Oh look it's a completed chapter.
Wait, it took me this long to finish one chapter? FFFFFFFFFFF--
New Game+ Chapter 3: First Days
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I woke up to someone pounding on my door, though it took me a moment to recognize it with the way my head was pounding. I sat up just as Yukari Takeba poked her head into my room. After reassuring herself that I did not sleep in the nude, she opened the door and entered.
ôMorning! Sorry to wake you up, but Mitsuru-senpai said that I should escort you on the way to schooùoh my God!ö
I blinked at the sudden shift in the event I remembered, then followed her gaze. I reached up to my temple and jerked back as the light touch sent a flash of pain through my head. Despite my precautions, the hit she'd given me had swelled up overnight, it seemed.
ôI'm so sorry!ö Yukari said guiltily. ôUm... listen, I actually have to be at school early for my club, so, if it's okay with you, I'm going to leave now, okay? Unless, you want me to wait?ö Obviously she needed time to stop feeling bad about hitting me. The smart thing to do was give the both of us time to get over the awkwardness caused by the incident and start again later, so I told her to go on ahead. She smiled in relief.
ôAlright, see you at school. Take the train to Port Island from the Iwatodai station. The school's right there, even though it's a bit of a walk. Hey, if you get there ten minutes before class starts, I'll help hide the bump, okay?ö She left with that, but came back a moment later. ôDon't be late!ö
I was, of course.
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I'm late, I'm dead, I'm late, I'm dead, was my mantra as I rushed into the halls of Gekkoukan High School. Despite a year's worth of getting up on time for school and a pressing need to make a good impression on future Social Links, I'd fallen back asleep the minute Yukari had left. I knew the moment that I woke up that I was in trouble.
I'd had no choice but to run out the door in my clothes from last night, without breakfast and without unpacking my school supplies. Luckily, I knew from past experienceùhehùthat absolutely no schooling would happen on the first day of school, as all of out teachers were rotating through to introduce themselves and allow the students to get acquainted with their idiosyncrasies, perhaps the only nod anyone made to the fact that being a weirdo was a requirement to teach at Gekkoukan.
I managed to buy a breakfast bento at the station which I ate on the ride to school, but the stares that I got were a constant reminder that I was a student late for the first day of school. The moment the doors opened I was off across the plaza.
I was rushed up the steps to the second floor, stopping outside classroom 2-F stopping outside 2-F to catch my breath and decide how I was going to move forward. Obviously a transfer student who was two hours late on the first day of class was going to look bad no matter what. I couldn't blame anyone for my mistake since the only person I could blame was Yukari, which was bad in all sorts of ways.
My choice was plain: I had to make up a story as I went along.
ôWhat else is new?ö I asked philosophically, and opened the door.
ôAnd where have you been, Arisato?ö Snapped the irate Isako Toriumi, composition teacher. Twenty-seven pairs of eyes turned to face me, and I felt Yukari's murderous glare as if it were a physical thing. I felt a sudden shyness at being put on the spot.
If only I hadn't walked in on Ms. Toriumi! Most the teachers I could have bluffed my way past. If I could have talked samurai to Mr. Ono or magic to Mr. Edogawa I might have derailed the lecture long enough for the next period to come. There would still be the problem of my registered attendance but that I could deal with.
Mrs. Toriumi had none of those weaknesses. Worse, she was my homeroom teacher, meaning that any delinquency on the part of her class reflected on her.
ôWell? Takeba said you were awake when she left. Why are you three hours late?ö
ôTwo and a half,ö I corrected, then winced as her scowl intensified. I tried to think of anything I could say to appease her. My mind jumped to the time she and I had spent playing the MMORPG ôInnocent Sin Onlineö the year before, but there was nothing there that I had any right to know. Half-heartedly, I reached out to try and feel the connection "Maya" and I had shared, but no trace of it existed.
Links of the heart go both ways. I knew that, but the reality hurt: the ôMayaö I knew was not the Isako Toriumi whose impatience was on a slow burn to real anger.
ôWould you believe me if I said I fell asleep?ö A gasp arose from the class at my carefree tone. ôYukari is trying to cover for me, but the truth is that I traveled across half of Japan, got in after midnight and just fell asleep as soon as I got home. I mean the dorm. She tried to wake me up this morning, but I just fell back asleep.ö
Yukari released her stare with a short intake of breath that went unnoticed by everyone else, focused as they were on me, her role in my crime exonerated.
Ms. Toriumi nodded, then asked in a deceptively mild voice, ôIn that case, where did the black-eye come from?ö
Black eye? My hand flew up to touch my eye socket, which sparked with sudden pain. Well. That explained the stares I'd received on my way here.
ôNow, I've taught Yukari before, and she's honest. I have to wonder what really happened. Did you get into a fight on the way to school?ö Just what I needed. Late the first day and made to look like a yankee on top. All my plans for pleasant first impressions gone just like that.
Fortunately, the path to escape was obvious. ôDo you really think that I'm the type? Really?ö
She studied me for a long moment, then shook her head. She sounded surprised when she said, ôHonestly no. What did happen?ö
I winced. ôStupid accident.ö Yukari facepalmed.
She waited for a better explanation. When none was forthcoming, she shrugged. ôFine. Take the empty seat by Iori.ö When I started towards my seat the gossip engines started deciding my personality and background based on my rumpled appearance, my act of defiance and my "relationship" with Yukari. Before I could sit down to my well deserved rest, Ms. Toriumi spoke again. ôOh, and for being late I want an essay from you on the reasons for punctuality and a slice of cake. Two pages minimum. The paper, not the cake.ö
I sat down, and buried my head in my arms. I hadn't been back a full day and I could already tell that my year was going to be a mess.
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Lunch couldn't come fast enough. The moment the bell rang, what seemed like the entirety of class 2-F descended on me to ask the questions that had been burning through their minds since my arrivalùHow had I gotten hurt? Was I really living with Yukari? Who did I think I was talking back to the professors like that? Was I still single?
It was overwhelming, and my head was hurting. I felt a strong grip on my arm, and a moment later I was dragged out of the crowd and out of class, across the hall and into the bathroom. Yukari turned to face me, squinting. ôEr, Yukari? Is something the matter?ö
She blew out a breath. ôYeah, I'd say so. Your eye looks worse in this light. You haven't seen, have you?ö She gestured towards the mirror and I took in my appearance for the first time.
The rumpled clothes and mussed hair I had expected and accepted. To anyone who didn't see my eye I was just a new student who had slept in on the first day and rushed to class late. The moment they looked at my face they'd draw a different conclusion.
The goose egg I had felt developing the night before had swollen magnificently, and a nasty bruise had grown up around it. Some blood had drained into my eye socket giving me a fabulous shiner. Overall, rather than a late sleeper, I looked like someone who had fought a tough fight. ôArgh,ö was all I could say.
Yukari stepped up and peered into the mirror. ôDoes it feel as bad as it looks?ö
ôOnly when I touch the bump.ö
She nodded. ôOkay.ö She reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out a small flat box I recognized as her make-up kit. She meant to keep her promise to hide the injury, though it was a bit late to stop the rumor mill. ôI can't do anything to make the bump go down, but I can hide the discoloration, okay?Wash your face off, would you?ö
I did so, then went stiff as she took a paper towel and briefly scrubbed, flinching as she ran it over my injury.
ôHey, stand still, okay? I'll be careful.ö I was tempted to say something about it being too late for that, but refrained from doing so out of recognition that she was doing me a favor. See, this is the difference between me and Junpei...
And she was careful. Her fingers brushed against my temple lightly enough that it hurt when she pressed to apply the concealer, and only for a fraction of a second. She worked quickly after that, spreading it out across my temple to erase any sign of a bruise, and paused only to tell me to shut my eye as she worked around it. I closed both, and only opened them when I heard the snap of her shutting the case. ôAll done!ö
I inspected her handiwork critically. Except for the raised lump on my head, the only clue I had that I was hurt was the low constant pain from the swelling. I turned to thank her and that's when I recognized that we had an audience. Some thirty girls, most my age with some upper- and lower-classmen mixed in were clustered behind us, staring with bated breath. After a moment of inspection a cheer went up that was echoed in the hallway. And that was when I noticed the significant lack of urinals in the bathroom.
ôYukari?ö I asked with infinitely more dignity and calmness than I actually felt, ôWhy are we in the girls bathroom?ö
She was actually surprised by the question and lack of instant gratitude. ôWell, I wasn't going to go into the boys bathroom,ö she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Of course.
ôOf course. Thank you,ö I said gravely, before pushing my way through the hoard of females ignoring the questions as to the exact nature of my relationship with Yukari and about the duel I had fought in her honor. As soon as I was past them and free of their male equivalents outside I fled downstairs to the nurse's office. Mr. Edogawa might be crazy, but I could deal with his crazy.
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My plan to hide in the nurse's office for the rest of lunch was foiled the moment I declined to drink the toxic mixture Edogawa-sensei brewed daily. He made his disappointment clear by pushing a mottled assortment of pills into my hand and unceremoniously showing me the door. With nowhere better to go I ended up in the cafeteria. Normally I avoid it due to my eating standardsùreinforced by my association with the Gourmet Kingùbut I hadn't packed a lunch or bought more than the one bento on my way. I was hungry.
By the time I got to the service area the whispers had died down and I was able to get my food in peace. Of course, they started back up when I got to the checkout counter. The cashier stared at my tray, and gave up. ôWhat did you get?ö
ôOne.ö
ô...Right. Seriously, what did you get?ö
I sighed. This is why I hated the cafeteria. ôOne. Of everything.ö
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I had expected that the cafeteria story would have run ahead of me to join the rest of my legend, but apparently everyone who had planned on reacting over how much I ate had done so in the cafeteria and left it at that. That isn't to say that I was free of attention when I got back to class, but the hoard from before had dispersed leaving five girls and two boys. After the last of them left, Yukari shifted around in her seat to face me.
ôSorry about that. People at this school don't know how to mind their own business,ö she said with a meaningful glance over my shoulder. She was talking to Junpei of course. Come to think of it, he hadn't been in the mob from earlier. Gaining Junpei's trust could head off his jealousy problem, but I couldn't think of a reason to approach him. As I puzzled over what to use as an icebreaker, Yukari said casually, ôOh, if you don't mind, Mitsuru-senpai wants to talk to you after school. She said not to rush though, it's not very important.ö
I could have laughed. She was trying so hard to sound casual that it was suspicious. Anyone who knew her could hear it. Sure enough, Junpei Iori's patented Junpei Senses? picked up on it.
ôMiss Kirijo wants to speak with the transfer privately? Ohoho, my Junpei Senses tell me something interesting is going on!ö
I turned to look at himùtall and narrow faced and wearing a carefully trimmed goatee and a baseball cap with his family's supposed samurai crest. I felt a rush of warm feelings for my best friends. Sitting between them, listening to them arguing over Junpei's latest gaffe, followed by Junpei embarrassing her with the rumors he loved so much... I wondered if they felt it too.
I wiped at my eyes, disguising the motion in brushing aside my bangs, then spoke with only a slight tremor in my voice. ôIt's nothing really. I got in after midnight last night so Mitsuru-senpai probably needs to go over the dorm rules or something.ö
Junpei's eyes lit up. ôYou're living with the Mitsuru Kirijo? Oh man, I am so jealous! She's so incredibly fine a guy can't even talk to her without getting attacked by her fans. Hey, that means you really are living with Yuka-tan, eh?ö Yukari made a noise of disgust and turned away, and I thanked her silently for giving me the intro I needed.
ôOh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Junpei Iori, nice to meet you.ö
ôMinato Arisato. You knew that though.ö
ôYeah. I transferred here in eighth grade, so I know how tough it is being the new kid.ö I noticed the similarity to how he'd introduced himself the first time, and now wondered whether he had practiced what he planned to say to the new student. I thought about what I knew of his situation: single, alcoholic father, no mother, bad grades and no close friends at school... Yeah. He was lonely enough to do something as pathetic as memorize lines to befriend a transfer student.
The ômeö I had been when I had first come to Tatsumi City hadn't had the slightest interest in dealing with Junpei. Only after the isolation I had built around myself had started to crack had I seen Junpei as a friend. It took two months for me to understand that Junpei's anger towards me was jealousy of my Persona-ability, and months longer to realize that his jealousy was just an incarnation of his self-hatred.
I wonder if I'd could have noticed if I'd taken off my headphones.
ôEr, you know... This is kind of embarrassing, but, I haven't lived here for over ten years... And I don't know where anything is anymore...ö I trailed off, leaving enough of a line for him to snap at.
ôWhat's that? You want me to show you around?ö His face lit up as he realized that his plan had worked. His smile was blinding. ôHell yeah, I can do that! There ain't no one who knows this area better 'n me! First we ought to go to Paulownia Mall...ö
A thought came to mind, so I shushed him and tapped Yukari on the shoulder. ôOh, Takeba, do you mind if I get back a little late? Iori said he's going to show me around.ö
ôHm? Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that Mitsuru-senpai has some student council stuff to do this afternoon, so she wanted to meet a little later anyway. And wait, are you sure you want Stupei of all people to show you around?ö
ôIt's fine,ö I said with a frown. Right, at this point the two of them weren't friends at all, with Yukari only just this side of outright antagonistic towards Junpei. Well, they'd get over it. I hoped. They had once, after all. I turned back to Junpei, and smiled just a little.
ôYou were saying? About Paulownia Mall?ö Before Junpei could launch into his plans again, the bell rang, ending what was quite possibly the longest lunch break of my life. Junpei groaned at the new interruption before getting up to do a last minute bathroom run.
ôAh, whatever, I'll let it stay a surprise.ö When he came back seconds ahead of Mr. Ekoda, he stopped by my desk for a moment. ôYou know, I gotta say, you're making an impression on people already. Kinda neat.ö He grinned down at me. ôYou know what? I think this is going to be a fun year. I can feel it!ö
Ah, innocence.
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After the final bell rang, I remembered that I probably needed to check in at the Faculty Office. Junpei cheerfully offered come with me, probably afraid that I'd run off the moment I left his sight. We joined the human tide in the hallway, and I only just remembered to say goodbye to Yukari before she was pulled away by it.
We went down the main stairs, and from there went to the Faculty Office Hallway. The moment we were out of the crowd, I noticed two familiar figures engaged in passionate conversation ahead of us. Junpei stiffled a snicker, and I said over my shoulder, "Friends of yours, Iori?"
"Nah, just Bebe and Mr. Ono. Bebe's this crazed gaijin from 2-C who goes gaga over everything Japanese. Mr. Ono's a history professor, but he only cares about it if it carries a katana and wears a kabuto helmet. I'm surprised they took this long to find each other." We laughed together, and I went into the office. My business there took less than a minute, and we made our way out the front door with cries of ôSamurai!ö and ôJapan!ö still echoing behind us.
Ms. Toriumi and Mrs. Terauchi were talking outside, which Ms. Toriumi broke off when she saw us. "Arisato, don't forget your assignment. And make sure the cake is a good one, or I'll make your next assignment be to bake me one." She was about to say more when Mrs. Terauchi said something about cake-eaters that distracted her enough for Junpei and I to get away.
Before we got to the gate, I noticed Akihiko-senpai pinned against the wall by some of his more persistant admirers. I raised my hand to get his attention, but stopped when I remembered that we hadn't even been introduced yet. I passed my motion off as waving to the joggers in tracksuits who went running past, Kaz in the lead as usual.
ôFriends of yours, Arisato?ö Junpei mocked, pitching his voice to try and sound like mine. He sounded ridiculous and I laughed.
ôHardly. Thinking about joining a sports team later. Track or something.ö I'd joined the kendo club in my last year, but found that the strikes they taught and practiced hadn't improved my combat ability at all. ôHow about you, you in any clubs?ö
ôNot unless you count the Go-Home Club.ö He said this lightly, but I remembered it was a bit of a sore point with him.
Rather than let the conversation go down unpleasant paths or die entirely, I decided to change the subject. ôSo, where's our first stop?ö
He grinned. ôPaulownia Mall!ö
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As it turned out, Junpei was a very good tour guide. He knew nothing about Tatsumi City's history, official or real of course, but had a dozen anecdotes about everything we saw on our way, most of which he had to have made up on the spot. Our first stop in the mall was the arcade, where I practiced my train-stopping skills on the simulator. By the end of the session I was managing to stop the train, but Junpei's face was so pale you'd have thought he was riding the train the more than two dozen times I crashed it. After that we hit Power Records, where Junpei nearly got us both kicked out by loudly telling a story about how the karaoke parlor recorded some of its visitors sessions and the record store sold the recordings as blackmail material. Junpei also tried to come up with a story about the antique store, but gave up after a moment when he realized he'd never been inside. He pointed out the closed sign on the dance club's door, which he said made this three times it had been closed for electrical maintenance since the start of the year. I wondered if I could subtly hint to Mitsuru or Akihiko how odd this was.
Junpei's story about Officer Kurosawa dealing in black market weapons for the local yakuza made made me laugh for all the wrong reasons, as did his story about how the owner of the local pharmacy dealt with people from the Satomi Tadashi chain who tried to buy him out.
By the time our tour of the mall and its environs was done, it was getting to be late afternoon. We had decided against eating at Chagall Cafe, since in Junpei's words the food was ôTiny pieces of food that stuck up people eat since they can't digest anything else.ö When I told him about needing to go home, he quickly suggested we stop at one of his favorite restaurants.
As we passed through Port Island Station, I was struck suddenly by an odd feeling of deja vu. Standing outside the main walkway was Chihiro, who was playing with a stray cat until her mother got off work. Ahead of us were the last of the students who'd stayed after school for club activities, and to one side a college student was clumsily asking a girl his own age out. A flash of orange caught my eye, which I recognized as coming from Ken's usual winter casual outfit. He was obviously coming from paying his respects to his mother, which reminded me of an idea I'd had regarding Shinjiro...
ôHey, you okay man?ö Asked Junpei, knocking me out of my concentration. I immediately pushed down my desire to punch him for breaking my thought process, and instead took a deep breath and answered him.
ôJust thinking. Everything here feels familiar, but different.ö And it did. I had no memories of the area from before ten years ago, but I could remember how grey the area had seemed as I was dying yesterday. Today I was alive and armed with the knowledge of future events.
ôRight, you used to live here or something,ö said Junpei. "So, what's stayed the same?"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the shy man stumble backwards from the kiss his new girlfriend had drawn him into. I laughed. "Everything."
"Oookaaay..." Said Junpei. "So, what's changed then?"
I looked around. The same buildings surrounding the plaza, the same policeman was watching the station kiosks and the same flowers were being sold at the stand. Still, everything seemed brighter somehow. ôMe, I guess.ö
ô...Huh,ö said Junpei.
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The ride to Iwatodai Station was quiet, but didn't last long. The moment we got off the train Junpei and I noticed Kenji Tomochika coming our way. Kenji had been a good friend, and I carefully kept myself from both greeting him overly familiarly and from feeling disappointed at the lack of recognition in his eyes. As Junpei made the introductions, I reached mentally to touch the Magician social link, but found nothing in the mental space where the bonds between myself and my friends had existed.
ôSo, you're the new kid, huh?ö Said Kenji, a polite smile on his face.
ôHalf-new; I lived here until I was seven. Don't remember much of the area though.ö
ôOh yeah? Huh, I've lived here all my life. Thought I knew everyone else who came through the Gekkoukan system. Wait, you did go to the elementary school there, right? Who were your teachers?ö
ôWould you believe me if I told you I forgot? I left in the first grade.ö
ôHuh, that might explain why you aren't familiar... Oh, wait, I have to run. Gotta make my show. Nice meeting you, new kid. Take care Junpei.ö And with that he left. I tried not to feel bitter.
ôEh, sorry about that. Kenji's usually a nice guy, but he likes his TV. So, uh, whaddya say we get some chow?ö
I glanced at the sky then checked my cell. It was getting to be evening. ôIt'll have to be to-go. Mitsuru won't like it if I'm late.ö
ôSure, no problem. And hey, does Yukari know that you're so familiar with Mitsuru-senpai?ö
I scowled. Stupid loose tongue; I could tell it was going to get me in trouble.
Getting our food took no time at all, and I started back to the dorm, Junpei in tow. I noticed more familiar faces on the way: on a bench right outside Wild-Duck Burger, alone as usual, was Nozomi the Gourmet King of Tatsumi City and my ex-social link of the Moon arcana, overeating as usual. Further down I saw Bunkichi and Mitsuko, my former Hierophant links, preparing to reopen their bookstore, and I made a mental note to drop in and make some purchases as soon as possible. A teal blur zipped past suddenly, which made me drop my food. Junpei shouted after it, and I realized it was Mamoru the sports Star moving too quickly for my eyes to track. Either I was just that tired or my old body was in terrible condition. Worse yet, maybe it was both.
I picked up my burger, tossed it into the trash with a sigh, then started on my third. ôHey, let's go. Dorm's this way, okay?ö
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As we got closer to the dorm, Junpei's stories dried up. Part of this was his unfamiliarity with the area; his house was in the other direction. The other part was the zombie that we passed.
ôI hate those guys.ö
ôHey, that's not fair. It's not like the Lost want to have Apathy Syndrome.ö
ô 'The Lost'? Huh, catchy. And yeah, I know, but they creep me out. I bet those guys don't even care if they starve to death.ö
I clenched my jaw shut to avoid telling what I knew, and it was with great relief that I turned the corner to the street the front door was on. ôWell, this is it. Home, for now.ö
ôWhoa, you live here? Dude, nice! I wish I could live in the dorm!ö
I had to agree; the Kirijo owned building was nothing fancy on the outside but was handsome enough and large and comfortable. It was also home to several hundred million yen worth of security and recording technology designed to work in an non-existent magic time, but I wasn't supposed to know that at all.
ôSo, I uh, guess I'll see you...later...ö Junpei said, his voice trailing off as he watched me expectantly. He looked oddly like a puppy at that moment, but I had no idea what he was hoping for.
I gave up thinking after half a second. ôSee you tomorrow,ö I said, and held out my hand. His answering grin was infectious, and we shook hands, then both tried to wipe the burger grease off with our remaining napkins.
ôLater dude!ö He said, turning and throwing a fist into the air as he left. I shook my head in amusement, which turned to shock when the clock of the universe seemed to skip a beat.
I am thou... and thou art I... whispered many voices speaking as one in my heart and soul and mind.
Thou hast formed the bond of the Magician,
The first encounter upon the journey of life.
Master his tools and his ways and our power will be thine own.
The moment ended and I whipped around to stare at Junpei's retreating form, his arm still upheld. I followed him even as I reached a third time for the knots of power in my mind. I felt one this time. Small and fragile, but with potential yet unknown. The power of the Magician felt different from the equivalent I had shared with Kenji, even though it was supposedly identical.
But wait, that wasn't the issue. I had formed a Social Link with Junpei, of all people. I'd had them with Fuuka, Yukari and Mitsuru in my first cycle, but never with the male members of SEES. I had never made the attempt at those connections because I'd already created links corresponding to their Arcana. I might have made a mistake in that; this link with Junpei was special. I could feel that even with my spiritual senses dull without a Persona.
I smiled. This might be the key to changing my destiny. Humming to myself, I went inside feeling ready for anything.
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And then I saw the punny bastard.
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There are only two people I truly despise. Strega's leader Takaya is one. He'd murdered Shinjiro, tried to kill Ken, come incredibly close to killing Junpei, and then gone on to form a nihilistic apocalypse cult that had accelerated the coming of Nyx.
Takaya had tried everything in his power to stop, break and kill us, but that had been personal for him. His hatred of the world that had given him nothing but pain and despair coupled with a fascination with his inevitable and imminent death had driven him to try and destroy as much of the world as he could in revenge. SEES had been a convenient target for his outrage. Disposing of him was nearly my top priority.
Shuji Ikutsuki was the only person I hated more. Ikutsuki had known the truths behind everything from the start, and had used his knowledge to manipulate everyone involved for years. He'd gotten what he deserved, but not before rendering everything we had done pointless. Takaya had tried to break SEES; Ikutsuki had succeeded. Our forward momentum had barely kept us together, but it had taken the revelations about Nyx to give us purpose.
None of us had guessed that he was anything other than what he appeared to be before he revealed his deception. After, nothing he had told us could be trusted. For weeks after the event we were paranoid, wondering if he had made contingency plans that were coming to fruition even after his death.
The worst part was that I had nothing on Ikutsuki. I had no information about his resources and contacts, nor motivations. I had no idea why he thought that he would be able to control Death once he'd unleashed it.
More importantly, I didn't know what he knew about the Dark Hour. His work with Yukari's father on the Time Manipulation Device meant he knew far more about the original incident and its aftermath than anyone still living. He was the only person still living who had been a follower of the first Nyx cult, headed by Mitsuru's grandfather, who undoubtedly had shared special knowledge about Nyx with his followers. And he had worked on the Persona generation experiments, which had awoken Mitsuru to the Potential, as well as the members of Strega. All that knowledge had died with him. As much as I hated to admit it, I had too much to lose by killing him.
Even knowing all that I couldn't restrain the sudden murderous intent I felt when I saw the back of his head. Killing him now would be messy and destroy any chance I had at saving myself, or the world for that matter, but if I waited for him to leave I could do the deed without anyone the wiser...
I smashed that impulse immediately, and tried to imagine the frozen dispassion that I had been familiar with for so much of my life. My murderous expression vanished almost before it had a chance to form, and by the time the seated people had turned around my face was a mask of disinterest.
I hoped. The interview would go badly if anything I was forcing myself not to feel came to the surface.
Mitsuru was the first to speak. "You've arrived. I'd like to introduce you to Shuji Ikutsuki, the chairman of the school board. He supervises the dorm and our club. He's here tonight because we have a proposition for you." She paused, searching my face. "Is... something the matter?"
I shook my head, and studiously tried to avoid looking directly at Ikutsuki's face. I didn't need to see it to know what expression that face was wearing: a gentle and reassuring smile that let nothing of the insanity within slip. I knew his true face now, and long as he was alive there was a chance that he'd let something slip. Even if he didn't make any mistakes, I had my foreknowledge and a driving need to find out what he knew. I'd break into his office if I had to.
I distracted myself with thinking about how I'd go about this as I took a seat in the lounge, my back to the TV. Everyone had gathered for the interview, undoubtedly to encourage me into joining. Ikutsuki had the large chair across the table from me, Mitsuru and Yukari sat on my right while Akihiko was on me left.
Ikutsuki started off gently. "After your ah, altercation with Ms.Takeba last night, you spoke to Mitsuru about the phenomenon you were experiencing. You called it... Shadow Time, am I correct? An apt name. More so than you know." He leaned back in his chair, and the light fell across his glasses in a way that it only should in anime. "What if I told you that what you call "Shadow Time" is related to Apathy Syndrome? That monsters emerge during this time to devour the souls of people who wander into it, leaving them the drooling wrecks known as the Lost? And what if I told you that you have the power to fight back against these monsters?"
That...was nothing at all like the introductory speech I remembered. Of course, this was a recruitment spiel. I took advantage of the lull in Ikutsuki's speech to see how the rest of S.E.E.S was reacting. Akihiko and Mitsuru were both composed, but where Mitsuru was listening attentively, Akihiko's eyes were glazed over. I figured he was either thinking about training or meat. Yukari was the only one who was discomfited by what she was hearing, though there had been a flash of irritation when Ikutsuki brought up the pistol whipping incident.
A moment went by before I realized that I'd missed my cue to speak. "What?," seemed to be the appropriate response.
Ikutsuki chuckled. "Oh, I know it sounds hard to believe. But haven't you ever wondered why the world changes at midnight? Why everyone around you had been replaced by a coffin and why the walls were dripping blood?"
I could only shrug. "Why should I believe you about the monsters? I've never seen one."
In response, he turned in his chair, picked up a small briefcase I hadn't noticed and withdrew a small stack of papers from within. He flipped through several of them and began to read off the page. "The patient regained consciousness prior to surgery. He immediately attempted to escape, despite his injuries and concurrent bloodless. While being restrained and sedated, the patient was heard shouting that a 'shadow monster' had caused the accident, and been driven off by another apparition of unknown origin. The sedative took effect three minutes and twenty eight seconds after the initial injection, and the surgery proceeded without further incident. When questioned after his awakening, subject claimed to have no recollection of the incident or of the accident itself."
Obviously the subject of the report was me, except I couldn't remember needing surgery. I do remember the hospital, and the interrogation but not the questions themselves. My memories from ten years ago are fragmentary at best, so any information went a long way in filling in the holes of my history. My gaze fell on the briefcase that the folder was vanishing into, and again murder danced through my mind. What else about me might be in there...?
"Where did you get that?" I asked quietly. "And besides, that's not really proof, I don't remember anything from the accident."
Ikutsuki sighed. "I requested your medical records and similar information when I was alerted to your admission to this school. The hospital is run by the Kirijo Foundation, which is the financier of our group. As for proof... well, wait until the Dark Hour arrives. In the meantime..."
"Actually, Mr. Chairman, I believe I can be of some assistance in providing proof," interrupted Mitsuru. "You may be wondering why we are so confident that you have the ability to fight the Shadows. Truth be told, I had doubts myself until you told me that you had survived the Dark Hour for ten years. Normally when a person stumbles into the Dark Hour, he or she is immediately consumed. Someone who is very lucky might escape once, but such good fortune is unlikely to befall someone twice. No, the only way to survive in the Dark Hour is to possess the power to fight back against the enemies of mankind." She drew her Evoker. "We call it "Persona"." She put the gun to her head.
I leapt to my feet. "Wait don't--"
With the sound of shattering glass, she summoned Penthesilea. I sat down. Hard.
The Persona was even more faint and ghostlike than usual. The blue light that accompanied Persona was only a faint glow. But somehow Mitsuru had summoned her Persona outside the Dark Hour.
My respect for her rose to heretofore unseen heights. Sometime in the fall of my first life--Cycle? Stupid time travel--Junpei and I had decided that being able to summon our Personas in the daytime would be the perfect secret anti-Strega weapon. The attempt left us both nervous wrecks with migraines that lasted fully a week that resisted all healing and painkillers we tried. We'd never made the attempt again, the agony of that week proving an effective deterrent to experimenting with the guns that made manifest the power of our unconscious.
Mitsuru looked only faintly uncomfortable.
Akihiko and Yukari were similarly impressed, while Ikutsuki looked concerned. "Mitsuru, don't you think that's rather dramatic?"
Mitsuru shrugged and dismissed her Persona. "You were planning on much the same, only during the Dark Hour. This saves time."
Ikutsuki sighed, but gathered himself to continue. "The power of Persona, you see, is the power to create a manifestation of your will. They are the only way to defeat the monsters I spoke of. The device that Mitsuru used to call her Persona is an Evoker. It's not a real gun, but there's a reason it's shaped like that. And we are S.E.E.S.: the Specialized Extracuricular Extermination Squad. We are humanity's only chance of discovering the truth behind the Dark Hour and ending it. And we need your help. Will you join us?"
I could have applauded. Even though I knew what his actual intentions were, I couldn't help but believe for that moment that he was being completely honest.
As to the offer... Something in me wanted to delay until I was more in control of the situation, had more information about Ikutsuki's plans and knew what Strega had been doing recently. But the only way I could realistically manage any of that was by being part of S.E.E.S. It might put me under Ikutsuki's thumb and prevent easy early contact with Strega, but more importantly I had no good reason to refuse. I'd seen proof that at least part of their story was true, and had been told that the fate of the world rested with this group. What could any sane seventeen year old say? "I will."
A subtle tension went out of the three older individuals, though Yukari's lips tightened. "I'm going for a walk," she announced before pushing off from the couch and leaving. No one spoke for a moment, until Ikutsuki clapped his hands together, smiling beatifically.
"Well, I'm glad you agreed. Truth be told, I didn't expect that to go so smoothly. You're the first person we've recruited in some time."
That didn't seem right, given that I knew Yukari had signed up only over a month ago. "How many people are there in S.E.E.S.?"
"Four."
"Five."
"Six."
Ikutsuki, Mitsuru and Akihiko all answered at the same time. Mitsuru glared at Ikutsuki and Akihiko glared at both of them. Ikutsuki raised his hands in defense, but was the first to speak.
"Well, counting you I suppose there really are five of you now. I don't count, I don't have a Persona, so think of me as a club advisor. For a club that kills shadows. Hmm... You might say I'm a little 'c'. Since the acronym is all capitalized...?" He quailed under our combined glare.
Mitsuru was the first to look away. "There are five of us: Myself, Akihko, Takeba, you and the chairman."
"Six," Akihiko insisted. "Shinji--"
"Left a long time ago, Akihiko. I don't like it either, but he made his choice and he chose to leave us. Now, Arisato, do you have any more questions...?"
Before Akihiko could start the inevitable argument, I decided to ask the most pressing question that I had. "So, am I going to get one of those guns?"
With a last warning look at the seething Akihko, Mitsuru answered. "Yes, but not immediately. We don't stock extra Evokers, and they're made in a specialized lab. Mr. Chairman, how long do you think it will take to have his Evoker made?"
Ikutsuki thought for a moment. "Not long, that's for sure. No longer than a week I imagine."
"Why not make extra? Does it take a week to make one or could you make several by doing them all at once?"
"That's probably not a good idea," said Akihiko. "Issuing one Evoker to each member enforces discipline, having extra of something makes people think that it's okay to lose one since it can be easily replaced. Can you imagine if a police officer found one?"
"But what about for emergencies? If you've got extra then you can put them in places where you might need one. And what if you do lose the one you're issued? Same problem, no solution. You could--"
Mitsuru cut me off. "Minato, while your suggestions are appreciated, keep in mind that you don't know how we do things. We have our reasons for what we do, and it is my hope that as you come to know us, you'll come to understand them." Her tone was lecturing, almost as if she was dealing with a child.
Of all of the...! What was she thinking? It wasn't like I was suggesting we tell the world about what going on here. I'd been trying to offer a suggestion that she herself had made months early (TIMETRAVEL) and she ignored me like she was--like she...
Oh. I felt stupid.
I'd gotten used to being an authority figure. My ability to use multiple Personas had made me the battle leader, which gave me a certain amount of credibility that neither Yukari nor Junpei had when setting general policy.
I was not a leader. I had yet to manifest one Persona, much less multiple.
Mitsuru had treated me like a new hire at her company because that's what I was in her mind. Just the new guy who had no idea how the company worked. She wasn't being any more disrespectful than the company head was to a hiree.
It made sense. I was still irritated. This interview was over.
I faked a yawn, which triggered a real one, and then several more. "Sorry," I said by way of explanation, "It's been a long day. Is there anything else that we need to talk about?"
Mitsuru shook her head. "It hardly needs to be said, but I think I will anyway: You musn't tell anyone of our activities. The last thing we need is word about the Dark Hour spreading, since people who are not aware of it can be drawn in just by becoming aware of it. Please, don't put anyone else at risk."
I nodded. "I can do that. Anything else?"
"Nothing. Except, welcome to S.E.E.S." And she smiled. It was gorgeous.
"Good night," I said, and went upstairs.
<><><><>
I didn't go to sleep immediately of course. I had an essay to write and unpacking to do. By the time I was done I had just enough time before the Dark Hour to look up the address of a cake shop on the way to school and get ready for bed. One advantage of the Dark Hour's existence is that if I had no evil tower of death summoning to climb I could get an extra hour of sleep. More when you factored in travel time and non-standard temporal progression during the Dark Hour.
I sighed, fully intending to enjoy another night of sleep without feeling my life's essence being pulled into a seal holding back elemental death from the world.
"Hi there! It's been a while!" ...Except I had to deal with my shadow.
I opened my eyes and sat up partway. Sitting at the edge of my bed, highlighted by the alien glow of the Dark Hour and kicking his legs like the maybe-nine year old he looked like was the Appraiser of Nyx. Again I thought he could have been mistaken for my younger brother.
Which was wrong since the boy wasn't human, but a Shadow in human form. After being sealed inside me for ten years, the Appraiser of Nyx had become human, at least in part. I've never been sure if that had been the purpose of the seal or a side effect.
"I thought you'd be happier to see me," said Pharos. "After all, it's been almost ten years. Well, we spoke last night, but that hardly counts," he chuckled.
"Ah... hello," I said tentatively. I'd expected a little more time before my next encounter with my doppelganger. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to give you a warning," he said. For once there was no trace of good humor in his voice. "The moon will be full tomorrow. In ancient times, such nights were worshipped--and feared--for what they brought out of mankind. All sorts of truths and...shadows." As he spoke, the light of the Dark Hour took on a grey tinge, almost as if the shadows in the room were deepening of their own accord. "The challenges that you will face on these nights will be like nothing you have ever faced. Do not be careless, or you will wish that your life was the only thing you had to lose."
"What...?" I managed to choke out, paralyzed by the menace in his words. Was it my imagination, or was his shadow actually that of Thanatos? Or was he the Shadow itself? I tried again, swallowing hard. "What are you talking about?"
Pharos sighed and shook his head. A moment passed as the Dark Hour returned to normal. Finally, he smiled and said, "I wanted to ask you a question. About when we first met."
"I don't remember it," I said automatically.
"That's what I used to think. But then I remembered remembering what happened on that bridge ten years ago, so I thought you might have remembered something too. Hey," he said, his eyes bright, "I think I might remember more if we went to the bridge! What do you think about that?"
I was so horrified at the thought of what Pharos "remembering" our first encounter would come to that I almost overlooked his exact words. "Wait, you 'remember remembering'? What you mean? No, more importantly, what did you remember?"
Pharos tilted his head back, then followed with his body until he flopped down onto the bed entirely. "I remembered the end. And because I remembered the end I remembered how it would begin."
"So you remember the bridge?"
"Nope!" He laughed. "That's not where it started. It started with you."
"Wha-?" I sat up, blinking hard, but when my eyes cleared no one was there. I glanced at the digital clock I'd plugged in and set before going to bed, but before I could look at my digital alarm clock the lights flicked off and the Dark Hour began.
A dream. So Pharos could enter my dreams? That was interesting. And it did explain why none of the other members had ever mentioned me talking in my sleep, or seen Pharos on the camera recordings.
Something about that explanation just felt wrong though. The dream had been too real. Maybe I was over-thinking it, but I had recently shattered time, and the Dark Hour had been caused by Death in the first place. Perhaps... No, that was unlikely. If Pharos could reset the Dark Hour, Nyx's Avatar would have. Besides, just because I had been dreaming did not preclude the dream from being real.
As I settled down, my mind was already whirling with plans for the next day. The first Greater Shadow was coming, and I needed to make sure I was ready.
<><><><>
Just as my mind slid from this world to the realm of dreams I felt a sudden sense of vertigo and a great gush of wind blew across me. I cracked my eyes open to confirm my fears as the rushing sensation continued, then squeezed them shut.
When I opened my eyes I was in a blue room, taller than it was wide. A familiar chair waited for me across from the room's permanent occupants, a man with an impossibly long nose and a young woman with pale features.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," said Igor. "We've been expecting you. I had planned to invite you here later, but recent events have inspired me to do so sooner. But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Igor, and this is Elizabeth, my assistant. This Velvet Room exists between mind and matter, dreams and reality..."
I slid down in my chair and let Igor's words wash over me. Why had Pharos and Igor decided to visit me on the same night? Couldn't my last night of peace be a peaceful one? No, of course not, good things didn't happen to me.
As Igor launched into what I recognized as an explanation as to the nature of the Velvet Room, which made no more sense now than it ever had, my tired brain seized on something from his introduction: namely, that he'd introduced himself at all. It seemed as though he really had forgotten me. I mentally took Igor and Elizabeth off the list of people I could talk to without invoking disaster.
The dreamlike nature of the space came made keeping my eyes open an exercise in futility. At the edge of my attention I noted that Igor's lecture about Persona and the arcana had stopped, and I finally fell asleep.
The sudden boom knocked me out of my two-second slumber and sent my chair crashing backwards. I stumbled to my feet reaching for my sword and my Evoker, finding neither. Elizabeth wordlessly retrieved her book from the table and stepped back to her position, an inscrutable half smile on her face. Igor was staring straight at me, and I set my chair straight feeling his gaze on my back.
When I was settled, he began to speak as though I hadn't fallen asleep. "Am I correct that something happened to you today? You met a stranger and formed a bond with him. This 'social link,' and others that that you will forge, chart your progress on life's journey. They will be the strength, and when the time comes, the bonds that you have formed will lead you to your answer. Do you understand?"
"I guess. The more friends I make the stronger Persona will be when I finally get it." He nodded. I weighed my options, and decided to ask in as roundabout way as possible the question that had been bugging me since saying goodbye to Junpei. "When I created that 'social link', there was a card: the Magician, from the tarot. Could I have two links through the same card? If I made another friend who was connected to the Magician, would the two of them contribute to the same link?"
"Hmm..." mused Igor, steepling his hands beneath his nose. "I would think not. Bonds with a group of people change with the group. On the other hand, bonds with an individual stay with that individual alone. For example, your connection to the Magician is with a single individual. The only way to change that individual is if you break that bond yourself."
That made sense, I decided. I hadn't known that I could break bonds of my own volition though. Now, there was one last question I needed to ask. How should I phrase it...? "Is one better than the other? Is there a way to tell whether one social link will be better?"
Igor's answer was a long time in coming and I got the sense that I had somehow disappointed him. His words were chiding. "That is quite a cold way of looking at it. To form true ties with others is a wonderful thing, and cannot be done for the sake of power." I looked away. "That said, the closer the relationship, the stronger the bond. The bond between strangers is ephemeral. Not so the bond between family." I suspected that companions in saving the world leaned closer to the latter category.
Elizabeth shifted subtly, drawing Igor's attention. "It seems that our time together is drawing to a close. Before you go, I have one final word. If you forget all else that I have told you this night, remember this: the connections you form will form your world in turn. Cherish the friends you make on their own merit and not for the power they will contribute to your Personas, or the bonds you form will be poisoned by your true intentions." He held my gaze for a long moment to impress on me the gravity of his injunction. "Well then. We shall meet again after you complete your first trial. Seek out the door in your world and I shall explain to you my function. Until we meet again, farewell."
As I stood to leave, Elizabeth pressed something into my hand. "Until we meet again," she said. Velvet Key in hand, I left the Velvet Room and stepped into true sleep.
<><><><>
End of chapter 3
Have an author's note in the bumping post, so do see that.
