REACHING ZENITH

Chapter 9: ANKH

RUI

Thursday, April 7th, 2039, Cloudy.

It wasn't raining today. But I couldn't really enjoy it, seeing how exhausted I was. I barely was able to get up to prepare for school. Every movement felt forced. All I wanted to do was sleep… but considering that the school year had barely begun, I really shouldn't miss a day. Plus, there were a few things my friends and I needed to discuss after what happened yesterday.

I left the house on my own, since my sister had disappeared somewhere. I just hoped she was going to class and not skipping, like our father had a tendency to do during his sophomore year of high school. But at this point, with her attitude, I wouldn't be surprised.

And despite the fact that it wasn't raining… the cloudy sky really contributed to the gloomy atmosphere settling in on the town.

"Rui! Hey!"

I stopped, having barely moved down the street, and looked behind me to see Sora hurrying to catch up to me. This was a surprise, seeing as our homes weren't exactly close to each other. He must have abandoned his usual route to come find me.

"Sora?" I asked in said surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I just thought maybe we could walk to school together," he answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Since we don't really get that much time alone..."

"...Mmm. All right." I managed a tired smile, as it did make me happy that he was thinking about us in all this chaos. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

His face lit up in a bright grin. "Awesome! Thanks for agreeing."

"There's no need to thank me, Sora," I laughed softly. "Let's get going. We don't want to be late."

"Right," he agreed, following me as I started walking again. "How are you feeling today? I know the fight took a lot out of you."

"...I'm fine, Sora."

"You don't have to lie to me, you know."

I grimaced. "I'm not-"

"Rui, I know you're trying to keep on a strong face as the leader," he said, his seriousness continuing to catch me off guard. "But you really don't have to do that around me. I see right through it anyways. I've been in showbiz long enough to be able to tell when someone's faking it."

I sighed heavily. "Sora, I… I can't."

"Why not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "'Cause that means you have to face your Shadow too? You're the only one out of us that got their Persona without facing their Shadow."

"No… it has nothing to do with that." I shook my head. "I just… can't, okay?"

"...For someone full of answers, that sure is a lame one," Sora muttered.

"I… I'm sorry."

"I'm only trying to help you, Rui," he sighed.

"I know..."

Sora was being harsh, but… he had every right to be. And he was correct, of course… Perhaps my problem with expressing my feelings was worse than Iruka's. I was so used to bottling it up, to having to behave maturely regardless of how I felt because of my position, that actually saying how I truly was feeling seemed impossible. It wasn't like I wanted to hide my emotions… was it?

No… Of course not. Why would I want to hide something from my boyfriend?

"Sorry to bring up such a gloomy topic," Sora muttered. "I wanted to spend time with you, and I had to talk about that..."

"It's fine, Sora."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he kept his mouth shut. But now we had reached Yasogami, so there was no more time to discuss this. I just hoped this wouldn't become a recurring argument…

"Sheesh, that couldn't've dragged on any longer," Iruka groaned.

The bell had rung, signaling the end of the day. The boys had already gotten up from their seats, but I was still sitting, feeling just as exhausted as I had this morning. It wasn't going away anytime soon, it seemed… which would slow down rescuing Akemi.

"Hey, Rui," Iruka said, catching my attention. "Are we going you-know-where today?"

"...No," I sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling very well."

"Oh..." He made a face. "Well, that's okay..."

It clearly was not okay.

"We do need to have a meeting, however," I said, finally forcing myself to stand up.

"I figured as much," Sora said. "There's something I have to take care of real quick, so where do you want to meet?"

"How about Junes?" Iruka suggested. "We can all grab something to eat at the food court too, to look less suspicious."

"All right, that sounds good," I agreed. Food would hopefully give me more energy as well. "Let's meet half an hour from now. Is that a sufficient amount of time?"

"Yeah, that's good." Sora pulled out his phone, probably checking the time. "Shit, I'm gonna be late! Ms. Ochimizu is gonna kill me!"

Before either of us could question what he was talking about, Sora gathered his things and bolted, leaving us behind in the classroom. Ochimizu… Sora had said that name before, and I felt I should remember who she was, but I couldn't. Ugh… I really wish my PCS would go away already.

"Well… I'm gonna go too, then," Iruka said, picking up his backpack. "See you later, Rui."

"...Goodbye," I mumbled as he walked out of the classroom.

Honestly… Sora's words to me from earlier were still bothering me. That, mixed with my fatigue, had put me in a melancholy mood. Sighing to myself, I gathered up my own things and decided to leave. There was no point in staying. Perhaps relaxing at home a little would help.

But as soon as I stepped out of the room, I bumped into my cousin.

"Oh, Rui-san, I was just coming to find you!" Sonomi looked relieved I had come out right as she arrived. "Are we having that meeting?"

"Yes," I answered. "In half an hour."

"Um, that's good, because..." She winced. "Kohaku wasn't in class today..."

My eyes narrowed. "She wasn't?"

Sonomi shook her head. "No… And, um… I've heard rumors..."

"Rumors about what?" I inquired.

"U-Um..." She bit her bottom lip. "That she's been seeing Kenta Adachi..."

For a moment, I wasn't sure I heard her right. I swore she just said my little sister was dating the son of a serial killer. And not just any serial killer, but the murderer that had ravaged this town. The murderer that instigated the kidnappings of both of our parents. No, my sister would not be that stupid… Those rumors had to be false.

...But that would explain her recent behavior, now that a thought about it…

I pressed a hand to my temple. "Great. Just great. I haven't even heard if Kenta came today either."

Sonomi's eyes widened. "Are we going to look for her?"

"What do you think? Of course we are." I looked around the hallway. "I know exactly who to ask where Kenta is."

Kenta Adachi, as his name should make obvious, was the son of Tohru Adachi, the murderer that struck Inaba all those years ago. I had no idea how it was even physically possible for Kenta to exist, as his father was locked in jail for the rest of his life, but he was very much real.

He was my age, and I suppose you could say he was one of the children I grew up with, like the majority of the students in my year, since Inaba was so small. But he had always been a troublemaker, and had become even more of a delinquent in middle school. Kenta had never gotten along with my friends and me. He especially seemed to hold a grudge on Sora.

"O-Okay!" Sonomi exclaimed nervously. "I'll, um, just follow you, then..."

I had spotted said person further down the hallway, and wasted no time walking right up to him.

"Takahashi, I need information right now," I said, cutting straight to the chase.

His name was Jiro Takahashi, and he was one of the delinquents in our school. He was a good friend of Kenta's, and they had been the two main bullies when we were young. He was tall, probably around six foot, with broad shoulders and musculature that most guys were probably envious of. His hair, which I recalled was black, was now bleached blond, a stark contrast to his light brown skin and dark eyes. He clearly used gel to sweep it back away from his forehead. He was wearing a tightly fitting black shirt with a white skull and crossbones on it, his gakuran jacket hanging from his shoulders, and combat boots as his deviance from the uniform. He also had more piercings than I remembered—nose, snake bites, ear, and cartridge.

"Well well well, lookie who we have here," he chuckled, a playful smirk tugging on his lips as the lollipop stick he was chewing on shifted. "Sure thing, Shirogane. But what's in it for me?"

...Figures.

"Oh, I don't know," I said, really not in the mood to play games with him. "How about… I don't kick Kenta's ass for messing with my sister."

Most people called Kenta by his first name, due to his last name being associated with his murderer of a father.

Takahashi snorted. "A li'l thing like you? Good one, Shirogane!"

"Do you want to test me?" I asked icily, narrowing my eyes.

"Uh..." The color drained from his face. "Now that ya mention it… I don't think I need anythin'. Narukami prolly'd kick my ass anyway."

"Good," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and choosing to ignore the mention of Sora. "Where is Kenta, Takahashi?"

"The usual place," he answered, still sounding nervous. "The hideout in the ol' abandoned Yamamoto mansion on the outskirts of town. Your sis was skippin' with 'im, last time I checked."

...Of course she was. Ugh. There was no way we could walk to the old mansion, and then walk back in time for the meeting. Besides… I probably didn't even have the energy for that.

"Tell me, Takahashi," I said, keeping my hard, icy tone. "What exactly is my sister doing with Kenta?"

He laughed, another smirk forming on his lips. "Isn't it obvious? What else would a hot chick be doin' with a guy long enough to miss a day of school?"

...That girl was dead meat when she came home. I was so kicking her ass.

"Thank you for the information," I said, fighting the urge to grumble out loud.

"Anytime, babe," he said, giving me a wink.

"...Call me that again, and I'll break your nose."

Like I said, the mansion was much too far away to walk to and drag Haku out of there. So I had no choice but to wait for her to come home… if she came home at all. After apologizing to Sonomi for her having to listen to that crap, we left Yasogami and decided to just head straight to Junes.

As usual, Junes was bustling with activity, but we immediately headed to the food court. I wanted to get some food before the meeting to see if that helped me feel better. Now that my anger towards my sister had faded, I was back to feeling exhausted.

After ordering a large fry to share between the two of us and two sodas, we found a table to sit at, and began to eat, while waiting for the boys to arrive. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long. Iruka was the first to show up, arriving a little early. He had ordered some steak—which wasn't that big of a surprise—before joining us. Sora, on the other hand, was running a little late…

"Sheesh, maybe we should have scheduled this later," Iruka said as he was chewing.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," I chided him.

He swallowed. "Thanks, Mom."

"I don't think he should be that much longer..." Sonomi said quietly. "Ms. Ochimizu is known to talk a lot. And if she's meeting with Sora-senpai while he's on hiatus, it must be important."

"...Who exactly is she?" I asked, silently cursing my memory.

"Oh, she's a manager that works for Takura Productions," Sonomi answered. "She produces the Love Meets Bonds Festival that happens every year, too."

"Wow..." Iruka looked impressed. "You sure know a lot about idols, Sonomi."

"H-Huh?" Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. "I… I'm just a fan, is all..."

"Sorry I'm late!"

Just like expected, Sora appeared moments later. He plopped down into the seat between Iruka and me, and let out a tired sigh.

"Phew, I'm done running around town for a while..." He looked at all of us. "So… did I miss anything?"

"Oh, nothing too unusual," I said. "Just me finding out my sister has been screwing Kenta Adachi."

Sora promptly spat out the water he had been drinking. "Wait, what?! Our Kenta Adachi?!"

"I wasn't aware there was another one."

"That… is so wrong… on so many levels," Iruka got out through his shock.

"Um… I don't understand," Sonomi mumbled. "What do you mean by 'screwing'?"

...Someone protect this innocent. Seriously. If the love boat didn't shatter her innocence, then spending time with my male friends surely would. Especially if Iruka couldn't keep his big mouth shut.

Speaking of Iruka's big mouth, he looked like he was about to say something, but I quickly gave him a look that said Don't you dare.

"Don't worry about it, Sonomi," I said, continuing to give Iruka that look. "It's not important."

"Um… Okay." She didn't look too convinced. "If you say so..."

"I can't believe it..." Sora was astounded. "Kenta beat me at something else..."

"...Excuse me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"U-Uh… I mean… n-not that I care about that kind of thing!" he quickly stammered out. "I don't care! At all! Nope, not me!"

"Dude… you seriously need to get laid," Iruka said.

"Iruka!" I exclaimed in disbelief.

"Don't tell me that!" Sora whined. "It's against the rules… UH. Not that I… even have someone… i-in mind?"

I didn't even say anything this time. I just reached up and smacked him upside the back of his head.

"OW! H-Hey, I'm sorry! Sorata just slips out sometimes, I swear!"

...Hmph. Apparently not enough for him to kiss me. We hadn't kissed since he asked me to be his girlfriend.

Poor Sonomi looked so confused, but I rather her be confused than actually know what the boys were talking about.

"Shall we actually get on topic?" I asked. "I wanted us to meet here for a reason."

"Yeah… Sorry." Iruka seemed to have finally calmed down. "About rescuing Akemi, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. I believe we need to make this an official investigation. There are cases that parallel Akemi's across the country. For all we know, there could be others after we rescue her."

"...That's a good point," Sora sighed. "So, like… you think we should form a team like our parents did?"

"Yes, I think that would be the best course of action."

"A team, huh..." Iruka's face lit up. "We could call ourselves… Amazing Neo Kickass Heroes!"

We all stared at him like he had finally gone insane.

"Uh… how about no," Sora retorted.

"Hey! What ideas do you have for a name then?" he demanded with a huff.

Silence fell as we all tried to think of a name better than Amazing Neo Kickass Heroes. But… regrettably… I was so tired, nothing good was coming to mind. School had used up all my thinking brain power. I could feel a headache coming on just from trying.

"...I've got nothing," Sora grumbled.

"Me neither," I sighed.

"Same," Sonomi muttered.

"Haha! Score! One point for Iruka!" he cheered, smiling smugly. "Amazing Neo Kickass Heroes wins!"

...Sometimes, I hate my life.

"We can call ourselves… ANKH for short," I said, knowing there was no way in hell I was using that full name.

"ANKH?" Sora frowned a little. "I can deal with that."

"It's not too bad," Sonomi agreed.

"Awww, you guys are no fun!" Iruka pouted.

Thou am I… And I am thou.

Thou have established a new bond.

Thou shall be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana.

I hung out with my friends for a little longer, until it got to the time where we all needed to head home. Sonomi and I parted ways with the boys and began the walk home. At least the food we shared did give me some more energy so I was able to make it home without any problems.

I chose to head straight up to my room to rest until dinner. But as I passed down the hallway, I noticed Haku and Sonomi's door was slightly ajar. Pausing, I decided to lightly knock on the door and peek inside.

"Haku?"

She was inside, as I had hoped. She was sitting on a black beanbag wedged into one of the corners of the room, a notebook and pencil in her hands, like she was writing something.

She scowled as soon as she noticed me. "What do you want?"

I narrowed my eyes, opening the door the rest of the way. "Do Mom and Dad know you skipped school today?"

Haku just glared at me harder. "No. So what? It's not like they care anyways."

"What on earth makes you say that?" I demanded.

"Oh, please, don't act so oblivious. We all know you and Yori are the favorites." She glowered down at her notebook. "They don't give a shit about me."

...So my sister had developed an inferiority complex, most likely due to her being the middle child… That explained a lot, actually… But it made me wonder… if she actually did hate me… if she had hated me all these years for being stuck in my shadow…

"That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard," I retorted.

"Well, I guess I'm absurd then," she snapped. "What the hell do you want, anyways? Did you just come here to lecture me about school? 'Cause I don't give two shits about stupid education."

"...No. No, I didn't." I sighed, trying to take a breath to calm myself before I got too angry. "I found out about you and Kenta today. I cannot believe you're sleeping with him."

Haku scowled. "Who the hell are you to judge me? You can't even talk, Rui, not with you and Sora!"

"...What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, really? You can't tell me you haven't fucked when half the time all you do is make goo-goo eyes at each other."

I… We… What?

"We do not make 'goo-goo eyes' at each other!" I retorted defensively.

"So… you're not denying it?"

Ugh… How could I give an honest answer if I couldn't even remember?

"How do you expect me to answer when you know that I don't remember everything in the past?" I demanded.

"Damn. You can't even remember having sex." She shook her head. "Sucks to be you."

"Ugh! You are impossible to talk to!" I exclaimed in exasperation. "Fine, believe whatever the hell you want, but you better not spread this as a rumor, because you'll ruin Sora's life."

Haku scowled. "I'm not that much of a bitch. I'm not a big fan of your little boytoy, but I'm not gonna rat on you. Chill."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "I'm trusting you, Haku." With that, I turned to step back out of the door. "Just… be careful with Kenta."

Having nothing left to say to her, I left the room, shutting the door behind me, and headed to my own room to finally get some much needed rest.