And now!

Reviewer Responses! Yay!

-Guest- He LIVES!

-Hades378- Yeah... For some reason I just don't like to make myself to write anything long. It feels forced that way. On the bright side, I can churn these out like nobody's business. On the downside, it seems to leave everybody wanting more. If it helps, just think of it as a collection of One-shots. But, I might try to work on story length later.

-Jack Hargreave- Why, thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy this story.

I do not own Persona 3.

Sincerely,

-Funny

P.S.- Omake chapters. What do you guys think? Should I do it?

P.P.S.- 500 views! Thank you all for your continued support!

"You are completely crazy."

Yukari sighed, grasping the door's bronze handle, and ignored Akihiko. Though the nagging voice in her brain (which sounded oddly like Mitsuru, now that she thought about it) told her that Akihiko was right, and that this was, in fact, a completely idiotic thing to do, she had to do it. It was one of those rare moments where she was willing to forsake her own health for the sake of her team, or more specifically, Minato.

How had Junpei put it? "Out of Character?"

Regardless, any man could see that Yukari would not be denied, and only a fool would dare to stop her.

So, of course, the local fool had to try and stop her.

"C'mon, Yuka-tan. Look at that rain! It's coming down in buckets!" Junpei said, in an admittedly concerned tone of voice. "With that stuff goin' down, You're just gonna be the next one sick!"

"Then I picked a very convenient time for it, Stupei." Yukari snipped, heading off Junpei's argument before it started. "Besides. Minato wasn't dressed for the weather. I am."

Akihiko looked her over and admitted she had a point. She was wearing a sleek, black, waterproof trenchcoat that extended to just below her knees, with a matching, detachable cowl to protect her hair and face. With it, she wore shining black rain boots that went up to her knees, encasing her legs perfectly. In her left hand, she held a strong, black umbrella that would, when unfurled, bloom outward and become a meter-wide fabric shield. He looked again. It was a solid defense, with no skin exposed.

"Well…" Junpei paused, trying to think of something that might discourage Yukari in her foolish ambitions. He thought for a while, before he looked at her again.

"Is any place even going to be open in this weather?"

Yukari's grip on the door handle slacked as she considered the possibility. She wasn't sure that any place would be open, as she saw precious few people daring to venture out in the rain and wind. She set her mouth in a line and realized she had to do this. There was no telling how long the storm would last, and the last time Junpei looked in on Minato, he looked absolutely miserable. His every movement hurt him, and he was going through tissues by the boxful. She had to do something.

And she was going to.

Ignoring Akihiko's protests, she pushed the door open, and started running.

"Yuka-tan!" Junpei shot out of his seat, concerned for his friend out in the rain. Akihiko elected to stare on in exasperation.

"Ain't much we can do." Akihiko sighed, and plopped down in his usual chair. "You know her. Once she works up the courage, there's no stopping her."

Junpei bit his lip and sat down, returning weak amounts of attention to his PSP. He knew his senpai was right, and, if the "ghost story" debacle was any indication, she was far too stubborn to get sick.

Even so, he couldn't help but flick his eyes upward every minute or so, to see if his friend would come bursting through the door again.

After tugging on the fifthteenth doorknob, the beginnings of panic began to set in for Yukari Takeba. She was confident in her preparations to go outside, which were, actually, holding up excellently, but everything that looked remotely like a pharmacy was closed with the doors and windows boarded, discouraging every visitor from trying to enter.

"There has to be something. I did not haul my butt out here just to come back empty-handed."

She continued to growl as she scanned the lower levels. She had long since given up on a pharmacy, so she decided to look for someone who could point her in the right direction. Or better yet, give her some cough syrup. Her eyes landed on a lonely little store nestled beneath the spiral staircase to the upper levels, and saw light through a crack in the hastily-constructed boarding.

Sighing at the thought of warmth and a roof, she went over and tested the doorknob. Unlocked.

She opened the door, and stepped inside quickly.

Yukari felt warm. Warmer than she ever remembered feeling in her life. Sighing gratefully, she threw back the cowl on her coat and let water slide down in rivulets, waiting until her coat was at least semi-dry to step off the black doormat.

"Well, look here! Welcome to Bookworms, young lady!"

Yukari spun around to face a rather old man amidst what appeared to be the largest collection of books that she had ever laid eyes on. He had on thick, black framed glasses, and he wore a thick sweater.

"Name's Bunkichi. Take your time looking around, Miss…?"

Yukari started, remembering her manners. She bowed slightly and told him her name. Bunkichi hummed at the sound of it, then, a few seconds later, his expression cleared.

"Ah, you're one of Minato-chan's friends, aren't you? Well, don't just hang around the doorway, come on in! Make yourself at home!" Bunkichi said, with a smile spreading around his wrinkled face.

Yukari was shocked at this. She knew Minato had some odd tastes when it came to friends, but this had to take the cake.

"You know Minato?"

Bunkichi's smile grew wider. "Of course! He comes in here all the time. Always helping me and my wife out, bless his heart." He continued to beam at the girl. "Now, what can I do for a friend of Minato-chan?"

Yukari frowned as she looked at the old man. She bounced her left boot off the mat before speaking again.

"Minato-san is sick. I left to try and find some medicine for him, but every place that could sell something is all boarded up." Bunkichi gasped in slight shock, the grin falling from his face. Yukari fidgeted, and started to say something when Bunkichi cut her off.

"Wait here." He mumbled in a rather calm tone of voice. He disappeared into the back for a few minutes, then returned with a plastic bag in his hands.

"For Minato-chan." He said, his smile returning. She stared into the bag and gasped audibly. Cough drops, cough syrup, decongestants, nasal spray, pain relievers, and hot pads. Everything you could possibly ever need to treat a cold was there. For a moment, Yukari was speechless. But when she looked up at the smiling old man, she found the words.

"Thank you so much! Now we can help him!"

Bunkichi waved off the praise. "Forget about it. Just get that medicine to Minato-chan, y'hear?"

"Yes! Thank you!"

Beaming, she whirled around, threw her hood back up, and dashed off into the awful weather. Bunkichi watched her dart down the street from the crack in the store's boarding, and chuckled.

"Well, it looks like Minato-chan finally found himself a nice girlfriend after all!"

Thankfully, neither Yukari or Minato heard that last snippet.

Yukari threw open the doors, and felt her stomach drop several notches when she saw Mitsuru standing a few meters away, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Ah… S-senpai, I-"

Mitsuru held up a hand to stop her, and Yukari immediately shut her mouth. Mitsuru looked at the bag, and suddenly smiled.

"Why, Takeba, you really should exercise more caution in the kitchen from now on."

She gave a soft laugh at Yukari's shocked expression, then walked away. Taking it as a "you're off the hook", she rushed up to Minato's room.

Yukari watched as Minato threw back the azure liquid and grimaced. She smiled, feeling better now that Minato had actually taken some medicine.

"How's it taste?"

"Like every taste bud in my mouth just died."

In spite of him glaring daggers at the measuring cup, she had to admit that she felt a weight off of her shoulders. She took the cup from him, letting him be to take the other pills she had laid out for him. She washed out the cup with hot water and soap, and set it down next to the cough syrup bottle.

"Where'd you even get all this, anyway?"

She turned to face him. "Your friend Bunkichi."

Minato smiled. "Yeah. That sounds like something… he'd do…" Minato let a loud yawn escape his mouth as the sleep aid in the cough syrup began to take effect. He laid down on the bed, dragging the covers over himself.

"Remind me to… to thank him later…" he yawned again as he felt sleep coming over him.

She smiled as she crept out of the room, leaving Minato to his slumber.

"Sweet dreams." she murmured as the door shut with a gentle click.

I'm tearing up again.

Please Review.

Sincerely,

-Funny.