A/N: First off, thanks to those who are following/keeping up with this fan fiction. It was due to your reviews that keeps me going and sorry if it took me longer than expected this time...Been playing two Persona games at the same time...plus the never ending school work. ಠ_ಠ Hope this turns out okay...
"To think that you destroyed my door and my moment..." Minako muttered surly. Minato grimaced at her.
"Didn't I tell Kirijo that I'm going to pay the expenses for fixing it?" he replied. "Come on, it's just a door, no need to make a fuss about it..." The two of them were at Wakatsu, eating dinner. The event earlier that afternoon were disastrous for Minako: Mitsuru punished her for letting a boy into her room, Yukari going on a fit, and Junpei as Junpei.
"It's MY door you broke, dear brother..." she said. "But it's worth it since you sure acted like a kid back then..." Minako smirked at her brother. Minato rolled his eyes.
"I wasn't thinking straight back then." he muttered. Minako chuckled. She remembered how Minato pried her away from Ryoji, and slaps Ryoji's hands away whenever he tries to reach out to Minako. He did all of that with a kid's pouty expression, like saying "This is mine. Hands off, damnit."
"Whatever you say, brother." Minako replied, smiling. Minato only whacked her on the head lightly.
"If you eat more than that, you'll get fat." he said, taking her third bowl of rice. "And if you get fat, you'll whine at my ears for not stopping you."
Minako pouted. "Well, you eat a lot too."
"At least I work out."
"As if I don't?"
"When did 'exercise' existed in your vocabulary?"
"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?"
Minato didn't answer. Instead, he looked out of the window. Minako knew this annoying habit of his; he's thinking of either work, or a topic change. She was about to intrude into his thoughts when he suddenly said, "I wish for you to stop seeing that guy."
Minako's jaw dropped in surprise. "W-What are you...?"
Minato turned to look at her. "I don't want you to get hurt. So stop seeing him."
"But he's a nice guy!"
"Yes, he is. But he made a bad first impression on me."
Minako stared at her brother incredulously. His jealousy is sometimes hard to understand.
"By the way, I'm leaving the day after tomorrow." Minato said, looking at Minako at the corner of his eyes. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"I've been here for more than six months already." Minako replied. "I can pretty much handle myself..."
"Good. Just give me a call if you ever need me." Minato said. "You haven't been running to me like a kid anymore...ever since...that guy..." He trailed off, obviously still pissed. Minako watched her brother intently.
"Why him of all people?" Minato suddenly said, exasperated.
"Because he reminds me of you." Minako replied. "Though, minus the Prince Charming trait. You've never been a gentleman. You're more like...a punk in business suit when you're with me."
Minato whacked her on the head again. "It's to discipline you. And stop pouting at me like a kid..."
"Bully..."
"Dude, did you notice that Ryoji seems not be himself this past few days?" Junpei said one night as they trudged up Tartarus. Minako, who had been looking out for shadows, turned to look at him.
"I haven't been able to see him these past few days." she admitted. "I'm kind of worried..."
"Will you two stay sharp?" Yukari snapped. "Tartarus isn't the right place to talk about love life..."
"Yeah.." Ken agreed. "I mean, it would suck if we get surprised by some weak shadow, right?"
"What's up with them?" Junpei asked indignantly as Yukari and Ken walked ahead of them. Minako only sighed.
"But hey, did you see Yuka-tan's face when she saw your brother?" Junpei said. "She was so dumbfounded. Or more like...love-struck?"
"STUPEI!" Yukari snarled angrily, shooting an arrow at his direction.
"Hey!" Junpei said, dodging it. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"Stop saying nonsense to our leader." Yukari said. "Don't make her think that I fancy him or anything..."
"Stop it, you guys." Minako said. "Let's just get through this floor and the next then we'll call it a day. Or night..."
Minako led them through as she thinks of Ryoji, deciding that she'll corner him the next day.
Minako was disappointed the next day. Ryoji's absent again, and she cannot contact him at all. His fan girls seems to be glaring daggers at her, like as if Ryoji's peculiar behavior is all her fault. She sighed, packed her things and proceeded to the door.
"Hold it right there, Arisato." a Ryoji fan girl said, blocking Minako's way. A few others surrounded them. Minako rolled her eyes.
"What is it now?" she snapped.
"We know you've been going out with Ryoji-kun for a while." The fan girl said. "And you were the last person he was with before he stopped coming to classes."
"And your point?"
"Ryoji-kun is a sensitive person." another fan girl piped up. "And since you're you, you must have broken his heart for he learned that you're going out with Akihiko-senpai."
Minako raised an eyebrow. "You people are the worst rumormongers. To think that you'd go to that extent of even ruining someone else's reputation..."
"Oh, and aren't you friends with that Hasegawa? Doesn't she has a bad reputation, being in that magazine? No wonder the two of you are best friends. You have the same revolting attitudes."
"And so goes the same for you girls." Minako said coolly. "I advise you to think again about yourselves. Do you really think girls who resort to low level tactics, like ruining another person's reputation, will win a man's heart?"
"Hey, what's going on here?" Yukari said.
"Oh, nothing." Minako said. "Just a heart to heart girl talk."
"Why you bitch-!" The fan girl in front of Minako raised her hand to slap Minako. Minako easily caught her wrist, what with the reflex training she'd been doing in Tartarus. She gripped the girl's wrist hard.
"I wish for you," Minako said as she smiled dangerously. "To rethink whom you're trying to pick a fight with."
"Let go!" The fan girl cried. "You're hurting me!"
"Oh, is that so?" Minako gripped it tighter. "Well, physical injuries heals. But the mental and emotional injuries do not. So it's better you stop spreading these baseless rumors that ruins other people's life." She let go of her and left the classroom, with Yukari trailing behind her.
"Hey, have you seen Aigis?" Fuuka asked as Minako entered the dorm.
"Isn't she in her room?" Minako asked, puzzled. Fuuka shook her head.
"No." Fuuka replied. "She's been acting weird lately...I'm getting worried."
"Yeah, to think tonight's a full moon." Junpei said, looking out of the window. "Man, I wish nothing bad happens."
"Wishing won't make it go away..." Minako muttered softly to herself, getting worried and anxious for no apparent reason as she locked herself in her room. She tried to call Ryoji again, but he doesn't pick up. The Dark Hour is a few minutes away, and Minako texted her brother before all electronic gadgets become useless.
"Brother, I don't know why I'm scared."
"And so am I." was Minato's reply. "If only I could be there by your side..."
Minako sighed as the Dark Hour came. "Be careful on your way back home, brother..."
"I'm sorry to wake you up." Fuuka said as Minako entered the command room along with Akihiko. "But I think I felt Aigis's Persona earlier at the Moonlight Bridge..."
"By the Moonlight Bridge?" Akihiko said, puzzled. "Why would she be there?"
Minako's eyes widened, her heart beating wildly. Why is she so afraid? Or even anxious? They've gone and defeated the last shadow there, so surely there's no more of those gigantic shadows...? Since Ikutsuki himself said that the Twelve Shadows have been reunited...
"Hey, Minako!" Akihiko called out, surprised as Minako ran out of the command room. He saw her frantic expression, scared for the first time, before she entirely disappeared.
"Fuuka, tell the others to go to the Moonlight Bridge." Akihiko said as he ran after Minako.
Minako reached the Moonlight Bridge panting. She looked around frantically, looking for Ryoji. Even though it seems absurd for her to think of seeing Ryoji during the Dark Hour, his face is the only one in her mind...Then she saw Aigis. Battered and almost dead. And not far off from them, Ryoji stood.
"...Ryoji-kun...?" Minako said, her voice caught in her throat. "What are you...Why...?"
"I'm so sorry, Minako-chan..." Ryoji said tearfully. "I know now fully that I really shouldn't have existed..."
"Aigis!" they heard Fuuka exclaimed. The other SEES members had arrived at the scene and was dumbfounded to see Ryoji. Mitsuru confronted Ryoji, and he spilled out everything. Of what he really is and how he came to be before he passes out. Minako rushed to his side, holding him close to her while trying to hold back her tears. She refuses to believe that he's the Harbinger of Death. Of HER death. For her, Ryoji Mochizuki is her kind and caring lover...
A/N: Yush! I refuse to end it in 10 chapters! Hope you look forward to the next update~