There had been another delay in the rail station, it had been happening more and more as of late. A woman stepped in front of the train as it passed and was crushed under it. Though it wasn't Chie's train, it was on the same route she was taking and there hadn't been anywhere to divert their train through to. They sat on the tracks waiting for things to clear for almost an hour.
It was dark when she stepped out of the station in Tokyo, she'd sat too long in the cramped train with her bags and she still wore the clothes from earlier. Youske's smell clung to her and she couldn't get what had happened out of her head.
When the train had been stopped she made an effort to contact Rise, Nanako, and Mitsuru; that got her nowhere. It was Yukari who actually answered. They arranged to meet at a beef bowl place near the station. The drizzle that had persisted through half of the trip turned into driving rain as Chie jogged through the streets with a loose piece of paper pulled over her hair in the shape of a steeple to ward off the rain.
Water splashed up around her footfalls as she stepped off of the curb and darted through a small water flow that moved down one side of the street. This doesn't make sense, they call me to get down here and then they totally disappear? Oh man, not even Yukari seems to know where the Hell they are.
Stopping at a light gave her the chance to text. She tapped away at her phone as best she could, wet fingers were terrible for texting.
To: Yu Narukami - Your damn fiancée ditched me. Have you heard from her?
Narukami was slow to answer anyone except Rise and he was smitten with Rise. Since the day they met he had eyes for her and she enjoyed the fact that he hadn't known about her life as an Idol or Risette or any of that. To him, she was just this really beautiful girl.
He finally answered her with a puzzled text.
To: Chie Satonaka - ? I talked to her this morning. She usually calls again at night. Have you asked Nanako?
To: Yu Narukami - Your cousin blew me off too!
Nanako was punctual and eager to please—not at all the type to ignore a voice mail or text message. Chie realized that the traffic had cleared and dashed across the road, taking a corner to head for the restaurant. Yukari was standing outside with an umbrella propped up against her shoulder. Rain dripped from the edges of it.
"Aren't we prepared?" Asked Chie.
"I just bought it actually. It's good to see you again."
"It's good to see you up and walking around. I thought you were supposed to be out of commission for another week?" Chie said. She could hardly keep herself from looking over the area where Yukari had been injured. It was probably considered rude, but she didn't care. How had Yukari done it? "You going to share your miracle cure with me?"
Yukari shrugged, her umbrella raising up slightly as her shoulders moved. Her eyes were aimed low and there was something closed up about her expression, her body language, all of it. "It's hard to explain. The side effects might just be being a horrible bitch, though."
"What happened?" Asked Chie.
The entered the restaurant next to each other to find that the place's business had barely been effected by the rain. There was a short line of people waiting to be seated and the rotation of people sitting down to tables and people leaving seemed to be in a constant motion. "Ken thinks he loves me and I told him that we were over."
"You were dating Ken?" Chie took a step back, seemingly in awe.
"Yeah," Yukari said. "I kept it quiet for a while and it was fine for a bit too. But he was just…more into to me than anyone has any reason to be."
"Man, you're too hard on yourself." Chie said. "I mean I know we all have boy trouble, but I think that only you would think that someone loved you too much."
"It's more than just that," Yukari said. "I made a promise one time to make the most out of my life…to make the sacrifice made for all of us worthwhile. Ken is wasting time with me…wasting his life on me and maybe I'm wasting my time on this whole Featherman thing."
Chie stared over at her. "Sounds like you've got a lot on your mind there. Look, maybe along the way you forgot to do what makes you happy and started worrying too much about living up to some lofty goal. You can make the most of your life by just agreeing to live it." Chie said.
Yukari glanced over at her, a slight smile on her face. "Maybe you're right, heh, you're not supposed to be the wise one, you know that right?"
"I think that I'm just thinking clearer today for some reason."
"Well, you mentioned boy problems," Yukari said as the hostess walked up to them motioned for them to follow her. She walked them to a booth table near the corner of the long bar that encased the center of the establishment. They were seated and given menus and glasses of water.
"Boy problems?" Chie giggled. "I mean it's more like man problems now, isn't it?" She asked.
"You're just stalling."
"Okay, jeez. It's me and Youske. We've been…I guess you would call it hooking up. It's casual and just sudden and it's just so good," Chie said. "Even though I feel a little dirty talking about that stuff—it's kind of a good kind of dirty, you know?" Chie couldn't stop laughing.
"Yeah, I get that. Maybe I need to talk to Ken and just…let this all play out without taking it too seriously," said Yukari. "I'm not sure if I can do that after he says that he loves me…"
"You've known him for almost half of his life when you think about it. That's got to be pretty significant for him. It makes total sense why he would cling to that relationship." Chie said.
"I never really thought of it that way." Yukari stared off into the distance. "It's just different for him…"
Chie placed her hand on top of Yukari's. "Yeah, maybe you don't have to love him, but maybe talk to him and see where he's coming from?"
"I'll do that only if you enjoy the Hell out of that time with Youske," Yukari smiled.
When his afternoon with Chie had ended, Youske had spent his time sitting around thinking for just a bit. The fact of the matter was that though they didn't define what they were they had been building to this for a long time. All of their little fights throughout school and scrappy little quips at each other had been a release of tension that they couldn't quite get out without…well this.
Their personalities were still there in the act, but it felt right when they were together and years of denying that this was what they wanted made that feeling even stronger.
Youske dragged a bag of garbage out to the dumpster in the ally in the back of his store. The shopping district was dead this time of night. His shop was closed hours ago and he couldn't help but sit there and think for so long that by the time that he started cleaning it was almost dark.
The garbage bag sagged at the bottom heavy with the blood from discarded scraps of meat and butcher paper. He hefted it off of the ground slightly testing the bag's resilience before heaving it all the way up into the air and slinging it over into the dumpster.
Back inside of the shop he cut off the last of the lights and washed his hands. When it was time to close up the office door he stopped to look at the desk where hours before he and Chie had been. He chuckled to himself.
And just then the door to the front of the store opened with a jingle of bells. He didn't turn, but called out to the person there. "Sorry, we're already closed. Time got away from me and I guess I forgot to lock the door."
There was no answer at first and he glanced back, the door was a little off center from where he was standing so he didn't see anyone yet. He took one last look at the office and flipped the light off inside. The light in the front room was still on and in this middle room there was lines of moonlight cutting through the blinds.
"Marie? Teddie? I know it's one of you. Damn, you jokes are so lame," he turned to walk into the front room and just as he stepped into the doorway he froze. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I hope you don't mind the suit. I had to borrow it from someone, though I think it fits nicely." Tohru Adachi stood near the door with a snub nosed revolver dangling from his hand. His hair had that devil-may-care disheveled look to it. The suit that he wore was a mess: a navy blue dinner jacket and slacks with a white button up shirt underneath, but the front of the button up shirt was the slacks were splattered with blood. "They don't let me keep nice clothes like this in prison—I look like shit in those awful green sweatsuits."
There were knives all around him, but none on his immediate person. Youske edged back into the darkness of the middle room. "How'd you get out?"
"Funny story, this voice pops up in my head and starts talking about control. It says that it needs me to stop those who are resisting it. Told me that I knew some of them…the people who fight against the Shadows." Adachi stepped forward to match him, glancing over at his gun as he walked. "I knew that it would be troublesome to face your group all at once again, but you're spread out now. I can take care of Yu, and that idol bitch, and even send little Nanako to meet her momma and daddy," he said snickering.
"That's where you're wrong!" There was a magnet board on the wall that held large, thick bladed knives. Youske grabbed one up by the handle, flipped it over in his hand so that he was holding the blade and threw.
Adachi tightened up and fired the gun just before the knife buried itself in his shoulder. He grabbed at his arm, pulling the knife away with a grunt. "Never a dull time with you guys," Adachi said in that raspy voice of his.
Youske stumbled back, hand clutching his chest where the bullet had ripped into him. The pain was blinding and every breath he took only seem to do half the job it should. Was one of his lungs hit? He bumped into the door of the office back first, almost tripping.
Adachi lumbered forward. "Nanako's all grown up now. I bet that's real interesting. I wonder if she turned into a little stuck up bitch like the rest of them?" He stuck the gun out in front of him, training it on Youske.
"You can't do this," Youske said gasping for air as he found the office door and backed through it.
"You can't fight the will of humanity. They long for control and you're either smart enough to see it and avoid it like me, or you're worried about saving the idiots like you. And look where that got you."
The next bullet caught Youske in the throat and he reached up, he could feel his blood coursing over his fingers as he held the wound tight. His words were just gurgles now, he fell against the desk, laying over it and looking up at Adachi's wild eyes. For a flash they were yellow…a shadow's eyes. But this was the real world, it didn't make sense.
Youske knew he didn't have it in him to do anything, but he made an effort anyway. He batted at Adachi's arm and kicked out, but he weakened too fast, barely making contact with the other man in an attempt to stop him. Adachi pressed the warm barrel of the gun to his head, he could feel the heat from the previous too shots on his skin.
The gun thundered in Adachi's hand one last time ripping through Youske and leaving him lifeless on the desk in the office. He took Youske's phone and wallet, making sure to empty the money for the register too. "There's a lot of creative stuff we could do in a butcher shop, but I think that this is a perfect place for your friends to find the body."
Tohru Adachi left out the back of the butcher's shop leaving the door cracked and took the scooter parked there, the one that had belonged to Youske. The Inn Keeper girl would be a gamble, she was often with others and would be hard to kill, but the targets in Tokyo were what he had been told to go after. He could ride all night if he had to, there was something energizing about this new found partnership. Something that made him feel like he had in the TV world, but out here in the real world.
He headed for Tokyo without a care of being caught. The cops were close enough to the sphere of influence that they wouldn't remember a Tohru Adachi. That was the god of control's promise to him.
Kurenai pushed herself up to her feet, dusting herself off as to stand against Elizabeth once more. A little blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth where she had taken a particularly nasty bump from one of the attacks that hit her. She was having a hard time calling upon her Persona when she needed to and the weapon she had been given felt…unnatural.
She pressed the tip of the naginata into the floor to stabilize herself. "Did you help to train them like this too?" Kurenai said. "I don't really get the meaning of this."
"We don't have the luxury of the learning curve that the others were able to take advantage of. Things are dire now and it seems your destiny has crossed over into this world again," Margaret said.
"You guys seem powerful, why don't you fight it?" Asked Kurenai.
"Because we're not tasked to act in such ways unless there are consequences for the Velvet Room itself and even though there are at this time, the risk could be that if we were to mount the assault we might lose the Velvet Room's power all together." Elizabeth said.
"Are you saying that we're all just fodder for you?" Mitsuru said.
"You're more expendable than the Velvet Room itself," said Theodore.
Elizabeth flipped open the Compendium. "Again. Persona!" She called forth Izanagi, the black clad visage of the samurai stood behind her shrouded in blue light.
"Can we please stop?" Kurenai asked.
Elizabeth rushed her, a practice sword appeared in her hand as she moved and all the time in the Velvet Room seemed to slow down until it stopped. Kurenai was standing in the middle of the room where time was frozen and there was a feeling like there was someone behind her. She spun around and looked back over her shoulder to see a boy in black standing there, his dark hair covering one eye.
Kurenai stared at him for a moment, he was shrouded in some kind of light that almost seemed to emanate from him. She gasped. "You're him," she said. "You're the one they talked about who was like me."
He nodded. "It would seem you're the lucky one in this reality, I'm stuck guarding the gates…"
"Is it…scary? Being dead?" She asked.
He shook his head. "It's quiet."
"Why are we here, really?" Asked Kurenai.
"Even with the best of teachers like Elizabeth and Mitsuru you could never learn all that's there to learn in the allotted time. So let me help you." He said.
"How?"
Spreading his arms out, he released several cards glowing cards form within his being. The swirled around him forming a ring as they danced around him in unison. "The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed—these cards aren't just cards. They're the bonds I've formed and with them the memories of experiences. Those bonds part of me now, I have no need for the cards themselves anymore."
The cards whirled around and crashed into Kurenai's chest, all except the last one which came to a rest above his waiting hand. "The Universe Arcana," he said. "This is the only thing that protects us."
In the distance Kurenai heard something banging against metal. There was a sound in the distance like a huge gate rattling. "What was that?" She asked.
"That's the enemy at the gates. The hosts of human desires to die trying to reach out. Without the Universe Arcana and myself there to guard it, the Fall would begin and all of humanity would die."
"Sounds peachy," Kurenai said. Suddenly she had a flash of a moment with the others on the top of a tower, a huge, sinister looking entity floated above them with a mournful look in its eyes.
"Did you see it?" Asked Yuki,
"Yeah."
"Then you're ready," he said as time resumed just as quickly as it had come to a stop. Yuki was gone and Elizabeth was right on top of her. Kurenai ran through her newly acquired memories for something that could help in this situation.
"Abaddon!" Kurenai yelled with her arm out stretched. A shimmering blue light erupted from the floor around her and a pulsing green creature made of slime appeared between her and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was running too fast to stop in time and she slammed into an invisible barrier that knocked her to the ground, she landed on her butt and dropped the Compendium. She climbed up onto her knees and grabbed for the book. "You awakened the Wild Card on your own? No that can't be it." She shot a glance over at Margaret and Theodore. "One of your two playing a game, hmm?" She got back onto her feet.
"I assure you that this isn't our doing," said Margaret. "Though I think that I know who might have a hand in this. Oh, that is most surprising."
When Elizabeth turned her eye back to Kurenai she saw it. "Yuki…"
"If you need to see my hand to hand skill, we can do that now," she hefted the naginata and twirled it for a moment before coming to a stop in a defensive position.
Elizabeth resumed her attack with renewed vigor, using the practice sword to lash out, but finding that Kurenai blocked or dodged away from every blow. While Elizabeth is distracted with finding an opening, Kurenai kicks her in the stomach sending her stumbling back.
Naoto had been laying down recovering all this time. She had been discouraged from speaking or moving too much, but this was cause for her to do something. "How is this possible?" She asked. "A few hours ago she didn't know Personas existed."
"But you know how it is, I'm sure. Once you have control of your Persona gain some knowledge of it's abilities, that's not unusual. But she seems to have gained more suddenly."
"It's Yuki," said Elizabeth. "He reached out to her with the power of the bonds of friendship. He instilled in her the skill to do this."
"What does it mean?" Asked Naoto.
"It means she's ready," Elizabeth said.
There was a driving rain out when Rise stepped out of the interior of Cafe LeBlanc with her phone to her ear. She plugged her free ear to ward off the sound of rain. A smile spread across her face as she heard the voice on the other side of the phone. "I was getting a little worried."
Yu Narukami's voice sounded different through a phone. It was a difference in sound that she had grown used to, but it was the hardest part of being on the road all of the time. And she was on the road all of the time either due to her work with SIS or her career.
"You know I can take care of myself, Senpai," Rise said wrapping her arm around her waist and rocking side to side.
"Chie texted looking for you." Yu said.
"Yeah, she missed us because we were in the Shadow World, you know? Not the best cell reception. I texted her about where we were. She says she has some kind of surprise."
"Are you doing okay? Not tiring yourself out too much?"
"I could ask you the same. Without me there to make sure you get fed and keep all your stuff together," said Rise.
"Like you do any of the cooking around here," Yu laughed. "But seriously, what's going on with you?"
Rise pressed her fingers up into the fringe of her hair and let out a little forced laugh. "It's just that there's a lot going on here that we didn't expect. We met the Phantom Thieves and they're…they're in high school like we were, well for the most part. But something is wrong with them—something has been erasing their memories and is playing with the whole city. There's a massive shadow nest under Tokyo. I've never sensed anything like it."
"If you need a hand just say the word," Yu said.
"I know." Rise's cheeks reddened and even though he wasn't there, she felt Yu could hear it in her voice. "If I really needed you, I'd call."
Yu was quiet on his end for a long while and then he took a deep breath. "Mochio misses you," said Yu.
"I hope you're cleaning his litter box," she said.
Yu chuckled. "For some reason you can read my mind, so I know better than to try and get one over on you, but yeah, I'm cleaning it."
"Good." She said.
"You know that I love you, right wife?" Yu said.
"I'm not your wife yet, fiancé," Rise laughed. "I have to let you go though—Mitsuru isn't here and I need to watch over Nanako and kind of oversee things."
"How's Nanako?"
"She's brilliant. You'd be proud, she basically danced her way through a fight earlier," Rise said.
"I'm guessing she's too busy to speak right now?" Yu asked.
Rise sighed. "There's a bit of an interrogation going on here now," she chuckled.
"Okay, well tell her I said hi. And I'll call you before I go to sleep for the night," Yu said.
She made a little kiss sound into the phone's speaker. "I'll look forward to it, maybe you can keep me company before I go to bed?"
"I'm sure I can think of something to do."
Rise hit the call end button her phone and opened the door to the cafe to head back inside. The windows were covered by the blinds and the room was filled with a gathering of the Phantom Thieves that they could muster and Nanako. Makoto and Sae had returned and Sakura-san was there, Rise had just met him, but he had a lot to say about there being a celebrity in their midsts. "That boy brings the weirdest clientele in here," he had mused while scratching the back of his head with a smirk on his face.
This visit was under less than amicable terms where Ren was concerned, but Rise never stopped preforming for a fan. She smiled and bowed even though they had been dragging a knocked out Ren through the door. When she entered after her phone call things were different. Her face was straight as she looked around at those gathered.
Ren was tied to a chair near the bathroom at the back of the cafe just before you got to the set of stairs. "Anyone tried to wake him yet?"
"I thought everyone was waiting for you," Nanako said.
"You're kind of the one spearheading all of this," said Sae. "I have to admit that I never thought there would be a need for this kind of thing, I thought that Ren was on the right side of things. Even when I was investigating him it felt like he was so righteous…and rightfully so."
There was a thud from the bathroom door behind Ren, he didn't move and Ann and Ryuji crept closer to it. "Is someone in there?" Asked Ann.
Sojiro pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose and got up from the stool at the bar. He stood in his signature slouch looking at everyone in attendance and then over at the door. "Nah, there's a mop in there, it probably fell against the door."
Haru leaned down over her mug off coffee and lifted it to her mouth for a sip. "Mmhm, if only there were a way to know what Ren knows and be sure that it was the truth."
"I could try to check his mind more aggressively. It's not something that I've really ever done to this extent, but before I had control of my Persona my shadow used a power to scan everyone and basically lay waste to them and even render itself completely invulnerable," Rise said.
Ryuji's mouth widened into a toothy smile. "Man, you are one amazing lady—sexy and dangerous."
"You'd do well to remember it before commenting," Ann said.
The bathroom door was jostled again.
"Are we sure a customer didn't go in there and fall asleep or something," Makoto said giving a nervous laugh.
Sojiro stepped out around the side of Ren. "No, I checked every corner of this place when you all called and said you were bringing him here." He made his way to the door to open it and the door burst open to reveal rolling fog that poured out into the small coffee shop. Through the mist someone could be heard coughing and then an excited, feminine voice said. "Welcome to the Velvet Room!"
Elizabeth stepped out of the bathroom with her arms open wide, the compendium strapped down to her side against her hip. Margaret and Mitsuru followed her out and Naoto wasn't far behind with a new face, Kurenai. Sojiro reeled back, almost falling to the floor, but managing to catch himself. "Huh, all of you were in there?"
Margaret shook her head. "No, I assure you that's not really your bathroom anymore."
"It's an extra dimensional space. Also we might have destroyed anything that was in the bathroom. I'm hearing there was a mop possibly?" Elizabeth asked.
Mitsuru glanced down at Ren sitting in the chair. "It looks like you've had an eventful evening," she said.
"Things got a little wild there for a moment." Rise said.
"Well, we found another Persona user—one who was with the old SEES team in an alternate dimension and then we were attacked by shadows of two other Persona users in the police station," Naoto said.
"They were dead people, like your Goro Akechi. Someone is using the shadows of the dead as a weapon." Mitsuru said.
"We're finding ourselves further and further from normal here. If you had told me that back when we were first stealing people's evil desires from within them I would have told you things can't get any crazier." Makoto closed her eyes, seemingly amused at this turn of events.
Sojiro sighed. "You've all got to be careful then. This is bigger than just righting the wrongs of corrupt society and avenging yourselves…"
Sae nodded. "He's right, we've hit upon something metaphysical, more so than the Metaverse itself. This is something that seems to control that other place."
Kurenai waved. "I guess this is a bit of an odd time to say hi. I'm Kurenai Kasarugi—apparently I saved reality in another universe…"
Margaret placed an arm around Kurenai. "You might save on here just yet. Okay everyone, listen up we don't have much time to discuss matters. If you're looking to divulge the truth then why not visit Ren's Palace?"
"Ren wouldn't have a palace we could investigate; his shadow is tamed," said Ann. She remembers hearing someone explain this to her before, but she couldn't remember who. It had to be Futaba.
Elizabeth smiled. "Everyone with that strong a will has a palace. It's just that for a Persona user their palace is here," she poked Sojiro in the chest. "This is why Rise can sense people's minds and why she's the key to getting you into the Trickster's palace and this is why we can help," she explained.
"Jump inside of Ren's mind?" Haru asked. "It seems dangerous."
Mitsuru sighed. "In all of my research and the research at my disposal I've never heard of something like this."
Margaret shrugged. "You've never had access to a support Persona user who is strong enough that her Persona morphed into a battle ready mode and who's ability is active when it's not present. Now, hand me your Evoker."
Mitsuru froze, but then complied. She remembered the time in the Velvet Room before, after Yuki died. She remembered how they had just been saved by these people.
Margaret walked up to Rise. "My sister, you are a brilliant strategist. I wouldn't have thought of it ever." She checked the Evoker. "Do you know what makes the Kirijo group Evoker a unique piece of technology?" She asked to no one at all. And then she spun and aimed the Evoker at Rise's forehead.
Everyone was a little taken aback, but didn't move immediately. Then she placed the gun against her temple. "Whoa!" Ryuji yelled.
"What the Hell is this?" Asked Sojiro.
"Relax, it's not a gun. You'll see." Rise closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Go on." Margaret fired the gun and there was a small pop and an explosion of blue sparkles from the other side of Rise's head. And then Rise's Persona was standing over her with it's hands resting on her shoulders. It barely fit in the small space allotted by the cafe.
"What the fuck? You can bring them into the world outside of the Metaverse?" Ryuji asked.
Rise seemed out of breath. "Yes, with a little pain, a lot of stress on the body and the help of an Evoker. I've seen Mitsuru do it before, but I would not recommend it. I think…I think I understand. I can act as some sort of bridge between Ren and them?"
"Correct," said Elizabeth. "The Velvet Room acts as a sort of gateway into one's dreams. The connection is hard to make without the help of our master Igor, but with her we can rig something up rather easily."
Nanako was looking down at her phone on the table. "Hey, Rise—big bro is calling."
"Huh, I just talked to him? I thought I felt my phone ringing," said Rise.
"Hello," Nanako said. "Yeah, she's here with me. Oh. No, Chie isn't here yet. I—oh…"Nanako fell silent for several seconds before she hung the phone up. "He said that something's happened—a passerby noticed Youske's front door was open at his shop and…" Nanako began to tear up. "He's gone."
"What do you mean gone?" Rise moved out of her Persona's grasp.
"He's dead…it looks like he tried to fight, but," Nanako's eyes focused in on a spot on the floor and she said nothing. Suddenly she was six again hearing terrible news.
"This isn't happening. It isn't. This has to be some kind of a trick or prank," Rise said stomping her way toward Nanako. The others cleared out of the way, except Mitsuru, who grabbed Rise by the waist. "This isn't funny," Rise shouted.
"It's not a prank. Who would joke about this?" Nanako said.
"I have to call Yu. I need to…"
Mitsuru pushed Rise back by the shoulders, holding her against the counter and then she did something that no one would have expected who knew her or was even seeing her normal demeanor. "Hey, hey. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she pulled her close for a hug. "Just breath."
Yukari and Chie ran out from the station exit into the rain. Neither of them had umbrellas and neither of them really cared. As she ran with newspapers to cover their heads through the deluge, water splashed up around their feet. It seemed like the whole city would be underwater at this rate.
Chie called for Yukari to stop under the cover of a building for them to rest. As they stood there Chie checked her phone. There was a call from Youske. She smiled sheepishly.
"What?" Asked Yukari. "It's him isn't it?"
Chie blushed. "Yeah. I think I'll let him stew for a while." Youske was always too eager and she didn't want him to go thinking that she was just sitting around waiting to hear from him.
They made their way down into the transfer station and there were people milling about, dressed in protective gear to avoid the weather. The floors were slick with water and as Yukari and Chie made their way to the train something was glowing in the distance. Chie stared down the length of the station to see what she was sure was Youske and his Persona, Jiraya, looming over the crowds of people. She blinked and they were gone.
She just had him on her mind and she wasn't sure this feeling was going to pass.
