Disclaimer: Shin Megami Tensei and the Persona series belong to Atlus, not to the Heartless Wanderer. All related characters and concepts are the intellectual property of said company. The Heartless Wanderer is merely an Internet nerd who writes works of fanfiction in his rather scarce spare time and happens to be a on a bit of a Persona kick at the moment. He claims ownership only of the fan-work itself and nothing else.
~The First Recollection~
"Like a Story Being Written"
In the year 2012 — late July, to be precise — a reunion of sorts would transpire on the island of Yakushima. Eight friends (six humans and a robot that looked like one, plus one dog) would by happy coincidence find that several days of their summer off-time happen to overlap for the first time since the year 2009, when most of them had enjoyed a brief summer vacation in this very place. In many ways that had been a simpler, happier time; though Ken Amada and Koromaru had not been present on that occasion, their old team of Persona-users had been ready for action and certain of their goal… and he had been with them, of course. That occasion was memorable for one member of the former S.E.E.S. for another very specific reason, though…
That had been the day when she had met them — her first friends, a group of people who had eventually become as precious to her as life itself. The Seventh Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon "Aigis" hadn't been in any condition to understand that at the time, of course; she had only known that her highest priority was to be near him. But that was the start of it, and it was a memory she would treasure (with a hindsight-induced pinch of embarrassment, mind you) for the rest of her life, however long or short that might be.
Yakushima was an important place for their guest as well, albeit for a more uncomfortable reason. This island had been where Aigis's Fifth-Generation sister unit was developed, and where she was forced to fight against others of her kind as the Kirijo Group's scientists worked to determine which model would be the baseline for their line of anti-Shadow android weapons. Labrys had been understandably uneasy about returning to this place, but her desire to meet the rest of Aigis's friends had overruled her unpleasant memories with startling ease. Indeed, Labrys was in high spirits, for after this vacation she intended to pay a visit to Inaba and meet up with her own first friends. Between that and the warm welcome she had received from Yukari, Junpei, Ken, and Koromaru (for those four had not been involved in the Golden Week incident), it seemed the smile would never deign to leave her face.
It was the second night of their three-day stay; the following afternoon, Mitsuru would have to return to her duties and Aigis would have to follow. The others all had their own plans for the remaining summer weeks, so Aigis understood it, whether it be assisting the ongoing investigation into the culprit behind the theft of Labrys or attending to their own lives elsewhere. Even Koromaru had plans: apparently he'd met a lady dog back in Iwatodai and was quite anxious to get back to her. Ah, the allure of romance, thinks Aigis. I comprehend. Although, I should probably avoid thinking too deeply about that with regards to canines.
Those among the friends who can ingest food — all except Aigis and Labrys, that is — are gathered around the table and enjoying the bountiful menu that Mitsuru arranged for… despite Fuuka's insistence that she could prepare a fantastic feast for them all, which was soundly vetoed on the diplomatic grounds that it would be a better use of vacation time to kick back and relax while someone who was not on vacation slaved over a hot stove in their stead.
Aigis is 99.9% sure that this was not the true reason, but rather an excuse. The general consensus amongst S.E.E.S. was that Fuuka Yamagishi simply could not cook an edible meal if the lives of every one of her friends, six thousand orphaned kittens, and herself all depended on the edibility of the meal. It would be impolitic to say so to her face, however, which might be why Akihiko had slapped his hand over Aigis's mouth when she had attempted to clarify matters for Fuuka…
Fuuka's lack of culinary finesse aside, dinner is now coming to a close. Koromaru noisily licks his dish clean on the floor behind Ken and Junpei, the latter of whom keeps sneaking Koromaru extra morsels from the table whenever Mitsuru is looking the other way. Yukari, who like many human females is attempting to be conscious of weight variance, fails once again to resist the urge to take one more food item, whereas Fuuka had just given it up as impossible and ate steadily throughout the meal anyway. Mitsuru is the picture of dining etiquette as always. Akihiko had been reprimanded by Mitsuru for bringing a protein shake to the table but had mixed one in with his drink when she'd turned her attention elsewhere, which for some reason had caused Junpei to cough into his own glass and then to repress a strong fit of laughter. Aigis did not quite comprehend. Data suggested that protein was a healthy supplement for one with Akihiko's pattern of physical fitness. But the scene had made Labrys smile wider, so Aigis had refrained from questioning it aloud.
There had been a bit of a gap between Aigis and Labrys for a while, but as they worked together they'd grown quite close. In truth, it reminded Aigis of the brief time she had spent with Metis while fighting Shadows in the Abyss of Time, except that Metis and Labrys had vastly different personalities. Aigis's only regret was that the Kansai-speaking girl whose personality had been a template in the development of the fifth-generation series had evidently passed away in the intervening decade between Labrys's resolution to meet her and her eventual awakening inside the TV World. This had left Labrys quite depressed for a long while, and Aigis had spent the entire time feeling especially cognizant of how bad at comforting people she was. But perhaps by being there, she had in some small way provided support? She had read that such could be helpful. Even now Aigis had trouble understanding the finer points of these things.
A loud belch from Junpei, followed by an "Ow!" as Yukari kicks him under the table, breaks Aigis's train of thought. "C'mon, Yuka-tan, what wazzat for?!" exclaimed Junpei, turning a half-hurt, half-amused look on the girl across the table from him.
"For being a pig," snapped Yukari, but with no real heat. "Anyway, Mitsuru-senpai? I've been wanting to ask you something since you told us all about what happened during Golden Week."
Mitsuru sets her eating implements down and looks to Yukari with a questioning expression. "What is it, Takeba?"
"I'm just curious," says Yukari. "You said there were a bunch of high school kids in Inaba who could all use Personas, but you never told us anything about them. I was thinking… well, I'd like to hear more about them, is all."
"Hell yeah, me too!" Junpei says. "Something tells me there's something awesome about those guys. I mean, Persona-users are unusual enough, but a whole team of 'em all in one town, working together and stuff? Heh. Takes you back, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it did…" Akihiko puts in. "They were an interesting bunch, to say the least."
"Now that you mention it, I'd like to hear more about them, too," Ken says. Behind him, Koromaru sits up with sudden attention and short bark. Labrys giggles.
"Koro-kun says he wants ta hear about 'em, too," she translates before Aigis can. "And I don't mind talkin' about 'em, myself. Yu an' them are cool people, I can't wait to see 'em again."
Mitsuru smiles, closing her eyes for a moment in that contained-yet-amused way she does, and then she says, "Narukami and his friends, hm… I wish I knew more about them, myself. There wasn't time to properly discuss matters with them while we were in Inaba, though — the follow-up was urgent, so all we had time for was a quick good-bye."
Fuuka puts on thoughtful expression. "Now that I think about it, we all had to leave Junes so quickly that I didn't even have a chance to get a good look at them… wasn't one of them that pop idol, Risette? I… kind of wish I'd gotten her autograph," she says, blushing slightly. "Her last album really stuck with me, especially 'Pursuing My True Self.'"
"Yes. I would have enjoyed speaking with them as well," Aigis says. Her tone slips from neutral to slight melancholy as she adds: "Especially Narukami-san. He… reminds me a lot of Minato-san, somehow."
Yukari gives Aigis a weird look, which only becomes more bewildered when Mitsuru says, "Actually, now that I think about it, he had the same 'air' about him that Arisato did… but maybe I was just seeing Arisato in the way the others all seemed to look up to and trust Narukami. It was plain to see that he's the friend and leader to them that Arisato was to us."
Yukari frowns, but then Akihiko grunts, "Didn't Aigis say he also had the same power? You know, that he could use multiple Personas like Minato did?"
"Whoa…" Junpei says, half in awe and half in disbelief. "Seriously? Dude, that is just plain spooky."
Yukari, now looking quite dazed, says: "C'mon, guys, that's not funny. I mean… Minato-kun… Minato-kun was amazing. One-of-a-kind. You can't just say stuff like — like this guy you just met was exactly like him. That's —"
"I did not mean to imply that!" Aigis exclaims, shifting uncomfortably. "Only that he reminded me of him. That I could see some of Minato-san's goodness in him. I would never imply that anyone could replace him, Yukari-san, you know that."
Labrys looks baffled, eyes flitting from an excited Junpei to a nostalgic Mitsuru to a cautious-looking Ken and finally to Yukari, who looks like she might be a stone's throw from a teardrop. "Uh…" Labrys says uncomfortably. "I mean, I'm sorry if it's none o' my business, but who's this 'Minato' guy you're talkin' 'bout?"
Aigis looks at Labrys in surprise, as do the others; for a moment it seems like they may have forgotten she was there. "Oh… uh…" Junpei says. "Minato was… he was… uh… he was this really awesome, I mean, like, badass! …Er…"
"Minato-san was a very good friend to us all," Aigis cuts in, "and a fine leader. He gave his life to save us and everyone in the world from certain death. I will… tell you the story another time, sister. Is that alright with you?"
"Sure… yeah," Labrys says, shifting under the collective gaze of the former S.E.E.S. members. She seems to think she shouldn't have spoken up, but before anything further can be said on the matter, Akihiko gasps, clutching at his head.
"What the…?" he says, eyes shut tight. "…Narukami? Chie? What the hell?!"
Labrys's wide, surprised eyes zip directly to Akihiko, who now looks the very picture of confused — undecided, even. Aigis blinks, uncomprehending. "Akihiko-san?" she asks.
"Akihiko, what's wrong? What's this about Naruka—" but Mitsuru stops short, hand snapping to her own forehead and her eyes widening in something that Aigis can't quite identify… is it comprehension, or bewilderment? It looks almost like it could be both at once.
Suddenly Yukari jumps to her feet, looking frightened and angry. "W-what is this?!" she yelled. "These — these memories —"
"Huh? What, what?!" demands Junpei, looking back and forth between Mitsuru and Yukari.
"What's wrong?" Ken asks in worry. Koromaru barks swiftly behind him, padding around the table to where Yukari and Akihiko sit and barking some more.
"I — this is…" Akihiko said. "But we never met them back then, I know we didn't…"
"We definitely didn't!" Mitsuru snaps sharply. "But this — this is like the memories just now wrote themselves into what we remember — what's going on?"
"Wait, wait," Yukari mutters. "Are we all remembering the same thing here? The — the Dark Hour, a while before Minato-kun came to the dorm —"
"Whoa, hold up! Dark Hour?!" Junpei yelps.
"Yeah, I think we are!" Akihiko growled. "But that never happened! I know it never happened! It can't have, can it?"
Ken only looks on helplessly, uncomprehending, as does Fuuka. Labrys opens her mouth, closes it, and then opens it again to say, "You — you mentioned Yu, and Chie! What about 'em, huh? What's goin' on?"
Aigis reflexively puts a calming hand on her sister-unit's shoulder. Labrys turns perplexed eyes on Aigis, then back toward the others, but Yukari, Akihiko, and Mitsuru seem so absorbed in whatever they're "remembering" that they don't seem to notice anyone but each other.
"Takeba — what do you… remember?" Mitsuru asks, gritting her teeth in an apparent attempt to keep her calm.
"You woke me up, I was annoyed…" Yukari recites in desperate tones. "You said there was a Shadow that was outside of Tartarus for some reason, so we went out to find it… but we found a bunch of other Persona-users instead…"
"That's exactly what I remember!" Akihiko said. "Mitsuru called me up, told me to track 'em, but when I found a bunch of kids wandering around during the Dark Hour, I —"
"WHAT are you guys talking about?!" Junpei yells, now genuinely scared for his friends. "Remembering what? C'mon, clue me in!"
"What did they look like, Takeba?" Mitsuru demanded. "You've never seen them before, so if you remember correctly, then this — this is something to worry about."
"What did they look like?" Yukari echoes, surprised by the question. "Um, let me see… one of them was blond, and had this weird white shirt on, with really blue eyes. There was — er — this really thin guy with a hat on, although I remember thinking he looked too pretty to be a guy…"
"Go on," Mitsuru says, her composure slipping a bit.
"There was a guy with headphones around his neck, a girl with black hair, in a red cardigan…" Yukari continues, seeming to gain more confidence in her recollection as she goes, "…and this guy who looked a bit like a gang member, with a skull-and-crossbones shirt on and his jacket hanging like a cape or something over his shoulders. There was also a girl with short hair and a green sweater, and… and there was this pretty girl with two ponytails, and the last one… the guy who summoned that… that Persona, 'Izanagi-no-Okami,' when you passed him the Evoker…"
As Yukari states this, she became inexplicably awestruck. As if suddenly remembering this apparent fact themselves, Mitsuru and Akihiko draw in deep breaths and seem to be so taken into the recollection that they gave no notice at all to the bounding and whining Koromaru as he jumped around behind them.
"What… what does this mean, Mitsuru?" Akihiko asks, clenching his fist on the table.
"That's what we wanna know!" Junpei growls, sounding annoyed. The three of them give a start, and blink as one at the other occupants of the room. As if relieved that they were back amongst the living, Koromaru jumps up at Akihiko and starts licking his face.
"Hey, hey — down, boy!" Akihiko splutters.
"…What… what's all this about Yu and them?!" Labrys demands, now in a harsher tone of voice. "Stop talkin' like the rest of us ain't here, they're — they're my friends! So tell me what's goin' on here!"
"I…" Mitsuru begins, but she can only settle back into her chair and pick up her wine glass, taking an uncharacteristically large gulp in her attempts to calm herself. "I don't know what's going on either, Labrys," she said. "But our memories, it's like they were just…"
"Like our memories are being scribbled over by a five-year-old with a twitchy crayon," Akihiko completes the thought for her, running a frustrated hand through his silver hair. "I can still remember exactly what I actually did that night, but it's like this new version of it's been written on top of the old one. Dammit, what the hell is this…?!"
Aigis blinks twice, looking from Akihiko to Mitsuru, then to Ken and Junpei. "I do not detect any alterations to my memories. Do you?"
"I don't think so…" Ken says, brow furrowing as if to be doubly sure his memory isn't failing him.
"Nope," Junpei shrugs. "You guys sure you didn't just have a little too much alcohol or… protein, senpai?" Junpei ends with a shaky laugh, attempting to lighten the mood, but Akihiko pays him no mind.
"But you guys weren't there that night," Yukari says. "It was just me, Akihiko, and Mitsuru-senpai. So it makes sense that you wouldn't remember, but…"
"But even now I'm remembering even more about that night," Mitsuru says, "It's like the memories are etching themselves into my brain as we speak, right alongside the old ones — like a story being written — they said they were runaways, didn't they? So they hadn't been to school?"
"Yeah, that Shirogane guy was cool as a cucumber the whole time, no wonder we didn't question it," Akihiko says, now sounding oddly amused.
"I should be more concerned by the knowledge that they lied to us to get into S.E.E.S.," Mitsuru says quietly. "But for some reason I —"
She breaks off then, looking mildly surprised.
"What is it, senpai?" Fuuka asks.
"…Shirogane is a woman?" Mitsuru says. "I never would have guessed."
"…Huh…" Akihiko says. "But that fun fact aside, what do we do about this?"
Yukari bites her lip. Labrys looks frustrated and lost. Those among the humans who hadn't experienced the sudden influx of new memories don't seem to quite believe it.
As for Aigis…
"If Narukami-san and his friends have suddenly appeared in your memories of the past where they were previously absent, it follows that they may have gotten involved in an incident involving time-travel."
Labrys looks to Aigis in alarm. Fuuka makes a soft, skeptical sound.
"That seems a little farfetched, doesn't it…?" the analyst says uncertainly.
"It sounds downright crazy," Ken adds, shaking his head. Junpei nods in agreement with the sentiment.
"It may," Mitsuru says, "but let us not forget that everyone in this room — Labrys excluded — was involved in an incident that involved visits to the past, and the possibility of an actual trip back in time. It is… not impossible."
The reminder of what occurred in the Abyss of Time effectively shuts down all opposition to the idea, although Labrys now looks even more confused.
"So, like… what do we do?" Junpei asks, echoing Akihiko's earlier question.
"I need to — I need to check on 'em!" Labrys says, jumping to her feet. "I have to see if they're all alright. Lemme call up Chie, she's prob'ly awake right now —"
The android prototype begins digging through her clothes, only seeming to remember where her cell phone was after several seconds of searching. Then she dialed the number, and waited impatiently for nearly half a minute before snapping it shut. "She's not pickin' up," she says.
"Try her home phone," Mitsuru says calmly. "We shouldn't jump to any conclusions just because we can't reach one of them immediately."
Labrys nods, almost shakily, and then scrolls through her phone's list of numbers before pushing the "call" button with perhaps a bit too much force and then pressing the phone to her ear. Before long — "Ah, yeah — this is Labrys, I'm a friend o' Chie. Is she in?"
The rest waited in silence, those who had met the Investigation Team in Inaba actually holding their breath out of nerves.
"…I see. Yeah, thanks," Labrys said quietly. "I'd appreciate that, ma'am. Yeah. G'bye."
Labrys closed the phone slowly, her eyes immediately finding Aigis and her voice shaking just the smallest bit as she said in a louder voice.
"Th-they said Chie didn't come home from school today. And that Yukiko's parents called up lookin' for her, too. It hasn't been that long, but — but it looks like both of 'em have gone missin'."
"Then there's no time to lose," Mitsuru said, standing up and slipping into her "Shadow Operative commander" tone of voice. "Aigis, I need you and Labrys to try to get in contact with Narukami and his other friends. Failing that, get in contact with their relatives or relations — anyone who might know their last known whereabouts. Akihiko," she added, as Aigis and Labrys nodded the affirmative, "get ready to leave. It looks like this reunion is going to be cut short. If Narukami and his friends don't turn up, we're going directly to Inaba."
"I'm coming, too!" Yukari said. Then, sounding confused by her own statement, she stammered out, "I — I'm worried about them. I'm… why am I so worried about them? I don't even know them…"
"It could be because of the memories," Mitsuru said. "…Yes, Takeba, I think it best that you come with us, given that you seem to share these bizarre recollections. In fact, I would appreciate it if all of us took the trip. I have a feeling all of you will experience this phenomenon before long."
Junpei pumped a fist into the air. "Hell yeah, I've got your backs!"
Ken nods and says, "Of course, Mitsuru-san."
Fuuka smiles reassuringly and adds, "You don't even need to ask, senpai."
Koromaru chimes in with an affirmative bark.
Mitsuru looks from each one to the next, nods, and then whips out her own cell phone. "Very well, then. I'll have someone make the arrangements."
Author's Note: I may have stated that the Shadow Operatives of 2012 wouldn't get involved in this story, when I responded to one or two reviews before this. That is… still somewhat true, as their involvement will be minimal, but in all honesty I hadn't planned on this angle at the time. If I say something and then go in a completely different direction when it comes to actually writing it, please disregard all earlier comments to the contrary. This is just the sort of random way my writing process tends to work: I mostly just fly by the seat of my pants and hope what comes out smells okay. Or some shit like that.