Author's Notes: And here it is. The final chapter... I had a lot of fun doing this story. In the very beginning, I said this was my coping mechanism for the game so no matter what happened, I think I'll finally be okay with how the game really ended. Maybe... It's still painful but... I actually grew to like all the characters despite me initially disliking half the cast. SEES might not be as tightly knit as the Investigation Team, but they are still friends.
~3 MARCH 2010~
"Yo!" Junpei brightly smiled as he ran to catch up to his friends. The twins turned around with smirks on their faces as they waited for him by the school gate. "Damn, it's cold. But of course, you two never miss a day of school. Man, can ya believe this year's already over? We're practically seniors now. Just one more year…" He looked up to the sky with a pensive frown on his face. "Ya think anything interesting will happen?"
"Definitely," Minato smirked as he looked up at the bright sky.
"I'm sure it will," Hamuko nodded and let out a light laugh.
"I hope you're both right," Junpei smiled at his optimistic friends before noticing a group of burnt out upperclassmen dragging themselves to school. "But, seeing the current seniors makes me wonder… Seems like all they frickin' do is study. Talk about boring. Is that gonna be us next year?"
"I would hope so," Minato dryly told him. "Some of us have futures to prepare for." He nodded towards his sister. "You wouldn't want to know that your physician failed high school, would you?"
"Hey!" Hamuko frowned at her brother. "Who's been scoring first in every exam, huh?"
"You can't really say that to me if you and I tie for first each time," the blue-haired boy plainly stated. "Anyway, you'd better shape up, Junpei," he warned their friend. "It wouldn't feel right for us to graduate without you."
Junpei smirked at the cheeky junior. "No worries, dude. I got through this year with your help, didn't I?" He thought back to the times Minato tutored him whenever he needed it. He paused as he vaguely remembered another person helping, another honor student who he had been friends with. "Huh… Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?"
Minato and Hamuko shared a knowing frown with each other before the brunette quickly changed the topic. "Hey, let's get going. We don't want to be late for class."
Junpei shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Yeah, you're right." The three of them continued forward before they noticed a blonde girl standing next to a tree, watching them. "Hey, is that girl looking at us?" the tall junior asked with a bright smirk. "Dude, she's pretty cute! How come I never noticed her before?"
"What are you talking about?" Yukari asked as she came up to them from behind. "She lives in the same dorm as us."
"Seriously!?" he straightened up to try to get a better look at the blonde. "Uh… What's her name, then?"
"I dunno," the brunette shrugged.
"So then, why're you giving me a hard time?" Junpei frowned at her.
"You both are hopeless," Minato sighed.
"What? Do you know who she is?" the capped boy asked him.
"That's Aigis," Hamuko told him. "She sits next to me in class. She's pretty quiet and keeps to herself a lot so it's no wonder you both don't know her. Nii-san and I tried a few times to talk her but she tends to always run away from us as soon as we try."
"Is she scared of the Gekkoukan Hellhound?" Yukari smirked at the frowning blue-haired boy.
"I'm not that scary…" Minato muttered.
"Maybe she's just shy," Junpei shrugged. He shook his head as he decided to just leave the blonde girl alone. "Anyway, it's always crazy in the dorms this time of year, with so many people coming and going. Oh yeah, did ya hear? Akihiko-senpai's movin' out. Ya know, the Captain of the boxing team?"
"I know who he is," Yukari nodded, "but I haven't really talked to him. Of course, all the graduates are leaving, even Kirijo-senpai."
"Ms. Student Council President…" Junpei whistled. "She's in our dorm too, huh?" He looked over towards Minato. "Hey… isn't there another girl living with us in the dorm?"
"Fuuka Yamagishi from class 2-E," Minato answered with a nod. "She's in Photography Club with me."
"Aren't you in the Student Council too?" Junpei frowned as the blue-haired boy simply nodded in response. "That means you know Kirijo-senpai!" He chuckled at his popular friend. "C'mon, you gotta introduce me to some of your friends sometime… They're all pretty cute."
"It's because they're my friends that I don't," the overprotective Hellhound smirked at him.
"At least introduce me to Aigis then," the taller junior shook his head.
Hamuko shook her head at him. "I just said she tends to keep to herself. Leave her alone, Junpei."
"Um… That's kinda hard to do if she's following us," her best friend pointed out. Hamuko took a look back over her shoulder and realized he was right.
"Man, what's up with that girl?" Yukari wondered aloud. She turned around and waved at the blonde. "Hey, there! Are you looking at us? Is something wrong?"
"Um…" Aigis tensed up as the four juniors stared at her. "It's nothing," she quickly shook her head. She quickly ran past them, towards the school.
"Aigis!" Hamuko called out to her. "Wait!" The red-eyed girl frowned when the robot didn't even turn back to look at her. "Ai-chan…"
Junpei frowned as he watched their strange classmate disappear. "She looks kinda depressed, doesn't she?" He blinked a few times before smirking. "Wait, do ya think she might be interested in me!?"
Yukari laughed at the simple junior. "I doubt it."
"Ouch. That hurts," the capped boy sighed. "By the way, Yuka-tan…" He stared at the brunette for a while before shaking his head. "Uh… Never mind. Forget it."
"Aw, come on now…" Yukari smirked at him. "Don't gimme that."
"Um, well…" the capped boy knit his eyebrows together. "Do you remember how we became friends? I mean, don't take it the wrong way. I was just thinking…"
"Well, it's not like we're best friends or anything," Yukari shrugged, "so I guess it just kinda happened."
"Yeah, I guess so," Junpei smiled.
Yukari paused as she began to wonder about their friendship too. "It IS kinda weird, actually, now that I think about it. But, I can't really explain why. Anyway, that girl—" the first bell suddenly rang, causing the juniors to tense up.
"Oh crap!" Junpei took off towards the building with the other three right behind him.
~5 MARCH 2010~
Minato let himself into his sister's room and saw she was still in bed. He smirked as he gently shook her awake. "Time to get up, Hamuko."
"Can't I sleep in a little longer?" Hamuko slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm so tired…"
"And I'm not?" Minato sighed as he walked over to a window and pulled open a curtain. "Come on," he told her as he looked towards Gekkoukan. "It's Graduation today…"
The brunette paused at that. "Y-yeah…" She threw her blankets off of her and proceeded to change into her uniform. Hamuko looked towards her brother and noticed he was absently playing with his headphones as he continued scanning the city. "Nii-san?" she tentatively got his attention. Minato nodded but didn't turn his head. "I'm sure Fuuka-chan still loves you… Even if she can't remember it, I know she hasn't forgotten."
The blue-haired boy sadly looked down at his speakers. "I know… That's not what's bothering me…"
"Then what's wrong?" Hamuko asked him as she brushed her hair.
"I wonder… if she knows that I love her…"
"She still has your locket," the brunette pointed out as she tied her hair up in her usual fashion. "She hasn't taken it off and she knows how much it means to you. It's your proof to her that you're both always connected."
Minato wryly smiled at that. "She might understand it's important, but I'm certain she's forgotten its true meaning." He slowly turned to face his sister as she began brushing her teeth. "I spoke to her yesterday after visiting the infirmary. Fuuka thinks it's just a necklace… I wanted to correct her and remind her of the picture inside… but…" The blue-haired boy shook his head. "I couldn't bring myself to do it… If I made her remember, she probably would have sensed something was wrong."
"So you're going to do the same exact thing Shinji-kun did to me…" Hamuko sighed as she looked over at her wristwatch. "You're not going to let her say goodbye…"
"Would you have been able to let her if you were in my position?" Minato asked the girl.
Hamuko shook her head as she knew she was the same as him. "No… I've been lying to everyone too after all…" She hugged herself as she remembered all of the empty promises they made with all of their friends to hang out in the future. "Do you still want to wait for them?"
"Yeah," Minato nodded. "Even if they don't come, I want to go… We made a promise after all…"
"This'll also be the last time the two of us will be able to share the scene on the roof with them…" Hamuko noted. "And even if they aren't there, I'll still be there with you…"
Her brother smiled at her. "We're in this together to the very end."
A smile also appeared on Hamuko's face as they fell silent again. She lifted her gaze to look at her brother. "Minato?" He patiently nodded. "I want to thank you… for being born with me. Out of all the people who could have been my twin brother, I'm glad it was you…"
Minato's blue eyes softened as he stared at his younger sister. "Hamuko…"
She shook her head at him as she realized he was at a loss for words. "You don't have to say anything. I know you, Minato." The brunette softly smiled at her most important person. "No matter what happens… we'll always be a part of each other. Our Personas are proof of that." She wrapped her arms around her older brother and pressed her ear against his chest to listen to the familiar rhythm of his gentle heartbeats. "I love you, nii-san…" she mumbled into his shirt.
Minato hugged her back, placing a hand on her head. "I love you too, sis. From the moment we were born to the moment we die, I'll always love you."
Hamuko nodded in understanding before reluctantly letting him go. She checked her watch for the time but paused when someone knocked on her bedroom door. The twins looked to each other in confusion before a voice called out to them. "It's me, Aigis," the robot told them. "May I please come in?"
Minato carefully approached the door and opened it up a little. When he saw Aigis's expression brighten, he let her in. "Aigis…"
"Thank goodness," the blonde girl smiled at them in relief. "I'm so happy to see you again… I'm sorry to show up so suddenly after avoiding you both all this time…" she lowered her gaze. "But… I really needed to talk to you."
"We do too…" Hamuko nodded, glad that the robot finally came to speak with them.
"I remember everything," Aigis told them. "Everyone else still seems to have forgotten, but I remember… That day, we…" Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"Don't cry…" Minato shook his head at her. "Everything's okay now," he gently stated.
"I'm sorry…" the blonde quickly wiped away her tears. "It's just that, when I remembered…" She began shaking as she remembered the twins' actions. "I was afraid you might go somewhere far away, like you did at the last battle…" The two siblings knowingly glanced at each other but remained silent. Aigis studied Hamuko's room absently before she noticed the open curtains. The robot could spot Gekkoukan in the distance. "Graduation's today, isn't it?" she asked. "I'm sorry… The ceremony's already begun… Such nice weather outside…" She quickly turned towards the twins. "Do you remember? The promise we all made? Why don't we go there and wait for the others…? We can enjoy the view of this peaceful city…"
Hamuko nodded her head as she grabbed the two juniors' hands. "Let's go…" she smiled at them.
Fuuka curiously glanced at the rows behind her to skim Class 2-F but she couldn't find Minato or Hamuko anywhere within the audience. She frowned as it wasn't like the twins to purposefully ditch such an important event. But then again, the teal-haired girl had noticed they had been looking sick lately. Actually, the whole school noticed but the twins had dismissed everyone's worries. Despite their kind smiles, Fuuka felt there was something more to it but she didn't know what. It must have had something to do with the way Minato had been looking at her the last time they spoke.
His eyes were so sad… the girl thought to herself as she absently grabbed her necklace. It hurt to see him that way… He wanted to tell me something, but… I wonder what it was… Fuuka studied the silver charm and ran her thumb over the smooth circular surface. Huh? She blinked as something about the circular portion of the sun bothered her. She wanted to look into it but some feedback on stage made her jump.
"Sorry about that," the class representative spoke into the microphone before returning to her speech. The student shook her head as she smiled at the graduating class. "The time to part has finally come. Though this is our last day together, we want the senior class to know that you've truly earned our respect. We wish each of you good health, happiness, and prosperity. On this auspicious occasion, I bid you all a fond farewell on behalf of the student body." The student bowed before walking offstage as the audience applauded.
Fuuka didn't put down her charm as she clapped but as soon as a teacher went on stage, she returned her attention back to her necklace. This isn't just a necklace, is it? Minato-kun gave it to me because it was important to him… He told me it was proof… But of what?
"Next, a word from our valedictorian…" Fuuka heard the teacher say. "From Class D, Mitsuru Kirijo."
"Thank you," Mitsuru nodded as she took the podium.
Kirijo-senpai… Fuuka watched the older girl curiously. I didn't really interact with her much in the dorm… But didn't she and Minato-kun help to handle my transfer to the building? The junior frowned to herself. All of us in the dorm… We went somewhere together, didn't we? She continued to rub her thumb against her necklace as Mitsuru began her speech.
"This last year," the Student Council President confidently addressed the school, "I accepted an important responsibility as Student Council President. When I first addressed you from this podium, I spoke to you all about seizing opportunity while you had the chance… Well," she wore a sad smile, "it must have been fate that intervened and gave me an important reminder of this… As many of you may know, my father unexpectedly…" she paused for a moment in hesitation. A frown appeared on her face but she forced herself to continue. "He unexpectedly passed away, due to sudden illness…" She stopped herself again and held a hand to her head. "Sudden illness…?"
Fuuka frowned as something about that sounded inaccurate. No… Wasn't he…? The teal-haired girl remembered standing on top of a roof where a gunshot loudly echoed in the night.
The entire school body began murmuring about Mitsuru's strange behavior. "Wow, that's rare. I've never heard her stumble in a speech before."
"It's a big day… It must be tough thinking about her father."
Fuuka's frown deepened. Takeharu Kirijo… I met him before… With Kirijo-senpai, Hamuko-chan, Minato-kun, and… others… We had all gone somewhere together… She looked down at her locket once more and her brown eyes widened as she quickly opened it to look at the picture she had taken with Minato on Yakushima. "I… We…!" Fuuka quickly stood from her seat as she realized where Minato and Hamuko were. "Minato-kun!" she cried out as she forced herself to the edge of her row.
"Yamagishi!" Ekoda frowned at his most troublesome student. "Where are you going!? Get back in your seat! I'll never hear the end of this!"
Mitsuru blinked at the teal-haired junior as the younger girl quickly disappeared out of the auditorium. Yamagishi…? Her red eyes widened as she scanned the rest of the audience. She managed to spot her friends and a smile appeared on her face as she locked eyes with Akihiko.
The boxer smirked as he stood up from his seat too. "Mitsuru…!"
"Huh…?" Yukari turned her eyes away from the junior who just ran out of the building and towards the white-haired senior. After a while, her brown eyes gleamed in recognition. "Wait… Wasn't I supposed to…?"
Junpei blinked at the archer beside him before a smile grew on his face. "That's right…" he nodded as the two of them were on their feet. "I remember now! Our promise…!"
Mitsuru smiled at the three of them as she continued. "I remember… Yes… Upon my father's death, I lost my purpose and was set adrift in life… But now I have something to live for. No longer will I run from the future. I will face it head on, in memory of my father's will. I am resolved; free from doubt or hesitation!" she bravely declared. "This is because…" she smiled at the others as they fought their ways out of the audience. "It is because I have such wonderful, such priceless friends… And we have promised to never lose hope, no matter what tomorrow may bring!" After shouting that, the Student Council President leapt down from the stage to join the others waiting for her.
The entire school was in an uproar but the members of Iwatodai Dormitory's Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad didn't care. Yukari smiled at the red-haired senior. "Senpai…! We remember about them and Aigis…! We also made a promise. Let's go find them!"
"Yes," Mitsuru nodded as they started for the exit together. "I can hardly wait. Everyone, let's go!"
Hamuko smiled at the warm sunlight and gentle wind as she lay on the bench. Her head was rested in Aigis's lap and she looked over towards the fence barricade where her brother patiently stood. He had been afraid that if he lay down too, he'd miss the others once they finally arrived. The brunette fought the frown that threatened to appear on her face as she continued to study her older brother. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as another breeze lightly swept over the roof.
"The wind feels so nice…" Aigis serenely smiled. "This is my first time experiencing spring. But, this season will eventually pass…" She sadly looked down at Hamuko. "After fighting alongside you and facing the world's end… I finally began to understand… what it means to live…"
Fighting against his fatigue, Minato lifted his gaze towards both girls. "You have?"
Aigis nodded to him. "Thinking for yourself… Not running away… Accepting the inevitable… All things eventually come to an end… Every living thing will one day disappear… Only by accepting this can one discover what they truly want… What the meaning of their life will be…"
That's right, Hamuko painfully smiled. Nii-san… Ai-chan... No… Minato… Aigis… I'm glad you both saved me back then… I was able to live a full life thanks to your choices… but this time, it's my turn to make a choice…
"I understand now why I was so tormented by my lack of strength," Aigis frowned to herself. "Protecting others became more than just an order I had to obey. I wanted to do it for my own reasons… I realized this once I decided to try and prevent the Fall. When I thought I might never see you both again, something else became clear to me—what I wanted most. And so," the robot nodded, "I made up my mind. I decided that I would continue to protect you. I want to be your strength."
I'll protect you both too… I owe you both this much for devoting so much of your lives to me… I know this isn't what either of you want, but please try to understand… I wasn't meant to have this life in the first place… I'm just returning what rightfully belongs to you, Minato…
"I know I'm not the only one who can do this…" Aigis watched as Minato absently fiddled with his headphones, "but that's okay. My life will be worth living if it's for this reason…" Tears began filling her eyes. "Thank you…"
"Please don't cry, Aigis," Minato frowned at the ground.
Hamuko nodded in agreement as she wiped up the other girl's tears. "If you do, we'll cry too…" This isn't an easy decision because I want to live… But, Minato… I want you to live more… That's why I stole Messiah's mask from you… I won't ask for your forgiveness, but just know that I don't want you to be like Orpheus too… Don't come after me or throw your life away after I'm gone… Please, Minato… Your life is worth so much more… If only you'd give yourself the chance to realize that…
"You're right." Aigis blinked her tears away. "What am I doing? I understand now, so I should be happy…"
"Minato-kun…!" a voice from inside the school called out to the blue-haired boy, making him tense up.
"Fuuka…?" Minato hesitated a bit but he soon straightened himself up when the door to the roof opened. The teal-haired girl stopped running as soon as she stumbled out onto the roof. Fuuka heavily coughed as she tried to catch her breath prompting the blue-haired junior to worriedly get to her side. "Fuuka!"
Fuuka-chan… Hamuko smiled as her friend let out a surprised squeak when Minato hugged her. No… Fuuka… Take care of my brother… I know he can be a little awkward, overprotective, and problematic at times. In fact, he's not very good at expressing himself and he tends to be reckless with his own life. If you compliment him, he takes it as permission to go overboard with his actions but, despite his flaws, he's the best big brother in the entire Universe. This is something I can only ask of you, Fuuka, because I know you'll be the perfect partner for him. After all, you loved him from the very beginning, even if you didn't know it then…
"Minato-kun!" Fuuka brightly smiled at the exhausted boy. "I… I remember it all now! How we fought with our lives at stake… the miracle that happened…" she looked up into his blue eyes. "And… who was dearest to me during it all…!" She buried her face into his chest. "I'm sorry…! I'm sorry I forgot!"
Minato protectively tightened his embrace around her. "It's alright, Fuuka. You don't have to apologize… It wasn't your fault…!"
"Oh, thank goodness I remembered…!" Sad fear filled her brown eyes as she remembered what she had sensed from the mask Minato had been holding. "But when I did, I got scared… that you wouldn't be here anymore…"
The boy gently shushed her before squeezing her in his arms again, not wanting to let her go. "No… Please don't say that… We're together now and that's what matters most," he softly murmured to her.
She giggled as he tenderly pulled her closer to his body. "You're so warm…" Fuuka rested her head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat. "I'm right here with you…" she reassured him.
"I love you so much, Fuuka…" Minato whispered.
He might not know it and if he does, he'll never admit it to himself, but he loves you more than even me, Fuuka. I should be jealous, but I'm actually really relieved to know that he finally learned to open up his heart to those around him. You're the one to teach him that so I'm glad he fell in love with a person whose heart is just as strong as his is, if not stronger… If he had fallen for someone like me… he'd only hurt himself in the end… so please… Keep supporting him… Make sure he never loses his way in life… He's my most important person after all and what I want most is for him to be happy… And with you always connected to him, I know he'll never be alone… Fuuka… Please, please, please! Take good care of him for me…
The two juniors let go of each other when they heard footsteps in the distance. "Do you hear that?" Fuuka asked Minato with a smile. "Everyone else is here too…"
"Everyone…" Aigis smiled as the footsteps grew louder as they got closer. The robot nodded as she looked back down at Hamuko. "I realize now that I have friends as well. You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life… Sometimes, all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of. I'll keep on living no matter what, so that I can protect you all…"
That's right, Aigis… You're not alone either… Watch over everyone for me, will you? I'm entrusting my Orpheus to you… We're the same after all… We weren't supposed to live but because we are alive, please know that all life is precious. I want you to live your life to the fullest just like I did, so treasure the time you have with everyone. They'll go away one day too, but so long as you have my first Persona, you'll never have to be alone either. Me leaving will hurt, but I believe in you and your heart. I've always believed in you and your heart so don't ever give up searching for your answer, Aigis… I look forward to how far you'll be able to grow with Orpheus at your side now that your life's journey has only just begun.
"Thank you for everything…" Aigis nodded to Hamuko. "You're tired, aren't you?" she noticed. "You can close your eyes. I'll always remain here by your side."
"I'll be alright, Aigis," Hamuko smiled as she turned her head towards the door. I know that if I close my eyes now, I'll never open them again… But it's time I let Minato go and live out the rest of his own life… Orpheus Telos… Messiah… Thanatos… You all solely belong to him now… I won't need you where I'm going… Thanks for always connecting the two of us together all this time… I'm ready to go now…
"How about you, Minato-kun?" Fuuka worriedly asked the blue-haired boy as the two of them walked over to Hamuko's side. "Would you like to lie down also?" She lowered her gaze. "It's alright if you do, Minato-kun… I… I'll be right here with you…"
Minato shook his head. "For some reason… I'm not as exhausted anymore…" he frowned as he felt something wasn't quite right.
"Maybe it's because Fuuka is here?" Hamuko weakly laughed as she looked over towards the teal-haired girl. Fuuka's eyes widened as she sensed what was going on but the weak junior quickly cast her friend a kind smile. Fuuka… I fully entrust Minato to you… she silently told the navigator.
"Hamuko-chan…?" Fuuka frowned but nodded anyways as she sadly understood the brunette's wishes.
"Hamuko…" Minato knit his eyebrows together as he stared at his tired twin in slight confusion.
"Don't worry," Aigis told the worrisome boy. "I'll always protect you both."
"That's right, Minato…" Hamuko reached a hand for her brother's and he gently accepted it. "You don't have to worry anymore…" She spotted the others as they finally made it to the rooftop. "Because we're not alone…"
"No," Minato nodded in agreement as he looked up towards their friends. "We're not…" his voice was meek and quiet as he realized what was happening.
"Hey!" Junpei waved his arm in the air as he ran towards them with a wide grin on his face.
"We're finally here!" Yukari nodded.
"Sorry, we're late!" Akihiko smirked.
"Yes, we left the ceremony as soon as we realized you were here waiting for us," Mitsuru humorously smiled.
Koromaru barked and Ken laughed. "Koromaru and I ran all the way from the shrine, but it looks like we're all together now!"
Hamuko took in everybody's happy faces before glancing up once more at her brother. His blue eyes brightly gleamed with tears but he was genuinely smiling. He squeezed his sister's hand and looked down at her with such a bittersweet expression. "Hamuko…!" his voice cracked.
"Minato…" the brunette nodded up to him as she understood what it was he wanted to say but couldn't. I love you too… Thank you for everything, my dearest brother… She continued to gaze into his navy eyes and noticed a glowing red butterfly reflected in them. Her body began to relax as her crimson eyes slowly closed. Hamuko noticed another beautiful butterfly, a blue one, flutter across her fading vision. With the last of her strength, she whispered to Minato one more thing she wanted her twin brother to always remember. "I'll always be with you…"
Final Notes: ...Did the ending come as a surprise? I hope it did... I left subtle hints here and there about who would die though... Very subtle... I just thought... that it would be fitting since Shinjiro is also gone... and Minato finally found his resolve to live. In the end, Hamuko was the more selfish of the two and took on her brother's role as Messiah... And with that, the twins' journey has come to a close. As for Aigis's answer... Yeah... I need to finish the second half of that scenario then work out a reasonable outline. I also need to figure out how to reasonably deal with Minato. As the Universe, he's done with his story. He learned his lesson about bonds and friendship and death... But... I guess because he's always been so dependent on Hamuko... he doesn't quite trust in his 'true self' considering Hamuko and him share there Personas and he'd be confused as to whether he is Messiah or Orpheus Telos. That's a start, but I don't think I'll be publishing anything anytime soon. I hope you enjoyed this story at least. I mean you must have if you stuck through all 52 chapters... Feel free to leave a review if you have questions, comments, or concerns. Especially, if you find inconsistencies or mistakes... Thank you very much for reading!