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Arisato Minato never liked eating in the cafeteria. It was too noisy for him, and he preferred to eat in silence. That, and something about people looking at him when he ate made him lose his appetite.
The first few months at Gekkoukan weren’t really easy for him. He hated waking up early in the morning, and would more often than not wind up with not enough time to fix himself something for lunch before he had to sprint to school. Life would seem infinitely easier when he was in school though. No one except Junpei or Yukari bothered talking to him much, and all the time he spent studying trying to avoid those two ended up giving him brilliant results in his exams. His attempts to prevent going back to the dorm too early resulting in infinite trips to the arcade or any other venues when he was too bored. For some reason, that somehow made him feel better about himself. He would never admit it out loud, but some of those movies he watched did have a unique effect on him. But who would believe that watching an action movie could increase your courage?
After the first few months at school, Minato realized much to his dismay that people actually liked him a lot more than he thought. His teachers loved him because he always got good grades, his classmates thought he was a cool delinquent who got to do anything he wanted – he wondered if he should start looking for less conspicuous locations to spend time at after school. Some of the girls even found his ‘cool’ demeanor ‘charming’. He had almost balked outwardly when he heard them talking about him one morning as he was entering class. They had tried to talk to him, but he made it a point to ignore them for the rest of the day. Junpei seemed to be having a blast with his reputation - apparently the girls liked talking to him a lot more now, though Junpei sometimes complained that he wished they would ask him about anything other than Minato. Yukari never had much to say about these things, something Minato infinitely appreciated. At the end of the day, Minato found the places where he could spend time by himself growing smaller and smaller.
By the time May came around, he had very few places to go to where people wouldn’t bother him by asking for class notes, inviting him to join them for karaoke later that evening, or worse – ask him if he wanted to ‘visit that sweet shop’ later. His favorite reply was always a blank stare, but that didn’t seem to have much of the same effect it did before. Yukari once laughed and told him that people were used to it. After a while, it didn’t seem frightening anymore. And Junpei had spread some weird rumor that Minato was unreasonably shy,
---
The Start of the Star Arcana Social Link: Rank One With Sanada Akihiko
That was why, on this slightly hot summer morning near the end of May, Minato found himself wandering the hallwats of Gekkoukan, hoping desperately to find solace, at least during mealtimes. Partway through his journey, he found Sanada Akihiko standing near the hallway close to the Persimmon Tree. He vaguely wondered if he should acknowledge his senior - but decided that he didn't need to add to his problems by talking to someone else. He wanted peace and quiet. He stopped suddenly, the rooftop had just come to mind. He could go there! There probably wouldn't be too many people around, or so he hoped. Realizing that he was uncomfortably looking at his senior who was gazing curiously back at him, he turned towards the main hallway and started to walk fast.
“Hey, Arisato?” Minato quickly turned around when he heard that familiar voice. Akihiko Sanada was standing behind him with a bento in one hand. He bore an expression Minato couldn’t exactly recognize, but he turned around to hear what his senior had to say.
“Are you busy?” Akihiko asked.
"No." He had thought out loud. He did not want to say that. There were other things he wanted to say, but 'no' was not one of them. Something strange had happened in his head right at that moment - he felt as if three choices had presented themselves to him, and unthinkingly - he had picked the worst option.
“Shall we eat together then? I was looking for somewhere to eat too.”
There were at least three things Minato could think of to say right then, so he had no clue why he picked the one choice he least liked, “Okay.”
Walking up the stairwell with Akihiko Sanada was less of a hurdle than he had expected. The older boy didn’t really say anything, and each time Minato looked back, he seemed to be enveloped in some deep thought. As they reached the door to the roof, Minato quietly flipped the door open and felt the sun’s warm rays on his skin. There were a few students eating on the roof, but it was much less crowded than anywhere else in the school.
Akihiko walked ahead of him and casually sat down at the corner most isolated from the rest of the rooftop community. Minato followed him and begrudgingly sat down next to him.
“You don’t eat much do you?” Minato noticed Akihiko pointing to the Melon Bread he held in his hands.
He shrugged, “I’m not hungry.”
He heard Akihiko laugh slightly before the two fell into a comfortable silence.
Eventually Akihiko spoke again, “I don’t see you much at school.”
Minato shrugged his shoulders, he could think of nothing else to say.
“So, do you like it here?” Akihiko continued.
There it was again, three choices floated across Minato’s ahead, and again, he picked something he was uncomfortable with, “For the most part.” That seemed to please Akihiko, if his smile was anything to go by.
He was almost relieved to hear the school bells signaling the end of their break, and he quickly got up, fully intent on making whatever excuse he could and run to class. Or he could even just ignore Akihiko and walk off.
“You know, eating lunch with you is really comfortable.” Akihiko smiled
Eh? Minato almost couldn’t hide the sudden confusion that hit him like a brick.
“I mean,” Akihiko quickly looked away, “You don’t talk much, and I don’t have to think of anything to say. It’s comfortable to eat quietly once in a while.”
Minato didn’t say anything, he just looked at his senior. Quite suddenly, Minato felt himself grow dizzy. Something weird was happening inside his head, and he had the most distinct feeling that he and Akihiko Sanada had just grown a little closer.
Arisato Minato could not explain what it was that he felt, but the one thing he could tell what that he knew he was just a little stronger than he was before.
---
Star Arcana Social Link: Rank Two With Sanada Akihiko
Arisato Minato’s life passed by mostly uneventfully since that last encounter, at least as far as Akihiko Sanada was concerned. He still preferred touring Tartarus with Junpei and Yukari in tow, though he was sometimes amazed at the enthusiastic way Akihiko handled his side of the operations with Mitsuru. But as far as Minato was concerned, the fewer number of people he was involved with, the better for his peace of mind. He was simply not comfortable with opening up to people, or finding out anything about them in return.
Which was why it surprised him to no end, when two weeks later he found Akihiko casually standing around, doing absolutely nothing in the same hallway they had where he stood the day they had lunch together. Did Akihiko enjoy standing there everyday Monday and Friday for no possible explainable reason - Mina found this extremely interesting. Upon seeing Akihiko look his way, Minato’s initial reaction was to turn tails and run – he was looking for a place to sit by himself and think, not interact with people, especially not Akihiko Sanada, not again. An inkling from somewhere deep inside told him that Akihiko might just want to start up a conversation. They had waved to each other in the dorms since their lunch in the roof, but Minato had mostly feigned being busy, and Akihiko was usually tired from training – so no real conversation had transpired. The only time they talked was when Minato found him lurking in the hallway and was forced by his senior to partake in 'polite conversation'.
“Hey.” Oh no, it was that voice again, he knew it. Minato did a quick turn around to face his senior and gave him the blankest look he could have possibly mustered.
It had absolutely no effect on Sanada Akihiko, “Say, you free?”
Minato scrambled to find some excuse in his head. Was there a movie he wanted to watch? He had mostly seen everything playing at that time. A game he wanted to play? He was bored of those, “I’m going out to eat.” He finally finished.
Akihiko smiled back, “That’s great. You want to head somewhere after school?”
There were three options in Minato's mind, a yes, a no and no reply at all. He almost felt as if someone was forcing him to pick the first one, and in a panic, he ended up saying nothing at all. He needed to find out what was going on inside his head, and he needed to find out fast. Mistaking the lack of a reply as a yes, Akihiko continued, “I’ll meet you after school then.”
Minato was not pleased. Well, he wasn’t displeased either, from what he gathered, Sanada Akihiko preferred quieter meals. He could probably get by without having too much to say.
But the reality of the situation turned out much differently from what Minato had anticipated. Wild Duck Burger was loud, boisterous, and he couldn’t fathom how anyone could possibly have a decent meal in such an environment. It was Akihiko’s idea – he was in the mood for a burger and Minato had just followed quietly along. He had heard of the burgers here – apparently it took a lot of courage to properly digest through. And he could understand why. Simply entering that overcrowded chamber of noise took him all the courage he had, and he was sure he would have turned out to have far more of the same if he didn’t have the sneaking suspicion he had already maxed out whatever courage stats the universe had provided him with.
“Hey, you want a double burger?” Akihiko was talking to him
“Huh? Sure.” Again with wrong answer. Minato was beginning to wonder if someone else was controlling his replies. He sounded less and less like himself around Akihiko.
“That’s great! Looks like you’ve got your appetite back.” Akihiko beamed as he went to place their order while Minato found a place for them to sit. Could it have been that Akihiko was actually worried about him?
Minato sighed as he leaned back in his chair, wondering what he could do to silence the noise around. Before he knew it, Akihiko was back with what looked liked monster burgers. If Minato was going for a double burger, Akihiko looked like he was going for a quadruple.
Akihiko saw the look Minato was giving towards their tray and laughed, “I get hungry after working out.”
“You train a lot.” Minato blurted out before he could stop himself.
Akihiko sat down on the seat opposite and gave him a wry smile, “I like to train, it helps me to grow stronger.”
Minato reached forward for his burger, “You shouldn’t overexert yourself.” He stopped suddenly, that had come out wrong.
But Akihiko was still looking pleasant, “I train as much as much as my body allows.”
Minato nodded, “You’re an asset to the team.” No way was he going to say something cheesy again - he quickly erased the other options that were floating through his head.
Akihiko looked at him slightly stunned, “Thank you,” was all he said.
Minato suddenly felt slightly dizzy again, something weird was happening inside his head. He wasn’t sure what it was, but all he could gather was that he and Akihiko Sanada had just gotten a little closer.
All in all, his evening at Wild Duck Burger wasn’t all that bad. For the most part, Minato didn’t even notice the noise after a little while. That night, when they parted for their rooms, Akihiko made sure to stop Minato to say, “Goodnight.” This time, Minato replied.
---
Star Arcana Social Link: Rank Three With Sanada Akihiko
It was difficult to call someone an asset to the team and not have them join in during the explorations at Tartarus. But Akihiko had proved to be far stronger than Minato had expected him to be, and he could truthfully say that he felt more reassured when Akihiko was around. He fought well, worked well as a team, and though Minato could sense just the slightest bit of hostility when he gave orders – Akihiko was someone who followed them to fruition. Life was getting comfortable at the dorm.
One morning, he found Akihiko wearing a tracksuit and stretching outside their building. He half wondered whether he should wander back inside, but he didn’t.
“You want to join me?” Akihiko had found Minato looking at him rather curiously
A jog was something Minato wasn’t sure he was fond of, but Akihiko was beaming at him and he nodded before he realized what he was saying. Exactly half an hour later, he found himself at Naganaki Shrine, trying his hardest not to wheeze from the exertion.
“Well, that was a good run.” Akihiko had gone back to stretching
Minato managed a blank stare before he bent over to touch his toes. Ah, that was comfortable.
“We should do this more often.” Akihiko continued. Minato was not really sure how he wanted to respond to that. Tartarus was one thing, but running up hundreds of steps after jogging for miles was not something he preferred doing early in the morning. At least not out of choice.
Akihiko noticed the silence between them, “I want to get stronger, you know.”
“Why?” Minato replied
Akihiko looked away so Minato couldn’t see his face, “Well, I can protect more people this way.”
Protect? Minato was sure everyone at SEES was capable of protecting themselves, or why else would they be allowed to join. He didn’t say anything in reply.
“Besides, I like boxing. And working out keeps me stronger at that too.” Minato could tell he was trying to change the topic.
“I’ve heard you’re really good.” Goddamn his mouth and his brain.
Akihiko laughed, the atmosphere had suddenly turned a little lighter around them, “I think I can do better.”
A sudden sneeze from Minato made Akihiko straighten up, “Maybe we should start heading back. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”
“Sure.” There was that dizzy feeling again. Minato knew it for sure this time, he had grown closer to Akihiko Sanada.
---
Star Arcana Social Link: Rank Four With Sanada Akihiko
Next week, when Akihiko asked Minato whether he wanted to stop by the Beef Bowl Shop after school, Minato was almost pleased. Almost. Just, almost.
“I’m going to eat a lot today.” Akihiko laughed as he sat down near the counter, “I’m thinking four bowls.”
“Want to compete?” Minato felt himself smirk
Akihiko smirked back, “Well, that’s something new. I’ll take you on.” And so the competition started. Minato had no idea why he said what he did, and three bowls later he felt as if his stomach was about to burst. But he was not going to give up. Akihiko was already on his fifth bowl, and it didn’t look like he was going to stop any time soon, “You sure you’re ready for this?” Akihiko stopped to give his friend a cocky smile
Minato glared back and turned to face the bowl with renewed determination.
“Finally, a reaction.” Minato snapped his head back towards his senior
Akihiko looked a little flushed, “Well, you know… I didn’t think we could have fun like this together.” He gave an embarrassed smile, “At least not at the beginning.”
Mouth full of food, Minato cocked his eyebrow, that was exactly the kind of impression he wanted to give people initially, but for some reason, it irritated him now.
“But, I’m glad we could do this together!” Akihiko laughed before he went back to his food.
Minato asked for another bowl and smirked, he had finally caught up.
“I’m not losing that easily!” Akihiko was counting the bowls on Minato’s side of the counter. The flash of dizziness was back. Minato had no idea how it worked, except that it probably meant one thing: he was now closer to his senior than before.
---
Star Arcana Social Link: Rank Five With Sanada Akihiko
Minato and Akihiko got along much better than before now. Minato would never admit it out loud, but he felt comfortable around Akihiko – as if there was no need for any masks. Akihiko never prodded him for information he knew Minato didn’t want to give. In return, Minato did the same. Between the two of them, they shared a security Minato had not felt in a long time.
But that was not enough to explain his surge of frustration when he saw Akihiko surrounded by a group of girls one fine August Monday. Akihiko met his eyes and ran straight in his direction, “Hey, you busy?”
Minato took one look at the crowd of girls eyeing them curiously and replied, “No.”
Akihiko looked almost relieved as he grabbed his junior’s jacket and started dragging him towards the exit.
“No fair! You would rather spend time with that junior than us?” Minato heard one of the girls shout after them.
Akihiko turned around, a look of extreme discomfort and embarrassment marred his face, “As you can see, I’m busy now. We’ll have to talk later.”
“But you weren’t busy before.” The girl next to the first speaker added
Akihiko was looking more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. Finally, Minato gripped the hand holding onto his jacket and without another word, the two of them walked out of the school. Minato could hear the growing chorus from behind them as they walked out, but Akihiko wasn’t saying anything, and that was good enough for him.
Once they were close to the dorm, Akihiko spoke, “Well that is sure to start quite a few rumors.”
Minato turned to look at him. From the three options that floated through his head, he knew which one he wanted to pick this time, “Do you mind?”
Akihiko turned just a little red before replying, “No, not really.” He paused before turning to look at Minato, “I don’t mind.”
Minato sensed the dizziness coming back. Except this time, there was something more added in there. He and Akihiko were definitely closer, but he sensed that he had started something he could not quite explain just yet.
---
Star Social Link: Rank Six With Sanada Akihiko
Minato had grown rather used to hanging out with Akihiko during school whenever they had time. It was usually on Mondays and Fridays, and each time they hung around – he could tell they both had fun. They mostly spoke about normal things – the weather, school, food and Akihiko loved to talk about his exercises regimen.
He had expected strange rumors to start in school about them after they walked out hand in hand a month earlier, but surprisingly none of that happened. Instead, one Thursday, Akihiko brought up an extremely strange topic. They were seated at Iwakatsu Restaurant and Minato noticed that Akihiko was barely eating – he just kept poking at his food and with a pronounced look of what Minato recognized as worry on his face.
“Do you feel sick?” He finally asked.
“Huh?” Akihiko snapped out of his reverie before he turned to look at Minato, “No, uh…” Here he paused, and went back to looking at his plate of sushi, “Do you mind if I ask you something?”
“Depends.” Minato promptly replied.
“Well, is it true that you are dating Yukari?”
Minato blinked. This boy had a habit of evoking the strangest reactions from him, “No.”
“Huh?” Akihiko’s head quickly turned towards his friend. Minato could have sworn he sensed a look of relief on Akihiko’s face, “Then, the rumors…”
Minato shrugged, “No idea.”
Akihiko was studying Minato’s face closely, “I’m sorry, I thought… well, next time someone brings it up, I’ll be sure to let them know it’s not true.” He smiled weakly.
“I wouldn’t care.” Minato had suddenly lost his appetite. He liked Yukari, he did. She was a good friend. But dating here was neither here nor there. He had a vague suspicion it was one of Akihiko’s fan-squad that had started the rumor, but he thought it wise to not bring it up.
“Yeah.” Akihiko’s smile widened, “It’s probably best to ignore rumors. No point in feeding them and giving people room to talk.”
“Exactly.” Minato could feel a smile making its way to his face. With concerted effort, he managed to reduce it to a smirk. Akihiko noticed what he was doing and started laughing in response. Minato wished he could sink into the floor right then, he was not used to feeling so embarrassed.
The flash of dizziness was back – he hadn’t felt it in a while. It felt strong this time. He took a quick glance towards Akihiko, and felt glad that they were closer, probably much closer this time around.
---
Star Arcana Social Link: Rank Seven With Sanada Akihiko
Minato was not entirely sure how he felt about Aragaki Shinjiro. He knew that he had a past with Akihiko, and neither were willing to tell him anything about it. He hadn’t asked Akihiko, but a part of him had expected Akihiko to just come out and tell him. When that didn’t happen, he felt a little disappointed. But he knew the rule between them. It didn’t matter how close they got, some secrets were just that – secrets.
But ever since Shinjiro had come into the equation, he could feel the distance between him and Akihiko widen. A lot of that had to do with him - he did not want to spend as much time with the boy as he used to before. He couldn’t understand why, but he wanted too know more about Akihiko, and the wall they had built up between them made Minato angry. He would talk with Akihiko again, but not until he felt better about it.
He could tell Akihiko was surprised at first, but said nothing. And so weeks passed and with each passing week, their interactions became more and more formal.
“I’m going to ask him out!” Minato heard a girl near the entrance of the school say one day as he was walking inside the building
“Ah, don’t get your hopes up Miki.” Her friend was saying, “A lot of girls like Sanada-senpai, so…”
“But I have to try!” The first girl protested.
That was it. Minato could feel himself getting angry again. And before he knew it, he was standing outside Sanada Akihiko’s classroom, looking at the mass of students that were staring at him in curiosity. Akihiko finally got up from where he was seated and walked towards Minato. As soon as they were close, he heard the boy whisper, “Is something wrong? Tartarus shouldn’t be acting up now.” He looked both confused and slightly happy
“Uh, no…” Minato looked away, towards the floor.
“Oh.” Akihiko gave him a half hearted smile, “Then…” He trailed off
“After school, will you go somewhere with me?” Minato replied
“Huh?” Akihiko looked shocked, “Yeah, sure. Of course.”
Minato nodded before he turned around walked away as fast as he could. It was during times like these that he felt that jogging was a good sport.
---
“Th-this?” Akihiko looked uncomfortable as they stood outside the Sweet Shop at Iwatodai Station.
Minato shrugged and looked away, “I felt like eating something sweet.”
“Well, sweets do give you a lot of energy.” He could tell Akihiko wanted to laugh, “So, shall we go in?”
Minato suddenly wanted to run away very far, very fast. Why couldn’t he just pick the Beef Bowl Place? For some reason, he had been thinking about this Sweet Shop all morning. It reminded him of his first few months at Gekkoukan, when every other girl wanted to come here. And they weren’t lying – the place was swarming with faces in a familiar uniform, all staring at them in a manner that made Minato extremely uncomfortable. It made the trip that much harder to tolerate.
But Akihiko didn’t seem to care, “I don’t come here often.” He said as they stood in front of the counter, trying to pick what they wanted to eat
Minato didn’t reply, his resolve to maintain the wall between them was extremely strong. Or he wasjust sulking, but he preferred the resolve idea.
“It reminds me of someone I couldn’t protect.” Akihiko continued
Minato turned to look at the boy. Had something changed? What was Akihiko talking about? He noticed that the older boy had an odd expression on his face. Something between sadness and happiness – he couldn’t tell.
“But I’m glad I came here with you.” Minato turned his head back towards the cake counter, his face was beginning to turn red and he refused to let anyone see that.
“Me too.” He finally replied.
Minato waited, and it was back. The same dizziness and the comforting feeling that he was now closer to the person he cared about.
---
Star Arcana Social Link: Rank Eight With Sanada Akihiko
The next time they talked, it was after catastrophe had struck. As soon as Shinjiro left SEES, Akihiko refused to talk to anyone. Minato could sense a terrible feeling of dread coming from the boy, and every time he made a move to talk to him, Akihiko would just find some excuse and leave. It was no secret at the Dorm that he was training excessively, far more than anyone had seen him train before.
As for what burden it was that he carried, Minato had no idea – but he hoped that someday he would find out.
When he finally did, he instantly regretted his wish. It was difficult to look at Akihiko after Shinjiro had passed, and the guilt that floated through Minato made it that much harder to speak. He wondered if maybe he had taken the effort to get to know Shinjiro, maybe he could have done something. Bit it was too late for maybe’s. Truth be told, he wanted to avoid Akihiko for as long as he could. But he refused to let himself. As for Akihiko, he had gone back to school s if nothing had happened. Minato wondered if maybe he needed the distraction.
That Thursday, he made it a point to look for Sanada Akihiko.
The boy looked at him uncomfortable, “I have some errands to run.” He replied. Minato nodded in reply, a bit disappointed..
“But, do you want to talk later tonight?”
“Sure.”
---
That night at the dorm, Akihiko motioned for Minato to follow him into his room.
“I’ll get straight to the point.” Said Akihiko as he closed the door to his room, “I want you to not fight anymore.”
Minato took a step back in surprise, “What?”
“I can’t lose anyone anymore.” Akihiko turned around, “And when you fight, you head straight for trouble.” He had a pained expression on his face.
Minato sighed, “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Akihiko’s voice came out really loud
Minato didn’t event flinch, “I won’t.”
“If something happens to you…” His voice was growing louder, “… I don’t know what I’ll do.” He finally finished, his voice growing softer, “Please?”
“If you want to worry that much, worry about yourself.” Minato betrayed no hint of emotion in his voice
Akihiko looked stunned, “I-I’m fine.”
“I doubt that.”
“I wasn’t strong enough before, but now – now things are different. I can take care of everything.”
“So you don’t want me to lead the SEES investigations?” Minato was beginning to get angry, the tone of his voice was fluctuating
“No-no. It’s not that. I just.” Akihiko exhaled deeply as his shoulders slumped, “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Then I just have to not get hurt.” Minato shrugged. The other choices in his mind all pandered to Akihiko’s request, but this was Minato – and he refused to yield that easily.
Akihiko stared at him in surprise, “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying if it bothers you so much, I just won’t get hurt.” Minato had no idea what he was saying
Akihiko let out a small laugh, and slowly his smile got bigger, “You can be really strange sometimes.”
“I’ll take strange over normal any day”. Minato almost bit his tongue as he finished saying that. Was someone else picking what he was saying? He was almost convinced now.
Akihiko smiled – the first real smile Minato had seen in days, “Fine. I guess I just have to be strong enough to protect you.”
The dizziness was more profound that Minato had ever experienced. He felt a little faint, but he knew for certain. They were closer after this than they had ever been.
---
Star Arcana Social Link: Rank Nine With Sanada Akihiko
Tartarus was all anyone thought about – they were nearing the end. They were fighting to survive, but more importantly, they were fighting to save the world. For Minato, that had a renewed meaning ever since his last conversation with Akihiko. It got harder and harder to focus on the mission. He was beginning to pay more attention to Akihiko than anything else – he always kept an eye out to ensure that nothing happened to him.
Somewhere deep inside, Minato knew that he didn’t have to – Akihiko had proven himself more than capable. But Minato noticed that he was just slightly more reckless. It was almost as if Akihiko instinctively got anxious every time he entered Tartarus with Minato. And that put their mission at a risk.
At school, Minato found himself looking for Akihiko every chance he got. They were both busy, especially Akihiko – but they made it a point to spend more time together. And with each passing day, Minato could feel the bond between them growing stronger and stronger.
The weekends were often dull, and Akihiko would rush off to train whenever he had free time. Minato would just lie down on the couch, Koromaru by his side, casually chatting with Fuuka. Even Junpei had started to spend less time at the dorm. Once in a blue moon, Akihiko would head out with Minato when he took Koromaru out for walks. Koromaru seemed to like that, although he would be unusually quiet on those days – almost as if he was giving the two boys space to talk.
---
One Thursday at school, it was Akihiko that sought him out, “Do you have some time after school?”
Minato nodded.
“Great. Let’s meet up after class.”
Minato had spent the entire day wondering what Akihiko had to say. Which was why he wasn’t surprised when he found himself almost rushing to the hallway near the Persimmon Tree. Akihiko was waiting there, with a serious look on his face, “Do you want to go somewhere?” He asked
---
Minato had expected a trip to Iwatodai Station to eat – that was what they usually did. But he was surprised to find that Akihiko was headed in a completely different direction. When they finally reached Naganaki Shrine, Minato had a thousand thoughts running inside his head, the least important of them being that he had managed to climb all those steps without getting tired at all.
At the shrine, Akihiko walked over to the bench, spread out his arms and collapsed on top of it, “I’ve been wanting to tell you for some time, about why I reacted that way.”
Minato cocked his eyebrow, reacted in what way? Did he mean that night in his room?
“I haven’t told you anything about my past, have I?”
Minato’s interest had finally piqued. As he went to take a seat next to Akihiko, he could feel the walls between them crumbling away. Akihiko told him everything – about his time at the orphanage, about his sister, about Shinjiro.
“You remind me a lot of the relationship I used to have with Shinji.” Akihiko laughed.
The irritation was back, he knew Akihiko and Shinjiro were close, but he was beginning to wonder how close they exactly were.
The choices drifted before Minato’s eyes again, and this time he viewed them carefully, deliberately. He could laugh with Akihiko and say that that made him glad, tell Akihiko he didn’t understand anything, or be inquisitive. For the first time since they started talking, Minato chose to prod, “We were similar?”
Akihiko looked a little surprised before nodding, “In more ways than you know. You’re both pretty difficult to get close to.” Akihiko smiled, “Maybe that’s why I felt comfortable talking to you.”
The choices were back, and Minato chose, “Does that make you happy?” He was looking at his hands, and he could feel his legs tremble slightly.
“It does. It… gives me the strength to smile. I started avoiding everything we had in common after that… incident. But with you by my side, I feel as if I don’t have to let go of my past.” He turned towards Minato, a faint smile still on his face, “It gives me the strength to accept my past.”
Minato was dumbfounded, he did not know how to reply to that, “I’m glad I could help.” That did not sound anything like him, but it was better than either a blank stare or ‘that makes me happy’.
Akihiko looked up towards the sky and laughed. Minato waited for it, and it was back. Each successive bout of dizziness had been stronger than before, but this one was incomparable to the last. He was approaching the end of something. Minato did not know what it was, but something was nearing fruition where he and Sanada Akihiko were concerned.
---
Star Arcana Social Link MAX: Rank Ten With Sanada Akihiko
After that day at Naganaki Shrine, Akihiko had turned more cheerful. Mitsuru once asked Minato if he knew what was going on, but Minato claimed he had no idea. One look into Mitsuru’s eyes, and he knew in that instant that she knew everything.
With the school term almost ending, days were passing by in a flurry. Minato wasn’t worried about his grades, but he would miss hanging out with Akihiko after class. Back at the dorm, Akihiko would still run off to train every chance he got, and there was something Minato wanted to say before what their SEES investigations entered the final phase.
But he didn’t have to worry. The week after the exams ended, he found Akihiko at the entrance to his classroom, “Hey, I was looking for you. Do you have time after school?”
Akihiko knew he had time, Minato almost smiled, and nodded.
“I’ll wait for you after class.” Minato could have sworn Akihiko had turned a million shades of red as he sprinted out of the hallway.
---
“Hey, shall we go?” Akihiko was smiling when he saw Minato, “I was thinking we could go to the rooftop.”
Minato didn’t reply, if only to cover for the surprise he felt. They hadn’t been to the rooftop since the first time they talked in school. But he complied and quietly followed Akihiko up the stairs.
The air was pleasant that evening, maybe even a little chilly. The roof was empty, and as they walked in, Akihiko shut the door behind them.
“You can see far into the distance from here.” Akihiko laughed pleasantly
Minato gave him a blank look, he wanted Akihiko to get to the point, and none of the other choices floating across his head made any sense to him.
“Not one for small talk, are you?” Akihiko looked a bit uncomfortable as he went on, “Shinji used to come here a lot.”
“I see.”
“You were the first person I came up here with after he left.”
Minato was surprised to hear that, he had never known.
“I can’t lose anyone anymore. I want to get stronger, strong enough to protect Ken, Mitsuru, everyone… especially you.”
This couldn’t be. Minato could tell what was coming after that statement, but he wasn’t entirely sure. He felt his heart beat fast as he tried to steady his feet. The dizziness was coming back, and this time it almost made him want to close his eyes and lay down.
“But I don’t want to protect you just as a friend. For the last few months, I don’t know how to explain this, but I feel as… I feel different around you.”
Trying to fight back the feeling of falling unconscious, Minato blurted out the first thing that popped into his mind, “You’re in love.”
“Lo-love?!” Akihiko looked taken aback before he composed himself, “ Yes, I suppose I am.” He laughed softly, “Well, I guess that’s out of the bag.”
Minato tried to maintain his composure, but he was going to lose out to this wave.
“So, Minato… I know you never expected me to say this, but will, will you be my boyfriend?” Akihiko was looking straight into Minato’s eyes, and in that moment – the flash of dizziness disappeared. Minato faced Akihiko, the walls between them having all but disappeared, and he wondered how to reply.
He hated all the choices that floated through his head, and just this once, he wanted to do the choosing. He reached out his hand and lightly touched Akihiko’s cheeks. The older boy almost backed away before settling into the touch.
Now completely relaxed, Minato leaned forward and touched his lips to Akihiko’s. It barely lasted a second, but Akihiko had his answer. With a face that looked as if he was half smiling and half shocked, Akihiko pulled Minato into a tight embrace.
At that point, Arisato Minato didn’t need a dizzy spell to tell him what had happened. The link between the two of them would always be completely unbreakable.