"Wait a second.." Keiko thought and reminded herself informations Sophia and Igor gave her "..the invaders!"
She quickly ran to her house, impatient a bit. Probably no one at school even knew about Rouno becoming a 'zombie' but if shadows will invade even more rooms..
The girl quickly entered the house "Hello, father" Keiko muttered, but hopefully for Tadao he noticed that she wasn't angry, but just tired a bit.
"So he's your father?" Kou asked, while entering the room by going through the doors.
Keiko wanted to say something to him, but Tadao was still in the room, cooking dinner, and if Keiko would start to talk to someone that wasn't in the room, he for sure will think that she has a mental problems.
"Can you hear me?" Keiko thought to herself, in the same way she was using to contact Wendy while not being in the Dreamworld.
"Huh..?" Kou muttered "Yeah.. but it feels strange"
"Y-you'll have to get used to it" Keiko said "Right, Wendy?"
"Of course" They both heard.
"Oh well.." Kou said and sighed.
"Try to do something to her, and you'll meet concequences" Wendy warned him.
"W-what?!" He yelled "L-like I would do that to Nasura-san"
"Calm down" Keiko said to them and turned to her father "W-what are you cooking?"
"Tonkatsu" Her father anwsered while frying the pork.
"Cutlets!" Kou said and smiled.
"You know you and I can't eat them?" Wendy said, and Keiko's brother sighed.
"My first time when I'm angry because I'm not hungry.."
Both Keiko and her father were enjoying the dinner, hot meat making Keiko relieved as she wasn't eating at Oishi for a bit.
"Father..?" Keiko asked.
He raised his eyebrows "Hmm..?"
"D-do you know someone with a surname.." Keiko said and bit her lip "..Machita?"
At first Tadao was looking rather shocked, but then his expression changed into confusion.
"I.. don't remember much, but I think I heard it before" he anwsered, while Kou facepalmed.
"Oh dear.."
"Just because.." Keiko tried to make a lie "..when I was young, mum was often saying about someone called Machita, b-but I never met him"
"Alright..?" Tadao said and sighed, as part of his mind was making a theory that his father was lying to him.
"S-something happened?"
"No, it's nothing" Tadao said and forced himself to smile. After few minutes, he noticed that Keiko finished her meal "Just leave the bowl"
"A-alright" Keiko said and looked at Kou "Come here"
He nodded, and went with her to her room.
"Isn't it embarrassing for you..?" Kou said.
"Are you getting the wrong idea?" Keiko said and sighed "You're my brother, right?"
Kou nodded nervously, and bit his lip.
"So just promise you won't wake me up with your voice again. Plus, Wendy will be watching over you"
"H-huh..?!"
"She's right" Wendy anwsered and appeared behind him.
"Okay, N-Nasura-san" Kou said with cold sweat on his face, as soon Keiko changed - while Her Persona was keeping an eye on him.
"Do you.." Keiko said when she lied herself "..need to sleep somewhere?"
"I.. I think I don't have to" Kou said "It feels like I don't get tired"
"Is he a ghost or not..?" Keiko thought to herself "Eh.. goodnight, then"
"Goodnight, Nasura-san" Kou said.
Vevlet Room
Keiko appeared on the couch in psychologist's room.
"Huh..?" Keiko said and quickly adjusted herself on the couch when she saw Igor grinning "Y-yes"
"You've made a progress, eye-opener" Igor said "Be sure to run, but on your own pace"
"I-I guess so" Keiko said and sighed "Can you.. tell me something?"
"I am here to do that if you want" Igor said and nodded, while Sophia was standing right behind him.
"I have a brother.. w-well, I'm not sure is he really my brot-"
"Kou Machita" Igor said and opened his hand, only to reveal another tarot card, with a wheel inside of it. "He came out of your room"
"Y-yea.." Keiko said "W-why.. why he is a.. ghost?"
"He's not a ghost" Sophia said "..your room is filled with dreams you want to happen so much. Didn't you want to have a brother?"
"I.." Keiko muttered and started to slowly regain her memories "I wanted to"
"That's because..?" Sophia said while grinning a bit.
"..because I always wanted to have someone in my real family" Keiko said and sighed "Not only Maya, but also someone that could easily say I'm her true brother!"
"..so as you see" Sophia said.
"S-so it means..?"
"It is very rare, but still possible" Igor said "Kou, is just part of your dream, someone you wish to exist, and he managed to believe in himself so much, making him able to think about himself"
"So he just.." Keiko raised her eyebrows "..escaped from my room?"
Igor nodded
"..and that's why he sticks with me, like Wendy?"
"That's right" Igor said "..we're not entirely sure about him being able to interact with your world, but if he will wish strong enough, it may happen"
"So I just have to make Kou think that he is not just a part of someone.." Keiko thought to herself, and nodded "Thank you"
"Your welcome" Igor and Sophia said, and soon the old watch started to ring.
"Looks like it's a time for you to wake up" Igor said "Farewell.."
Keiko nodded, only to wake up later.
April 14th
8:21
"H-huh..?" Keiko said while she was sipping her tea. Someone started to knock on the doors.
"I'll check" Tadao said and placed his newspaper on the table, only to open the doors.
"Keiko-san!" They heard Kasai's voice. Instead of his school uniform, he was wearing a beige cardigan, and blue pants.
"What do you want?" He got stopped by Tadao "Did I tell you to-"
"It's okay, father" Keiko said "I.. I wanted to meet him on Sunday, so I will go now"
"O.. okay..?" Her father said, but couldn't disagree with his daughter, as he nodded and let her go, of course after finishing her tea.
Kasai and Keiko left the house, and walked to the park.
"Rouno i-"
"Disabled" Keiko anwsered and looked away.
"H-how do you know?!" Kasai raised his eyebrows.
"You remember these ambulances? I followed one of them" she anwsered.
"You s-saw him?! So, how was he ac-"
"UEEEEAAAAAGH" Keiko said, only to receive strange look from Kasai, as he could only ask himself why she did that "That's all what he was saying while trying to comunicate him"
"A-ah, alright" Kasai said and checked his phone "The students are already calling him the Sleeper"
"Sleeper?"
"Yeah, because before all this he was sleeping" Kasai said and facepalmed "Wait.. he was acting really tired before that!"
"I already noticed" Keiko anwsered "So if I won't sleep long enough I will become like him?"
"Quit joking!" Kasai said and sighed "Hey.. how about the room?! You know, when the shadows came out!"
"If I'm sure.." Keiko said.
"They..?"
"They killed his dreams" Keiko said "They entered his room, made something terrible there, and went out when the victim became.. the Sleeper"
"So they invaded his dreams?" Kasai said "Damnit.. that's strange.. but also makes sense"
"We have a day free from school.." Keiko said and looked at the Waterfall "Let's check something"
"The Dreamworld?" Kasai said "..sure. But before that.."
He touched Keiko's arm "..are you scared that people might see it?"
"My arm..?" Keiko said and turned red. She accepted the fact that she doesn't have a real right forearm, but still it was making her blush from time to time, when someone was giving her a handshake.
"Yes"
"I.. maybe I am" Keiko said and looked around "..but in these clothes it's not that visible.. right?"
She was right, mostly because her outfit consisted of dark skirt, and blue unzipped jacket over a long-sleeved white shirt.
"I could saw it before I knew your name" Kasai said "..but I think it's because of my sight.. your shadow didn't have an arm"
"Nice.." Keiko said and sighed "Can we finally go there?"
Kasai nodded, and even Kou, who was mostly going behind them, also nodded.
The Dreamworld
"Man, that is strange" Keiko said, even if she was there many times before.
"It's like a hell, but everything is.. greenish" Kasai anwsered.
"You're right.." Kou muttered.
Keiko looked around "We should check few places"
"Like..?" Kou and Kasai said.
"Just search for the shadows" Keiko said and moved forward "Come on"
Later
After a half of hour of walking, they noticed a group of shadows, but decided to keep quiet for a bit.
"Let's see.." Kasai said and peeked his head out of the rock wall.
"Are they trying to enter someone's room?" Keiko asked bluntly.
"I don't think so.. but still..?" Kasai said and focused on them. The enemies seemed to wander around, like they weren't intending to enter someone's room by force.
"They're not going to" Kasai said, and noticed something "W-wait..!"
Shadows suddenly stopped, only to start to act strangely. In a while, they started to gather into a larger group, and walked to the wall.
"What is it?" Keiko said.
"They're.. they're trying to!" Kasai said, as the shadows started to go try to push the door in order to go through it.
"They're trying?!" Keiko said and walked away, only to look at them "So we have to stop them!"
"T-there's too many of them.." Kou muttered. Indeed, it seemed that there were like 50 shadows to deal with.
"Like I care!" Keiko said and suddenly a tarot card started to flow on her palm.
"Me too!" Kasai added, and his card appeared too.
"I order you!" Kasai said and karate-chopped the card.
"Get them.." Keiko muttered and crushed the card in her hand.
Both Zatoichi and Wendy appeared, only to rush onto the shadows.
"Makouha!" Keiko said, as Wendy spun, causing few light arrows, that piereced a group of shadows. Few of them disappeared, but most of them were still alive.
"I told you - too many of them!" Kou said.
"Not for too long!" Kasai said "Zatoichi, Cleave!"
"The time has come.." they heard Zatoichi's voice as the blind blademaster used his katana to kill the biggest shadow.
"Now it shouldn't be a problem!" Kasai said "Go str-"
"Watch out!" Keiko said and ordered Wendy to protect Zatoichi, as one of the shadows casted Agi.
"C-crap.." Kasai said, breathing heavily. Few flames reached his Persona, hitting his weakness.
"So you don't like water?" Keiko said "Makouha!"
Wendy nodded, and attacked another pair of shadows.
"You alright?" Keiko said and helped Kasai to calm down.
"Yeah.." He anwsered "Let's beat them.. Malaqua!"
Zatoichi spun with his sword, making a small stream of water appear.
"Oh!" Kou said as he saw that few shadows got defeated quickly "You hit their weakness!"
"All right!" Kasai said "Keiko.."
"..you think about I think too?"
Both of them nodded.
"Blessful Water!" They both yelled, and their Personas nodded. Keiko used Makouha, while Zatoichi used Malaqua, creating a rather strong attack.
"And another creatures killed!" Kasai said and sighed "I'm tired.."
"Hey, but at least we saved someone" Keiko said "I'm just worried will the other peoples' doors be okay.."
"I dunno.." Kasai anwsered "..but we should go back now"
"Yeah.." Keiko nodded.
They both returned to the Waterfall, not noticing a small shadow slowly going through the doors.
