Chapter 1: Kindred Spirits
Akira's mind was racing. Palaces? Shadows? Talking cat monsters? It seemed fate itself was working to prevent him from keeping a low profile.
"Do you regret your decision?" A disembodied voice echoed through his head. Arsene.
He remembered the helplessness he had felt just moments before to what he thought would be the end of his life. His new-found strength, Persona.
Akira never wanted to feel that way again. 'No,' he thought, he could never turn his back on someone in need, regardless of the consequences. Plus, he thought, a smirk forming, it had felt good. Society wanted to chain him down, but there was no way that was going to stop him from doing what he thought was right.
An outburst from Ryuji broke him out of his thoughts: "Hey we made it back! The hell was all that about?!" It seemed they had been brought back to the entrance of the alley. The morning's rain was all but gone, a faint chill in the air the only indication of its passing. 'Shit,' Akira's eyes widened as he scanned the surrounding area. Adults around complained idly about the rough morning and the brief respite of a lunch break. They were late to school. Really late.
"Oi! You there! Are you Shujin students skipping class?"
Akira let out a sigh. Did this guy not have any sense of restraint? This was the last thing he needed right now.
Luckily, the pair was able to reach the school gates without much fuss from the cops. Just before they entered however, Ryuji turned and glared at Akira. "Common man why didn't you back me up back there! Those effin' cops thought I was high!", he cried out exasperatedly.
"And gotten the same response you did? I am on probation you know", Akira replied curtly, twisting his bangs idly.
Ryuji's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Fer real!?"
Akira rolled his eyes. He could no longer count how many times he had seen similar reactions from people. It was then he noticed one of the Shujin guidance counselors standing at the entrance, the displeasure clear to see on his face. "We can discuss it later."
To say Akira was aggravated was an understatement. His and Ryuji's accidental excursion into the strange castle had caused him to be over half a day late on the first day. To make matters worse, somehow the student body had caught wind of his record and started spreading wild rumors. Stabbing someone if they looked him in the eye? Ridiculous. Beginning to formulate an apology to Sakura-san in his head, Akira made his way towards the School Entrance. Completely engrossed in his thoughts, Akira nearly bumped into a person in front of him. "Sorry about that," he apologized, as he moved to sidestep them. However, the person moved in front of him one again. Akira huffed in annoyance. "Uh, if you don't mind, I'm kind of in a hurry right now."
Akira began to study his would-be confronter. Right off the bat, the Shujin uniform marked her as a student, a third year. Short brown hair framed dark auburn eyes that seemed to pierce right through him. "Second year transfer student, Akira Kurusu, correct?"
Her tone and demeanor immediately put him on edge. Akira couldn't help but compare it to the crooked cops that landed him here in the first place. "Yes, and you are?"
The third year relaxed slightly. "Ah, I did not introduce myself. My apologies." The sternness returned to her face. "I'm Makoto Niijima, a third year and the Shujin student council president. I heard from one of the guidance counselors you were over half a day late, on your first day no less. Care to explain yourself?"
Akira recoiled internally. Any chance of keeping a low profile at this point was all but blown away now that the Student Council President had him in her sights. To make matters worse, the feeble excuse he gave to Kawakami definitely wouldn't work this time. He had to approach this carefully. Taking a deep breath, Akira was able to create a convincing story, citing the morning's train accident, bad weather, and his newness to Tokyo as the main cause. "…and before I knew it I was hopelessly lost. Luckily, some police officers were able to point me in the right direction", he finished smoothly.
"Hmmm, well I suppose I can overlook it for today given the circumstances. This better not become a habit though!", Makoto lectured.
Akira couldn't help but let a small smirk reach his face. Bingo. "Of course, it won't happen aga—". A sudden wave of nausea hit Akira. The surrounding hallways suddenly warped into those of Kamoshida's Castle. In the blink of an eye everything reverted to normal. "S-sorry, it seems I'm not feeling very well," his voice came out weakly, "I'm sure my care taker will want an explanation as well, may I go?"
Makoto was caught off guard in the drastic change in his disposition, but it seemed genuine. "Y-yes," she cleared her throat, "Be sure to head straight home." Akira waved over his back half-heartedly as he resumed heading towards the entrance.
Makoto was at a loss. This was the delinquent transfer student that the Principal had warned her about? While Kurusu had seemed uneasy at the start of the interaction, she chalked it up to an aversion to authority figures. To make matters more perplexing, he seemed genuinely motivated not to repeat his mistake. Just who was Akira Kurusu?
Akira flopped onto his bed tiredly, the effects of his misadventure into the other world had hit him full force toward the end of his conversation with the Student Council President. 'Makoto Niijima…interesting. It seems that the spirit of rebellion lies within her heart as well' Arsene stated, letting out a small chuckle. 'The student council President?' Akira scoffed. 'I doubt someone like her has even considered rebelling. Hell, if anything she is the one that people at the school might rebel against.' Arsene let out another chuckle. 'Is that so? Well, I suppose time will tell.'
The slight pressure in Akira's head faded. Arsene was gone, for the moment. Staring up at the ceiling, he recounted the events of the day once more. Just what had he gotten himself into this time? Akira began tapping on his bed idly. While his home life before Tokyo was nothing to look forward to after his probation, he did miss his grandfather's old piano, the one thing that had given him solace in his old life. 'Maybe I can pick up a part time job and buy a keyboard,' Akira mused, a small smile forming on his lips. 'Oh yeah, there was that other place…the Velvet Room…that was a beautiful song…maybe I could…' Sleep claimed Akira before finishing his thought, unknowingly heading back to his Velvet Prison.
Whats up readers? Thanks for reading this story. I've lurked around here for a long time and can't count how many times I tried to start a story and not go through with it. Starting a story is the hardest part in my mind, so I hope by getting this out I can work towards finally contribute to a community I have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of over the years. This is my first story, and I'm sure there is a lot I can learn so please leave a comment. Thanks! - SCB