2: Reoccurrence

18:01

"Senpai!" I'd heard enough of that voice to know it anywhere. Before I could turn around, I felt Rise's thin arms clamp around me. "It's so good to see you again, Yu!"

Naoto smiled. "I see you haven't changed a bit, Rise."

Rise let go of me, and turned to Naoto. "We should probably go in before I get recognised out here." She said, looking around, paranoid. We walked together into the club. Since two years ago, the club had undergone few major changes. It was still almost exactly the same as I remembered. "They've got a VIP lounge now, we can go there-"

Rise was interrupted as a drunken young woman walked into her, falling to the floor. I moved to help her up. She was quite short with blonde hair almost as long as she was. She was wearing a lot of makeup, but some of it had smudged over her face. Her eyes had a sort of dazed expression. She seemed very drunk.

"Ohmygod, I'm so sorry!" She gasped as I pulled her from the ground. As she stood her body brushed close to mine. I stepped back, smelling the alcohol on her breath. "I'm Akemi!" She giggled. Rise glared at her. She turned towards Rise. "Oh my god!" She gasped. "Are you Risette?"

"No, but I get that all the time." Rise lied.

"But you look-"

"Sorry, we've got to go now." Rise interrupted, dragging me and Naoto quickly away.

"Why did you lie to her?" I asked.

"I don't want to have to give out my autograph to every drunken slut that walks into me." I was shocked by the venom in her voice. I wondered how much Rise had changed in two years. As we walked away, I looked back, casting my eyes over the crowd, but I could no longer see Akemi. "Hey, these guys are with me, OK?" Rise explained to the man guarding the VIP lounge. He nodded. "Alright guys, come on!" We followed Rise up the stairs, to the VIP lounge. It was the same raised balcony we had visited before. I looked around nervously. Not much had changed, though there was a large flat screen TV there. It looked very similar to the one in Junes... I looked away.

"So, Naoto, I know Yu's at university here, but why are you here?"

"There is a case I am investigating-several years ago, a teenager was found dead-"

"Wait, why are you investigating if this happened so long ago?" Rise interrupted.

Naoto scowled. "Firstly, cases have been solved after more time than with this case. Secondly, I was intrigued by the circumstances surrounding the death-the body was found with no injuries and the post-mortem could not conclude the cause of death-"

"Just like with Saki Konishi and Mayumi Yamano!" Rise exclaimed.

"Please stop interrupting me!" Naoto snapped. "Yes, that was the point I was about to make, though this did take place before Adachi or even Namatame received their powers. And, also, this case was brought to my attention when I was contacted by the agent of a man who wishes to keep his identity secret. He contacted me using the codename 'TAC'. He offered me a large amount of money if I can solve this case. I don't really need the money, but the same proposition has been offered to several great detectives over the years. Not one has been able to solve this case. I thought perhaps I would be the one to finally solve this case, though now I'm not so sure..." Naoto cast her eyes down, trailing off.

"Wow!" Rise exclaimed. "This is like some crime thriller or something!" She looked around at us "Anyway, who wants drinks?"

"OK." I said. "But no alcohol. I don't want a repeat of last time."

"They don't even serve alcohol here!" Naoto snapped.

"Actually, they do have alcohol now. But we can't have any anyway" She sighed.

"So, why are you here, Rise?" Naoto asked.

"Oh, I'm making a movie actually, so I should be around for a while. It's..." She sighed. "It's not started very well. It might get better, I suppose." She sighed. We sat in awkward silence for a while.

23:58

"Awww, It's just not the same without the others..." Rise whined.

I agreed. Naoto had opened her case notebook and was flicking through it, and Rise had turned the TV on to Phoenix ranger featherman R, and then turned it off again shortly afterwards.

"I'm tempted to just jump into that TV right now!" Rise squealed.

"We wouldn't be able to leave without Teddie." I reminded her.

"Yeah, I know..." She sighed. "It's just kinda boring now, without all the kidnappings and stuff."

"I've been thinking that, too..." I mused.

The sound of static filled our ears. "Hello, and welcome to my party!" A voice squealed from the TV.

Naoto looked up from her notebook, eyes widening. "Is that?..."

"Welcome to Akemi's dance party, where it's all fun, all the time! Sit back, relax, do whatever the hell you want to whoever the hell you want!" She shouted in excitement.

"The midnight channel again..." I gasped. "We have to get the others."

Naoto nodded, taking out her phone. Rise did the same.

"Don't worry, It's not as if it matters!" The voice resumed from the TV, "Just do whatever feels good! And what is it that they say? MC's are to be heard, not seen? Don't worry, I'll be watching you all from in here!" The blonde girl said, dancing into the club behind her. The TV switched itself off.

"Dammit!" Rise cried. "I didn't like her much, but this is- We didn't even get any warning this time!"

"Calm down. We'll just get in touch with Teddie, and we can go in and rescue her. It's as simple as that."

"We'll have to do it quickly," Naoto said. "This forecast says there'll be fog in five days, on 10th April."

"Let's get some sleep. We'll work better rested."

"But, senpai, Adachi's still in jail! Who could it be this time?" Rise asked.

"We'll get to that later." Naoto said. "Like Yu said, we'll rescue her, and then try and find out who did this afterwards."

"And then we'll crush them, then crush and send them to hell." I chuckled. "We won't fail."

"Right!" Rise nodded

Thou art I...

And I am Thou...

Thou hast renewed an old bond...

It brings thee closer to the divine truth...

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana.

Another social link rekindled, I returned home for the night.

Thursday 6th April 2014

"Welcome to the velvet room. Do not be alarmed, I have summoned you-"He paused. "Ah, but I suppose you already know." Igor chuckled. "Curiouser and curiouser. Not only have your personas faded away, but your social links have as well. And a certain link has changed..."

"What do you mean?" I asked, puzzled.

"I can see your cards. They are clear as crystal to me... But one of them, I have seen before, in a different deck. But also as a different card. This isn't unprecedented, but still unusual." He looked into up at me. "'Arcana Shift'... That is the name of this phenomenon. But it is only to be expected, I suppose, after this length of time."

I was tired of his riddles. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "Can't you talk straight just for once?"

"Tsk. I thought you were smarter than that." The tone of his voice shocked me. "What can you deduce from what I have said? The facts are there, you simply need to pay attention."

I thought. "A while ago, in Iwatodia, someone else came here."

"Yes, and..."

"They... Were they a wild card?" I wondered.

"Yes." He stated. "Every guest of the room is a Wild Card."

"And they made a social link with someone... Shin, or Yukari. And they represented a different card. So... Their personality has changed?"

"Very good! You may be a fool, but you have some wit." He chuckled.

Thou art I...

And I am Thou...

Thou hast established a new bond...

It brings thee closer to the divine truth...

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Hierophant Arcana.

"Was that-" I gasped.

Igor nodded. "I have a feeling that you are the most important guest to ever enter this room. You will need all the power, and knowledge, that you can get... But not just yet. I will tell you everything, but later. Goodbye."

"Wai-" I tried to shout, but it was too late. I woke up in my room, alone again.

08:42

I was walking through the university grounds when I noticed Yukari. I remembered my promise to Naoto. I walked up to her. "Hi." I said.

"Oh hey, Yu."She looked pleased to see me. I decided first to ask her about persona-if she had been friends with the other Wild Card, then she might have been a persona-user too. And if she wasn't, no harm done.

"Yukari, can I ask you something?"

She seemed shocked. "Uh, yeah, sure, go ahead."

I drew a deep breath. "What does the wo-"

Her phone started to ring. "Oh sorry!" She apologised. "I have to take this. One second." She answered the phone. "Hello? Oh, Hi Akihiko. No. No." She looked up at me, suspicion in her eyes. "Silver hair? No, don't worry. Listen, I'll call you back. Yeah, bye." She hung up, and turned back to me. "That was my friend. He said there was some silver-haired guy investigating Minato's death. Was that you?"

I decided to tell her the truth. "Yeah." I said. "But-"

"I don't want to hear it!" She snapped. "So you've just been spying on me?" The contempt was clear on her face. "I don't ever want to see you again!" She started to storm away.

"Yukari, wait!" I shouted after her, but she didn't stop. I started to walk after her, but felt a wave of agony sweep over my body.

This bond has been reversed...

If it is not reconciled, it may become broken beyond repair...

Damn.

16:14

I was leaving the university grounds when I received a phone call from Yosuke. I answered quickly. "Hey Partner!" He said. "Naoto told me about the new case, so I've found Teddie, and I'm coming up there with him for a few days. I can't stay for long, though. Chie and Kanji are really busy and can't leave, and I don't know what Yukiko's doing. They said they'd come if there was another case, but they trusted us to take care of this one by ourselves. It's Ok though, you'll have us, Senpai. Uh N-not like that-N-nevermind." He stammered.

"Can you bring up a sword from Daidara's?" I requested.

"Uh, they shut him down, actually. He only just managed to avoid jail. I kinda feel guilty about it now, but there's nothing anyone could have done. But I'm sure I can find a sword somewhere. Or maybe you'll be able to. Anyway, we'll be there tomorrow. See ya." He hung up.

I wondered what to do for a minute, then decided to visit Naoto at the Police station.

"Hey, Aaassshhhooollleee" I heard. Great. Just what I needed.

"What is it?" I snapped. Then I remembered I needed to ask him about Persona. "Hey, does the word 'Persona' mean anything to you?" I asked.

"What, is that some kind of stupid band you listen to?" He asked. "Anyway, that's not important. You know that girl you were talking to at Escapade –is she on TV or something?"

"Who, Rise?" I asked.

"No, the blonde one. Funny thing is, I swear I switched my TV off, but bam, midnight, there it was. Some crappy-looking low budget show. Did you know that?"

"Yeah." I muttered. "You were at the club last night? I didn't see you."

"Yeah. I'm surprised you didn't see me. Who was that girl, anyway?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I only met her then."

"Oh." He looked down, gritting his teeth. Perhaps he'd wanted to meet her. "Well, I've got to go now, anyway." He looked thoughtful. He started muttering to himself as he walked away. "Stupid... Have to try and talk to her later. Yeah... I'll do that." He didn't look as bad as usual. His face had gained some colour to it, and he was walking rather than shuffling. He didn't look like a zombie any more, just tired.

The social link levelled up. It was progressing fast.

I started to think to myself as I walked. If there had been a case like ours earlier in Iwatodai, and somebody died while investigating, It would make sense that the persona-users didn't think the truth would ever be found-or believed. I decided to get Naoto to ask SEES about Persona.

16: 43

I finally arrived at the police station. I couldn't see Naoto anywhere, though. "Do you know where Naoto is?" I asked the officer on duty.

"Naoto? Oh, the pint-size detective." He chuckled. "Yeah, I'll just-"

"Pint-size detective? Officer Kurosawa, please don't give people bizarre nicknames you make up on the spot." Naoto's voice came from behind the man.

"D-detective Shirogane! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were there-but I didn't make up the name."

"Oh?"

"Officer Sanada's friend did."

"It doesn't matter." She turned her attention to me. "What did you want, Yu?"

We walked away from Officer Kurosawa. "I was thinking it might be worthwhile asking SEES about persona."

"It's worth a try, I suppose." She didn't sound enthusiastic. "Though there are few similarities with our case, I did notice that over the year leading up to Minato's death, several people went missing and reappeared soon afterwards... But they didn't have anything to do with SEES afterwards, and they appeared to have forgotten everything about their disappearances. As well as this, they weren't famous, nor did any of them ever appear on TV. I admit though, there does appear to be some supernatural element to this case... I will ask them, though."

"And I need to try and get a sword somewhere. Daidara got shut down."

"Really?" Naoto seemed shocked. "It'll be difficult to get hold of a sword in the city... You might be able to find a knife of some sort, though."

"What are you guys talking about? Swords and Knives?" Kurosawa's voice came from our right.

"Oh, uh, we were just uh, talking about illegal weapon dealings taking place at the time." Naoto lied.

Officer Kurosawa's eyes widened for a second, and he gasped.

Naoto didn't notice. "...Let's go" She muttered.

I've decided to keep it in mostly first person, though I'll start giving Yu some more lines, and I've pinned down his name. I'm using Yu because I like the anime name more than Souji. However, I have to take a break from writing this particular fic, because the only social links of SEES/The investigation team I have actually completed are Yukari, Shinjiro(P3P), Yukiko, Kanji and Teddie-I'll get back to this when I've completed all the other s. Links, which might take a while.