April 12, 2009

When I left off last night, Hidenori had tossed Miki into a glass-topped coffee table. After he yelled at us, he called an ambulance. I had to stay with Hidenori while Michiko went to the hospital. Hidenori told both Michiko and the paramedics that Miki had fallen backwards on the table. As soon as the paramedics left, he passed out. Miki was treated and discharged without incident.

"You have to tell someone," Shinji said simply the next morning. He, Miki, and I were sitting at our favorite spot: Cherry Hill, which overlooked Port Island Station.

Miki winced. "He's never done anything like this before. What got into him?"

"He was drunk," I said. "I smelled the alcohol on his breath."

"And no one at the hospital noticed that she couldn't have 'fallen' hard enough to break tempered glass?" Shinji asked incredulously. "Damn. People are idiots."

"Can we get the police involved over one isolated incident, though?" Miki asked.

"If he does it again, then we can report his ass," Shinji said.

"I really don't want to wait for something like that to happen again," I quickly interjected.

"It's okay, Aki," Miki said soothingly. "It doesn't hurt that much anymore."

"Why don't we tell the orphanage personnel?" Shinji suggested. "They won't call us liars. They deal with abused kids all the time."

"Then we can tell them about Setsuna's father," Miki said. "Good idea."

"Setsuna's father?" I asked. "What about Hidenori?"

"Hidenori only did this once," Miki answered. "Father Rossi's probably been beating Setsuna for years. No wonder she was so withdrawn..."

"It would be best if we could get Setsuna herself to tell them," Shinji replied.

"Hmm..." Miki mused. "Aki and I didn't see her on our way out. And we can't exactly knock on her door to talk to her." She thought a moment. "What if her father didn't...know we talked to her?"

"What do you mean?" I began to get that sinking feeling. Whenever Miki got an idea, it was usually trouble.

"Rocks at the window in the middle of the night?" Shinji asked. "That's a classic."

"Hmm...nah, might break the glass," Miki said.

Uh oh. When Miki and Shinji plotted together, things always went wrong.

"I got it! We sneak Setsuna out of the house and take her to the orphanage. Then we have someone take a statement," Miki said. "We minimize contact with her psycho dad and they can help her from there."

"Sneak? As in break in? Miki, that's a crime!" I said.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Aki," she said. "I won't just sit here and do nothing while a little girl suffers! I just can't. You can stay out of it if you want. I'll do it myself. Tonight."

"No," I said. "I'll do it."

"I'll stay up and let you in," Shinji suggested. "If you do one thing for me, Miki."

"What?" she asked.

"You tell your dad that if he hurts you again, he better pray he can run faster than me."

"All right," Miki agreed. "Though he'd probably laugh. I honestly don't know why he adopted us if he doesn't even like us."

"To suck up to his wife," I said. "She wanted kids, he didn't."

XXX

That night, we pretended to go to sleep and waited for our adoptive parents to go to bed. I accidentally drifted off.

"Aki!" Miki woke me. She was holding a wrench. "I 'borrowed' this from the toolbox."

"Are you thinking of breaking a window?"

"No. Just forcing the window open."

"The calmness you're showing is scary."

"I've read some of the stories in the book she gave me. Joan of Arc had to be tough to liberate France. Setsuna is trapped, and I'm going to save her."

Had I known the story of Joan of Arc, I'd have retorted that St. Joan was burned at the stake for her efforts. I didn't want Miki to get yelled at or worse by Father Rossi, or thrown through another sheet of glass. "Why do you want to save her?"

Miki thought a moment. "I had so much fun with her at the movies. She's my friend. But more than that. She deserves better than that monster she calls a father. Every kid deserves good, loving parents."

I was about to point out that Hidenori wasn't exactly loving, but Michiko loved us, so I kept my mouth shut.

Miki opened my window and grabbed a branch of the tree outside. I followed her.

"How are we going to get back in?" I asked.

"I swiped Mother's house key," she answered.

We crossed the street.

I looked up at the sky. "The moon..." It was full, and was a bright yellow-green as opposed to the usual white.

"It's said the moon is made of green cheese," Miki said. "I never thought it could be true until now." She shrugged. "Come on." She put the wrench to the window and used it like a lever. It screeched, making me jump.

"Why are you so nervous?" She asked me.

"Because we'll be in trouble if we get caught!" I snapped.

"I'll say I put you up to it," she replied. "You won't get in any trouble." She climbed through the open window.

I shrugged and followed her. I knew she would take the blame for me. Like I said, I always knew Miki would do anything for me.

The living room was completely dark, illuminated only by the full moon.

Miki looked toward the end of the room and gasped in sheer horror. I felt sick myself.

Setsuna was awake, kneeling before an altar, chanting in a language I didn't understand. Her eyes were closed. She was chained to the altar, with heavy shackles around her wrists and ankles. Her olive skin looked sickly in the light of the full moon. There were dark bruises around her neck, clearly in the shape of hands. There were also ugly-looking scratches on her forehead.

"Setsuna!" Miki cried.

Setsuna stopped her chanting and turned as much as the chains would allow. "Miki? What are you doing here?! It's the middle of the night!"

"What are you doing up?!" hissed Miki.

"Praying the Act of Contrition in Latin. I'm not allowed to eat or sleep until I've recited it a hundred times," Setsuna explained.

I gasped. "And you don't see anything wrong with that?"

"I disobeyed my father," Setsuna replied. "I have sinned. I must atone."

"You didn't disobey him!" Miki snapped.

"I did. He told me to stay home and study. But I went to the movies. I had a wonderful time, but...I still committed a crime."

"And the chains?" Miki asked.

"To make sure I don't disobey him again," Setsuna said. "He keeps the key on that wall, just beyond my reach."

Miki moved to the wall and took a single key from the plaque. "Come with us. We're taking you somewhere safe."

"Safe? I'm in no danger," Setsuna said calmly.

"Just trust me," Miki said, unlocking the shackles and grabbing Setsuna's wrist. I noticed she had deep-looking scratches on the wrist too.

"No!" Setsuna cried, pulling away. "Why are you kidnapping me?"

"We're not kidnapping you," I said. "We're rescuing you from your psycho father."

"My father is rather strict," Setsuna said angrily. "But he is not insane! Now get out of my house!"

"No! I'm not leaving without you," Miki snapped. "Your father has hurt you and will hurt you again."

"He only hurts me if I'm bad."

"That doesn't make it okay!" Miki cried. "Come with me. Please." She touched Setsuna's hand. "I want what's best for you--" Suddenly she clutched her head. "What's happening? My head feels like it's splitting open..."

Blue light surrounded Miki, and something materialized above her head.

"I am thou, and thou art I," the thing said. It was clearly female, silver-skinned, dressed in a billowing white robe or dress. "I cometh from the sea of thy heart. I am Alcestis, the protector of loved ones." It...she...radiated a warm gentleness.

Golden lights fell on Setsuna. The scratches on her forehead and temples vanished, as did the dark bruises on her neck.

"What is that?" Setsuna said, feeling her neck. "The pain is all gone! Is it some sort of guardian angel?"

"I don't know," Miki replied as the thing disappeared. "I've never seen it before – oh!" She staggered forward and collapsed.

"Miki!" I cried.

"Shhh!" Setsuna quickly said. "It's okay. She's still breathing."

I shook her. "Miki, wake up!" No effect.

Setsuna moved to the phone. "Does she normally faint like this?"

"Of course not!"

Setsuna picked up the phone. "Then I'm calling an ambulance."

I was about to protest, but my concern for Miki overrode my fear of waking Setsuna's father. "Do it."

"Huh?" Setsuna frowned at the phone. "The phone is dead!"

"Did your dad cut the line?" I asked.

"No. It's intact. Phone must be broken."

"Help me carry her back to my house. The phone should work there."

"OK, but only to your house. Then I'm coming back here."

"What?!" I cried. "But...how can you stay here with your father?"

Setsuna looked directly at me. "Honor thy father and mother. The fourth Commandment. I cannot break it."

I made a mental note to press her on this later, once Miki was safe.

Setsuna helped me carry her across the street and back to my house.

"I must be going now," Setsuna said, making a brisk bow. She turned and left. I would have stopped her, had Miki been conscious.

I carried Miki inside the house and placed her on the couch. I tried the house phone, but it was dead too. I tried to wake Miki again.

Morning eventually came, and Michiko took Miki to the hospital again. The doctors found nothing wrong with her and concluded she was just exhausted. I know now that summoning a Persona for the first time takes a lot out of a person. And Miki...she was just a little girl.

Had she not died, would I even let her in SEES? She'd want to, of course.

Of course she'd fight with us. I could never say no to Miki.

That was May 1999, almost ten years ago.