"Stay close to F.E.A.R, only we can protect"

Title from F.E.A.R Transmission 1 by Black Veil Brides

Sho/ Minazuki / Shujii Ikutsuki. 15/05

Honey brings more flies than vinegar. People like you when you are pleasant and punny. It makes them more inclined to do as you wish of them. It is better to build bonds and burn bridges later.

Once you fought your comrades, your opponents in pursuit of the same goal. And with every part of them you from the losers, with every plume of dusk added to your own, you had more questions.

Why are we doing this? Where will it end? What is the measure of a non human?

It probably does not matter in the long run. You fall anyways.

A world of two people. You. And him. The rest of the world is made up of opponents you have defeated and those yet to be.

And one day it expands to three. They are not you, and you are not them. Minazuki wants to protect you anyways.

You know how to fight. You don't need protection.

Not all Battles are physical, you tell him.

And you are older besides, and recognize the abuse that he refuses to. Your feelings of protectiveness are strong enough to form a persona, for he is not you, but he is yours, and you will protect him.

And yet this one is compelling. He should be just another Orphan, but you like him. You want him to succeed. You spend time with him, and he starts imitating your puns.

He wants to fight you, and that translates to him wanting to be your friend, And you find it almost cute in his own bloodthirsty little way.

You have gotten attached.

You are one of his few bonds, in the world of a boy who connects to things through fighting. He is passionate, and you try to keep a cool head in response. He should have other bonds, according to your long lost databanks, but they treat him little better then you were treated as an anti- shadow weapon.

He should have more bonds. He has many rocky moments with you, and even with himself.

Love can't fix everything, and you're not even sure if it counts as love.

What makes something love?

Fighting is the only thing you care about, is really the only thing there is to care about, it's the flesh and bones of the world around you, the blood and breath of your being.

It's a need, it's a way of life, it's your way of life.

"There should be more", you tell him

"Then show me." He demands

You have nothing, for before you were Minazuki, you were a weapon, who fought other weapons.

You have gotten attached to him, like you have gotten attached to your gun, a swift semi-automatic pistol. It's always at your side, carefully hidden.

Unlike the gun, he is much less subtle.

He has also failed to develop a Persona. Which means you need to escalate things.

Something else comes out instead. Fascinating.

And he would be mad at you for attempting to kill him, but he's not here right now, and you need to be. You need to protect him, and you will do so the way you know best. Then maybe you can leave.

You don't know what life is, but you know it has to be more than just fighting. Freedom must exist as more than a concept.

And something seems to have snapped, but no matter. Reset and refresh, you can always try again. Once you erase the undesirable.

He is not a robot. And that is what saves you, for all it damns him. He can not erase you, unlike last time.

And perhaps you pushed it too far. And you do feel sad about that. A connection works both ways, and you too have been burned. Next time you will have to be more careful.

You can not die in any way that matters. His body on the other hand, is not fixable like your limbs once would have been.

He's little more than a vegetable now. Still, to completely abandon him would be a shame. You are attached. And he was a good weapon. Perhaps he can be so again. You put him into a hospital under, and pay for his time there. You put your birthday in for his, for you do not know it.

When he wakes up (and he will, you refuse to consider otherwise) you will defer to his wishes. Your attempts have ended badly.

And there is no one else. No one to trust. He taught you that, YOU would have BurNed the world for him and he destroyed you AND THREW YOU AWAY. TrUst nO onE. tRUsT no ONe. YOu WiLl crEate a woRlD witH JUst YOU, ANd thAt wiLL keeP YoU SAfe.

trUst onLy yoUrSelF. showEr tHe reSt in BLOOD.

Perhaps. Lead the way then. I still think that is not all there is to it.

….

"Then you will show me otherwise."

"You will have to wake up, and find it."

He leaves, but that was promising progress. You hope that someday, he will come back for good.

Hope is all that is left to you now. The hope of a once machine.

A three in one was interesting to work with, and fittingly messy, much like Sho's headspace