Author's Notes: So I know maxing Shinjiro's Link saves him, but like I said, I wanted his memorial scene. My reasoning? Akihiko's resolution is another highlight of the game for me. Having it in the hospital just doesn't cut it for me and my masochistic tendencies. Plus, I'm a lot like Koromaru in that I respect how Shinjiro gave up his life. As much as I didn't want him to die... Oh and so I didn't really have time to complain about this last time, but okay... What was the point of Takaya asking who their navigator was if he was watching SEES during the Hierophant and Lovers Operation? It should have been obvious that Fuuka was the one who was scanning for Shadows especially since in the movie, she was by herself outside the love hotel while everyone else was inside fighting!
~5 OCTOBER 2009~
As Mitsuru left her room the next morning, she was surprised to see Minato coming out of his sister's room. She gave him a questioning glance before remembering she had allowed the older brother to watch over Hamuko during the night after they returned from the hospital. "How is she?" the senior asked in concern. The blue-haired boy shook his head and looked away. Mitsuru sighed. "I see." She sighed as she knew the others weren't looking forward to class. "Let everyone on the floor know that we'll be arriving to campus together. I'll get Amada, Iori, and Akihiko." Minato silently nodded and the red-haired senior started for the boys' floor.
Ken and Junpei were quick to understand as they went down to the lounge together. Ken couldn't look up at the older students though but Junpei gave the senior a determined nod to not let the boy out of his sight.
Mitsuru moved onto Akihiko but after a few minutes of waiting outside the boxer's room, she took out her master key and let herself in. She was surprised to find the room empty. Akihiko? Did you already leave?
She frowned as she went down to the lounge. The girls and Minato followed after her and they all remained silent as they rode the monorail to campus. Worried about her companions, Mitsuru carefully studied the younger students.
Ken sat alone, away from everyone else as he sadly watched Hamuko. The normally cheery junior held her wrist close to her heart as she absently played with the leather strap of her precious watch. To her right was her brother, arms crossed. Minato wore a permanent scowl as he glared at the ground. At Hamuko's other side, Yukari gave her a comforting hug as she rubbed the co-leader's back. Junpei stood in front of them as he tried to give the girl a pep talk. Aigis stared at the twins in slight confusion as Fuuka tried to explain the situation to her, but the teal-haired girl sighed as she soon gave up.
The team walked towards the building together until Mitsuru paused right outside the gate. Ken shook his head as he continued towards the elementary school branch. "I-I'll see you all later…" he muttered.
Fuuka looked to him surprise. "Ken-kun!" She wanted to follow him to make sure he would be alright on his own, but she paused when she no one else shared her concerns. "E-everyone?"
"He'll be fine," Junpei tried to reassure her as he pulled his cap down. "We… should get to class," he sighed.
Mitsuru shook her head at the juniors. "No, head straight for the auditorium. With last night's… accident," Mitsuru felt uncomfortable using that word to describe what had happened, "the school will be holding a memorial for Aragaki… No…" she shook her head as the fallen brunet had been her friend too. "For Shinjiro…"
"Alright," Yukari nodded.
"Yuki," Mitsuru looked towards the blue-haired boy. "Keep everyone together," she told him. The junior didn't respond to her though as he glared into space. Yuki? The senior frowned at him before turning towards Yukari. "You'll have to be in charge then, Takeba."
"O-okay," the brunette nodded as she frowned at the team. She watched the Student Council President walk towards the Faculty Office. Yukari shook her head before motioning to the other juniors. "L-let's get going then."
Once in the auditorium, Fuuka frowned as she wasn't in the same class as the others. "I should probably go…"
"Yeah," Junpei tried to give her a smile. "Will you be alright, Fuuka?"
The teal-haired girl nodded. "I'm just worried about…" she glanced at Hamuko.
"We all are," Yukari sighed. "Don't worry though. We'll be with her, right, Minato?" she turned towards the blue-haired boy.
Minato didn't respond as he ignored them. He started down the aisle with Hamuko behind him. Fuuka frowned at that. "Minato-kun…"
"We should go with them," Aigis suggested as she went after the twins.
"Yeah," Yukari nodded. She gave Fuuka one last glance. "We'll see you later, Fuuka." She and Junpei went after the robot.
The assembly began and as usual, the Principal wasn't very impressive. All of SEES remained silent though as they gave Shinjiro their respects. Although the juniors had only known the supposed senior for a short period of time, he had been an important member of their team. He had cooked for them and watched out for them. Even if he never regularly attended Gekkoukan, he was a registered student and had been their friend. It was only right for them to pay attention to the portly old man on stage.
"No words can express the sense of loss we feel as a result of this terrible tragedy," the principal shook his head. "He had a lifetime of opportunity ahead of him… As educators, we are to blame for ignoring his silent calls for help. We lost him to violence before we had a chance to help him realize his true potential… Forgive us… Forgive us for our negligence…"
Minato locked his jaw as his fists clenched. Although much of the man's words were false, spoken only for the splendor of it, there were a few things the principal had said that rang true in the serious junior. His anger only peaked as the seniors in front of him rudely began to talk during the eulogy.
"Will this speech ever end…?" a boy groaned. "I don't even know who this Aragaki guy was…"
"I heard he never came to school," the senior next to him said. "Prolly just some punk." Minato let out a low growl. "Anyway, I gotta get home… I have to study for my mock-exam," he sighed.
"Kgh!" Minato bit his tongue to prevent from jumping at them. The boys noticed him eavesdropping and turned back to look at him.
"Hey, you guys know who Aragaki is?" He frowned as he studied the blue-haired junior. "Wait, you're not seniors, so how would you know?" Hamuko let out a sob as she brought her wrist up towards her heart. "Anyway, can you believe this? Scary, huh?"
"Shut up," Minato snapped at them.
"Damn… What's your problem?"
The Hellhound suddenly rose to his feet and let out a low and dangerous growl. "Shut up..."
"Huh?" The senior's eyes widened when Minato suddenly grabbed him by his jacket. "What're you doing?"
"I said shut up!" Minato spat out, pulling a fist back to punch the older boy.
"Hey, Minato!" Junpei quickly stood up and grabbed his friend's arm before he'd get himself in trouble. "C-calm down!"
"Let go of me!" the SEES leader violently roared. "How dare they insult Shinji-nii like this!"
"Iori, Yuki, sit down!" Toriumi sharply scolded the two boys before sighing.
"Come on, man," Junpei loosened his grip. "You heard her."
Minato simply glared back at him before casting his fiery gaze on the seniors. The pair of rude students tensed up but quickly turned back around to face the principal in the hopes of appeasing the enraged Hellhound. Although he was still irate, Minato decided to reign in his temper just this once so knocked aside Junpei's arm before retaking his seat. "Tch..."
Junpei let out a quiet sigh of relief and sat back down too while Toriumi who had been watching the exchange shook her head to herself. "I'll never hear the end of this…" the teacher muttered as she noticed Ekoda frowning at her and her class from a distance.
Once things had calmed down a bit, Yukari shook her head at Minato. "Just ignore them," she told him. She immediately regretted saying that as Minato targeted her with his glare next. Unable to look him straight in the eye when he was this unstable, she began scanning the rest of the auditorium before she noticed something odd. "Hey… has anyone seen Akihiko-senpai today?"
"Huh?" Junpei looked around too, also realizing he hadn't seen the boxer all morning either. "I think he left the dorm before us. Is he not here?"
"I guess he's absent this morning…" the archer sighed. "I wonder if he'll show up at all. I hope he's okay…"
When classes began, Hamuko's condition began to improve. Toriumi had been notified by Mitsuru that Shinjiro had been a part of their dorm and asked for the teacher to make proper accommodations for the distraught juniors. The teacher understood immediately as Hamuko was rather despondent when she came in. The Composition teacher quickly suggested a seat change between Minato and Hamuko, and now the red-eyed junior was completely surrounded by her friends.
At lunch, Fuuka stopped by to check on them. "Hamuko-chan, are you doing better?" she asked in concern as she sat in the empty seat beside Minato.
Hamuko tried to smile as she placed a hand over her wristwatch. "Y-yeah…" she nodded when she found her voice once more.
"Don't push yourself too much, dude," Junpei watched her with a frown.
"I won't," the brunette reassured them as she managed to force a small smile on her face. She couldn't keep it on for long though as she looked towards her brother in concern. Minato had his back turned towards them and his head was buried in his arms. "Nii-san…?"
The blue-haired boy shifted a bit and turned his head to the side to look at her. He was scowling to himself but as he noticed the life return in her red eyes, he gave her a nod.
"You're not hungry?" Hamuko asked. She pointed at the pile of bread on Aigis's desk. "Yukari got some for all of us," she told him. The boy plainly stared at her and the girl frowned. "Nii-san?"
Aigis stared at the blue-haired boy as he returned to his original position. "It seems Minato-san is not hungry. He believes you are the one who needs nourishment most, Hamuko-san."
"Really?" Yukari frowned. "Then why doesn't he just say so?"
"Dude, c'mon," Junpei poked the boy's back. "You alright?" He paused when the leader didn't respond. "H-hey…"
Aigis tilted her head to the side and saw Minato clench a fist. "Minato-san seems to want to punch Junpei-san… He does not want to be disturbed."
"Tch!" Minato suddenly pushed himself away from his seat and stood up.
Fuuka turned to him in surprise. "Minato-kun?"
He momentarily paused before turning away from the brown-eyed girl. He barely took a step away from them when the door suddenly slid open and Mitsuru came in. The red-haired senior quickly approached them. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked them. Minato looked down as she continued. "When you get back today, please meet me in the lounge. You know what it's regarding."
Yukari frowned. "Yeah…"
"I don't expect you to have collected your thoughts," Mitsuru looked towards Hamuko sympathetically. "In fact, I am still at a loss myself…" She turned towards the exit. "I'll see you then." She quickly left the juniors alone.
"It's about Ken, huh…" Junpei sighed. "This'll be a fun meeting…"
"Yeah…" Yukari turned towards their co-leader. "Hey, Hamuko… Let's go home together today."
"Thanks," Hamuko smiled at her friends, "everyone…"
"You're always so strong, Hamuko-chan," Fuuka grabbed her hand. "But please, if you need us, we're here too." She turned towards Minato with a smile. "Isn't that right, Minato-kun?" She paused as the boy was already walking away. "Minato-kun?"
Junpei crossed his arms. "Dude, what's his problem?"
Hamuko frowned. "Nii-san…"
Fuuka glanced at the clock and shook her head. "There's still a lot of time left but I'd better try to find him before he gets into any trouble. I'll see you all after class."
"W-wait, Fuuka!" Yukari didn't think that was a good idea for her to go chasing after the Gekkoukan Hellhound. "If he wants to be alone—" she frowned as the teal-haired junior was already gone. The brunette turned towards Hamuko. "He's your brother… Shouldn't you go after him too?"
Hamuko lowered her gaze. "I don't know if I can help nii-san right now... In fact," she shook her head as she brought her left wrist up to her chest, "seeing me might just make him worse..." she quietly murmured. "Nii-san's just too sensitive sometimes…" As if to prove her point, the four classmates paused as they heard a frustrated scream coming from the roof.
Aigis immediately stood up. "That sounds like Minato-san… He might be in danger."
Junpei grabbed the robot before she could move. "Aigis… He's alright… He just really wants to be alone," he sighed as he pulled his cap down.
Fuuka frowned as the students in the hall were whispering amongst themselves. "Was that the Hellhound? Man, he seems pretty pissed… I wonder if something happened to him."
The teal-haired girl started towards the water fountains and passed Natsuki. "Fuuka!" the tan girl called out.
"Natsuki-chan!" Fuuka smiled at her before looking at the stairs. "I'm looking for Minato-kun. Did he come this way?"
Her friend frowned. "I don't think he wants anyone going up to the roof. He pretty much went up there and kicked everyone out." She looked at Fuuka in concern as she wondered if something was wrong.
Fuuka shook her head as she worriedly continued after the SEES leader. "Minato-kun…" She quickly ran up the stairs. "Thanks, Natsuki-chan!"
"Fuuka, wait!" Natsuki paused before frowning to herself. Well… Yuki-san seems close to her… She'll be fine… She decided to follow her friend up to the roof, just in case.
When Natsuki reached the rooftop, she saw her teal-haired friend carefully approach Minato as he screamed out over the rooftop. His voice sounded hoarse and his face was getting red as his lungs slowly emptied out. He eventually choked on his own scream and began coughing. The blue-haired boy collapsed against the metal barriers as he took in desperate gasps of air.
"Minato-kun!" Fuuka quickly ran to his side and pulled him up. "Are you okay?" The boy continued coughing though and the girl decided to take him to the bench. "Here, you should sit." The blue-haired boy slowly recovered as the girl rubbed his back. When Minato finally calmed down, Fuuka worriedly frowned at him as his shoulders continued to tremble. "Minato-kun," she gently tried to call out to him. "I know what happened last night was difficult but—" She immediately stopped speaking and flinched when Minato snapped his head up towards her.
"Difficult?" Minato glared. "Shinji-nii died—no, was killed—in front of us," he reminded her. "Seeing Shinji-nii bleed out like that... Did you think that would have been easy?"
Natsuki's eyes widened as she continued to listen in on them. They witnessed his death!?
Fuuka lowered her gaze. "N-no, not at a-all," she quickly shook her head. "I j-just meant that..." She found herself tongue-tied and the more she thought back to what had happened, the less she wanted to continue this line of thought.
It had been extremely hard after all as just the morning before Shinjiro had gruffly saw them off as he usually did in the morning before school. She hadn't expected that the next time she would see him, he would have been on the ground in a dark alleyway, protecting Ken and the rest of SEES with his own life. It had all been so sudden and Fuuka had never experienced anything like this before, so much like the others, she was at a complete loss on how she should feel and act. As the seconds ticked by in silence though, she could feel Minato's gaze growing increasingly disappointed with her.
"I-I... I'm sorry..." she finally managed to meekly whisper.
"You should be!" Minato angrily blew up. He rose to his feet and dismissively walked over towards the fenced barricade in order to glare out over the city "Because of you, Shinji-nii is gone!"
"M-my fault?" the navigator looked up at the leader of SEES.
"Well, isn't it?" He questioned her. "It's your job to watch over us yet you were unable to locate Shinji-nii when you needed to the most. And even before that, when Shinjiro-san told you he was going to be late... That should have tipped you off something was wrong!"
"B-but I did all I could..." Fuuka frowned as she began to feel guilty over the older boy's death. "I-I'm s-sorry..."
"Sorry doesn't bring back the dead!" the boy furiously snapped at her, causing her to flinch. "You told me that nothing bad would happen with you watching over us. That was your sole job, but your negligence cost us." He disdainfully shook his head to himself. ""I should have never relied on you in the first place," Minato clenched his fists as he stood up. "What the hell was I even thinking back then? It was obvious you would never have been able to amount anything more than a burden to me."
"I don't understand..." Fuuka could feel tears beginning to well up in her eyes as she couldn't believe that Minato, the one person who has always supported her, would ever say such things. "All this time you've been encouraging me to do my best..."
"What is your best, really?" Minato asked her in disgust. "Can you show it to me?"
"I..." the navigator hesitantly trembled as Minato stalked towards her. She flinched when the boy suddenly pulled his Evoker out from inside his jacket.
From where she stood inside the hall, Natsuki tensed up in surprise at the sight of the pistol. Why does he have a gun with him!? She could feel panic welling up within her and she wanted to help Fuuka, but her body was completely paralyzed with apprehension. The former bully frowned as she noticed Minato hand the weapon out towards her friend.
"It might be your fault we couldn't save Shinji-nii," Minato seriously began, "but Takaya was the one to kill him, so I intend to make him suffer for it. Of course, I'll need to find him first..." He said nothing more as he knew the girl before him could fill in the rest of what he was trying to say for herself.
Fuuka stared at him in disbelief but she said nothing as he wrathfully glared at her. Although she wanted to refuse his rather vicious and self-destructive request, she couldn't bear to have him continue looking at her with such disapproval on his face so she slowly stood up and accepted his Evoker. She frowned to herself as she considered her own actions but forced herself to take a deep breath. She closed her eyes and brought the gun to the side of her head, focusing only on her desperate desire to assist the leader of SEES however she could. The doubt in her mind only continued to grow though as she lightly rested her finger on the pistol's trigger and just as she was finally about to pull it, she removed it from her temple and collapsed to the floor due to the stress.
"I... I can't do it, Minato-kun..." she completely broke down into tears. "I-I... I'm sorry..."
Minato said nothing as he stared down at the pitiful girl. After a few seconds of simply watching her cry before him, he turned his back on her and returned to the fence barricade. "I see..." he indifferently spoke. "How disappointing..."
Fuuka felt the shame of failing him wash over her and not wanting to take up any more of his time, energy, or attention, she escaped from the rooftop. Blinded by her tears, she couldn't really see where she was going or who she was even passing, but she quickly started for the girl's bathroom at the end of the second floor hallway to lock herself in a stall for the rest of the lunch period. While it's been a long time since she had to do so because of her previous bullying, Fuuka noticed that this one moment with Minato hurt her more than everything her classmates had subjected to combined. In fact, it felt as though her heart had just been shattered as the one person she always relied on for support no longer saw her as anything more than a nuisance.
Up on the rooftop, Natsuki had been surprised when Fuuka suddenly ran past her, not even noticing the brunette was there. The former bully glared at Minato through the door, ready to go up to him and yell at him for saying such hurtful things to her friend, but she paused when he collapsed to his hands and knees. The terrifying teenager known throughout the school as the Gekkoukan Hellhound began dry-heaving while cursing at himself in frustration. He continued retching for a good minute before he straightened himself up and clutched his head with both his hands.
"What the hell is wrong with me!?" he angrily yelled at himself. "How the hell did I fuck this up so bad? Shinji-nii..." he let out a choked sob. "I'm so sorry... I was supposed to protect you... for Hamuko's sake... and yet I..." Clenching his eyes shut, he shook his head and pulled at his own hair. "This always fucking happens and I'm sick of it!" He let out a desperate wail and began punching against the ground, hoping to draw blood from his knuckles. "My fault... Completely my fault... I can't protect anyone after all...!" He slammed his fist down once more but immediately jerked his hand back when he hit something sharp. "Ow!" he opened his eyes and looked around to see what it was before noticing his Evoker on the ground, right where Fuuka had left it.
He hesitantly picked it up and stared it for a while before absently pressing it against his temple. He let out a weak bitter laugh as he thought back to how he had just treated his navigator. The gravity of his previous words and actions suddenly hit him and a new wave of nauseating guilt roiled through him. He groaned as he actually began vomiting a vile mixture of bile and water.
"Some leader of SEES I am..." Minato mused to himself when he finally recovered enough to get his thoughts together. "I ended up turning the one person on the team I needed most against me." He shook his head and unsteadily pushed himself up to his feet. "I suppose it's for the best. As much as Fuuka must hate me now, I still hate myself a lot more..." He stowed his Evoker away in its usual hiding spot before frowning at his aching right hand. "But what else is new?" The warning bell began to ring but instead of returning inside, Minato laid down on the bench and stared up at the sky, exhaustion beginning to wash over him. The entire world was spinning around him too, so he eventually closed his eyes and tried to tune it all out from his mind. "Whatever though… I don't really care anymore..."
Natsuki frowned to herself as the Hellhound continued to wallow in his own misery. She didn't dare disturb him though as it didn't seem like he had any intention of attending afternoon classes. Besides, she wanted to at least check on Fuuka to see how she was doing after all that. The brunette wondered if she should tell her friend about what she just saw though. She felt extremely compelled to do so, but she didn't quite understand everything that just happened. Fuuka… Your dorm's club… Just what exactly do you all do? She had a vague memory of the teal-haired girl pointing a gun similar to the one the boy carried at her own head but the more she thought about it, the more her own head began to hurt. Natsuki shook her head as it wasn't any of her business. No… it is my business… I'll be transferring soon and I can't just leave Fuuka alone in the school like this. I wonder what I can do for her though...
Akihiko climbed up the stage and stared at the portrait of Shinjiro. "Yo," he greeted the picture with a smirk. "I had the usual for lunch… Ramen tastes a lot better when you're cutting class. Make sure you invite me next time." He turned his back on the memorial. "Say something, will ya…?" the boxer frowned. "Why are you always like that? You're so stubborn. Put yourself in my shoes for a change…" Akihiko turned back around and leaned on the table. "You think it's the other way around, huh?" he challenged the picture. "I guess you're right…" He sighed to himself. "I was too obsessed with power… Ever since I lost Miki, that's all I've cared about… I thought that if I was strong enough, I could protect anyone… But, I was wrong… And now, you're gone too… I'm such an idiot." Akihiko hung his head and punched the table a few times. "In battle, there's always a chance of dying… I knew that! But… I was so focused on fighting that I didn't notice anything else! It didn't matter how tough I was! Look what happened!" Akihiko felt the guilt weigh him down and he dropped to his knees before letting out a scream. He sobbed a bit before pulling himself together. He nodded at Shinjiro's picture. "Yeah, I know… Crying won't change anything, will it…?" He stood back up. "Alright, Shinji… You watch from there with Miki. I still have things to do, right?"
Akihiko paused as he sensed something within Polydeuces. A light flashed before his eyes as a kingly figure appeared before him. "Thou art I, and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Caesar, ruler of the world." The great emperor returned into the white-haired boy. "Whatever it is you must do, I will be at your side. Now and forever…"
The boxer closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I know that much. I can't carry this guilt forever…" He stared at his fist in determination. "I'm getting tired of it."
The tension within the lounge was immense. Minato apathetically leaned against the partition separating the living room from the dining area with his arms crossed while the other juniors each took a seat on the couch. Fuuka was sitting as far away as possible from the blue-haired leader, much to everyone's surprise. Beside her was Hamuko, who was looking a lot healthier than she had during the morning. To the red-eyed girl's right was Yukari, frowning at the thought of the meeting. Akihiko, Junpei, and Aigis sat across from them, staring at their friends in worry. Akihiko sternly frowned as he turned towards Mitsuru, waiting for her to start.
Mitsuru sighed as all eyes fell on her. "You all know the reason we're gathered here. We need to discuss how to deal with Amada…" She frowned. "I've already consulted the Chairman. Aigis, bring Amada here."
Aigis stood from her seat and nodded. "Understood."
Fuuka frowned to herself. "It's my fault…" she weakly said, all of the confidence she had gained throughout the year lost. "When Shinjiro-senpai told me he'd be late, I thought it was strange, but I said nothing." Minato clenched his fists. "If only I'd listen to my intuition…"
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Fuuka," Yukari shook her head.
"Yeah," Hamuko reassured her. "Don't even think that." She glanced towards her brother, thinking he'd also defend her, but noticed he didn't dare glance in their direction. Nii-san?
"It's not your fault," Mitsuru told Fuuka. "If anyone should have realized it, it should have been me."
Junpei shook his head. "I knew this wasn't a game… But, I never thought it'd end up like this…"
"There's no point dwelling on the past," Akihiko sternly said. "Shinji's last words were 'This is how it should be'. He was a hell of a guy… He even faced death head on." He made a fist as his eyes glowed in determination. "That's why, from this day forward, I'll face things head on, too."
"That's cool, man…" Junpei stared at the boxer in admiration.
"Senpai…" Yukari smiled.
Mitsuru was relieved to see the white-haired senior taking it well. He's changed, she noticed. She paused as she heard Aigis running down the stairs.
"Allow me to report!" Aigis called to them. "Amada-san is not in his room!"
"He's not!?" Yukari looked to her in surprise.
"There are indications that the window has been pried open," Aigi informed them.
"Ken-kun…!" Fuuka cried out in alarm. She stood up and started for the door.
Yukari stood up too. "Wait, Fuuka! Do you know where he is?"
"Well…" Fuuka frowned to herself. "No… but we can't just let him go off on his own, right!?" She looked at everyone on the team, except Minato.
"So, where do you plan on looking?" Yukari asked her.
"I don't know," the teal-haired girl shook her head, "but we have to find him! He must feel so alone…" her voice went soft.
Kgh… Minato clenched his teeth as he tried not to let her actions get to him.
Hamuko noticed her brother's tense demeanor. "We gotta calm down first," the red-eyed girl sternly stated.
"She's right, Fuuka…" Yukari frowned.
"But…! You of all people should understand!" the usually demure girl cried. She paused as she realized she was taking out her frustration on the archer and co-leader. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"Let Ken do what he wants," Akihiko shook his head. "Bringing him back won't change anything… and we can't keep treating him like a kid."
"Akihiko…" Mitsuru looked at the senior.
The boxer didn't back down as he levelly stared at the redhead. "It's his choice," he said. "He's the only one who can decide how he's going to live his life. The same goes for all of us," he looked towards the rest of the team.
That's right, Minato agreed. And this is my decision… No matter how much it hurts… He stood up and wordlessly started towards his room. He could feel the gazes of multiple people turn towards him, but only one set of eyes burned through him.
~6 OCTOBER 2009~
"A light has disappeared…" Den Mother frowned. "The shadow grows darker…" Her crystal ball filled with smoke. "But the lost light's will lives on in a strong, new light…" Castor's form combined with Polydeuces's, producing a new Persona Minato had never seen before. "You have reached a turning point… The light has begun to challenge the shadow… Your time is coming… soon… Farewell, then… May your future be bright…"
Minato stood and bowed to her before leaving. He stared at his fist and sighed to himself. Senpai might have found his resolve, but that's not the case for the rest of us. In fact… can I really keep going like this? He scowled to himself. Of course not… Fuuka's no longer watching me after all… What can I do alone? But even if she was by my side, how would I even protect her? He groaned as he shook his head. Why can't I stop thinking about her?
Hamuko hung up the phone and sighed. So a new block opened up, but nobody is in the mood to go to Tartarus. Well, it's not like I want to go either… She frowned to herself and played with her watch. Forgive everything, huh, Shinji-kun? It's hard… but I'm going to try. She wiped up the tears that were beginning to form before heading to the kitchen. Things will be different without you though… she frowned as she stared at the restocked fridge. I'll be lonelier too… She sighed as she decided she wasn't hungry.
The girl went upstairs but paused on the second floor. Shinjiro's bedroom was right at the beginning of the hall and without thinking, Hamuko let herself in. The brunette frowned at the empty room. It didn't change much from when she was here last. She turned to leave, but noticed a box with a letter on top of it.
"What's this?" she asked herself as she took up the piece of paper. She opened up the container and noticed Shinjiro had neatly packed away his equipment for them. "Shinji-kun…" she sighed as she guessed the older boy had been prepared for what had happened all along. She took a glance at the note and saw that it was addressed only to her. The girl took a seat on the bed before she began reading it.
October 3rd, 2009. Dear Hamuko,
You really had to make things difficult for me, didn't you? Well, it ain't like I did much to get you to leave after last night. You're pretty cute when you sleep. It's like you have no worries at all. But then again, that isn't quite true.
You're having nightmares of me leaving you, aren't you? You keep muttering things like that in your sleep and you wouldn't let go of me. I had to give you my pillow to hug just so I can write this out for you. I wish I can get rid of your worries, but it ain't right for me to lead you on like that. I'm sorry I can't do anything else except leave you a box of my junk and this crappy letter that I hope you'll eventually read. Actually, I'm sorry about a lot of things.
I don't expect to be forgiven for a lot of what I did, but I want you to forgive everyone else. It ain't nobody's fault for what's going to happen except mine. I don't want you blaming anyone else but me. As selfish as that sounds, that's what I want most from you. You can hate me and never forgive me, but don't be angry at the others. They'll still be with you after all; I won't.
I'm sure Aki's going to do his best tomorrow. He's always like that. He's too damn proud and headstrong to let someone like me go. He doesn't know a thing about Ken calling me out and I don't plan on telling him. So forgive him if he's too late to save me.
Forgive Ken, because even though he hates me with all his guts, it's my fault I drove him into a corner. I killed his mom. There's nothing else I can say about that. What's done is done and this is the only way I can make it right for him. Besides, my body won't last long even if I do survive. Your brother knows that.
So, I want you to forgive Minato too. I made him swear to not mention my Reaper to you and Aki, but the two of you found out about my suppressants anyway. He actually knew about Ken, too, but I didn't want him involved. It's my problem, not his. He already had enough to worry about regarding the Shadows, Ikutsuki, and Strega, so we both made a deal with each other to stay out of the other's way. Your brother really does cares about you though, you know. He didn't really like the idea of us hanging out because of my Reaper, but he didn't say anything since he saw how happy you were around me. When he called me his older brother though, I was happy. His opinion means a lot to you, right? He's your brother after all. I'm sure he'll do his job and take care of you once I'm gone so don't drive him away.
That said, the most important person I want you to forgive is yourself. Hamuko, it ain't your fault that I'm gone. You might think you should have done more to help me, but you did more than enough for me. I made up my mind about what to do with Ken a long time ago, but before I met you, I thought I had nothing else to live for. I might be walking towards my death tomorrow, but it's something worth dying for. I want to protect everyone with my life, even Ken. If he kills me, I don't want him coming after me so please don't blame yourself once I'm gone. This is how it should be.
Besides, you've wasted enough time on me. I know you love me and I love you too, but it's okay for you to move on. A girl like you deserves someone better than me. Someone who is honest to you. Someone who won't leave you behind. You loving someone else won't change your love towards me, so don't worry. I want you to be happy. You look best when you're smiling after all…
So take care of yourself. And watch over the others too. Try to keep an eye on Fuuka so she doesn't burn the dorm down. Her cooking improved but she still can't do complicated things on her own. Also, don't let her feed Koro-chan. Her food might be edible now, but that dog needs a proper nutrition too. That goes for everyone else at the dorm. Honestly, if the Shadows don't get you, all the crap you guys eat will. You should especially tell that to Junpei. I can feel the coming of a heart attack every time I see him making instant ramen every goddamn night. Also, tell Yukari to keep her archery equipment away from the pantry. You know how much her pine resin resembles soy powder? Aki, the dumbass that he is, might mistake it for protein powder one of these days. Without me around, Mitsuru will need the extra help watching him too, so give her a hand if she needs it. And as for Aigis, she might not completely understand what will happen, but I'm sure she will someday. She wants to protect you and your brother after all.
All of you are good kids and I know you guys will keep fighting. I believe in you too, so don't ever give up. I hope I don't see any of you again until you've all properly lived out your lives. Treasure the time you have until then. Time is precious after all. It's why I gave you your watch. So long as you wear it, I'll always be with you, so until we can meet again, please keep smiling in that way you know I love.
Love, your senpai Shinji-kun
"Shinji-kun…" Hamuko wiped up the tears that were running down her face as she finished his letter. "It might be a while before I can smile the way you like, but know I'm doing my best, okay? After all… I don't like it when you're sad either." She pressed her lips against the face of her watch. "I'll always love you, Shinji…" She softly sobbed to herself as she remained in the older boy's room. She looked up towards the door when she noticed someone coming in.
"Hamuko?" Her older brother stared at her in concern and noticed she was crying. He quickly reached her side to give her a hug. "Hamuko, what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see him again…" she quietly said as she hugged the letter against her chest. She buried her face into her brother's shirt. "I think… I'll be okay now…"
"Are you sure?" Minato looked into her puffy red eyes.
"You don't have to worry about me, nii-san," Hamuko nodded to him. "Shinji-kun wouldn't want me to stay sad forever… He also wants me to forgive everyone for what happened…" she wryly smiled as she lowered her gaze.
"I'm sorry," he frowned at her. "I should have told you about Ken…"
Hamuko shook her head. "Shinji-kun explained it to me. It's nobody's fault, nii-san. He made up his mind a long time ago…" She brought her arm up to wipe up the new tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "I just wish... I could have had more time with him..."
Minato sadly watched her sob in front of him and clenched his fists. "I should have done more…" he stated before standing up from the bed and staring out the window. "He meant a lot to you and I couldn't…" He let out a frustrated scream.
"It wasn't your place to get involved, nii-san," Hamuko frowned at him. "This was Shinji-kun's choice. This is how it should be."
"Saying that doesn't make it okay!" Minato snapped at her. He paused and gave her an apologetic frown. "Sorry… I shouldn't be yelling at you. You loved Shinji-nii, after all." He rubbed his eyes as he could feel his own tears forming.
Hamuko noticed something was bothering him so stood up from the bed. She gave him a comforting hug and rubbed his back. "Nii-san, are you okay?"
"You were right about my arrogance," the boy said, not looking at her. "I… I was so focused on the Shadows that I went too far ahead… I couldn't come back in time… And now Shinji-nii is gone and Ken is on his own. I even ended up driving Fuuka away…" He placed his hands on Hamuko's shoulders and gently stepped away from her. "At this rate, everyone will probably leave me," he tried to joke, only to immediately scowl at himself.
"Nii-san…" the brunette frowned as he continued to hang his head. "Just what did you do to her?"
"I told her I blamed her for what happened to Shinji-nii…" He choked back a sob. "She must hate me," Minato wore a painful scowl. "That was my goal, but…" He placed a hand on his chest and winced. "I didn't think it would hurt this much… Usually it's so easy for me to get people to leave me alone… So why is it that this time… it feels like I'm dying inside?"
Hamuko lowered her gaze to her watch. "You're an idiot, nii-san… You should already know why."
"I guess…" the blue-haired boy frowned. "But I guess that's why I did it…" He turned to face the door. "If I didn't do this now, it'll only make things harder in the future for when something else happens…"
"Will you really be okay, nii-san?" the red-eyed girl sadly watched him.
"It doesn't really matter to me," her older twin responded in a level tone. "I've made my choice after all." He wryly smirked to himself. "It still doesn't make it alright, but… 'This is how it should be'…"
"Nii-san," Hamuko crossed her arms.
"Yeah," Minato sighed. "It's disrespectful to Shinji-nii." He rested his hand on the knob before giving her a small smile. "I'm glad you're better, Hamuko. Shinji-nii really wouldn't want you crying over him. He loved you too much to ever want to see you sad."
As he turned away from her, Hamuko heard her brother sniffling and she sadly sighed. "Nii-san… Just because I lost Shinjiro doesn't mean you should follow after me and lose Fuuka-chan too…"
"Like I said, I've made my choice," the older twin painfully said as he opened the door.
"Just what do you intend to do, nii-san?"
"I… don't know," he honestly replied. "I just… want to be alone for a while. If you need me though, I'll definitely be here for you. You sure you're okay?"
"Nii-san, should you really be worried about me right now?" Hamuko asked with a sigh. Minato couldn't really answer her so shook his head before returning to his room.
Ken was crouched into a ball as he stared blankly at the ground. He heard footsteps approaching him, but he didn't move. Maybe this will be how I die…
Akihiko frowned at the despondent elementary school student. "You look half dead," he said, causing the boy to look up at him. "What are you doing here?"
Ken pulled his knees closer into his chest. "When Mom died protecting me, no one would believe the real reason for her death… To this day, it's still on file as an unexplained accident. That's why I wanted to make it clear… I thought that's what she would have wanted… Maybe then she'd finally be at peace… They said he died by some violent crime, right?" Ken shook his head. "No one knows the truth… Just like with Mom. And once again, I'll be left behind…"
"The dead are never coming back," Akihiko bluntly stated. "You have to accept that. You're on your own now." Ken only tensed up at his words. The older boxer shook his head as he turned towards the main street. "I'm not here to drag you back… You can stay in this place until you die, if that's what you want. But, if you still have the will to fight, then come back and stand on your own two feet." He left the brunet, but turned his head to look at the young boy once more. The white-haired senior smirked when he saw Ken begin to stir.
Ken slowly stood up. "He's right…" He turned around and punched the wall with his small fist. "I've known it all along; I've just been lying to myself… I was consumed by hatred… I couldn't face the thoughts of being alone… But… that's exactly what happened…" He punched the wall a few more times. "All this time, I've just been running away…" He stared at his aching hand and before glancing up at the sky. "I've made up my mind… Shinjiro-san… I'll see it through to the end."
He closed his eyes as Nemesis resonated within him. After a bright flash of light, the goddess of divine retribution was replaced by a mechanical-looking figure. "Thou art I, and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Kala Nemi, Rim of the Wheel of Time." The new Persona returned to the boy. "I will walk with you into the future you choose to face."
Ken closed his eyes to stop the tears from spilling over as he no longer felt the burden of revenge he had forced himself to carry for so long. "I'll be okay now, Mom…" he said with a small smile. "Goodbye…"
Minato numbly lifted his head towards the others as he noticed he was the last one to come to the lounge. Another meeting had been called, but it wasn't as if the situation had changed from the night before. Still, he had an obligation to fulfill. Even if the blue-haired junior had decided to separate himself from the team, he still lived there after all and Mitsuru would not accept his letter of resignation due to their previous agreement at the hospital.
Yukari shook her head. "It's already been a day…"
"Yes," Mitsuru crossed her arms. "It has."
"So," Junpei looked around the lounge and noticed a certain boxer was missing. "Where's Akihiko-san?"
"He said to leave Ken-kun alone," Fuuka frowned in worry, "but I don't know… Maybe we should look for him…"
Mitsuru looked over towards Minato. "What's your opinion?"
The blue-haired boy looked away with a frown. Feeling Fuuka's gaze on him, he remained silent. Hamuko sighed at her brother's petulance but ended up answering first. "Let's start looking," she suggested.
"You think so, too…?" Yukari asked. "He IS still a kid…"
Minato shook his head at both brunettes. "Just let him be," he finally spoke. He needs time too…
"So, you agree with Akihiko then…" Mitsuru nodded.
Fuuka quickly stood up, a little bit angry at the blue-haired boy. "I can't wait any longer!" she cried. "I'm going right now to—"
Koromaru began barking. Everyone turned towards the dog as he ran over to the front door. Ken smiled at him as he entered.
"Ken-kun!?" Yukari stood up. She and Fuuka hurried over to check on him.
"Thank goodness…" Fuuka sighed. "I was so worried…"
"You were?" Ken looked up towards everyone and noticed the concern on many of their faces as they all, with the exception of Minato, approached him.
"Amada…" Mitsuru gave him a cautious look-over. "Are you able to fight?"
"Yes," he nodded. "I won't run off again."
"You sure?" Junpei eyed him suspiciously.
"I'm positive," Ken said with determination.
"It's alright…" Fuuka smiled. "We can trust him…"
"Geez," Yukari sighed. "Don't make us worry like that, okay?"
"Alright," Mitsuru smiled to the rest of the team. "I'll talk to the Chairman. Get some rest."
Ken hung his head as he worked up enough courage to face their co-leader. "Hamuko-san?" He couldn't bring himself to look up at her. "I-I'm…"
The red-eyed girl gently smiled as she hugged him. "It's alright, Ken-kun. You don't have to say anything." The young brunet allowed himself to cry and Hamuko could only rub his back, hoping it would soothe the small child. "Welcome home…"
"Hello," Pharos greeted Hamuko as Minato slowly turned in his futon. "It's cold tonight. Can you believe it's already autumn? It'll be winter before you know it." He noticed the bags under Hamuko's red eyes. "You seem tired. Did something happen?" he asked the twins.
"No," the older boy responded, turning his head away from the other two.
"I see," Pharos frowned. "If you say so…"
"Nii-san… don't drive Pharos away too…" The girl lowered her gaze as she properly answered the younger boy. "A good friend was…" She had been hugging Pyro Shinji as she slept for the past few nights and she buried her frown into the plush's pumpkin head.
"Is that so?" Pharos looked at his friend in concern. "In this world, people die every day. Until recently, this was the same to me as the blowing of the wind. But now, I see things differently…" His blue eyes glowed in worry as he stared at her. "For the first time, I have friends."
Minato frowned to himself as he stared at the door. "Really?"
The mysterious boy nodded and although Minato didn't turn around to see it, the older boy sensed Pharos's soft smile on him. "Lately, I've become more certain of something… You know the end I've spoken of? Some people refer to it as 'the Fall', but regardless…" he gave Hamuko a grave frown. "It's drawing nearer. Don't you sense it…?" Minato shivered as the Reapers flashed in his mind. Pharos knelt behind Minato as he continued. "We are kindred spirits, you and I, so why is it that only I can remember?" Pharos stared at the older boy in confusion and hurt. "This is a heartrending matter. Is my existence something you are unable to accept?"
"What do you mean?" Minato turned around and studied the young boy's face.
"Pharos, you're our friend…" Hamuko frowned as she didn't notice her brother wincing as a sharp pain pierced his skull.
A burning car appeared before him and large shadowy creature stood over the wreckage. What the hell? Minato tried his best to make sense of the younger boy's words but couldn't.
"Forgive me if I have said anything peculiar today," Pharos sighed. "Perhaps it is the change of seasons. Of course, our friendship remains steadfast." He shook his head as he began to disappear. "Well… I shall bid you farewell for now. Good night."
After he was gone, Hamuko glanced down at her older twin. "Nii-san?"
He had already crawled back under his covers and turned away from her. "Hm?"
"He's right, you know…" she softly said. "People die all the time… every day… I know it hurts, but… we still have each other…"
"I know…" the boy meekly replied. "That's why I don't want to deal with everyone else… I don't want to go through the hurt of losing them too…"
"Nii-san…" Hamuko frowned. "You're being a coward."
"When am I not?" Minato scornfully mocked himself. He said nothing more as he pulled the covers over his head.
~B*O*N*U*S~S*C*E*N*E~
Ken shook his head as he panted. "I… don't think… I can… keep going, Sanada-san…" he said, trying to catch his breath.
"Come on," Akihiko frowned at him. "This is only just a warm up." He paused when the younger boy began throwing up. "H-hey!" He quickly pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to the boy. "You're dehydrated! I told you to drink plenty of fluids today!"
"Sanada-san… can we head back to the dorm?" Ken frowned. "I don't feel well…"
"Yeah," the boxer nodded, lifting the boy on his back. "Just don't tell Mitsuru or Hamuko about this… They'd probably kill us if they found out. Especially Mitsuru," he winced.
"Alright," the brunette nodded as he let the senior quickly take him back.
When they returned, Akihiko tensed up as he saw Minato in the dining area. The despondent teen looked up at them and frowned. "Hm," he grunted in greeting before going back to his meal.
Akihiko let out a sigh of relief as it seemed the Hellhound still wasn't quite back to his usual strict self just yet. "Hey, Minato."
Upon hearing his voice, Mitsuru glanced up at the pair from the lounge. "You're back so soon?" she asked him, causing the boxer to tense up as he completely failed to check the blindspot that was right next to the front door. Mitsuru frowned as she noticed Ken looking a bit tired. "Akihiko… don't tell me Amada is suffering from exhaustion and dehydration… I told you that it was too soon for you two to be training…"
"Oh, no! I'm fine! I got a bit sick while I was out," Ken said, returning to the ground. "Sanada-san was helping me…"
"Y-yeah… it's nothing," Akihiko nodded.
Mitsuru glanced over towards Minato for his professional opinion of the situation. "Yuki?"
"They're lying…" the junior apathetically stated, resulting in the boxer freezing up.
"I see," Mitsuru sternly glared at the white-haired senior. "Amada, you're free to go. Have Arisato give you a checkup. As for you, Akihiko…"
"No way…" the white-haired senior shook his head. "Come on, Mitsuru. We were only just hanging around the shrine…" He nervously laughed.
Minato quickly stood up and motioned for Ken to come with him as the two of them shouldn't be here to witness what was about to happen. "Let's go…"
"Um… okay…" Ken frowned as he followed the junior upstairs. The elementary school student was really tempted to turn back when Akihiko let out a painful scream, but he noticed Minato was also shivering.
"Don't look back," Minato muttered to the elementary school student. "It would just make it even more painful for Sanada-senpai…" he said as he shuddered in fear.
Final Notes: So in the movie, I totally blame Makoto for Shinji's death. If the idiot didn't hesitate in doing his job, Shinji wouldn't have had to die. In the game, I blame Ken. For being a child... Even though he is a child... Also, I really made Minato an emotional mess... Well, that's what happens when you commit one of the greatest sins in Ancient Greek mythology. Hubris really is a thing and although some of the punishments are unwarranted, like Ariadne's because I'm in the opinion that her situation wasn't from her own doing, it's a good thing to keep in mind to never get arrogant. Of course, that doesn't stop me from being overconfident at times, but at least I somewhat prepare myself for the consequences of my inevitable failures... Ahahah... So Minato needs to be punished.