Fate: Reach Out

Chapter 16: The Magus Fool and the Foolish Magician


Velvet Room

Shirou had only just drifted off when his eyes opened again. Rather than laying on his futon, he was sitting upright in a familiar blue seat. Before he could even consider moving, he realized he was not alone: two others were in this velvet-lined place with him. Wait, this is…

"Welcome back, Shirou Emiya." Igor greeted with that same fixed grin and piercing eyes.

"Igor-san?" Shirou blinked at the long-nosed man and his assistant next to him. "Is… this another dream?"

"Not precisely," he replied, folding his hands delicately. "You're still fast asleep in the real world. I have merely summoned you from within your dreams."

Shirou's blood chilled slightly. Whoever or whatever Igor actually was, he was undeniably powerful to reach him like this. As a magus, he tended to believe anything was possible, but the idea of someone reaching through the veils of dream and reality to hold a conversation never crossed his mind. Although… "You mean you could have called me back here at any time?" Why didn't he?

This time, it was the woman who answered. "Until now, no. This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter," Margaret explained. "In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice, thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power."

"Izanagi…" He could feel it even here: the wisp of flame in his heart that waited for his call.

"Indeed," Igor's smile widened. "With the awakening of your Persona, Izanagi of the Fool Arcana, you chose to establish a contract, and thus are an official guest to this Velvet Room." A blue light flickered in front of Shirou's eyes, dropping a small object onto his lap. The magus picked it up and examined it; it was a silver key the size of his palm, with a cross-like milling and an image of a half-white and half-black mask on both sides of the head.

"This key shall allow you to return here whenever you so choose," the long-nosed man explained. "Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help. There is but one price for this assistance."

Shirou frowned, expecting the worst. There were lots of horrible things Igor might ask for, or perhaps force him into complying with.

With great gravitas, the mysterious entity stated his terms. "You must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make."

The red-haired teen stared at the key at his hand, considering the entity's words. On the surface, it wasn't much of a price for him, but that could change if the situation put him in a sadistic choice or if his actions led to the secret of magic leaking. On the other hand, he might very well need Igor and Margaret's help. He looked back at his time in the TV World. He felt so powerful fighting that first wave of Shadows with Izanagi… But not twenty minutes later Yosuke's Shadow nearly killed him. Without a teacher, he would be grasping in the dark even more than he was when it came to magecraft.

Closing his hand around the key, Shirou looked back at the impish man and his assistant. "Could I use this power to save people?"

"The decisions regarding your power are made by you alone," Margaret answered. "Our goal is only to help you reach your potential, no matter what you decide."

That was fair; they were giving him resources but they weren't dictating his actions. The choices he made and their consequences according to this agreement could serve as punishment enough, up to and including his own life or the lives of others. "I accept."

And beneath him, he felt the car pick up just a little more speed.

"Very well," Igor nodded, refolding his hands. "Now then, the Persona you've acquired… It is a side of yourself that shows itself when you face the world around you."

"What do you mean? Like a mask?"

"The term I prefer is 'a façade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life', but the idea is quite the same. However, your Persona is different from others you may later encounter because you possess a special ability; The Wild Card."

Igor snapped his fingers, and a Tarot card appeared in his gloved hands. "This…" with an eerie smile, he revealed the face to Shirou, showing a picture of a man's silhouette walking with a slung bag over his shoulder and a dog following behind him. The number under it read "0". "…is your card."

Shirou's brow furrowed as he leaned closer to the card. "The Fool?"

"It is like the number zero… empty, yet holding infinite potential from within."

For some reason, the words "empty and "infinite" resonated with Shirou, simultaneously unnerving and thrilling him. "So… right now my power's weak… but it can become stronger in time?"

"Indeed. The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart," Igor clarified.

That must be why using Izanagi keeps me from feeling fatigue or crippled by uncertainty: I'm controlling my "heart" to keep them at bay in favor of doing what I need to… This new power amazed the magus in training. It was unlike anything Kiritsugu had described. And it can grow even stronger?

Igor seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, either by reading his mind or Shirou just being that transparent. "The heart in turn is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities."

Shirou had to be dreaming right now. "Wait… Are you saying… my Persona power can only get stronger… by making friends?"

The idea was unbelievable, running counter to everything he thought he knew about becoming a hero. Just making friends didn't spontaneously make a person stronger, did it? Getting too close to others put them in danger, something no hero should allow. On top of that, he was a magus, an inherently lonely existence by its very nature. And yet, what if these "Social Links" really were key to mastering these new gifts? What role did the heart play in this?

"Not just friendship," Igor corrected, "but all kinds of bonds; rivalry, companionship, lovers, family, all of these bonds hold power within them." The last one in particular struck the teen as odd and filled him with mixed feelings.

Being closer with Dojima-san and Nanako could make me stronger too? But-

"That's wrong," Shirou shook his head, to the slight surprise of the other room guests. "I can't… just make 'connections' if all I'd be doing is using them to gain power. If I'm to be an Ally of Justice, I have to do things within my own power, not twist their feelings!"

"You misunderstand," the blond assistant answered. "Social Links are necessary for more than just strengthening your Persona. They can light the way to the truth you are searching for. In addition, a Social Link is not something only you will benefit from: to form and grow a Social Link requires your personal investment as a person as well as genuine reciprocation. It is not possible to form a true Social Link and then abuse it for power."

"Margaret is correct, Shirou Emiya," Igor added. "The power of Social Links is evident in everyone; you are merely fortunate enough to receive the boon of the Wild Card's power."

"I… see…" Conflicted by the pair's words, Shirou changed topics. "Was there a Wild Card before me, then?" he asked.

Both residents nodded; Margaret's was slightly hesitant though. "Yes. She is living proof that even the most impossible of miracles can be granted through the power of bonds," Igor said with a nostalgic air coming to his smile.

"Miracles?" Shirou repeated the word confusedly. Is that truly possible?

"This is very interesting; you seem to show genuine care to those around you, even if you are reluctant to acknowledge your potential…" Igor smiled between chuckles. "I wonder where the awakened power of the Wild Card will take you, Shirou Emiya."

The magus felt his vision blur again, his dream-self parting from the room. He heard the long-nosed resident speak one last time. "I look forward to accompanying you on your journey…"


April 16th, Dojima Household, Morning

Opening his eyes back in his bed and seeing his room's ceiling, Shirou was once again struck by the oddity of the Velvet Room, but decided to put it aside for the moment when he saw his clock. "Grk!" Yesterday's fight had apparently left him so drained that he ended up sleeping in late, failing to have any time to do his usual morning exercises.

On top of that, he had next to no space in his own room, so he was forced to abstain from training his magecraft and making Magic Circuits since he arrived. About the only saving grace was the fact that he had managed to set a fresh one in his spine while in the TV World. He really needed to look for a suitable place to set up something like a proper Workshop. The question was where.

Resigning himself to the fact that Nanako had made breakfast for the family again, he stretched and slowly reached for his spare winter uniform, wincing slightly at the lingering aches of his bandages pressing against his injuries. After washing his face in the bathroom, he got changed. He had just started closing the buttons of the uniform jacket when he paused, glancing at the mirror and taking himself in.

The uniform he wore last night should have been tattered and bloodstained after fighting those Shadows. Between the Slipping Hableries trying to chew him apart and Shadow Yosuke's wind attacks, he was sure the outfit was a write-off. Yet when he passed through the TV portal back into this world, it was back together as though he had never left. To be on the safe side, he put it aside to be washed and/or analyzed in detail.

Looking at himself in the mirror now though, he felt that something was subtly off with the way he looked. He wasn't sure what it was, though. Maybe one of his injuries was throwing something off? Well, since I have a moment…

After making sure his door was locked, Shirou took a slow breath and intoned his aria: "Trace, On."

Just as he had in the shopping district, the ever-reliable Structural Analysis mystery passed through him. Everything physical appeared normal, damage tally notwithstanding, but the moment the spell pushed deeper into his spirit, it found something in the right side of his chest. The moment he focused on it, his mind's eye was suddenly awash with information. In fact, it was so clear it was almost like the "screen" was right behind his eyelids, clear as day.

He could see an image of his Persona Izanagi standing regally, as if waiting for his command. Beside the image was a veritable wall of symbols and data that he had never seen before, but it soon almost interpreted itself into clear ideas and facts. He thanked his Structural Analysis for that. After a few moments, the original data "screen" was reformatted into something a bit easier to comprehend, even if it wasn't in words, per se.

Izanagi of the Fool Arcana. It was a straightforward warrior with no weaknesses physically, though anything attempting to "cut" him would find his body able to resist injury somewhat. Magically, Izanagi was slightly more complicated. While its power over electricity protected it somewhat against that element, the Persona was vulnerable to wind spells and powers (certainly explained why Winds of Oblivion tore through him so easily), and was otherwise neutral to the other elements of fire, ice and holy power. Most interestingly, it was completely immune to any form of dark magic, though he wondered what such a thing really meant.

If someone were to push Shirou to describe Izanagi's overall abilities aside from "superhuman," he could say with certainty that the Persona was extremely sturdy first of all, with the power of its magecraft exceeding its great physical strength. That said, he would also say that the power it had right now was not even the barest hint of its potential. It was actually almost frightening to think how strong Izanagi and he could actually become one day if he was interpreting the information right.

Lastly, the powers his Persona could wield appeared before him, including Cleave, the empowered sword strike, Zio, the lightning bolt (and something told him it was considered a weak bolt!), Tarukaja, the spell that granted Shirou his boosted strength in the TV World, and…

Was that last one there before? Sometime after his fight with Shadow Yosuke, a new spell had appeared to Izanagi. Rakunda apparently was a nasty curse that cut through its target's defenses, weakening an enemy's armor and skin against future attacks for a short time. He also could see that just beyond that was a spell he could learn with some more experience with these powers, a reversal of the Rakunda, Rakukaja.

Taken all together and looking at the mental screen for a few more minutes to make sense of it all, Shirou could only shake his head in wonder. "It feels like I'm in some sort of video game…" He wasn't sure if he felt stronger after fighting the Shadows like it was starting to hint, but just from those two fights alone he felt like he gained more power in that one day than he had after years of self-training in magecraft. He had a feeling he would only get stronger from here.

Opening his eyes back to the real world and staring at the mirror before him, Shirou rolled his shoulders experimentally. His head was clear after a good night's sleep, and he could feel his reserves of energy restored for his Persona, and his Magic Circuit was in good condition for the moment. His injuries were healing steadily; even the deep bite marks on his arm had stopped bleeding and the pain reduced to an insistent but ultimately ignorable ache. But something else nagged at him as he looked himself over. With a sigh, he started unbuttoning his jacket to get a better look.

His hands stopped after the final button.

With wide eyes at a sudden epiphany, he examined himself in the mirror once again. With the jacket open, the ends fluttered at the slightest turn of the arm, and the gap revealed his white undershirt to the public eye. It reminded him slightly of his battle-scarred appearance back at the TV… as well as his spiritual alter-ego Izanagi.

It was unusual for Shirou since he always wore the prior Homurahara uniform buttoned up. However, Yasogami was more lax on school customs (Morooka notwithstanding). Alterations to the school uniform weren't unheard of, as Satonaka wore a green jacket and her friend Amagi wore a red sweater over their own. And if the magus was being honest with himself, he kind of liked his uniform this way. It made him look confident, strong, brave… heroic.

Shirou smiled at his reflection, almost teasing his coat like it was some sort of cape. Funny how a change of clothes, or how they're worn, can make anyone feel different.

His musing was interrupted by his cousin's call from downstairs. "Breakfast is ready!"

"I'm starting to miss being the one saying that," Shirou said to himself with a rueful smile. Straightening his jacket for good measure, he left his room for the ground floor. Nanako was in the midst of putting a share of two plates down before noticing his change of clothes.

"Your jacket's unbuttoned," she pointed out.

"I decided to go to school like this from now on," Shirou smiled, extending his arms out. "What do you think, Nanako?"

The brown-haired girl tilted her head to the side. Her expression showed a level of thinking above most kids her age. "You look… different," she decided. "But you're also happier. Did something happen, Shirou?"

Happy? It was true he felt this way, as it was because he was able to save his classmates just yesterday. It was rather elevating. But he couldn't tell her any of that, considering magecraft and murder was involved.

So he shrugged and gave a half-truth before walking over to the table. "I just meet some good people, Nanako. That's all."

Nanako stared at him for a moment longer before nodding and smiling. "I'm glad!"

Breakfast was another silent, lonely event between the cousins, but for once it was met with enthusiasm.


Samagawa Floodplain

Yosuke had done a lot of thinking after his little "episode" with his evil twin. When he had first met Emiya, he had to admit that yeah, he had him pegged as a boy scout. He heard a few rumors of him working at the MOEL station, and he was suspicious of his talents ever since he miraculously fixed his bike. He was riding it right now to school and it seemed sturdier than ever.

He had initial judgments of him as well; he first thought of Emiya as some super introvert badass since calling out on King Moron, but it turns out he was just stupidly blunt and honest to a fault. He also thought of him as some flirt since he hanged around with Satonaka and Amagi at one point, but either he didn't have a thing for either girl or he was just clueless about the opposite sex.

But never in his wildest dreams did he think to consider him as some wiz-erm, magus.

It was just unfair in Yosuke's opinion. He wanted to be special and unique in some way. But along comes a guy like Emiya, who had it from the start, and he wasn't keen on sharing it. He had hoped that going to the TV world again would awaken his potential, like in those same shows, but it went to Emiya instead. It was like the world itself was laughing behind his back.

Still, as jealous as he was of the guy, he never wished Emiya harm. The guy risked his neck to save them twice, even when he was the outright cause of the danger! And even if he got the same power in the end, it was almost too much of a personal cost in the end… quite literally.

Yosuke sighed and stopped his bike: he had enough experience to know that he couldn't think and pedal at the same time. Not with something this deep anyway. "Just what am I supposed do, anyway? Roll up to him before school starts and say 'Yo! Emiya!'?"

"Yes?"

"Gah!" the orange haired teen flinched and squealed uncharacteristically loud like a girl, nearly tripping himself over on his bike. He relaxed to see the redhead in question, albeit a little confused. "Whew, you startled me," he tried to laugh it off, clutching his chest for emphasis. It was then that Yosuke noticed his jacket. "You look a little under dressed there, man. What's the occasion?"

"Well, there's no real dress code about changes or accessories," Emiya smiled before he continued walking. "You wear headphones to class every day, for one."

"Point taken," Yosuke smiled back, rolling his bike along the path. "Though I gotta admit, you seem to pull off the open-coat look pretty well. Almost like a badass hero, or something."

It would be lying if Yosuke didn't feel disappointed that it wasn't him, but this magi guy deserved to dress the part for saving his ass. He'd find a kickass look of his own sometime; maybe a scarf? He must have put a bit of bitterness or melancholy in his tone because Emiya was already frowning and looking guilty. "Hanamura, I-"

"It's fine," he said quickly. "Really. It was all my fault, anyway. I mean, figuratively speaking, I got my dose of therapy by beating you senseless until you beat me to my senses. And I got the same power as you do now. After what you put up with yesterday, I'm sure as hell not complaining."

"I'm just glad you and the others got out of it alive," he said.

"Same for you too, partner," Yosuke added. He didn't want to think too much about his friend's martyrdom after the fight. At least not right now when class is starting soon and there were other things to get out of the way first. "Speaking of power, I can enter TVs now."

Emiya blinked in response, his expression becoming slightly more serious. "Really? I thought only I could do that."

"So did I, but it must be because of the Persona I have now; name's Jiraiya, by the way. I tried it after seeing the Midnight Channel from my home TV. Not sure what I was thinking at the time since I felt like I was dissected and put together wrong, but I managed to get my head in. All I saw was some Sentai-like observatory station fashioned from the Junes building. Talk about weird."

"I tried that too, actually," Emiya nodded. "All I saw was a hill of swords. Who would conjure those places?"

"Beats me. But I'm surprised you got the same idea as me."

"I actually tried putting my hand in the TV once before. The night Satonaka first told us about it, I mean."

Realization dawned in Yosuke's eyes. "So that's why you were so shifty the other day! Why didn't you tell us bef-" He stopped himself when seeing Shirou Emiya's incredulous, deadpan look directed at him. "Right. Secrecy thing. Never mind."

"Did you at least recognize the girl on the channel?" Shirou asked.

"No. I tried calling Satonaka and hoped that she had something but I couldn't reach her. I'm worried though; someone could have ended up in the TV just after we figured out what happens to them, and turning out to be a murder case."

Shirou's face grew grim. "It might be argued that it's the Shadows themselves that commit the act, but the fact remains that someone, magus or not, is weaponizing the TV world for their own plot. It's unforgivable."

Yosuke nodded sternly. "Damn straight it is. The police are out of their league with this one, and it's up to us to stop the culprit."

Seeing his friend's honest conviction left Shirou torn. He felt he could trust Hanamura with his life if needed, but was vastly put off against that option. Hanamura's trust might be part of what Igor and Margaret told him about "Social Links" in his dream. To gain power through his connections of others, depending how close they were…

To be friends with Hanamura, it would mean to share the inevitable trials that wait in Teddie's world. He didn't want Hanamura, or Satonaka, or anyone, to be any part of this. He would save Inaba on his own terms, alone if necessary.

"Hmm? What's up?"

Emiya had stopped walking since Yosuke's last comment. After a few tense moments, the red-haired magus sighed and stared at Yosuke straight in the eyes.

"There's no 'us,' Hanamura. I'll stop the culprit alone."

Shirou watched as Hanamura stare back at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. He was utterly serious in taking this case all on his own, and would do so if to prevent some unforeseen consequence on the lives of his classmates. It might prematurely end their friendship here and there, but he was willing to bite the bullet for this.

He thought he had succeeded, too. But then Hanamura gave a sly, knowing smirk that could rival that of Shinji Matou. The likeness was unnerving, actually. "Oooooooooh no, Emiya. I see what you're trying to pull. Don't think the selfless hero card can work on me this time! It sure as hell didn't work on my Shadow, you know!"

Shirou flinched; while his new friend didn't have Shinji's graceful silver tongue, he certainly had the sting that came with it. "Hanamura, you've seen what happened in that world. The Shadows are dangerous!"

"Could've told me that when you were lying in a pool of your blood," he sarcastically countered. "And call it a hunch, but I only think it'll go downhill from here in terms of danger. Best resort to strength in numbers."

"I don't want you or Satonaka to get any more involved than you have to!"

"I think I'm already involved since I have a Persona, but Satonaka? That part I can get behind. Because unless you're willing to tell how you got your Persona that didn't come with a golden eyed clone, I really don't want to fight a Shadow Satonaka."

"I… don't even know how it happened." Shirou admitted. "I just heard a voice and then the Tarot card was in my hand."

Hanamura just shrugged. "Regardless, we want the same thing; to catch the TV killer. So being adamant about putting me in danger is moot if you plan to do the same thing. I wasn't lying when I said I couldn't put this case away if I tried. Besides, I can enter TVs too. I'd come running even if you tried to stop me!"

"But-!"

"Furthermore, we're partners in this-" Hanamura stopped himself, shook his head and considered his next words. "No, we're friends. And friends don't let other friends go out into danger without some backup."

It was such an alien feeling to Shirou. He couldn't remember the last time he heard someone willing to do something for him for the sake of friendship. As close as he was to Issei and Shinji, it was usually him helping them and them being grateful, not the other way around. In some ways, he should feel proud and glad to meet someone so willing to fight with him, in spite of being exposed to the world of magic in the least favorable fashion. Hanamura wasn't just willing to accept his status as a magus, but was willing to help him in spite of having nothing but his Persona.

Though, considering how powerful those were, that was still quite the tool.

He only had one question reeling in his mind to this revelation. "Why?"

Yosuke smiled in earnest. "Because you're the guy who apologized to me for making me go crazy when it should've been the other way around. At the very least, I want to make it up to the guy who saved my neck."

He walked up and extended his hand. "So like it or not, I've got your back… Shirou."

If the steadfast will to help him didn't surprise the magus, the use of his name did. In less than a week he had come to Inaba, he'd stumbled across a magecraft murder mystery, discovered a world inside the TV, and awakened a power that was beyond anything he'd accomplished in years of self-training.

He had also earned the trust of a fellow classmate to such a degree that he was willing to call him by his first name instead of formally referring to his family name. And he had just been proven he couldn't change his mind about fighting with him.

Shirou gave a defeated sigh, but decided that this was a good thing rather than a bad one. Smiling, he returned the classmate's handshake. "Fine, you win… Yosuke."

If Yosuke was willing to drop formalities between them, Shirou was more than happy to oblige. The grin growing on his classmate's face showed he was glad too. "Between the two of us, the killer doesn't stand a chance!"

The magus nodded, and felt a numbing sensation like yesterday. In his mind's eye, balls of light gathered to form a familiar blue Tarot card before turning to the face. A black flame was centered between black hands holding it at the bottom and a pair of eyes looking beyond it: it was like an image of a mage conjuring fire. Blue lines waved next to the flame, an infinity symbol was placed up top above the eyes, and the number of the card read "I". He then heard a familiar voice recite what sounded like a poem.

Thou art I, and I am thou.
Thou hast established a new bond.
It shall bring thee closer to the truth.
Thou shalt be blessed by Personae of the Magician Arcana.

The card image faded as the words finished. If Shirou had any doubt about what he saw was an illusion (which he didn't), he felt a new sensation in his heart just… bloom into being. All he could tell as it was some sort of spiritual link with Yosuke Hanamura.

It was a weak one, representing how the two finally had come to terms of their position together, but Shirou knew it was similar to when he first held the Persona card. It would grow in time to be an unstoppable force.

As the two of them broke their handshake and hurried on to school, Shirou mused that maybe the Wild Card power wasn't as heartless as he had thought.


Junes, After School

Chie almost didn't go to school today.

When she watched the Midnight Channel last night, she knew right away it was Yukiko; the two had been friends for years and she could recognize how flawless she looked in a kimono just from a silhouette. Recalling what had just happened to them in the other world, Chie grew frantic. That stalker they chased off didn't do this in retaliation, did he? He couldn't have.

Trying to keep all the bad stuff out of her mind, she sent an email to Yukiko before turning in. She lost sleep after the first one or two nightmares of Shadows chasing and killing the poor black-haired girl. She never returned the email, either.

She considered going to the police, or back to Junes, or do anything else except sit through school doing nothing but listen to lectures. She only went on the hopeful chance that she would be there. But she didn't, and the brown haired girl nearly had a panic attack. Why did Yukiko have to get herself kidnapped like this?

Emiya and Hanamura were shocked and worried when she told them that Yukiko was gone, but the former surprisingly kept a cool head and suggested she tried calling her cellphone again. She only got voicemail. Hanamura pointed out she was probably still at the inn. As it turned out, Yukiko answered when called there.

Chie immediately felt relieved hearing her voice, but decided not to worry her (pretty little head) about the kidnappings yet. She had been down and tense lately with the rush of customers, anyway.

Still, this disproved one of their theories that the Midnight Channel didn't show Yukiko being in the TV; it was just a silhouette. Or it could have been someone else that looked like her. In any case, the trio decided to check on Teddie after school, and see if anyone was over there yet.

The rest of the school day felt like it went on forever, in more ways than one. Whenever Chie wasn't feeling worried about Yukiko, she found herself side-glancing at Emiya. She only had a few select number of male friends, small enough that she could count them on one hand (including Hanamura), but Emiya stood out in the short time she knew him, especially after saving he-…everyone. The experience must have changed him too, because he seemed a bit more confident and charismatic than she remembered. Not to mention that open-coat look he's flaunting. Rrrwoar!

She chose to ignore whatever devil-voice was telling her such things, her facial expression betraying any sort of mental conflict between Yukiko or Emiya. And when the school day was finally over, Chie all but dragged the guys back to the Junes electronics department, intent to get to the bottom of the situation.

Her determination faltered when seeing the electronics store flooded with customers. It was a full house too, not just a small group wandering around. There were people by the radios listening to their favorite bands, people lounging in the electric massage chairs. Even by the TV they fell in, there were people watching other turned on TVs playing the same movie at once.

"Again?!" she cried. "This is the third time in a row this place got crowded!"

"Oh, that's right," Hanamura frowned, scratching the side of his head. "I forgot there was a sale on electronics today."

Emiya walked towards the big screen portal, a relieved smile on his face. "At least Teddie's TV is still here."

The Junes heir shrugged with a smile as well. "I wouldn't worry about the TV there," he assured. "With the price on that baby, it'll probably sit there as a pretty center piece for a long time."

"That better not jinx it," Chie warned. "But besides that, how will we get in without being noticed?"

"We don't need to necessarily get in," Hanamura answered. "We just need to signal him, if he's really waiting at the same spot."

Emiya stared at the TV with his hand to his chin. "I think I have an idea. Yosuke, Satonaka. Huddle with me."

Chie almost missed the fact he called Hanamura by his first name. The whole "saving his life" thing must have made the guys really respect and trust each other.

She and Hanamura walked close to the TV, forming a small half-circle around the TV with Emiya in the center. The intention was suddenly clear to her, as it was to Hanamura. "I get it," he smiled. "We stick our hands in this way while keeping ourselves discrete."

Emiya nodded, and moved his hand into the screen. Hanamura pushed his in as well, causing the ripple effect to double in size. Chie nervously looked around the store, wary of getting caught with such an obvious display. "Are you two sure this is a good idea?"

As if to tempt her, a loud chomp ran out just in front of them. The red-haired magus stiffened and let out a startled grunt. He immediately pulled his arm out (a little too suddenly in his own opinion) and examined it. There were evident square-shaped indents half-way past the palm, and looked like it was throbbing a bit. Both his classmates looked between his hand and tense face in alarm.

"D-did he really just bite you?!" Chie gawked. "Are you okay?"

Shirou winced but still smiled. "It's nothing. I'll be fine."

Yosuke smirked. "If you ask me, it doesn't even look that seri-"

CHOMP!

"YEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Hearing Yosuke's yelp, Shirou immediately forgot his own pain and pulled his friend back from the TV.

Chie almost scolded him for screaming (and causing nearly everyone in the general area to stare at them before moving on), but thought better of it when seeing the damage. Compared to Emiya's hand, Hanamura's hand was bulging red and double in size. It sported the same set of square marks, so the culprit was the same. She could swear the guy was holding back tears too.

The TV screen started to ripple again, even though no one's hand was in it. This time they went off like sound waves, going by the speed of the voice calling in instead of a slow water effect. The voice was a familiar one, for better or worse. "Hey! Yosuke! Shirou-sensei! Are you guys there? Did I win? Huh? Did I?"

"At least it's there," Shirou sighed before addressing Teddie. "We're not here for games, Teddie. We just came to check if there was anyone else in there."

"Hmmm… nope! Just me here! A lonely little bear as always… in a bear-en world…"

The three students were locked rigid but could feel large beads of sweat roll down the backs of their necks. As the seconds passed, Shirou turned to Yosuke and eventually broke the silence with an uneasy voice. "Did… did Teddie just make a pun?"

"Well, to be fair," Yosuke shrugged, blowing on his sore hand. "His name was a dead giveaway. Or its name. Whatever."

"Teddie," Chie hissed as loudly as she dared, partly trembling at the bad joke and partly to keep her temper in check. "Are you absolutely, positively sure that no one else is in that world?"

"O-of course I'm positive!" Teddie's voiced cracked. "My nose hasn't lied to me yet!"

"Well, I guess that's all we can get for now," Yosuke said. "Thanks Ted. Let us know when you do find someone."

"I'm on the case!" The bear declared jovially and the voice behind the screen receded.

Chie knew she could trust Teddie; the bear helped them when they needed it most, after all. A part of her still felt uncertain about the whole thing. "I'll go warn Yukiko, just in case." Can't let her leave without my say, anyway. "I think she'll be fine for the weekend because of the inn."

"You'll walk with her to school on Monday too, right?" asked Yosuke.

"Of course." She's that important to me.

"At any rate, let's all be sure to check the Midnight Channel too," Shirou reminded. "It's the only lead we have on who the victims are, so maybe there'll be another clue."

"That reminds me," Yosuke dug into his pocket and flipped his cell phone. "Shirou, mind trading numbers? It'll be easier to call each other right away after the Midnight Channel."

"Good idea," Shirou reached for his phone as well. It was an outdated flip-phone model that had a very basic plan, but it still worked and was more rugged than those "smartphones" he saw popping up recently. He never had much use for a mobile phone before, but Taiga bought one for him a couple years back in another hare-brained scheme to boost his social life. Considering the case he would now take part in, it was an investment he was glad his guardian made.

After adding Yosuke's number, he recalled the other member of the group. "Satonaka, could I get your number as well?"

Both his classmates stared at him. Yosuke's jaw slacked at his nonchalant request for a girl's number. Granted Chie was a tomboy, but… given how much she was blushing and stuttering, he figured she was just as shocked as he was, if not more. "Wh-wha-? B-but I-! You just-"

And then Shirou, in an amazing bout of cluelessness, had to ruin any chances of playing cool and be completely serious. "Amagi is your friend and you're in the know, so being able to stay in contact could be vital to the case."

Unknowing to either party, Yosuke blinked bewilderedly before slapping his not-sore hand to his face. "Idiot," he muttered.

Chie felt relieved (and a tad disappointed) that those were his only intentions. "Oh, right… the case. Yeah. Sure, sounds good." Even as she exchanged numbers, she once again ignored the dark thoughts that lingered within. I'm going to get you before Yukiko does.


?-?-?, Midnight

"Good evening, everyone! Princess Yukiko is here with a special announcement!"

At the stroke of Midnight, on the screen of a certain number of TVs, the fair Yukiko Amagi appeared, speaking energetically to her hand mic that read "Mayonaka TV". Her choice of attire was not her school uniform or even her inn kimono. No, she wore a princess dress fitting of her perceived standards: pink lacey gloves that covered up to her mid arm, a golden tiara like crown on her head, and a pink-white dress stylized with roses at the helm of her chest and the cage frills. For the many viewers of this channel, they were ecstatic to see her in a beautiful costume.

But for three students that have seen her, there was nothing short of gaping disbelief at her wearing such a dress.

"Tonight I'm going to score myself a hot stud to be my new prince! That's right: it's 'Not a Dream, Not a Hoax: Princess Yukiko's Search for Her Prince Charming'!"

As "Yukiko" got further into her speech, a pink ribbon with glowing letters magically appeared before her reading the last thirteen words she uttered. For the many viewers, they were excited and hoping to be in such a position of her Prince Charming.

But for three students that knew her, they were more than a little concerned about her shameless way of talking.

"And for such a hull, I came prepared! I brought my lacey unmentionables on and everything! Oh, it gets me hot just thinking about it!"

Just for emphasis, "Yukiko" rubbed her crotch not-so discretely and pushed her arms against her modest bosom. For the many viewers, they were excited to see some of their fantasies of the inn heiress come to light.

But for three students that knew her, they were now really concerned abouther shameless way of talking… and acting.

"My heart is a special part of me, and I only require a special man to please me! But to make sure that happens, I'm off to catch a whole harem of the best dressed, stocked, and lovely princes out there! Well, wish me luck everyone! Here I go!"

The channel ended as she fled into the regal looking castle with the swirling red gate behind her. To the many viewers, they were put off of seeing it die when things were getting exciting.

But for three students who knew the connection to the channel, they could utter one word that summed up their fear and confusion, and with unaware unison.

"…what?"


A/N: I see Shadow Chie being another 2 chapter sequence unless things move quickly. I might do a bit more of speed tracking scenes like in the animation, for I already have plans for the starting scene for next chapter. Surely, things will pick up now that almost all the introductory stuff is taken care of. As for the story itself, more subtleties occur, like Shirou taking on Yu's choice of uniform and Yosuke unknowingly drawing in his inner Shinji. Though as close of a friendship this can be, it'll be nothing like the bromance between Yu and Yosuke: their kind of bond is special, and it can't be made like that with someone else. Shirou's a different character, after all.

Speaking of which, let's take a look at his statistics, shall we?

Shirou Emiya
Courage: Average (1)
Knowledge: Informed (1)
Expression: Rough (1)
Understanding: Basic (1)
Diligence: Callow (1)

Reasoning: He's brave, but his lack of self-preservation really obstructs the true meaning of courage. He's an average student who focuses more on his jobs and magecraft and practice heroism than perfect his grades. His way of thinking makes it almost impossible to raise either expressing one's self to other people, or even understanding other people. Finally, he works hard, but synonyms for Callow are "green", "young", and "inexperienced". It says a lot about his naive approach to magecraft. In short, he's in the exact same position as everyone else when they first start to play Persona 4 (without a new game plus). Except, you know... with the dark anything-can-happen rules of the Nasuverse.

Following up the social status is the Persona stat sheet that was used for this chapter! Time to Wise up!

Persona: Izanagi
Arcana: The Fool
Level 3
EXP to next level: 89

Physical Affinities:
Slash: Resist
Strike: Neutral
Pierce: Neutral

Elemental Affinities:
Fire: Neutral
Ice: Neutral
Electricity: Resist
Wind: Weak
Light: Neutral
Darkness: Null

Parameters:
Strength: 3 (E)
Magic: 4 (E)
Endurance: 5 (E)
Agility: 3 (E)
Luck: 2 (E)

Skills:
Zio – Magic; Electric skill, low level
Cleave – Physical; Slash skill, low level
Tarukaja – Increase 1 ally's Strength for 90 second duration
Rakunda – Decrease 1 foe's Endurance for 90 second duration

Next to learn:
Rakukaja – Increase 1 ally's Endurance for 90 second duration (Level 5 required)