DISCLAIMER:
The Persona series is not mine.
The picture that I use for the cover is not mine either.
All credits go to their respectful owners.
This story is purely of the author's mind. The chances that there are some things in the story that are the same with what you know are coincidental.
Please enjoy this series that I've worked hard to make it happen.
Happy Reading~ :3
"Welcome to the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." I could hear the voice of a rickety old man.
As the surroundings became clearer, I could see a room covered in blue velvet. The room appears more likely as an elevator that's ascending endlessly.
In the middle, there is but a blue table and chair which looks as if they're made out of the velvet of the same color.
On the chair sits someone who looks like an old man and beside him is what looks like a man wearing the same color as the interior of the room.
"I am Igor and this is my assistant." The old man smiles.
The man also smiles and gives a light bow.
"My name is Theodore. Most refer to me as Theo. A pleasure." He says in a calm manner and continues to stand upright.
Theo looks as though he has natural white hair that seems to be tidied up. He also has bright yellow eyes, similar to a cat's.
Theo also wears a blue cap that looks as if it's a flight attendant's or a bellboy's. He is wearing a formal suit with a mix of black and blue with white gloves holding a somewhat ancient looking book.
"It seems as though you've twisted your faith. Well... with the help of a certain person, mind you." Igor laughs.
"Fate itself cannot be avoided. Though you have changed it, this is merely an intervention of a certain individual." Somehow, it feels as if Igor said those words with menace.
"I see that time is passing quite quickly. I'm afraid that that is all the time we have left for now. Do awaken and live through your new fate. Till we meet again." Igor chuckles and the surroundings slowly faded away to black.
It was a bright and sunny afternoon! It's almost 6 o'clock though...
I was at the usual Iwatodai dorm on a usual Sunday day off from school.
I was laying on one of the long and brown couches in the center of the lounge, watching tv stated at the front of the couches where anyone could see clearly.
I just woke up from somewhat a really long nap.
"I wonder why no one's at home yet..." I ponder, feeling a bit disappointed...
The whole dormitory is quiet and the only sound emanating from this whole floor is the television.
On a hot summer such as this, Mitsuru-san would be reading one of her fairly difficult books just like Fuuka-chan.
Junpei would constantly complain about how hot the weather is while eating a melting popsicle and Yukari-chan would be telling him off that if he didn't talk as much then he wouldn't feel even hotter.
Sanada-senpai would be all about training, no matter what weather.
Koro-chan would just lie down on the carpeted floor to cool off and feel less hot.
Ken-kun would be reading his weekly magazines featuring the Phoenix Ranger Featherman.
I let out a slight laugh.
Ken-kun always tries to act all adult like and I wish that he could at least enjoy his life at a slow pace.
"Hah..." it feels so empty here...
Just as I thought to myself that, I heard the door creak open so I immediately stood up and ran towards the front door to see who it was.
Upon entering, I saw a man together with Koro-chan.
He looked up at the scenery of the whole room and announced:"We're home!"
It didn't seem like he saw me since I was just beside the door, not at the front.
"Haha. Not like anyone is here. Right, Koromaru?" He crouched down to pet Koromaru, laughing at himself.
'Not like anyone is here'?
"Umm... W-welcome back?" I say in an unsure tone.
To my surprise, he turned around and saw me, looking quite shocked too.
Who is this man? I wonder towards myself.
He had hazelnut hair that's almost reaching his shoulders. He's also wearing our Gekkoukan middle school uniform with a white belt attached. He also seems to have a yellow arm band that says:Student Council.
A friend of Mitsuru-san, I guess?
Weird though, I've been to the student council and I've never seen this person before...
"Umm... Who are you?" I ask cautiously.
Koro-chan suddenly pounced on me, licking me over and over.
"Ahahahaha! Stop it, Koro chan!" I laugh, trying to playfully push him away,.
"H-hey! Koromaru! Quit that!" He immediately pulled Koro-chan away from me and glared at me quite fiercely.
"I should be the one asking who you are! What are you doing here?" He looked quite angry.
I somehow became heated up.
"I live here! What are you talking about?" I retaliate and he looked confused.
"No one lives here anymore except Koromaru and I!" He immediately came back with a say.
"Huh? That's not possible. Mitsuru-san, Junpei, Aegis, Fuuka-chan, Sanada-senpai, Yukari-chan, Koro chan and Ken-kun also live in this dorm." My voice softened, thinking back on what he said.
"I'm Ken... Mitsuru-san and the others already left this place..." the confusion in his eyes never left him.
"Ken?! As in, Amada Ken? That's not possible! Ken-kun is cute and young. He's 11 years old." I say.
The two of us became more and more confused.
"Lets sit down first." He sighs, and takes a seat on the couch.
I follow his lead and take a seat on the couch opposite of him.
Koro-chan stayed beside this self proclaimed 'Ken' guy, smiling.
"First of all, may I ask for your name?" He looked at me from top to bottom with a suspicious gaze.
"I'm Minako Arisato..." I mumble.
"M-Minako? Arisato?" He repeats, dumbfounded.
"That's right." I smile quite weirdly.
"Do you have any particular relation with Minato Arisato?!" He stood up frantically, staring at me with eyes giving off a strong sense of expectation.
"M-Minato... Arisato... My...brother?" I answer in a question.
"But that's impossible! Minato-san isn't here anymore and his relatives are dead!" He screamed at me and I flinched in fear.
"Ah, sorry..." He sat back down slowly.
"But how are you here...? Could you please tell me everything that you know about this dorm...?" He stared at me with pleading eyes.
Somehow, I couldn't say no and answered.
He might also know about some things.
I told him about how I transferred to Gekkoukan High school and how I lived at Iwatodai dorm. Finding out about the shadows and unleashing personas. Aragaki-senpai being in a coma... Exterminating all the 12 shadows and awakening Nyx and triggering The Fall. I remember that we were able to defeat Nyx and stop The Fall from occurring and graduated. That's about all that I could remember.
"No way..." He muttered, eyes wide.
"We did all those things with MINATO Arisato. What's happening here... This couldn't be a mere coincidence..." He looked as if he was talking to himself and so I spoke up.
"You too... You say that you're Ken-kun. You look a lot like him, I admit but how could Ken-kun be older and taller than I know he is?" I became confused.
I tried to create and think of various reasons but there wasn't one reason that was appropriate enough.
"Minako-san, I'll tell you. About where your memory ended, what date was it?" Instead of telling me what I needed to know, he asked me another question.
If I answer him, then he could tell me what I want to know faster, right?
"If I could remember... It's March 5, which is... today. Haha." I laugh at myself.
"That's not right. Where your memory stopped is from March 5, two years ago. And also, Minato-san is..." I could hear Ken say something but it was too soft that I wasn't able to find out what it is.
"So you're... Ken-kun of two years from now?" I ask, cocking my head.
"I'm the present Ken... Minako-san, if you were indeed with us, then why are you here...? Could you have come from the past as an alternate Minato-san?" He nods to himself. He looks as though that his conclusion is right.
"In a world like this, I guess that even something like people coming from the past or another universe wouldn't be impossible." I smiled but he wasn't amused.
"Your room is...?" He asks, petting Koro-chan.
"3rd floor, last room. The girl's floor, of course." I smiled.
"That room wasn't inhabited before though." Ken-kun looks as if he has a lot of questions in his head. I guess I can't blame him. Even I'm feeling that way.
"Hmm... In my memory, the room that wasn't inhabited was the last room of the second floor." I try to find more information that I could give him so we could solve this issue.
"At least that part makes a little bit more sense... How old are you?" It seems as though he still has a lot of questions.
"Umm... I think that everything that you know about Minato is the same as me except gender and stuff like that..." I felt a little bit embarrassed for some reason.
"But you sure have grown, Ken-kun!" I grin. "Do you still love the Phoenix Rangers?" I added.
"What?! I never liked something as childish as that..." He blushed.
I stood up and went to the kitchen.
"Hey! What are you doing?" He stood up and followed me to the kitchen.
I took a cup and some jars of sugar and coffee powder.
"You just got here so I thought that you might be thirsty." I say, smiling as I take a 1/4 tablespoon of coffee powder and put it into the cup.
"How do you like your coffee, Ken-kun?" I ask, pouring hot water in the cup.
"B-black please..." He was hesitant on his answer.
"Oops. I'm so clumsy! I accidentally poured sugar and milk in it." I laugh, pouring milk and sugar 'accidentally' into the cup. After that, I stirred the coffee and gave it to Ken-kun.
"I always do this to Ken-kun." I chuckle. "I'm pretty sure Minato also did this to you. It's all thanks to him that you've grown this much." I add.
"Aren't you confused about this, Minako-san?" He looked worried but he still drank the coffee I gave him which made me smile.
"There's no point in worrying if I can't remember or find out the reason, right? It's much better to look forward and live life in the moment." I stare at him with happiness.
"I guess..." his expression never changed and he silently drank the coffee.
"Hahaha. It's funny how you've changed so much in just two years. I'm not sure of what happened but I guess that I'll just take this. You grew a lot more handsome, Ken-kun! We're almost the same age too. Well, there's still a little bit of an age gap but it's close!" I laugh, blushing a bit.
"O-of course not! Thank you though..." That's what he said but he looks content about it.
"Have you eaten dinner? I'll cook dinner anyway. By the way, I'm guessing that Mitsuru-san and the others are in university? What are they doing and where are they now?" I ask while I prepare for dinner.
"Kirijo-senpai is now a university student along with Sanada-senpai who travels around the world to become stronger. Iori-senpai became a coach for a little baseball league. Takeba-senpai landed a role as the pink ranger for Phoenix Ranger Featherman Victory TV show. Aegis supports Kirijo-senpai in her tasks as the leader of the Shadow Operatives." He mumbles then heads to the stairs located at the far end of the lounge.
"I'm going to take a shower first. I'll come back though." He looked alarmed and I nodded with an "I'll stay here." response. He hurriedly went upstairs after hearing my response.
Koro-chan followed after him,leaving only me in the lounge.
I let out a heavy sigh.
I don't remember much and I can't worry other people...
I try to think of various things to understand my situation.
"Ah!" I exclaimed.
The Velvet Room.
I looked both left and right, front and back but... I don't see the door...
"Paulownia Mall!"
There's a narrow alley down in Paulownia Mall and that's where I always visit the Velvet Room for requests and such.
Upon my sudden idea, I immediately headed out through the front door and to Paulownia Mall.
Sorry Ken-kun, Koro-chan... I'll be back, alright?
Then something came to mind.
Why is it that I remember the Velvet Room yet I don't remember its denizens?
I thought of it as I ran through the busy streets.
After what seemed like a few minutes, I've arrived at Paulownia Mall.
It's as busy as always.
Nothing much has changed from what I know.
2 years you say...
The antique shop and arcade stated at the right looks as lively as always.
The coffee shop, club and police station at the left is as composed as it has always been.
The fountain in the middle is somehow familiar...
I suddenly snorted.
Somehow, I remember something nostalgic here.
I can't tell what it is but it's somewhat sad...
I then saw the alleyway beside the police station.
I slowly walked towards that place and peeked inside.
I didn't see anything but a dead end.
I sighed with disappointment.
I walked towards a bench near the fountain and sat down.
I hung my head and stared at the dirty cement floor.
"I have to be strong." I mutter to myself.
"Ain't no way I'm gonna give up so easily." Encouraging myself, I raised my head and stood up.
But I'm all alone now and there's no one here who knows me...
I sat back down.
Getting depressed then getting strong willed and then getting afraid again... I'm an idiot.
A small tear wells up on my eye.
I look back down and wipe the tear before it falls.
"Hah...Hah... Minako-san...?" I heard a tired voice and saw someone in front of me.
"Ken...-kun...?" When I looked up, I saw Ken-kun and Koro-chan sweating and panting endlessly. I stood up and took out a handkerchief and wiped Ken-kun's sweat.
"What's wrong? Are you two okay? You're sweating like a river." I say in worry.
"Hold on, I'll go buy some water." I turned to get some water but Ken-kun grabbed my wrist.
"Don't just run outside at night without telling me first! It's really dangerous, do you know that?! You fight shadows but humans are different! Even if we just met today, you are still a girl!" He shouts at me and I pat his head in response. He looked at me with confusion and I smiled.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Ken-kun but I am not a princess." My voice sounded colder than it normally is but it seems like Ken-kun didn't notice it because he was too focused on finding me, I think.
"Lets go back home for now. I really appreciated your concern. It made me somewhat happy." I smiled.
For a second, I did feel that someone needed me.
Ken-kun, Koro-chan and I went back to the dorms and I cooked some fried chicken with soup as a side dish. I also made a vegetable salad to balance the meal and gave Koro-chan some good 'ol dog food.
"Ken-kun, you like fried chicken, right? Tomorrow morning, I'll make an omelette!" I brightened up at that moment then thought of something.
"Wait... This is two years into the future right? For me anyway. So... Ah... hmm..." I sat down on the dining table beside Ken-kun.
"What's wrong?" He asked. He still has rice on the corner of his lip. Haha. I'm glad he didn't change so much.
I wiped the rice away with a tissue and smiled at him.
"I was just thinking... I should get into university for next month. Meanwhile, I'll get a part time job and try to solve all this mess. Ken-kun is in middle school, right? I could help you if you have homework, you know." I gave an encouraging smile.
"Ah, thank you very much, Minako-san. I appreciate your help." He smiled back at me.
"Also, there are still shadows lurking around. There aren't much missing people as before though." He mentions outta the blue.
"I see..." my voice softens at the thought.
"Oh, Ken-kun. How's middle school? I want to hear all about it. I remember how you try to be an adult and such. In this age, I guess you're already an adult. You're even taller than me actually. I remember when you told me that you love me and things like that in a sibling like manner." I chuckle and he blushed in response.
"Uhh... Well, I'm part of the soccer club and also the student council." He looked uncomfortable and stood up, thanking for the food.
"Woof!" Koro-chan barked signalling that he was also finished with his dog food.
I took the plate but he insisted that he'd wash them so Koro-chan and I just followed him.
"I see. Following in Mitsuru-san's footsteps?" I joke. "How're your grades? Great, I bet?" I smile.
He opens the faucet in the kitchen sink and washes the plates. "They're fine, I could say."
"I see, I see. Well then, make sure to take a nice long bath, okay? You got sweaty when you and Koro-chan were looking for me, right? Thanks again and I'm sorry for causing you confusion and trouble. I'll try to not get in the way and be of some help. Good night then." Not expecting an answer, I went to my room which I mentioned before.
I went inside and laid on my bed.
"See?" I tell myself.
"All my stuff is here so how...?" I open my closet and rummage my belongings and they're all here.
My room is clean and there's no dust like always.
If I check Minato's room, I might have an idea.
I open my door and head to the second floor.
If I could recall, Ken-kun said that his room was at the end at the right side.
I slowly head there and only to get hit by a door near my side.
"Ouch!" I exclaimed and rubbed my hurt shoulder on instinct.
"Oh! Minako-san, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you. What are you doing here?" Ken-kun just got out of the bath along with Koro-chan. The strands of his hair was still wet. Koro-chan's fur was the same.
"Nothing much. You two should dry up or you'll catch a cold!" I rant as I took Koro-chan's towel and wiped his fur.
I noticed that Koro-chan was wearing an orange vest.
"Ah... This is your vest, right? Seems like you've overgrown it." Talking to Ken-kun, I touch the fabric of the vest that Koro-chan is wearing with my free hand and noticing how rough and worn it has become.
"Ken-kun should also dry up. Well that's all. I'll be hitting the sack now. G'night." I waved goodbye and so did they. I went back upstairs and into my room with dissatisfaction.
I don't want them to suspect me or get worried.
This is my own problem and I have to fix it.
This is all still quite a shock to me knowing that I've gone into the future and all.
It all just seems so fanciful.
I still have some time to figure this out. I shouldn't hurry up too much.
I decided to give up for the day and call it a night.
A few hours passed when I fell asleep and I suddenly had an urge to wake up so I did.
When I awoke, I saw something familiar and different.
"This is... the Velvet Room." I looked around and saw no one but Theo.
Wait... The Velvet Room?!
-To be continued-
I was inspired to make this fanfic because I saw that SEES was all grown up in Persona Ultimax Arena and I was somehow afraid about what happened to Minako Arisato! D:
Like is she not coming back anymore? That's why I wanted to make a fanfic to show that she still exists in my heart and also exists in other's too. :)
So was chapter 1 good? How was it? Please tell me what you think and follow me if you want to get the latest updates of my stories. Please and thank you! XD
Next chapter will be out next week! :3
Thanks for reading!