Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dying, as it turns out, was pretty easy.

All it took was to close her eyes, and that was it. It didn’t hurt, her life didn’t flash before her eyes, no cliché movie stuff. The sounds of her friends and the rooftop had faded away, and all that was left was darkness. Honestly, she was a little disappointed there was nothing more to it.

Minako figured preventing the fall of humanity would have more to it too, but mostly, it was all about striking a delicate balance. Being the bridge between Erebus and Nyx, between consciousness and unconsciousness, between everything and nothing. If she was still alive, she would even say it was kind of…boring? Still, if this was what kept everyone from falling into despair, she was happy to walk this fine line. To exist, but not exist, in this sea of darkness for all eternity.

Until one moment, everything shifted.

Generally, she was aware of where Nyx was and what she was doing all the time time, but they were only vague sensations. And it was supposed to be that way, because if Minako had a clear vision of where Nyx was, that would mean the alien took interest in Erebus. And that’s what she was here to do: to prevent the two beings from ever meeting.

But this time, the impression of Nyx felt…different this time. It felt whole. Like the celestial being was right here in the void next to her instead of out in the world.

“Hello, dearest.”

It was like her essence gained substance again. Instead of just darkness, she was met with never ending stars filling the inky void. Emotions weren’t just faint sensations, but genuine feelings. Her soul somehow gained form once more as she watched the starry expanse swirl down into the space in front of her. The lights circled faster and faster, and to her astonishment, began to arrange into an all-too-familiar shape.

“Ryoji-kun?” She did not forget how to speak, it seemed. Though it had been so long her own voice sounded foreign to her.

The named boy smiled at her. He looked exactly like how he used to, eyes a brilliant blue and yellow scarf that almost seemed to glow against the night sky. Dread began to creep into her metaphorical bones as she beheld him. If he was here, that meant…

“No, I’m only visiting.” Either he read her mind or guessed what she was about to say. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Still, you shouldn’t be here.” Fear, joy, anxiousness all swirled in her soul at seeing her dear friend again. “It’s too dangerous with Erebus around.”

Ryoji quirked one eyebrow at her, “Erebus is here?”

“Uh, yeah.” Minako gestured vaguely behind her. “What do you think I’ve been doing this whole time?”

“I would check again if I were you.”

“What are you-“ She searched his face, which had taken on a pleading look. “Okay.” She cast her feelings inward, expecting to feel the being straining against the Seal, searching for a way to bust through. Instead of constant pounding, however, she felt nothing. Minako tried again, searching frantically in the void. She felt herself, she felt Ryoji, and that was it. The dread that was steadily rising turned into full blown panic.

“Ryoji, I can’t sense Erebus! It’s not here!” She started shaking. “Did it escape? Did I fail?”

“No, you didn’t fail.” Ryoji shook his head at her. “I promise. Actually, that’s the reason why I’m here. I couldn’t sense Erebus either, so I came to look into it.”

“So the Fall didn’t happen?”

Ryoji came closer and rested a hand on her shoulder. “No, dearest. You’ve done wonderfully.”

Relief crashed over her so hard she felt dizzy. So, she didn’t just doom all of humanity to die. Still, that begged the question, what happened to Erebus? When she casted out her awareness yet again, she was still met with silence. It wasn’t like Erebus had gone and walked off; there was no trace at all, like it never was there in the first place.

Blue eyes gazed up at the dark expanse above them, “You felt it too, didn’t you? A…ripple of some sorts came right through the Sea of Souls. That’s when I couldn’t sense Erebus anymore.”

“Yeah, I felt it.” Minako nodded. “Right before you showed up.”

“Now, Erebus is gone. Or never existed to better describe it.” Ryoji placed one hand to his chin, a serious look settling over his features. “And I’m able to interact with you like nothing happened. Obviously, something has gotten screwed up here.”

“What about Nyx? Is she still alive?”

“Yes, but with Erebus out of the way she really has no interest in humanity at the moment.” He smiled grimly. “A silver lining while we figure this out.”

Minako looked around, but the stars offered no answers. She had a feeling that if they started walking, all they would find was more of the void. “What do you think happened?”

“I don’t know. But if I had to guess, that ripple caused Erebus to vanish from existence. To me, that means someone found a way to defeat it.” His sharp azure gaze bore into her, “And perhaps rescue you from being the Great Seal.”

Everything stilled as his words sunk in. Someone was trying to save her? No, she wouldn’t dare believe that such a possibility existed. As long as humanity felt grief, anger, and every other negative emotion, there would always be the danger of the Fall occurring. Minako gave her life to protect them, she did so willingly, and knew that being rescued meant walking away from her duty and letting the Fall wipe out everyone.

“…No. I don’t want to be rescued.” She said and was horrified when a tiny voice inside disagreed with the statement.

“I know, Minako.” Ryoji’s face softened. “I don’t want to invalidate your sacrifice either, but if that is what’s truly happening here, would it be so bad to let it happen? If anyone deserves a second chance at life, no doubt it should be you.”

She squeezed her eyes tight, taking a moment to not let the panic overwhelm her. Coming back to life….it was not a thought she wanted to give one iota of hope to. If she dared to dream of returning back to her old life, to all her loved ones, then her nerve would be shaken. Minako threw any chance of that away when she became the Great Seal, and there was no going back.

But what if there was?

“Hey, what’s that?” Ryoji’s question brought her focus back to him. He peered into the inky black with squinted eyes and one hand shielding them. She scanned the horizon with him, confused. It looked like the same starry sky they had been in.

“I don’t-“ Her words died in her throat when she saw it. A flare of white light appeared way in the distance, illuminating the dark. Minako squinted as the light faded and the scenery went back to normal, only to be shocked when the light appeared again. It seemed to be rushing towards the two of them, consuming every inch of the void.

“Ryoji-kun!” She cried, “What’s going on?”

His blue eyes reflected her own alarm. “I don’t know! But it’s headed right towards us!”

The light was upon them, and Minako shut her eyes, throwing up her arms to guard against an unseen enemy. An unseen wind whipped through her, knocking her away from Ryoji. Spots danced against her eyelids because the glow was so bright, and it felt like every atom of her soul was on fire.

“Minako!” Ryoji called her name, and she willed herself to squint into the light to see him. When she did, however, a jolt of surprise made her open her eyes fully to make sure what she was seeing was actually happening.

Ryoji was breaking apart. Fractures were being torn from his body and eaten by the all-consuming blaze. From the ends of his dark hair to the tips of his shoes, her dearest friend was being swallowed up right in front of her.

“Ryoji-kun!” Minako screamed, reaching out to save him. To her horror, she saw herself succumbing to the same fate; the tops of her nails were disintegrating right along with Ryoji.

Stop. She willed, trying with everything she had to grab onto him. She watched as he extended his arm as well, desperately reaching for her just as she was reaching for him. Just as their fingertips met, their forms fully disappeared into the white abyss.

And then there was nothing.

She woke up with a gasp, eyes flying open. Where there was once nothing, sensations began flooding in. Minako could feel her heart beat in her chest, her lungs filling with air. She felt her fingers flex and her toes wiggling away the pins and needles. Her mind spun as she was assaulted with the feelings of being alive. Things that she gave up when she became the Great Seal, like having a body and emotions, were suddenly there once more. And somehow, underneath all this, she knew that something was terribly wrong.

Minako sat up quickly, then realized with a jolt that she could sit up. That she had just been laying down. And not laying down anywhere, but in a normal bed. Something normal people did, not people who were dead.

Focusing intently, Minako brought a very shaky hand to her head, noting how easy it felt. The last time she tried to raise her hand, it felt like lead. Having total control of not only her arm, but her whole body? It was a novel practice. She stared at her hand for a moment; it was too dark to see much detail, but it looked perfectly fine to her. When she carefully ran her palm across her face, she felt the callouses (permanent from countless volleyball practices and naginata swings) rub against the skin of her cheeks. She had cheeks! And lips! And eyes! Which now were currently adjusting to the dim.

Staring out, she could just make out fuzzy shapes of a bedroom, slightly illuminated by the window on the wall. Minako squinted, and she counted a dresser, a desk, a closet door across the room, bedside tables….

Ice went down her spine when she realized.

Minako didn’t recognize this room.

Her heart started pounding as panic washed over. Stay calm. Where are you? The room itself didn’t give away any clues, so she turned her focus to the bed she was currently sitting in. As far as she could tell, it was just an ordinary bed. The sheets felt soft under her hands and the mattress was firm. She didn’t have any restraints chaining her to the bed, and judging by the pajamas she was wearing, she clearly was supposed to be sleeping here.

“…Mina?” A hoarse voice thick with sleep sounded next to her, and she froze. It was a voice she thought she would never hear again.

Slowly, as if she didn’t want to confirm, Minako turned her head to the sound of the voice. There, lying next to her, was Akihiko Sanada.

Minako found she couldn’t speak. She gaped at him, mouth open like a fish. Akihiko looked older, more rugged than when she last saw him. His sliver hair was now cropped closer on the sides and longer on top, and he sported some stubble on his chin. The most notable change, however, was how muscular he had gotten. And in this particular moment, Akihiko was shirtless. Sleeping next to her.

What the hell is going on?

“Minako?” This older Akihiko said, bringing her out of her thoughts. He sounded more alert now, “You okay?”

Her voice still wouldn’t work. After the initial shock of his appearance had worn off, Minako couldn’t believe that he was here, alive and next to her. She couldn’t believe that she was alive and next to him. Shaking, she reached out her hand and touched his cheek. It was solid under her fingertips, and she could feel the stubble scratch against her skin.

“…What are you doing?” Akihiko asked, but she barely heard the question. Blood roared in her ears as she slid her hand down his face to halt at his chest. She pressed her palm into his ribs and felt his heartbeat. It beat steadily, a calming rhythm that Minako had heard so many times before…

Something cracked inside her, and tears began to fall.

Akihiko sat up in a flash, pulling her into his arms. Minako flinched when his skin touched hers; it had been so long since she had physical contact with another human being that the sensation overwhelmed her nerves. Feeling guilty immediately after, she hoped Akihiko was too distracted to notice.

“Are you alright?” He murmured against her ear. She was tucked into his neck as he carded his fingers through her hair, and she inhaled in a shaky breath. He smelled just like he used to, his spruce pine deodorant mixed in with a little bit of sweat and something else that was uniquely Akihiko. Her thoughts turned to all the times she had curled against him just in this way, and that just made her cry harder.

Akihiko spoke in a soothing voice, “Hey…hey you’re okay,” His hand moved from the back of her head down to her back, caressing her spine in an attempt to calm her down. Minako’s fingers curled into fists on his chest, and she sobbed.

How did she come back to life? Why? Why wasn’t Akihiko as shocked as she was? Just how long has she been gone?

Eventually, the terror griping her heart began to lighten up just a fraction, and her tears slowly subsided. Minako took shuttering breaths as her sobs turned into soft hiccups, trying to center herself once again to face this boy she long thought she lost.

(Or was it that he lost her?)

Akihiko sensed she was calming down and gently eased her face away from his shoulder. She stared at him through bloodshot eyes, and he cupped her cheeks, pads of his thumbs wiping away the last of her tears. “Feeling better?”

In response, Minako gave another small hiccup, and he chuckled. His gray eyes grew concerned as he studied her face, “It’s been a while since that’s happened.”

“What?” She managed to croak out.

“Your nightmare. It’s been years since you had one that bad. But I guess they come creeping back for us all once in a while.”

She swallowed around the lump in her throat, eyes wide at his words. It’s been years?

“Akihiko…Aki…” Her voice cracked and she took another breath, forcing the next wave of tears down. “I-I can’t….”

“What’s that?”

“I’m not…” Minako was struggling to find her words. Panicked thoughts swirled around her brain, every fiber in her body was telling her that this was not how things were supposed to be. She was not supposed to be here, laying in a comfortable bed next to the love of her life. She was not supposed to exist. She willingly sacrificed all of that when she defeated Nyx and became the Great Seal. This was all wrong.

“I shouldn’t be here.” She finished her thought, fully aware how insane it sounded.

“What?” Akihiko snorted at the statement, “It’s New Years Eve. Where else would you be?”

“New Year’s Eve.” Minako repeated dumbly. March 5^th was the day she died, that much she was sure about.

He peered at the alarm clock on the bedside table, where 2:45 AM shone back at them, “Well, I guess it’s actually New Year’s Day.”

Terror griped her again, “Akihiko. What year is it?”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Did that nightmare mess with your head?”

“Aki, please.”

His face softened at her insistence, “2017.”

The number felt like a punch to the gut. Seven years. She’s been gone for nearly seven years. It was almost impossible to comprehend that much time had passed while she held back Erebus. Minako’s chest started heaving, her newly reformed lungs failing to take in enough oxygen. 2017. Seven years. She gripped the sides of her head, attempting to make the information make sense. It didn’t make sense. There was no way there was noway therewasnoway-

“Minako! Please, tell me what’s wrong,” Akihiko’s firm grip on her shoulder broke through her panic attack before it got any worse.

She shook her head, shutting her eyes tight, “I can’t be here.”

“You just said that, and I really don’t understand-“

“Aki,” Minako turned to face him again, complete despair settling over her features, “You don’t get it.”

“I’m supposed to be dead."

Chapter Text

Gray eyes narrowed with concern, “Minako, what in the world are you talking about? You’re right here with me.” 

Minako felt a frustrated flush rise to her cheeks. Of course, he would look at her like she grew another head. If she didn’t just experience rising from the dead, she wouldn’t have believed it either. The thought was utterly absurd, but here she was, literally living proof.

“I think you’re just exhausted from the nightmare,” Akihiko cupped her cheek with one hand, tone soft. “Let’s go back to bed, okay?”

She opened her mouth to argue, to try to convince him that she was telling the truth. But one look into his eyes and the words died right on her tongue. The concern and love that shone there made her want to start crying all over again.

“…Okay.” She relented, and allowed him to guide her back down to her pillow. She curled on her side and Akihiko brought the sheets over her shoulder, tucking her back into the bed. He then leaned over and kissed her forehead, the stubble on his chin slightly scratching over her nose.

“Goodnight, Mina.” He said, then settled in next to her. One arm rested over her waist and pulled her close, and he closed his eyes. Within minutes, Akihiko’s breathing slowed and he returned to sleep.

Minako wasn’t so lucky.

Rest did not come easily for her. In fact, it didn’t come at all. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and she could almost hear the ticking of the alarm clock every second, but her body refused to drift off. Each time she tried to close her eyes, her heart started to race and her mouth became dry. It felt like every nerve in her body was screaming at her to stay awake. 

And it made sense when she really thought about it. The last time she fell asleep, she never woke up. 

It was only when the sun began to peek behind the curtain did sleep finally claim Minako. Mental and emotional exhaustion from the roller coaster she just endured made her feel ragged and raw, and soon it overpowered her terror. Sleep crashed down all at once, and she fell back into nothingness.

~*~

Minako woke to the rich scent of coffee filling her nose. Red eyes blinked away the light before fully focusing on what she was waking up to. The room was the same one that she had woken up to the first time, now bathed in a golden glow from the sun. It was the same bed as well, the same sheets soft over her skin. 

It took a moment for her to realize that she had woken up again. That the stuff happened during the night really happened, and she really had come back to life. It wasn’t a fluke, no evil tactic from Erebus designed to break her will. By some miracle, Minako Arisato had truly been saved and was alive once more. Which made the circumstances she was currently in all the more confusing; It seemed like life had moved on like she had never died at all, like someone just pressed play on a movie that had previously been paused.

Raising a hand to rub the sleep from her eyes, Minako felt an acute headache beginning to form from behind her eyes. Thinking about it was doing nothing but making her more confused, so she decided what she needed right now was water and some ibuprofen. She threw off the sheets and stood on shaky legs, taking a moment to just be. Just be Minako, with her sherbert colored pajamas and messy bed head, in a room she didn’t recognize and a time period she had no business being in. Then the smell of coffee overpowered her brooding, and she followed it to the kitchen. 

The place that she assumed she lived in was quite normal. It was only a few feet from the bedroom to the rest, opening up to a simple living room, bright sunlight filtering through the windows. Akihiko was sitting at the table, a coffee mug in one hand and a black device in the other. He looked up at her approach and brightened.

“Good morning,” He got up from the table and bent to kiss her cheek. Even though it was the least of her problems, Minako felt a flash of annoyance that she hadn’t grown taller in seven years, “Did you get some rest after your nightmare?”

She frowned at his earnest face. She could’ve tried to explain her “nightmare” again, but her headache was starting to throb painfully and producing thoughts was difficult.

“Can you get me some ibuprofen?” Minako asked instead, and Akihiko nodded, grabbing said bottle from the cupboard. 

He handed her some and the second mug of coffee from the table, and she wasted no time knocking back two of the pills and washing them down with the hot liquid. It seared the back of her throat, but Minako welcomed the heat. It was only after that did she realize that the coffee was made just to her liking: half cream and one sugar. Warmth bloomed in her chest, and it wasn’t from the coffee.

When she drained the mug, Akihiko took it back and went into the kitchen. He was dressed in a navy long sleeved shirt and dark pants, and when he turned to place the mugs in the sink, Minako was surprised to see the Fire Department symbol on the back of the shirt. Before her brain could add this piece of information to the ever-growing pile of shocking facts, he took her hand and placed something in it.

“I’m sorry I can’t go with you to the shrine today,” He told her, his face looking like a sad puppy, “I really tried but since I had last year off it’s my turn to work the holiday. But I hope this makes up for it a little.”

Minako looked at the object in her hand: it was a hairpin made of orange and red flowers, and the gesture was so considerate, she had to shut her eyes to prevent another wave of tears from forming. She had missed Akihiko and his thoughtfulness so much it nearly knocked the breath from her lungs. 

Before she could say anything though, a buzzing noise distracted the both of them. Akihiko snatched the black device he was looking at earlier from the table, and glanced down at the illuminated screen. On closer inspection, it appeared to be an extremely advanced version of the new “smartphone” President Tanaka had once tried to sell her and upgrade her cellphone. Akihiko tapped the screen a couple of times before letting out an exasperated sigh.

“Looks like Junpei is awake,” He told her, and held out the screen for her to see. It was a white background with blue text bubbles filling in some of the empty space.

Junpei Iori: wow guys! i havent seen you since last year

Junpei Iori: oh man i havent showered since last year either!!!

Another blue bubble popped up as she read the messages. It contained a single yellow smiley face rolling its eyes, sent by one Yukari Takeba. An overwhelmed sensation threatened to burst from her chest upon seeing the names of her friends on the tiny screen acting just like they did before she left them. Then her eye caught the title at the top.

“S.E.E.M.S?” She read aloud.

Akihiko answered with a flat tone, “Specialized Extracurricular Execution Meme Squad.”

Despite herself, Minako let an amused smile curve on her lips.

“Yukari got mad when Junpei changed it to ‘*gasp* the group chat!’” Akihiko gave her a curious look when she laughed, “Don’t you remember?”

“Oh, right.” She bonked the side of her head with her palm, hoping it was convincing, “The coffee hasn’t hit yet.”

He brought the phone back to his face and frowned, “And it looks like no one else is free to go to the shrine too.” He glanced up at her, “That’s annoying. I don’t want you to spend New Year’s alone.”

She flapped her hand nonchalantly, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine on my own.” In fact, this was a good thing. It gave her time to think, to sort out just what the hell happened to her without worrying about Akihiko getting suspicious about her lack of memories. 

“Are you sure? I can always call in sick.”

“No you won’t.” Seven years older or no, she knew her Aki. He would never skip out on his responsibilities.

He ducked his head in guilty admission. “...I’m sorry. I’ll bring you back some strawberry shortcake.”

She perked up at that. She didn’t even know the last time she had her favorite dessert, “Deal.”

After glancing at his phone one more time, Akihiko sighed and grabbed his coat from the back of the chair. Swinging it over his shoulder, he leaned in and kissed her. Minako savored the quick moment of his lips on hers, and tried not to think about how many kisses she had missed while holding back Erebus. 

“I’ll see you later,” He said, heading towards the door, “Call me if you need anything.”

“Have a good day,” She waved him off, watching as he walked out. As soon as it shut behind him, she released a large breath. She was alone again. 

Unease prickled underneath her skin; Minako knew she needed to be by herself right now, but she didn’t like it. She had just spent the last seven years alone, and now that she was in the presence of humanity again she craved it. But there was no time to dwell on this. She knew that she needed to get caught up on her surroundings first if she had any chance of solving this mystery.

Minako turned from the door to observe her residence in better detail. She was standing in the living room still with the kitchen off to the side. It held all the standard appliances, and all in all seemed like a comfortable living space.

Going back into the hallway she emerged from, Minako saw the bedroom she woke up in, the one she shared with Akihiko. She took a quick peek at it, but nothing of note really stood out to her. The bed was still unmade from when she got up, while the closet held nothing but both hers and Akihiko’s clothes. At least that confirmed one thing: she and Aki definitely lived together in this apartment. 

There was another one of those phones on the bedside table, this one coral colored. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this one belonged to Minako. She poked at the screen out of curiosity, and the device was a lot different than her trusty flip phone. It lit up with a picture of her and Aki smiling happily, the date and time displayed at the top. Knowing that she would have to take the time to acclimate herself to this new technology, Minako made a mental note to come back later and fiddle with it.

Continuing her exploration, Minako crossed the hallway to the bathroom. For all intents and purposes, it was a standard bathroom. A bathtub sat in the back of the room beneath the window, and to her left was the sink and the mirror. This made her pause, as she hadn’t seen her reflection in so long. She leaned in closer, inspecting herself with morbid interest.

Her new appearance wasn’t as strikingly different as Akihiko’s. Her bangs stayed the same, and her auburn hair was longer but only slightly. Instead of reaching her shoulders, it flowed down to her chest. Her face looked leaner too with her cheeks losing a lot of their hamster-like quality. It did strike her how dark the circles under her eyes were, and just how pale she looked under the fluorescent lights.

Well, I did just rise from the dead. She thought, watching her reflection’s lips quirk up in a small smile.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable with her (albeit small) transformation, Minako rummaged through the bathroom’s storage until she found what she was looking for. She first brushed all the knots out of her hair before using the hair tie to gather it all into a high ponytail. Then, she found six bobby pins and slid them into the left side of her head, forming the all-too-familiar XXII shape. Both things made her feel more like herself, something that hadn’t happened since awakening to this new reality. 

Her tour of the bathroom complete, there was only one spot left in the apartment to search. It was the second bedroom further down the hall. This one was smaller than their own and held nothing but a few pieces of furniture. It appeared to be an office of sorts, with a desk situated in one corner, a small futon, and some filing cabinets. There was a closet as well, and Minako wasted no time investigating.

Some extra coats hung from the pole and there were extra storage bins on the floor. Opening them gave her no clues as they contained things such as summer decorations and old documents. Blowing her bangs out of her face, Minako resigned to the fact that her living arrangement would not hold any answers she was seeking. 

She was about to close the closet door when she spotted a tall black bag in the furthest corner, hidden by the coats and bins. When she reached out and tried to pull it towards herself, the heaviness caught her off guard. It was a good foot taller than her, and she wrestled with it for a moment before dragging it free and setting it on the floor. Without preamble, she sought the zipper and opened the thing fully.

A polished wooden handle greeted her and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. With shaky hands, she shoved the rest of the cover away to reveal a naginata. It wasn’t the one she traversed the Dark Hour with, that was destroyed during the final battle with Nyx, but it was close to it. 

Minako grasped the handle and heaved the weapon off the floor. It felt perfectly designed for her hands; the staff balanced and the blade sharpened to a deadly point. Glad for once to be alone, she drew in breath and shifted into a fighting stance. She tried out some swings, noting how rusty and clumsy she had become in her seven years of no practice. Still, the muscle memory was there, so if she had to defend herself she could. 

Stopping before she broke something, Minako set aside her old friend and kneeled to continue searching the bag. It still had stuff inside of it, so she took her time sorting through them. Alongside the naginata was a pair of boxing gloves, obviously Akihiko’s. Coming with the gloves was a smaller bin full of different accessories for them: spikes, thin blades, fangs…they were all designed for different combat situations. 

This brought on a whole new set of questions. These weapons seemed well maintained, as if they were expected to be used. Why was that? Their fighting days were over. And these weren’t the things you reached for when a robber broke into your home. So why did they have them?

Questions, questions, and more questions. None of which had any answers. Minako knew it would not be easy, but it appeared getting to the bottom of her predicament was going to be a lot harder than she expected.

Besides the weapons, the bag still contained other things to discover. At the bottom there was a silver briefcase, which she set aside to look at last. After fishing around in some of the pockets, her fingers brushed against some thin wires. She pulled them out and was pleasantly surprised to see her old mp3 player. 

Unlike the weapons, the music player had definitely seen better days. There were dents and smudges from everyday use, but to her delight it still turned on when she flipped the switch. With child-like giddy she placed the headphones over her ears and leaned against the wall, hitting play and closing her eyes when a familiar tune filled the silence.

Write me an endless song, as I’ll feel so alive…

With her eyes closed, it was almost like she was back in 2009, listening to this song while on her way to school. She could almost imagine getting off the train and bumping into Yukari, or Junpei, or Aki, and discussing that night’s foray into Tartarus. She would listen to Edogawa’s lecture before volleyball practice, and then go work a shift at Chagall’s. Or she would help sew kimonos with Bebe. Or learn how to cook with Fuuka. It depended on the day. After that, it was time to do homework until the Dark Hour came.

But then the song ended, and Minako opened her eyes. She wasn’t sitting in the Iwatodai Dorms, but on the floor of an unfamiliar apartment. Not seventeen any longer, but going on twenty-five. The grief at the time she had lost began to well up in the bottom of her chest, but she locked it away for now. There would be time to grieve later. 

Reaching for the silver case, she drew it into her lap and opened the latch. Honestly, she should’ve guessed from the rest of the stuff she found what would be inside, but she still drew in a sharp breath when she beheld it.

Two evokers sat within the dark velvet. Like her mp3 player, these were the very same from back then, full of notches and rusted edges. Akihiko’s was the top one, slightly less beat up because he preferred to use his fists whenever possible. That made the bottom evoker Minako’s, and she picked it up to examine it

Her evoker was definitely well loved. Grime filled in all the crevices, and the handle was starting to lose color from countless nights spent in her hand. It even had the large dent on the barrel from the time her and Junpei made a bet to see how hard they needed to drop the guns before they broke. Mitsuru had put a swift end to their experiment, and she still remembered how scared they were of her afterwards. 

As Minako studied the evoker, another set of nagging questions pulled at her. While they retained their personas after Tartarus was destroyed, the elimination of the Dark Hour made them unneeded for the most part. Did they just keep the evokers out of nostalgia? But this combined with the weapons, she somehow doubted it. On some level, they were prepared for battle. But with who, and why?

Another unsettling thought crossed her mind. She hadn’t felt any of her personas since waking up. Even if she was distracted or focusing on other things, they usually were ever-present in the back of her mind. She likened her catalog of personas to an ocean; they were constantly shifting and curling around her soul until she needed a specific wave and called upon it.

Now, all she felt was an empty void where a raging sea once was. For the first time in a long time, her soul was quiet. It unnerved her in a way she couldn’t quite articulate. Personas by definition were the manifestation of one’s soul, so what did it mean when she couldn’t feel hers anymore?

Even though Minako knew summoning a persona indoors was not the greatest idea, she had to test her theory. Just as she had a million times before, she brought the gun to her temple. And just as she had a million times before, she pulled the trigger.

Click.

No flash of blue light. No sound of shattering glass. No feeling of her soul surging from her body. By all accounts, the evoker was just a stupid toy gun. Minako let out a mirthless laugh. Why did she expect anything different?

Letting the evoker drop back to the floor, she buried her face in her hands. The grief she squashed down earlier had returned in full force, and this time she couldn’t hold it off. Her eyes burned with tears, but they didn’t fall. Perhaps it was because she cried them all out last night?

Minako took heaving breaths, sorrow a crushing weight on her heart. Each minute that she was gone felt heavier and heavier. She was a stranger in this world, but only she knew it. Maybe this was some form a torture, a nightmare concocted by some malevolent god. Or maybe there were good intentions behind her revival, but was it truly worth the heartache?

Drowning in her despair, she curled up against the wall, feeling more lost and alone than ever before. 

Chapter Text

Tatsumi Port Island was not a small city by any means, but Tokyo’s size put her hometown to shame. 

Minako stared at the map of the city’s train system. The many, many criss-crossing lines reminded her of a spider’s web, almost beautiful in its chaos. The more she tried to understand it, however, the more it just looked like gibberish.

“Hey,” Akihiko touched her elbow, pulling her away from the map. “The train’s almost here.”

She nodded, turning her attention towards the tracks as the train car pulled in. They filed in with the crowd of people, and not for the first time she was glad that Akihiko was here with her. Without him to navigate through the city’s tendrils she would have definitely gotten lost.

Lacing his fingers through hers, Akihiko’s brow furrowed, “I can’t believe Shinji went out of his way to make us lunch. It’s too nice of him.”

A jolt shot down Minako’s spine at the name, “Maybe he missed us?” Her voice sounded too light, too offhand in her mind.

He snorted at the statement, definitely not feeling the gravity of the sentence, “Yeah, right. He’d rather pull out his own teeth than admit that he missed anyone.”

She shrugged, falling silent as their train surged on. When Akihiko told her this morning that they were going to visit Shinjiro and Ken, she had to grip the glass she was holding so it didn’t crash to the floor. Shinjiro was alive in this future, miraculously recovering from his coma sometime in the years that she was gone.

It appeared that miracles were more common in 2017 than they were in 2010. More people coming back from the dead, too.

When the intercom announced their stop (Shinagawa, wherever that was), Akihiko tugged on her hand and led her through the station and up the steps to the streets above. It was cold, the frigid wind settling into her bones and turning her cheeks pink while snow dusted the both of them. Thankfully, Akihiko kept their pace swift and soon enough they were walking into one of the apartment buildings that lined the road.

Climbing the steps made dread and anxiety pool in Minako’s stomach in equal parts. Akihiko had been the only person she’s interacted with since waking up, and she was a little afraid she forgot how to be around others. It didn’t help the fact that it was Shinjiro they were visiting. The last time she saw him he was lying in a hospital bed, cold and unresponsive.

She never even got to say goodbye to him. It wasn’t like the rest of her friends got much else but still, the guilt gnawed at her.

But then they were walking through the door of the apartment, and Minako had no more time to dwell. Because there milling around the kitchen was Shinjiro and Ken, looking very much alive and whole. The stark contrast between the Shinjiro in her mind and the one in front of her made her feel numb. Lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear them over the static, the pounding of her heart.

“For god’s sake Aki, I know you can cook better than that.” She heard when the initial shock started to fade. Shinjiro was glaring at said boxer with arms crossed, “Going out for ramen everyday this week is way too much sodium, even for you.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Akihiko argued back, “When my boss offers to buy then I can’t say no to that.”

Shinjiro rolled his eyes in her direction, “I think you need to start packing him lunches or something.”

Minako just stared back at him. He had always been tall, but Shinjiro seemed to loom over everyone else now that his posture had improved. His dark hair was still long, pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, and almost blended in with the dark of his sweater.

“I think she’d just eat those lunches instead,” Ken joked from his place at the counter. Her head swiveled to the young man, and she had to lock her knees to keep from dropping right to the ground.

In these seven years, Ken went through quite the growth spurt. He wasn’t as tall as Shinjiro, but he was almost nose to nose with Akihiko and definitely taller than her. His hair grew out too, light brown whips curling around his neck. It was a style close to what Shinjiro sported back when they were teenagers, and  it was clear Ken took inspiration from the man as he grew up.  

She expected to feel sorrow at missing watching Ken mature into this young man, but only pride flickered through her. An easy smile was on his face as he observed Shinjiro and Akihiko bicker, relaxed in a way he never was when Minako was alive. It seemed like Ken healed from his traumas, and she was so happy he was finally living a normal life. 

The sound of paws dragged her attention away from the men, and she was elated to see Koromaru trot up to the kitchen counter, tail wagging.

“Koro-chan!” She exclaimed gleefully, crouching down and holding out her hand to the dog. Instead of running right up to be petted, Koromaru stopped and regarded her cautiously. He stretched out his nose to sniff her fingers, but once he caught her scent his whole demeanor changed. Ears flattening against his head, Koromaru sank low and let out a growl.

“Koromaru!” Ken scooped the shiba up and away from her, “Stop it! It’s Minako-chan!” He glared over at Shinjiro. “Did you feed him something bad again?”

Shinjiro glared right back, “Like hell I did. Maybe he was smellin’ some of the strays on her.” 

His tone was lighthearted, but they all knew that Koromaru was smarter than that. Minako tried not to feel hurt as Ken placed him on the couch, watching as the dog turned in circles to get comfortable. But those intelligent red eyes never left her.

“Do you guys want some tea?” Ken broke the tense atmosphere, gesturing to several jars lined up on the counter. Of course Shinjiro would only keep expensive loose leaf tea, not the instant stuff they had at home.

Akihiko teased, “Do you even know how to make any?”

The boy rolled his eyes, “Of course I know how.”

“He makes it for all his girlfriends at school,” Shinjiro reached over as Ken placed the kettle on the stove and tousled his hair.

“Stop it!” Ken whined, swatting his hand away, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“You sure?” Akihiko grinned devilishly, “Then who was that girl I saw you with a couple weeks ago?”

Steel colored eyes widened at the news, “Shit, kid. You’ve been holdin’ out on me!”

“No I haven’t!” Shinjiro mussed up Ken’s hair even more and he jerked out of reach. “And I’m not a kid anymore, Shinji! I’m about to graduate!”

That made the tall man let go, a fond look in his eyes. Minako observed the scene with a fondness of her own, elated at the ease in which they interacted. She may have missed how things became so peaceful, but if the rest of her future looked like this, she was pretty sure she could get used to it. 

“So Ken-kun,” She said, “Have you decided on what you’re going to do after graduating?” It seemed like a safe enough question to ask. 

“Not yet,” The boy answered while preparing their tea, “My exam scores are good enough to go wherever I want, and I even got some soccer offers, but I still don’t know what I want to do.”

Minako told him kindly, “You’ll figure it out. You’ve got time.” Unlike me. She tried not to think about the fact that she didn’t even make it to her own graduation.

Ken’s brown eyes sparkled, “Maybe I’ll go to the University of Tokyo, just like you Minako-chan!”

Both older men scoffed. 

“Yeah right,” Akihiko said, “You have to be wicked smart to be in her program.” The smile he gave her was full of pride, and Minako felt a flush rise to her cheeks.

“Ugh,” Shinjiro groaned while Ken made a face. He changed the subject before it got too mushy, “How is your thesis comin’, Minako?”

“My….thesis.” She was grateful for Ken choosing that moment to pass her a teacup, giving her a second to formulate a response. The gratitude instantly turned to panic when her hands shook so hard the cup rattled against the saucer, and she quickly set it down on the bartop.

Three pairs of eyes watched the spectacle in various levels of confusion. She tried to laugh it off, “See, even the mere mention of it makes me stressed.”

 "I'm sure you're doing a great job," Ken, sweet sincere Ken, encouraged without giving the weird display a second thought.

“You’ve been working hard on it,” Akihiko added, “And once you graduate, you’ll be a certified physical therapist!”

Minako gave what she hoped was a convincing smile, “That’s the goal.”

However, the look Shinjiro gave was clear that she wasn’t convincing anybody. Luckily for her, the stove timer went off with a loud beep , drawing the taller man’s attention away. He lifted the lid to give the food a final stir, and the amazing smell flooded the room.

Everything else was forgotten as the three of them crowded around the dish. It smelled heavenly: thinly sliced beef and vegetables simmered in a dark broth.

“Jeez Shinji,” Akihiko breathed, “What’s the special occasion?”

Shinjiro ducked his head slightly, “I need to come up with something new at the restaurant. Wanted you guys to taste it first.”

Ken raised his chopsticks in delight, “Then, let’s eat!”

Just as it smelled, the food tasted divine. The beef was rich and tender, cooked to the perfect temperature, and the vegetable flavors all complemented one another. She wasn’t sure if not tasting food for seven years had any impact, but it felt like there was not one thing about the dish that wasn’t simply flawless.

“This is incredible,” Minako told Shinjiro in between bites, already reaching for another bowl. She couldn’t shove the food into her mouth fast enough. 

“You know, the guys at work don’t believe I’m best friends with the executive chef at one of the best restaurants in town,” Akihiko said. “You should come cook for us sometime.”

Shinjiro jabbed the ladle in his direction, “Hell no, I ain’t cookin’ for free. Especially for you yahoos.”

The silver haired man retorted, “Hey, us yahoos might be saving your life when your kitchen catches on fire.”

“Not on my watch it won’t.”

Minako listened intently, even though the conversation was mundane. They didn’t realize it, but they were actually providing valuable information about how things were in 2017, and she was desperate for anything she could get her hands on.

In her head, she ran through the short list of facts she gathered so far:

It’s 2017. We live in Tokyo. Akihiko is a firefighter. Shinjiro is a chef. Ken is about to graduate high school. I’m studying to be a physical therapist?

She’s going to have to start writing these mental notes down.

~

The sun was beginning to set by the time their visit came to an end. Minako almost didn’t want to leave; She wasn’t sure if her existence here was permanent just yet, but she wasn’t going to waste the time she was given with her friends. 

Akihiko had got up from the table to go say goodbye to Koromaru, who had stayed on the couch the whole afternoon with the same wary gaze. Ken rose to join him, and Minako slid off her seat to grab her coat. Or, she was before her path was blocked by Shinjiro.

“Shinji?” She asked, gazing up at his face.  

His brow creased as steel eyes gazed with a guarded expression, “What’s up with you?”

“...What do you mean?” Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, she was sure the whole room could hear it.

“You’re acting weird.” Always straight and to the point, Shinjiro was. 

Her hands were starting to get clammy, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, “Minako, please. You’ve been looking at both Ken and me like you’ve never seen us before.”

She wanted to flee, to race out of this apartment and away from Shinjiro’s scrutiny. She opened her mouth to speak, to defend herself, but the only thing that came out was air. He frowned, but she was saved from any further embarrassment by Akihiko approaching with her coat.

“Are you ready to go?”

She jerked her head in a shallow nod, grateful. 

Akihiko helped her into her coat before slapping Shinji on the back, “Thanks for the meal, man. Seriously, it was fantastic. The customers aren’t gonna know what hit them.”

“Hopefully not the food,” Shinji replied dryly, but his eyes were still hard. 

There was a pause as Akihiko regarded the two of them, but shrugged it off. After telling Shinjiro he’d talk to him later, they both headed for the door. They passed Ken and ignoring his protests, Akihiko ruffled his hair again, “See ya, Amada.”

“Bye, Ken-kun!” Minako waved and hurried Akihiko out the door before they could be stopped. 

She was grateful to be outside again, the cold helping bring her nerves back under control. Her heart still beat wildly, and she took some gulping breaths to return it back to a normal cadence. 

“Minako?” Akihiko said, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright? You look like you saw a ghost.”

It was almost funny, how close he was to the truth. 

Instead, she just grasped his hand in her own, “I’m okay. Just feeling a bit under the weather, that’s all.”

Just like Shinjiro had moments before, Akihiko studied her face. But, where Shinjiro’s gray eyes had been gunmetal, Aki’s were like starlight. It was possible he didn’t believe her either, but the silver haired man was kind enough to not call her out on it. 

He just tilted his head in silent acceptance, “We should get out of the cold so you don’t get sick.” A small grin. “And I know just the place.”

She trailed behind him on the way back to the station, head lost in thoughts and lungs burning with freezing air. Shinjiro’s confrontation had shaken her more than she thought, and if she was being honest, it annoyed her. The old Minako would’ve been able to take his challenge in stride, even come back with some sort of teasing remark. Now, it wormed its way into her heart and made her feel even more alien in this strange reality.

Part of her wanted to stop right there in the middle of the train and tell Akihiko everything, just as she tried to the other night. He deserved to know that she wasn’t the Minako he thought she was. But then he looked at her with those eyes full of warmth and starlight and she swallowed the burning feeling that was crawling up her throat.

When the train’s announced the last stop on the line, the two exited into a quiet residential area. She threw Akihiko a quizzical look, but he paid her unspoken question no mind as he weaved through the backstreets. They passed landmarks such as a laundromat, a batting cage, and a bathhouse. The neighborhood, covered in a blanket of snow, seemed almost asleep. 

She was just about to question just how far they had left to go when Akihiko stopped in front of a store tucked away in one of the back alleys.

“We’re here.” He turned to her with a smile, pointing to the sign that read “Cafe Leblanc”

Minako peered at the sign, “Coffee and Curry?” Her nose involuntarily scrunched up.

He laughed at her reaction, “Don’t worry, it’s good. I promise,” Without giving her more time to ponder the combination, he opened the door and ushered her into the cafe.

Instantly, smells of coffee and curry assaulted her senses. She shook the snow from her hair and breathed in deeply, lulled by the homely atmosphere. Surrounded by amazing scents, low chatter of the other patrons, and the warmth from the confections, the panic from earlier felt far away. 

“Ah, Sanada!” A voice brought her attention to the counter. A tall, middle-aged man dressed in a pink shirt and apron braced his hands on the coffee bar and flashed Akihiko a small smile. “Back to try the steak sauce curry?”

“Not today, Sakura-san.” Akihiko told the man kindly, “We’re just here for coffee.”

“The usual?” 

“Yes, please. And can you make sure the second one has a lot of cream?”

This man, Sakura, winked at Akihiko as they slid into the booth at the far end of the small space. “Coming right up.”

“Aki, what is this place?” She asked, tone hushed to match the rest of the atmosphere.

“It’s a favorite of ours at the station,” He murmured back. “Sakura-san’s curry is the best way to fill up after a particular grueling job.”

“And,” They were startled by the arrival of the named man as he plunked the coffee cups down on the table, “Sanada here has helped me out a few times when we made the inferno curry with too much fire. Literally.” 

“Just doing my job, Sakura-san.” Akihiko said dismissively, but Minako caught the glow of satisfaction briefly cross his face.

The cafe owner leaned back and gave a knowing smile, “Now, are you going to introduce your beautiful companion here?”

Akihiko did just that. “This is Arisato Minako, my girlfriend. Minako, this is Sojiro Sakura. He owns and runs this cafe all by himself.”

“Actually, not all by myself anymore.” Sakura corrected. “I’ve got a part-timer helping now. Though he’s off today – probably gettin’ into some trouble as usual.”

“You sound fond of him,” Minako observed and watched as the man glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck. He grumbled something that sounded like “..been makin’ some really good coffee lately...” but was saved from elaborating further when the door chime announced another arrival.

“Sojiro! I want curry!” A girlish shriek cut through the low hum of the cafe, causing the rest of the customers to look up from their tables (Minako and Akihiko included).

Said man hurried to the entrance and met the two people that had just walked in. The cry had come from a short girl, ginger hair hidden under a black knit hat and dressed in a bright green sweatshirt. Next to her was a woman who looked to be Sakura’s age, sporting a short black bob and fashionable trench coat. 

The woman chastised gently, “Futaba, what did I tell you about bothering Sojiro while he’s working?”

“But no one makes curry like Sojiro!” The girl, Futaba, whined and clung to Sakura’s arm. It was almost instant, the way the man melted. His shoulders dropped in visible relaxation and he guided her gently to sit on one of the barstools at the counter. One look at the three of them – Sakura and the two women – and it was easy to tell that they were a family.

“It’s not a bother,” His warm tone could be heard all the way back in their booth, “I’ll get you a plate right away.”

Their conversation dimmed and blended in with the rest of the hushed voices, and Minako turned back to both Akihiko and her coffee. The drink felt smooth on her tongue and sweetened just enough to satiate her sweet tooth (which had returned with a vengeance), and for the first time since waking up did she feel lucky she could experience such normal things like a good cup of coffee or a delicious meal again.

The TV that was mounted near them was playing some sort of news program, and the sound cut through the rest of the cafe’s chatter.

“And so, the prosecution is still gathering evidence,” The anchorman was saying, “but everything so far leads us to believe Masayoshi Shido will be found guilty on charges of governmental conspiracy and unlawful defamation of a minor.”

 Akihiko shook his head at the news, taking a long sip of his own cup, “What a mess that was. Mitsuru definitely had her hands full with that situation, especially with that group rumored to be behind the whole thing. I swear she was about to have an aneurysm when the Shadow Operatives couldn’t dig up any credible information on them.”

There were so many foreign elements in his words, so Minako picked the path of least resistance, “What was Mitsuru trying to do?”

“Get any information on those Phantom Thieves,” he shrugged, “We suspected that they’re fellow persona users but we couldn’t ever figure out how they were doing it. But it seemed like the situation resolved itself.”

She stared in surprise, tightening her grip on her cup even as she fought to keep her face neutral. But inside, her head was swimming. More persona users?! There were other people like them out there, bestowed with supernatural powers? And they had something to do with this government scandal?

“Still,” Akihiko broke through her thoughts. “this is nothing compared with the Inaba incident. That was an absolute headache. Sometimes it still doesn’t even feel real.”

The Inaba incident. Just another unfamiliar event that happened without her. Honestly, she was already getting tired of being in the dark. 

“Yeah, I can’t believe it either. Other persona users!” She said instead. At least she didn’t have to fake the wonder in her voice.

Akihiko cracked his knuckles, “Speaking of which, I was kinda looking forward to coming out of retirement to investigate those Phantom Thieves. Could’ve been just like the old days.” 

Another mental note: they weren’t actively fighting. Were the weapons at their house for emergencies then?

Minako chose her next question gingerly, “Mitsuru never called on you?”

“Nope.” He shook his head. “All the trails ran cold so there was nothing to really do. All that waiting for nothing.”

“Guess I was too busy studying to notice.”

“Oh, you know Mitsuru. Your education was always more important so she didn’t want to bother you.”

She grasped onto that like a lifeline. At least there was an excuse to hide behind for when she was lost with current events. 

“So, these Phantom Thieves,” She instead asked casually, “What do you think they were doing?”

A contemplative look settled over his features, one that Minako knew so well. It was his tactician face, she liked to call it, reserved for studying battle tactics or his opponents in the ring, “It had to be something like mind control. There’s no other way someone like Shido could’ve done a one-eighty like that. The weirdest thing was that they were all anyone ever talked about back in September…but now it’s like they never existed.” Another shrug. “I can’t think of anything else that would help them disappear from the public like that.”

“Maybe it’s their personas’ powers?” She offered. “Changing perception?”

“Mitsuru thought something similar. Either way, they haven’t shown their faces since, so it’s safe to say this case is closed.”

“Darn. I almost wish we could’ve met them.” 

“If they are anything like Yu and his companions, I’m sure they’re quite the characters.”

A voice broke their conversation, “Sanada, Arisato!” It was Sakura-san. He gestured over to them by the bar. The pair exchanged looks before sliding out of the booth and approaching the counter.

“This is the fire fighter I’ve been telling you about, Sanada Akihiko. And his girlfriend Arisato Minako,” Sakura said to the older woman, waving a hand to Akihiko. 

“So you’re the one who saved Sojiro from burning the place down,” She said, holding out her hand, “Thanks for that. He now knows not to leave the stove on while out for a smoke break.”

 Akihiko shook it, as humble as before. “Any other firefighter would do the same.” 

“This is my close friend: Wakaba Isshiki.” Sakura introduced the woman, pointedly ignoring her teasing, “And her daughter, Futaba.”

Minako turned to say hello to the girl, but was caught off guard by the way she hid behind her mother. Stranger still was the way she was intensely staring at her; Futaba’s brown eyes were narrowed behind her glasses, almost as if she were glaring at her.

“Sorry, she’s pretty shy around people,” Wakaba said, casting her daughter a sympathetic glance. 

Minako smiled anyway at the two of them, “That’s alright. It’s nice to meet the both of you.”

While Akihiko chatted with them, she caught a glimpse of the window from the corner of her eye and watched as the last of the daylight faded into night. Exhaustion washed over her and she opened her mouth to yawn. It was not surprising, considering she only had a physical body for a couple days and still was not sleeping well. 

It was time to go home. Minako fished some money out of her coat pocket and handed it over to Sakura, but he shook his head. 

“It’s on the house,” the older man said.

“Thank you,” Both her and Akihiko gave short bows to him before bidding the three of them goodbye. 

While Minako was sad to leave the warm cafe, she was eager to leave Futaba’s sight. The girl hadn’t stopped staring at her the entire time, and the gaze was unnerving and relentless. It felt like Futaba was trying to analyze her down to the last atom. 

She felt those eyes on her long after they left, even as they made their way home. 

~

That night, while Akihiko slumbered peacefully next to her, Minako’s mind raced. The things she had learned today replayed over and over in her head. Shinjiro and Ken. The Phantom Thieves. The Inaba Incident. Other persona users. There was so much that had happened in the past seven years that she was almost convinced she was never going to get them all straight.

And whenever she closed her eyes, pairs of eyes (Red. Brown. Steel.) stared back hauntingly. She would have to be more discreet, lest her situation would come out and then she’d be faced with more questions than she was able to answer.

Knowing she had another night of fitful sleep ahead, she rolled over and grabbed her phone off the table. Might as well do some research.

But before she started, she navigated (after a few seconds of tapping randomly) to her contacts, then scrolled to find the name of one person who she knew she could talk to without raising suspicion. Tapping some more, she opened a new text message.

Hey Junpei, up for some ramen?

Chapter Text

“Heeyy!” A loud call echoed through the ramen shop. Minako looked up from the mouth-watering menu to see Junpei at the end of the aisle, waving furiously. 

“Junpei!” She jumped out of her seat, delighted. He crossed over to their table and when he opened his arms, she didn’t hesitate to walk into them. This time, she could hug without flinching, though her nerves still protested loudly at being touched.

He let her go and slid in the booth on the opposite side, grinning, “Man, everything looks so good! Might hafta try one of each bowl.”

“Are you offering to pay?” She wiggled her eyebrows, falling into their old dynamic with ease.

Junpei snorted, “With your stomach? I’d be in debt!”

“Hey!”

They looked at each other, then burst into a fit of laughter. He may have looked older, but Junpei was still the same as she knew him before. It made it easier to relax around him, almost feeling like they were picking up right where they left off. 

That didn’t mean the sorrow went away though. Even now as she laughed with Junpei, Minako felt the heaviness in the bottom of her stomach, like a rock was weighing her down. Instead of giving room to it though, she turned to humor instead.

She pretended to inspect him, “Jeez, what’s growing on your face?”

“What, this?” Junpei stroked his goatee, which was slightly bushier than it was as a teenager, “Chidori thinks it's handsome, thank you very much.” 

Her smile became lopsided. She knew Chidori had woken up right before they made their final ascent up Tartarus, but there were so many other things going on Minako had never made time to visit her in the hospital. She felt guilty about that now, but maybe she could make up for it.

“How is Chidori?”

“Oh you know, busy as usual.” He sighed, taking off his hat and running a hand through unruly hair. When he put it back on, tufts poked out from the side and Minako had to smother a snicker behind her hand.

“Between teaching her art classes and wedding planning, she’s barely gotten a moment to relax.”

She had chosen that moment to take a sip of water and nearly spat it out on the table. Coughing, she beat her chest lightly while her diaphragm spasmed.

“Mina-tan! Breathe, dude!!” Junpei leaned forward, but she waved him away. 

"Sorry," She croaked in between hacking coughs "Swallowed wrong." 

To add to the chaos, the server appeared at the side of the table, ready to take their orders. She croaked out her choice of ramen while trying to control her coughing, and once he left Junpei wasted no time to make fun of her, laughing at her red eyes and hoarse voice. 

Once she regained composure, she veered back to the topic that caused it all. "How goes the wedding planning?" 

Junpei groaned, raking his hands down his face. From there she caught the glint of the silver band around his left ring finger – the sight made her feel uncomfortable, and like everything else, like she had missed something important. 

"Weddings are so expensive dude," He bemoaned, "and of course I want nothing but the best for my Chidorita." 

"I'm sure she'll be happy with anything as long as you are there together.”

His smile lit up his whole face. Love looked good on Junpei, she thought absently. “You’re right. Still, she deserves the world.”

They were interrupted by their ramen orders being set down at the table. The dish looked so good; the ingredients arranged to perfection in the bowl and the aroma promising a meal to die for. They wasted no time digging in, and Minako melted when the first bite hit her tongue. All the reviews online said this place was the best hidden gem and they did not disappoint.

“Man,” Junpei mumbled around a mouthful of food, “and I thought Hagakure was good!”

 She was inclined to agree, but a wave of homesickness washed over her. Regardless of how delicious this particular ramen was, she would’ve given anything to be in Hagakure right now, sharing a greasy bowl with all her friends.

After taking a long slurp of the broth, Junpei pointed his chopsticks at her. “So, what did you want to talk about? Not that I don’t like hanging out with you, but I thought you were major busy with your paper or whatever.”

She slowly savored her noodles while she contemplated her next words. It wouldn’t do any good to dance around the subject, so she just ripped off the band-aid. 

“Can you tell me about the Inaba incident?” 

His brows knitted together, “The one back in 2012?”

She nodded. Minako tried to search the event on the internet, but nothing about Inaba came up except some articles about six year old murders and their famous Inn. Neither of which did not mention anything about personas of course, so she figured the incident was like Tartarus: something that occurred beyond the general public’s knowledge.

“Well, I wasn’t there for the first part, but it was freakin’ crazy. Honestly, trying to think about it now makes my head hurt.” He threw her a questioning look, “Akihiko was there for the whole thing, why don’t you ask him?” A gasp. “Are you two fighting?!”

“What?! No!!” In fact, things were perfect with Aki. He was the same kind and thoughtful guy he’d been when they were younger, and he only got more romantic since then. But Junpei didn’t want to hear all that, so she just said, “He’s just been busy with work, so I haven’t seen him much lately.”

“ Please, Junpei.” She added when he still frowned at her.

And like everyone else who met Minako, Junpei could not say no to her. He sighed, then quickly reached over the table and swiped one of her eggs right out of her bowl.

The hot flash of anger was instant. “You did not just do that,” She threatened in a low voice. 

“What's one egg between friends?" Storm-colored eyes twinkled as he chewed.

Her lips slid into a pout, but she couldn’t argue. She’d give up every egg if it meant getting information.

Once he swallowed, Junpei began to tell her all about the Inaba Incident of 2012. Like he said, he wasn’t present for the beginning, but ran through a quick synopsis of what he did know. Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Aigis went in search of another Anti-Shadow Weapon, Labrys, that had been kidnapped. This involved traveling to the country town of Yasoinaba and going into something called the “TV World” where, like Tartarus, shadows run freely and people are able to use personas.

“Wait,” She interjected, “you can just summon personas there? Without needing an evoker?”

“I guess?” Junpei shrugged, “We still did out of habit, but the guys from Inaba could.”

Minako nodded at him to continue. This TV world caused them to fight members of the “Investigation Team”, the group from Inaba, in a boxing arena-like match. Honestly, it felt like something that AKi had always dreamed of, and she wished she could’ve witnessed his feats of prowess.

Once the tournament was finished and Labrys was recovered, this was where the rest of the SEES members (Wait, no, Shadow Operatives ) were dragged into the fight. Junpei, Yukari, Ken and Koromaru had to save the other three and Fuuka from being hurt by the mastermind of the whole thing: a split-personality persona user by the name of Sho.

“What a strange dude,” Junpei shook his head, “He went through a lot of crap with Ikutsuki though, so it’s hard to stay mad at him.” 

Minako scowled. Of course Ikutsuki had a hand in it, because why wouldn’t he? Just another person for that man to ruin on his quest to bring about the Fall. 

He saw her expression and his eyes darkened, “I’m glad he’s gone,” He said through gritted teeth, “He hurt so many people.”

They were quiet for a moment, both thinking of all they had endured at the hands of Shuji Ikutsuki. It was all his fault, and yet here they were still trying to pick up the pieces.

“At least he can’t harm anyone else now.” She pointed out. He’d been dead for over six years at this point. Good riddance, too.

Junpei nodded, “I don’t know what became of Sho afterwards, but I hope he’s doing better now. Now, we are all just retired members of the Shadow Operatives until Mitsuru-senpai needs us.”

“Like this Phantom Thief business?”

“Yeah. Wait...Weren’t you listening during the briefings?” He squinted at her again.

The excuse was already on her tongue, “Uh, my head’s crammed with school stuff, so enlighten me please.”

“Oo-kayyy. Well, we were told to be at the ready, but nothing ever happened. Bummer too, I was kinda looking forward to getting back into the action again.” He mimed swinging his sword.

"Funny, Akihiko said the same thing.”

"Of course he did," He rolled his eyes.

Tale evidently over, Junpei downed the rest of his ramen before smacking his lips loudly. Minako, on the other hand, picked at her second egg while her mind worked overtime to take in this new information. 

If she searched inside herself, she found wasn’t all that surprised that there were so many other persona users. Igor had mentioned once that there were other guests that came to the Velvet Room; she just wasn’t expecting that they would have crossed paths at any point. Out of all the people in the world, what were the odds that they were also young adults from Japan?

"Helloooooo, earth to space cadet Mina-tan" Junpei dragged her from her thoughts by waving a hand vigorously in front of her face. 

She blinked, zoning back in on her friend.

His gaze softened when he looked into her eyes,  "You okay? You look super pale."

"I…haven't been sleeping well lately." She admitted, and at least that wasn't a lie. Her body still refused to let her rest until she was physically incapable of staying awake. Her cells obviously remembered her dying and were doing everything they could to prevent that from happening again; and even when she did manage to sleep, she was plagued with nightmares.

“I get it. The anniversary is coming up soon, yeah?”

It took her a moment to realize what Junpei was referring to, but he was right. Their final battle with Nyx took place January 31st, and that date was only a few weeks away. Honestly, she had been so caught up with being alive again that it hadn’t even crossed her mind.

Junpei chuckled, “Ya know, sometimes I miss it. SEES, the Dark Hour, Tartarus…scared me shitless every time we went up there, but I loved feelin’ like a hero.” A wistful look crossed his face, “But now that it’s over, I realized I don’t have to be a hero. Doin’ things like taking care of my loved ones is good enough for me now.”

Minako stared at her bowl of ramen as she took in his words. They gave her an awful sense of déjà vu, and whisked her away to Gekkoukan’s rooftop again, listening to Aigis say something similar while she lay dying. Her eyes burned as tears filled her vision, and she swallowed hard to prevent them from spilling over

“Excuse me?” A small voice next to the table drew their attention. She rapidly blinked away the tears and turned to see a young boy dressed in a baseball uniform standing there.

He spoke hesitantly, “Are you…Junpei Iori?”

“Yes I am,” It was like Junpei’s entire demeanor changed. His tone was soft and his body language was open, as if to make the kid feel more at ease.

The boy stared at him for a second, then held out a napkin and pen from behind his back, his hands shaking slightly, “CanIgetyourautographplease?”  

“Absolutely!”

Minako watched, dumbfounded, as Junpei signed the napkin with a flourish. He handed the napkin back and the boy looked like he had just won a million yen. And to him, it probably felt just like it.

“I saw your winning home run the other day,” He said excitedly, “That was so cool!”

“Thank you. What’s your name?” Jumpei asked him kindly.

“N-Naoya.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Naoya. Do you like playing baseball too?”

The kid nodded with enthusiasm. 

“I’ll tell you what,” Junpei laid a hand on his shoulder, “You keep on practicing, and then you’ll be able to hit home runs just like that. How does that sound?”

After more enthusiastic nodding, Naoya bowed and thanked him profusely before scampering off. Junpei waved, then raised an eyebrow at her gawking. “What?”

“Nothing!” She quickly shut her jaw. 

By then, the news had begun to spread. Murmurs began to rise all around them, and soon enough the other patrons of the ramen shop knew that the Junpei Iori was here. People all clamored out of their seats to rush over to their booth, snapping pictures with their phones and begging for autographs.

“Oh man,” Junpei lowered his hat to cover more of his face, “I’ve been found out!” He jumped up from the table before the crowd surrounded them fully, digging around his pocket for a moment and throwing some crumpled up bills in front of her.

“That should cover my half. I’m sorry but I really gotta jet! I’ll see you this weekend, Mina-tan!” Before she could reply, Junpei dashed out of the restaurant, the throng of people scrambling after him.

Minako was in shock. She could not believe that Junpei of all people became a baseball star. She sat mutely in the booth for a good while before realizing that the server was waiting for her to pay for their food, and wordlessly passed over the money.

“How do you know Iori-san?” The server asked in breathless wonder.

“Uh. We went to high school together.”

“That’s amazing! What was he like back then?”

Her eyes slid to the spot where the named man had been sitting. Junpei must have really gotten his act together in his final year of high school. There was no other explanation to how he became a widely known baseball player when he slacked off so much back then.

“Not like that.” Was all she said before getting up to leave as well. Just as she reached the door, it burst open. A gaggle of young men entered the restaurant, excitedly chatting amongst each other.

“Aw man, I can’t believe we just missed Junpei Iori!” The boy in the middle with a shock of yellow hair groaned out loud. They were all wearing track uniforms, so they must have come straight from their practice. 

Minako didn’t mean to stare, but there was something so… familiar about the boy. Maybe it was in his posture or his excited gestures that made her feel like she knew him from somewhere. It was only until his brown eyes caught her’s did she look away and rush out of the shop. 

It was a long train ride home. 

~

That night, she got straight to work. It was easy, getting into a routine similar to what she had back in school. Visit friends during the day, study at night. The only thing missing was going to Tartarus, which wasn’t an option anymore. She also wasn’t studying now, but trying to piece together her new life.

All of the information she learned since waking up lay scattered in various notes across her desk. Things from the past few days were scribbled onto pink sticky notes, and she began to jot down everything Junpei had divulged over ramen. 

Inaba Incident– Ikutsuki involved bastard , more persona users (Investigation Team?), Junpei baseball star?!

The more Minako regarded her notes, the less sense they made. Truly, it seemed like she awoke to the best version of the future, with all of her friends so far living happy, fulfilling lives. Not that anything was wrong with that– in fact, she was ecstatic that everything was going well. It was the fact that they were, well, them. And trouble always seemed to find them one way or another.

Maybe that was why everything felt so out of place. She wasn’t used to everything going right for once. 

That was how Akihiko found her when he came home from work, gnawing on her pen and glaring at her notes. Wordlessly, Minako allowed him to guide her away from her desk and to their couch. She curled up against him and sighed as he carded his fingers through her hair, just like he used to do when she was stressed out. 

Her mind wandered as they watched whatever show was playing on the TV. She thought back to Junpei’s words from earlier, about how all he wanted was to take care of his loved ones. Just like it had before, it reminded her of that fateful day on the rooftop. 

You don’t have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of.

They had already saved the world. Did that mean that this was their reward, their new meaning? A quiet life where all their dreams came true?

The thought caused ice to crawl down her spine. She wasn’t supposed to get a reward for saving the world. She made that choice when she became the Great Seal. Did that mean that what, or who, rescued her thought that what they were doing was a good thing for her?

If that was true, then they didn’t know her. They would’ve known that this is not what she would have wished for herself, no matter what. Not once did she ever waver from her choice, even when Ryoji looked her in the eye and begged for her to kill him. 

And then there was the question that plagued her ever since she woke up: Why? Why did she, after all these years, get a second chance? She was dead, she wanted to scream at everyone. Dead, dead, dead. She died on that rooftop. Dead people don’t get second chances, yet here she was by some deity’s cruel idea of what? So that she could find a new meaning of life beyond being the Seal? It made no sense to her.

Eventually her brain stopped trying to puzzle it all out and she fell asleep like that, wrapped in Akihiko’s arms in the present and thoughts still stuck in the past.

Chapter Text

Shibuya’s Underground Mall was a lovely assault on the senses. The labyrinth of stores coaxed shoppers into exploring what they had to offer using all kinds of loud music, inciting smells, and bright lights. Even if one store didn’t have anything that caught your eye, the one next to it definitely would.

This is where Minako found herself, delighted by everything the complex had to offer. Her nose immediately wanted to lead her to the sweet shop, but she had to resist the temptation. Maybe after her mission was complete she could indulge in all the confections. 

Instead, she waited by the staircase, phone in hand. She scanned the crowd once more, waiting for familiar faces to materialize among the throes of people. When they did, she had to resist the urge to run up the stairs and throw herself at them.

Fuuka was making her way gingerly down the steps carrying a large pink box while Aigis followed dutifully behind her. Whereas Aigis had obviously not changed at all, Fuuka’s adult appearance was almost as shocking as Akihiko’s. She had grown her teal hair out long, the braided end falling over the shoulder of her cream colored peacoat and the top of her head sporting a matching beret. 

Aigis…well, looked like Aigis. She was even wearing a blue dress similar to the one she first met her in. It was almost as equally jarring to see her not changed as it was to see the rest of her friends grown up. Though, Minako welcomed the familiarity. It was comforting to see there was at least one thing in this future that stayed the same.   

“Minako-chan!” Fuuka called once she made it to the bottom of the steps. She hurried over to the two of them and embraced the short girl box and all, noting with some relief that Fuuka didn’t get taller in the past seven years either.

“Hello, Minako-san,” Aigis hugged her as well. Minako tried not to think about how the last time she saw the robotic girl, she was dying in her lap.

Instead she said, “It’s good to see you both.”

Fuuka held out the box to her, “We both felt bad that we couldn’t go to the shrine with you for New Year’s, so I baked you and Akihiko-senpai some cookies!”

She took the box gingerly. The navigator’s talents (or lack thereof) in the kitchen were well known, but there was always a chance they could be edible; especially with how hard Fuuka worked to learn back when they were in the cooking club together.

“Fuuka-san baked all night,” Aigis informed her, “I’m sure they taste delicious.” 

Bracing the bottom of the box with one hand, Minako opened the lid. The sweet aroma rose from twelve tasty-looking cookies, half of which seemed to be chocolate chip and the other half vanilla sugar. She plucked one of the chocolate chip ones and took an experimental bite, a surprised noise rising from her throat when the treat actually tasted good.

“Fuuka!” She exclaimed once she swallowed, “These are incredible!”

A pleased blush made Fuuka’s whole face turn pink, “Really?”

Minako nodded emphatically, “The best I’ve ever had. Your skills have really improved!”

She fiddled with the end of her braid, “Well, Shinjiro-senpai has helped me a lot, especially after…” Fuuka frowned for a moment, confused. “After…” She trailed off, then seemed to shake off whatever she was about to say and brightened again. “He’s so smart when it comes to cooking!”

The memory of Shinjiro helping Fuuka cook for their party swept through her. That day was so precious to her – it was one of the few times the entire team had gotten together and just enjoyed each other’s company (and his cooking). It wasn’t long after that did things get worse, so she was glad they had at least made that memory while they could. 

Eating the other half of the cookie, Minako grinned around the crumbs, which Aigis automatically wiped off her lips, “Well, we appreciate you making the effort.”

Fuuka smiled back at her, then peered at her neck, “Is that your old MP3 player?”

It was. Minako had fallen back into the old habit of carrying the device around everywhere she went, even if the battery now ran out halfway through the day. Like Aigis, the unchanged MP3 player was a little piece of the life she had once had. A little piece of home. 

“Maybe it’s the New Year getting to me, but I’ve been feeling quite nostalgic,” It wasn’t technically a lie.

“I understand. It’s a good time for reflection as well as change,” Fuuka nodded wisely.

Aigis broke in and gestured towards the shops in front of them, “Shall we go look for new clothing?”

“Definitely! You said we needed formalwear, right?”

“Yes, that is what this event requires. Yukari-san made that very clear.”

Fuuka giggled, “I think that was directed more to Junpei-kun more than anyone else.”

The name of said archer made Minako pause, “Oh yeah, was Yukari too busy to join in?” She would’ve never missed a chance to shop and gossip with her friends.

Aigis tilted her head, “This event is for Yukari-san. Her team already has everything prepared for her.”

She didn’t know what that meant, but she let it slide. It seemed like Yukari had her own plans for whatever this event was. When Fuuka texted that the three of them needed to go shopping for evening wear, she was just happy to see them no matter what the context was. 

“Let’s go then!” Minako turned and led the charge over to the first clothing store that caught their eye. The Shibuya Clothing Collection had some cute items and some crazy, who-would-ever-wear-this ones, but ultimately nothing that suited their criteria.

The next store held very much the same, but there was an orange colored sweater that she just had to have. Aigis shook her head in mock disapproval (“Minako-san, you already have 8 other orange sweaters.”) but smiled fondly when she gleefully swung the bag from her arm.

That is how their afternoon went, exploring the different shops and piling the fitting rooms high with different dresses and suits. Aigis had marched into one of them with an armful of clothing of various styles and colors. Each time she ripped open the curtain to show the both of them, her choices grew more and more…eccentric. From a white frilly gown that looked like it belonged in a vampire movie to a bright traffic cone-esque suit, there wasn't one that fit the bill. 

She eventually settled on a long maroon gown with lace details on the bodice. It was a good choice– the color brought out her bright blue eyes and both the long sleeves and length hid her robotic features. A pleased smile accompanied her face as they exited the store and continued on their quest.  

Fuuka got lucky in the next store, falling in love with the first dress she tried on. It was simple yet elegant, lavender colored with a scalloped neckline and reaching her knees. Fuuka always had a cute sense of fashion when they were teenagers, and that obviously still held true now. 

Two down, one more to go. None of the dresses that the stores they visited thus far called to Minako, and the places they hadn’t visited yet were rapidly dwindling. They were nearing one of the last clothing stores in the mall when Aigis gasped. She pointed at the windows and ushered them inside.

Immediately, Aigis hounded the sales associate, nearly demanding that she take the dress she saw off the mannequin and into a dressing room. Then, with the same intensity, she herded Minako to the curtain.

“Aigis, what are you doing?” 

“This dress is perfect,” She replied in a tone that invited no further argument, “Trust me.”

And Minako did, so she entered the dressing room as directed. She eyed the gown with curiosity but wasted no time shucking off her clothes and changing.

“Okay,” She called after she was finished, “I’m done!”

The curtain was thrown open, both Aigis and Fuuka crowding her in the small space. All three girls looked at Minako in the mirror and gasped simultaneously.

“Minako-chan.” Fuuka breathed, “You’re beautiful.”

And she was. Even without any makeup or fancy hairdo, the dress seemed to bring out her best features. It was floor-length and sleeveless, a deep v-neck slicing through the center of the bodice. The color was as deep as the night sky: inky blue and the myriad of sequins mimicking stars. The best part of the dress, however, were the cape-like trains that flowed down from the shoulders. 

“Wow, Aigis. I think you know my taste better than I do,” Minako joked, equally marveling at her own appearance.

The robotic girl shrugged, “When I saw it I knew you had to have it.”

Minako eyed the dress again. If she swooshed the skirt, the stars swirled in glittering arcs. At first, she giggled at how girly and pretty she felt, but all of a sudden she paused. The movement of the stars looked so familiar…

The memory came to her in a rush. She recalled the Sea of Souls looked quite similar, with just as many stars, and if Minako closed her eyes she could feel Erebus slam against the Seal, Ryoji in her ear telling her to hold on….

Ryoji!  

She had to stop herself from immediately craning her neck and searching for him. Guilt pooled in the bottom of her gut; she was so preoccupied with her new circumstances that she forgot Ryoji was also there when the light consumed her. 

Closing her eyes, Minako reached out her senses as much as she could. While it didn’t quite work as it did when she was the Seal, she could still gather vague sensations of those around her. She felt Fuuka and Aigis, the other people in the store…but no Ryoji. It seemed like she was the only one to be brought back to life.

So, another task was added to her never ending to do list. Perhaps in her search for answers she’d find Ryoji too.   

She opened her eyes to once again gaze at the glittering fabric. The thought of Ryoji stamped any flame of excitement of wearing it, but she still managed to slap a smile on her face.

 “It’s perfect, Aigis,” She said, “Thank you.”

Once she changed back into her own clothes, the sales associate packaged the dress and sent them on their way. Their task completed, it was finally time to check what Minako had been wanting since the day started: the sweets shop.

It was primarily a crepe store, but it sold other treats as well. Cookies, brownies, macrons, chocolate covered everything , you could spend days and still not be able to sample everything on the menu. Ever a slave to her sweet tooth, Minako purchased a berries n creme crepe and macrons to save for later.   

Aigis had already procured a bench for them to take a break and enjoy their treats. While the two of them waited for Fuuka to finish deciding, Minako wasted no time digging into her crepe, sighing in happiness at the first bite. 

After the navigator paid for her food, she came back to the group with a smile and some gossip to share.

“The cashier said her boyfriend proposed last night! How wonderful,” She sighed dreamily.

Minako grinned back, “Hey, that’s great news! The barista that made my coffee this morning also got engaged.”

“While it’s not an engagement,” Aigis added, “The train station attendant also appeared to be very happy. He said he and his wife were expecting.”

“Wow!” Fuuka exclaimed, “2017 is already turning out to be great. There’s a lot of happiness to be found.”

There was, wasn’t it? Now that it was pointed out, Minako couldn’t unsee it. Everyone she had come into contact with since the new year had been nothing but happy, with events big or small seemingly going well. 

The unease from the days prior crept back into her bones. Not that there was anything wrong with all these joyous moments; it was the fact that everyone was having one that was unusual. The odds that everyone she talked to had nothing bad going on was very low, and Minako didn’t believe in coincidences. 

“Oh, look!” Fuuka broke through her musings, “They’re advertising Risette’s new album!”

She pointed at the poster that decorated the pillar nearby. It was dark blue, giving the impression of a young woman with brunette pigtails floating in water. It seemed to be boasting that her new album “Sapphire” would be a sure-fire hit. 

There were two girls in front of the pillar, also examining the poster. One girl was pointing at it and chattering with enthusiasm, bright blonde hair pulled into pigtails similar to the idol she gushed over. Her companion, tall and dark hair sporting a ponytail, nodded along thoughtfully.

“Those girls remind me of Yukari-san and Rio-san.” Aigis pointed out, and upon further examination, Minako had to agree. The blonde moved with a confidence that Yukari often showed, and the other girl was Rio right down to the knee brace.

A large wave of deja vu washed over her. How many times did she come to Paulownia Mall with Yukari and Rio, fawning over idols just like this? Now, Yukari and Rio weren’t here and she didn’t know this idol. It was a small reminder that life had moved on while she was gone, but a reminder all the same. 

Appetite suddenly gone, she set aside her crepe. Doing things like this, hanging out with her friends and having fun, she could almost pretend that things were normal. But then the reminders shattered the illusion, pointing out that this was a life she was never meant to live.

Laughling, the two girls seemed to finish their fangirling and breezed past their bench, still discussing Risette. Feigning fatigue, Minako likewise got up from her seat and stretched. 

“Well, we’re all set for tomorrow! I think it’s time to call it a day.”

The other two nodded in agreement, packing up and getting ready to go. As they made their way towards the exit of the Underground Mall, Aigis had stopped at another advertisement and beckoned them over with one wave of her hand. 

“Looks like everyone’s really excited for the movie!” Fuuka commented, peering at the screen. 

Minako peeked around Fuuka’s shoulder, curious to see what had her so excited. The electronic billboard had paused on a movie promotion: Phoenix Ranger Featherman R Victory: From the Ashes was set to show in theaters worldwide starting tomorrow, and she stared in astonishment.

“Yukari?!” She exclaimed. She couldn’t help it, not when she was looking up at a giant display of one of her best friends. And it was Yukari Takeba, front and center of a dynamic group of heroes. She was Argus Pink, dressed in the named color from head to toe, wielding a comically large bow. Surrounding her were the other Rangers, equally in bright colors, all doing their signature poses.

Fuuka shot her a confused glance, “Um, don’t you remember? That’s where we’re going tomorrow. She invited all of us to her movie premiere.”

“I am looking forward to seeing Yukari-san,” Aigis said, “She has been away filming for too long.”

Minako drew a steadying breath, “Right. How could I forget?”

She focused back on Yukari’s face, emotions in turmoil. There was the grief of course, persistent even as the days went by and 2017 became more familiar. She wasn’t there to watch Yukari decide on this career path, wasn’t there to help her learn her lines or cheer when she landed the part. Like with everyone else, their lives seemed to slip right through her fingers like sand. 

But besides all that grief, there was pride, too. She felt it when she observed how Ken grew up into the young man he was now, and now it similarly welled up in her chest. She was proud of everything her friends managed to accomplish in her absence, all developing into incredible adults. They all had careers they were proud of and managed to live fulfilling lives in spite of, maybe even because of, the trauma that they endured as teenagers. And she was so proud of them for that. 

She only wished she had been alive to see it.

Turning away from the ad before she could start crying, Minako shoved away her feelings, forcing a calm smile to her face.

“Come on, it’s getting late. Aki might think you guys kidnapped me!” She laughed, and it sounded strained even to her own ears.

“Akihiko-san would be just fine on his own,” Aigis sniffed, nonplussed.

They ended their outing at the same place it began, at the stairs up to the train. Fuuka and Aigis waved goodbye as their train had arrived first, and then they were gone, leaving Minako to head home alone once again.

She leaned her head against the window, barely listening to the music that flowed out her headphones. Too many thoughts demanded attention in her brain, and she wasn’t sure how to wrangle them all into something manageable. 

That’s how she entered her apartment, her head preoccupied with trying to fit the pieces all together. Akihiko was already home, lounging on the couch and scrolling on his phone. 

He looked up at her entrance, then frowned, “Uh oh, I know that face.”

Minako blinked, bringing her focus back to the present, “What face?”

“That’s your thinking face,” Akihiko got off the couch, “What’s on your mind?”

There were so many answers to that question, she didn’t even know where to start. Sure, she could rattle off how she was just dead a mere week ago, that she was supposed to be the Seal between Nyx and Erebus but now Erebus vanished and here she was seven years later. Or how time seemed to pass her by and she has to catch up without seeming off, or that she’s constantly felt on edge ever since she opened her eyes in this future. 

Instead, she said, “Have you noticed how everyone’s been super happy lately?”

“What do you mean?” He raised one eyebrow.

Minako waved her hands in the air, trying to articulate her thoughts, “It’s like no one is having a tough time.”

Both eyebrows raised now, “And that’s a bad thing?”

She blew her bangs out of her eyes, “No! Of course not. It’s just weird. How is literally everyone just so hunky dory?”

“Now that you mentioned it, all the guys at work did have something good happen in the past week,” Akihiko raised a hand to his chin.

“See?”

He shrugged, “Maybe their shrine wishes are coming true?”

“Come on, Aki,” She groaned, “When have things ever been that simple for us?”

Face growing serious, Akihiko considered her words, “You’re right. When I think about it, nearly everyone I’ve talked to since the year began has had nothing but good news. Statistically it shouldn’t be possible.”  

“Should we ask the others? Maybe Mitsuru has some idea what’s going on?”

Akihiko shook his head, “Mitsuru has her hands full with the Kirijo group and the Phantom Thieves business. We should keep an eye on things for a few more days to make sure we have a case.”

The same thought came to both of them at the same time, both of them shouting, “The Phantom Thieves!”

“They have to be involved in this. You said it yourself that Mitsuru suspects they can manipulate the public’s perception.” Minako speculated with increasing fervor. “Is there any way we can access the intelligence she has on them?”

“Wait, hold on,” He put a steadying hand on her shoulder, “We have to do our due diligence on this. While it definitely is fishy, we should keep our ears to the ground for a while longer and then we’ll have a stronger case to present to Mitsuru.”

“Got it. Why don’t we talk to more people the next couple of days and then compare notes?”

He nodded, then a small smile spread across his lips, “We have a new mission. Feels like the old days, huh?”

“For it to be like the old days, an ancient god needs to threatening our very existence,” She rolled her eyes playfully, but internally winced.

But, it did feel good. Now Minako had a real, tangible objective to work toward. She was going to drive herself insane trying to figure out what happened to her, especially when there have been no clues so far. There wasn’t even a glimpse of Ryoji, the only other person who might’ve had some answers.

Maybe their investigation into the Phantom Thieves would turn up some leads on her situation too. There was always a possibility that the two could be connected. And that just made her even more determined to get to the bottom of both problems.

It was time to get to work.

Chapter Text

Minako didn’t recognize herself in the mirror. 

It was truly like a celestial being ascended down from the night sky to switch places with Minako for the night. When she stared at her own face, an ethereal one gazed back. High cheek bones were carved out of the marble of her skin, dark eyeshadow making her red eyes look like glittering rubies. Her lips were similarly painted red, and when she grinned, her teeth nearly glowed.

Her hair was for once out of a ponytail, soft curls cascading from her shoulders and bangs swept to one side. A star barrett secured some strands at the back of her head, and other star jewelry completed the look. It was almost like the stars formed her themselves. Which, if she thought about where she came from, wasn’t that far off the mark. 

Straightening her skirts one last time, Minako exited the bathroom to the living room where Akihiko was waiting. He was leaning against the kitchen table, tapping away at his phone. When she approached, he looked up, and she swore he nearly dropped the thing.

There was a long beat before Akihiko recovered, “Wow.”

She smiled, giving him a little twirl, “You like?”

He closed the distance between them, sliding one hand around her waist and bumping his forehead into hers, “You look incredible, Mina.”

“So do you,” She drew back slightly to take him all in. He was wearing a standard charcoal gray suit (expertly tailored, no doubt provided by one Mitsuru Kirijo) and a white dress shirt underneath. His tie matched her dress, dark blue and sparkling, albeit more subtly.

“I’m just the space rock that happened to be floating next to you,” He joked fondly. 

“My gravitational pull is too hard to resist,” She wiggled her eyebrows, making him grin.

“And I don’t want to,” Akihiko’s voice lowered, and she swallowed. His gray eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression almost looked like a wolf that had found a particularly tasty rabbit to eat.

 It was a strange feeling, to have desire course through her veins again after so long. She almost didn't remember how to act upon it. Even back when she was alive, it took quite a while for them to work up to any sort of intimacy. It had been new for the both of them, and Aki especially needed time to get comfortable with even kissing, much less anything beyond that. 

Their first time had been clumsy and endearing, full of new sensations and timid exploration, but exciting nonetheless. After that it came more naturally as they figured out what the other liked. 

The last time happened shortly after Ryoji had presented them with their choice of what to do with the Fall. They were both so caught up in despair over their situation that they needed each other to prove that they were alive , to live in that moment instead of thinking about how it was all going to end soon. 

Now, though? This was definitely not desperation, and she couldn't help but feel lust pool into the bottom of her stomach. It was something in the way this older Aki carried himself too. The years had given him a confidence that he didn't have when he was eighteen, and boy was that attractive. 

Minako wanted nothing more than to kick off her shoes and drag Akihiko by his tie back to their bedroom and have her way with him. 

And it seemed like he was thinking the same thing, if the way his gaze traveled down her body was any indication. Just before their lips could meet, a loud horn blared from outside the door.

Both of them started, nearly knocking heads as they jerked back. “There’s our ride.” Akihiko glanced at the door and then back to her, sheepish, “Guess we’ll have to wait until later.”

Once he helped her into her coat, the pair left their home and into the cold evening. A black, sleek limousine was waiting patiently for them, the driver already opening the doors as soon as they stepped outside.

“Mitsuru spared no expense.” Akihiko remarked somewhat drily as he guided her into the backseat before sliding in after her.

“It’s a big day for Yukari,” She replied.

“She has been gone for six months, so I bet Mitsuru wanted to welcome her back in the most extravagant way possible. I heard she even got Koromaru to attend."

Minako secretly hoped Koro-chan had gotten over whatever was bothering him the other day, otherwise the night was going to be awkward, and that was not what she wanted for Yukari.

“It’s going to be a great night.” She said instead. And she was going to do everything she could to make it true. 

~

 Bright lights momentarily blinded Minako as soon as she stepped outside the limo and onto the red carpet. Photographers and fans alike crowded around the metal barricade, yelling and waving while the flashes of their cameras went off, not wanting to miss a single moment.

The Premiere for Phoenix Ranger Featherman R: Victory: From the Ashes was already underway. In front of the long backdrop of promotional images stood several actors, all posing together for the cameras. A few of them were dressed in the same colors of the characters behind them, so she assumed they were some of the main group.

“Suemoto-san! Over here!” Waved one photographer, and the man wearing a red suit turned to pose. The woman in a blue dress leaned against his shoulder and the crowd went wild.

“Egashira-san! I love you!” A fan screamed, and she shot him a wink, causing him to nearly faint. 

Minako observed the spectacle with amusement, “Wow, they are really loving this.”

Akihiko shook his head, “Almost too much, if you ask me. But, the TV show is super popular so I’m not surprised.”

“It’s still good, even though it’s been on for forever.” A voice sounded behind them. Both of them turned to see Ken approaching with Shinjiro, Fuuka and Aigis a few steps behind.

“Don’t you two clean up well,” Akihiko remarked, smirking at the two men. Shinjiro was wearing a suit in a deep burgundy color, not unlike the coat he wore as a teenager. His dark hair was still pulled back like how it was the other day, only more put together. 

Ken’s suit was navy, similar to the color of her own dress. She grinned at him, “Look, Ken-kun! We’re matching!”

He smiled right back at her, “The color definitely looks better on you, Minako-chan.”

Akihiko glowered at him good naturedly, and the whole group laughed. Aigis had Koromaru in her arms, and he likewise barked in joy. He was even wearing a custom-made doggy tuxedo, complete with a red bowtie. Minako wasn’t sure how a dog was allowed in, but what Mitsuru Kirijo wanted, Mitsuru Kirijo got.

When she crouched to be face to face with Koro-chan, he didn’t recoil like before. He regarded her with the same wary expression, but still allowed her to scratch him in between his ears. It wasn’t like how it used to be, but it was a step in the right direction. She could handle that. 

“Yo!” She straightened when a loud call sounded over all the chatter. Junpei was approaching the group, hand locked tightly around Chidori’s.

“Hello, Junpei-san, Chidori-san,” greeted Aigis first. 

“Junpei-kun! You look great!” Fuuka complimented. And she was right, the man was the cleanest Minako had ever seen him. He was in a regular black suit, but his unruly hair was slicked back in a fashionable manner, hat nowhere to be found. 

Chidori was dressed similarly. Her lolita style was toned down from how she remembered her, made to coordinate with the theme more than her usual. Her silver dress was still adorned with excessive frills and lace, and a matching headband sat amongst red curls.

“Hi, Junpei,” Minako embraced her friend, then turned to Chidori. The other woman’s yellow eyes examined her closely before softening.

“It’s good to see you, Minako,” Chidori said in her soft voice, then surprised Minako by allowing herself to be hugged.

“How have you been, Chidori?”

“Busy,” She replied, but seemed pleased nonetheless, “There’s a lot to do before the wedding.”

Minako nodded in understanding, “I’m sure. Well if you need anything, just let me know! I will drop everything and come help.”

Chidori’s smile was precious, “Thank you.”

With the arrival of Junpei and Chidori, their ensemble was almost complete. They were just missing…

“Takeba-san! Kirijo-san!” Someone called out, and the crowd went wild. The two women slowly made their way down the carpet, having to stop every few steps to pose, sign autographs, the whole works.

Yukari was, predictably, in pink. It was a form fitting satin dress with a cowl neckline and silver accessories. Her light brown hair had gotten slightly shorter, the ends curling delicately around her neck. And while it could’ve been a trick of the lighting, she positively glowed.

While Yukari was undoubtedly the biggest star on the carpet, Mitsuru nearly stole the show. The CEO of the Kirijo Group had on a modest black evening gown, but of course it was tailored specifically to fit every curve of her body. Long crimson hair was swept up in an elaborate updo, but otherwise she kept her look simple, almost as if to not draw attention away from Yukari. It was a valiant effort, but if you are the heir of one of the greatest empires in Japan, you were bound to be noticed no matter what you did. 

When Mitsuru saw their group standing off to the side, she visibly brightened. She leaned over to whisper something into Yukari’s ear, who then also turned to look at all of them. Her lips broke out into a real, genuine smile, and hurried over as fast as her heels could carry her. 

Minako couldn’t help herself. She nearly pushed Akihiko out of the way to be the first person to greet Yukari, arms opened wide. Yukari crashed into her, hugging her with all the strength her archery-toned arms could muster.

“Yukari,” She choked out, throat suddenly closing up with tears. “I missed you so much .”

Her best friend pulled back slightly, brown eyes likewise misty, “I missed you too. I can’t believe I lasted six months without you.”

She had to hold her tongue to really tell her how long it had been.

Aigis reached around Minako and placed a hand on Yukari’s shoulder. She released Minako and turned to the blonde, pulling her into another crushing hug, “Aigis! I’m so glad to see you.”

“And I you, Yukari-san.” Her tone was warm.

“How was Australia?” Akihiko asked.

“Hot,” Yukari fanned herself with one hand, “And sweaty. We were filming for nearly ten hours a day in the desert!”

Junpei scrunched up his nose, “Oh man, I bet you smelled wonderful.”

Chidori elbowed him and Yukari shot him a familiar glare, “Excuse you, I smelled just fine!”

Shinjiro surprised them all when he spoke up gruffly, “Yeah, I’m sure you smelled like roses and rainbows.”

There was a beat, and the whole group burst into laughter. Minako thought her heart was going to burst from her chest with how full it felt. These were people, her family, all together once again. 

“Takeba-san,” A middle-aged man with wire frame glasses broke into their little powwow, “You are needed for the promotional photo op.”

Yukari’s smile momentarily fell, but she nodded nonetheless. She turned to the rest of them and said, “Sorry, guys. Duty calls. I’ll catch you when the movie starts!”

“I’ll make sure to find you,” Mitsuru, who had been standing at the edge of the group, promised, and Yukari smiled. She gave her hand a squeeze before she walked off with the older man back into the limelight.

“That’s her manager, Masao-san,” Mitsuru explained, “He keeps everything running smoothly for her.”

Akihiko raised an eyebrow, “I’m surprised there’s someone other than you that can.”

She waved a hand nonchalantly, “He is well aware I keep tabs on everything. As long as he does his job well, we have no problems.” Her tone was light, but everyone knew well enough the execution awaiting Masao the moment he stepped out of line.

“Scary…” Minako murmured to Fuuka, who nodded in agreement. 

Mitsuru then beckoned them with an arm, “Come on, I have a suite prepared with refreshments before the movie begins.”

She wasn’t friends with Mitsuru for her money, none of them were, but Minako couldn’t deny that one of her best friends being as rich as a god came with some perks. Being able to stuff her face with every cake known to man was one of them.

~

They had the best seats in the theater: front and center and sectioned off from the rest of the patrons. All of the former SEES members (and Chidori) were present, along with the cast of the movie and other high profile VIPs. They definitely weren’t expecting their rowdy group, however, if their side-eyes were anything to go by it. 

Those people were promptly ignored. They were all there to support Yukari, and support Yukari they did. They shouted with joy every time she came on screen, and groaned when she got hurt by the villain. When it was time for her finishing move, they roared like no one else was in the room.

All in all, it was very similar to the Featherman she watched with Ken back in the dorms on the rare occasions she had a free evening. Silly enemies, shouting over the top attack names, and good ol fashion good vs evil lessons filled the whole two hour film. It was flashy, it was cheesy, it was everything a good kid’s movie should be.

She turned to Yukari as soon as it ended, “You were incredible! Was that huge bow hard to shoot?”

“It was at first, but honestly I think all those different bows you had me use in Tartarus helped me get acclimated quickly,” She bumped Minako’s shoulder with her own, “Looks like your weird tactics paid off in the end.”

She grinned at that. Even though she never had the most conventional leadership style, Minako was proud of the way she handled every foray into the Dark Hour. No matter what wacky situation they found themselves in, she always had a knack of figuring the best way out.

Yukari’s manager had stood up as soon as the credits finished rolling, beckoning the actress, “Alright Takeba-san. We have post-release interviews and one last photo-op, then we can get on with the festivities.”

She groaned, “ More pictures? Haven’t they gotten enough already?”

“You are the main character. Shouldn’t you be used to this by now?,” Ken teased, causing Yukari to stick her tongue out in a very childish manner.

“Takeba-san,” Her manager repeated calmly, apparently used to her behavior. 

“Fine,” Yukari pouted slightly before allowing herself to be herded away, “You guys better not start the after party without me!”

Mitsuru promised, “We wouldn’t dream of it.”

Minako exchanged a glance with Akihiko. They knew that something was lined up for after the movie, but they weren’t expecting a full out party. She just figured they’d go back to someone’s place and hang out. But leave it to Mitsuru to plan a lavish shindig on top of the already lavish movie premiere. She was excited to see what it entailed.

~

As it turns out, it involved a lot of alcohol, flashing lights, and bass music that caused the whole room to shake. There were even workers carrying trays of drinks and light snacks, ready to be of service at any moment. 

“You really did all of this for Yukari?” Shinjiro arched one eyebrow in Mitsuru’s direction, “You don’t even like parties!”

Mitsuru crossed her arms in a defensive gesture, “It was her biggest movie yet. I wanted to make sure that it was properly celebrated.”

“You’re so thoughtful, Senpai,” Fuuka told her kindly, “Yukari-chan is very lucky to have you.”

A light blush appeared on the woman’s pale cheeks, and she turned away hastily, “If you’ll excuse me, I have to check on the food.”

Before she could flee, Junpei slung his arm around her shoulders, ignoring her icy glare, “C’mon, senpai! Relax for once in your life!”

“Junpei-kun is correct,” Aigis added, “You deserve to enjoy this party as well.”

Red eyes searched the rest of their faces, and when Mitsuru found no one arguing her in defense she sighed, clearly outnumbered, “...Fine. But at least let me confer with Masao-san first.”

Satisfied, Junpei let her go and turned to the rest of them, “Alright! Let’s get this party started!”

“But we promised to wait for Yukari-chan,” Ken protested, which fell on deaf ears as Junpei snagged the nearest waitstaff and downed the flute of champagne they were carrying. 

As if almost on cue, the star of the night stormed over to him, snatching the empty glass right out of his hand, “Really, Junpei? You couldn’t’ve waited ten more minutes for me?”

“Awww, don’t worry, Yuka-tan! You didn’t miss a thing!” He grinned at her, then grabbed onto her arm, “Now let’s see what kinda spread Senpai prepared for us!”

Yukari flashed a helpless glance at Chidori as she was tugged across the room. The other woman just shrugged in good nature, trailing a few steps behind to join them at the food table.

Minako was about to follow, when another flute of champagne appeared right in front of her eyes. She turned around to see Shinjiro smirk at her before passing one more glass to Akihiko.

“Drink up,” The man tipped his own glass towards the two of them before raising it to his lips, draining it in one gulp.

She peered at the bubbling liquid with some interest. Being underaged when she died, she never had the chance to try any form of alcohol, much less an expensive one (and she had no doubt Mitsuru picked an expensive bottle).

Sneaking a glance at Akihiko, she watched as he also drank the champagne, though he took several sips rather than gulp it. The face he made told her he wasn’t the biggest fan of the taste, and she honestly couldn’t see him being a champagne guy anyway. Maybe he liked whiskey better?

Curiosity getting the best of her, Minako likewise tipped the contents of the glass into her mouth. It tasted surprisingly good, sparkling sweet with a citrus aftertaste. 

“At least there is an open bar,” Akihiko muttered as he gave both their empty glasses to a passing worker.

“Aw, I thought it was good!” She laughed when he shook his head and linked her arm through his. Together they made their way to the snack table with the rest of the group, everyone marveling at the menu Mitsuru had chosen.

And truly, Mitsuru had pulled all the stops. There were regular snacks, sure, but they were forgotten in the spotlight of caviar, an entire section of dips, and the largest charcuterie board Minako had ever seen in her life. Off in the corner of the table were the desserts, including a large pink cake with “ Congratulations Yukari” written in yellow frosting, mimicking her character’s signature uniform.

Once they filled their plates and their glasses (again), Mitsuru had gathered their attention at the center of the room, holding her own glass of champagne.

“I would like to propose a toast,” The heiress announced, raising her glass to all of them. They mirrored her, the glasses all glinting under the colorful lights.

“Yukari, congratulations on another successful movie,” Mitsuru addressed the woman next to her, “We are very proud of you.”

“Cheers!” They all cried, clinking glasses against one another before drinking. 

Yukari smiled, cheeks already beginning to flush from her second glass of champagne, “Thanks guys. It really means a lot that you came.”

“Do you think we would’ve missed it?” Ken asked, and Minako made a mental note to make sure he didn’t go beyond his one glass.

“Still,” To her surprise, Yukari leaned her head against Mitsuru’s shoulder, and in turn Mitsuru wrapped her arm around her waist, “it makes me really happy.”

Seeing the two of them romantically together, Minako should’ve guessed. They danced around each other forever when they were teenagers, and she assumed that the Inaba incident only brought them closer. She was ecstatic to know that her two friends found love in each other.

“Well, come on then!” Minako grabbed both of their hands, nearly dragging them to the dance floor, “It’s party time!”

~

And party, they did. The night passed by in phases, each punctuated by the amount of alcohol consumed. It started innocently enough, the team laughing and singing along with the DJ, before the booze settled completely in their bloodstreams.

Then, Junpei jumped up onto one of the tables, dancing like crazy to the beat. Shockingly, he was an amazing dancer. Minako never saw him dance before, and she was impressed with how fancy footwork was, especially while drunk.  Even more surprising was when Junpei held out a hand to Chidori and she joined him. The two of them bumped hips and spun around each other on the elevated surface, and Minako thought her voice was going to give out from how hard she cheered.

After downing several shots, Akihiko challenged Shinjiro to an arm wrestling match, which nearly evolved to both men stripping off their shirts and actually wrestling on the ground. It took the combined effort of Aigis and Mitsuru to hurl them off of each other and put them into time out. Ken savored this moment and laughed at the both of them, tears nearly running down his face.

Fuuka at some point had picked up Koromaru and was swaying in the center of the room, off in her own world.

Aigis, unable to get inebriated, dutifully watched over everyone as the night went on. She seemed to catalog every drink that was consumed, offering glasses of water after so many. She even went as far as to bring snacks when she thought someone needed the extra carbs.

“Soooooo,” Yukari drawled at some point late into the night, slinging her arms around both Minako and Akihiko’s shoulders, “when are you guys gonna get hitched?”

Akihiko nearly spat out his water. Minako blinked owlishly.

“Oh, come ooooon,” Her words had started to slur ever so slightly, “You guys have been together even longer than Junpei and Chidori! It’s gotta be coming soon, right?” She stared pointedly at Akihiko.

He was already red from drinking, and now the color ran from the tips of his ears down his neck, “I-I…..uh…”

Yukari leaned closer, dropping her voice into a faux whisper, “You know, you guys were s o not subtle in the dorm. We could all hear youuu.”

This time, Akihiko did spit out his water.

“Yukari!” Minako whined, and her friend staggered away to bother Mitsuru, cackling the entire way. She buried her face in her hands, head pounding with both alcohol and embarrassment.

Akihiko was clearing his throat beside her, equally drunk and embarrassed, “Mina-”

“Minako-san, Akihiko-san,” Aigis interrupted, “The party is ending.”

She took a glance around the room. Shinji was wrangling a stumbling Ken, while Mitsuru ordered on the phone for drivers to pick everyone up. Yukari had ended up curled up at her feet, head in hands. Chidori seemed to be the most sober one, and she was helping Fuuka put on her coat properly. The party was ending indeed.

Aigis held Junpei, completely out cold, over one of her shoulders, “I suggest you two go home. I will see that Junpei-san and Chidori-san do the same.”

“I guess you’re right,” Minako hauled herself out of the chair and immediately stumbled, the alcohol in her veins making her limbs sluggish and unresponsive.

Hands wrapped around her waist, keeping her upright. Akihiko nearly stumbled himself trying to catch her, and the two burst into uncontrollable giggles. Giggles turned into hiccups, and they wouldn’t stop from the moment they left the venue until their ride home pulled into the front of their apartment complex.

“Here,” Akihiko, after getting out of the car, crouched low to the ground, “Lemme give you a piggyback ride!”

The giggles resurfaced, “What are you talking about?”

“So you don’t fall again,” He said, face very serious. 

It made perfect sense to her. With a smile, she hiked up the fabric of her dress and hopped onto his back. His arms hooked around her legs and he rose from the ground. The first step was wobbly, but then Akihiko found his sense of gravity and expertly carried her up the flights of stairs to their unit.

After some difficulty holding her and getting the door open, he led her into the quiet apartment. She slid off his back and promptly kicked off her heels, relishing in the feeling of plush carpet under her feet. 

He laughed,  "What did those shoes ever do to you?" 

"Killed all feeling in my toes," She glared good naturedly at them.

"What was that saying? Beauty is pain or whatever?" Akihiko wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him.

"I must be gorgeous then, because my feet are killing me."

His face was inches away now, his pupils so wide only a ring of gray surrounded them, “You are breathtaking, Mina.” The words came out almost a whisper.

Minako didn’t hesitate. She closed the distance between them and kissed him, though in her eagerness she nearly knocked their teeth together. Akihiko didn’t seem to notice; he responded in kind, capturing her bottom lip between his. Maybe it was the alcohol, but the way he kissed her made her feel weightless.

Then his mouth was on her neck and she let out a tiny gasp. The heat she felt earlier came back with a vengeance, curling low in her stomach. And this time, there was nothing to interrupt them. She had already kicked off her shoes, now it was time to have her way with him. 

They made their way towards their bedroom somewhat clumsily. Kisses were exchanged between peeling off articles of clothing. The next thing Minako knew, she was falling onto the sheets and Akihiko was crawling on top of her. 

She paused for a second to observe his face. The sharp angle of his cheekbone. How his hair was slightly tousled from her fingers. His lips were red and kiss-bruised. She then reached up to cup his cheek with her hand, smoothing her thumb over his skin.

Akihiko looked at her like she truly was born from the stars.

Minako wanted to memorize that look for all eternity.

Then, the moment was over, and when they finally came together, it felt like coming home. 

~

Akihiko’s heartbeat was steady and calm under her cheek. She was lying on his chest as he slept, one arm wrapped around her waist. Her fingers idly traced the scars that littered his skin while her mind, finally lifting from its drunk haze, replayed the events of the whole evening. The entire thing was nearly a blur, and the after party was only snapshots in her mind. But she was so happy. Happy to have all her friends by her side again. Happy to enjoy a night of decadence with them. 

 It was only then did she realize that today was the first day in a week that she hadn’t thought about her insane situation even once. She had been too busy being excited for Yukari and making sure that she had the best night with the whole gang. Nothing else had mattered, not even the fact that she had come back from the dead. 

 So she dozed off like that, content for once with this future she was now living in.  And there was a small part of her that selfishly hoped that maybe this feeling, or maybe even Minako herself, could last.

Chapter Text

It was almost laughably simple, but the search started with typing "Phantom Thieves" into Google.

Minako grinded her teeth on the plastic pen cap as the results loaded in an instant. And, well, she wasn’t expecting the first result to be this illusive group’s actual website.

Or, not an official website, but a very detailed fan page. The “Phantom Aficionado Website” was styled in the red and black that she came to recognize as their signature colors. A simple poll was on the front page, asking the viewer if they would join the Phantom Thieves. The bar below showed that only 15% of responders would have, and some of their comments popped up as she scrolled further down.

“nah, i’m good”

“too annoying lol”

“if there’s no overtime, sure”

“yall must be bored af lol”

Akihiko was right. If the Phantom Thieves were popular at one time, they definitely weren’t now if this website was to be taken seriously. The only other page she was able to navigate to was a forum of sorts in which people could post discussion threads and send in what looked like requests.

Curious, Minako scrolled through. The requests seemed to dwindle since Christmas, and the ones that had been posted were for trivial matters:

“My neighbor leaves his bright garage lights on all night! Punish him!”

“The dog groomer made my poodle look ridiculous! You have to change her heart and make her apologize!”

“Show my brother the consequences for eating my mochi!”

She rolled her eyes. Whatever the Phantom Thieves were doing, she could guess that it wasn’t helping settle petty disputes like that. Minako scrolled even further, before finding one request that the group actually did solve not too long ago in December. With a click she opened the thread and read carefully.

“Please help, Phantom Thieves. Shiro Asakura is a producer in the entertainment world, but he’s an evil man. The girls he manages will do whatever he says in order to have a shot at making their dreams come true, and he takes full advantage of it. Change his heart, I’m begging you.”

There was no response acknowledging the request, but there was a reply from the poster about a week later, saying that this Asakura guy had apologized profusely and renounced his ways and they thanked the Phantom Thieves for listening to their request.

And the page went on like that. Most of the comments went ignored, apparently too frivolous for the group to be bothered with. Every so often though, there were more serious ones. And each time there was a follow up thanking the Thieves for changing the target’s heart.

Over and over again, she noted, was that phrase- Change their heart. If she were being honest, it sounded like something the protagonists in a video game would do. They would change the villain’s heart and the world would be saved! 

Minako snorted at the thought.

Either way, the phrase was important. Maybe it was code for what the team actually did with their targets, but with a more public-friendly spin?

When the website yielded nothing else, she returned to the Google results. All the other entries were older, from December and beyond, discussing their involvement with the recent government scandal, just like she heard on the TV with Akihiko.

Masayoshi Shido had undoubtedly been a target of the Phantom Thieves. One moment he was just about to be voted in as the next Prime Minister, the next he was confessing to a myriad of crimes. To Akihiko’s point, people didn’t just change like that. 

Other articles included more prominent targets, including the CEO of a popular food chain and an infamous mob boss that even the police couldn’t have caught on their own. No matter what angle she looked at it, Minako had to admit that the group didn’t appear to be bad, at least not on paper. They went after high profile people that were rumored to be corrupt, and then those people later confirmed the rumors were true and apologized for their misconduct.

Changing of hearts indeed.

One thing that stood out was the author of most of the articles, one Ichiko Ohya. Her profile was filled with pro-Phantom Thieves pieces, which were very in depth, almost as if Ohya had an insider feeding her information. Her email address was listed on her profile, and since Minako had nothing to lose, she opened a new email and copied it, fully prepared to request a meeting with this journalist.

Akihiko chose that moment to walk into their office, startling her and forcing her attention away from the laptop screen.

“Working hard?” He placed a hand on the back of her chair and leaned in, looking at what she was doing. His eyebrow raised as he regarded the name in the email box.

“I’m trying to get more information about the Phantom Thieves,” She explained, gesturing to the laptop, “This Ohya has a lot of articles written about them.”

He sighed, “Minako, I know you want to rush after them, but shouldn’t you be working on your thesis?”

“This is more important! They might be affecting our whole reality!” She argued. They might have the answers I need! 

His eyes met her stubborn glare for only a moment before he folded, “I think Mitsuru tried to meet with her once, but she wouldn’t give up anything without getting information on the Kirijo Group first.”

Some emotion must have crossed her face because he quickly added, “Why don’t you go check out the Shadow Operative archives? Mitsuru keeps all her intel there. I’m not sure our badges give us access anymore but it’s worth a shot.”

She grinned and kissed his cheek with a loud smack, “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“Many times, but it never gets old,” The smile he gave her was softer than expected, and it set off butterflies in her stomach. She still wasn’t used to having Aki and his affection constantly yet, and each time she was struck by just how unbelievable it was to see him again.

That’s why she was searching so hard. Because it was unbelievable. And the last thing she wanted was to discover that this was some cruel dream and she was supposed to wake up at any moment, with the past week or so slipping through her fingers like they never happened.

“Your badge has the same amount of clearance as mine,” Akihiko, oblivious to her rumination, continued on, “Though if anything comes up you can always tell them it’s for me.”

“Thanks,” After rifling through her bag, she procured said ID card and tucked it safely into her wallet. She didn’t even think about getting access into the archives, so she was glad the solution proved to be simple. Minako made for the door and he followed before grabbing her hand.

“Mina, if you find something, please promise me you won’t just rush into anything.” 

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

He gripped her hand harder, “ Promise .” The hundreds of times she’d done something risky came back to haunt her in those words

She turned and pressed her palms to Akihiko’s cheeks, squishing them slightly, “I promise.”

It was only after she left the apartment did she let herself feel the guilt, because that was a promise she wouldn’t be able to keep. This was something she knew she had to find out for herself, and if the truth turned out to be something horrible, she’d be the only one hurt by it. It was better that way. 

~

In her absence, the Kirijo Group had moved its international affairs branch to Tokyo, in the Kamiyacho area. The building that the conglomerate now occupied was huge, towering high into the sky with hundreds of shiny windows. When Minako entered the lobby, the receptionist waved her through without so much as a glance.

"Shall I send for Kirijo-sama, Arisato-san?" He asked as she made her way to the elevators.

“No!” She said hastily, “No need to bother Mitsuru.” 

There was a pause as she examined the directory, then she turned back to the receptionist, sheepish, “Can you tell me where the archives are?”

They turned out to be in the lower levels of the complex, to which the elevator descended with quiet smoothness. The doors opened with barely a hiss, and she exited into the dark corridor. A chill descended as soon as she stepped onto the pristine tile, and unconsciously she hugged her coat closer to her body.

Ahead was a pair of doors, dark and made of a metal so thick you could guarantee no one would be getting past them. Right outside stood a guard, dressed in all black and staring at her with intense eyes.

“Name?” He growled out as she approached. 

“Minako Arisato,” She flashed her ID card.

He eyed her incredulously, then gestured roughly to the electronic panel beside him. Taking his cue, she scanned the card, which flashed green before the lock clicked open. The guard grunted and pushed one door open, and she stepped through without another word.

The Kirijo Group’s archives were split into two separate groups—one paper  and one digital. The room that the paper copies were in was dry and cold to preserve them as best as possible. The documents themselves were filed neatly in manilla folders, stored away in plain document boxes arranged by year, dating all the way back to the Group’s founding in the early 70s. From what Minako could tell, the Kirijo Group was in the process of photocopying all the old paper files into digital ones.

The digital copies were on a large electronic billboard-like panel in the center of the room. One only needed to touch the screen, enter a search word or date, and everything related to the query would be pulled up. If she had the time, Minako could’ve spent hours just browsing the data, seeing everything that the large intelligence network had to offer. 

But she didn’t have the time, and she was here for one purpose only. She tapped Phantom Thieves into the search bar. Curiously, nothing popped up. She tried “changing hearts” instead. Still nothing. Searching Masayoshi Shido only yielded the most basic of information.

Minako leaned back from the console, irritated. It was like everything related to the Phantom Thieves had been deleted from the archive. She tried every single search query she could think of, and yet nothing came up. Was the Group purposefully censoring information?

With that in mind, she tried searching other “taboo” topics. Nothing about what happened in Inaba could be located either. Tartarus, the Dark Hour, nothing. Everything that they experienced since awakening their personas didn’t exist in the eyes of this particular archive. 

She eyed the rows of paper documents that filled the room. Maybe they just hadn’t been scanned yet? Even though the past decade had been in the digital age, Kirijo Takeharu could’ve been a traditionalist and liked everything hand-written before Mitsuru assumed the role as CEO.

Browsing the files from the past ten years, it was very much the same. There was everything from financial ledgers to the list of restaurants that opened and closed in Iwatodai, but nothing surrounding shadows or the work that they did. It became very clear that someone, maybe even Mitsuru herself, didn’t want anyone finding out about the work they did behind the scenes.

It was only after she surveyed the whole room did Minako notice a smaller door at the back of the room. It was as heavy as the ones she entered through, with a similar authorization pad next to it.  She swiped her card, but the light did not change. She wiped the card on her coat and tried again. No dice. 

“Excuse me!” She trotted back out the way she came and addressed the stony guard, “It appears I can’t get into the room in the back.”

He raised one dark eyebrow at her, “Those are classified, ma’am.”

Choosing to ignore being addressed as ma’am, Minako crossed her arms, “But I need to see those documents.”

“If you don’t have clearance, you’re not getting in there.”

She sighed, “Look, I know you’re just doing your job. But I’m on an assignment given by Mitsuru herself. There is information in there that she only trusts me with and I’m not going to be the one who tells her why I can’t look at those documents.” She stared right into his eyes, “What’s it going to be?”

The guard stared right back at her and for a moment she was sure he was going to call her bluff. But, Mitsuru must have instilled enough fear into her employees because he averted his gaze and walked stiffly towards the other door.

“Just don’t tell Kirijo-san I let you in,” He said before unlocking the door.

“My lips are sealed,” Minako mimed the phrase with her hand before breezing past him and into the classified section of the archives. 

This section was even colder than the larger room, if that was even possible, even though it only contained another one of the large consoles. Thankfully, this one worked just like the one before, and she got straight to work, once again typing Phantom Thieves into the search bar.

The console flared to life. Rows upon rows of data points filled the screen; it was almost too overwhelming to take it all in. She saw not only the stuff she could gather from the internet, but personal encounters and reconnaissance from Mitsuru’s Shadow Operatives as well. Figuring the best place was to start from the beginning, she scrolled through the data until she found the first time the group’s name was mentioned, all the way back in April of 2016.

It all started with an abusive PE teacher at a private high school located right here in Tokyo. Suguru Kamoshida had been hurting the students under his care, even going as far as to illicit sexual favors from a volleyball player in order to keep her on the team, leaving her to attempt suicide. Not much long after that did the Phantom Thieves “steal his heart”, and he confessed to the public of his crimes. 

With a swipe of her finger, Minako read the extra intelligence that the Shadow Ops had added to the more well-known facts. It seems like they came to the conclusion that the Phantom Thieves must have come from this school, as it seemed like a very personal target. She quickly jotted down that fact in her own notebook, underlining “Shujin Academy” to research more later.

The irony was not lost on her, the fact that the group could’ve been made up of teenagers. It struck a certain cord in her heart; it was truly tragic that yet again young adults were taking on responsibilities that were way too big for their shoulders. 

Just as with the internet, the Shadow Operatives seemed particularly interested in the targets having their hearts changed. They theorized that the Phantom Thieves were persona users, and the altering of people’s minds was a part of their personas’ powers. What they couldn’t figure out was how they did it. It appeared that catching them in the act still eluded them. 

Minako spent a lot of time absorbing as much information as possible, writing notes here and there as she went to go back to later. Not only were there political scandals, but it was rumored the Phantom Thieves were involved with several cases of “mental shutdowns”, where people suddenly break down and commit violent acts, basically becoming a zombie with nothing but the need to rampage.

No wonder Mitsuru was pursuing the group for so long; the symptoms of these cases were similar enough to Apathy Syndrome that they were hard to ignore. And she knew that her friend would stop at nothing to ensure that something like that never happened again.

While the archives held a great deal of intelligence on the Phantom Thieves, a good portion of it was just speculation. Not to mention, there still was nothing to tell her how to find these mysterious characters beyond the high school they may or may not have attended. Minako stretched, working the kinks in her back out. The time on her phone told her she had been down in the archives for nearly two hours, and she still didn’t find out everything. But it was time to go before someone else came down and recognized her. 

Just as she packed up her notebook, she hesitated. There was so much to learn from these archives, and she didn’t know the next time she’d be able to come down here. With that in mind, she took a deep breath and tapped the screen, searching the names of her dear friends. Of course Mitsuru would have detailed files on each one of them, and she read them hungerly. She found out where they went to college, what they did after they got their degrees. While she scanned the files, she noted inconsistencies amongst some of them. Junpei was noted to be a junior baseball coach, not some major league player, and Akihiko dropped out of college to travel the world fighting different people. 

She frowned at the console. What was on paper did not match up with how her friends were in real-life, and she knew Mitsuru was incredibly thorough with her information. Was this another trick of the Phantom Thieves? 

Gingerly, she tried one more search query. Minako tapped in the characters of her own name and hit submit, chewing on one fingernail as several files popped up.

But then, the curiosity fled in a rush. She didn’t really want to know what the files contained, what lies they spun about her death. They probably chalked it up to a freak accident like they did Ken’s mom, and no one but the former SEES members knew the truth. It left a bad taste in her mouth, knowing that her friends outside of SEES would never know what truly happened to her. 

Another file happened to catch her eye, one of the most recent in the list. Taking a deep breath, she enlarged the document and read it over. As she skimmed the words, her hands started shaking.

In the year after she passed, the Kirijo Group had established the “Arisato Fund”, a scholarship for lower income students that were enrolled at Gekkoukan. In the six years it has been active, the fund has given hundreds of students a chance at furthering their education. 

Before she could stop them, tears blurred her vision. Minako knew that she would never get recognition for being the Great Seal (nor would it have mattered, because she was dead) , but it touched her more than she could say, knowing that her friends found a way to honor her legacy for years to come.  

“Ah! It is good to see you, Kirijo-san,” The loud voice of the guard startled her, and she hastily wiped her eyes.

“Hello, Kishimoto,” the familiar voice of Mitsuru floated through the open door, “How are you?”

Crap.

Minako backed away from the console and left the small room, scrambling to shut the heavy door behind her.

“Arisato is in the archives, just as you directed,” The guard informed.

“Is she now?” Mitsuru’s voice was neutral, but she heard the suspicion clear as day, “Thank you.”

Double crap. 

She knew she had precious few seconds, but she was able to grab an inconspicuous file from one of the shelves and open it just in time for Mitsuru to walk through the main doors, the clicking of her heels the only sound in the cold basement.

She stopped in front of Minako, arms crossed, “Minako.”

“Oh hey Mitsuru!” She made a show of snapping the file closed and placing it back on the shelf. “How’s it going?”

Red eyes regarded her carefully, “Just fine, thank you. Are you finding what you’re looking for?”

She gestured at the rows of documents, “Definitely. Man, everytime I’m here I just get lost in how much you can learn,” A sweeping motion was made with her arm, “Museums should be learning from you on how to preserve information.”

That seemed to get through Mitsuru’s wariness, because she gave a small chuckle, “I can’t take all the credit. Aigis and Fuuka, as well as our best conservationists and scientists have created a near perfect system in which these documents will be preserved for decades.” 

Minako smiled, “So, what brings you down here?”

Mitsuru strode forward and plucked a seemingly random file from a low shelf, “I just needed to grab this, that’s all.” She faced Minako again, tucking the file into her purse, “Did you let Yukari know what refreshments you wanted for the movie night?”

“Uh. No. I’ll make sure to text her later.” Yukari had messaged her earlier that day, but it had slipped her mind as soon as she caught a thread about the Phantom Thieves.

She nodded, red curls bouncing flawlessly around her shoulders, “Please do that, I want to make sure everyone has their pick of snacks.”

“Only the finest for SEES, right?” Minako joked, but Mitsuru had a serious look on her face.

“Of course. You all deserve it after all,” The sincerity that coated Mitsuru's tone made Minako want to rush into her arms and tell her how much she was struggling. The words nearly bubbled up and she bit her tongue to hold them back.

Mitsuru then looked at her phone, frowning, “I apologize, I have a meeting with the Nanjo Group in a few minutes.”

“Sure,” She waved her friend away, “Do whatcha gotta do!”

“I’ll see you soon,” Mitsuru bade her goodbye and stepped towards the door. She then stopped, appearing to inspect something on the wall.

“...Mitsuru?” Minako asked her back hesitantly.

She turned slightly, but Minako couldn’t see much of her expression, “The next time you want to see classified documents, you need only ask.” Without waiting for a reply, she made her way towards the elevators for real this time.

Minako lowered her gaze, cheeks growing red. She didn’t look up from the floor until the sound of high heels faded away completely, and the room was silent once more. 

~

After doing some digging, it was revealed that Ichiko Ohya liked to frequent a tiny bar tucked away in the streets of Shinjuku called Crossroads. 

The sun was starting to set when Minako found the entrance, the sky turning colors that nearly matched the neon signs of the Red-Light district. Steeling herself, she pushed her way through the door and into the dim. 

It was as small on the inside as it appeared from the outside. Long bar counters commandeered the whole space, with chairs that looked straight from the 80s. In the corner was one big booth with several round tables, but that's all this tiny bar had to offer.

Minako let her eyes adjust to the low light before sliding into one of the open seats. A pair of businessmen occupied the chairs to the left, and to her right was a young woman, currently leaning over the counter to flag the one bartender.

"Lala-chan!" She barked, and Minako could nearly smell the alcohol on her breath, "Pour me another!"

The bartender, dressed in a violet kimono and magnificent purple hair, sniffed at the woman, nonplussed, "I can get you a glass of water."

"Oh eff off," the woman replied, but there was no bite to the words. Clearly they knew each other.

Lala-chan shook her head, jewelry clinking with the motion. She then noticed that Minako was sitting there and directed her attention accordingly.

"Welcome in. What can I get for you, honey?"

She paused. Sure she drank a lot at the afterparty, but it wasn't like she remembered any of it. 

"A whiskey sour please…?" That sounded like something Akihiko had been drinking that night. 

Thankfully, Lala-chan didn’t comment on her questioning her own order. She poured the drink with swift expertise, and set it down in front of her. She took a tentative sip, and tried not to make a face as sour orange flavored nail polish hit her tongue.

“Not used to the zing?” The woman next to her chuckled at her reaction.

“I’m trying something new.” She gave a small smile. 

The woman raised her own glass, clinking it heartily against Minako’s, “Cheers to that!”

Minako stomached another sip while the woman downed the rest of her drink in one gulp. Lala-chan gave her a withering glare.

“What?” She snarked.

“Don’t you have an article to finish tonight?”

Blinking rapidly, Minako turned to fully face the woman sitting beside her. She had a round face, her dark hair cut into a blunt bob and sunglasses perched on the top of her head. Dark brown eyes were narrowed and red lips were scowling.

“Don’t remind me. My deadlines are even tighter now that I’ve been assigned back to politics.”

Minako had to butt in, “Excuse me, are you Ichiko Ohya?”

The scowl disappeared from her face, “Yes?”

“I’m so excited to meet you!” Minako clapped her hands together, “I’m such a big fan of your articles!”

“Oh,” She stood up straight in her seat, pursuit of her next drink forgotten, “Thank you…?”

“Minako Arisato,” She inclined her shoulders in a slight bow.

Instead of acknowledging her name, Ohya beckoned Lala-chan, “Hey! One more round for our new friend! And put it on my tab!”

“Oh no, that’s okay!” She rushed in, “I really don’t need another one.”

Lala-chan admonished Ohya, “At least someone here knows their limits.”

“Tch. Killjoy,” Ohya rolled her eyes, then focused on Minako, “So, you’ve read my articles?”

Minako nodded, “I’ve been reading all about the Phantom Thieves thanks to you. Your eye for detail is incredible!”

A pleased grin stretched across red lips, “Why, thank you! It was a labor of love, that’s for sure. It’s a shame they basically went into hiding. My articles on them were my most popular.”

“They went into hiding?” She took a sip of the sour to hide how much the words piqued her interest.

“Well, they’ve had no activity since Christmas. It was speculated they retired or something like that, because it’s been all quiet on the Western Front.”

“Maybe they got bored of changing hearts?” Lala-chan offered.

Ohya traced the rim of her glass with a fingertip, “Nah. Trust me, that’s not the case.”

“Ohya-san, I’m really impressed with how informative your articles are, especially since the Phantom Thieves are so elusive! How did you do it?”

The journalist picked off an invisible piece of lint, “I have my ways.”

Minako placed a hand over her heart, trying to be sincere as she said, “I’m sure you have a network I couldn’t even dream of.”

“Sorry Arisato, I don’t reveal my sources,” Ohya’s smile took on a slightly smug tilt. 

She quickly said, “Of course, I was just wondering-”

“Look,” Ohya’s eyes narrowed, smile fading, “I’m not stupid. You’re trying to figure out the identities of the Phantom Thieves, aren’t you?”

She shrugged, not giving Minako a chance to reply, “Whatever, I don’t just give out precious information like that. Everything I know was told to me in complete confidence, and I’d be a shit journalist if I ratted them out.” She waved a hand, “It was nice to meet you, Arisato.”

“Wait!” Minako couldn’t let this chance slip away. She blurted out, “What if I gave you intel?”

Ohya snorted. “What could you possibly know that I would want?” 

Everything on the Kirijo Group you could ever want, She thought silently, but didn’t voice out loud. She’d be the worst friend in the world, as well as Public Enemy Number One, if she dared to utter one thing about the Kirijo Group. So she racked her brain, thinking about what could be useful to a journalist like Ichiko Ohya.

“What about a private dinner at one of the best restaurants in town, personally overseen by the Executive Chef?” She offered, “What would that get me?”

Dark eyes searched hers and Ohya pursed her lips. Hope flared in her chest as the journalist seemed to consider her offer. Then, she must have made a decision, because she smiled wolfishly.

“If you could somehow do that for me, I’ll send you in the right direction. How’s that?”

“Done.” Minako readily agreed. She pulled out her phone, sending a text to Shinjiro. A few agonizing minutes passed before he responded, exasperated in true Shinji-fashion. But, she got him to agree to the proposition with several pleading emojis and the promise to help clean his kitchen whenever he needed it.

When he agreed, she turned the screen to show Ohya, “Will this work?”

Ohya read the texts before slowly nodding, “Perfect. While not my usual anymore, I think my manager would like to see a fun piece from me for once.”

“And?” Minako prompted.

“I’d examine the Phantom Thieves’ early days a bit closer,” Ohya said, then sat back in her chair, conversation evidently over.

It was more vague than Minako was hoping for, but she could live with that. It pointed her to where she should look next, and for that she was grateful. Determined, she raised her glass to her lips and drained it, feeling the searing heat burn down her throat, matching the fire in her heart.

Chapter Text

Gray skies mixed in with gray skyscrapers, making even the loud, colorful signs of Shibuya’s Central Street dull and unappealing. It had started to snow as well, and Minako watched the snowflakes fall with mild interest. After another morning of continuing her research into the Phantom Thieves and coming up empty, she knew she needed a change of scenery, and it just so happened that Akihiko had mentioned he was out of a particular brand of ramen he really liked. So here she was, out in the cold among the masses. 

Minako had always considered herself to be a people person. She loved being around people and learning more about them, creating bonds and figuring out what made them tick. But Tokyo was quickly teaching her that there was such a thing as too many people.

“Sorry!” Someone elbowed her as they passed, making her scowl. Even in the middle of a weekday, the main block of the city was filled to the brim with people scurrying in every direction. If she got claustrophobic, Minako assumed it would feel something like this. All of a sudden, a pang of homesickness for Iwatodai settled in her chest, making her long for the open skies and salty air. 

Eager to get out of the sea of people, Minako moved off to the side at the first spot that held less bodies than the street. She landed in front of Taiheido Bookstore, and she gazed curiously into the shop. Figuring she could spend a few more minutes out, she slipped inside. The bookstore was charming and quaint for being in such a busy location (not to mention warm ) , but her heart hurt when she thought about Bookworms and the Kitamuras.

She emerged far later than expected, money well spent on a cute notebook and stickers. Retail therapy always had its way of making her feel better, remembering countless evenings spent at Paulownia Mall. Bracing herself for the cold, Minako tucked her neck further into her scarf, burrowing into it like some sort of turtle. With all her purchases in one hand, she fished out her phone with the other. After two weeks she was finally starting to get the hang of Tokyo’s crazy train system, but she still needed help navigating.

Humming to herself, she waited as the route popped up, pointing her to which train she needed to take . While her attention was focused on her phone, streams of people passed by. They were nothing but blurs in her peripheral, specters with their own lives and places that they needed to be.

A flash of bright yellow caught her eye, and Minako’s head snapped up. Her body froze as she gazed frantically around the sea of people, searching for the familiar scarf. Seconds that felt like an eternity passed and there was nothing but a normal busy street. Minako began to relax, thinking it was just a trick of the light.

But then there it was again, a ray of sunshine against the gray tinge far ahead of her. Red eyes squinted, and if she concentrated hard enough she could just make out the silhouette of Ryoji, still amongst the swift crowd.

She was running before she even knew it, boots pounding against the pavement. She wove in between bodies, almost pushing some out of the way in her haste.

“Hey! Watch it!” An irate businessman snapped as she dashed past, nearly knocking his briefcase out of his hand, but she paid him no mind. There was no time to stop and apologize when Ryoji was right within her grasp once more.

“Ryoji-kun!” She shrieked, reaching out to him. He was so close, so close , and her hands nearly closed around his scarf–

Then he was gone. Minako skidded to halt, making several people make annoyed noises behind her. She whipped her head from side to side, frenzied. None of the faces around her were Ryoji’s, no one wearing a yellow scarf. She examined everyone that passed and never saw blue eyes and almost started laughing, convinced she had officially gone crazy. 

Taking a deep breath to calm her erratic heartbeat, she took stock of where she ended up. It was the opposite direction of the bookstore and train station, with an arcade up ahead and a Beef Bowl stand to her right. She kept her focus sharp but everything was exactly as it had been. When her heart returned to its normal cadence, she tried to convince herself it was only a stress induced hallucination and turned around, intending to head home.

There, in the small alleyway right before the arcade, was Ryoji. His face held that soft smile he always wore with her, and his blue eyes almost glowed. Raising his hand, he beckoned her with a wave, then turned and disappeared further into the alley.

It could've been a trap. It most likely was a trap. Even so, Minako had to find out for herself. 

Cautiously, she followed him. Minako glanced around as she walked further along the road, but nothing seemed out of place. 

That is, until a door that looked suspiciously like a jail cell appeared just as she was about to round the corner. It was bathed in a blue light, but where Ryoji’s eyes were as clear as the sky, this blue was deep, mysterious and inky as the deep sea.

Minako felt her hands go clammy, the hairs on the back of her neck starting to rise. Even though it was snowing, she felt hot as her heart hammered in her chest. She stepped closer to the door, like an invisible chain was pulling her towards it. She reached out with her hand to gently caress one of the bars, a piano tune playing in the back of her mind. 

Tightening her grip, Minako tugged on the bar, only for it to not budge. She tried again with more force, but with the same results. It was locked.

“I am terribly sorry, but you cannot enter through there.”

A small voice sounded behind her and Minako nearly jumped out of her skin. She whirled around, only to be met with a young girl, familiar in a way she couldn’t quite place. Minako studied her with morbid curiosity, taking in the girl’s appearance. She was wearing a long blue dress with black gloves that ran up to her sleeves, and white stockings. Long hair, so pale it was almost white, was kept out of her face with a frilled headband, butterflies adorning the sides. But it was her eyes that caught Minako off guard; they were a golden yellow, and seemed to stare right through her.

Minako glanced from the girl to the blue door behind her, a supercut of memories whizzing through her mind. An uncomfortable chair shaped like a harp. Covered doors whose true purpose was unknown. A tall man with a sweet smile. An equally unnerving grin from underneath the longest nose you’d ever seen.

The flashing of lights, roaring of personas as they were created into being.

“This is the Velvet Room,” She breathed out, “and you’re a resident.”

The girl smiled and she curtseyed low, “My name is Lavenza. It is an honor to meet you, Savior.”

“Savior?” Minako echoed.

Lavenza nodded, “I have heard much about you from my brother and my master. You saved us all from ruin.”

A brother and a master. Lavenza could only be referring to..

“Theodore and Igor?”

The girl nodded again, “Oh yes. They wanted me to send you their regards, and that they regret they could not meet you themselves,” She tilted her head towards the jail door.

Minako followed her gaze, and yanked on the door once more. but it still did not yield. She huffed in frustration and turned back to Lavenza, whose golden eyes were looking at her with sorrow. 

“I am sorry,” she repeated in a quiet voice, “you cannot go in there. Only those who have-”

“Signed a contract can enter. Yeah, I’m well aware.” 

“And as I understand it, your contract has long since been fulfilled. Truly, we wish it could be different. I know my brother would especially be delighted to see you.”

She pictured the strange but endearing man once again. Never during the time they spent together did he mention having a little sister, “How is Theo?”

“He is doing well. Though he has been increasingly absent as of late.”

“Absent?”

Golden eyes slid off to the side, “He embarked on his own journey of self discovery. Though he does return from time to time to share his findings”

 “I see,” She imagined Theo’s naivete getting him into all sorts of trouble and frowned. “And Igor?”

Lavenza hesitated, “My master was…preoccupied with something else until very recently. But now he has returned and it is as it always was.”

Even though her words were light, Minako caught the anxiety that laced through them. It made her worry, because the denizens of the Velvet Room so rarely experienced much beyond the blue monotony of the space they occupied. She thought of her situation, of how the world seemed to be all wrong, and wondered if they were all connected. 

“Lavenza,” she said, and those golden eyes snapped back to hers. Just like Theo’s, they were ethereal and foreign, betraying the depths the rest of her did not, “There is something going with the people of Tokyo. Did Igor’s 'preoccupation' have to do with it?”

Gloved fingers clutched the comically large book she was carrying to her chest, but all she said was, “No. It was a completely different matter.”

“But something is going on, isn’t there?” She prompted.

“It is not something you need to concern yourself with,” The young girl said, almost too hastily.

Minako narrowed her eyes, “If you know who I am then you know that I died to save this world. If there’s a threat, I’m responsible for it.”

“I….do not have much to tell you,” Lavenza admitted, but averted her gaze again as she did so. “There are forces at play that even my master and I do not understand.”

Minako balled her hands into fists as Lavenza continued, “I know you, Savior. I know all that you did. It is no comfort, but with true honesty I do not know why you were given form once more,” 

“But now that I’m here, I can help!” She argued back, “I know I can’t summon my personas right now, but I still have my weapon. Or I can provide tactics or something-”

“Savior,” Lavenza cut her off gently, “just as we only provide aid as human beings carry out their will, I believe you too should only let those with the power to change fate do so as they wish.”

Rage settled underneath her skin, hot and demanding to be felt. She tensed her fists tighter, nails cutting jagged lines into her palms. Not hard enough to draw blood, but the pain helped center herself. A tiny reminder that this was actually happening.

“I gave up everything for this world,” She hissed with asperity, “And now you’re telling me I shouldn’t interfere? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”

Lavenza winced but Minako kept going, the anger bubbling to the surface, “If you think that I will just sit by and watch, then you’re out of your mind! And if you won’t tell me the cause of all this, then I’ll just figure it out myself. That’s what I’ve been doing anyway.” 

“I…am truly sorry,” Lavenza’s voice nearly broke at the end. Minako ignored her. She pushed herself away from the door and pulled her scarf closer against the chill. The snow never looked so desolate before.

Her voice was flat again, fury shifting into something more glacial, “I guess that’s it then. Can you at least give Theo and Igor my regards? Tell them I miss them.” 

The young girl curtseyed low, though they both knew it was only a formality, “Of course. It would be my pleasure.”

Minako glanced back at the Velvet Room before Lavenza spoke again, “For what it is worth, I do not count you out so easily, Savior. After all, you were truly a remarkable guest.”

The words cut through her, colder than any winter wind. They were the last words Igor had spoken to her before they had parted forever, before she obtained the power of the universe and faced Nyx head on in their final battle. She remembered feeling proud at the words, that the mysterious master of the Velvet Room held her in such high esteem. It felt like a slap in the face to hear them now.

Rattled, Minako hurriedly turned from the girl and the room she resided in. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to even notice someone in front of her under her nose smacked right into them.

She reeled back, dropping her bag as her hands flew up to assess the damage.

“Are you alright?” A surprisingly kind voice asked.

Minako blinked, hand still pressed against her nose. It wasn’t bleeding and nothing was broken, but it still smarted when she pressed down on it. In front of her stood a tall teenage boy, with messy black hair falling in front of his glasses. Gray eyes were wide behind them, truly looking concerned. He was rubbing a spot on his collarbone where she presumed her nose collided with.

“I’m fine,” She assured him, and he bowed slightly to her.

“I didn’t notice you were standing there. I’m sorry for running into you.”

She was impressed with how polite he was. Normally boys at that age weren’t nearly as courteous, her thoughts drifting briefly to Junpei and Kenji. Waving his apology away, she told him, “No, it was my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

The boy adjusted his bag when he spotted her goodies strewn across the pavement. He squatted down, gathering her notebook into his hand.

“Oh!” Minako dropped to her knees, instantly reaching for it at the same time, “You don’t have to-”

Their fingers accidentally met, and her voice cut off as a jolt of energy rushed up her arm. The only thing she could think of was the surge of pure power that radiated off this boy. But strangely, it didn’t frighten her; in fact, it felt familiar. Like she was welcoming home an old friend.

Fool . The word echoed in her head like a gong.

The boy must have felt the force too, because he jerked away from her as if she had burned him, nearly knocking himself over. Shock crossed his face for only a moment before a neutral mask settled over his features and he rose quickly. Meanwhile Minako stood up from her crouch slowly, like she was dealing with a wild animal.

He shifted his bag closer to his body, regarding her in a near-suspicious manner. Then, he inclined his head towards her shallowly before shuffling past her. The boy took a few steps before faltering in front of the blue jail door, then gave his curls a shake and headed deeper into the alley. He didn’t look back at her before disappearing into a shady looking store a few feet away.

She knew she should’ve chased after him. He probably had some answers himself, or at least to discuss why he felt so similar to her. If she were seventeen, bright eyed and ready to take on the world, she would’ve chased after him. But she wasn’t anymore, and she was just so tired of more revelations making her head spin.

No. Instead of dragging him back, Minako just let him leave.

~*~

Inokashira Park was blessedly empty when she arrived, throwing herself down on the nearest bench and dropping her bag with a thud. She stared out across the lake, appreciative that the park was quiet and still in stark contrast with the emotions raging in her heart. Her chest heaved as she tried to take deep breaths, but the more her thoughts swirled the faster they became. 

All she could think of was Lavenza’s gold eyes, pitying and sorrowful. After months of dealing with the eccentric Velvet Room residents, she knew that they did not directly interfere with the ways of the world. They were more like aliens, observing for their own purposes and only stepping in when needed. Still, it hurt that Lavenza knew more than she let on. She probably even knew why she was here, but didn’t, or couldn’t, share.

She wished she could talk to Theo one more time. He would’ve told her the truth. Now it felt she was going in circles; taking one step forward but being pushed two steps back.

It felt like she was drowning. Finally, she was beginning to get her bearings in this future, only for the rug to be pulled out yet again. Nothing made sense, and the more she dug into it, the more confusing it became. How do you go from the most powerful being in the universe to a dead girl walking?

Ryoji might have had an idea, too. So much had happened in the last hour that she nearly forgot the reason she saw Lavenza in the first place. She was sure that it was Ryoji that led her into that alley, almost like he wanted them to meet. So where did he go? What part did he play in his? Why hasn’t he come talk to directly, instead of leading her on a wild goose chase?

The anguish she had been steadily burying over the past week or so rose to the surface, and she wrapped her arms tight around her torso. Her lungs burned in her chest, ice from both inside and out filling them, the tiny shards cutting each time she took a labored breath. Lavenza’s inadvertent admission confirmed what she had always known in the back of her head: while she didn’t know why she was here yet, she wasn’t meant to be alive in this reality. That the universe had been flipped upside down, and she got caught in the momentum.

Now, she couldn’t even try to change it? She was stuck feeling like she didn’t belong and never would. She was useless, because what was a savior if she couldn’t even fight?

“Shit, did Aki make you cry?”

Startled, Minako looked away from the lake to see Shinjiro approaching her bench, hands shoved into the pockets of his peacoat. With the accompanying beanie, she could almost imagine that it was back in 2009, and she was waiting for him outside of the dorm.

Raising the back of her hand to her eyes, she was surprised to find tears nearly frozen on her cheeks. She wiped them away quickly under Shinjiro’s scrutinizing gaze.

“No, nothing like that. I promise.”

Stormy eyes squinted at her a moment before he nodded, plopping down in the empty space next to her. “Good. I told him before I’d beat his ass if he ever made you cry.”

That made her chuckle, easing the pain in her chest, “What are you doing here?”

“I like to take walks here after work,” He told her quite seriously.

They sat side by side, gazing out at the bare trees and the couples daring to take boats out into the frigid water. Silences were always comforting with Shinji; he was a quiet one by nature and she learned to embrace it, figuring out that you didn’t always need to keep chattering. Not that he minded when she did. But, she also learned to read his silences, to tell when one was comforting and one was heavy, like something was on his mind.

It came sooner than expected, but she wasn’t surprised when Shinji cleared his throat and asked quietly, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” She forced her voice to sound normal.

“What’s going on with ya.” Out of the corner of her eye she could see the deep frown.

Minako opened her mouth, but he cut her off, “And none of that ‘I’m fine’ bullshit. I know you’re not. You’re just too good at hiding it.”

She watched the gentle waves of the lake beat against the edge of the walkway, trying to think of what to tell him. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to notify them that the world they were living in was being messed with again, or there was a vigilante persona group that may or may not be involved. And she didn’t dare talk about the fact that her existence was a huge question mark. That one would only lead to more questions she didn’t have answers to.

“I miss Ryoji,” She said simply, the bitterness of not being able to catch him stuck in her throat.

Shinji shifted in his seat, “Aki told me what went down while I was…recovering.” He shook his head, “Teenagers are crazy but I never imagined one could be the harbinger of Death.”

Minako laughed softly, “Oh, you would’ve hated him even without knowing that fact.” She could see it so clearly, how oil and water the two were. Shinjiro would’ve decked Ryoji at some point for his flirtatious nature.

The man grunted his agreement, “He sounded like something else,” He glanced at her from the side of his eye, “You two were close.”

It wasn’t a question. Minako recalled how once she had to explain to Akihiko that they were just classmates and he had nothing to worry about. Then his true identity was revealed and there was something to worry about, just not in the way they imagined. 

“He was a good friend.” She internally winced at the phrase, but how did you explain the bond you had with someone who was a part of your soul?

“Too bad he turned out to be the root cause of everything,” Shinji’s voice was hard.

“It’s not fair to blame him,” She defended, “He didn’t even know until the end. We’re the ones that defeated the Full Moon Shadows in the first place.”

His hands tightened into fists, “We were just kids, Minako! We didn’t know any better!”

Minako clenched her jaw, but the fight left her as soon as it came. He was right of course. They hadn’t known any better, trusting a shitty adult who used them for his own agenda.

“Of course,” she said softly, “but here we are.”

“Here we are,” Shinji echoed before falling quiet again. Then he ground out through clenched teeth, “You took on far more than the rest of us.”

That was saying something, especially considering all that he went through himself, “It’s what a leader does, Shinji.”

“I know, it’s just…” When she looked at him, his eyes looked tired, “What was it like? Defeating Nyx all alone?”

“I wasn’t alone Shinji, you of all people should know that.”

“Damn right you weren’t,” He cracked one of his rare smiles.

Tracing patterns into the snow with her boots, she admitted, “It was fucking terrifying.”

Shinji’s smile flattened, erased from his face as quickly as it came. He watched her carefully as she tipped her head back to watch the snowflakes, “It was like nothing we’d faced before, doing everything it could to destroy life as we knew it. Even now I’m still shocked it was able to be defeated.”

The dark clouds and empty tree branches faded away. She saw nothing but a golden glow amongst pitch black darkness. The sharp nothingness bit into her skin as a voice, ancient and deep, told her it was futile to resist.

But, there was warmth too. When Minako thought of her friends’ voices, all calling out to her, strength returned bit by bit. She could almost imagine their power flowing into her once more.

Minako thought back to that moment, how as soon as she casted the Great Seal she knew in her bones the way it was going to end. How it was supposed to end. It made her current predicament that much more painful.

“And yet, no one knows how much you’ve done to save them. That’s real shitty if you ask me.”

“When we signed up for this, we all knew it was a thankless job,” She pointed out.

Gray eyes met red, and she was surprised by the intensity in his gaze, “You deserved more than what you got.”

She stared back, heart beginning to pound. There was no way Shinjiro knew that was going on, right?! He had been suspicious of her missteps in those first few days, but she thought she had been more careful in the last week to cover herself. Maybe she looked more shaken than usual, given what happened earlier.

Then, he frowned, seemingly confused by something, “Wait, what?” He muttered nearly to himself.

Breath caught in her throat, she almost wished he called it out, to question why she was sitting next to him on this park bench in Tokyo, all flesh and blood and alive . 

Instead, he seemed to shake off the bewilderment, telling her, “I guess there’s no point in rehashing that shit. All we can do is move forward.”

Minako wanted to scream.

They watched the ducks swim past together in silence.

Chapter Text

Akihiko surprised her the next morning, a whole day planned for just the two of them. She had teased him, telling him that if he was taking her to the Beef Bowl Shop again she was going to get angry. 

It was not the Beef Bowl Shop, surprisingly. The train ride didn’t take them far, but it felt like an eternity from the anticipation. Akihiko held her hand the entire way, making her feel all warm despite the frigid cold outside. When the announcer called for the Ikebukuro stop, he led her outside and tucked her under his arm as the fierce wind sliced through her. 

Thankfully their walk was short, cutting across the busy streets and passing shops along the way. Minako was eyeing the steam coming from a cafe with jealousy when Akihiko finally pointed out their destination.

“Here it is,” He told her, excitement coloring his voice. She craned her neck to look at the building he was gesturing to. Sunshine City was a major tourist area in Ikebukuro, boasting a giant skyscraper amongst restaurants, shops, and even an aquarium. Minako followed him inside and let out a huge sigh of relief when the heat thawed her chilly skin. 

They wove in between people to ascend to the fourth floor of the complex and down the connecting corridor.  She expected Akihiko to head towards the aquarium entrance, but to her surprise he veered off the main path into another door. 

MANTEN PLANETARIUM

The sign welcomed above their heads, and when Akihiko opened the door, they were ushered into a dark room with a check in desk. An employee smiled at them when they approached, scanner already in her hands. Akihiko dug out his phone, swiping a bit before presenting it to the scanner. It beeped twice as it accepted their tickets, and then the employee showed them to the door.

“Enjoy your stay!” She chirped before returning to the desk, her job evidently over. Minako turned to Akihiko with an eyebrow raised.

“Someone at work couldn’t make it so they were giving away their tickets,” He explained, “I thought you would want to see it.”

The earnest way he was looking at her made her heart melt into her shoes. It was one of her favorite things about him, how sincere he was about everything. He could be a little dense sometimes, but when she thought about all the little things he did to show how much he loved her, her breath caught in her throat. 

It also reminded her just how long it had been since she left him.

Taking his hand in hers again, she gave it a firm squeeze, “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” He gave a small laugh, “We were overdue for a date that didn’t involve falling asleep on the couch.”

“I like those days too,” She swung their arms as they headed further inside, “I just enjoy being with you.”

It was the most honest thing she’d said since she came back to life.

~*~

The main atrium was nice and cozy, large enough to fit plenty of people but yet the rounded design managed to still feel intimate. There were several different choices of seating, from regular theater seats to puffy couches that looked like clouds. There was a globe looking structure in the center of the room, and above them was a domed ceiling covered in screens to fully immerse one into the show.

Before they took their seats, Akihiko paused, squinting at the crowd of people, “Wait a minute, is that…” 

He let go of her hand before approaching a group of teenagers standing near the globe, apparently deep in conversation. Their faces looked far more grave than kids at that age should ever be.

“Excuse me," He addressed the tall boy with blue hair, "Are you by chance Kitagawa that goes to Kousei High?"

The boy regarded them warily, "...Yes, I am Kitagawa. How can I help you?"

The two girls with him moved in closer, as if to shield him slightly. One of them made her think of Mitsuru in the dignified way she held her head, but it was the brown haired girl who made no effort to conceal her hostility. Minako gave the slightest frown; she didn't think they came off that threatening.

Akihiko held out his hands slightly in a placating manner, "You're a student of Chidori Yoshino's, right? We're her friends."

"You know Yoshino-sensei?"

"Oh yeah, we've known her for years."

The boy visibly brightened, and the girls beside him relaxed, though the one with the short brown hair still had a deep frown on her face.

Akihiko continued, "She talks frequently about you, Kitagawa. She thinks you have a lot of talent."

Kitagawa gave him a small smile, and Minako regarded him a little more carefully. For some reason, his quiet and polite demeanor reminded her of Akihiko in a way. 

"I appreciate you telling me," Kitagawa said, "Yoshino-sensei is a master of her craft. I'm grateful to be learning from her." 

The lights in the room dimmed, signaling that the show was about to begin. 

"We should take our seats," the brown haired girl shot them a look, "It was nice to meet you…"

"Sanada. And this is Arisato," Aki gestured to her.

Kitagawa nodded, "Please tell Yoshino-sensei thank you for the kind words. Hopefully we'll see you again sometime."

The teenagers left to go sit down, heads bowed close together as they chatted. Akihiko likewise led her to one of the cloud couches, perhaps sensing that she really wanted to try one of them out. It felt exactly what every kid thought clouds were before they learned they were just vapor: soft and so comfortable her body sank right into it.

The lights dimmed fully and the screen flared to life. It was a beautiful image of the surface of the Earth before the camera titled and they were looking at the sky. The Milky Way shone down at them, the deep jewel tones of their galaxy spreading all across the screen. Then, in an instant, the camera zoomed in so that they were looking at the solar system, the entire sky lit up with thousands of stars surrounding them on all sides.

Minako stilled as she gazed up at the night sky. Instead of stars, she saw souls as they drifted from this life from the next. The soft fabric under her fingers hardened into cold metal, silver transforming into brilliant gold.

A laugh, sounding like it rose from hell itself, came from behind her but when she tried to turn around and look, she was frozen in place. Her back was against something hard; her wrists and ankles were bound and if she struggled they cut deep into her skin. Heart hammering in her chest, Minako wanted to scream, but she could no longer open her mouth.

The laugh came again, something heavy slamming into her, and her eyes flew open. She hadn’t realized she closed them, and once again she was in the planetarium. 

“What’s wrong?” Aki, sensing her distress, shifted to look at her. She couldn’t meet his gaze, throat constricting around unshed tears. 

He reached out, “Mina-”

“I need some air,” The words came out in a rush, and she ungracefully dismounted off the couch. It took everything in her not to book it out of the auditorium, but she managed to walk in a somewhat normal fashion into the restroom that was just outside the door.

Her hands gripped the edge of the sink, trying hard to control the shaking that would not stop. She hung her head into the porcelain, afraid she was about to throw up. Everytime she closed her eyes she was back in the Sea of Souls, nothing but her essence preventing the end of the world. It was hard to reconcile that with the face that stared back at her in the mirror.

And what a sight she was, pale and chest still rapidly rising and falling with panic. She caught her own gaze in the reflection and immediately had to look away, the red of her irises too close to the glowing ones of Erebus for her liking. 

Cupping water in her palms, she splashed her face several times. The cold was welcomed, bringing her focus back into the present. She took deep, ragged breaths, counting down from ten to slow her heart rate. Minako had to tell herself that she wasn’t in the Sea of Souls anymore. The stars were just stars, no more important to her as she was to them.

When she felt less likely to pass out, she exited the bathroom. Akihiko was waiting out in the atrium, restlessly tugging on the sleeve of his coat. When he saw her, he came to her side, gently grabbing her arm.

“I’m sorry,” She said before he could get a word in, guilt lacing her stomach.

Instead of being disappointed, Akihiko only waved off the apology, “No, don’t apologize. Are you alright?”

Minako winced, “Yeah I just…I don’t know what came over me.”

“Come on,” he led her to the door, “Let’s get out of here.”

“But what about the show?”

Akihiko shook his head, “If it upsets you, we won’t finish it. Besides, I have something else planned.”

~*~

Not only did Akihiko have tickets to the planetarium, he also procured them a spot at a well-known restaurant near the top of the Tokyo Skytree. Somehow it made her think of the times he endured going to the Sweet Shop just because he knew she loved it. She was sure that these weren’t things that he would’ve preferred doing, and that made them even more special.

When the elevator doors opened to their floor, nearly all her thoughts were forgotten as the skyline came into view. Minako rushed out to the windows, marveling at how far the city extended. 

Akihiko came up behind her, letting out a low whistle, “I heard the view was amazing, but this is something else.”

She turned to him, unable to stop her grin, “I love this. Seriously, it’s incredible!” 

It didn’t take long for them to get seated, a table right next to one of the large windows. The service was swift and top notch, and for a brief moment Minako felt like Mitsuru–being doted on at every turn. It was a nice change of pace from the planetarium, the sickening feeling being banished back to the corner of her mind. 

While the staff did their jobs, she gazed out at the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, golden hues reflecting off the many buildings. The colors swirled in one beautiful painting, bringing Minako a sense of relief amongst the emotional turmoil she felt today.

“This makes me miss Gekkoukan,” Akihiko admitted, and she turned her gaze to his. It was soft, and his smile was similarly tender.

He was right when she thought about it. The view was unreal, but it didn’t have the sunlight gleaming off the water or the gentle sway of the windmills. So many precious moments were held on that rooftop, and it made her homesick.

“Can we go back and visit soon?”

“Of course,” He then hesitated before saying, “It’s coming up, you know.”

She blinked at him before realizing what he meant, then dropped her gaze to the table. She didn’t want to talk about it. The moment had been so sweet, and she already ruined the planetarium with her panic attack. 

“The anniversary,” He prompted gently.

“I know,” She forced herself to smile and looked back at him, “I almost didn’t realize the date. Seven years sure goes by fast!”

“It does, but-”

“Oh hey, did you see they have Wagyu beef here?” She squinted at the menu in an effort to derail the conversation.

“Minako.”

Akihiko frowned at her, and her lips pressed into the thin line. Of course, Aki was stubborn and wasn’t about to let this go.

“You know you can lean on me, right? Whatever’s bothering you, I want to help.”

Guilt twisted her heart, “I know.” 

“We all fought Nyx that day. You’re not the only one who was scared shitless.”

“I know .”

“Then don’t keep it all in.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Akihiko waited patiently for her to speak, one finger tracing the rim of his glass. She knew he was worried about her, and she did owe him an explanation, but just like with Shinji she also knew that one thing would lead to another and she didn’t want to go down that road without better answers.

Akihiko tried again, “I think we’ve all had to do some healing these past few years. No one realizes how much being a child soldier messes you up until you’re on the other side of it.”

It felt like an eternity before she finally said, “Are you ever really on the other side of it?”

His frown deepened as she blurted out, “How do you go on like we weren’t overpowered teenagers who defeated some alien god of death? We saw horrors beyond comprehension and now I just–what? Go to the grocery store like we’re normal?”

How do you stop being the world’s savior?

The words were nearly out of her mouth before she clamped it shut. She was struggling so hard to tell herself that her role was over in one way or another. In her mind, no matter how many days had passed, she still expected to wake up and face nothing but darkness, the manifestation of humanity’s pain desperately trying to break free from her hold.

Minako never regretted her choice to become the Great Seal. She had to do it, because if she didn’t, the world would fall to ruin. It was always her destiny to save the world. Always her destiny to die.

I chooseth this fate of mine own free will. 

“I believe,” Akihiko reached across the table to hold her hand, “that going to the grocery store is the best thing for us.”

“What?” She blinked owlishly at him.

“Minako, think about it. We’ve gone through so much shit, all of us. It’s amazing we’re still functioning humans sometimes.” He squeezed her hand tighter, refusing to let her look away, “I tell myself everyday that this is my reward.”

“To go to the grocery store?”

“Yes. And to go get beef bowls and to do my job. Look, I think about all the people out there and the lives we live now and think, this is the future I fought for. A life full of peace. That is how I get through it”

Their meals came to the table, and he let go of her hand. Minako bit her lip, trying so hard not to cry. When Akihiko smiled at her, his whole face crinkled with it.

“Now eat up. We earned this nice dinner, after all.”

Chapter Text

It seemed like everything was going her way today, or as well it could have in her circumstances. A brand new cafe just recently opened up in Odaiba, with that famous idol Risette claiming it was one of her new favorite spots. Minako had never been to Odaiba before, and she was eager to escape Tokyo for a little bit, so she thought there would be no harm in checking it out. 

 The train ride was lengthier than expected but smooth, and it stopped snowing as soon as she exited the station. Finding the cafe was a breeze, and was just crowded enough to feel cozy but yet she was still able to snag a booth in the corner. It was no Chagall’s or LeBlanc, but it was cute all the same, and Minako could see why an idol would enjoy it so much.

She had brought her notebook, fully intending to organize all that she had learned since the last time she dove into her Phantom Thieves research. Carefully, she reread the notes from the archives and started to add new ones, creating bullet points for the locked Velvet Room, Lavenza, and the boy who held the Fool inside him just like she did.

The day slipped away from her as she worked, punctuated by how many times she got up to try a different flavor of coffee. When her hand started cramping from writing all afternoon, and her fourth cup thoroughly depleted, Minako decided that it was time to pack it up and head back home, especially since Akihiko would be getting off of work soon.

It wasn’t until Minako punched in her home address did things start to go haywire, which was just par for the course in her life. The navigation app on her home froze and then crashed, her reflection staring back at her from the dark screen. She opened it again, but the little triangle that pinpointed her position spun wildly, like it didn’t know where it needed to go. 

Making a noise of irritation, she set off in a random direction, hoping that by moving she would remove whatever was blocking the signal and reroute her appropriately. That seemed to do the trick, the little triangle righting itself and pointing to the east. She set out on a leisurely walk, figuring she may as well enjoy the pleasant weather and picturesque views of Odaiba.

The merriment did not last. Whatever was up with the app came back, leading her down twists and turns, effectively getting her lost. She did not recognize any of her surroundings; the busy city sections giving way to quieter areas and fewer people. Construction began to materialize, blocking off more frequented routes in favor of back alleys.

Minako made a face at her phone, like it was a sentient being that could sense her displeasure, “You’re enjoying this aren’t you?”

Since it was a phone, it predictably did not answer her. 

She lifted her head from the screen, and then nearly dropped the damn thing in utter shock. Behind the construction barricades was one of the strangest things Minako had ever seen–which given her life, was really saying something. 

What she could only describe as a giant glass ball of sorts floated high above the ground, suspended only by a tall, narrow staircase. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up at the sight. The faint feeling of alarm that pooled in the bottom of her stomach every time she beheld Tartarus came back swiftly, like nothing had ever changed in the past seven years.

Sweat filled her palms as she nervously glanced up at the sky. It was still daytime, the sun doing its best to shine behind gray clouds. There was no green tint to everything, and while the navigation was clearly off, the rest of her phone seemed to be working fine. The Dark Hour was not the cause, to both her relief and confusion. 

Mouth set in a hard line, Minako drifted closer to the barricade even though her instincts told her to flee in the opposite direction. Plastered to its side were posters of the construction company and warning signs to keep out, both crazy in their normalcy in the face of what lay beyond. Gripping the metal bars, she peered into the site, trying to see if there was anyone working who could explain what the hell was being built here.

It was empty as far as she could tell, the only movement coming from what looked like giant telescopes suspended in glass. Spotlights flickered from within, almost daring her to come and take a look for herself.

Phone still clutched in her hand, she knew she should’ve stopped right there and called someone. Mitsuru needed to know that some weird contraption was being built almost underneath their noses in another coastal town. The parallels were almost uncanny, and she would have laughed if she wasn’t scared about what that implied.

She should have called Aki. Shinjiro. Someone needed to know. 

Minako climbed over the metal barrier and headed inside.

~*~

A wave of unexpected nausea crested through her stomach, and she shut her eyes tight against it. For some reason, it felt similar to stepping into the transportation portals in Tartarus, the inversion of her molecules rearranging making her organs do somersaults. 

When she opened her eyes again, a startled gasp left her lips. The daylight had faded into night, making the spotlights glow even more brightly in the dark, while railings reached high into the sky. A pathway made of white linoleum tile led her down a slope and underneath the globe, where an elevator up into the thing awaited. 

Okay, now was the time where she should call someone. Bringing her phone to her face, she pressed her thumb to the screen to wake it up, but it remained dark. Frowning, she clicked the button on the side. No good. The battery was dead and the phone refused to turn on.

Minako glanced at the elevator in front of her, then back to the barricade. She only needed to climb back over and hopefully the world would turn itself back to normal and she could go and report this to the Shadow Operatives. Yet, something still compelled her forward. A burning curiosity coupled with the fact that the tangle of mysteries kept getting more and more convoluted made her step into the elevator. There were no buttons or any other indication where this thing may lead, and her heart pounded with anxiety as it rose. 

The doors opened with barely a hiss, and what lay inside were two staircases, the top of the last one widening out into a large open area. The decor of the place was strange: both the walls and floors were covered in that same white linoleum, sterile as only a hospital would be. Strangely there were couches and chairs littered throughout, equally untouched.

In the large open area were what looked like projections of a research presentation. She skimmed the contents, but a lot of it didn’t make much sense to her. They discussed how to obtain true happiness and remain mentally healthy before dissolving into more medical gibberish. White screens and banners advertised more of the same. There was only one other door off to her left, and opened without complaint when she pushed through.

Just ahead was a large auditorium of sorts that had several tiers to it. Like before, the entire space was covered in gleaming, disinfected white. Minako was getting tired of it; the uniformity made her investigation feel dull. Tartarus may have been a pain to climb, but at least the scenery changed with each block. 

On and on this weird hospital-research center went. Twisting paths led to more open rooms which led to more twisting paths. Effectively lost, Minako chose a hallway at random, wandering through identical-looking sterile corridors. She was only trying to figure out what the purpose of this place was, but nothing changed as she searched.

Minako was starting to feel exhausted by the monotony when suddenly there was movement up ahead. A lanky figure in a white lab coat was in front of her, and alarm bells went off in her head. Something about the silhouette made her quite sure that this was no human.

Before she could hide, the creature spun on its heel and was immediately alerted to her presence. Minako was frozen in place as it stalked towards her, and upon looking at its head a chill of horror ran down her spine. Where it’s face should’ve been was a large swirl, lines twisting and turning and making it hard to focus on one spot. Though this form was unknown, the feeling that she got was all too familiar.

This was a shadow.

“Halt!” It called in a garbled voice, “Intruder!”

Then, the shadow began to vibrate in place before splitting into black particles. The bits and pieces reformed themselves into separate beings, and Minako’s eyes widened in shock.

She was prepared to face a Hell Knight or a Justice Sword, but the creatures that stood before her looked exactly like the personas she had kept in her compendium. Chimera bared its teeth and pawed at the ground, sharp talons screeching against the floor, while Dionysus floated calmly, the many colors on its body a bright contrast to the white monotony.

It only took a glance for her to realize she was in big trouble. The way the two shadows were edging closer told her that they were about to attack and would not pull their punches.

Minako’s hand automatically went to her hip, only to meet empty air.

Fuck .

Of course, she charged right in without her evoker. The number one rule in SEES was to never go out into the Dark Hour alone and unarmed, and here she was doing both in this dangerous place. She didn’t even bring her naginata. 

The shadows had paused at her movement, obviously bracing for an attack. When no such attack appeared, Dionysus raised its hand, electricity crackling in its palm.

Out of options, Minako turned around and fled, dashing back the way she came. A Ziodyne crashed right into the spot she had just been, the residual sparks causing the hair on her arms to stand up. She willed her feet to run faster.

She cast her consciousness inward in a desperate attempt to grasp her power. The ocean in her soul that she called upon was still silent, though if she concentrated hard enough she thought she felt a flicker of motion. The barest hint of a wave. 

“Surt!” She tried to reach for it, shouting the name of one of the most reliable personas in her arsenal. 

Nothing happened.

She let out a hiss between her teeth, and turned a corner so fast she thought her boots made marks on the tile. The searing heat of a Maragidyne flared up behind her, and she dashed into another corridor to shake them off. This place was a never ending maze, but as she took random exits, white linoleum faded into gray concrete, the lights baring a blue color that reminded her of the Yabboshah block of Tartarus.

It was there she rounded another corner straight into a dead end. She whirled around to find another way, but her path was blocked by the shadows. They advanced forward, and she took a step back, heart thumping in her chest.

Think, Minako, think! Her gaze darted wildly at her surroundings, trying to see if there was anything she could use as a weapon or a distraction, but there was nothing she could easily pry away. Chimera gave a triumphant roar, flames bursting from its fangs as it got ready to attack. 

An idea came to her. A crazy, stupid idea that was equally likely to get her killed as it was to save her, but she was for sure going to die if she didn’t try something. Minako bent her knees, keeping her feet light and ready to move as she stared at the beast, hoping that this iteration had some similarity with the one that fought by her side. 

And there it was, the tell-tale twitch of powerful muscles that always gave away when Chimera was about to strike with its physical attack. It sprang towards her, but it only accounted for the height her head was. Or would have been if she had not dropped into a crouch the moment it moved. She dove, tucking her body into a roll as the beast sailed over her, claws nicking through her shirt and grazing her back. Using the momentum, Minako tried to clamor to her feet, only to get blasted off balance by a Heat Wave from Dionysus. 

She skidded across the floor, the concrete scraping all down her side. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, urging her to get back up and away from these monsters. When she moved, her body protested, but she pointedly ignored it until she felt a wetness trickle down the side of her face. She pressed her fingers to her temple, and when she drew them away she saw blood.

Though it was ill-timed, the sight momentarily transfixed her. It seemed silly to be so surprised by the liquid, but she was anyway. In the back of her mind Minako knew it would have been impossible to be alive without it, but many impossible things occurred wherever she went. It was comforting in a way to have proof of existence right in her hands.

A growl sounded behind her, breaking through her trance. Reminded that enemies were right there, she took off at another run, wincing as her side twinged. Back in the day she could tank hits like that so easily, but this was a painful warning that it had been a long time since she’d been in a fight. 

She was running out of places to go though, and panic briefly rose in her throat. Luckily, the shadows’ murderous snarls began to fade away, and Minako steeled a glance over her shoulder as she zigzagged another corner, hoping that she lost them for good.

Her cheek collided with something hard, and she stumbled back. This time, she kept her balance and dropped into a poor imitation of a boxer’s stance, trying to remember all the training Akihiko gave her so long ago. There was nowhere left to run, and she was the Great Seal, dammit! She was not going to let some shadows get the best of her. 

But as soon as she took in the display in front of her, Minako’s hands dropped to her sides in true bewilderment. It turns out she ran straight into a young man, who happened to be wearing the weirdest get up she had ever seen in her life. Dressed in a long black coat with matching pants and a gray turtleneck, his eyes were hidden behind a white domino mask which also held back a mop of black curls. It was his gloves that drew her gaze though, a bright red flash amidst the all black outfit. They were currently rubbing his chest at the point where her face had smacked into him. The motion gave her a distant feeling of deja vu.

The man opened his mouth to speak, when an even stranger character approached. Minako only had a moment to be utterly confused by the mask he was wearing before she was staring down the barrel of a gun. Not just an evoker, but a real pistol. Her hands instantly shot up, shaking slightly as sweat began to bead at her temple– too many times had she faced a gun and the only thing that ever came from them was tragedy.

I’m going to die here. Minako thought miserably. She should’ve called Aki when she had the chance.

“Crow! Joker!” A voice, not from either of the young men, sounded further in the distance. She didn’t take her eyes off the one with the gun, but in her peripheral she saw two more weirdly dressed people join their little powwow.

“Crow,” The boy dressed in black echoed, “Stand down.”

He did not stand down, “Did your common sense flee with that last shadow? We don’t know who this woman is. She could be working with him. ”

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Minako said instantly, “I promise.”

“She could be lying.”

“ Crow.”

The man in the pointy helmet scoffed, gun still raised. She couldn’t tell exactly where his eyes were looking underneath the helm, but she could feel their burn. It was also why she wasn’t expecting him to shift his aim slightly to her left before pulling the trigger.

She flinched as two bullets whizzed past her ear, close enough to singe the edges of her hair. She heard the hard thunks as metal met meat. Unable to help herself, Minako whirled around just in time to watch Chimera and Dionysus burst into black and maroon splatters. They didn’t return.

When she turned back to the group, she could see that the other two members were a boy and a girl in equally perplexing outfits. The final boy to join them was the tallest out of the three, blue hair hidden by an elegant fox mask. The only girl was dressed similarly in black, her cherry red hair tied up in a silky ribbon and moving in a way that reminded her of a ballerina. Pointy Helmet had not holstered his gun, but it was no longer aimed at her, which immediately improved the situation. The relief felt almost dizzying until he started talking again.

“Now, tell us who you are and how you got in here,” He demanded coldly.

“Well, aren’t you pleasant,” Minako muttered under her breath. She was just about to tell them that she had no idea what this place was when she felt a large presence behind her.

The group of four stiffened, sensing the change in the air as well. They drew into battle stances, and Minako had to blink away her surprise. Their interesting choice in clothing aside, the way they stood alert and weapons at the ready made her feel like she was looking at SEES preparing to search another floor of Tartarus. The revelation that followed made her want to laugh with how obvious it was.

This was a group of persona users. 

If she concentrated hard enough, Minako could feel the crackle of power that lay in each of them, just begging to be released. She couldn’t tell what affinities they had, but she had been the leader of SEES for long enough to know what strong persona users felt like.

Following their lead, Minako faced the hallway she had come from. She tensed as a large pack of shadows made their way towards them, a black and red swirling mass of limbs and faces. One smaller one broke away from the cluster and raced towards them, hellbent on getting the first strike.

Minako instinctively looked for a weapon, but there was nothing viable save for the ones the others had in their hands. She ran her eyes over them quickly, landing on the cold metal gleam of the fox boy’s katana. Out of all of them, that was the weapon she was the most familiar with, Junpei being her most frequent sparring partner. Not to mention the length was the closest to her beloved naginata. 

Thinking fast, she jogged over to the fox boy. He must have not been expecting her, because he startled as she reached for his katana, releasing it from its sheath and withdrawing it in one smooth motion.

“W-Wait-” He sputtered as she twirled the blade. It was heavier than her usual, but it would do. 

“I’m going to borrow this for a second!” She called over her shoulder, taking off into another jog. It only took a few paces to intercept the shadow that decided it wanted to face them alone. It roared, its inky maw stretching open to reveal sharp black teeth. But Minako wasn’t afraid. Now that she was able to fight back, she felt calm, assured even. No longer was she helpless in this weird nightmarish realm of a laboratory.

Not even hesitating, Minako brought the sword down in a diagonal slash across its chest. The shadow cried out in pain as she used the momentum to swing back upwards, another bright arc cutting its body. Her muscle memory returned and she leapt into the air, twisting before attacking with one more vicious strike. The ground rushed to meet her feet and she landed a little harder than expected, her knees groaning with the brunt of the impact.

The shadow blew apart just as the ones before did, dissolving into that dark goo. She couldn’t help herself–a laugh bubbled up that was borderline hysterical. If she admitted it to herself, she kind of missed this. The thrill of battle, the high that came with triumphing over the enemy. It was a necessary evil at times, but damn did it feel good to have some sort of release after being stuck in her thoughts for days.

 The victory was short lived, however, as the mass of shadows continued to advance at a quick pace. They were close enough now to make out individual features: the horns of another Chimera here, the flutter of Nebiros’ cape there. There was even one she didn’t recognize, robotic in appearance but flying with wings that looked straight from the devil.

Suddenly aware she had an audience, Minako stole a glance behind her at the party of four. They were all staring at her, faces full of surprise.

There was no time to explain though, as she fell into her old role with ease. The shadows were nearly upon them, and she was going to have to divide and conquer if they hoped on stopping them in their tracks. While she assumed that Chimera and Nebiros still had the weaknesses they did when she used them, Minako didn’t know if this strange place had changed them in any way. Plus, she didn’t know what types of magic her reluctant allies could do. It was best to stick with what she did know.

“Ballerina, take the left side. Pleasant Boy, you have the right.” The group startled at her commanding tone as she pointed to each of them, “Don’t let them flank us.”

Pleasant Boy let out a low hiss, “ What did you just call-”

She ignored him. There was a time and place for arguing and this was not it. “Fox boy!” She swore she saw his costume’s tail swish, “Do you have another means of defending yourself?” 

He tensed and Minako thought he was going to argue for his katana back. Instead he curtly nodded his head.

“Good,” She nodded back at him, “I want you at the rear. We’ll try not to let any shadows slip past but if we do, give it everything you got.”

Minako turned to the boy in all black, who was closest to her, “You’re with me. You any good with that knife?”

His lips spread into a smug grin as he spun the blade in his palm. She took that for his answer, “We’re the front line. I’m better at a distance so I’ll give you as many openings as I can. Get in close and don’t leave them standing,” She swept her gaze across each of them, “Sound like a plan?”

They didn’t move. The three of them turned to the boy as he continued to play with his knife, almost as if they were waiting for his approval. Minako immediately understood–this boy was their leader, and they weren’t going to follow her orders without him.

Leader Boy paused while he considered the plan, but it was only for a heartbeat before the grin was back on his face, “Let’s do it.”

Immediately they sprang into action, taking up their positions with ease. Minako had to swallow around the sudden onset of emotions settling into her throat. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine it was Yukari, Akihiko, and Junpei following her orders, ready to face another Guardian shadow in Tartarus.

Taking a few deep breaths to center herself, Minako and Leader Boy placed themselves at the front, ready to defend against the onslaught. Gripping the sword tighter into her palm, she tapped the top of her foot against the floor as the line of shadows rushed forward. 

The first shadow fell with a few slashes of the katana, the next one falling to lethal stabs of a knife. Surprisingly, she and Leader Boy fell into a comfortable rhythm, like they fought alongside each other before. When Chimera lunged for him, she twisted her blade so that it got caught in its jaws, leaving its belly exposed for him to slash. When Nebiros fired an attack that looked like a twisted version of a mudoon, he took the brunt of it so she could effectively behead the thing. 

She heard the others fighting from their positions, but she couldn’t spare a glance to see if they were holding their own. One final shadow accosted the two of them, this version of Siegfried far taller than she remembered it to be. This must’ve been the boss of this wave, as it regarded the two of them like they were no more than insects to squash.

Cold eyes narrowed and Siegfried raised its arm. A red glow briefly lit up the area, and Minako cursed as she realized that it just casted power charge. She felt its strength increase even though she was several feet away, heart pounding in her chest with a mixture of fear, exertion, and adrenaline. If she had just one of her personas, she would have finished this fight in one fell swoop, but there was only so much she could do with a katana she only half knew how to wield.

Next to her, Leader Boy squared his shoulders as if to welcome the challenge. The shadow charged straight for them, its speed astonishing compared to the others. Minako barely had a chance to parry the blow that was aimed right for her head. The katana clashed against its sword, the sound of grinding metal making her teeth ache. With clumsy movements she pushed back and managed to counter Siegfried, the shadow drawing back for just a moment. 

It brought its arm up again, and from the heavens came a heavy bolt of zio. Her and Leader Boy lept to opposite sides, leaving a large space of scorched concrete where they just stood. 

“Can you buy me a little time?” He called to her.

Siegfried was summoning another maziodyne, and she had to roll out of the way to prevent getting electrocuted. She examined the shadow between bouts of countering and dodging, trying to rack her brain for any weaknesses of the persona she once wielded with ease. 

The sword swiped at her. Minako knocked it away and landed her own blow on its arm as it reared back. She took advantage of the opening and slashed again, this time cutting through the shadow’s armor right down to the chest. It roared in pain and there was the red glow of Power Charge again, murderous intent in its eyes. 

“Whatever you’re going to do, do it fast!” She yelled at the boy, nearly avoiding dismemberment from the Vorpal Blade. Blood ran down her leg from where the sword sliced through her jeans. 

“Get clear!” He yelled. Minako parried one last blow before jumping away, putting as much distance as she could. 

Leader Boy faced Siegfried alone, one red hand curled around his domino mask.

“ Vishnu!”

Minako watched as the powerful persona materialized out of multicolored flames. It calmly aimed one hand at the shadow, and she had to shut her eyes as the world went white. 

When the light faded, it was quiet. Siegfried had been reduced to goo from the megidolaon, and the rest of the shadows had been defeated by the others. She tried to take a step but then winced as the slice on her leg twinged in pain.

“Here,” Leader Boy dug something from his pocket and handed it to her. It looked like a weird brand of medicinal patch, but she wasn’t about to complain. The wound began to close as soon as she pressed the patch against it, and she marveled at the invention.

The rest of the group had joined them by that point, and Minako looked them over. “Injury check?” The words left her mouth without even thinking, the habit so ingrained after countless nights of patching up scrapes and bruises from Tartarus. 

“We are no worse for wear,” Fox Boy said, and while they did look tired, none of them looked too badly harmed. 

Jabbing his hands into the pockets of his coat, Leader Boy examined her, as if to size her up. The appraisal was starting to get uncomfortable, but he seemed to find whatever he was searching for in her face. He then jerked his chin in a direction that Minako assumed was the entrance.

“You should come with us. I think we need to talk.”

Chapter Text

They led her out of the horror realm with ease, clearly familiar with the way the paths twisted and turned. They explained that they usually had a faster way of getting around, but they didn’t know if she could use it too, so they were going to have to walk the whole way back. 

It wasn’t a long trek, however, and soon enough they were riding the elevator back down to the entrance of the globe where Minako had first arrived. The group veered off to the left, waving to a corner of the structure that was casted in shadow.

“Guys!” Several other strangely dressed people emerged from the darkness, running up to them. Minako frowned, how didn’t she not notice a whole group of people standing there when she went down this path earlier?

A girl with what looked like a biker’s outfit stepped forward, “Oracle said she picked up on a very strong energy signal headed your way. What happened?”

“We, uh, ran into some trouble,” Leader Boy confessed.

She looked him up and down, “You don’t appear to be injured, but-” She paused when she noticed Minako and stopped mid sentence.

“Uh, hi?” Minako gave a small wave.

“Joker, who is this?” 

“We found her wandering around the palace,” Pleasant Boy spat, shouldering his way forward.

 "How is that possible?" The girl frowned.

"Hold on," Leader Boy ( Joker they called him) tried to calm the flurry of activity that came from the rest of the group, "Before we go any further, we need to talk about- "

"Ahhhhh!!!" A shriek pierced the air, cutting him off.  Seemingly out of nowhere, a short girl popped out from the rest of the group wearing some sort of space suit. She stalked towards Minako, one finger pointed right at her.

“I knew it was you!” She cried, “You’re that woman who had the weird signal!”

Minako arched an eyebrow, and responded in a pleasant tone, “I’m sorry?”

“Oracle,” Joker’s voice was incredibly patient, “It’s rude to call strangers weird.”

“But it’s true. That signal is the strangest thing I’ve ever felt, and now that I’ve come into contact with it twice, there’s no doubt that it’s coming from her.” The girl whirled on Minako again, the red lens of her goggles analyzing her up and down, “Just what are you?”

Minako didn’t react to the question. Instead, she peered back at those goggles, the faintest feeling of recognition rising. Her long orange hair definitely looked familiar, and she heard that high-pitched shriek before. She racked her brain, trying to recall just where she had met this girl before. It had to have been in the last two weeks, because she was too young to be someone she knew back before she died.

She squinted as it slowly came to her, “You’re that girl…from the cafe?”

The silence that followed was too poignant to deny her question. The girl squeaked out another shrill noise and hid behind Joker.

“How do you know Futaba?” A boy with short blonde hair and a mask that looked like a skull stalked towards her and the rest of the group groaned.

“Good going, Skull!” 

Minako glanced down and had to blink several times. A tiny cat-looking creature was glaring right at the boy with large blue eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but considering she was best friends with a robot and a persona-wielding dog, she didn’t have the right to judge.

To his credit, this Skull boy looked immediately guilty, raising a hand to the back of his neck and not meeting their eyes.

“Hey,” Minako felt compelled to help him out, “It’s not his fault I recognized her. And now that I’m thinking about it..” She whirled around to face Joker, “We’ve met before too, haven’t we?”

To his credit, Joker looked unfazed, “You crashed into me in Central Street.”

Her nose twitched at the memory, and she stopped herself from touching it. But he was right; as she examined him closer, she recognized the tangle of black curls and gray eyes.

“Nice to see you again?” She offered weakly, and his mouth quirked up into a small smile.

“So happy for your reunion and all,” Pleasant Boy drawled, “That still doesn’t answer the question of who you are and what you’re doing here.”

“My name is Minako Arisato, and I truly, honestly, don’t know how I got here.”

“Wait…so you’re not here to find us?” A blonde dressed in a red catsuit spoke up.

“Uh..no. I didn’t even expect to run into other people.”

The group exchanged glances with each other before the tiny cat thing spoke up again , “You really have no idea?”

Minako was at the end of her rope. She was tired, sore, and confused as all hell, so she nearly spat out, “Look, it’s been a long day and I almost got killed by shadows. Please, enlighten me.”

There was hesitation before Joker said, “We’re the Phantom Thieves.”

There was a beat and Minako stared at him, frozen in shock. 

No way.

No way.

There was no way that this ragtag gang of kids dressed for Halloween were the vigilante group she’d been searching for all this time. 

“...For real?” 

Ten heads (well nine, as Pleasant Boy didn’t deign to move) bobbed in agreement. 

Minako ran a hand through her hair, unsure what to do with this new information. She never really expected to find the Phantom Thieves, or at least this soon. Now that they were in front of her, she almost didn’t know what to do. She was so focused on actually finding them, she didn’t have a plan for what happened after.

The group had retreated slightly from her, whispering amongst themselves heatedly. They glanced at her every so often, but she didn’t need the visual cue to know they were arguing about what to do with her. 

She distantly wondered if they were debating on changing her heart.

“So,” Joker spoke up after long moments of deliberation, “since you already recognize us, we agreed there’s no point now in hiding our identities. We’ll take you out of here and then we can talk. What do you think about that?”

“ Yes, ” Minako breathed out quickly. She needed something to eat and a hot bath.

The black haired boy turned to the rest of them, “Alright, good work today everyone. Let’s go home.”

There were sounds of agreement from the teens, and they were off again, leading her back down the linoleum path up to the barricade she crossed to get in here in the first place. Instead of leaping over the bars, however, Joker simply rummaged through his pocket before pulling out a phone.

Minako stopped him, waving her own dead phone at him, “That won’t work. It looks like this place interferes with cell phones.”

He shot her a grin, “Don’t worry. We got it covered.”

To her surprise, Joker’s phone lit up when he tapped the screen. She couldn’t see what he was doing, but then he tapped again, and the world became a smear of colors.

~*~

After the crest of nausea faded, Minako opened her eyes. She was once again in Odaiba, standing outside of the barricade like she’d never gone into the weird globe. But when she craned her neck, it was still there, shining in cold brilliance against the dark sky.

“Arisato-san, was it?” A voice sounded behind her, and she turned to find the same group of teens, but this time they were…normal. No crazy costumes or weapons, just ten kids bundled up against the frigid wind. 

She looked around, wondering just how in the world they changed clothes so quickly. And where did they stash their gear? There weren't any storage containers she could see when they left. It was completely different from SEES, who ferried their equipment too and from the surveillance room in the dorm. 

Letting the thoughts go for now, she told them, “Minako is fine. Arisato-san makes me sound like an old lady.”

They gave each other looks that told her they thought she was an old lady. She didn't even want to open that can of worms.

“Before we do anything else, I believe introductions are in order,” The brunette in the biker outfit looked significantly less intimidating in her winter peacoat, “My name is Makoto Nijima.”

They went down the line, each one introducing themselves. Sakamoto, Yoshizawa, Okumura, Takamaki…There was no hesitation in the way they gave up their names, their faces. Minako felt somewhat honored that they were willing to share this information with her. For all she knew, she could be the only person the Phantom Thieves have ever revealed their real identities to.

The strangest thing was Morgana, the cat-looking thing, turned into a real cat. Four paws on the ground and normally proportional. 

It was then her phone chose to spring back to life, buzzing incessantly in her pocket. She fished it out, then balked at all the missed call and text notifications. Akihiko had tried to get in touch with her, repeatedly, and it appeared so did the rest of SEES. One glance at the clock and Minako felt the blood drain from her face. She’d been inside that place for nearly four hours.

She stepped away, telling them, “Excuse me for just a sec.” Immediately she called Akihiko, and he picked up on the first ring.

“Aki?”

“Minako,” She could feel his relief through the phone, and guilt surged through her, “Are you okay? Where have you been?”

The words tumbled in a rush, “Oh Aki, I’m so sorry my phone died at the cafe and I didn’t have my charger and then when I was leaving there was…” She trailed off, eyeing the rest of them, “a group of teenagers looking for their lost cat. I couldn’t say no!”

Several looks of indignation swept across said teenagers. Minako grinned at them while Akihiko sighed in her ear.

“Always gotta help someone, huh?”

“I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t”

“I know,” Affection laced his voice, “Next time could you please send me a text? I was about ready to send everyone out on a recovery mission.”

She lowered her voice, “Of course. I’m sorry I worried you, Aki.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright. Will you be home soon?”

Biting her lip, she said, “These very nice teenagers want to thank me for finding their cat. We’re going to get something to eat and then I’ll be home, okay?”

“Okay, just don’t be too late.”

“I won’t. I love you.”

“And I love you. See you soon.” There was a click as the line went dead, and Minako let out a deep breath. She would tell them about all this, she would, she just needed some more information first.

“Alright,” she turned to face the ten of them, “Let’s get going.”

~*~

She shouldn’t have been surprised, but she still was taken aback when the train let them off in Yongen-Jaya. Even at this hour, the neighborhood was bustling, people milling about the various shops. Akira led them to the Le Blanc cafe and unlocked the door, ushering the rest of them inside.

The small, cozy cafe was a welcome respite from the frigid outdoors. It was the first time since entering the weird globe that Minako felt truly safe. She immediately commodered one of the booths and sagged into the worn leather, exhaustion hitting her hard once all the adrenaline and anxiety left her. The rest of the teenagers took up various positions around her, occupying the rest of the booth and spilling out into the rest of the seating area. 

Akira made a beeline for the small kitchen tucked away behind the counter, and soon the air was filled with the scents of coffee brewing and curry simmering. While he was busy, Minako took the chance to really look at the team amassed before her. Out of their colorful costumes, the teenagers just looked…tired. No, not just tired. There was a haunted look in their eyes, like they had the weight on the world on their shoulders. But underneath that there was grim determination set in the lines of their mouths and the circles under their eyes. They had the weight of the world, but they were ready to carry it all the same. 

It was the same look her friends had in the days before they faced Nyx.

Not daring to go down that path, Minako said, “I, uh, like your costumes. They kinda remind me of Featherman!”

Futaba’s head snapped up from her phone, “Really?! You know Featherman?!”

“Not only do I know Featherman, I’m best friends with Feather Pink!”

“Yeah right. Pics or it didn’t happen!” If Futaba leaned any further over the back of the booth, she would’ve fallen right onto Haru.

Fishing out her phone, Minako swiped through her photos until she found an appropriate one from Yukari’s movie premier, “There you go!”

Brown eyes widened behind her glasses, “No. Way. That’s the Yukari Takeba!”

“If you want, I can ask her for an autograph or something.”

The squeak that came from the younger girl’s mouth made her laugh, and she made a note to text Yukari later. Before the conversation could continue, Akira had made his way over to the booth, steaming plates of curry balancing on both arms. 

As soon as the plate was placed in front of her, Minako’s stomach gave a large growl. In the back of her head there was an Akihiko-sounding voice that told her she should’ve been worried about it being poisoned or something, but she was too famished to care. Within seconds she was shoveling the curry into her mouth, washing it down with an equally steaming cup of coffee, filling her with its warmth. It was nearly as good as the one Sojiro Sakura had made. 

They lapsed into an awkward silence while everyone ate, and once she was finished, Minako pushed her plate away from her.

“So, Phantom Thieves, huh?” 

Ann Takamaki, trying her best to diffuse the tension, gave a stiff laugh,“Yeah..who would’ve thought they’d be a group of teenagers, huh?” 

Minako shrugged, “Definitely threw me off at first.”

“You don’t seem very surprised now,” Akechi said flatly, nearly accusatory.

“It’s not that surprising when you think about it.”

“And what do you mean by that?” 

“Well,” Minako ticked the points off her fingers, “Your first target was someone specific at a high school, one that had held a prominent position of power. So you could assume it was a revenge job. Then, there’s the amount of cases you’ve handled since then, which could only be possible if you had a lot of free time like students do. And,” She grinned at them, “teenagers usually stick their noses where they don’t belong. That one’s just a hunch though.”

Makoto narrowed her eyes, “You’ve obviously done your research. That makes me think you did enter the palace to look for us.”

“No! Well, sorta?” Minako frowned, “Wait, is that what that weird laboratory is called? A palace?”

Makoto exchanged looks with Haru, and Akira sighed, sliding into the space next to them after he finished handing out the rest of the coffee. His gray eyes were unreadable behind his glasses.

“I think we need to start at the beginning,” He said, “How did you get into the research center?”

“I was trying to get back to my apartment from Odaiba, but the navigation app kept getting me lost. It somehow led me to the construction site and when I looked up from the barricade, there was a giant globe in the sky!”

“So you thought to go inside this weird contraption?” Akechi sniffed, “That wasn’t very smart.”

Akira ignored him, “And then what?”

“I climbed over the barricade and the world…shifted? I guess? And then I was able to enter the elevator and get inside.”

“So no special app helped you enter the Metaverse?” Yusuke spoke up from his place at one of the barstools.

“No, It was just my phone’s regular map app,” She placed the said phone on the table, “Take a look if you don’t believe me.”

Without a word, Haru reached out and took the phone, bringing it up to Futaba who swiped it from her with glee. She tapped at it a few times, tilting it this way and that, even pulling out her own phone and doing what looked like tests between the two devices. She then sighed before handing it back somewhat reluctantly.

“She’s telling the truth,” Futaba pushed her glasses up, “There’s no Nav on her phone.”

“Then how did you get into the palace?” Yusuke wondered aloud.

“I think,” Akechi broke in, “the bigger question is how exactly are you able to fight like that? If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were a plainclothes Phantom Thief.”

Minako bit her lip. She knew this game, knew that in order to get information she needed to give some in return. But the real problem was, how much to actually tell? How much did they need to know about her, about what she’s done?

Finally, she said, “Not a Phantom Thief, but a fellow persona user.”

Their reactions were immediate, identical looks of shock traveling through their faces. 

“No shit?” Ryuji asked, “You’re not pulling a prank or anything?”

“No shit,” She repeated.

Minako braced herself for the incoming onslaught of questions, but it never came. They just sat there, appearing to let the information sink in. That, or she had just stunned them all into complete silence. She didn’t really know if that was the better outcome.

After a few moments, Sumire spoke up,“If you have a persona, why didn’t you use it in the fight?” Her voice was more curious than accusatory.

Minako glanced between all of them, figuring that honesty was the way to go, “I can’t use my persona currently.”

“That…doesn’t make any sense,” If Makoto’s eyebrows furrowed even more, they would have touched. 

Minako held up a finger, “Hold on, you’re not the only one asking questions here.  What was that place? What did you call it…a palace? The metaverse?”

They looked to Akira, as if to ask for permission to explain. He cleared his throat, curling his fingers around his cup of coffee, “Places like that are called palaces. It’s an…alternate plane of reality that forms when people have distorted desires. The metaverse is a catch-all term for everything that goes on in that plane.”

“Distorted desires?” She echoed.

“When someone’s fixations go into overdrive, usually in the worst way,” A small voice piped up. Minako blinked several times as she realized the voice was coming from Morgana, the real-life cat, sitting in between Haru and Makoto. 

She raked her fingers through her hair then, laughing incredulously, “Great. A talking cat. I’ve really seen it all then.” Exhaling, she decided that it was best to just not question and instead said, “That doesn’t really explain what you guys were doing in there then.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Akira asked, and when she gave him a blank stare he continued, “We’re the Phantom Thieves. We steal hearts.”

“And these…palaces have hearts. That you steal.”

“We steal the palace’s treasure, which is also the heart,” Morgana clarified. Which really clarified nothing.

She pretended she understood, “Right. And then what happens?”

“The target will confess their crimes themselves,” Haru took up the explanation next, “And undergo a reformation.”

Akira added, “There’s a bit more to it than that, but yeah, that’s the gist.”

“Huh.” The information had her head spinning. She been trying to guess how exactly the Phantom Thieves conducted their heists, but never did she imagine they were going into someone’s manifestation of their desires to steal a cognitive form of a heart. It sounded absurd, in a “there’s a secret 25th hour in the day” kind of way. 

It would definitively explain why it was so hard for Mitsuru and the Shadow Operatives to catch the elusive group. You can’t prove something that happened in a completely different plane of reality.

“Now that we’re finished giving away all our secrets,” Akechi’s voice was hard, and his gaze was sharp across the room, “I believe it’s your turn to tell us yours, Arisato.”

Ten pairs of eyes were on her, and Minako resisted the urge to fidget in her seat. But in a way, Akechi was right. This was an exchange of information, and she couldn’t just withhold what she knew when she had already gotten most of her answers. Only, there was a lot of ground to cover that she almost didn’t know where to begin.

Taking a second to gather her thoughts, Minako started with a question, “How old are all of you?”

It seemed like that caught them off guard. They hesitated before Akira answered, “Fifteen through eighteen, depending on who you ask.”

“So you were all around ten in 2009. How much do you remember of that year?”

Ann shrugged, “Nothing much outside of the normal kid stuff.”

“Well,” Makoto placed a finger to her chin, “I vaguely remember my father being stressed out, something about an epidemic?”

The foul expression was erased from Akechi’s face for the briefest moment, “Are you referring to the Apathy Syndrome epidemic that swept the coast? I think I read about that in a case file once.”

Minako nodded, “That’s right. The Apathy Syndrome condition swept through Iwatodai City and Tatsumi Port Island, rendering its victims in an unresponsive state.”

“So what does that have to do with you?” Ann asked.

“I went to high school on Port Island, right at the height of the epidemic. We called them the Lost,” She clenched her fingers together, “because shadows would eat their souls and leave them as husks.”

Tension filled the air, thick and heavy. “We’ve never had shadows come into the real world,” Akira confessed, “Well, there was one time but that was a special circumstance.”

Playing her cup, Minako continued, “This might sound far-fetched, but what if I told you that back then there was a secret 25th hour of the day?”

“Given that we steal cognitive hearts, it’s not too hard to believe.” The nonchalant way Akira shrugged off her claim was incredible, really. She thought she was pretty unflappable before, but recent events had made her more unsettled than normal. A worm of envy fluttered in her stomach

“Okay, well, yeah. We called it the Dark Hour.” And from there, she explained as much as she could to this newest generation of persona users. The Dark Hour, Tartarus. The Fall and SEES role in it. Minako didn’t mean to tell the whole story, but once she started, the words just tumbled out in a rush. She never spoke about what happened that year with anyone outside of SEES, and it felt so liberating to have it all out in the open. When she finished the story of Nyx’s defeat, she strangely felt a little lighter than she had in days. 

“And then what happened?” Futaba asked, voice very small.

Minako blinked, “What?”

“Did you guys just…go back to being normal? Even after saving the world?”

Minako’s heart gave an empathetic twinge. She opened her mouth to say how exactly it ended for her, but then thought better of it. Something told her that these kids were holding on to a desperate wish that they would come out of the other side of everything somewhat intact. Only, she didn’t know what to say to comfort her. She didn’t know what it was like to move on. In fact, that was the very conversation she had with Akihiko at the Skytree. She herself was learning what it meant to move on, because wasn’t supposed to.

“It’s…hard to go back,” She chose her words carefully, vaguely, “But it gets better.”

“How do you know?”

She thought of her friends, how they built lives for themselves after wading through absolute hell. How they were stronger people, better people because of all they’ve been through. How they lived lives full of peace they fought time and time again for.

Maybe she was finally understanding what Akihiko meant too.

“I know we only just met but you have to trust me,” Minako placed a hand on her heart, “It gets better.”

Futaba didn’t meet her eyes, but she saw her shoulders relax just a tiny bit. She hoped that was enough for now.

“Hold on,” Ryuji said loudly, startling them, “I have a question.”

He had been sitting in his seat, arms crossed, silent to the point that she had thought his attention had wandered off, like a certain hat wearing boy she knew. Instead, Minako was slightly taken aback by the angry look on his face, brows pinched and brown eyes blazing, “If there’s more persona users, where have you guys been?” His voice rose, “Why have we been doing this alone?”

That quieted the whole group as they digested the question. “Ryuji...” Ann said, reaching out to touch his shoulder, “You can’t blame Minako-chan.”

“No,” She said, “It’s okay.” She looked right into his eyes, “It’s not an excuse, but I didn’t even know you guys…or palaces…or anything existed until very recently. I’m sorry no one else has come to help you.”

“Yeah, well, coulda made a hell of a difference,” Ryuji muttered, but he seemed to accept her answer, huffing and slinking back into his seat. 

“We try to be as discreet as possible,” Haru tried to smooth over, “It’s not surprising you and your…SEES you called it? Ever thought that we’d be persona users as well.”

Akechi cut in, “Speaking of which, you mentioned earlier you can’t use your persona? Care to share why?”

Minako shrugged, “I’m trying to figure that one out myself. I think it has something to do with the way reality has been manipulated recently.”

It was like she dropped a bomb in the cafe. All the teenagers stood straight up in their seats, waves of unease floating between them. They all looked at each other in alarm before Akira, slightly less calm than before, said, “What are you talking about?”

“Come on,” She waved her hand haphazardly, “You think that I, someone who has saved the world from destruction once already, wouldn’t have noticed how everything is just slightly off? How people seem to be incredibly happy at every moment? How some things that are impossible have suddenly become possible?”

That seemed to make them uncomfortable, but she forged on, “That’s why I was checking out that globe place. I thought it might hold some answers.”

“We thought the same thing,” Akira said, ignoring the frantic looks the others were giving him, “We’ve been investigating it as well.”

“That’s great!” A thrill ran through her. Finally she was going to get some credible information! Something she could action upon! Almost giddy, she said, “What have you found out? How can I help?”

“We found nothing concrete yet,” Makoto said, but she looked like she was trying to talk to a cornered animal.

“That’s okay! So, what do you think might be the culprit?” She was buzzing now, ideas floating through her mind, “Maybe a very powerful shadow has mind control powers? I encountered one of those before and man was it a pain in the ass.”

“A palace has a ruler at the center, yes,” Akechi said, voice somewhat clipped, “but we’ve not encountered it just yet. We’re still trying to get our bearings in that place. As you saw, it has many powerful shadows.”

Minako flashed him a smile, “Totally understand that. But now that I’m here, maybe you can take me along with you! I’m pretty good with a naginata if I do say so myself.” She placed her hand to her chin, “But, do I need a cool costume like you? Maybe a codename?”

“Minako-san,” Akira cut in, looking almost pleading, “We appreciate the help, but I think we should do a bit more investigating first. We don’t want to involve an innocent bystander if we can help it.”

“Trust me, I’m not an innocent bystander. Please, let me help.” Her voice shook ever so slightly.

“Thank you, Minako-san. We’ll let you know if something comes up.”

Minako opened her mouth to argue further, when Makoto said, “It’s getting quite late. Don’t you have someone you should be getting home to, Minako-san?”

That made her look at the time on her phone, and she cursed softly. It was way later than she expected, and yes, Akihiko was waiting for her. She knew he’d start worrying again if she didn’t come home soon.

But that didn’t mean she was done with the Phantom Thieves, not by a long shot. Now that she knew who they were and what they were doing, she could go from there. It was more than she had even hours ago, and she was glad to finally have more pieces to put into the puzzle. Even if those pieces made even more problems, she had a feeling she was one step closer to solving this case.  

“I guess you’re right,” She slid out of her seat and buttoned up her coat, “It was really nice to meet you all. Thanks for saving me back in the globe.”

“Don’t mention it,” Akira led her to the door, but stopped her before she could leave. When she gave him a quizzical look, he handed her his phone.

“We’ll stay in touch,” He said, giving her a small smile.

She smiled back, entering her contact information into the screen. When she gave Akira his phone back, there was that feeling again, the sensation of nostalgia, of seeing an old friend after a long time. The Fool.  

Instead of jerking back like last time, Akira just nodded, confirming that he felt it too. It gave her a little bit of hope. Even if they didn’t want her to interfere, Minako now had a moral obligation to help these new persona users, and surely together they could get to the bottom of the craziness going on and bring the world back to its rightful state.

When Minako stepped out into the cold winter night, she felt as if maybe, finally, things were starting to look up.

Chapter Text

“Minako? Oi, Minako!”

Jerking out of her reverie, Minako nearly flung the knife she was holding straight at Shinjiro, who was shaking his head at her.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

He reached over and plucked the knife from her hand, “If you’re going to use one of these, you need your head in the game.”

“Hey!” She pouted, but he just pointed said knife in her direction.

“You said you wanted to help. Taking my head off is the exact opposite of helping.”

Sighing, Minako picked up a nearby rag and cleaned off her fingers. He wasn’t wrong, she did offer to help prepare the charcuterie board, but her mind kept wandering to her encounter with the Phantom Thieves. She was still reeling, not quite believing that she achieved her goal of finding them. It was figuring out what came next was the hard part.

Part of her wanted to charge right back into the globe-palace-thing. Intuition told her that it held more answers than the group had let on, and experience taught her to listen to her gut feelings. But without being able to use her personas, she wouldn’t get very far–not without the Thieves’ help. And they weren’t too keen on letting her in on their plans.

Not yet, anyway,

“Sorry,” She told Shinjiro again, “Why don’t I set the table instead?”

In true Shinji fashion, he flicked her right in the forehead as she passed, “I can do it if you’re not feeling it. Ain’t a big deal.”

“Nope!” She ducked away when he tried to flick her again, “I’m helping whether you like it or not,” Laughing when he grumbled something under his breath, Minako grabbed the stack of plates off the counter and headed into the living room. She set them down on the coffee table just as Akihiko opened the door, arms full of beverages. 

“Mitsuru sent me an extensive list,” He explained as she stepped closer to relieve him of some liquid burden, “Took forever to find some of this stuff.”

Minako squinted at one of the labels, “A ¥3000 bottle of wine?”

“Can’t have the cheap stuff from the convenience store. Might give her hives.” Shinjiro deadpanned as he carried the charcuterie board into the room.

Akihiko laughed and Shinjiro looked like he was fighting a laugh of his own, years of shared camaraderie in teasing Mitsuru expressed in one look. Minako felt the warmth pour into her chest at the sight; she thought she’d never see the day where joy was so easy to come by for all of them. She wanted to capture this moment and keep it with her forever.

Footsteps announced Ken’s presence before he opened his mouth, “Oh, that looks amazing Shinji!”

Koromaru barked his agreement as both dog and owner salivated over the coffee table full of snacks. Shinji, as with all the food he made, took meticulous care. It didn’t matter that this was just a movie night, he chose the best meats and cheeses for the charcuterie board, different flavors of artisanal popcorns, and tiny ramekins full of dips. 

Ken reached out to snag a cracker and Shinjiro promptly slapped it away, “Wait for the others.”

The boy pouted, looking up at his guardian with the best puppy dog eyes Minako had ever seen.

Shinjiro met brown eyes with cold steel, “Go grab the silverware.”

The puppy eyes instantly turned into a full out glare, but Ken did what he was told and disappeared into the kitchen. Koromaru elected to stay right where he was, still eyeing the goodies with an even better pleading face. Shinjiro glanced at Minako, at Akihiko, then promptly swept a few pieces of salami off the table and into Koromaru’s waiting mouth.

“Hey!” Ken came rushing over, nearly throwing the eating utensils on the floor as he and Shinjiro went at each other. Minako couldn’t help the grin that slipped out. Moving in between the two of them, she held up both arms in either direction, “Okay boys, reign it in. Tonight’s supposed to be fun, remember?”

Ken had turned his head to pout, but at her words he looked at the two of them out of the corner of his eyes, then held out a fist. With a huff, Shinjiro reached around Minako and bumped his own knuckles to Ken’s before retreating back into the kitchen. She swore she saw a smile.

Together, the four of them finished putting the finishing touches of the living room right when the buzzer sounded. Without waiting for one of them to answer, the door swung open and Junpei barged right in, Chidori in tow.

“Heeyy!!!” Junpei marched into the living room, a case of beer under one arm. He stopped when he saw the entire spread of offerings and immediately slumped over.

“Awh man!” He whined, “Why did I even bother bringing something?”

Chidori placed a hand on his shoulder, “I told you that Shinjiro had it covered.”

“Yeah but it’s not nice to show up empty handed,” Junpei whirled on the rest of them, “Were you trying to make me look bad?”

Four pairs of eyes met his despair.

Ken, with kind honesty only a teenager could have, said, “You don’t need us to do that for you, Junpei-san.”

Immediately, Junpei lunged for Ken, catching his head in a lock under his arm and nooging him relentlessly.

“Ow! Quit it!” He whined, spurring Junpei to muss up his hair even more. Ken was only saved by Chidori stepping in, tugging at Junpei’s ear lightly before he relinquished his hold on the younger boy.
Before it could escalate, there was a soft knock at the door. In direct opposition to Junpei's bombastic entrance, Fuuka quietly poked her head into the apartment.

“Hello?” She called, “The door was unlocked so- oh!” She immediately brightened when she saw the rest of them gathered and opened the door further. Both her and Aigis joined the group, each carrying large shopping bags.

“I know we were given a list, but the store had such a good selection and at a great price too! We kind of got carried away…” Fuuka trailed off while Aigis promptly dumped both bags onto the couch. 
They rifled through the choices, and truly there were more movies than they could ever hope to finish in one night. Romances, spy thrillers, horror stories…it seemed now the trouble would be settling on one movie that they could all agree on to watch.

Perhaps they could draw straws. It was the only way Minako could think of that didn’t involve one or all of the boys ending up into another fight. That, or suggesting something so completely sappy like The Journal that it would unite them against a common cause. Yeah, that’ll do it.

                                                                                                                                                       ~*~

While they did not mean to be late, Yukari and Mitsuru were the last ones to arrive. They breezed through the door nearly twenty minutes after Aigis and Fuuka, each tugging along even more goodies to add to their party.

Shinjiro cast a critical eye at the sheer amount of stuff the group amassed, enough to supply a whole army, “You all know this was just a movie night, right?”

“Oh, come on! Don’t be such a buzzkill Shinjiro-senpai,” Yukari waved him off as she started to unpack her bag. Fluffy pillows and blankets piled up on the couch, leaving no surface untouched by pink fleece. Shinjiro gave a massive eyeroll to Mitsuru, who stood beside him.

“Spared no expense, huh?” The sarcasm dripped from his words.

She responded in a light tone, “The more the merrier, right Shinjiro?”

He muttered something that sounded like, “Did it have to be pink?” but nevertheless helped Yukari unload the bags. With the combined effort of them all, the living room was transformed into a den of coziness, where  each person had their own pillows and blankets to relax how they wished.

The coffee table and bar held the fixings, all lined up and ready to be consumed. It was literally like they took a page out of a home decor ad, much to Minako’s amusement. Because Shinjiro was right, it really was only supposed to be a simple movie night.

Though, Aki had told her last night that before Yukari’s premier, the old members of SEES hadn’t all been in the same room together for a long time. Between all their schedules and adult priorities, getting together had been nearly impossible. But since the new year, it suddenly became much easier to coordinate, everyone seemingly in one place for the time being. Everyone, including Minako. 
It had to be the work of the changed reality for everyone to unexpectedly have their calendars line up. Minako doubted that Mitsuru’s work as Kirijo’s CEO and Yukari’s strenuous filming schedule ever afforded them much time to spend with each other, much less the others. But it didn’t stop her from savoring these moments with her friends. 

“Minako?”

While the rest of the others were helping each other fill plates and glasses and settle into their spots, Mitsuru had laid one hand on her arm to draw her away to an empty corner of the apartment.

“What is it, Mitsuru?”

She had that look on her face she always got when she was deep in thought: brows furrowed and lips pressed into a flat line. 

“I wanted to talk to you about that day you were in the Kirijo Archives.”

“...What about it?”

“You were researching the Phantom Thieves, weren’t you? Even after I told all of you we had no further information to go off of?”

Minako feigned nonchalance, “I got curious. Couldn’t let you have all the fun solving this mystery!”

Mitsuru’s lips quirked for a brief second, “I suppose. Though, I’m not concerned about your…curiosity. In fact, it was something else that caught my attention.” She paused, and Minako waited for her to continue, “I noticed an error of sorts in a separate, unrelated file.”

“What kind of error?”

“It was a list of close contacts of my father’s here in Tokyo. One man in particular I had just met with that day but his information still listed him as dead. Throat cancer, from being a lifetime smoker,” Mitsuru shook her head, “That led me to discover more inconsistencies in certain data points which directly contradict facts I know to be true. And you know as well as I do how meticulous the Kirijo group is with their records. ”

Her red eyes were piercing, “You realized it too, didn’t you? Something feels wrong.” 

Minako swallowed, but didn’t look away, “Yes.”

“I believe the Phantom Thieves have something to do with it, as we already suspect they have the power to manipulate cognitive functions. And since you have done a lot of research thus far, I would like to know your thoughts.”

Mitsuru’s hand was cool on her skin, her persona’s affinity affecting the real world. The sensation made Minako recall the time where, after one of their outings, her senpai had confessed that she wasn’t so sure where Mitsuru Kirijo ended and Artemisia began.

Minako thought about that for a long time after. It was known that personas were another side of someone’s personality–their soul made manifest. Everyone else had only one persona, but she had a whole compendium of them. It was uncomfortable to consider the implications, but it made sense deep down. Sometimes she didn’t know herself, her true self. Sometimes it felt like she just had a menagerie of masks to put on, each act carefully crafted to suit whoever she was talking with.

Who really was Minako Arisato? She never got to figure that out before she died. Maybe she would never know.

“Minako?” The chill left as Mitsuru retracted her hand, “Do you have any theories?”

 Minako resisted the urge to pick at her sweater as she contemplated what to say. There was so much to sift through now her brain ached, and the overwhelmed feeling from the other day returned. Underneath all of that, however, was the fierce desire to help the Phantom Thieves. But be a figure they could depend on and look up to, something SEES never had the luxury of.

“I think…we might be looking in the wrong direction,” She told her truthfully.

Mitsuru raised one perfectly manicured eyebrow, “And why do you think that?”

Minako shrugged, “Just a gut feeling. Even if on paper they seem a little suspicious, I don’t think the Phantom Thieves are the culprits. They’re not truly malicious. They’re just trying to do what they think is right. But you’re right. Something is going on, and I’m trying to get to the bottom of it, trust me.”

Her friend stared at her as she contemplated this for a moment, nails tapping against her arm. Minako stared back, nearly daring her to argue further. But then Mitsuru nodded and relaxed, shoulders dropping.

“I see,” She said, then gave a tiny smile, “As always, I’m confident in your judgment. We can discuss further another time.”

“Mitsuru!” Just then, Yukari called from the other room, “Come and get your drink!”

The two exchanged a glance, then laughed softly before joining the rest of their friends. After accepting a glass from Aigis, Minako piled her plate high with snacks and settled into her spot on the couch. Akihiko was to her left, Junpei and Chidori to her right. Shinjiro occupied the lone recliner while the rest of the group settled in around in various comfy positions. 

The movie they picked wasn’t anything special. In fact, Minako was pretty sure that this Trial of the Dragon was exactly like the one she saw back in 2009, despite being the sixth one in the series. But, it was mindless fun action that everyone could get into, and even if the movie sucked, at least she had her friends to enjoy it with her. 

Once it was over, she woke up to Akihiko shaking her shoulder. It looked like she, and several others, drifted off during the ending credits. She stretched her arms above her head and blinked the sleep from her eyes before she noticed the weight on her lap. Looking down, Minako saw Koromaru fast asleep, his head snuggled comfortably across her legs. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest with delight, and she gently smoothed the fur between his ears, relieved and grateful all at once he was finally treating her as he always had before. Somehow, her intelligent friend had picked up on the fact she was supposed to be dead, but maybe he finally got used to the idea that she was around once more?

Carefully maneuvering Koromaru’s head back on the couch so as to not wake him up, Minako got to her feet. Though everyone was sleepy, there was a sense of peace and satisfaction shared amongst them all, like they were truly relaxing for the first time in a long time. Easy smiles were given, soft laughter echoing in the room as they helped each other fold blankets and packed away the food. 

“Oh hey!” Yukari exclaimed, reaching into one of the bags she had brought. In her hands was a white polaroid camera, though obviously much more modern than the ones she’d seen in electronic stores in Iwatodai.

“I forgot I brought this,” she waved it in the air, “Who’s down for a photo?”

“Right now?” Akihiko asked at the same time Aigis said, “I would love a photo, Yukari-san.”

Yukari smiled, then shooed everyone back in front of the couch. They followed her direction without complaint, as they knew raising objections would only make her more irate. It took a few more minutes of jostling and switching positions before they settled into the formation that their resident movie star deemed good enough, nodding in satisfaction at her work.

“Alright then!” Yukari clapped her hands together, then placed the camera on the fireplace mantle. She clicked the shutter, then hustled back to the group while the self timer ticked away.

“Saaay cheese!” She called, and Minako smiled as wide as she could, throwing up a peace sign. There was a flash, then a whir as the photo printed out. Curious, Yukari disengaged from the group and went to examine the image as it slowly developed. 

Minako saw the soft smile on her face from across the room, and went to join her, “Did it turn out okay?’

“Well,” Her friend laughed, handing over the small picture, “It’s better than our last one, that’s for sure.” 

She looked at the image in her hand, taking in each of her friends’ faces. The picture was slightly blurry, Koromaru caught mid yawn in Ken’s arms and Chidori tossing her hair behind her shoulder. Definitely not the best photo ever taken, but to Minako it was everything. 

“Wasn’t the last time we took a picture together with your father, Mitsuru?” Akihiko asked, and the redhead nodded.

“That one didn’t even have all of us,” Ken murmured, glancing at Shinji. 

Minako looked back down at the photo, thinking back to that one they took so long ago in the Iwatodai Dorms. It was shortly after they defeated the last Full Moon shadow, back before they knew what destroying those monsters actually meant. Ken was right; Shinji had been in his coma, and Aigis had been taken by Ikutsuki so their picture, while celebratory, didn’t capture the full extent of everything they had been through. 

“Do you mind if I keep this?” She asked Yukari.

“Go ahead,” She smiled at her, “Somehow it feels right for you to have it.”

“I’ll make copies,” Minako curled her fingers delicately along the edges of the photo.

It was hard to articulate just how much this simple thing meant to her. After days of reacclimating to being alive and investigating just the heck was going on, it felt too good to have something real, something normal to hold onto. She wanted to shout from the rooftops that this was all that she wanted. This was all that she deserved.

 Minako held the picture to her chest, promising to never let go.

Chapter Text

When Minako received a text from an unknown number telling her to go to Kichijoji, she didn't hesitate in taking the first train she could out to the neighborhood. She was nearly there by the time her self-preservation kicked in and argued that it could've been a trap, but she was in too deep to consider going back home.

The message led her to Penguin Sniper, an entertainment lounge tucked away in between shops and restaurants. The sign out front boasted that it had the best darts and billiards around, and likewise when she opened the door, the place was filled with all kinds of people trying their hand at either game. She scanned the lounge, looking for something off in the middle of all the normalcy. It all seemed too ordinary, and she almost thought she had gone to the wrong place. It was only until she searched the back corner of the sitting area did she find what she was meant to be there for.

Goro Akechi.

The prickly teenager was facing away from the rest of the crowd, his sheet of brown hair making him stand out from the throes of others. That, and the fact that he was sitting alone at a booth of a hangout spot. Nervous energy shot through her when she caught sight of the fact that there was no one else there with her. She wasn’t afraid of Akechi, but it was obvious from the beginning that he wanted nothing to do with her. So why did he want to talk to her without the rest of his friends?

Taking a quick breath to steel her nerves, she approached the booth. Akechi was sitting straight-backed in the seat, arms crossed as if he’d been waiting for a while.

“Hello Akechi,” She greeted cautiously.

“Arisato,” Was his reply. He then tipped his chin to the opposite side of the table. Minako took the hint and sat down, but did not allow herself to relax into the cushion. A predator was sitting across from her, and she couldn’t allow herself to slip and end up in between his teeth.

“It’s chilly outside today, hope you’ve been staying warm,” She tried, extending the proverbial olive branch to at least say she made an effort.

If Akechi appreciated her attempt at niceties, he didn’t show it. Instead, he just reached into the bag beside him in the booth and produced a manilla file. Wordlessly, he placed it onto the table and slid it towards her.

She didn’t have to look at it to know her name was on the top.

“Why did you tell me to come here, Akechi?” She asked, the olive branch apparently broken.

The boy leaned forward, folding his hands on the table, “I am someone who values information, Arisato. So I took the liberty of looking into your past, to make sure everything you told us was real.” His dark eyes narrowed, “Imagine my shock when I came across a very interesting fact you conveniently left out of your little story.”

“I didn’t lie to you.”

“No, but you didn’t reveal the whole truth. Who are you really, Arisato?”

She looked, really looked at his face this time. She was surprised to see how young he appeared, fresh faced even though the bags under his eyes (red, almost like hers. A garnet to her ruby.) were dark and deep. Underneath all that was a fierce conviction set into his frown and in the stiffness in his shoulders.

Minako eventually shrugged at him, “I am who I say I am. If you read about me you should know that to be true.”

His eyes flashed, and Akechi reached out to open the manilla file. There on the first page, was her student file. Her school photo stared back at her, eyes bright and grin wide. It was jarring to see it, honestly. She remembered taking that too, her first day at Gekkoukan. Ms. Toriumi made her stand against the blank wall and told her to give her best smile.

It was the other page that made her heart leap into her throat. Nausea settled low into her stomach as she read the first few words of the headline:

“Local Gekkoukan student passes away on school rooftop”

She didn’t want to read any further.

“I’ll ask again,” Akechi’s voice was dangerously low, “Who are you?”

Minako swallowed. The answer was staring both of them right in the face, but for some reason finding the words was difficult. It was almost as if saying it aloud would be proof that this had been a dream the whole time, and she would return to the Sea of Souls, feeling Erebus strain against her seal.

“My name is Minako Arisato,” Her own voice was barely audible to her own ears, “And I died on March 5th, 2010.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t look shocked, or demanded to know how she was a dead girl walking. He merely placed his hand to his chin, examining her from across the table. His expression was unreadable, and she couldn't even begin to guess what was going through his head. Did he think she was connected to the globe palace somehow? Or the way the world turned on its head?

“Tell me the truth,” Akechi then demanded, face still stoney, “The whole truth.”

“There’s not much more to tell,” Minako spread her hands out on the table, “We defeated Nyx and I used the last of my power to create a seal between her and a monstrosity called Erebus. If the two meet, that will bring about the Fall. It’s my job to keep the two separated. I was able to make it until March 5th, when my life force ran out. My soul has been maintaining the seal ever since,” She studied her nails, “That is, until Erebus disappeared and I was suddenly alive again on New Year’s Day, nearly seven years later.”

Her voice caught in her throat with sudden emotion and she swallowed it down, “I don’t know what happened or the reason why I’m here. That is the truth, I swear to you.”4

Something then changed in Akechi’s eyes. If she didn’t know any better, she might have described the look as pity, but she dismissed the thought right away. Something told her that Goro Akechi was not a person who felt sorry for others. Maybe it wasn’t pity but…understanding perhaps?

When he spoke again, his tone lost a tiny bit of its edge, “Arisato, do not mistake this for kindness, but-”

Just then, his phone gave a loud buzz, effectively cutting him off. He glanced over at it and then sighed before picking it up.

“Excuse me, but I have to take this. You should get going as well.”

He packed up his things and shrugged on his coat, leaving Penguin Sniper without another glance in her direction. Then, it was just her and the tiny words on the table, the weight of her past threatening to drag her under.

                                                                 ~*~

She left not too long after Akechi, and spent the rest of the afternoon laying in bed, staring at the ceiling. The confrontation left her rattled, and she wondered just what he was going to tell her before they were interrupted. That’s when Akira texted her, and she was ready to shoot right out of bed and run. She needed to do something to shake out the lead that crept in and she was excited for the chance to uncover anything else in the palace. But Akira didn’t say to meet in Odaiba; in fact, all he said was to meet him at the entrance to the Shibuya Underground Station from Central Street.

He also said she needed to bring “whatever she needed for battle.”

Thus, here she was, lugging a ski bag with her naginata stored inside and her evoker holster hidden under her sweater. As usual, Central Street was packed with people, and she didn’t even see Akira until she was at the staircases heading underground, his black hair and coat nearly blending in with the concrete wall behind him.

“Glad you could make it,” He greeted her when she approached. His school bag rustled and out popped Morgana, ears twitching.

“Are you ready?” He meowed.

“Ready for what?”

“We wanted to show you something. Or some place, really.” He craned his neck to headbutt Akira’s arm, “Let’s go!”

The boy pulled out his phone and warned, “You’re gonna feel that vertigo again,” before tapping the screen. In no time the world was shifting, colors blurring black and red before settling again.

Minako took a deep breath, the nausea leaving quicker than before, “You know, I think I’m getting used to this.” She took a look around, a chill settling down her spine when she realized all the people had disappeared. Not in coffins, but completely gone. “Or maybe not. Is that supposed to happen?”

Akira looked unbothered, “Sure is. Come on, we’re heading down.” He yanked his bag further up his arm, empty now that Morgana jumped out. The pair quickly descended down into the subway station, and Minako blinked as they were swallowed by inky darkness. Her hesitation only lasted a second before adjusting her own bag and following.

She remembered how it felt to enter the first floor of Tartarus, the weird feeling of unease creeping into her bones. It was some sort of uncanny valley of how the walls and rooms looked like the school, but someone just changed the lighting to be eerie and dripped red paint all over. It was Gekkoukan, but a twisted version of it.

That’s exactly how she felt when she stepped off the last stair to the subway system. The platform was tinged in red, and it almost seemed to have its own heartbeat, complete with cables disappearing further in. They pulsed with a steady cadence, almost as if they truly were bringing the blood that gave this place its color.

“Welcome to Mementos,” Morgana’s voice sounded behind her, and she turned away from the dark walls.

They appeared as they did in the globe, Akira in his dark coat and red gloves, Morgana on two legs and yellow bandana. Minako felt almost underdressed in her leggings and sweater, only her evoker and naginata indicating that she belonged with them.

“Is this a part of those palaces you were talking about before?”

“Kind of,” Morgana’s tail swished, “This is everyone’s palace in a way. Think of it as the collective unconscious.”

The mention of the collective unconscious made her shiver. No wonder this place felt familiar in the worst way; the Sea of Souls was a facet of the collective unconscious, the place from which souls come from and the place that they return to. Her seal is- was - housed in the Sea of Souls. It was all connected in a way she still didn’t really understand. If she thought too long about it, her skin began to crawl.

“Okay,” She said simply, not wanting to dwell further on it, “Why did you bring me here?”

Akira raised a hand to the back of his neck, a touch sheepish, “I’ve been thinking about what you said in Le Blanc. About not being able to summon your persona?”

“We wanted to help!” Morgana chirped cheerfully, “We figured we’d start in the most obvious place: where shadows run free.”

“Shadows are here?” Minako glanced around, one hand automatically drifting to her hip.

“No, not this floor. They’re all further in.” Akira nodded towards Morgana.

Morgana winked, striking a pose before jumping in the air. There was a loud sound, a puff of smoke, and instead of a tiny cat-creature standing before them, it was a large black bus, complete with cat ears and a tail.

Her jaw fell open. Just what kind of world did she wake up to, where there were cats turning into cars? Sure, she had witnessed her high school transform into a massive tower and experienced a secret hour in the night, but even those things seemed quite normal in the face of cats turning into cars and subways that housed humanity’s shared mentalscape.

Akira laughed softly, no doubt amused by her reaction, “We get that a lot. Hop in!” He gestured to the open door, nodding again when she hesitated. Figuring that she probably wasn’t about to be murdered in a catbus, Minako followed, sliding into the passenger side. Akira sat behind the wheel, explaining that Queen (“Makoto Nijima, but we don’t use real names here”) usually drove, but he could manage since it’d be a short trip.

The drive wasn’t as awkward as expected. Minako was always good at conversing with new people, and Akira was receptive to her chattering. Though quiet at first, the younger boy was easy to talk to, and surprisingly insightful. She inquired about his life, and he told her about his past, how he was wrongfully incriminated by a powerful politician which led to him being shipped off to Tokyo on probation.

“Was it Masayoshi Shido?”

He studied the subway tunnels through the windshield as they passed by, silent for a long moment before uttering, “Yeah.”

She cast him a sympathetic glance, “I saw him on TV. The Phantom Thieves changed his heart, didn’t they?”

“One of our best heists,” Akira said in a way of agreement.

“So it was a revenge job for you?” Curiosity, rather than judgment, drove the question.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel, “I won’t lie that it wasn’t, at least in part. But not just for myself. Shido ruined so many lives, destroyed anyone who got in his way. Everything we fought against connected to Shido in one way or another. Well, except one.”

“Which one?”

Akira’s lip curled into a wolfish grin, “Kamoshida. That guy was just a dick.”

                                                                   ~*~

They stopped several floors below the entrance, but to Minako the scenery didn’t change one bit. It was still red, still dark, still a twisted version of a subway line.

Akira seemed to know where he was going though, because he climbed out of the bus and beckoned to her. As soon as she stepped out, the bus disappeared in another smoke cloud, Morgana back in his bipedal frame. The cat looked energized, bouncing slightly on tiny paws and gripping a sword that somehow materialized.

He nodded further down the tunnel. Following his gesture, she peered down into the gloom. Far ahead, there were dark blobs wandering the various paths. They weren’t like the ones in Tartarus, but she knew for sure they were shadows. They were similar to the ones in the palace, hulking low but surprisingly limber for their size.

“Are you ready?” Akira was spinning his fancy knife in his palm.

She nodded, drawing her naginata up. Just like in the palace, a laser-focused calm settled over her. Normally she would have taken point, assessing the enemy with Fuuka and then directing the rest of the team from there. But this was not Tartarus, and she didn’t have her usual tools at her disposal.

So, she deferred to the other two, “I’ll follow your lead.”

They sprang into action, their speed an unexpected surprise. Akira threw out his arm and in his palm was a grappling hook, which shot out and seized the dark figure. Retracting the rope caused Akira to fly towards the shadow, and he landed gracefully on its back. Without preamble, he reached over and grasped the white mask that was on its head and yanked.

The effect was instantaneous. The shadow separated into particles before reforming into silhouettes that looked like personas from the compendium. They were weak shadows, she could tell right away. And, as if they could tell that she was a strong enemy, they looked almost afraid to face her. Leanan Sidhe’s dark eyes had narrowed, while Nekomata hopped nervously from one foot to the next.

Even though she fought them in the laboratory, Minako felt a bit uneasy raising her weapon against beings that looked like personas who were, at one point, facets of her soul. Akira on the other hand seemed to have no problem with it, dropping into a fighting stance, Morgana right next to him.

Steeling herself, she readjusted her grip on her naginata. Even though Akira was leading this fight, old habits die hard, so Minako cast a calculating glance over the shadows. Leanan Sidhe was a support persona, so the best course of action was to take it down first before it could even heal whatever damage Nekomata sustained. As for the skittish monster, it was a fire user, so they should start with a bufu and-

“Odin!”

There was a crack of electricity, and the Nekomata let out a screech of pain. It retaliated instantly, the green winds of a magaru swirling around the three of them. Since they were weak enemies, the wind harmlessly blew past them, feeling like annoying papercuts more than anything. It took her a second to recover from the surprise; never before had she been so wrong about a strategy. Even when they were backed into a corner, she was always able to navigate their way out without too much damage. It was jarring, another awful reminder this world was not the one she belonged in.

Then, without waiting for a command, Minako brought the naginata down and sliced Nekomata down the front, reducing it to goo.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of purple and leapt out of the way. Whirling around, she was nearly face to face with Leanan Sidhe’s vicious snarl. It raised its hand, the same purple…bubbles emerging and being thrown her way. She rolled, letting the attack pass over her head. The shadow started forward again, before being stopped in place by a projectile.

“No you don’t!” Morgana cried, aiming a fancy slingshot at the shadow.

While it was distracted, Akira took advantage of the opening and attacked, cutting the purple figure into ribbons. It didn’t even have time to scream before it too dissolved into nothing.

It was quiet then, the only sounds coming from the swirling depths of the subway.

“Come on,” Akira, not one to stick around apparently, ushered her back into the catbus. That’s how they continued for while, stopping every ten floors or so to defeat a group of shadows and then moving on. Her arms were beginning to ache from muscles that hadn’t been used in nearly a decade, but Minako was pleased her training was coming back to her; her aim improving and strikes more deadly the further they descended.

She lost count how deep they traveled into Mementos, the only thing to keep track was the slight variation in the environment. It was similar to Tartarus in that way, but where the blocks were completely different from one another, the different levels of Mementos only continued to get more twisted. The parallel wasn’t lost on her either, how Tartarus led her up when this place only seemed to go down.

“Okay, one last stop,” Akira announced, climbing out once again. Minako suppressed a shiver–the air this deep felt much more menacing, like something was watching from within the swirling darkness. It set her on edge, but as always, her younger companion seemed to be unaffected.

They set off down the tracks for a while, this floor eerily empty except for the three of them. It wasn't until they rounded the corner into a large open room did they see a shadow, and unluckily for them, it was facing the entrance just as they came into view.

Whereas all the shadows above tried to scurry away when they approached, this one roared and charged forward, fully intent on dragging them into battle. Akira didn’t even need to do his little trick with the shadow’s mask before it was shaking and splitting itself into separate beings.

Two Chernobogs flanked the giant writhing mass that was Mara. Minako unconsciously made a face at the shadows, hating that these were the ones she had to go up against. She never used them much outside of fusing them into other personas, and knew she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of those tentacles.

Minako took up the formation the three of them settled on during their journey downwards. They stood loosely in a triangle, both Akira and Morgana slightly ahead so their shorter weapons could do the most damage, but to also give her space for her naginata to swing. And it was probably to protect her as well, persona-less as she was, but it wasn’t like they were going to admit that. Akira stood still, head tilted slightly as he analyzed the enemies in front of him. Then he nodded to himself before reaching up to tear his domino mask from his face.

Just as she witnessed in the palace, multicolored flames flared to life at Akira’s feet before a large figure burst forth. Minako watched as Metatron rose to its full height and pointed one silver finger at the Chernobogs and bolts of bright light came hurtling down, eviscerating the things into ash.

While that was happening, Morgana was working on the Mara, his own persona attacking with sweeping gales of garudyne. The Mara screeched as it was buffeted by the wind, but it held its own, obviously more powerful than the other shadows. It was then Minako felt a twist in her gut, a low thrum of power that was building behind a dam, begging to be let out.

Her heart gave a hopeful beat, and figuring she had nothing to lose, Minako reached under her sweater and pulled her evoker out. Taking a deep breath, she held the gun to her temple.

The movement caught Akira’s eye and he looked towards her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the blood drain from his face and in the next moment he was running towards her.

“Wait! No!” He cried, the most panicked she’d ever seen him.

His hand encircled her wrist just as she pulled the trigger.

Click

Nothing.

“Ugh!” She ground out between her teeth as Akira was desperately pulling her arm away from her head.

“Whatareyoudoing?!” He shouted at her, genuinely surprising her with how upset he was, “Are you crazy?!”

Before she could reply that it was a fake gun, Morgana lept in front of them to deflect a barrage of tentacles with his cutlass.

“Uh, hello?” The cat hissed out, “We need to focus!”

Akira threw her a look that said they weren’t done before jumping back into the fray. Dodging the flying limbs with graceful leaps and turns, Minako couldn’t help but admire how natural he made the movements look; the confidence in how he wielded his knife. He was just what a leader of a teenage persona team needed, and she was proud of her little successor.

Tugging his mask off his face once again, he called for Metraton to use what she assumed to be another version of a mahamaon, and the Mara screamed in pain. Iit fell over and out of the golden chariot and wriggled quite pathetically on the ground. It weakly tried to lash out with its tentacles, but by the time they reached their target they were easily battered away.

“Do the honors?” Akira gestured towards the downed enemy and Minako nodded. She swirled her naginata in an arc and cut the throbbing blob from tail to tip, and that was the end of it. She shook out the last bits of shadow goop that remained on the blade before squaring her shoulders and facing Akira and Morgana.

They stared at each other for a heartbeat before the boy shifted a little awkwardly under her gaze, “I’m sorry I grabbed you like that.”

A twinge of guilt rose through her. She never explained how she summoned her personas to the Phantom Thieves, so it probably looked like she just tried to kill herself right in front of him.

“No, it’s alright,” Minako held the evoker out for them to look at, “It’s not a real gun.”

Akira then dug into his own belt and produced a very real looking pistol, “Neither is this, but it shoots like one.” To demonstrate, he pointed the gun at the wall and pulled the trigger. A bullet pinged off the concrete faster than she could blink.

“How is that possible?” The two of them shrugged, “Cognition. You expect this to be real and loaded, so the metaverse acts like it really is.”

That explained it, sort of. She never believed evokers were real guns, had shot herself in the head over and over for a year. Maybe the metaverse picked up on those feelings too.

“I guess it doesn’t work for me because I know it’s fake?” She put it against her head again and shot. Akira flinched, but Minako just blinked as nothing came out of the barrel.

“Then why have it at all?” Morgana asked.

Minako stared at her evoker, her old reliable friend, and swallowed, “It was the way we summoned our personas.”

“You shot yourselves?”

She shook her head, “Not really. It was only to mimic the act of committing suicide.”

“Why would you do that?”

Her fingers tightened around the grip, “It makes you face the idea of death and induce extreme stress, thus summoning the persona.”

“That sounds…” Akira trailed off.

“Hardcore?” Morgana offered.

Minako shrugged and tucked the evoker back into her belt,

“That’s how we learned. It was the only way to reliably summon personas in the Dark Hour.”

“I can’t imagine shooting myself everytime I wanted to use my personas,” Akira reached up to fiddle with this domino mask.

“How do you summon yours?” She asked, gesturing to the very thing, “It seems like it comes from your mask?”

“Kind of. When you tear off the mask, you are using the spirit of rebellion to manifest your true self, which are personas.”

“Huh,” Minako looked down at her shoes while she processed the information. It seemed like, while using two very different methods, they did achieve the same goal in summoning the “other self”.

“Well, it seems like just throwing you into battle isn’t helping you call your persona,” Morgana meowed, one tiny paw braced against his chin, “It isn’t danger that triggers it.”

Akira continued, “We were hoping that the palace was just a weird one-off and the threat of shadows would be enough to prompt your persona to come out. Maybe it’s the metaverse itself interfering…?” The last part was muttered out, mostly to himself.

While he took a moment to ponder, Minako felt a crushing exhaustion sweep through her. It felt like she had just gone through a very extensive run of Tartarus (and, well, this place could be considered the same thing, so it made sense). Her arms were beginning to shake under the weight of the naginata and her stomach was doing the thing it always did when it was running on empty.

“Akira-kun, I think I’m hitting my limit here.”

He nodded again, and away they were off to the entrance of Mementos at the top of the subway line. When they got off the catbus and headed for the stairs, Minako happened to catch a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. She stopped in her tracks and pivoted, then instantly scowled.

The blue haze of the jail door was there, tucked away into a corner of the platform. The door was still shut, but she knew better not to go over again. That was not the Velvet Room she knew.

“You see it too, huh?” Akira shoved his hands into his pockets and motioned with his chin towards the door. She nodded slowly, a bitter taste creeping into her mouth.

“That’s how I knew you were different. In Central Street,” He clarified when she looked back at him, “I was headed over there when I saw you talking to Lavenza.”

Minako tried to keep the accusation out of her tone, “She wouldn’t answer my questions.”

“I’m not surprised. She barely answers mine.”

“And Igor?”

He grimaced so fast she thought she dreamt it, “I don’t know him very well.”

“Really? He helped me out a lot back in Tartarus.” At that moment, she swayed quite dangerously on her feet, feeling her body scrape out the last reserves of energy.

“Let’s go then,” Akira cast her a sympathetic glance, “I know just the thing.”

                                                                  ~*~

They ended up at a diner near the entrance to Mementos. While it was no Le Blanc, it was still cozy and welcoming, blissfully quiet as the sun began to set.

Morgana was protesting that he wouldn’t be able to eat anything, but Akira just smiled, “I’ll get you some convenience store sushi,” He promised while shoving Morgana’s head into his school bag so they wouldn’t be thrown out of the establishment.

Lulled into a true state of sleepiness, Minako didn’t even notice she had ordered something until the steaming hot cup of tea was placed in front of her. She nodded in thanks to the staff member before taking a sip, chamomile and honey flooding her tongue.

Across from her Akira was quiet, sipping on his own coffee and poking at the pastry he ordered along with it. After a moment, he set aside his cup and tugged at his bangs, “Minako-san, you mentioned before that you were the leader of your own team, right?”

She peered up at him, swallowing another mouthful before nodding, “That’s right.”

“Were you able to control multiple personas like I can?”

“Yeah, actually. Guess we both have the same power?”

Akira then smiled, “That’s really cool then. I haven’t met anyone else that has a power exactly like mine.”

“Does Lavenza handle the fusing for you? There was a different attendant that helped Igor back when I visited him.”

“She does, but in a very…unconventional way.”

He made a brief face before returning to his food.

They spent the rest of the evening comparing notes, sharing how their experiences in being the leaders of their respective teams turned out to be quite similar. It made Minako feel seen in a way that she never really had before. Sure Aki and the rest of her friends understood the hell that they went through together, but the Velvet Room, being the Wild Card, gaining power through bonds…she always thought that was an experience that was solely hers. It was nice to know there was someone else who knew what it truly was like.

Then, Akira pushed his plate away, an expression on his face that made him look as young as he truly was.

“Minako-san..” He started, stopped, then stared into his cup, “Did you ever feel like it was really difficult? To be the leader of a supernatural team but also trying to be a regular teenager?”

She answered automatically, “Absolutely. I definitely stretched myself too thin trying to do it all, even if it fulfilled me.”

He fiddled with the rim of the cup, “I’m always happy to help people in need. It gives me purpose, if I’m being honest. To help people who have been trodden upon and right wrongs. But sometimes I feel like I’m so focused on others that I lose myself.”

Minako frowned in sympathy, waiting for him to continue.

A faraway look crossed over his face, “I love being in the Phantom Thieves, being Joker, but…I don’t know. It’s hard to pinpoint where the line is between Akira and Joker. And the Akira that I think I am versus the one everyone else sees.” He then slumped back into his seat and blinked, “Oh, sorry to just dump that on you. Not sure what came over me there.”

“No, it’s alright,” She then paused, taking the time to formulate her response. Wasn’t this the exact same thing she felt when talking to Mitsuru? Maybe it was a consequence of having the power to house multiple personas inside your soul, never knowing which one represented the real you.

“I think,” Minako told both Akira, and herself, “that wanting to help everyone is really admirable. But you have to remember that even with the powers we have, you can’t do it all. And you shouldn’t try to mold yourself into something different so that you can. You just do the best you can with the time that you have, and your loved ones should still care and support you no matter what.”

She then reached out to touch his arm lightly, “Our powers are amazing but an incredible burden. I think you’ve done really well despite not having anyone to mentor you.”

“Excuse me!” A muffled cry sounded from Akira’s bag, and the zipper burst open to reveal Morgana’s fluffy head, “He had me to guide him!”

The outburst immediately lightened the mood, and both of them smiled at the cat. Akira reached over and smushed his little head.

“He’s right of course,” The boy said, completely serious, “He taught me everything I know.”

“Well then, thank you Morgana.” For being there when I couldn’t.

It wasn’t too long after before Akira had to excuse himself, waving goodbye as he and Morgana headed home for the day. Minako thumped her head against the back of the booth, exhausted physically and emotionally. Though, she was pleased to be connecting more with Akira, grateful that he was so willing to open up to her despite not knowing each other for very long. It reminded her of her own friends, and how they confided in her shortly after transferring. She wasn’t there for him and the rest of the Phantom Thieves when she should have, but she would make it up to them, even if they were still wary about working with her. Befriending Akira was just the start.

Chapter Text

It was cold out. 

That in and of itself wasn't surprising. It was nearly the end of January after all. No, what was surprising was just how frigid it was. Gray clouds hung low in the sky, unleashing snow in a steady cadence. It wasn't a cute holiday wonderland outside but the type of winter that was sharp, bleak and desolate. 

Minako shivered, one of the only people brave enough to be traveling to Odaiba today. That was good because she was armed to the teeth with as much as she could carry for a solo expedition into the globe palace. Her evoker (useless, but she still couldn’t leave without it) was hidden in her coat, and her ski bag held not only her naginata but everything from their medicine cabinet she thought would help. Long gone were the days where she could just grab the weird concoctions from the Paulownia pharmacy, but hopefully this cognition thing would work on healing supplies too.

She made the trek alone to the construction site, footsteps swallowed up by snow almost as soon as they were created. This time she hopped the fence without hesitation, and her stomach felt like it was dropping for only a moment. Maybe she really was getting used to it.

When the world warped into the metaverse, Minako took a second to look up at the globe. It was exactly the same as the last time, and now that she was in a different reality, the night sky was clear and no snow was in sight. It was eerie how different the same place could be in seconds. There was also something comforting in the fact that this moon, even if it wasn’t real, wasn’t turning green anytime soon.

She traversed down the white path in quick, determined steps and reached the entrance in no time. There she shucked off her ski bag, unloading her naginata and smaller pouch that held all the medicinal supplies. She checked that her holster was secured around her waist and did some quick stretches to loosen her muscles that locked up in the frigid air.

“Alright” She said to herself, slapping her cheeks slightly, “Let's go.”

The elevator ride up was as nerve wracking as the first time but also not since she learned so much in the days since. At least now she knew what she was walking into. Did that make her even more crazy, now she was heading directly into the lion’s den? Maybe. But she wasted enough time waiting around for the Phantom Thieves, and Minako Arisato wasn’t one to sit idly by for long. 

When the doors slid open to the white atrium, Minako stopped short. There were now people milling about, stopping to look at the posters hanging on the whiteboards and talking with each other. They didn’t seem to notice her arrival, even as she approached closer.

“Hello?” She called, but there was not one response. Frowning, she went up to the nearest person, a businessman examining a poster, and tapped him on the shoulder. He continued to ignore her and brought a hand up to his chin as he read.

Curious, she leaned forward, wanting to see just what was so interesting that this man was willing to ignore her. The posters on the wall spoke of how when a person’s pain is condensed into a physical entity, it is able to be excised from the mind, amongst other scientific drivel.  She remembered glancing at these during her first visit, but she obviously did not take the time to digest the info. 

She turned away from this one and walked towards two women chatting excitedly, gesturing towards one of the doors off to the left.

“It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?” One clapped her hands together, “Becoming truly happy forever!”

The other woman answered, “I know! Soon we’ll be able to join the others in paradise!”

Minako waved her palm in front of both women, trying to get their attention. They didn’t so much as blink. She then tried tugging on one woman's arm, but she could've been a ghost for all they cared.

Irked, Minako heafted her naginata up and, in one fluid motion, brought the blade to the woman's neck, stopping just before it bit into skin.

No reaction.

She huffed and moved on, clearly not going to get any answers from these people. The doors off to the left that the group pointed at were still unlocked, so she retraced her steps from the last visit. Once again she headed up to the second auditorium. This time, a loud voice was cracking over the speakerphone, promising eternal happiness and salvation for anyone and everyone, they only needed to step through and take the assessment. What they were doing seemed to match what the research posters were outlining– that through cognitive actualization you could achieve the life you always wanted, your pain erased forever.

More people were in this room too, whispering excitedly to each other or waiting patiently for their turn to be called through the doors. When they did get up from their seats, they never returned. Minako watched for a while as more people disappeared, an unsettling feeling beginning to prickle at the back of her neck. Something about the way the crowd eagerly leapt at the chance to continue on, the plastic smiles on the workers’ faces as they welcomed them didn’t look right to her.  Minako moved on before someone forced her through those doors as well.

She took the only path accessible, which were the double doors off to the left. She vaguely remembered the path she took before being ambushed by the shadows and set off to retrace what she could, taking more care to examine the surroundings now that she wasn’t in a life or death dash. Unfortunately, it was still the same static white hallways, and she couldn’t find the exact path of her previous visit for the life of her.

What she did find, however, were more of the hulking, patrolling shadows with the swirl masks. This time though, she was prepared. Having her usual weapon plus getting her feet wet in Mementos made Minako a force to reckon with once again. While she didn’t have the flair of the dramatic like Akira did, she was able to use his trick of ambushing the shadows to end the fights quick and neat.  

She swept into a large auditorium, shaking the last of the shadows’ ichor off her naginata. Minako couldn’t help but feel pleased; the last battle here had been an adrenaline-pounding fight to stay alive with the Phantom Thieves, but so far the shadows she encountered were just enough of a challenge to get her warmed up, but not enough to make her fear. Was it that she just grew more confident with her own weapon beside her, or was the palace itself warping to her own perception of strength? Now that she learned the concept of the metaverse, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was influencing it in some way, if that was even how that worked.

Rounding the perimeter of the auditorium, there was another doorway at the back of the room, but it refused to budge no matter what she did to it. The only other exit was where she came from, effectively ending her exploration.

Minako poked around the rest of the space, noting the comically-large cameras that hung from the ceiling. They seemed to be off, but she couldn’t tell for sure. And in this place, she wouldn’t put it past the ruler to be watching her every move, wherever they were.

Not finding anything else notable here, she turned back the way she came. Jogging slightly with naginata in hand, she just reached the door before it shut in her face.  Panic flared into her chest when Minako realized that, just like on the opposite side, there was no way to force this door open.

She was trapped.

“Now, this is a surprise.”

Minako whirled around at the voice behind her, nearly jumping out of her skin. The door at the far end opened without even a hiss, and out strode a tall man. He wore a white ensemble, dark hair slicked back from dark eyes that were framed by thick glasses. On either side of him were the same humanoid shadows, but these ones wore white lab coats like physicians.

Her fingers clenched around her naginata, but her voice stayed steady, “Who are you?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You’re the one trespassing after all.”

“Trespassing…” She let the word hang in the air until the realization struck, “You’re the ruler of this palace, aren’t you?

He frowned, “Palace?” Then he blinked, “Oh, right. I just found out recently that’s what this place is called.” He braced a hand against his chin as he studied her, “You know, I thought you were one of those Phantom Thieves, but their energy signals have never felt quite like yours.”

The man walked closer, still scrutinizing her, and Minako had to resist the urge to take a step back, “No, not a Phantom Thief. I’m curious then, how did you get in here?”

Minako swept her eyes up and down the man. He was tall, but lanky. It didn’t look like he was particularly athletic either. It had been a long time since she faced another human, but she was fairly certain she could take this guy in a fight.

It was his powers, unknown as they were, that gave her pause.

“I’m not sure,” She answered him truthfully, “I saw the big globe from outside the construction site and decided to investigate.” Minako gestured with her arm, “Interesting place you’ve got going on here. Just what are you doing with those people?”

He immediately brightened, “Oh! They are on their way to a life without pain. I’m Dr. Maruki and I’m hoping my research will help guide them to eternal happiness.”

 Minako was unsure she heard him right, “What do you mean?”

Pacing back and forth, Dr. Maruki said, “This world is filled with suffering. War, poverty… grief, ” She could have been imagining it, but she thought his voice caught on the last word, “Trauma is a terrible phenomenon, turning people into shells of their former selves.” Dark eyes flicked back to Minako, though they had a far-away glint to them, “So I made it my life’s goal to end that suffering. To bring people the joy that they deserve, forever.”

He continued to talk without waiting for her to respond, seemingly excited to share his life’s work with an audience.

“I’m a counselor as my main career. I’ve seen so much anguish from so many people, people who didn’t deserve it,” He glanced at his shadow companions, “And then I was granted this power I didn’t understand, but I knew I could use it to help those who have been harmed unfairly.”

“So, you’re removing trauma from those people’s lives?” She asked, skeptical.

“I am guiding them to eternal happiness,” He repeated, “Not only here either, but to the people on the outside as well.”

Minako stilled, a small kernel of alarm worming its way into her gut, “...What?”

“If you are able to see the palace from the real world, I’m sure you’ve noticed my influence then,” He smiled, “I am merely helping all the people of Tokyo by removing their pain, giving them the life they’ve always wanted– free of strife.”

After his monologue, Maruki paused as if to await her reaction. Silence fell over the room as Minako digested his words. 

Removing people’s pain… The thought bounced around her skull. Eternal happiness… She thought of all the people she’d met since waking up. That barista in the underground mall that got engaged. The people in Central Street who found their lost dog. How joyful the general populace seemed no matter where she went.

Not only that, but she thought about her own friends and the contentment they felt. The dreams they have accomplished. Not that she wasn’t ecstatic that they were now at a point in their lives where they were truly happy, the more she thought about the more the pieces didn’t fit together. Sure, Shinji could’ve recovered from his coma while she was the seal, but from what she understood the effects of the persona suppressants were disastrous. The way all of them relocated to the same place at the same time despite their crazy schedules. Mitsuru even said that something seemed off, both in the world and in the Kirijo Group’s data.

Ice made its way down her spine, and Minako’s heart began to beat loudly in her ears as the pieces connected together. Horror rose until it was a crescendo and she stared at Maruki, almost too afraid to utter the words out loud.

“It’s you,” She nearly whispered, “You’re the one that’s affecting reality.”

As if blind to her dread, Maruki nodded seriously, “Yes, now you understand! People are no longer living lives of pain and sorrow. They are achieving everything they’ve wanted, getting everything they deserve for a joyful existence.”

She stared at him, dumbfounded. He thought that what he was doing was the right thing? Just how many lives has this man screwed up in the name of his own insane ideals? Minako felt the fury build and build, until she couldn’t hold it back anymore. Right in front of her was the real enemy she’d been looking for this whole time. The mastermind behind it all. And now, there was nowhere to run. She was going to deal with him right there, right now.

She pointed her naginata right at his chest, “I’m sure you don’t see it this way, but you’ve made a terrible mistake, Maruki.”

The doctor’s face hardened, “I’m not sure I understand-”

“No, you don’t understand,” She cut him off, “Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve made puppets out of those people, controlling their lives based on what you think would make them happy. Did you ever consider that you might not have their best interests at heart?”

Instead of snapping back at her, Maruki just looked…sad. They stared at each other from across the room, Minako still posed to strike, but he didn’t reciprocate.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” His voice was soft. Minako was taken aback by the sympathy crossing Maruki’s eyes, “You must’ve had a lot of pain in your life, huh?”

Her grip on her naginata was so tight her knuckles were pale, “We’re not talking about me.”

“Ah, but we are. You’re just one more victim in the tragedy of life,” Maruki shook his head, “All I want to do is to remove that pain, so you won’t feel so miserable.”

Minako bared her teeth, “You know nothing about me.”

“But I’ve seen others like you before,” He strode towards her, seemingly unintimidated by the sharp blade he was coming closer to, “Experiencing a trauma no human being should ever go through, suffering greatly due to no fault of your own. Wouldn’t it be better if that was just removed? A happier, more fulfilled person?”

Against her better judgement, she paused. What kind of person would she have become, had she not experienced the Fall? Or if she hadn’t joined SEES? Hell, how would she have turned out if her parents and brother never died in that car crash at all?

Would she have been happier in those timelines?

No. Minako told herself fiercely. No matter what had happened to her, it made her stronger. The bonds with her friends made her a better person, dragging her out of that hole she had been in for years, uncaring how time passed her by.

Because of what she’d been through, she died saving this world that had given her so much with no hesitation.

“Tell me something, Maruki,” Frost laced her words, “Why is it that you claim your powers remove all pain, yet don’t seem to affect me?”

He cocked his head, “What do you mean?”

“You haven’t granted me eternal happiness. If you had known that, you wouldn’t have brought me back to life.”

“...Come again?”

Minako pointed at herself, “I’m not supposed to be alive, Maruki. I died in 2010, protecting everyone from a world-ending threat. That is what I wanted, what I chose for myself. So tell me why I’m here. ”

Maruki seemed to genuinely mull over her question before that same sorrowful look crossed his face. “If I had to guess, someone’s, or many someones, idea of eternal happiness included you.”

Even though he was standing a few feet away from her, he might as well have punched her in the gut from the way the air rushed out of her. She felt as if she was underwater, all sensations muted. Minako felt herself stagger forward a step, and Maruki tensed.

“ No,”  She shook her head, “That can’t be it.”

“While I can’t say for sure,” Maruki said cautiously, “that’s what I believe happened. You are not the only one whose loved ones willed back to life.”

Their faces flashed through her mind. Ken. Shinjiro. Yukari. Fuuka. Aigis. Rio. Maiko. Bebe.

Akihiko.

She wrestled the rising panic until it was shoved aside, and let fury take its place. That was good. Fury was familiar, fury was safe. Fury helped her in situations just like this and gave her strength when all she wanted to do was curl up and let defeat take over.

Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and readjusted her grip on her naginata. Maruki sensed the change and likewise he narrowed his eyes, tracking her movements carefully.

“No matter what, this is your doing, right?” Minako said, voice low. “That means you need to be disposed of.”

She didn’t give him a chance to reply before she attacked. Aiming to have this over quickly, she swung the blade right at his neck with as much force as she could muster. Maruki reacted just as quickly, barely even raising his arm before a slew of tentacles shot out of thin air, stopping her strike long before it ever reached his skin. She applied more force to the blade, intending to cut right through the thick muscle like any other appendage. Instead, it was like she hit concrete. Minako struggled a little bit more, trying to get her weapon to slash through, but it wasn’t budging.

The tentacle gave a shove, and she was thrown backwards. Her shoes skidded on the floor but she kept her balance, but she only had a second before a barrage of tentacles were coming at her. Minako emptied her brain and reacted purely on muscle memory, deflecting each strike with her naginata. In a break of the blows, she sprung to the side, running as fast as she could. 

The tendrils followed, nearly at her heels. She rounded the corner of the room, gaining momentum. And she leaped, using the motion to spin and bringing her weapon down right as she crested her jump. Maruki met her attack with two more tentacles to protect his head. This time though, the strength of her blow was so strong it sliced through both. Maruki threw up his hands and a dozen of the creepy things surrounded him, cocooning him off briefly from any more slashes from her. 

It was a tiring game of tug of war. Any time Minako thought she had an advantage, Maruki would find a way to weasel out of them, even going as far as to regrow any tentacles that she managed to shear off. Likewise, Maruki was struggling against her. It could’ve been that he wasn’t actually trying to kill her, but as the battle wore on Minako found it slightly easier to weave in between strikes, even if he did manage to slice her own skin several times. 

After the last clash, both of them sprang apart, breathing heavily. Her limbs felt like jello, blood dripping into her eye from a cut on her forehead, and Minako knew that she couldn’t keep this up for much longer. And If she knew any better, she would’ve thought that this random guy was nearly as strong as Nyx, as absurd as the notion was.

“I must commend you,” Maruki said, startling her somewhat, “I was not expecting you to put up this much of a fight.”

Minako ignored him, but a spark of satisfaction shot through her. Even on her own, even without a persona, she still hold her own against powerful enemies, not just regular shadows. That being the seal for years didn’t degrade her skills completely. 

But, she was running on fumes now. This needed to end, but she wasn’t quite sure how. Her blade was getting dull, her attacks less effective, and if she managed to keep up before, she knew she’d be doomed if she tried to continue as she was. 

Instead, she tried a new tactic. She tore her evoker from its holster, but instead of aiming it at herself, she pointed the barrel at Maruki’s head. The doctor paused, eyeing this new development in their battle. From behind his glasses, she caught a flash of fear in his dark eyes and felt a bit of triumph. It only lasted for a moment before the panic set in, because she knew that the gun wasn’t real. No bullets would be finding their way to his brain.

But what was that Akira said about the metaverse? You expected something to happen, so it did? She had nothing else to lose, so she hedged all bets.

“It’s time you paid for what you’ve done,” Minako growled, and pulled the trigger, willing with everything she had that a bullet would materialize somehow.

Unfortunately, Minako had never been good at betting.

Maruki had reacted instantly, shielding himself from an incoming attack. When it didn’t happen, he peered from behind his wall of tentacles in confusion. When he saw that the gun was basically useless, he lowered his shield. However, he didn’t take the opportunity to retaliate. Maruki stood on his side of the room, looking at her so pityingly it burned.

Minako was paralyzed, her arm dropping to her side numbly. Then, the reality of her failure came in one giant wave.

No…

This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be stuck in this weird place outside of reality with a madman who thought it best to bring her back to life for his own amusement. She wasn’t going to die at the hands of this same madman, and let all those people go on believing that life was without hardships, but without growth too.

This was not how this was supposed to go.

“Persona!” A sob tore from her throat as she pressed the muzzle to her skull. She pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

“Per..sona..” She tried again, but another empty click seemed to echo throughout the damned room.

“... please.” Minako begged, feeling tears of desperation slip down her cheeks. Help me, Ryoji.

Maruki just looked at her with genuine sorrow.

When his tentacles rushed at her, Minako closed her eyes. She tried to think of Aki, of all her friends, so that her last moments alive wouldn’t be filled with sterile tile and the dark eyes of a man determined to ruin the world. 

Instead of tearing her to shreds, however, the masses just encircled her. She couldn’t see with the cocoon, but she heard the whoosh of wind, and then an intense vertigo as she seemed to swoop and sway. She was outside now, deposited unceremoniously at the entrance to the palace.

She stared up in frozen horror at the palace’s globe. Unable to keep standing, she fell to her knees.

And then, Minako screamed.

The sound was swallowed up by the snow. 

~*~

She didn't know where she was going until the train stopped at Yongen-Jaya. Ever since she left the palace, a cold detachment spread throughout her body; every sensation passed by in faint impressions, never quite feeling real. Her feet carried her through bustling streets, but Minako didn't notice the people passing by. Faces were just blurs, words were just sounds. It wasn't until the jingle of Le Blanc's door chimed did her senses sharpen into something tangible.

Warmth radiated into her numb limbs, but she barely registered the feeling. The cafe was devoid of customers but not empty. Several people relaxed in the back booths and at the bar, talking in hushed tones to match the quiet atmosphere.

Then she saw him and her eyes narrowed. Suddenly, any lifelessness vanished and was replaced by a storm. Anger and resentment swirled around her, a hot torpedo of anguish settling right underneath her skin. She welcomed the familiar heat of rage and Minako was crossing the room before her mind could even register what she was doing. 

Her fingers grabbed Akira's collar and yanked hard so that he bent over. Red eyes met gray and she saw surprise flicker through them when he saw the fire burning behind hers. 

“Woah, hey!” One of the Phantom Thieves shouted, but she ignored them.

Minako snarled, “You knew this whole time?!”

Panic briefly flared across his face before an impassive mask settled over it.

“ Answer me.” She shook his collar again, and in the back of her mind she registered how funny of a sight this was; a 5’3” woman accosting a boy much taller and younger than she.

“Minako-san, stop!” Haru– maybe–was calling her name, while Ryuji and Yusuke tried to pry her off of Akira. They only got one arm before she shook free of them and grasped Akira's collar once more.

“You knew ,” She spat again. Underneath all the anger was, strangely enough, the pain of betrayal. Maybe she thought too highly of Akira, assuming that because they shared the same power they would have shared the same morals as well. 

If the roles were reversed, she would have done everything to help a stranded friend.

“The way this world is wrong. How everyone are just puppets under one freak's ideals. You knew what was going on the whole time, and you didn't think to tell me?!”

“We didn't want to involve you,” Akira's voice was quiet.

“Newsflash, Kurusu. I was involved as soon as I woke up on New Year's Day.” 

Minako let go of Akira, letting the others drag her off of the boy. As he retreated from her, she caught Akechi's eye from where he was standing behind the rest of the group. He looked away, face hardened.

“You should've told me about Maruki,” The words hissed out between clenched teeth.

“Look, Minako-san,” Makoto's voice was trying to be soothing, which just made her want to grab her too, “We were not trying to lead you astray deliberately. Maruki is a special circumstance that only we are equipped to deal with.”

“We would've felt terrible if you got hurt while trying to help us,” Ann added. 

Minako collapsed into a booth seat, head braced into her hands. Objectively, she understood her rationale. After all, didn’t she encounter similar situations like that during her time in SEES. Even so, she knew that withholding information never did anyone any good, and their placations did nothing to quell the storm. 

“Why are you getting so worked up anyway?” Ryuji demanded, “We're the ones that have to deal with Maruki's fucked up powers.”

“Maruki is manipulating reality so that there is no pain. No suffering,” Minako said flatly, raising her head to look the boy straight into his eyes,“He is making those decisions on what he thinks will bring happiness, whether that's small pleasures…or bringing someone back to life.”

Futaba made a small noise of sympathy, “You too, huh?”

Minako shook her head slowly, “No, actually, I was the one revived.” 

The atmosphere immediately sharpened.

“You mean to say…you were dead at one point?” Yusuke asked quietly.

She didn’t dare look over at Akechi, “That’s right. You can look me up in case you don’t believe me.”

“It’s not that we don’t believe you, it’s just…” Haru trailed off, looking troubled.

“Just like what happened with our parents,” Futaba finished sadly, sharing a look between her, Haru, and Makoto.

“Someone wanted you back alive so badly that Maruki’s powers answered,” Akira guessed in a way that sounded more like a fact than a question.

Minako hesitated, then said, “I think it’s a little more complicated than that.”

He arched one dark eyebrow, barely visible between his glasses and his hair, “What do you mean?”

Everyone’s attention on her, Minako paused, taking a moment to collect herself. Once her anger was safely locked away and she felt more composed, she began to speak.

“So, remember how I told you about how we defeated Nyx and prevented the fall?” There were nods of agreement, “Well. That wasn’t the end of the story.”

She paused again. Somehow, it was harder explaining it to the rest of the Phantom Thieves than it was to Akechi, “Nyx wasn’t really defeated by the whole team, though they really helped in whittling her health down enough. I had a unique sort of power given to me that allowed me to create a seal between Nyx and humanity. The tradeoff, of course, was my life.”

Minako let the words hang in the air. The teenagers were so quiet she could hear the humming of the coffee machines, the wind rattling the awning outside. She opened her mouth to continue when Makoto spoke first.

“You’ve been dead for seven years?”

She nodded.

“And then just one day poof! and you were alive again?” The confusion was plain on Ryuji’s face.

She nodded again, “I woke up on New Year’s Day older than when I died, in a place I did not recognize, years of my life seemingly missing. I’ve been trying to figure out what happened to me ever since.”

“How awful, waking up confused and being in the dark for weeks,” Sumire covered her mouth with her hand, a distressed expression crossing her face.

“There’s more to it too. All of my friends, my former SEES teammates–they think that I’ve been there the entire time, living this reality with them,” Minako’s brows knitted together, “Not only that, I think being this seal caused some sort of block on my personas during my revival, but that one’s just conjecture.”

Akira made a thinking noise at the back of his throat, “I knew you were strong from the first day I met you. But the question is how did someone so powerful get caught up in Maruki's schemes?”

“Wait a minute,” Futaba gasped, “If you’re here, who’s guarding your Nyx seal?”

“Shit, do we have to fight another stupid god-thing?” Ryuji threw his hands up.

“No–well, I don’t know,” Minako admitted, “I’m not sure what’s going on there, but I can promise you that you’d know if the Fall was happening. Everything seems to be okay for now.”

Makoto raised a hand to her chin, getting them back on track, “We know that Maruki’s reality is caused by strong desires from the populace. Maybe it’s not so far-fetched to believe that all your loved ones missed you so much, Maruki could override your seal and bring you back.”

Minako doubted that anyone could be capable enough to undermine the power of the Universe, but she kept those thoughts to herself. She didn’t have any other theories to offer, either.

If what Makoto was suggesting was true, then that meant her friends were the ones responsible. That Maruki was telling the truth. They had loved her so much, missed her for all these years, that they invalidated her sacrifice just by wishing she was there with them, even if they didn’t really mean to.

Incredulous fury and warm affection warred with each other in her chest.

Akira moved from his spot and approached her, crouching so that they were eye level. He placed his hand on her shoulder, “It’s going to be okay.” His voice was gentle, and he didn’t seem to hold her earlier aggression against her.

“Yeah!” Ann piped up, “No more hiding from each other, it’s obvious you’re just as deep in it as we are. So we’re going to get to the bottom of this together!”

Minako sagged then, physical and mental exhaustion hitting her; she felt the tears start to rise but made no effort to conceal them, feeling the slow wetness trickle down her cheeks. Despite their rocky start (and middle, and present), the relief she felt at their support hit like a truck. It really hadn’t sunk in just how lonely she’d been since waking up, or maybe she just didn’t want to face that fact. Either way, she truly was grateful that they were all finally on the same page.

“Right,” she nodded at the group of teenagers, “Let’s get this asshole.”

Chapter Text

In the following days, the Phantom Thieves took Minako back into Mementos when they got out of school. Mostly so that she could continue to shake the lead out of her muscles, but more so that they could learn each other’s fighting styles in preparation for the assault. Skull was like Junpei, all brawn with explosive physical skills, whereas Panther reminded her of Yukari, equipped with magic and healing. And then there were the outliers, like Queen and Noir, where she couldn’t make heads nor tails of the elements that they commanded. That was fine though, since she let Joker remain the leader of his team. She was just a guest at their party, and she wasn’t going to interfere with their already established strategies, especially when nearly her entire arsenal was out of reach.

It felt good though, training and getting to know these teenagers. They were incredibly strong and determined, each having faced their own unique brand of horror. And, Minako didn’t blame them when they told her they initially wanted to stay in the perfect reality Maruki crafted for them. They were just kids at the end of the day.

Just like us. 

 If Minako hadn’t known from the beginning that something was wrong, it was hard to say whether or not she would have chosen to break free either. So, no, she couldn’t fault them when the true reality was so painful. 

One afternoon, while exchanging texts with Akira as he was in class (“ Focus on your lessons!” she wrote to him, feeling like Mitsuru now more than ever), Akihiko had surprised her by barrelling in through the door, drinks and treats in hand.

“Aki?” She removed her feet from the coffee table as he blustered into the living room, “Why aren’t you at work?’

Silver eyes sparkled, “I took the day off.”

That set off alarm bells, “...Why?”

It seemed like he couldn’t keep the grin from his face. “No reason. Here, I got you your favorite.” The drink he handed her was warm, even through the cardboard sleeve, and the caramel aroma filled the air.

“Did you know,” Aki continued on nonchalantly, “they opened up a Chagall’s here in Tokyo recently?”

“What? No way!” Pure joy lept into her heart as she raised the drink to her lips, the nostalgia making the coffee taste even better than she remembered. 

He handed her the box as well, “And some croissants to go with it.”

One was already in her stomach and the second halfway chewed before her thoughts caught up, “Not that I don’t appreciate the presents, but you’re acting seriously strange, Akihiko.”

“I’m always like this,” He shrugged the comment off, then looked at his phone, “Hey, it’s supposed to be nice outside, why don’t we go for a walk in the park?”

Minako immediately looked to the window, where the snow was falling in slow flurries. She turned back to him, raising an eyebrow, “It’s snowing.”

“Is it?” He feigned surprise, and boy was he bad at that. Her sweet, sweet Aki was as earnest as they come, and subtlety was not his strong suit. “Well, we used to run in thunderstorms so a little snow won’t hurt.”

And she found she couldn’t argue. Not when he smiled like that. It was the rare soft kind that he rarely showed- she only saw it a handful of times herself, like when they went on their Christmas date. Minako realized, yet again, of how many moments she missed seeing this smile.

“Alright,” She conceded, and watched as Akihiko’s smile broadened while her heart did flip flops. She allowed him to help her into her coat and scarf, and then they were off into the day.

Yoyogi park was on the opposite end of Tokyo from Inokashira Park. but that didn’t make it any less beautiful. The snow fell lazily, spiraling down in those big fluffy flakes that get caught in your hair and easy to land on your tongue. The whole landscape had been transformed into one you saw in the movies, white blanketing everything within reach,  the world blissfully silent as the snow dampened any sound. 

Minako ran ahead, arms out and spinning; she danced in between the flakes to a beat only she could hear. She laughed with glee as snow dusted her mittens, her eyelashes. The air felt cleansing in her lungs, a sharpness that brought clarity around her. Minako took a few more steps before realizing Akihiko wasn’t following. She looked behind her shoulder and saw him standing still, eyes drawn upwards to the clouds. He had a pensive look on his face, not his tactician look but one more wistful. She traced his gaze and far off in the distance the sky was getting dark. Weird, she didn’t see a snowstorm in today’s forecast.

“Aki?” She called, and he started out of his reverie.

“Oh, sorry,” He jogged to catch up to her, “Lost in thought for a second there.”

She tilted her head to the side, eyes searching, “Anything you want to talk about?” Minako felt a stab of guilt then. Akihiko spent this whole time dealing with her feelings, and she hadn’t bothered to return the favor.

Akihiko shook his head, “Nah. Nothing to worry about. Come on,” He grabbed her hand in his own, and they set off at a leisurely pace.

They talked about nothing and everything. She asked about his work was going, and he told her that the captain of his squad was on track to get a promotion and hey, they might consider him to take over his role! Minako tried really hard not to let her smile become strained; he didn’t know that was probably Maruki’s machinations at play.

Then, she spotted a snowdrift up ahead. Feeling a flash of mischief, she dashed away from Akihiko. Before he could protest, Minako scooped up a handful of snow, swiftly forming it into a ball and pivoting. Her aim was nearly spot on, the snowball pelting Akihiko right in the shoulder.

“Hey!” He exclaimed, before another one landed square on his chest. He narrowed his eyes at her as she stuck her tongue out, waving her hand that held another snowball ready for throwing. 

“Oh no you don’t,” He growled playfully, then bent to create a snowball of his own. He must have missed her on purpose, because the ball arched way over her head.

Minako goaded him, “Come on, Aki, I know you can do better than that.”

Determination flashed through his eyes, and a second later Minako felt snow cover her gut. She grinned ferociously and lobbed another snowball before turning and running, not wanting to make herself an easy target.

Akihiko let out a laugh and followed, shovelling more snow into his hand as he went. They ran around the park like children, shrieking and laughing as they covered each other in snow. Minako broke away from Akihiko, jogging up ahead to get to the fluffier untouched snow. She giggled to herself as she formed the snowball in her mittens, giddy, and turned on her heel, arm poised to throw.

He wasn’t there. Minako blinked, then angled her gaze downwards. Akihiko had gotten down on one knee, and it took her a few moments to focus on the thing he held in his hand.

It was a small box, and in it was a diamond ring that sparkled.

The world stilled. Minako felt her heart nearly stop in her chest, and all feeling left her limbs. Her arm slowly fell to her side, barely registering the muted thud of the snowball hitting the ground next to her boots. Akihiko smiled up at her, that same soft smile from earlier.

“What…” She croaked out, but her voice failed her.

Akihiko’s voice was reverent, “I- well. Ever since Yukari said it at the movie premier, it’s been on my mind a-and,” She watched as his cheeks reddened and not from the cold, “I-it kinda hit me that she was right and-”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, she saw all the stars in the sky, “Minako Arisato, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

.

.

Was she breathing? Yes, there was the rise and fall of her chest, but it felt like she couldn’t get air. It felt like she was looking at herself from outside her body, and that this was happening to someone else, not her. The wind started to pick up, icy gusts blowing her hair out of sorts, but she didn’t move to brush it back into place.

She knew she was supposed to be happy. She was happy; she wanted this day to happen ever since he asked her to be his girlfriend on the Gekkoukan rooftop, but never dared to dream it would become a reality. And that was the thing, wasn’t it? It didn’t become reality, not in the true reality. 

Minako stared at him, and it must’ve been longer than Akihiko was expecting because that smile that she loved so much slid off his face, “Minako?” He asked, tense.

At that moment, her legs gave out, and her knees slammed hard into the ground. Snow immediately began to melt onto her clothes, but she ignored it. She stared at her palms for several more heartbeats, eyes stinging, before burying her face into them. 

“Oh, Mina-” Akihiko rushed out, hurrying to put the box away and placing his hands on her shoulders, “I’m sorry, I thought–It was–”

She shook her head violently, cutting him off mid sentence. How could she explain? How could she tell Akihiko, the love of her life, that she didn’t know if he was asking her to marry him because he wanted to, or because Maruki thought that’s what Akihiko wanted? If he thought that’s what Minako wanted? She hated that she was second-guessing something as important as this, which should’ve been the easiest decision of her life. 

The tears came fast, too fast to hold back. Hot and salty rivers cut through her numbed cheeks and fell into her gloved hands. She sobbed like she never had before, all her feelings from the past several days catching up to her.

“Please, Mina, talk to me,” Akihiko begged, but it was still several seconds before Minako wrestled control back over her emotions. She took shuddering breaths, chest tight, before finally raising her head to look him in the eyes.

The look on his face made the tears well up again almost instantly. He looked so concerned, so frightened over her reaction.

“Look,” he said gently, “if you don’t want to, I’ll understand,” His voice cracked slightly, and with it her heart, “But I just want to know why.”

“No!” She shrieked, voice near hysterical, “No, it’s not that, it’s-” Another sob choked her off, and more tears spilled over.

A crease formed between Akihiko’s eyebrows, “Then talk to me! You’ve been acting so weird ever since New Year’s,” He swallowed, “I’ve been trying to help you but I can’t if you don’t tell me what’s going on. The whole truth.” His voice broke again, “Don’t you trust me?”

He could have just driven a knife into her heart and it would’ve felt better. Fighting Nyx didn’t hurt as much as this. Losing Shinjiro didn’t hurt as much as this. Dying didn’t hurt as much as this. 

She lowered her head so her chin dropped to her chest, “I’m sorry,” the words could barely squeak out around her swollen throat. Akihiko, in all of his credit, let her have this, worrying more about her than the fact that she just broke his heart. 

Minako coughed, forcing out the words a little louder, “I’m sorry. I’m– I don’t even know how…” She took another shuddering breath, digging the heels of her hands into her burning eyes, “It’s all wrong.”

“What is?”

She gestured frantically around them, “You. Me. This.” 

“I don’t understand Minako. What do you mean?”

Any explanation she could give would’ve sounded insane, even coming from her. No, she had to have physical proof, something undeniable to explain just what the hell was going on. 

She slowly crept up onto her feet, brushing away the snow and wincing at her damp knees. She held out a shaky hand to Akihiko, “I need you to come with me.”

The fact that he hesitated taking her hand sent another knife into her chest. It had been a long time since Akihiko ever questioned her. He seemed to be thinking the same thing because he took a deep breath and reached out to her. His hand was cold underneath her glove.

“Where are we going?” He asked as she led the way to the train station, shoulders hunched and steps slow. During the short trek the sky had completely darkened over, the wind picking up even more and snow pelting them like little shards of glass. 

“Odaiba.”

~*~

The distance between the park and the city was blissfully short, the train ride only taking twenty minutes or so. She was thankful for the short commute, because it was one of the most uncomfortable rides she’d ever had. In stark contrast to earlier, Akhiko was stiff beside her, eyes glued to the door. He wasn’t leaning away from her, but he didn’t make any effort to wrap his arms around her or thread his fingers with hers. It was clear that he had no idea what to do with these new developments. 

When the speakers announced their arrival and the doors opened, Minako led the charge out into the streets. She didn’t look behind to see if Akihiko was following, she knew that he would keep his word, even if the trust had been fractured. She walked quickly, the only sounds were the crunching of their boots on the snow. Even if the cold soaked into her bones, she was thankful that the bad weather was keeping all the people inside.

They rounded the corner to the construction site, and Minako felt Akihiko pull to a sharp halt behind her. The globe loomed over them, a monument to one man’s hubris. 

He walked towards the fence like a man towards the gallows, “What the hell is that ?”

“That,” She said to his back, voice hollow, “is the cause of all this.”

Akihiko looked back at her, and in his eyes she saw her own terror reflected back at her. He didn’t say anything though, just waited for her to continue.

Minako shoved her hands in her pockets and moved to stand beside him at the fence. She gazed up at the globe, remembering all the horrors that lay within. She could almost feel Maruki shaking his head in that mockingly pitiful way of his, almost imagining him whispering in her ear that this was the product of her own making.

“Remember how several weeks ago, we noticed this weird phenomenon that everyone seemed to have the best life ever?”

“...Yes?”

“Well, we were right. It was off . And,” she gestured at the globe, “that is the reason why.”

Akihiko frowned, “What’s inside?”

“A madman named Maruki. He's using his persona to try  to create a world  without pain, and without growth.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“If you think about it,” She turned to him, trying her best to keep her voice even, “you can see why he’s doing it. It hurts to see people go through hard times, even worse to go through them yourself. He wants to make everything perfect so no one suffers anymore,”

Akihiko seemed lost; he looked at her, then at the globe, then at his hands. “But if you don’t face hardships…you never grow. Never become a better person.”

“That’s not how he sees it.”

“And how do you know?” 

“I…may have gone in there and fought Maruki myself.”

“ What?!” She winced at his tone, “Minako, you know better than to go into enemy territory, alone, unarmed!”

“I know, I know, it was stupid. But I couldn’t sit around doing nothing!”

“You should’ve called us!”

“I couldn’t!” She cried, desperately trying to make him see, “You’re all working so hard to live normal lives and I just…couldn’t. I couldn’t do that to all of you.”

Akhiko suddenly grabbed her shoulders with both hands, giving her a little shake, “But we would’ve done it anyway! Haven’t you learned by now that you don’t have to do everything alone?” The anger seemed to leave him in a rush, because Akihiko hung his head and whispered, “I can’t lose you. Not another person I love.”

Her heart leapt into her throat, and she swallowed around the lump.

“Akihiko,” She said faintly, reaching up to pry her hands off her shoulders and hold them in her own, “I…I'm already gone.”

His brow furrowed instantly, “What?”

Minako swallowed, fighting to keep calm, “I’m not supposed to be alive right now, in 2017. I died on Graduation Day in 2010, shortly after we defeated Nyx. I’ve been the seal between her and the Earth for nearly a decade now, but I got caught up in Maruki’s power and have been brought back to life.”

He stared at her, mouth slightly open but no noise coming out. Then he shook his head hurriedly, “What-no, no. That’s not true. You’ve been here this whole time! You….” he trailed off and blinked hard. 

“Aki..”

“You were there,” His voice started to sound frenzied, “Graduation, university, getting our first apartment, helping out in Inaba, you were there ,” Silver eyes became glassy, “Weren’t you?”

She owed it to him to not look away, but her voice was barely audible, “I’m sorry.”

He looked back at the globe, face pinched. He seemed to be searching for something within the bright lights. After several heartbeats, Akihiko turned his gaze back to her. 

And he was crying.

“You were dying.” He said, “on the rooftop.”

Her breath caught in her chest, and she nodded,  “You took me from Aigis. You were the last thing I heard before everything faded away.”

Akihiko reached out to touch her cheek, fingers icy, “I screamed when you stopped breathing. They had to pry my hands off of you.” He sounded so devastated, “You died. How could I forget?”

A few tears escaped as she said, “You’re not to blame. Maruki’s influence affected you all.”

He cradled her face in his hand, “But you’re here. You’re alive! How are you alive?” Before she could answer, he crushed her against him, weeping into her shoulder, “I missed you so much, Minako. I never stopped missing you.”

She hugged him back with the same intensity, trying to convey all that she felt. All the anger and grief and loneliness and helplessness and relief and pride and grief and grief and grief. 

When they could finally detangle themselves from each other, they sat down on a bench, the globe looming over the both of them through swirls of snow.

“This guy –Maruki? – he’s the one who’s done all of this?”

His hand was clutched tight in hers, “Yeah. I don’t know the whole story but he has some sort of power that I don’t understand, but he’s been manipulating reality for several weeks now.”

“How is that even possible?”

She shrugged one shoulder, “How was it possible for there to be a secret 25th hour in the day?”

Akihiko paused, “Good point.”

“Either way, like I said before, he’s obsessed with creating the “perfect reality”. No pain, no hardships, just everything all hunky dory all the time.”

“And what does that have to do with you..coming back to life?” The catch in his voice was small, but it was there.

“Apparently, his powers also work on wish fulfillment. Someone, or many someones, wanted me back alive so badly that Maruki responded.”

Guilt crossed Akihiko’s face, “Mina–”

“It’s okay,” She cut him off gently. “I don’t blame you for missing me. I don’t blame anyone. That’s how life works, when you miss someone you wish they were there with you.” She gave a small smile, “And, well, here I am.”

“Here you are.” Akihiko echoed quietly. 

“I’ve been working hard on trying to defeat Maruki and return life back to normal, but I’ve only recently gotten a breakthrough.”

“And what happens when Maruki is defeated?” He asked in that same quiet voice.

Minako didn’t have an answer. She let the silence hang between them for several long moments.

“Aki,” She murmured, “do you see now? I want to marry you. I want to give you everything I have. But I just can’t. I don’t know how long this will last, if it will last at all and I,” She took a shuddering breath, “All I want is for you guys to keep moving forward whether I’m there or not.”

He surprised her by pressing his lips to hers, gently first but then like he was starving for her, like he finally realized that seven years had gone by without her. 

When they broke apart, Akihiko rested his forehead against hers. His eyes were still wet but voice steady when he said, “But you’re here now, aren’t you? No matter the circumstances, I’m so happy to have you back.” 

The feeling of weightlessness crashed over her, and it took Minako a minute to realize that it was several weeks of stress melting off her shoulders. The Phantom Thieves were sympathetic to her plight, but now someone very dear to her had broken free of the spell, and it felt like she was finally able to take a full breath again.

“Thank you,” She whispered.

Akihiko swiped his thumbs across her cheeks, “You don’t have to thank me, Mina. It’s what I’m here for.” He then paused and looked away, closing his eyes for the briefest of moments.

“What is it?”

He fished around in his pocket, drawing out the ring box again. Minako immediately frowned at him.

“Aki…”

“I know,” He held up his free hand, “We might not know how long you’ll be around but,” His voice seemed to catch again, “But I really want to make the most of the time that we have – if you still want to, that is.” He rushed out at the end. 

Minako looked from his face to the ring and back again. But really, there was only one answer that she could give.

“Yes,” She breathed out, “Yes, of course.”

~*~

On the way back home from Odaiba, Minako caught herself glancing at the ring on her finger and smiling. The weight of it just felt so natural, like it was meant to be there. And this time, she knew that it wasn’t Maruki’s interference making her feel that way.

When they opened the door to their apartment, Minako pulled up short. 

The entirety of SEES was milling about in the living room, chatting amongst each other while Ken was bustling around the kitchen. She shrugged off her coat in confusion, turning to Akihiko to ask, “What’s going on?”

“Mina-tan!” Jumpei jumped up from the couch and led her into the room.

“What are you all doing here?” She asked again, glancing at the surprising amount of alcohol on her coffee table.

There was a pause as the group exchanged looks with each other.

“Minako..” Fuuka said gently, “Don’t you know what day it is?”

She screwed up her face, “Tuesday?”

Shinjiro let out a sound that could’ve been a laugh, but then turned into a cough.

“It’s January 31st, Minako,” Mitsuru explained patiently.

Yukari added, “We try to get as many as us together every year. To ya know, acknowledge the anniversary and also to make sure none of us are alone.”

Minako looked at the calendar on the wall, not quite believing it. But sure enough, the date January 31st was right there in bold letters. January 31st, the day they defeated Nyx, the day she cast the seal, the day she paid the ultimate price.

“Oh.” Minako said quietly.

Junpei sat her down on the couch next to him, while Akihiko sat across from her. He gave her a look that seemed to ask if the others knew what they knew, and she gave him an imperceptible shake of her head. 

A wine glass was pressed into her hand, and Mitsuru raised her own.

“As we all know,” she began, “it’s the seven-year anniversary of the toughest day of our lives. We overcame the impossible odds of defeating Nyx and getting rid of the Dark Hour.”

“Here here!” Yukari and Junpei called, clinking glasses.

Mitsuru smiled, “I’m glad we all could make it this year. I just wanted to say how proud I am of you all, both back then and now. We overcame incredible hardships to enjoy the lives we live.”

Fuuka and Ken voiced their agreement, adding their cups to the mix.

“Of course,” Mitsuru continued, turning to Minako, “none of it could have been possible without our leader. Minako, thank you for lending us your power and guidance to our cause so long ago, and thank you for helping us see it through,” And then, her voice thickened with emotion in a very unlike-Mitsuru-way, “Without what you did, we would not have been able to live past that day.”

The rest of the group cheered. Minako stared at her knees.

“What, no words from our fearless leader?” Junpei elbowed her side.

She raised her head, sweeping over everyone’s expectant faces. Then her eyes caught Akihiko's, and he nodded at her encouragingly.

“Thanks guys,” She began hesitantly, “Even though it wouldn’t have been possible without you all. It was only through your support that I was able to do anything.”

And she meant that. Without the power of her bonds, with SEES and others, she would’ve never gained the power of the universe. It was only because of them she was able to cast the seal and save the world.

“Of course we succeeded, good ol’ Junpei was on the case!” Junpei grinned and jumped up on the couch.

“It was all of you,” Minako stressed again, “There was no other group of people I would’ve walked into a suicide mission with.”

“Can’t believe a bunch of teens faced a god and won,” Shinjiro shook his head, taking a long sip of his wine.

“Unscathed too,” Yukari added, “It was pretty scary for a while there, with both you and Minako in a coma.”

A heavy silence blanketed them, and Minako could see the struggle in her friends’ faces as they tried to reconcile the false memories implanted over the true reality.

“Minako-san…in a coma…” Ken trailed off, almost dazed, and Junpei sat back down on the couch, hands between his knees as his face screwed up in concentration.

She figured this was as good a time as any, and cleared her throat.

“That’s…not quite what happened.”

Yukari frowned, “What are you talking about? Of course it is.”

“We made it to Graduation Day for the seniors and then all met up like we promised?” Fuuka added, though she made it seem more like a question.

Aigis continued, her voice less confident than before,“But you had gotten sick after defeating Nyx, and slipped into a coma when we were all on the rooftop.” 

“Guys,” Akihiko broke in, and Minako internally winced at the pain in his voice, “that’s not true.”

“What, you think we’re all remembering it wrong?” Yukari shot back.

He stared into her eyes, “Yes.”

The archer wilted, “...What are you getting at, senpai?”

“He’s trying to say I’m dead!”

The words tumbled out of Minako’s mouth in a rush. She had squeezed her eyes shut, and when they opened eight pairs of eyes were staring right back at her. But, she couldn’t have held it in anymore, not when the dam had already broken.

“I’ve been dead for seven years,” She continued to their astonished faces, “I died on the school rooftop on Graduation Day after being sick for nearly a month. You were all there, you saw it happen.”

Silence was the only reply.

“Please.” she begged them, “Please, remember.”

There were more heartbeats of excruciating silence before Mitsuru spoke up, her face pale, “I think…it would be beneficial if you could start from the beginning.”

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. She opened her mouth.

And Minako began to talk.

Chapter Text

Shink.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to come along?” 

Shink 

Mitsuru watched while Minako sharpened the blade of her naginata to a deadly point. She gave one more swipe of the whetstone, held it up to her eye and nodded with satisfaction before setting the weapon aside.

“I’m sure,” She hauled herself off the floor and dusted her legs off. 

Mitsuru frowned in concern, “Even though you can’t use your personas?”

“Yep.”

“I’m sure with all of us we could easily overwhelm one man.  We shouldn’t let children–”

“Mitsuru,” Minako laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “It’s going to be okay, I promise. Besides, we were children when we faced Nyx. Don’t count them out so easily.”

 She pursed her lips in displeasure, then let out an amused huff, “You’re right, of course. But if you get into even one fight you can’t handle, we are coming to get you.”

Minako gave her shoulder a squeeze, “Thank you.”

The previous night had been an emotionally draining one, but Minako felt as if she had finally been rung dry. It took several tries, but she told the entirety of her journey these past few weeks to her friends, and they had finally broken free of Maruki’s influence. There had been tears, there had been shouts, there had been embraces, but they were finally all on the same page, no matter what would happen next. 

All that was left was to join the Phantom Thieves in their final battle against Dr. Maruki. When Akira asked her to come along, she was flattered. Her being there was an invitation, and not one she was going to squander. Minako was going to do whatever she could to help, but ultimately it was up to the Phantom Thieves to decide how they wanted to defeat him and bring back the true reality.  

Readying her naginata had been the last step of her preparations, so she packed it into its bag and slung it over her shoulder. At her hip was a bag of medicinal supplies, even some from the Paulownia Mall Pharmacy that Mitsuru got delivered overnight (through her connections, of course.)

“You should take this too,” Akihiko approached with her evoker and held the weapon out to her. Minako reached out a hand and took it from him. The metal felt warm against her palm, and she took her time running her fingers over the grooves and dents.

“We know you can’t use it, but it will be good for you to have it. Just in case.”

“Yeah,” She said distantly, and sent a silent prayer up to Ryoji one last time. Wherever you are, I could really use your help.  

“Do you have your medkit?” Fuuka asked.

“And sufficient water and snacks?” Aigis added.

“Guys,” Minako faced her friends, exasperated and fond all at once, “I’m good to go.”

Yukari grabbed her arm, “We’ll walk you to the train.”

She opened her mouth to argue, to say they didn’t need to do that, when the look in Yukari’s eye stopped her. In all their eyes, really. And she couldn’t blame them.

They just got her back, and they were reluctant to let her go again.

 “Okay,” Minako relented, and let Yukari hang onto her arm the whole walk to the train station. 

She had one foot on the train when she turned to look back at her closest friends. Yukari had released her, but her hand remained slightly outstretched, like she was ready to yank her back any second.

“Alright,” Minako murmured, a lump suddenly rising into her throat. She refused to believe this would be the last time she saw them, she would make sure of it. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to leave them behind again so soon after reuniting properly.

She swallowed down the emotion and gave them all her brightest smile.

“See you later.”

~*~

Minako met the Phantom Thieves right outside the globe palace, very near the spot where they appeared the first time. Instead of strangers though, Minako greeted them as friends, comrades. Kids who she was determined to protect this time.

“Minako-san, we’re glad that you could make it,” Queen said.

“Thanks for having me. I promise I won’t let you all down.”

Skull grinned, “Nah, it’s good that we have a veteran on our side for this.”

She couldn’t help the burst of warmth in her chest, “Even though I can’t use my persona?”

“Hey, you defeated those shadows with just the katana,” Joker pointed out, “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Panther reached out to touch her arm, “We’ve got your back, Minako-chan. Don’t push yourself too hard when you don’t have personas to rely on.”

“Thank you, Panther.” She was touched by their concern, really. She made a mental note of who had healing spells (Panther, Mona, Queen, Joker) and was ready to call out the order, when she had to pull the reins on herself. This wasn’t her team, she wasn’t in charge, and they didn’t need to be confused about whose orders to follow.

In the end, the main strike team consisted of herself, Joker, Crow and Violet. As she understood it, the others would be waiting in the safe rooms until the order came from Joker to swap, which would be relayed by Oracle, similar to how Fuuka navigated for SEES.

When it came time to move out, Joker was uncharacteristically anxious. He shoved his hands in his pockets before facing the rest of them, then shuffled his weight from foot to foot.

“Uh, everyone, I-” He started, then coughed. The Phantom Thieves waited patientally for him to continue. Even Crow didn’t try to admonish him.

“I just wanted to say,” Joker continued, finding his voice again, “How lucky I am to have all of you. You took a chance on getting to know some scoundrel from the country-side,” A sly grin crossed his lips, “and now you are my closest friends. There’s no one else I’d rather be fighting gods, or shitty adults, or whatever with. Thanks for sticking by me.”

The Phantom Thieves surged forward to surround their leader with hugs and fist bumps and even a tilt of the head from Crow. Minako glanced away, slightly embarrassed to be privy to this touching moment of which she was not a part of. It didn’t stop her from feeling grateful to witness it all the same, though.

The moment was over though, when Joker broke apart from his friends. The emotional atmosphere sharpened instantly as the teenagers realized that this was it, that they were going into the belly of the beast and would fight like hell to come out the other side.

It was Skull who said it best, slinging his large hammer over one shoulder, “Time to go kick this freak to the curb.” 

It was like a spell was broken, and they all moved as one towards the elevator into the palace. Minako straightened her shoulders and made to follow her teammates, when Crow stopped her with a glare.

“Do try to keep up, Arisato,” His voice dripped with contempt, “The last thing we need is for you to hold us back from our goal.”

She snorted, “No need to worry about me. In fact, I’m the one who’s faced an apocalypse before and won, if you remember.”

Crow glowered for a few more moments, then stepped closer to her.

“Do you know what will happen when Maruki is defeated?”

“I don’t.”

“What if it meant returning to your seal? Do you still want to go through with it?”

Minako held his gaze, silently wondering where his intensity was coming from.

“I was never supposed to come back anyway,” She pointed out gently, “I’ve been so lucky to be alive again, but if it doesn’t last…” she swallowed, “I can’t be angry about it.”

“Lucky,” Crow hissed out the word, but it was so low she didn’t think it was aimed at her.  The boy didn’t say anything else either, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

“Hey!” Joker, who was leading the charge, jogged back over to them, “You guys okay?”

Crow shouldered on ahead, not glancing at him, but Minako gave him a thumbs up, “Good to go, leader!”

They fell in step beside each other as they entered back into the sterile hellscape that was Maruki’s palace. Using the same phone magic system as when they were in Mementos, they were whisked away to a storage room of sorts, the safe room that was deepest into the palace they had explored previously. The four of them said goodbye to the rest of the team, and headed out of the safe zone. It was eerily silent, the only noise coming from the buzz of the surveillance equipment posted around the space. They set out at a quick pace, the blue lights from screens passing by in blurs on either side.

“Ooh, you know what,” Minako chattered beside them, trying to ignore the uneasiness building in her stomach, “Now that I’m an ally of the Phantom Thieves, shouldn’t I get a fun codename?”

Violet clapped her hands together, “Yes, we should definitely think of one for you!”

Joker cracked a grin, and she thought she caught a snort coming from Crow.

“Let’s see…” the younger girl held a hand to her chin, “What about Hope?”

Minako made a face, “Pass.”

“Okay, maybe Lux? That means light in Latin.”

“Pretty, but I don’t think that one fits me.”

“How about Savior?”

Minako stilled, letting the suggestion truly sink in. She couldn’t help but remember alien yellow eyes and the sound of a jail door closing behind her. Without thinking, her knuckles tightened on her naginata until they were white.

Violet backpedaled, waving her hands, “Ooor not! Just forget I said anything haha! We’ll figure out a better one!”

“I think,” Joker broke in, “Minako-san is fine without one.”

She shot him a grateful glance while Violet stuttered out more apologies. Minako waved her off, knowing that she really didn’t mean any harm by it. The young girl ducked her head in acknowledgement, expression turning serious as she focused once again on the task at hand.

They were quiet then, slinking through the palace walls. Their playful chit-chat dying away as shadows became more numerous. The group cut them down smoothly, with Minako barely needing to do any work. Whether that was because they were just that good, or to prevent her from really risking herself, she didn’t know. Perhaps it was a little bit of both.

~*~

Making progress through the laboratory was, quite frankly, a slog. The hallways all looked the same, and the group had gotten turned around more than once. Joker made all three of them swap out with the others in planned intervals, telling them that he wanted them sharp for facing Maruki. The stories Queen, Fox, Noir and the others would tell her when they came to switch out were the most deranged things Minako had ever heard.

The elevator ascent up to the next area was tense. Having seen the revelations about Violet, the girl in question kept her eyes forward and spine straight, as if what Maruki did to her would change their opinion of her. If anything, Minako was even more impressed with her conviction to live as herself and no one else.

When the doors opened, Minako resisted the urge to drag her hands down her face. The room was massive, a golden cage filled with nonsensical set pieces like a giant tree mixed with more cameras, platforms of various sizes, and cognitive people…floating towards the ceiling.

She actually started to miss Tartarus. Its many floors got monotonous after a while, but the different blocks were nowhere near as insane as this.

The key to getting through this weird space was pressing different buttons so that the color of the many gates scattered around matched their accompanying flowers. Minako found herself hopping through different platforms, running across stairs made of tree roots, and taking down a shadow here and there that was unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Yeah. She was really starting to miss Tartarus.

After finally getting through the golden room, they were finally nearing the top of the globe. The room on their left held a tv which played the moment where Maruki awakened his persona after being rejected by a former professor. 

Panther scowled, “Turning the world into his plaything just because he got rejected? That’s pretty pathetic.”

Minako was inclined to agree.

Turning the corner to make their way to the next elevator, Joker called them to a halt. There, on a pedestal in front of them, was a piece of paper. He reached out and snatched the paper, cleared his throat, and read it out loud for them all.

It was some sort of journal entry from Maruki. In it he detailed the way he manipulated reality on New Year's Day to his fiance, Rumi, promising her that his goal will be accomplished soon.

“...In fact, I’ll promise you again here and now: I will create the perfect world for you,” Joker finished. There was a scoff from somewhere behind Minako, probably from Crow. Joker looked up from the note, gray eyes hard behind his mask. Wordlessly, he passed the note to Violet.

She blinked in surprise, hesitating for a second before taking it. She scanned it over again, paused one more time, then tucked the paper into her belt.

“Come on, we’re almost to the treasure,” Without waiting for a response, Violet headed up the stairs and to the elevator. The Phantom Thieves exchanged looks before jogging to catch up to her. 

The room this elevator opened up to was gorgeous. Almost too perfect. It was crazy how this place could go from a sterile laboratory, to a mess of a surveillance system, to a golden cathedral, and to this. A green paradise stretched out before them, flowers of every shape and color spreading out as far as you could see. The cognitive beings from the floor below littered the space, docile smiles stretching lips without a care in the world. Fully under Maruki’s control. 

“This is quite the utopia,” Crow commented as they carefully picked their way through the garden, “I assume Maruki is trying to convey what he thinks the world will look like if we let him continue with his plan.”

“In any case,” Fox said, “We shouldn’t delay any further. He’s just up ahead, right?”

“That’s right,” Joker led the way towards the base of the giant tree at the end of the room.

A voice echoed all around them, “I see you made it. Come on up, I’ll meet with you at the center of paradise.”

Without waiting for an answer, stairs materialized around the tree, spiraling up into the ceiling and beyond where they couldn’t see. 

Akechi made a noise, “Well, we can finally move on now that we have some stairs.”

The Phantom Thieves exchanged looks with each other, then back up at the giant tree and the endless staircase. There was a collective sigh, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Joker put a foot on the first stair, seemed to take in a deep breath, and started running. 

The others followed right on his heels, and Minako was proud of the fact that there was no hesitation in these teenagers as they headed right into harm’s way. Maruki was going to get what was coming to him.

~*~

Minako watched in horror as Joker struggled to stand, staggering and falling down to his knees once more. Crow was doubled over, spitting wads of blood onto the ground. Violet was out cold.

Maruki was staring down at them, one arm partially raised. The arms of his persona were twisting around his body in writhing masses, ready to protect him from the next attack. And, despite everything they’ve thrown at him, Maruki looked unharmed. Sure, there were smudges on his face and some fatigue lining his eyes, but it was nothing like when Minako faced him alone. There was no possible way for him to become so strong in just a few short days, but here they were.

“Kurusu-kun!” Maruki addressed the leader when he again tried to struggle to his feet, “Stop this! You’re just hurting yourself and your friends.”

Minako rushed to his side, pulling onto his arm as he growled out some unintelligible sound around the pain. He slipped again and she lost her hold on him, and he collapsed onto the tile.

“I can make all of this go away,” Maruki gestured at the four of them, “Say the word, and all will be well.”

Crow spat another glob of spittle and blood, “We gave our answer, you egotistical maniac.”

“...Oh Akechi-kun,” The doctor looked even more pityingly, and Minako knew that was the wrong move, “you of all people should realize the good I could do for you, for everyone.”

“Fuck YOU!” He roared, and Hereward materialized in blue flames. The black persona aimed its colossal bow, the Laevateinn attack slicing through one of Maruki’s tentacles.

He winced as the appendage split into black goo, but it came back almost as fast as it had gone. Crow stared, incredulous, and swayed off his feet, energy and magic spent.

Panic seized Minako. How was that one man, one human man, so strong against all four of them? And how was she, persona-less, with a blunted weapon, the only one still standing?

She couldn’t do it, not with the others out of commission. Oracle was in her ear, yelling, but Maruki had blocked the door for anyone else to enter or leave, rendering their chances at backup to nothing. 

Frozen in place, Minako felt herself shaking. Dr. Maruki had his full attention on her with no one else to challenge him. His persona loomed menacingly behind the man, greenish arms undulating to and fro. 

“Arisato-kun, don’t you want to live in this world that you saved? You’ve seen the lives your loved ones have built – without you. Just tell me, and I can make it so that you were never dead.”

She had to admit,there was still that little part of her that screamed to just give up and allow him to do as he pleased, if it meant living in this world once more. She thought of her friends’ faces at the train station and thought it would be so easy to lay down her weapon and let the false reality rewrite the real one, once and for all.

But Joker stirred at her side, and the thought was squashed immediately. These kids were fighting tooth and nail to stay in the world that told them they weren’t worth it, all because it was the right thing to do. It reminded her of her own sacrifice, how she made her choice willingly even if the Nyx Cultists actively wished harm on her. They deserved to be saved too. 

Taking a deep breath, Minako stood up tall, squaring her shoulders. She stared right into his eyes, noticing how the gold of his helm was reflected in the brown hues. Regal. Righteous. Wrong. 

Minako felt it then, a pulling sensation in her stomach. She paused, only daring to let a sliver of hope surge through. It felt like someone was calling her,urging her forward to claim what was hers.

Orpheus?

It was foolish to do it in front of Maruki, but she couldn’t help but close her eyes. It helped her focus on that wall that has been separating her from her powers. It was tall, filled with concrete bricks, with virtually no way of knocking them down.

But she felt it. Felt them, straining themselves trying to get to her. They were waves relentlessly crashing against the break wall, rising higher and higher in order to find some way to slip through. There was a voice at the back of her mind, urging her on to reach out and grasp what had evaded her for so long.

She strained against the barrier, mentally pounding against brick until her fingers were bloody, all while her personas cried out for reunification. 

Come on, she begged, I’m here. I’m with you.

But no matter how hard she pleaded, that wall wouldn’t– or couldn’t– come down. 

Minako tried to recall the moment when she first summoned Orpheus on the dorm rooftop all those years ago. How it felt to have such a force flow through her. 

What was different between that moment and now? What changed? 

She wracked her brain, trying to come up with an answer. The situation was similar, the equipment was the same, the motive comparable. For the persona to be summoned, you couldn't be afraid of death.

Minako hadn’t been afraid of dying for a long time. And how could she be now, knowing her death helped save so many people?

Then, a thought wormed its way in. Something that Akira told her while they were in Mementos.

It was the way he explained how the Phantom Thieves summoned their personas. Something about the “will of rebellion”.  The determination to fight back against oppressors like Maruki. Like Shido. Like Nyx.

Her shaking hands seemed to still as she reached down to her hip. Maruki watched warily as she undid the clasp and withdrew her evoker. 

The will of rebellion, huh? 

Well, nothing screamed rebellion like wanting to keep the cruel world over the sweet nothings of a false reality.

Slowly, Minako raised the evoker to her temple. She felt the wall crack inside her.

“Per…”

Her heartbeat roared in her ears. 

“So…”

The waves rose to meet it.

“Na!”

She pulled the trigger and the waves answered, bursting through the dam that had separated them. Her head jerked back with the force of the blow, and within the shards of blue glass, Minako could’ve sworn she saw Ryoji smile. 

Power surged through her, coating every vein with fire and making her feel like an entirely new being. Like she wasn’t quite human anymore, but the god– the savior–that she had been the past seven years. 

Minako blinked, and the manifestation of her soul floated before her, bathing the dark room in bright light.

“Messiah,” She breathed out, and couldn’t help but feel tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

Her ultimate persona, the one who heralded the dawning of a new age right beside her turned slowly to face her. Its eyes were tiny red stars, and she was struck with the reminder that they were the same color as her own.

“You came back,” Minako whispered, her lips curling into a small smile, “I missed you.”

Though Messiah didn’t speak, it gave a slow gesture of its arm that seemed to respond “Of course” and “I missed you too.”

She instinctively reached out, and they nearly brushed hands before Messiah stiffened; that same arm whipped to the side to catch one talon-tipped tentacle before it could bury its claws in her. Emotionless, Messiah closed its fist around the appendage, snapping it in half and making it dissolve away.

Her persona whirled around and Minako faced Maruki once more. His face didn’t conceal the surprise, and the fingers on one of his hands twitched as if he had been physically harmed.

“...I see,” He said slowly, analyzing this newest development, “It’s no wonder you are so different from the others.”

There wasn’t anything mocking in his voice; Maruki was truly complimenting her. The thought made her ill.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Maruki,” She told him as she brought the evoker back to her temple, “I’m not different from them at all.”

Minako pulled the trigger again, more blue shards bursting from her skull as she shouted, “Messiah! Megidolaon!”

With one swift movement Messiah enveloped Maruki and his persona in bright light, the attack eviscerating anything within into ash. When the light faded, Maruki had his hands on his knees, wheezing through pain. One shoulder had a tear through his clothing, dark blood staining the white and gold brilliance of the uniform.

“What-” the man coughed, but Minako didn’t wait to hear the rest of his words. Another shot to her head and the very air started to glow blue. 

She didn’t even need to shout the attack this time, as attuned to her soul as Messiah was. The golden fist of God’s Hand raced to the now defenseless-Maruki, crashing directly into his chest. He flew off his feet, and while he was down, Minako pulled the trigger again. Calming lights of white and green from Salvation surrounded Joker, Crow and Violet, healing all wounds and replenishing their spent energy.

“Incredible…” Joker breathed out, awe showing plainly on his face.

Minako walked over where he was still sitting and offered a hand. Joker took it, allowing her to hoist him back to his feet; there were no traces of the blood that was just trickling down his face. Joker immediately moved to Crow’s side, intending to help him up. Crow scowled at him, hesitated, then accepted the assistance. 

Likewise, Minako went to help Violet. The young girl was pale and shaky, but had managed to sit up on her own, eyes wide behind her black mask. Minako crouched down to her level and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You okay? You were knocked around pretty badly,” She asked, and Violet shook her head.

“No, I’m fine, it’s just..you’re so powerful Minako-senpai. It’s amazing!”

Minako helped her to her feet, then patted the top of the younger girl’s head lightly.

“Glad to see you’re still with us, Violet,” Crow drawled, but the sentiment didn’t contain its usual bite. 

Joker gave her a small smile, “So that’s the power of the Great Seal, huh?”

She clutched the grip of her evoker one last time before tucking it back into its holster, “Yeah. I suppose it is.”

Joker opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a loud sound behind them. The four of them whirled around, and found Maruki standing upright and re-healed, looking grim and determined.

“Not bad,” He said, brandishing his scepter, “But we have only just begun!”

Before they could react, the gilded form of his persona began to change. Incredible pressure bore down on them as it rose into the air, kept aloft by many new tentacle arms that were growing every which way.

“He’s getting stronger?!” Oracle shrieked in her ear. Maruki made a gesture with his arm, and Minako felt a wave of energy pass through them.

“What was that?” Violet asked, but no one could answer. Instead, when she summoned Ella, the gold light that accompanied her bless magic didn’t come.

Joker tried as well, but the only thing that his personas could do were physical moves.

“He’s restricted our magic!” The dark haired leader called out, “Use only physical attacks! And try to keep out of range!”

They jumped to follow the order. Yoshitsune and Ella materialized and took out four tentacles with simultaneous sword attacks, while Minako ripped out her evoker once more and shot, God’s Hand again materializing to take out two tentacles in one fell swoop. The several that resisted the strikes stood tall, waving their creepy fingers to taunt them. Maruki smirked and snapped his fingers, causing the downed arms to regrow and heal himself.

Minako, Crow and Violet sprang for Maruki, darting between twisting appendages to try to land a blow on the man himself. Of course, there were just too many to cut through in order to get to him, but that was where Joker came in. He cycled through his register of personas, keeping the failing arms occupied while they took any opportunity to beat that expression off of Maruki’s face.

The battle continued that way, a cycle of cutting down Maruki’s arms for the chance to chip at him before his persona regenerated everything and they had to start all over again. The energy waves sent their way didn’t help either, oftentimes restricting their ability to heal or boost their power or other aggravating effects.

They eventually whittled him down though, and Minako found herself staring down at the pathetic man, her naginata held up against his neck as he lost the golden helm long ago.

Her chest heaved as she gulped in air, finally feeling the exhaustion of the battle and all of her tiny injuries added to it. It didn’t matter though; satisfaction far outweighed all other feelings when she beheld Maruki glaring up at her. He had been forced to his knees, arms hung loosely at his side, though fingers were curled into fists. Behind him, his creepy persona laid lifeless on the ground. 

“You’ve lost, Maruki,” She growled at him, “Now leave our reality alone.”

She saw the war of emotions in his brown eyes; anger, fear, sorrow and determination. The Phantom Thieves were a few feet away, crowded around the golden torch that served as Maruki’s treasure. Just then, the ground gave a concerning lurch.

“What was that?” She called out to the group.

Oracle warned, “The place is collapsing!”

“We must take our leave! Come on, Minako-san!” Fox waved frantically at her. She looked back at Maruki, but he seemed to not notice her anymore, staring in horror at the destruction and mumbling to himself.

“I-I’m so sorry Rumi…I can’t..I can’t let it end here!”

Minako sighed, then lowered her blade. The Phantom Thieves called for her again and she ran to them, finding a space to squeeze herself in on the Monabus before it sped off into the night, frantically taking sharp turns to avoid being crushed by falling debris. 

Mona skidded to a stop just outside the globe and they tumbled out, Minako glad that Panther’s elbow wasn’t digging into her side anymore. The palace crumbled, pieces of lights and cameras breaking off at an alarming rate.

“Dr. Maruki…” Violet whispered.

“This has gone way beyond changing someone’s heart!” Panther cried, “Is he even still alive?”

No one could answer her question. But then, Crow crossed his arms.

“Looks like that isn’t a concern,” He jerked his chin upwards. Standing over them on a piece of road that hadn’t completely collapsed yet was Dr. Maruki himself, looking as if they had never touched him during their battle.

“Sorry, but I won’t admit defeat just yet!” He reached out with an arm, and the golden torch Joker had been carrying was yanked out of his grip.

“I’ve been chosen by the world itself! Granting this wish is my responsibility!”

Treasure back in his hand, Maruki unleashed a surge of energy. His persona rose up behind him, bathed in golden light, before morphing into a giant automaton-looking silhouette. Minako felt the surge of power and knew instantly what this was.

Dr. Maruki’s convictions were so strong that it evolved his persona.

“I refuse to let it end like this! Adam Kadmon, guide us all to our ideal reality!”

It took the Phantom Thieves a minute to shake off their disbelief. Minako saw Joker grit his teeth, then nodded to the rest of them. The team sprang into action, chasing after Maruki to the platform he resided on. Minako took a step to follow them but faltered when she heard someone shout her name.

“Mina-tan!!!” 

She spun around to see Junpei running toward her at full speed.

“Junpei?! What are you-how??”

Behind him were the rest of SEES, jogging to catch up with him. Akihiko reached her first and lifted her off the ground in a hug, before settling his hands on her shoulders.

“Are you hurt?” He asked, gray eyes looking her up and down for any injuries.

She stammered, “No I’m fine– what..what are you all doing here?”

“We were keeping an eye on the situation,” Fuuka explained, “Juno alerted me to a huge flash of power so we decided to come help you.”

It was then Minako noticed that they were dressed for battle. Their weapons were clutched tightly in their hands and she saw their evokers unholstered. They were ready to jump in to assist however they could.

“Minako-san!”

It was Joker’s voice calling for her this time. She saw him running away from the battle and towards her, calm even when the biggest challenge he had ever faced was towering just behind him.

“Hold on,” She told her friends and jogged to meet him. He stopped in the middle of the road, wide eyed at the newest arrivals.

“We noticed that you didn’t follow,” He said when she approached, “Is everything okay? Are those your old teammates?”

She didn’t answer his question, “The others? Are they fighting Maruki?”

“Yeah, they said they could hold him off while I came and got you. Are you ready?”

Minako nodded, and Joker turned to lead her back to the fight. She began to follow but hesitated, feeling like there was an invisible force holding her back. 

There was a tug on her elbow, Joker’s face expectant, “Come on, Minako-san.”

“I-” She turned to look at her friends, all waiting a few paces away. They all looked back at her and nodded as if they could read what she was thinking.

Minako turned back to Joker and shook her head, holstering her own evoker, “I’m staying here.”

He frowned, “What? We only made it through that last battle because of you.”

There was a part of her who really did want to go with them; Messiah was tugging against her heart, begging to be let out again now that they had reunited once more. But still, something deep in her soul told her that she wasn’t needed in this fight, that she had done her duty and it was time to step aside.

They would be okay. She believed in them just as she believed in SEES on their painstaking journey to defeat Nyx. 

“This is your fight,” She told him, “Go finish it.”

“Joker!” A cry came from above, “Hurry, we need you!”

He didn’t budge, but continued to search her face, “Are you sure?”

She nodded.

“Alright then,” Joker took a deep breath and stepped back, “See you later.”

“Yeah, see you,” Minako watched as her protege fired his grappling hook and whisked away into the night sky. The adrenaline that was keeping her upright left in one fell swoop, and she pitched forward. 

“Minako!” Someone called, and then multiple pairs of arms were bracing her, saving her from collapsing onto the ground. They guided her into their awaiting arms, and she closed her eyes to the warmth, letting it wash over and let her herself, for once, just breathe.

Chapter Text

It ended the next day.

Nothing was outwardly different when Minako opened her eyes to the sunlight, but she could feel it in her bones.

The apartment was empty, Akihiko having already left for work. Minako took a minute to relish in the soft sheets and plush mattress, knowing it was most likely the last time she would use them.

She slowly rose from bed, but it was not like waking up on Graduation Day. Then, she felt such an exhaustion that moving took incredible effort. This, though, Minako didn’t feel sick. She just wanted to take the time to appreciate it– the blood flowing in her veins, her heart beating steady in her chest. 

Minako went about her morning routine, showering and brushing teeth and all the normal things. She did them all with care though, and when it came time to slide her bobby pins in her hair she took one last look at herself in the mirror. The glass was cool under her fingers when she reached out to touch her reflection, and for a moment her corporeal form was too much to bear. Red eyes stared back at her, and she noted, with irony, she finally looked healthy.

Her breath came out in foggy clouds when she exited the apartment, but the sky was bright blue; the sun was promising a dry day. Minako locked the door and said goodbye to her home for the past month before braving the Tokyo train system. She noticed immediately that things had returned to normal – the businessman to her left was barking into his phone about his subordinate losing their lucrative deal. Minako smiled despite herself. She had no doubt the Phantom Thieves succeeded in their mission, but it felt good to see the results first hand.

The bell chime announced her arrival to leblanc, but it was empty. Minako strode forward, almost about to call out to Sojiro, when Akira poked his head from around the kitchen. 

“Sakura-san will be right ba– Minako-san?!”

He hurriedly dried his hands on a rag and went to greet her, eyes wide.

“Akira-kun! I’m so glad I caught you! I knew you guys would defeat Maruki.”

“Thanks but,” He reached out a hand, almost to touch her arm, then seemed to think better of it, “Why are you here?”

“Why? Well, I wanted to say goodbye before I left…”

An expression crossed Akira’s face that she couldn’t quite read. Relief? Sorrow?

“Is something wrong?” She asked, noticing how he fiddled with his apron.

“It’s…Akechi,” Akira finally said, releasing his apron and balling his hands into fists, “We couldn’t find him when the palace disappeared.”

The words hung in the air, and when Minako caught their implication, she frowned in sympathy.

“Oh Akira, I’m so sorry.”

The boy shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant but failing, “I knew, even before we went into the palace,” He swallowed, “Maruki used the fact that he was dead to try to get me to join his side. Not that I would ever do it!” He added hastily at her look.

“I don’t blame you,” She murmured, “It must’ve been hard to choose, knowing it meant a close friend’s death.” I couldn’t do it. 

“It's what Akechi wanted,” Akira stared at the ceiling, “I just hope wherever he went, it’s better than everything he went through here.”

“The place where my seal is–the place where I’ll go back to after this– is called the Sea of Souls. It’s where souls come from and where they return to when we die,” She gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile, “I don’t know what happens when the soul finally fades away and their star goes out, but I can at least tell you Goro Akechi was there, at least for a little bit.”

His smile was wry, “An eternal nothingness? Sounds like it would be perfect for him.”

They laughed softly together, then lapsed into silence as they both thought about those who were gone and those who were left behind.  

Clearing his throat, Akira held out his hand, “Thank you, Minako-san. For all your help. I’m glad I got to meet you, even if it was because of awful circumstances.”

Minako blinked at his outstretched palm, then pulled the boy into a crushing hug. There was only a second of hesitation before Akira was hugging her back.

When she pulled back, she couldn’t hide the tears that were forming in her eyes, “I am so proud of you, Akira Kurusu,” she shook his shoulders a little, “You did the impossible without any guidance. You made such a wonderful group of friends and developed into such an amazing person. If times are ever tough again, just believe in that strength.”

He nodded, emotion stealing his tongue for a second, “I’ll miss you, Minako-san.” 

She released him, moving towards the door. She opened her mouth to say another goodbye, but with another rush of tears she thought better of it. Instead, Minako waved one more time, the chime of the door announcing her exit while Akira stood there long after her presence faded.

The window of the train was cold under her cheek as she leaned against it. It pulled out of the station and she stared out at the city of Tokyo as it started to roll past; Minako pressed play on her mp3 and let the lyrics of the song wash over her. 

Time…

Old dry winds go by

Lone air comes quietly….

~*~

The snow blanketing Iwatodai’s cemetery glittered like diamonds under the bright sun. Most of the graves only had a light dusting, caring family members taking the time to keep them clear. The Arisato family plot was less so, a whole mound of snow obscuring the names. But, Minako had been here many times– she knew that it was theirs.

She took a few moments to brush away the snow, then sat back on her heels. Her parents’ names looked just as they did the last time she visited them, and she traced the engravings with her fingers. Minako didn’t bring any incense or anything from Tokyo, but she hoped a prayer would be enough.

Bringing her palms together, she murmured a quick apology to her parents, telling them that she couldn’t join them in the afterlife, but she hoped they were proud of her. If she closed her eyes, Minako could imagine them smiling down on her, even if the memories of their faces had gotten hazy.

She stood up, brushing wet snow from her knees, her eyes scanning over the third gravestone on the plot. This one was smaller than her parents’, and just as equally snowcovered. She didn’t hold that against anyone though; she didn’t need a clean grave to know that her friends loved her.

It was a strange feeling, looking down at her own resting place. Her name’s characters were written in a small, precise hand, but nothing too extravagant. She could almost see the scene in her mind, some of her friends arguing she needed a whole mausoleum to herself, but Aki insisting she just needed to be with her parents. He was right, of course.

That didn’t make it any less weird to be looking at it though, so she moved on  and didn’t give it a glance back. 

“Hi, Amada-san,” She said once she got to the other place she wanted to visit, “I’m sure you’re watching over him, but Ken has grown into a fantastic young man. I’m sure you’re so proud of him too. I know neither of us can be there for him, but he’s got some really great friends to help him out,” She gave a quick bow, “I hope you see my parents sometimes, you guys would probably get along.” 

Other people had started to arrive to pay their own respects, and after one last prayer, she bade Mrs. Amada goodbye and left the cemetery. 

Naganaki shrine looked exactly how it did the last time she had visited in her last days, a building frozen in time. Just like at the cemetery, Minako gave a quick bow before shoving a generous amount of yen into the offering box. It wasn’t like she was going to need it anymore. 

Wandering to the playground, Minako felt a twinge of guilt as she remembered Maiko’s last letter to her that she never responded to; it had been so, so hard to lift up a pencil, much less give a coherent response. Her friend was probably close to entering high school herself, and the thought made Minako feel much older. She distantly hoped that Maiko didn’t cry too much when she learned the news of her death.

Plopping down onto the bench she shared with Akinari every Sunday, Minako stared up at the blue sky, watching the clouds roll by. 

I finally understand you, Akinari. She closed her eyes to the bright sun, seeing it shine even behind her eyelids. What we did for others gave our lives meaning. You said I helped you figure that out, but I think you taught me so much more. 

She recalled meeting Akinari’s mother here too, the day before graduation, wondering if she grieved for Minako just like she did her own son, two kids whose deaths came much sooner than it should have.

~*~

Iwatodai’s dormitory looked completely unchanged, the bricks still the same rust color, the bushes still trimmed immaculately. It was also quiet, only a few housewives walked along the street, chatting to each other. No one came in or out the door, probably because school had already started. 

She stared up at its many windows, noting her own had its curtains drawn tight. Did anyone live there now? Or was it a topic of superstition among the children, telling each other not to go in there because the ghost of a Gekkoukan student still resided inside? The thought made her lip twitch up in amusement, and she moved on, content to think of herself as a spirit helping out those who came after.

Having some time to kill before the next train to Tatsumi Port Island, Minako couldn’t stop herself from visiting all their old haunts.  It was still earlier in the day so the eateries were closed, but she could almost taste the grease from Wild Duck Burger and Hagakure, the sugar from the Sweets shop.

Bookworms no longer resided in the store front next to the stairs; it now was a smoothie store. It took Minako a moment to realize that Bunkichi and Mitsuko most likely passed on by now, and Bookworms had no one to take over the business. She was saddened by the thought, but reminded herself that they were now reunited with their son. That, at least, offered some comfort.  

She couldn’t linger though, her train just about ready to leave. It was a quick zip across the water to the island; even faster than seven years ago. Port Island Station had gotten a new coat of paint, looking bright and silver against the sunlight. New benches, vending machines and even lightbulbs were put in, leaving Minako feeling like she stepped out of the past and into the future. Rafflesia had a new woman working out front, bundled up against the cold but still calling cheerfully to those who walked past. Screen Shot advertised the newest movies, nothing that Minako recognized. She felt like she left those seven years behind, and nothing was left now for her here.

Shaking her head, the last stop before her final destination was Paulownia Mall. Memories threatened to overwhelm her, of shopping here with Yukari, playing games with Saori and Rio, outfitting gear for that night’s Tartarus run.

Chagall was open, and she stopped in for a cup of her favorite blend. The girl behind the counter was young, maybe about Minako’s age when she worked there. She didn’t recognize Minako of course, and happily handed her her order and went on her way. The warmth bled into her gloves, and she greedily took in the heat as she strolled through the rest of the shops. The police station was open, of course, but Kurosawa no longer worked there. Akihiko told her he’d been promoted for his role in containing the Apathy Syndrome cases, and how the man had been a huge guiding force for him after Minako died. She almost wished he was still inside, so she could thank him for all that he’d done for them. 

Almost out of habit, she ducked in behind the alleyway underneath Mandragora. Minako half expected it to be bathed in blue, Theodore at the end standing ready to guide her into the Velvet Room, or waiting for her to show him around the human world. This time, though, it was empty. There was nothing but a blank wall marking the end of the alleyway, trash littering the floor. 

almost without thinking, Minako reached out and touched the wall, wishing Theodore would just pop out and welcome her to the Velvet Room. It was a silly wish, of course. She knew that their contract ended, and as Lavenza so kindly put it, she wasn’t allowed in the world between dreams and reality anymore. 

It didn’t stop her from wishing anyway, but the alley stayed silent. She huffed a laugh at her own expense and turned away from the emptiness,  tossing some coins into the fountain on her way out. 

~*~

The gates of Gekkoukan were open, but no one was outside, the morning bell already rung. Still, Minako made herself walk through the halls with quick, quiet steps, hoping that a wayward student or teacher wouldn’t see her. As she passed the nurse’s office though, Edogawa happened to look out his open door at the same moment. They stared at each other briefly– Minako noting the graying starting to form at his temples, before she raised a finger to her lips. Her former teacher hesitated for only a second more, then gave her a small incline of his chin before turning his back on her.

The back staircase to the roof was blissfully empty though, and she slipped through the door back out into the chilly air. The sunlight temporarily blinded her, but when the glow faded, the horizon opened up to the brilliant seascape that was so familiar. 

The wind ruffled her hair, seeming to welcome her home. Minako took her time making way to the railing, briefly stopping at the benches in the middle of the flooring. She found that it was slightly difficult to look at the one in the middle. The last place she was alive. Even without sitting down she could feel the cold concrete under her thighs, the softness of Aigis’ skirt on her cheek. She remembered how strenuous it was to breathe, to lift her hand when Aigis started crying, to keep her eyes open as long as possible, to stay on this earth.

Death came for her eventually, just like it does for everyone. Just like it was now.

Minako drew away from the benches and approached the railing of the rooftop. Settling her arms on the metal and leaning over. The sea sparkled under the sunlight, a rare day where the waves were calm and the windmills gently rotating with the breeze. If you asked her, this was Minako’s favorite spot in this universe. 

The air was sharp when she drew in a deep breath, but she welcomed the clarity. She smiled at the sensation and closed her eyes, tilting her head back to the sun, relishing in the warmth. It seemed fitting that after a cold and dark January, this last day would be bright. 

She didn’t start when arms encircled her from behind, but pressed into the embrace. Akihiko nuzzled into her hair and breathed her in, tightening his hold on her. 

“Edogawa caught me on the way in,” Minako whispered, and she felt Aki’s chest vibrate with his laugh.

“He’s always believed in the occult, he probably just thought you were a ghost.”

“He wishes I would haunt him,” She wiggled her fingers for emphasis, “How did you get in?”

He shrugged, “Told the school I was checking up on their boxing program.”

“Of course. The Board trips over themselves to make sure their best boxer to ever make it out of their program is pleased.”

“Mina….”

She could hear the roll of his eyes, so she turned to finally face him with a twinkle of her own.

Their gazes met, then his gray eyes slid off to the horizon. “The sun came out just for you,” He said, and to Akihiko’s credit, he didn’t sound sad. Just pensive. 

“Seems like it also wanted to send me off," Minako tried to joke, but her voice cracked right at the end.

Gray drifted back to red, and she saw him blink back the wetness that was beginning to gather, “I know why you did it. I know you have to go back. But part of me wants to never let you go again.”

She opened her mouth but he didn’t let her interject, “Just, send me a sign every so often, if you can? So I know you’re there?”

“Oh Aki,” Minako whispered, burying her face into his chest, “I will always be there, no matter what.”

He took a deep breath, maybe to say something else, but instead just nodded, kissing the top of her head.

They stood like that for a while, Akihiko’s warmth combining with the sunlight to keep the cold at bay. Behind them, she heard the door open, but didn’t turn around to greet whoever walked through. Instead, Junpei and Yukari wordlessly joined them at the railing, and Minako quietly brought them into the embrace. Yukari leaned into her side while Akihiko relinquished one hand to grip Junpei’s shoulder.

The rest of them came one by one, or in small groups. Fuuka arrived by herself, immediately taking a space next to Yukari. Ken brought Koromaru and wedged them both between Akihiko and Junpei. Shinjiro was a silent ghost hovering at Fuuka’s side, head tucked into his coat against the wind.

Aigis and Mitsuru were the last to make their way to the roof. Surprisingly, Shinjiro gently shoved Aigis into his side, while Mitsuru angled to rest her head on Junpei’s shoulder. No words were exchanged, but they didn’t need to. Their presence there was all Minako needed.

When she eventually felt the tugging of her soul get stronger, Minako started to disentagle herself from the middle of the pack. Her friends didn’t stop her, but there were tightenings of fingers or arms before letting her out. She took a few steps out from the huddle, the sun a halo behind her head. When she tried to say something–anything–she found that she was crying too hard to force the words out.

But they were patient with her, letting her start and stop and start again, before finally wrangling the tears into something manageable. 

“We-We didn’t get to do this last time,” The words burned around the knot in her throat, “Say goodbye. All of us.”

“Well, only someone as special as you would go dyin’ twice,” Shinjiro said lightly, though his voice was tight.

“The only thing I regret was not being able to explain. I know you all know now but back then, in that February,” Minako wrapped her arms around herself, “It was the loneliest I’d ever been. I had no idea when, or if, you guys would remember. I couldn’t just outright say what I’d done, what was going to happen to me. I held on so that we could keep our promise,” Tears carved rivers down her cheeks, “I’m so glad I’ve been able to do it properly this time.”

She hiccuped once, then soldiered through, “Thank you for being there. For loving me in all the ways someone could be loved. For missing me when I was gone. For honoring my decision and living the lives you were meant to live, grabbing the happiness you deserve,” She rubbed a heel of her palm across her eyes but it didn’t help, “It’s been wonderful to see you all again.”

Her soul tugged harder now, insistent. If Minako focused hard enough she could almost feel Erebus stir, ready to take advantage of the open gates.

“Minako…you’re glowing,” Mitsuru said around her own tears.

She looked down at herself and saw Mitsuru was right. Her body began to unravel into shards of light, just as it had when Maruki’s influence began, but in reverse. 

It was time, then.

“Minako!” Yukari burst out, entire face red, “We will make you proud!”

“You already have,” Minako said gently, and Yukari brought a hand to her mouth to smother the sobs.

“Is there nothing we can do to help you?” Aigis asked, and she shook her head. The robot looked like she wanted to argue, but then stiffly nodded. 

The unraveling became faster. The tops of her shoes faded away, the tips of her fingers, the ends of her hair. She looked down at herself, feeling the incessant pulling towards the seal now. Raising her head, she locked eyes with Akihiko again. He held Fuuka gingerly while she cried, his own tears dripping silently down his chin.

“Thank you,” She told them again, told him. She would’ve been nothing without them. She hoped they understood. 

“Goodbye, Minako,” He murmured, and with it she heard the echo of all the other bonds she had made during that one fateful year.

Minako gave them one last smile, and their faces were the last things she saw before the light finally consumed her, leaving the physical world once and for all.

~*~

She woke to stars. Thousands of them.

Minako was back in the Sea of Souls; the inky black stretched out for miles around her. Far off in the distance, she saw a golden glow. It had to be her seal, waiting for her to return.

She glanced behind her, but it was more of the same nothingness. She sighed, and dusted off some invisible lint on her legs. Straightening her spine, Minako began walking towards the glow.

“Minako-chan!”

A voice echoed loudly in the empty void, and she spun around. There stood Ryoji, not an apparition, but his whole self, yellow scarf as bright as the stars around them. The boy opened his arms, and she didn’t waste one moment to slide into them.

“It’s you,” She whispered, “You’re okay!”

“Oh dearest, I was never far away.”

Minako pulled back to look him in the eyes, “When you didn’t end up in Tokyo with me, I was so worried. Where did you go?”

His blue eyes shone, and the pieces started to fit together in her mind. Chasing after his image led her to Akira, her phone navigation pointing her to Maruki’s palace, seeing his face when she summoned Messiah…

“You’ve been helping me all along,” She whispered.

“When I woke up,” He said, “I could see you and everyone in the physical world, but try as I might they couldn't see me. I don’t know if that was the result of the madman’s powers, but it was quite annoying when I couldn’t communicate with you.” Ryoji beamed, “But I know you dearest, and I knew you would figure it out.”

Minako gave him a watery smile, “Still believing in me, huh?”

Ryoji’s own smile dropped into something more solemn, and he gingerly took her hands in his, “Always.”

She swallowed and nodded, giving his hands a squeeze. Just then, there was a roar behind them, coming from the area that glowed. 

He winced, “Guess that’s our cue.”

Minako nodded again, and linked arms with Ryoji. Together, they silently moved among the stars, making their way as the glow came closer, getting brighter and brighter with every step. As the golden gates came into view, Minako slowed, looking up at her final destination.

“Do you regret it?” Ryoji asked, “After seeing them again?”

There was a gap in between the chains that crisscrossed the wall, just large enough for Minako’s body to fit. Behind it she could hear Erebus pacing, and she imagined those red eyes delighting in the destruction that was about to happen if she didn’t return to her place.

“No,” She said, and she pulled away from Ryoji to stand right below the golden glow.

He sighed behind her, and when she looked back at him he gave her another sad smile, “I had to try one more time.”

“It doesn’t change anything.”

“I know.”

Ryoji enveloped her into another hug before pulling back and kissing her forehead.

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever see you again,” His voice was so quiet in this place among the stars, “but if you ever falter just know I’m fighting right beside you.”

Minako croaked out, “Thank you.”

One last squeeze, and Ryoji was fading  until the shine of his blue eyes were just more stars among the darkness.

“Goodbye dearest,” His voice echoed around her. 

“See you, Ryoji,” she murmured to the empty air, before steeling herself. She turned around to face the golden gates once again. The anticipation was thick, as if the barrier itself was urging her to come back.

Minako wiped at her eyes fiercely, then shoved her hand into her pocket. There, the photo she took with her friends at the movie night resided, and she took it out. Their happy grins was all the reminder she needed that this was the right choice, and if that failed the diamond ring on her finger that outshone the stars bolstered her even further.

Taking a deep breath, she marched forward, and Minako Arisato took her place at the center of the Great Seal, becoming a golden beacon for humanity once again, for all eternity.