Chapter Eight — A Second Time

But then the scene shifted. They were close to the end of today's session of playtime. None of them were willing or able to really try and think upon the implications of Minato and Social Links any further. So they just pressed on. Pushed on. Played on. Pressed X until the next scripted event.

When Minato awoke, the scene shifted. He was in a hospital bed, his little blue head bobbing out from the sheets. Yukari was right next to him, sitting on a stool with her hands in her lap. A somber, almost nostalgic tune played as the scene progressed.

[Yukari: You're awake...!] Yukari's avatar exclaimed, almost excitedly, before recomposing herself. [Um, how do you feel?]

{Where am I...?}

{Why are you here?}

1

[Yukari: Thank goodness. You finally came to...] she sighed. And then her voice took on an agitated edge. [How much sleep do you

need!? It's been a whole week! ...I was so worried about you...]

Junpei raised an eyebrow at Yukari, to which she just said, "Keep on playing."

He responded, "We're all mature adults here—"

"Just. Keep. Playing."

"Okay..."

[Yukari: ...Oh yeah, this is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital.] Yukari said, since Minato had asked her where he was. [It's just a short walk from the station. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you. He said you were just exhausted... But, you kept sleeping and sleeping. You know how worried I was?] Again, agitated in tone.

"Oh, we knew how worried you were," Junpei smirked again, Yukari turning her head.

"Iori," said Mitsuru.

"What?" he asked. "C'mon...let's at least try to have some fun."

"How can you start having fun with this now?" asked Yukari.

"I think my aggravation with this game has gone full circle and I'm just now trying to take what I can get," he replied.

Yukari blinked. "Fine. Just...just continue."

[Yukari: Um... I'm sorry I couldn't do anything...] And now, her voice was regretful. [Even though I was supposed to protect you, I...But, your power...] Another shift in tone, a shift into admiration. [It was amazing.]

{What were those things?}

{What'd I do...?}

2

Junpei smirked again, but to himself, mostly. Minato didn't even have the option to say "Thanks." Which he really should have had. He'd always thought of Minato as a bit more social than how the game had presented him.

Cryptically, even though the players knew exactly what the whole deal was back on the roof, Yukari's avatar said, [Yukari: The power you used... We call it "Persona." And those creatures you defeated are Shadows—our enemy. We'll explain everything later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before...] And yet another shift in tone. Her voice turned nervous now, as if she had something heavy she wanted to say. [I, uh... I wanted to tell you that... I'm sorta like you.]

{What do you mean?}

{Why're you telling me this?}

Junpei's shoulders rose. He turned to Yukari. She looked like she didn't want to talk to anyone. Her face was downcast, her expression was rough, and her eyes were narrowed. Now didn't seem like a particularly good time to make a small joke at her expense.

Ring.

1

He was glad Minato didn't say "Why're you telling me this?" It would've been a bit of a rude thing to say to her. And she didn't deserve that. He pressed X.

[Yukari: My dad died in an accident when I was little...] she said, almost nervously, [And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms... You're all alone too, right?]

And Yukari's video game self told Minato's video game self about what had happened to her father and why she had joined S.E.E.S., in an honestly calming breather of a scene which helped set the players a little at ease. Not by much, however.

Yukari herself remembered this scene all too well. She remembered how much courage she'd had to muster up in telling him what had happened between her and her family, way back when. And while these days, she had a much healthier relationship with her mother (as in, actually being able to have civil conversations with her), remembering the days when even the mere mention of her parents had put her at unease...well, put her at unease.

And she then remembered how merely talking to Minato had made her feel like a thousand weights had been lifted off her shoulders. So, of course, this was yet another scene from the game she wasn't happy with. But did she have the right to be unhappy at this?

It did, after all, manage to capture the scene almost perfectly. The music was mellow and at the same time upbeat. The atmosphere was much more subdued and less frenetically insane than how it was in the previous scene. And so far, the events were being portrayed...in a respectable manner. Respectable, inasmuch as a game based on one of the most emotionally draining years of their lives could have been.

Hmm. Maybe there was some truth to Junpei's "full circle" spiel.

[Yukari: That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you.] Yukari's avatar explained, and then she went right to self-deprecation. [...Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help... It was my first time fighting them, too.] Apologetic, her voice was now. [I'm sorry... You wouldn't have to go through all thisif I wasn't such a coward...]

{It's not your fault.}

{I was scared, too.}

And Yukari smiled mildly to herself when those options popped up, because she remembered how Minato had so warmly told her, so calmly told her that it wasn't her fault that things had happened the way they had. She remembered how she had initially assumed he was a withdrawn and intimidating kind of guy. After he'd said that, however...she'd found him quite charming.

They were literally watching the point where her attraction towards Minato had begun. And she couldn't help but blush just a teensy bit at the memory of it all—

Ring.

Junpei checked his phone. He pressed down on the d-pad.

{It's not your fault.}

{I was scared, too.}

"W-wait, what?" stammered Yukari.

"You remember it a different way?" Junpai asked. She nodded. He shrugged, "Sorry. Phone says 2."

"What!?"

X.

[Yukari: Really...? But still...]

"That's not right!" she said. "I-I mean, I remember what he said to me! I remember, as clear as day! He said 'It's not your fault!' I remember it! There's no way it was 'I was scared, too!'"

Junpei frowned at the phone. "Sorry, Yuka-tan. Phone says 2. Look."

She swiped the phone from his hand, and surely enough, the latest text from the mysterious texter read 2. And then another text popped up.

I'm sorry.

She scowled at the phone and threw it back at Junpei, and he juggled it for a bit before finally being able to grasp it.

"Fine, just keep on playing the stupid game, whatever. So much for 'no diverging...'" And as she mumbled irritatedly to herself, crossing her arms, Junpei pressed X and continued the scene.

[Yukari: And here I am telling you all this the minute you wake up. While I was waiting, I thought to myself, "I've been hiding so many things from him... As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth."] Yukari's voice turned warm, and you could almost feel the satisfaction she had through her voice alone when she said, [So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time.]

At that, even Junpei couldn't help but give out an "Aw."

"Shut up," gruffly said Yukari.

"What?" he deadpanned. "It's a sweet moment! Give credit where credit is due, y'know?"

"It'd have been better if it actually got the words right," she grunted.

[Yukari: ...Alright, I'm gonna get going. I'll let the others know you woke up. Take it easy, okay? Be a good patient! And don't hesitate to call the nurse. I'm sure she'll take good care of you.] And just before she left the room, she actually took the time to turn her head back to the resting Minato, and said, [...Bye.]

The game continued for a while after that. Minato had to attend school. Answer some questions. Get the answers in accordance with the phone's. And when the players were finally able to get themselves back to the dormitory, they immediately saved the game and shut the console off.

"Glad to be done with all of that, for now," said Junpei. Despite this, he and the others in the room looked so dishevelled they might as well have played the whole sixty plus hours of the game.

"Yeah. For now," said Yukari.

"Whoever's doing this will make us keep on playing the game for months until we finish it," Mitsuru said. "There's really no room for celebration. You really can't call him back in any way?"

Junpei shook his head, "Nope."

Mitsuru then said, "Then give me the phone. Fuuka, tomorrow, we'll have to trace the caller back through his number," she said.

Fuuka nodded silently as Junpei handed Mitsuru his phone. And then it rang.

It won't help you.
The signal can't be traced.

"So, what, are you using some kind of supernatural cellphone, then?" snarked Junpei. And then the phone rang again.

It's not a cellphone, per se
Cellphones aren't made of bones

"You're serious?" he asked.

Yes

And then Junpei got an idea. "Hey...could you tell us...where you got the game?"

This was a question they had been too aggravated to ask, earlier. Now that they had the chance, they could finally get some answers and maybe bring some reality back into this whole mess.

And lo and behold, they did get an answer!

Alternate realities exist

Sort of.

"Are you serious!?"

Why are you surprised, considering everything you've been through?

"Well, we never really had the displeasure of getting messed around with by a video game from an alternate reality!" Junpei cried out.

That's tragic

That was all he could say!? "Oh, so we should get used to it, huh? What, is there an alternate reality where we're characters in a movie?" he asked.

Yes
Same reality

...

So. Until you finish the game,
You and your friends must gather at your
apartment every Sunday.

"What even happens if we don't?" asked Junpei. "What's with you and saying 'Something Bad Will Happen?' What will happen? If we knew, then we'd take this thing a little more seriously!"

All I can tell you is
That neither of you are in danger.
*He* is.

At that, Junpei gaped. "Wh-what?"

"What is it?" asked Yukari.

If you do not finish the game,
He will die a second time.

Junpei's eyes widened. He showed the text to everyone, and they all were speechless at the sight of it alone.

"What do you mean, 'He'll die a second time?'" Junpei asked the phone. "Please, tell me. He's my friend. He's our friend."

I can't tell you.
He asked me not to.

Yukari was the first to grab a taxi. Ken and Koromaru, having decided to commute home, left the building soon thereafter. Fuuka, Aigis, and Mitsuru all left when Mitsuru's driver dropped by fifteen minutes later. Akihiko decided to just buy groceries at the department store across from Junpei's apartment building before catching a cab himself. Junpei watched them all leave his dismal home one by one, and he was left with his head in his hands and the game disc still in his PS2.

None of them looked very happy with themselves. None of them wanted to be. Ever since they'd gotten away from the monstrosity of the Dark Hour and the Shadows...they all just kept getting pulled in. More and more. Like they were just the universe's playthings.

Junpei stared ahead at his shut-down TV screen, not wanting to do anything more with it. Perhaps for the rest of the week. Games were stupid anyway. He was an adult. He was supposed to be worrying about bills, and groceries, and job requirements. But no. No. He was worrying about this stupid little game that was pretty much insulting them with its very existence. By showing them the life of their most treasured friend, behind the scenes.

They had gone for at least one hour (perhaps even two) into this sixty-hour long game. This was only the beginning of their mess, and from the look of things, it wasn't going to get any better from here on out.

And it was at this point that Junpei realized just what his greatest fear was. From everything he had seen of Minato...what had he not seen yet? There appeared to be so much of Minato Arisato that Junpei had not realized, so much of him that he hadn't even known of. The game was essentially a doorway into the life of someone whose life was...shrouded mostly in ambiguity.

Junpei hadn't hung out with Minato often. He remembered only once that he had really hung out with him. Minato had always been with someone else, somewhere else. He'd been especially close to the women in the team, more so than the men. The fact that they all hadn't reacted...kindly to his death (especially Yukari and Aigis) was proof of that.

Minato Arisato was a mysterious lad. Even those he'd gotten close to —people like Kazushi and Kenji and other friends he'd made — they'd all, at some point or another, noted how closed-off he was. How little he had ever really spoken about himself. How much he had encouraged people to speak about what had happened in their lives. That had always been one of his best qualities. Being a really good listener. But he'd been so quiet about himself that nobody really even had gotten to know him. Not really.

What kind of person had he really been? Had he truly been as kind and as patient a man as he'd presented himself? Charming, intelligent, courageous, and forthright? He'd always managed to figure out the proper course of action, able to pull the team out of the fire in every battle he had been in. He'd seemed to be a perfect man.

But what if Minato Arisato really had been what the game had said he was?

A tool for others to imprint themselves upon?

Intermission III - Me, too!

Dark Hour.

You look upon the mirror in mild agony. Your reflection stares back at you. It blinks at the same time you do. It makes the same movements you make. Its expression is yours, it creases its clothes the same way; even its fingers twitch the same way yours does. But those fingers are not your fingers.

The fingers you see are much more...dainty. Soft. The skin you see in your reflection is much more...vibrant than yours is. For lack of a better word. Considering how pale your skin is. Considering how red your reflection's eyes are, and how brown your reflection's hair is. Considering how different your reflection's figure is.

You see a woman in the mirror. And the woman sees you. She is the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. You don't know who she is. Or what she is. Or what any of this really is. Some part of you doesn't really care to know, and just wants to keep looking at the beautiful red-eyed woman in the mirror.

She moves her mouth, her movements differing from yours for the first time. You stammer, grabbing a piece of paper. You write down your message onto the paper and show it to the mirror. Your message is written backwards, in case the mirror reflects your words.

I can't hear you

The woman in the mirror blinks, and then she places a hand on her head, chuckling to herself. You wonder how her voice sounds. You wonder what her name is. She, however, beats you to the question. She grabs a notebook of hers and scribbles in a few words, before showing you her own message: ?eman si ruoy tahw

You write down on your own piece of paper, and tell her Your message is backwards.

She blinks again, and blushes. She scraps that page of her notebook away and writes backwards this time. Sorry. What is your name?

You scribble, Minato Arisato.

She scribbles back, Kotone Shiomi.

And you can't help but find that a rather fetching name, especially for someone as beautiful as she is. But you stiffen, and then you write down another message. Are you a figment of my imagination?

She looks amazed at how you were able to write such a sentence backwards in such a short amount of time, and it takes her two minutes to reply to you. No I don't think so. I actually thought you were a figment of mine XD

You write to her, Do you know what the Dark Hour is? because you see the green moonlight in your mirror. But you can't discern whether it belongs to your mirror or...hers.

She replies, Yeah, you know what it is too huh?

You smile, but before you can reply with a Yes, she quickly scribbles on another piece of paper and writes out DOES THAT MEAN YOU HAVE A PERSONA TOO.

You smile, even wider now; the sensation is alien and your cheeks stiffen at the feeling. You nod to her, and you write down, I can use multiple ones, not knowing that you do so to impress her.

She smiles so wide you fear her cheeks will fall off, and she writes down in her own piece of paper, Me too!

A/N:

Okay. I think I've come up with a system, here. Every eight chapters (not counting intermissions), another boss battle begins. Judging from the bosses themselves, the story will most likely end at 104 chapters. And that's for FES, not counting The Answer.

Not much consolation, I know. If I continue at this pace, it'll take more than a decade to finish the whole story. Meaning I'll have to pick up the pace.

I'll try to get two chapters out by August (revolutionary, huh?). College is starting again, though, so I might not get to two chapters. At least one chapter will come out, however, by then.

Sorry for the short chapter. We'll be longer again when we reach into what is to be the second 'arc' or so. AKA chapter ten.