"Mitsuki, why are you still here?"

She was currently sitting in what had become her regular seat. That is, the center of my lone couch in the living room. Or was it a sofa? All these years and I still can't recall the difference...

"You know why."

"I do. Which is why I ask you again; Why are you still here? You won't get what you were hoping for. I told you, remember? I never promise more than I can fulfill, so why must you persist?"

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and crossed her legs. "I thought we had come to an understanding, you and I. And if I'm to believe my sources, so had 3 other women."

"Ha. Is this what has been plaguing you? Let me dispel you of any silly notions you might have. I told them the same things I told you; not that it deterred any of you. And just so you're aware, you should add Hitomi to that list."

"... So she finally found the courage to tell you." A quiet sigh escaped her lips, but other than that, she had seemingly exhausted the topic she wanted to discuss.

But we both knew better than that.

"… You didn't answer my question. Why are you still here?"

She didn't immediately respond, instead opting to observe me. She still had that serene mien about her that I truly admired, but absent from her disposition was that ever present soft smile. In its place was an expression that mirrored my own; an eerily neutral frown.

For the first time since I had found myself in this place, I felt ill-equipped to deal with what the universe had decided to throw my way.

"Why did Rem call you Messiah?"


For the first time since she had known him, she saw a glimpse of... defeat flash across his face? Resignation, submission, it was impossible to tell for had she blinked in the moment, she would have missed it.

"Who could say? I don't claim to understand what goes through the heads of beings in a higher plane than us. Wish I did." He took a slight pause, then continued in an amused tone, "Maybe that's just how she addresses people who save the world. It's a bit blasphemous, I say."

Any other day, she would have dropped the subject then and there. He was speaking as he always had (albeit more than usual): hands in his pockets, his rather dated but charming headphones and music player producing a familiar tune that she had grown to enjoy, his one exposed eye making direct contact with her eyes and his voice the soft even tone she'd come to find solace in when things got a bit too hectic.

But he was lying.

"She was referring only to you as Messiah. And she didn't call you 'a' messiah or 'the' messiah. She had used it as if it were your name. Please, Makoto. You've been avoiding us for 2 months now. Is this somehow related?"

"Ho? From what I recall I've always been anti-social. Not quite on Shinomiya's level, but enough to warrant the label."

Now she knew he was playing the fool.

"Don't patronize me, Makoto. Your non-silence speaks volumes. While it has never been in your character to be the social butterfly, you've never so blatantly brushed us off at every opportunity. I understand you're a private individual so I've tried to keep my prying of your life to a minimum, but whatever Rem said to you after we eliminated the Twilight Apostle has had a noticeable impact on you. Why not take a page from your own book and have someone listen to your problems? I ask you not as the Academy's Student Council President, or the 'White Maiden' of the Underground, nor as the heir of the Hokuto Group. I ask simply as Mitsuki, your friend."

He simply stared at her.

Was it getting warmer in here? Makoto usually kept his home at a 'toasty' 13°C/55°F...

… Okay, perhaps she had laid it on a bit thick, but Makoto much preferred when people were direct with their words. Hopefully he understood how earnestly she wanted him to confide in her. And if this earned her a few points in his book; all the merrier.

Appearing to come to a decision, he chuckled before saying, "So you were eavesdropping?". She tried to apologize, but he raised a palm to stop her. "No, it's fine, I don't care. I was waiting for when you guys would eventually ask me what those one to ones with Rem were about. You want I should cease my charade? I can do that. I'll also reveal why Rem called me Messiah, and through that you'll come to find the answers behind not only my recent actions, but my secretive nature in general."

That worked? "Splendid! I'll let everyone know you've had a change of heart as soon as we're done here. I know he seemed upset during your last interaction with him, but Takahata would forgive you the instant you told him what you're about to tell me." It did end with Takahata punching Makoto, but if she had learned anything about men's friendships, it was that violence was an integral part of settling issues they had. What that issue was, she was sure they would tell her in due time once it was resolved.

"What makes you so sure? I've not told you anything yet."

"Well, it's you Makoto. I trust you, as do the rest of our friends. What more need I say?"

"Hm. We shall see." He then smiled that wonderful smile, the one that had the near magical ability to alleviate any and all worries one might have; to assure them that, were the world against them, he would be there to ensure that the world would not have its way in this, or any universe.

If only she had seen through his smile, perhaps she could have changed things.


People tend to say my smile brings them inexplicable comfort and contentment, and Mitsuki is no exception. I wonder if anyone has told her of the expression on her face whenever I do smile. It's humbling. To know that someone can think the world of you for merely being you. I always find at least one of these individuals every time I start anew. Which makes it all the more cruel when I do leave them behind, never to see them again.

After telling her that I needed to grab something from my bedroom first, she instead asked to talk there as she felt I'd be more comfortable spilling my secrets in my own room. It was solid reasoning on her part, but I knew what her actual reason was. I'd rather she be honest, but it didn't matter. Once we had settled down in my room, she had looked at me expectantly, so I began explaining myself.

"I shouldn't exist in this world."

"... Makoto, where is this coming from?"

To her credit, Mitsuki doesn't react as I feared she might. Her earlier expression is nowhere to be seen, her lips once again settled in the slightest frown that I typically wear. I fear she's become too good at it.

"It's not a feeling I've developed overnight. When you're from a different universe, it's a fact."

A sigh. "Makoto, you know when levity is warranted. And I thought I said to stop patronizing me."

I also sigh at this and take out a briefcase I keep in my closet. I unlatch it and grab the single object inside; a silver pistol. Her eyes widen slightly at this, but she only throws a raised eyebrow my way.

"There's a reason why I don't try to explain my situation until after a demonstration." And demonstrate I do. Before she can so much as protest, I swiftly bring the pistol to my head and pull the trigger.

Her expression; priceless.


"This Persona ability of yours... it would have been useful to have. I admit, I'm curious as to what my Persona would be."

"Don't get too excited. From what I've seen, there's only a superficial connection between the individual and their Persona."

"Is that so? That only enforces the idea that you are indeed a special individual for your Persona to match you so perfectly. For you to be the embodiment of a messiah... to have saved multiple worlds and universes from evil time and time again..."

She didn't know how to process everything she had learned about Makoto. In truth, she was still of the mind that he was fabricating it all. But she couldn't see why he would. His character in general was one of sincerity and honesty; even to his detriment. His combat skill certainly stood out to her, and if he had already gone on several adventures like theirs and triumphed, she could only imagine how experienced he was. His unflappable nature only made more sense, now. And something in her heart, perhaps even soul with the revelation of Persona, completely believed him.

She was going to ask him more about Persona and why he hadn't used it before, but he had risen and made to leave his room while motioning for her to follow, so she did. He stopped by his kitchen to grab a glass of water and chugged it down before speaking again.

"While this has been fun, my voice is starting to falter and I still have much to reveal, so we'll have to continue this some other time."

Oh. Time had a habit of slipping away when spent with Makoto. He had spent nearly half an hour on what she considered exposition while she sat there absorbing every word he said. She had heard him speak more today than she had the entire year she had known him.

"My apologies, I didn't mean for your voice to go hoarse. I must have been quite enraptured by you and your tale. You tend to have that effect on me."

He narrowed his eyes at her. Okay, she was being nowhere near as subtle as she usually was, but in her defense, Makoto had only said that pursuing him was a lost cause; that didn't mean she had to give up now, did it?

"Right. Feel free to share what I've told you with the others. And if you could, bring everyone over next time. I'd rather regale the rest of my story as few times as possible." He downed a second glass of water. His face then adopted the look she now knew she glimpsed before; remorse. "And Mitsuki... I'm sorry."

"Please, Makoto. You've nothing to apologize for. I know you still have more you wish to reveal, but whatever your true reason for distancing yourself, I know it was because you wanted to protect us in some fashion."

"Ha. I suppose I'm predictable in that way. I'd just like to assuage any fear you might have had that my behavior was because of something you guys did."

"I'm glad to hear it." She truly was. "I'll be going now. Oh, and I'll try to rein in Asuka tomorrow. For her sake as much as yours."

As she closed his front door, she couldn't help the feeling that she had misinterpreted his apology. Later that night, when she had finally laid down for bed, it was when she closed her eyes that she realized Makoto had never apologized for anything he'd done before.


It was a strange feeling, she decided. Just last night she was catching up with a friend after his prolonged absence from her life. He had opened up to her and divulged information about himself he hadn't given to anyone but her. Had promised to end his self imposed exile and meet with his friends again. Had even invited them over so that he might finish his story that would justify everything strange and odd about his existence. Only to receive a phone call the next morning from a hysteric Asuka that he was dead.

The next couple of days were quite solemn. She of course busied herself with the funeral arrangements. As Makoto had been an orphan with no known living relatives, she had taken it upon herself to cover all costs and paperwork required. It was a rather seamless process. When the conglomerate that essentially owned the city wanted something done, all the legal bureaucracy seemed to vanish.

On the day of the funeral, she saw all the expected faces. And she felt guilty for thinking it, but she was glad everyone present shared the same sorrowful aura. It wasn't the first time she attended a funeral, but she was only a child when her parents died. She couldn't say if she had felt the same amount of grief she was feeling now. While she loved her parents, and knew they had made as much time for her as they could... for children, it was never enough. She finally understood what Makoto had told her months ago.

"Mitsuki-sama, it's time to deliver the eulogy."

So entrenched in her thoughts she was, she almost missed Kyouka whispering to her.

"Right. Thank you, Kyouka." With a small smile she hoped would ease Kyouka's fussing over her, she made her way to the front of the chapel where she settled on having the wake. She herself wasn't a strong believer of the faith, but Makoto's last revelations had influenced her somewhat. Standing at the podium she took one last sweep of the room and made eye contact with her grandfather. Surprise was the first emotion she felt when her grandfather, Seijyuurou Hokuto himself, had said he would take the time to attend. She had introduced Makoto to grandfather once, after the fiasco with Mikuriya had been resolved, and while Seijyuurou was grateful for everything Makoto had done and approved of him as a potential marriage candidate for her (after some heated arguments), she doubted that alone would warrant his presence here today.

Shelving that discussion with grandfather for later, she began. "Makoto Yuki moved to our great city of Morimiya only last year. And in that one year changed so many lives for the better. He wasn't approachable, kept to himself, and in general was a quiet individual. At first glance, I'm certain many of us here had similar thoughts. But as we all would come to learn, he was the epitome of the strong, but silent type..."

Yes, a strange feeling indeed, for it was only at the end of his eulogy that her tears did start flowing.


ave maria - Chouchou