Chapter 13 – Awakening
He opened his eyes to the regular filtering light from through his curtains. 'Morning…' He thought to himself, as he pushed back the sheets and sat up. His eyes surveyed the room, he started in surprise, staring in disbelief at the scene: all the occupants of the dorm were seated around his bed.
'Why…? Is something wrong…?' He wondered. He reached up and rubbed the grit from his eyes, unsure of whether he was seeing things. His movement must have disturbed somebody, because one of the sleeping occupants by his side began to stir.
"I sense a change in neural wave patterns…" The robotic voice said. Aigis suddenly burst up and turned to stare at him.
"You are awake!?" She exclaimed in such loud surprise that the other occupants were startled into consciousness. Junpei let out a loud snort as he shot awake, causing the teal haired Fuuka to stare at him in alarm.
"You're-you're okay!" Yukari exclaimed as she bolted up from her seat, a teary look of relief on her face. "I was so afraid…" She said as she approached his bedside. Minato smiled faintly up at her and in one quick decisive movement, Yukari slapped him.
The room fell silent in awe. "You made me worry so bad!!" Yukari cried loudly, furious tears streaming from her eyes, "I-I was afraid you weren't going to wake up!!"
The occupants in the room stared at the girl still shocked in silence by her action. Junpei recovered first and jokingly quipped: "Hey man, welcome back to the world of the living!"
"Uh…huh." The blue haired boy replied as she reached up to feel his red inflamed cheek. He looked around the room at the relieved faces, then asked, "…Why are you all here…?"
"I apologise." Mitsuru spoke contritely, "But after we found you unconscious on the rooftop of the school, we feared for the worst. We were unable to rouse you, so we brought you back to the dorm. And then it seems…we decided we would not leave you on your own."
"Sorry…I was tired…" Minato replied, still groggy from his recent awakening.
"Tired!?!" Yukari snarled fiercely. When the blue haired teen did not reply, but stared at her with an expression of mixed fear and confusion, she realised there could be no arguing with him and instead turned and stomped off out of the room, slamming the door loudly as she left.
"Talk about touchy!!" Junpei commented, still looking bewildered at the spot the girl had occupied. "I mean, you weren't even asleep that long, and after what happened with you finishing off Nyx, I would have at least given you a week!"
"Well she was the most worried from all of us…" Fuuka responded reasonably. "…apart from maybe Aigis." She added, glancing at the blond girl whom had still not left his side.
The robotic girl looked down sadly, "I promised to protect you…but moments later, I could do nothing to aid you…I failed my mission…" She said softly.
"Hey it's not your fault Aigis. Even the doctors from the hospital didn't know what was wrong." Akihiko reasoned.
"Yeah, you're being too hard on yourself!" Junpei added, grinning in an attempt to cheer the girl up.
"But I…" Aigis began, unable to express the overwhelming guilt she had felt. A hand brushed her cheek. She whirled around to find the blue haired teen wiping away a stray tear that crawled down her face. "I'm sorry for making you worry." Minato spoke, he turned to the rest of the room at large and added with a wry expression, "But it's only been a day right? The first time we fought shadows, I was out for a week and you didn't seem very worried."
"Well, that was expected with your first time summoning a persona. The effort takes a large amount of energy." Mitsuru replied reasonably, "But I suppose you did have a few lapses during the year that we were aware of, we shouldn't have been so concerned about this one."
"Hahaha! Yeah, guess you just like to hibernate from time to time, right bro?!" Junpei replied laughingly. The mood in the room lightened.
"We should go out to celebrate the occasion." Ken commented, "After all, both school and the Dark Hour are over."
"Yes, you are correct Amada." Mitsuru said. "If you are fit to journey Arisato, we will take our morning meal at the Ruusei restaurant. I owe much to you all for assisting the Kirijo Group, and I hope this meal at least goes as a small token to show my appreciation of what you all have done."
"Whoa! Ruusei?!" Junpei exclaimed in delight. The others looked confused, Fuuka asked, "What is the Ruusei restaurant? I've never heard of it."
"Oh man, it's the most expensive restaurant on Port Island! I've always wanted to try it! I heard they even put gold powder on your ice cream!!" Junpei replied ecstatically.
"Gold powder on ice cream?" Aigis asked, her curiosity bringing her out of her disheartened state. "Why would humans wish to consume something so valuable when it has such little nutritious content…?"
"Just to prove they can!" Was the response from the teenager. "Are we going now?!"
Mitsuru smiled at the obvious excitement radiating from the group; "We will proceed eventually…once we have all cleaned up." She added wryly, glancing around at the dishevelled group, some still in student uniform, others in loose faded bedtime clothing obviously not intended for public display.
Junpei let out a whoop and ran for the door, disappearing only to be heard rushing into his own room next door.
"I will let Yukari-chan know." Fuuka said as she stood up and headed out. The other members followed; Aigis being to last to leave as she turned back at the door to take one last comforting look at the now conscious teenager. She closed the door gently as she exited.
- - - - -
"Whoo!!" Junpei exclaimed as the group made their way down the streets of the Port Island station. It was nearing noon, and the location was filled with students rushing onto trains or meeting up now that school had ended.
"I think you're overdoing it…Stupei." Yukari muttered. She walked at the back of the group, looking distinctly distracted as she glanced occasionally at the blue haired teen at the centre of their crowd.
Nobody else seemed to notice; a feeling of excitement had filled the group now that they had accomplished the ending of the Fall, school had finally finished and Minato was once again alive and well, not to mention they were attending a restaurant where it was unheard of for students to be present at.
They kept walking; turning down into an industrial street. The street was lined with large company buildings, and there was little noise apart from the odd car or a businessman rushing across the road to deliver a folder or cheque. At the centre of the street lay their goal; a large fancy restaurant wafting out numerous delectable scents.
"It smells good…" Fuuka commented as they continued.
"Yeah, I wonder if it's as good as people say." Akihiko replied.
"The food at the Ruusei is generally of high quality from what I've seen on my past visits." Mitsuru stated.
"…past…visits?!" Junpei exclaimed in shock as he stared at the redheaded woman. "What!? You like go there every week or something?!"
"Of course not," Mitsuru replied smoothly and much more calmly than her addressee, "but I have come here occasionally…with my father."
An awkward silence filled the gap, Mitsuru continued, "It's alright. I feel as if the burden is less now that we have accomplished our mission." She said, smiling slightly.
"If you say so…then let's go chow!!" Junpei yelled, abandoning his concerned, respectful mood and turning to run the last few metres to the restaurant.
The group arrived to find the restaurant empty except for the waiters and waitresses that stood ready to welcome arrivals. A waitress dressed in a smart and formal maid uniform came up to them; on seeing the redheaded woman, she smiled and said, "Miss Kirijo? We have your table set for you and your guests. Let me show you all to your seats." The waitress glanced at the dog, but did not voice any complaint; as far as she was concerned, the Kirijo's practically owned the island they lived on, so it was best to let them have their way.
"Hey Minato-kun…could I talk to you for a sec…?" Yukari asked nervously. The blue haired boy turned to look at her then nodded. They both stepped outside the restaurant as the rest of the team went off to their table.
Once they were out on the quiet street, Yukari spoke again, still hesitantly. "I'm sorry for what I said…and for hitting you…" She looked extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable, "You only just got up and all, but I was afraid I'd lost you… For some reason I felt like you weren't ever going to come back, like you had already died…I was, scared…"
"Yeah, so was I." Minato replied empathetically, "But it's okay. It's over now and we're all still here."
"Yeah…I guess you're right…maybe I was just being paranoid." Yukari replied, cheering up slightly. "We should go inside then, everybody's waiting for us."
Minato headed towards the door as somebody grabbed his hand firmly. "You really are here…aren't you?" Yukari asked quietly, her hand trembling as she held onto his. Minato could sense her fear, though he wasn't entirely sure why she was acting that way. He paused for a moment, then turned and pulled her into an embrace. "I'm right here, with you." He added gently.
Yukari clung tightly onto him; taking comfort in knowing that what she held was solid; and real. After a full minute, her grip finally loosened and she held him only by a hand. With a much more relaxed smile, she said, "Let's go." And pulled him through the doors and into the vicinity of the restaurant to where their friends waited.
- - - - -
They were all seated around a large table in the corner. A waitress reached over and removed the "reserved" sign that had been placed at the centre as she passed. Minato watched as she did, and realised that all the other tables also bore the same message; at least Junpei was right about the restaurant being popular. He looked around to see that the interior was spared no cost; glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and ornate hand-painted fans hung on the walls. Even the chair he sat on was made of some sort of expensive dark wood and the tablecloth was a sheet of smooth silk. He removed his headphones and placed them into his pocket, unsure of whether or not it would look disrespectful in a place like this. In fact, as he glanced at the any different utensils before him, he realised he had no idea what kind of conduct would be permitted. Looking around, he saw that the others felt the same way; Junpei was picking up each one and examining it with a shrug, Akihiko had pushed his own out of the way and left only one pair of chopsticks before him. The only person that seemed at ease was Mitsuru, she sat back comfortably and looked out the window.
The maid arrived bearing a stack of menus and a pot of tea. She handed out each menu to the tables occupants and then added with a smile, "I should mention that this restaurant will be busy soon, so in order to refrain from any delays with your order, please decide before the other clients do."
The group all opened their menus in unison; it was covered in worn velvet and the items had been printed on in gold script. The menu consisted of both foreign and local dishes; some of which it was impossible to pronounce the name of. While the rest of the S.E.E.S attempted to choose their lunch, Mitsuru had already handed back her menu to the waitress and said, "I would like the Brochette de Poulet au Romarin, Pesto et Blé Tendre."
Mitsuru turned back to the table to find the rest of the occupants staring at her. "Is something wrong…?" She asked, feeling a little self-conscious.
"Uhh….nothing…I guess I'll have the beef teriyaki…." Junpei replied, diverting his attention away from the redhead, whom obviously did not realise how strange her restaurant habits were.
"I would like the sashimi and tempura." Fuuka said next.
"What is escargot? I would like to try it." Aigis asked puzzled. Everybody at the table balked.
"But…that's snails!!" Yukari exclaimed in disbelief.
"Snails…? As in the creatures that are normally found within one's garden?" Aigis replied.
"Yup, those things…are you sure you wanna eat that Ai-chan?" Junpei asked.
"It says on this menu that they have been sautéed in garlic and served fresh with a sprig of parsley. It is very unique, and since we are not going to come here often, I would like to try it."
"Uhhh…" Junpei looked about to argue.
"Well it's your choice. I hope you like it..." Akihiko commented. He strained to keep from laughing; both the expression of the girl android and the rest of the table's occupants were entertaining.
"Minato-kun, would you also like to try the escargot?" Aigis asked in a matter-of-fact tone as if she were asking him to join her for a walk.
Minato cringed as all the eyes turned to him; the blond girl whom had addressed him looked hopeful that he might agree, while on the other hand Junpei was grinning broadly at him with mirth. The others attempted to hide their amusement; even Koromaru had turned to look at him with an excited stare.
"I uhh…hey, what are we going to do about Koromaru?!" Minato said almost wildly, "He can't eat the food on the menu!"
His attempt at diverting the conversation worked. Aigis immediately turned towards the dog looking concerned, "I'm sorry Koromaru…I did not think to bring you any food…"
"Oh don't worry Aigis. I brought a can with us." Ken said from across the table. He withdrew a small container from his pocket and held it out, "It's the same as what Shinjiro-san used to give him…"
"That is great! Koromaru says thank you." Aigis replied, looking greatly relieved as the dog barked happily.
"Have you all ordered?" The waitress asked. The S.E.E.S nodded, and Mitsuru with an amused smile motioned towards the can on the table and said, "And if it would be no trouble, we would like our companion to dine on that."
The waitress looked strangely at the silvery tin object, then nodded in acceptance and added, "That can be arranged. I will go place your order now, if there is anything else you require, do not hesitate to ask." She left the table, looking extremely awkward as she made her way to the kitchen holding the can of dog food gingerly in her hand. The group had to suppress grins as they watched her go.
In the few minutes of interlude as their orders were being made, the restaurant had filled up. It was now 12 o'clock, and many of the company workers were coming out for lunch; they crowded the restaurant and all the tables were soon filled with loud voices and ringing phones.
The food arrived soon after. Steaming hot plates were placed before them and one on the ground for Koromaru. The dog barked in delight and immediately attacked his meal with gusto.
"Man, I don't get how you can be so happy to eat the same stuff all the time Koro-chan." Junpei remarked as he watched the canine feed on his lunch, "I mean, I'd rather starve to death than eat instant ramen every day."
Akihiko shot him a look, though it went unnoticed in the commotion.
"Well now that we have all been served, I would like to express my gratitude for the help you have all provided." Mitsuru spoke, raising a glass up. The others quickly followed suit.
"For us and the continuation of the world." She announced as they all bumped their glasses together. Koromaru, left without a cup clambered his front paws onto the edge of the table and nudged his nose into the array of crystal glasses. The group laughed; today they were truly free and left unburdened by the fear of both losing their own lives and the future of humanity. They were all together again, held by the unbreakable bond of friendship that had seen them through to the end.
I have a few loose ends to tie up and I'm planning on doing that after this chapter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and it wasn't too confusing. If it was, I'll give a lil explanation here. After having left the Velvet Room, the SEES have been reverted back in time to the day at the end of the Journey section of the game. This is the day after Minato falls into a coma and everybody believes him to be dead, instead of course, now Minato is alive thanks to their efforts . They have no memory of anything that has happened after having defeated Nyx, so that includes everything before this chapter of the fanfic too lol. The next chapter, "31st March" will see a lot of past revisiting and new decisions for our heros, so I'll see you all next time~ XD