claimed his personal gun.
"My other self did one thing right from obtaining information — you cannot utilize your powers without shooting yourself," the original Kurumi had assessed as she was handed said object, inspecting it. "Ara, ara, I must say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
"Stop!" The Kurumi clone shouted, having found the courage to speak up.
The two Kurumis stared at each other briefly — one desperate, and the other indifferent.
"No, I believe I won't," the original Kurumi dismissed, frowning. "You were supposed to stick to our— my plan. But since Minato-san took the blow meant for you, this does speed things up. Now he can't properly defend himself, so I should probably thank you, me."
The original Kurumi couldn't help but laugh madly from the situation.
"Don't worry, you'll at least see his cute face one last time before I kill you. And just in case somebody tries to play hero…"
Raising her hand into the air, the city alarm for spacequakes blared, and a large sphere of dark energy manifested in the sky.
"A… spacequake?" Minato discerned, furrowing his eyebrows.
"That's correct," the original Kurumi's wide grin threatened to split her face, "and if any of your friends arrive and try to interrupt us, I'll just have to destroy Raizen High School."
Was this… the end?
Although she may be a clone, this Kurumi wanted Minato to live. She herself wished to live as well, to see the sort of life she could experience with the blue-haired boy after his declarations. He had given her… hope. But right now, the odds were not in her favor. She was against her original self and the rest of the clones. If only she could access her Angel, yet as a clone it wouldn't be feasible.
Trying to come up with a strategy, the Kurumi clone helplessly looked toward Minato, as her original self grasped his cheek.
Strangely, Minato didn't appear to be tense or panicking. His eyes were closed, as if focusing.
"Nothing personal, Minato-san," the original Kurumi assured, "but I'll need you to be a good boy and stay still. This will be over soon."
And in the next moment, the bluenette's eyes opened, mysteriously flaring bright blue instead of their usual gray.
"Thanatos… engage."
The clones subduing Minato were all subsequently blown away by a tremendous amount of pressure, while the original Kurumi covered her face and was pushed backwards.
And then it materialized with a ghastly wail — a new entity that towered over the boy. Donning a skull-like helmet, the humanoid wielded a long blade with its gloved hands and seemingly encircled itself with coffins. The few Kurumi clones who regained their bearings tried lunging and firing gunshots, but they and their bullets were swatted away like insects as they got close.
Minato stood up and eyed the spacequake above the school. His wings had spread, and his attire changed.
The summon roared loudly again, accumulating black and white energy above it. In a matter of seconds, the coalesced size threatened to overtake Kurumi's spacequake.
And wordlessly, Minato's summon launched its attack. Frazzled, the original Kurumi had motioned for her spacequake to drop, but it was a futile effort. Not only was her spacequake absorbed by Minato's with ease, the combined energy orb continued upward to beyond the atmosphere and detonated. The massive blast was auspiciously far enough away to not affect any person on the planet's surface.
The Kurumi clone couldn't believe her eyes.
This boy not only survived a fatal blow — in fact, he still had a visible hole in his abdomen — he caught her original self and clones off guard by summoning without his gun, and he managed to completely repel the spacequake with his own.
To say she was hasty in her presumptions of him was most definitely an understatement.
The Ratatoskr crew in Fraxinus had been monitoring the rooftop scene ever since Divine and Nightmare had entered. Kotori had to admit, Shido could use some pointers from the blue-haired Spirit. Minato had handled Kurumi rather well, all things considered. Although his stubbornness about not listening to their advice was aggravating, he performed immaculately in Shido's stead, staying relatively cool and knowing what to say. He was a natural. And for a moment, Kotori nearly believed they were going to resolve this without a struggle.
Everything went maybe too smoothly, however, as the original Kurumi revealed herself and Minato suffered a nasty hit. Each member was flabbergasted by the turn of events, and to her dismay, Kotori briefly entertained the thought of joining the fray. She could technically access her sealed Spirit powers that resided in Shido. If Minato had been actually defeated, then she didn't like the odds of anyone else taking Kurumi on. Tohka and Yoshino were too handicapped by their sealings, and additionally she had a hunch neither Origami nor Mana were strong enough if they arrived on the scene.
Just when Kotori was going to bolt from her seat, she and her crew watched in awe as Minato had miraculously tipped the scales in his favor. She had seen him summon angel-like beings and some kind of snow elf. But this time, he called forth the freaking Greek god of death, Thanatos. The relief and frustration she felt were both palpable.
"It seems in spite of his injury, Arisato Minato has subverted the worst possible outcome," Reine surmised calmly.
"Sheesh, he gave us quite the scare," Kannazuki Kyouhei sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Minato-kun sure knows how to keep an audience on pins and needles."
"Haha, this guy…" Kotori chuckled bemusedly. "Unpredictable as always, Minato…"
The spacequake alarms had ceased, and Minato took this opportunity to take a deep breath.
Thankfully, he did prepare himself with Thanatos today should things go south — his foresight had paid dividends, especially by using Door of Hades. Yet how was he supposed to expect that the girl he had been spending time with was a copy of the original? Not that it diminished his efforts or feelings.
It just went to show there were still things to learn about Kurumi, and to be more cautious in the future. This was a valuable learning experience, to say the least.
He walked over to the Kurumi he personally knew, who had remained on the floor with an astonished look on her face.
"It's okay."
He extended his hand to her once again.
"Huh…?" The clone uttered in confusion.
"My offer," he crouched and met her eye level, "still stands."
Kurumi glanced away in shame.
"But… I am a clone," she disputed.
"To me, you are Kurumi regardless," Minato insisted, shaking his head. "You are the one I have grown close to and want to continue being with."
It was difficult to tell, but he swore her cheeks blushed pink a tiny bit.
"I betrayed your trust and almost got you killed…" She attempted to argue more, shifting her gaze slightly toward his midsection.
The bluenette looked down and realized the cavity in his torso had lingered. There was logic in her reluctance. However, the regret she felt was clear as day, so he was ultimately unperturbed.
"Well, both of those things may be true, but if it's any consolation I forgive you," he stoically averred.
Kurumi stared at him hesitantly.
"You… really think I'm worth it?"
He smiled gently.
"Of course. If you weren't, I wouldn't have saved you."
Those words evidently struck a chord with her, because she then giggled and finally grasped his hand.
"Curt, yet I wouldn't have it any other way, Minato-san," Kurumi replied, smiling.
Nodding, he clutched her hand tighter, and they stood up together.
Minato returned to focusing on the original Kurumi, who had been gawking at the display with incredulity.
"How ridiculous," she sneered. "You're willing to risk your life for a clone, Minato-san?"
"I am," he answered confidently.
Thanatos landed beside him, growling. The idea of facing multiple Kurumis left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he must be vigilant. He couldn't afford to be taken by surprise anymore. His ears registered the sound of footsteps approaching from the stairs leading to the roof, and from the door were Shido and Tohka, out of breath.
"What's going on!?" Shido hurriedly asked before having a chance to survey the situation. "The spacequake alarm went off, and everyone else evacuated except us… There's another Kurumi? And what is that next to you, Minato!?"
Thanatos saw the duo and curiously tilted his head, acknowledging Shido's remark.
Tohka gasped loudly upon recognizing something.
"Shido, look!" The purple-haired girl tugged Shido's sleeve and pointed at the Persona-user. "Minato's hurt!"
Hearing this, the human furrowed his eyebrows and concentrated on Minato until he too noticed the bloody midriff, promptly making him rush over with Tohka.
"M-Minato!" Shido's eyes bulged. "Wh-What the hell happened to you!?"
The boy in question could only rub the back of his neck in response.
"It's… a long story."
The original Kurumi clicked her tongue.
"I quite dislike disruptions…"
Observing her carefully for sudden movements, Minato stepped forward.
"I don't want to hurt you, Kurumi," he expressed. "We can resolve this peacefully."
She guffawed hysterically from the suggestion.
"Oh? Don't be so naive, Minato-san. You might have convinced my clone, but it will take way more than that for the real deal."
He didn't enjoy where this was heading. His eyes flickered to his Evoker, still in her possession. The original Kurumi detected this and smirked.
"If you want it, then you'll have to take it," Kurumi proclaimed smugly, concealing the Evoker prior to toting a flintlock pistol and musket combination. "But you already knew that."
Minato frowned. Due to the amount of concentration it required to summon without his Evoker, he very much would like to have it back.
"I had a feeling you'd say that."
Thanatos assumed a combative stance, ready anytime.
"Hehe, this may be fun!" The original Kurumi announced gleefully, lifting her hand into the air. "Come forth, Zafkiel!"
A grand clock emerged from shadows behind her, its color being gold just like her left eye. The hour and minute hands pointing to Roman numerals were inexplicably identical in appearance to the pistol and musket she was currently holding. The gears operating within turned ever so slowly. So this was her Angel's form — entirely distinct when compared to Tohka's Sandalphon and Yoshino's Zadkiel.
"Be careful, Minato-san!" The Kurumi clone spoke up. "My— Her Angel has time-manipulative properties that she can use on herself or others!"
Given its design, he had speculated as much, but it was nice to have confirmation. Now it was an issue of not getting riddled with bullets, and preventing the main Spirit from shooting herself.
"Enough spoilers," the original Kurumi chided with a glare.
Her pistol aimed at one on Zafkiel, her arms mimicking clock positions, and a stream of dark energy entered the barrel from it.
"Aleph!" She cried out, proceeding to shoot herself in the head. Minato momentarily found the similarity between himself and her to be ironically charming. And then she was gone in a flash.
Before Minato could blink, Kurumi reappeared in front of him, her musket directed at his chest. She fired, but Thanatos reacted accordingly by placing himself between her and his master. Any damages dealt to Personas would be experienced by their users via stamina loss, and fortunately Thanatos was one of his most resilient — what he felt in proportion was negligible.
"Bet!" She pointed toward two and shot at Thanatos, but he deflected it. Whatever effects her shot had didn't affect him.
Visibly annoyed, Kurumi's next maneuver had her move in tandem with several clones, firing a barrage of bullets.
"Tetrakarn," Minato said, and a transparent barrier surrounded him and Thanatos. The bullets were flat-out reflected, startling the clones as they received the hits instead and vanished shortly after.
Gritting her teeth in irritation, Kurumi swung her guns at the Persona as blunt weapons, yet Thanatos easily parried each strike with his blade. She was certainly not a physical fighter, as the Greek god of death was able to push her back and put her on the defensive.
"Mabufudyne."
Thanatos quickly went on the offensive. Kurumi was appropriately dubious and evaded the first handful of slashes. She didn't anticipate the freezing shard that fired at her from one of Thanatos's coffins unlocking. It impacted her leg, and she soon discovered herself being unable to move it as ice spread across her limb.
The Persona didn't tarry, as he created more ice shards that struck the rest of Kurumi's limbs, affixing her to the floor and depriving her of gun-usage.
"Maziodyne," Minato ordered. Thanatos temporarily charged purple energy from his mouth, then unleashing it all as a fast laser beam.
"Khh! To me!" Kurumi frantically called for her clones. They manifested from her shadowy puddles and apparently were used as a shield to handle the brunt of the laser beam.
The Maziodyne made contact with the group, resulting in an explosion that destroyed parts of the floor. When the dust settled, only the original Kurumi was left, bruised. There was even a hole in Zafkiel.
That was some tactical, on-the-fly thinking on her part, although it did cost her some clones.
"Holy shit…" Shido muttered.
"This is… Minato's power?" Tohka wondered aloud.
A fraction of it, but not incorrect. Now that Minato thought about it, both of them had never really seen him in action and this close up. Contrary to what they may believe, he was holding back.
"You should be more careful, Minato-san," the original Kurumi asserted wearily. "Hurt me severely, and your precious Kurumi may end up disappearing."
Minato's eyes widened. He had failed to take into account how their lives would be intertwined with each other. If the main Kurumi died, then it would make sense for any surviving clones to perish as well.
He saw the clone near his friends, and her sad expression told him all he needed to know.
"You're too softhearted, Minato-san," the original Kurumi claimed, preying on his concern. Despite how dire this looked for her, she somehow was still grinning. "Someday, that kindness can lead to your undoing."
Minato knew she was trying to make him doubt himself, forcing an opening of some kind to take advantage of. But… he couldn't help musing if there was a bit of truth to that.
He wanted to think he adhered to a healthy balance of optimism and pessimism. While he didn't lament his choice in saving Kurumi, had he not taken precautions, there could have been a world in which he didn't survive.
Making the right decisions was not always a guarantee, and one lapse of hubris could change it all. He was no exception — just as fallible as any other individual. It bothered him.
"That's not true!" Tohka raised her voice, becoming the center of attention. "It's because of people like Minato and Shido that I know this world has so much to offer. I know it for sure… Everything may not be perfect, but if it weren't for them, then I could've ended up just like you, Kurumi."
"Tohka…" Shido murmured.
The Kurumi clone seemed to be entranced by Tohka's words. On the other hand, her original self frowned but did not immediately retort.
"It's never too late," Tohka urged, looking at the two Kurumis. "If I can change, then so can you. I'm not sure what caused you to be this way, but would it be so bad to talk about it at least…?"
Minato was pleasantly surprised. He had been aware of how thoughtful Tohka was, but seeing her positivity here undoubtedly reinforced that.
The original Kurumi appeared to be taken aback, if only a little. It was obvious she was processing Tohka's plea in some capacity. Eventually, her response was one word.
"Dalet."
Her pistol pointed toward four on Zafkiel, and with a single shot to the head, her injuries and the damage done to her Angel were no more.
Everybody was on alert again. Thanatos instinctively adjusted his posture, waiting for a command. Kurumi sighed in exasperation.
"Relax, I'm done fighting today. I exhausted more time than I would've liked, and I've no one to blame but myself for my arrogance. I'll need a while to recuperate."
Minato arched an eyebrow. She was retreating? Judging from the looks on his friends' faces, they were also skeptical.
"Don't be mistaken," she began. "I haven't given up on you, Minato-san. For now, though, I suppose you can keep that clone of mine with you. Not as if she'd listen to me anyway. In exchange…" There was a notable glint in her eyes that made him uncomfortable, as he had an inkling of where this was heading, and then she brought out his Evoker. "I'll be borrowing your gun. Sounds like a fair trade to me."
"Hey, you can't just do that!" Shido disputed on his behalf. "Give it back to Minato!"
Minato placed an arm in front of his fellow bluenette. It wasn't ideal to be honest, but he could tell this was as good as it was going to get. He didn't wish to prolong needless battling, and the original Kurumi's mind was already made up.
"I appreciate it, Shido," he showed a small smile, "but I can manage without it for the time being."
After a short while, Shido let out a defeated grunt, relenting. Trepidation was written on Tohka and the Kurumi clone's visages. Maybe they were worried about him? The original Kurumi interpreted this as her cue to exit, turning away from them.
"Kurumi."
She silently peered over her shoulder and regarded Minato.
"Try not to kill anymore, if you can."
It might have been a vain request. She could ignore this, and he'd be none the wiser. Nevertheless, he vocalized it.
Kurumi merely looked amused.
"Hehe, I'll consider it…"
And with that, she entered a dark portal of her own making. It dissipated not long after.
Minato could feel his adrenaline diminishing, so he had Thanatos use one last skill prior to having the god return to his sea of souls.
"Diarahan."
The coffin lids opened, and out came streaks of blue energy that consolidated into his wound. Kurumi's clone, Shido, and Tohka ogled at him, watching as his flesh healed in real time. The blood that dried on his skin faded away to boot.
"Your injury is gone, just like that," Shido noted, stunned. "Is there anything your Personas can't do?"
Minato shrugged. At that instant, he sensed the onset of lightheadedness. Perhaps he overexerted himself against Kurumi.
"Cure mental exhaustion," he responded, touching his head.
"You've been through a lot, Minato-san," Kurumi sounded very nervous. She held his arms as if he were about to fall at any moment. "Please take it easy."
"Seriously," Shido added, "you don't look so hot, man."
"We should have Reine check on you to be safe," Tohka advocated.
The blue-haired Spirit nodded in agreement. That sounded like a plan. Now all they had to do was get to Fraxinus.
"Stay where you are, you guys," Kotori chimed in at last. "We're getting our teleporter ready."
The redhead's timing was impeccable. Their business here was finished. Although they couldn't absolutely get through to the original Tokisaki Kurumi, Minato considered this day to be successful to a degree. He was able to persuade one clone, after all. And clone or not, she was Kurumi in essence.
What he didn't think was impeccable was the arrival of two certain Wizards landing in front of him with their weapons drawn.
"Seems like we missed the party," Mana remarked, her tone sounding far from joking as she examined the area.
"Minato…" Origami spoke his name, her eyes narrowing at him.
"Back off, Origami!" Tohka shouted. She placed herself in front of Minato. "We don't have time for you today!"
Shido's attention, meanwhile, was drawn to his long-lost sister.
"Mana… you're really a part of the AST," he glumly recognized.
"Big brother?" Mana's poker face faltered once she noticed his presence. "What are you doing here with these Spirits?"
"That's… uh…" Shido was at a loss for words.
Mana then construed his hesitance in probably the worst way imaginable.
"Divine and Nightmare…" The dark gaze she sent to them was prominent. "Two of the most dangerous Spirits on record. Who would have thought you two would be working together, and messing with my big brother?"
This was going to be complicated.
"Man, their timing sucks as usual," Kotori complained. "We're ready to teleport you all, but it'd be best if we can lose them somehow."
"Minato-san?" Kurumi looked to him and then to Thanatos, who had yet to dematerialize.
The Persona didn't have many support skills in his arsenal, as he was one of Minato's strongest attackers, but that wasn't to say he couldn't use them in unconventional ways. This was quite the opportunity.
"Thanatos, Maragidyne."
Blue flame pillars swiftly erupted with a swing from Thanatos's hand. Assuming they were the intended targets, Origami and Mana activated their Realizer shields to protect themselves. But to their confusion, the fire didn't make contact with them. Instead, they were encircled by the azure blazes.
Slicing away at the fiery walls, Mana dispersed their prison, but realized she and Origami were alone on the school rooftop.
"Damn, that was a diversion," she connected the dots. Believing she lost them, she sighed. Her face looked forlorn. "Brother… what have you gotten yourself into?"
Origami was fixated on the smoldering embers that endured on the floor.
'Flames… They were blue, but he could control them…'
The white-haired girl couldn't shake this feeling that planted itself in her mind now.
'It can't be… Minato… are you…?'
"So you've come once again."
He vaguely recognized that voice.
She was sitting across from him on a velvet couch that mirrored his. Her arms rested on the sizable book she possessed on top of her lap. Her mysterious smile and gold eyes were soothing in a way he couldn't describe.
"I must say, your aura appears to be different since we last met. Anything fortuitous happened to you perchance?"
He briefly pondered. She wasn't mistaken. He had managed to avert death for himself and one Kurumi. That was something he could supposedly take pride in, and he said such to her.
"I see. Then, I am happy for you."
Silence ensued, but oddly enough it was comforting. Something about being near this woman made him… feel at ease. It was as if he were with Shido or the others.
"Ah," said the platinum-blonde woman, "I shouldn't keep you here for long. You must return to reality, to where you belong."
He felt a tinge of sadness upon hearing this. There was an air of bittersweetness, and he couldn't fully comprehend why.
"Will I… see you again?" He wondered.
She didn't seem to expect that question. Her composure wavered slightly. But she regained her smile, and provided an answer.
"If you wish for it, then it's not impossible."
Satisfied, the boy eventually vanished from her sight, leaving her alone to her thoughts in this space. She stared skyward and hummed a tune.
"The wheels of fate keep turning. But no matter what diverging roads are taken on your journey, no matter the obstacles you encounter, you must forge ahead."
Gray eyes awakened, and bit by bit, Minato processed everything around him. His head was resting on a soft pillow, and he was wrapped by a blanket that provided an adequate amount of warmth to his body. Identifying his environment, he had been here before. This was Fraxinus's sick bay.
He remembered having Thanatos cause a distraction to ward off Origami and Mana. And then… what transpired afterward?
"Ara, you're awake."
The bluenette's gaze traveled to the other individual in the room as he slowly sat upright.
"How long have I been out?" He asked.
Kurumi smiled at him from her seat beside his bed.
"A few hours," she replied. "You fell unconscious as soon as we were transported into Fraxinus. Reine-san told us you simply needed rest."
He let out a relieved sigh. There was a stray thought of his that almost made him presume several days had passed. That would've been most unfortunate.
"Where is everyone?" Minato inquired next.
"Here, initially," Kurumi started. "Shido-san and the others are still aboard. Tohka-san and Yoshino-san became hungry, so they all went to the cafeteria."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Why didn't you go with them?"
She laughed lightly.
"I wonder…"
Minato was not that dense, so he was able to put two and two together, and smiled thinly. Her staying behind was touching. Having her with him now helped solidify in his mind that he made the correct choices, even if the endeavor nearly killed him.
And on that subject, he finally had the chance to ask Kurumi about her former intentions with him, since she no longer was following her original self.
"Kurumi," Minato couldn't hold back his curiosity, "what were you… going to do with me in the first place?"
She took a moment to contemplate, placing a finger on her chin.
"To tell you the truth, I wanted to eat you whole," Kurumi casually stated.
…
"...I'm sorry?" Minato said in disbelief, thinking his hearing fooled him.
"Hehehe," Kurumi sounded delighted, "your reaction is priceless!" She cleared her throat. "But I'm not kidding. I did tell you about how I wanted revenge, right?" He nodded. "Well, as far my original self is concerned, she requires more spiritual power that she normally doesn't have. So when she discovered you, her intent was to consume you and use your spiritual power as fuel for Zafkiel."
That was an unsettling mental image — to think she was kinda close to accomplishing that.
"I… see." Minato furrowed his brow. "And then what?"
Instantly, every trace of pleasure on her features disappeared. Her red eye narrowed, and her smile was replaced with a scowl.
"It's all for traveling to thirty years into the past — to kill the First Spirit. Because of her, my best friend, Sawa, died… and she's why I'm a Spirit as well."
The red sunset was particularly vibrant this evening. It was relatively sufficient in masking the bloodstains scattered on the ground.
Tokisaki Kurumi sighed. She had ambushed a handful of thugs to absorb their time. Her mood was less-than-stellar, so she beat them within an inch of their lives. She was tempted to shoot their unconscious bodies and be done with them, but she was reminded of what Arisato Minato said to her before they parted. Scoffing from the earlier events, she opted to not murder. She didn't feel like it anyway, and she got what she came for.
Still, the time she regained wasn't enough to replenish what she lost. And it irked her.
"This won't do…" She muttered.
Leaning against a wall, she held up her sole prize from today. She scrutinized Minato's gun with intrigue. It contained no bullets, and there was a unique engraving of letters on it. Whatever significance it had was a mystery to her.
However, if she used Zafkiel, she could pry into the blue-haired Spirit's past and learn more about him. That wouldn't use much time at all.
"What memories do you hold, Minato-san?" Kurumi idly mused.
A/N: Oho, I managed to meet my personal deadline. Happy Valentine's Day, by the way. It seemed fitting, especially since Minato saved a clone of Kurumi.
I apologize for constantly using "original" to differentiate Kurumi and her clones, but I wanted to keep it simple and easy to understand without resorting to all sorts of synonyms. Outside of that, this was a fun chapter to write. I'll be the first to say that, yes, Minato here is portrayed as overpowered by using only Thanatos against Kurumi. I made sure to study up on Kurumi's abilities, and honestly she can't use a majority of Zafkiel's potential because it wouldn't be relevant for combat. Her first, second, fourth, seventh, and eighth bullets are useful if she can utilize them properly. But aside from temporally stopping Minato or rushing him with clones, I can envision him having everything he needs to stop her. And remember, Kurumi can't carelessly use Zafkiel unless she wants to drain her own time faster. She's rather pragmatic.
Until next time, take care.