Author's Note:

Well, here it is, Theatrics' Closing Remarks.

Honestly, I never knew that I'd have the courage to write and finish a fanfic before. I know that this is my first one, so I actually had one other goal besides having fun writing, which was to at LEAST finish it!

This is where I close and I'm proud of the results of my first fanfic. Who knows? Maybe I'll get better next time!

It'd be great to have some last reviews as I close the fanfic, so please do! I can't tell if you like it or not unless you say so! Don't be shy!

Anyway, Cheers! Have fun reading!


Chapter 8: Closing Remarks

The Investigation Team left the TV World and carried Vlair all the way to his house. He was sound asleep, so Yu and Yosuke had to take turns carrying him. If anyone saw them walking with a guy who's asleep on their shoulders, they would probably think that they were some nice teenagers who were helping a drunken friend.

"Man, this guy's heavy." Yosuke complained.

"That, or, you're just not very strong." Chie joked.

They arrived at Vlair's front door and checked the area. Much to their surprise, there were no signs of a fight. Yukiko tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Um… Vlair? Do you have the keys to the door?" she asked.

Vlair was still sound asleep, so his only reply were a few snores.

"Check his pockets." Yu suggested.

Chie placed her hand into one of Vlair's pockets and produced a key. They unlocked the door and entered Vlair's house.

They placed him on the couch and decided to have a small tour inside.

"Wow, check this out guys." Chie said.

They all looked at a huge wall filled with awards.

"Best actor, best supporting actor, best director, best special effects… There's a whole casing of these!" Yosuke remarked.

"Please don't touch them." A voice from behind said.

Vlair was awake, standing up with a pillow in his hand. "They are really special to us."

The others decided to leave the awards alone and headed back to the living room. Vlair sat down on his couch still feeling very tired. "So, I guess now's a good time for a few questions and answers?"

"Yes, you can ask us anything." Yu replied.

"Also, feel free to ask me anything as well. It's only fair after all; I'm not who you think I am."

The others nodded and Vlair decided to begin asking. "Who in the world are you guys? Are you like superheroes or something?"

Yosuke laughed at his question. "No, it's not like that. You see, we're investigating the murders that's happening around town. We discovered that there is a pattern with all of the victims, so we're trying to stop the killer from continuing his killing spree."

Chie continued to answer Vlair's question. "Whenever someone's inside the TV world, we go in and rescue them before they turn up dead in the real world."

Vlair only nodded. He was, as much as possible, trying to understand everything they said. "And what was that thing that was wearing these?" He held up the Three Fiend's masks and combined them to form the original unified face.

"That was a Shadow, yours to be exact." Yu explained. "They are the negative human emotions manifested to cause malice and destruction. The one we faced earlier was different from the rest. Normally, Shadows aren't that powerful, but if someone goes into the TV world and denies his or her Shadow, then it will get stronger. However, when they accept their Shadows, their true selves, they are granted a being of enormous power that which we call a Persona."

Vlair was scratching his head in confusion. There was too much information being crammed into his head and only some of it made sense. He understood only parts of what Yu said but something kept bothering him. "So, you've all faced your own innermost selves?"

Chie, Yosuke, and Yukiko nodded. Vlair turned to Yu and expected him to say something, but he didn't. "You mean, you didn't?" Yu shrugged but still kept a straight face. "I don't know why, but I didn't need to face my Shadow in order to get my Persona."

Vlair accepted his answer. Yu wasn't like the others. There was something special about that person. "So, since I have learned to accept these guys," he began to touch all three parts of the mask with his hand, "I gained my own Persona?"

That was the question that the others didn't want to answer since Vlair was a unique case. Normally, it's a one to one ratio when it comes to Personas and themselves. One Persona, one person. But for some reason, Vlair has three.

Chie responded with a calm voice, "Well… you see… you're a special case as well. Just like Yu over here."

"That's because," Yosuke interrupted, "you have three Personas, or is it called Personae?"

Vlair only gave them blank stares. What does that mean? "But Yu can have more than one Persona. Does that mean that I'm like him too?"

Yu shook his head. "I have the ability called the Wild Card. I originally have one Persona, but I can summon more of them later on. You on the other hand, have three Initial Personas, and that's not the normal case we've been having so far."

"Could it be because I had three Shadows?" Vlair asked. Somehow, being called special made him happy. If he can do something special and unique, then people might need him.

"That could be the reason why." Yukiko replied. She was sitting down on the couch fanning herself while listening to their conversation. "We each had only one Shadow to face, so maybe that's why we only have one Persona each."

Vlair nodded. All this information was a bit hard to digest, but for some reason, it all made sense. As for the other parts… "I'll understand this better soon right?"

Yu smiled and extended his hand towards Vlair. "You will soon, as soon as we can enter the TV world again."

Vlair saw the outstretched hand, but decided to decline the offer of a hand shake. He didn't want to be rude, but he didn't feel like he agreed to what Yu was going to do to him. Yu, noticing that Vlair suddenly became quiet, decided to return to his seat. In a desperate attempt to start another conversation, Vlair asked, "So what do you guys want to know about me?"

This was it. This is the moment they have been waiting for. For the four members of the original Investigation Team, this was what they needed to know. Yosuke was up first. "So, who exactly are you?"

Vlair knew this question was going to be first and sort of prepared for it. "Well, as you all know, I am not who you think I am. All those things you've heard from school are mostly lies. Looking back, I think I probably lied to the whole school into thinking that I was someone great, someone to look up to." He looked down at the floor while hugging his pillow. He felt his heart ache when he said this. He didn't want to say it, but he needed to because he thought it would make him feel better. "I lied to everyone I know. I said that I was rich, when my mom was still starting out. I said that I was good in sports, but I barely know the basics. I said that I have been abroad and visited many countries, but I just happened to search them on the internet. I did all of this so that people would accept me."

The others were at a dismay. They would have never thought that someone would go as far as to lying to everyone he met just to be accepted. "How did you manage to hide your secret? I mean, eventually, someone will find out."

Vlair placed his hands to cover his head. "There were times where people would become suspicious, but that's where the acting comes in. As an actor, you will receive roles that don't suit your personality and you will have roles that you've never done before. So, I researched for any kind of information that would help me keep my secret. For example, the other day, Kou wanted me to play basketball with him. I knew that if I played, he'd find out that I can't, but since I told him before that I knew how to play, I just had to give it a shot. With all the tips and tricks that I found in the internet, I didn't do a horrible job during the game. But as usual, it's one thing to know something, and another thing when it comes to doing it."

"So, who are you?" Yukiko asked, "you said that you've lied to everyone you met, and we just want to know who you are. We can help you get through these difficulties, right Yu?" Yu agreed to her statement and said, "For us to help you, you'd better not lie to us right now."

Vlair knew that. In fact, he shouldn't lie to them. They helped him, saved him, from the nightmares of that TV world. Nightmares that were still haunting him. He cleared his throat and began to explain who he was.

"I am not the kind of person who would talk all the time. In school, I whenever I spoke, I speak of things that have never happened to me before. All those things that you've heard from school are mostly lies. My popularity is only based on the foundation of misinformation that I spread throughout the school. It was believable only because I know how to manage different roles in my acting career."

He paused and let everything sink in for a while. He was starting to receive a slight pain in his head but ignored it. He breathed in and continued his explanation.

"If you are asking who I am, then the basics would be my interests and hobbies, yes? You can most likely know a person by knowing his interests right? Well, these are the things that I like to do. I like to act, sing, play video games, go roller skating, eating at Aiya's, and most of all, just spending time with myself. If there are things you've heard from school that I didn't say just now, they are most likely lies."

This was a surprise to them. The things that Vlair just said can probably fit a small note pad, but the things they've heard in school could probably fill an entire grocery list.

Vlair felt like a huge weight was lifted from his chest. This whole time, he's been having doubts whether or not to tell the truth seeing that his whole world is filled with lies. Lies which he created.

Yu stood up and stared at Vlair. "Do you really want to keep your promise earlier?"

Vlair averted his yellow and blue eyes from his gaze. He remembered the promise that he said to his fellow Shadows. "… Yes… I do."

"Then look at me when I am talking to you."

Vlair suddenly felt a tremendous amount of guilt in his chest. It was hurting, but he followed Yu's command. Yu didn't look mad, but he approached Vlair in a caring manner with a slight hint of strictness.

"If so, then you must know that you will have to confess to everyone right?"

Vlair nodded in agreement.

"Agreeing won't solve anything. Tell me, are you going to tell everyone that you lied to them?"

Vlair's heart suddenly fell to a halt. "I… I can't… they'd hate me for it. I'd lose everyone!" Vlair wanted to stop, but Yu only continued his conversation.

"If you tell them the truth, I am not saying that you won't be hated. You did lie to them, but it will be a great relief to yourself wouldn't it?"

Vlair knew where he was going. Yu was just too smart for anyone to disagree with him.

"Think of it this way. Which is better: People who like you because of a nice golden watch, or because of the person wearing it?"

Vlair looked straight into Yu's eyes and understood what he was saying.

"If you do tell everyone your mistakes, and they hate you for it, don't worry. We'll be there for you. That's what friends are for. Right guys?"

Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko nodded in unison. Each had a smile on their face. "We will." Yosuke said.

Tears were suddenly slowly appearing on Vlair's eyes. These people are actually his friends. Friends who would not abandon him and would stand by him through thick and thin. "I will. I promise." he said.

"Then you'd better get ready. When we see each other at school, you'll have to tell everyone and apologize to them." Yu replied.

"School? So soon?! Can't we wait for like, a week or two?" It was a scary thought having to tell the whole student body that he lied to almost everybody. The worst that could happen is that they would all try to beat him up for lying. And that's just for the first day.

Yu understood his concern, but told him that the sooner the better. "If you don't do it quick, then the lies will only pile up until it gets harder to control. Do you still want to live in a world full of lies and deception?"

Vlair suddenly had a small choking feeling. Yu was right, and for someone to say this so calmly isn't normal. Does he even know his situation? Vlair calmed himself by thinking of his sister. He does this to bring him at ease because she was his sister, his friend. "I understand." he managed to reply.

"Great!" Yosuke shouted. He was happy that the two got along and he wanted to get down to the important part of the discussion. "So Vlair, will you help us?"

"Huh?" Vlair said in confusion.

"Sit down you idiot! And there's no need to shout!" Chie barked at Yosuke. She ordered him to sit down and threatened him to keep his mouth quiet.

"You see," Yukiko continued while ignoring the two argue, "We will need your help. The Shadows will get stronger, and based on your Shadow's power, we could use a powerful ally."

Vlair avoided Yukiko's kind smile. He didn't want to say anything to them for now. He placed his hand in his pocket and touched something that felt like paper. He didn't bring anything with him earlier, so what could possibly be in his pocket? Without knowing, he pulled out his hand and produced a card. It had a mask decoration at the back, but when he flipped it, he saw an hourglass. "What is this?" he asked.

He showed the card to the others and gave everyone puzzled looks. "This isn't a normal card is it?" Chie asked Yu. As the expert in Persona Tarot Cards, Yu was completely stumped for once. "I've never seen it before. But I believe I know someone who does." He started to take note of the image of the hourglass and committed it to memory. "An hourglass is supposed to have two glass chambers right?" Yukiko asked. She pointed at the middle one, the third chamber. "But this one has three."

Past…Present…Future...

"Past, present, and future?" Vlair questioned.

The others turned to look at him and were surprised at his conclusion. "How does that make any sense?" Yosuke asked.

Vlair only shrugged. He didn't know where he got the idea, but to him it all made sense. "Well, I don't know how to explain it, but my Shadows kept talking about my past, present and future right? They even made a play about it. So, do you see this glass right here?" He pointed at the top chamber, the first one. "It's filled with sand right? This is the 'Future' chamber. It holds the most sand because the sand represents our lives. As we continue our lives, it flows down the hourglass until it reaches this one." He began to lead everyone's eyes towards the center chamber. "This is the 'Present' Chamber. The sand that flows from the first chamber and leads here. This is because as we continue living, our 'future' eventually becomes our present, and when time passes…" He gestured his finger towards the final chamber. "… it flows to the final chamber. The 'Past' Chamber. See how it's much bigger compared to the rest? That's because it will be filled up eventually from the sand coming from the first two chambers."

He finished his explanation and left to take a seat. The others were stunned at his explanation. How could he have known all of this? "You're just making that up, aren't you?" Yosuke joked.

Vlair shook his head. "Nope, I know it's true."

"So tell us, what's the name of your card?"

Vlair thought for a moment. Somehow, he can't answer that question. Maybe it's because he hadn't given much thought about it. "I'm sorry, but I don't know."

The others sighed. This was the first time that they saw a new card, and all of them wanted to know what it was. Yu mumbled, "Igor…" Vlair noticed this and asked, "Come again?" Yu shook his head. "It's nothing. Say, about your Personas, have they, um, talked to you yet?"

"Talked? You mean speak? Can they do that?" Vlair asked.

The others, except Yukiko, groaned.

"Well," Chie remarked, "it's not that they can't talk to you, but since they are Personas, they technically have a personality right?"

Vlair agreed with her. It made sense though because the word personality did have a relation with the word persona.

"So, they do talk to us sometimes." Chie continued.

"You might not understand this yet since you just got your Persona. Even Yukiko doesn't know if her Persona talks or not, and she's already had her Persona for a while now." Yu said.

Vlair was currently at his limits now. Any other information that's going to enter his brain will most likely be thrown out. He's tired, confused, and he needed some rest. "Uh, guys," he said with a calm tone, "as much as I'd like to talk more about this topic, but I kinda need some rest." The others agreed. It was normal for someone who just accepted their Shadows to feel exhausted.

"Okay Vlair, we understand." Yosuke said. "But if ever you need to talk to us, there's always school, or the Junes Food Court."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Yu and the others were almost out the door until Yu stopped and asked Vlair a question. "You didn't answer our question yet."

The others stopped in their tracks and turned to face Yu. Yu slowly turned and faced Vlair and continued, "I'm not forcing you, but I just want to know, are you going to help us? Fight against Shadows I mean."

Vlair bit his lip. He wanted to avoid answering this question so badly that he just wanted to run from it. He wouldn't mind helping because they were his friends. They risked their lives for him, and it's only fair that he'd help them back. But still, he thought.

GO, GO, GO!

Justgoalready! Justgoalready!

...

"I-I won't." He managed to say. The others were shocked and disappointed. They had their hopes up, but they wouldn't go so far as to force someone to help.

"In that world, I almost died. You guys almost died. What if we are put into that same situation again?! You said that those Shadows will get stronger, so what happens if they do beat us? Will we be able to survive until this mystery is solved?"

The others were all quiet now, even Yu began to find the floor somewhat more amusing than the conversation. "We understand." he managed to say. He turned around and said goodbye.

"I'm sorry. I just can't." Vlair said just before they closed the door. He didn't know if they heard him or not, but what he knew is that he needed to get some rest because school is just around the corner, and he didn't want to face everybody in school with no energy. He had to be prepared just in case they run after him like an angry mob.

BAD MOVE!

Wrongchoice! Wrongchoice!

"Wow, I'm even hearing voices now." he murmured. He grabbed some pillows, turned of the lights, and went to sleep.

School was waiting for Vlair to come back. It was calling him to enter and spend a few hours studying so that he could be accepted into better colleges. In Vlair's mind, he can almost hear his own voice talking to him.

SCHOOL!

Yay!Yay!Yay!

He passed by many familiar faces, but he didn't know any of them by heart. They were the people who liked him because of the things he said, or rather because of the lies he spoke.

THIS IS THE DAY!

Goodluck!Goodluck!

This is the day alright, he said to himself. He kinda knew that it was his Personas talking to him right now. Ever since the moment he woke up, he was greeted with a shout and a super fast sentence that sounded like it was one word. He wondered where the third one was, but all he heard was silence. At least one's quiet, he thought.

But with those aside, he just wanted this day to end. If only he can have his Personas back him up in the real world, he'd probably feel more confident right now.

WE'RE RIGHT HERE!

We'rewithyou, we'rewithyou!

Thanks guys. Even you, quiet dude!

He entered the classroom and was immediately bombarded with people he barely even knew. They asked him when he was free so that he can hangout with them, or go out with them. Some even asked him about his opinion on certain countries to visit, while some asked him if he wanted to play some sports with them later on.

Oh God, if they found out…

YOU'D BETTER BE PREPARED!

Torunrunrun!

"Guys, I think Vlair will first need to take his seat."

The crowd of students turned and saw Yu point at a seat next to him. "I'm sure he will come to a decision later after school, so come back alright?"

The others smiled and decided to ask again later. They left Vlair alone and went back to their original seats. Vlair moved aside and sat down next to Yu. "Thanks for saving me back there." he said.

"Don't thank me yet," Yu said with a smile, "thank me after you get out of school in one piece."

Vlair's smile suddenly turned into a frown. "You know, I don't know if I should thank you later, or hate you later."

Yu only continued to smile. "Hey, it's either you get this over with or postpone it. But don't worry, we'll be with you all the way."

Vlair groaned at his reply. "You just sound like the rest of them."

Before Yu could question about what he said, King Moron barged in and began his daily routine.

Time went by quickly, and before Vlair knew it, the final minutes of school were ticking.

It's like a time bomb waiting to explode…

IT'S ALMOST TIME!

Youreadyyet?Youreadyyet?

…Good luck…

Thanks…Huh?…Wait a minute, did you just talk?

The school bell rang and the time bomb exploded. Soon, the original crowd came back asking for his answer. Vlair was still in his seat and couldn't find a way to get out. He caught a glimpse of Yu, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko who were sitting on their desks. They were there for him, just like they said they would. Each of them gave him a thumbs up for support.

Vlair began to say a short prayer in hopes that he will survive the next ten minutes.

Dear God, if ever you're listening, please help me!

WE'RE SUPPORTING YOU!

Yup!Yup!Yup!Yup!

Well then, here goes…

"Um, guys, there's something you should know…" he began.

The others, who respected him for his achievements, began to quiet down.

"Uh, where do I begin?" His heart was pounding faster and faster; his mind was racing for excuses he could use, but he knew that this is what he had to do. He turned to Yu, and in return, Yu gave him a signal that said "Go for it."

Vlair took a deep breath, which was most probably his last.

"I lied."

The other students were stunned. Puzzled, but stunned. They didn't know what he was talking about and how to react.

"I lied to all of you. I'm no sportsman. I'm not rich. I'm not as perfect as you all might think. I lied to all of you just so that you all can accept me and be my friends. I deceived you all into thinking that I was perfect, but in reality, I just used my acting skills to become someone I'm not. If ever I hurt any of you, I am sorry, and if you hate me right now, you have all the reason to hate me. But most of all, I am sorry for lying to you all for my own selfish desires. All I wanted was to be accepted for who I am."

The other students were quiet. Too quiet. At this point, Vlair was getting really scared and his whole body became tensed and nervous.

THAT WAS GREAT!

Youdidit! Youdidit!

… Wait for it...

Almost at once, everyone changed from their original happy moods to much, much angrier ones.

"Liar!"

"Fraud!"

"Faker!"

"I can't believe this!"

"I thought you were the one for me!

"Stupid idiot!"

"Do you know how this makes me feel?!"

Soon, one by one, everybody left him. He was all alone again. This hurt him a lot more than he thought it would.

It's just like before...

BUT YOU HAVE FRIENDS NOW!

Yeahthat'sright! That'sright!

…Right...

Friends?

Yu, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko approached him and comforted him.

"Hey cheer up," Yosuke said, "it will be alright."

"You'll see," Chie kept her usual smiling face, but couldn't find the right words to say to him. "Things will turn out to be better than you might think!"

Vlair was down. He wasn't in the mood to talk right now. What he wanted to do was to run away and never look back. He began to pack his stuff and prepare to leave.

Yukiko looked at him and asked, "Vlair, is everything okay? Talk to us! We're your friends!"

As much as Vlair wanted to, he just didn't want to talk to them. He doesn't know if they helped him or not, but as far as he knows, things were looking rather dim now.

He finished packing and before leaving, he turned to face Yu, the current source of everything that just transcribed. "Tell me, will things get better?"

Yu was always calm and composed but after seeing the scene, he tensed up. He knew what was Vlair feeling right now and the only words that he could possibly say to make things better was, "It will."

"You don't seem to believe in that." Vlair said. "…Goodbye."

Vlair ran out of the classroom while the members of the Investigation Team were trying to call him back. He ignored them as he ran across a sea of eyes staring at him with hatred and disgrace. He lied to them all, and the word spread faster than a forest fire. Everyone, even the teachers already knew about him. They saw him run, and they let him be. They judged him for what he has done, and he deserved it.

He went to his locker, grabbed his skates, and sped away.

The rain came unexpectedly, and it seemed to follow Vlair as he skated towards some shelter. The closest place he can find was at Aiya's. At least nobody will be here.

He entered the diner, and Aiya was there to welcome him. "Ah, welcome, welcome. What will you have today?" Vlair, all drenched in rain, didn't feel hungry at all. "Nothing" he said. His appetite disappeared with his feeling of happiness and joy. He sat down and banged his head on the table.

Why?! Why did I follow Yu?! Everything just got worse!

He was beginning to cry and tears were slowly dripping down from his face.

WE'RE… SORRY…

Sorry!Sorry!Sorry!

…Sorry…

Shut up! You guys aren't making me feel any better! You all told me to change my ways, but look at what it has done to me! I-I'm back to where I started!

"Here."

"Huh?"

Vlair looked up and saw a bowl with beef filled to the brim sitting right next to him. He turned and saw Aika, completely changed from her school uniform to her normal uniform.

"I didn't order anything. You can take it back." he said.

Aika sat down next to him and said, "This is our rainy day special. It's free if you finish the whole bowl."

Aika's blank expression and monotonous voice didn't make him feel any better. All he could say was, "You can have it then 'cause I'm not hungry."

Aika grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began to eat the beef bowl. "Are you okay?" She said blackly.

That was a question that Vlair didn't want to answer. He chose to ignore it while grumbling about his earlier experience.

Aika ate one more piece of beef until she asked again. "Hey, are you okay?" Her black expression was still there, but her tone had a slight hint of concern.

Vlair gave up and decided to answer. "Leave me alone, that's what everybody did anyway." He continued to mope around until he heard Aika reply to his statement.

"I won't leave you. What happened in school was painful wasn't it?"

Vlair banged his head on the table again, shaking everything on it. "This is probably one of the worst days of my life, and I bet that it will keep happening until I graduate. Just forget that I exist alright?"

Aika kept eating and eating her Mega Beef Bowl while still staying beside Vlair.

Vlair got irritated and sat up straight and looked at Aika. "Why are you still here?"

She didn't reply, but kept on eating.

"I told you to leave me alone. I don't want to talk about school okay?"

At this point, Aiya went back into the storage room while Aika kept on eating. "You said to forget the you exist right?" Aika said with her blank expression.

OOO, SHE GOT YOU GOOD!

She'sasmartone! Asmartoneindeed!"

Vlair groaned and banged his head on the table for a third time.

"If you keep hitting your head on the table, you might need to pay for that."

Vlair was getting annoyed and decided to end the conversation quickly. "Why are you still here? Don't you hate me?" he asked while his head was still on the table.

"Why should I hate you?"

At this point, Vlair stood up and shouted his concerns all at Aika.

"WHY?! I JUST LIED TO EVERYONE INCLUDING YOU! THE WHOLE SCHOOL'S MAD AT ME, AND THEY ALL HATE ME! I WAS STUPID THINKING THAT EVERYTHING WOULD TURN OUT TO BE FOR THE BETTER, BUT I WAS WRONG! THEY WON'T LIKE ME; THEY WON'T ACCEPT ME BECAUSE I LIED TO THEM!"

He was crying now, crying for the first time in a while. He felt so sad, so depressed about his life. It made him think about what the Red Fiend said about him ending his own life.

HEY! DON'T THINK ABOUT WHAT I SAID BEFORE!

That'sinthepastnow! Thinkofthepresent!

"I don't hate you." Aika said.

Vlair turned to see Aika looking straight at him. She still had a chopstick in her hand, but gave a handkerchief to Vlair. Vlair took it and wiped his tears away.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why don't you hate me? Everyone else does."

"Oh," she said while continuing to eat her beef bowl. "That's simple. I never liked you as the person I saw in school."

Vlair was puzzled and confused. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? 'Cause, it really isn't."

"I said I never liked the person you were in school, meaning, I didn't like you because of your lies. I liked you as the person who eats at this diner."

Aika grabbed a tissue from the box beside her and wiped her mouth. Vlair saw the remains of the Mega Beef Bowl and was turned to stone when he saw that her bowl was empty. She finished it! But how?

"I liked the person who sits here and laughs with the other customers. I liked the person who enjoys talking about his experiences while drinking his iced tea. I liked the person who eats his beef bowls and never complains about the food. I liked the person who would sit outside the diner just so that when we open, he's there to greet us. But most of all, I liked the person who will stay here in this small diner all day just to try to make me smile."

Aika smiled at him, and seeing a smile from her was like seeing a star falling out of the sky and crash landing to earth; it was that rare and unseen.

She took the handkerchief back from Vlair and continued to comfort him. "I know that you are having difficulties, but sometimes, it's better to share them. Talk to others, talk to your friends, talk to me. It's better like that. If you talk to people, not only will you open up, but it will help others see who you are. It's not a simple thing to do, even I can't do much of it, but once a conversation starts, things can go in many different ways."

Vlair was at a lost for words. He understood that she was trying to help him get through his bad day, but part of him thought that Aika was trying to tell him something rather important.

He smiled, and she smiled. Soon the sun began to shine, and the clouds cleared the way for the light to hit the streets.

AWW, DON'T THEY LOOK AWESOME TOGETHER?!

Yuperoo! Yuperoo!

Aika stood up from her seat and brushed off the rice that were on her apron. "I've got some deliveries to make, so I'd better get back to work."

Before she left, Vlair caught her hand.

She turned to face Vlair, with her face turning bright red, but she quickly changed back into her usual poker face. Vlair, who sort of understood what she was trying to say, said, "Need some help?"

The blue haired girl replied, "Yes, I'd appreciate it."

After hearing those words, the owner Aiya appeared out of nowhere and gave Vlair his new clothes for work. "Here you go! Now the both of you better hurry. Due to the rain earlier, people have been asking for deliveries! I made them while you two were… y'know." He pointed at the stacks of bowls that were sitting on the far corner of the counter. Dozens of bowls were stacked up beside each other, all with addresses next to them.

Vlair was frozen in his place, but he noticed that he was still holding onto Aika's hand. He quickly let go and felt a sudden redness in his cheeks.

AWWW, WOULD YA LOOK AT THAT!

Hee! Hee! Hee!

Aika wore her helmet and began putting the bowls into her bike. "I'd better show you around Inaba. It will be better that way. Think of this as your official first day of work."

Vlair took the apron and wrapped it around his waist. He didn't feel so sad and depressed anymore. All of his doubts and worries suddenly disappeared.

Aika gave him a helmet and asked, "Can you keep up with me?"

Vlair smiled, "You bet!"

"Oh my God! This hurts so much!"

AT LEAST YOU GOT A GOOD EXERCISE!

Andsomeoneononetimewithher! Withher!

…Yep…

Honestly, what am I going to do with you guys?

His whole body ached from all the skating and delivering that he almost had to ask Aika to carry him home.

Before going to bed, he noticed that his sister replied to his email.

He opened his inbox and read her email.

Hello!

It's nice to hear from you after all this time! :3

I missed you so much!

So mom left for the city eh?

I might as well say hi to her! :D

Aww, you got a job already! Work hard!

Of course you can talk to me! I'm here for you!

What are brothers and sisters for?

Whenever I'm free, just talk to me!

(lol, that rhymes!) :P

Vlair noticed that she was indeed online and decided to talk to her.

"You would never believe what has happened to me this past week." he typed.

He decided to tell her about all the things that has happened to him. The kidnapping. The TV world. Shadows. Personas. Everything. Even school.

He wondered if she would think that he was crazy, but she was his sister; she'd definitely listen to him.

She gave a reply saying,

"Try me"

The End


Please Read and Review!

(I know that the story is drawing to a close, but I just want to know if anyone wants me to continue it! If so, then kindly say so!)