A long one-shot I was working on to take a brief break from my main story (which I am returning to write after this for those who follow me). I hope you all enjoy and don't be afraid to say any thoughts you have on this. Enjoy!
The school rooftop. The perfect place for people to sit down and enjoy the amazing view of the city that surrounded the area, although it was usually devoid of any students, there were currently two of them sitting on a bench as they both sat together as they enjoyed their lunches.
One of them was a boy who had dark blue hair that partially covered his right eye, his eyes were a blue color that matched his hair, and he was wearing his Gekkoukan High uniform. He was munching on some melon bread and drinking from a can of tea. His name was Minato Arisato. The other student was a girl that had short, dark teal hair, her forehead was clear and her bangs covered her ears, her eyes were an almond brown and she was wearing her Gekkoukan High uniform with a turquoise turtleneck adorned with a flower pattern underneath. She was eating some Yakisoba noodles she bought while drinking a soda. Her name was Fuuka Yamagishi. As these two silently ate, they stared at the sky and the clouds floating around slowly as the time passed.
"Pretty day, huh?" Minato asked casually.
"Yeah. The sun is out, and there's not too many clouds out today," Fuuka answered back, while Minato smiled in response. They both fell silent and went back to eating their food.
Fuuka and Minato had been friends for a while now, Minato helped her with her cooking and they both studied together at Gekkoukan High. From time to time, they would hang out and go to the book store, manga cafe or eat takoyaki together at Octopia which was located in Iwatodai Station. Although lately, things had gotten a bit slow between them, as they seemed to be a tad awkward with one another.
Minato and Fuuka both knew why, but neither would dare say it. You see, in the time they had spent together, they had learned a lot about each other, and had grown closer and closer with every encounter, eating together, shopping together, studying together, and talking about stuff like music or science or technology for hours. These events were very enjoyable for both of them.
As they got to know each other better, they both found themselves sharing a connection that they had never felt before, even after spending hours together they would go to sleep thinking and wondering about the other. What was this feeling they both shared, but neither could reveal?
Love.
Minato was a boy who fate had not been good to, as his parents died ten years ago in a car accident. He was an orphan, so his relatives sent him off to many places and passed him on to other relatives constantly. He never stayed in a place long enough to get used to his surroundings, so he grew to be an apathetic person, unattached to everything and everyone. But for some reason, things were different with Fuuka. Something about her made Minato want to stay close to her, he couldn't really explain it himself. It was as if her presence made everything in the world feel calm and peaceful.
Fuuka was a girl with parents who rarely cared for her, unfortunately. The reason her parents were like that was due to all of their other relatives being doctors except for her parents, leading to them having a major inferiority complex, and taking it out on her. This also affected Fuuka, as they did not care for her beyond her academic output. She was once lost for days and neither of them had reported her missing, and her relationship with them was pretty strained in general even before that incident. Fuuka saw Minato as a great friend, always willing to help her in whatever she needed, even if it meant being a guinea pig for her cooking as Minato didn't mind. Fuuka was very thankful for his help. As she spent time with him, she saw there was more to the blue haired boy than she thought. He could be optimistic and kind, and was always happy to help her out and he wasn't as moody or apathetic as he seemed. As she spent even more time with him, she started to become curious of this boy, why did he seem so neutral to everyone but her? What made her special? She enjoyed the time they spent together more than anything, and always looked forward to the next meeting they would have.
They were unsure if the other shared their feelings, and did not want to risk their current relationship by revealing them at the moment or anytime soon. The two finished their lunches and found themselves in an awkward silence. They sat there for a few seconds still before Minato eventually spoke up.
"I... guess we should return to the dorm," Minato said quietly, as he referred to the Iwatodai Dormitory, where he, Fuuka, and others they knew stayed at.
"Yeah. I have a lot of homework assignments I need to finish for my classes," Fuuka replied just as quietly.
"Same. We should get going," Minato answered. They both made their way to the stairs, Minato opened the door for her as she smiled and nodded back warmly.
"You're so nice Minato," Fuuka thought to herself. As Minato closed the door behind them and walked with her down the hallways, he took some time to admire the girl at his side. Fuuka was a short girl, being five feet tall made her one of the shortest, if not the shortest girl in school. Minato's eyes slowly moved to her hair, as he thought it was a fitting style for her. Short, practical and cute. He also thought those words applied to Fuuka as a whole as well.
"It looks pretty soft," Minato quietly remarked to himself. As if hearing his thoughts, Fuuka glanced at Minato, making him quickly turn his gaze away from her glance. Fuuka noticed this, but decided to ignore it and keep going. They both took their train and both safely arrived back to their dormitory.
"Hello." greeted a young boy that both Minato and Fuuka were very familiar with. He was sitting on the couch, drinking a glass of milk at the moment, as he also lived in the Iwatodai Dormitory with them.
"Hello, Ken-kun." said Fuuka warmly back.
"Hey Ken," said Minato calmly back, as they both approached the young boy. They both gave him a friendly handshake as Ken stopped drinking his milk briefly, to shake hands with the two. Minato and Fuuka made their way up the stairs, and when they reached the first floor, Minato turned to her before he headed off to his room on the floor. Their eyes directly met briefly, causing the other to blush, before they both looked away shyly.
"Well, ummm… I..." Fuuka stammered briefly, as she tried to say something in response, as she finally managed to find the words she was looking for.
"See you tomorrow Minato!" Fuuka exclaimed hastily, before running up the stairs, to head to the second floor, where her room was located in. Before Minato could answer, she was already gone. Minato frowned and slowly turned his gaze down as he started walking to his room, not noticing the two people that were by the soda vending machines who had seen what just happened. After he entered his room, one of them spoke up.
"They should both express how they really feel to each other already," she said. She was Yukari Takeba, one of Minato's classmates, a friend of Fuuka, and another resident of the dorm. She was currently reading a magazine in regards to fashion, as she sat at one of the chairs nearby.
"Yeah. Talk about awkward," said the other with a sigh. He was Junpei Iori, another of Minato's classmates and his close friend, who was also a resident of the dorm. He was currently placing some money into one of the vending machines, intending to purchase a drink.
"We have to do something!" said Yukari, annoyed at the situation. Junpei blinked briefly back at Yukari, as he was surprised she wanted herself and him to get involved.
"Like what exactly?" Junpei asked back, both with curiosity and a tiny bit of skepticism, wondering if they could really have an actual effect on their relationship, at least significantly.
"I don't know, but things can't stay like this. At least that's how I feel about it," Yukari answered back with a sigh, while Junpei just shrugged back in agreement. They both agreed to think of something to help the two as they went back to their business for the moment.
"I'm such a fool," Minato thought, as his hands covered his face in frustration. Minato laid on his bed, as he had already changed to a plain white shirt and some blue pajama pants. "I should have said something while we were on the roof,"
He sat upright and looked out the window; the moon was a few phases away from becoming a full moon. He looked away from the window and closed his eyes, and ended up sighing.
"Fuuka…" Minato whispered quietly, the name of the first girl that had made him smile in a long time. He recalled how after he had saved her from a certain tower a while back, and saw her fully recover and return to school and how he and she just found each other staring each other. How he ended up forming a small, but very genuine and gentle smile for her.
"Fuuka…" Minato whispered once more as he laid back down on his bed. "I want to be with you…"
These were the last words he uttered before closing his eyes and letting himself be taken by sleep. Coincidentally, it seemed he wasn't the only one whispering the names of someone they deeply cared about as well, as we switch scenes to a different room. Fuuka was lying down on her bed, as she was currently wearing teal colored pajamas as she hugged her pillow close to her as she was thinking of him.
"Minato…" Fuuka whispered to herself quietly. "Why can't I just tell you how I feel? Why can't I just say the words?"
Fuuka had a sad expression form on her face. Minato had brought her a lot of happiness and confidence. He had made her feel appreciated and wanted, and he had given her this new feeling she had never felt before. Yet she was still too scared to tell him.
"What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if I do something wrong and he doesn't want to see me anymore?" Fuuka thought worryingly "What would I do then?"
She paused for a few seconds and shook her head. Fuuka knew Minato wasn't the kind to do that, he had been there for her and was always an understanding person and she appreciated that greatly. She squeezed her pillow a bit before closing her eyes.
"I really want to be with you, Minato…" she said to herself quietly, as she started to enter the realm of her dreams. The same could be said for Minato as that night, as he didn't see the need for them to go to a certain location known as Tartarus tonight.
As morning slowly arrived, Minato changed to a white shirt with blue sleeves and some jeans. He decided to go outside and visit Akinari, who was a young man who tended to be at the Naganaki Shrine. He left his room, closed the door to, and went down the stairs. When he reached the lounge, he saw Fuuka typing away on her keyboard on her laptop, and she was wearing her teal Summer dress at the moment. He slowly walked towards her to greet her.
"Good morning, Fuuka," Minato said as he smiled towards her. Fuuka stopped typing on her laptop's keyboard, and looked at him back with her own smile. "Good morning, Minato. How are you?"
"I'm fine at the moment," Minato replied. He also took this as a chance to ask her something. "Want to do something this afternoon? I'm free then,"
Fuuka looked sad, she loved spending time with him, but she couldn't afford that privilege today as she already made plans.
"I'm sorry Minato, but I promised Natsuki-chan I'd study with her today, and to help her out," Fuuka replied.
"Oh well. No worries Fuuka, I understand," Minato answered back. He opened the door that led to outside of the Iwatodai Dorm and waved her goodbye before leaving, as she waved back. Fuuka went back to her laptop to continue typing on her keyboard. She was currently browsing a forum and was passing time giving tech support advice, the best she could. Time passed quickly, as Fuuka typed and typed, she heard knocks on the doors to the Iwatodai Dormitory.
"Hello?" said a tanned skinned girl wearing her casual clothes, as she peeked through the dorm door. She was Natsuki Moriyama, a classmate of Fuuka, and her best friend. Natsuki used to bully Fuuka, in the past. She was the one responsible for her disappearance (the one her parents didn't report), and Natsuki ended up regretting her mistreatment of Fuuka. During the incident Fuuka risked her life protecting Natsuki, due to how it played out. This event had made Natsuki change into a more respectful person, and had made her swear to never treat Fuuka badly again. After that, they became close friends and looked after each other.
"Natsuki-chan! Please come in!" Fuuka said warmly as Natsuki entered the dorm and closed the door behind her.
"Hello Fuuka. Ready to start studying?" Natsuki asked. Fuuka nodded in response as she closed her laptop and they both walked to her room.
Natsuki and Fuuka were both sitting on Fuuka's bed in her room, studying as Fuuka was tutoring the other girl. They had been at this for a fair amount of time. They were both currently taking a break before continuing on. As they put away their notebooks, Natsuki sat up again and looked at Fuuka and asked a question on her mind.
"So Fuuka... I noticed you've been really close with that Minato guy lately," Natsuki said a bit teasingly, and with genuine curiosity as well. Fuuka froze up and blushed at these words; she wasn't expecting Natsuki to say such a thing out of nowhere.
"Really?" Fuuka asked back, a bit nervously. Natsuki nodded back as she responded.
"Yeah. Ever since you moved to the dorm, you and him have been doing more and more stuff together. It's rare to see you two apart," Natsuki answered back. Fuuka listened to this closely, as she had never considered how others might have seen them both. How did she not notice this before? Was it possibly because she had stopped caring about what other people thought of her? She mulled this over, and it seemed like the most likely answer. She was too busy enjoying her time with Minato to care about how it looked like to others. She smiled at this realization. Minato had made her focus on what was most important, which was their experiences together.
"Fuuka? You still here?" Natsuki asked back, a bit concerned. Fuuka quickly snapped out of her thoughts, as she responded back.
"Oh. Sorry about that Natsuki-chan," Fuuka said back.
"Not a big deal, Fuuka." Natsuki replied as she reassured her as she gently put a hand on Fuuka's back. Natsuki paused a bit, before speaking up again "So, tell me something…"
Fuuka looked at Natsuki, her heart started to beat faster, she had an idea of what Natsuki was about to ask.
"Do you...like him?" Natuski asked as sensibly as she could. Fuuka was paralyzed, her cheeks were blushing and her eyes looked at the floor.
"Do I like him?" Fuuka asked herself internally. She thought about him every night. She had sometimes dreamed of him and her together and she always smiled when she saw him. Her heart beat faster and faster as she remembered how much fun they had together at Yakushima, and how she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. Her blushing especially increased at the memory of a shirtless Minato.
"Fuuka?" Natsuki said concerned. She snapped out of her thoughts once more and looked back at the other girl.
"Well…" Fuuka quietly stammered, unsure of what to say. She looked Natsuki in the eyes and saw that Natsuki was smiling and waiting for an answer, although Fuuka's behavior had already given her a good hint to what it was. Fuuka looked back down as she eventually answered.
"...yes." Fuuka answered quietly finally. At this, Natsuki's eyes widened.
"Oh... my... gosh!" Natsuki exclaimed. She grabbed Fuuka's hands and started hopping up and down with excitement. "You're in love, Fuuka! I can't believe it! I'm so happy for you!"
"Natsuki-chan, please! Not so loud!" Fuuka said concerned, and with slightly panicked eyes.
"Sorry. It's just… so amazing! Fuuka, you found love!" Natsuki stopped jumping and let go of her hands Natsuki leaned forward again towards Fuuka as she whispered the following.
"Did you tell him already? Have you kissed? When's the wedding?" Natsuki asked with full curiosity and a bit of teasing. Fuuka's eyes widened at her words.
"Huh? Kiss? Wedding? What!?" Fuuka said in a panicky state, as her face felt it was turning red. Natsuki laughed softly and ruffled Fuuka's hair.
"Just messing with you Fuuka," Natsuki said with a friendly smile. Fuuka sighed in relief, she slowly as she started to calm down. "But seriously, have you told him yet?"
Fuuka looked up to her and shook her head in response.
"Awww, why not? You two would make such a cute couple!" Natsuki exclaimed. Fuuka had a curious expression appear on her face.
"You... you really think so?" Fuuka asked shyly.
"Of course! You two complement each other a ton!" Natsuki replied. Fuuka looked down and smiled, as these words made her very happy. "When are you telling him?"
After hearing the question, Fuuka's smile turned into a sad expression.
"I... I don't know," Fuuka said back, not sure.
"Well, it has to be soon, who knows what might happen if you postpone it," Natsuki suggested. Fuuka looked at her confused.
"W-What do you mean?" Fuuka asked back.
"You see, Fuuka, you never know what might happen from today to tomorrow. What if a meteor hits Japan at night while everyone sleeps? What if an earthquake or tsunami strikes? What if the ground cracks open and demons start roaming the earth?" Natsuki explained. Fuuka thought the examples she used, were highly unlikely to occur at the moment, but she understood what she meant. "Life is very unpredictable. If you don't do or say what you want today, you might not be able to say it tomorrow!"
Fuuka nodded as she agreed with what she heard. Natsuki was right. Minato risked his life almost every night during the Dark Hour, and even when she did her best to support him and she was always worrying about his well-being. There were many times he escaped death by sheer luck. What would she do if his luck ran out? Natsuki gently put her arm around her.
"I'm not saying you should worry about the apocalypse happening tomorrow, I am saying that you should say what you want now, so that you can enjoy more days together."
"I understand, Natsuki-chan," Fuuka said as she looked at her and gave her a gentle hug "Thank you. I'm glad you're my friend"
Natsuki smiled and returned the hug. They stayed like that for a while, before breaking the hug and looking at each other. Soon their break ended and they went back studying.
Yukari was sitting on the couch, nearby the entrance doors to the dorm, as she was currently resting. She suddenly heard steps coming from the stairs and she saw Fuuka saying goodbye to Natsuki at the doors, as the tanned skinned girl hugged her back, and she soon exited the doors. Once Fuuka went back up the stairs, Yukari got up from her seat and walked outside to meet Natsuki.
"Umm, hello?" Yukari said. Natsuki turned around to see where the voice came from, and saw Yukari.
"Oh, you're that Takeba chick right? Nice to meet you," Natsuki said back, as she stretched out her hand. Yukari took it and gave it a firm shake, as she smiled back.
"Yeah, that's me. And you're Natsuki." Yukari said as she let go of her hand. "Listen, I know this is kind of sudden, but I need to speak to you about something,"
"About what?" Natsuki asked.
"Well, I need help with something regarding Fuuka, and I thought you'd be the right person to ask. Can we talk more about it tomorrow at school?" Yukari asked.
"Sure. I'll meet you outside the school entrance after class is over. Is that fine?" Natsuki replied back.
"That sounds fine," Yukari answered back. They both nodded and with that, Natsuki left the area. Soon the next day came, as the school bell rang and Yukari got up from her seat, she picked up her stuff and began heading toward the outside of her school's entrance. Natsuki was waiting for her there and they both saw each other.
"So... what did you want to talk about?" Natsuki asked with curiosity.
"There is something that I need your help with," Yukari asked back. Natsuki tilted her head to the side a bit from hearing that.
"Which is?" Natsuki questioned, as she waited for Yukari to answer back.
"Well, have you noticed how Fuuka seems to be very close to Minato?" Yukari asked. Natsuki nodded back as she had a feeling how this conversation was going to revolve around.
"Yeah... why?" Natsuki responded.
"Well... I think it's pretty obvious that they like each other, a lot," Yukari answered back. Natsuki had a slight smirk on her face. It seemed like Fuuka and Minato's behavior was more obvious than she thought
"So?" Natsuki said back.
"Well, I want to help them get together," Yukari answered back. Natsuki raised an eyebrow, as that was the kind of subject she was surprised to hear about.
"Really? How?" Natsuki asked back.
"I'm planning to set them up on a date, and since you are one of her close friends, I figured you could help out," Yukari answered. Natsuki closed her eyes and thought about the idea. She wanted the best for Fuuka, and getting her a boyfriend would definitely make her happy. Minato seemed like a very nice guy, and Fuuka obviously loved him. If she could help her get together with Minato, Fuuka would enter a whole new world of joy in her opinion. Her mind traveled back to the night Fuuka protected her, Fuuka was the person she abused the most, yet the one that had done the most for her. Since then, she swore to pay her back however she could.
"Alright, sounds good." Natsuki answered back. "So, what do you need me to do?"
"I need to get organized with everyone else first, but I thought we could get the-" Yukari said before she got cut off by Natsuki.
"Everyone else? Who else knows?" Natsuki interrupted, worried about what kind of people knew of Fuuka's feelings for Minato.
"Just the people from our dorm. No one else," Yukari said to answer back to calm Natsuki down.
"Oh… alright, " Natsuki responded, relieved. She knew Fuuka trusted everyone there, so Natsuki had no reason to worry now.
"So, I was thinking that we could exchange cellphone numbers and I could contact you whenever we need you," Yukari suggested. Natsuki agreed with that idea, as they both told each other their cellphone numbers. "Great! I still need to organize things with the others, but I'll keep in touch with you and update you when we have everything set up, OK?"
"Got it Yukari. Good luck with this," Natsuki answered back with a smile.
"See you later!" Yukari replied back, as she walked away to head back to the Iwatodai Dormitory.
Everyone who lived at the dorm, was sitting in the dorm lounge, except for Fuuka and Minato, who were at the Bookworms bookstore at Iwatodai Station, shopping for book. Yukari cleared her throat and began to speak.
"Okay. Everyone is here, right?" Yukari asked.
"Yes Takeba. We all gathered here as per your request," answered Mitsuru, who was one of the seniors that lived at the dorm. "The question is, why?"
Yukari took a deep breath, as she continued to discuss what she had on her mind.
"As we all know, we have two members of our team that have feelings for each other. You all know who I'm talking about," Yukari said with a smile.
"Minato-san and Fuuka-san, right?" asked Ken as he was sitting crossed legged on the floor, next to Koromaru, who he was petting at the moment.
"Yes. We've seen these two act very friendly with each other for way too long, and since they have helped us survive Tartarus and in general, I suggest we pay them back by setting them up on a date," Yukari explained. Everyone in the room looked at each other with mixed expression, then back to Yukari.
"Are we really in a position to do that? I mean, this sounds like something like they should work out by themselves," Akihiko questioned, another senior who lived at the dorm asked.
"I know, but they have been doing nothing, and they probably never will if we don't help them," Yukari replied. "At least that's how I feel about it,"
"I'm still not sure about this," Akihiko answered, as he looked unsure of this idea still.
"Think about it. Minato and Fuuka have been very helpful to us, in and out of battle. The least we can do is help them with this as well," Yukari answered back. Akihiko pondered this carefully, as he knew they were both very close, but he had no idea what he could do to help them. Romance and love was definitely not his expertise whatsoever, but if someone needed his help, he would at least try to lend a hand.
"Alright, I'm in," Akihiko answered back with a shrug as well.
"Thank you Akihiko sempai. Glad I can count on you," Yukari responded happily. "What about everyone else?"
"I'm game. Minato could use a girl, and I'm sure no one could treat Fuuka better than he could, and I know those two together make a sweet couple!" answered Junpei with a smile and a thumbs up.
"Fuuka and Minato are very helpful members. I suppose helping them out with this should be alright," answered Mitsuru with her own smile.
"I would like to assist Fuuka-san and Minato-san with their relationship as well," answered Aigis, who was another person who attended Gekkoukan High who had her mechanical qualities with a nod. Koromaru who was a white Shiba Inu dog that lived with them at the dorm barked happily, and Aigis translated for him. "Koromaru wishes to help out as well,"
"Yeah, me too. I bet it would make them both pretty happy," added Ken.
"What about you, Shinji?" asked Akihiko. Shinji or rather Shinjiro which was his full name, and who was the other senior who lived at the dorm besides Akihiko and Mitsuru. He was currently not attending Gekkoukan High, and was leaning against the wall near the back door at the moment.
"I'm not good with that lovey dovey kind of crap, no offense," Shinji answered back with a bit of frustration, as he felt if he got involved, it could get really awkward potentially.
"Awww, come on Shinjiro sempai!" pleaded Yukari. "You're the best cook in the dorm! We need you!"
Shinji cringed from hearing that, as him being the guy that cooks was something he wanted to keep on the down low in general. He looked at everyone, and they were all looking back at him with pleading eyes. He turned his gaze forward and let out a small sigh of exasperation.
"Fine, I'll lend a hand, but you better not make me do some stupid crap like dressing up as cupid," Shinjiro responded. Everyone laughed and giggled at the comment, while Shinjiro rolled his eyes.
"Well, let's begin. We have a lot to do. Let's start by thinking of where the date should be, I think I know just the place..." Yukari said, as she began to detail her ideas. Eventually she managed to lay down her plan fully for the two. "Okay, so everyone knows what they have to do now, right?" Yukari asked. The others nodded to her in response. "Okay, good."
As she said this, everyone heard the sound of the dorms doors opening. Yukari quickly sat down and picked up a random magazine from the table, and everyone went back to looking busy in some way. Fuuka and Minato entered the dorm and saw everyone in the lounge. They were used to this kind of sight, so they greeted everyone without suspicions. As the two of them went up the stairs, everyone else looked at each other and nodded, as they were ready.
It was now Sunday. Minato got up from bed and looked at the window, he checked his cellphone to see if he had received any calls or messages since the previous day and found that he had a message from Junpei.
"Hey dude! Meet me at the Chagall cafe at 1 O' clock, there's something I want to show you!" was what the message from Junpei said. Minato wondered what Junpei wanted, and why he couldn't just see him in the dorm. He shrugged it off and walked down to the lounge for breakfast. Fuuka was brushing her teeth in her bathroom in her room and she suddenly heard a beep from her cellphone. She looked to see that Natsuki had just sent her a message.
"Hey Fuuka, can you meet me at Chagall cafe at 12:55 PM? Need you to see something," was what Natsuki's message said. Fuuka wondered what Natsuki wanted to show her, she answered her message and continued her morning routine. Both Minato and Fuuka left their rooms and went down for breakfast. Minato was the walking down his stairs but stopped. He heard some light steps coming from above him and as they came down, and waited to see who they belonged too. He saw they belonged to Fuuka. As Fuuka descended the stairs, she saw Minato and waved to the blue haired boy.
"Good morning, Minato. How are you?" Fuuka asked peacefully.
"Fine. Good morning Fuuka. Slept well?" Minato asked back.
"Yes. Thank you for asking… say Minato… do you smell something cooking?" Fuuka said back as both of them noticed a pleasant aroma hitting them.
"Something smells good," Minato remarked as he noticed it as well.
"Yeah. Shinjiro-senpai must have cooked something for breakfast," Fuuka answered back.
"Let's go see if he's willing to share," Minato stated with a slight smile, with Fuuka nodding in agreement. They both went down the stairs to find the lounge empty. They thought it was a bit strange, but dismissed it as everyone else enjoying their day off. They followed the scent to the table in the lounge, and what they found was two dishes served and ready to be eaten. Next to the dishes, was a note with the words written "Enjoy, you two."
They both found this to be strange, but the smell had opened their appetite, and they found the food really alluring.
"Hello? Anyone here?" Fuuka asked as she looked around. She didn't want to end up eating someone else's breakfast.
"I don't think anyone's here, and the note makes it look like it's for us," Minato both looked at each other and shrugged. They both sat down in front of the plates and picked up their utensils. Minato's dish was an omelet with spinach, with hash browns on the side. Fuuka had a big Belgian waffle with maple syrup and whipped cream; they both came with a cold fresh glass of milk. They quickly dug in and started munching away. The food was quite delicious. It was definitely something Shinjiro cooked. Although Minato enjoyed the food, he couldn't stop asking himself a lot of questions, "Why would Shinji make these for them?" "Where was Shinji right now?" "Why would he leave the food there without speaking with them?"
They finished their plates and laid back, satisfied. Fuuka accidentally let out a small burp, which made her quickly cover her mouth, blush, and stammer.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Fuuka exclaimed. Minato stared at her for a few seconds, before making a peculiar sound.
"Pfft…" Minato sounded out as he was smirking. Fuuka looked at him, confused. "Pfft…" he made that noise again. "Hahahahahahaha!"
Minato was laughing; Fuuka couldn't believe it Minato? Laughing? Fuuka's small burp had amused Minato greatly, he covered his mouth but his laughter didn't stop, he couldn't help himself. After a few seconds of laughter, he started to calm down, although a big smile remained on his face.
"I'm sorry Fuuka, I just..." Minato said slightly embarrassed. "That... that was very funny,"
He chuckled for a bit while Fuuka still remained baffled at what had just happened. She had made Minato not only smile, but just laugh at the moment. She kept looking at him, as had a really nice smile, and she really liked how he smiled. Minato raised his eyebrows at her staring at him like that.
"Fuuka? You alright?" Minato asked concerned. Fuuka quickly realized she was staring and looked away and blushed.
"Sorry about that," Fuuka responded. Minato's smile had changed into a worried expression. Did his laughter hurt Fuuka?
"Sorry Fuuka, I wasn't laughing at you, I just...I just thought it was funny," Minato said. Fuuka quickly shook her head to show that wasn't the case.
"No it's not that it's just..." Fuuka trailed off before she continued. "I've never heard you laugh before"
Minato realized she was right, he couldn't remember the last time he laughed, jokes would often just annoy him or barely make him smile if Junpei said them, but laughing was something he had not done in a very long time.
"Huh, you're right." Minato said. He smiled again. "Thanks Fuuka, it felt good to laugh,"
"You're welcome," Fuuka answered back with her on smile. They both sat there for a bit, enjoying each other's company. Minato checked his watch; the hour to meet with Junpei was approaching.
"Well, I have some stuff to do today, so I better get ready," Minato said as he got up and picked up their plates and glasses "I'll handle washing these,"
"Thank you," Fuuka answered with another smile.
"Don't mention it," Minato replied with a smile of his own. "See you later Fuuka,"
They both said goodbye as Minato left to wash the dishes. Fuuka was just thinking about Minato's laughter. It felt good seeing him laugh like that. Minato finished and grabbed a towel to dry his hands, after that, he went up the stairs to watch Tanaka's show. Maybe he could grab a good offer from it. Fuuka grabbed her laptop and started browsing the internet. She was reading the news off a site to be up to date with the current situation. Time passed as the hour for the date approached. Fuuka put her laptop on her bag, it was a gift from Minato, it was very good for carrying around her stuff, and it looked pretty stylish too. Fuuka got up from her seat, exited the dorm and began her walk to the station. Ken was hiding behind the stairs and observing her, he took out his cellphone and called someone.
"Fuuka has left the dorm; she's making her way to the station," Ken whispered.
"Good," responded Yukari from the other side of the phone line. "Remember, your job is to look over Fuuka and make sure she gets there safely without getting seen by her, okay?"
"Got it. I'll begin following her" Ken said as he ended the call and closed his cellphone. As Fuuka turned left, Ken moved closer to not lose her trail. Minato looked at his watch, he saw the time to see Junpei was soon approaching and decided to start making his way to the mall.
He descended the stairs and exited the dorm, as he slowly walked past the alley; Aigis and Koromaru peeked from inside it and observed him keep walking. Aigis held a cellphone and immediately called someone with it.
"Minato-san has left the dormitory," Aigis stated.
"Okay, do you remember your task?" Yukari asked.
"Make sure Minato-san does not see Fuuka-san until Fuuka-san is already in Chagall Café… yes I understand,"Aigis replied.
"Good. Ken will tell you where Fuuka is, so keep Minato away until she reaches her destination. Good luck," Yukari replied as she hung up. Aigis looked at Koromaru who barked happily in response.
"I agree. Let us advance, as we have a mission to complete," Aigis stated calmly. Koromaru barked happily in response.
Fuuka was inside the station, as she was waiting for the train to arrive. Ken was watching from inside the crowd. Being amongst the crowd, he couldn't be easily be seen, so Fuuka wouldn't easily spot him. He picked up his cellphone and called Aigis.
"Fuuka is at the station waiting for a train," Ken said.
"Understood," answered Aigis. Minato was now near the station, as he was waiting for the traffic light to turn red so he could cross the street. A train slowly arrived at the station, and the light turned red for the cars. Aigis made a quick calculation and turned to Koro.
"If we can stop Minato-san until the light changes back to green, he will not reach Fuuka-san's train," Aigis stated. Koromaru barked in affirmation and quickly ran to Minato. Before Minato could take a step forward, Koromaru put himself in front of him and barked, catching the blue haired teen's attention.
"Oh hey boy," Minato said gently, as he kneeled down to pet Koromaru. "Are you here by yourself?"
"Hello, Minato-san," greeted Aigis from behind him. Minato turned around to see Aigis.
"Hey Aigis. Are you two here by yourselves?" Minato asked.
"Yes, Mitsuru-san said it was okay for me to walk with Koromaru-san," Aigis said. It was not entirely a lie, but not entirely the truth either.
"I see. " Minato answered. "Well, see you guys later."
"Wait!" Aigis exclaimed. The light was still red, which was why she shouted.
"What's wrong?" Minato asked as he looked back at her confused. Aigis was in trouble, she had to think of a way to keep Minato where he was for a minute.
"Woof woof!" Koromaru barked. Aigis turned to Koromaru and smiled.
"Oh, right. Thank you, Korormaru-san," Aigis said to the dog as she then focused on Minato."Koromaru-san asks if the DVD for his movie is out yet,"
"Ah, that." Minato responded. He kneeled down again to speak to Koromaru "DVDs take a lot of time to come out, Koromaru. I promise I will get it for you the second it comes to the stores, okay buddy?"
Koromaru barked happily and Minato petted the dog in response, smiling himself.
"He said he thanks you very much, Minato-san," Aigis said.
"That's a good boy," Minato said as he petted Koromaru again, who barked happily in response. Aigis looked as the light turned from red to green, and cars started advancing.
"We will be going now," Aigis said as she looked back at him. "I hope you enjoy your date,"
"Date?" Minato said confused as he stopped petting Koromaru and stood up. Aigis quickly turned back and started running away as Koro followed along.
Minato wondered what Aigis meant, he turned to see the traffic light and frowned when he saw it shine green.
"Mission complete, Minato-san's distraction was successful!" Aigis said as she was now talking to Ken on her cellphone.
"Good job Aigis. Fuuka just boarded the train and it's about to leave the station," Ken replied as he closed his phone. Ken quickly got into the train before it closed its doors, and made sure to seat somewhere he wouldn't be easy to spot, but could still keep an eye on her. In almost no time, the train arrived at the other station; Fuuka got off and safely made her way to the cafe. As for Minato, the light had changed to red again and he was free to cross the street, and he then entered the station and boarded a train to the mall. Fuuka arrived at the cafe; she entered and looked for Natsuki. Natsuki was sitting on a table far to the right, with a blue baseball cap on her hands. She received a text message from Yukari.
"Ken says Fuuka is right at the cafe, be ready and do your part," was what the text message said from, Yukari. Natsuki nodded to herself and looked around for Fuuka, she spotted her quickly and waved at her. Fuuka saw Natsuki and started walking to her.
"Fuuka!" Natsuki exclaimed "Just in time! I need to go do something. Can you please stay here and watch this table for me?"
"Oh okay. Sure," Fuuka replied.
"Thanks. Here wear this too," she said as she put the blue baseball cap on Fuuka.
"Huh? Why are you put-" Fuuka said confused before she was interrupted.
"It looks good on you, you should keep it on. Why don't you sit down? Look at the menu while you wait for me?" Natsuki as she moved Fuuka to a seat and pushed a menu in front of her face.
"Natsuki-chan, why-" Fuuka said, still confused before she was interrupted once more.
"Welp, gotta go! Be back later!" Natsuki said as she trotted away. She felt bad for lying to her, but she knew this was for the best.
"Natsuki-chan!" Fuuka exclaimed, still confused. It was no use, as Natsuki was now gone. Fuuka pouted sadly, asshe decided to do as Natsuki said and looked into the menu. A few tables away was Mitsuru, she was wearing a scarf and sunglasses, so she couldn't be recognized. She looked at Fuuka, who was reading the menu closely, and then she smiled and called Yukari.
"Alright, Yamagishi is in place," Mitsuru said quietly.
"Good, now we wait for Minato," Yukari responded. Minato arrived shortly. He looked around for Junpei, and saw someone wearing a blue baseball cap with their face covered by a menu.
"That must be him," Minato said as he approached the he was close enough he sat down and spoke up. "Hey Junpei, what's up?"
Fuuka froze when she heard Minato's voice. What was he doing here? Did he just call her Junpei? She slowly put the menu down and was greeted with the sight of a surprised Minato.
"Fuuka? What are you doing here?" Minato said confused as he looked at her. "Why are you wearing a blue baseball cap?"
"Minato! I… umm…" Fuuka blurted out nervously. "I can explain!"
Minato just slowly nodded, not entirely sure of the situation himself. Fuuka paused for a second and took a deep breath.
"Natsuki-chan told me to meet her here, but when I arrived, she hurriedly left somewhere else," Fuuka explained as she took off the cap now. "She also put this hat on me and said she wanted me to wear it"
"I see," Minato said as he understood the situation more.
"But, what are you doing here, Minato?" Fuuka asked.
"Oh… right," Minato realized as he cleared his throat and explained. "Junpei asked me to meet him here for something, I came here and saw you wearing a cap, and thought it was Junpei.
"Oh, I see…" Fuuka said as she understood now why Minato was there.
"Yeah..." Minato said back quietly. Once more, silence had taken hold of their situation. Minato's cellphone beeped, he took it out and saw a message from Junpei. "Sorry, man, I'll be a bit late, something came up," the message said. Minato rolled his eyes while Fuuka gave him an inquisitive look.
"Junpei says he'll be late, do you mind if I wait for him here?" Minato asked.
"Oh, not at all, although I'm not sure when Natsuki-chan will come back" Fuuka replied back with a nod.
"Well, if she comes back before Junpei gets here, I can just leave," Minato answered.
"I guess you're right," Fuuka answered back. Another awkward silence took over as soon as that was said. Mitsuru seeing this, called over a waiter.
"Yes, Ms. Kirijo?" asked the waiter.
"Could you please put on some slow jazz music? I'm just in the mood for such a thing," Mitsuru asked. The waiter nodded in response and left to do this. The cafe was suddenly filled with slow jazz music, and the atmosphere had changed to one of a more relaxed nature. As the music started, Minato and Fuuka looked around confused, before accidentally looking at each other's eyes, and for some reason, they didn't look away, as they just kept staring at each other.
They kept their gaze fixed on each other while the music in the background played. Fuuka's eyes looked deep into Minato's. They were silver and reflected his strong character, but they also made Fuuka feel safe and a bit intrigued. Minato looked at Fuuka's, as to him her brown eyes were like pools of milky chocolate you could swim in forever. It was like all your anguish and pain was cleansed from your being from seeing such a thing. They both felt like they were connected by a strong force of some sort. Fuuka broke the eye contact briefly.
"Minato..." Fuuka said calmly, before looking back up.
"Yes?" Minato responded calmly.
"Why... are you so nice to me?" Fuuka asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Minato asked as he tilted his head in response from hearing that.
"Well, I mean…" Fuuka took a deep breath before she continued responding. "I was wondering why...why you always hang out with me, rather than with the other girls,"
Minato felt sad from hearing that, as he could tell Fuuka's insecurities were trying to get the best of her at the moment.
"Fuuka… tell me something," Minato said calmly.
"Yes?" Fuuka replied, as she raised her eyebrows.
"Why is Natsuki your friend?" Minato asked.
"Why...?" Fuuka replied as she looked confused.
"Yeah. Why did Natsuki turn into your best friend? What caused her to change from the Natsuki that acted differently in the past towards you, to the playful and helpful Natsuki you know now?" Minato asked.
"I..." Fuuka said, as she never really thought about it much. She knew Natsuki had some good in her, seeing her go as far as putting herself in danger looking for forgiveness was proof of it. "I guess Natsuki just saw that what she did was wrong, and she realized she didn't like hurting others"
"That's true," Minato answered. "But what caused her to see that?"
Fuuka fell silent and returned her gaze down, what caused Natsuki to change?
"It was you, Fuuka," Minato stated. Fuuka's eyes widened from hearing that.
"Me?" Fuuka said in confusion.
"Yes." Minato said simply with a gentle smile. Fuuka blinked her eyes a few times, as she wasn't sure how to respond. Minato rested his arms on the table. "You protected her. You showed Natsuki care, and you forgave her even after everything she put you through. You showed her that she could be someone better. You gave her a second chance and you brought out the best of her,"
Fuuka smiled at his words as Minato sat even closer to her.
"And..." Minato continued. "You did the same for me."
"I... I did?" Fuuka said audibly confused while Minato nodded in response.
"You see, before I met you I always felt... alone, without purpose. I just felt distant in general from people. I didn't hate anybody but… just felt detached nonetheless from everyone else. But..." Minato explained as he leaned in closer. "When I met you, I felt... calm,"
"Calm?" Fuuka said unsure.
"Yes, I felt at peace..."
*BANG*
A loud gunshot could be heard. A shadow disintegrated into nothing as a giant ball of fire turned it into ashes. Minato put his Evoker down and went back to his search, he was lost and his teammates were nowhere to be found. They were looking for a lost girl, Fuuka Yamagishi, she had been missing for days and they believed she had been locked in Tartarus by accident. Minato had heard a voice a few times, so he followed it in hopes of finding her. After a bit of walking, Minato found Akihiko and Junpei.
"Hey! There you are!" greeted Junpei in relief.
"Thank god we found each other," said Akihiko in relief. "We should stick together by this point and be more careful,"
"Yeah I agree," Junpei answered. "Hey, have you heard a voice around here? Sounded like-"
"Who is there? Are you human?" A curious voice said.
"There it is again! It sounded like it came from behind us!" Junpei said while shocked. Everyone looked at the corner they heard the voice from. From it peeked someone. She was short, had dark teal hair, wore the Gekkoukan school uniform, and had pale Minato layed eyes on this figure, he felt something funny in his chest.
"Are you Fuuka Yamagishi?" Asked Akihiko. Fuuka nodded her head in response. "We're here to get you out of this place. Come with us,"
After seeing that they were no danger to her, she slowly walked forward before falling to her knees.
"Thank you so much, I..." Fuuka weakly spoke out, as she still felt drained from being alone in this whole tower. Fuuka fell silent as she saw Minato get closer and kneeled in front of her.
"Hey," Minato greeted. Fuuka looked at him. He had blue hair, blue eyes, and wore a Gekkoukan school uniform as well. This boy looked at her with a gentle expression, his presence made Fuuka feel safe.
"Hi..." Fuuka said back, being friendly.
"You must be hungry, have this," Minato said as he took out some melon bread and offered it to her.
"Thank you very much," Fuuka replied very gratefully to him.
"Don't mention it," Minato said as he stood up and offered a hand "Come on, let's get you out of here."
Fuuka nodded and took his hand and got up. Akihiko and Junpei just watched, unsure on how to react. Akihiko handed a spare Evoker to Fuuka, which initially surprised her, but Akihiko told her to think of it as a good luck charm. Akihiko then tried contacting Mitsuru, but all he could hear was static.
"We should head back and tell Mitsuru everything's okay," Akihiko stated. Everyone nodded and started looking for a portal back to the first floor. Time passed as they eventually made it back to the entrance of Tartarus and needless to say, saw some concerning sights. Mitsuru and Yukari knocked down, as they were trying to stand, with two large monsters (the Emperor and Empress Shadows) standing nearby. To add to this, someone they didn't expect to see, was walking into the area, like some sort of zombie.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Yelled Akihiko. They all looked even more confused, to see why she was even here.
"Moriyama-san! Fuuka screamed, as she ran fast to her. She reached Natsuki and tried to warn her. "Moriyama-san, please! You have to get out of here!"
"Fuu...ka," Natsuki responded deadpan and sounding she wasn't full of life. "I... I wanted to say… say I was sorry," She looked Fuuka in the eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry…" she uttered before breaking into tears "I'm so sorry!"
Fuuka could not believe her eyes, Natsuki was apologizing. Fuuka smiled and hugged Natsuki as she cried.
"It's okay. I forgive you," Fuuka said gently as she comforted Natsuki. The earth trembled as the Empress Shadow approached them. Fuuka turned to look at it but had a determined expression on her face. Fuuka then took out her Evoker.
"Wait!" screamed Akihiko. "That's not a weapon!"
"I know," Fuuka said, as her eyes looked intense. Everyone was petrified as they saw Fuuka point the Evoker at herself. "Per...so...na" she whispered. As Fuuka pulled the trigger, a great gust of wind blew away the Empress shadow, as a crystal like orb engulfed Natsuki and Fuuka. At the top of this orb appeared a human female torso, with a head whose eyes were covered with bandages, her blonde hair floated as if being lifted by the wind. Minato was amazed at this, as her Persona was elegant and regal. It looked very colorful and beautiful. The SEES members quickly jumped in and fought the two Shadows, and with Fuuka's help, defeated them easily. After the fight ended, Fuuka's Persona disappeared, and she stayed on her knees while everyone approached her.
"Are... are they gone?" Fuuka asked weakly.
"Yes," Responded Mitsuru thankfully. "We appreciate your assistance as well,"
"That's good," Fuuka whispered back, as she smiled before slowly falling to her side, struggling to stay awake after what just happened.
"Fuuka?" Minato asked, worried. Minato quickly kneeled in front of her.
"She's okay," Akihiko reassured him. "She just needs some rest,"
Fuuka's eyes looked at Minato. She smiled at him before she closed them and passed out, while Minato still wanted to make sure she was alright.
"Ever since then, I feel like I've become a more outgoing person," Minato added. "All thanks to you,"
Fuuka looked at him with a smile. She didn't know that she had been so important to him.
"You've helped me become a better person too, Minato," Fuuka said sweetly "I feel like I've grown a lot since we began spending time together"
"In what way?" Minato inquired.
"Well, since you've helped me realize what I really want to do, I've been more focused on my abilities, like supporting the team, and on technology," Fuuka responded "I want to be able to help everyone in what they need in any way I can,"
"That's something I really like about you, Fuuka," Minato said as he smiled.
"Something you really like about me?" Fuuka asked curiously.
"You're always looking out for others. You find happiness in other people's happiness, and that's something very admirable," Minato answered. "To be so charitable and kind is something rare, it shows that there is still good in this world. Some people out there look out for themselves only and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it's nice to see selflessness. But not you. You want everyone to get along, you want peace, and that is something the world needs more of." Fuuka listened quietly to his words, it felt good being appreciated.
"Thank you, Minato," Fuuka said gently with a smile.
"Your welcome." Minato answered. He gently picked up one of Fuuka's hands from the table and clasped it between his. A bold move, but one Fuuka did not mind. "Thank you,"
They both smiled at each other as they held hands. Fuuka greatly appreciated his tenderness, she put her other hand over Minato's. They were soft to the touch. Minato did the same and started feeling Fuuka's hand, it was small, delicate, soft and warm. Minato enjoyed being able to have it between his own. They stayed like that for a bit, looking at each other's eyes while holding hands, they felt an immense sense of bliss. Their moment was interrupted when their cellphones beeped, they looked at each other sadly, but decided to slowly let go of their hands. Minato picked up his cellphone first and checked, and saw another message from Junpei.
"Sorry, dude, I can't go over to the Chagall today. Will have to be another time. Sorry," was what the message said. Minato sighed, which made Fuuka look at him curiously.
"Junpei says he can't come today," Minato said a bit annoyed. Though he resented Junpei's lack of punctuality at the moment, he personally admitted to himself, he wouldn't have had such a valuable experience with Fuuka at the moment, if it wasn't for him. Fuuka then picked up her own phone and saw a message from Natsuki.
"Sorry Fuuka, something came up with my parents, I won't be able to go back to the café," was what Natsuki's message said. Fuuka hoped everything was alright with Natsuki, as she sent her a message in response and closed her phone.
"Did something happen?" asked Minato.
"Natsuki-chan had something come up, she won't be able to return," Fuuka answered, feeling a bit sad.
"I see," Minato said. 'Hope everything is okay"
They both sat in silence, before Minato spoke up again.
"Well, I… guess I should head back to the dorm," Minato said as he got up.
"Wait!" Fuuka exclaimed. Minato stopped moving and looked at her. "Can we…stay?"
"Stay?" Minato asked.
"Yes. I mean… if neither of us have anything to do we could just…stay here." Fuuka suggested. Minato smiled to the sat back down before calling over a waiter and ordering some cake for both of them, they both chatted happily as they waited for their order to arrive. Hours passed as they both talked and talked. They occasionally stopped to eat a bit of cake before quickly resuming their conversation, they joked and laughed and discussed many topics they both knew about. They sadly watched as the time to get back to the dorm approached, neither wanted this moment to end. They asked for the bill, payed and exited the café. Mitsuru watched from her table as they left and picked up her cellphone to call Akihiko.
"Akihiko, this is Mitsuru. They are leaving the café, it's all up to you," Mitsuru relayed over her cellphone.
"Got it Mitsuru," Akihiko answered. As Minato and Fuuka walked together, Minato's phone beeped, he picked it up and saw a message from Akihiko.
"Get to the dorm as soon as you can, we have a problem," was what Akihiko messaged him. Minato frowned at the message.
"What's wrong?" Fuuka asked worryingly.
"Something must have happened in the dorm, Akihiko wants us back quick," Minato explained.
"We better hurry, then," Fuuka said back in response. They both started walking fast to the station; they boarded a train back and walked all the way to the dorm entrance. Minato opened the dorm door and looked around the lounge, Yukari and Akihiko were speaking. Yukari had a distressed look on her face.
"Oh there you are. Where have you been?" asked Akihiko.
"That's not important. What happened?" replied Minato.
"Well… we have a problem," Akihiko said, pretending to be peeved.
"What kind of problem?" asked Fuuka.
"There's a rat in the dorm, " Yukari stated, as she pretended to act frustrated.
"A rat? Where?" asked both Minato and Fuuka at the same time.
"Well about that…" spoke Akihiko. "We have some good news and bad news regarding it,"
"The good news is we trapped the rat, the bad news is it's inside Minato's room," Yukari stated.
"Great," Minato said sarcastically. The idea of a rat trapped in his room, was very unappealing.
"We don't want to risk it escaping, so we can't let you enter your room. Sorry about that," apologized Akihiko.
"Where will I sleep?" Minato asked.
"You can sleep on the couch, it's kind of busted but it's better than the floor," Akihiko suggested.
"Perfect," Minato said with rolled eyes.
"We called an exterminator. He says he will be here tomorrow to take care of it, so it'll be only for tonight," Yukari explained.
Minato let out a long, frustrated sigh but nodded as he understood it couldn't have been helped. Fuuka looked at him with a sad expression, she felt bad that Minato had to endure this situation, she tried to come up with a way to help him. Akihiko gave him some blue pajama pants and blue pajama shirt.
"To make up for it, I got these for you earlier from the clothing stores, since I know you can't access your room." Akihiko explained.
"Thanks," Minato said appreciative as he took them.
"Now all you need is a pillow and blanket," Yukari suggested.
"I have some spares in my room, how about we go for them?" Fuuka offered. Minato smiled at her and accepted her offer. They both started walking to Fuuka's room. Once they were out of sight, Yukari and Akihiko nodded. Akihiko he walked over to the fuse box in the back and opened it, as he waited for his signal. Fuuka and Minato went up the stairs and reached the third floor, Fuuka opened her door and took a step forward and immediately stopped after.
"Umm… could you wait here, please?" Fuuka asked, as she turned to look at Minato. Minato nodded. "Thank you, it won't take long,"
Fuuka entered her room and closed the door behind her. She was still too shy to show Minato her room. She grabbed one of her spare pillows and looked around for an extra blanket, but couldn't find any. She looked over every corner of her room and spotted one above on her shelf, behind her potted plants. Fuuka tried do reach it but couldn't as it was too far from her grasp.
"Everything okay, Fuuka?" asked Minato.
"Ah, yes. I just can't reach the blanket" Fuuka responded. She questioned why the blanket was there in the first place.
"Umm, want me to help you?" Minato offered.
"O-Okay. Come in," Fuuka replied as she looked at the door. Minato grabbed the knob and was suddenly immobile, he had just realized he was about to enter Fuuka's room. He shook his head to get rid of his hesitation, and slowly turned the knob and opened the door. Fuuka's room was very tidy, her wallpaper was a light beige color, and her floor was mostly covered by a yellow carpet with a flower pattern. She had a pink table with some cushions laid to the sides. Her desk was close to it. Her bed had a yellow blanket and pillow with a similar design to the carpet, her window was open. Next to her stereo was Fuuka, standing with her right hand grabbing her left arm behind her. "So, umm… welcome to my room,"
"It looks really pretty," Minato said with a smile.
"Thanks Minato," Fuuka replied. She returned her gaze to the blanket "I can't seem to reach it, can you please grab it for me?"
"Sure Fuuka," Minato answered back. He closed the door behind him and walked up to the shelf. Outside of Fuuka's room, Yukari was hiding nearby. After seeing the door close she sent Akihiko a text message to use the fuse box. Akihiko was standing ready the fuse box and as soon as he received Yukari's message, he hit the lights. The dorm started to go dark as Yukari swiftly approached Fuuka's door and locked it. Minato retrieved the blanket and looked at Fuuka "Well, I'll be go-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the lights went out. Fuuka let out a small yelp in surprise.
"The lights went out!?" Fuuka said surprised.
"Let me go check what happened," said Minato, as he walked over to the door and tried to open it.
"What in the-" Minato muttered annoyed as he tried turning the knob but it did not budge. "Huh?"
"What happened?" Fuuka asked.
"This door won't open for some reason," Minato answered.
A couple of footsteps could be heard outside.
"Are you two alright?" asked Yukari.
"We're fine. What happened?" Minato asked.
"A fuse must have blown or something," responded Akihiko. "The security system must have malfunctioned and locked you two in,"
"Isn't there a way to open the door?" Fuuka's questioned.
"We'll call someone, but I doubt they'll be available at this hour," Akihiko responded "Sorry but you're stuck there until tomorrow,"
"Well, I'm sure you'll think of some way to deal with your situation. Goodnight!" said Yukari loudly as she walked away, happy that both Minato and Fuuka was going to be spending a lot more time together tonight. Minato sighed and looked at Fuuka.
"Well, I guess I'll sleep on the floor," Minato suggested. There was one problem. Minato still hadn't put on the pajamas. As he noticed this, he just sighed with a bit of frustration. Fuuka looked at him confused, he slowly shook the pajamas on his arm and Fuuka quickly realized what he meant.
"Oh, uh, I…" Fuuka stammered. Fuuka moved to sit on her bed and looked out the window "I-I'll just...look away while you change,"
"Thank you," Minato said. Minato moved to a corner and began to undress. He took his shirt off and grabbed the blue pajama shirt and put it on. He began to unzip his pants, and he quickly removed them and quickly put on the blue pajama pants. He turned around to tell Fuuka he was done, but he stayed quiet at the sight before him. Fuuka's room was completely dark, the only light source was the moon outside that was covered by Fuuka's head. It illuminated around her and made it look like she emanated an aura of purity and serenity.
"Fuuka..." Minato called out. Fuuka turned around, the outline of her head was surrounded by light, as if she was a divine being manifested before him. Minato was paralyzed, her beauty was astounding.
Memories of them together began to pop up in his head. The night of her rescue, the first time he looked at her and how he felt the most calm he had ever felt in his life. Her bold stunt to protect Natsuki, how she forgave her and gave her friendship, he was moved by this display of kindness. How his heart felt so worried after seeing her collapse, how it would always flutter a bit when he visited her in the hospital, how he felt relieved when she finally left the hospital, how much he enjoyed himself when he started spending time with Fuuka after school, how he felt determined when he helped her improve a bit in cooking, how he felt true friendship when he talked with her about technology and science for an hour without getting tired, how he felt a bit nervous when asking her out to the movies, how relieved he felt when she accepted, how thankful he felt for being able to watch them with her…
And finally, his mind drifted to today, how fun the breakfast with her was, how fun the accidental date with her at the cafe was, how he said how much she helped him grow, and how she did the same. She had made Minato so happy. She was the person he loved.
"Fuuka, I..." Minato uttered.
"Yes?" Fuuka asked quietly. Minato looked into her eyes.
"I... I have something to tell you," Minato said a bit hesitant. Fuuka blinked a few times, why did Minato look so nervous? "Since the first time I saw you, I've felt like I wanted to know who you are, like something about you pulled me in,"
Fuuka's heart started racing as she heard this, and she slowly sat on her bed and listened intently.
"The moments we spend together are the ones I really enjoy. There's not a day I don't look forward to seeing you," Minato explained. Fuuka's heart beat fast, was this happening? Was Minato about to say what she thought he was going to say? The blue haired boy continued to talk. "I really think you're a great person, Fuuka. You are always so kind and modest, always looking for ways to make people happy, that's something I enjoy seeing. And...I want to make you happy too, to pay you back for everything you've done for me, to give you as much care and joy you've given me, because..."
He paused for a bit and took a breath, this was it. He felt it was now or never.
"I love you," Minato said. Fuuka's eyes were wide open and her jaw hanged. She was speechless. Did she hear that right? Did he just say that?
"I love you," Minato repeated. There was no doubt about it, Fuuka could not believe it, but it happened. Minato had confessed his love for her. She blinked a few times as she was taking this information in.
"I... I..." Fuuka whispered out. She turned her gaze down, tears started coming out.
"Fuuka?" Minato asked worriedly. Did he do something wrong? Fuuka quickly leaped out of bed and ran towards him, before embracing him. She started crying as she held him close.
"I... I love you too, Minato!" Fuuka managed to say, as she sniffled. "I love you!"
Minato stood still. He gently wrapped his arms around her, and Fuuka felt so happy, to have Minato embracing her.
"You make me happy too. You make my life more enjoyable. You've helped me grow as a person. You've given me confidence, friendship, and you've stayed with me and helped me enjoy who I am," Fuuka said quietly as her face beamed as teardrops still fell. Fuuka looked up at Minato's face directly. "Thank you… I love you Minato,"
Minato looked down to her as he put a hand over her head and gently caressed her hair.
"I love you too Fuuka," Minato stated as he smiled. Fuuka smiled and put her head against his chest and she held him tightly as she listened to his heartbeat. Minato kept lovingly moving a hand over her soft teal hair. They both held each other for a minute, as they enjoyed having each other so close They didn't want to let go. Fuuka let out a small yawn and rubbed her head on his chest.
"Sleepy, are we?" Minato teased as he chuckled lightly. He thought Fuuka's yawns were cute.
"We should sleep," Fuuka replied. Minto nodded in agreement as he slowly let go. Fuuka did the same and walked to her closet to get her own pajamas. Minato turned to the corner and stared at the wall. Fuuka saw this and walked to her bed. She took off her socks and put on the teal pajama pants first, then she took off her dress and quickly put on the teal pajama shirt. She folded the dress and put it on her table.
"You can turn around now," Fuuka said. Minato looked and was greeted by the sight of Fuuka in some teal colored Pajamas.
"You look cute," Mintato remarked with a gentle smirk. This made Fuuka blush. Minato looked at the floor and sighed. "Guess I better lay down."
"Wait!" Fuuka exclaimed as Minato sat down on her carpet Minato looked at her. Fuuka did not want him to sleep there, so she suggested something. "Do you… do you want to share my bed?"
"I'd love to. Thanks Fuuka," Minato replied happily as he smiled happily at her. Fuuka nodded as she put herself under the covers and left Minato some space. Minato took his pillow and walked over to her bed. He put it next to Fuuka's and lifted the blanket as he laid down, then covered himself with it. They both looked at each other, their faces were very close. Minato thought the sight of her like this was very beautiful. The moon was outside her window, it dimly illuminated Fuuka's face, with her eyes fixed on him. Fuuka felt happy seeing him so close, but she still wanted him closer, so she made one final request.
"Minato?" Fuuka said simply.
"Yes?" Minato replied.
"Could you..." Fuuka said, as she clasped her hands. "Could you… hold me? Please?"
"I'd love to Fuuka," Minato answered as he slightly blushed at what he heard, but happily obliged. He got closer to her as he put his left arm around her back and the other around her waist. "Is this good?"
"Yes. Thank you," Fuuka said as she nodded. She wiggled a bit to get comfortable as their faces were mere inches away from each other. Minato felt himself be enveloped by a great sense of bliss, he suddenly felt the urge to do something, his mind suggested one daring thought. To kiss her. Fuuka's breathing became heavier when she noticed the small distance between them, she also felt a strong urge to lean in and kiss him. They started breathing heavily, as they were slowly overcome by desire.
"Fuuka..." Minato said with his eyes partially closed.
"Minato..." Fuuka responded between heavy breaths. Minato couldn't resist the temptation, he slowly leaned in, aiming for her mouth. Fuuka saw this and simply closed her eyes, she slightly puckered her lips and waited for the moment to arrive. Minato leaned in closer, he closed his eyes as he tilted his head a bit to the left, and he gently put his lips against hers. Minato held her close as Fuuka moaned slightly. She remained completely still as she deeply enjoyed the feeling of her first kiss. They both felt a great rush of joy pass through them, as being able to share such a blissful moment was a blessing for both of them. Their love had finally been revealed, and the results were greater than they could have imagined.
Both remained like that for some time, before breaking the kiss to catch their breath, Fuuka's cheeks were blushing and she was breathing heavily, but she had a big smile on her face. Minato's face was also a shade of red, he looked at Fuuka with a smile and caring eyes, he felt happier than he ever felt before in his tenderly held her close as she closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest.
"Good night Minato," Fuuka whispered very gently.
"Good night Fuuka," Minato whispered back as he smiled and closed his eyes. He kissed her forehead. "I love you,"
"I love you too," Fuuka whispered back as her eyes closed. Fuuka's breath began to slow down, his rhythmic heartbeat slowly carried her to dreamland. Minato kept holding her lovingly, her calm, warm breath lulling him to sleep. They both slowly entered a peaceful slumber, safe and more united than they ever were before. Tomorrow was "Respect for the Aged" day which was held on the 3rd Monday of September in Japan and it was a day off for them. Neither of them had to worry about getting up early for school. They just enjoyed this moment while it lasted. They were ready for whatever the world threw at them, as long as they were together, nothing was out of their reach. They were ready to live life together, as faithful lovers.
The End
That's the end of this one-shot. Two quick notes.
1. Respect for the Aged day is a public holiday in Japan dedicated to honoring its elderly citizens. Figure it work for the ending, to let them get that time to sleep peacefully together.
2. I also had this take place in September, as the full party for Persona 3 is assembled by then, allowing every other party members to appear/participate in this story.
I hope for everyone who was reading this story enjoyed it, and I thank you for taking time to read this out of your day.