Nyx wandered through the light lit streets quietly. It was starting to get really chilly around that time and from what she had learnt from Aigis, it was going to be winter pretty soon. That meant snow. She had never seen snow before. Not real snow.
Any place in Greece would be too hot for something like snow to come around. She wondered what it was like. Honestly, powdered hail didn't seem all that exciting, but curiosity drove her. That was why she was there in the world with Minato after all.
…she breathed out her mouth, and it condensed into a small cloud. Warm. Somehow it confirmed to her, that despite being the bringer of death, that she herself was still alive. It was amusing really. She didn't know why the bringer of death possessed life. It was funny even. It didn't make sense. But then again Chaos never made sense.
She passed by Paulownia Mall, and she stopped in front of its entrance. Nyx didn't enter. She just looked. She wasn't quite sure why she was feeling nostalgic of all things, especially at that one time. Why was it? Minato didn't have to answer all of her questions. She could find answers to some of them on her own now. The knowledge she had supported what wisdom she could gain later.
Maybe it was because the people around her were changing. Kanashi didn't snap at her. He was snarky still because he'd never get rid of his snark. But he didn't snap, and she was happy with that. He was hanging out with Yashiro. He was once quiet and introverted, but now about as open as Kanashi was. And they got along so well.
Minato told Nyx about Hibiki. She learnt about jealousy. Jealousy was a green-eyed beast, and it could encourage people to do things that could be considered wrong. Before she thought that Hibiki was just another happy-go-lucky person, kind of like Hemera, but she was proven wrong. Very wrong. But that just went to show how much people were able to hide from others. You never really even begin to know a person until you confronted them after all.
And Kurow. Kurow was a funny one that she still didn't have that good of a grasp on. He was a bastard a lot of the time. Obvious. But there was something else to him. She wasn't completely sure what, but sometimes he could be so much different from that one asshole-ish persona that he had that it was almost disconcerting.
Was she changing like that too?
Nyx assumed so, but she didn't know quite in what way. Sometimes, things that aren't clear to you are clearer to other people. Because they can see you without a mirror. Nyx was right that she changed. But somehow, there was something about the way that she was going about her… life that it almost didn't feel like she was changing at all.
But she had come so far, hadn't she? She smiled mirthfully as she could see the arcade and Mandragora inside the mall. Game Panic was where she first learnt how to play Street Fighter. Mandragora was where she learnt that Minato was good at singing. Chagall Café was a place she avoided because she was always told that going there would earn her a trail of fan boys. Maybe not, but she didn't exactly want to take the risk. Fan boys were annoying enough as it was. Power Records was… the place where Minato got the iPod that she was using at the moment. It was really the only place that made sense and she went there to get some CDs sometimes. Disappointingly most of it was J-Pop and J-Rock bands. She had more of a taste for symphonic metal instead. Club Escapade was a place that Minato said to avoid. And well, she had, although she could admit to taking a peek in there once in a while. She never really went in though.
Nyx continued her way to the dorm on the monorail. She watched the glistening water flicker with lights from the buildings. She might've said that it was beautiful, but she had said that in her mind enough. Nyx just watched and didn't comment on it.
The moon was starting to come out from a thick cloud layer, and its steady glow began to reflect off the surface of the inky blackness. Nyx couldn't help but be mesmerised by the shine that it gave off. Maybe it was because it was one of the defining factors of night on earth or some other reason, but seeing it made her happy.
She looked down at the ground, musing silently on her relationship with Minato.
Nyx was happy to be with Minato the most, and despite the feeling of love being utterly new to her she couldn't help but take it in stride. It felt inexplicably liberating, empowering and just felt good. There wasn't any other way she could describe and she doubted Minato could explain it any time soon. Sometimes emotions were just so natural that you couldn't even begin to explain it.
And once you finally realise it, you might feel a tiny amount of bliss for a split second or longer.
Love was strange.
Even though Nyx could feel it, somehow there was an unexplainable fragility to it. She didn't really know what love was. What was it in entirety? She could sense affection and that kind of love from Minato, and she felt something like it for him too.
But was it real?
Her thoughts lingered on those questions for what seemed an eternity before she reached the dorm entrance. She opened it quietly, finding Minato passed out on the couch. Nyx couldn't help but smile a little at the slack in his jaw and his gently closed eyelids. Everything about it told her that he was sleeping really well.
Nyx sat down next to him, feeling a little fatigue start to catch up with her as she relaxed.
Actually… what was going to happen after if Minato managed to beat Erebus?
What was she going to do?
…she could stay with Minato. She could do that.
But she could also leave. If she wasn't there then there wouldn't be any chance for the Fall to occur at her hands at all.
She could travel and sate her curiosity...
Curiosity. Tch. Maybe it was a quality brought unto her because she was the bringer of death, but she was extremely curious and had a love of knowledge that only gods like Apollo could rival. The want to know everything before one died was quite common. You wanted to know answers to the things that were left unanswered before you couldn't answer them anymore.
It was the driving force behind why she was still there, learning. Things had changed. There were things to know.
…what would happen if she chose to stay with Minato until he died? For real? It was clear now that if Minato managed to defeat Erebus somehow, then there wouldn't really be a threat to the Fall besides her going off and dying a stupid death. Which she wasn't planning to do, of course.
She would be left.
…Damn it to Chaos, Tartarus and Hades. She would be left all alone!
Nyx cursed her knowledge and thoughts for once. Why did she have to think that!? Could she really bear losing something, or hell, someone like Minato? But her thoughts kept going.
She was beginning to feel scared. What could she even do then? Could she do anything? Nyx felt the air weigh down on her as her pulse started racing, and it crushed her chest. Pressure sustained a great ache that she hadn't felt before, and if she had, it wasn't anything like everything that had come crashing down on that moment.
Would she go back to being lonely? Scared? Cold?
…could Death herself wish for death itself so that she could stop living?
How did that even make sense?
Nihilism.
Is that what it felt like…?
Nihilism felt like nothing. Hollow. It was twisted. Death was calling for death. No, what was she thinking!?
…but Minato wasn't immortal. He was going to die, that was for sure. And curse her immortality she couldn't! God damn it all, why wasn't Minato a god?
She cursed everything that she was to the ends and beginnings of Fate. Damn it. Damn it all. Before she wished for her curiosity sated and goddammit it was. She was changing. She wasn't sure that she wanted that. She wanted to say that her feelings didn't make sense as most human emotions were. But the thing was… they did.
Nyx could understand why she was so scared. She could understand what nihilism was. She was starting to understand why people could feel so damned in every single possible way, feel so weak and start to think that Death was the only way out of their problems.
It was because they weren't strong enough.
Things happened around them that they couldn't control. Sometimes, those things made them feel so bad that the felt like they couldn't take it. Sometimes, they would feel too weak to even try and go on.
Nyx pulled away from her thoughts and to Minato's agonisingly peaceful face. She watched the easy rise and fall of his chest, telling her how alive he was.
He was.
Minato's eyes started to stir, and they fluttered open. "Nyx… whatcha doing here?" he asked with a light smile.
"You looked way too peaceful to consider waking up," she laughed a little.
Minato blinked and then rubbed the back of his head. "Haha, I see…" he nodded. "Could get more rest though…"
Nyx smiled at that. Minato didn't seem to notice anything behind her expression. Maybe it was because his gaze was still too blurry to be able to notice something like that. "Want to go back to your room then?" she asked.
"Yeah, sleep'd be nice," Minato nodded as he stood up, and Nyx walked with him to his room.
"Night Nyx." He chuckled a little, kissing Nyx on the cheek.
She nodded dumbly at that gesture.
…dammit. Nyx grasped Minato's shoulder just as he turned, and he looked at her with widened eyes. Nyx hugged him tightly and she pressed her cheek to his chest. Minato's heartbeat was steadily getting faster, and it confirmed to her that he was still alive. "Well… I mean, sleep is nice," Minato laughed, taking the hint. He wrapped his arms around Nyx's waist and kissed her, opening his door clumsily as he was pushed backwards.
AN: Well. My synchronisation levels with Nyx were probably at their highest in this chapter.
Please box me your thoughts and I'll see ya guys later.
Yoshikunitsu: There'll be more of that coming into play later. We aren't quite done with the OCs yet, (perhaps far from) but I'm glad it interested you. Most of it I didn't plan beforehand.
He'll be getting his time to shine pretty soon, along with Kurow. Suries.
Nights (66, 67): Lies or, Kurow, will be getting more CD later too. *nods*
Well of course. The assassins are people too. Haha.
He has indeed, and the potential has finally shown itself. He'll summon his Persona later though.
Haha, thanks Nights, on both notes.
Indeed I will.
Technodude: Yup, he did.
Q/A SECTION
(Minato, Nyx and Erebus) Question 1: Yoshikunitsu
Minato: I'm not sure. Aren't there more powerful than even Nyx and Erebus?
Nyx: Chaos.
Erebus: Chaos.