this chapter has the event that makes some people hate yukari in it?
woops... i like yukari a lot but early game shes rather.. annoying until she redeems herself
it was needed for the plot but
anyway yikes! sorry for that otherwise enjoy this chapter
"Welcome to the Velvet Room."
Igor's rickety voice is the first thing to awaken him, and with a few blinks and a gaze around, he realises just where he is. So he's back here again. He's been coming and going from this place at a semi-frequent pace; usually for Personas, but often times due to one of the residents', Elizabeth, often making rather out there requests of him.
"More than three months have gone by since you started coming here. How is the state of your heart?" The woman in question smiles at him, almost all knowingly, like she knows what he's been thinking. "In any case, it is now summer. Rumour has it that summer is a mysterious season that releases people from their inhibitions. I hope you'll take this chance to unleash every desire you harbour, and enjoy your youth to the fullest."
Again, with the desire nonsense. First the Shadow, now the pair of oddballs who have set up an office inside of a never ending elevator..
"However..." His attention snaps, as the silver haired woman's tone takes a notable darker turn.
"Please beware of the shadows that creep even closer."
Before he's able to ask what she means, an uncontrollable feeling to return to the depths of unconsciousness overwhelms him.
July 11th, 2009.
Evening.
They were all told to join Ikutsuki on the fourth floor of the dormitory once they returned home, but it appears that so far, all they've been talking about is what had happened on the seventh, albeit with a few.. altercations so nobody becomes embarrassed to the point of starting a fight. Everything had become a little strange after that night, Junpei was constantly on guard and was even more moody than normal, and Minato hadn't seen his sister and Akihiko talk even once, which apparently was very common between the two? He'd never been informed of this until Fuuka told him that occasionally the senior would drop by their classroom and ask Kotone if she wanted to get food after school.
Nobody knew all the details, though. And asking his sister about it got her angry.
So, he'll have to go directly to the main criminal (in his, rather biased eyes, anyway).
"That's what happened on the night of the seventh." Kirijo sighs, crossing her arms with a huff. "It was a... difficult operation."
"I see. They're getting tougher..." The chairman pushes his glasses up, clearly distraught by the fact that each battle was getting harder and harder. "But, it's not all bad news... I called today's meeting because-"
Yukari stands up, pulling Yamagishi up with her. "I'm sorry. Before we go on, I'd like to ask Kirijo-senpai something."
"Me...?"
"Since I joined, so many things have happened... I went along with it, without really understanding what was going on... But now, I need to know." And the air thickens like honey, becoming so chokingly uncomfortable that everyone begins to shift in their seats. "I'm gonna ask you straight out... You've been hiding something from us, haven't you, senpai? You act like you don't know anything about the Dark Hour and Tartarus... but they're related to that accident ten years ago, aren't they?"
If the tension wasn't already high before those words, now it was like everyone was on ice, trying to not make it crumble underneath their combined weight. What had compelled Takeba to ask this now of all times? She really had zero tact. Sure, they all had their own questions, but they were willing to wait to hear the answers. Why did she have to go out and say it like this?
And just calling it 'the accident ten years ago' sends chills down his spine. He's not daft, nor is he absolutely blind to anything around him. On that night; that fateful night that changed to course of his life forever, there was another accident that had occurred. Supposedly, anyway.
"...What accident?" Iori asks.
Fuuka shifts, snapping her arm out of Yukari's grasp. "Y-Yukari-chan..."
"There was an explosion near our school, and a lot of people died.. It must've been big news back then. You know about it, don't you?"
Mitsuru looks down, twiddling her thumbs, steeling her will.
"...Yes."
"Luckily, no students were injured. But... around the same time, a large number of students were recorded as absent." The brunette's voice begins to get more and more accusatory, to the point where this begins to sound more like a police interrogation, rather than one of their usual meetings. "..Seems like more than just a coincidence."
"What do you mean?"
"I dug up some old school records, and I found something interesting. The students who were absent... They all collapsed suddenly, and had to be hospitalised. Sound familiar? You know, like the girls who bullied Fuuka."
Their senpai does nothing but take the brunt of the attack, sighing softly at each word, each skeleton being dragged out of her closet.
"There has to be an explanation!" A loud slam, as the archer's hands hit the table in front of them all, earning a flinch from most members. "What really happened on the day of that accident? The Kirijo Group built our school, so you must know something! Tell me the truth!"
"...I wasn't trying to hide anything from you. It just never seemed relevant. But..." She turns her head away, finally breaking the eye contact with the harsh gaze of the second year girl.
Ikutsuki reaches over, giving a reassuring pat on the back to the redhead. "It's okay, it's not your fault."
It takes a few moments, but finally it seems like their senpai has become ready to tell them all what they (or, Yukari, rather..) wants to hear.
"..Alright. I'll tell you the whole story." She begins, and Minato gets this feeling that'll be a long one. "The Shadows have many mysterious abilities. Some research even indicates that they can even affect time and space. We think of them as our enemies, but what if we could somehow use them to our advantage? They'd be a source of unimaginable power, wouldn't they?"
"What..?"
Slowly, this sounds more and more like a villain's plot in a children's movie.
"Fourteen years ago, one man pursued that line of thinking... He was the former leader of the Kirijo group, Kirijo Kouetsu... My grandfather." She closes her eyes as though remembering something awful. "My grandfather was obsessed with the Shadows.. He wanted to harness their power for something extraordinary."
"Like what..?"
"He assembled a team of top scientists, and over several years, he put together an impressive amount of Shadows."
"He what!? Damn, that's freakin' crazy!"
"However... ten years ago, during the final stages of the experiment, he lost control of the Shadows' power. And in the process, the very nature of the world was altered." They all know what was coming up from this point.
"Oh my, do you mean...?"
"Yes. Tartarus and the Dark Hour." There's an audible huff from Yukari, and Mitsuru continues. "By their account, the mass of Shadows they collected split into several large ones that then dispersed. These are the Shadows we've been encountering on nights when the moon is full."
"Is that why they've appeared in different places?" Fuuka asks, her teal eyes wide with questions.
"Wait a minute... If what you've said is true, then why did our school turn into Tartarus?" She gasps, covering her mouth with her hands. "Don't tell me.. That's where they conducted the experiment!?"
"...Yes."
"Then.. the students who were hospitalised..."
"I'm afraid it's just as you're thinking." There's a certain amount of spite between her words. "Port Island must've been an ideal location for them. It was a highly-populated area, and the Kirijo Group had influence there. They could do as they pleased... As you guessed, the experiment ten years ago was conducted at Gekkoukan High School."
Takeba clenches her fists, biting down on her lip. "Does that mean... all we've been doing is cleaning up their mess!? You lied to us?!"
She shoots a glare at Akihiko, who had been extremely silent throughout the entire thing.
"You knew too, didn't you, senpai!?" She cries, each word becoming coated with more and more anger. "They've just been using us! Or, do you not care so long as you get to fight?!"
"I never said anything like that!" He yells, turning his gaze away. "I have my reasons..."
"Yukari-san, please!" Kotone speaks up, standing from her spot with a surprisingly hard expression. He's almost surprised that his sister defended their senior; but if they did talk a lot, then it made a bit of sense.
He's just sitting there and watching as their group is falling to pieces like snow.
"Think what you'd like... It was my decision to not share information." Kirijo bows her head, deep in apology. "I'm sorry. I never intended to deceive you. Convincing you to join SEES was my highest priority. As absurd as it may seem, only we- with our Personas- can fight the Shadows."
"How could you!?"
"Besides..." Sadness. That's all he can hear in the once confident and in control voice of Mitsuru. "Some of us were never given a choice. I.."
"Mitsuru... Don't."
The only damned adult, who probably was eating up this teenaged drama like it was a movie, suddenly speaks up. "Takeba-kun, it's those in the past who are to blame. And they lost their lives as a result of what they did.. We're all in the same boat, here; none of us deserve the burden that's been thrust upon us."
"But.."
"It's been ten years since that incident... No one knows why those Shadows suddenly returned." Ikutsuki speaks only the truth, and even Yukari in her fit of rage knows that. "But, since they're active, at least we can find and destroy them... Do you realise what this means?"
He stands from his recliner, and begins to address the entire group, all of whom are severely shaken, and with Mitsuru looking the most depressed they'd ever seen and Akihiko ready to genuinely beat someone up, Minato's surprised he's even able to command their attention.
"What if I told you that those twelve Shadows were the cause of everything?"
Sanada purses his lips, and quickly gets the idea. "If we defeated them all... Tartarus and the Dark Hour would disappear?"
"Exactly! That's what I was going to tell you earlier. See, it's good news, isn't it?"
"Is that true!?" Fuuka exclaims, clutching her skirt's hems tightly.
"There's evidence to support it. Now, our true battle begins."
"..I see." Takeba looks down, having calmed down, but now feeling the intense pressure of the room's tension she's partially responsible for creating.
"Regardless of what's happened in the past, we must fight to protect the people. The Shadows are gaining strength, we can't afford to just wait for them."
"Indeed."
"And there are still many mysteries surrounding Tartarus. Why did such a gigantic structure appear in the first place? The answer must lie within it." It seems like the current goal is to now find out why Tartarus exists, and to get stronger to defeat the remaining six.
July 12th, 2009.
Daytime.
In the back alley's behind Port Island Station, a particular silver haired man walks in to meet up with one Aragaki Shinjiro.
"Nothing to do as usual, huh?" He says, giving a slight wave as he finally approaches.
Immediately, the taller of the two groans, and looks ready to escape from the area at the sight of his 'acquaintance'. He clicks his tongue, rolling his eyes and scoffs.
"Why're you here? If you came to try and convince me, then forget it."
"...It's nothing like that. I just wanted to see how you were doing." Judging by Akihiko's way of talking, the heavily dressed man presumes he's speaking truth for once.
"Huh?"
"We've known each other for a long time... It's been almost fourteen years since we met at the orphanage." He looks off, a nostalgic smile on his face. "You, me, and Miki.. we'd run around here 'til the sun went down. Back then, it seemed like we had all the time in the world."
A slight laugh. "You haven't changed a bit. If you wanna get all sappy, go do it with your other friends."
"...What was that!?"
"It's rare for you to think of the past. Usually, you just charge ahead like a damn fool." He shrugs. "So obviously, there's something on your mind."
The red clad man sighs. He's right, of course. Shinjiro is always right, loathe he is to admit it. He's been thinking of the past a lot these days, though. He's beginning to wonder if it's the younger Arisato's fault. There was something about her that reminded him of Miki; it wasn't anything about her appearance, it was just all of their mannerisms were similar. Soft, gentle movements that managed to be bright and cheerful at the same time. A light smile and laugh, and even her interactions with her own older brother reminded him of Miki.
They were just similar enough that it scared him a little. It made him uncomfortable, even, especially with the events that went down five days ago..
"I do reminisce sometimes... But, what's the point." He quickly changes the subject. "Anyway, we've finally figured out how to get rid of Tartarus and the Dark Hour."
A clear expression of surprise forms of Aragaki's face. "No shit?!"
"Yeah..." He takes a seat down on the concrete beside his foster brother. "To be honest, all I've been thinking about lately is getting stronger. But yesterday, someone made me question my reason for fighting..."
He refused to show that Takeba's words hit him.
"Your reason for fighting, huh.. That's different for every person. But, if you don't have a good one, you can always quit.." ..Like he did? "Like I did."
"..I'm not like you." He chuckles, a smile forming on his face. "Man, I can't believe I'm the one getting lectured here."
He stands back up, and with a quick wave of his hand, begins to leave.
"Well, see ya around."
Shinjiro snorts, leaning back on the pavement. "You haven't changed at all."
July 12th, 2009.
Evening.
"Sanada."
His hand rather unceremoniously knocks on his senior's door, and he leans back for a while, awaiting an answer. Well.. even if he doesn't get it, he'll barge in anyway. From what he's learnt, apparently these doors don't have locks on them. That's stupid, and a little dangerous, but it ultimately didn't matter in his mind. It wasn't like he had anything to hide in his room.
He doesn't get the chance to enter unwelcomed, as the door opens slightly, and a pair of grey eyes watch him for a moment, before opening the door fully.
"Oh, it's you, Arisato." The boxing champion was dressed lightly; a red shirt and a pair of simple jeans, though judging by the opened window he can see and the rattling of a fan, the summer heat is beginning to get to him. "What's wrong?"
"Could I talk to you."
There's confusion; but the taller quickly moves out of the way and lets the blue haired boy in his room.
"I don't have anywhere to sit, sorry."
This room... fits Sanada way too much. Training gear, trophies.. It was a room that felt very personal, especially in comparison to his own rather dull and bland looking bedroom.
"It's fine." The door shuts behind the two, and Minato finds himself quietly sitting down on a chair nearby his senior's desk.
There's a silence between them, and it only now strikes the younger that this is the first time he's ever approached someone like this, especially about his sister. Whenever guys came too close to his sister, he was more of an 'actions speak louder' guy, who would normally glare hard enough for the poor guy's distant descendants to remember, but he really couldn't do that with someone like Akihiko.
After all, Akihiko wasn't some skinny middle schooler who got scared at any sign of confrontation. Akihiko was one of their front line members, older and much more confident, with fighting abilities to match. He wasn't someone who'd be frightened of a thin and frail teenager.
Minato sighs, and he feels a slight laugh bubble in his throat.
"You know, Sanada.. I really want to punch you." The silver haired teen gets into a more defensive position, but is never given the time to talk. "On the seventh. Everyone went through the same mind attack, right? Myself and Junpei, Takeba and Kirijo. Piecing two and two together, you and Kotone also must've suffered the attack together."
He leans back on the chair, staring at the roof. "So, I really want to punch you. But I can't. For starters, it'd probably hurt me more than it would hurt you. But also because Yamagishi told me you and Kotone would hang out sometimes, so I figured she'd get angry at me if I did it. But you guys haven't spoken a word to each other since that night. The closest thing you both have had to interaction was last night, when she got up to defend you."
He sighs. "So, as much as it pains me to say this, as an older brother, for the love of god.. Please go back to normal. After all... SEES can't function properly unless all of it's members have each other's backs. You two can't do that if you're so embarrassed over what happened."
Sanada prepares to speak, but the blue haired boy stands up from the chair and begins to walk towards the door. He prepares to open it up, but quickly turns his back to say one last thing.
"Seriously, though. If you do anything to her, make her upset or anything like that, I don't know what I'll do to you." He raises his voice a bit. "That goes for you two, Junpei! You damn eavesdropper."
The door swings open, and standing there is the accused, a horrified look on his face.
"Okay, listen, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was just, curious, y'know?" He defends, sweat dripping from his forehead the more he's watched with deep blue eyes. "Thought y'all we havin' a guy night without me."
The boxer stands up, and laughs lightly. "I wont do anything, Arisato. Promise. As for what Junpei says.. sounds like fun."
"Seriously!? Sweet! Let's see if we can use the TV downstairs!"
Junpei runs off like an excited child, leaving only the two standing there in the doorway.
"...I'll talk to her tomorrow. And I'll apologise." Akihiko nods his head. "Thanks. I think I needed to be snapped out of it. You're pretty good at that sorta thing."
Minato only smiles; having heard the words he wanted to hear.
more.. domestic bullshit at the end here..
minato would break his fist trying to actually punch akihiko tho?
sanada akihiko is the most terrifying man i've ever seen.
i'd never step into a ring with him as my opponent, because i'd shit myself
dude can literally smash open monsters with his damn fists
if it were a battle with the personas tho? minato would have an advantage with his wild card ability.
lets hope the threat of being fuckin wrecked by the leader leaves a mark on both akihiko and junpei, lol
hope y'all enjoyed! dunno how much i'll write next chapter,
depends on what happens over the game