Chapter Eleven
Prime Time
A familiar hum of an engine woke Yuna up, and she knew before she opened her eyes that she was back in the Velvet Room. She let her eyes open slowly, lifting her head to meet with Igor's excited grin. "Welcome," He said. "to the Velvet Room." He laughed, holding his hand out to her. "I'm glad to see you again."
"How did I get here?"
"Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in your world. I have summoned you within your dreams."
That sounds pretty alarming, Igor.
"This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter." Margaret said. "In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice, thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power." She sounded like she had practiced this speech a hundred times. Yuna wondered how many other visitors had come before her.
"Hold on to this." A small blue and silver key appeared before her, spinning slowly. She held her hand out, and the key dropped into her palm immediately like it was excited to be in her possession. "From this night forth, you are our guest in this Velvet Room. Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help."
They can make me stronger. "What kind of help can you give me?"
"That we will discuss as you awaken to more of your potential. But there is one price for this assistance."
Yuna felt her heart drop a little. "What's the catch?"
"You must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make."
I was going to do that anyway. She nodded, and the man's smile widened. "Very well." He placed his hands under his chin. "The persona you have acquired, it is a side of you that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you can think of it as a facade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life. Your Persona ability, however, is that of the wild card. Compared to that of others, it is very special."
That must be why I can go into the TV when the others can't. "What do you mean "Wild Card""
"It is like the number zero. Empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself."
"Empty?"
"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart, and the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, social links will gradually begin to develop. The power of these links is what will determine your persona's strengths and abilities."
"So if I make more friends, and get closer to the ones I have, I'll become stronger?"
Igor nodded. "Such is the nature of your ability. I am curious to see where your awakened power of the wild card will take you. I look forward to traveling the road of your destiny together." He chuckled.
"Wait." He raised an eyebrow. "When I summoned my... persona, Izanagi. Something..." She hesitated, her mind flashing with memories of the white light. "Something came out of him. Is that because of this... Wild Card... ability?"
Igor chuckled again, and she wondered if he knew a lot more than he was letting on. "You are a very interesting guest. The persona you summoned initially is part of your wild card ability but does not show the true side of your soul. Although I do not know why, it seems that your true persona is buried beneath your wild card ability and showed itself when you needed it the most."
Izanagi isn't my true persona?
"I have seen something similar to this only one other time in my life." He continued. "During the life of the guest who completed her journey before you."
"Do not worry." Margaret said. "I am certain your path to the truth will reveal the answers you seek."
"It is time for you to return to your world." Igor said as she felt her eyelids droop. "Farewell, Yuna. Until we meet again."
"Big Sis?" Nanako's voice woke her with a start, and she realized she had fallen asleep curled up on the couch, still in her uniform. I didn't even take my shower. She groaned, rubbed her eyes and sat up. And the Midnight Channel... Her eyes widened in alarm. I fell asleep!
"Yuna?"
"I'm awake, Nanako." She said trying to sound as cheerful as possible.
"Oh good. I was going to make breakfast. Eggs and toast okay?"
"Yes of course. I need to get ready for school, then I'll meet you down there?"
"Sure! I'll have it ready soon."
"Thank you!" She heard the small patter of her cousin's feet as she dashed down the stairs. I wonder if Yas watched the Midnight Channel. She felt bad. All these grand plans to strengthen herself and lead this investigation, and she had fallen asleep on a critical rainy night. She reached for her phone and paused as she realized the cold feeling in her hands. Surprised, opened her palm to stare at the Velvet Key. "So, they are real." She whispered. "All of this is real."
Her phone rang. Grasping the key, she snatched it off the desk with her free hand, flipping it open. A text from Yasuko appeared. "Saw M.C. Explain to Chao after school?"
She texted back a quick "Yes, I've got money for steak." After hooking the key to a keychain and grabbing an extra uniform, Yuna ran off to take a shower before Nanako finished her breakfast.
OOOOOOOO
"So basically," Yas began as Chao began to dive into his giant mound of grilled steak. "We know that Sakio and Ms. Yamano entered that world before they died and were attacked by their shadow selves when the fog entered our world. Then, the bodies ended up in our world, hanging from the telephone poles
"We also know that they were safe until he fog lifted." Yuna said. "So, if someone gets thrown in..."
"We'll have time to save them before they disappear." Yas finished. "I think that about sums it up."
"Not a lot to go by." Chao said with a full mouth.
"But it's a lot more than we had before." Yas said. "Did you watch the Midnight Channel last night?"
Yuna shook her head. Sorry, got dragged into a limousine by a man with a long nose. "I didn't realize how tired I was until I woke up this morning."
" It took a lot of coffee to keep me awake." Yas said. "But I saw something."
"A person?"
"I'm assuming so? The image was so blurry there was no way I could tell who it was."
"So, someone may or may not be in that other world, right now."
"We could always ask Teddie."
Yuna hesitated. She still felt tired from the day before. If they had to face any shadows on a mission to find the bear, she might not be able to fight. As if reading her mind, Yas said, "You could just reach your hand in and see if she's there."
"Or we could wait for the Midnight Channel." Chao said, gulping down the last piece of steak.
"We might be too late by then." Yas said.
"Actually, that might be a good idea." Yuna said. "The fog over here is clear right now, and the weather report said there won't be more for another few weeks. If what Teddie said is true and the person is safe until the fog leaves, then we have no reason to rush."
"Besides," Chao said. "Sakio was in that world the night before, right? And his pictures were a lot clearer after he was put in the TV."
Yas and Yuna looked at him, surprised. Maybe the reason they saw him so clearly that night, was because he was in that world. Yuna hadn't even considered that as a possibility. "Can we trust a weather report?" She said.
Yas nodded. "I'm not sure how they do it but, the weatherman here has been perfect for the last two years. There's no reason to assume that he'll be wrong now."
"It's supposed to rain again tonight." Chao said. "Let's all agree to watch it?"
"Sounds like a plan."
"Don't fall asleep this time." Yas winked at Yuna, who tossed her hair dismissively, but didn't respond.
"Hey Chao." She said. "Have you talked to Yuuki recently? He wasn't in school again today."
He shook his head. "He's really busy, still stuck at the inn. Apparently, they had some kind of huge party today that he was supposed to serve for. Should be the last one for awhile, though." He pulled his phone out. "Though he hasn't answered any texts yet today."
"Is that normal?"
"Some days, yeah." He tucked his phone away. "I'm not too worried. Did you see his interview on the news yesterday? Apparently, some reporter caught him outside while he was running errands dressed in his Samurai attire and everything. The guy was so overbearing Yuuki looked like he wanted to run away."
That must have happened around the time I saw him on the flood plain last night. "Those news castors need to just lay off." Chao huffed. "If had been there I would have knocked the guy senseless. What's the point in butting yourself into other people's business just because you saw them on the street?"
"He probably needed a story." Yas said. "Something about the young manager taking over the biggest inn in Inaba is easy to talk about."
"I guess." Chao sighed. "I'm going to go check on him. Let's all watch the Midnight Channel again tonight and meet up tomorrow if anything else happens."
OOOOOOOO
As Chao had predicted, the heavy rain went well on into the night. By the promised time, it was coming down in sheets. Yuna pulled the curtains aside, staring out the window. There was no fog nearby, thankfully. If anyone did appear on the midnight channel they could regroup tomorrow, and they'd be safe. Will the killer really strike again? She thought as she let the curtain fall. They don't really have a reason not to. The police don't have a suspect yet, and I doubt they know we've discovered their secret.
A bright light came on from the TV. She turned as a picture clicked into view. Her breath caught in her throat as a well dressed, easily recognizable man appeared, grinning at the television. "Welcome one and all!" He said, holding his hand out like he was offering it to a date. In his other hand was a thin black microphone, which he held delicately with the tips of his fingers. "To Prince Yuuki's search for his perfect princess!" He pointed behind him, and the screen panned out to show the giant, golden bricked castle behind him and a neon sign with the words he had just announced. "The castle is all ready, now it just needs is its prince!"
No way.
"All you fine ladies out there have been looking at me for awhile now, and I'm here to tell you that your loving glances have not gone unnoticed." He winked and saluted the TV. The screen panned out to show his attire. Contrary to the Samurai outfit she had seen him in yesterday, Yuuki was now wearing a fancy black tuxedo with a blood red rose and tie. His hair was still tied back in his normal long pony tail, but a giant, golden king's crown completed his uncharacteristic appearance. For a man that seemed to prefer avoiding others, Yuna couldn't imagine him purposely drawing this much attention to himself.
Unless it's his shadow.
"Now it's my turn!" Yuuki said, eyes beaming as he popped his fist into the air. "I'm out to catch a whole harem, and the best of the lot is going to be all mine." He chuckled. "Hold on tight, ladies, your prince charming is on his way." He turned and sprinted into the castle with a cheerful battle cry. The TV screen shut off immediately, leaving Yuna to stare at it in disbelief.
"Yuuki is in the other world." She felt numb. How long had he been there? Should she have checked earlier today when Yasuko asked? Was he truly safe until the fog came?
Her phone rang in her hand. "Yuna!" Yas yelled. She flinched away, pulling the phone back to her ear as the panicked girl continued. "You saw it right? There's no mistaking it. He even said his name!"
"If our theory is correct." Yuna said, trying to stay calm. "Then Yuuki is in that other world."
"What do we do? We can't get in Junes right now, and if we go in any other TV then we might not be able to find Teddie."
"Just relax." Yuna said. "We don't even know if he's in there. Call Chao and see if he can get a hold of Yuuki. Don't panic. If he is in there, we have to trust that he's safe until he fog returns. Tomorrow's Sunday, so we can meet up early and go from there."
"Yeah... you're right." She took a deep breath. "I'll call Chao. Let's meet up in the usual spot in Junes tomorrow."
"Sounds like a plan."
When Yuna got to Junes earlier than the other two, she couldn't do anything but wander around aimlessly in an attempt to calm her mind. She'd texted Yasuko after a half an hour, but the other teen had sent back a "Picking up some supplies, be there soon!" Yuna continued pacing the store, hoping that none of the employees were going to call the police about the crazy girl that wasn't even looking at their products.
She stopped in front of the TV almost instinctively, staring at it as if Yuuki would just crawl out and tell her everything was okay. "If Teddie is there, maybe she can confirm my fears." She looked around, trying to not draw any attention to herself. As usual, there was no one nearby. She reached toward the screen. It rippled under her finger tips, and she gently pushed her hand inside.
A sharp pain exploded in her knuckles as a crunching noise echoed from the TV. She yanked her hand out, shaking it as she held back a cry of pain. "That little... she bit me!" She rubbed her knuckles, face hot with anger. "Teddie." She growled. "Don't play games with me."
"Games?" The familiar voice said. "I love games!" The screen remained blank, but Yuna could hear the bear loud and clear.
"Can you sense anyone in there right now?" She said, watching for customers. "Anyone, at all?"
"Yes." Teddie said. "Someone's here."
"If I come inside, can you lead me to them?"
"Most definitely."
"Okay." She said, leaning in closer. "When the other two get here, I'll meet you in there, so hang tight, okay."
"Sure thing, Sensei!"
Police sirens from outside grabbed her attention. "What's going on?" She took off, dodging around customers with quick apologies. She dashed into the courtyard, eyes wide as she saw familiar brown-haired girl being pushed into the back of a police car. "Wait!" She cried, knocking over a set of chairs as she tried to reach her friends in time. "Yas? What are you doing?" The police officer slammed the door shut. "There has to be a mistake!" As Yuna reached the road, the driver took off with her two best friends locked in the back seat. She stared after them in horror. "Yuuki," She whispered. "Is in the TV..."
Dojima!
She whipped her phone out and found his number in her limited contacts. It only rang once before he answered. "Hello?"
"Dojima!" She was trying to keep herself calm, but the panic in her voice wasn't easily missed.
"What's wrong, Yuna?"
"There's been a mistake." She didn't know what else to call it. "I was supposed to meet my friends at Junes today but," She felt herself choking on her words. I have to stay calm. "Some police officer just arrested them! They were just sitting in the courtyard..."
"Do you know why?"
"No." She felt foolish asking for his help when she had no idea what happened, but she had to try. "I was walking out to meet them when the door of the car closed."
He sighed. "I'll see what I can do."
Relief swept over her. "Thank you."
"You need to watch who you hang out with." He said. "This better not be a common occurrence, you understand?"
"Yes sir."
"And tell your friends to stay out of trouble. I'll send them your way as soon as I can."
He hung up, but Yuna was too grateful to care. With a deep sigh, she dropped her phone into the pocket of her jacket and walked back to the courtyard, eyes downcast. What could have possibly happened?
"Yuna!"
She lifted her head in surprise, following the bright voice to the food stands. "Mrs. Yamagishi." The woman was waving at her, a big grin on her face. Beside her were two men Yuna didn't recognize. One was hunched over like he had been dragged to the store against his will with long, red pea coat, beanie, and messy brown hair. He had a sort of dangerous look about him that completely contradicted the other two. The second man about a head taller than Fuuka, with short silver hair and gray eyes. The skin of his face was pale, and he had a square bandage above his left eye. The rest of him was covered by a long white shirt, black gloves, dressy black pants and boots. On top of the dressy shirt was a red sweater vest and a thin black bow tie with long ends that he had tucked under the vest. He looked unusually fancy, as if he had just gotten back from a date.
Fuuka moved to Yuna. One of the men followed a few steps behind, his eyes locked on Yuna, while the second one stayed back at the foot stands. She looked away and smiled at Fuuka. "It's good to see you again." Fuuka said. "Enjoying your time in this town?"
"As much as I can." Yuna said, glancing at the men again. The brunette was still staring at her, though his expression was blank. She had no idea what was running through his head. The second one seemed lost in thought. "What about you?"
"My friend left a few days ago." Fuuka said. "But I'm staying for a little while longer with Shinji and Akihiko." She gasped in surprise. "I forgot to introduce you!" The grumpy man's gaze shifted to glare at her. Fuuka seemed completely oblivious. "This," She pointed the brunette. "is Shinjiro Aragaki and the other one is Akihiko Sanada."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Aragaki."
He snorted. "Don't get all formal with me. I ain't any different than you."
Except you're older and a lot more terrifying. "I'm sorry." She mumbled, looking away.
Fuuka giggled. "Don't worry about it. Shinji looks menacing, but he's really just a big teddy bear.
I've seen a big teddy bear, and you look nothing like her. "So, what are you doing here?" She said, trying to change the conversation.
"We had to go shopping for some food." Fuuka said. "We moved into a new home recently and it didn't have anything Shinjiro-San wanted to cook with. So, we made a big grocery list last night."
This guy cooks? Yuna glanced at him again curiously, but his cold stare deterred her from looking too long. "Well that sounds like fun!"
"What about you?"
She flinched. I'm here to jump into a jumbo-sized TV to save a guy I barely know, but now I have to wait because my backup got arrested. "I'm meeting some friends here, but they seem to be late." She pulled out here phone, pretending to check her non-existent messages.
"So, you've already made some friends. That's great!" Fuuka said. "I would love to hang out with you sometime. We could go for some coffee and chat for a bit." Fuuka was beaming now as she interlaced her arm with Shinji's. Instead of pulling away, as Yuna had expected him to, the man only sighed. "How about I give you my phone number, and we plan something sometime."
"Sure."
The exchanged numbers and Fuuka's smile widened. Akihiko came over now, holding out a bowl of bite sized steak. Shinji pulled his arm away from Fuuka and took the food. His gray eyes met with Yuna's. "Who are you?"
"This is Yuna." Fuuka said. "The girl I told you about earlier this week."
"Ah right." He nodded and held out his hand to her. "Akihiko Sanada."
"Nice to me you, Mr. Sanada."
She didn't miss the blush on his face, but unlike Shinji he didn't try to stop the formality. "We've got to get going, but I'm sure we'll meet up again another time."
"Yes of course." Yuna smiled. "It was a pleasure to meet you all."
Shinji grunted, but nodded in response as Fuuka began to lead them away. Akihiko stayed behind for a moment, nodding to Yuna as he turned to follow his friends. Yuna's phone rang in her hand. Flicking it open, she read "Slight mishap, but we're on our way. Meet in food court?"
Moving to the tables, she texted back "Already here. I think you owe me an explanation." Sending off the message, she dropped herself into a chair with a deep sigh.
