AN: Wow... I expected like 1-3 reviews.. not this many... O_O You guys are really awesome. :D Anyways, I've contemplated ditching the romance and stick to adventure/action, but after reading some HamukoXMinatos, I've decided to go with this route. Plus, a lot of you wanted this pairing, so why not?
Before I begin, I'd like to apologize for the long wait. I got a really nasty cold and then rewrote this chapter after rereading it many times... It was really... bad. Even now, I feel like this chapter is weak. My writing style, I believe, is rather weak and forced, especially during dialogue. I'm afraid I've never been good at writing scripts, so as you guys can see, I have a forced and stuffy dialogue X_X. Any help and advice would be appreciated.
I assure all of you, however, that I have did the best of my abilities in writing this chapter. Hopefully, you guys won't be too disappointed.
Thanks for understanding. You guys are the best.
Disclaimer: Goojila does NOT own anything from this masterful game. The Persona series is owned by Atlus.
Iwatodai Dorm, Tokyo, Japan
April 8, 2009
Minato Arisato woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He slowly got up and began to walk towards the restroom. As he walked down the hallway, he frowned. For the second time in a row, he didn't have a nightmare. Minato ALWAYS had a nightmare about his parents dying. Ever since he came to these dorms, the nightmares seemed to have left him. Strangely, Minato found it anxious without the nightmares. Cursing under his breath, Minato made his way to the restroom door.
"KUNK" Minato blinked as he toppled over. An unpleasant feeling was concentrating on his upper right forehead as he began to blackout.
"Oh my god, Minato-kun, I'm SO sorry. Are you okay?" Minato awoke from his brief slumber... to find Hamuko Usami on top of him with a concerned look on her face. "I didn't see you there. I'm SO sorry!"
"Don't worry, it's just a door." Minato dusted off his pants and slowly picked himself back up.
"So, what are you doing here this early?"
Startled, Hamuko took a step back. "Wh-What?"
"It's five in the morning. A normal person would be sleeping at this time."
"Nothing, really. I just felt like getting up early. You know... The early bird catches the worm?"Despite her cheery words, Hamuko's eyes wouldn't reach Minato's.
"..."
"Ok, fine. I had a nightmare!" Hamuko felt her cheeks heat up exponentially. Of ALL the first things that could happen to her, this had to...
"That bad?"
"I guess so... Well, the nightmare itself isn't that bad. The thing is that I've had this exact same one yesterday." Hamuko sighed. "Whatever, I'm going to get ready for school. I'll see you later." The troubled girl began walking towards her room.
"Does a kid with a hood stab you?" Minato called out.
"Yeah... Wait..." Hamuko stopped dead in her tracks. "How did yo-"
"Don't let it get to you." With that, Minato disappeared into the men's restroom.
"How could Ms. Toriumi give us that much homework on the first day back? After all that summer homework..." It was another fine day on the artificial island. The sun was shining brightly, and a nice refreshing breeze perfected the weather. Of course, none of this was stopping Yukari Takeba from complaining about the previous night's homework. "Plus, you think someone would..."
"Uh huh..." Apparently, the flawless weather had no effect on Hamuko as well.
"What's wrong with you? You alright?" Sensing that something was wrong, Yukari examined the usually cheery girl with concern.
"Sorry, Yukari-chan. I'm just a bit tired." Hamuko tilted her head and smiled at the brunette. "I'll be fine."
"What IS going on?" Hamuko thought. Minato's words still bothered her. Two (now one) more days? Be prepared for that day? And how did he know about her nightmares? Just WHO was Minato Arisato?
"If you say so... Anyways, did you get number five on the math homework? I had some trouble..."
Hamuko smiled at Yukari, returning to her usual self. The questions could wait.
"Aww, what's wrong with Yuka-tan? She's so cranky nowadays... Where's the nice and kind Yuka-tan I used to know?" Sighing, Junpei kicked the unfortunate rock that was in front of him.
"Maybe you shouldn't aggravate her so much." Minato coolly commented. "She'd be a lot nicer if you respected her more." The two had coincidentally met on the way to school. Although Minato preferred to be alone, a familiar face was always welcomed... even if that familiar face could get a little annoying.
The two began to slowly approach the school grounds.
"Nah, that wouldn't be fun then, ya' know?" Junpei chuckled. "'Sides, it's always fun seeing the princess all flustered and annoyed."
Minato sighed an pitied his comrade's ignorance. "She's going to kill you one day." He stopped as the duo arrived at their classroom.
"Hehehe, probably." As Junpei opened the door for Minato, he smirked. "Ladies first."
Class, as usual, was boring. Ms. Toriumi wasn't exactly the most exciting teacher, and the fact that she was talking about some obscure authors that Hamuko didn't really care for didn't help. Bored out of her mind, Hamuko began scanning the room to see what everyone else was doing. Junpei was discreetly playing a cell phone game while Yukari's head was drooping lower and lower with every second. Minato... was completely asleep with his headphones on. Hamuko smiled. Just another typical day, huh?
"... And as I was saying, Fuyuhiko Yoshimura is the much better author." The teacher sighed. "Junpei Iori, are you listening to me?"
Snapping his cell phone shut, Junpei jumped out of his seat. "Huh? Of course, teach'. Heh, why wouldn't I be listening to your wonderful lecture?"
"Excellent. Then I suppose you can humor us a bit. Who wrote 'Mangekyo'?"
Junpei began to look helplessly around the room. Then, he spotted his savior. "Minato, what's the answer?" he hissed.
"Nuh... huh?" Minato stirred awake.
"The answer, quick!"
"Elizabeth." With that, Minato promptly went back to sleep.
"Elizabeth... Wait, what?" The class erupted into laughter.
"Honestly, can't you listen in class for once? Try paying attention for once."Sighing, Mr. Toriumi resumed her lecture while the classroom began to buzz with whispers.
"Minato-kun is so funny!"
"I know, but isn't Junpei kinda slow? I mean, who asks a sleeping person for the answer?"
"Yeah, he's so dumb."
"Well, aren't you the popular one?" Yukari asked, smirking at her classmate who was busy slamming his head on his desk.
"Like before, I want you to..." The bell rang, signaling the end of school. "Never mind then, we'll continue this tomorrow. Homework is the packet I handed out at the beginning of class. Dismissed."
"Finally," Hamuko muttered under her breath. "Hey, Yukari-chan, do you want to hit the mall with me? I need to buy something today."
"Sorry, but I have practice today. Maybe next time."
"I'll go with you Hamu-tan!" Junpei exclaimed, eagerly jumping out of his seat.
Hamu-tan? Hamuko frowned at the odd nickname.
"Like she'd go with you, idiot," Yukari called out before leaving the room.
"Hey, I'm offended! Who wouldn't want to go with Junpei Iori? The lady killer!" Junpei yelled as he dashed out of the room. in obvious pursuit of Yukari.
The room was silent. Sighing, Hamuko began to pack her bag.
"I'll go with you," a voice called out behind her-a voice Hamuko knew all too well.
"Excuse me?"
"I'll go with you," Minato repeated.
"Oh, it's okay, really! I don't really have to go," Hamuko assured as she tried shoving her binder into her bag. Stupid thing wouldn't fit in. After several attempts, Hamuko let loose a scream. "Arhh, I give up." Muttering under her breath, Hamuko flopped back into her chair in defeat.
"Here..." Minato muttered as he easily slipped the binder in.
"How did you... Never mind," Hamuko sighed.
"C'mon, let's go."
"Huh? Wait, you mean the mall?" As Hamuko said this, Minato was already leaving."Wait, don't I get a say in this?"
Minato, for the first time he arrived at Tatsumi island, allowed himself a small smile. "No."
Minato Arisato was a man with few regrets; however, his biggest regret definitely had to be...
"Look Minato-kun! Isn't this skirt so cute?" Squealing, Hamuko began to drag him to the window display that contained said dress.
This. In the span of four hours, Minato had gone through seven different stores, eaten at three various restaurants, and had played at least a dozen arcade games-something he had never done beofre.
"God, if you are really there, please liberate me from this demon," Minato prayed. Perhaps, demon was a strong word, but when a person was stuck in a situation like this...
"I chooseth this fate of mine own free will," Minato thought bitterly.
"C'mon Minato-kun, stop lagging behind!" Hamuko cheerfully said as she dashed to the next display.
Sighing, Minato slowly dragged his forced his body to follow Hamuko.
"Aww, why can't my boyfriend and I be like that?"
Minato paused in his steps. Interested, he began to listen to the conversation.
"I know! It's so cute how the those two look like! Plus, he's not even complaining." The two girls were obviously talking about Hamuko and him. Sighing at the ignorant gossipers, Minato began focusing on locating Hamuko.
"I should really call-"
"We-We're not going out!" A rather red faced Hamuko Usami exclaimed. Minato cursed under his breath. He had taken too long in following Hamuko.
"Calm down, love. Don't you know it's rude to butt into a conversation?'
"Yeah, honey, why don't you run back to your boyfriend over there? He's waiting on you."
"Wh-Wha? Minato-kun and I aren't like that!" This was really going nowhere. The blue haired boy quickly grabbed the poor girl's hand. Hamuko's face began to resemble a tomato. "What are you-"
"Ignore them," Minato muttered as he dragged the poor girl into the crowd.
"This is far enough," Minato said after a good while of running.
"Um, Minato-kun? You could let go of my hand now." Hamuko said, still blushing.
"... Sorry," Minato muttered as he quickly dropped Hamuko's hands.
"..."
"..." Despite the silence, Hamuko felt as if the silence wasn't as bad as before. In fact, it was... relaxing. The cherry-eyed girl continued to walk in silence with Minato.
"Hey, Minato-kun? Thanks," Hamuko quietly said. Minato allowed himself another small smile. Two smiles in one day? This was new...
"Here, I'll make this up to you. I'll treat you to some sweets and then maybe we can continue shopping after."
Minato's smile vanished as quickly as it came.
"Well, we're back," Hamuko said as the two came to the front steps of the dorm.
"..." Hamuko frowned at the uncomfortable silence. The silent teen had suddenly became different, more... angry. This wasn't the usual calm aura Minato usually eluded. Instead, the air around him seemed more agitated.
"Hey, you alright?" Hamuko asked with concern. "Did I do anything that made you mad?"
"No," Minato curtly replied before quickly realizing his rudeness. "Don't worry about it. I'm okay."
"Are you sure? I did drag you around all day."
"No, I just recalled something... unpleasant. Just go in without me," Minato quietly said as he motioned Hamuko towards the door. He silently waited until Hamuko enter the dorm before punching a wall. "Ikutsuki..." Blood began to drip down his hand.
"Oh, she's back." Yukari called out as she spotted Hamuko enter. "But wait, where's Minato-kun?"
"Oh, he told me to go on without him. I'm sure he'll come in soon," Hamuko said, deliberately leaving out the boy's sudden anger. "And who may you be?" Hamuko asked as she spotted a new face sitting in a nearby chair.
The man stood up. "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. "Ikutsuki"... Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes... Please, have a seat."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Hamuko Usami," Hamuko smiled as she sat down.
"I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive a proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?" Ikutsuki asked.
"No, nothing. But I'd like to thank you for allowing me to reside in the dorms, Mr. Ikutsuki," Hamuko politely said.
"No, no, no, it's the least we can do. Anyways, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Ikutsuki quietly excused himself. However, before leaving, he turned back around and gave a wry smile. "You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!' ...Please forgive the bad pun." he chuckled before finally heading out the door.
"Wait, wha-?"
"You'll get used to his lame jokes," Yukari sighed.
Something was calling out to Hamuko. It was like an invisible hand that was forcing her to go a certain direction. After what seemed like hours, Hamuko found herself in front of a door. A velvet door to be precise.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young lady. My name is Igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance," a rather long nosed man said. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place." Igor pointed to a contract lain across the table.
I, Hamuko Usami, chooseth this fate of mine own free will
Igor continued. "Henceforth, you shall be welcomed here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so." The strange man paused before ominously saying, "I only ask one thing is return: that you abide the contract and assume full responsibility for the choices you make."
Hamuko blinked. "I understand...?"
Igor chuckled. "Everything will be clear when time allows it. Hold on to this..." A velvet key was produced and place in Hamuko's hands. "Til we meet again..." With that, Hamuko disappeared and the velvet door closed itself.
A deep silence began to sweep the Velvet Room. Dutifully, the long nosed man began picking up the contract on the table. Exactly beneath Hamuko's contract, however, laid another contract. Igor's eerie smile stretched even further. "Are you sure that you wish for this?"
"It's better this way, I'll tell her when the time comes. Anyways, how is she?" A voice from the shadows asked.
"Another fine guest. She holds great potential like you. Perhaps she will even surpass you, Minato-sama."
Minato smiled. "We'll see about that."
Iwatodai Dorm, Tokyo, Japan
April 9, 2009
Hamuko slowly walked into school grounds. Yawning, she said, "Ahh, that dorm must be haunted... "
"Why would you say that, Hamu-tan?" asked a familiar voice.
"Ever since I moved in there, I've been having these weird dreams. It's really bugging me out," Hamuko explained as turned around to face Junpei Iori.
"Hehehe, you serious? Dude, I should tell Yuka-tan about this!" Junpei chuckled.
"Wait, don't do that! I don't want to cause unnecessary trouble."
"You don't get it Hamu-tan. Word on the street says that the princess is absolutely TERRFIED of ghosts... Hehe, I can't pass up on this opportunity."
Hamuko frowned. "That's what I mean when I say unnecessary trouble."
"Well, life's more exciting this way, ya' know? Nothin' ventured, nothin' gained," Junpei grinned.
Giggling, Hamuko entered the classroom. "Just try not anger her too much."
Yukari let out a sigh of relief once Mr. Ekoda was done. Seriously, of ALL the literature teachers that they had to get, it had to be him. The brunette stood from her chair and stretched her arms.
"Ahh, finally over."
"Another year, another boring teacher, huh?"
Various students began chatting as they began exiting the classroom.
Yukari sighed and began packing her bags. "Hamuko, let's go home together. I don't have archery practice today."
"Huh?"
"Uh, Hamuko? You in there?" Yukari poked Hamuko in the head.
"OH! Sorry Yukari-san, I'm kinda out of it. That lesson was really..." Hamuko sighed.
"I know what you mean. Mr. Ekoda is rather famous for his... lectures. Anyways, let's head back."
"Eh? Don't you have practice today?" Hamuko asked.
"Usually I do, but sensei got hurt the other day, so we have no practice today," Yukari explained. "And, I have nothing else to do, so let's head home together."
"Sure."
"Welcome back," Mitsuru greeted as Yukari and Hamuko entered the dorm. The two had spent a pleasant afternoon in a cafe talking about various things. Feeling rather refreshed, Hamuko plopped onto the couch.
"Ahh, today's been a nice day," she said, happily.
"Oh? I take it that you have had a good day?" Mitsuru asked.
"Yeah," Hamuko sighed, her eyelids, slowly drooping.
"You must be tired from the day. I suggest that you go to bed early tonight," suggested Mitsuru.
"Mitsuru-sempai is right, you should get some sleep. Anyways, I'm going to head upstairs. 'Night," Yukari said as she began to climb the stairs.
"I guess you two are right. I'll be heading to bed, good night," Hamuko yawned.
"Wait," Mitsuru called. "I apologize for holding you up, but have you seen Arisato?"
Hamuko closed her eyes. "I don't think so. I think he ran out the door as soon as class ended."
"I see. Apparently, he came in quite late yesterday as well. If you happen to see him tomorrow, can you inform him that it isn't safe to be out this late?"
Hamuko nodded.
"Thank you. I've kept you up long enough. Good night," Mitsuru said.
"So, how is she?" Ikutsuki asked. The dark hour had arrived. Yukari, Ikutsuki, and Mitsuru had all entered the command room to continue with their "observations."
"... The same as last night," Mitsuru replied.
The middle-aged man furrowed his eyebrows. "Hmm... Very interesting. Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first... Memory loss... disorientation... But, this subject is rather unique. She hasn't exhibited any of the common symptoms. What about the other subject... Minato Arisato, was it?"
"Unfortunately, he was not in his bed during the dark hour. Camera data suggests that he entered the dorm at 2:30 A.M."
"Oh? But the shadows haven't attacked him yet, or he would have been a Lost."
"Yes, so there is a high possibility that he too holds the potential."
"I still don't like this," Yukari muttered. "We're treating both of them like guinea pigs."
Ikutsuki shook his head. "I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members. I heard they're your classmate... Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade?"
"I guess, but would they even agree to all of this? I mean, how would we even convince to join all this?" Yukari asked.
"You could start by removing the cameras in our rooms."
Silence filled the room.
"M-M-Minato-kun?" Yukari sputtered. "How... What-"
"BEEP BEEP BEEP."
"C-C-Command center... is that you, Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked.
"You're not gonna believe this...! This thing is huge! Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk... It's chasing me... I wanted to let you guys know. I'm almost there," a deep, yet strained voice said.
"Wait, so that thing is coming here?" Yukari panicked.
"Mr. Chairman! Let's suspend our observation for now. We'll prepare for battle!" Mitsuru ordered. "Arisato, yo-" Mitsuru blinked. He was already gone.
"Wake up! Sorry, but I'm coming in!" Hamuko awoke to Yukari's urgent voice.
"Wha-? Yukari, do you know what time it is?" Hamuko groggily asked.
"I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here, now!"
"Hu-? O-Okay."
"Take this just in case." Yukari handed the confused girl a weapon.
"I-Is this a naginata? Where did you get this?" Ignoring the surprised Hamuko, Yukari grabbed her hand and bolted out the door.
"Huff.. Huff... Huff..." We should be safe for now..."
"Takeba, do you read me?" Mitsuru's voice called from a transmitter.
"Y-Yes! I hear you!" Yukari hastily replied.
"Be careful! There's more than one enemy! The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"
"BANG BANG BANG!" The back door cracked.
Yukari swore under her breath. "L-Let's pull back."
Step after step Hamuko ran up the stairs. Hamuko was not a stupid girl. The sense of urgency and the fact that Yukari had handed a weapon made it clear that something was amiss. Biting her tongue, Hamuko continued to follow Yukari up the stairs.
"I... I think we should be safe here." Yukari panted.
Hamuko looked up. They were on the roof... But, something was out of place. Hamuko squinted her eyes. "Minato-kun?"
The blue haired boy turned around, headphones dutifully placed on his ears. "You're here."
"What the hell do you mean 'You're here'?" Yukari angrily shouted. "Just what th-" Minato abruptly turned around.
"It's here."
"Huh?" Hamuko felt the sensation in her stomach drop as a rather large thumping quickly grew in sound.
"THUMP... THUMP!" Hamuko nervously took a step back. Something was coming.
"Yukari-san."
"Huh?"
"I would be ready." Hamuko's eyes widened.
"I would be ready in two days." Is this what he meant?
Hamuko Usami had seen many unique things throughout her life. However, this was definitely the most terrifying thing she had ever seen. This pitch-black creature was huge. About the size of a large truck, the monster had multiple arms that each carried machetes the size of average man. Hamuko gulped.
"Get ready," Minato calmly ordered as the strange being lunged at them.
"What is that?" Hamuko wondered.
"We call it a Shadow."Yukari explained as she stepped forward. She took a deep breath. She could do this. She had to, or else Minato and Hamuko would get hurt. She raised the gun to her forehead. "I can do this." Sweat dripped down her forehead. "Urg, hurry up Yukari! Just pull the trigger and-" The monster jumped at the brunette, noticing her hesitation.
"AHH!" Yukari screamed as the shadow swatted the girl aside.
"Tch, I don't have a weapon," Minato cursed as he charged at the shadow. "Usami! Pick up the Evoker!"
Hamuko's eyes widened. Evoker? Does he mean the gun? Right next to her, lied Yukari's gun.
"Hurry!" Minato yelled as he nimbly dodged a hand.
"Pick it up." Hamuko felt her body bend down to pick up the gun. Suddenly, time froze for her. Minato, Yukari, and the shadow were gone. In front of her, was the boy who had her sign the contract. The boy grinned.
"You can do it," the boy said while using his fingers to shoot himself. "It's quite easy."
Hamuko lifted the gun to temple. For some reason, she was smiling. Never mind that Yukari was bleeding to death right next to her. Never mind that Minato was fighting the monster with his bare hands. Everything, for some reason, felt alright.
She pulled the trigger.
AN: After writing all this, I reread some reviews and a couple of them said that this story was similar to the fanfic Reset by Firebreath Fishslap. At first, I was like, "No way! This was totally my idea." But, as I read Reset (which is brilliant BTW), I noticed that it was quite similar to my story. So, at first, I was like X_X "Did I just unintentionally plagiarize someone's idea?" So, now I have a huge dilemma. I guess I'll just have to change a LOT of my ideas... oh well.
If ANYONE would like to be an editor/beta reader, please PM or leave me a message in the reviews... I really need a couple since I suck at writing. :P
Feel free to point out any errors and give me some tips... I'm releasing this chapter at 3 in the morning. I've read this multiple times, so I don't think there are any grammar errors, but I'm probably wrong. So help me.. please? :O
ChapterPoll:Should I go indepth with multiple social links, or just stick to Minato and Hamuko while occasionally doing some minor links?
Thanks for reading.
~Goojila