Chapter 4: Full Fool
I'm sorry if I'm taking my time with this story everyone. Sometimes I can be swamped with work from my AP and Honors class. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to write. Regardless, I'll continue to work on this fiction and finish it…granted I don't break down first.*Gives off nervous laugh*
AnimeCrazy88: I'm not sure if I misinterpreted your comment, but that guy who bumped into the group yesterday was Mamoru Hayases of the Star Arcana. Before you get disappointed, I WILL get Shinjiro and Hamuko to meet each other…it'll take awhile though. Also yeah it is dangerous, but it's even worse for Junpei…I'll cover it in future chapters.
The time is 19:00. Minato is helping Hamuko with her homework…even though she refused many times.
"Aniki, are you sure you should be helping me? Don't you have to do your homework?" she asked for the 22th time.
"Don't worry. After all, nii-sans are supposed to help their imoto-chan. Besides…you don't want to end being dumb like me." Minato smiled at the last statement. Mitsuru comes by to check on the siblings.
"I trust everything is going well?" she asked
"Yeah, it sure is…" Minato suddenly feels like his forehead was hit by glass bottle combined with a splitting headache.
"Is something wrong? Do you require medical attention?" asked Mitsuru
"N-no…no, I'm fine…" he turns to Hamuko "Can you do the rest of you're the problems on your own?"
"Sure aniki. Are you going to bed?"
"…Yeah, I am." He gave Hamuko a good night kiss and heads to his room. By 21:00 Hamuko turns in for the night. Tonight she finally got her own room…which is right above Minato's room (in other words, at the end of the hallway at the 3rd floor).
Meanwhile, Minato is doing some late night studying…considered by most students. But for him, he can stay up. (Sengoku era…mud huts…algebra…) thought Minato as he looks at his skull watch (good thing I don't feel tired in the slightest. Then again…night work is where I shine. Good thing my co workers taught me how to stay up and be efficient with only 4-6 hours of sleep.) He stretches his back and gets up. He looks at his suitcase and his sack, and smirks. (I doubt I'll ever need to use it again, but it sure saved my skin…and help me protect Hamuko .)
Down in the control room, Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ikustki are observing Minato through the hidden cameras.
"Hmm…I wonder why he hasn't turned in yet. It's already late." Stated Mitsuru
"Now THIS is fascinating. Normally people will get tired by now and suffer from amnesia and disorientation. However, he is not exhibiting the usual symptoms." Said Ikustki "Quite frankly, he must be very strong."
23:00 Minato starts to turn in for the night…without changing his uniform out.
"…On second thought, he must be this tired if he didn't bother to change clothes." Ikustki corrected himself.
Finally…the time…is now…00:00…midnight.
All of a sudden Mitsuru is receiving a call from Akihiko. She answers it.
"Command room…is that you Akihiko?"
The transceiver is all static, yet you can hear the emotion in Akihiko's voice. "…not going to believe…don't have time…chasing me…I'm almost there."
Yukari panics and says "What? Are you saying he is bringing it HERE?"
"Mr. Chairman! Lets suspend our observation. We'll prepare for battle!"
"R-right…be careful."
Minato got up by all that shaking and the shouting. His instincts as the coffee guy from the police station tell him to get some sort of defense. He goes to his sack and pulls out…a sickle.
…Or at least the blade. He quickly pulls out 3 rods, each that is one-third of a meter and attaches to the blade. Just in time for Yukari to knock on the door.
"Hey, get up! We got to-"she got cut short when Minato opens the door with his sickle.
Now Minato's mind went momentarily blank because of Yukari. She still has that gun strapped to her thigh, but now she has a bow with a quiver full of arrows and a short sword. The only thing going on in Minato's mind was this…
(Oh. My. God. Don't tell me a psychopath is trying to break in? Is that why they are sending the potential psychopath in?And fully armed?) He thought t himself as they reach to the third floor. Minato suddenly stops and whispers "Hamuko…" He goes to the end of the hallway and realizes one thing.
He doesn't know where Hamuko's room is.
At that realization, his vision starts to get blurry and feels like he is about to faint. Fortunatley, Yukari figures out what Minato is trying to do and heads to Hamuko's room. Minato follows Yukari to the end of the hallway. His vision comes back to normal and knocks on his sister's door vigorously. "Hamuko!" was what he shouted.
The door opens slightly, just enough for Hamuko to take a peek. She opens it up all the way when she sees Minato. "Aniki…" Poor girl looks terrified…then again, I would be terrified if I heard loud scratching noises and some shakes, but-holy crap! That one is a big tremor.
"Come on, we got to go!" said Yukari. She leads the Arisato to the rooftop and locks the door behind her.
(What the hell?... Is she planning to fight the psychopath here?) Thought Minato nervously (Wait, I used to be the bodyguard of the Silver Jinn, so I should be able to protect Hamuko. Not to mention that Yukari is a potential psychopath, so she could-) his thoughts couldn't continue as they rush to the rooftop. Yukari locks the door behind them and looks around nervously. Hamuko is holding onto Minato very tightly.
The moon looks menacing, the sky is in eerie green, and the whole atmosphere is just plain murderous. What else can go wrong?
"…What?" Yukari is staring at the edge of the rooftop. At that moment, a pair of black hands…no wait, 3 pairs of ha- oh my god! Several pair of hands is creeping to the top of the rooftop. Some of these hands are equipped with stainless steel knives. Then the body comes…which is nothing more than a black blob with one hand holding up a blue mask. The body itself is nothing, but the mask seems to searching through the most inner depth of your soul…as if its hungry…for understanding…for emotion…and for your SOUL!
"These things…we called them 'Shadow'." Explained Yukari
(Good to know. I'll keep that in mind when I die!) Thought Minato. He sees Yukari pulls out the gun on her leg holster. (Perfect! When dealing with stuff like that, you always go for the gun fi-)
Yukari points the gun…squarely to the forehead.
(What is she doing? Wait; don't tell me…she's going to leave me and Hamuko to fend off against that thing? By committing suicide?) Minato grips onto his sickle tightly while keeping his little sister close to him.
Yukari is breathing very fast and seems to be struggling to kill herself. With each passing moment, the Shadow comes in closer and closer. The Shadow stop for a moment and flames start appearing on the tip of the knives.
Just as Yukari is about to pull the trigger she got hit by a large fireball right into the chest. She got thrown aside and her gun slides all the way to Minato's feet. But he doesn't notice it at all.
He is deathly scared.
(That thing…it obviously not human, but…I don't know if I should fight it…I… it's better if I run away!) Minato got out his trance when Hamuko holds on to him more tightly. He stops shaking and begins to think clearly. (Damn it, if I run then who is going to protect Hamuko. Did I lie to myself? Did I lie about that promise?) He picks up the gun instinctively and looks at the Shadow…with a glint of red from his gray eyes.
"Hamuko, please stay with Yukari-san. Your aniki can handle the monster." Said Minato. He can feel his sister's confused gaze, but she did what she was told to do. Minato looks at the Shadow with that same look, only with the red more noticeable.
(That's right! I vow that even when worse comes to worse…) he points the gun to his head (I swear I'll give up my life to save Hamuko's.) His vision starts to get hazy and his hand is shaking. (Shit, not now…I got…to…FOCUS!) Just as Minato is about to pull the trigger, he feels the insane and irresistible urge smile, like a mad man drunk with power, and say one word.
One word…that will change his…and Hamuko's life…forever.
"Per…so…na…"
There wasn't a sound that sounded like a gunshot, but the sound of a mirror breaking. Shards of blue light are coming out from Minato's head and illuminate the rooftop. The shards start moving into a single area and seem to be making something. A voice of a man can be heard as the figure is forming.
I am thou…thou art I…
The figure has white hair and glowing red eyes. There is a giant lyre strapped onto the back. The body is metallic, in contrast with the organic head, and has a speaker attach to its abdomen area.
From thy Sea of the Soul…I come forth…
The figure elegantly lands on the rails with the lyre off.
I am Orpheus, Master of Strings.
The Shadow is suddenly scared of Orpheus as he screams at the Shadow. Minato couldn't suppress that crazy smile if he wanted to. His eyes starts glow even redder and…
"Ngh…" Minato puts his hand onto his head. (Crap, I can't fall unconscious now!) The headache decides to rear its way and begins its relentless assault. Orpheus starts to shake uncontrollably and his head starts to get lose.
Then an arm comes through Orpheus's head and another one. It grips both shoulders and…Orpheus's body got rip into many pieces with head falling to the ground.
The new figure is much larger and more menacing then Orpheus. It is a black entity with some sort of helmet, a katana at least half of its height, white gloves and boots, and several coffins strapped to its back forming an arch. The new figure screams at the full moon and begins to slash the environment violently.
(Damn it, what is it doing?) Minato covered his ears when that creature screeched (This isn't what I want!) The katana glistens into the moonlight and, for a brief second, shows a reflection of Minato's eyes. He stops covering his ears and grips the sickle with confidence.(No…this is perfect…if I can control this power…I'll protect Hamuko without fail.) He focuses and grips his chest. For a moment, he seems to be in perfect control, but soon has some difficulty gain composure.
He opens his eyes and holds onto his grip even tighter.
Just then, the sword wielder stops and, like Minato, grips its katana harder. It turns its attention to the Shadow. All is silent within the eerie atmosphere…except for Hamuko's shaking.
Without warning, the sword wielder leaps into the air and slashes the blue mask in half. The Shadow attempts to escape. But the figure grips onto the body and squishes creating some sort of black liquid. It proceeds as the figure uses its katana to slash it multiple times, with each slash staining the figure.
Once the destruction of the Shadow is done, the figure screams at the moon….until it reverts back to Orpheus.
Minato feels like his leg went numb on him. But he can't go unconscious yet. He drags himself to his little sister, who is on the verge of crying. He gently places his hand on Hamuko's head and says "Don't worry. Your nii-san is still here and the monsters are gone. Please don't cry Hamuko…every thing is alright."
Hamuko sniff very loudly and rubs her eyes. "Okay aniki…I won't cry." Yukari starts to wake up and wonders what happen. Apparently she got lucky…just some first-degree burns and a minor concussion.
"Did…did you?" she looks up to see something "Look out! There are more of them!"
Minato turns around to see 4 more of these creatures, granted they are much smaller and bear no dangerous weapons. They start squirming its way to the group, aiming to kill. Minato brandishes his sickle against one of them.
First he plunges the blade into one of them right through the. Next he takes out the sickle, causing a fountain of black fluid to come out. But he isn't finish yet. He slashes it on the same target by twirling his sickle for consecutive damage. Finally he cleaves the smaller Shadow in half. The result…let's say the janitor is going to be piss when he has to clean the rooftop.
One of the Shadow things lunges itself toward to Minato by using its claws. Minato saw it coming, so he simply sidesteps and counter by swing the sickle right into the mask. And for precaution, he slices his foe into many minced pieces.
Minato looks around to see where the rest of his enemies are and…dang…his eyes are really red. He sees the rest completely ignoring him. At first, he was confused as to why until…
(Crap! They are so not going to do what I think they're trying to do.) He realizes that they're going to the entrance of the rooftop. (Crap! Hamuko and that potential psychopath are over there!) He runs to where the Shadows are going.
Yukari pulls out the sword in case the worst is going to happen. Honestly, she seems frightened but has no choice. Her legs are still numb from that fire ball from the intense heat and she really can't use her bow since the Shadows are closing in too fast. No other option but to TRY to defend against the assault. One of the Shadows got in very close, raises its lethal claws for a strike. Yukari, being inexperienced in a fight, closes her eyes for the pain to come…
…Nothing has happened yet. Confused, Yukari peeks out just as Hamuko says "Aniki!" and is shock.
Minato block the attack…with his back. You can see the pained expression on his face as he grits his teeth. Yukari has never been this scared in her entire life.
But Minato laughs. He laughs the attack off. He laughs the pain off. He slowly turns to the Shadow and faces it eye to eye. He pulls out the gun…
The Shadow, despite its only face is a mask, seems to be in…fear. They slowly step back from their oblivion.
Minato points the gun to his head and pulls the trigger. He suffers from a short headache, but now the Master of Strings is reborn. Orpheus glares at the frightened Shadow with those eyes. He pulls out his lyre and uses it as a blunt weapon. After two or three more bashes the Shadow is vanquish.
Orpheus is now ready to face the last Shadow until…the Shadow lunges itself and tackles Orpheus, leaving his lyre behind. The Shadow is now on top of Orpheus and Orpheus could really just defend himself with his two metal arms. He manages to grab two of the claw with ease.
That is when the Shadow decides to play dirty. It uses its other claws to attack Orpheus's head.
"Ahhh! Somebody help me! That thing is trying to steal my face!" he yelled. He is trying to push the Shadow back, but the Shadow is like gum on hair. Once it sticks to you, it usually hard to get rid of.
…Usually.
Minato picks up his sickle and prepares to slay the Shadow until his vision starts to get hazy. Minato stumbles from the severe headache he is getting right now. To top it off, he feels like he has shortness of breath, thus the rapid panting. At this rate…
Minato feels like he is going to vomit. His head is spinning more and more with each passing second. He starts to lean on his sickle, but can't stop the shaking in his hands.
(Damn it! Not now…just a little bit more.) He punches the ground with his bare fist. Minato can focus just a little now. He runs to the Shadow with the sharp blade at the top. He slices the Shadow from its stomach by using the sickle to launch it to the air and cleaves it before it can touch the ground.
Minato checks to see if there's more. So far… there's nothing. Minato would've smiled if that headache isn't persisting. He collapses on the ground, ready to lose consciousness until…
"Aniki! Aniki! Are you okay?" she ran all the way to her brother's side, lying face flat on the ground. Minato weakly smiles and says…
"Don't worry Hamuko. Your niisan…is all right…" His vision gets too hazy and his mind is too heavy "I …just…need some…rest…"
He doesn't know what happens after the blackout.
Meanwhile, on the streets, a blue mask is lying there. That mask looks like that Shadow's mask.
Magician: I'm just lying here with no body. Somebody please help me. My soul is trapped in this mask and that is a fate worse than death.
A piece of paper is right in front of it.
Magician: What's this? 'Disclaimer…the Observer doesn't own the Persona series. Atlus has the legal rights.' Who the hell is the 'Observer'? Couldn't s/he just kill me? And what's that thing that looks like it's going to-
Orpheus lands on top of the mask.
Orpheus: Ow! That hurt like hell! Huh? The disclaimer! Well I hoped somebody did it, so my employer won't know I was slacking off. Huh? A challenge request for the readers? Hmm…looks interesting. Apparently, the Observer notices a trend in the Persona fic in which the FeMc is involve with some sort of romance, mainly Akihiko.
So s/he challenges you to write that said fic…but with a twist. They want you to include a younger version of Minato in there. It doesn't matter how or what his role is, but he has to be there. Simple as that. Just think how an older sister and her younger's brother's relationship.
Also, just a reminder, this is your last chance to answer last chapter's question for a chance for a request. Here's the question:
What trait from Heavy Rain might be present in this fic? You don't have to be right, but the closest one gets the request. Until next time, I'll see you all later.