Okay I finally manage myself into rewriting this. Let's hope I don't screw up at some point like normally.
Minato: You'll screw up and you know it.
Hamuko: Stop that! He's giving his best.
Which is not much if I admit it...
Hamuko: *smacks my head*
Ow, I guess I better get started.
I do not own ANY persona material.
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Chapter 1 Reborn
Another day or so Minato thought. He had long ago lost track in time. Since day 1 actually, there was no way to keep track of time at the end of the world.
Erebus kept banging against the seal, but it was of no use.
"Maybe you should try a lock pick." he joked. Erebus didn't listen. You'd think that with the universe you would be able to do both, keeping a god away and continue living.
Well apparently every god at least has the power of the world arcana. Which alone was a whole lot, but combine it with the natural arcana of every god and they're even stronger. Every arcana has its own powers. I don't think death needs to be explained.
Minato himself was not sure what he resembled in the past. Was it the fool or had Thantos enough influence over him to change it to death. He felt most comfortable with personas of both arcanas.
Oh a shooting star! Ah, crap, it was just his imagination. Oh well, maybe it counts too? So what would he wish the most?
A never ending bowl of ramen?
Being with his friends?
All his feminine friends in a harem?
He shook his head before it got more ridiculous.
"What do you want the most?"
What would he want the most? Well his friends were very important to him. It was a miracle itself of how much he changed during this year.
At first he used the social links only to get stronger persona and maybe free food. He had plenty of time to spent, so why not?
But the more he spent time with them, the more he realized, that he actually cared about them and that they started to care about him.
No one really did up until this point. No relative really was able to get along with his attitude for long. He had not always been like this.
He sighed. Maybe if she had been alive, he at least would have come over his depression. He never really did. The real gun in his drawer had been proving enough. A girlfriend? He never opened up that much to anyone.
No one knew he had a sister, well maybe except Mitsuru who had access to all his files. If she did, she had enough tact to never ask about her.
The headphones, he and his sister had chosen each a pair for their birthday, his blue and hers red. She only heard music from them once. At least she didn't need to hear the screams of pain from their parents or so he hoped.
He would give everything to see her again, everything. Just for one last moment he would do everything.
He would cry, just thinking about her, but it was not possible as a statue.
"Hamuko..." he whispered.
"I want her back."
"What would you do?"
"What do you want, Nyx!?" he snarled.
"I want to learn from you."
"Learn?"
"Learn how it is possible, that a mortal obtained a greater power, than one of a god."
"And how do you want to get us out, WITHOUT Erebus getting to you?"
"Lend me your power. Together we can escape and I can give you your sister."
"You think I would fall for that?"
"Of course, you can stay here for the rest of eternity. Speak to me when you change your mind."
"Grrr." Nyx had him. He could almost feel her smiling at him from her prison.
"Just one think: how do you plan on reviving my sister? You're death and not life or something else."
"She is not dead."
"What!?"
"I found her in another world. On the time you were made a host of my son, I noticed a discord. I ignored it up until I was sealed. Curiosity overcame me and I examined it further. I made the discovery, when the call for destroying the world reached me from there."
"I don't think I completely get the second half of what you just said." Minato admitted.
"Although there is more than one world, there are only gods each one of a kind. You sealed me from your world, but I can still go to the others. But only in one other the call is currently reaching my ears: The one from the unnatural world. Everything is the same, only..."
"My sister is there and not me." Minato finished. This was a too farfetched story to be a lie. "Okay, but there's the problem none of us have papers. There are no records of us and the others will be suspicious about that. I mean, I'm most likely officially dead with no body found. That is what happened to my sister here. I have an idea! If we enter the new world, can you transport us to the second floor of Tartarus?"
"Yes, why?"
"It will simple: we will let us find in the second floor, telling them we lived there for years. I'll be living there for ten years and you will be there since you remember. You probably don't know much about our world right now, yes?"
"I suppose."
"Okay, can we start?"
"Close your eyes and open your mind."
Minato did as he was told. He felt like he was flying through the air. His eyes opened on their own. He was on the roof of Tartarus with a full moon.
"This is merely an illusion."
Minato looked away from the moon. In front of him stood a girl: black hair, it reached half of her back, wearing a Gekkougan male uniform, pale skin, green eyes and a beautiful face, not to mention her black angel wings.
Minato's jaw dropped for a second and he had to pull it up with his own hand.
"Is something wrong?" Nyx asked.
"N-no, sorry." Minato shook his head. "Just...forget it."
Nyx looked at him for a second, but dropped the issue.
"I guess you will let your wings disappear, when we're there?"
"They disappear outside the dark hour. Here they're part of me." she said.
Minato had to restrain himself from face palming. "Okay, I'll find a way for that one. So, how are we gonna do this?"
Nyx came closer, her wings losing some feathers. They grew back immediately. She stopped before Minato.
"Give me your hands." She held out her hands. Minato hesitated for a second before he complied.
"You are nervous." she pointed out.
"Everyone would be." he said. He took a deep breath.
"Canalize your spiritual energy with me. I will do the rest."
"Okay, here goes nothing." he said. He canalized his energy first in his hands and then to Nyx. The goddess gasped.
"What is it?" Minato asked with a raised brow.
"This...light. Is this your power? I never felt something so warm and...this is incredible. Do you even realize your potential?"
"My potential?"
"I see you do not. It seems you are not ready." she mumbled. "Let us proceed. Brace yourself." she warned.
Before Minato could ask for what she meant, his body jerked. Nyx kept holding his hands. Her eyes lit up in green light.
'He could have easily escaped himself. How come he does not grasp his full potential?' Nyx thought to herself.
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"This is it?! This is the place!?"
Hamuko only shook her head. Even she had seen the tower during the dark hour. It was exactly where Gekkougan was standing in front of them now.
She opened her pendant and looked at the photo of her and her dead brother. They were only six and it was on his last birthday this photo was taken.
'I'll get to the bottom of this. And when I find the one responsibility for this, I will kill him or her.' Outside she was a cheerful girl happy about life, but inside she didn't hesitate to kill. The night she faced the big shadow was proof enough: Outside the beautiful Orpheus, but inside the killer Thantos. It wasn't just talk. She had killed people before, using the dark hour. She only did it to those who deserved it, but it was always her own opinion that counted.
The dark hour took her away from her train of thoughts. She watched as Tartarus emerged out of Gekkougan.
"That place must reach the other side of the globe." she said when the tower was there at his full height.
"This is Tartarus, the labyrinth that emerges during the dark hour."
"Labyrinth? What are you talking about!? What happened to our school?!"
"It only lasts during the dark hour. Once it is over, it will return."
"But why our school?" asked the cap teen.
Mitsuru grabbed her arm uncomfortable. Hamuko made a mental note.
"You don't know either?" Junpei asked.
"...No." Mitsuru said.
'She hesitated.'
"It's not like it would change our opinion." said Yukari.
'Naive girl.'
"Maybe we'll find out when we go down deeper." said Akihiko. "Me and Mitsuru, we only took a peek. This is our first time exploring it."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Hamuko asked in a fake cheerful tone. The faster the better.
"Heh, that's the spirit." said Akihiko.
"Wow, it's just as cool on the inside." said Junpei.
"We're gonna let you guys a feeling for the place."
"What!? By ourselves!?" Yukari panicked.
"We won't let you go very far."
"Step by step huh?" asked Hamuko. "Oh well, let's go- oh uh...hate to state the obvious, weapons?" she asked.
"Right." Akihiko dropped the bag he was carrying. "Sweet!" cheered Junpei. Hamuko decided for the naginata. She was used to knives, but she couldn't possibly take them with her now. Despite, she had none that was useful for combat.
"I'll provide backup from here. The structure of Tartarus changes from day to day. Outside backup is necessary. Here take these."
Each of them received a little communicator. Hamuko plunged hers into her ear.
She was about to enter Tartarus, when she noticed a blue door. The velvet key was reacting.
"This could be useful." she mumbled.
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"I don't think I will ever ride a rollercoaster again." said Minato as he slowly stood up, his brain circling in his skull. Nyx watched him, leaning against a wall.
"We are on the fifth floor. We need to descent."
"Huh? But that's-"
Nyx held a hand on a wall and the staircase appeared.
"I am not limited, like you."
"I see. Oh I thought of something about the wings. We'll tell them you took care of me in the ten years I was stuck here. Oh and you'll need a new name. We can use Nyx as a last name, even if it will get HIM suspicious."
"Him? Ah, yes. He prayed every day to me, asking for power. But I never received a sacrifice."
"He wanted to sacrifice US. I swear I'll get him for that. By the way, speaking of that. About the dark hour..."
"I will release it, when I have learned, what I want to learn." she said.
"Okay...?"
"BUT, I will challenge you again." she growled and her eyes glowed for a second.
"Scary~." he shivered. Nyx smirked at his reaction. "Anyways, we need weapons. What happened to yours sword?"
"It is too big to carry it around." she said in a 'duh' tone.
Downstairs, the two had no problem dealing with the shadows. Minato wondered why the shadows attacked her too, but let it drop. It just helped her disguise.
They soon found two suitcases with a gun and a snipe gun caliber 50?#
Minato didn't know its name, but he knew the caliber. He saw it in a shooter he played with Junpei.
'Who'd had thought that knowledge would be useful someday? Oh right, Junpei does.'
Nyx took the sniper. "Do you even know how to handle it?"
She shot, barely missing Minato.
"Not really..."
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"I detect another shadow, just behind the corner." came Mitsuru through intercom.
Out of habit, she nodded. The group was inside for quite some time. And Hamuko had already learned much about shadows. It reminded her of an RPG to be honest. Shadows hid their true selves in black masses, which needed to be attacked. With a hit from behind, the shadows were a bit dizzy at the beginning.
Next shadows and personas had weaknesses, but she didn't understand how someone could have a weakness against physical attacks or how a black mass could be weal to fire.
Whatever, it worked and that was all that counted.
Hamuko ran up ahead and used the moment to get the advantage. Her teammates followed shortly afterwards.
Four maya shadows.
"Persona!" Hamuko shouted and burned the first one down.
"Hermes!" Junpei followed and slashed through the second one.
Yukari shot some arrows, but the shadow survived.
"Iori, careful!" shouted Mitsuru, but the fourth shadow already got him.
"OUCH!" he fell to the ground. Hamuko unleashed a few uncontrolled slashes. She really needed to master her weapon, but for the shadow it was enough.
"Hang in there." Yukari summoned her persona for the second time this day and healed Junpei. "Thanks Yuka-tan."
"Orpheus." Hamuko dealt with the last shadow.
"Wow, Hamu-tan. You're a beast!" commented Junpei. Yukari too had noticed the 360 her personality had gone through. During fight, Hamuko wasn't cheerful at all. Well not that she should be, but she was totally cold. It was as if a mask had been fallen off her face and they now saw the real Hamuko.
Hamuko nodded her mind focused on the cards in front of her. She mentally yelled 'STOP' and received an Apsaras.
She still had to show her other personas, but Orpheus was fine at the moment.
Suddenly she heard rattling chains and a voice?
"Did you hear that?" she asked. The other two nodded.
"Senpai, does rattling chains say anything to you?" asked the leader.
"WHAT?! You have to get out of there NOW!"
"Too late." said Hamuko. Yukari and Junpei jolted around and found a man or something like a man standing at the only exit of the room. He wore some kind of black leather outfit, blood all over it. A revolver was in his hand and he only had one eye.
"What do we do now!?" panicked Junpei. Even as normal persona users the three could feel the power of that thing.
Hamuko dropped her naginata. She opened her pendent and looked at the photo.
"This is it. Accept it. To live means to die."
"What are you talking about!?" the two shouted. The creature laughed.
"Truer words have never been spoken." He raised his revolver and aimed for Hamuko's head. The girl wasn't afraid. She was almost happy. She would see her brother again. Her only regret was, she was not able to take vengeance.
All of the sudden a piece of metal appeared from the creature's chest. It screamed. The metal disappeared and next the head of the creature fell down and rolled a bit. The body collapsed.
"Am I late for the party?" asked a male voice.
"Was this supposed to be a jest?" asked a female voice.
"You haven't heard my best one, yet." he smiled at...the girl? Angel? Shadow?
'Who cares about the girl, look at HIM!' Hamuko's mind scolded. She looked at the boy again. It had to be him, yet at the same time it was impossible! Impossible! But...!
"Minato...?" Hamuko asked weakly. Everyone turned to her.
"Hamuko..."
Both ran towards each other and hugged the other sibling tightly.
"Uhh, am I missing something?" whispered Junpei towards Yukari.
The girl kept looking at the angel winged girl.
"It is rude to stare at someone." the black haired pointed out.
"Oh, uh, I..."
"Everyone, what is going on?" came Mitsuru through intercom.
"We uhh found Hamuko-chan's uhh friend?"
"What're you talking about!?" shouted the red hair.
There was a silence.
"Minato the next hour will begin soon." the angel girl pointed out.
"Oh right. We need to go the access point." He said. Her sister looked up. He smiled at her and held one of her arms, while he grabbed his sword with his free hand. She did the same with her naginata.
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To say that Mitsuru and Akihiko were surprised when five instead of three people came through the access point was an understatement, especially when one of them had black, angel like wings.
"What's going on?" demanded the red head.
"That's rude. Who is this chick, sister?"
"SISTER!?" multiple voices shouted.
"Her name is Mitsuru Kirijo and watch your mouth, brother." she scolded. "She's no chick, she's obviously a Popsicle."
The two laughed. The juniors and Akihiko paled. Nyx rolled her eyes. "Humans and their jests, I can see how two are related."
"You say that, just 'cause we have the same humor?"
"Hey, I'm Hamuko Arisato, nice to meet you."
"Kuraiko Nyx, a pleasure to meet you too." She nodded.
"So...uh, you're not human?" Hamuko asked.
"No. Your brother appeared here ten years ago, injured. He has been living here since then." Nyx told her.
"WHAT!?" everyone yelled.
"I don't really remember much." said Minato. "I just remember fire, a flash of light and...next I woke up here. Kuraiko found me and took care of me."
"Thank you!" Hamuko squealed and hugged the goddess. She was taken a bit. Minato controlled a laughing fit.
"Now I have my doubts if you two are related."
"So, Nyx-san, was it?" asked the Kirijo heiress.
"Yes? May I know why you are in my home?"
"Y-your home?" asked the red head.
"What else do you expect? I am not human, I am a shadow. This tower is my home and I do not appreciate intruders, neither do the other shadows, though the rest is more hostile, than I am."
"Then, why did you help him, if you are a shadow?" asked the heiress. She would have attacked the shadow girl by now, if she would not sense the power inside of her.
"Because I want to learn something from humans. Something you call bonds."
Everyone looked at the girl curiously. "Bonds? Why?" asked the heiress.
"Bonds are the source of an incredible power, one that is out of my reach, out of my understanding. I want to understand, why this power even overcomes my own."
"Just how strong are you?" asked the red head.
"Imagine the reaper and multiply him with 1000." interrupted Minato.
Mitsuru and Akihiko paled. "The reaper?" asked Yukari.
"The foe he defeated earlier." said Nyx to the juniors. "The next hour will begin soon. If we do not want to miss the next day we need to head out."
"W-wait. You coming with us?!" asked Junpei.
"My wings disappear outside the dark hour."
"Uuh, senpai?" Everyone turned towards Mitsuru.
The red head thought about it. This had so much security issues and the story was rather vague, yet still believable in an abstract way.
"We will take you two to the hospital first."
"As long as it is no scientific laboratory, were some crazy scientist test us for abnormalities during our long Tartarus trip, I'm fine."
"Another one of your jests? And what is a scientist?" Nyx asked.
"This is gonna take a while..." Minato sighed.
"She's never been outside, so, she doesn't know much about our world actually." Minato explained.
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"Hey Minato, where did you get the uniform?" asked his sister.
Mitsuru mentally smacked herself for overlooking such a detail.
"In Tartarus. You find a lot of useful things in there." he said after a moment of panick. His and Nyx weapon were inside the bag, along with the weapons of the juniors. Minato asked himself if Nyx ever got her weapon back, she had taken a great liking. As she said, her wings disappeared just like that, after the dark hour ended. She really looked like a normal human girl now.
Nyx was looking outside the window, watching the city lights. Hamuko placed herself next to the goddess.
"Hey, thanks again for taking care of my brother."
"Hm? Oh, it was no problem." she said.
"So, you're a special shadow. How so?" she asked. Mitsuru drew her attention towards the girls. Actually, everyone was looking at them.
"Do you remember the day you were born?"
"Uh, I guess not." said Hamuko dumbfounded.
"I was there one day. I knew what I was, I knew where I was, and I knew my name. But I was different from the others. What is my purpose? I do not know. One day Minato appeared. He has something I want to understand."
"Bonds?" Hamuko asked.
"Yes, bonds, friendship, whatever you call it. The other shadows attack me, maybe because I am different. I do not know the answer."
"Well, you can count me in! You helped my brother, so I'm gonna help you!"
"You mean it? For all you know I could be an enemy."
"Nah, I have a good feeling for this kind of thing. Trust me."
She held out her hand.
Nyx looked.
"It's a handshake. It's not common in Japan, but in other countries. It is to greet the other person or to make a promise or something similar. And I promise to help you."
"Thank you." Nyx shook the hand.
I art thou
And thou art I
Thou has created a new bond
Thou shall be blessed by creating personas of the World Arcana