Chapter 1

Kae Maeda woke up in a cold sweat. This wasn't unusual for her, she frequently had found herself in this situation. She wouldn't describe it as a dream, a nightmare or anything of that sort, more accurate would be a flashback. Kae swung herself out of bed and walked to her window. She opened it and leaned on the window sill, staring out at the green sky above. Kae stared at the stump where her left arm should have been. She could feel a tingling sensation where her forearm and hand should have been. She wiggled phantom fingers as if they were still there. Kae sighed and let the cool air fill her lungs. There were no smells, not that there would be any, The Dark Hour eliminated them. Kae watched as three people walked down the street, moving towards the dorm. There were two men and a woman, one of the men noticeably confused and lost. Kae chuckled lightly. She stepped away from the window and threw on a shirt. She starred in the mirror, her plain face staring back at her. Her hair was long, and very dark brown, almost like oak, minus the coarseness. Her eyes were a pale brown, almost hazel as whiskey. She could easily blend into any crowd if she wasn't missing an arm.

Speaking of that… Kae thought to herself. She picked up the arm leaning against her dresser and mounted it to her elbow. She let it sit for a moment before twisting the wrist, letting it run a full 360 degrees before stepping out of her room. She walked down a set of stairs, watching the situation downstairs unfold. Yukari had her hand sitting just over the Evoker holstered next to her thigh. The three people walking from earlier standing at the door.

Don't do it Yukari. Kae spat in her head. She was about ready to rush over to her and grab her in a choke hold, when she heard Mitsuru walk down the stairs.

"Takeba, wait." she ordered, her commanding voice booming through the silent dorm lobby. The lights flickered on slowly and music was heard from one of the people's Mp3. "I'm sorry about Takeba's behavior, please forgive her."

"Oh it's no problem! She's fiiinee." The woman responded, swatting her hand as if to wave away any issues. Kae had to admit, she was rather cute. Her reddish-brown hair was tied in a bun, with an 'XXII' spelled in her hair with pins, and her skin looked almost like porcelain. One of the men, however, seemed confused.

"Uh, sure, it's fine." the man said, notably with an accent. His hair was a dirty blonde, and his crew cut certainly broadcasted that he wasn't from Japan. His skin was a pale white, and his eyes a very bright blue. He wore jeans, a t-shirt, and a navy blue windbreaker, unlike the others who had school uniforms on. Very much noticeable were the two bags he had, a black duffle bag and a bright red bag that looked almost like a hiking bag. The other man, a blue haired emo looking kid, reacted far differently than the other two strangers.

"What's up with the gun?" He asked, with no hints of emotion in his tone.

"Minato!" The woman spat.

"It's fine, I'd be curious too." Yukari nervously chuckled. "It's for self defense, it's just a model though, think of it as a hobby."

"Smooth, Yukari." Kae grimaced. Yukari groaned. The woman spoke up before allowing an awkward silence.

"I'm Arisato Minako, that's my brother, Minato." She introduced.

"Hello." Minato murmured.

"Takeba, why don't you show the Arisatos to their rooms? I need to clear some things up with the other transfer." Mitsuru suggested but actually ordered. Yukari nodded.

"Come with me." Yukari stated, heading up the stairs. Minako and Minato followed her.

"Uh, is this the Iwatodai dorm?" the foreigner asked. Mitsuru took a seat at one of the couches and nodded.

"Indeed, why don't you take a seat, Reed?" Mitsuru confirmed. Reed took a seat across from here, Kae opting to sit nearby.

"So, uh, what did you need to clear up?" Reed asked. Mitsuru pulled some papers out of a file on the coffee table.

"I just wanted to confirm that the information we were given is accurate." Mitsuru explained. Reed looked over the papers and nodded.

"All that's missing is that I got my US Driver's License since I finished the paperwork." Reed confirmed.

"Impressive." Mitsuru said with a smile. "I'm sure you'll fit right in."

"What's going on?" Kae asked, genuinely confused as to why this was needed.

"Ah, I apologize for not informing you earlier," Mitsuru apologized. "Reed here is representing the United States as part of the Foreign Exchange program."

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe how much paperwork there was." Reed chuckled. Kae didn't get it, but she politely chuckled regardless.

"It must have been a long flight, not to mention the train rides." Mitsuru randomly said. "Maeda, why don't you escort Reed to his dorm?"

"Of course Senpai." Kae said with a nod. "Follow me." Kae got up and walked Erik to his room.

"Thank you, uh, sorry, it seems I don't know your name." Reed said. Kae realized then that she never introduced herself.

"Oh, how rude of me, I'm Maeda Kae." Kae introduced. Reed stood there, clearly doing a double take before realizing introduction conventions.

"Ah, I'm Reed Erik, it's nice to meet you Maeda-San." Reed stated. He already caught onto honorifics, that was certainly good to hear.

"Likewise, Reed." Kae said with a smile. "Jet lag must be killing you, why don't you get some sleep, I'll walk you to school in the morning. Also, feel free to drop the honorifics." Reed nodded.

"Sounds good, see you in the morning." Reed responded. "G'Night."

"Night." Kae responded. As Kae wnet to return to her room, she saw Akihiko sneaking off, likely to beat down on some shadows. Kae sighed.

"Don't bother, Mitsuru-Senpai is down there." Kae informed him. She didn't bother to listen to what he said next, she just returned to her room to try and get some sleep.

Erik had to admit that the male uniform was crisp. Few schools he knew of could afford for students to wear blazers. Fortunately for him, the school allowed for a degree of modification to the uniform, so he wore one of his quarter zips over the shirt, looking rather good if had to say so himself. He grabbed his school bag and walked down the stairs to see Maeda waiting for him, a satchel slung over her shoulder and a red handkerchief stuffed in the pocket of her jacket.

"Morning, Maeda." Erik greeted. "Ready to go?" Maeda turned to face him.

"Good morning, Reed." Maeda responded. "I'm ready, jeez you look tired." Erik laughed. Yeah, he was rather tired, the time zone differences were hard to adjust to so barely got any sleep.

"Yeah, you know where I can grab a coffee or an energy drink or something?" Erik asked. Maeda nodded.

"Of course, there's some vending machines at the station," Maeda answered. "I'll pay, I'm gonna assume you haven't exchanged your money yet."

"I have but thanks." Erik responded. The two walked to the train station, barely saying a word. It was only when they got to the station that they actually talked to one another. Erik, not paying attention to his surroundings, hit his head on a sign hanging from the ceiling, ironically one that told people to watch their head. He fell to the ground, gripping his head in pain.

"Gah, jeez that hurts." Erik groaned. Maeda grimaced.

"Oh Jesus, I am so sorry." Maeda said. "Let me get you an ice pack." Erik swatted away the concern.

"It's fine, just didn't see it." Erik assured Maeda. "Guess I know to watch my head now huh?"

"You sure do." Maeda chuckled. Maeda reached a hand out towards Erik. Erik took her hand and let her help him up. It was then that he noticed her arm. Though most of it was covered by her jacket, it was very clearly not real. It was made of metal, and looked very much like it came out of a sci-fi movie, nothing like Erik had ever seen. Maeda noticed Erik looking at her arm and sighed as the two stepped on the train.

"Guess you want to know about the arm huh?" Maeda sighed.

"Only if you're okay talking about it." Erik responded. Maeda took a deep breath and told Erik about the arm. According to Maeda, her parents died in a car crash when she was young, and she lost her arm in said crash. The Kirijo Group, whom Maeda's parents worked for, took her in and gave her a new arm.

"I'm sorry you went through that." Erik stated. Maeda faced him with a neutral expression.

"It's fine, there's no need to apologize." Maeda responded with a sigh. "Guess the arm freaks you out though huh?"

"No no, not at all!" Erik corrected. "I think it's nice, like a testament to your strength."

Kae could barely focus on her work that day. Thank god it was only the first day of classes. Regardless, she was preoccupied with the foreign exchange student. What did he mean by her arm being a testament? Why wasn't her arm the first thing he noticed? Why didn't he say anything about the way she dressed? All questions that went through her mind. Kae stood from her seat and approached Reed after the last bell rang.

"Ah, hey there Maeda, how are you?" Reed asked. Why was he being so nonchalant?

"I'm well, Reed, what about you?" Kae asked.

"Well, I'm adjusting to the new schedule, but I'm fine otherwise." Reed answered with a chuckle. "What now?"

"Well, there's a few places in the city people tend to hang out to have fun, I'll show you around." The sound of someone approaching warned Maeda of impending danger. No, not danger, was it... idiocy?

"Hey there new guy!" the signature, carefree voice of Junpei Iori rang out. "I'm Iori Junpei, what's your name?"

"Uh, hello, Iori." Reed greeted. "I'm Reed Erik. It's great meeting you."

"Ah no need to be so formal! Call me Junpei, Erik." Junpei stated. Standing behind Junpei was the other male transfer, Minato, and clearly did not want to be there.

"Just do as he says man." Minato said. "He won't drop it, ever." Reed nodded.

"Uh, okay, Junpei." Reed said.

"Have you been around Iwatodai at all since you arrived?" Junpei asked. "It'd be good for ya to get used to the city, especially if you came from overseas."

"Well, I arrived late yesterday, so I haven't had a chance to go anywhere." Reed stated.

"I offered to show him around, you don't have to do anything, Junpei." Kae stated.

"Nah I can handle it, don't you have stuff you need to do?" Junpei asked.

"It's fine, Maeda, I'll catch up with you back at the dorm." Reed told Kae. Kae sighed, then groaned.

"Alright, just keep in mind that he's an Idiot, but he's pretty nice. Don't do anything you wouldn't want your grandma to know about." Kae informed Reed. Reed chuckled.

"I know how to stay out of trouble." Reed responded. "Dad gave me military advice before coming here."

"Military advice?" Minato asked. "What do you mean?"

"Don't add to the population, don't subtract from the population. Stay out of the hospital, news, and jail. If you do go to jail, establish dominance quickly." Reed answered without missing a beat. "Dad was told that every weekend back in the army." Junpei let out a hearty chuckle.

"Alright so we know what NOT to do, let's go!" Junpei exclaimed before dragging Minato out the classroom.

"Just stay safe, Reed." Kae sighed. Reed nodded.

"Of course, see you back at the dorm." Reed said with a smile. He waved good and followed Junpei out of the room. Kae stood there alone. She would have waited for someone to come speak with her, but that was unlikely. People generally avoided her, she didn't blame them. Anyone would be intimidated by a 5'9" woman with what was essentially a robot arm. The fact that she wasn't the most femine woman in the world contributed to that. Unlike most of the girls at her school, she wore her hair unstyled, and it only went down to the bottom of her neck, she enjoyed activities not associated with women, like more physical sports, airsoft, and her favorite music genre of West Coast Rap definitely wasn't associated with women, and she didn't even dress like a woman. Although, she was certain she knew the two things that contributed to her lack of friends. On was her arm, obviously, but she was certain it was also because she had the personality of a cardboard box. All too often she had found herself talking to someone, and they leave after realizing there's a million people like her.

There was certainly something about that Reed. He had this air of casual care to him, but he didn't seem to be the kind of person who would pretend to love everything a person says for the sake of friendship. Witnessing him meet Ikutsuki said as much. As was usual with the chairman, his introduction was normal until the point he decided to make a "joke".

"I'm sure you're exhausted, best go get some sleep." Ikutsuki began as the buildup. "As they say, the early bird gets the bookworm!"

"Vitsisi oli huono ja sinun pitäisi hävetä." Reed murmured in a language Kae was certain was not English or Japanese.

"Pardon?" Ikutsuki asked. "It seems I couldn't understand what you said."

"I said that your joke was bad and that you should be ashamed." Reed said rather bluntly.

"Ha! Quite funny, Reed-Kun." Ikutsuki laughed. "I think we're going to get along quite well."

"Yeah, sure." Reed responded. "I'm heading to bed. G'night y'all." Reed walked up the stairs and to his dorm. Once she was certain Reed was outside of earshot, she spoke with Ikutsuki.

"You're certain he might have the potential?" Kae asked. Ikutsuki nodded.

"Not as strongly as the Arisatos, but yes, Maeda-San, I'm sure." Ikutsuki confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"Well he put up with me, that's one thing that had me wondering." Kae sighed. "Most people kind of ignore me, or say things about me. Reed not only actually talked to me, but he even said something nice about my arm that means something."

"What'd he say?" Ikutsuki asked.

"He said it was a testament or something." Kae explained. "What do you think?"

"I think he's just a good kid." Ikutsuki answered. "It seems like he was raised to respect and care for others. Apparently that's fairly common where he's from."

"I'd guess so." Kae responded. "At least he's not Minako. Yukari made me help her show her around the city. Minako practically interrogated me the whole time."

"She does have a sense of humor." Ikutsuki added. "She laughed at the joke I told her earlier and even told me one she knew."

"I'd be more inclined to say 'Oh god there's two of them' than to say she has a sense of humor." Kae murmured.

"Madea-San you wound me." Ikutsuki dramatically sighed. "Regardless, what would you say of Minato-Kun?"

"Minato is, well, he's a total mystery to me." Kae answered. "I can't figure out what kind of person he is. He seems to hide himself, but at the same time he lays himself bare, always saying exactly what he's thinking."

"Any thoughts on that?" Ikutsuki asked.

"I think he's antisocial." Kae mused. "I mean, I can't diagnose anything but it's pretty clear to me he doesn't like people. The way he acts almost seems like it's specifically to ward people off."

"Have you thought about psychology as a career?" Ikutsuki asked. "You seem rather knowledgeable about the topic."

"Well, I have thought about it but I'd rather keep helping the Kirijos, I owe them my life, after all." Kae answered. She decided it was about time to stop this conversation. She said her goodbyes and went up to the control room. She had a long night ahead of her.

Whatever woke Erik up was big. It shook the dorm, snapping Erik awake. He looked around his dorm. Everything was as it should have been, but there was something wrong. The atmosphere was heavy, and it almost felt like the space around him was green. Erik knew something was wrong, it just felt like something was off. Erik changed from his sleep wear into a pair of jeans, shirt, and his jacket. He then dug under his bed and grabbed his jump bag. He always made sure he had it, or at least a first aid kit. He had training, EMT B certification in particular, and if someone got hurt, he wasn't going to let it be wasted. As Erik secured the bag to his back, a knock came to his door.

"Reed? Reed you in there? I need to get you out of here, something's wrong." Maeda's voice rang out. Erik opened the door and greeted Maeda.

"I'm good to go, what's happening?" he asked.

"I wish I had time to explain, all I can tell you is to take this." Maeda answered. She handed a small object to Erik. He took it, holding it in his hand as he followed her to the first floor. He inspected the object, it was a knife, a Tanto, specifically, and the blade was real. Questions raised in his head, more so when he noticed the handgun tucked into Maeda's waist. They reached the first floor, finding Mitsuru holding a man Erik was yet to meet by the shoulders.

"What's going on? Why are we evacuating the dorm?" Erik demanded.

"We don't have time to explain, but you need to get to the roof, Reed." Mitsuru stated. "It's safer there." Erik noticed the man's pained expression and the floppiness to his left arm.

"I'm not going anywhere, not if he's hurt." Erik stated.

"Reed, you can't-" Meada began before Erik interrupted her.

"I can help him, and I'm not abandoning people who are hurt." Erik stated. Both Maeda and Mitsuru sighed.

"Fine, I'll let you take a look at Akihiko." Mitsuru stated. "I'll leave him in the kitchen." Erik nodded and followed her to the kitchen. He kneeled down by Akihiko, putting on a pair of gloves.

"I'm Erik Reed, I'm an EMT, can you tell me what's hurting?" Erik began as he opened his jump bag.

"I'm Akihiko Sanada, It's nice to meet you." the grey haired man stated. "And it's my ribs and my arm that hurt."

"Nice to meet you, Akihiko." Erik stated. "Do you mind if I feel your injuries? I need to figure out what to do, so I'm just going to feel them to try and figure out what I'm working with." Akihiko nodded and allowed Erik to inspect the wounds. He started with the arm, he figured out fairly quickly that his arm was broken. Fortunately, it didn't seem to be a major fracture, just minor enough that it wouldn't need too long to heal. As for the ribs, Erik had to make Akihiko take off his shirt, but it was worth it as it quickly revealed to him some bruising. Of course Erik checked breathing sounds as well, it was always worth it to check.

"Alright, it just looks like you broke your arm a little and bruised a rib." Erik explained. "I'm going to wrap some bandages around your chest then feel free to put your shirt back on. I'll have to splint your arm after that." the sounds of fighting suddenly broke out as he said this.

"Alright, just make it quick." Akihiko stated. "I need to get back into the fight."

"Sorry," Erik started as he prepared the splints after Akhiko took his shirt back on. "With these injuries, you shouldn't strain yourself too hard."

"Then you gotta take my place." Akihiko stated, handing a silver handgun to him.

"I can't do that, I can't fight." Erik stated. This was something of a lie. He knew knife fighting and could shoot half decently, but he needed to make sure Akihiko was okay.

"You have to take this and go help Mitsuru and Kae." Akihiko demanded. Erik grabbed the handgun and examined it. There was no mag release, no slide, nothing but a grip, barrel, and a trigger. There was an interesting view port in it that had a blue glow, but other than that, it was relatively normal.

"How am I supposed to use this?" Erik demanded.

"You'll see." Akihiko smirked. Erik took the handgun in his right hand and the knife in his left, rushing out of the kitchen and into the fight. What he saw was certainly not what he expected. He found Mitsuru and Maeda fighting some kind of blob thing with a large mask on its face. Erik pointed the gun at the blob and pressed the trigger. All there was was a click, a dry, unimpressive click. Maeda took notice of Erik's attempt to shoot.

"You have to point it at yourself." Maeda stated. "It's not a gun." Erik stared at the pistol.

"I can't do that, are you crazy?" Erik begged,

"You have to trust me, Erik." Maeda stated. She used his first name. She wanted him to trust her.

"I'll do it, Kae." Erik responded. He turned it to himself, pressing it against the bottom of his chin. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. He heard glass shatter, and felt a presence standing behind him. The presence rushed at the blob, attacking it with some kind of staff. The figure faced Erik. He could see it's large navy robes, the mask over its face, its sterile steel skin, and the snake entwined winged staff in its hand.

"I am thou, and thou art I. You have awakened to the power to call upon the power within. I am Hipocrates, the father of medicine. I shall be one with you until the end." The figure stated before dissolving. The blob still stood, turning it's focus to Erik. Erik stood ready with his knife, ready to attack the enemy. Kae audibly chuckled.

"I've got this, come, Atlanta!" Kae shouted as she used her own pistol-device, surrounding her in a blue flame, and causing a figure to appear. It was feminine in its appearance and bore a great power in its presence. It had the head of a boar over a blank, white and gold face. Brown fur coverings wrapped around its body, with a kind of bow strapped to its right wrist. The figure shot its wrist up and thrust its hands out to the side. A sudden gust of wind burst around the blob, causing it to collapse to the ground.

"Now Erik!" Kae shouted. "We've got our chance!" Kae flicked open a baton as she rushed at the blob. Erik ran at it, knife raised. As he slashed and stabbed at the blob, Kae struck it with her baton numerous times, then rammed her fist into the blob, making it dissolve into red particles. Erik took a deep breath, and found himself falling to the ground.

"Oh god I'm beat." He grimaced.

"Bad news, that wasn't the one I fought." Akihiko stated. "We may have sent Yukari and the others right to the one I fought."

"We gotta help them." Erik said as he stood up, collapsing again soon.

"Not in that state." Kae interrupted. "You're in no condition to fight, and we need to get Akihiko to a hospital."

"Alright, let's do that, but I want answers." Erik stated as he grabbed a broken table leg to use to keep him standing.

"In the morning, we all need rest." Mitsuru sighed.

"What about the guys on the roof?" Erik asked.

"Unfortunately, all we can do is hope they make it through." Kae sighed.

A/N

This one has been a long time coming. I went through multiple drafts of this, trying to figure out what best works, and I finally got this out. This has been a project of mine for some time now, and I'm glad to get this out there. For future reference, view this as less of a full novelization of the game, but more as individual moments, slices of life, etc in the events of P3, following Erik and Kae and their soon to grow relationship. I hope you enjoy starting this journey with me!

Oh and here's all the ships that will be included, whether background or noticeable

Minato/Yukari

Minako/Shinjiro

Junpei/Chidori

Kae/Erik

Oh and another thing, I'm not the best with honorifics so feel free to correct me with those, as well as for any future use of the Finnish language as I use google translate for that so it won't be perfect.