Chapter 51 / Shock

May 7th, 2012 / Late Evening
Abandoned Nanjo Group Facility - Security Section Floor B9

SETSUKO'S POINT OF VIEW

I watched as Yoko inspected the handgun, doing what I hoped would tell me that she knew what she was doing. She noticed me and smiled.

"It's a H&K USP...one of its variants...and looks modified to fire customized ammunition," Yoko said all this but I had no idea what any of it meant. She must have noticed my blank look cause she laughed. " I only know this because it's also the main gun used by Japanese Special Forces...which one of said Special Forces was there when I was learning how to shoot." She brought the pistol up in her right hand and she did something to cause the magazine to come out. She put the gun down and was likely examining the rounds. "These rounds are a bit...different."

I came closer to her...she was right, it was like it was crystal. "Yurika, can you hear us?"

"I am," Yurika replied quickly. "I am able to answer all questions as long as the information is stored within my data-banks."

"Okay, what are these bullets made with? What is it that makes these work against Shadows but normal rounds don't?" Yoko asked.

"The rounds are made with Persona fragments. It was discovered that when a Persona user does battle that Persona fragments can splinter off. While it is normally invisible to human eye it was with a particular process that these fragments were gathered. Past incidents made it easy to gather fragments in mass. The results is rounds capable of defeating Shadows when used properly," Yurika gave a rather concise answer. Which was about what I expected of her.

"So what your saying is that you need to hit key weak point in order to properly use the ammo...and that just shooting a bunch of shots into it isn't going to necessarily kill a Shadow," Yoko seemed amused.

"Affirmative. Shadow weak points can change depending on type and strength of accumulated Shadows. While using fire arms can help...the use of Persona is still the most effective method of dispatching Shadows," Yurika confirmed and then added additional information.

"Good to know," Yoko picked the gun back up and put the magazine back in. She then slipped it into a holster and picked it up, strapping the holster to her upper right thigh on her leg. Then she slipped on a belt and loaded it with more magazines for the pistol. Then she grabbed yet another holster and this one went on her like a backpack and held a holster on each side. She picked up two more of the handguns, inspected them and then holstered each.

"Yoko...are you planning to fight a war down there?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Nothing wrong with being prepared, right? Besides, switching magazines could be dangerous in itself. If I end up not needing any of it, then that's great. I'm cool with looking like an action girl with nothing to shoot. But if something is down there...then there could be moments when it might be faster to drop a gun and just grab a different one. I'm just trying to be forward thinking. Plus all of this equipment is here...and well I don't know what to expect when fighting Shadows. So I'd rather have too much than too little," Yoko was making a lot of sense...and was definitely in line with how she thinks.

"You shouldn't need to fight at all. But if something is down there then I only want you to be my backup, okay? I'm not overly concerned if there is just a few Shadows down there. My only concern is if the Shadows have been merging together down there," I was okay with her being her usual overly concerned self in this circumstance. But she might have just been scared because of everything she had learned about today. "Are you ready?"

"As much as I can be...are you sure you aren't going to grab anything from in here?" Yoko was concerned that I hadn't gotten anything to protect myself. Well...except I had everything I needed already. "All that I have ever needed is my Persona and my feet. Plus there no point in grabbing something I have no training for. At least you know how to handle a gun."

"Yeah, true enough," Yoko nodded before she took stock of all her equipment one last time. After she was finally okay with her set up we made our way back to the elevator. We stepped in and the doors close.

"Yurika, is there anything you can access on the 12th floor?" I ask before pushing the elevator button.

"I do have access to most systems, however beyond computer and utility functions I have no way of measuring potential threats on the level," Yurika replied.

"So all we have to do is get to the maintenance area of the Plume of Dusk storage area...and then we're out of here. Just a snatch and grab...no biggie," Yoko was either trying to psych herself up...or trying not to freak out. Either way...there was no point in waiting. I pushed the B12 button and the elevator started to move. "Onee-chan...are we going to be okay?"

"Perfectly," I said without hesitation. "Just stay behind me, and stay calm. And another thing...Don't lie."

She gave me a confused look, "Don't lie?"

"Be honest with yourself...and with me with whatever you see. Don't deny your own feelings...Shadows prey on those that are weak of will, and even more on those that hide things from others," I say as the elevator slowed to a stop. The door started to open...there were red lights flashing along with the normal lights of the hall. I stepped out and felt a horrifying familiar feeling wash over me. There were definitely Shadows here. Shadows gave off an oppressive aura, that always made it feel like I was short on breath.

The hall that the elevator exited to was bleak but led to a larger room. It was some sort of preparation room. There was equipment and floor lifts, likely for transporting Plumes of Dusk. The window that was likely meant to look into the storage room was covered in something dark...it looked black...but it also seemed like it was moving. That was certainly creepy.

"I'm guessing the hand scanner isn't going to just be lying around here without having to go further is it?" Yoko was looking towards the door which obviously had taken damage...and the black ooze like substance that was coming from under the door wasn't the most inviting.

"I'm not surprised," I sigh as I looked at a terminal that was on the wall. I went over and checked it. It was on...so maybe... "Yurika, can you hear us?"

"Affirmative, I should be capable of giving auditory feedback as long as you are near intercoms that are spread out on this floor," Yurika promptly replied. I guess that was good in case it got to be too much trouble...depending on what it looked like on the other side of that door.

"Onee-chan, what is that...stuff?" Yoko asked. Naturally referring to the black ooze substance that was around the door.

"Shadow residue...maybe," I shrug a bit. "From what I know Shadows in a base form are like...blobs of black ooze. But they can also make some rather imposing forms as well."

"All of this just seems crazy to me," Yoko commented.

"I doubt it is a common occurrence that you learn that Shadows and Personas are a thing. Still, we shouldn't wait," I approached the door and stared at it for a moment. "Yurika, open the door to the storage room."

"Affirmative, opening door," Yurika confirmed.

The door made a loud clicking noise, obviously the lock moving before the door began to slowly slide open. The smell that came out was certainly not pleasant..it was damp and smelled like rust but...worse? I didn't hesitate though and stepped through. The storage room was bigger than I thought it would be. It probably took up part of the upper floor. Just how much were they keeping in here? There were several isles with each lined with tall metal and glass casings...was this how they had stored them? But there was a lot of broken glass on the floor.

I stepped forward and glanced back to see Yoko behind me. I didn't want to draw this out much longer for us either. I started moving down one of the isles and watching where I stepped along the way. In the back was the door to the maintenance room. I expected us to be attacked at any moment, but it was silent...only an odd dripping noise occurred at random intervals as we silently made our way to the maintenance room. Not exactly the most comforting noise. I felt tense, though if I was on my own I likely wouldn't be. But Yoko was here, so I felt like I needed to be more alert than usual. Plus it had been some time since I had actually fought a Shadow. We got to the door with no issue. I looked back...there had to be something here...right?

I slid the door to the maintenance room open with relative ease and ushered Yoko inside before going in myself and closing the door behind us.

"There is totally something out there," Yoko shook her head and for a moment put her hand to her forehead. "Something was watching me the whole time...I could feel it."

Wait...was Yoko being targeted again? No time to think about it. Just need to grab the hand scanner and get out. I moved over to a workbench and saw a collection of items. Then I saw something on the corner and I picked it up. It was a video screen but had a few buttons and dials on the side of it. I looked at it and tried o figure out how to turn it on. I pushed a button on the left side of the screen and it flickered to life. A few options showed up on screen, but it was clear after only a moment that this was what I was looking for. "This is it," I said as Yoko came closer. "You can even try to locate it by size and..."

I was interrupted by the sound of something massive. The room shook and Yoko grabbed me instinctively as we both looked back to the door. I mean...I was expecting something like this to happen...but if the Shadow was that big...I guess there wouldn't be time for a warm up. Obviously they weren't used to having company. Either way, staying in this room wasn't the best of ideas. There was no room to fight.

"Onee-chan..." Yoko looked scared. There was no time to wait.

"We're leaving," I slipped the scanner into a nearby bag and then handed it to Yoko. "When we go out there, I will distract it and fend the Shadows off while you make it back to the elevator. Then I'll break away to you, okay?"

"No...Onee-chan...I can't just..." Yoko started but I put my hands on both sides of her face.

"I will be fine. Just do what I say. Trust me," I knew it was asking a lot, but Yoko had to know I was right by now. I moved to the door after taking Yoko by her hand.

"Alright," Yoko finally nodded in agreement. I let go of her s I turned to the door. Well...no time like the present.

I opened the door and moved out. I didn't see anything at first. I kept moving and making sure that Yoko continued to move as well. We got to the far side of the room before anything happened. Then there was no missing it.

Dropping from the ceiling was a mass of black liquid that then took form. It stood on four...arms? It revealed a red like cloak and a white mask which had an expression that looked like joy. That was my first impression of it. It certainly didn't look like anything joyous. Which made the expression on that mask even more disturbing. And naturally it just had to be blocking our path to the elevator.

Had it really been years since I last summoned my Persona? After spending so much of my life running, fighting and using my Persona to survive...it had all stopped with no explanation. However, even till this day I still can't fall asleep until long after midnight. I focused my thoughts as a tarot card appeared in front of me, a tarot of the Priestess. I could feel Kishimojin on the edge of my mind, ready to strike. "Persona!" I yelled out as I smashed the card between my hands. When Kishimojin appeared the creature was startled. The image of a beautiful bronze haired woman in a long flowing gown appeared. She cradled a baby in her arm while she attacked with a massive sword in her other hand. When she swung the sword a massive light appeared and slammed into the Shadow. It was enough to spiral the Shadow back and away from our path, slamming it into the other side of the room and accompanied by the sound of breaking glass and maybe twisting metal.

"Whoa...that was a Persona?" Yoko was standing there with her eyes wide. I mean it was one thing for her to see that I was telling her the truth but it was another to see it happening.

The only problem is that outside of that special time, summoning my Persona took a lot of concentration. I could only summon it a handful of times before I would need to rest when it was in the regular world. This wasn't the time to think about it. "Get moving, Yoko!" I motion her towards the elevator. The hallway was clear but the Shadow was moving quickly to try to recover. Yoko was finally running towards the elevator and I ran halfway to bock the Shadow as I summoned the tarot card once more.

The Shadow was suddenly launching ice blocks towards Yoko but I jumped into the air as I shattered the tarot card. Kishimojin appeared again in front of me and held the sword defensively and blocked the incoming attack. Then quickly countered with Primal Force, a beam of white slamming once again against the Shadow.

"Onee-chan!" Yoko called out.

I landed on the ground and turned to sprint towards the elevator. I entered before the Shadow even had a chance to recover. The door closed and we were on our way back up. I sighed as I leaned against the side of the elevator and we were moving. I felt the fatigue of summoning hit me. "Ugh, I wonder if it just takes more energy if you haven't summoned in a while."

"I know you told me about it..but seeing it happen was crazy. And its supposed to be an extension of you, right?" Yoko asked.

"Yeah, a persona will grow and change as you do. As a matter of fact...I originally didn't have Kishimojin but I had Hariti which I guess is fitting in a way. In myth Kishimojin came from Hariti but changed from the myth. She was converted by the great Buddha and went from a demon to a Goddess that represents compassion, love and defending the weak," I recovered a bit as we came to a stop. The elevator door opened on floor eight. "What are we doing here?"

"I just pushed a button...wasn't really paying attention," Yoko admitted. "Wait, what is on this floor?"

"This is the server and mainframe floor. It is where the majority of data and processing power of the computers are," Yurika spoke from the elevators intercom.

"Wait," a thought came to me. "Is this where you're stored?"

"It is," Yurika answered.

"Alright then," I got off the elevator. "Yurika, I want to take you with me."

"With you?" Yurika seemed confused. Which might be a bit funny because she was more computer than anything else. I saw some brief notes on Yurika on the files of my Father's computer in his office. Her personality was developed but the Plume of Dusk used for her was small, and also being confined to a computer has limited her growth. But still...leaving her behind here just felt wrong to me.

"Yeah, do you think you could dump all the data to a single drive and then I could pull that and your personality drive. There isn't anything left for you here...and that Shadow isn't going to go anywhere. I don't think my Father wanted to leave you here either but he needed you here in case either I or my brother came here looking for answers. Beyond that you would be stuck here, alone," I looked to Yoko who stepped out of the elevator.

"Plus, I know Onee-chan can make you a much better environment to be in. And a lot in the world has changed," Yoko said as she looked up at a camera that was in the hall we had stepped out of. "We don't want to leave you here."

"Ikakure-sama never gave me instructions beyond you or your brother coming here. I..." Yurika paused. Had she never really focused on beyond what was instructed of her? Either way it was time for a change. "Copying all research data by Ikakure Renji to local drive zero zero three four. It is the same room that I am in. Server room three, the fourth door on the left. You'll see what you need there."

"You won't regret it, Yurika," I start heading down the hall towards the indicated room and pulled the door open with Yoko behind me. I saw lines of computers...and realized quickly what Yurika had meant. One of the small towers had labeled in golden letters, YURIKA. I moved to it and looked at it for a moment. A nearby terminal came to life.

"Relevant research files have been put onto the hard drives. I also encrypted them for security measures," Yurika noted as I opened the glass case around Yurika's tower.

I noticed something towards the bottom of the tower...a bag and well..everything needed to deal with electronic equipment. I shook my head. Had my Father even thought of this eventuality as well? On the bag was a note. It read simply, Take care of Yurika. Yeah...it was consistent with the rest of my Father's handwriting. He might have been paranoid but it was because he wanted the best for those left behind. "Don't worry Yurika. I promise to have you in a new home soon. Are you ready?"

"I am in your care, Setsuko-sama," Yurika confirmed.

I depressed a few switches and the locking mechanism on the core of Yurika's unit and with a tug it came free. It was a large circuit board and I quickly put it into the anti-static bag and sealed it. I could see the circuit board still lit up...and a large jewel of sorts sitting in the middle...with golden like embers seemingly moving inside of it. That had to be the Plume of Dusk. It was small...smaller than I imagined. I then turned to the computer that was still on and moved next to the tower. I turned to Yoko. "Here, hold onto Yurika for me. I'll pull the hard drive from here."

Yoko carefully took the bag with the circuit board inside. "Any thoughts as to how you are going to use Yurika?"

"My Father's research indicated that the Plume of Dusk itself is essentially the real existence. So in theory I should be able to bind her to a new circuit that is much smaller. Then I can reboot her up and she'll be good as new. I'd like to get her up and running and tell her my plan before I do any of that though, so I'm sure I can rig something together," I said simply as I powered the computer down before opening up the tower to get to the hard drive.

"So what's next? We have to delay your wedding again. I'm sure that will go over well with Kichiro," Yoko commented.

I pulled the hard drive free and placed it into its own anti-static bag and sealed it. "Alright, lets get out of here. I think that is enough excitement for one day."

Yoko was looking at the circuit board, "You going to look for Labrys next or your brother?"

"I don't know," I admitted as I headed towards the exit and to the elevator. Without Yurika in the system everything looked like it defaulted to a backup. Likely Yurika had set up automated responses that could occur even without her presence. We got into the elevator and were now heading up to the surface. I want to meet him...although I have no idea on what I would even say. Just showing up and declaring yourself to be a sibling can't be that simple can it?"

"Why not?" Yoko said with a smile. "First we'll find him...then we'll talk to him. We'll explain everything...about how you learned about him and then play it by ear. We don't know what he's gone through. Only what we saw online right? That is not an indicator of what he actually suffered through or what he has done since then. And I'm kinda curious as to how he ended up performing with an idol so he can't be doing too bad for himself, right?"

I couldn't help but laugh, "Maybe you're right. Still I feel like I have a lot to apologize for. If I hadn't forgot everything before the accident...if I had taken the time to ask about my past then I could have reunited with him years ago." But...would I have put him in danger with the presence of that time at midnight. I guess there was no way to know for sure. "Yoko...thank you for supporting me."

"Onee-chan...you spent your life protecting me from things I couldn't see. I never knew how hard you had it. So you think I'm just gonna turn my back when you finally come to me for help?" Yoko stepped next to me and playfully bumped my shoulder with her own. "We'll figure all of this out...together."

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. We now left the facility behind us and stepped into the abandoned warehouse. "Feels like we were down there for a lifetime,' I said as I pulled out my phone and switched it on. I had turned it off a while ago. It was already past midnight. I guess we had been down there for a number of hours.

Then I couldn't see. Blinding light entered the warehouse as the main door opened. The hidden door behind us had already closed...but whoever it was had to know of the labs existence. I couldn't see but I still moved and grabbed Yoko. Pulling her behind a stack of metal crates. I needed time to adjust my sight.

"Come out, we know you're there. You are on private property," a male voice came over a loud speaker.

"Wait, this is a Nanjo Group lab right? So they were keeping an eye on this place?" Yoko posed the thought that made sense.

Why keep watch over an abandoned lab? Why leave such dangerous stuff down there? I suppose in a way it was buried and forgotten. But why? Was my Father meant to come back here? If so he died before he got back and then...without him...the Nanjo Group abandoned it? Something about this didn't add up. "From my point of view...I have more right to be here than anyone," I mutter as the lights seemed to dim, or my eyes had adjusted.

"There is no point in hiding..." the man started

"That is enough, Otsuke. We shall take it from here," a voice of a woman. "I doubt you will trust me but you are in no danger here. We simply wish to know what you came here for. And how you were able to enter the laboratory."

"I got what I came for. Why should I bother to tell you anything? It isn't any of your damn business," I yelled out finding myself irritated.

"My name is Kirijo Mitsuru," the woman spoke again and I felt my irritation grow. "We knew the moment you entered the warehouse...however no one has ever been able to enter the lab below until you. I was not even aware of this place until recently myself."

Kirijo...the Kirijo Group. That was the people that my Father had been so worried about before he went to work with them...and he had died. Died while under their employ...my Father's message told me that. "I am not going to tell you anything. After all it was the Kirijo Group that killed my Father!"

Then it got quiet for a long moment before the woman spoke again. "You're Kasamatsu Setsuko, aren't you?"

How did she know that? Suddenly the bright light faded to something much more manageable. "How do you know that?"

Mitsuru spoke again and the words made my heart stop, "Because, I know your brother."


May 8th, 2012 / Morning
Shadow Operatives Headquarters - Infirmary

SETSUKO'S POINT OF VIEW

I blinked my eyes opened, looking up to the flat gray ceiling. When had I passed out? How stupid had I been? I was basically dead weight after what had happened in the lab. It had been years since I last summoned my Persona and apparently it had some adverse effects on my stamina as a result. Still we would have been fine if we hadn't been stopped. The conversation had become tense...but the woman Kirijo didn't decline anything I said...but there was an edge of sadness...regret in her tone when she responded.

Another group...aware of Persona and Shadows...just how wide did this knowledge actually expand to? After the years of facing it on my own...and what now? What was I supposed to believe when there was a number of new factors I had never been aware of...that I had forgotten.

"You're up. You had me worried you know," Yoko was sitting on a chair next to the bed.

"Where are we?" I said as I sat up...it looked like an Infirmary of sorts.

"The headquarters of the Shadow Operatives. A group led by Kirijo Mitsuru that is meant to find and defeat possible Shadow outbreaks in the country," an older woman spoke...she had black hair and wore a white coat. "You Kasamatsu were exhausted, not just physically but mentally. From the brief amount your sister informed me of you must have been stretched to your limit. Remember, a Persona's use is determined a lot by your mental state. The high amount of stress likely caused your power to consume more of your stamina than normal, added with the fact you had not used it in a number of years. But you'll be fine. No long term problems that I can see."

I looked at her, "And you are?"

"My name is Arisato Isako. A doctor and researcher once employed by the Kirijo Group. I now work fully as a member of the Shadow Operatives. There is another thing I want you yo know about me though," she said this as she wrote something on a clip board and set it down on something at the end of the bed I was on. "I'm also your Aunt."

My eyes widened as I tried to register what she just said, "You're my...what?"

"I think it would technically be step aunt. You see...your biological mother, Ikakure Arisa, was my step sister when I married her brother," Isako said it so easily. She saw my expression of frustration so she held up her hand. "I should apologize to you. It was your Uncle's decision that you were adopted outside of the family...so that maybe you wouldn't be involved in all of this."

"And my brother? What about my brother?" I glared at her. "You didn't keep me safe, all you did was put me in a place where I had to fight alone. All those years I had to fight in that time...that time that only I seemed to be aware of and fight Shadows."

"It's called the Dark Hour," a new voice entered the room. "It was a time that took many lives with it. Shadows attacked countless numbers of people around the world. That all changed a couple years ago. On the night of January 31st of 2010...it was the last Dark Hour. As you might imagine the Dark Hour itself had a purpose...and all of it led to that night."

A young woman, not too much younger than myself moved to the end of the bed. She had auburn colored hair...and her eyes seemed to be crimson. She definitely stood out. She was wearing a simple orange t-shirt and blue jeans. She looked at me and smiled.

"Try not to overload her with information. Her mental strain is still rather high, and adding more will only increase her recovery time," Isako looked at the young woman.

"Didn't you already ambush her with information, Oba-san?" the girl glanced at Isako.

Isako sighed, "I suppose I am no better. Take them to the cafeteria to get some food when you're done. The meeting is scheduled for later this afternoon." Isako then made her way to the door.

"Sorry about all of this...I'm sure its pretty confusing to you right now. I'm Takahashi Hamuko," she smiled and moved to the side of the bed opposite of where Yoko was.

"You're right...I am confused. Are we prisoners here?" I asked straight out.

"And piss off Kayane? No thanks. I don't think even Mitsuru would want to get in his way with him and Labrys at his side," Hamuko waved off the possibility somewhat flippantly but her words held a lot of answers.

"My brother and Labrys? Wait, where is he...where is...?" I tried to jump up but the blood rushed to my head and I immediately felt light headed. Yoko was at my side and grabbed my shoulder.

"Calm down, Onee-chan. You just woke up, don't rush yourself. And all of you are not helping by bombarding here with all of this," Yoko glared over at Hamuko.

She put up her hands in mock surrender, "Really, I'm sorry. There isn't really a manual on how to handle situations like this, you know." Hamuko put her hands down before taking a seat in the chair on the side of the bed. Then we'll do it this way. Ask me anything you want, and I'll answer it. Although I think you might want to save some of your questions for your Brother and Sister when they arrive."

Kayane and Labrys...my Brother and Sister. What an odd notion. Still the words came out softly, "He's coming here? Truly?"

"I just got done talking to him on the phone. He is grabbing a few things and then taking the next train. Mitsuru offered to pick him up with a helicopter but he declined, saying he wanted to take some time to think about what he is going to say to you," Hamuko chuckled a bit. "So yes, he really is on his way here."

"I see," I mouthed as I felt a tear escape from my eye. I quickly wiped it away. "Look at me...tearing up for meeting the brother I can't even remember."

"It's okay, Onee-chan. I think all of this is going crazy fast," Yoko comforted me. Then she looked up to Hamuko, "Hold on, you called Arisato-san your Oba...did you really mean that?"

"That's pretty easy...I'm Kayane and Kasamatsu-san's cousin. Our families are connected and intertwined with the struggles of Persona users and Shadows. Just as Ikakure Renji was a researcher of Shadows and ways to fight them...so were my parents. It's complicated...and goes back a long way...so let's try and keep things simple for now," Hamuko looked to me. So...we're...related? "We're family. It's something kind of new to all of us. Just like you and Kayane...I had no knowledge of my connection to all of this. My name isn't what it was meant to be but we can leave that story for another time."

"Yeah, okay. I can tell this isn't so simple a topic that can be covered in a short conversation," I shook my head and felt myself wanting to laugh a bit. Just how deep did this rabbit hole go? I sat up a bit more and then...hold on a minute. "Yoko...did you take my leg off?"

"Of course I did. Even if you don't notice you have that leg on, you are supposed to remove it when you sleep," Yoko then indicated that it was laying on the table across from the bed. I had never had complications occur when I have forgotten...but Yoko was always looking out for me. "While you were out I made a stop back at your place and picked up a few things by the way."

"Really?" I blinked and looked to another table and it had a number of my tools and other things there...as well as my laptop...my computer and...why so much? "Yoko...did you really need to bring all of that for..." Of course...Yurika. that was why Yoko grabbed so much...she wasn't sure what I would need. "Thanks, Yoko. I think you brought enough for what I need."

"Well good, because I had no idea what I should have taken or left behind," Yoko let out a sigh of relief.

"I read that you lost your leg in the accident that claimed your parents lives. Yet you found a way to survive...even when facing the dangers of the Dark Hour on your own. You must have incredible strength as a Persona user. You even used it yesterday down in that lab without the aid of an evoker. That kind of strength and concentration is something not many people are capable of. I'm interested to hear about it...you and everything that happened. But you should know that the Kirijo Group is no longer what it once was. It isn't a threat and the Dark Hour will never return. If there is anything I want you to know, its that," Hamuko spoke up to get my attention. I realize that as many questions as I had...they likely had just as many.

"Tell me...what was the Dark Hour? And what happened to it?" I settled on a question that had long been in my mind since the day that it had mysteriously disappeared.

"There was another experiment held by the Kirijo Group in the town of Tatsumi Port Island and Iwatodai. It was led by the head of the Kirijo Group at the time. Kirijo Kouetsu was gathering Shadows with the intent to create an event known as The Fall. However, the lead scientist as well as his friends and co-workers realized what it would cause...but it was by most accounts too late. So Takeba Eiichiro sabotaged the final part and created a massive explosion...it split the massive Shadow and halted the event. The cost was his life, as well as countless others. Including my parents. The resulting power that was released gave birth to the Dark Hour. Showing how Shadows have power over time and space. That was why every night at Midnight this Dark Hour would occur. No one but those with the potential and power of Persona were aware of its existence. And it would remain that way for ten years. That all changed when my Brother, Arisato Minato arrived in Iwatodai to go to school," Hamuko recounted this with the minimum of details. This was not an easy subject for her to think about...that much was clear. Her life was greatly tied to this event. It affected all of us, one way or another. Especially if it really was as Hamuko said. Our families were connected to the struggle between Shadows and Persona users.

"Your brother?" I looked to her but Hamuko kept her gaze down. "What was your name meant to be then?"

"My parents intended me to be named Arisato Minako...I am my brother's twin after all. I wasn't involved with the fight in the Dark Hour though. To be honest, I learned all of this after the fact. Just like you. I never knew my parents or my brother. You see...Minato had a unique power even among Persona users. It's called the Wild Card. He gains strength through his bonds with others. He created many strong relationships and bonds with others. Including his would be wife and Mother of his child. But to stop the event he had to sacrifice his life...his future to save all of ours. Without that power...without his sacrifice...all of us would be dead. And many without ever knowing why. When I learned about him...he was already dead. But I awakened to my own power, similar to my brother's...a wild card. But that tale is long in itself," Hamuko smiled but there was an obvious pain in her voice. It was obviously a subject that weighed heavily on her mind still. But she quickly hid that pain. "That's why the Dark Hour will never be a threat ever again."

"I know you are just giving me the broad strokes but it does fill a lot of gaps in my knowledge. I presume that the man Kirijo Kouetsu died. So leadership of the Kirijo Group changed," I changed my inquiry a bit.

"Yes...he died in the explosion and the release of those Shadows when Takeba Eiichiro sabotaged the experiment. Then his son, Takeharu took control of the company. He ceased all experiments and focused on containment and control. Unfiortunately he died as well when one of the old scientists manipulated the members fighting in the Dark Hour to bring it to an end. Mitsuru watched her Father die...and was forced to take over the company. Mitsuru is much a victim in all of this as any of us. So please, don't blame her. The blame lies solely on Kirijo Kouetsu," Hamuko was sympathetic to be sure...it seemed like that man was the center of all of their misfortune.

"I think...that's enough for now," I closed my eyes for a moment. "Besides...she mentioned a meeting right? I'm guessing you all want to know what I know, right? Yoko, can you bring over my leg?" I pulled the blanket off of me and showed Hamuko my missing leg. Yoko brought over the connecting piece and I quickly began to put it on the remnants of my right leg. It was cut off above the knee...and because of my needs to fight I had to learn a lot of skills. Skill I only had because of the research my Father had left me.

"I heard you make your own prosthetic legs. What little time we had to look up information on you showed you won a number of contests while you were growing up with your own designs. And many companies have tried to buy the designs from you," Hamuko was watching me as I was strapping the connecting piece as Yoko retrieved my robotic leg.

"They were never my designs. Simply modified for my own use. Fighting Shadows on a regular prosthetic was impossible. I simply used...what my Father left me behind," I said as I took the leg and put it into the connecting piece. "Well, it has seen a significant amount of changes but the basic function is similar to Labrys. It is nowhere near as heavy as hers though. I use a lot of composite alloys and other things to bring down the overall weight. Well...it's still heavier than my left foot, but it isn't too far off."

"Don't let her start or she'll start explaining her predictive movement algorithm that lets her move so naturally," Yoko commented but gave me a loving smile which made me laugh.

"What it is all super fascinating. Besides I simply implemented my Father's research. It all has to do with the integration of the Plume of Dusk that allows for Labrys or other existences to even be able to interact with their given bodies," I shook my head. It was pretty complicated but...

"Your Father's...research? You mean Ikakure Renji? The one who led the Mechanical Maiden project and created Labrys? You have his research?" Hamuko's eyes widened.

"I have a great deal more than that," I comment as I adjusted my leg. Yoko must have seen what I did and handed me a small screwdriver. "Thanks, Yoko."

"I noticed it had loosened but I figure you'd want to adjust it," Yoko shrugged as I tightened up part of the connector that kept my leg secure. "I don't think you were really ready to fight yesterday."

"Which is why I only used my Persona and thankfully did not have to use my leg..." I looked over to her. "And you didn't have to get involved either so it probably went as well as it could."

"You are strong, Kasamatsu," Hamuko got to her feet. "How about I grab some food to eat for us?" Hamuko shifted gears and gave a smile. "Do you like pizza?"

"Absolutely. That will be good to have as I'm not sure how long this will take," I finished tightening up the leg and then ran a quick check of the rest of the leg. "Make sure you bring something heavily caffeinated. Coffee if you can."

"I can do that. I'll be back," Hamuko said before she quickly left the room.

I watched as the door closed behind her. I stared at the door for a long moment.

"You scared her, I think," Yoko commented.

"More than likely. From what she and the other woman have said...they only recently looked into me. And if my brother is going to show...then I have to wonder if something happened that made him aware of me," I was letting my more logical side take over this time as I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up and took a moment to ensure my balance was right. "She knows Labrys. Which means...we have things to share on both sides of this equation. But I don't trust myself to be able to explain any of it calmly."

"That's why we need Yurika. Besides, you did promise you would have her in a new home soon," Yoko then moved to a chair and pulled out something from a bag. It was Yurika.

I moved to her side and took Yurika...the circuit board was still lit. Well, the Plume of Dusk also gave off its own power so it wasn't that surprising in itself. Still I took it and moved over to the collection of things that my sister had grabbed. I pulled my computer tower and opened it up as I thought of a few ways to quickly find a way to hook Yurika up. Looks like my sister also remembered the speaker system.

Yoko and I quickly made a makeshift set up on the table and hooked up the monitor, keyboard and mouse to the computer. Then with the computer tower open I knew that the circuit board was unique so I couldn't just simply put it in and expect it to work. That was okay...I just needed to connect a few key parts of the circuit board and cross it to the motherboard. I could leave the configuration and interfacing to Yurika. Yoko had brought a collection of miscellaneous parts...it was obviously just thrown in the box in a hurry but with it I was able to find a few wires and connect it straight to the motherboard of my computer. Then I opened the bag with Yurika inside and used an old, old connector to Yurika's circuit board and then I double checked and triple checked everything.

"Ready?" I looked to Yoko.

"I wonder what she is going to think of it," Yoko smiled.

I turned the power on for the computer. It started it's boot up sequence and after a few moments we were on the home screen. After a few moments I saw the lights on Yurika's circuit board brighten and after a moment a voice came over the speakers. "Setsuko-sama? Where am I?"

"You're connected to my personal computer. It's not ideal, but I wanted to run a question past you. If I were to move your Plume of Dusk to a new circuit board would that have any negative effects to you?" I didn't think it was time to skimp on words.

"If you access the files on the hard drive it should have all related research on the Plume of Dusks, along with my own existence. But in theory my Plume of Dusk is my existence...so transferring me to something else should be more than theoretically possible," Yurika answered. "I notice that the hardware here is significantly more powerful than what I previously used. I have no access to camera's currently but the file system seems to be far more efficient."

"It's probably better than you are capable of taking advantage of in your current state. Right now your connection is slowed due to how I had to hook it up. But I am going to need your help so we can go through this. I'll hook up the hard drive and transfer the files over. After that I'll need you to sort through the relevant files and bring up anything related to integration of a Plume of Dusk to electronics. Essentially anything related to your own creation," I say as Yoko is retrieving the hard drive from her bag.

It would have to be enough for now with what I had. And then I would also have everything at the ready to show to not just the Shadow Operatives, but my brother. All but my Father's research...I realized that in this situation his research was also my bargaining chip in any possible complication that could occur. I realized that I was likely just as paranoid as my Father was.


May 8th, 2012 / Late Afternoon
Shadow Operatives Headquarters - Conference Room

SETSUKO'S POINT OF VIEW

Six hours later and we had not only succeeded in transferring Yurika, she was now enjoying a whole new aspect she had never experienced before. A connection to the Internet. Shortly after that connection on Yurika's new home she was overwhelmed at first with the amount she could access. I gave her some basic guidelines for what she should trust and not trust. That and to be mindful of malicious programs that are on the Internet. Not that I was concerned that someone like her couldn't handle herself. But Yurika was not an AI. She was a living being...even if her form was different. She was more than capable of taking care of herself.

I opened my laptop and was welcomed by a message, I could easily use the computer systems of this facility to communicate with you more easily but I suspect that this would not be a good actions. I did as you suggested and did some research on cultural and accepted practices of use on the Internet.

I laughed a bit, "I guess my Father hardly had time to think about what would happen if you had access to such a wide network." Now with Yurika set up in a more proper fashion she would be able to access any of my devices as long as she knew the IP address and other identifying signatures. So she also was able to access my phone. In essence...Yurika was able to be where she wanted to be without having to worry about where she was.

"Here, Yurika. You can use my phone to talk. You can even use the camera to see us," Yoko was next to me and placed it next to the laptop.

"I...it was that immediate? I am still not used to the speed and efficiency of this new technology. I am still sifting through a lot of data. I've updated your guidelines as I realized there is a lot that isn't critical to my processes," Yurika had signs of a deeper personality but seemed to default to her computer side when it ventured into something she was unsure of. Oh well...there was time for her to grow.

"Yurika, you're so cute," Yoko giggled.

"It is quite...overwhelming. And yet I feel somewhat limited in what I can do," Yurika admitted.

"It's the new environment. Before you had full control of that facility. You don't have that kind of control here. Don't worry I got a few ideas for the future. But for now...we have a meeting that will be starting soon," I said after a moment. "When the dust is settled...we'll discuss what we can do."

"Speaking of...I called your husband-to-be just a minute ago," Yoko said and her words made me freeze for a moment.

Why did I tense up at the mention of Kichiro? I was avoiding him and that situation. Funny considering I should be more concerned about what is happening right now with the Shadow Operatives. The doors opened on the far side and people walked in. They all seemed to note me and I turned my attention to my laptop. "What did Kichiro say?"

"Well I didn't actually tell him anything...only that something very important had come up and that you would explain it to him later," Yoko explained with a sigh. "This...is important. But Onee-chan...I think you already know what you need to really talk to Kichiro about."

I clenched my hand into a fist, "Yeah, I know. I can't keep avoiding it like I have been."

"Kasamatsu-san," when I looked up I met eyes with a young woman. No...hold on...

"You're...a mechanical maiden?" I found myself getting to my feet. A later generation? The overall design of her was different

"My name is Aigis...I'm a 7th generation," she provided.

"So you are two generations older than Labrys..." I moved to her and couldn't help myself but want to see all the differences from what I knew of my Father's research. "Hmm you're joints aren't too much different from Labrys. Though it looks like they increased mobility and...wait they added weapons to your body? That would greatly increase the overall weight..."

"I guess that means you are familiar with your Father's research. I was part of the last generation created around ten years ago. Most of their focus was less about changes to the structure but instead the efficiency of awakening units to Persona," Aigis gave a quick summary.

"That is consistent with what my Father was concerned with," I said as I moved back to my seat. His worries were in line with the fact that the Kirijo Group scientists treated the like just tools. Anything that could use a Persona should never be treated like a tool...that was what my Father had written several times about. And a major point of contention he had working with the Kirijo Group.

"We learned a lot recently about what happened to your Father. As well as the cruel way that the scientists continued the Mechanical Maiden project. I'm surprised that he left his research with you and no one figured it out," the red haired woman approached us. Kirijo Mitsuru. She lost her Father due to the Dark Hour. Like Hamuko had said...everyone was in one way or another a victim of the ambitions of Kirijo Kouetsu. There were several others in the room that had come in with Mitsuru. Mitsuru stood at the front near what was used as a projector screen that was placed at the ceiling.

"He hit it in my locket. I found it only by chance but I wasn't about to tell anyone about it. Thanks to my Father's research I was able to survive the Dark Hour on my own," I looked around at the others and felt my heart tense up. "Where is my brother?"

"Oniisan! Please, jus' give me a minute," a voice with a heavy accent could be heard coming from the door behind me.

"Just get in here, Labrys. I don't even know why you are so worried about it. I'm telling you, you look just fine," another voice spoke...a male voice that seemed somewhat frustrated. "It isn't like you can just keep wearing the Yasogami High Uniform.

"I know that but do ya really think this all black getup is okay?" the girl with the heavy accent seemed unconvinced. I turned to the source of the conversation. Standing there was none other than Labrys...identical to the plans I had long since memorized. She was wearing a black suit but was fussing with the sleeves.

"Sure...I mean we're Shadow Operatives now right? Black is the color of Shadows," the guy next to her shrugged and moved past her. He had black hair and...blue eyes. My heart raced as his eyes looked to me.

There was silence...I stood there looking at him...and something in my heart knew who he was.

"Oneesan..." Labrys words made me look to her. "Its you. Its really you right?"

"Labrys?" Her name came out of my mouth like a whisper as I tried to form any amount of words. I looked to the guy with black hair as he returned the look. He had on a black suit as well and I could tell that he was struggling to find words as well. "Kayane?"

"I guess that makes you Setsuko...right?" he said after a moment. I nodded. The rest of the room was silent but hen I stumbled forward realizing that Yoko had given me a shove.

I took a step...and then another...and before I knew it I had crossed the distance to Kayane and did the only thing I could think of doing. I threw my arms around him. "My brother...my real brother. It's really you," I put my head against his shoulder as I tried to pull myself as tight as I could to him. "This is all so crazy..."

"I'm not sure if the word crazy even begins to cover it," Kayane was speaking softly. "Is this real? You are truly my sister?"

"It has to be real...because if it isn't then I don't want to wake up," I cried as I nuzzled myself in the crook of his neck.

Then another set of arms went around me, "It's true...we're here...we're all together." Labrys was here...and despite being a mechanical maiden...she felt warm and I could feel in my heart that it was right.

"Dad...I did it...I found Kayane and Labrys. Just like you wanted," I whispered more to myself. It was a number of minutes before the three of us finally separated. I looked over to Yoko...who was crying but smiling big. It seemed that a lot of others in the room were affected by our reunion. I looked back to my brother and could feel that my own tears wanted to keep coming as well.

"I'm sorry," Kayane brought my attention back to him. "It's actually only been a few days since I even learned about you...and Labrys."

"Don't apologize," I shook my head. "I only learned about you yesterday. But I should be the one to apologize to you. You see the accident that killed our parents and separated us...I lost my leg and suffered from trauma related amnesia...so I didn't remember anything from before the crash. So our parents...you and Labrys...I can't remember anything about it. But yesterday...my decryption program finally managed to break into the last of Father's research and he left me a message. That was how I learned about you and Labrys. But...I should have known about you years ago...if I had only asked about it to my parents and..."

"She also isn't telling you that talking about the accident was a no go because it caused her to have a mental break down," Yoko intervened. "Don't go trying to take all the blame on this. What is important is that you two are here now."

"We have a lot to talk about," Kayane said with a smile. Though he stopped and looked down at my leg...specifically the robotic leg. "You really built that yourself?"

I nodded, "With Dad's help. He also left us both a message...and a few gifts. Yurika, why don't you say hi?"

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kayane-sama," Yurika's voice came from Yoko's phone. Kayane was confused...as were several others in the room.

"To put it simply...Yurika is a Plume of Dusk that is integrated with a computer. And one other thing," I smiled a bit. "She was the first Plume of Dusk...she was how Father discovered the Plume of Dusk."

"She is the first?" Mitsuru chimed in.

"Our Father did discover the Plume of Dusk," I commented before looking back to Kayane. "We have a lot to talk about."


May 8th, 2012 / Evening
Shadow Operative Headquarters - Conference Room

SETSUKO'S POINT OF VIEW

"...and that is when we left and we were met by Kirijo-san. After which I passed out like an idiot," I sighed as I finished off the recount of the events up to this point. Although Yurika was able to tell most of it up until I yanked her and we left the facility. "Obviously I'm just going over the broad strokes."

Kayane laughed and was shaking his head, "I can't believe this. Our Aunt's and Uncles separated us in the hopes that you would have a normal life and instead you ended up facing all of that on your own? I'm starting to think there is a trend in our family."

"There is," Hamuko spoke up. "The Arisato family line have been a part of fights with Shadows for a long time. You don't have the name but your Mother comes from that family line. There is actually a big record of the Arisato line."

"We can't blame them anyway. No one could have known what was going to happen," I looked to Kayane and thought briefly about all that I had read about him. The abuse he suffered and the death of his childhood friend and how he was a witness to all of that. And in reality I didn't know the whole picture. "Neither one of us really ended in a better place. If we had been together I still had the chance of awakening to my Persona when the Dark hour started. And it might have made it so you awakened to your own as well."

"I still did eventually. I just had to be thrown into a TV for it to happen," Kayane spoke dryly and met my gaze. "However if it hadn't been for Rise and the others I wouldn't have awakened to my Persona...and I would just be dead. Just a victim in the serial murder case in Inaba."

"Wait...that was how you met Risette? I have to ask...are you and her actually a thing?" Yoko spoke up.

"Yoko!" I glared at her.

"What? Don't pretend you don't want to know, Onee-chan," Yoko looked to Kayane. "We saw the video of your culture festival performance. It was absolutely amazing."

"That feels so long ago I kinda forgot that is still floating around," Kayane sighed.

"Nothing really disappears on the Internet," Yoko giggled a bit.

"It's true. Rise and I have been dating for a while now. That is a pretty long story in itself. I would rather have Rise here to tell you though," Kayane said and I could understand that.

"She sounds important to you," I say somewhat softly.

"Yeah, more than anything," Kayane spoke without hesitation and I could tell from the smile on his face that those words were hardly an indicator of how he felt.

"I'm glad to hear that," I found myself saying after thinking about it a moment.

"Certainly better than Onee-chan. Who is supposed to be getting married but she really shouldn't," Yoko interjected.

"Can we not talk about that? I'm trying to connect with my brother not tell him about my miserable failures in relationships," I looked away and sighed. "I have my reasons and I know it isn't fair to the guys involved. I'm not a good person when it comes to romance because I never cared and...look can we just not go into this?"

"My point is that there is a lot we don't know about each other, right? The only thing we have covered up to this point is Persona and Shadows. Which makes sense...this is a meeting for the Shadow Operatives who is meant to deal with that stuff. I just don't want you to forget that it doesn't make everything else less important. You and your brother should have time to really talk about everything," Yoko was definitely pushing his. I loved her for how she always seemed to steady me and push me forward.

"We've also been here talking for quite some time," Mitsuru spoke up. "Kasamatsu, I thank you for telling us this much. I also want to assure you that what you do with your Father's research is your decision. There has been enough lost in the past."

"Thank you," I got to my feet and looked to Labrys. "I owe my survival through the Dark Hour to my Father. Without him I would have been without my prosthetic. The robotic legs I have are based on Labrys' design but modified. I certainly don't need a leg that weighs like sixty pounds. I do have a question. Is Aigis and Labrys the only ones from the Mechanical Maiden project still around?"

"Yes, they are all that is left," Mitsuru answered.

I sighed as I got to my feet and moved towards Labrys, "I see the modifications that was done to Labrys are in line with what my Father feared they would do. And from what I observed with Aigis it seems they double downed on that philosophy."

"What do you mean?" the girl named Yamagishi Fuuka spoke up. Out of all of them she had been very interested in what I knew...and seemed doubly impressed with my leg.

"They wanted controllable Persona users. Labrys originally did not have a method that could affect her core. The interface unit she has now, shouldn't be there. She was always a self contained unit that was not meant to be modified. I can only assume that after my Father was removed from the project they added it in hope of trying to gain the secrets behind her design and also why Labrys' Plume of Dusk was much larger than the other ones. Likely wanting to find out the benefits of using larger Plume of Dusks compared to others. Either way they wouldn't have broken into Labrys' black box," I smiled at Labrys.

"Oneesan, you learned all of his research?" Labrys blinked. "That's amazing."

"Dad left a message for Kayane and I. To find you. He never wanted to leave you behind. Dad was paranoid...he was prepared for such a horrible outcome even before he left Yakushima. That was why he left Yurika in that facility. He left clues on the files he left me...but it took me years to gain the skills needed to break his encryption," I then looked to my brother, Kayane. "Because of the accident...I lost my leg...suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and partial retrograde amnesia. Everything before that crash I completely lost...including my memories of you. It isn't an excuse though. All I had to do was ask about my real family. The information about you was always in my reach...and I just...didn't."

Kayane shook his head, "We both have our reasons. I had equal chances to find out about you. Hell, I have the Ikakure family records...if I had just opened it I would have learned about you. But I spent most of my life...not even living. I have enough regrets in my life...we don't have to do that. Kirijo-san, I have a request."

"Go ahead," Mitsuru said after a moment.

"Give me a few days to explain everything properly to my sister. After that I think we can come to a decision about the future. And out ongoing threat," Kayane said this and I was immediately alarmed.

"Threat? What do you mean by that?" I found myself moving to Kayane's side.

"I'll tell you all about it. But I want Rise and my friends there," Kayane spoke.

"Ooo, we get to meet Risette? Count me in," Yoko appeared at my side. "So trip to Inaba?"

"I guess so...I should probably send an email to my Professor," I sighed but I really did feel like there was no other choice. I still had finals coming up next week but I wasn't really concerned about it. And it wasn't like I was going to be able to focus on it when I'm thinking about my brother. Not to mention the fact that I needed to talk to Kichiro at some point. And my parents. But what was it that my brother had faced up to this point? And what was it that was threatening him now? The most important thing I needed to think about after learning all of this was what I wanted to do moving forward.

What did I want to do? Did I marry Kichiro? Or do I leave him? Do I give the Shadow Operatives Father's research or do I keep it for myself? I could also join the Shadow Operatives...and help my brother. I had a lot of decisions to make. But my brother was right...I needed the time to learn about everything and then from there I could make a decision. One thing at a time.


A/N:

It's hard to imagine going through your life and having family you had no idea about. But in reality this happens more than you think. I actually know someone who has found out they have a sister in another country. And they possibly have even more siblings. Apparently their was a lot of mystery surrounding their mother. She gave a few of her kids away to adoption and even just disappeared on the kids she did keep just out of the blue. The more they look the more questions they have. So some of this is probably inspired by my friend and their quest to get answers.

We are still inching are way to Dancing All Night. But we still have some things to cover before we get there. Setsuko has to meet the rest of the Investigation Team and deal with her own personal life and what she wants to do with Kichiro and her future. But right now she is being bombarded with a lot of knowledge so she has to consider carefully her next actions.

Kayane has been more passive in this because he is more or less happy just meeting and knowing his sister. Mostly because he doesn't know what to do otherwise. Outside of his adopted Mother he doesn't really know what it is like to have family. So it will definitely be a learning experience for him but it will all start with whatever Setsuko decides she wants for her life.

I think one of the hardest things in life is when you come across things that are there because of someone that is gone. Especially family. It's something that all of us have to deal with at some point in our lives. Even if a Grandparent passes away and you weren't very close to them, it still affects you. Family is important because it is who we are as a species. Our names hold more significance in those moments when you realize that you were connected with someone else that had just died. You are faced with mortality and the thoughts that it is a fate you will have to face one day as well. It's why we strive to leave something behind in our wake. A legacy...proof that we were here...and for a time we felt we had purpose and our life had meaning.

In this story Kayane has represented a lot of things. He was meant to introduce topics that the original Persona 4 cast didn't have to face. Suicide, abuse, neglect and depression were all things that were never really touched too much on. And they aren't subjects that can be solved with words and a hug like a lot of the other things that the Investigation Team faced along the way. And we are slowly making our way to Kayane and Rise's biggest test...and one that will define them for their future.

I hope you have enjoyed the story so far. I'm hoping to make big strides forward in the next few chapters as we move to Dancing All Night. As always let me know what you think in a review...or send me a private message. I'm not picky. See you all next chapter.