Holy shit... We're here...
It's the end. The true end. Holy shit, we actually made it here.
asada808 : Like I said, he cares about others more than he cares about himself.
Which means he dies. The power of Karma is bullshit!
tl34lt12 : *cracks knuckles* Alright, here we go!
RAX : Yup... P3 just sucks the soul outta you and replaces it with nothing!
Hmm... Do I even have a soul?
No one cares!
Ultimate Kuuga : The wait is over. It's time to end this long journey with a cringe worthy start, and A... not-so cringe worthy end.
Chapter-
Say it again you son of a bitch.
No arguments there. Mother really is a bitch.
Raze Olympus : Cry! Cry like a bitch! Mwahahaha!
One of the few times he agree on something.
Tk Macintosh : Eh, no promises. If I do a PQ story one day (still no promises), then you'll see how things would go from that perspective. As for doing a P4 fic... Eh, I'd have to re-adapt to Naoto's personality and then form a proper one for Yu outside of being a helpful guy, so... Don't expect to see one, even as a one-shot.
School ; 3/3/2010
Minato yawned as he kept his head down while clutching his coat, the air was pretty cold despite Spring being just around the corner.
No one could see, but every step was torture for the bluenette. Whatever it was that was keeping him going, it was running out as he was barely holding on by a thread.
Every time he felt his heart beat, he always feared it'd be his last. He was nearing the end... He just had to hold on for just a bit more.
"Yo!"
Minato stopped the moment he heard his old friend's voice which helped the boy catch up with the bluenette.
"Damn, it's cold. But of course, you never miss a day of school." The boy said with his typical Junpei smile on his face "Man, can ya believe this year's already over? We're practically seniors now."
"We've almost broken outta prison, eh?" Minato asked sarcastically, hoping that Junpei wouldn't notice his slightly labored breathing.
"Just one more year..." Junpei said to himself "Ya think anything interesting will happen?"
Minato slowly shrugged his shoulders, feeling as if they were completely filled with lead "You never know, right?"
"Well~, seeing the current seniors makes me wonder..." Junpei sighed "Seems like all they frickin' do is study. Talk about boring."
Junpei let out a loud whine "Is that gonna be us next year?" he asked before looking as if a thought hit him "... Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?"
Minato held his breath as he felt his heart skip a beat at that moment. Was this it? Was it finally going to happen? Was the one thing he'd been hoping for finally about to become a reality?
Junpei looked around for a moment before taking notice of a blonde girl standing by a tree.
"Hey is that girl looking at us?" Junpei asked, his memories of Aigis having been lost forever.
Minato looked at her with sad eyes. She remembered... She'd remembered everything, and was going through the exact same hell he was.
"Dude, she's pretty cute! How come I never noticed her before?" Junpei asked, his Stupei mind going to work again
Suddenly, A voice came from behind them "What are you talking about? She lives in the same dorm a us." That voice came from non-other than Yukari who walked to school with Minako
"Seriously?!" Junpei exclaimed in shock "Uh... What's her name, then?"
Chidori is going to be pissed... Minato thought to himself as he shook his head
"I dunno." Yukari answered casually
"I think it was Ai-something..." Minako didn't seem to remember anything either
"Aigis." Minato answered, partially hoping that'd make them remember at least a little bit of what had happened the past year.
"How'd you know that?" Junpei asked. He'd lived with the boy for awhile now, and all he really did was sleep all day, so how'd he learn who she was?
"Because I'm Jesus." Minato answered sarcastically. Then again, his last persona was The Messiah.
"Anyway, it's always crazy in the dorms this time of the year, with so many people coming and going." Junpei said, dismissing the confusion as typical high school chaos "Oh year, did ya hear? Akihiko-senpai is movin' out. Ya know, the captain of the boxing team."
" I know who he is, but I haven't really talked to him." Yukari replied, she never was all that close to Akihiko
"I have!" Minako announced proudly, her socialness this year was only rivaled by her brother "He certainly loves beef bowls... and training... and training... And beef..."
Minato chuckled, leave it to Minako to still hold whatever special keys there are to making him laugh "And not girls at all." If he was being honest, he wasn't sure if he preferred Shinjiro or Akihiko... Actually, was neither an option?
He might've been jabbed in the ribs, but Yukari quickly cut in "Anyway, all the graduates are leaving, even Kirijo-senpai."
"Ms. Student Council President... She's in our dorm too, huh?" Junpei asked, Minato briefly wondered if he remembered whatever happened to him at Kyoto
Yukari looked the the blonde haired girl and waved "Hey, there! You looking at us?" she asked while smiling warmly "Is something wrong?"
Aigis looked down, not wanting to draw anymore attention "Um... It's nothing." She said before quickly running off
"She looks kinda depressed doesn't she?" Junpei asked as Minato sighed
I remember, too... Minato thought, hoping that Aigis knew she wasn't alone in all this
"Wait, do ya think she might be interested in one of us?!" Junpei said as he began to look excited.
"No." Minato answered bluntly
"Not by a long shot" Followed up by Minako
"I doubt it." And concluded by Yukari
"Ouch..." Junpei said as he looked at the 3 of them "That hurts."
The 4 of them started to make their way to class again, but Junpei suddenly stopped
"By the way guys..." Junpei looked like he was about to say something before saying "Uh... Never mind. Forget it."
"Aw, come on now... Don't gimme that." Yukari replied wanting to hear whatever the infamous Stupei Iori had to say
"Spit it out, Stupei." Minako said as she sighed "Just make everyone's lives easier."
Junpei scratched the back of his head "Um... Well... Do you remember how we became friends?" he asked something that had Minato silently praying "I mean, don't take it the wrong way. I was just thinking..."
Please, please, please... He silently begged. It was more than just wanting them to remember what made their friendship special, if they forgot everything... Then did they forget about their promise, too?
"I..." Minako was about to answer, but her voice trailed off before stopping completely "... Don't have an answer to that. We've known Yuka-chan for a while so... "
"I guess it just kinda happened?" Yukari theorized, also just as lost as Minako was
"Yeah, I guess so." Junpei said satisfied as Minato sighed quietly again
"It is kinda weird actually, now that I think about it." Yukari said as Minato wondered if God was playing with him at this point by toying his hopes
"Um.. Yeah, I got nothing." Minako said as she shrugged "Eh, who cares? Everything worked out, right?"
"I guess so." Yukari said as Minato felt his hopes become crushed again "Anyway, that girl-"
Yukari was cut off as the sound of the warning bell went off.
"Oh crap..." Junpei said as the 4 of them were forced to run to class
"Dammit." Minato cursed under his breath. Not only was that torture, now he was forced to do this which made him feel like he was going to drop dead any moment now.
Life really was a bitch, wasn't it?
...
...
After awhile, school finally ended and left several students to their own devices.
As soon as class was over, Minato slowly got out of his chair and began to walk home while Minako went to help get Junpei get out of some trouble about a stolen lunch box (how did these sorts of things happened, anyway?)
But, right when he was about to leave, he was cut off by his girlfriend standing in his way "Um... Hey, Minato..." She greeted, seemingly nervous about something
"Yeah?" Minato returned, he felt dead but he didn't want her to notice "Something wrong?"
Yukari shook her head "Hey, um... C-Can we go somewhere else?"
"Sure." Minato agreed, not seeing any real reason to say no. He may of felt terrible, but he did owe her for what happened on Valentine's day
"Thanks..." She said with a small smile before noticing something odd.
Minato seemed a lot... slower than usual. Not only that, he was sleeping even more than he used to, looked slightly paler than usual, and his skin almost always felt a bit cold to touch for some reason
"Are you okay, Minato?" She asked, doing her usual of being concerned on his behalf "You don't look so good..."
Minato shrugged it off, doing his best to seem like his usual "I'm fine, alright? C'mon, last few days of school should be happy, right?"
She seemed like she wanted to say more, but she didn't press the issue. Besides, even he'd wise the hell up and tell her if something was wrong... right?
With that thought in her mind, she lead Minato to the school's roof, the place that had essentially become a little social spot for him and his other links.
Minato shivered slightly as he felt the cold air hit his skin.
"S-Sorry for calling you out here..." Yukari apologized as she looked down, still seeming a little nervous for some reason
Minato shook his head "No biggie. So, what's the issue?"
"Um..." Yukari bit her lip as she lightly kicked the ground with her foot "I actually have a little favor to ask."
"Well... Um..." Yukari's eyes are cast down, almost as if she's hesitating for some reason "I-It's my mom... I... want you to meet you."
"Um..." Minato blinked "Technically, I'm pretty sure I've met her before, remember?"
"T-That's not what I meant!" She said before looking nervous again "I just promised to visit my mom... but I'm still kinda scared."
"Of?" Minato couldn't help but wonder if their link was about t rank up to 11 or something
"If I see her... I might end up saying some really nasty things.." She said, expressing her own doubt in her self-control "What if we end up hurting each other even more? I don't wanna hurt her feelings..."
"Then don't." Minato replied "It's your mom, and your her daughter. I know you still love her, just like I'm sure she loves you. Just do your best, that's all you can do."
"See? That's why I want you to come..." She said as she twiddled her thumbs "You don't have to say anything really. I just, I'll feel more confident just by having you around... You know?"
"I see..." Minato said as he internally sighed. This... This was just cruel. "I... I'll do what I can." He said, not wanting to give a definite answer... He couldn't bare to lie to her, especially with what was about to happen soon.
"Really?! Thanks!" Yukari literally jumped into the air in excitement like a cliched school girl "I'll call her up right away! I've been putting this off for so long..."
Yukari smiled warmly "Hey, so... I bet you're thinking 'Couldn't I have gone out with someone with fewer problems'?"
Minato wanted to look down, this was beyond painful for him... But, he also wanted to give a happy send off. It was moments like these he remembered just why he loved her.
"I wanted to go out with you." Minato said, looking like he said the most natural thing in the world
Yukari blushed a deep red, but still smiled "H-Hey, it sounds weird when you come right out and say it like that." she pouted, apparently he must've hit her 'tsundere' button accidentally "I was joking... Geez..."
"Sorry." Minato apologized as he silently laughed to himself. Nothing like embarrassing the girl he loved one more time before... before...
"It's almost Spring Break." Yukari pointed out "It went by so fast... We're already seniors. At the end of the year, we'll graduate and go to college... And then start a career?"
Yukari laughed "Wow, it's hard to imagine..." she said, still smiling at Minato "Do you think... we'll still be together then?"
Minato's heart stung when she said that... He couldn't lie to her, but he couldn't tell her the truth, either.
"I'd like to think so." He said. He knew he wouldn't last that long, but he'd like to think he would... But he knew he couldn't.
"Yeah..." Yukari said as she blushed again "I'd think so, too."
Minato looked around awkwardly "Er... Can we not talk about adult life yet? I mean... That includes some thoughts I'd rather keep to myself, you know?"
"Well, let's talk about the near future, then." Yukari agreed, dismissing that as him imagining something like marriage and such "How about going somewhere over Spring Break? Ooh, maybe we could go to Destinyland?"
Minato chuckled "Sounds nice, never been to an amusement park before."
"N-Never?!" Yukari said in shock "Okay, that settles it, we're going!" She said, making it her new life goal to make sure Minato went to just 1 amusement park for once in in life.
Suddenly, she blushed again "B-But just the 2 of us, okay..? You better not invite anyone else, not even Minako-chan." She said, feeling like her heart was about to burst out of her chest from embarrassment "Like... if we stay the night, and stuff."
Minato snickered "Good God, Yukari."
"I wonder if anyone else at the dorms would realize... if we both went away for a night..." She thought out loud before giggling "That's an embarrassing thought.."
"W-We'll talk more about it later." Yukari said, figuring she had just humiliated herself enough already "Don't forget to leave some time free during Spring Break!"
"... I won't." He said as he looked down for a moment. He wasn't going to be having any plans ever again soon.
Yukari was about to leave, but stopped in her tracks suddenly "So, um... Minato... There's something else I wanted to say..."
The boy raised an eyebrow "What?"
"W-Well... um..." Yukari blushed again and avoided eye contact, but she still had a smile on her face "Y-You see... um..."
She shook her head "N-Never mind, we'll talk about it some other time." she said, whatever that was about was going to be unanswered for a long time
"Actually, there's something I want to say to." Minato said as he looked her straight in the eyes. He knew he couldn't tell her outright... but he had to do something.
"P-Pretty soon... I'll have to take a trip somewhere..." He said vaguely as he looked down with sad eyes "Not even Minako knows about it, and... It's something I need to do myself... And I don't know when I'll be back."
"Y-You don't have to... but..." The boy sighed as he looked back up "... Could you wait for me?"
She smiled at him again "Don't be stupid." She insulted him like the tsundere she was "... I mean, I don't think I could imagine the rest of my life without you."
If it was still possible for Minato's heart to shatter, that was the moment it happened.
"... I love you..." He whispered
"Hmm?" He shook his head, which she took as a sign she was hearing things and left.
"... I love you." He said, not expecting an answer as he lost all strength in his legs and fell onto the floor again.
What did he do? What did he do for God to force him to be slapped in the face so many times? He knew his fate, he accepted it the day he faced Nyx... But this was beyond cruel.
He didn't regret his decision... Not by a long shot.
... What he did regret, was how painful the goodbyes were.
Naganaki Shrine
After seemingly several hours had passed (though, this was likely inaccurate), Minato slowly began to walk home with his head hanged low.
On the way there, he noticed a blonde woman dressed in white with curls that seemed to defy gravity sitting on one of the benches.
Remembering an old promise, Minato approached the woman "Been awhile, eh, Catherine-san?" He greeted
"Hmm?" Catherine looked up and recognized the blue-haired boy "Oh, I remember you! um... Minato, right?"
Minato nodded "Yes." he confirmed "... I thought you'd like to know..."
"He's not around anymore, is he?" She asked, already recognizing the look on his face.
Minato shook his head "No. He hasn't been around for about 3 months now." He explained "I would've told you, but... You didn't exact leave any contact info."
"Yeah..." She said as she looked down, seemingly saddened.
"Before he passed, he also said to tell you that he would've said 'yes' and that you'd know what that meant." He fulfilled his promise to his old enemy.
"I see." Catherine said as she stood back up "... Thanks."
"No need." He said while shaking his head "You know, something tells me you saw a side of him I'll never see."
"Oh, I saw quite a bit of him." She said while giggling which made Minato blush a bit since Makoto was a nearly perfect copy of him "You should probably go home, you're still a student, right."
"Right." He agreed with a nod, his promise was complete now "Take care."
"You too." She said farewell as the 2 parted ways. Minato couldn't help but wonder, who was Makoto outside of the monster he knew?
Dorm 3/4/2010
Minato panted heavily as he stood outside Minako's room.
This was it... The goodbye to the last person he loved... She was there in her room, probably goofing off or dancing to her mp3 player or something.
Minato slowly extended his right hand as his heart rate skyrocketed to the point he thought it was going to burst out.
His arm and knees began to shake and wobble, he felt like he was about to be sick.
He wanted to say something... he wanted to be with his sister alone one more time...
... But then he kept remembering what happened with Yukari.
Anything that'd happen would only succeed in breaking his heart even more than it already was.
What was he supposed to say? Every moment he was with her, it felt like he was going to break down into tiny pieces, never mind being alone with her.
He was the last thing she had left of her old family, and he was about to...
Minato didn't back to Iwatodai because he wanted to, or even because of the scholarship the school offered the both of them.
No, he came here because she wanted to come. It took some convincing, but she was the one who brought him back here...
Which is why he knew she'd take what'll happen the hardest. In her eyes, it'll be all her fault.
Minato bit his lip as he reached for the door knob... only for his arm to fall completely limp. He couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to, he survived many things... This was the one torture he couldn't endure.
Cursing himself, Minato gently placed his head against his sister's door "... I'm sorry, Minako." he said as he took a step back "... I love you, too."
School ; 3/5/2010
Minato slowly walked through the empty halls of his school. Everyone was at some assembly right now, and that suited him just fine. He probably couldn't even fake feeling fine anymore.
Minato coughed and wheezed as he struggled to keep his lungs from shutting down. He only had to make it a little bit further, he can't stop here.
The boy continued to struggled as he began to feel light headed. This mixed with his already weak muscles, caused him to lose his balance and hit his head right into the wall on his right before falling to the ground.
As he lied there on the ground, Minato's vision began to blur as darkness crept from the edges. His eyes began to feel heavy as he could no longer resist the urge to close his eyes.
The boy rested his head on the ground as he felt his body transfer from pain and stiffness, to feeling like he was floating on a cloud.
Slowly, he felt himself being carried away little by little...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
No...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Not... Not yet!
Using every last piece of his willpower that remained, Minato forced his eyes back open as he began to use his arms to pull himself.
His vision became blurrier and blurrier and every muscle ached, but he kept pushing forward. He wasn't going to let it end like this, he had 1 last job to do.
As soon as he reached the steps, Minato wrapped his arms around the railing and pulled himself back on his feet. With slow, agonizing steps, he made his way up the stairs.
It felt like hours, but eventually, Minato finally reached the roof only to find someone had beat him to it.
Minato rubbed his eyes and tried his hardest to focus on who was standing there in front of him.
There was only 1 girl with blonde hair that would know to be here "A-Aigis?"
Aigis turned around, and even with his blurred vision, he could tell she was smiling back at him.
Returning the smile, Minato tried his hardest to walk forward without any means of support as she did the same. To his credit, he managed to met her halfway before his legs finally gave out and Aigis had to catch him.
"Minato-san!" Aigis called out concerned, not even she knew what was happening to the boy right now.
"I-It's alright..." Minato assured as he panted "I'll go to a hospital or whatever later, just... Let's just wait for the others.." He said as Aigis sat on the bench and let Minato rest his head on Aigis' lap.
Now, he didn't have to keep to strain himself anymore. Now, he just had to hold on and wait.
...
...
Minako sat with the rest of her schoolmates as the assembly went underway.
When the red head looked around, she noticed that Minato was nowhere to be seen. Though, she dismissed this, he'd been sick or something lately so he was allowed to skip a day of school.
"... The time to part has finally come." The class representative said "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."
The girl continued "On this auspicious occasion, I bid you all a fond farewell on behalf of the student body." With that, the class representative left.
The girl was then followed by the valedictorian who was none other than the Ice Queen herself, Mitsuru.
Mitsuru cleared her throat before walking up to the podium and speaking "This last year, I accepted an important responsibility as Student Council President. When I fist addressed you from this podium. I spoke to you all about seizing opportunity while you had the chance..."
Mitsuru then looked visibly distress "Well, it must have been fate that intervened and gave me an important reminder of this... As many of you know, my father unexpectedly..." She paused for a moment "He unexpectedly passed away, due to sudden illness..."
A pang hit Mitsuru as she looked down and felt a piercing headache "Sudden illness...?" She repeated, something about that didn't sound right.
Mitsuru gasped as she looked up "I remember..." she said suddenly which caused everyone to start raising questions "Yes... With my father's death, I lost my purpose in life.
Minako felt her own headache "Huh..?" Suddenly, thought after thought came to her mind at once "Wait..."
Yukari who was next to her seemed to be having the same issue "Hang on... Wasn't I supposed to..?"
Junpei blinked as the same thing happened to him. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder "Akihiko-senpai?"
Not even giving him time to respond, Akihiko forced the former junior on his feet.
Fuuka stood up as the same happened to her and everyone started whispering.
"But, now, I have something to live for!" Mitsuru announced to the school with pride "No longer will I run from the future! I will face it head on, carrying on my father's will! I am resolved, and without reservation!"
The members of SEES gathered around in the middle of the assembly, ignoring any stares or screams by teachers.
"The promise!" Junpei exclaimed as he remembered everything
"I owe it all to my valuable friends!" Mitsuru continued to announce proudly "And we have promised to never lose hope, no matter what tomorrow may bring!"
And with that, Mitsuru did the most shocking thing anyone's eve seen her do. She jumped off the stage and met with her friends, all of whom now remember everything.
"Senpai, we made a promise!" Yukari announced proudly
"Let's find our favorite blue-haired boy, and Ai-chan too!" Minako announced, now knowing just where her big brother was
"Yes, I can hardly wait!" Mitsuru replied as everyone took off in a full sprint in the middle of the ceremony.
As they were running, Minako couldn't help, but stop as she saw someone else running in the hall ways.
She rubbed her eyes. unable to believe what she was seeing.
Minako smiled and ran to the figure with outstretched arms while shouting "Shinji!"
Within a few seconds, the 2 were finally reunited the boy had been in a coma for 5 months.
"Minako..." Shinjiro called the girl who was still clutching him tightly. Whatever Minato did assured he wouldn't die in the next few years, but he still had to wear his coat since he still had some permanent damage left.
"I-I can't believe it's really you..." Minako cried tears of joy as she held onto her senior tighter
"Hey, now, don't make a sick guy push himself so hard..." Shinjiro said as he hugged the girl back "It's pretty pathetic of me to forget the way I did..."
"Guess the same goes to me, huh?" She laughed as she buried her face in his coat
"But even then, my feelings for you were the same as always." He said as he ran his hand through the girl's hair "Haha... I got one thick skull, huh?"
"If you even think about testing that theory, I'll make sure you'll never walk again!" Minako threatened, that was not what she wanted to hear right now
"The girl I saw in my dreams... it was you..." He wasn't making this up, this was what he saw as he slept "You laughing and crying like always."
"You sure this isn't a dream." She asked as she pulled away just enough to look him in the eye
"Yeah... This ain't a dream." He said confidently "You're really here..."
"Mm-hmm..." Minako pulled away from the hug and grabbed the boy's hand "Now, whaddya say we go pay my big brother a visit?"
...
...
"The wind feels so nice..." Aigis said to the boy who was resting on her lap. Unlike yesterday and the day before, the wind was a comforting breeze rather than a cold torture.
Aigis smiled slightly "This is my first time experiencing Spring." she said, somewhat excited.
Minato wanted to reply, but he was too exhausted. Saying anything would take a lot out of him.
Aigis looked down cast "But, this season will eventually pass." The robot with a human heart looked down at Minato "After fighting alongside you, and facing the worlds end... I finally began to understand."
"Thinking for yourself... Not running away... Accepting the inevitable..." Aigis looked up at the Sun that'd been shining high in the sky "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."
Aigis looked at the boy again "I understand now why I was so tormented by my lack of strength. Protecting others became more than just an order I had to obey. I wanted to do it for my own reasons..."
Aigis continued to look at Minato, but she brightened up slightly "I realized this once I decided to try and prevent the Fall. When I though I might never see you again, something else became clear- what I wanted the most."
Aigis smiled brightly "And so, I made up my mind. I decided I would continue to protect you." Through her words, Aigis choked back tears and sounded much more human than before "I know I'm not the only one who can do this... but that's okay. My life will be worth living if it's for this reason..."
"T-Thank you..." Aigis thanked as tears began to fall
Despite his exhaustion, Minato forced out "Don't cry." As he reached his hand out and wiped away her tears.
Come on, someone like me isn't worth crying over... Minato thought, though, even he wasn't sure how much he believed that statement anymore.
"You're right. What am I doing?" Aigis said, still not used to the various human emotions "I understand now, so I should be happy."
"Minato!" A voice called out.
Giving him one last smile, Aigis gently put the boy down on the bench as she hid herself from view.
Minato remained there for what felt like an eternity, before he saw his girlfriend run up to the roof. She must've bolted at full speed as soon as her memories returned to her.
"I finally remember everything! I remember you!" She announced as she ran to the boy's side and forced him up "We were't just boyfriend and girlfriend... You're much, much more important to me than that! You changed my life."
Yukari wrapped her arms around Minato and cried as she hugged him tightly "I can't forgive myself... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..!"
Minato rested his head on her bosom in just the right spot to hear her heart beat as her arms warmed his cold skin.
"You look tired." Yukari said as she kept holding on "You can rest for now. I'll always be with you.."
"Yo!" Came from the stairs. Leave it to Junpei to ruin the moment.
"Sees? The others are coming!" Yukari said as Minato looked off the side and saw everyone.
Minako, Shinjiro, Junpei, Fuuka, Mitsuru, Aigis (who was standing at the side), even Ken and Koromaru somehow found a way to sneak in here just to fulfill that one promise
"I'll be by your side... I promise." Yukari swore as Minato began to close his eyes.
Just before they shut, he noticed a blue butterfly flying around him. He should've known that Philemon would show up eventually.
Still, he didn't mind that too much, not today.
Thank you...
In the arms of the one he loved, surrounded by the family that gave his life meaning again... He couldn't think of a better way for it to end.
... Goodbye.
Holy shit... It's over... It's actually over. I... I can't believe it.
Well... shit. I dunno what to say.
This has been a long journey, my friends. I'm glad it's finally come to its conclusion. I have no idea how you guys stomached the first few chapters, but well done on that.
It's been fun insulting all of you, mocking Grim, and doing morally questionable things...
But as Aigis said, everything eventually ends.
You know, personalizing Minato wasn't the easiest for me. If you read the first few chapters, he might come off a kinda unfocused because... well, he was. In the end, I gave him a few of my traits (i.e sleeping a lot, flat tone 24/7, short temper, etc.) and obvious some are exaggerated... Actually, everything except that flat voice is exaggerated.
Seriously, this guy always sounds the fucking same.
Yes, thank you, Makoto. I've had my struggles through this, but I persevered. How any of you got past chapter 15 is beyond me, but thank you.
If you guys want to know what Grim is working on now, it's that P3 : Death From Within fic. I'm in the AN/s after a certain point, too!
It's more original than this fic was... discounting everything with Makoto and Nyarly. Oh, and for those wondering why I included them : I did it because I wanted to add something to the story rather than be a complete retelling. If you remember, Makoto was created because of Minato's premature awakening caused by the existence of Minako which lead to Nyarly showing his faceless head around. Can't say I didn't think about Makoto's creation and Nyar's interference through.
Yeah, yeah, go ahead and build that ego of yours.
I'd yell, but I'm too happy. For those of you wondering, I'll probably do the answer some day, but that'll take awhile... Seriously, do you know how many things I have to change/add? Holy shit...
Now, Makoto, any final words for the AT readers?
... You're all a bunch of cucks!
I think that's Makoto speak for : "Love you all, have a wonderful life!"
DON'T PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH, YOU BASTARD!
*Rolls eyes* Regardless, the point stands. After this story about Death and nihilism, I think I can safely say : Live your life to the fullest, but don't disregard the future. Remember the past, but don't let it haunt/destroy you. Remember that Death is inevitable, but it's not something to give into. Take care of those around you and do your best in life, because unlike Chidori, you won't get a second chance...
Also, you'd be a major asshole since your making everything harder for Door-kun up there.
That too.
Update: Whoa, years later and I still look back at this and smile. I'm not gonna lie, I look at this entire fic as my Old Shame. I mean, outside of my Ensemble Dark Horse OC, there's a lot I did wrong, could've done better, etc. One of my biggest regrets is that *cough* scene with Minako... Jesus, I feel like I owe everyone an apology for that. I might've already, but... I'm sorry for making you sit through that.
Now, why am I talking after all these years? Well, I wanted to settle one matter: This WILL get a goddamn rewrite. I already took Makoto's fic and re-purposed it so that it fits the new one, so all that's left is to write the actual story and yadda, yadda. It's going to be a bit different from this one, and ships will either be sunk or take a serious back seat, because I let my young mind focus too much on that rather than, you know, the twins being twins. Of course, I also wanted to say this: If an Answer is gonna happen, it's happening to the rewrite and if it does, it's not gonna be it's own thing, it'll be an epilogue.
Now, I'm mostly grown up, older, smarter, wiser, moving onto new things, etc. But I wanted to say, thank you. No, really, thank you all. As much as I cringe at this fic, it's what got me into this and helped writing become a nice little outlet of mine, and it's all thanks to you guys. If I include the rewrite and Makoto's fic, then I got more than 5 fics to complete (granted one is on hiatus for now and one is being co-written by someone named Wes (check her out on deviant art, she's a great artist)) and then I think I'm retiring, at least that's the plan for now. Still, I wanted to thank you all for helping me get my foot in the door. I may have been younger, more naive, but I meant it when I said that this had been a huge self-esteem booster in the AN/s a long time back.
And yes, I still hate odd numbers.