CHAPTER 10:
BONDING
The next day, Futaba had insisted that Harry watch a movie with her. There was a small cinema in Yongen-Jaya, true, but that was closed for now. Instead, she brought her laptop, a Blu-Ray (a CD-like disc that had an entire movie on it), and herself to Leblanc. Harry had little to do at Leblanc, as Sojiro had Akira doing some work for a time before Akira left for the day, and there were no deliveries or anything.
Besides, Sojiro, albeit with some explanation from Futaba, agreed to view this as a form of therapy for the shut-in, to help her overcome her social anxiety (though her words were that it was levelling up her social ability). Sojiro was still reluctant to allow Harry anywhere near his house, and Leblanc was, if not neutral territory, then close enough for him to not be as worried about Futaba. They'd even discussed some ideas with him, including Calming Draughts, of which Sirius had a decent supply.
Futaba wanted to show him at least one movie he had missed in travelling into another timeline. And after watching it, he honestly hoped one day, it would be made in his timeline. The Matrix was brilliant.
As Futaba took out the disc from her laptop (which she had connected to the TV somehow for the movie), and put it away, Harry shook his head, as he absently stroked Hedwig under her beak, before the snowy owl hopped off his shoulder and began exploring the room curiously. "I can see why the inside of your Palace was the way it was. I mean, I'd heard of the Stargate movie, but not the TV show. You really love that film, don't you?"
"Hell yeah. I love cyberpunk as a genre, like Ghost in the Shell, William Gibson's stuff, Gunm, though you call it Battle Angel Alita in the West, but The Matrix was pretty much the big thing in the genre." Futaba squatted on the couch with a happy sigh. "It was also one of Mom's favourite films. Once I was old enough, she sat me down to watch it. Gave me nightmares still, but it had a hell of an impact. She once told me a lot of the concepts about reality and perception in that film were partly what shaped her interest in Cognitive Psience."
At this, she looked down at the floor. "…You okay?" Harry asked.
"As much as I can be," Futaba confessed. "I mean…we got rid a lot of my guilt over Mom's death, but I still can't help having a little left over. If I had been a little stronger, I would've realised that suicide note was phonier than the Final Fantasy Gilgamesh's swords, and I'd be doing more than taking advantage of Sojiro's kindness as a guardian."
"He still could've done more to help you, Futaba. I know you wouldn't see the therapists, but…he could have told you that he believed Wakaba would never commit suicide, at least because she couldn't cope with raising you. And then there's the way Sojiro treats Akira for stopping a rape. He has a habit of putting his head in the sand."
"Maybe, but he's a good man, Harry. He took me away from my uncle. He may have tried to tell me at the time, but I wasn't in a state to listen to him. And he still cared enough for Kurusu to take him in in the first place. I have bugs in Leblanc, as you know. I overheard part of his conversation with Akira's mother. Part of why he's harsh with Akira is a front. He actually wants to help Akira, it's just tough love."
Harry had to concede that point. While Sojiro got on Akira's case, and even on Harry's at times (mostly when Futaba was involved), he was nowhere near as bad as the Dursleys. If anything, it was like Molly Weasley when she was at her more overbearing and imperious, or a bit like McGonagall. For all her failings as a teacher (his first and fifth years sprang to mind), she at least cared, for the most part.
Futaba continued. "But going back to Mom…I never learned who my biological father was. Mom never really spoke much of him. It's not even on my birth certificate. I do think he might have been a top researcher from the Kirijo Group, as she had dealings with them around the time I was born. What I do know for sure is that, when Mom got pregnant and didn't want an abortion, he dumped her. Mom told me once that she wanted to see what being a mother was like. Never mind that single mothers with bastard children aren't exactly viewed well in Japan, but Mom was pretty fearless."
"You admire her."
Futaba gave a sad smile. "Even when I was being bratty, I did. She was a genius, Harry, she makes me look like I have Wisdom as a dump stat. Neuropsychology, noetic science, parapsychology, philosophy…TBH, she taught me much in those areas. Hell, even her interest in molecular gastronomy was partly due to reading about how certain things can affect perception of the taste of food. You know, like playing sounds of the seashore while you eat seafood can affect its taste for the better. She actually corresponded with Heston Blumenthal for a time…oh wait, you don't know who that is. Never mind."
"Well, at least you got to know your mother," Harry said, looking away briefly.
"Yeah, but I didn't appreciate her as much as I should've," Futaba said. "Then again, we were pretty weird. Asperger's Syndrome does that. You feel like you were born on the wrong planet, find it a bit hard to relate to people. We're not as bad as Raymond from Rain Man by any means, but we're weird. And while Japanese culture embraces the weird, Japanese society is another matter entirely."
"I know. Your Shadow told me about what happened with your peers at school. She also mentioned someone called Kana, but wouldn't tell me more, said it was up to you."
"Kana, huh?" She chuckled sadly. "Hmm…if you don't mind, Harry, I think we'll wait a while until we discuss her. I want to get to know you better first. I mean, my Shadow aside, we met less than a week ago. I feel comfortable around you, true, more than I do with most people, but the bleedover from befriending my Shadow is one hell of a cheat code. You're going to have to earn the relationship stats."
"That's fine," Harry said, deciding to ignore her gamer terminology. God, he reckoned Hermione would have gotten along swimmingly with her.
And that's when it hit him again. Here he was, enjoying himself, when he had no idea whether his friends were dead or alive. Ron, being mind-raped by weird brain things. Hermione, hit by a nasty curse. The Order of the Phoenix were still fighting the Death Eaters, with possibly Voldemort ready to swoop in. Had anyone he cared about aside from Sirius survived?
It had hit him a few times during his time in Futaba's Palace, true, but after he had emerged, he had been distracted by what followed, meeting Sojiro, Akira and Morgana, reuniting with Sirius, meeting the Nijimas into the bargain…yeah, it took his mind off matters. But now, it came crashing back. He found himself putting his hands into his head and weeping.
After a few seconds, he suddenly felt someone giving him a hug from behind his chair. "…Futaba?" he asked.
"Yeah. I mean…she did this for you, didn't she? My Shadow, my Persona. I see her memories now, most of them. Then again, we are the same person in the end. Maybe that's why I feel comfortable about this. Harry…what are you crying about?"
"…My friends. I'm not sure if they're okay, whether I will see them again. Futaba, I…Sirius and I are stranded in another timeline. I don't know how the hell we're going to get back."
"…Even though Magical Britain treated you like crap?"
"…I don't really care about them, or the Ministry. It's my friends, my loved ones, Futaba. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ginny…the Weasleys, Remus, Tonks…even my teachers. As much as I hate Dumbledore for what he did, keeping me in the dark, letting Snape do his thing…I don't want him dead over it. And even then…if they figured out I was still alive, I doubt Voldemort would let something as trivial as multiversal barriers keep him from coming after me."
"…I guess. The guy sounds like he's a sore loser, butthurt 'cause he got pwned by a Muggleborn witch protecting her son. I've known gamers who've doxed or Swatted people for less," Futaba said. "You know, released their personal information online, or worse, sicced the cops on them, claimed they were psychotic gunmen or terrorists. The name comes from SWAT teams."
"You're kidding me," Harry said flatly.
"I'll show you the Wikipedia article for Swatting. Scary shit. My point is…Harry…look, I'm not good at this, I need a lot of counselling myself. But…I'm not going to ask you to forget about your friends or those you care about. I never would. Honestly, I'm a bit jealous you have so many IRL. Ugh, I'm crap at comforting people. I…look, they'd be worrying about you, and if they cared about you half as much as you think they do, they'd be finding a way to bring you home…and hopefully, make sure we could see each other again. I mean, even if you do go home, I'd want to stay in touch, you know. Because you saved me, Harry. You saved me from myself, you and my Shadow. That thing we fought with the face of my mother, it was my own self-loathing and suicidal thoughts given form, made more powerful by those bastards who ruined my memories of my mother. Everyone you care about, everyone who cares about you…they'd be telling you you did a good thing, no, a great thing in saving me, Harry. Hell, I'd try to travel with you and help you, though I'm not sure what help I'd be in the dial-up Dark Ages before wi-fi or smartphones. And I don't think I can manifest Necronomicon outside the Metaverse."
Harry was touched by her simple declaration. True, he was on good terms with the redhead, but he didn't think she'd go so far as to offer to help him if he ever got back to his timeline. "I don't think Sojiro would let you," he said quietly.
"Meh, like he could stop me if I put my mind to it," Futaba said. "But that's the truth, Harry. I'm not sure I can call you a friend yet, but honestly, we're getting there. We're definitely in the same party, and we squishy mages have to stick together, right?"
"…I guess? I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, I'm just trying to decipher your gaming lingo," Harry said. "But thanks, Futaba."
"Hey, you comforted me. I'm just doing the same…"
Sojiro looked at them with a smile as they came down. "So, enjoyed the movie?" he asked.
"Yep, but lunch is upon us, and I hunger, Sojiro! Provisions, please!"
Sojiro chuckled. "I thought that might be the case." He ladled some curry onto two plates and handed them to them, waving off when Harry fished out his wallet. "No, it's on the house!"
"Sojiro, just let me pay, okay? For my meal, at least? I mean, I'm willing to pay for Futaba's meal too, but…"
"Already paying for her meals? You're moving pretty fast, kid, and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take it," Sojiro said with a mock glare, only to soften. "I'm kidding, just so you know. Golden Week is usually one of my busy times, it's not like I'm hurting for cash, even if there's nobody here at the moment. But if you insist…"
As Sojiro took the money, Futaba began gobbling up the curry. "I'll have to get Sirius to get more bacon and stuff for Hedwig," Harry mused. "How she managed to get to me, I've no idea. I mean, she's a smart bird, but still…"
"Yeah, she's a haughty little thing," Sojiro said. "Reminds me of more than a few women I've dated. Actually, that reminds me of the time Wakaba dragged me to see Inception when it came out. She kept insisting it wasn't a date. God, what a film. She kept on telling me that and that Paprika film were basically on similar lines to what she wanted to do(1)."
"It's not a bad analogy," Futaba said, putting her spoon on her half-eaten dish. "But those films were about dream worlds that can only be accessed during sleep, not about mental worlds that are active even during waking hours. And Palaces are pathological things. I got one because of what happened with Mom's death."
"…Futaba, I'm sorry that I…"
"Sojiro, don't." Futaba glared at her guardian, before jabbing a finger at him. "I just got through explaining to Harry. You at least tried, unlike my so-called relatives, who were all too-happy to blame me based on those monsters' say-so. You couldn't help me because I didn't want to be helped. You know that old joke, how many shrinks does it take to change a lightbulb? Only one, but the lightbulb has to WANT to change. I just took advantage of your kindness, allowed you to coddle me, because it was all I could do in my grief. Not that I didn't appreciate it even then, but still…you got me away from Youji. That showed you gave a damn about me. Honestly, I'm more annoyed at how you're treating Akira than what you did or didn't do with me. I get why, it's a tough love thing, and you're trying not to get attached, but still…he was trying to save a woman from being raped. He should've been given a medal."
"…And yet, he's on probation for playing white knight, Futaba," Sojiro said gently. "I understand your annoyance, but the world doesn't look kindly on people playing white knight. Kurusu paid the price. Life is unfair. It's a lesson we all have to learn. Still…as long as he doesn't do anything to you or drags you into something, I don't really mind you being friends with him that much. If nothing else, it can help with his probation, help him stay out of trouble. Besides, given how long you've been cooped up, making new friends offline can't hurt."
"Sure. Plus, his cat's cute."
"Heh. No arguments from me there," Sojiro said.
CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:
So, there you have it. Harry and Futaba have bonded more, with Futaba now comforting Harry.
Review-answering time! kyugan: No, they won't be able to use magic outside of the Metaverse.
Wall1114: Okay, but why say that here? Besides, I did at least write a Mass Effect story in Quarian's Wizard, which is now complete. Go check it out if you haven't already.
ZLC genesmith: To be more precise, they are two separate sets of timelines. It's a bit like how Tsukihime takes place in Nasuverse timelines where apparently the Human Order is weakened, while the various Fate timelines do not. They're still related timelines with many of the same characters and concepts, but they still have some fundamental differences. Garden of Sinners also presumably takes place in its own set of timelines, given that it's basically the prototype for Tsukihime in many regards.
And keep in mind, apparently part of the root reason for the events of the Persona game are something I alluded to in an earlier chapter. It's part of a conflict between Philemon, the creator of Igor, and no less an adversary than Nyarlathotep. So demons of some sort may yet exist in the Persona timelines, outside of myth, anyway.
Random Guest: Oookaaay…I'll be honest, I grew bored of playing Fallout 4. I dunno whether my username being pronounceable by Codsworth means anything, though maybe Bethesda put it in as a science fiction reference? My username comes from the Quatermass serials from the 50s. Dunno what Fallout 4 has to do with Persona 5, though…
XenoBlaze: It took me a while to get into Persona 5 myself, but for other reasons. The style of gameplay, with the socialising aspects, took time getting used to, and having Joker falsely accused of assault from the get-go didn't help. I did warm to it. And honestly, I cut my teeth on Pokémon when it came to RPGs, and that's turn-based. Many good RPGs are turn-based to some degree, with even many Final Fantasy games having some variation, with ATB being a more fast-paced form of turn-based RPG.
On the other hand, normally, Musou games, like Strikers is, don't usually do it for me. One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 was meh, and for all that the story was brilliant, I found Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star to be annoying and frustrating with the territory control aspect. Its sequel, while its story was criminally lightweight and short for the price, was a far more enjoyable game (I mean, Fate/Extella Link made escort missions enjoyable! ESCORT MISSIONS, FFS!). But in the end, the territory control aspects of most Musou games pisses me off something fierce, and I hope Strikers doesn't spring that shit on me later in the game.
1. People no doubt know about Inception, but Inception (and Persona 5) also owe something to the Satoshi Kon anime film Paprika, itself based on a novel about researchers developing a means to enter dreams.
