Hello everyvody! I must apologise for the delay and semi-hiatus. Between hectic work and damaged laptops, I had my hands full on the past months and same with my partner Ohta-chan. On the bright side, we managed to finish another chapter. Action paced with some fluffy scenes and some new mysteries. Enjoy ;3
And now, Questions time!
ZERO: Nothing good, That's for sure. Let's find out now.
Wren Truesong: Why thank you. =3 That means a lot to us.
dayabr: Glad you like it =3
Blitzshine: No we don't work at Atlus, but yeah we thought about introducing Sho now since we needed someone to interact with Labrys that wasn't part of the main cast. We'll be seeing him again soon and more questions will arise that's for sure.
Confuzed-Anime-Fan: The other two members of Strega appeared on Chidori's dungeon a few chapters ago. I don't think they'll make a second appearance, but if they do, rest assured they'll get another beating XD
KO: There's much we don't know about Sho or his Plume of Dusk for that matter, but that leaves us open for speculation and theories while the game doesn't come out. Hopefully we'll get to learn more about him soon.
Yoshikunitsu: Aww, thanks for the kind words. We'll do our best =3
Raidou The 16th: Thanks a lot =3
Code-Emperor07: Sho's quite fun to write about even though we don't know much about him yet so ya might see more of him for a while.
FoolsSin: Regarding the Occult club, ya might be onto something there. ;3 *winks*
A few other warnings:
-There will be spoilers for all games! You've been warned.
-The Main characters from each game in this fanfic are called Minato Arisato (P3:FES), Minako Arisato (P3P) and Souji Seta (P4)
-There'll be some cursing. (Anyone that played any persona games knows that some characters on it curse quite a bit.) as well as some heavy subjects.
-Main Pairings in this fanfic: MinatoxYukari, ShinjiroxMinako, SoujixYukiko, KanjixNaoto, AkihikoxMitsuru, YosukexChie.
-Hinted Pairings: JunpeixChidori. (Hinted because Chidori doesn't appear much on this story) KenxNanako (Ya know those little girl's crushes on older boys? It'll be along those lines) FuukaxKeisuke (Other than Minato and Junpei, Fuuka only displayed some sort of close relationship with Keisuke the club president. I found it kinda cute.) TeddiexRise (Just for giggles. They are afterall the two hyperactive cuties of the team X3)
Have fun ya guys.
Persona series and all its characters (c) Atlus
Chapter 22: Papillion Hearts and Plumes of Dusk.
SPIES' Dorm...
Metis was hurried into the meeting room. Aigis laid her on the large table, while Fuuka and Mitsuru scrambled around the room, gathering equipment and activating whatever program there was on the computer. Shinshudo began her inspection on Metis, taking mental notes about the damage that was caused by her daughter. 'Goodness, I know that Labrys is strong. But I never thought she had this much raw rage pent up inside her…there must be something my predecessors missed when they were working on her.'
Labrys was sent outside to wait in the lounge with the others, where they could hear her mother giving out orders to Aigis and Fuuka. She sat by the window, staring outside while remaining perfectly still, like a porcelain doll on display. She didn't even flinch at the discontent stares the others were giving her. At first Akihiko and Shinjiro were assigned to keep an eye on her, but then walked away when Teddie attempted to cheer her up by telling her jokes, and flirting with her at the same time. She ignored him, not even batting an eyelid.
The blonde finally gave up, running back to Yosuke. "Yosuke ~ Labby-chan hates me!" he whined.
"Will you shut up?" Yosuke groaned, shoving Teddie away from him."I'd hate you too if you were making passes at me non-stop. And sit down, no one's in the mood to hear your bitching!"
Teddie went to an empty corner to sulk. The tension was so thick it could be sliced with a knife.
Mitsuru finally came out. "Senpai, how is she?" Yukari was the first to ask.
"Fuuka and Shinshudo managed to stabilize her core systems, but she's not out of danger yet. A lot of her mechanical parts are broken beyond repair, so I ordered spare parts to be shipped here and arriving first thing tomorrow." Just as she finished her sentence, out stepped Fuuka and Shinshudo.
"She's charging up and resting. Aigis is taking her up to her room," Fuuka told them, wiping off the grease from her hands with a paper towel. "We did all we could for now. Once the spare parts arrive and placed inside her, I should be able to access her processors and continue on her bio-systems. The modulations need some work, but I'm positive we can get her back to normal in no time."
"Uh…did you get any of that?" Kanji asked Naoto.
"It means that Metis will have a few days of recovery ahead of her," she told him simply. His eyes widened in understanding.
"She's lucky to be alive," Yukiko said. "If Shinshudo-san wasn't there, Metis would have been in even more danger."
"Yeah, and she might not have made the trip to the Kirijo Labs at Yakushima in one piece," Ken added. "The strain from the transportation alone might cost her her life."
Yosuke suddenly punched the wall, surprising his teammates. "I should have taken her worries more seriously…" he growled weakly.
"Yosuke, what's that matter?" Chie asked.
"She told me yesterday that Labrys was always unfriendly towards her, and something about not being able to read her. I brushed it off thinking that it was just Labrys being a strict prefect, and she treats everyone else the same way. But…"
Souji grabbed his shoulder and forced him to look into his eyes. "Yosuke, stop it. She put up a flawless façade. None of us would have suspected her to snap like that…we didn't even know she's a Suppression Weapon until now."
Mitsuru narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "I think it's due time that you explain yourself."
Minako excused herself and went to the kitchen to make some tea. Labrys got up and offered her mother her seat, and stood on guard beside her. The Persona-users gathered around, some took a seat on the sofas while the rest leaned on the wall or stood behind their seated friends. The female leader soon came back with a teapot of Earl Grey, and offered a cup to the older lady. Whatever that's left was remained untouched; nobody was in the mood for refreshments.
"Thank you dear," Shinshudo said, and took a delicate sip. Minako smiled at her before taking her place beside Shinjiro.
Labrys stared at them with a blank expression. Mitsuru tapped her foot impatiently. As soon as Shinshudo finished her tea, the staring contest between the two women kept on going, unwilling to lose. That was, until the dark-haired woman relented and let out a long sigh.
"I must be losing my touch," she said, closing her eyes slowly. "I don't take orders easily, even from you, little Miss Kirijo. You were a naïve girl back then. But even so, you're as sharp as your father in understanding what goes on behind the scenes." Shinshudo lifted her gaze to look at each and every one of SPIES. "You all must be wondering who I really am. I knew you had your suspicions about me, especially you two – " she turned to the Arisato twins, "whenever you came to visit me at my shop back in Port Island. A woman who can fuse Personas into weapons, but cannot summon one herself – a huge contrast indeed."
"Just cut to the chase," Mitsuru ordered curtly. "What business did you come here for, and why do you have a 5th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon with you? I thought they were all but destroyed when they began construction of the 6th and 7th Generations."
"Let us start at the beginning, shall we?" Shinsoudo retorted coolly, polishing her glasses. Mitsuru bristled at that. "Aigis, do you remember who gave you the red ribbon that you always wear?"
"Pardon me?" Aigis reached for the ribbon around her neck, touching it gently. "I…"
"It's only natural you don't remember. After your accident with the 13th Arcana Shadow, the fragments of your memory circuits from before that were destroyed, which I was made to understand. Because your memories are beginning to function more like a human's, it's expected that after such a trauma, you would all but forget."
Labrys looked at the floor, clenching her fists tightly. She bit her lip in order to remain quiet.
"My name is…was…Yuu Kimijima. I was head scientist of the Kirijo Weapons Research Lab over thirteen years ago, responsible for the creation of the 7th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon. Aigis was specifically under my care. I was the one who gave her that ribbon."
The gasps and murmurs got louder. "But, that was the past," she cut them off, successfully making them quiet. "And I prefer it to stay that way. I'm just happy that Aigis is taken good care of by you all, and is now more human than ever. I couldn't be more proud."
"How did you acquire Labrys?" Mitsuru asked. "I never received any report of a break in or authorization to take anything out of those labs for the past 3 years."
Shinshudo sent her a sharp glare. "You seem to be forgetting who I was. Just because I haven't been to that place for over ten years, doesn't mean that I've forgotten every nook and cranny."
"But the security codes have been changed. How did you get past them?"
"I didn't do anything of the sort. It was just about four or five years ago, and your father was still alive. Although I didn't work for him anymore then, we still remained in touch. One day, he contacted me to take in some of the lab's inventory, mostly past research material, to make room for new ones. I didn't want to at first, but Takeharu talked me into it, despite knowing full well I wanted to leave that life behind me. I kept them in the shop's basement, because I didn't want to be reminded of the past."
"But you got curious," Naoto said, prompting the woman into talking.
"Yes. After what happened with The Fall, I contemplated moving out of Port Island, but I couldn't just leave all that stuff without properly disposing them. That's where I found Labrys, in a compact storage unit underneath everything."
"You activated her, but you didn't know what she was capable of, did you?" Fuuka asked.
"That's right. I hacked the lab servers a few months ago for the sole intention of finding more data on Labrys. Since Aigis was based on her, the information wasn't difficult to find."
Aigis gulped. "And…and what did you find?" she asked.
"Plenty, I can assure you. How they treated Labrys and her sisters in that lab was barbaric, nothing short of inhumane!" Shinshudo spat. "All for the sake of collecting data, they forced her to battle her sisters. They wanted to awaken her Persona, but they didn't treat her like human at all!"
Labrys snapped out of her reverie. "Momma, please...Calm down!" she pleaded. "Breathe!"
Doing as told, Shinshudo sat down, taking deep breaths, her daughter giving her a worried look. When she regained her composure, she continued her story. "After activating her, I noticed that there was still something wrong. Using the data I hacked from my past research with Aigis, I was able to regulate her internal functions, and taught her how to summon her Persona, despite not having a much more stable processor like the Papillion Heart. I raised her to be normal girl, sent her to school, and taught her how to socialize. I never realized there were still some malicious thoughts deep within her subconscious that still contained past orders for her to attack her own kind. Why she specifically targeted Metis, I'm not sure…"
"I remembered back in Yakushima Island, Aigis recognized me and Minako without any doubts, despite her scrambled memories," Minato said thoughtfully. "It all has to do with the subconscious. What is it about her past that made her so aggressive towards Metis despite not having met before?"
"Perhaps showing you should help you understand better." Shinshudo went back into the meeting room and took a seat in front of Fuuka's laptop, and began to type with amazing speed. The SPIES quickly rushed in. Mitsuru looked on warily, but decided to let the illegal activity slide for now. The screen monitor showed nothing except code language at first, but after a few minutes of more typing from the former scientist, a blurry image began to appear. "This is what I managed to pull out from some of the old archives. They managed to erase a large portion of data, but as with every research, a backup copy must be stored somewhere. I figured since Labrys was one of their successful prototypes, there should more data on her than any of her sisters at the time."
At first the sound that could only be heard from the blurry video was static, but as the picture cleared, so did the audio. The soft sounds of crashing waves and subtle winds reached their ears.
"The beach?" Rise wondered. "That makes sense. They were in Yakushima when this happened, right?"
"Correct. The research facility was there." Shinshudo continued to type. "There…that should do it."
The screen gave an even clearer picture now. They heard a dog barking in the distance, and the soft voices of two people talking. The beach could be clearly seen, but it wasn't in any part that they recognized.
"There is an open area just beside the lab, which is a secluded part of the beach. That's where they must be," Mitsuru said, mostly talking to herself.
The camera slowly started moving to the right. Another girl came into view, and everyone gasped.
"She…she looks just like Metis…" Yukari murmured.
"Her hair color is different, but they do look so much alike…" Minako said. "This video must be a first person point of view from Labrys, is that correct?"
"Yes, that's correct. The scientists recorded their memories to see how well they interact with each other and monitor their emotional development. But that wasn't their goal," Shinshudo said. "Ultimately, it boils down to how well the Plume of Dusk develops in order for them to summon a Persona. As I said before, Labrys was the most successful thus far of the 5th Generation. However, the only method they could think of to draw them out was for them to battle each other, as self-preservation kicks in and eventually their Personas will manifest."
"Plume of Dusk?" Souji asked. "What exactly is that?"
"You are familiar with Aigis' Papillion Heart, correct?" The older woman looked at Mitsuru and Fuuka, then the rest. "It originated from the Plume of Dusk, a type of crystalline substance that resonates strongly to the human subconscious. Because in order for a robot to summon a Persona, they need to have the appearance, to think and feel like a human. However…"
Another footage popped on the screen, showing an intense battle between mechanical maidens inside an arena. Labrys swung her axe around with deadly precision, totally annihilating her opponents. Her jetpack gave her the greatest advantage, as she maneuvered herself through the air and out of next few videos showed the same thing, until the last one came up. In the end, only Labrys and the robot girl from earlier were the last ones standing. They could hear Labrys begging and crying for the scientists to spare them, but fell on deaf ears. "No…please…NO!" The contrast between her voice and the fight made the Persona-users conclude that she wasn't in control of her body. After a brutal battle, Labrys was the winner.
Said girl held her head, trying to block out the sounds. Small whimpers could be heard amongst the noise from the screen's speakers.
Kanji nearly broke the table by pounding on it so hard. "That's how they were treated?! By forcing them to kill each other in hopes that they awaken to a Persona!? Bullshit!"
Shinshudo rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling tired. "I got into conflicts with a few of my colleagues when I was promoted, because I wanted to try another method that deviates from their normal practices. After I discovered this, I wish I got there a lot sooner."
Labrys hugged her mother. "I tried to escape, but I was surrounded and outnumbered. They shut me down and deemed me a failure, locking me away forever."
Shinshudo returned her daughter's embrace, gently running her fingers through her sea-blue hair. "I know, my dear. I wish I could have changed things, but no one has the power to undo the past. Just know that whatever happened to your friends was not your fault."
The next thing Labrys did surprised the others. She started to shed tears.
"I don't know why they deemed her as a failure," Minako said, almost crying at the touching scene. "She's capable of feeling and expressing emotions. And so did that other android in the video."
"They made me kill her…forced me to destroy everyone. The first time I saw Metis, I thought that she was resurrected somehow, but then all those bad memories came back to me," Labrys wept. "Every time I see her, I get conflicting feelings. Her very presence…felt so familiar, just like #024's, but she's gone. That's why I treated Metis badly. I wanted her to hate me, because if we became friends I'll forget everything about #024 and Snowy. I keep telling myself that all those ghost sightings were entirely her fault, until I eventually believed it, even though deep down I knew it wasn't the truth."
"So that's her name...#024," Yukiko whispered.
"The way she thinks is quite childish…" Naoto observed. "But then again, she experienced much trauma in such a short lifespan."
"Could it be that Labrys also attacked Metis because she looked so much like her friend?" Chie wondered out loud. "Did you guys see those robot girls she was fighting before? They all looked almost the same. It was creepy, yet kind of cool." Every head turned to her direction. "Huh? Did I say something weird? Why are you guys looking at me like that?!"
"Hmm…you have a point. Then it confirms my suspicions that there must be some sort of malicious program that affects her thinking process," Shinshudo said. "It overrides her emotions and logic as it forces her to think that her sisters were Shadows, and to eliminate them at all costs. Once I get home, I assure you that I will rid of those codes from her memory once and for all."
"#024 left me a message, a small file transferred to my hard drive, before we were forced to fight. They tried to make me forget her, delete all my memories. One of the researchers said that emotional weapons who shed tears are useless."
"That's just too cruel," Rise said, choking back her sobs. Kanji looked more furious than before, and the others clenched their fists.
"May we see it?" Fuuka asked. "I'll just connect you to the screen, so we can all see or hear what she left you with. Maybe we can figure out something from there."
Labrys gave her permission, and Fuuka connected some wires to an inlet behind her neck. There was no video, only audio. A young girl's voice.
"I know the world is a big place. And I know there's a lotta people in it. But I won't be able to meet many of 'em...I know that too. I'm too weak for that. Thinking about it made me sad more than once. But I didn't wanna do nothing and be left with regrets. That was when my mom and dad looked into some options, and we decided to go with this experiments. If even a sick girl like me could make herself useful to others in this world... I thought I oughtta go for it. At first I kept wonderin' how much I could really contribute... But after hearing more and more about the program, I started to wonder about the others more'n myself... And yeah, my big wish is to make myself useful to this world... But the ones born from me... is 'born' the right word for it? Haha, kinda embarrassing. My other wish is that the ones born from me are happy... I doubt I'll be able to talk to 'em in person or stay with 'em... But I still wish from the bottom 'a my heart that they all have happy lives... "
What they heard was heart-wrenching, and most of the girls in the room burst into tears. Mitsuru tried her hardest to keep her composure but her shoulders were shaking so badly, as the guilt over the atrocities committed by the Kirijo Group was overwhelming her once again, Akihiko had to hold her hand to comfort her even if only a little bit.
"So all of them had a 'template' of the same girl as a base personality," Souji mumbled thoughtfully. "Could it be…I see…that must be it…"
"What are you talking about, Banchou-kun?" Minato asked, cocking his head in confusion.
"I just thought…perhaps that Metis really is the embodiment of the girl that #024 was talking about."
Now it was others' turns to look confused. "Come again?" Akihiko vocalized their confusion.
"Think about it for a sec…Aigis-san has a Papillion Heart, which is based off the Plume of Dusk, and everything in general about the 7th Generation is based on the previous Generations, right? And essentially, Metis was born from Aigis-san's heart. So the basis of her heart is also from that girl #024 mentioned, it explains why her appearance doesn't resemble Aigis-san at all. However, only Metis-san was in close proximity with Labrys-san. I'm sure if it was Aigis-san in Metis' place, she'd have the same confusing and mixed feelings…because their wavelengths resonate…maybe…?" Souji ended his explanation hesitantly. Not everyone understood what he tried to say.
"Yes, I see your point. That also strengthens my suspicion about the malicious software I was talking about earlier. It looks like I have my work cut out for me. Labrys, let's go home and take a look at whatever those wretched people put inside your head," Shinshudo said with finality. "I'll be back tomorrow to help you with your friend, so – "
"Please, wait!" another voice interrupted. Metis stood at the entrance archway, supported by Aigis. The condition of her body had seen better days, and her broken arm was reconnected with duct tape as a temporary cast. Despite that, she was clean from the dirt and debris of the floodplains.
"I'm sorry, but she said she wanted to see Labrys, despite your orders for her to rest," Aigis apologized. "She insisted on coming down, even after I warned her that Labrys might attack her again."
"Don't worry about me, Sister," Metis assured her. "I'll be fine. Now that we have pinpointed why she was so hostile to me, I'm positive she gained better control of herself. After all, we're still sisters, despite being created of different timelines and origins."
Labrys was dumbfounded. "What are you sayin'?"
"After hearing what you said, I hold no grudge against you." Metis stepped closer, limping a little, and took both of her hands. "I forgive you, so please don't feel guilty. #024 would also not want you to burden yourself over something that you have no control of."
"You…how can you put your trust in me like that after what I did to you?"
"Why? Because just like me and Sister, your feelings have longed developed like a human's." Metis lightly touched the left side of Labrys' chest. "I can…feel it…your heart. I feel it in mine, too. She…lives within us. You refused to give up your memories, to protect something so precious regardless of the cost. Doesn't that mean you have been following your heart all this while? The heart never lies."
"But…I hurt you!"
"None of us are perfect. At times, we hurt other people without meaning to. But now that you have better control of yourself, and you finally trust your heart, I forgive you."
"That's right, Labrys," Minato said as he and the other two Wild Cards approached her. "Regardless of whether you did it unconsciously or intentionally, after hearing what you had to say, we won't think any less of you."
"Aniki is right. I did say during our fight that you weren't a bad person, right?" Minako smiled. "You were just upset and sad. Grief and anger can turn us irrational sometimes, but it doesn't mean that we'll turn you away because of it."
Souji turned to Mitsuru. "Now that we know all this, you won't let the labs confiscate her, would you?" he asked.
Mitsuru sighed, and smiled. "It can't be helped. My late father willingly released her into Shinshudo's custody, and seeing that she wasn't working under Kirijo Labs even back then, I suppose Labrys belongs to her now."
"Isn't that great, Labrys-san? You can remain here without any fear of those people trying to erase your memories!" the silverette cheered, and a few of his friends whooped in joy behind him.
Labrys looked like she was about to cry. "You guys are willing…to be my friends?"
Everyone, even Shinjiro, smiled and nodded at her. Koromaru rubbed his head against Labrys' legs. She knelt down to hug him. "Thank you…" More tears fell.
Time seemed to stop as the Wild Cards heard that mysterious voice again…
Thou art I, and I am thou,
Thou hast created a new bond,
It brings thee closer to the truth,
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Moon Arcana.
Shinshudo's was staring intently at Souji for some reason. "You, the tall one with silver hair…"
He blinked, confused at being called in such a manner. "Yes, what is it?"
"You look…familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
"Umm…I don't think so. Why?"
"You…look like someone I knew a long time ago, especially the color of your hair. Your eyes too. Tell me, what is your surname?"
"It's – " Before he could answer, a shiver tingled down his spine. Immediately, he turned to his surrogate siblings and they had the same reaction too. "Damn it, this isn't good."
The Dark Hour hit.
Labrys stood up and kicked Koromaru away from her. Her front bangs covered her eyes, but it didn't stop the rest from seeing that they were glowing menacingly red.
"Koro!" Shinjiro shouted, rushing ahead to tend to the dog, who was whining in pain. "Oi! What's the big deal?!"
"Labby-chan?" Teddie called hesitantly.
The gears in Aigis' headband were increasing speed, making a loud whirring noise. Her eyes were glowing red too.
"Aigis? What's going on here?!" Mitsuru demanded.
"Watch out!" Kanji was quick enough to shove Naoto and Yukiko aside as Metis pulled out her Cross Rod and took a swipe at them. Just like her sisters, her eyes were glowing, expression empty.
Aigis aimed her fingers at them, the tips open and ready to fire. Everyone immediately ducked, just as she released a round of bullets. Luckily, no one was hit, but the furniture and windows needed replacing.
"What the hell's got into them?!" Junpei yelled.
"Aigis…could it be…" Minato remembered after SEES finally defeated the 12th Arcana Shadow. On top of the observation tower, Ikutsuki had controlled her in order to sacrifice them to Nyx. "It's happening again! They're being controlled!"
"Everybody, get outside now!" Mitsuru ordered. Those who were close enough to the patio door made their way out the door, while the rest who were not so fortunate made do with jumping out the window or in Shinjiro and Akihiko's case, smashing through the french windows near the kitchen.
As soon as everyone congregated in the middle of the open garden, Rise summoned Kanzeon. "There's an evil presence in the area...there's no doubt that it's doing this to them!"
The mechanical maidens walked slowly towards the human Persona-users, their menacing strides screaming danger as they got closer. The teenagers immediately got into their battle stance, those with concealed weapons already taken out. Eerie blue smoke eminated from their feet, ready to summon the physical manifestation of their psyche.
Souji stood in front of Shinshudo, shielding her. "You best stay behind us. We'll try to bring them back to their senses. Whoever is controlling them will likely take you out, too."
A cold, maniacal laughter echoed throughout the oppressing atmosphere. The silverette and his SEES friends paled. They knew that voice!
"So, you troublesome kids figured things out faster this time?" The evil ex-chairman's voice echoed from somewhere on the roof. "That's quite the progress in this early stage." He stepped out from the shadow, his skinny form finally visible under the pale moonlight.
"IKUTSUKI!" Shinshudo shouted angrily. Her expression was enought to scare a Shadow. "SO THIS IS YOUR DOING?!"
"Why so surprised, Kimijima?" he sneered. "Controling machines like these is mere child's play."
"RELEASE THEM RIGHT NOW! THEY ARE NOT YOUR PLAYTHINGS!"
"Oh dear, you really don't have to shout like that. You'll increase the amount of wrinkles that way, with the face you're making right now." Ikutsuki chuckled some more. "I have and always will be superior than you, in rank and in knowledge. Did you really think that I never had a backup plan on how to control these puppets? Your goal of making them behave like humans means having free will, and free will leads to rebellion. I found a way to remove that, and control them to my exact demand, despite that little mishap three years ago." He pushed his glasses up lightly with the tip of his middle finger. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an experiment to conduct."
Souji's headache came back, but he suppressed it as best as he could. He grunted, trying to keep the pain from showing.
"Ah, that's right. I have yet to see if the fruits of my labor have finally ripened. Isn't that right, Souji-chan?" The former chairman snapped his fingers. "Aigis, Metis, Labrys...get rid of those meddling pests."
The three of them seperated, surrounding the group from different corners.
The Wild Cards immediately split up, quickly assessing their opponents and suitable team members that could counter their attacks.
Minato took on Metis. "Yukari, Yosuke, Mitsuru-senpai, and Teddie. With me!"
His sister went with Aigis. "Ken-kun, Akihiko-senpai, Koro-chan and Yukiko-chan. Let's go! Fuuka-chan, Rise-chan, take care of Shinshudo-san."
That left Souji with Labrys. "Heavy hitters, with me! Shinjiro-san, Kanji, Chie, Naoto and Junpei-san!"
"ROGER!"
With Minato...
Yosuke began to panic. "What do we do?! If we don't fight back back, they'll terminate us! And if we do – " His sentence was cut short when Metis aimed a Bufudyne spell at him. He swiftly dodged it. It was painful to watch her body twitch and tremble as she summoned Psyche once more, preparing to strike again.
Yukari summoned Isis to shield the rest of her group members from a Garudyne "She's quite banged up from her fight with Labrys. I'm not sure she can take the strain of multiple summoning for too long."
"Labrys and Aigis are in no better shape themselves." Minato summoned Beserker to counter her physical attacks. "Damn, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place."
Mitsuru elegantly dodged Metis as she tried to hit the red-head with her rod, holding it with her good arm. Luckily, that halved the damage potential caused by her weapon."It's as you say. Who knows what kind of permanent damage they'll suffer if they continue on like this?"
"Can't we subdue her...like put Metty-chan to sleep or something?" Teddie asked. "She can't fight back if she's asleep."
"You got a point there, Teddie. Might as well give it a try." Minato pointed the Evoker to his head. "Lorelei, Dormina!"
The harp-wielding siren appeared, and began to play her harp. An enchanting sound emanated from the instrument, and for a moment Metis stopped moving, entranced by the tune. That is until Lorelei opened her mouth and began to sing. The air around Metis began to shimmer as the sleeping spell weaved around her. It appeared to be working, but the artificial maiden was putting up a strong resistance.
"Why isn't it working?" Yukari asked, her voice high-pitched as she started to panic.
"The chairman must have thought of this and added resistance to ailment attacks in his control," Fuuka said. They could hear Shinshudo cursing in the background.
"Then she'll need to lose her focus first," Yosuke suggested. "Minato-san, hit her with Stagnant Air. I'll take care of the rest." He twirled his kunais, in stance ready to attack.
The blunette nodded. "Lorelei, you heard him." The siren's fingers plucked the strings of her harp faster and faster, until the air around Metis shimmered a greenish glow. "Now, Yosuke!"
"Susano-O..." The god of storms was summoned, as Yosuke kicked the ground and leaped towards the android with superhuman speed, creating a V movement mid-air. Caught by surprise, Metis was unable to defend herself as he kicked her down. While still in the air, Susano-O made a ninja seal jesture and casted Tentarafoo.
With her mental defenses significantly lowered, the Confusion spell hit right on the mark. Metis was disoriented, and everything didn't make sense to her. Before she could go berserk and attack anything in her path, Lorelei casted Dormina once more and she fell asleep instantly.
Mitsuru summoned Artemesia and used her whip to restrain their sleeping friend. "I'll keep and eye on her."
"I'll stay with Mitsu-chan just in case," Teddie volunteered. "You guys go and help the others."
With Minako and Souji...
Since Aigis wasn't as physically damaged as Metis was, she put up a stronger fight. Despite that, her friends were having the same dilemma of whether to hurt her or not in order to subdue her. Unfortunately, their fight crossed with the team battling Labrys, which made it difficult to coordinate their movements and strategy. With everyone trying to attack and/or defend, it was a mess. The chaos was temporarily subsided when Souji summoned Odin and blew Labrys away with Panta Rhei.
Akihiko and Ken jumped just in time to get out of the way of Athena's Akasha Arts. Akihiko's sharp eyes caught the slight twitchiness of Aigis' movements. "They're still damaged from the previous fight. If we go all out, she'll break to pieces."
Minako bit her trembling, bottom lip. "You're right, Senpai. I wanted to paralyze her with Ziodyne, but the strain might kill her."
"With that man's control over them, it looks like they will attack relentesly until their target is destroyed, or unable to fight," Yukiko said, twirling her fan. "Unfortunately, the latter is the only way to go if we want to make it out of here alive." Koromaru growled, not liking the options either.
"How can we get her to stop fighting without hurting her?" Ken asked, not expecting an answer.
Minako made her decision. "I'll try to immobilze with her with any ailment I can, but if she's still not down, we have no choice but to take out her arms and legs." She pointed her Evoker to her head, ready to take action. "You guys distract her. Yukiko-chan, Ken-kun, try not to use too much SP...we might need it soon."
Shinjiro blocked any axe attacks using Pegasus, with Junpei using Hermes for cover fire. Once there was an opening, Chie would swoop in to land a few kicks. One of Rokuten Maoh's lightning strikes missed her, and she easily avoided Yamato Takeru's Hamaon and Mudoon. So far, she hasn't summoned her Persona yet, so Souji couldn't come up with an effective strategy after Rise told him that Labrys didn't have any magic-based weaknesses.
Labrys shielded herself with her giant axe to create a small time window and finally summon her Persona. A silver, female humanoid with deep, red eyes clad in a white toga manifested, her hair the same color and length as her wielder's flowing behind her like ocean waves. Adornments which looked like Labrys' headpiece were on her head and parts of her body. Entwined around her right wrist was a red string, which glowed and formed intricate patterns.
"He can even control Ariadne, her Persona…" Shinshudo mumbled. "This is not good."
"If she's similar to Aigis, then – " Souji didn't get to finish his sentance when the glowing red string took form of a bull's head, and Labrys gave the signal to attack."Weaver's Art: Beast!" The beast rammed whatever was in its way with remarkable force, the momentum unstoppable. Junpei almost got hit, luckily Yosuke rushed just in time to push him out of the way. Minato raced to his twin's side to lend her his assistance with Aigis.
Seizing an opportunity, Chie summoned Suzuka Gongen to stop Ariandne's attack despite not having physical resistance. Luckily, her Persona's Counterstrike ability activated just as she was about to pierced by the bull's horns and deflected the damage, injuring Labrys in the process. "Ugh…Not my smartest move..." the martial artist panted, heart racing at her extraordinary luck.
"Satonaka! That was extremely reckless!" Shinjiro scolded.
Despite the injury she sustained, Labrys was unfazed and prepared to fight again. Some oil leaked out of her wound, had the Persona-users questioning whether to attack her again or not.
"What's the matter, kids? Hesitating?" Ikutsuki mocked. "Deafeating three mindless dolls shouldn't pose a problem to the ones who fought gods and won, right?"
"There are not dolls! They're our friends!" Chie retorted, clearly pissed.
"Please, treating mere machines like they are humans...what's the point?" Ikutsuki shrugged nonchalantly. "Even if they look, think and express emotions like a human, all of that are the results of computer programming and machinery control. None of it is real."
"So you're saying just because they're not real humans,that they don't have real feelings!? That's a big fat lie!" Teddie screamed, flailing his arms up and down in indignation. Despite the comical sight, his heart was filled with anger and sorrow.
"Know your place, you freak of nature! Don't pretend to show human emotions when you're not even one to begining with. And you'll never be one!"
Teddie stopped flailing, his body stooping down, big eyes widening in sadness and shock. That was the last straw for Souji. Fighting through his headache, he mustered all the anger in his gut. "SHUT UP, YOU ASSHOLE!" He pointed a finger at the evil man. "You…you have no right to talk to Teddie or anyone here like that! What do you know about humanity?! What do you know about emotions when all you did your whole life was using others for your own petty goals?! You're just a pathetic, selfish bastard!"
Ikutsuki raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Hmmm? Interesting…your emotional control is far better than I foresaw." An evil sneer revealed his teeth. "Let's see how you handle things under a different level of pressure." He snapped his fingers. "Girls, change of target."
Aigis and Labrys turned their attention to Souji. They rushed towards him with inhuman speed, pushing and punching away those who stood in their path. He barely dodged Aigis' bullets, but unfortuntely took a blow to the stomach from Labrys' rocket punch. He was thrown back and could barely get back up, standing on one knee. Before they could tear him a new one, the two mehanical maidens were intercepted by the twins and their friends. The Persona-users distracted them long enough for Naoto and Yukiko to check on him.
"You okay, Senpai?" Naoto asked as Yukiko healed him.
"Yeah…" Souji panted, suppressing another growing headache. 'Dammit… he knows of my struggle with Izanagi… Is he trying to force me to lose control of my power…?'
Meanwhile, Fuuka and Rise were cracking their brains on how to stop the androids from rampaging any further. They tried combining their scanning powers to find more data on any hidden abilities that the three girls possessed, but so far came up with nothing useful. They weren't the tacticians of the teams; that job usually fell on their leaders.
"I can feel something blocking my access to Labrys' Persona," Rise groaned in frustration. "I'm pretty sure that glasses bastard thought of it in advance."
"Same here. It looks like he doesn't want us to know any more about her," Fuuka said. "However, I detect a strange frequency radiating from Aigis, Metis and Labrys. I think that's what's messing with our readings."
"That must be it! He's using some kind of signal to control the girls. If only we could block it..." Shinshudo whipped out something from her pocket. It was a tad bigger than the palm of her hand, rectangular in shape and black in color, with three antenaes sticking out of it.
Fuuka's eyes widened in alarm. "Shinshudo-san, that's a signal jammer! And it belongs to Mitsuru-senpai! Where did you get it?!"
"No time, girl. Just tell me the exact frequency ranges that asshole is using to control my daughter so I can stop it!"
"It'll be difficult to pinpoint. Juno can scan a lot of things, but she specializes in images, not sound!"
"Juno can't, but Kanzeon can!" Rise tugged on her pigtails. "Ugh, I should hit myself for not thinking about this earlier! It'll take some time, but if there's anything I learned in physics, is that every sound has it's own frequency, just like music notes!"
"Rise-chan, you can actually do that?" Fuuka asked in awe.
"I just need to focus. Fuuka-senpai, continue giving the team analytical support. I'll help Shinshudo-san find those frequencies!"
Back to the ongoing fight, both sides were still going strong. "This is going on for much too long," Ikutsuki yawned. "Labrys, cut to the chase and show these mortals what you can really do."
"As you wish," Labrys said in monotone. "Ariadne…"
The red string wrapped around the princess of Crete's wrists retracted and became a ball of glowing red yarn.
"Shit, what is she up to…?" Akihiko hissed. The Persona-users' attention was diverted when they heard a high-pitched scream. He recognized it immediately. "Mitsuru!"
Metis was conscious again, and broke out of her restraints. She flung Mitsuru and her Evoker away after knocking Teddie out by surprise. While their attention was diverted for that fraction of a second, Ariadne aimed the ball at them, which shot strings that then split into multiple teenagers barely felt the impact as it hit them; the red strings expanded, binding them mid-air in a web of intricate, undecipherable patterns.
"The hell is this?!" Kanji growled, shaking his arms and feet in an attempt to free himself. The others tried to wriggle their way out, unsuccessfully.
"Nghhh! It's like a spider's web. The more we struggle, the more we become stuck to it!" Ken groaned.
"My my, some situation you all are in," the bespectacled man snickered. "It looks like we'll be cutting our ties here, seeing that you're all in quite a bind." He chuckled at his little joke.
"Oh no…" Fuuka covered her mouth, frightened to the core. "They're about to…Rise-chan, HURRY!"
"Weaver's Art: Inquisition!"
Labrys swung her axe in fast circles and figure 8's, quickly gaining momentum and destructive power. She extended her weapon's reach by releasing the chain connecting her arm and wrist. The trapped Persona-users were sitting ducks, unable to defend themselves. She aimed her axe for Souji first. He could only close his eyes and pray for a miracle.
"Not so fast!"
The clash of metal-on-metal vibrated through the thick silence. Souji slowly cracked his eyes open, and saw a young man with red hair in the Yasogami uniform, stopping the gigantic axe (in which the sharp blade was only inches from his neck) with twin short katanas. 'What the…'
Sho turned his head and gave him a lopsided grin. "Yo, you guys aren't allowed to kick the bucket yet!"
Sensing that this boy was a danger to their mission, Aigis and Metis joined in the fight to eliminate him. He effortlessly blocked Metis when she tried to hit him with her rod, then deflected a few punches from Aigis, like flicking lint of a suit. He defended a few more of Souji's friends, before he got impatient and went for the offensive. The robot girls immediately activated Orgia Mode again to outmatch him. If anything, the young man's smile became wider and he even laughed, enjoying himself.
Souji breathed heavily, the shock from almost being sliced slowly ebbing away. 'Who…what the hell is he? He blocked an attack of that magnitude without the help of a Persona? Such immense strength…what's going on here?'
Because Labrys and Ariadne were distracted, the immobilizing red webs dissipated. The Persona-user dropped to the ground, trying to catch their breaths. Minato quickly turned his gaze to the evil man, massive hatred welling up within. Ikutsuki was smirking, but his eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he looked at Sho's direction, caressing his chin as a small smirk quirked the corner of his lips. 'It's now or never. Time to end this!' His sister quickly caught onto his thoughts, nodding at him to give the signal. They readied their Evokers.
'Lugh…'
'Ouroboros…'
While the bastard was still distracted, they launched their Personas simultaneously in the direction of the dorm's roof. An explosion followed.
At the same time, Rise and Shinshudo finally obtained the elusive frequencies that were controlling the androids. The older woman keyed in the range and pressed the button, Rise crossing her fingers and praying that it will work.
Despite the fun that he was having, Sho looked around using his peripheral vision and saw that things were about to end quickly enough. "Tch, looks like I have to take my leave early…what a bummer."
The Shadow Suppression weapons' eyes turned to their normal colors. Labrys blinked at the guy who was blocking her axe, her eyes widening in surprise. "Minazuki-kun?!" she managed to say before she and her sisters froze, and collapsed.
"Sorry, Miss Prez…I gotta go." He took out something from his pants pocket at threw it to the ground. Thick gray smoke covered the area, leaving the humans coughing and teary-eyed. Once the smoke was clear, the red-headed young man was no longer to be seen.
At the same time, the smoke from the rooftop explosion where the twins attacked the ex-chairman cleared and he was no longer to be seen.
"Where did he go!?" Minato demanded, gripping his Evoker tighter. "I was sure Ouroboros hit him dead on!"
"Same with Lugh…" Minako fell on her knees, tears collecting at the corner of her eyes as she tightened her fists in frustration. "We almost had him…"
Souji coughed out the remaining smoke from his lungs. "Is everyone alright? Yukiko, Yosuke…"
"We're fine, Senpai. The girls don't seem to be controlled anymore," Rise reported. "Anyway, you guys don't look so good. You should probably heal up just in case."
"To hell with that!" Kanji boomed, suddenly full of energy. "Where's that four-eyed asshole so I can tear him a new one?!"
"He's gone…" Minato took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Disappeared like the coward he is. We won't be seeing the last of him. Meanwhile, just as Rise-chan says, we should heal up while we're still able. Those with healing skills, help out as many as you can," he ordered.
Minako went to assist Yukiko trying to heal up Souji. "Are you alright?" she asked her surrogate brother.
"Yeah…I'll be fine." A groan escaped his lips as he cradled his head.
Yukiko shifted and lifted Souji's head to lie on her lap. "It's alright, Minako-san. I'll take care of him. You should go and help with the others." She looked around to see that Yukari, Ken, Mitsuru and Yosuke were already attending to the rest of their friends.
"Leave me the hell alone, Aki! Go and help your girlfriend if you need something to do!" Shinjiro's voice snapped from the end of the garden.
"But Shinji, your leg is bleeding. Sit still so Cesar can heal you," Akihiko reasoned, trying not to lose his temper.
"I told you I'm fine! Go be somewhere else!"
"Shut up! Between you and me, I'm the one with the healing skills!"
Minako sighed. "I better go and break them up before they start another fight."
Rise, Fuuka and Shinshudo congregated around the three robot girls, who were lying on the ground unmoving. The junior idol suspected the worst. "Are they…?"
"No, I don't think so," Shinshudo said as she kneeled down to hold her daughter. "They just exhausted their batteries, including their backup power supply. Being forced into another fight after getting damaged from earlier, and using Orgia Mode more than once drains them pretty fast."
"I'm just worried that the overheating will cause damage to some of their more sensitive systems," Fuuka said worriedly. "It looks like Shinshudo-san and I will have a long weekend ahead of us."
"Speak for yourself. Who the hell is gonna be cleaning up this whole place?" Junpei whined childishly, pointing around at the scattered glass shards and organic debris.
"Junpei-san, be thankful that none of us are injured that badly," Ken berated him, healing a few shallow lacerations on his arm. He managed to close the last cut just as the Dark Hour ended.
Mitsuru stepped forward to Shinshudo. "I will order extra parts from the labs for Labrys. You are welcomed to stay and help Fuuka with the rest."
"Then I accept. Here," she handed Mitsuru the frequency jammer. "I grabbed it out of instinct when Yamagishi wasn't looking, but rest assured I won't be stealing from you again."
"I appreciate your honesty," Mitsuru said. "I'll let it slide since you did use it to save our lives. In the meantime, I'll make arrangements for Labrys' accommodations, and anything regarding school should she need any."
"But what about that other guy?" Rise questioned. "He wore our school uniform, and Labrys-senpai seemed to know him."
Minato sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "We'll save those questions for another time. But for now…" He had his hands on his hips as he stared at the condition of the dorm. "It doesn't look too bad, but the windows and broken furniture need replacing. I think the rest could be easily fixed by hand. Luckily the roof isn't damaged."
"Speaking of hands, we'll lend you guys some of ours," Yosuke chipped in. "The heavy stuff can wait until tomorrow, but for now, we'll do our best to make it comfortable for you guys."
A small groan from Souji stopped the conversation. He is supported by Yukiko on his right. "I'll take him home," she volunteered. "I don't think he's in the condition to do any work."
"I'll help you with him, Yukiko-chan," Minako said, draping his left arm around her shoulders to support the other half of his weight.
"It's best you go with them, Minato," Shinjiro said. "We can handle things from here. Say hi to Dojima-san for me."
The blue haired leader nodded and left with Souji and the two other girls while the others focused on cleaning up the mess. No one noticed a certain redhead watching the Wild Cards from afar. "Is that the power I heard so much about?" A grin. "Maybe this place won't be so boring at all..."
Dojima Residence, early evening...
"Goodness, I think you're running a fever," Yukiko said as she felt her boyfriend's forehead. She helped him lie down on the living room couch and bustled to the kitchen to make some tea.
Minako touched Souji's forehead with her palm and compared his body temperature with hers. "She's right. You are a bit warm, but I don't think it's serious."
"Now that you're home, you should rest up, Banchou-kun. Leave the rest to us," Minato told him.
Souji took subtle deep breaths, trying not to show how exhausted he actually was. "I don't feel that bad. In fact, I should get some chores done before Uncle and Nanako return." As soon as he said that, a sharp stab of pain shot through his brain. "Ugh!"
"No!" Minako pushed him back on the couch before he could get up. "At least lie down. You'll feel worse if you stand."
Souji submitted, the nausea returning as Izanagi acted up again. It was driving him nuts.
"It's not only Izanagi this time, is it, Banchou-kun?" Minato asked, keeping his voice low so Yukiko couldn't hear.
"Yeah…It's like he's causing the rest of my Personas to misbehave. My head feels like it's gonna split open…" The silverette groaned, grabbing his head and curling up into a fetal position on the couch. "It hasn't been that bad lately. After forming a few new social links, Izanagi calmed down considerably, but it didn't last after that man – " He was interrupted when Yukiko approached them with a mug of hot tea. Elegantly, she kneeled down on the floor, crossing her ankles gracefully.
"Here you go, Souji-kun." She handed him the beverage as he sat up. While he drank, she checked a few messages on her phone, and sighed. "Kasai-san texted me. I'm needed at the inn." Her dark eyes looked at her boyfriend with worry. "I wish I could stay..."
"Don't worry about it. I understand." Souji gently grasped her chin, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. "You should get going. It'll be dark in a few hours."
"We'll stay with him until he's better, Yukiko-chan," Minako assured her. "You don't need to worry."
After she left, Minato finally voiced out his growing concern. "Your headache started after Ikutsuki first appeared, and its intensity increased when he struck again. It's happened twice in a row already, so that suspicion is confirmed."
"Yeah, and those images also came back. Stronger…more vivid too."
Minako grasped fistfuls of her skirt, gnawing on her bottom lip. "There's a connection to all this, but what could it be?"
They fell silent, the only sound that could be heard were the crows returning to their nests.
"My parents…" Souji finally said. "This all started after they disappeared. I can't help but think they're connected to this – Argh!" He clutched his head again, collapsing on the couch. "Nghh…."
"Banchou-kun..." Minako stroked his face gently. "Enough...try not to think about it for now."
"But…"
"No buts," Minato commanded. "We'll find the answers in due time, but if you collapse from exhaustion now, it'll do us no good."
Souji sighed. "I guess you're right…" He looked at the clock. "Shoot, Uncle and Nanako will be home soon! I completely forgot that I'm supposed make dinner!" He made an effort to stand up but the twins pushed him back down.
"What did I just say?" Minato warned sternly. "You are gonna rest whether you like it or not."
"Don't worry. We'll handle the rest," Minako said, covering him with a thin blanket.
Fourty five minutes later...
The door slid open and closed again as Dojima and Nanako walked in. They were greeted by the delicious aroma of home-cooked food.
"Big bro! I'm home!" Nanako announced as she ran into the living room, but suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Dojima took off his shoes, confused at his daughter's silence. "What's wrong, Nanako...?" He approached the living room and found out why. His nephew was passed out on the couch, his left leg bent to accomodate his height, and the right one dangling a bit from the edge. A blanket covered his top half. He looked worn-out. "Huh? Then who – "
"Oh, Dojima-san, Nanako-chan! Welcome home!" The twins greeted in unison from the small kitchen.
"Aniki! Aneki!" Nanako immediatly glomped them. They chuckled softly and hugged her back.
"Oh, it's you two..."
"I hope you don't mind, but Souji-kun isn't feeling well, so we decided to finish up his chores," Minato said.
"That's... That's okay..." Dojima's eyes scanned the room. True enough, items were in order, the laundry was done, and the entire house smelled wonderful.
"Is Big bro okay?" Nanako asked, staring at her sleeping cousin.
"He is, Nanako-chan... He just worked a lot today." Minako continued to stir the pot. "Dinner will be ready in a while, so let's just let him nap a little bit more, okay?"
"Okay!"
Dojima ruffled his daughter's hair. "Go wash up," he told her gently. The little girl obliged and headed upstairs. He approached the stove and inspected the contents of the pot. "So..." He cleared his throat, awkwardly trying to start a conversation. "What's for dinner?"
"Chicken soup with rice, with Green Tea and sweet potato pudding for dessert!" Minako replied.
"There was a limited time sale on sweet potatoes at Junes," Minato said. "Since autumn is starting, I though we should get into the spirit of the season."
"You kids are really something." Dojima laughed weakly, rubbing the back of the head. "This place is spotless. I'm not really good at doing housework...that's mostly Souji and Nanako's thing. So much for the man of the house, huh?"
To his surprise, the twins laughed. "It's cool, Dojima-san. We're used to it," Minato said. "Akihiko-senpai and Junpei are just the same."
"Yeah, I lost count of the times Mitsuru-senpai had to scold them to get their act together," Minako giggled. "They often came to us for help to avoid her wrath."
The older man laughed heartily. "Why do you have to compare me to those two?" His eyes then softened. "No wonder Chisato took a strong liking to you three. Guess she already knew how you guys would turn out."
The twins blinked, surprised to hear that. From what they heard from Souji, the topic of Dojima's late wife was still a delicate one.
The detective sighed and took out a few mugs from the cupboard. "Let's discuss this over some coffee outside, eh? Don't wanna wake up Souji anyway." He put some water in the electric kettle and pressed the ON button. "How do you like yours?"
"Black with a little sugar for me, please," Minato said.
"Cream and lots of sugar, please!" Minako said.
Amused at how the twins could be alike and different at the same time, Dojima couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, wait outside then. I promise you kids I make damn good coffee."
A few minutes later, they sat on the back porch, enjoying the cool evening with a hot cup of coffee each. The twins had to admit, Dojima made a mean cup of coffee.
The silence felt a bit awkward, mostly coming from the detective, so after pondering over his choice of words he started first. "You guys probably don't remember Chisato since you were pretty much babies the only time you met her, right?" The twins nodded. "No surprise there. Back then, we traveled all the way to Port Island in the spring to meet Souji after my sister invited us over for Hanami. I think he was only a few months old or something. Chisato wanted to meet him so badly, since we weren't present during his birth. Man, I remember your folks and his were radiant. Even the two of you were ecstatic."
"Yeah, I remember being so happy about having a baby brother," Minako said. "Aniki and I practically pushed Souji-kun in his baby carriage everywhere."
"It was fun even though it took the two of us to actually move that thing," Minato chuckled. "Mom and Aunty didn't find it funny whenever we wander off with him though."
"Try locating two toddlers and a baby in a huge park with a crowd of people there to watch cherry blossoms. Panicking mothers and nervous fathers make a horrible combo." He sweatdropped at the memory. "I swear your mothers were about to lose it if Chisato hadn't found the three of you napping behind a bush a few feet from where we were having our picnic. She even managed to calm your folks down so they wouldn't wake you up."
"Aunty Chisato was the one who found us? How did she do that?" Minako asked.
"She said it was just a lucky guess. But if you ask me, she's a natural when it comes to kids. After all, she was a teacher. A piano one. I think that's why she got along swimmingly with your parents. They were also into music, right?" He gave them a fond smile. "She was amazing. Taking care of the housework, looking after Nanako, making sure work didn't get the best of me..."
"You miss her a lot, don't you, Dojima-san?"
The detective nodded and sighed. "The day she died in that hit-and-run... I didn't know what to do with my life. I was on my own raising a little girl. The thought of it scared me, so I buried myself with work, especially on her case. I investigated during my free time, when I was supposed to be spending it with Nanako, trying to run away from my responsabilities as a dad. I didn't even realize how I let my family fall apart. I was such a coward..." He glanced inside and smiled softly at Souji. "Having him around changed that. He brought me and Nanako together, and showed me what family is all about. And he did that while fighting those things, leading his team and saving people. Just like you're doing now..."
"Look, Dojima-san – " Minato started.
"I have faith that you kids are more than capable of handling those Shadows or whatever it is they're called, but knowing you risk your lives on a daily basis out there, and the fact that I'm helpless to do anything about it makes me a terrible caretaker."
The twins looked at each other, finally understanding what was troubling this man so.
"I don't think that way. The fact that you're worried about us and Souji's welfare shows how much you care. Even if we're not related by blood, you treat us like family," Minato said. "That takes a lot."
"Nanako-chan and Souji-kun matured a lot under your care, so despite your faults, you're a great dad," Minako assured him. "You endured a lot...went through so much to protect them both without losing sight of what truly matters. That's really an inspiration."
Dojima was surprised at such honesty and admiration. "Heh, you kids are a real piece of work. So young and so determinated to protect. You're the real inspiration here." He sipped more of his coffee. "So...if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me for help, okay? Even if I can't do anything, I can promise you that I'll listen."
"Thank you, Dojima-san." The desire to protect those who are dear to them, mutually shared with the seasoned detective led to a better understanding of each other. Time seemed to freeze, as the otherwordly voice echoed:
Thou art I and I am thou,
Thou hast created a new bond,
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Hierophant Arcana.
Secret smiles were exchanged between the twin Fools, happy to have a parental figure to look up to again.
"Isn't dinner ready about now? I'm starving." Dojima stood up. "Time to check on those two and – "
Nanako's ever so familiar 'Big bro!' greeting, followed by a weak groan and Souji's laughter, let them know that he was awake.
"This is gonna be a great family dinner, huh?" Minato said.
"You bet, Aniki!" Minako cheered.
The evening was lively, filled with iddle chatter and laughter as the family connected not only by blood, but by the heart, enjoying each other's company.
A few days later...
It was a crisp, autumn evening. The Wild Cards were walking home together after school.
"So Labrys is doing fine after she left the dorm?" Minako asked.
"Yes. I visited her at the antique shop with Yosuke and Teddie yesterday, and she's recoverying fast," the silverette said. "Shinshudo-san said she will let Labrys return to school once the anti-hacking software she's developing is completed and properly installed. Should everything go well, Aigis-san and Metis-san will be receiving the same software too."
"That's good to know," Minato said.
"Speaking of which, how are they doing?"
"Metis is still quarantined because her motor functions still need a little more work, but she's conscious and well. Mitsuru-senpai forbade her from leaving the dorm until she's given the okay by Shinshudo-san and Fuuka."
"Aigis on the other hand…" Minako sighed. "Her physical injuries have healed, but her emotional wounds were reopened."
"She's been avoiding us and hasn't spoken a word for days," her twin added. "She's still feeling guilty about it."
"But it wasn't her fault. Ikutsuki is responsible for that!" Souji protested.
Minako looked away. "We know, but it's the second time he took advantage of her physical condition as a machine and force her to turn against us. And you know how much Aigis cares about us."
"Forcing one to fight against the people they care about the most… That's cruel…"
"If I find that son of a bitch again…" Minato growled, eyes darkening.
"We will make him pay for all the suffering he caused, Aniki." His sister hugged his arm, determination set on her red eyes. "But we need to take one step at a time. Rushing in will only get us killed."
"Aneki is right. For now, the best we can do is make sure everybody is safe, find more info about his intentions and put a stop it."
"Yeah. You're both right. Together, not even that bastard can stop us." Minato's heart felt a little lighter as they reached the dorm gates.
Smiling at each other, the three walked into the lounge and were greeted by Fuuka, Yukari and Junpei. "S'up, dudes!"
"Welcome home," Fuuka smiled.
Yukari made her way to Minato and gave him a hug, pecking him lightly on the cheek. "Welcome back."
"Hey, guys!" Minako cheered, waving her arms in enthusiasm. "What's up? Any progress?"
"Nothing major. Ai-chan is still down in the dumps…" Junpei sighed.
"She'll only talk to Metis, but still refuses to tell her what's wrong," Fuuka said. "She took it really hard…"
"No one's blaming her for it, but she blames herself," Yukari said. "At least no one was killed, unlike back then..."
Minako pouted. "We have to snap her out of it! If this goes on, team morale will start to slide."
"Good luck with that. She's upstairs in Metis' room," Junpei told them.
They made their way to the third floor. As they were about to reach the door, it swung open, revealing Aigis with a blank expression. Before any of them could say anything, she slipped pass and hurried downstairs without looking back.
"Aigis, wait!" Minato called in vain. "Damn, her sensors must've picked up our presence…"
"She didn't use to be this stubborn," Minako sighed.
"Sister? Sister, what happened?"
They looked into the room and saw Metis lying in her recharging pod, wires slithering around everywhere. "Oh, hello everyone."
"Hey," Souji returned her greeting. "How are you doing?"
"According to Fuuka-san, my internal functions have finally stabled, and my arm is slowly regaining movement."
"That's wonderful! You'll be able to come back to school in no time!" Minako cheered.
Metis smiled, but her eyes held concern and sadness which didn't go unnoticed. "You're worried about Aigis too, huh?" Minato asked.
"I know she's upset because that man hijacked our systems and forced us to fight you and our friends, but her behavior is really disconcerting. I feel there's something deeper behind it, but she won't tell me what it is."
"This is seriously getting out of hand…" Minato said, a frown on his face. "How do we approach her when she keeps avoiding us ahead of time?"
"Maybe it's time to look at this from another point of view," Souji suddenly suggested. "I know I'm not as close to Aigis-san like the rest of you are, but I think I have an idea to get her to open up."
The twins and Metis exchanged worried glances, but since nothing else had worked so far, they decided to give it a shot. "An approach from another perspective by someone who wasn't involved in the past incident might help," Minato said. "Go for it."
"We'll keep Metis company in the meantime," Minako said.
"Sister's been going to the back garden a lot lately. Maybe you'll find her there," Metis suggested. "Please Souji-san, help her."
"I'll try my best. That much I can promise," Souji said, and left for the garden.
Once outside, it wasn't hard to locate her. She stood beneath one of the largest trees, her back facing him, staring at the hills surrounding Inaba forlornly.
He cautiously approached her, and in no time she suddenly stiffened, aware of his presence. Instead of starting it off with caution, Souji decided to get straight to the point. "Aigis-san, I know you're upset about what happened and that's understandable." She remained motionless. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Everybody's worried sick about you, especially Metis. You beating yourself up like this isn't helping anyone."
Aigis slowly turned around, looking like she was about to cry. "No! You don't understand..."
Souji took a spot under the tree, smiling softly at her, patting the ground as an offer to sit beside him. "It's okay. I know you're going through a lot after what happened. You know you can talk to me, right?"
Aigis took a seat, immediately hugging her knees. "Back in 2009….after he used me to hurt my friends, I felt ashamed, guilty…like I've betrayed them…" She stared at her kneecaps, too ashamed to face him. "They forgave me and allowed me to remain in the team, even after my actions cost Mitsuru-san's father his life and nearly theirs. I thought I got past it after becaming more human, but then he had to return and do it again. Not only to myself, but to my sisters as well…" Souji said nothing, just listening. "What hurts the most is that I was aware of my actions, but I couldn't do a thing about it...I couldn't stop myself…I heard everybody trying to bring me out of his control…I heard his evil voice mocking you and our friends, befriending machines and how 'fabricated' our emotions and feelings are." She closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the memories. "No matter how human-like I've become, I'll never be one. My body will remain a machine, and because of that someone will try to use me against the people I care about..."
Souji remained silent at first. What he said next opened up a memory he could only hope to forget. "Machines aren't the only ones who can be controlled, you know."
Aigis remained still, but her lifted a little to show she was paying attention. "My friends must have told you about Nanako's kidnapping, and how we confronted the culprit behind that, right?" He paused for five seconds. "I suppose they didn't tell you how Kunino-Sagiri almost succeeded in forcing me to kill them."
That caught her attention, as the blond android lifted her head completely, staring at Souji in disbelief. When she saw that he was completely serious, her tense shoulders laxed a little. "Nanako was just recovering from a bad cold, so the TV World's oppressing atmosphere was my main concern. It took us a few days to get to her, because the Shadows were strong. When we finally reached Namatame, he had Nanako tightly in his grasp. We tried reasoning with him, but his mind was so warped up in denial and delusion it was impossible to talk him out of it. He went berserk when we refused to give Nanako back to him, and that created Kunino-Sagiri." Souji clenched his fists tightly. "Nanako was suffering so much...to the point I wanted revenge. I lost my head for a moment and rushed head on, ignoring my friends' warnings. I suddenly felt strange, because I couldn't move my body, like something was controlling my movements. It then hit me that I was reckless and fell victim to the enemy's spell."
Souji's shoulders shook slightly in anger. "I couldn't stop myself, as I watched my own body turn against the people I swore to protect, the people who mean the world to me… I… I almost killed them with Megidoloaon…" The guilt of that day returned, as his mind replayed the fateful event. "Thanks to Rise, she helped them figure things out just in the nick of the time. Yosuke and Naoto teamed up with Yukiko and Teddie, attacking Kunino-Sagiri directly to try and break the trance. Chie and Kanji kept Beelzebub at bay." He flexed his right hand, the same one he used to crush the card which summoned the Lord of Flies. "If Nanako hadn't woken up and reminded me of who I am, of what's really important…I… I would have…"
"Souji-san…"
Shaking his head, the silverette continued. "Naoto managed to release Nanako from Kunino-Sagiri's grip, but she fell from a great height. Scared for her life, I gathered all of my willpower to finally break free and catch her before she hit the ground. I remember everybody gathering around us to make sure we were okay, but we didn't have time to dwell on that because Kunino-Sagiri was very determinated to 'save' her and took advantage of our distraction, and tried the control thing again. I wasn't sure whether he was aiming it at me, but my friends around me were affected instead. All of them were under his control. Even Rise, despite her not having a battle-type Persona. Talk about irony…" He let out a bitter laugh, recalling the difficulty of dodging spells and physical attacks, made more difficult by Rise buffering the team stats. "I let myself purposly get hit to protect Nanako several times. Even with my Wild Card ability, I had a hell of a hard time. Kohryu's Salvation snapped them out of it just in time, and together we managed to defeat that monster once and for all."
Aigis' eyes widened, stunned.
"Only after rushing Nanako and Namatame to the hospital, we took in everything that happened. We were all feeling guilty, blaming ourselves because of what if's. We always knew deep down, that in battle something like that could happen, but we weren't prepared for the feeling of helplessness at being forced into harming the people we trust with our lives. I can only say it was overwhelming. But we talked things out and everything was forgiven." He looked at her in the eye. "What I'm trying to say is, I understand how painful that can be, even if no one is blaming you for it. But you gotta forgive yourself and move on. Don't beat yourself up over past mistakes, because it'll only hinder you."
"But I…"
"And about you being human or not, that doesn't matter. Everybody likes you just the way you are. After all, if you weren't you, Aniki and Aneki probably would have not survived the car accident, SEES wouldn't come to be, Metis may never have come to life, and none of us would've found the truth behind Nyx, Erebus and the Great Seal. In fact…" Souji gave her a warm smile. "I have to thank you."
"Thank me? For what?"
"Because if it wasn't for you, I never would've gotten the chance to meet up with two of the most important people of my life again." He placed a hand on her shoulder, a sign of gratitude. "So, I thank you. From the bottom of my heart. For everything."
Aigis was overcome with emotion, misty-eyed. She never thought of it like that before. To know she had made such an impact on several lives, surrounded by people who genuinely cared for her and would support her no matter what, was enough to melt her concerns, insecurities and fears away. "Minato-san and Minako-san…They mean the world to me. My reason to live. They shaped me into the person that I am. I'm...I'm so grateful to be alive...to be cherished by such wonderful people."
"I feel the same way, Aigis-san." The images of his friends and family crossed his mind one by one. "They make life worth living."
They smiled at each other, sharing warm feelings which needed no words. The familiar voice echoed again in Souji's head.
Thou art I and I am thou,
Thou hast created a new bond,
It brings thee closer to the truth,
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Chariot Arcana.
Aigis wiped away her tears, the tone of her voice filled with determination. "I must apologize to everyone. They must be very worried." A small blush colored her cheeks. "Would...would you like to accompany me, Souji-san?"
"It will be my pleasure, Aigis-san." He got up and held out his hand for her. "Let's go."
Her blush darkened a little, and got up with his help. "Thank you..."
And so they headed back inside, their steps in sync. From the window of Metis' room, a red-eyed Hierophant and twin Fools smiled.
Bet that was unexpected huh? Regarding Sho, don't worry we'll be seeing more of him soon. Stay tuned and don't forget to read and review. ;3