I: Fate Intertwined

How long had it been since she was chained to keep the world's ruin at bay? She couldn't tell. Time flowed differently from where she was held captive—sluggish, distorted, out of loop, unlike from where the seasons passed like clockwork in the realm above. That kind of clockwork was a funny concept to her, how people tend to grasp and materialize it in their own terms and then forcefully shove their definitions in the throats of anyone. So as long as it's tangible, anyone would believe in those perspectives.

Time would never stop for anyone, they failed to realize that.

It would never stop for her either, she accepted it. While the flow of time in the darkness was comparably different from what she used to know, she found a strange sense of comfort in it. Befriend the clock, they would say, for it was man's companion throughout their lifetime. Oddly enough, she agreed with that sentiment. Sometimes, she would hear lapses of conversations, whispers of the past but it felt like a faraway dream to her. She wanted to believe it was time's way of acquiescing her pain and restlessness. After all, time and darkness were her only companions from the solitude she gained for accepting full responsibility of her actions.

Until she felt herself falling.

Without warning, she felt the barbed wire chains disappear and her chest lightening, letting her breathe more easily now. She felt herself falling downwards, albeit in a slow, muddled manner. Her senses told her to brace herself, to prepare to have what little of herself left be completely destroyed when she would reach the bottom of her fall.

But two strong arms caught her instead, and she instinctively clung to whoever caught her. The warmth emanating from the person was so comforting, a stark contrast to the darkness she knew.

"You are free from the Seal now, my dear," a voice finally spoke, one that was strangely familiar to her yet she couldn't remember where she had heard it. It felt like a distant memory. "The bonds you have forged are very powerful; I have underestimated them. These will keep the Seal in its place."

Silence enveloped them, as if giving her time to recollect her senses. Even so, she couldn't understand what the voice meant.

"That is alright, you will understand in time," a chuckle was heard from the person holding her in their arms. "For now, you must wake up."

"Your contract has expired, but fate has always worked in mysterious ways. Another journey has begun, and you, my dear guest, must help our new guest before he falls to his peril."

Her thoughts were still confused as the familiar voice continued on. "We do not have much time; the malevolent entity rises and he senses our move. We must make haste now. Theodore, bring me Lavenza. Tell her it's time."

With those words being spoken, she felt a tug in her consciousness, as if calling her to be somewhere. She felt herself fade back into the darkness once more, instinctively welcoming it as if it were her friend, before hearing the voice one last time. "Perhaps in the end, you need not to return here. But for now, you must wake up, my dear Fool."

April 9th, Saturday

She felt her head lulled to the side, accidentally hitting against the window of the train she was in. She blinked her eyes open before shutting quickly, the light peering from outside hurting her eyes. Though her eyes had been shut close, she could feel her body moving in a little forward, capturing the warmth from outside, and strangely familiar music playing in her ears.

Brilliant coppery eyes slowly opened again, adjusting to the light as she took in her surroundings.

She was on a train, sunlight seeping from her window and music playing in her headphones as the trip carried on. She turned her head towards the light, looking at the infinite skyline of buildings and skyscrapers of wherever she was traveling in with one thought running in her head. While looking out the window, she also caught sight of the pale reflection off it. A teenage girl with long, silky black hair clipped back with barrettes bearing the Roman numerals XXII, just enough to let her bangs flow freely and frame her face, and rich copper eyes looking back at her. She wore a dark gray jacket with a pocket over her the left side of her chest, a beige turtleneck sweater underneath it and dark jeans. A pair of earphones covered said part of her body that seemed like she never took them off.

Where am I? Who am I?

A moment after that thought, a song started to play through her ears as she lightly touched the earphones over them. "Write me an endless song…"

Without a second thought, her hand went to the strange device (her cellphone? She knew it had to be that, but it felt strange for her to hold it) and tapped the screen on it to turn off the music. She pulled her earphones down to hang around her neck as she shifted in her seat to get a better sense of comfort when she felt something drop from her lap. Looking down, she found a thick manila folder that seemed to be perfectly intact despite the unceremonious fall. She leaned over to pick it up, opening the folder gingerly as she went back to sitting properly.

The first thing she saw was a picture of herself staring back at her clipped to layers of papers and forms. Flipping the picture to the side, she scanned in the first page when a name in bold print caught her attention.

Shiomi Reina.

It was a nice name, yet it didn't sound right to her. Was this really my name…? She went to skim through the next pages with dexterity, finding any more relevant information that could jog her memory, as she leaned back against the seat into a more comfortable position. Transfer forms and transcripts from previous schools attended, medical records on spending a year in the hospital for treatment of some problem they didn't specify… I'm going to some school called Shujin Academy, and it's going to be my second year there?

As she read the answers to the questions she had in her mind, none of them really clicked with her. It didn't coincide with her nonexistent memory, and it felt incredibly off to her.

This is starting to scare me… who exactly am I?

At the end of the pile of documents, a single yellow post it note was stuck on the last paper. She peeled it off to take a better look at it.

Yongen-Jaya.

That was it—no phone number attached, nor a specific address. She cursed quietly to herself, running one hair through her bangs. This has got to be a sick joke. Whoever plotted this is not making things easy for me...

With a sigh, she returned the files back inside the folder and turned, taking a good look at her surroundings. It seemed to be like any ordinary train traveling across the busy Tokyo streets, packed with people of different age groups getting to their destinations. Though for some reason, she couldn't remember any prior experience of her traversing to the city proper this way. With that thought mulling over her head, she was about to stare back outside the window when she caught sight of someone sitting in the other end of the train.

There was nothing peculiar about him. He looked unassuming, with his fluffy black hair and steely gray eyes covered by his glasses. He wore a black jacket, left unbuttoned to reveal a cream colored sweater, and a pair of blue jeans. He seemed to be lost in thought, an unreadable expression marring his features, when he looked up and met her gaze.

Time seemed to stop flowing momentarily around them. There was something akin to recognition and surprise in the boy's face, but that was impossible; she never knew or saw him until today. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of a bluish flicker in his eyes and the sound of a crackling fire from the distance.

The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed…

An announcement that they arrived in Shibuya broke the stillness, and just like that, time resumed. The sea of people getting off the train blocked her view of the boy who was staring at her earlier, disappearing from her sight. She gathered her bag, folder held securely in her arms, and allowed herself to be led outside of the station with the swarm of people.

As if the inside was crowded enough, the streets of Shibuya was horrifyingly amassed with people. She bit back a groan and tried to navigate her way through the crowd, in hopes of maybe catching sight of that boy again. Although she was sure she had never met him in her entire life (or her previous life), there was something in him that sparked a familiarity within her. Like they were one and the same.

Unfortunately, the masses of people in a rush to get to their desired destinations left her being pushed left and right. It was impossible to catch him in this crowd.

With a disappointed sigh, Reina (she needed to call herself something, besides maybe after she got used to it, some of her memories would come back to her) shifted the weight of her bag a bit before deciding to look for this Yongen-Jaya place, wherever that could be. Maybe I'll find him soon enough…

Unknowingly to her, a red icon with a distorted black eye design had suddenly appeared on her phone.

All she could hear was a fizzing TV static that felt unsettling and surreal.

Reina had opened her eyes to a surreal yet grotesque world akin to Shibuya's underground station. The halls were bleeding red and purple, the lights were extremely dim they could almost fade out. The TV screens around her showed nothing but static, and the walls looked like a mass of red and black veins, spreading throughout the ceilings and wherever it could touch like cancer cells.

As for herself, she realized that she was wearing her new school uniform.

Reina placed a hand on her head, trying to rack her brain on how she ended up here. After learning how to tamper with her phone (the phone model felt way too new for her, as if it was years advanced from what she knew), she made use of the navigation app on it and found her way to Yongen-Jaya, the place written on the sticky note. She had a hunch that this was where she would be living, but she took time to ask people around if they knew where she was actually staying. Most of them were clueless, if not annoyed to have her bother them with her questions. Luckily, a man who seemed to be closing up a nearby cafe had an idea of her arrival there and guided her to the house she was staying, which happened to be a few blocks near the cafe. Apparently he was friends with her new guardian, but the said person wasn't going to be around until Monday so the man told her to might as well make herself feel at home with her new living quarters.

She remembered unpacking the few things that really did belong to her—some clothes, her new school uniform, a few books, and a small box that seemed to be sealed shut—before flopping onto her bed and falling into dreamland.

This must be a dream then… With no other options in her mind, she got up from the ground and decided to walk around carefully in this strange area.

All she could see was a replication of the area, patterning itself, as she delved cautiously deeper. As far as she was concerned, she was also the only person in this strange world.

She had walked for quite a while, when voice was heard from nowhere. "Do you seek emancipation…?"

Reina stopped walking as she waited to hear the voice again, unsure whether it belonged to someone human. All she could think of it was that it was deep, too cold and menacing that it sent a shiver down her spine.

"So… you are the extra player in this game… how clever of him to put you in the arena…"

She could hear the unsettling static from the TVs grow louder, and instinctively she put on a fighting stance. She felt a gust of wind pass through the area a bit, and as soon as it passed, she was surprised to see what was in her possession. A naginata held firmly in her right hand, and a gun holstered around her hips.

"Let me see what you are capable of…"

She could feel a malevolent force surrounding her despite not seeing a figure of sorts. Without much of a thought, Reina lunged forward and drew forth her naginata, slashing at thin air.

It seemed to hit something as she pulled back, and the voice spoke again. "Hmm… so your heart sees where the distortion begins…"

Reina didn't give a thought on what the voice meant on its words. Instead, the dark haired girl pulled out the gun from her holster, but instead of pointing it at wherever this force was coming from, she pointed it at her head. Pulling the trigger, she heard the sound of glass breaking and a shadowed figure appeared from above her, swooping down to hit the force with whatever it was holding.

"How interesting… you still put up a fight even without your memory… perhaps you could be useful in this game…"

At that, the dark and red hues in the area seemed to pulse around her. She was starting to feel nauseous and tired, but nonetheless she tried to hack and slash at wherever the force was, but her naginata didn't seem to hit anything. She shot herself in the head again and the shadowed figure emerged, but it didn't seem to hit anything either.

"Your tricks of old are astounding, but it seems that he has restricted the potential that flows in you… this is truly interesting…

"Let us play this game on my terms… and perhaps when you understand the facets of it..." A chuckle was heard, amused by this notion. "We shall meet again… I look forward to it, Fool…"

With that, Reina felt herself losing consciousness and the world turned to black around her.

April 10th, Sunday.

Reina woke up in cold sweat, sitting up abruptly and throwing the covers off her. She breathed heavily, slightly aware of the sunlight streaming through her window and the clock on her bedside reading 7:00 AM. "What the hell… was that…?!"

Slowly, she managed to catch her breath again, evening it out, and calmness started to return to her senses. However, it was short-lived as she stifled the urge to scream in panic when she looked down at her hands.

The same naginata she had in her dreams were grasped in both of her hands, the gun that she had dreamt to shoot herself with was nowhere to be found. It took most of Reina's willpower not to scream at the sight of the weapon that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Calm down, Reina," she told herself, though her voice sounded faraway to her. "First, you need to stash this away so nobody could see them, not even your guardian. The last thing you need is a botched up explanation on where you got this, or you'll never hear the end of it from the cops. Then, you'll get dressed and introduce yourself to your new guardian. And after that, you'll figure out what to do with this weapon and what you're going to do with your first day of school tomorrow. Yeah, that's it. Everything will be alright…"

Unfortunately, she wasn't so convinced with her last two statements.

April 11th, Monday.

Ken Amada hated Shujin Academy.

He would have dismissed the idea of the school itself had it not bragged for being one of the better known schools in Tokyo and guaranteeing a college application in any university in Japan. That, and also Mitsuru Kirijo had helped in pulling strings for him to enroll and stay there for his high school career. He felt that he owed her that much for it, aside from providing him shelter and enough money to support his basic needs. And for a moment, he did find Shujin Academy a competent school… had it not been for the students and faculty themselves.

Ken grimaced inwardly as he passed through the throng of students in the hallway, chatters and gossips filling every nook and cranny. The topic was all the same—a transfer student was coming in today, but apparently he had a criminal record to his name. Despite the pristine reputation Shujin consistently kept over the years, it took the brunette by surprise that the school board would let a juvenile student enroll here. Something about having to boost the school's reputation, he supposed? However, it didn't really seem the case when the students broke out in whispers and thought of conspiracies on what kind of crime the transfer student committed.

Gekkoukan was much nicer compared to this… He thought, remembering how the students were friendlier and didn't really talk bad about anyone there.

He sighed and continued his pace, not wanting to bother himself with the rumors going about. He climbed a flight of stairs and took a few more steps in the hall before stopping short at a door where a female student with dark brown hair styled in a bob cut was about to get inside.

"Makoto-san," Ken greeted. Crimson irises flitted to his light brown eyes, recognition apparent. "Ken-san, glad you could make it for the meeting."

"Wouldn't dream of being late for it." Ken remarked, humoring her. The girl, Makoto, just gave a small smile of amusement and pushed the door open, where a couple of members from the student council gathered and chattered quietly among themselves.

"Alright, settle down now." Makoto said, signaling everyone to keep quiet. Ken took a seat nearest to the door as the student council president took out a file from her bag, showing to her fellow council members a bespectacled guy in the Shujin Academy uniform. Ken didn't seem to recognize him though. "Okay, first order of business, we have a new transfer student coming in today. His name is Amamiya Ren, and—"

"Wait, I heard about this!" One student council member perked up and cut off the president, worry evident in her tone. "Didn't he assaulted some adult or something?"

Whispers started to grow among the members, concern showing in their faces. Ken felt equally pissed and intrigued at how the conversation was now flowing. They're jumping to conclusions already, I can't believe this. It's too soon to even tell…

"I was about to get to that point before I was so rudely interrupted," Makoto commented, giving a pointed look at the girl's direction. "But anyway, if that's the case, then we should keep a close eye on him. Though this should have been something confidential among the teachers. How the students figured this out in the first place…"

"Shouldn't we be concerned about the students' safety for this?" A male member spoke, before glancing over at Ken. "Amada-san, you're the Head of the Disciplinary Committee. Shouldn't you do something about this?"

"He hasn't assaulted anyone here, as far as I'm concerned," Ken said, unamused and annoyed at the overreaction of his fellow council members. "As long as he hasn't hurt anyone, I don't think there's a need to tell him off."

"But he's a criminal," another girl said, exaggerating on the last word.

"He would have been in juvie, if that's the case." Ken rebutted. "But he's studying here now, right? The new kid is probably just serving a probationary sentence here. If he's smart, he wouldn't cause any trouble unless he wants to spend time in juvie."

"Ugh, but why our school?"

"The principal probably just wants to boost our rep, like we can make him change his ways or something!"

"That's just bullshit."

Ken sighed and tuned out the comments of the other council members. He questioned their credibility to be in position sometimes.

Makoto clapped her hands, catching everyone's attention back to her. "Okay, enough of that. On a similar note, another transfer student's coming in this morning too, and the principal asked if one of us could volunteer to show her around Shujin—"

"Another one? What are the odds…"

"Do you think she's a felon, just like that other transfer student?"

"I'll bet she's a babe or something."

Ken suddenly raised his hand. "I'll do it, Makoto-san," he said a little too loudly. The comments were starting to grate on his nerves, and he needed a way to wheedle out of this before he would lose it.

"Perfect!" Makoto exclaimed, relief subtly showing in her face. "She should be waiting in the principal's office by now. Her homeroom teacher should be Inui-sensei."

Ken nodded, standing up from his seat and heading towards the door, not before hearing Makoto drone about the upcoming volleyball rally. When he closed the door leading to the student council room, he let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he hated his position on the council, but sometimes he questioned his decision on it. There was a rush he felt whenever he could help out his fellow students and give them the justice they deserve, especially when the adults couldn't do anything about it. But he wished he could say the same for his other council members…

Picking up his pace, he decided to push those thoughts at the back of his mind. Now, I wonder what the new girl's like...

I feel like I'm in a prison filled with gajillion inmates, Reina thought glumly, discreetly scrunching her face. Like the students are the convicts, and the teachers are the damned correctional officers…

She arrived earlier than she was expected to be in Shujin Academy and took a good, solemn look at her new school. Despite the prestige it held to its name, she couldn't help but shake the feeling of being trapped inside here. After a while, she let herself follow the flow of students trickling inside the school, wandering around a bit until she found the principal's office. Her guardian, who turned out to be an owner of a medical clinic named Tae Takemi, was supposed to help her in settling in her transfer to Shujin, but a few calls from patients who needed her direct attention in her clinic left Reina having to deal with it all by herself.

(She couldn't blame Dr. Takemi for that, though. Even if she seemed nonchalant and languorous about taking her in, not to mention the medical drugs she's engineering on. They're my own creation so of course they'll be safe, does it look like I'm willing to spill blood on my patients? she mentioned yesterday when Reina asked about her medical practice. The dark haired teen had placed her trust on her guardian on that… but she was still cautious whenever Takemi would ask if Reina would like to try the drug.)

Reina almost blanched at the sight of the principal sitting behind his desk. He was ridiculously stout and rotund, almost reminding her of a walking potato. His bald head didn't seem to help the case, neither did his suit that seemed to threaten to rip should he put in more food in his stomach. Next to him was a tall, mildly muscular man in athletic wear. He had long black, unkempt hair and thick eyebrows, and jawline that was broad and square. The two men seemed to be deeply immersed in their talk until Reina noticeably cleared her throat, alerting them of her presence.

"Ah! You must be the other transfer student. Shiomi Reina, right?" The principal said, upon noticing her standing in front of them. Reina could feel the heated and curious stare coming from the other man, and she shifted uncomfortably in her place. "Yes, that would be me. I'm sorry my guardian couldn't come and accompany me today. Dr. Takemi has patients that needs her immediate care."

The portly man didn't seem to care much of what she said, and continued speaking. "My name is Principal Kobayakawa. Now, we've received your transcripts from the schools you've attended, and my, you're quite a star student! Your academic scores are stellar and you have been given recognition on being part of the volleyball team in your previous school." While he droned on about her achievements (which she couldn't quite remember), Reina could almost feel the malicious smirk on the other man's face. She felt vulnerable in her position, and she felt like any minute, that man would swoop in and take her like some prey.

Can you please shut up and get on with it? I want to get out of here, she mentally screamed.

"Although it's a pity that you had to lose your parents and nearly your own life in an accident on a bridge more than ten years ago in Port Island," Principal Kobayakawa said, sympathy evident in his voice, and Reina darkened at that. Though she vaguely recalled that, she couldn't believe this man was talking about a sensitive incident like it was another trivial topic. "With that said, we will be sure to welcome you to Shujin Academy with open arms, Shiomi-san."

Then, he gestured towards the man next to him, who was still focusing on her. "Before I forget, this is Kamoshida Suguru, the school's PE teacher as well as the coach of the volleyball team and former Olympian gold medalist." The principal's tone was so patronizing that Reina had to hide her grimace at that. "Unfortunately, your homeroom teacher, Mr. Inui, isn't here right now, but I supposed Mr. Kamoshida wouldn't mind giving you a tour around the campus?"

"Not at all, principal!" The other man, Kamoshida, said. His smile was too wide and cheerful that Reina felt unnerved by it. "It would be an honor showing this lovely lady around our school. Perhaps I can show her the gym where the volleyball team practices, show her some few tricks of the trade!"

"N-No, it's fine, really!" Reina said, attempting to pull herself out of her situation. "I wasn't really planning to join volleyball this year…"

Kamoshida didn't seem to be deterred by it. "You can get far if you join, you can even get the starter position. I assure you, it will be an honor to have you play on our Nationals-level volleyball team. And with a build like that," his eyes glazed over her body, lingering a little too longer for her comfort. "You would make an excellent addition!"

Before she could politely decline his offer, a knock was heard before the door opened, letting in a male student. "Excuse me, Principal Kobayakawa. I'm from the student council, and you sent someone to show the transfer student around…?"

"Ah, that's right!" The said man exclaimed in realization. "I requested Niijima-san for that. I'm glad you took up the request, Amada-san."

"It's no trouble at all, sir." Ken said politely, before turning around to the new student. Reina swore she saw his brown eyes flicker in shock, and she couldn't help but feel something nagging at the back of her mind, as if telling her she should remember him. Why does he seem familiar…?

"I don't think there's a need for him to show her around," Kamoshida huffed, obviously displeased at Ken's sudden appearance. "He should be heading back to class! I can take it from here."

"It's fine, Kamoshida-sensei," Ken said coolly, though he could feel his irritation sparking up again. "Chouno-sensei is absent today, so we have a free period right now. I can show her around in the meantime. Besides, aren't you supposed to be teaching PE in a while?"

"Amada-san has a point, Suguru," Principal Kobayakawa said. "Well, now that matters are settled, I do hope you'll enjoy your stay here, Shiomi-san!"

Reina smiled politely at the two men before following Ken outside the office, sighing in relief when the two continued to walk until they were no longer in listening vicinity from them. She did notice the glower on Kamoshida's face when Ken made his point.

"Don't involve yourself with him," Ken said, not skipping a beat. He heard of the rumors of what the ex-Olympian did to his volleyball team, and admittedly, it was one of the few rumors he believed to be true.

"I won't," Reina said with a grimace. "There's something about him that's so unsettling… I don't think I want to be in the same room with him again."

Ken stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. At first glance, she seemed like any other regular student in her standard Shujin Academy uniform, although he noted she left her blazer unbuttoned and wore thigh highs instead of stockings like most of the girls in the school. Her hair was clipped back a bit with barrettes forming the Roman numeral XXII, keeping a few strands from covering her blue eyes. But, for some reason, Ken swore that he looked like someone who was important to him from years ago (even though this was the first time he met her).

I'm probably just overthinking this, he told himself mentally, shaking his head. Pushing that thought to the recesses of his mind, he gave the new girl a small smile. "Good. Even without the rumors, he spells trouble for you."

Reina tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? Rumors?"

"I'll tell you about them some time," he said with a chuckle. Then, he offered hand out towards her. "Anyway, I'll be showing you around Shujin. My name is Amada Ken."

She looked at it a bit before taking his hand into hers, shaking it. There was a jolt of familiarity when their hands touched. Huh, what is this…

Deciding to not trouble herself with this now, she offered Ken a smile of her own. "Nice to meet you, Amada-kun. I'm Shiomi Reina."

A/N: So, after scrolling through numerous fanfics here and on AO3, getting through a lot of playthroughs of P3 and P5 and mulling on this idea for quite some time, I finally decided to put this out. I've been meaning to work on something like this since P5 came out, but I couldn't think of how to play it through [but sadly I couldn't add P4 in the mix since I haven't really finished playing it yet *cries*].

If you guys picked up the hints, Ken will be a prominent character here and one of the main characters is built on the P3 Hero but I decided to put my own twist to it [because technically, you're the one who builds up the protag and decide how s/he interacts with the rest, so why not?]. But of course, our dear Joker still holds the limelight.

Thanks for reading this, and I'm open to constructive criticism and advice on how to improve this more!