Archive of Our Own ^beta

January...the Promised Day would soon arrive.

According to what Makoto informed her of, the last month – December – it had been rough. It had been a month that drove their team apart. After countless battles and hardships, this had been their biggest hurdle to overcome yet. The world will come to an end – could that even be described as a simple hurdle anymore? No one could even pretend to act like it was, neither that it was an easy decision to make; you either die in fear or die without.

At that time, it had been a clear answer for Aigis. The android girl told them to kill Ryoji – to not suffer anymore. Why did they not want to? It wasn't logical at all. More than that, why had her heart been hurting so much just knowing her friends would be suffering?

Aigis didn't want to see her friends suffer anymore…

Their determination surprised her, weren't they feeling insufferable despair just the last month? Why did they stand strong?

"We're not running away," Makoto had told her, while holding her metallic hand. "That's it."

That's it?

...Maybe there wasn't much else to it.

They refused to give up their memories – their bond . If Aigis thought about it, she wouldn't have wanted to give up her memories either. She wouldn't have wanted to forget her friends...it's those memories which made her... her .

She had been narrow-minded. There had been more to – if it was logical or not – there had been so much more. It took her too long to realize that...

Aigis made up her mind as well, she will protect Makoto and everyone else even if she dies trying. That was the order given to herself – her new-found resolve – and Athena was proof of that.

Their bond had been renewed after everyone unanimously agreed to face Nyx together. The atmosphere was still gloomy with a hint of melancholy mixed in, but there also had been something else – a comfort, which stemmed from their cohesion. The knowledge – that they would face this threat together.

Everyone's gaze was set straight ahead – to the future in front of them. Not even Strega with their cult of Nyx could change that.

However, for now, she would put a pin into that to let herself enjoy something mundane, she had promised to feed Ken's pet hamster after all.

While it wasn't comparable to the world's end, it was still a promise she had made. Besides, it had turned into a routine by now. It'd first started when she caught wind of another quadruped friend living with them. Aigis had asked Ken about his hamster's nourishment at some point, which he'd responded with 'always getting the same food-mix at the store'. He'd been confused why she would be curious about his hamster diet but she'd quickly explained to him that Koromaru didn't like being fed the same thing over and over again either.

From there onward – every time she would go shopping with Yukari and Fuuka – the android girl kept her eyes on the lookout for a new type of food-mix she could spot for Hamburger at the store. Ken had seemed reluctant at first, telling her that she didn't need to go through all the trouble but she insisted .

Today, Aigis had presented her younger team-member with another type of hamster food, he'd seemed grateful as always.

After Ken allowed her entry into his room, he immediately returned to his bed, where he had several books laying around. He opened one of them up and continued reading, she wondered what he'd been so invested in.

They didn't speak a word as Aigis was taking care of Hamburger nearby. “Hamburger-san looks rather tired today,” the android girl commented after a while, gathering the attention of Ken. The brunet stopped reading as he took a glance at his pet hamster.

“He's been like that for a while,” he replied in a flat voice.

The second-year hummed, taking another look at the sluggish movements of the hamster. “Maybe the food I bought will cheer him up.”

“Hehe, maybe.” Ken giggled softly. “Thank you for going through all the trouble, Aigis-san ,like always.”

Aigis shook her head. “It's no problem. I enjoy hanging out with Hamburger-san.”

“You do? Huh,” Ken muttered to himself before returning his attention back on the book in his hands. The student seemed to be lost in thought recently. He hadn't joined much in conversations when it came to Nyx as well, deciding to rather stay quiet about the whole ordeal. Aigis wondered what was going on inside his head.

She settled for just asking him directly. “Is something troubling you, Amada-san?”

The elementary student seemed to ponder. “Hmm, nothing in particular,” Ken answered– turning the page as he spoke. Aigis wondered if he really had been so fixated on the book as she first thought.

“An overall state of sorrow then?” she inquired.

“I mean…” Ken started, his eyes downcast. “With Nyx unavoidable arrival...yeah. Everyone's kinda on edge right now.”

Aigis nodded. She took one more look at Hamburger, who was peacefully nipping on the food she brought. The android girl assumed that meant that Hamburger enjoyed it. Normally, that was her cue to leave – she successfully fed Hamburger – but something was stopping her from leaving just yet. Ken must have noticed her hesitation as well.

“Is there something else, Aigis-san?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Something else…I took care of Hamburger but… She shifted her eyes towards the boy.

“I have come to a realization,” she stated.

“A realization?”

“Indeed,” she paused. “Would you do me a favor?”

“What do you mean?” Ken asked with a tilt of his head, putting the book aside.

“It just occurred to me...We've never hung out one-on-one before,” the second-year explained.

“Hm? But we'd conversed plenty, didn't we?” he retorted.

“I speak about the so-called ‘bonding activities’.” She hasn't found any records in her database regarding any bonding activities the two did together. Either they were in a group or having a short conversation in the lobby.

“Oh...really? I...never really noticed.” Ken fidgeted with his fingers. “Uhm, I wonder if Tartarus runs count as bonding too…” he mumbled. The elementary student raised his head to look into Aigis' eyes, the corners of his lips tilted upwards. “You know, I'm always much more motivated when we're teamed up in Tartarus. You really show no mercy.”

“I appreciate the compliment.” A soft smile was present on her lips. “I quite enjoy being teamed up with you as well, Amada-san.”

His eyes widened. “You do?”

“Your support is really helpful,” she remarked.

The student rubbed the back of his head, slightly flustered. “I'm glad to be of help...Say what have you been doing with the others? If I understood correctly you've been doing some bonding activities with them, right?”

“Your assumption is correct. Here are some examples: I've been clothes shopping with Yukari-san, Fuuka-san taught me about flower language and even helped me pick out some as a gift to Makoto-san.”

Ken blinked. “Huh, I never expected Makoto to be well-versed in flower language…”

“He was not,” she clarified. “I've explained the meaning to him. At the time, I didn't see the point of picking out a particular flower if the receiver doesn't know its meaning. Wouldn't it be better to just pick out their favorite according to their favorite color?”

The elementary student hummed. “It's mostly about the thought you put behind gifts, right? Some people might enjoy the meaning, others just how they look.” He shrugged.

“Yes, I have come to the same conclusion.”

For a moment, no one said a word as both members contemplated how to continue. It had been the same procedure like in the past; they talked for a bit before falling silent. Aigis wondered why neither of them could hold long conversations. She thought, maybe they were both better listeners than talkers.

“I don't think I have anything to teach you about, Aigis-san,” Ken admitted with a sigh. Teaching? According to her knowledge that wasn't really important when it came to bonding activities.

“Bonding activities can just be a fun activity as well,” the android girl explained.

“...like doing something together we both enjoy, yeah?”

“Correct.”

They both held their gaze for a while as they fell into an awkward silence once again.

“Uhm...sorry Aigis-san.” A sweat drop was running down the younger one's temple. “What do you usually enjoy doing…?”

“I enjoy eliminating Shadows,” she informed him – it'd been the first thing that came to mind. Ken furrowed his brow. The look on the other's face quickly informed her that it wasn't what he had been asking for. Aigis thought harder. What do I enjoy…?   “I also love hanging out with everyone at the dorm and indulging in new experiences.”

“Hm.”

Has the answer still not satisfied him? She had trouble thinking about any activities in particular though… Sometimes, Aigis wished humans were as easy to read as dogs. While she could tell a lot from the human body language as well, she couldn't wrap her head around certain contradictions when it came to them quite yet – maybe she never would, humans were complex beings after all. That didn't mean she would stop trying. Aigis' eyes scanned around the room. Her gaze landed on a soccer ball next to his bed. “Am I correct in the assumption that you play soccer?”

“Sometimes,” Ken quickly responded. The boy seemed glad that the conversation finally moved forward. “Have I never brought that up before?” he asked, tilting his head.

The second-year shook her head, according to her database he did not. “I don't know much about this sport, maybe we could play sometime?”

“Sure!” he responded enthusiastically. “It's pretty late now though and I'm not the best…” his voice trailed off.

“It is pretty late, my apologies.” Aigis continued to scan the room, she hoped he didn't mind her doing so. “Maybe we can read something together instead? Would you mind me scanning the books you have?” she asked, when her eyes landed on the bookshelf next to his wardrobe. Aigis figured he could be interested in that; considering he'd been reading some, when she first entered.

“I don't mind,” he responded as Aigis already made her way towards his bookshelf to inspect the books he owned: study books, manga and she could spot some hidden comic books behind them Feather…. she couldn't read the rest. It was best not to snoop around too much, usually there was a purpose for hiding something; like Junpei's magazine collection of- “Do you usually read, Aigis-san?” Ken cut through her thoughts.

The android girl turned around to face the other. Ken was still sitting idly on his bed, letting his feet dangle off the bed frame. “Yes, mostly what the others recommend. I'm fascinated by the variety of books out there,” she admitted.

“You sure love learning, Aigis-san.” Ken giggled.

“Naturally.” She nodded. “New experiences are what makes life interesting – it's worth living for it.”

“I get that. I try to do new things as well ever since Aragaki-san passed away.” He averted his eyes and continued with a quieter voice, “I...never really tried to do it much before that.”

“That saddens me to hear. You are in an age of learning, I think you should do just that,” she told him with a smile.

Ken chuckled. “Yeah…”

They both liked to learn, maybe she should pick out an educational book then. Yes, that sounded logical. She slightly pulled out a book to read the cover text: ‘How To Make The Best Coffee At Home.’ That sounded interesting. As Aigis pulled out the chosen book a card deck fell down with it. She quickly apologized before bowing down to pick up the deck of cards. “Oh, you possess card games as well?” she inquired.

“Hm? No I don't.” Ken stood up to walk over to her; Aigis showed him the pack of cards she was holding. “Oh, those are tarot cards,” he explained. “A friend gifted them to me, he's really into that kind of stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Fortune telling.” he paused. “Are you...interested to learn how this works?”

Aigis assumed he was referring to the tarot cards. Apparently, they had something to do with fortune telling – her curiosity was piqued. “I am.”

“I only know how to do the Past-Present-Future spread if that sounds good for you...?” he asked a little timidly. Aigis didn't quite understand what a ‘Past-Present-Future spread’ was, but she nodded nonetheless. Afterwards, she put the book – which the android pulled out earlier – back in its place.

They both took a seat on the floor. Ken took out the cards and started to shuffle them. When he was finished he spread them out in a straight line in front of the android girl. “Take three,” the brunet instructed.

As Aigis pondered over which cards to take, Ken started to explain, “Well...the spread is pretty self-explanatory but the first card is about past influences that impact the present.” Aigis picked out her first card. The present…

Ken continued on, “Then, the second one is for something that is happening presently that you should be aware of.”

That got Aigis' attention. “Like a warning?” the android asked as she picked out her second card.

“You could interpret it as such but it's really all about guidance – to draw your attention to a problem you might not have been aware of yet so to speak.” The robot girl nodded along as she pondered over her third card to take.

“Then the final card is for a possible future outcome,” Ken ended.

Aigis picked out her final card. A future… “That's all the cards we need?” she asked.

“If you wanted, you could always add two more,” he clarified. “The fourth card would be in regards to the situation uncovered in the first three cards, what you should place your focus on and a fifth would be about what to remove from your focus to get the most desired outcome.”

“You seem really knowledgeable. Are you doing this often by chance?” Aigis inquired.

“Sometimes….” Ken admitted, twiddling his thumbs. “You know...the reason why I always prayed at the shrine was because it let me feel closer to my mom...I felt really lonely after she passed away so just feeling like someone was watching over me had been a comfort...I mean I still pray but it's not out of desperation anymore uhm…Wow, that feels really weird to admit out loud. I don't think I told that to anyone before, Aigis-san.”

“Oh?” Aigis would lie if she said that hasn't surprised her. Especially, since she assumed he was much closer with some of the other members of the team – or maybe it was exactly because of that? Whatever it may have been… “I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me,” the second-year replied earnestly.

Ken shrugged as if he didn't quite know either. “You've always been easy to talk to – same with the leader. It never felt like you...judged, which I mean makes sense, since you were more machine-like – no offense .” The elementary student mused as he furrowed his brow, “But it's weird because even after you change so much it's still as easy…”

“It is always nice conversing with you as well, Amada-san, discovering the world together...or should I say, Junpei-san's antics?” she quipped.

Ken giggled. “So you feel the same?” he beamed. “Really, though! I'm glad I wasn't the only one having a hard time understanding his antics. Sometimes, it made me feel a bit left out – like I'm the only one not getting the joke. Didn't help that no one wanted to explain it to me either but it's not like I was desperate for it...I mean if no one wanted to explain it was probably for the better.”

“I always got the same impression as well.” Junpei's comments could be a bit...out of left field sometimes.

Ken snorted. “Anyway, I didn't even know where I was going with that tangent.”

“Belief can give people comfort,” the android girl theorized. Aigis assumed that could be a goal of these tarot readings as well. After all, a future unknown was scary – they all were feeling the repercussions of that dreadful feeling.

“That sums it up, yeah.” The brown-haired boy chuckled. “I guess I could have just said that to begin with but I'm glad you understood where I was going with that…Makes me wonder if I would have been swayed by that weird Nyx cult as well if I wouldn't have met all of you…”

“I wouldn't know,” she replied truthfully.

“Yeah...only I can know that.” Ken smiled. “Well, enough about me, let's get back to topic. You can turn over the cards now.”

“Two of swords,” Aigis read out loud.

“In reverse,” Ken added.

“So the direction of the card is important as well? I have much to learn.”

“Yes.” He nodded. “My friend told me you need to read them all together, so go on.” Aigis turned over the next card per Ken's instructions.

“Death, huh?” the boy muttered.

“Intriguing. Do these cards truly hold spiritual power inside them?”

Ken frowned. “I mean...not really? I don't know. They serve as a guide. I have to say ‘Death’ is a bit too much on the nose, though…” Aigis hummed as she turned over the final card – the future card.

“King of Wands,” Ken said, “uhm I think it was about overcoming challenges, leadership…”

Suddenly a knock on the door interrupted them. A high-pitched voice spoke up from the other side of the door. “Amada-kun, can I come in?”

“The door's open,” he quickly responded. Aigis watched as the elementary student started to slowly gather the unused Tarot cards – putting them together into a stack. Fuuka entered the door just as Ken reached for the packaging to put the cards back into.

“Ah, Aigis, you're here as well,” the navigator said, her eyes switching between Aigis, Ken and the cards in front of them.

“Greetings, is there something you need?”

“Yes, oh! Are you playing a card game?” Fuuka asked, after she finished observing the scene in front of her.

“This is not a card game,” the android girl explained, “Amada-san is teaching me the art of fortune telling.”

“Nothing too important…” Aigis heard Ken mumble beside her. Was he embarrassed?

“Oh, really?” It seemed to have piqued the high school girl's interest.

By the time she asked that, the unused cards were back in the package. Ken had yet to pick up the cards from their reading. “Did you need something, Fuuka-san?” he asked.

“Is it about a Tartarus exploration?” Aigis added. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see the younger boy fidget in anticipation.

The teal-haired girl hesitated – a light aversion of her eyes told Aigis everything she needed to know.

Fuuka replied with a soft smile on her lips. “Not really. I just wanted to check on you guys. Enjoy your time, ok?” Aigis nodded – because she understood. They both understood. Ken would insist on coming with, if Fuuka told him the real reason. Normally, Aigis wouldn't want to take part in the act of lying but the possibility was high that Ken would be sitting at the bottom stairs for the majority of the night anyways – considering he was an active party member in the last explorations. When it came to herself...she could have a day off as well, she figured. Not because she was tired – she never got tired – but because she had realized that there were equally important things in her life. No matter how close the Promised Day was, if she wanted to tread the path of self-discovery, she had to let herself create and nurture bonds as well. Her mission wasn't to solely fight Shadows anymore – it was to live.

In the past, she wouldn't have wasted a second even pondering over it. After all, fighting Shadows was her sole purpose. She was created to fight, but there was much more to her ‘life’ now. After the fight was over, she had to find her own path moving forward – she'd promised it to Makoto.

Fuuka left the room as quickly as she had entered it. Afterwards, Aigis caught Ken glancing at the screen of his phone. “It's almost the Dark Hour,” she heard him mutter. 

“Shall we continue?” Aigis asked, directing his attention back on the cards. 

“Right…where were we?”

“The King of Wands,” she responded.

“...Oh! I should probably start from the beginning, though. Let's see…” Ken's eyes landed back on the first card Aigis turned over. “Two of Swords, reversed. I can see this in two ways,” he explained. “The more general one is about confusion, about your motivations or emotions perhaps...? Does that sound familiar?”

“A very well-made deduction.”

“Huh…”

“What is it?”

“I mean...it's not about me guessing your past circumstances, but of course you don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to.” Ken remarked, he seemed really disappointed by her refusal to elaborate further. Was he really so curious about an android like herself?  She assumed she could 'throw him a bone' as they say. After all, the second-year wasn't planning on hiding her feelings. 

“I don't mind elaborating further. It is true that the past few months I was plagued by a lot of confusion. I...could never quite grasp the situation of everyone's emotions. What I mean by that is, that I could only see it logically – I couldn't feel it: Shinjiro-san's death, Mitsuru-san's father's death...or so that's why I thought. There had always been this weird, tightening feeling by my chest plate. That is where my confusion stemmed from. I wasn't supposed to feel anything. A machine that can feel is harder to control in battle after all.”

“The feeling has always been there…” Ken echoed.

“Correct.”

“That's why you also saved us from the crosses when you were under Ikutsuki-san's control, right?”

Aigis hesitated. ‘Saved’... They had only been in that situation because of her...But it's true that she managed to resist. “It seems so…” she paused again. “Amada-san you have mentioned another meaning as well?”

“Well…stop me if you don't want to talk about it, but I feel like it could also be referring to the battle on the Moonlight Bridge years prior, the one where you sealed Ryoji-san inside Yuki-san, I mean,” he explained.

Aigis tilted her head. “You got all of this from the card?”

“Oh, no! I mean I just connected some dots...the card also means ‘no right choice’, or ‘choosing between a lesser of two evils’. It just reminded me of it...since you seemed to really regret sealing Ryoji-san inside Yuki-san….Well of course you would but – urgh – sorry I'm rambling.”

Very interesting... “May the goal of these cards be to open up and reflect on past experiences? I must say, I know where my confusion stemmed from but just saying it out loud felt like it really...helped.”

“It...did?” he blinked in disbelief.

“Indeed. Would it be acceptable if I try a reading for you as well in the future?”

“Oh? Sure! I guess it's only fair.”

Sometime, during their discussion, the sky's color had changed into a familiar eerie green. The sickly moonlight shined through Ken's window, casting a light on the cards in front of them. Aigis had only taken notice of it now, she wondered how long the Dark Hour had been going on for, she figured it could have only been a few minutes.

Over the past months, the hidden hour had become a casual, daily occurrence. Strangely, the android thinks it'll be weird to adjust to a day with 24 hours again after all of this is over.

Ken continued, “Okay, let's move on to-”

Out of nowhere, they heard scratching from the door. It sounded like little paws repeatedly scraping at wood – a muffled bark confirmed their suspicions.

“Allow me,” the android girl said, standing up to walk over the door. As soon as she opened it, Koromaru stormed in.

“Arf!” The Shiba Inu jumped up and down on his front paws. Koromaru's urgent movements and the slight turn of his body towards the door, told Aigis what she needed to know, the dog wanted them to follow him somewhere.

“Are you hungry, Koro?” Aigis heard Ken behind her ask. A good guess, but Koromaru's movements are not as wild, whenever he requests nutrition. Aigis was about to translate for her younger team-member but Koromaru's barks interrupted her.

“Ruff! Woof!” The Shiba Inu slightly curled into himself – like when he felt guilty of something – but the barks of his clearly indicated something else; Koromaru was worried about something.

“Koromaru-san wants us to follow him, he is quite worried,” she translated for Ken. Said boy stood up and answered with a simple ‘Okay’, he was clearly as confused as she was about Koromaru's request.

The two of them followed behind Koromaru as he led the way; he was turning around every once in a while to check if Aigis and Ken were still following him.

As they were wandering up the stairs towards the command room, they bumped into Mitsuru.

“Ah, is there something you need?” the club leader asked, wide-eyed; she was in her full S.E.E.S. gear.

“Koromaru-san wanted us to follow him,” Aigis explained plainly.

The red-haired girl glanced at the dog. “Is that so?” she hummed.

“Where are you heading, Mitsuru-san?” Ken inquired.

The club leader hesitated. After a moment of consideration she let out a sigh. “I was dealing with some paperwork in the command room, when I got notified of a Shadow appearance in the city.”

“A Shadow?” Ken exclaimed. “I can gather everyone!” the boy offered enthusiastically.

“Hm?” Mitsuru gave him a curious look. “Everyone else is at Tartarus right now...have you not been informed?”

“Fuuka-san came in earlier but we were busy so she probably didn't want to interrupt – she meant well,” Aigis explained to the other girl – while it was indirectly more addressed to the young boy beside her.

“Still-”

“Rrrr...Ruff!” Koromaru interrupted her, the Shiba Inu suggested taking care of the Shadow with the current team.

Aigis pondered, in their prior four-man teams Makoto had always been present. Would it be fine for them to take care of this themselves this time? She had to agree with Koromaru in the aspect that they should take care of this Shadow as quickly as possible.

“Aigis? May you...?” Mitsuru asked after a short period of time – Aigis realized she still hadn't translated for the group; everyone had been waiting for her. Sometimes she forgot that no one understood Koromaru quite like her.

“Koromaru-san suggests fighting the Shadow with the current team. There is no time to waste,” the android girl told them.

“I'm not so sure…”

“You also have navigating abilities, right Mitsuru-san? Please allow us to handle this,” Aigis insisted. 

“Please, Mitsuru-san,” Ken finally chimed in. “We shouldn't interrupt the leader's exploration, especially if it just turns out to be a false alarm, that has happened with the sensor in the command room already one time, hasn't it?”

The third-year sighed, finally giving in. “Very well...Who will take leadership in this operation?” she asked hesitantly.

“Arf!” The Shiba Inu panted excitedly. 

“Koromaru-san wants to take lead,” the second-year translated.

Ken smiled sheepishly. “Uhm...I don't think I would be able to understand Koromaru's commands like you do Aigis-san,” he admitted. Koromaru whined in response, seemingly disappointed.

“Right…” Mitsuru cleared her throat, joining back the conversation. “Why don’t you take the lead for this operation, Aigis?” she suggested.

“Me?” Aigis wasn't sure if she was a good fit for the leader role.

“I agree,” Ken chimed in and Koromaru gave an affirmative bark as well.

Aigis thought about it, if they really want to put their trust in me so much, then I can't disappoint them... “It seems I am outvoted. Then I will do my very best!” It was only for one mission anyway. In a way, she was excited to experience the role of a leader.

Mitsuru nodded. “I'll be counting on you, Aigis. I'll try to get a better reading on the Shadow's location with my motorcycle, while you get ready. Make sure to take the communicators from the command room so we can stay in touch.”

“Affirmative.”

For the most part, the walk to the Moonlight Bridge had been shrouded in silence. The short conversations they did have were about the situation awaiting ahead but nothing more than that. 

Aigis clicked on her communicator. “Mitsuru-san, we have arrived at the Moonlight Bridge. However, there is no Shadow in sight,” the android girl informed their club leader.

There was a humming sound coming from the receiver's end. “I see...I can't get a clearer reading from my position. I'll get closer. Stand by for now.”

“Understood.” The android turned off her communicator again.

Afterwards, Aigis turned her attention towards her other two teammates. Koromaru was sniffing around the area, while Ken watched the area attentively; his body language was tense. Aigis figured it would be wise to get him to calm down, after all there hasn't been a threat yet.

It just seemed like...Aigis was unsure how to approach this scenario.

“Are you feeling well?” she decided to ask.

Ken blinked. “Huh? Uh, yeah..! What about you?”

“I am fine.”

That had been the end of that conversation attempt.

The blonde wondered if she had made a mistake somewhere. She was under the impression that they managed to ‘open up’ in the course of their earlier conversation. What had been different? 

The android girl decided to take a guess on what could be the problem, “Amada-san, would you mind a question?” she asked. Ken turned around to look at her; he watched attentively as he waited for her to continue – it took Aigis a second to realize that.

The second-year continued, “Are you upset about not having been invited to Tartarus prior?”

The elementary student blinked. “Hm? No, it's fine. I've just been thinking...isn't it weird that a Shadow escaped from Tartarus when the others are at the tower...?”

Aigis hummed, that was a good point. “That is unusual, indeed...Maybe a false alarm after all?”

Ken shrugged. “Maybe.”

Suddenly, Koromaru started to bark in the direction of the riverbank. “What is it, Koromaru? Have you spotted something?” Ken asked, wide-eyed.

“Woof!”

“Koromaru-san is thirsty,” Aigis translated for the young boy.

“Oh,” said boy paused, “I guess we don't have anything else to do.”

“Aroo!” Koromaru was begging her for a refreshment. Aigis pondered, she figured that it would be best to keep her team at strength – she'll make sure that they wouldn't stray away too far. 

“Very well, Koromaru-san. We will accept this side-quests.”

“Arf!” The Shiba Inu was happy, he sprinted towards the riverbank as soon as he got the permission.

“Side-quest…?” Ken raised an eyebrow. “Has Junpei-san dragged you into playing video-games with him?” he asked her with a chuckle.

“He didn't 'drag' me anywhere,” she clarified. However, she quickly realized that she'd been focusing on the wrong matter once again. “I was simply curious about it,” Aigis added. As they made their way towards the riverbank, the second-year continued to ramble on. “A particular character stood out to me,” she explained. “The protagonist of the video game was an android girl, she was going through a journey similar to mine – discovering what it means to live. However, it is quite hard for me to grasp why humans would be interested in this phenomenon. I assume that protagonists are supposed to be relatable more often than not, but how can a human relate to a machine?”

Ken rubbed the back of his head. “Uhm, well...I think it's quite frankly impossible to create a protagonist every human being can relate with. It's more about getting invested in the android girl's story – I think. Besides, some humans are able to relate to a machine to some extent.”

Aigis tilted her head. A human being able to relate to a machine? She couldn't quite comprehend that. “How so?”

Ken sighed. “Well...emotions can be painful and hard to deal with...The easy way out is just to become emotionless: follow orders, just get by...day after day – like a machine.”

“....Is that how the people feel that wish for Nyx's arrival?” she questioned. “They deny their feelings...but it's a part of living….”

Humans that wish to be a machine? It sounded so absurd in her mind. However, the more she thought about it, the more she could get behind it. She finally had been able to grasp her own emotions after the fight with Ryoji on the Moonlight Bridge; it's what she had wanted the whole time – to feel ...

All the times she saw her friends suffer – going through so much pain, she'd wished she could have felt it with them .

Even back then, there was this weird feeling in her chest – like an ever-tightening screw. She didn't know why she felt that way; she didn't know why a human's death was so significant. You could never see that person anymore, that much she had understood. But there are so many humans on this planet and every one will die one day. Humans knew that, didn't they? So why? That's what she asked herself after Shinjiro's death.

Then, Mitsuru's father died and she wished she had any comforting words to tell the girl – but no. No matter how long she searched for them – she drew a blank. She had nothing of significance to say. The only thing she had known how to do, was to defeat Shadows after all.

After that, Chidori sacrificed her life for Junpei and she just had a harder time understanding it all. Why? The girl gave up her self-preservation urge for him. It was completely illogical...

One day, she had asked Yukari about it: ‘Why did Chidori-san sacrifice herself?’ With a pained expression, the girl had told her: ‘It was out of love .’

Love…

Had it been that exact feeling that was nagging at her mind ever since she met Makoto on Yakushima? Was it that illogical feeling she had towards him? Or had it been simply programmed into her? After she remembered what she did that fateful night – sealing death inside Makoto. She found the answer. It had been programmed into her – but not by a scientist – it was something she programmed into herself, without knowing. However, that hadn't been everything. After her repair at the lab, a series of revelations surged through her. She didn't know why it suddenly all... clicked together, it was as if all the puzzle pieces she gathered finally fit together to reveal the grand picture – like she had finally found the missing piece that made the picture make sense .

Everything had hit her at once, she lived through it all again, recalled it all - fresh into her memory: Shinjiro's death, Mitsuru's father's death, Chidori's death...It was all too much to bear. After she heard that her friends would befall the same fate- she broke down. She had...she had to protect them all!

...she had to protect Makoto...

How the boy never seemed to hold any grudge against her for sealing death inside him was beyond her.

So, yes; she could understand to an extent. Emotions were beautiful and ugly all the same – a coin with two sides. But it had to be that way, without knowing how it is to suffer through hard times, you can never know what it meant to truly be happy.

Everyone that wishes for Nyx...they forgot how to feel. She could see how there was comfort in that but that was no way to live – it isn't.

“...So the android girl's story is for humans to relate to as well,” she muttered. And to learn from it, she added in her mind.

“Aigis-san…” Said girl turned towards her younger team-member, he stared at her wide-eyed. Was her answer so surprising? No, it wasn't surprise; his expression was more akin to anxiety.

“Amada-san?” she replied.

“Sorry to interrupt but…” Ken pointed to Koromaru by the river. “Is the...is the water even drinkable…?”

The android looked over to the riverbank, Koromaru's head was lowered – right by the river. In the blink of an eye, the duo rushed towards the Shiba Inu. “Abort the mission, Koromaru-san!”

Said dog turned around, seemingly confused as he slightly tilted his head.

On closer inspection - he only held a bottle of water in his snout.

“Phew...he didn't actually drink from the river…” Ken mumbled, holding his chest.

“Rrrr.. Ruff!”

“Koromaru is offended that you think he would do such an irresponsible thing.”

“Ah! No! I mean...sorry..?”

“Woof!”

“Koromaru seems to have accepted the apology. Now then…” Aigis bowed down to pick up the bottle – placed in front of her feet by Koromaru. She held the bottle sideways as if she was planning to rip it apart.

“A-Aigis-san! Why not just unscrew the bottle?” Ken offered timidly.

“We don't have anything to pour the water into, so I concluded that making a makeshift-bowl would be the best course of action. I just need to rip a tiny hole into the bottle.” The android placed her two thumbs in the middle of the bottle – right where she wanted to tear the opening.

“Just pour the water into his mouth…?” Ken tried again.

“Rrr…Arf!”

“Koromaru does not enjoy such an action. He is offended that you-”

“Ok, ok! I get it! Be my guest,” the elementary student huffed. With crossed arms, he watched Aigis tear into the bottle.

Suddenly, in one motion – she tore the bottle in two. The water stored inside impacted with the ground below in one big splash.

“Apologies. It seems like I have put too much force into my grip. Koromaru-san, do you possess more water bottles in your secret stash?”

“Rrrr…” Koromaru was mad...

Taking care of your team was harder than the android girl first thought. “Don't you worry, I plan to replace the damage caused,” she assured him.

Koromaru panted satisfied, holding out one of his paws. Aigis bowed down to shake it with her metallic hand. “It's a promise.”

Ken chimed in with a deadpan expression on his face, “I mean it's probably for the best, no? There was a chance he would just cut his tongue on some ripped plastic anyway.”

“I would have melted away any dangerous edges before letting Koromaru sip at the water bottle,” the second-year explained.

The elementary student seemed ready to protest, “I- Ah!” Ken yelped as a black gooey tentacle tugged at his ankle; following its origin she could see the tentacle emerge from the crimson-colored water below – it had wrapped around the young boy's leg before any of them could even realize it. In an instant the tentacle dragged him towards the river's surface. Aigis managed to catch the boy before he could be pulled underwater. She held him from the back, one hand was placed around his torso, while the other one was locked around the armpit. The elementary student raised his spear – intending to cut through the black tentacle but before he could bring down his spear to cut through it – Aigis caught a glimpse of a grenade traveling at them at an alarming speed. In the blink of an eye, the robot girl shielded the younger boy without a second thought – stepping between him and the grenade – all the while still hugging him tight. She had no knowledge of the radius and power the grenade was being thrown at. If it was strong enough to tear through her armor and hit any important vitals, there was a risk of her becoming unable to move, or even shut down entirely at worst. It was only a slim chance - could she take that gamble? She glanced at the bloody river below – was this her only solution? Her calculations told her jumping into the water would be the safest option.

She had to decide.

“Arf! Arf!”

She...had to... decide!

Now!

Just as the grenade was about to explode, the android girl jumped. The last thing she heard was a cut-off bark from Koromaru as the sound of the grenade cut through it. The grenades blast radius pushed them further into the blood-colored water. They didn't stop sinking as the tentacle continued to drag Ken deeper below and consequently her with him. She had made sure to cover his airways with her hand before jumping in, so that Ken didn't accidentally breathe in the cold water from shock.

Aigis had been too careless. Mitsuru can't detect Persona-users like Fuuka can. She should have thought about that. A miscalculation on her part – she just hoped Koromaru had been far enough from the blast radius. We'll be right back, Koromaru-san.

They would get out of here soon – and quickly at that; the robot was aware that a long exposure to icy waters such as this, could be deathly for a human being.

Aigis aimed her finger guns at the tentacle below and shot – but it turned out to be futile. The projectile's velocity was way too slow to make any significant impact. Her bullets were even more slowed down – caused by the force and speed at which they got dragged at – deeper below. The android girl eyed Ken's spear; that would be their only solution, she thought. She had considered Orgia mode but that would leave her wide-open afterwards. The blonde put her hand on the brunet's, who struggled to even keep his grip on the weapon. She lent him all her strength – swinging down the spear with him and affectedly cutting it off.

The android could perceive a gurgling sound down below – if that was anything to go by – then the Shadow was not amused about them cutting off his tentacle in the slightest. With her eye-lenses, she took a second to zoom in on the Shadow, which sat on the bottom of the river. It was huge, with several other black tentacles sprouting from its body. However, Aigis had no more time to dwell on that as she had to bring the elementary student back to the surface as quickly as possible. The android girl gathered up energy in her legs and made a massive thrust forward – impelling them at a quick rate towards the surface.

Not long after, they emerged from the crimson-colored water. She sat Ken down in front of her - he was shivering – badly. He hugged himself instinctively, trying to warm himself up again. “S-so cold..” Ken stuttered. Aigis made an effort to help him in his endeavors as she moved closer to his side and let her body heat warm him up. The girl couldn't help but feel guilty of her actions; it had been a hard call to make...

She couldn't even begin to fathom how a human would be able to make quick, hard decisions like that. Even with her fast processors – she had trouble deciding what decisions to make. And yet, Makoto always managed to keep a cool, collected mind; even when it came to hard decisions he didn't panic and he would shoulder the mistakes of his team on top of that.

Aigis felt like she was able to understand him just a bit better now – or at least the pressure he shouldered. It's not as easy as you make it seem like, Makoto-san. It was just another thing she could add to the list about what she admired about the boy…

Admired…?

Yes, she supposed she did.

“My apologies. I'm aware that it was not in your favor,” she couldn't help but apologize.

Ken lightly shook his head. “I-it's fine.”

Aigis frowned, now that she was the assigned field-leader, the well-being of her teammates felt way more pressing. If anything happened – she was to blame – or at least it felt like it; after all it happened under her leadership. She shook her head. The android knew she couldn't linger on her past actions for too long. Aigis had to focus on the here and now; they still weren't out of danger yet.

“Enjoyed the bath you freaks?”

Speak of the devil...

“ You …!” she snarled. It was Jin from Strega. She'd already assumed as much, when she saw the grenade earlier but that confirmed it. “ Why are you doing this!?”

“What part?” he scoffed. “Attacking you? The Nyx cult? Frankly, that cult is all Takaya's idea. I follow his ideals so I helped him orchestrate it all. Maybe I should thank ya fools, y'all where the reason this started after all.”

She was about to protest, when she heard the boy behind her mutter, “Koro..?” 

That's right...

Koromaru was nowhere in sight. Aigis assumed if he wasn't here, he had probably gone to get help. At least she hoped he did, Ken was out of the water but not out of danger yet. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

Aigis stood up – protectively in front of the junior and got into her fighting stance. “It is clear that our ideals don't align. I have no interest nor time to entertain you any longer.”

“Entertain you! ? You think you're so much more special, don't cha? Don't underestimate us or it will cost you,” Jin threatened. Not long after, his face distorted into amusement. “Oh, that's right, death will befall you all nonetheless.”

“Your actions consists out of nothing but delusions! It is wrong to wish for death,” Aigis retorted back.

The Strega member scowled, “Pff, wrong? Why do I care? Do ya think I ever had the choice to choose between life and death? You're the fool for not seein' everyone's call for Nyx. Takaya helped me – he enlightened me and showed me a path forward, not to a futile future but to a life in the present. I have the freedom to control that at the very least…”

“The people calling for Nyx, they are simply misguided. They have forgotten what it means to life, to embrace it all – no matter how much it hurts,” she choked out.

“A robot like you would know all about how people feel, huh?” he quipped. “What a joke! You're the lapdog around here.”

Aigis had never felt such intense emotions before. Why was she so bothered by his provocations...? Didn't matter – she wasn't a mindless machine anymore. She was here to fight for her friends! “I found my path – a path I chose for myself! If you intend to stand in our way and continue to hurt my friends, I will not back down.”

“You're a damn hypocrite,” Jin growled. “A path you choose for yourself? Don't make me laugh. You don't even know the first thing about what it truly means to be free!”

Ken finally decided to chime in as well, “A-Are you doing this because your leader t-told u to?” he stuttered, not because he was scared but still affected by the cold. The young boy's gaze alone could pierce any enemy in its path; it seemed like she wasn't the only one who was bothered by the Strega member.

“This is personal business, kid. Takaya couldn’t care less about stopping ya fools anymore. It's the contrary, really. He would want to see ya fools watch the end but this is something personal. Yes, that grenade was for Chidori.”

“W-What the-?! Y-You were the ones who shot Chidori-san,” Ken shot back.

“No. Takaya shot the freak, who started to mess with her mind!” Jin snarled back.

Out of Aigis' peripheral vision, she could see something black coming their way. “Amada-san! Beware!”

Suddenly, several black tentacles appeared from the river, and a black sludgy sea-creature dragged itself out of the river – the Shadow.

“Tch, whatever. This will take too long and the mutt's getting help too…” she could hear Jin mutter. A small wave of relief washed over Aigis. At least that confirmed her previous assumption. “Plans changed, what a bummer. Don't be fooled, I will fulfill mine and Takaya's wish soon enough. We will put a stop to you on the Promised Day regardless.” His mouth twisted into a mischievous smirk. “It'll be much more satisfying seeing ya fools despair in front of my eyes anyway. The end can't be stopped.”

Jin retreated into the darkness, leaving the other two to fend off against the Shadow themselves. “W-what a coward,” Ken snarled. “Attacking us underhandedly and t-then running away.”

“Let's end this quickly,” Aigis said while dodging a wild swing from the Shadow. Now that it had been out of the water, she could see its features far better; a squid-like beast with a mask much too small, sitting on top of its main body. It almost looked like it outgrew the mask, had it been perhaps not always this size?

“Aigis!” she heard Ken shout urgently. The strength in his voice surprised her – she didn't know he had any left. Alarmed, she immediately glanced towards her teammate. Perhaps, that scream was all he had the energy left to do – since he didn't elaborate further. Instead, Ken sent her a panicked, pleading look; switching between the Shadow in front of them and the houses and coffins behind them. 'We can't let it reach them' were the unheard words.

Ken's feeble movements while swinging his spear and sloppy footwork didn't go unnoticed by the android. Furthermore, the boy had trouble summoning his Persona. Every time he brought the silvery gun to his forehead a tentacle interrupted him. It didn't look like he could keep up any longer. Aigis only had one option left. “Initiating: Orgia mode!”

Immediately, the robot girl stormed into the Shadow's main body, knocking it back a good feet – which also resulted in taking some pressure of her younger team-member. Ken used the short respite to finally summon Kala-Nemi and send a Ziodyne the Shadow's way. The Shadow groaned in pain – it was very effective. Unfortunately, the shock also reached the metallic body of Aigis as she had been wrestling with a tentacle at the moment of impact. However, thanks to Orgia mode, she could easily withstand it. “Keep going!” she urged the younger boy.

A water monster being weak to electric skills, it was a bit too on the nose but they had learned that lesson already – sometimes all it took was a Shadow's appearance to find the weak spot. Ken must have had a similar thought process.

The fierce fight continued as Aigis continued to deal blow after blow. The continued electric attacks kept the Shadow from moving, leaving the Shadow fully open to Aigis' wrath.

“This will end it!” Aigis announced with a shout, pushing herself up from the ground to deliver a deathly kick, shattering the Shadow's mask in the process before it dissolved entirely. The android girl landed back on her feet. “Mission accom...plishe…”

Orgia-mode ended and Aigis was unable to move from overheating. At least she was still mostly aware of her surroundings in that state, so she was able to spot Koromaru approaching Mitsuru on her motorcycle out of the corner of her eyes. “Arooo! Arf! Arf!”

“Aigis! Amada!” the red-haired girl called out. Removing her helmet and rushing over to them. Upon laying eyes on Ken, Mitsuru immediately removed her S.E.E.S. coat to put it on his shoulders. “I tried to contact you! What happened?!” she continued in a worried voice. Koromaru whined, clearly sharing her worry.

“We-” Ken started but when Mitsuru saw his shivering form she shook her head.

“Never mind, we can discuss it later.” She eyed the communicator clipped to his jacket. Mitsuru seemed quick to realize what led to the communicator's defect – especially since she eyed the wet state of Ken afterwards. The devices weren't waterproof.

Luckily, it didn't take Aigis long to cool off due to the cold temperature, while the android girl knew now wasn't the best time, she had to get something off her chest. “I want to apologize, Amada-san. I should have taken the impact of the grenade instead. At the time, my calculations told me it would be best to take cover in the water but it made you go through pain as a result of that. Maybe I haven't changed as much as I'd like to believe…”

“T-That's not true, Aigis-san,” Ken dismissed.

Mitsuru nodded in agreement, filling out the words Ken couldn't utter, “You could say we humans have our own calculations as well. We judge based on – in our opinion – the best outcome as well. It's only natural that you have a different way to judge a situation, even humans differ in that regard.”

“Mhm...it's what Mitsuru-san said. I t-think you doubting your actions is just more proof of the opposite a-actually, a machine wouldn't do that. A machine wouldn't second-guess their actions,” the elementary student ended.

The second-year placed a hand on her chest. “I suppose that is true…”

“Aigis, it's something you should be proud of. The strength of your heart is admirable. Most people would just freeze and get hit; not because they think it's the best course of action but because it's hard to make a choice in the first place. You took action in hopes of a better outcome. Be proud of that.” Even though Mitsuru hasn't been present, she seemed to have analysed the situation correctly and even found the right words to say.

...She was the one to be admired in Aigis' mind.

“Arf!”

Ken giggled, “I think Koromaru agrees, Mitsuru-san!”

The red-haired girl smiled back. “Well then, let's head back. We wouldn't want you to catch a cold shortly before the big battle, Amada.”

“Y-yeah...it's freezing…”

“Allow me to quickly carry you home then, Amada-san,” Aigis offered. “I still have some energy to spare.”

Ken’s eyes shot wide open. “Carry?! Oh, i-it's fine! I can- Woah!” Aigis suddenly scoops him off his feet, holding him in bridal-style. “S-seriously, I can-”

Before the younger boy could protest further, Aigis suddenly jumped up high and Ken unintentionally clamped her arms around her neck. The cold breeze grazed against their skin. However, it didn't seem like it bothered Ken much as he was entranced by the view below.

The greenly lit sky returned to its normal color in the middle of their trip back; colorful lights radiating from the buildings below filled their vision.

Aigis only set him down once she arrived back at his room – much to Ken's dismay. The boy had insisted that he could walk the rest of the way as soon as they had arrived at the front entrance but the android girl insisted. In the end, the elementary student gave up – rather uncharacteristically – but Aigis was glad. However, she felt like he wouldn't have given up so easily if any of their other friends had been back at the dorm already. 

She had brought Ken successfully back to his room; that was step one complete. While the elementary student was busy changing out of his soaked clothes, Aigis spent the time gathering all the extra blankets she could find. When the blonde was satisfied enough with her loot, she returned to Ken's room.

As she opened the door, she could hear a surprised yelp – the blonde assumed it was Ken, she had a hard time seeing what was going in front of her since the blanket stack was so high it hid her face from view. Aigis peeked from the stack to see a slightly flustered Ken. It seemed like the student had barely finished changing into his sleepwear by the time Aigis busted back to his room. “A-Aigis-san, you can't just storm into someone's room like that…” he stuttered.

“Don't worry, I am aware of the biological components of the human body.” As she peeked from behind the stack of blankets once more and was met with a disapproving look from Ken, she reconsidered her approach. “However...I am aware that it is seen as intimate so I will refrain from entering so suddenly again in the future…” Ken exhaled a breath, then sat down on his bed – as soon as he did so, he was greeted by a pile of blankets thrown on top of him. “Blankets are a good source of re-obtaining body heat,” she informed him.

A muffled “I can tell…” was her only response.

When Ken successfully settled into his bed a quiet sneeze escaped his lips. Aigis' eyes widened upon hearing it. “It seems like I am in ‘deep shit’ as they say.”

Ken couldn't help but laugh.

“Maybe the death card was referring to Mitsuru's wrath instead…” she joked. According to Ken's bright smile, she assumed she succeeded with her mission to ‘brighten up the mood’. She loves seeing her teammates happy like that. She would fight and enable them a future where they could smile like this every day.

She had to.