A/n: Aaaa. Typos. I forgot it was 'Hidetoshi' not Hiroshi! (rolling) Thanks for pointing that out. Also, I'm happy someone got Minato's alias reference. Ahahaha… Sorry for the relatively short chapter. It gets better, I promise.
TU 9/8/09- After School
Nothing really eventful was going on today, although there were rumors about bikers going around. Hamuko overheard the housewives that often hung out at the Paulownia Mall mention that briefly before she hurried her errands to pick up more revival beads, and various other things, including fusion weapons and other exclusive items from Officer Kurosawa. As soon as she was done with her errands, she took a train back to Gekkoukan and met up with Yukari.
Hamuko enjoyed herself as they wandered through the Paulownia mall with aimless conversation. Although she wasn't too high on wearing accessories, Yukari managed to drag her into a particular store she would have never thought of going in.
'To check out the earrings', Yukari had said. Hamuko satiated her feelings of boredom by looking through several pairs of earrings herself. Yukari in the meantime picked up two different sets; one with soft pink rhinestone studs and the other pair were delicately shaped heart earrings. Both suited the pretty in pink girl, and both were very pretty. Glancing between both, Yukari showed them to Hamuko.
"Hey Hamuko, I can't decide on which one I want… can you a pick a pair for me?"
After looking over both pairs thoughtfully, she pulled a second pair of rhinestones and held them out to Yukari with a bright smile.
"Let's get matching pairs!" She said jubilantly as Yukari broke into a smile.
"That would be cool!" Yukari agreed as she placed the heart-shaped earring back on the shelf. "Oh, wait… your ears aren't pieced…"
"I'll get them pierced a later then. It'd be fun!" Hamuko grinned. Yukari smiled frivolously.
"Sure thing. Oh, but here's a tip: you should get them pierced by a guy, since guys have steadier holds than girls do. Trust me on that one." Yukari whispered furtively in Hamuko's ear before springing her interest back to the racks of jewelry. "Oh I know! Why don't you get a new choker then? I think you'd definitely look cute in one. I could use a new one too… why don't we get matching ones?"
Before Yukari could continue, her phone went off. Wonderingly, she gazed at the caller ID before glancing at Hamuko. "Oh, hang on, I've got a phone call." Giving an apologetic look to Hamuko, Yukari furtively turned her back and answered the phone.
"Uh-huh… what?" Hamuko stood idly, watching her with quiet interest as Yukari jumped slightly and pulled the phone away from her ear out of shock, it seemed. Right after, she brought it back to her ears and said quietly, "You're not?"
Her surprise was extremely clear. Yukari had nearly yelled that across the store before murmuring wistfully, "You want me to forgive you…?" Again, the brunette paused before nearly yelling into her phone. Obviously, Yukari looked very perturbed. "Wait! Don't do that! Do what you wanna do!"
"…But, That's not what I meant…" Again, Yukari fell silent before whispering into her phone again. "If that's what you want, go ahead… I don't care, so…" Another pause. "…You don't have to worry about me… Huh?"
Turning to the side, Yukari brushed a loose lock of hair over her ear, listening to the other line before replying, "You want to get together and talk about it?" Yukari shifted to the side uncomfortably, allowing Hamuko to see her face. The brunette's eyes widened as she stuttered, "S-Stop! Don't cry!"
"…I'll call you later, okay?" Yukari said finally before glancing at Hamuko. "…Alright, bye."
Sighing, Yukari finally shut her phone and glanced awkwardly at Hamuko. "…You probably heard all of that, huh?"
Nodding in affirmation, Hamuko watched Yukari tucked away her cell phone into her skirt pocket before glancing back at the red-eyed girl.
"That was my mom," Yukari said slowly as her voice trembled. Nevertheless, she continued to speak softly. "she apologized for everything that's happened… and she said that she wouldn't get remarried until I forgive her… o-oh crap… I c-can't stop shaking…"
Yukari was trembling. With a worried gaze, Hamuko led Yukari over to the Chaghall café and seated her in an empty chair, before following the same suit. Wordlessly, she ordered two Pheromone Coffees for them both and awaited Yukari to calm down. When she finally did, Yukari shifted unnervingly in the cushioned chair before locking a troubled gaze on Hamuko.
"…She wants to see me… but I'm really nervous…"
"Do you want to see her?"
"Well, I'm not the one who asked to meet," Yukari frowned as she lifted the teacup for a sip. "…I'm afraid that it might get ugly." After a sip of her tea, she placed the cup down on the table and smiled slightly. "…We haven't seen each other in nearly 10 years… so it's not going to be easy."
Hamuko blinked. She knew that Yukari hadn't seen her mother for a long time, but ten years? But then again, she did hint something about her father dying ten years ago, and the reason for it being so at Yakushima. The irony almost made her want to laugh at her own situation. Dryly, she stared at Yukari who gasped a moment later after she realized what she had said.
"Oh sorry! Your parents…" Waving her hands in a flustered motion, Yukari nearly knocked down her cup of Pheromone Coffee before Hamuko smiled dismissively. That was all that Yukari needed. Taking a deep breath, the brunette sunk into her seat with a groan. "I know that I should be considered 'lucky' because I have my mom… but… When I see her, I might get angry and end up saying something cruel." Grabbing an unused straw from the table, she dipped in slowly in her coffee and stirred it pointlessly as she gazed at its golden-brown surface with glassy eyes.
"…It'll be okay." Hamuko murmured after taking a sip. Stopping her straw in the fragrant coffee, Yukari smiled.
"Man, you always seem to know what to say, huh? I envy you." She said finally with a sour pout. "Nothing's going to change if I just run away. I wanna find my own words; not yours, or anyone else's." With another timid sigh, she resumed stirring.
"Deep down inside, I think she still misses Dad. She couldn't handle it… Losing someone important to her… That's why she needed someone to lean on…"
After a pause, Yukari finally lifted the straw away from the coffee and took another sip. Afterward, she gave a knowing look to the auburn-haired girl and smiled. "I think… that losing someone you love and having to be alone is really hard." With a wry look, Yukari took another sip before staring uncomfortably at her half-empty cup.
"It's hard to explain, but I realized this when you and I started going out, Hamuko. I was so afraid of losing someone close to me… so I tried to avoid coming close to anyone."
With an encouraging look, Hamuko asked, "So what'll you do?"
"…My mom just wanted to forget that fear. She's weak, but I won't look down on her." With a knowing smile, Yukari closed her eyes. "My mom and I are the same after all…"
With that, Yukari took a long sip, and gave Hamuko a satisfied smile. Smiling back, Hamuko was glad for her. She seemed ready to face her mother. Now if only Hamuko could do the same for Minato…
CRACK
Thou art I… I art Thou…
Thou shall have our blessing with thou chooseth to create a Persona of the Lovers Arcana…
With a deep breath, Yukari downed the rest of her tea before giving a pleasant smile to Hamuko. "…Well then! Let's go get some accessories."
Hamuko was completely fine with that. Standing up from her chair, she grabbed her school bag and waited for Yukari to follow the same suit. Chatting nonchalantly, Yukari and Hamuko had picked up friendship rings at the accessories store. Yukari had decided on a rose pink, while on the other hand, Hamuko had gotten a simple white one. They admired their respective rings and talked as they made they way to the dorm. She had been enjoying herself immensely… Until the subject changed, that is.
When they reached the front door of the dorm, it was nearly sundown. Yukari had been standing in front of the dorm for quite some time, before she turned towards Hamuko with a hesitant gaze. Finally, she broke the tension with a simple question.
"Hey Hamuko… you seem kinda friendly with him, y'know?"
"'Him'?" Hamuko looked at her wonderingly.
"You know, Kitaro-kun." She replied casually. "I know I mentioned it before yesterday about liking him because he seemed like a pretty nice guy, but I dunno…"
Hamuko smirked. "You're so fickle."
"…Maybe." Yukari mused as she twisted the corners of her mouth into a slight pout. "It's just that no one knows a lot about him. I mean, Mitsuru-senpai just brought him to the dorm out of the nowhere right after he interfered in the Full Moon Operation, and he didn't say much about himself yesterday either. What do you think?"
What did she think? She couldn't say anything to endanger their friendship, so all she could do was egg her on. Would it be wrong of her to dissuade her? They were like best friends… so the only thing that she could do was cheer her on… though, she wasn't exactly too happy that her best friend was after her brother of all people. Hamuko stared placidly at her before she finally answered, "…Maybe he's uncomfortable with being here."
"Yeah… He did seem kinda depressed." Yukari murmured quietly. "not only that, but he did get a rough reception. Especially from Junpei." Sighing, Yukari's pout became a slight frown. "Speaking of Junpei, I wonder what's his problem? He's been kind of acting on the edge, right?"
The same can be said for you and Mitsuru-senpai. Hamuko thought dismissively as her eyes wandered to the front door.
"That's what I thought too." Yukari said with an irritated look as she creased her lips. "I mean seriously, what's his problem? Can't he be nice to the guy?"
"I'll get to the bottom of it." Hamuko said defensively. "So don't make any assumptions about Junpei. We're all on the same team, right Yukari?"
"Yeah, yeah…" With a brief sigh, she gazed buoyantly at Hamuko. "Oh yeah… Hamuko… can you do me a favor?"
Questioningly, she stared at the brunette and waited for her to continue.
"Do you think you can find out more about Kitaro-kun for me? Please?" Yukari had a slightly pleading look before she turned away bashfully. "…I don't know how to approach him actually, but that's just because I don't know anything about him…"
"Why don't you just ask? He's not a hard person to approach."
No. Approaching him wasn't hard at all. If Minato was still the same from all those years ago, then she knew the hardest thing would be finding something that he wanted to talk about. From her understanding, he only went with the flow… no matter what would happen, he wouldn't fight against anything that happened. He would merely accept things as they were, and go on with his own business. But that was ten years ago… Hamuko was sure that her blue haired twin had changed in some way… The only problem would be finding out.
"…Ehh, I guess." Yukari huffed a breath as she latched her hand on the front door of the dorm. "Enough standing around here though… It's starting to get cold."
"Yep." Hamuko replied somberly as stared at the red glow of the sunset. "Summer's definitely over."
"Uh-huh. It's kind of sad if you think about it. No use crying over it though... 'Time waits for no one.'" Yukari murmured before she nodded in agreement as she pulled the door open. "Let's go inside, Hamuko."
With an affirmative nod, Hamuko followed Yukari inside the double doors of the dorm.
Evening
Again, she had a usual greeting from Fuuka as she padded up the stairs to the third floor, dropping her bag off in her room before returning to the lounge.
The scene was almost exactly the same as yesterday's. Minato- no, Kitaro, again sat on the opposite side of the lounge near the kitchen, alone. Junpei was nowhere to be seen, as well as Mitsuru and Akihiko were also missing from the usual sight. Shinjiro-senpai was perched on a stool in the back of the lounge near the kitchen, reading a magazine of some sort. Yukari had most likely returned to her room to put away her purchases, and Ken was playing fetch with Koromaru indoors, which was something Mitsuru would have never permitted, she thought. Aigis stared attentively at Minato from the corner of her eye, and Fuuka, who had been typing away in silence finally rested her pale hands on the keyboard as she glanced at Hamuko.
"Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai aren't back from the hospital yet." Fuuka said deftly as she turned her head away from the bright glow of her laptop. "We won't be going to Tartarus until tomorrow most likely. Sorry, Hamuko."
"It's fine." She murmured absentmindedly in reply as she walked towards Kitaro and stopped his isolation from spreading further by plucking his aluminum-plated headphones off of his ears. Obviously confused, the blue-haired boy gazed at her bewilderedly as she pulled him up and out of his seat gently by the arm.
"Hamuko… what are you doing?" He asked in a fairly mild tone as she dragged him to the populated side of the lounge.
Hamuko replied with only a blasé smile as she seated him on the cushioned sofa next to Aigis. Ken and Koromaru stopped playing and stared inattentively at the situation. Aigis stared at Kitaro with curiosity as Fuuka peeked over her laptop to see what all the fuss was about. Even Shinjiro gawked in slight amusement as Kitaro glanced around, still wondering what Hamuko was doing. With a satisfied grin, she then took a seat next to the blue-haired boy, and sunk into the couch cushions contently as she stared up at him with her ruby red eyes.
"As long as you're part of the team, you shouldn't detach yourself." She piped passionately as she glanced around at the other members, who were listening avidly. Even Yukari, who had just returned from the third floor, stared with piqued curiosity as Hamuko continued to speak.
"You shouldn't have to feel the need to separate yourself. We're all here for you if you need us, and likewise, I'll be here for you too." Hoping her older brother would understand her feelings behind her actions, she awaited some sort of response. Silence dragged on afterward until Koromaru broke it with a sharp bark. The white and grey furred dog sprung up on Kitaro's lap, wagging his tail all the while.
"Bark!"
"…Koromaru-san says, 'Welcome to the team!'" Aigis translated in her flat speech as the corners of her lips curled into a rigid smile. "I will also welcome you into the team, Kitaro-san. Welcome!"
"O-Oh, right! Welcome aboard!" Fuuka stuttered with a shy smile as she shut her laptop delicately. "I'm sorry if you felt like you didn't belong here. I can understand that feeling…I know we're in the same class, but I don't think I ever told you my name. I'm Fuuka Yamagishi."
"And I'm Ken Amada, the youngest member so far." Ken waved as he walked closer to the center of attention. "So you can summon multiple personas like Hamuko-san, huh? I think that's amazing!" Ken yelled in a childish manner, breaking his mature façade for only a moment before coughing embarrassedly at his sudden outburst. Kitaro cracked a small smile.
"I'm Yukari Takeba, from class 2-F. Nice to meet you." Yukari smiled. "Uh, sorry for not saying 'hi' earlier… I mean, no offense. It'll be a lot more assuring knowing we've got more members for exploring Tartarus. Yeah…" Yukari finished lamely as she took a seat on the couch opposite of the twins and Aigis.
Glancing to the back of the room, she spotted the only upperclassmen still attending to his own matters. Grinningly, she yelled across the room, "Hey Shinjiro-senpai! Say hello!"
"…Tch." He muttered condescendingly as he averted his attention back to his magazine.
"Fine, have it your way," She moped as she averted her attention to the blue-haired boy, who was attentively listening to the other dormmates chatter with infectious liveliness. Beaming, Hamuko stared at Minato until he met her gaze with his storm grey eyes.
"Welcome to this world of ours."
