Author's Note:

Here's the prologue to the story; I really have a sufficient amount of OCs now, enough for the party and another group I've decided to add into the story, but if you would really like to submit an OC, PM me for the form and I'll see what I can do. :)

I also have some small adjustments to the OCs that have already been sent to me; I received a lot of Fortune Arcana characters, so I had to change some Arcana. Also, I'm really not big on original moves, so I removed those, and I made small changes to weaknesses/strengths (too many darkness/light nullification), but otherwise, everything was great! Thank you so much, everyone! If you've any questions, just let me know.

L'Effet Papillon
"The Butterfly Effect"
a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Time never waits.
It delivers all equally to the same end.

You, who wish to safeguard the future,
however limited it may be…

You will be given one year;

go forth without falter,
with your heart as your guide…

He's only six when his parents die. He's in the car with them when it crashes, but he doesn't remember much - just fire that felt cold, endless darkness, and a full moon. He wakes up in the white hospital room two weeks later, attached to three different machines with tubes coming out of his body, completely alone. There are bandages and gauze and scratches everywhere, and he's too young to understand what's happened, but he knows that something's wrong. They try to play it cool, try to keep him safe and happy ("He's lucky he's even alive," he hears the doctors say), but even at six he can read the sorrow and pain in his aunt's eyes.

He doesn't live in one place for longer than a couple of years. His aunt's a business woman who's always busy with meetings and new clients, which gives him a lot of free time alone. Even as a child, he doesn't mind the solitude; he knows how to keep himself busy and preoccupied, and he doesn't quite like the way everyone looks at him anyway. He realizes it's the way his aunt looks at him every time they're in the same room.

Even if he spends most of his free time sleeping and eating, he isn't too bad at making friends. It's strange, his teachers say, especially since he doesn't have a concrete home and has never really been given the chance to settle. A child who's been through what he's been through should, typically, be socially awkward and reclusive and anti-social. He isn't particularly extroverted or outwardly friendly, but "the kids just flock to him," they tell his aunt. "He's very sensitive. He's such a good reader of people," his fifth grade teacher says. "He knows what to say, but he's also very honest." Whenever it's time to leave, the class cries, but he just offers a small smile and waves goodbye.

She thinks music is his coping mechanism. As a child, he goes through her CDs and record and steals her headphones, to the point where she buys him his own for his eighth birthday. He listens to music (rock, folk, classical, everything) during all times of the day, and she notices that he even has skill for playing. He doesn't ever look sad when he's listening to music, but there's usually a far away look in his eyes - one that tells her he's not quite with her.

Sometimes his aunt hears him rolling around at night. He doesn't cry (she hasn't ever seen him cry, she realizes) or scream or ask for his parents, but he doesn't sleep well in the darkness. His brow is always furrowed and she thinks he might be seeing something terrifying, but when he awakes his eyes are calm. There's something very stirring about her nephew, she thinks, something that gives him incredible strength.

They don't ever talk about the accident. She waits for him to ask, mentally prepares for it over and over again (she's still trying to cope with losing her baby sister), but he never brings it up. Part of her is grateful because she doesn't think she'll ever be completely ready to relive it, but she has to wonder. How often does he think about his parents? Does he ever? Does he remember them? Does he miss them? Does he hate them for leaving him? She's concerned, but she admits to herself that she's also a coward, so she leaves it alone. When he's fourteen and she's sorting through his laundry, she finds a crinkled picture in his pocket - it's the Christmas family photo from 1996. He walks in on her, returning home from school, and the two stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. She breaks like a dam, sobbing and spluttering and heaving, and he just holds her.

By the time he's sixteen, he has lived in America, Germany, France, Sweden, and Thailand. As they're packing for Brazil, his aunt begins to think that this sort of lifestyle isn't good for him. He becomes much more restless at night, to the point where he doesn't even sleep some days. He's always tired, she notices, but he doesn't confront her about it; he knows how important her job is, and how much he means to her. She's been selfish all these years, keeping him to stunt her own pain and emptiness. He needs to find his place in the world, which he can't do if she's dragging him around everywhere without giving him the chance to settle in.

"I think you should go home," she says, the month before their next move. He blinks at her, confused. "Home," she reiterates, waving her hand at the apartment that has been their home for the past year, "in Tatsumi Port Island. They have a great school there, you know - Gekkoukan High School. It has dorms, too, so you can stay with other students."

"Do you really want this?" he asks, after a moment's pause.

She smiles. "Do you want this?" When he hesitates, she receives her answer. "You're already sixteen, and you've seen more of the world than most people will see in their lives. You need a home, though, kiddo. You're so good with people, but you have to leave your friends so often… And I know I'm not around as much as I should be. Don't you ever feel isolated?"

"No," he replies earnestly. She tilts her head to side, looks at him intensely; his resolve cracks, but he smiles. "Occasionally. But -"

"You deserve a home," she states firmly. "One that I can't ever really give you."

He doesn't protest too much, though he asks her repeatedly if this is is okay with her, if she'll really be fine, if he needs to be with her. She realizes more and more as the days pass, how much she has depended on her nephew until now. She feels slightly embarrassed and a little ashamed, but mostly grateful. They've had each other - and only each other - for the past ten years, but it's time for both of them to move on.

When they're standing in the airport, with her arms wrapped tightly around him, she almost forgets. When he returns her embrace, though, she internally slaps herself and forces herself to let go. "Be safe," she says, placing an affectionate kiss on his cheek. "The dorm is expecting you, and the address is there… If you have any questions, I left the director's cell phone number for you, as well. You should land in Tokyo in a couple of hours, and then take the train to Iwatodai."

He nods. "Got it. I'll be fine, Auntie. I promise." He always keeps his promises, she knows.

With a final hug and a couple of tears, she bids farewell to her nephew, who just smiles and waves goodbye.

He finds his seat (8B) and wriggles across the people already sitting. After storing his bag under the seat in front of him, he sits down and puts on his earphones. He watches, his heart rising and falling all at once, as the plane rises and the buildings grow smaller. Thinking of the past ten years and his aunt and all those he's left behind, Minato Arisato turns on his music and closes his eyes.

Closing Song: "It's Time" - Imagine Dragons

So, as we all know, Minato doesn't really have a personality/set background since he's supposed to be based on the player, but I'm working off the manga adaptation for his personality. His background is kind of just something I came up with, though.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and hopefully the first chapter will be up soon!

so long, fare well, auf Wiedershen, adieu!
der kapitan