Chapter 34: An Aeon's Resolution
January 15th, 2010
"Sixteen days left… and it's only getting more depressing." Minako comments to Aigis as they walk towards the Strip Mall. "I'll be so glad when we put all of this behind us."
"So will I." Aigis agrees before coming to a sudden stop. Minako pauses looking at Aigis in confusion until she follows her gaze. It was the owner of Mii-chan, talking to a student from their school. Telling her how he had a date tomorrow, but he had no money as he tugged at her heart strings. Commenting on how he had always been a good boy, and that she was giving him, who she called Kiyoshi, and giving him an advance on his allowance. With that, he turns around and heads for the station, walking past Minako and Aigis just as Minato and Ren join them soon after and see the intense focus on Aigis as she watches Kiyoshi walk past.
"Hoo boy… what's happened now?" Ren asks, shaking his head.
"Nothing… yet." Aigis replies in an unusually calm tone. "However, I have something to ask of this… 'Kiyoshi-san'." She nods her head at the boy who passed them while Ren and Minato raise an eyebrow at the remark.
"Why?" Minako asks, surprised that Aigis wants to talk to him.
"Call it a sense of curiosity." Aigis replies cryptically to Minako, confusing her more.
"If that's what you want to do, then we won't stop you, Aigis." Minato replies, hands in his pockets. "But we are coming with you. Okay?" Aigis accept the condition as the four of them trail after Kiyoshi. Catching him just as he was about to reach the station. Which was almost completely covered in 'Nyx' posters and 'Nyx' graffiti.
"Kiyoshi-san, please wait." Aigis calls out, stopping Kiyoshi in his tracks.
"Hey! Don't call me that—!" He starts, turning around before freezing solid. The words dying in his mouth. "H-Huh? A-Aigis-senpai?" Aigis blinks in surprise as even Minako, Minato, and Ren all glance at each other.
"Do you know me?" Aigis asks, confused. This was the first time they were talking, according to her memory banks.
"Well, yeah! You're famous!" Kiyoshi replies before bowing to her out of respect. "I-I'm… Kiyoshi Sakuma. I'm a first year. But everyone just calls me Joe, Aigis-senpai, so you can just—"
"I would like to ask you something, Kiyoshi-san. Do you mind?" Aigis asks politely, stopping Kiyoshi from rambling on while Minako shakes her head.
"Uh, sure…" Kiyoshi replies, rubbing the back of his head.
"Kiyoshi-san. Do you feel lonely when you are by yourself?" Kiyoshi blinks in surprise at Aigis's question, and even Minako, Minato, and Ren were slightly taken aback by it. "Your grandmother said that she's lonely because she has nobody else. I just want to know. Why don't you visit her more often? If you are her relative, you may have the power to alleviate her loneliness."
"I mean… I am her grandson, but…" Kiyoshi pauses, rubbing the back of his head with some nervousness. "Look. I don't need a lecture from you, okay? It's just, none of your business."
"I am sorry if I am overstepping my bounds, but I have another question. Have you considered what it means to live?" Aigis asks, the question stunning him as he looks at the ground.
"To live?" He parrots, rubbing the back of his head.
"Personally… I think the bonds between people are what's most important. That's what your grandmother is slowly losing." Minako, Minato, and Ren all glance at each other, knowing just what it was that Aigis was talking about. Yet for Kiyoshi, it seems like he didn't get the message at all.
"To live? Are you kidding? No one actually talks like that." He dismisses, shaking his head. "What more do you need outta life than to have a blast? I mean, you're happy when you're having fun, right? So, hell yeah! We're alive to have a good time! So, whaddaya say, Aigis-senpai? If you've got time, why don't we—"
"Thank you, Kiyoshi-san." Aigis replies, giving him a bow. "You have answered my questions. But I'm afraid I have to go home, now." While she was being respectful to him for answering her, the response Aigis gave him was not what she or the others expected.
"Huh?! What the hell!?" Kiyoshi suddenly shouts. "Are you just tryin' to play me!? Well, screw you!" With that, he turns around and storms off. Leaving Minako, Minato, and Ren shaking their heads in annoyance while Aigis just watched him in confusion.
"I don't understand his feelings… and I even made him angry."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Aigis." Minako tells her, gently patting her shoulder. "He just made the wrong assumption and stormed off in a huff."
"Wrong assumption?" Aigis asks back, tilting her head.
"He thinks you already have a boyfriend." Ren tells her bluntly. Aigis blinks at him in surprise.
"Why would he think that?" Aigis asks, shaking her head. "I do not feel that way for anyone at the Dorm. I see all of you as close companions, yes, but not in any romantic fashion." She pauses, sighing to herself as she rests a hand on her chest.
"Aigis?" Minato asks, noting her silence as Aigis shakes her head.
"Ever since I decided to live, I've been asking 'why' and 'how' more frequently. The more time I spend with everyone, the more I discover that I don't understand. But, when I ask myself why I'm not alive… I never have an answer." She silently stomps a foot into the pavement. Not hard enough to crack it, she knows she could very easily do that if she wanted to, but just enough to make an audible thump. "Is this what you call frustration?"
"Yep. That sounds just about right." Minako replies, shaking her head in sympathy. Aigis lets out a grown, placing a hand on her head as she lets out another sigh. Right before she lets a small smile form on her face.
"But, at the same time, I feel extremely lucky. I would even say I am more fortunate than others, despite not being human myself. After all, all of you are important to me. And I get to be by everyone's sides. It's strange how two conflicting emotions can coexist.
"That's just how life is." Ren tells her, while the twins see the sixth star form on her Tarot card. "Always throwing questions your way, and very rarely gives answers."
"Such a fickly thing life can be." Minato comments as the four make their way back to the Dorms. But as they do so, Aigis has another moment of realisation within her. She was feeling jealousy towards Kiyoshi. That he had soft warms hands to embrace people with and yet…
She shakes her head of those intrusive thoughts. Putting an stop to them before they could continue inside her. It was such a poisonous feeling to feel, and Aigis wanted nothing more of it. After all, she had heard horror stories of what jealousy could bring.
January 16th, 2010
Today the four of them decided to return to Paulownia Mall, hoping to find something for tonight's tea. Only for them to find the place almost completely abandoned. The shops were still open, without question, but business seemed to be spiralling down no matter what. And even more posters lined the floor and fountain.
"I don't think we'll be coming back here anytime soon." Ren comments, seeing how empty the place was.
"Looks like the shops are already closing up. And way too early as well." Minako points out, the stores already closing their doors. Minato lets out a sigh of disappointment while Aigis looks around the Mall with worried eyes. Seeing everything around them, only made their mission at the end of the month all the more important. But as she was about to suggest they head home now, she spots Mii-chan's owner walking around the Mall with a look of sadness on her face.
"Oh, it's Kiyoshi's grandmother. Good afternoon." Aigis greets her, grabbing her attention and replacing her look of sadness with one of subdued joy.
"Oh, you're those nice students from before. Hello there! You four have great timing, I was just hoping I would run into all of you again." He smiles falls as she lets out a sigh, shaking her head. "You see, the truth is… Mii-chan has disappeared again."
"Again?" Minako asks, blinking her eyes. "Well, we should be able to find her again. She was sitting on a bench at our school last time, so we can check there again if you like?"
"No… that's alright." Mii-chan's owner replies, shaking her head gently. "I believe that this time, Mii-chan went in search of something."
"In search of something?" Aigis asks, tiling her head. "What is she looking for?"
"A place to pass on." Mii-chan owner says, sadness in her voice as the group gasp in subdued shock. "When cats feel that their life is nearly over, they look for a place to wait for the end. Isn't that what they say?"
"What?" Aigis asks, her voice quiet while Ren closes his eyes and looks away. He is reminded of another cat owner who grieved after losing her kitten to a driver in his time. And that she was one of their first Mementos Targets.
"It's okay. Mii-chan even came to say goodbye to me before she left. So… I don't think I'll need you to help look for her any more."
"That's… so sad." Minako replies, a tears leaving her eye while Minato silently closes his own.
"Besides, it's more or less the same for me. My day will eventually come, too." Mii-chan's owner lets out a heavy sigh as she shakes her head. "And when it does, I hope I can rest in peace without making trouble for anyone else." The four of them stand in silence, nothing they could think of could help this poor lady before them. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you all sad. But I did want to make sure I thanked you four again. It was nice to see you all. Well, good day." With that, she turns around and starts to head home, her steps heavy and slow. Something that called to Aigis, as she suddenly called out to her.
"You're not alone! I'm certain of it!" Aigis calls out to her, grabbing the old lady's attention as she turned back to her. Surprise was evident on her face, before it changes into a soft grandmotherly smile.
"Yes. You are right." She tells Aigis with a nod of her head. "No one is ever truly alone. Not as long as they continue to live in this world. See? I have the company of fine young ladies such as you and your friend! And strapping young men as well!" She lets out a chuckle at the four as Minako, Minato, and Ren shake their heads in good nature while Aigis smiles at her. "Bless you, dear girl. And your friends. You all have kind hearts. See you later!" And with that, she leaves with a smile on her face with Aigis watching her as she goes. Her gaze not leaving her until she vanishes from sight, and even then, she continued to look at where she went until Minako taps her on the arm.
"Hello? Earth to Aigis. You still with us?" She asks in good nature as Aigis shakes her head. Hearing both Ren and Minato chuckling behind her.
"Sorry. I was in my own world, it would seem." Aigis replies, turning to face the trio. "Kiyoshi-san said that people live to be happy… but was Mii-chan-san happy?"
"I think she was." Minato tells her, nodding his head. "Do you remember how she was when we reunited her with her owner? She truly did lover her."
"And is Mii-chan wanted to go some place else and die peacefully, she wanted to spare her own the grief of seeing her dead body." Minako adds, grasping her hands. "And, she did say goodbye one last time before she did so."
"I'm sure Mii-chan was happy to have lived a long life with her owner." Ren adds, nodding at Aigis. "And that she treasured every moment of it." Aigis nods at them, gently grasping her chin as she looked at the ground in thought.
"Was Mii-chan-san… grateful to have been born? For what purpose was she born? Life… where does it originate? And where does it go…? What reason does life have to exist?" The three Wild Cards remain silent, letting Aigis ask the heaviest questions she could ask. These were questions that no one could ever truly answer, and now Aigis was asking them herself. "Living means connecting with others, but all life eventually ends. Parting seems to be a natural and inevitable aspect of life. An unavoidable end…" She looks at the trio before her, a question on her lips that she didn't want to ask. But found herself asking before she could even stop herself. "Will I, too, someday have to part with all of you forever?"
"Aigis…" Minako silently comments, wrapping her in a hug. One that Aigis gently recuperated.
"I want to live, but that's not the only thing! I… It's not just about becoming human. It's about all of you… to be with ALL of you! Just… what is this feeling I have in me? What… do I want to do?" The three Wild Cards remain silent, even as Minato and Minako spy the seventh star form on Aigis's Tarot card. After all, what could they say to her that could calm her down?
January 19th, 2010
Once more, Aigis returns the roof of the school. Looking out at the ocean before her. Today, the winds were calm and the usual scent of the sea was absent. And yet, her mind could not move past what she did on the 16th. How she practically clung onto Minako as emotions ran through her that completely confused her. Not helped by what she was screaming at the time as well.
"What am I feeling? Why am I all over the place?" Aigis asks herself, shaking her head as she lets out a long sigh. Not even noticing that three people were walking up to her.
"Aigis? What's wrong?" Ren asks her, causing Aigis to jump as she spins around in surprise. The three of them hold their hands up at Aigis as she almost aims her hands at them before calming herself down.
"Oh… it's all of you." She comments, letting herself relax as the trio put their hands down.
"Dang Aigis… what's got you all tense?" Minako asks as she holds her hands behind her back. Minato has his hands in his pockets while Ren adjusts his bag. As for Aigis, she lets out a sigh as she glances at all three of them, before finally answering Minako's question.
With an apology.
"I'm sorry about the other day." Aigis tells them, surprising them as they blink at her in surprise. "I think my heart is growing closer to that of a human, but because of that… I've realised something."
"Something?" Minato asks, tilting his head. "What did you realise?"
"The heart and body are inseparable. A human heart can only function properly within a human body. I'm only shaped like a human, and besides… I'm a machine." She lets out a sigh, looking out back at the ocean. "The view from up here is beautiful. That must be why I sometimes see couples alone up here after school. Including you guys with Fuuka, Yukari, and Makoto." The three Wild Cards blush as they look away awkwardly. They never knew they were seen by Aigis when they visited with their significant others.
"They might be embracing each other or simply leaning against each other. I never gave it a second thought before, and I always left you guys out of privacy. But lately… it pains me to see them. I think… this is the kind of connection I've come to realise I can never have. As my heart becomes more human, it only becomes clearer how much sets us apart." She lets out a sigh, leaning her head against the fence. "Just because my heart is developing doesn't mean I can actually become human. I've known this since the beginning, yet…"
"Aigis." Minako calls out to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I am sure that there is someone out there who can form a bond with you like that. No matter how long it will take, you will find someone like that." She turns Aigis to face her. "And even if you can't, you have another connection forming with us that is just as strong as that, right?"
"Another bond?" Aigis asks, tilting her head.
"Yeah!" Minako exclaims excitedly. "A bond that is just as strong as a romantic one! And you've seen it all the time with Ren and the others!" Aigis eyes widen at that as she looks between her and Minato. Blinking her eyes in surprise.
"Do you mean… a familiar bond?" Aigis asks hesitantly.
"Yep." Minako replies, letting her arms drop. "I mean, sure, we're not as close as Ren and the others are. But I like to think that we can get to a similar bond like them. Wouldn't you agree?" Aigis blinks at Minako rapidly before raising a hand over her mouth and letting out a giggle at her.
"That… I never even considered a connection like that." Aigis replies, smiling at Minako. "But, I like that a lot." As she said that, Minako and Minato spotted the eighth star form on her Tarot card. "Especially since the 'Promised Day' is getting closer."
"Yeah." Minato replies, narrowing his eyes. "Our final battle with Strega is almost on us."
"I think we all agree that this has been a long time coming." Ren replies, rolling his neck. "Ever since they tried to kill me and Makoto, this was going to happen." Minako and Minato nod at him while Aigis gazes at the clouds. Watching them roll past in red and pink.
"Recently, I have been coming up here a lot to think to myself about the upcoming fight." Aigis tells them, grabbing their attention. "'I can't let it end like this…' 'I want to protect it all.' Thoughts like that. Sometime after I started thinking like that, and our interactions with Mii-chan-san's owner, I've tried thinking of things more rationally."
"And… how did that help?" Minato asks Aigis who lets out a sigh.
"Whenever I think of Mii-chan-san, her owner, or Kiyoshi-san, I can't help but wonder if Mii-chan-san was alone until the moment of her death. Somewhere where no one could find her. I think… the old lady wanted to be there for her at the end." She looks back at the trio, nodding her head at them. "To live means to be connected to other people, but life is finite. Farewells are unavoidable."
"It's something that we all have to accept, Aigis." Ren agrees, shaking his head. "It's sad to think about it, but someday we will all have to part one day." The twins look up at Ren, a sudden thought crossing their minds.
"About that… but do you think you guys will go back to your time after this, Ren?" Minako asks, rubbing her arm. "After we beat Nyx, I mean?" Ren looks between them, his gaze not meeting either of them as he rubs the back of his head.
"Yeah… probably." He replies, not meeting either of their gazes. The twins look at each other, tilting their heads while Aigis does the same. "But even if we do, that just means we'll meet again in six or seven years' time. It won't be permanent."
"That is true…" Minato admits, rubbing his head. "But, we will be older than you guys. Fuuka might be even taller than Futaba."
"Better not tell her that. Futaba and Fuuka are part of the short people club." Minako snarks, causing all of them to laugh at the joke in good nature. Aigis wipes a finger on her face, before pausing. Remembering that she can't cry or actually feel anything. She looks at her hand, slowly closing it as she nods her head in determination. It was time that she really changed.
"I've decided. When we return to the Dorm, I'll ask Mitsuru if she can upgrade my body so that I can really be a human." The three of them look at Aigis in surprise a she rests a hand on her chest. "To really feel, to really cry, and so many other things. I want to embrace them all. I don't want to be ignorant of these any more." The trio look at Aigis in surprise before all of them smile at her in acceptance.
"If that's what you want to do, Aigis, then we're behind you." Minato replies as the twins see the Aeon Tarot card reach the ninth star. "Want to head home now?" Aigis looks between them, nodding with a smile as the four of them leave the roof. The calm red clouds above them floating by gently, hiding the impending doom that drew closer with every passing day.
But before they reached it, a miracle occurred. One that should have been impossible but, against all odds, happened anyway.
And healing a hole that had been formed in a certain person's heart.
January 21st, 2010
"D-Did I hear that right…?" Junpei asks, still as a statue in the Student Council Room. Around him, the rest of the Phantom S.E.E.S stood in equal amounts of shock while Mitsuru stood before the blackboard. "Chidori is alive…? I-Is this a joke? Some kinda trick…?"
"No. It's not a joke or a trick. Chidori is currently recovering in the same hospital as before." Mitsuru tells him, pushing her hair back. "We don't know how, but not long after her body was recovered, she was encased in a cocoon of light. I didn't want to give anyone false hope, so I stayed silent about it. We are thinking that it had to do with her Persona's powers, but… there is a possibility she doesn't remember anything." All eyes turn to Junpei as he looks at the floor, face hidden by his cap.
"Even if she doesn't… I have to see her." Junpei replies, tightening his right hand. "I just… really want to see her again."
"Then let's head on over." Haru offers, grabbing Junpei's attention. "Even if she doesn't remember any of us, it will be great to see her again."
"I agree." Mitsuru replies with a smile. "Which is why I have cleared everyone for leaving. Let us leave immediately before night falls." It was quickly agreed to visit Chidori as the entire group set off for the hospital. But when they arrived, the team waited in the visiting room and let Junpei head to her room first. When he reached her door, he froze. Finding his breath caught in his mouth as his hand hovered over the doorknob. For a moment, he felt himself chicken out until a reassuring push echoed inside his heart. It could have been Trismegistus or Medea giving him the courage to go in or something else entirely. But regardless, it was the confidence boost he needed to enter her room.
Finding Chidori sitting up on her bed, looking more healthier than ever. With her doctor standing next to her.
"Chidori… it's really you. You're alive." Junpei whispers, walking over to her bedside. But the confused face she was giving him already told him what they feared was true.
"Who… are you?" Chidori asks, suddenly with more life in her voice than before. Junpei flinches, hiding his hurt deep down inside him as he sits in a chair nearby.
"This is Iori-kun. He is one of your friends from last year. He and the others have been especially worried about you." Chidori's eyes widen in shock before shifting into sadness as she looks back at Junpei.
"I'm sorry… It hasn't hit me yet, but I guess I don't remember anything over the past few years. It's like I've been having a really long dream." Chidori tells Junpei, who again hides his hurt behind a poker face. "My name is Chidori Yoshino. It's nice to meet you again, Iori-kun."
"Yeah… it's great to see you again, Chidori-chan. My name is Junpei Iori." Junpei replies as he glances off to the side. "Still, I'm glad you're awake. When you're having a nightmare, it's better to be able to wake up."
"I didn't say it was a nightmare. It was a warm dream." Chidori replies, surprising Junpei. "It was a dream of meeting a kind, warm person at the end of a long, dark tunnel. I can't remember it clearly, but I wanted to make him happy, and I…" She pauses, tilting her head as she rests a hand on her chin. "I think… there were flowers. A room filled with them. Ah, my head."
"Hey, don't push yourself." Junpei tells her, instinctively resting a hand on hers. "Don't try to force yourself to remember. I'm sure that you will remember gradually."
"But I really want to remember now." Chidori replies, shaking her head. "I want to live. I have to find the person in my dreams again. I don't have time to rest in bed forever." Junpei blinks at her before letting out a laugh as he shakes his head.
"Now that's determination. So, if you find him, what will you do?" Chidori blushes, looking away from Junpei as she lets out an awkward cough. "Ah, private. I get ya. I won't pry."
"Thank you." Chidori replies before glancing down at her hand. She had noticed that he grasped hers, yet for some reason, she didn't mind it. In fact, it was comforting. Unbeknownst to them, the rest of the team was listening in from outside. Yet none of them wanted to intrude on the scene and so, with a unanimous decision, the team ops to leave the hospital.
And savouring one more victory of Strega.
September 15th, 2017
Everyone in Leblanc looked at Chidori with looks of amazement. They couldn't believe what they were just told, yet the proof was sitting right before them. As for Chidori, she was looking away with some embarrassment while Junpei had her in a one-arm hug.
"But… how did you come back to life?" Yusuke asks bluntly.
"It was because of all the flowers that Junpei bought her." Yukari comments with a smile. "Whenever they started to wilt, Chidori would transfer some of her life energy into them to preserve them. When she died, the doctor in charge placed them on her to honour Chidori's memory. But that act is what caused her to turn into a cocoon in the first place. Even thought it cost Chidori her Persona, it's what brought her back to life."
"The strength of two hearts connected to form a miracle… sounds like something out of a manga." Morgana quips, shaking his head with a smile. "Then again, isn't that what our lives are currently like?"
"A manga? It feels more like an anime." Ken replies, shaking his head in amusement.
"Hell no! It's a video game, for sure!" Ryuji cuts in before everyone bursts out laughing at the ridiculousness of their lives. It was rather crazy now that they fought about it, but it was their lives, after all. And if they were being honest, they wouldn't have it any other way.
"So, I guess it was after that you guys took that picture?" Ann asks, looking back at the picture of all of them.
"That's right." Minato replies, looking back at the picture with a fond smile. "Even though we knew that tomorrow was the day we would either win or lose, we still decided to take a picture. So that, even if we forgot about the Dark Hour, we would not forget the bonds we made between ourselves." He lets out a sigh, rubbing the back of his head as everyone in the S.E.E.S team frowns as one. "And in a way… something like that did happen."
January 30th, 2010
"Okay everyone! Stay bunched up together!" Futaba calls out, standing next to her laptop as everyone stands at the door. Fuuka and Ken were standing at the front, with space for Futaba to join them as Koromaru stood on a box to be eye levelled with Ken on his left while Minato was standing next to Fuuka on her right with an arm around her as she leaned into him. Mitsuru and Akihiko were behind Fuuka and Minato, hands around each other waists while Shinjiro was behind them with a grin. Aigis standing to the left of them with Ryuji and Ann on her other side, also hands around their waists. Haru and Yusuke, standing on Akihiko and Mitsuru's right, were in a gentle embrace while Junpei held up a victory sign.
ON Ann and Ryuji's left, Yukari and Minato were grasping hands while holding up peace signs and winking at the camera, while Ren and Makoto were beside them. In a similar gentle embrace as Haru and Yusuke, while Morgana was standing on Ren's shoulders. Once Futaba nods at them, she sets the camera to go off in a few seconds as she runs up to stand between Fuuka and Ken with Aigis behind her.
"Everyone say cheese!"
"Cheese!"
With that, the camera goes off. Taking the picture as Futaba rushes over to look at it. Nodding to herself with a smile before spinning it around to show them.
"A perfect shoot!" Ann cheers as they look at the picture.
"I'll say." Yukari agrees, leaning on one foot before looking at Aigis. I'm surprised you didn't want to take a picture yourself, Aigis."
"Technically, I could capture video and audio data with my eyes and ears, but then I would not be a part of the photo." Aigis replies with a smile before looking at Mitsuru. "And thank you again for agreeing to upgrade me, Mitsuru."
"Think nothing of it." Mitsuru replies, shaking her head. "If it's what you want, then you can have it. After all, you are no longer just a machine, are you?"
"That's right." Aigis replies gleefully, her mannerisms that of a normal human. It was striking to see her act like this when compared to how she first acted back in Yakushima. But you wouldn't hear any of them complaining about it. "Photographs really are an amazing invention. They allow us to preserve a single moment in life in the endless flow of time. A technology born from the desire to preserve the experiences that our precious to us."
"Indeed. Seeing a photograph on the wall helps preserve the memory of where it was taken. Even as we forget due to time and age." Yusuke admits, shaking his head.
"But I am different." Aigis replies with a smile. "Before, I was sad that I was a machine. That I was different to everyone else. But not any more. After all, there is something that a machine with a heart can do that no one else can. I can preserve our memories." She looks back at Ren and the others with a smile. "Even should you leave us to return to your time, I won't forget the memories we have made."
"Hopefully, we won't just vanish on you without saying goodbye first." Makoto jokes, brushing some hair back. While Aigis chuckles to herself, she remembers something as she reached into her pocket and pulled out two charred screws. And hands them over to Minako and Minato.
"Are those screws from when you got damaged?" Fuuka asks Aigis as the twins look at the screws. Aigis nods at Fuuka, turning back to the twins as they look up at her.
"Yes. It is one of the parts that had to be replaced after my fight at Moonlight Bridge. And I asked Mitsuru to send it here. I kept it hidden until now as a reminder that I am just a machine. But, not any more. Now, it's a symbol to show that I will always remember both of you. Of ALL of you." She turns around, meeting the eyes of everyone in the room. "This is the proof of my resolve. And I want you all to know that as long as I'm here, I will never leave you. No matter how or when your life comes to an end… you are all members of a precious family to me. And I will always be at your side."
"Aigis…" Akihiko comments as he wipes away a tear. "When did you become sentimental?"
"C'mon man… you're tugging at the heartstrings here." Ryuji adds, wiping his eyes even though he was smiling. Junpei had taken his hat off as he rubbed his own eyes while the girls were all wiping away single tears.
"Aigis. We are proud to have met you." Ren tells her, even as Morgana tries to paw away a tear from his cheek.
"Yeah. We most certainly are." Minato adds with a genuine smile on his face.
"We're all in this together. Until the very end!" Minako shouts, hand grasping around the charred bolt as everyone shouts in agreement. Emotions are running high as they all prepare for the final confrontation tomorrow. As for the twins, they once more hear Elizabeth and Theodore whispering in their minds as the Aeon Tarot card appears before them. Shining in a dazzling light, the tenth star is added to the card.
I am thou… thou art I…
The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Aeon Arcana has been set free.
We now bestow upon thee… the ultimate form of the Aeon within thy self…
At that, the twins look at each other and nod their heads as one. Even if the Universe Arcana was not yet finished, they had a feeling it would be tomorrow. And tomorrow… was Showtime!