30 December 2009

Minatodai Dorm, 1st Floor Lounge

Evening

They had seen many sides to Midori over the past few months, she wasn't shy about hiding them. Mostly it was the happy girl who put her past behind her and faced each day with a smile and an absurd sense of justice. In Tartarus, they saw a person who would throw herself into any danger with all the resolve and willpower she could muster. And when they had seen her sad or rallying against something that struck her to the core, they knew that she was still herself.

This was the first time they had ever seen her outright terrified.

Naoya stepped a little further into the Dorm, making sure the door was closed behind him to keep the cold out. Everyone stepped back to give him some space, except Aigis who, in her new state of mind, didn't mind his presence, and Midori, who just couldn't move, no matter how much she willed her body to act.

"And you are?" The older man asked casually.

"D... D... D..."

"DDD? No, you look more like a B cup to me." Naoya said, smiling. Turning to the rest, he put on his best smile. "While she gets her brain in order, would you mind if I took a seat? It's been a long walk from the facility, and my knees are starting to complain."

Mitsuru's own mind kicked into gear, recognizing that they had a guest. While she couldn't instantly place his face, Aigis apparently knew him and trusted him, so that had to count for something. She honestly thought she knew everyone involved, but this man eluded her. "Of course, come in. Yamagishi, would you please get some tea for our guest. Arisato, help Komaki please." She guided him to the chair at the head of the table. "Welcome to the Minatodai Dormitory, and thank you for returning our Aigis to us."

Naoya chuckled. It was obvious to him that Mitsuru didn't know the first thing about him, though that other girl's reactions said that she did. He'd have to check that out. "It was nothing, really. I was already in town checking up on some old projects of mine when reports of Aigis' injuries reached my ears." He settled himself into the seat, and thanked Fuuka politely for the cup of tea. "I had to see things for myself, and found myself moved by the thoughts her friends had put into her recovery that I too had to help."

Accepting the praise politely, Mitsuru diverted her attention long enough to check that Minato had taken Komaki around the back of the sign-in desk and was quietly talking to her. Aigis was far more animated, talking with Yukari about what had happened at school while she was away.

She realized that Aigis was more than a weapon now, a change in her that would take some getting used to. Turning her attention back to Naoya, she thought that he had to have known about the Shadows, Dark Hour and Persona if he was allowed to work on Aigis. "I was given to understand her injuries were extreme." She also had to be careful not to use his name, which neither he, nor Midori nor Aigis had revealed.

He put down his cup. "Oh they were! Very much beyond the skills of anyone else, if I do say so myself." Relaxing deeper into the chair, he took in the various social circles people had around him. "Well, don't stand on ceremony for me! There's a party to be had, if the cake on that table back there is any indication!"

Elsewhere, Minato studied Midori's face. She had lost most of the colour in her cheeks, and her eyes were still as wide as saucers. "Come on back to me Midori!" He snapped his fingers in front of her, not even getting a reflexive blink in response. "Come on, Dolly! This isn't the time to panic! Who is he?"

Midori's mouth moved, but no words came out. This just added another degree to Minato's concern. Here was a girl who bounced back from seeing her friends murdered in front of her with barely a scratch to be seen in the eyes of her friends, and this Naoya just shuts her down? Who was he? What did he do to her? Images of... things best left unthought roared into his head, but he shut them down. Best not to get ahead of himself.

Then inspiration struck. "Was he in Tokyo? During the Lockdown?"

Midori nodded. Her eyes now focusing on him, an intensity of gaze that would have withered lesser men. He pried some more. "Did he do things to you?"

A shake negative, and Minato let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. If this Naoya had done something to her, to cause her to create Dolly and Black Frost to defend her, then he was quite certain that Naoya would have not left the Dorm alive. But those thoughts could be put away. "Did he have something to do with the lockdown?"

Midori nodded again. This time, a shaking hand reached into a pocket and produced the COMP she carried with her everywhere, even into the Dark Hour. "He made those?" A leap of logic. "For the cultists?" Another nod. "Thank you. You relax. I'll handle him." He patted her on the shoulder and went to talk to Mitsuru. She was the other one who seemed to have recognized Naoya when he arrived.

Aigis, for her part, enjoyed her new found freedom. Yukari tried to talk to her about her recovery, but there wasn't much to say. She was unconscious for most of it, save when Mitsuru-san came to brief her on Death's offer, and when Naoya was doing checks.

"He must be pretty important to you, huh?" Ken asked from across the table, cake around the edges of his mouth.

"Ten years ago, Naoya-san was one of the people who helped build me. Now he returned to save my life. I can say that is true. He is almost like a father to me."

Naoya interrupted. "Hold on, you said your name was Takeba? I knew a man by that name when I worked for Mitsuru's grandfather."

"That was my father." Yukari admitted.

"Ah! Well, in that case, I have good news, bad news and worse news for you." Naoya leaned forward in his seat. "The good news is that he was a great and brilliant man. Make no mistake, I've seen my fair share of geniuses, and I would place him with the best. You should be proud to be his daughter."

Yukari shuffled at the memories of the poor father that left her and her mother alone. "I am."

"Ah, good. Family is always good. My brother may or may not still hate me, but that's a different story entirely. Anyways, the bad news is that your father got involved in our Friday night poker games. Man had a horrible, horrible poker face." Naoya spun his lie, one aimed at children rather than the longer plans against those he would truly manipulate.

Yukari seemed confused. Naoya pressed on. "Now, here's the worst news. One night, he was in really deep. I mean, completely owing the rest of us millions of yen. While normally this would just be laughed off in the morning as we usually did, that night, he had a bit too much to drink, so he put something that he shouldn't have on the table." A beat to make sure he had everyone's attention, then he said his next line with all the prefect seriousness of the best of politicians the world over.

"He put your hand in marriage up. And I won the hand."

"WHAT?!" Yukari screeched loud enough to cause Koromaru to wince in pain. "HE...! HE...!"

Naoya laughed hard, enjoying the reaction. "Oh! That was priceless! The look on your face! And your boyfriend's!" The wad to death glares fired back at him caused him to choke back a bit on his next laugh. "Sorry. Just had too. I'm on something of an enforced vacation at the moment, and well, there was poker night, and your father was bad at it. But nothing like that. Seriously!"

Yukari glared, then turned away from him with all the angry body language a teenaged girl could possess. Even Aigis was torn between her desire to act in concert with Yukari and her desire to appreciate the work of the man who saved her and gave her back her life.

"Alright, I admit, that wasn't my best work." Naoya offered as his way of apology. But for now, it looks like President Kirijo and that young man want to have words with me."

Fuuka offered Yukari a comforting hand as Naoya stood up to follow Mitsuru and Minato away.

And then Midori sat down in an empty seat, a large slice of cake on her plate. "What?" She demanded, looking around at the people who were concerned with her well being. "I know who he is, and I hate him. Cake will help." And so she took a very large bite to prove it.

4th Floor, Command Room

The door closed behind him, and Naoya looked at the two children before him with a bemused expression. "Children, playing at adults. Oh, how the world has changed. Or is it children playing at heroes?"

"Midori knows you from Tokyo." Minato opened with something he hoped would put Naoya off balance. It didn't work.

"Oh, does she now? How, pray tell would she know that?"

Mitsuru put the facts together faster than Minato had. "You aided the Shomankai...!"

Naoya thought even faster. "Oh! I thought her name was Dolly! Purple dress, yelling about Love and Justice! She was hanging out with my cousin." His voice and body language became dismissive. "I barely gave her a second glance. He must have told her horror stories about me."

"You stole from my Father!" Mitsuru felt her anger chill her. "Did you have anything to do with Ikutsuki's madness?"

Giving them a disbelieving look, Naoya grinned. "Ikutsuki was a hack, pure and simple. The little shithead couldn't science his way out of a box with written instructions. What did he do with my work?"

Mitsuru wasn't expecting that, but recovered as he spoke. "He murdered my father and almost killed the rest of us. We survived only through luck, and my father's sacrifice."

Naoya's voice dropped to perfect seriousness. "Then you have my sincerest condolences at your loss. Shuji Ikutsuki does not deserve any words of grief or remorse. Your father does."

"Thank you." Mitsuru said automatically, Naoya's words ringing sincerity in her ears. "But that doesn't explain your actions."

Naoya shrugged. "What is there to explain. I did work with your family many years ago, I did work for the Shomankai fools. That their goals had certain similarities only made my job easier."

"Personas?" Minato asked.

"What? Oh, of course not. The Shomankai had never heard of them. They thought they were going to summon a Demon to act as their God!" The kimono-wearing man poured vile into his words. "They were fools."

"What does that have to do with how Midori knows you?"

"Oh, that's simple. I gave my cousin the means to defend himself from the Shomankai, and he shared it with his friends. She was one of them."

"You're lying," Mitsuru accused.

"Of course I am!" Naoya admitted gladly. "But you won't know about what for a long time, if ever. I bury my secrets far deeper that you ever could."

Minato grumbled. "Are you going to affect SEES?"

"I already have! I returned little Aigis to you, safe and sound. With a few improvements even!"

The two leaders of SEES avoided the obvious response. "That doesn't answer the question."

"Of course not. But what you do have is my word that I'm not going to interfere with your little thing any more than I already have. As I've said before, I'm on an enforced vacation, and I'm thinking I'd like to enjoy it." With that, he turned and walked out the door, headed for the stairs down.

Standing there, feeling like they had been dismissed, Minato finally asked, "Wasn't that door locked?"

1st Floor Lounge

Naoya descended with a flourish. "So sorry about that. Business that needed taking care of, the usual stuff." He saw the girl that knew of him from the summer incident. "Now, my dear Midori, or was it Dolly? I can't remember. Anyways, it seems like I owe you an apology. Would you like to step out onto the front step for a second?"

Midori froze. That wasn't like the man she had encountered before. Not during the lockdown. A glance at Akihiko and Aigis, both of whom nodded, but for different reasons. Aigis trusted Naoya, while Akihiko was ready in case something bad happened.

Taking a deep breath, she stood and walked towards the front door. Time to face her fears head on, like she should have from the start.

They stood outside, the door open a crack to let the warm air from inside heat them up a little, as well as to let those inside know that everything was alright.

Naoya held up a hand. "I think I know what you want to say. What you want to accuse me of doing. Let me say this first. The Ordeal was going to happen, no matter what. I didn't invent the Program. I did make it work. But I didn't hand out COMPs to anyone except Abel and his two friends, nor did I tell people to start doing what they did."

"Aren't you then guilty by association?" She really wanted to deck him on principle, but no matter the villainy, she had to let them say their peace before punching their lights out. It was only proper.

"Girl, please don't play word games with me. I'm far older than I look. Tell me, what would you have done if Atsuro couldn't have unlocked my code? By his own admissions, he said that only he could. I recognized that..."

"But you wanted him to be King, to take war to Heaven!"

Both people stopped and looked back into the Dorm, seeing that no one was listening before speaking again.

"I admit to that, yes. However, I have also come to the conclusion that my cousin's answer to the Ordeal was just as effective as mine, even though it was different."

"What." This, she wasn't expecting to hear. Villains weren't supposed to confess to their crimes just like that! They needed to fight to the bitter end so she could be justified in hurting them!

"You see, his choice to send them away actually wasn't accounted for by the Council. They thought that they would be used, or that they would come to power. They did not anticipate a result where Humanity would try to stand on their own. It was an elegant answer that even I did not foresee."

"Why tell me this?" Midori demanded of the First Murderer.

"Because he won't listen to me. He deletes my e-mails, he doesn't talk to me." He rolled one hand in the air to indicate that it was a constant issue. "You're the first person he knows and trusts whose as actually given me a chance to make my case."

Midori didn't know what to make of that. "Then why me?"

"Because Abel trusts you. And if you talk to him, maybe I can too. Try to make things right."

That she could do. There was no way she couldn't. Except... "He's not answering my e-mails either. I sent him an e-mail like three weeks ago, and he didn't reply."

"Oh? About what?"

"About Ny...! No. I'm not supposed to say." She turned away to hide her shame.

"It's alright. You can tell me. I know about these things." His voice was gentle and commanding at the same time.

"N.. N.." Her thoughts returned to Aigis. He had to know, didn't he? Didn't even Naoya have the right to know if he was in danger? "Nyx. I asked him about Nyx."

Naoya thought. "Oh, dear child. Nyx isn't something my cousin can deal with. Nyx is.. different. It is a resident of that Shadow Hour, and as such, lay outside the purview of both my cousin and the Council."

"Then do something! If he sees you helping, he'll listen to you!"

"That won't work!" Naoya raised his voice a notch. "Nyx is not something that can be beaten by Angels or Demons, but by the hands of Man alone! To call upon his power would be to deny the works of man, to invalidate everything he worked for, everything you worked for! Is that what you want? To hand everyone's souls over to the Council?"

Midori froze. "No" she finally whimpered.

Naoya reigned in his emotions. "I apologize. I worked very hard to see that humanity does not fall prey to those who would abuse them. I cannot help, but I will not hinder you either."

"Thank you. I think."

"Very well then. Shall we return inside? It is warmer in there."

So they did.

As the evening came to a close, Naoya finally announced that he was ready to leave. Polite thanks were given, and when it was Midori's turn, she bowed, promising to try and contact his cousin on his behalf.

The card with Black Frost on it slid out of her pocket, landing on the floor. Naoya was a bit faster in scooping it up and inspected it closely. "Ah, Igor's work. Always nice to appreciate the work of a Master. When you next see him, do say "Hello" for me, will you?"

Chidori however saw the truth. To her mind's eye, when the card left Midori's possession, she lost her Persona. When Naoya picket it up, he gained a persona, and then when the card was returned, Midori returned to her normal self.

The Persona was the Card.

And that was impossible.