PERSONA 3 RED and BLUE ( COMPLETED )

the Dying Young Man

" hey ... just sitting here will only make us feel more trapped " Minato comforted his sister , despite how terrified he was of that fate " if we stayed here in this state , it's only a matter of time before they find out "

" yeah ... I think I could use a little walk ... "

The twins left the dorm , and walked through the city of Iwatodai . The city was still covered in snow , giving the place around them a serene appearance , despite the undeniable tension in the public . The minds of the twins were occupied by what Margaret had told them , that their new power , what was possibly their one and only trump card , could possibly require sacrificing their own life to be used . Of course , the noble choice would be to sacrifice their life so humanity could live on , but that choice was actually more difficult than they had thought .

Minako thought of her life , about Shinjiro , about her friends in school . Minato thought of his ambitions , of what he wanted to do when he would get older . The two of them remembered the game they were working on , and so much more after it . The idea of giving up on all of that for victory was depressing , it made them lose the desire to do anything . Suddenly, the few weeks that stand between them and the final battle became years .

Their steps led them to shrine , a place that they had been frequenting a lot recently . Just yesterday , they were content and satisfied with their choice , as they celebrated the new year . The two of them were clinging onto the hope that , be it victory or oblivion , they would all face it together as a team . However , the thought that they would be left behind made them feel depressed , it made them feel distant from the world around them . None of them could say anything , as the looming thought of the futility of their situation silenced them .

Those thoughts were interrupted by the sound of pained coughing , it came from a man who was sitting on one of the wooden seats by the playground in front of the shrine . The man was familiar , he looked especially neglected that he didn't bother to button his shirt despite the cold wearher , and yet he seemed very pale and weak . Minako anxiously hurried toward him to give him her coat , but the man stared at her with a dazed expression , as if he couldn't understand why she cared about him . By then Minato had caught up with his sister , his eyes were staring at the man curiously.

" have we met before ?" Minato could see that the man was familiar , but he couldn't exactly say when did he meet him

" oh ! You're ... uh ... what was it ... ? " Minako seemed to remember " Mr.... Um ... Mr. Stripped Shirt , was it ? "

" oh ... I see ... " Minato remembered thanks to his sister " but his name is Akinari Kamiki "

" oh ... you were with that little girl ... ? " he tiredly replied , a hint of interest and nostalgia appeared in his face " she used to hang out in this place ... a girl brimming with life and joy ... she doesn't come to this shrine anymore ... I miss her ... "

" you mean Maiko ? " Minako replied " we used to play with her , too ! "

" she had some trouble with her family ... come to think of it , we never learned what happened to her ... " Minato thought " I suppose they moved ... "

" hehe ... of course ... those who reside in darkness yearn for a source of light , but those in the light always reject the darkness... " the man laughed bitterly " she was so ... alive ... you would feel alive just to look at her ... and then there's me ... my life is nothing but pain and suffering ... condemned to live with an illness that can't be cured ... I could only count my heartbeats until they end ! Cough ! Cough ! "

" you can't just stay here wearing nothing but a shirt ! " Minako gave him her coat " here , take this ! "

" no ... it doesn't matter , anyway... " the man sorrowfully said , as he pushed back the coat " whatever I do doesn't help my condition improve , it only delays the inevitable ... " his eyes wandered into the horizon , as the sun was shining brightly for a beautiful morning after the snowy night " this world has no place for a dying man like me ... my death will not change a thing ... just a needless block that fell away from a building because it had no place in it... "