Chapter 6: Gathering(part 2)
"Good bye, Miss Yuki!", a student said as she left the classroom of 2-4. Yuki smiled and waved at them. She has been a teacher for 5 years now. She's a good teacher because she hasn't forgotten what it was like to be a student. She must admit that most of the students she teach can't boast about the amount of experience they had. She and her friends had gone to hell and back, literally. Killing demons to live is not the most pleasant experience, but it is still experience, nonetheless. She wondered how they're doing. Perhaps it would be good to see them again. Have a little reunion, something like that. She organized her stuff into her bag and went off to the staff's office. Her thoughts about reunion would have to wait.
As she approached the staff room, she saw someone. A man dressed up in a business suit, talking to Mrs. Smith. He had long, yellow hair tied neatly back. He also wear a pair of glasses.
"Nate?", Yuki asked. Nate turned towards her.
"Hey, Yuki!", he called out. Mrs. Smith turned to look at Yuki. She still has that hairstyle from 10 years ago and she doesn't look too different other than several lines of care which graced her face. She's still smiling all the time. One of the reasons why she's a good and popular principal.
"Ah, Yuki! Nate just came back from America", she said and turned back towards Nate.
"I still have some work to do, so why don't the two of you chat for a while", she said. Nate nodded and Mrs. Smith left for her office.
"Well, talk about the devil.", Yuki said after Mrs. Smith is gone.
"Huh?", Nate said with a confused expression.
"I was just wondering what you guys are up to, and you came in", she said again. Nate chuckled and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you too" Yuki giggled and motioned towards the staff room. Yuki went inside. Nate followed behind her. They sat down in front of Yuki's desk.
"How are you doing?", Yuki asked.
"Pretty good", Nate said and shrugged. Yuki knew it was much better than 'pretty good'. His face is all over the magazines.
"Are you on business here?", Yuki asked.
"Well, sort of.", Nate said. Yuki looked at him. That was a vague answer.
"Sort of?", she asked him again.
Nate just nodded and proceeded to change the subject, and for the next half hour they just talked about things they did in the years past. After that, Nate excused himself and went to his hotel to get some real rest. Sleeping in planes is hell. --------
After Nate left, Yuki sat at her desk, thinking about various things. She walked off to a bus-stop near the school. She remembered having to walk all the way across town 10 years ago during the demonic invasion. Things are really different now. Most students never used the bus service since it's fairly close to the residential areas. Today, however, there are a lot of students and teachers alike at the bus stop. She guessed it was the cold weather that caused it. While waiting for her bus, she surveyed the people around the bus-stop. Most of them are students, chatting about various things ranging from the day's lessons to 'who's the hottest guy/girl/star' kind of topic. None in particular caught her attention. Except for 3 boys who are walking out of the school compound. They're not wearing scarves. Or gloves. Or anything to keep warm for that matter. The fact that they're going to walk in the cold weather didn't bother her. Some people can do that. The fact that they don't seem to be feeling cold at all was what caught her eye. She noticed that they are the most notorious students in school. Kai Kusanagi, Stevan Boravich and Takeshi Shimayagi. Something tugged in the back of her head. There is something about those boys.
Her train of thought was interrupted as her bus came into a screeching halt in front of her. She quickly boarded the bus and made a mental note to keep an eye on those boys.
--------
Naoya opened his eyes. His phone was ringing. It was 4 AM. Someone better have a good reason to wake him up this early, or else...
"Hello", he spoke sleepily into the mouthpiece.
"Hey, Naoya", the voice on the other end said.
"Who is this?", Naoya asked groggily. There was something familiar about this voice.
"I'm Brad. Remember me? We used to go to high school together", the voice replied. Naoya's eyes shot open. Brad? Why would Brad be calling him?
"What is it? You didn't call me just to say hello, did you?"
"Well, no, of course not. It's important. Otherwise, I wouldn't wake you up this early"
"How did you get my number?"
"I called your old house. Your mother told me the number" Note to self, change phone number.
".....Well? Why did you call me?" There was a pause for 2 minutes.
"Well.It's about the current headliners in town", Naoya did a double take.
"Hang on.You're in town?"
"Yup. Mark and his fiancée is here too", another double take by Naoya.
"Mark? He's in town as well?"
"Yeah. I called Yuki yesterday. Looks like Nate is here as well. Thanks to you" Another pause. It looks like the whole gang is here. It's usually a joyous occasion. Not now. Not under these circumstances.
"Brad?"
"Yeah?"
"Is your persona awake?" Another minute of silence.
"Not yet. How about yours?"
"They never sleep", Naoya smirked at this. His persona is still active after all these years. He didn't know why. Yuki's persona went into slumber after several years proceeding the incidents, so it couldn't be because he still lives in Lunarvale. It wasn't easy at first since his persona like to manifest themselves at all kinds of odd times. Philemon told him it was because his mind was very chaotic. He had to take lessons in mind focusing to control his persona. He turned to martial arts. It worked, somehow, and the training gave him a nice body.
"I see. Then, I suppose you have a reason to call Nate back here?"
"I wouldn't call him otherwise"
"Then this concerns us as well, right?" Naoya was silent for a while. Truth was, he didn't want to involve anyone else. He wanted his friends to be happy with their lives now.
"Brad, I want you to do me a favor", he said at length.
"Well, what can the great Brad Uesugi do for you now?", the voice on the other end said in that familiar arrogant tone.
"I need you to keep this a secret as much as possible. As far as I can tell, Ellen, Yuki and Alana didn't know anything yet. I contacted Nate and Mary because they have emotional connections to the incident ten years ago, and their personas are pretty much active", Naoya answered.
"But..why?"
"Because their personas hasn't awakened yet, and it is dangerous to involve them in this"
"What? Are the demons loose again?"
"Why did you think Mark's persona awakened?" Another five minutes of silence.
"Alright, buddy. I won't tell them. But you better tell us what you know", Brad said finally.
"Alright. I will meet you this Sunday. Go to the Sun mall. I will be there with Nate"
"Gotcha. By the way...You still look the same, right? I don't want to have to look for you"
"Don't worry. I will tell you the details. Just give me your number"
That ends the conversation. Naoya put down the receiver and began to think. There are other persona users beside them. If only he can make contact with them..Perhaps Yuki could help.
--------
Mei sat bolt uptight in her bed. It was 4 AM. She had that dream again. This is the 30th night that dream came back. It was always the same, and she's getting frustrated because it always made her wake up at all kinds of odd hours. She had been seriously contemplating about seeing a psychiatrist, but decided against it. She didn't want her parents to worry. She slept again for 3 hours and prepared to go to school. She realized 30 minutes later it was Sunday. With a sigh, she changed back to her house clothes. Not a very good way to start Sunday. She spent the rest of the morning doing her homework. She finished at noon, changed into a white t- shirt, blue skirt, blue vest and went off to the mall.
The bus stopped and Mei got off. She rarely went out alone, but today was an exception. She needed time to think. Lost in thought, she walked slowly across the street, unaware that the light had gone green. A truck nearly smashed into her if someone had not pulled her by the arm at the last second. The truck whizzed past her, blowing her untied raven hair flying in the direction of the truck. She stood for a good minute in stunned silence at what nearly happened to her, ignoring the curses and four letter words thrown towards her by the driver. After the shock passed, she looked back at her savior. White hair, gray shirt, black jacket, blue jeans, biker gloves on each hand. Kai. She gulped. She seems to be running into him a lot lately. A lot more than can be considered common coincidence.
"Uh..hi?", she said after a while.
"Watch where you're going", Kai said in that silent, cold voice. Mei nodded and began to move away as soon as Kai released her arm, which hurt from the squeezing from Kai's arm. She was about to walk away when she heard a loud growling from somewhere in her stomach. Kai raised an eyebrow. She turned red. He couldn't have heard that, could he?
"Come with me", Kai said.
"Eh?", Mei replied in surprise. She wasn't expecting this.
"I said, come with me", Kai said as he took her forearm and began to lead her.
"OW!", Mei squealed as Kai's grip tightened. Kai looked at her and loosened his grip a little.
"Sorry", he muttered and continued dragging her to the Peace Diners inside the mall.
In the Peace Diners, they ate. Mei ate a lot since she didn't have any breakfast or lunch. To her surprise, Kai managed to eat more than double her share. They ate in silence. Kai looked at something over her shoulder. She looked back and saw several people behind her. One was a red-haired man wearing black shirt and pants, another was a person she saw a lot in talk shows, Brad Uesugi. Another one was a black man. He looked like a rapper. Mei recognized him from somewhere, but she can't remember. Another was a woman with long, brown hair tied at the top. The last man wore a business suit and his blond hair was tied in a ponytail. He wore spectacles. Kai was looking at the redhead, and the redhead looked back, although not as openly. They were talking in low voices. After a while, they left. The rest of the day was uneventful for Mei. She split up with Kai after the meal and went home. Kai, however, met Naoya, the redhead, and his crew at the velvet room.
"It's you again", Kai said to Naoya.
"Yes, it's me", Naoya nodded and began to move out of the velvet room. He stopped for a moment when he went close to Kai. "I know what you want to ask. Don't worry. I shall tell you the next time we meet", he whispered before he moved on out of the room. Kai stared over his shoulder at the departing group.
--------
"You know him, Naoya?", Nate asked when they were out of the room.
"He's a persona master, like us", Naoya answered as they continue walking.
"What?! I thought we were the only ones who were able to use persona!", Mark chipped in.
"I suppose this is why you have called us here, then", Brad said with a smirk.
"That's right. Persona users usually appear only when demons are around. I have seen both persona masters and demons lately", Naoya stated.
"Is he the only one, or.", Mary said.
"There are others, but his is one of the strongest. He might be of value to us", Nate said.
"How did you know?", Mark asked again.
"Simple. I can read their energy traces. And that boy's is the strongest by far. I have seen others, but they can't compare to him", Nate replied.
"When the time comes, the boy might be the difference between our victory and defeat. Until that time.", Naoya trailed off. His friends knew what he's getting at. Until the new masters are ready, they'll have to do the job.
--------
Alright! That ends this chapter. Tell me what you guys think.
"Good bye, Miss Yuki!", a student said as she left the classroom of 2-4. Yuki smiled and waved at them. She has been a teacher for 5 years now. She's a good teacher because she hasn't forgotten what it was like to be a student. She must admit that most of the students she teach can't boast about the amount of experience they had. She and her friends had gone to hell and back, literally. Killing demons to live is not the most pleasant experience, but it is still experience, nonetheless. She wondered how they're doing. Perhaps it would be good to see them again. Have a little reunion, something like that. She organized her stuff into her bag and went off to the staff's office. Her thoughts about reunion would have to wait.
As she approached the staff room, she saw someone. A man dressed up in a business suit, talking to Mrs. Smith. He had long, yellow hair tied neatly back. He also wear a pair of glasses.
"Nate?", Yuki asked. Nate turned towards her.
"Hey, Yuki!", he called out. Mrs. Smith turned to look at Yuki. She still has that hairstyle from 10 years ago and she doesn't look too different other than several lines of care which graced her face. She's still smiling all the time. One of the reasons why she's a good and popular principal.
"Ah, Yuki! Nate just came back from America", she said and turned back towards Nate.
"I still have some work to do, so why don't the two of you chat for a while", she said. Nate nodded and Mrs. Smith left for her office.
"Well, talk about the devil.", Yuki said after Mrs. Smith is gone.
"Huh?", Nate said with a confused expression.
"I was just wondering what you guys are up to, and you came in", she said again. Nate chuckled and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you too" Yuki giggled and motioned towards the staff room. Yuki went inside. Nate followed behind her. They sat down in front of Yuki's desk.
"How are you doing?", Yuki asked.
"Pretty good", Nate said and shrugged. Yuki knew it was much better than 'pretty good'. His face is all over the magazines.
"Are you on business here?", Yuki asked.
"Well, sort of.", Nate said. Yuki looked at him. That was a vague answer.
"Sort of?", she asked him again.
Nate just nodded and proceeded to change the subject, and for the next half hour they just talked about things they did in the years past. After that, Nate excused himself and went to his hotel to get some real rest. Sleeping in planes is hell. --------
After Nate left, Yuki sat at her desk, thinking about various things. She walked off to a bus-stop near the school. She remembered having to walk all the way across town 10 years ago during the demonic invasion. Things are really different now. Most students never used the bus service since it's fairly close to the residential areas. Today, however, there are a lot of students and teachers alike at the bus stop. She guessed it was the cold weather that caused it. While waiting for her bus, she surveyed the people around the bus-stop. Most of them are students, chatting about various things ranging from the day's lessons to 'who's the hottest guy/girl/star' kind of topic. None in particular caught her attention. Except for 3 boys who are walking out of the school compound. They're not wearing scarves. Or gloves. Or anything to keep warm for that matter. The fact that they're going to walk in the cold weather didn't bother her. Some people can do that. The fact that they don't seem to be feeling cold at all was what caught her eye. She noticed that they are the most notorious students in school. Kai Kusanagi, Stevan Boravich and Takeshi Shimayagi. Something tugged in the back of her head. There is something about those boys.
Her train of thought was interrupted as her bus came into a screeching halt in front of her. She quickly boarded the bus and made a mental note to keep an eye on those boys.
--------
Naoya opened his eyes. His phone was ringing. It was 4 AM. Someone better have a good reason to wake him up this early, or else...
"Hello", he spoke sleepily into the mouthpiece.
"Hey, Naoya", the voice on the other end said.
"Who is this?", Naoya asked groggily. There was something familiar about this voice.
"I'm Brad. Remember me? We used to go to high school together", the voice replied. Naoya's eyes shot open. Brad? Why would Brad be calling him?
"What is it? You didn't call me just to say hello, did you?"
"Well, no, of course not. It's important. Otherwise, I wouldn't wake you up this early"
"How did you get my number?"
"I called your old house. Your mother told me the number" Note to self, change phone number.
".....Well? Why did you call me?" There was a pause for 2 minutes.
"Well.It's about the current headliners in town", Naoya did a double take.
"Hang on.You're in town?"
"Yup. Mark and his fiancée is here too", another double take by Naoya.
"Mark? He's in town as well?"
"Yeah. I called Yuki yesterday. Looks like Nate is here as well. Thanks to you" Another pause. It looks like the whole gang is here. It's usually a joyous occasion. Not now. Not under these circumstances.
"Brad?"
"Yeah?"
"Is your persona awake?" Another minute of silence.
"Not yet. How about yours?"
"They never sleep", Naoya smirked at this. His persona is still active after all these years. He didn't know why. Yuki's persona went into slumber after several years proceeding the incidents, so it couldn't be because he still lives in Lunarvale. It wasn't easy at first since his persona like to manifest themselves at all kinds of odd times. Philemon told him it was because his mind was very chaotic. He had to take lessons in mind focusing to control his persona. He turned to martial arts. It worked, somehow, and the training gave him a nice body.
"I see. Then, I suppose you have a reason to call Nate back here?"
"I wouldn't call him otherwise"
"Then this concerns us as well, right?" Naoya was silent for a while. Truth was, he didn't want to involve anyone else. He wanted his friends to be happy with their lives now.
"Brad, I want you to do me a favor", he said at length.
"Well, what can the great Brad Uesugi do for you now?", the voice on the other end said in that familiar arrogant tone.
"I need you to keep this a secret as much as possible. As far as I can tell, Ellen, Yuki and Alana didn't know anything yet. I contacted Nate and Mary because they have emotional connections to the incident ten years ago, and their personas are pretty much active", Naoya answered.
"But..why?"
"Because their personas hasn't awakened yet, and it is dangerous to involve them in this"
"What? Are the demons loose again?"
"Why did you think Mark's persona awakened?" Another five minutes of silence.
"Alright, buddy. I won't tell them. But you better tell us what you know", Brad said finally.
"Alright. I will meet you this Sunday. Go to the Sun mall. I will be there with Nate"
"Gotcha. By the way...You still look the same, right? I don't want to have to look for you"
"Don't worry. I will tell you the details. Just give me your number"
That ends the conversation. Naoya put down the receiver and began to think. There are other persona users beside them. If only he can make contact with them..Perhaps Yuki could help.
--------
Mei sat bolt uptight in her bed. It was 4 AM. She had that dream again. This is the 30th night that dream came back. It was always the same, and she's getting frustrated because it always made her wake up at all kinds of odd hours. She had been seriously contemplating about seeing a psychiatrist, but decided against it. She didn't want her parents to worry. She slept again for 3 hours and prepared to go to school. She realized 30 minutes later it was Sunday. With a sigh, she changed back to her house clothes. Not a very good way to start Sunday. She spent the rest of the morning doing her homework. She finished at noon, changed into a white t- shirt, blue skirt, blue vest and went off to the mall.
The bus stopped and Mei got off. She rarely went out alone, but today was an exception. She needed time to think. Lost in thought, she walked slowly across the street, unaware that the light had gone green. A truck nearly smashed into her if someone had not pulled her by the arm at the last second. The truck whizzed past her, blowing her untied raven hair flying in the direction of the truck. She stood for a good minute in stunned silence at what nearly happened to her, ignoring the curses and four letter words thrown towards her by the driver. After the shock passed, she looked back at her savior. White hair, gray shirt, black jacket, blue jeans, biker gloves on each hand. Kai. She gulped. She seems to be running into him a lot lately. A lot more than can be considered common coincidence.
"Uh..hi?", she said after a while.
"Watch where you're going", Kai said in that silent, cold voice. Mei nodded and began to move away as soon as Kai released her arm, which hurt from the squeezing from Kai's arm. She was about to walk away when she heard a loud growling from somewhere in her stomach. Kai raised an eyebrow. She turned red. He couldn't have heard that, could he?
"Come with me", Kai said.
"Eh?", Mei replied in surprise. She wasn't expecting this.
"I said, come with me", Kai said as he took her forearm and began to lead her.
"OW!", Mei squealed as Kai's grip tightened. Kai looked at her and loosened his grip a little.
"Sorry", he muttered and continued dragging her to the Peace Diners inside the mall.
In the Peace Diners, they ate. Mei ate a lot since she didn't have any breakfast or lunch. To her surprise, Kai managed to eat more than double her share. They ate in silence. Kai looked at something over her shoulder. She looked back and saw several people behind her. One was a red-haired man wearing black shirt and pants, another was a person she saw a lot in talk shows, Brad Uesugi. Another one was a black man. He looked like a rapper. Mei recognized him from somewhere, but she can't remember. Another was a woman with long, brown hair tied at the top. The last man wore a business suit and his blond hair was tied in a ponytail. He wore spectacles. Kai was looking at the redhead, and the redhead looked back, although not as openly. They were talking in low voices. After a while, they left. The rest of the day was uneventful for Mei. She split up with Kai after the meal and went home. Kai, however, met Naoya, the redhead, and his crew at the velvet room.
"It's you again", Kai said to Naoya.
"Yes, it's me", Naoya nodded and began to move out of the velvet room. He stopped for a moment when he went close to Kai. "I know what you want to ask. Don't worry. I shall tell you the next time we meet", he whispered before he moved on out of the room. Kai stared over his shoulder at the departing group.
--------
"You know him, Naoya?", Nate asked when they were out of the room.
"He's a persona master, like us", Naoya answered as they continue walking.
"What?! I thought we were the only ones who were able to use persona!", Mark chipped in.
"I suppose this is why you have called us here, then", Brad said with a smirk.
"That's right. Persona users usually appear only when demons are around. I have seen both persona masters and demons lately", Naoya stated.
"Is he the only one, or.", Mary said.
"There are others, but his is one of the strongest. He might be of value to us", Nate said.
"How did you know?", Mark asked again.
"Simple. I can read their energy traces. And that boy's is the strongest by far. I have seen others, but they can't compare to him", Nate replied.
"When the time comes, the boy might be the difference between our victory and defeat. Until that time.", Naoya trailed off. His friends knew what he's getting at. Until the new masters are ready, they'll have to do the job.
--------
Alright! That ends this chapter. Tell me what you guys think.