Disclaimer: I don’t own Persona 3

Okay folks, this’ll be my first P3 fic, taking place after after Ken joins, but before Shinjiro. I’ll be using a very underused pairing: Minato paired with Yuko, the Leader of the Track Team, remember? Brownish Skin? Hair in a Bun? Social Link for the Strength Arcana? Right, that’s the one. I may also be doing some Junpei x Yukari, depending on how things turn out. So sit back, relax, open a can of your favorite fizzy beverage, and enjoy Ride of the Valkyrie

--

“Ahahaha! That was great!”

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Minato couldn’t help smiling at Yuko’s laugh as they left the karaoke box. The moment Minato had joined the Track Team, he had hit it off with Yuko, the team manager. The two had been eating lunch together, seen some movies, and had just finished a great time singing in Paulownia Mall’s Karaoke Booth.

Arms above her, Yuko stretched catlike as the two headed for the exit. Minato smiled again. “I had fun today, Yuko.”

Yuko smiled cutely. “Me too.”

As the two friends walked home, talk turned to their lives outside of school. “Minato, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Why do you look so tired so much? Most of the times you’ve shown up for practice, you look exhausted. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’re one of the best runners we’ve got, but I just want to know why you always look like you’re about to doze off.”

Minato smiled inwardly. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Yuko.”

Yuko raised her eyebrow quizzicaly. “Try me.”

“Okay. Every other night my friends and I go to this giant tower hundreds of stories tall, hidden in time where we fight demons.”

Yuko giggled. “Okay, okay. ‘Ask a stupid question' and all that.”

As the two walked, and the sun got lower, Yuko stuck her hands in the pockets of her usual jogging suit and sighed. “Y’know Minato, it’s funny you should mention that.”

Minato raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Yuko nodded. “Yep. I keep having these weird dreams where I’m in a big tower like that, there’s a huge set of stairs on the ground floor.”

Minato felt himself go cold as if he had been dropped in a bucket of ice water. Could it be that- He dismissed the thought immediately. No, he thought. I’m being stupid. It’s just a coincidence.

Struggling to keep his face emotionless, he said “W-what else happens in these dreams of yours?”

“There are demons crawling around everywhere, just like you said. But I'd say the strangest thing about it is that we fight the demons by- and this is gonna sound wierd- by shooting ourselves in the head."

That did it. It was all Minato could do to stop himself from running off an informing the chairman right there.

There's no way this could happen. It's just not possible. Yuko can't have the Potential. She's... Yuko!

"Hey, Minato, are you okay?"

Minato shook himself out of his stupor. Yuko was staring at him.

"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine, Yuko."

--

A bit later, Minato was running. He had dropped Yuko off at her house and was sprinting back to the dorm. Thank God I joined the Track Team, he thought to himself.

Turning a corner, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. "Mitsuru? Call the Chairman. Tell him to get to the dorm as fast as he can. You're never gonna believe this!"

"Minato, what-"

"Don't ask, Mitsuru. I'll explain everything when the Chairman gets there."

--

"You can't be serious?!" Junpei blurted.

It was evening. After Chairman Ikutsuki had ridden his bicycle to the dorm, Minato had taken the entire team up to the meeting room. He quickly filled them in on his and Yuko's conversation.

Ikutsuki leaned back in his usual chair. "If it is indeed true, then this Yuko has been avoiding our searches for years. It would be good to have another Persona-wielder on our team."

Ken spoke up. "But what about the dreams Minato said she talked about? I didn't have any dreams."

"Or me." Akihiko said.

"Or me."

"Or me."

Ikutsuki shook his head. "Perhaps Yuko is more sensitive to the Dark Hour than the rest of us. In any case, we'll have to arrange to talk to her."

Junpei pumped his arm. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about! More ladies for Junpei!"

WHACK.

--

Later that night, the Team did their usual hanging-out-aimlessly-in-the-Dorm's-Lounge routine of the day. Fuuka did something on her laptop, Mitsuru read, Junpei clicked the TV on and off.

And in the midst of all this, Minato stared off into space, chin in hand, mind wandering.

He felt the couch cushion next to him sink from someone's weight. "Hey."

Minato turned his head. It was Yukari. "What's up?"

Minato turned to look at the wall again. "Nothing."

Yukari sighed. "Minato, I know what you're thinking. You don't want Yuko to be a Persona-user. You're worried about her, aren't you?"

Minato sighed. "Yukari, I've been going out with Yuko for a few months now. I know her. She doesn't need this in her life. She just doesn't."

Yukari gave him a reassuring smile. "You can hope. You can hope this is all just a big coincidence."

But Minato knew that hoping for that would be in vain. There were just too many similarities. He ljust leaned forward, and tried to take his mind off of it by watching Akihiko chase Junpei around the Lounge for stealing his boxing gloves.