#:: Side Muse; Koromaru ::

[galaxofmuses]

Koromaru looks over at the humans and is really confused of what has been going on. He lets out a small whine.

[theoneprecioustome]

The Journey: Aikoto Chronology

With P3RE on the horizon, I thought it'd be useful to gather the Aikoto moments that happen in The Journey across the various P3-related releases.

The list will cover:

Vanilla P3 (OG)

FES

P3P

Drama CD

Just in case, given that Atlus seems to be taking some inspiration from the movies, I'll also list some of the stuff the movies added

(Spoilers for the entire game below the cut!)

Note: Out of the Drama CD, there are some that are meant to be considered as canonical, official side-stories. These are Daylight, Moonlight, New Moon and Full Moon. I'll mark the rest with a * since I'm not sure whether they're meant to be considered canon or not.

Note 2: Moments that have been confirmed to be in P3R will be marked with a ✅. Meanwhile, moments that have been confirmed not to be in P3R will be crossed out.

July

✤ Fateful Meeting:

OG/FES: Aigis is introduced with an animated cut-scene. Makoto gets a heart over his head when he sees her and is also disappointment when he doesn't get to approach her first.

Movies: Makoto is "into it" for the first time when he sees Aigis, and he's blown away when she turns to face him.

✤ Reunion:

✅ OG/FES/P3P: Aigis goes into the woods and Makoto has to chase her. Aigis hugs him (in OG/FES, she stops hugging him when Ikutsuki gets there, while in P3P she hugs him for way longer).

Movie: Makoto doesn't chase Aigis; there is a shadow attack that night and Aigis comes to save him, leading to the Aikoto hug from the game.

✤ OG/FES: Akihiko and Junpei are shown to be disappointed when Aigis is revealed to be a robot, but not Makoto.

✤ ✅ OG/FES/P3P/Movies: Aigis wakes Makoto up "five minutes earlier" and proposes she be allowed to stay in his room. In the games, Yukari's last dialogues imply Makoto wasn't against the idea (either "I don't care" or "She can stay"; knowing him, likely the first lol).

August

✤ Movie-Only: Aigis tries to protect Makoto during the Justice & Chariot fight. Makoto worries for her and tries to reach her when she overheats.

✤ ✅ (Optional) FES/P3P: You can walk Koromaru with Aigis (the very first Koro walk!) on August, 15th. Aigis keeps her distance.

✤ (Optional) Summer Festival:

OG/FES: When you go alone to the Summer Festival, Makoto runs into Aigis and Mitsuru. He tries to call out to them, but neither of them hear him.

✅ P3P: When you turn everyone down, the game defaults to sending Makoto to the festival with Aigis and Mitsuru. Once there, Makoto and Aigis share some takoyaki and you even have the option to make them hold hands.

Movie: Makoto goes to the festival with Aigis and they play at the stands. Instead of going with Mitsuru, they run into Shinjiro and Ken.

✤ (Optional) FES/P3P: You can go to the Film Festival with Aigis on August, 28th (the game gives you a heads-up about it the day before).

September

✤ Movie-Only: Aigis drops by Makoto's room and the two talk about his motives.

✤ ✅ OG/FES/P3P/Movie: Aigis starts going to school (and gets assigned the seat next to Makoto). She tells the entire class that she wishes to always be by Makoto's side.

✤ Drama CD (Daylight): It features various events and a lot of Aikoto stuff, including Aigis & Makoto going with Junpei to visit Chidori at the hospital, Aigis & Makoto patrolling the city together, Aigis being curious about ice-cream and Makoto promising to buy her some, etc. It also features the introduction of the "Mysterious Girl" that would later become relevant in Arena thanks to Labrys, as well as a direct tie-in with Labrys' wish and Aigis' route in P4A.

Security Camera:

FES/P3P: When Makoto gets sick because of the typhoon, Aigis goes to his room to look after him. Despite confirming he's doing fine, Aigis decides to keep watch over him. In FES, she sits on the ground; in P3P, she sits on the bed by the side of his head.

Drama CD (Character Drama Vol 3*): It shows Aigis' thoughts as she decides to "follow her heart" and muses on how illogical she has become.

✤ Drama CD (Character Drama Vol 5*): While this CD focuses on Akihiko and Shinjiro, there is some slight Aikoto, since Makoto immediately recognizes Aigis' handwriting and is the only one to figure out what she meant by her note.

September-October

✤ Drama CD (P3P Vol 2*): Makoto and Aigis tease Junpei, plus Aikoto + Koromaru go look for Bunkichi when he goes missing. (The screenshot above is unrelated to this.)

November

✤ OG (Cutscene)/FES (Cutscene)/P3P/Movies: Aigis breaks out of Ikutsuki's control as she and Makoto stare at each other (this isn't shown in P3P, so we have Aigis stuttering Makoto's name instead). The movies add Aigis falling due to the effort and Makoto holding her in his arms, as well as Ikutsuki trying to control Aigis a second time and Aigis resisting to not shoot Makoto.

✤ Drama CD (Full Moon): Aigis is paralyzed by her fear of hurting those who matter to her. Pharos reaches out to her, reminding her that she has to fight if she has someone who is truly important to her.

✤ Movie-Only: Aigis reassures Makoto that she will never leave him (a moment based on her S-Link with him). Makoto hugs her close.

✤ Drama CD (Episode Luck*): Ryoji thinks Aigis is glaring at Makoto rather than at him because she fears Makoto likes another girl. Makoto corrects him: Aigis' animosity is very much reserved for Ryoji lol

✤ Movie-Only: In the game, the girls comment on how much better Junpei is doing now that he is friends with Ryoji. In the movies, they give Ryoji's friendship with Junpei to Makoto, so the girls say this comment to Aigis, who starts thinking about what matters more: Makoto's well-being or her mistrust of Ryoji.

✤ Kyoto School Trip:

OG/FES/P3P/Movie: Aigis wants to share a room with Makoto.

Movie-Only: The movies add a hilarious scene where Aigis takes matters into her own hands lol Also, since Ryoji hangs around Makoto during the trip, Aigis makes sure to tag along.

✤ OG/FES/P3P: As everyone leaves to study, Makoto briefly hangs back with Aigis. As he makes it to leave, Aigis tells him that thinking of anything happening to him and of not being able to be by his side again (this dialogue is present in Japanese, but missing from the ENG translation) has made her understand the concept of "loss". She also tells him that while she doesn't know why, he is very special to her and she wishes to protect him and to always be by his side.

December

✤ Moonlight Bridge:

OG/FES/P3P/Movie: Aigis gets her memories back and realizes why she wanted to be by Makoto's side.

OG/FES: Aigis reaches out for Makoto, who kneels down to hold her hand without player input. When Aigis passes out, he touches her head.

Movie-Only: Since Aigis is laying down instead, Makoto holds her in his arms.

✤ Movie-Only: Makoto goes to visit Aigis at the lab.

✤ OG/FES/P3P: Aigis comes back to the dorm and apologizes to him for what she did 10 years ago. All of Makoto's dialogue choices are supportive of her, showing he doesn't hold it against her: “It was the only way”, “You had no choice” and “You did the right thing”.

✤ Movie-Only: The movies merge Aigis' resolution with the Aikoto scene that takes place in January during Career Counseling. The movie's version notably features Makoto asking Aigis to go see the cherry blossoms with him next spring.

January

✤ (Optional) FES/P3P: Last walk with Aigis and Koromaru. This time, Aigis sits by Makoto's side like everyone else.

✤ (Optional) FES/P3P: You can start Aigis' S-Link on January 8th.

✤ Drama CD (Moonlight): The most Aikoto out of the Drama CD. Words don't do it justice, so here's a link!

✤ OG/FES/P3P: Toriumi asks Makoto to call Aigis for Career Counseling. He finds her on the rooftop, and Aigis proceeds to confess that even though Death is gone now, she still wishes to be by his side. This scene is titled "The Promise Between Aigis and the Main Character".

✤ (Optional) FES/P3P: First and last group walk with Koromaru on January 29th! Everyone tries to "make the most of this moment", as Makoto and Aigis hang out together playing with Koromaru.

✤ The Battle for Everyone's Souls

OG/FES (Cutscene): We can see Aigis looking at Makoto and trying to stand up while they’re crushed under gravity.

Movie-Only: As the shadows swarm SEES, Aigis protects Makoto before being overpowered herself. Makoto screams his heart out. (Note: This scene likely inspired the Aikoto Dance at the Persona Concert 2022, where Aigis gets taken by shadows and Makoto falls to his knees in despair).

OG/FES (Cutscene)/P3P/Movie: Aigis cries out “No, don’t go!” as Makoto levitates away from them. In P3P, we're shown Aigis calling out to him is the last thing he hears before his consciousness fades.

Movie-Only: Makoto's Evoker falls from his hold and Aigis grabs it. He turns to her and says his last words to her, "Live."

OG/FES/P3P: Aigis and Shinji are the last voices Makoto hears before he casts the seal. Aigis says that she won't allow the world that gave birth to him to be destroyed.

Movie-Only: Instead of her line from the game, Aigis reminds Makoto of the promise they all made and tells him that he has to come back no matter what.

OG/FES/P3P/Movie: Aigis laments her lack of strength because she couldn't protect the one she cherishes. The English translation of the games omitted the last part.

OG/FES/P3P: Tiny detail, but it’s only after Aigis calls out to Makoto that we get a >everyone is calling out to you and the option to reply. Her reaction is also the first we see.

OG/FES (Cutscene): A cutscene shows us Makoto returning to SEES. In the cutscene, SEES are split into groups and only Aigis is shown on her own. We also see Makoto's smile widening and his eyes trembling as Aigis sheds tears for the first time. P3P has none of this, but Aigis is the first one to notice Makoto coming back to them.

March

✤ OG/FES/P3P: Aigis sadly watches Makoto from afar (March 3rd).

✤ Movie-Only: Aigis watching Makoto happens on March 5th. Seeing her triggers Makoto's memories, and he struggles to make his way to the rooftop. Aigis is waiting for him there. As the two make their way towards each other, Makoto collapses. Aigis catches him in her arms and hugs him close, welcoming him home.

✤ OG/FES/P3P: Aigis comes to find Makoto on Graduation Day. She picks him up in his room and together they go to the rooftop to wait for everyone. As they wait, Aigis thanks Makoto for everything and reaffirms her desire to protect him and to always be by his side. In OG and FES, Makoto wipes her tears away (once again without player-input).

✤ OG/FES (Cutscene): He falls asleep with a smile on his face, laying on her lap.

✤ OG/FES: Memories of You opens with Makoto and closes with Aigis.

[ochazos]

@phantomuheist said: “Are you okay?” / Send “Are you okay?” for my muse to have a mental breakdown in front of yours. - accepting

cw for self harm!!! it is actively shown in the reply.

He didn't like to show his vulnerable side. Especially now that he was trying to keep his distance again. When he wanted his current contacts to see him as a temporary part of their lives. And what had triggered this anyway? It had all been building up slowly. His own fate, the way he had hurt his old friends, how he could never see the people he loved again. Even if he was here for now, it had to be alone. Only to pass into that endless unknown again. He wasn't scared of dying at all. Of being the seal. But it wasn't fair. And he HATED that he thought it. He hated that he had come to loathe his fate. It was a difficult situation to be in. He accepted his fate and his death for the sake of the people he loved. But he was here again. What a fucking curse.

The sun was going down and he thought he was safe. He had been looking into the Phantom Thieves as his own potential lead in terms of anything even remotely strange. He even managed to get into the school the entire thing started at. But he was no closer to finding answers.

He wanted to live. He wanted to die. He wanted to be happy. He didn't want to feel anything. He had been walking back to his temporary home in Yongen-Jaya when the feelings finally overwhelmed him. He saw someone walking their dog. He had promised Koromaru he'd take him with him. He saw people talking to their friends and he remembered how Junpei and Yukari used to pass the time with him. He saw someone on a laptop and thought of Fuuka and the sci-fi books they read together. He saw a commercial for Kirijo electronics and thought of Mitsuru. He saw children pretending to fight and thought of how he promised to have a rematch with Ken. He and Aigis had promised to stay together -- she swore she would protect him. And so did Akihiko. It's so hard... To accept the broken promises now that the moment had passed.

This was not a second chance. This was a curse. At some point, he had forced himself into a back alley. The sun was going down. Not many people were around. He couldn't breathe. He never cried. He couldn't cry. So there was nowhere for this pressure to go.

His nails had gotten longer since he hadn't been fighting. The thought crosses his mind for only a second before he found himself rolling up his sleeve and digging his nails into his forearm. Until the skin broke and deeper still. Instincts told him to stop but he didn't. He tore his skin open. He pulled harshly and ripped his skin open, letting out a muted yelp as pain drifted over his arm.

He hadn't noticed the other boy until the question reached him. He gasped, hiding the scratches and welts he made under his sleeve. But blood still stuck to his nails.

"I'm..." He knew of this person. He went to his school and had a questionable reputation. Though Makoto hardly paid attention to that. He was a year beneath him. "I'm..." How much had he seen? Makoto trembled, though he didn't know why. Maybe it was the pure emotion he had never learned how to handle attacking him. Maybe it was pain or endorphins.

His voice shook and his throat felt tight. "I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm...." So painfully alive. "Did you.... Did you see...?" He can't calm himself down enough to speak. He was drifting into a sort of panic attack that he didn't know how to stop. His breathing was erratic and his heart raced.

Don't look at me. I'm already dead. Don't...

"I'm...."

[bloodsplatteredmoon]

Ryuji would like a kiss from Shinji!

Send 💗 to kiss my muse tenderly without explanation

@electricea

[~☪~] The both of them were bundled up, their breath visible from them while they were outside...

Shinjiro had been interested in getting soba noodles and invited Ryuji to join him so they could have a nice meal and celebrate the new year.

Koromaru was sleeping near the feet while on his leash as they could hear the countdown for New Years on the TV that was in the soba shop.

Shinjiro heard his named being spoke up, as he looked over, wondering if Ryuji was going to ask if he could get seconds...

3....2...1...

He instead felt a pair of hands holding the sides of his head and was bringing him into a kiss instead... a noise ended up leaving him, as he brought his hand to rest on the other's back, pressing back into it in response.

Happy New Year!

[beats-by-yosuke]

[queen-ofsunflowers]

Make Every Moment Last - Chapter 49 Preview

The Final Shadow

With the clock ticking ever closer to the next mission, and the moon growing steadily full, the team gathered in the dormitory’s lounge. It was just one more moment where everyone could have peace before facing the storm. …though, Minato supposed it wasn’t everyone. The last that they had heard, Shinjiro had still not woken up. Given what had happened, Minato wasn’t surprised. But it didn’t stop something from twisting his stomach around every time he thought about it.

He might not have been with the team for long, but it was going to be strange not having him there tomorrow night. That’s what at least half of the team had been saying, at least. But to Minato, knowing that something that horrible could happen to his teammates at any given moment—

“We’ve been through a lot in these past six months, haven’t we?” said Yukari, startling Minato out of his thoughts. Oh, right, everyone was talking.

“Yeah…” said Kotone, “it’s like the year went by so quickly…”

“Did it?” asked Minato. Kotone nodded. “Huh… I haven’t thought much about it.”

“Oh really…?” mused Ryoji, getting a look from Minato as a reply. “It’s a lot better than doing nothing, right? Besides, I’d say you got some pretty good friends out of it.”

“...I guess…” Images of the members of S.E.E.S. flashed through his head. ...were they all really friends? All the crap that Ryoji had been saying about and to him lately… how weird it was, how confused it made him, how it made him feel— Koromaru barked, snapping Minato from his thoughts. Minato chuckled, patting his familiar’s head. “Yes, that includes you, too, Koro-chan.”

“Well, it’ll all be worth it come tomorrow night,” said Akihiko. He sighed, leaning back against the arm of the chair he was standing near. “It’s been two and a half years since we started fighting, and you don’t hear me complaining.”

“Sanada-san…” Ken started, only to be cut off by a bark from Koromaru.

“Two and a half years is a pretty long time,” said Fuuka, taking over the conversation. “...Oh wait, for Aigis, it’s been even longer, hasn’t it?”

Aigis, surprisingly, shook her head. “I was asleep for much of that time, so I have not been operable for long.” Right… she was damaged in a fight almost a decade ago. …Minato vaguely wondered if that had something to do with what happened to his parents… if it was the same incident.

“If I remember right…” said Ryoji, leaning back against the couch. “Mitsuru-senpai, Akihiko, and Shinjiro-senpai were all a part of S.E.E.S. before me…” He sat up, turning to Akihiko. “I know you two were recruited by the Chairman, right?”

“Yeah,” said Akihiko with a short nod, “and then he picked you up after you moved in, too.” So that was what happened there… maybe it was just out of convenience since Ryoji was already there? Minato shook his head. He wasn’t going to think much about it.

“What about you, Mitsuru-senpai?” asked Junpei.

“Me?” said Mitsuru, somewhat startled. She relaxed when Junpei nodded. “...I suppose I was the first. S.E.E.S. didn’t exist, and this was just a regular dorm.”

“Was it the Chairman that recruited you, too?” Yukari asked.

Mitsuru shook her head. “No… strangely enough, I’ve been aware of the Dark Hour since I was a child… my father, strangely enough, was somehow about to experience it from the beginning, despite being only Mortal.”

“Wait, how is that possible—” Junpei started, only to be cut off when Akihiko sharply elbowed him in the shoulder. “Ow! Hey, what—?! ...O-Oh.” Minato bit back a sigh. Did he really forget that Mitsuru wasn’t born a vampire? Mitsuru’s hand wandered up to the two puncture scars that marred the side of her neck.

“My father and his research team were attacked by a vampire who had a grudge against my father,” she said with a sigh. “That was when I was bitten… when I witnessed the incident.”

Eyes went wide, and the only one who could speak then was Yukari. “That's what happened...?” she said, almost in disbelief. Mitsuru nodded.

“...however,” Mitsuru’s hand tightened, gripping her shirt’s collar tight enough that Minato felt like she was going to tear it, “if that never happened, perhaps none of you would have to bear this burden…”

“Senpai…” said Fuuka softly.

“Would explain why you’re so bad with the blood intake,” said Minato, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little. Mitsuru sighed, but that was enough to tell Minato that he was right.

“It would’ve happened eventually,” said Akihiko, trying to reassure the vampire. “Besides, you can’t just ignore the enemy.”

Mitsuru hummed. “I suppose that’s true,” she said.

Kotone stood up, taking charge and changing the subject. “Tomorrow is a big day!” she said, hands clasped together as she stretched out her arms over her head. “I suggest we all get our rest.” Wait, was it that late already…?

“Shiomi’s right. Don’t stay up too late. Our final operation will begin at midnight tomorrow night.”

S.E.E.S. nodded, no one giving room to argue. At least it will all come to an end tomorrow… All they can do is be prepared.

Minato kept his fingers crossed that they were ready. They needed to be ready. ...he couldn’t take losing anyone else.

The full chapter will be up on Ao3 on April 16!

[enigmaincrimson-personal]

Okay... so in a fit of boredom...

First things first... before I go and take a bunch of pictures of doors to use for scale... I’ll probably mention that the layout of the library in the building that the Knights of Favonius resides definitely implies the existence of basement floors. However, I doubt we’ll get to see what’s down there until they release further story updates in Mondstadt.

What I’m mostly going to do is ramble about a certain dormitory in Persona 3... and FES. As much as I like to say Portable is canon, the layout has er... issues which I’ll explain in a bit.

Now for the first little revelation... If someone from the SEES group were to revisit there say... about the time Ken was going to school there, they’d find the layout of certain rooms are changed.

_

(I’d have to load FES again in order to obtain the complete layout, but I’ll give it a guess.)

Boy’s floor

1/2/3

Shinjiro(With Koromaru)/Akihiko (2 is split between 1 and 3)

1/2/3

MC/Junpei/Ken

Girl’s floor

1/2/3

Mitsuru (All three slots are taken)

1/2/3

Yukari/Fuuka/Aigis

_

You see, as it was during the events of P3(FES), the residential layout was as follows: 2/3 on the boy’s floor and 1/3 on the girl’s floor. Now I think you’ll agree with me that is a bit odd, but if you ever did get to a point in the game where the other members start moving into the dorm things start making a little more sense.

After all, Akihiko and Shinjiro reside on the west side of the boy’s floor with the room layout altered into a manner that splits the center room in half to offer them additional space while Mitsuru takes up all three spaces on the west side of the girl’s floor all by herself. While I can’t really say what Shinjiro is using his extra space for, but Akihiko is definitely using it for his exercise equipment and Mitsuru has given herself a living room space and a private shower.

By the time Ken likely started going to Gekkoukan High school, the room layout likely would have been restored to it’s original formation. In other words, three rooms on each side on both girls and boys floors. aka 3/3 and 3/3 layout.

Shorter answer, it was a twelve student dormitory before Mitsuru moved in, a nine student dorm while she was there and back to twelve again after she left.

_

As for why I was noting this is because of a small OC compatibility issue that came up during my initial analysis.

Considering that there is only just enough room for three boys and three girls during Persona 3′s plotline and taking into account that all of those slots get filled across the story... unless someone ends up sleeping on the floor or sharing a bed, there are some... issues with the “canon” layout.

To continue explaining this issue, when assigning spaces, they went from back to front with the “west side first”, so... anyone that did arrive would end up inevitably displacing whoever came at the end of the line... namely Ken on the boy’s floor and Aigis on the girl’s floor.

In the end though, we’re short one room on the boy’s floor and two on the girl’s floor... which might have offered some wiggle room to work with and you can pretty much blame Mitsuru “needing” an entire half of the girl’s floor to herself to use as her own private space and divvying up half the boy’s floor between her two friends for creating this little... predicament.

So it’s pretty much either pretending the dorm is bigger than implied or coming up with some excuse to not put your muse in the main canon dorms... which can get a bit messy.

_

As for why Portable layout causes problems is due to how the extra room space is implemented and executed.

In other words, they take a third of Mitsuru’s space and give it to someone else, but all the cutscenes involving Mitsuru’s room act like that never happened as the game’s “camera” is pointed right on that last third space... which shouldn’t have a window if Mitsuru’s room was the size that Portable implied.

In the end, you have the fun effect of either both rooms magically share the same window or Mitsuru can see into their room... which is a bit weird even for the stuff the Kirijo group was experimenting with. Also who is staying in what room ends up all over the place as well.

Short answer... gameplay and story sort of get a bit... messed up in Portable and cause layout issues.

_

Now I’m not really sure what the bath area looks like in the dorms, but considering that none of the regular dorm rooms have any bathroom space installed it’s likely that the shared bathroom spaces on each floor includes their own shower area.

In other words, unless you’re in Mitsuru’s space which has it’s own toilet and shower... you’d have to leave your room in order to um... use the facilities.

Yukari and MC would have to walk the furthest, Mitsuru never leaves her room, Aigis never uses it, and that leaves things with Ken and whoever it is that is across the hall from him having the easiest access. Of course... there’s also Koromaru, but he’s a dog and kind of throws a bit of a wrench in the works.

I mean... if Koromaru needs to go out, Shinjiro or whoever is keeping an eye on him at the time would have to go out of the dorms entirely... as such, when it does happen... they’re going to be found going up and down the stairs or up and down the elevator together. Also how long it takes to reach the stairs and elevator depends on who is taking the dog out for a walk.

So... rolling with the bathroom jokes... in order of likely encounters in the hallways after everyone has gone to bed or coming back from a bath by how long it takes to go from their room to the bathrooms and back... (Only taking distance into account)

(Leaving rooms on the “west side” take a little longer to exit than the “east side” of the dorms in order to reach the bathroom due to angle of approach)

(Longer distance and times score higher.)

Girl’s floor

Yukari

Fuuka

Mitsuru (Unlikely)

Aigis (Exemption)

Boy’s Floor

MC

Whoever is staying across from MC

Junpei

Ken (Short legs)

Whoever it was that is staying in the room across from Ken

Koromaru (Exemption)

(Ken’s pet (hamster?) also doesn’t count for this)

_

To add to that bit of insanity... bathroom crossing encounters only really work if you just happen to be on that floor for one reason or another... whether coming up the stairs as they are going across the hallway or happen to be going in the same direction or the opposite.

So “bathroom encounters” are most likely only going to happen between characters of the same sex... and you’d never see Mitsuru, Aigis, or Koromaru unless something special was going on.

I mean... Aigis might be on patrol, Mitsuru’s bathroom broke, and someone might be taking Koromaru for a walk, but otherwise... unlikely.

[yusuke-of-valla]

Just a dumb Blueberry Sibs thing I couldn’t get out of my head. Idk I may write a sequel when I’m not about to pass out

——–

“Joker, look out!”

That phrase had the oddest habit of being said right before something that’s going to ruin any plans for the rest of the day happens.

Ren feels a rough shove at his back, and falls forward. He turns around to see Yusuke enveloped in a puff of pink smoke.

“Fox!”

The smoke clears and where Yusuke was standing is… Yusuke. But smaller.

Oh fuck, Yusuke’s been turned into a child.

Yusuke scowls at them. “Where am I? Who’re you.”

Oh fuck, Yusuke’s been turned into a child who doesn’t remember them.

Makoto takes a step forward, and Yusuke steps back.

“D-don’t come any closer. Or… um. I-I’ll execute you!” Yusuke’s hand goes to the holster at his side. That has a gun in it.

Why the fuck does kid Yusuke have a gun?

“You don’t need to be scared.” Makoto says gently. “We can explain.”

“Guys, I’m getting a weird reading from baby Inari.” Futaba whispers.

“Yeah, ‘cuz he’s an effin’ toddler.” Ryuji mutters.

“No not weird in a 'I have no idea what this is way,’ weird in a 'I know what I’m picking up and it doesn’t make any sense way.’”

“What are you talking about?” Haru asks.

“He has a-”

“Pygmalion!” The cry snatches their attention, and Ren watches as Yusuke points the gun to his head and summons a Persona that definitely isn’t Goemon or Kamu Susano-o.

A wall of ice shoots up between the Phantom Thieves and Yusuke. Through it, they can see Yusuke take off in the opposite direction.

“He has a different Persona?” Ann gasps. “How the hell does that work? If you’re younger your Persona just changes?”

Goro hums. “I suspect it’s more a matter of Fox already being able to use that Persona at that age.”

“We saw his Awakening though, didn’t we?” Morgana says. “And baby Fox’s clothes didn’t change.”

“Though, he didn’t need a mask to summon it.” Makoto poings out.

Gorro nods. “It seems our Fox has been keeping secrets from us.”

“Who cares?” Ryuji snaps. “Even if he can use a Persona he’s still running around down here by himself. With those tiny-ass legs he ain’t getting anywhere before the Reaper shows up and gets him.”

“Skull’s right.” Ren says. “Let’s get going, we’ll sort all this out when we’ve got Yusuke and he’s back to normal.”

-*-*-*-

Of course. Of course

Minato finally puts him on the front lines, and Yusuke immediately sets off or trap or something and ends up in…. wherever the hell he is.

He finds a corner that provides a decent vantage point to watch for any approaching shadows or masked strangers and catches his breath.

Naoto would probably say the best thing to do is take stock of the situation.

What does he know?

One second, he was in Tartarus.

The next, he was someplace else. Other than the ending tunnels and shadows, it has nothing in common with Tartarus. The aesthetics are comepletely different. Where as Tartarus was more somber, this place was bathed in harsh red light.

So he’s somewhere that probably isn’t Tartarus. And it’s underground.

Next, those people in the masks. Maybe they were part of the Nyx cult? Junpei had mentioned cultists wearing masks in one of his scary stories before. It would also explain why they’d nabbed him, if they were the reason he ended up here.

Although, the cat-thing didn’t look like someone in a costume.

So maybe they’re Shadows, but they looked human.

Like Ryoji! Oh! What if they were friends of Ryoji’s who wanted to help!

Although, if they did want to help Ryoji, they’d probably talk to all of SEES, not just him.

Yusuke groans. If only Naoto or Minato or someone else were here, they’d know what to do in a heartbeat. Well, maybe not not Ken or Koromaru but at least if they were here, he wouldn’t be alone.

Yusuke takes a deep breath. His best course of action for finding out more information is to find the guys in masks, but if they’re enemies, he can’t fight them all off.

He has to be smart.

-*-*-*-

“He’s upahead!” Futaba announces.

“Thank goodness.” Makoto sighs. Ren also feels relieved, but he can’t relax. They’d heard the Reaper’s chains earlier, and he won’t feel better until their at a rest area and Yusuke’s fixed.

“There!” Morgana shouts. The bus comes to a stop in a wider area with 3 tunnels branching up in different directions. Yusuke is standing at the mouth of the north one.

“Yus-Fox!” Ann calls. “Thank goodness you’re alright.”

“Stay back!” Yusuke yells. “Come closer and I make another ice wall and we run around again. I want to ask you some questions.”

“That’s alright,” Haru says gently. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

Yusuke takes a deep breath. “Ok. Are you shadows or cultists?”

They all look at each other, dumbfounded.

“Neither?” Haru says eventually. “Look I know this all might seem confusing but-”

“We’re Persona users, we’re your friends, it’s 2016, and a shadow zapped you into being a preshooler.” Futaba blurts out.

Now it’s Yusuke’s turn to look dumbfounded. “Alright, first of all, I’m going to be 10 in a week, I’m not in preschool. Now, admitably that story of yours is… not implausible given what shadows can do and is just insane enough I don’t think you’d come up with it if you’re trying to trick me. But if we’re really friends, you have to prove it.”

“You’re favorite painting is Sayuri.” Makoto says.

Yusuke scoffs. “I tell that to everybody, try again.”

“You eat oranges by just biting into them like an apple.” Ryuji says.

Goro leans over to Ann “Wait he does?”

“Yep,” Ann whispers back.

Yusuke pouts. “The peel tastes the best when you eat it at the same time as the pulp!”

“You’re not supposed to eat the peel!” Morgana responds.

“If I’m not supposed to eat it, then why is it edible.”

“Just because eating it won’t kill you doesn’t mean you should eat it!”

“We’re not having this argument again.” Ann sighs. “Yusuke will you trust us? We promise, we’re not going to hurt you.”

“Alright.” Yusuke says after a moment. “So I’m a teenager. How do I go back to being a teenager?”

“We don’t know.” Futaba says. “You kind of ran away before we could get a good grasp on your condition.”

That rattling of chains echoes through the halls.

“Oh so it is here.” Yusuke muses. He points behind him. “Anyway yeah, the stairs are down there if you want to continue this conversation.”

[nyxflheim]

One of A Kind

Fandom: Persona 3

Characters: Ken Amada, Koromaru, Akihiko Sanada, Mitsuru Kirijo, Aigis, Junpei Iori, Fuuka Yamagishi, Yukari Takeba

Prompt: Loss of a Pet (prompts provided by @badthingshappenbingo!)

Word Count: 1,353

It was supposed to be a routine vet visit. They were supposed to look him over, then say he was good and in perfect health like they always did. He wasn’t supposed to take Koromaru in for more tests. He was old, yes, but he had the best care. Even when Ken couldn’t provide the very best money could buy on his part time job, Mitsuru had made sure all of the former members of SEES were taken care of. 

Ken sat outside the room, waiting, and as the minutes ticked away, he found anxiety creeping in. The clock once again became his worst enemy again, but unlike before, this was due to how slow the hand seemed to move. He glared at the clock as it continued to tick away, and he had no further information on his friend.

He mused this was almost as bad as when they lost their old leader. However, even that had an answer. He had no answers for Koromaru, who was his family by this point. The loyal Shiba had seen him through so much. SEES, the Nyx Annihilation Squad, Elementary Graduation, Middle school Graduation, and Ken was confident that he would see him graduate High School. After all, it was his third year. He wanted Koro to be there, but as minutes started to turn into an hour, doubt starting creeping in. 

He knew Koro wasn’t as young as he used to be, and that he wouldn’t be around forever. How could he not know? But it still wasn’t easy to face when that reality started to begin staring you in the eyes.

The vet entered, and Ken knocked over the chair he was sitting on in his haste to stand up. When he looked into the vet’s face, he could feel his blood run cold as his worst fears started to be confirmed. Once inside the room, Ken immediately went to Koro’s side and began petting him, hoping to comfort them both.

As he listened to the vet, he tried to keep it together, but the prognosis was not good. When was cancer ever good, especially on such an old dog? “How long does he have?” Was all Ken could muster to say.

“A few weeks if you’re lucky, but he’ll likely be suffering the whole time.” Ken could only sigh in response. He didn’t want Koromaru to suffer, but the implication hung in the air. 

“I need to call a few people to discuss this. I’ll be right back.” The second he was out of the room, he slid down against the wall. It hurt to think about, but this was something that had to be done so Koromaru wouldn’t suffer. He pulled out his phone and dialed the first number. Akihiko.

“Hey Ken, what’s up? You called at just the right time. I just finished up processing one of those Phantom Thieves on the news.” He smiled a bit as Akihiko picked up, the same as ever.

“Really? Y-You’ll have to tell me about it later, maybe over a beef bowl.” He tried to keep his voice level, but he couldn’t help the crack in his voice.

“Ken, is something wrong?” It had taken a while, but Akihiko had become very perceptive to other’s feelings. Maybe he had changed more than he thought. 

“It’s about Koromaru. The vet says he doesn’t have much time left. I wanted to get the old team back together so he’d be surrounded by loved ones.” 

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Ken didn’t need to see Akihiko to know that he was processing what he had just said. “Don’t blame yourself. It was bound to happen any day, but it’s good of you to think of that for him. Go, be with him, I’ll call the others. I’ll make sure they’re all there.”

Relief surged through Ken. “Th-Thank you Akihiko-san.”

“Don’t mention it.” As he hung up, he went back in to the room to comfort Koromaru. He told the vet about his resolution, he nodded, and Koro pressed into him as if telling him he was okay with the decision. And with that, the waiting began again, for the rest of the team.

The first to arrive was, of course, Akihiko. He came up to Ken and put arm around him in a show of support. Next were Mitsuru, followed by Aigis. Mitsuru came up to Akihiko and Ken, and stood quietly by them, while Aigis quietly spoke to Koromaru, as if making sure this what he wanted. After a moment, she nodded, but her lip quivered. Ken mused this would be difficult on all of them.

Next in were Junpei and Fuuka, holding hands as they entered, as if searching for some comfort in each other. They stood towards the back, talking quietly between each other. Last to arrive was Yukari, who looked positively exhausted, which made sense as she had probably rushed straight from filming. Mitsuru immediately rushed over to her, and Aigis stopped conversing with Koromaru for a moment before going over to her as well. 

After everyone was settled, they all looked to each other and realized it was time to say their goodbyes. Akihiko went up to him first. It seemed right, he was the one who had found him and brought him to the group. “Hey buddy, you did good looking after Ken for this long. I hope you find peace, okay?” Koro whined and nuzzled him. 

Next was Fuuka. She knew him before they had brought him in. “I always knew you were special, and you definitely proved it. Rest easy, okay Koro-chan?” He managed not quite a bark, but it sounded like he was agreeing with her.

Junpei was next, as he seemed to have come up with Fuuka. This also made sense, as the two had found each other when they Awakened. Koro was an indispensable part of the group, just like Aragaki and Arisato before him. “Hey, Koro, don’t worry about us, you’ve done your part, you can rest now.” Koro managed a small yip at that.

As Junpei and Fuuka steeped back, Mitsuru came up. “Knowing this was coming does not make this any easier. However, if anyone has earned their peace, it’s you Koromaru.” She petted him as he whimpered. She stepped back and almost into Yukari.

Yukari, petted him the whole way as she said her goodbye. “One of a kind, right till the end, huh? Don’t worry, we’ll make sure the shrine is still respected.” The look on Koro’s face seemed almost one of pure gratitude.

As Yukari went back, she talked softly to Aigis, who was close to tears, and after a moment Aigis nodded and went up. “Koromaru-san, you were always the wisest of us all. I’ll miss our talks, and the advice you gave me. I’ll never forget you.” Fitting words from the only one who could understand him.

Finally they all looked to him. He had cared for Koromaru the longest, and this was his decision. He walked up, and hugged Koromaru, tears finally falling freely. “You’ve been the absolute best friend I could ever have asked for. I wish we had more time, but I know it’s your time. I’ll miss you. And Koro? If you see Aragaki and Arisato, can you tell them we love them and miss them?” Koro barked once in assertion. 

Ken moved to the side to let the vet do what he needed to, but held on to Koromaru, so he would die knowing he was loved. The group all caved in on itself, each person making sure no one else was alone. He had a sob that sounded like Aigis, and a soft whispering of comfort, likely from Mitsuru or Yukari or both. Junpei and Fuuka were holding onto each other. Akihiko, put his arm around him again in solidarity, and he could only manage a small smile. Eventually, he felt Koromaru stop breathing, and knew his suffering was over.

I’ll miss you, Koromaru-san. Yukari was right, you were truly one of a kind.

[glacialdeath]

⚡️

send me a ⚡️and I’ll fill out for you/your muse:

my first impression of your muse:  I actually have a birthday that’s very close to Soi fon’s so I definitely see myself in her a bit! I find her adoration of cats similar to Rukia’s adoration of rabbit items and find them both cute-hilarious? I also think it’s interesting how Soi fon has such a strictness for the law, but can still have this undying loyalty to someone too. Honestly, she’s a character I would more typically like, but my adoration of Rukia(and Rukia’s far more prevalent screentime >3>) overshadowed too much for me to spend too much time on her, especially when I was far more younger and foolish and speed-y with my anime watching : p 

my first impression of you: I saw Koromaru(and other dog) icons and I was confused and intrigued? But I was excited to see a new Soi fon blog around, and even more excited to see someone take her in the lesbian direction cause  👏👏👏 the world needs more lesbians written 👏👏👏my favorite thing about your muse: Your ability to capture so many sides of Soi fon(of which there is so many of!), like her bashful side and her strictness, and writing out her authoritative vibe too? my favorite thing about you: From what I’ve seen, I think you have really good communication and honesty with your blog, not to mention writing and depth. And honestly you seem to be a delightful presence in the community that has a good balance of feeding into the community.would I ever consider shipping our muses: I don’t think I could see them romantically at all, but def maybe as friends once they break down some walls! a plot I’d like to see between our muses: I’d love to see them bond over cute things, or shopping or maybe Rukia showing her some things in the world of the living??? I think I’d like Rukia to enthusiastically drag her somewhere?an AU I think would be interesting for our muses: again, not so good at AU’s, but maybe, I’d be curious to see them as classmates or, maybe even just both of them when they’re younger? Or like put them on equal footing? [but I guess that could be done with just doing something in the verse when Rukia’s captain too asdf]

[galaxofmuses]

tvstarkuma

Pets Koromaru a little before throwing a ball

?!

Look he appreciates the pets, but hot damn! Teddie threw a ball and that means it's play time for Koromaru! He rushes to go chase after the ball.

[galaxofmuses]

Koromaru doesn't have a lot to say, but he let out a loud bark in response.

"Woof!"

[galaxofmuses]

Just...casually scratching behind his ear with his hind leg and then proceeds to shake his head. Sorry it's late doggo hours and time doesn't matter to him.

[galaxofmuses]

"........."

"..........Boof!"

Koro seems to approve of this update.

[galaxofmuses]

The good boy does remember everyone's birthdays, but you can't guaranteed that they're gonna get what they want.

[galaxofmuses]

Koro is going to lie down on the floor with more grumbles. Kotone can't keep getting away with this.