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It had been a few weeks since the last time Haru had been in the Metaverse.
Things had been quiet since the Phantom Thieves defeated Maruki, restoring the true reality they had so desperately fought for. Everyone had gone back to their lives with relatively little fuss, and things were peaceful.
Yet there were many things she missed about the experience. The overwhelming strength she possessed, which had inspired her to try working out, additionally as an additional excuse to be with Ryuji. She had hung the axe she wielded in her room as a trophy, despite the odd looks she got from visitors, and she still lovingly touched it whenever she started missing the Metaverse too much. A part of her even considered having her Phantom Thief uniform recreated in the real world; Yusuke would have loved the challenge, and she was certain Ryuji wouldn’t mind seeing her in her thief attire again.
But there was one thing she missed the most about it all.
Her Persona.
Milady had been with her since the beginning. Even after she became Astarte, and later Lucy, some part of Milady had stayed in Haru’s mind, always there when she needed her most.
After Father’s passing, she had been inconsolable for days, and the only one who had been able to talk her out of her grief stricken state had been Milady.
“I know you miss him, ma petite ,” she had said softly, somewhere deep in the crevices of Haru’s mind. “I know it hurts, but forcing yourself to be alone is only going to hurt you more.”
“... I know.”
“Your friends must be worried about you,” Milady continued. “Perhaps it would be a good idea to let them know how you are coping.”
Grasping for her phone, Haru sent a quick text to the group chat.
Haru: I would like you all to know that I am safe.
Haru: I hope that you didn’t worry about me too much…
Almost immediately, her phone was flooded with messages from her friends, checking that she was handing everything alright. Ryuji offered to come over and hang out, since she probably didn’t want to be alone, and Akira suggested that he and Futaba bring some curry.
Her heart swelled with joy at her friend’s support, and she agreed to have them over that evening. Finally, her cold, empty apartment was full of life and laughter, and Haru dozed off with her head leaning against Ryuji’s shoulder.
As her eyes fluttered shut, she vaguely heard the sound of Milady humming. Right before she fell asleep, she mumbled, “Thank you, Milady…”
Without Milady’s help, she would have continued to shut her friends out.
Haru couldn’t have been more thankful for her Persona than in that moment.
Since Maruki’s defeat, Milady had been strangely… quiet. While there had been stretches of time before when Milady hadn’t spoken to her much, she had never gone completely radio silent on Haru like this. It was worrying.
When she finally got home from school, she sat on her bed, unsure of what to do. On the one hand, a part of her had always known that losing the Metaverse would mean losing her Persona, but a different, possibly more childish part of her had refused to accept that truth until she was confronted with it.
Milady was gone.
She was really gone…
Haru wanted to cry. She wanted to cry so badly, but the tears wouldn’t come. More than anything, she hated that feeling of hopelessness that had settled deep in her gut. For so long, she had felt helpless, trapped by Father and his ever-changing whims, but Milady had changed that.
At least, Haru thought she had.
But now, Milady was gone, and Haru was alone once more, in a cold, empty apartment, paid for with her dead father’s disgustingly exorbitant amount of money. Letting out a choked sob, Haru rubbed at her teary eyes with the back of her hand, feeling something… strange.
There was a mask on her face, sleek and black, like her mask as Noire.
With no idea of what compelled her to do it, Haru reached up, gripping the edges of her mask with the tips of her fingers, trying to remember what she had felt when she had awakened to Milady.
Rage. Pain. Relief.
As she pulled the mask off her face, she realised that it felt different to the other times that she summoned her Persona. It was a soothing feeling, and it wasn’t painful. It came off so easily, as if it was something she was meant to do all along, even if she hadn’t realised it yet.
She heard something else as a faint light appeared in front of her.
Humming.
The very song that Milady loved so much. She had once told Haru that it was a song her own mother had sung for her, but she didn’t remember the words. Even so, Haru loved the sound of the melody, and hearing it would always relax her.
“Milady…?” Haru said hesitantly, as Milady slowly drifted into existence, beginning to take a tangible, physical form.
There she was: Haru’s Persona, having gained her own body, was standing before her, decked out in her ballgown and other finery. However, Haru could tell that the process wasn’t quite finished. Not yet.
Haru felt as if she was splitting in two, yet she still felt whole, like her body was simply duplicating itself.
Meanwhile, in a rush of pink and purple energy, a face began to form behind Milady’s masquerade mask, and she lowered it, looking at Haru with warm brown eyes just like her own, and her lips quirked into a smile as some familiar light-brown hair sprouted above her like a flower, curling around her forming head, creating an appearance that looked very much like an older version of her user.
“Bonjour, ma fleur.”
Haru was so shocked that she could barely stammer out her question. “What’s happening? I don’t-”
“Do not worry,” replied Milady. “It’s quite simple, I assure you. After all the time we spent together, I’ve decided that I will join you in the real world, as a human, rather than as your Persona. You’ve become dear to me, Haru. In fact, I’ve come to see you as something like family. A daughter, perhaps.”
Haru’s chest felt tight, a part of her hesitant to tell the truest feelings she had been keeping buried inside. “I- I- I thought I was the only one…” she whispered. “I was so sure that I was the only one.”
“Rest assured, my dear, I want this just as much as you do.”
“I love you, maman ,” mumbled Haru, stumbling over to Milady and hugging her close. Milady wrapped her gloved arms around Haru’s shoulders, holding her daughter close. “I love you so much.”
That declaration of familial love was just what Milady needed to finish her transformation. Her dress gathered together, becoming a flared pencil skirt that stopped just above her knees, and the bodice of her dress loosened, becoming a comfortable, woollen sweater.
Remembering what Milady said to her when she first awakened, Haru whispered, “I am thou…”
Milady smiled back at her. “And thou art I.”
With that, Milady was fully human, having lost the final shreds of her supernatural nature, and she couldn’t have been happier with the change.
Exhausted from the physical exertion of her fourth and final awakening, Haru fell to her knees, caught and steadied by Milady, who led her over to her bed and set her down. With a yawn, Haru asked, “Are you going to choose a new name now that you’re human, maman?”
“That would be a good idea,” replied Milady, sitting down next to Haru. “Although, I wouldn’t want to use Lucy; that name is merely a connection to my old self.”
“What about… Melody?” suggested Haru. “You always liked music.”
Milady considered Haru’s words for a moment, before replying, “I like the sound of that. From now on, you may call me Melody Okumura, or maman, if you would like to.”
With a small hum, Haru shifted, placing her head on Melody’s lap. A warm, familiar feeling washed over Melody as she reached out a hand to stroke Haru’s hair.
“If you’re no longer my Persona, does that mean I’ve lost my rebellious side?” whispered Haru.
“Ma trésor, of course you still have that rebellious spirit in you,” Melody assured. “I am still a part of you, no matter what form I take. You will always be the same brave girl you were when you awakened to me for the first time.”
That seemed to satiate Haru a little. “...Can you sing that song for me again?” she asked after a moment.
Melody smiled, and was about to sing the familiar tune when she realised something.
She could remember the lyrics.
Her mother’s voice was clear in her mind, and she could remember every word. Running her hands through Haru’s hair, she began to sing, her new voice high-pitched and melodious.
“Bonne nuit, cher trésor. Ferme tes yeux et dor. Laisse ta tête, s'envoler au creux de ton oreiller…” Haru snuggled closer to Melody, her eyes drifting shut, and Melody continued her gentle lullaby. “Un beau rêve passera, et tu l’attraperas. Un beau rêve passera, et tu le retiendras…”
How fitting it was that lullaby spoke of dreams when Melody felt as though she was living a dream of her own.
Once Haru was asleep, Melody took some time to look in the mirror. Melody put a hand on her cheek, taking in her human appearance. She admired seeing her beauty in human form, and found joy in seeing so much of herself reflected in her daughter.
Tomorrow, when Haru awoke, she would tell her about the life that she had created for them, with a little help from what remained of the Metaverse. Hopefully, Melody would slot right into the real world, with a job, a home and a daughter already waiting for her.
That was tomorrow, though.
Today, she wanted nothing more than to spend time with Haru.
Her daughter.