32 now? And this started... 3 months ago? That's over 10 chapters a month! Wow, not only do I love you guys too much, but this might actually last a bit longer than I thought.

IAmSoCleverWithMyNameLol : Ha, my back's already broken! I didn't feel a damn thing.

When did your spinal cord break?

My back hit the ground pretty hard when I was nearly ripped into two.

T. E. K. 1996 : Noted. Is she? Is Pharos developing two personalities as well? Is Aigis going to try and kill Makoto? Will someone finally figure out that mysterious takoyaki ingredient that Liz said would be better not to share?

Do you just like asking random nonsense?

He does seem to have a fondness for it.

... Shut up.

Nightlyy : Will it? I refer you to the reply above

clevernameeh: Because this is Persona goddamn 3.

... I want my husbando back T-T


Paulownia Mall

Almost as if he'd been called there, Makoto made his way through the mall with his earphones on until entering the one particular place he desired to be.

What am I doing here? Makoto though to himself as he took a seat at a nearby table, the strong aroma of coffee filled the air as he glanced around the cafe. It was only fitting that he'd be here after what happened, this was the first place they went after he ended up getting black mailed.

In a strange way, the place brought an odd sense of comfort as he continued to listen his earphones and looked down at the table, partly hoping that he'd be able to zone out completely until the Dark Hour hit.

Try as he might, there was once voice that he'd never escape.

Oh, yes, sitting around. You seem to be quite the master of that. Minato taunted, his voice still remaining as a whisper that echoed from within his(their?) head. Run and hide. Need I remind you where that's gotten us?

Never. Makoto ended his conversation with himself as quickly as it began. He knew exactly what he was talking about and it was something that he was going to have to live with for the rest of his days. Of course, there were only two people in this world that knew what happened.

From within himself he felt Pharos' growing anxiety over his friend's condition growing. The little boy certainly could be over protective at times. Still, it was nice that Makoto still had someone who worried about his well being.

But that comfort wasn't going to solve anything this time. No, there was only one thing that was going to do that.

He didn't know how long he had been there with him being zoned out and looking down, but he did notice a small cup on the table that wasn't his despite no one having asked to sit at the table.

"I wanted a quiet place to think other than my home." Makoto said with a melancholy voice as he took his earphone out, still looking down at the table.

"I kicked myself out when I yelled at my friends for asking if I was okay." She answered with the same amount of melancholia in her as well.

Their short banter was then replaced with an uncomfortable silence that traded tension for a sense of despondency being present within both of their hearts. Neither of them were expecting this to end very well, but it had to be done.

Kotone gently extended her right index finger and traced it along the top of the table before retracted it and doing it all over again. The silence between them was almost as painful as everything that's lead up to this point.

Makoto continued looking down ; His eyes continuing to stare off blankly into nothing. Despite this, the silence was much torture as it was for him too. Minato was urging him to say something, but what was he supposed to say?

Both of them had completely tuned everything else out. Even after an hour had passed, the silence was still going as strong as when it had first begun. Even though by now many other customers had come and made the place a little rowdy, the two remained exactly how they were.

After constant pleading from Minato, Makoto finally took a deep breath before asking one of the biggest questions that were still in his mind "Are you mad?"

Kotone's finger stopped in place and she slowly shook her head "I don't think so..." she answered and the silence was quickly beginning to return.

Unwilling to let this be for nothing, Kotone then asked "... Has it been painful for you, too?"

"Very." He said while nodding slowly, but still unwilling to look up enough to actually look at her. He couldn't... He didn't have the strength nor the will to see her sad face again "For what its worth... I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize; I already said I'm not mad." She assured him, not seeing any of this as his fault. After all, she's the one who had to ruin something that was already working just fine as it was, "Shouldn't I be the one sorry?"

"You didn't do anything wrong though." Makoto could tell just by the sound of her voice that she'd been blaming herself for what has happened as well.

"Guess your right." She said while shrugging, as if she was unsure if she really believe those words. There's one thought that's been on her mind for awhile now though, something she's wondered ever since he ran from her "... Am I not good enough?"

"Huh?" Forgetting anything else, Makoto looked up confused why she would think such a thing and saw that the entire time she'd been crying silent tears.

"It's alright if that's why... I won't be mad." Kotone said, even with how much that sentence must hurt she still forced herself to smile emptily.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Makoto asked as his melancholia was replaced with a deep concerned that very few have been able to draw out before.

Kotone continued to smile an empty smile and closed her eyes as she slowly shook her head again "God, you're such an idiot."

When she opened her eyes again there was a poor replica of the life that normally resided in them, instead replaced with the same hollowness her smile possessed.

"I'm talking about when you left me, dummy." She said with an undoubtedly feigned giggle.

"Kotone..." Makoto sighed, he didn't know if it honestly would've been worse to have just said yes with everything he's watching her suffer through.

"No?" Kotone said as she tilted her head in confusion, but still keeping the expression that was an unholy mixture of feigned happiness, sadness, depression, and pain all in one. "Why then?"

Out of the blue, Makoto stood from his seat and walked to the one Kotone was sitting across the table. "Scoot." He ordered, if he was going to say this, then he had to be sure that she understood everything he said.

Not bothering to put up a fight, Kotone scooted right of her booth seat and allowed him to sit next to her which also inadvertently trapped her in. Clever Makoto, he made sure that she couldn't run like he did while leaving the option open to him should his situation go dire. He certainly was smarter than he looked.

"So why, Makoto-kun?" Kotone asked, her face returning to an almost complete blank save only for her eyes which were now filled with curiosity as to what Makoto was about to say "You know, I really meant what I said. I-"

"No, you don't ; Trust me." He interrupted, acting as if he had stated the most basic fact in the entire world.

Kotone, however, gasped in shock the moment he said such a thing "No, Makoto-kun, I-"

"You're not." He said as he shook his head slowly almost as if he was hurting inside saying this, but knew it was for the best "Think about it. You might know me better than most, but that's not saying much. Everything your basing your feelings off of is just one incident on a beach, otherwise such an idea would never come to you. Only reason you stayed with me this long was because you like helping people."

Makoto sighed again and gazed into her eyes that shined as if they were made of rubies, hoping to God that that he wasn't about to regret his next words "You aren't in love with me ; You're in love with broken things. Worse they are, the most you can help, and that is what you love."

"I..." Kotone gasped again, but also had the same look of heartbreak that she had just a few nights ago. She slowly lowered he head and Makoto could tell she was about to cry again.

"..." Makoto kept his silence as he looked down again at his folded hands. He didn't like doing this... Not by a long shot, but he knew that it was better this way. Not only in terms for the future, but the relationship would've been based on a lie she'd convinced herself of.

"I'm... sorry." She murmured so softly that despite being next to her, even Makoto could barely hear her.

"Huh?" He had just been the one who had the guts to tell her how she feels and rejected her a few nights ago. What did she have to be sorry for? Being confused?

"I must've... It hurt so much..." She shook her head as if she was condemning herself "... And all because I'm so selfish, right?"

"What?" Makoto asked completely confused before Kotone suddenly grabbed him and began to cry on his shoulder "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." she repeated

"W-What the..?" Makoto replayed everything that had happened in his mind. Why was she so angry at herself? Shouldn't she be pissed at him for telling her how to feel?

The sudden change of events caught a few eyes, but a quick glare from Makoto and a sudden feeling as if the temperature was several degrees lower and they looked away to mind their own business again.

"You felt all that because I... dammit, I'm so selfish, aren't I?" She asked as she continued to cry and mutter apologies

What? She was the selfish one? Did the entire just flip on his head or something? What was going on?

This... We need to go. We're making everything hard than it should be. Makoto thought as he gently grasped the arms that were holding him

Don't you dare! Minato screamed at him which made the bluenette freeze We got her like this and we'll get her out, damn you! Don't run like-

"Kotone..." Makoto gently held onto her face and made turned her head so that her tearful red eyes met his downcast blue-grey ones "... Why would you think that?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" She let out an empty laugh as if she was almost amused by his confusion "Everything you've just said... It's not the only lie I tell myself." she sobbed

"What the hell are you-"

"People always like to say how nice I am and how I always want to help others with their issues... None of it's true, not really..." She explained though her weak voice and sniveling "Told you my mother left me, right?"

"Yes." Makoto nodded, whatever will he had left to run was ebbing away more and more with each passing moment "You said you didn't think much of it since you were only five."

"I lied... I think about it every day." She confessed "Remember how happy I got when you said I was a good leader? That's because I can't stop thinking, 'Why did she leave me?'"

Makoto continued to listen carefully (along with warding off unwanted eyes) as he thought about what she had just said. His family was taken away against their will in the worst way possible, but her mother completely abandoned her. She still had her father, but having just a single parent can still leave some damage.

"Because of that, nothing I do ever seems like enough... I always feel like I'm failing somehow..." She kept naming her list of confessions as her eyes closed ; They were too hard to keep open after all the tears had been shed "So I go get as many friends as I can while claiming I just wanna help them... Really, I just wanna hear 'You're so great, Ko-chan' or 'You're the best' or... Or even being with someone because I thought I was... I... I just wanted something... anything to feel good about myself..."

Kotone finally let Makoto go and backed away slightly before raising her head and opening her red ruby eyes to meet his again "I'm a horrible person, aren't I? Just like you said, I only like broken things to make myself feel better. I even went far enough to say that to you without even realizing it's all a lie that I kept telling myself... I..."

At this point, Kotone was struggling between trying to talk and choking back more tears that wanted to fall "I'm an awful person... Being a leader, having a special power... Everything... I don't deserve any of it."

"You're lying to yourself again." He couldn't help himself... To hell with what would be better in the long run, he couldn't wait long enough to kill Kirijo with this on his conscience.

"What're you talking about..? You just said-" Kotone stopped talking the moment the boy in front of her place three of his fingers of her lips

"I don't blame you for that being a reason, but I know that's not your only reason." He said with confidence. If she truly as selfish as she claimed to be, then she wouldn't have been feeling this right now, "Remember back with Lovers? Despite me being a complete dick most of the time, you still held onto me until I calmed down. Remember when Yukari saw the video and I had to tell you to go? If what you said was true, then you would've jumped at the chance without being asked."

"T-Then what?" She asked in a slightly slurred voice from all the crying she had done as she took the fingers off her lips "We're both wrong? Am I just more of a screwed up person than I thought?"

"God, you're an idiot." He repeated the same words that she had said to him just a few moments ago "You're a good person. Some of your reasons for what you do aren't so pure, but I know you do them in the end because it's the right thing to do. If you don't trust yourself, then at least trust me." He pleaded as he gently cupped her face "... Do you?"

Pausing for a moment as if trying to process those words and thinking about them carefully, Kotone slowly nodded "... I... I don't want to go home... I don't want to see them yet. Just... not tonight."

Makoto looked at the watch on his wrist. It'd been early in the after-noon when he got there, now it was about time for the sun to set. Did their time in silence really last that long?

There are millions of reasons why he shouldn't, but Makoto cast them aside for this one moment "How about this..?"


Home

"Home sweet home, huh?" Makoto said as he guided Kotone to where he'd been spending his last few days and to the sofa that was still standing in front of the TV like always.

Kotone didn't say anything, she just silently sat down with her head down as Makoto sat beside her.

True love, false love, it didn't matter to him. Either way, this girl still meant something to him to and he couldn't leave her suffering like that. Either way, she held something no one should've had the right to have... Something that was tainted and darker than the blackest midnights.

"Feeling any better?" Makoto asked, an uncharacteristically large amount of concern was in his voice. The look in his eyes and voice was still the same, though... None of this was Minato, all of this was him and only him.

"A little." Kotone said, her voice and expression had gone from heartbroken to solely being downcast. She trusted Makoto enough to believe him, but that didn't change what she was still feeling within herself.

Makoto sighed, she was still feeling dejected from everything. He didn't know what to do anymore. He wanted to do something with her, but what? What could he do without hurting her more than he already had?

"Makoto-kun..." Kotone called out to him as she slowly turned her head towards him "... what are we anymore?"

Makoto could only shrug slowly and say "I don't know... Probably a word for it somewhere." He answered as honestly as he could. Whatever they were, she was precious to him and he couldn't let her leave... not now.

There were so many reasons for him to cut ties with her now... But he couldn't. Selfish, selfless, whatever her reasons for it, she was the first person who tried so hard to reach out to someone as irreversibly screwed up as him. He knew he'd regret this, but for now... For now he couldn't let her suffer.

Now, Makoto was the one looking down with a downhearted look in his eyes "... Whatever we are, I still want you in my life." He let out a brief empty chuckle "I don't know why, and there's so many reasons I shouldn't... But I don't want to lose you. You mean a lot to me, and I want you to stay."

Kotone turned back to him, still looking as weak as she'd been for the past few days "Promise?"

I'm going to hate myself for this... Makoto thought as he raised his right hand and even went as far as to extend his right pinkie finger.

She let out a soft chuckle in surprise as she extended her own, and the two of them interlocked with each other.

"Promise." The two said together with faint smiles on their faces. Whatever may happen in the future, with this they were tied together in whatever happens next whether it'd be good or ill.

...

...

...

...

"Mm..." Kotone softly groaned before slowly revealing her crimson red eyes which after days of despondency, were finally back to their usual vibrant selves.

The redhead took a moment to study her surroundings as she slowly put the many things that had happened yesterday in her head.

Currently, she was in Makoto's apartment on his sofa. At some point during the night, she fell asleep and he had apparently put a blanket on her to keep her warm. Before that, she had actually just made some as childish as a pinkie promise with Makoto of all people.

The girl reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her phone to find that most of her dorm members had blown up her phone last night with a lot of messages and missed calls. She was going to have to apologize and explain everything later... leaving out a few unsavory details, of course.

Kotone got off the sofa and let out a long yawn as she slowly stretched her arms until she felt her stomach grumble. With everything that had happened yesterday, she had actually managed to have forgotten to eat anything for the first time in her entire sixteen years of living.

Come to think of it, maybe Makoto/Minato would be willing to make her something if she asked?

With this thought in mind, Kotone tip toed her way down the small hallway and into what she assumed to be his bedroom. If he was still asleep, then she was just going to have to simply raid his fridge whether he liked it or not.

When she slowly turned the knob and the door slowly creaked open, she was greeted by the sight of Makoto/Minato panting heavily as he laid in bed.

Confused, she silently approached closer as to ascertain what was going on.

There, she saw that despite being asleep, Makoto had a pained look on his face as he repeatedly thrashed around in his bed while his body was drenched in a cold sweat. After several moments, Makoto began whimpering as if he was in some sort of deep pain before mumbling "Mina...ko..."

Kotone could only blink and stand there in silence as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. The boy even scratched himself a few times deep enough that it drew blood, but his innate healing abilities always kicked in and stopped the wound dead in its tracks.

Minako? Kotone repeated internally as she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. That sounded awfully similar to 'Minato'.

Thinking back on it, he'd also mentioned that the plushies he collected were a sort of remembrance of someone else who was very dear to him. Was this person Minako? And if she was, then who exactly was she to him and why was Makoto's other self's name so similar to hers? Was her name the basis for his? Was there some other reason?

Whatever the case, figuring it out could wait. Kotone silently stepped outside the bluenette's room and gently closed the door behind her. She didn't know what they were anymore, nor did she have any idea what she had gotten herself into, but... She had to do something.

Even though she still had doubts about herself, she had to trust him and what he said to her. Whatever hell the future may bring, they were bound to one another in a bond that not even their link could comprehend. She could only hope that this wouldn't cause anything horrible in the days to come...


And fucking done. God, I spent so goddamn long on this. If I healed your broken hearts, please tell me/thank me because... Well actually just reviewing is enough of a 'thank you' because who the fuck am I kidding? I write this crap for you guys! I love all of you... Even if I love to play with your hearts.

Kiss up.

Shut up.

*Passed out due to happiness overload*

I see that she is happy with the chapter.

Just like I hope all of you are.