Has it really only been a month since I last updated. Felt longer to me.
IT'S SO FUCKING COLD HERE! WHY IS IT SO FUCKING COLD?
Seriously, just our luck that some wind from Russia/Sweden comes to freeze us all to dead.
I actually wanted to make this chapter all about Shinji but then Souji happened and then I thought, to hell with it.l
-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-
9/11/2009 Friday – Evening Hagakure
"Are you sure you should put that much Wasabi on it?" Shinjiro asked as he warily eyed the huge amount of green sauce that was spread over the boy's rice. Latter just blinked at him in surprise and tilted his head to the side.
"Would I put so much on it if I weren't absolutely sure?"
"I don't know..." He eyed Minato for another few seconds before sighing and taking a bite of his own food. He regretted it immediately and flinched in pain. The bluenette, who had been happily nibbling on his own food until now, looked up at the other and raised an eyebrow.
"Something wrong?"
"Just forgot I've got a cut in my mouth." The other looked even more confused now that the brunette started to smile. "Aki punched me." His eyes widened as he fidgeted with his chopsticks.
"Did you guys have a fight?" His smile grew even more.
"Well, yeah, he found out about... you know, that." It actually took Minato a few seconds to register what he meant but then his eyes widened even more . He quickly looked down to his plate.
"... I see." He wanted to punch himself for it the moment it left his lips but he honestly didn't known what to say in such a situation. Now that he thought about it, Akihiko did seem pretty mad when he followed Shinji out of the hospital room. The older just chuckled.
"Yeah, well, you were right when you said he would take it badly when he finds out. That guy was so upset, he took no mercy. That guy has to remember how hard a box champion punches." An awkward air settled around them as they just ate for a few minutes. Shinji looked around for a moment.
"Do you eat here often?" The bluenette jumped a little before shaking his head.
"Not as often as I would like to."
"But you like it here, don't you?"
"Yes." The older nodded to himself again before sighing.
"I wish Aki would eat here, too... That guy doesn't get his balanced share of nutrients." He shook his head and took another bite of his rice, before looking at the shorter again. "Speaking of Aki... In your opinion, is he fighting well?" Minato took a few moments to think before giving a small smile.
"Well, since he manages to beat the enemy up while covering me, I think he's doing pretty good. But it is true that he seems to be letting down the last few nights."Shinji kept a stoic face and nodded.
"I see... His Persona is pretty hard to handle after all..." They were silent for a few seconds before he gave him a small smile himself. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't ask that. I mean, you're not the leader and it's not like you don't have your own difficulties in battle to always observe the others around you. I know I shouldn't stick my nose into stuff that don't concern me, it's just the way I am. It seems Aki and Mitsuru are more comfortable fighting than back when I was with them. When we first started, we were just fumbling our way through, but now SEES is an effective combat team. Seems like you and your sister are helping out quite a lot." Minato almost choked on his food at that and stared at the older with wide surprised eyes. He just got a appreciating look in return, making him blush a little. He swallowed and scratched the side of his head in embarrassment.
"Well, it's more Aneki doing all the work, really. But I do my best." Shinji smiled somewhat sadly and laughed.
"But be careful not to strain yourself too much. You will have to face a lot of things soon..." The bluenette raised an eyebrow at the unusually cryptic phrase but let it slip. He must be pretty tired, suddenly being in active duty again, he's probably not thinking straight. With a sudden crash, the world turned gray again and a blue card showing something looking like a harpoon with several small pictures in the corners.
"I am Thou...And Thou art I...
Thou hast established a new bond...
Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hierophant Arcana!"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Hey there! Did I surprise you?" Pharos shouted as he jumped down onto the bed to wake the bluenette out of his slumber. Startled, Minato stared at him for a moment before falling back onto the mattress.
"I'm more surprised at the fact that I'm not in the least surprised that you're here." He received a childish giggle in return and he felt the bed shake again.
"It seems three seasons have passed since we first met. Time goes by so quickly, and many things change. Yet some things will always remain the same... Don't you agree?" The teen waited for a few moments before slightly sitting up and ruffling his hair.
"I guess so." The child chuckled again and magically vanished only to appear a few meters away from the bed. A mysterious smile was lingering on his lips as he slowly turned around.
"Talking with you made me remember stuff. ...That tower, for instance. I've been thinking about it lately... Will our relationship stay the same...? Or will it evolve? No matter what the future holds, you and I will be friends...that is for certain." He threw him another smile before waving good bye. As he disappeared, the world turned gray.
"I am Thou...And Thou art I...
Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Death Arcana!"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
9/14/2009 Monday – After School Naganaki Shrine
"So, what did you want to talk about, Souji?" The silverette stared at the offering box in front of him for a moment before turning around to the older. His special little half smile was on his face again as he took a step closer to the Junior.
"I just figured out something and I wanted to tell you before you are too busy." The older lightly tilted his head to the side in confusion. Before he could ask what he meant, the younger spoke up again. "I think I finally found out why I was so... obsessed with you." Oh, so they were back to that topic again. The bluenette had almost forgotten that Souji was his very personal stalker. "I think it was more like I was admiring you. The first moment we met, you seemed like a pretty inverted person, quiet and not noticing your surroundings. You seemed... a lot like me, honestly." he scratched the back of his head and his smile grew. "But when we saw us next, you were ready to jump in to help me, someone you only saw once. It made me see just how great of a person you are." Minato blushed a little as he shifted his feet.
"I'm nothing special."
"You don't give yourself enough credit. Not everybody would throw themselves between a total stranger and a group of bulky bullies." It didn't really convince the other, but it did make him go quiet. "Anyway, after spending some time with you, I noticed how even though you may have been hurt in the past, you were ready to make new bonds with the people around you, unlike me. You were ready to get out of your shell and try to understand other and let them lean on you. You were everything I was afraid to be." His smile saddened a bit as he looked at the ground. "I think I kind of used you all this time and I want to apologize for that. But after I spent more time with you, I realised how good it felt to spend time with someone else and to bond with them. It made me realise how much I've been missing out with my attitude." He shook his head and looked the older straight in the eye. "I can't keep on closing my eyes and covering my ears to the world around me." He hesitated for a moment but then the silverette gave him the warmest and brightest smile he had ever seen on his face. "Thank you for making me see that." He pulled out a little note book from his pocket and handed it to the other. "It's a collecting of all the things I'e gathered of you. You could call it my 'Stalker-book'. Take it, I don't need it anymore." His smile didn't waver even once as he said that and Minato couldn't help but return the smile as the world turned gray once again, a choir echoing from nowhere. The card holder at his hip started to glow as the Temperance Arcana materializing in front of him.
"I am thou... Thou art I...
The bond thou hath nurtured hath finally matured.
The innermost power of the Temperance arcana hath been set free.
We bestow upon thee the power to create Koryuu, the ultimate form of the Temperance Arcana..."
The world soon turned to normal and the younger was still standing in front of him, happier than he ever had been. After a few moments he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I should probably go find Kirita soon. Apologize, you know." The older smiled and nodded and the boy was about to walk away when a single golden butterfly flew up to them. Souji tilted his head to the side and opened his hand for it to land on before a bright light wrapped itself around the two teens. Minato clenched his eyes closed only to find himself in a gigantic bird cage. The Junior quickly scanned his surroundings to see that the other was lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. The older quickly ran up to him and checked his vitals, only to let out a sigh of relief when he found them to be normal. The bluenette quickly snapped his head up when he felt something looming over him to see a person in a white suit and a mask with half a butterfly on his face. His dark red-brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail and the part of his face you could see showed that he smiled.
Minato immediately knew that he was not human.
"I am Philemon, an identity born from the wish of humanity to grow. Welcome to the realm of subconsciousness." The Persona-user kept staring at him but lost his hostile feeling to reasons unknown to him. "So we meet again, Minato Arisato." His eyes widened.
"Meet again? What do you mean? And how do you know my name?" The man chuckled and turned away.
"I see, you don't remember. Well it does not surprise me. After all, it has been ten years and you were not really in your right mind back then." Ten years ago? A vision flashed over his mind, the blurry images of the man now standing in front of him. He looked up to the other again, his eyes still narrowed. "But this is not of concern at the moment. The important thing right now is the boy in your arms." Philemon, having moved faster than he could catch with his eyes, suddenly leaned down to them and lightly touched the younger teen on the forehead. After a few moments his eyes slowly opened and dazedly stared at the man. "Hello, my boy. Can you tell me what your name is?" The student blinked and nodded.
"I'm... Souji Seta..." he slurred as he wasn't really awake yet. It was enough for the deity who took the youngest's hand.
"Very well. I shall now grant you power." A blue light surrounded him and after a few seconds the boy was out cold again.
"What did you do?" Minato asked as the taller stood up again.
"I granted him the power you call Persona. It will be very important for the sake of humanity for him to control it." The bluenette's eyes narrowed even further.
"Were you the one who gave Aneki and me this power? And why can I see into the future?" The man was silent for a moment before turning away from his completely.
"I promise that all our question will be answered by the end of the year. Until we meet again." The Summoner was about to protest but the light blinded him again and the next thing he knew, he was back at the shrine with an unconscious Souji in his arms. The teen was too dazed to actually realise what just happen but the boy stirring boy in his embrace made him snap out of it.
"Senpai...? What happened?" The Junior hesitated for a moment. He was tempted to tell him everything, tell him everything about Personae and Shadows and Philemon so he was prepared for what might come but something kept him from doing so. He closed his eyes and thought for moment before opening them and answering with a small grin on his lips.
"You passed out. Did you eat properly today?" The younger smiled and gave him a light punch on the arm. It was a secret he had to keep. He had to keep the truth away from him until the time came.
When that time was, he had no idea.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Minato looked around for a bit as the waitress took off with their orders. While it was not really unusual for him to be in the Chagall Cafe, it surprised him that Shinji out of all people wanted to go here with him. He looked back to the older when loud coughing erupted from his throat. He leaned over the little table and slapped him on his back until it stopped.
"Are you alright?" The brunette nodded as he leaned back in his seat.
"Yeah, it happens now and then. It's not contagious, so don't worry about that." That didn't make the younger feel any better. It actually just confirmed his suspicions.
"Is it because of... that?" It had to be. Drugs always had some kind of side effects and for as far as he knew, Shinji had been taking them for a while. The Senior stared at him with wide eyes before he smirked and nodded again.
"You're pretty sharp. Yes, that's the reason." He only got a glare in return. It was nothing he should be so smug about. "Calm down, it could be much worse. If you hadn't stopped me back then, it would happen more often. As it is, I only cough every few days." He looked around the Cafe for a moment and sighed. "Man, I hate coming to this place when I have one of my days."
"Why, feeling embarrassed?"
"No," he responded with a face that clearly read 'what the hell are you talking about?' "I just feel bad for the people working here when one of the customers is just sitting there and coughs." The bluenette raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you here then?"
"Well, I needed to buy something... Ground coffee... I need to remember to buy it before we leave."
"You drink coffee at the dorm?"
"Well, if there's any left..." A few moments of silents passed between the two before Shinjiro looked away from him. "...I'm going to use it for cooking." He tried to hide his blush but he miserably failed. It made the younger kind of happy that he was not the only one who wore his heart on his sleeve. He hadn't even noticed that he started grinning until the other called him out on it. "Hey! You were the one who brought it up, treating the whole dorm to dinner..." He remembered that night. They were about to leave and get something to eat when they smelled something burning in the kitchen. They immediately ran back inside to see Yukari sitting in front of a pot of smoking... something. He still wondered how she managed to make beef stroganoff into that. After Shinji taught (punched it into) her how to do it right, Minato had proposed to him to cook for the rest of the dorm once in a while. Looks like it stuck. The boy only smiled back even more.
"I'm looking forward to it." Shinjiro sputters a little before shifting in his seat and looking away.
"It's probably better this way, anyway. Even if we eat together now and then, they still eat whatever they want most of the time and none of them can cook even if their life depended on it."
"I am Thou...And Thou art I...
Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Hierophant Arcana!"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-Site Break!-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Minato. Hated. Homework. Period.
Not only was it completely unnecessary since most of the slackers don't do them anyway, the straight students learn anyway and then there are people like him that already knew all that stuff and don't need to learn. He groaned when his pen fell down onto the floor and under the table. He quickly got down to his knees and frantically searched in the shade of the desk. He saw something and was about to reach out to it when-
"Hey dude! I wanted to-" He was interrupted by a loud yelp from the younger as he hit his head against the table. He just curled up into a ball on the floor and groaned even more as Junpei walked up to him and rubbed him on the back. After a few minutes the bluenette looked up at him, still a little in pain. "Dude, what did you do down there?"
"Doing something stupid," he simply snapped as he straightened and laid the pen down on the table. "So how are you and Chidori doing?" The other looked surprised at the question but grinned nonetheless.
"Oh, we're doing great! She finally opened up to me! I think we are official now!" The boy smiled a little as he sat down on his chair again and jotted something in his folder. "Oh right, I almost forgot. Hamuko is searching for you. She's in the kitchen right now." He held his pen tightly enough to make it creak under the pressure. His sister was in the kitchen, out of all places. He jumped out of his seat, hurriedly said bye to Junpei and ran down the stairs of the dorm. When he arrived, his twin was just taking out the eggs out of the fridge.
"Oh, there you are. What took you so long?" She sat them down in a bowl together with the little bag of rice and other stuff she had prepared. The younger tried his best not to show his relief at the fact that the girl hadn't started cooking yet.
"I chatted with Junpei for a bit. Sorry." He walked over to her and looked at the ingredients. "So what are we going to make?" She blushed for a second and her brother raised an eyebrow.
"Omurice..." Before he could say anything about it, the red-head blushed even more and punched him in the arm. "It's not for me! I want to cook it for a friend but I'm scared I would mess it up if I don't practice before I let them try it!" As the boy rubbed his arm to ease the pain (He seemed to get hurt a lot lately) he thought for a moment. Sure, everybody liked Omurice but who would ask his sister, out of all people, to cook it for them? None of the girls certainly since Yukari and Mitsuru are too proud to ask and Fuuka is smart enough not to. Akihiko was too busy shoving down that protein stuff, Shinji could cook for himself and Junpei knew what bad of a cook the girl was. So that left two people since he didn't ask and Aigis was a robot, so...
"You're cooking for Ken?" Hamuko visibly flinched as he was preparing the rice. Good, at least she knew how to do that. Unlike Fuuka when they first started. "I'm not judging you. I think it's pretty nice of you. He must have a lot of pressure since he's the youngest of us. Except for Aigis and Koromaru of course."
"Yeah, whatever." She looked up at him for a moment and just stared. "Did you grow?" The boy's eyes widened as he thought about it. After a few seconds he shrugged.
"I don't think so. Why do you ask?" She stepped closer to him and raised her hand so it was just above her head.
"Well, last I checked, I was almost as tall as you and now I only get up to your eyes. And since I don't shrink, you only could have grown, right? It's about time you get your growth spurt, anyway." Now that she mentioned it, she did seem a little smaller in his eyes. And when he talked to Junpei just a few minutes ago, he could look at him without craning his neck. He blinked again and his sister smiled. "Now that that's settled, let's get to cooking." The boy quickly showed her what to do, how to make the sauce and everything else she needed to know. They decided to first make one as an demonstration and then another one so Hamuko could try it out herself.
"It's actually a very simple recipe. The only really hard part is not to burn the egg, but you can put anything you want in it," he said as his sister stirred the rice in the pan. She hummed a little melody as she watched the meat sizzle in its own fat and tilted her head to the side.
"You know, I've been thinking." Minato looked up at her as he put away the things they didn't need anymore. "Do you still have that sword of yours?"
"You mean Aoi Chou? Yeah, sure, it's in my room. Why?"
"Mind lending it to me?" He was sure the look on his face must have been hilarious. As far as he could tell, he looked like a fish out of water with his gaping mouth and wide eyes. The older Arisato chuckled as she stirred the food again. "I know it's a present of an old friend of yours, but I thought since you've gone through so many weapons it would only be fair if I try something else, too." His surprise lingered for a few more moments before he just nodded.
"Um, alright... I guess."
"You don't really sound all that enthusiastic about it."
"Well, I'm kinda scared of what you might try to use it for..." He only received another punch in the arm for that. The twins laughed together before going on with their work.
-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-
I should probably stop to try to do several things at the same time. This chapter would have become longer if I hadn't read some depressing Supernatural fanfiction while writing it.
I watched the Season 5 final last night and my sister bawled her eyes out. It was so damn sad, why does Dean always have to lose everything he loves over and over again. And then suddenly Sam appeared again! I mean, what the hell?
And now I have to wait for another year again because Prosieben always has to take so fucking long to dub a series.
I'll stop ranting now.
Your Shadow.