The Cold Leader

[ Below are various starters of things that muns have said that we thought were just plain funny. Definitely contains some NSFW. ]

❖ @iced-leader | kirijo, mitsuru ⇷ 

                  Hikaru was never truly born to lead. Not that he didn’t believe in himself but he knew his weaknesses from his strengths. Hikaru knew his co-dependency would get in the way of him being a better leader; that’s why Tamaki was there in the first place—to act as the leader. Though, Hikaru didn’t want to brag too much, he was familiar with leading businessmen thanks to his family lineage—mostly his father’s side. But to say he enjoyed it? He’d rather leading businessmen than spend his time far apart from Kaoru, but enjoy it he did not. Still, that didn’t stop him from taking the business major in Rosewood. The family legacy has to live on after all.

The young student really liked to partner up with people he was comfortable with and trusted, but, even then, he was still struggling in his own way. Not being able to be with Kaoru posed some problems. He was so used to seeing him and being with him in the same classes. But now? He had a tough time talking to anybody—especially in this class full of mixed college majors and grades. Granted it was a mandatory Economics class and he did like math, but he just couldn’t get the hang of today’s lesson. 

It was more humiliation when he was partnered up with someone he didn’t get acquainted with at all. Uncomfortable, he crosses his arms and leans back on his chair—childish behavior showing.

“ I don’t get the lesson today. ”

He wanted to walk out immediately, but something tells him that wouldn’t be a wise choice. Leaning forward on the table, he muttered.

“ If you know it, just do everything. ”

Social situations weren’t his strong suit and it showed.

     Economics was an easy subject for Mitsuru as the idea of business and management surrounded her since she could take her first steps. She’s been trained and conditioned to be a leader, and she has been since she was in S.E.E.S with the other Persona users. And for the most part, she considered herself a great leader: she didn’t let her emotions cloud her judgment, she factored almost every possibility, and she knew her teams weaknesses and strengths. While as calculating as she was, she had a title that she was very aware of having: “The Ice Queen.” Her calculations and style of leadership apparently came off cold and arrogant. That was not her; she wasn’t some cold-hearted leader.

     She had to changed that.

     Starting with a struggling classmate, Mitsuru could already tell that his frustrations were high, and she couldn’t blame him. Not understanding the day’s lesson was frustrating, but thankfully she had the lesson trapped away already.

     Though his attitude was certainly going to be a blockade to get through, “I will certainly not do everything for you Hitachiin-san. Otherwise how would you be able to perform well on the exams for the semester?”

“She, and I–one in the same. What bothers her, bothers me.”

There was much more too, but…

This was not the time, nor the place. After all, why bring up the truth of that which lay within, when there was no hope of Death being completed in Wonderland? In fact, it was most likely a blessing that this secret remain secret. Better for the Others not to know. 

“I…” 

At once, the formal tone with which the Shadow conducted itself…crumbled. Whatever lingering traces of Orpheus gave way to nothing but the simple truth. 

“I-I don’t…get it…why don’t you hate me, senpai?” 

Minako looked up, tears streaming from her eyes. Though the voice could continue unhindered, the sobs bursting out of the physical body were just as silent as they would have been any other night. 

“I wasn’t good enough. I couldn’t do anything to save Aragaki-senpai! I couldn’t do…anything!” 

And then the sorrow bled away into a tearful anger. 

“Why’d you put me in charge?! You, tou barely knew me! And for good reason! I’m awful, I’m such a liar!”

    Hearing the sobs come from Arisato wasn’t something that Mitsuru ever thought she would hear...and she never wanted to hear it again. While Mitsuru didn’t voice it much, she cared deeply for each member of the SEES along with their emotional and physical wellbeing...and how could she have not thought through with her gift. She was thoughtless and didn’t factor in the amount of hurt that Arisato was going through after Aragaki-san’s death. She was right...she failed as their supervisor.

    Mitsuru felt her eyes sting slightly, “You are not to blame Arisato...and you were not the only one there. We all couldn’t stop that bastard,” Mitsuru’s hands gripped her shorts tightly, her knuckles going white, “I don’t blame any of you...if anything I blame myself. I am your elder and the one that’s had the most training with their Persona and in general combat; I should’ve had quicker reflexes to stop him. I failed you all...and I’m sorry that I didn’t realize that you were hurting so much...”

A nod. Then another. 

As if from hidden speakers–both in distorted quality, and the fact that her mouth did not move–a voice began to speak. 

“I am the Shadow. The true self…”

She gave an inelegant shrug, jaw trembling. 

“…Is what I would say to Her, if my Other were here. But she remains asleep for now. I suppose you could say, I am…her truest, most open self. The parts of her she denies, that manifest as Orpheus. Sometimes as Thanatos. Often, as the menagerie of souls.”

Golden eyes slowly crept up to meet Mitsuru’s. The expression…was hard to read. It was angry and sad, but clearly held back something. 

“Pe–…Senpai…I can’t keep a hold on this anymore…” She put a hand to her chest, and a sniffle echoed. “I-I need to let it out, but I am afraid.”

    Mitsuru couldn’t stop the slight look of shock that formed on her face when a voice started to come from Arisato; it was something that she’s never experience before due to Arisato being mute. But the fact that whatever was in control as claiming to be her Shadow and Persona? The explanation did technically make sense but the entire situation was...unnerving to say the least.

    There was still a small part of Mitsuru that didn’t believe that this was happening, but the voice...it was holding true, “...what troubles you? And I am assuming that if this thing is troubling you so much that you took control that it is something that Arisato’s been repressing? ...and am I also correct in assuming that it was triggered by the present I gave Arisato?” There was a tinge of guilt in Mitsuru’s voice that snuck in; she hoped that it wasn’t true but the timing was too aligned.

As if steered by an unseen child with a remote, Minako’s body stiffly entered the dormitory and scanned the surroundings. Finding a small couch by a coffee table, she walked over, took a seat…

And set the grief book on the table. 

‘May I speak frankly, Penthesilea? I am capable of maintaining silence, but I confess, it is unusual for me not to sing, or speak.’ 

…If there had been any doubt that something was not indeed correct, then it had just been proven by the overly formal speech and the consistently blank expression.

    Upon hearing her Persona’s name Mitsuru eyes narrowed; Arisato never referred to them by their personas. Typically she would already have her hand on her Evoker but the book that was laid down stopped her movements. That was the book that she gave Arisato for her birthday...she knew that the other was having difficulties after what happened in October, so she hoped that the book would help her since...Mitsuru wasn’t the best when it came to emotional processing.

     “...while my Persona and I are the same, I do ask that while you look like Arisato that you refer to me as she would. Since you know my Persona’s name then you either have access to Arisato’s memories when you took control,” Mitsuru’s voice chilled when mentioning the potential body-snatching, “or...you are a facet of Arisato’s personality that has seized control? If you clarify who you are...you are free to speak frankly.”

caerulaluna‌:

     Well. That certainly happened. Minato knew that his sister tended to overreact in certain scenarios, but even this seemed to be a bit much. What made her all so freaked out? Mitsuru did have a powerful aura surrounding her, but even he didn’t think it was much of a big deal.

    … It probably had something to do with her lack of pants in front of a pretty girl. That might do it.

     The way Kirijo-senpai talks about his sister with such familiarity… It bugs him, if he’s being honest with himself. This was the woman who recruited him into S.E.E.S, who fought by his side climbing the floors of Tartarus. For the proud head of the Kirijo Group to just… Forget about him like that? It stung a little. Was this Wonderland’s idea of a cruel joke?

     Not funny. Didn’t laugh. Still, he’ll play along for now; a Wild Card adapts, and he is no exception.

     “No,” he states, the bluntness of one simple word all too obvious. Talking was such a pain, and he didn’t know much about sign language yet, so that was out. Best to just suck it up. Minato lets out a soft, inaudible groan as Mitsuru grills him with question after question. It’s not like he knows many of the answers, either.

     “We’re twins. Got separated at age six. Somehow reunited in Wonderland,” he says, leaving out several key points. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Minako wouldn’t appreciate having her past exposed without her permission. He wouldn’t either. Keeping things vague was the best way to go; if Mina-nee wanted to say anything, she’d do it on her own terms.

     “…You free? You can come in. Sis’ll be done flipping out soon.” Stepping to the side to let Mitsuru in, the younger Arisato cards a hand though his messy blue locks. “I hope.”

Okay. Okay okay okay okay. 

There was no reason to panic. None at all. Minako stared at herself in the mirror for a solid minute, trying to control her breathing and the awful shaking of her hands. 

She shut her eyes hard when she saw them covered in blood–

Not hers. Aragaki-senpai’s. He was so still and accepting and, and, she was just so fucking angry and scared and–

She knocked her head back against the door. Hard. The pain of it knocked her out the sensate memory with the unkind harshness of a scolded pet. Minako sucked air between her teeth in a hiss, then let it out nice and slow. Then it was a quick change; luckily she kept at least a spare lounge set hung up on her side of the bathroom in case of emergencies like this, so changing into some leggings and a comfy sweater was a breeze. 

Kirijo-senpai and Minato were the only ones in the room, and Minako–she didn’t feel comfortable having them see the scars on her neck, but it was unavoidable. Her scarf was on her nightstand and putting it on would just draw more attention. She rubbed the raised, ruined flesh on her neck and grimaced, before running a brush through her hair and tying it back. The grin she gave herself was plastic and empty, maybe a little manic, but it’d suffice.

She deserves answers for how you ran away. For how you failed her. And Mi-nii doesn’t like talking to people and you just left him you coward, coward, coward–

Minako exited the bathroom in a flourish, waving a hand lightly. 

‘Oh my goshhh, I’m so sorry guys! Kirijo-senpai, I’m so glad to see you again! It’s been a while, huh? How’ve you been holding up?’

    Well, Arisato-san seemed to be to the point, so that was a plus. Mitsuru could read people easily but she was having a harder time reading him but something was telling her that he wasn’t telling the full story. That didn’t surprise her too much as she was a new RA and had a history with his roomate. She had questions prepared in rebuttal but the invitation to come into the apartment interrupted her.

    Nodding her head, “Yes I’m currently free and I would love to come in.” Mitsuru entered the apartment and sat down on one of the chairs while they both waited for Arisato-chan to come back.

    Mitsuru couldn’t help but steal glances at Arisato-san; this ever nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she knew him and that they were close was starting to annoy her. She hated being so close to information and not being able to connect the dots- Arisato-chan left the bathroom.

   Seeing Arisato-chan’s signing, it didn’t take long for Mitsuru to translate the Sign Language, “There is no need to apologize Arisato,” a smile appeared on her face, “I’m...so happy to see that you’re...that you’re still alive.” To those who were close to Mitsuru could tell that her voice hicked at the end of the sentence.

    Taking a moment to study Arisato-chan, Mitsuru could immediately tell that her smile was fake. Mitsuru’s heart ached slightly at the site; she didn’t like seeing the people that she held close to her trying to make their pain. Seeing Arisato-chan trying to mask her pain and being casual about this entire ordeal made Mitsuru slowly stand up and walk towards Arisato-chan.

    “To be honest: I’ve been worried, Arisato. With everything that happened in October,” Mitsuru trailed her sentence off, the image of the still body still fresh in her mind, “and with your sudden disappearance...I was worried that I had failed twice that night as your leader...” She wanted to add something else to that list, but she felt as though it was not the right time.

    She was now standing in front of Arisato-chan. Looking at the girl in front of her, Mitsuru could see the scaring on her neck, but that’s not what caught her eyes: it was that fake smile. A smile that held back something...something that Mitsuru didn’t like.

     Mitsuru leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Arisato-chan’s waist and pulled her close for a hug. It was rare for Mitsuru to show affection or softness to others in a physical manner, but this was a special case.

caerulaluna‌:

    Supposedly they were getting a new R.A. today, though Minato didn’t seem to care all that much. Why should he? He was a good student, and he minded his own business without causing much trouble. What little chaos he did get involved in usually involved his sister in some form or another. So really, this was just going to be a normal day.

    Classes didn’t begin until 2 p.m. today, so the younger Arisato decided to spend his morning lounging around their shared dorm room. Minako was budy doing God knows what which, for the most part, left him to his own devices. Honestly he should have been doing his homework, but the bed was just too comfy. The struggle.

    The heavy rock music blasting from his headphones drowned out most of the noise, but the ‘knock knock knock’ of knuckles on wood was hard to miss. Alright then, better get this over with. Reluctantly the youth rolls himself out of bed to answer the door, making sure to double check he was presentable. Sweat pants and a baggy tee-shirt; that works.

    The door is opened hesitantly at first; Minato still didn’t trust most of the others on the floor as far as he could throw them. The moment steel blue eyes connect with a familiar crimson, however, the tension eases a bit. He knew this person.

    Kirijo-senpai… So she’s here, too…

    An absent-minded ‘yeah’ is given to her assumption. Judging by the way Mitsuru referred to him, it seemed she didn’t recognize who he was. Which was… Strange. They fought together as members of S.E.E.S, didn’t they? Minato pushes the thoughts to the back of his mind for now.

    The waver in the student council president’s voice catches him off guard for a moment, and he turns around to follow Mitsuru’s line of sight. Oh, Minako was back. Perfect timing.

    ‘Hey, sis, the new R.A. is here,’ he signs, the motions still a bit unsure to him. With Minako’s help he’d begun steadily learning sign language; it helped him feel better connected to his sister, and helped with his own communication problems. Miles better than text-to-speech at any rate.

A yawn escaped Minako as she flopped out of bed. As in, literally rolling just out of her bed and landing face first on the carpet. Mmmmcomfyyyy. Well, that’s what she got for binge studying. Minako couldn’t help it; once her brain got in that information groove, it didn’t want to stop. 

She blamed having to back Junpei up in class so much. It wasn’t healthy for a ‘study for two’ mentality, but it was really fun to be able to swoop into his rescue at a moment’s notice. 

It was a lazy day, though. Doctor’s orders, even, since the hanahaki cure was administered. She was looking forward to a day in with her little bro and a backlog of shitty movies to rip into, when she heard the door knock. She moaned in defeat upon hearing it–oh, yeah. New RA thingie today. Bluhhh.–and rolled onto her back and sat up when Minato answered the door. 

She rocked up to her feet, yawning soundlessly and nodding, using the billow sleeve of her sleeping flannel to wipe at an eye. 

Her blood, literally, literally ran cold when she heard the familiar voice of the Mitsuru Kirijo. The same Mitsuru Kirijo she’d fought alongside for months. The same one she’d–

so brutally

–failed, back in October. 

The same one she was currently standing, pantsless, in front of. It didn’t matter if her big shirt went down to her thighs, Minako was horribly aware that she was pantsless in front of her fucking senpai. 

She screamed, or made the mention of it, before making a run for the shared bathroom.  

    Everything happened so quickly that Mitsuru almost reached for her Evoker in case a monster had gotten inside the dorm building but she managed to process everything and realized that...Arisato-chan was only in a shit and her...undergarments.

     Though her face didn’t show it, though there was a very small smile that formed on her face, “I see that Arisato hasn’t changed since I last saw her,” Mitsuru looked towards the other Arisato and couldn’t help but feel like...she’s seen him before somewhere, “I apologize if this is too forward, but have we met before? You seem very familiar to me Arisato-san.”

    Seeing his blue hair and body language, something in her head was telling her that she’s met this person was familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on it. But that was something that she could investigate later, right now she needed to make sure that Arisato-chan was alright.

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