CHAPTER 26 / Conviction

February 28th, 2010

Dear Yukari,

It is human nature to second guess yourself, to doubt your decisions. If only I had done this or that…wonder if there was just some other means to accomplish what you needed. And I can only really think about this now…when all that is left is contemplation of my actions. Could I have done it differently? Perhaps I could have killed Nyx itself but no, that wasn't an option. Death is eternal for a reason. Imagine a world where no one could die…what would there be to fear then? Why would people work or strive for anything? No, it is because our time is limited that our lives are this way.

I have a belief that everything needs balance. For life…there needs to be death…just as every beginning must have an end. For there to be peace…there must also be war. For everything there is to love…there is an equal amount of things to hate. This creates an eternal struggle of good and evil…and no side can ever truly win. Perhaps if 'The Fall' had occurred there might have been a planet somewhere that would have been given life. Is this anything we could have ever known? No. We only know of our own lives and the struggles we face. With a desire to protect everything that we love. Knowing I was able to fight and protect the people I love is why I'm okay with this outcome.

Not too long ago I had a friend who died. Despite his days slowly coming to an end he was determined to finish a story. A story that holds a special place for me. I've talked with his Mother a few times now and it looks like his story is going to be published. So even though he is gone…his words will reach other generations for many years to come.

Maybe I feel somewhat spiteful that none of what we did will never be known. That maybe I just want someone to know about the sacrifice that not just me…but also Aragaki Shinjiro and Kirijo Takeharu. Even your Father Takeba Eiichiro who all died believing that the nightmare would end. So that the ones after us would no longer have to suffer its affects. Shinjiro held guilt for the death of Amada Ken's mother…but he wanted to ensure that Ken would live on and not follow him into death. Takeharu wanted to bear the responsibility of the past so that none of us would have to suffer…so that we could return to our lives as just normal kids. Your Father…simply wanted to stop the world from being destroyed.

Well I doubt it was that simple…and perhaps one day I'll get the chance to ask him what really happened back then. I'm not sure how this whole Great Seal thing is going to work exactly. Here I am…talking so casually about my own death…if it even is a 'death' in the traditional sense. It's like being in an army and being appointed to Guard duty for eternity. You'll probably get angry with me talking like this.

The only reason I can talk like this is because of you. I never loved anyone until I met you. Never cared what happened to others until I met you. Everything changed the day I saw you at the dormitory. Something about you was so familiar, and a part of me just wanted to protect you. If you hadn't been there I might have walked away from SEES and maybe even left town as a result. But that doesn't matter, what does is that I met you…loved you and will continue to love you, now and forever. So please continue to live…live your life, if not for yourself…then for me.

I believe that one day…we'll be reunited. But until then I expect you to live…so one day you can tell me everything about your life. And who knows…maybe I'll have some entertaining stories from being the Great Seal. Only time will tell.

Love Always,
Arisato Minato

November 17th, 2009 / Evening

"Kyoto, huh? Talk about boring," Junpei groaned from behind Minato.

"You don't like it? Personally, I think it is one of the most beautiful places in the world," Ryoji said looking out the window of the tour bus at the landscape. Minato noticed that Ryoji had fit in quite well with everyone. He seemed rather easy going, except for his habit of flirting and asking out all the girls. Most of which barely tolerated his obscenely obvious advances.

"Have you even been to Kyoto, Junpei?" Minato asked only half paying attention at the moment. He was sitting next to Yukari, and although she was tired she looked to be quite happy to be here.

"Whatever…does it matter? I was just hoping our school trip would be to somewhere more…exciting," Junpei shrugged.

"You haven't even seen where we are going yet," Yukari stated. "See up there? That's the hotel we are staying at."

Yukari pointed it out which had everyone looking towards it. It was certainly bigger than most had expected. Minato could care less about their destination…he was just hoping to have some time to relax. Yukari and her Mom were talking a lot more, which was great…but Minato was also taking the time to double up his studying and ensure that SEES was well equipped. Not to mention he had pushed them a little harder in their time in Tartarus. He was still nervous that so much time had passed and they hadn't learned much of anything. He was also concerned that Mitsuru…while she had been convinced by Yukari to rejoin SEES activities…there was still something wrong. Mitsuru was still not herself. She needed a push…but Minato knew it wasn't him that needed to do it. Not at first anyway.

The tour bus pulled to a stop in front of the hotel and hadn't noticed it was time to get out until Yukari was pulling him up to his feet. Minato yawned and rubbed his eyes for a moment.

"How can you sleep for so long? I mean we're probably going to all be in bed soon anyway. Won't it be hard for you to sleep?" Yukari asked frowning at him.

He shook his head, "Believe me…sleeping won't be an issue."

"If you say so," she giggled and leaned over and kissed his cheek.

As they walked into the lobby with their luggage it looked like Junpei was changing his tune from before. "We're finally here! Whoa, nice place!"

"It is an expensive area, after all," Yukari commented and stopped Minato from sitting down on one of the nearby chairs. "Oh no you don't. We are going to go get some dinner. You have barely eaten anything all day."

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice," Minato muttered to himself.

"Hey, what's that umbrella for?" Ryoji said strolling up on the other side of Minato. Minato looked at the umbrella in question and saw it at one of the tables.

"Just for decoration," Minato shrugged.

"…I see. So, that's the style here in Kyoto, huh? …So, which way to the geisha's?" Ryoji switched gears. Minato and Yukari shared a look and they both frowned.

"That's right, I forgot about that! Count me in!" Junpei quickly chimed in.

Minato groaned, "This is gonna be a long trip."

"Keep dreamin', Junpei-kun," Yukari shook her head.

Yukari dragged Minato along as they all went up to a long row of windows that looked outside. Aigis and Fuuka were looking out at it.

"The stone area outside is filled with water…Is this one of the open-air hot springs I have heard about?" Aigis asked with legitimate curiosity.

"No," Minato, Fuuka and Yukari all answered at once. Minato shook his head…it was going to be a bad school trip…he could just feel it.

"It's just a courtyard. It's not meant for bathing," Fuuka explained.

"So, where were you guys going at your old school, Ryoji? Somewhere interesting, I bet. Kyoto is so typical, don't you think?" Junpei asked changing the subject, much to Minato's relief.

"Hmm…don't really remember," Ryoji shrugged.

"Are you serious? That's the highlight of the year," Yukari was legitimately surprised which threw Minato off guard for a moment.

"Did you guys forget he's been overseas? Not many other countries do annual school trips you know," Minato commented offhandedly.

"Oh that's true," Yukari said thinking about it from next to him. Also Minato knew it wasn't any of their business. He never liked it when people asked him about the past so Ryoji may be the same as well. Might as well stop any awkward talk in its tracks.

"Come on, you can all talk later," Ms. Toriumi approached them. "You're blocking the hallway. Girls, your rooms are that way. Why don't you go get unpacked?"

Then as quickly as she had come she disappeared to another group who was also lounging about. Minato shook his head…It had been a long day of traveling…he just wanted to head up to his room and sleep. He took a few steps but felt a strong grip on his arm. He looked to see Yukari.

"I don't think so, Minato. You are coming with us so that I make sure you eat," Yukari was definitely giving him the look that indicated that he had no room to argue with her. Minato sighed heavily but didn't fight it.

"We'll see you later, then," Fuuka said to the other boys as she and Yukari started to walk. Yukari dragging Minato behind her.

Then Junpei looked like he was trying to follow. Yukari quickly noticed this and glared at him, "Hey, knock it off, Junpei-kun. Back over there!"

"Oh but Minato can go?" Junpei eyed Minato.

"He's going because if he doesn't he's just going to go to his room and fall asleep without eating," Yukari said.

"She's right," Minato confirmed as he yawned. "Aigis, you coming?"

Aigis was still looking out the window to the courtyard. Most likely avoiding contact with Ryoji.

"Aigis, get with the program!" Yukari said that snapped her out of it. Then without another word they made their way down the hall and up a staircase. Minato wasn't much happier when he learned that the girls' room was on the fourth floor. He took a seat out by the vending machine as the girls went to get situated in their rooms. It didn't really matter for Minato…he had brought just a couple changes of clothes and hidden his evoker on himself.

Then he saw a familiar red haired individual come up the stairs. Kirijo Mitsuru. He got a good look at her face in the first time in what seemed like forever. And he saw the unmistakable emotions that she held. Minato knew them well…had understood that pain long before he had returned to Tatsumi Port Island and Iwatodai. She looked like she would pass him by without even looking at him…and something about it just pissed him off. So he got up and got in her way. Forcing her to acknowledge him.

"Arisato? When did you…?" Her composure was shaken for a moment before she regained her footing. "Something that I can help you with?" She averted her eyes…actually she had not looked at him eye to eye ever since the night her Father died.

"So that is it then? Is this what you want?" Minato asked not hiding his anger from his voice. It clearly shook her up.

"No, what I want is…" She said turning her head more away from him.

"Shut up," he growled and this time he moved forward and pushed her against the wall. "This is not you. This is not the daughter of Kirijo Takeharu."

Her own anger flared up and she finally looked at him, "How dare you!?"

"You need to wake up! The world is not going to wait for you!" Minato said his eyes dead locked with hers and not flinching.

Mitsuru broke from him and walked past him. "You don't understand anything," Mitsuru quickly disappeared into what he assumed was her room.

Minato just stared at the door for a bit, "Yeah, because I never lost my parents. Tch."

Only a few moments later he heard another door open and realized it was Yukari, "I heard yelling, is everything okay?"

He shrugged and sighed, letting out his anger and tension, "I don't know how to reach, Mitsuru-senpai. More likely I'm not clear headed enough to get through to her right now."

She looked over at the door that Minato had been looking at and then back at him, "If anyone could get through to her, it would be you…but can you leave that to me for now?"

Minato looked at her for a moment and then nodded, "Alright." He gazed back to door Mitsuru had disappeared into. "I know those feelings…so do you. To feel like you've lost everything. Like there just is no longer a point in anything. I had to face that…all alone. She doesn't have to and yet…"

"I know," Yukari said pulling him into her arms. This simple action calmed Minato down even further and he took a few deep breaths and adjusted himself in Yukari's arms so that his head rested on her shoulder. "I don't think she even realizes how much we're worried about her. But everything will be okay. For now though…we are going to go get you some food."

"Isn't it close to our curfew?" Minato asked as he took another deep breath and moved away from Yukari as they now moved towards the stairs.

"Don't worry, we aren't going that far. Besides Toriumi-sensei won't mind if I tell her that you haven't eaten all day. There is a nice ramen shop that is just down the street," Yukari said simply as if she had already planned everything out.

"Right, you used to live around here, huh?" Minato said scratching the back of his head. "So any other local spots you plan on showing me?"

"Maaaaaaybe," she grinned.

Minato groaned, "Can we go back home yet?"

"Oh come on, it will be fun. I promise," Yukari said as they reached the base of the stairs. She turned and smiled at him…the one that Minato could never resist in a million years.

"You're doing that on purpose," he frowned, knowing a trap when he saw one.

"You're the only one that knows all about me, Minato. And…" Yukari was suddenly nervous and her smile turned into one of hesitation.

"I got it, I got it," he said as he walked up to her and kissed her quickly on her lips. "Sorry, just the whole thing with Kirijo-san made me irritated."

"You're forgiven," she said smiling once more and took his hands. "Now come on before Toriumi-sensei sees us."

"But didn't you say…?"

"Come on, come on!" Yukari said as she pushed him out the front door of the hotel.

March 16th, 2011 / Late Evening

"You two snuck out at the school trip?" Mitsuru raised an eye as Yukari put the leather bound journal down.

"Yeah well…it was a complicated time. And with all the time I had talking and spending time with my Mom I hadn't done anything with Minato in a while. And since I knew the area and Minato hadn't eaten all day I figured it would be alright. Besides no one even noticed we were gone," Yukari said but still somewhat embarrassed about revealing her blatant breaking of school rules.

"I didn't realize that Minato had been that direct with you, Mitsuru," Akihiko said from his spot in the large room that Isako was lending them. She too was here interested on listening in on some of what was written in the journal.

"To be honest, it was because of Minato that I ended up listening to Yukari the next day. I had been lost…because the only reason I had ever become a Persona user was to protect my Father. When he died…I thought there was nothing left for me. Nothing for me to aim for or accomplish. I just wanted to…" she became quiet. "…I wanted to die, along with my Father. It was Minato and Yukari that reminded me that there were other things I could do. More that I could do for my Father even if he was no longer alive."

"That Minato was always thinking about our battle. Even there…it never seemed like he really let himself enjoy anything. The only time he ever really smiled was when he was with you," Junpei said looking at Yukari.

"He took the burden of leadership more seriously than we ever knew," Mitsuru commented. "For a while, I thought he had only said those things so that I would remain effective for SEES. For a time I thought I was merely an asset for him. A resource to be used in the fight. But after we returned from the school trip…he began to spend time with me and I learned quite a bit more about him."

Yukari smiled remembering the conversation the two of them had back at Yakushima and that Mitsuru had fallen in love with Minato as well in that time.

"He cared for everyone," Ken said. "He was even nice enough to buy me a souvenir from Kyoto. Even though I wasn't there…senpai took time to think about me and even Koromaru."

"Oh that's right," Junpei laughed. "Man, Koro-chan was happy as hell when Minato busted out that rope to play tug of war with."

"Remember how many times, Koro-chan won against Minato?" Yukari added which had everyone in SEES laughing. Just the thought of Minato being dragged around the lounge of the dorm by Koromaru was enough to make them all smile.

"Do you guys remember the look on his face when Shinji adjusted Minato's diet? He even lectured him about how he wasn't eating enough vegetables and that he needed to set an example for his team," Akihiko said which everyone was laughing once again.

"So what else happened at the school trip? He's got more written down, doesn't he?" Kana asked who seemed completely enthralled with the story. She was sitting on the floor with most of SEES and had Hamuko resting and using her lap as a pillow.

"Yeah, I'm kinda curious too," Yukari said opening the journal again. "I spent most of the trip with Mitsuru after that and not sure what the guys did."

"Hey, umm…Akihiko-senpai, maybe we should go get a drink or something. I mean we already know what happens," Junpei said rather suddenly and getting to his feet.

"Yeah, we could head down to the convenience store. I should buy a protein shake for the morning," Akihiko and Junpei quickly nodded at each other and waved to the rest as they left. Yukari and Mitsuru shared a curious glance and then to Fuuka and Aigis.

"I have a feeling there is something on here that us girls aren't supposed to know about," Yukari flipped the page and started reading once again.

November 19th, 2009 / Evening

Minato had moved towards the back of the hot spring and found a place to sit back and look up into the night sky. Night had already fallen and the stars populated the sky. Yukari had told Minato earlier that there was nothing to worry about and that Mitsuru was more or less back to her old self. Or at the very least taken some steps towards it. He didn't doubt Yukari in the least, but something still bothered him. Yukari may have broken through to Mitsuru but there was still more healing that she would have to do. Still if there had been progress done then…it was for the better.

He wasn't alone here…as it was Junpei and Ryoji's insistence that they were even here in the first place. Yet somehow they had gotten Akihiko to join them. Well, whatever, it didn't matter to him…he just wanted to relax a bit more and then go to bed.

"Did you know this hot spring is open to guys at certain times and girls at others?" Ryoji said which had Minato raising an eyebrow.

"No way, really? Then there is a chance it could change to girls only while we're still bathing. But if that happens, there's nothing we can do about it. I mean we're already here, right?" Junpei added which only made alarms go off in Minato's head.

"That's true. We couldn't be blamed if something like that were to happen. Don't you agree?" Ryoji grinned looking at me.

"You two are idiots," Minato muttered as he looked back up into the night sky.

"Well, it's really just a hypothetical question," Ryoji said.

"…Hey, isn't it getting kinda hot in here?" Junpei asked. The two of them were driving Minato nuts.

"So, Junpei, at what time does this hot-spring change from guys to girls?" Akihiko asked, clearly in the same mood as Minato.

"Um…I'm not sure. I didn't bother to check. Right, Ryoji-kun?" Junpei said grinning at his obvious partner in crime.

"That's it, I'm leaving," Minato said as he stood up and started to make his way but both Junpei and Ryoji stopped him.

"Calm down, man. We're just joking! Although I know it is a strange time to come down here. But don't worry it is pretty late, I doubt any of the girls are…" Junpei stopped at the sound of moving water from the other side of the large rock that separated us from the entrance. "…Shit! Someone's here! What're we gonna do?"

Minato face palmed and shook his head, "If you have the guts to pull this shit on me, at least have the guts to go all the way through with it."

"Don't worry. This is simply a misunderstanding. We'll just act like we didn't know," Ryoji said smoothly.

"Wow! This hot spring is huge!" the familiar voice of Yukari could be heard entering the hot spring.

Minato glared at Ryoji and Junpei, "You were saying?"

"Oh, you're right…It's the size of a swimming pool," entered Fuuka's voice. That comment made Minato stop a moment…just how big did Fuuka think swimming pools were? Maybe if she was comparing it to an Olympic size pool maybe…

"So, this is an outdoor hot spring. Unfortunately, its therapeutic healing benefits will not help me," Aigis voice was now counted among the girls. Minato frowned…why were they bringing Aigis in a hot spring?

"Dammit, it's them…what're they doing here this late…?" Junpei was panicking.

"They are used to being up late just as we are," Minato muttered the obvious answer.

"Yes! Both Yukari-san and Fuuka-san! This is my lucky ni…"

Minato moved quick and pushed Ryoji underneath the water and letting him up after a moment. "What was that about my girlfriend, Ryoji-kun?" His stare made Ryoji shrink back against the center rock.

"Shut up, they'll hear you!" Junpei muttered.

"You're both idiots," Minato growled. He was pissed for being in this situation.

"…Who's that!? Is someone there?" Yukari suddenly called out. Minato cursed to himself.

"…What's the matter, Yukari? Did you hear something?" that voice…was Mitsuru. Minato stopped though…when did Mitsuru start using Yukari's first name? Was it part of what Yukari had been talking about earlier? If so then she had done really well in breaking through to Mitsuru. Minato didn't want to lie about being in the hot spring…but selling out Junpei and the others wouldn't exactly be a good thing with Mitsuru around. He had heard about her executions from not just Akihiko but Shinjiro when he was around. And if it was something Shinjiro feared then he would have to deal with it delicately.

He surveyed the area…and saw a small alcove that was hidden in the large rock in the middle…but there wasn't enough room for all of them.

"M-Mitsuru's here, too!? Oh, man. There's no way she'll consider this just a 'misunderstanding.'" Akihiko shrank up against the rock.

"Yeah, but it's not like we could get expelled for this, right? I mean it was men only when we got here. So it's actually kinda funny, if you think about it," Junpei whispered with a nervous laugh.

Minato and Akihiko shared a look before the silver hair boxer spoke, "This is Mitsuru we're talking about. If she finds us, she'll…" Akihiko made a loud audible gulp.

"What? She'll what?" Junpei was getting scared, obviously.

"She'll execute us!" Akihiko warned.

"Execute us?" Ryoji was spooked now too.

"…Yeah I think I heard something. Fuuka, could you check over there? I-It could be a ghost…" Yukari said. Minato frowned…a ghost? Well it was one of the things he thought was cute about Yukari. The girl could face down a Shadow five to ten times her size but just the mere thought of a ghost would scare her. Well there was one way he could play this.

"You three in there now," Minato directed toward the alcove in the large rock.

"Okay, but what about you?" Junpei said looking at Minato with actual concern. That was a new one on him.

"I'm saving your asses. And you better believe it that you and Ryoji owe me big time for this," he said with a glare. "Now go." The three guys did as he said as Minato moved back to where he had been and relaxed back and looked back at the stars…and let himself close his eyes.

"I'm scared to look around by myself…Yukari-chan. Will you look with me?" Fuuka asked.

Minato didn't realize how tired he was…maybe it was just all the stress catching up to him. With Mitsuru being someone he couldn't even talk to anymore…and SEES overall demeanor and lack of direction…it seemed he was fighting every day with all of them. All of them but Yukari. He was so tired of it all…How could all of them just give up after everything they have achieved and done? So what if they didn't know what to do next? They still had to keep moving forward…they had to keep fighting. Like Yukari had told him…there still had to be a way to end the Dark Hour. And he believed it too. Nothing was ever completely irreversible.

Before he had known it…he really had fallen asleep. All of SEES was struggling their own internal battles…Yukari was finally facing her life…talking with her Mom again and trying to move forward. Mitsuru was dealing with the death of her Father and the fate of the Kirijo Group. Junpei was dealing with his feelings for Chidori and her fate resided in whatever the Kirjo Group decided. Aigis seemed to be conflicted with just the presence of Ryoji…and it actually bothered Minato as well. Fuuka was starting to have more confidence in herself but…she was still unsure of her best way to contribute to SEES. Akihiko was also affected by the death of Kirijo Takeharu. He had probably known him a bit better as he had been with Mitsuru for so long. Plus there was also the death of Shinjiro that more than likely would always weigh heavily on his mind. Ken had the deaths of his Mother and Shinjiro that affected him. Even Koromaru…the priest he had always been with had died as well. All of SEES was surrounded by Death…affected differently.

What about Minato? He had long since forgotten how to deal with death. Even with Shinjiro and Takeharu dead…he still had no idea how to take it. How to deal with the frustration that he just seemed to bury deeper and deeper inside of him. He had been responsible for their safety…he should have been better…should have been able to stop it from happening. But he was useless…a mere boy with no significant power to call his own. All he had was borrowed…taken from somewhere else. All he was left was his emotions…his ties with others. Social links…the fuel of his ability…and yet it wasn't strong enough…not yet. He had to be stronger or he would no doubt lose someone else. He couldn't fail again…all he ever did was fail. He was just never good enough.

"…careful…"

Minato heard a familiar voice. He must have been waking up.

"Get me a wash cloth and a bottle of water," it was Yukari.

"Affirmative," said Aigis.

"Is Arisato, okay?" came Mitsuru's voice.

He felt her hand on his forehead, "He's flushed. He must have fallen asleep. Why wasn't anyone with him?"

"Should we call an ambulance?" Fuuka spoke up.

"I'll make the arrangements. You two just stay with him," Mitsuru gave a quick order and most likely disappeared.

"This is my fault. I should have made sure he was okay," Yukari muttered.

"Yukari…It isn't…"

"Yes it is," Yukari cut her off. "He doesn't think I've noticed but he's depressed, Fuuka. He hasn't been eating at all lately. I didn't even think about making sure he was drinking enough water…and the hot-spring sure as hell didn't help him."

"Here is what you asked for, Yukari-san," Aigis had returned.

"Thank you, Aigis," Yukari said. Minato heard the sound of her opening the water bottle and more than likely pouring it on the wash cloth. She then put the cold wash cloth on Minato's head. He had no idea how hot he felt until she did that. He was dehydrated…not only that…but severely. "I'm sorry, love." Yukari whispered. "I should have made sure you were okay first…"

Minato was pissed for a different reason now. None of this should have happened…thanks to Junpei and Ryoji this whole thing had happened. Not to mention he hadn't even noticed how close he had been to passing out the whole time. He had more or less asked for this to happen. Yukari was right…he was depressed…he hadn't been eating…he just hadn't had the appetite. It just didn't feel important. He hadn't even realized that was why Yukari had been more or less forcefully taking him out to make sure he ate. It wasn't that she was happier because of everything…it was because she had been trying to cheer him up the whole time. She was going out of her way to try and make him feel better and to make sure he was taking care of himself. He was a real idiot.

He managed to open his eyes and found himself looking into the tear filled eyes of Yukari. His own tears fell down his face and they seem to sting as they fell down his face.

"Minato, can you sit up? You need to drink some water," Yukari said wiping her tears away. They were out in the lounge, and Minato was haphazardly dressed in his clothes. More than likely dressed by Yukari before moving him out into the lounge which was much cooler.

"I'm sorry," he whispered reaching up to her face. She took his hand but placed it down.

"This is my job. Don't be sorry," Yukari had a soothing tone as he tried to take a drink of water...but for some reason seemed incredibly hard to do. "Just relax...its fine if you can't, help is coming."

"Hey, Minato-kun, you okay?" It was Ryoji asking. He turned to see all of the guys standing there, back in their clothes.

"All three of you should leave," Yukari's tone was sharp and although she hadn't been loud, it halted the three guys, her anger making them all step back.

"Hey we just want to know if he's okay…" Junpei started.

"Where were you earlier, huh?" she glared at them. "You guys were all with him through most of the day, and not one of you noticed that he hadn't eaten or had anything to drink, did you? Yet you let him go to the hot spring alone? If we hadn't gone in then he might have still been in there. Do you have any idea how serious this is?"

None of them responded…to be fair even Minato hadn't realized how bad it was until then. Now…he felt the full weight of it…he was light headed…felt hot…yet dry. That should have been a big indicator…he hadn't been sweating. Clear signs of bad dehydration.

A moment later the silence was replaced by an open door and loud shuffling of feet. "He's right over here," it was Mitsuru directing the paramedics.

Minato felt someone grab his arm and then flash something in his eyes. He wasn't exactly sure of what was going on around him. Everything only became more confusion with every passing moment.

"Yeah, he's dehydrated pretty badly. Get me the IV," one of the paramedics said. "Can anyone tell me what he's had to eat or drink today?"

"Nothing," Yukari replied. "He hasn't been eating or drinking correctly lately."

"Yukari, why haven't you told anyone?" Mitsuru asked.

"He's our leader, you know? It isn't easy for him to try and pull all of us together, especially after what happened," Yukari said as Minato felt someone moving him. He must have been put onto a stretcher. "None of you see how hard he tries. He keeps up the equipment…makes sure we're well supplied…makes the arrangements and…"

"Does he have family, or a teacher that can come with us?" a paramedic interrupted.

"No, but I have all his information and ID with me. I'm his girlfriend," Yukari said from beside the stretcher.

"Takeba...I'm sorry that I..." Akihiko was abruptly cut off by her.

"No. You don't get to apologize to me," Yukari was short with him and looked back to the paramedic. Either way, even Minato knew that now wasn't a good time with that. Her focus was more on him right now.

"Alright, let's get going then," the paramedic said as Minato felt himself get pushed…then he was lifted into what was no doubt the ambulance. It had turned into quite a different night then he had hoped. He should have just refused Junpei and gone to bed like he had wanted. Then maybe this whole situation could have been avoided. Hearing Yukari blaming the others for what he had obviously done to himself. It didn't matter what others had done…he had still done this to himself.

The IV was cold…and it was certainly cooling his body down. But it really wasn't comfortable at all. Still he was exhausted…he just wanted to sleep. But he didn't…instead he found himself with his hand wrapped in Yukari's own…and looking up into her eyes.

He loved her…he loved her more than any amount of words or actions could say. This girl had been watching him that closely to notice something was wrong before he himself could realize it. She blamed herself for not being there…when had anyone in his life ever felt that way towards him? When had anyone ever wanted to be there for him? Yukari continued to surprise him every day…and his love for her only grew. Even if in the end…She and him were the only ones fighting…he would have no regrets. Fighting against fate with the love of his life by his side? How could anyone complain about that? He only hoped one day he could make it up to her…to show her just how much he loved her. And he hoped that he was there to see her eyes light up the moment she realized it. That one look would be worth a thousand lifetimes.

March 16th, 2011 / Late Evening

Yukari put the journal down for a moment, how could she have forgotten this? How did she forget that Minato had passed out in the hot spring? That she had gone to the hospital with him? She looked at her hands and saw them shaking. It had to be the Abyss of Time, right?

"Did…did we all forget this?" Yukari looked at Mitsuru, Fuuka and Aigis. "Did the Abyss of Time do this to us?"

"This isn't what we meant when we decided to move on. We didn't want to forget all the struggles we faced…it was in those times that we were truly tested as a team," Mitsuru shook her head; she was equally as shaken up.

"He was so worried about all of us that he had made himself sick in the process. And what did we do in return?" Fuuka was crying. "Minato-kun…he always was cheering me on. Even though my cooking was horrible he would still try it. He never lied to me either…he always told me when something was bad and when I had improved. He always had comments that made me feel better and like I should try harder. Minato-kun…he was important to me. Even with my skills as a Persona…I never realized how much he pushed himself. I failed as an analyzer...I was supposed to make sure everyone was healthy..."

Yukari stared down at the journal. He had affected all of them…he had put everything he had into SEES and protecting them. She only loved him more with every page that she read. His doubts…his concerns that he had kept to himself…how had all of them missed it? How did they all not realize the truth? Yukari…even as his girlfriend had made many mistakes…he seemed to get better after that incident…so she stopped worrying so much. No…rather they were too busy being worried about everything else. She had slowly eased her guard on Minato's well being because of everything else.

"The Abyss of Time?" Isako, who had been quietly listening all along finally, spoke up. "What is that?"

"After Minato's passing…not long after we all became trapped in the dormitory that we had all stayed in with him. It was a place of our own creation because none of us understood why…why Minato had died. To us…he had simply died for no reason. On the day of graduation…we had promised to all meet each other and we did. He died only mere moments after we had all arrived. We called an ambulance and he was rushed to the hospital…and while his body was alive. Minato was pronounced brain dead that day," Mitsuru looked towards a window. "A day that was supposed to be of celebration of what we had accomplished…had been turned into…one of despair and agony. None of us knew why…we didn't know what happened at that final battle. And of course we didn't ask because in that time…none of us remembered we had fought."

"No one…except Aigis and Minato," Yukari muttered as she ran her hand on the blue leather bound journal.

"Except he wouldn't talk about it with me," Aigis said. "He spent nearly all his time with Yukari. He began neglecting his studies and other things…and I didn't realize that he had been writing in that journal. However I had seen it a few times. As a matter of fact…that very morning of the graduation was when he stopped by a mail box to put in a package. I had no idea what it was at the time."

"So your collective desire and pain of losing Minato-san was what led to the creation of…The Abyss of Time?" Isako looked around. It seemed Kana had fallen asleep with Hamuko on her lap. "What was its purpose?"

"We were given a choice. Our desires gave birth to a key…a key that would allow us to perform one miracle," Mitsuru said softly.

"We fought for it…because we all wanted different things. I wanted to bring him back," Yukari said without hesitation.

"We wanted to leave things be and return to our world," Ken spoke up. "Akihiko, Junpei and even Koromaru felt it would be against the reason Minato had died."

"In the end, I won," Aigis spoke up next. "And ultimately I decided to find out why…why had he died?"

"When we learned the truth…that he was the reason that Nyx was being kept at bay…the fact that he had died was because his soul had become the Great Seal. And we found out another truth…that a creature known as Erebus was what was calling for Nyx. The collected will of humanities wish for death. We all realized that there was nothing we could have done. But that still doesn't change anything," Yukari quickly felt her emotions going out of control. "He's still fighting…he's fighting all alone up there. And he'll never know…he'll never know how much he is missed. How much he is loved. Or even his own daughter! It isn't fair...it is not fair! He gave his life for us but he's suffering all alone."

Hamuko who had obviously woken up was by Yukari's side, and pulled the older young woman into her arms, "He does know, Yukari. He does." Hamuko whispered.

"I'm sorry that I have brought up such painful memories," Isako apologized with a bow. "If it is of any compensation, I am deeply grateful to hear just how much my dear nephew meant to all of you. That he was so loved by the people close to him."

"We thank you for your hospitality," Mitsuru returned the bow, trying to remain composed.

"I have more to share in the morning, if you are all willing. Until then, please get some rest," Isako bowed one more time and then disappeared from the room.

"What did I miss?" Hamuko asked still holding Yukari to her as she looked to Mitsuru.

"I'm sure the journal can speak more clearly than any of us can right now," Mitsuru admitted brushing away a tear that had escaped her.

"I'm sorry, Hamuko-chan. I'm always crying it seems," Yukari apologized and sat up.

"Don't apologize. I know it was hard for all of you…you all loved my brother very much," she said looking at everyone in the room. Onii-chan…if only you could see them. How hard it is for them to move past you. You may have lived a short life…but the impact you made will live for generations beyond even the longest living soul on this planet.

November 21st, 2009 / After School

Minato had to wonder exactly how this situation came to be. Out of all people he could be at the ramen shop with…it had been Kirijo Mitsuru. Someone he had full on yelled at and had damn near came close to hitting her. Thankfully he had enough control on his frustration to stop that from occurring…but it still was odd he was here with her. He had talked to Yukari about the possibility of him spending time with Mitsuru while she was at Archery practice but…it was odd how he was now in that said situation.

Still of all places they could have gone…they wound up at Hagakure. Just how many more strange occurrences could happen in his life? He had known Mitsuru for a while…but she held a responsibility of being the next CEO of the Kirijo Group. It was a lot of responsibility.

"Psst…Arisato," Mitsuru whispered to him. They were sitting right next to each other…was there a particular reason she felt like whispering? He looked over at her as he slurped down a noodle from his udon bowl. "Please tell me what the etiquette here is. Are there any customs I need to follow?"

He smiled a bit, "Make a lot of noise while you eat."

"Make a lot of noise?" she looked at him questioningly.

Minato nodded, "Yeah, like this." He took another noodle and slurped it up with a good audible noise.

"That seems so…primitive," Mitsuru sat back and looked at her ramen for a bit. Minato couldn't help but chuckle.

"It is meant to be a compliment to the chef. You find it so delicious that you more or less let everyone know it. Just listen to other people as they eat," Minato said pointing out some others. And as if on cue a portion of customers had more or less made their own slurping noise.

"Hmm, well," Mitsuru nodded and picked up her chop sticks. "Bon appetit!" She took a bite and did her best to imitate what Minato had done. She took a few more after that.

"How is it?" Minato asked.

"Hmm…The taste is quite interesting…I thought it tasted strange at first, but as I continued to eat, I realized there is a subtle charm to it." She smiled at Minato. "It is quite delicious."

Minato chuckled, "Expert analysis as always."

"Arisato, are you teasing me?" she eyed him.

"And if I am?" he grinned.

She looked away from him suddenly and took another bite of her ramen. She then looked up to the cook behind the counter, "Pardon me, Chef."

"Chef?" the man was actually the Ramen shop owner. Minato just watched the exchange. "You talkin' to me?"

"The ramen tastes absolutely wonderful…It's been a while since I last complimented the Chef. What do you use for bouillon?" Mitsuru asked.

The Ramen shop owner just looked confused, "Bouillon? What the hell is that? Anyways, if ya want to know the recipe, sorry, I can't tell ya, lady. Without our secret recipe, we'd be out of business."

"Well then, if it is a secret, I completely understand. You don't have to tell me. Now, this would be considered a meal if one were to eat it with rice, yes? That is very interesting," Mitsuru seemed to be more talking to herself than the owner at this point which just made Minato smile. The owner looked at Minato with a confused look and he just waved him off to forget it. The owner shrugged and walked off. "You could probably make more money if you patent the recipe and sold it." She looked up finally and noticed the owner was gone. She looked over at Minato who was chuckling at her actions.

"Money huh?" Minato prodded.

"Oh, sorry. My imagination got the best of me," she said suddenly nervous and looking at her ramen again. "Its just I've wanted to try ramen for a long time. Does that make me strange?"

Minato raised an eyebrow at her, "You're telling me that my Senpai has never had ramen before today?"

She seemed to be a bit shaken, "No…I guess that does make me strange huh?"

"Have you eaten at any of the places around here?" Minato asked with a more serious tone.

"No, I haven't…I was never able to eat this type of food. I'm not used to these styles of restaurants. And I felt extremely awkward coming here alone," Mitsuru admitted.

"Alone?" Minato gave a questioning look. Did that mean she had never done something like this before with Akihiko or Shinjiro? Just who was Mitsuru friends with? Yukari was now…but that hadn't been very long. And well if she had gone out with Minato once that meant she was likely to do so again. "Then it is decided."

"What's decided?" Mitsuru asked with a glance.

"You are going to be accompanying me on a tour of the local restaurants when you are free after school," Minato declared.

"You don't mind?" Mitsuru asked suddenly. This threw Minato off for a moment.

"Wait you were going to ask me?" Minato blinked.

She nodded suddenly nervous again. "I'm so glad you're here with me. You taught me a bunch about ramen etiquette. Um…I also wanted to talk about what happened on the school trip."

Now it was Minato's turn to be nervous, "I didn't mean to be so forward. I was just frustrated about…"

"…how I had been acting, yes?" Mitsuru finished his thought for him. He nodded. "I noticed at the party back then that you had hit it off quite well with my Father. I think if you had the chance to have gotten to know him better, you would have really liked him."

"I think you're right," Minato commented.

"My point was…I was so engulfed in my own anguish that I neglected my duties…ones that I pushed onto you. I know that you have been attending the Student Council more frequently because of my recent behavior," She was playing with what was left of her ramen with her chop sticks. "I want to make it up to you…not just for helping me but also for how you tried to save my Father. I know it affected you as well."

"No one likes to see someone die in front of them. Especially like that," Minato could see that moment in his mind again…how he wasn't fast enough…how he had failed Mitsuru…had failed SEES once again. He had a lot to make up for…for all of them.

"Will you allow me to make it up to you?" Mitsuru asked.

"You don't need to make up anything to me. I was the one who was out of line in Kyoto," Minato stated as he went to get up.

"No you weren't, Arisato," Mitsuru's voice made him stop and settle back into this seat. "I didn't want to believe he was gone. He was the reason I was even a Persona user in the first place."

"And now?" he looked over at her.

"Now, I want to see things through…for my Father. So until the Dark Hour is gone…I will keep on fighting," she said with resolution.

Minato smiled, "I knew you would figure it out eventually."

She blinked, "You did?"

"Enough of that…you need to finish your noodles so you can drink up all the broth," he pointed at her bowl.

She looked at it, "Is that another custom?"

"Damn right it is," he said as he shoveled in the last of his ramen. Then picked up the bowl with his hands and drank down all the broth. Then slapping his hands together in front of him like a prayer, "Thank you for the meal."

Minato could only laugh as Mitsuru tried to imitate his exact gesture. Sure their friendship had taken a long and rocky start…they had gotten here eventually. He felt the familiar feeling of a social link forming…The Empress. Minato wasn't surprised…but just how many was he up to now anyway? At this point many had gotten to a point that could apparently no longer be raised. What did that even mean? Did this mean that time was running out? That something was going to happen? Before he had Pharos who would warn him in advance that something was going to occur. But now…he didn't know. And not knowing what was ahead meant that he needed to be prepared for anything. Because he sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone else die. Never again.

Author's Note

Well...26 is here and is the entirety of the Kyoto trip. SEES is going to notice a lot more differences between what they remember and what Minato transcribes in the journal. And yeah there will probably be a lot of time in the journal from here on until the last couple chapters. I've tried to keep a certain pace with both sides of the story but hopefully you guys will enjoy it either way.

I enjoy it when I get to show that Yukari thinks of Minato quite a bit, maybe more than Minato ever realized. In those moments though...I don't think Minato could ever fully express how much he loves her. It is also hard to describe to begin with. I mean love isn't something you can really understand until you feel it for yourself. And while I am a bit cynical when it comes to relationships...that's because I was in love...and when that feeling is betrayed...well you hardly ever want to open yourself up to that again. But this story is hardly about me.

Minato has a lot on his mind...and he's never had to deal with this much crap before...so yeah he became depressed. He stopped eating and drinking well anything. Only really doing either when Yukari forces him or his stomach growls so much it annoys him. If you've never been depressed before and aren't sure how someone can do that to themselves...then consider yourself lucky. Depression is something that can sneak up on you...and you can be experiencing it without even knowing it. Hopefully it wasn't too much of a surprise on the change I made here...but it made sense to me with everything that had been happening for Minato to have some sort of break down. And it just made sense that something like this would happen to him...but maybe you disagree. Anyway...

See you all next time with the next chapter.