Persona 3: Spring of Rebirth

(Don't Fear) The Reaper

The streets were crowded. The holiday had just ended and people were going back to work and school. Amongst the crowd there was one that didn't move. He stood out, yet no one dared approach him. The child's eyes were red, and he had been crying for so long he had run out of tears. He stayed at that same position for hours, and no one seemed to even pay attention to him. No one tried to reach out. No one except her.

"Hey, are you okay?" a voice asked. A kind voice, the voice of an angel. The only person to reach out to him in that crowd. The person who would save him. She kneeled in front of the boy, smiling gently.

"What's your name—?"

Kotone stirred awake, turning in bed and stretching her arms and legs. She let out a soft, mildly annoyed groan as she opened her eyes.

"Nightmares?" Minako's voice echoed in her head. Their shared mindspace was such a strange thing; Kotone could be sleeping while Minako could be fully awake, and yet she wouldn't be able to go anywhere because she had no control over their body.

"No, nothing like that. Did I wake you up?"

"Nah, I was actually talking with Theo."

"...what?" Kotone asked after a pause.

"So, you know how I can't move or anything like that when you're asleep?"

"Yeah," Kotone answered. She didn't need to keep her voice down too much at the moment because the walls muffled noise quite a bit, and even if the camera picked up on her talking "to herself" it was unlikely anyone would bother checking the footage.

"I've started going into the Velvet Room whenever you're still asleep, that way I don't have to be in the dark, literally, while I wait for you to wake up." There was a hint of discomfort in her voice, but the two pretended to ignore it.

"You just... go into it?" Kotone was still confused. She could only access it when she went through the door or when Igor called her inside in her dreams.

"Technically I get called into it."

"So Igor knows when you're awake?" Kotone couldn't hold back a chuckle, "That's kinda creepy."

"Not the creepiest thing that's happened to me, though."

Kotone could basically see Minako looking at her when she said that, and felt inclined to ask, "...what's that supposed to mean, exactly?"

"Well, having another person controlling my body... that first time you heard my voice you were—"

"Alright, alright, I get it. I only really washed the hair anyway." Kotone felt slightly uncomfortable as the topic was brought up. It wasn't the first time their mental conversations  steered towards it, but it always made her embarrassed.

"Me messing with you aside... You actually do gotta put some more effort into that. Just the hair won't do. I know you're too embarrassed to even look and all, but—"

"Can we please not talk about this?" Kotone raised her voice, her cheeks growing red like a tomato as she hugged herself.

"Come on, it's been more than a week. You gotta get used to having—"

"Ah, shut up!" Minako giggled as Kotone's face grew warmer. She turned to her side and pulled the sheets all the way to the top of her head, "I'm going back to sleep."

It was easier said than done, however. Kotone was used to having trouble falling asleep, but that didn't make it any less annoying. She could still make out the green tint of the Dark Hour outside, so morning was still hours away. She'd might as well try to get some more sleep while she could. She turned on her back, trying to find the most comfortable position for the moment; not being able to just lie on her chest like she used to was still very strange, — Minako was right that she really needed to get used to having... certain assets — though even then she'd probably be turning around in bed.