Chapter 17 – Be Prepared for Anything
April 17th, Inaba Police Station, Afternoon
Ryotaro Dojima sat at his desk, reading the open case file of the recent murders happening in town. He believed himself to be a good cop, but years on the field told him that there was no such thing as an easy case. Some could be solved with time and thinking, finding patterns or certain clues left behind, but others could lead to dead ends and eventually become a cold case. As a personal rule, Dojima always sought to finish a case he was assigned to and see it through to the end. In his entire career, there was only one case that he failed to resolve, and much to his annoyance and fear, he was starting to see another one take form.
In just one week, two women disappeared only to be later found dead and suspended on telephone wires. Mayumi Yamano was found first shortly after her scandal was made public. Saki Konishi followed almost immediately after, presumably simply for finding the body. Considering the timing of the (supposed) homicides, one would think it had something to do with said scandal. The only problem was that both Hiiragi and Namatame, the two most likely suspects with motive were busy with work at the time of Yamano's death; they had eyewitness testimonies from several sources each. Their alibis were airtight.
The Konishi girl's death made even less sense: killing her to keep quiet about something seemed like a weak motive. It happened after she reported the body anyway, and she had no other connection to Yamano. It could mean anything, like another student was going to be kidnapped. Taiga Fujimura back in Fuyuki had actually called him last night because she was worried about Shirou getting killed and wanted him back home. A part of him didn't blame her for being overprotective, as he felt the same for Nanako.
And if that wasn't bad enough, another high school student disappeared the very night they were finishing round-ups at the site where Konishi died. It wasn't much, but it did offer some loose connection: the missing girl, Yukiko Amagi, went to the same school as Konishi and her family ran the inn that Yamano was staying at up to her disappearance and subsequent death. It might be something, but in a small town like Inaba, coincidences were pretty commonplace.
The only thing that could be certain was that the killer was still in Inaba, and probably wasn't planning on leaving any time soon.
"Dojima-san?"
The experienced cop spared Tohru Adachi a quick glance. The blue-suited cop had been recently transferred to Inaba, and was still as green as one could get in the force. He was enthusiastic at least, something a lot of the force lacked these days. They were assigned together in the Yamano case when it first came up, but with the way it was going, he'd probably see a lot more of Adachi. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing yet.
"What is it, Adachi?" he grunted, turning back to his file. He barely noted that the rookie looked more uneasy than usual, but brushed it off as him making another mistake like misplacing his wallet the other day. He wasn't in a mood to help him with his mishaps right now.
Adachi scratched the back of his head, a sure sign of nervousness. "You know that nephew kid that's staying over at your place? Shirou Emiya?"
Dojima's eyes hardened ever so slightly. Not even the police station was immune to the rumor mill of town, and him having a "ghost nephew" come to visit made the more superstitious ones think he had a hand in the recent murders. Adachi was one of them that had offered such "theories": he and the others were quickly reprimanded for that. He may not know Shirou well enough, but family was still family. "What about him?"
"He's, uh… well, he just got arrested."
Being a veteran cop on the field got you used to a lot of unpleasant surprises, some more gory and gruesome than others. But there was always the unexpected fear you'd never be prepared for, and such was a fear Dojima was experiencing.
Adachi had never seen Dojima look so scared before. It was quickly replaced with the most enraged look he'd seen on the cop (also a first), which made his incredulous cry all the more cringe-worthy.
"WHAT?!"
Ten minutes later, Dojima found himself in an interrogation room with Adachi, a cop who was stationed at Junes, and three minors; two of which he recognized as his nephew and one of his friends. They were all wearing casual clothes for their day off: Shirou wore a simple white-blue t-shirt and jeans, unconsciously tugging on the neck of the shirt out of either nervous habit or to fight off the stuffy air. The brunette, Satonaka he recalled, wore a yellow-green jacket over a blouse and striped shirt, and a pair of shorts that looked too small in the detective's opinion. The third minor, the Hanamura family's kid, wore a white jacket over an orange shirt and green cargo pants. Both he and Satonaka looked everywhere but in eye contact with the police, fidgeting with their fingers and feet respectively.
The table between them had "evidence" of a blunt katana and a ceremonial nodachi, no sheaths. Both of them had fake blades and were more likely to be used for cosplay fun than random acts of violence. The room was silent and filled with tension on either side.
"So they were seen at Junes armed with these?" Dojima asked, lifting the nodachi for emphasis.
"Yes sir," the cop nodded. "One of them was swinging them around in the Junes food court, at the risk of everyone in the area. When apprehending him for questioning, he attempted to assault me with the weapons."
"No I didn't!" Hanamura snapped. All eyes turned to him and he quickly lost confidence. "I-I mean, I didn't mean to. They were just in my hands, you know? I mean, did you REALLY have to go and arrest us? Couldn't you just have taken the weapons, given me a lecture, and called it a day?"
"In case you've forgotten," Dojima said, putting the nodachi back down. "We have a serial murderer on the loose. The media isn't doing us any favors fanning the flames, and neither are you three, distracting us from our work with your stupid antics."
The minors lowered their heads in shame. "We're sorry," they chorused.
"Can I at least ask why you brought fake weapons to the Junes food court? You made a lot of people nervous, you know."
Hanamura paled considerably. "Uh, w-well, you see-!"
"It was my fault, Dojima-san," Shirou interrupted. "I asked Yosuke to show me his sword collection, and had him show them there."
It was obvious from his friend's facial expression that it wasn't the case. The look of surprise was more of sudden confusion than relief. Dojima refrained from commenting to see where their story went. "I didn't take you as the type to be fascinated with swords," the detective observed.
"Blame Fuji-nee. She insisted I learn some Kendo when I got old enough. I got interested through her," Shirou replied with a reminiscent smile. That statement was at least partially true, judging by how the redhead relaxed. Still not the whole truth, but the lie was buried deep.
"We were thinking about making a project with them!" Satonaka added. "Something with… Kung-Fu stuff! Hanamura provided the weapons and camera, Emiya and I would fight. Not for real of course!"
"Y-yeah!" Yosuke grinned. "Just a silly little project that we won't be doing again!" He kept the façade up a while longer before adding, "…please don't keep us here."
Dojima stared at each one of them before letting a soft sigh escape his lips. "Since this is your first offense, and one with no actual harm involved, you three are free to go." The students perked up at that.
The other two cops were just as surprised. "Are you sure, Dojima-san?"
"The Hanamura kid made a good point for just confiscating the weapons. It would be a reminder to anyone else not to make the same boneheaded stunt. We're supposed to keep our heads cool out there, not jumping at every shadow. Besides, we have bigger problems to worry about other than throwing some kids in juvie."
Adachi brought his hand to his chin, pondering in thought. "Oh yeah, the Amagi's daughter was kidnapped last night, wasn't she?"
The slip wasn't missed by the students: they all looked horrified. Trust the rookies to let their mouths run off without realizing that they're scaring civvies.
Trying to keep his tone soothing despite the urge to throttle his partner, Dojima quickly answered their silent pleas. "Don't worry about that: we're investigating everything we can about your classmate, but nothing points to kidnapping of any kind yet. Just go home and don't do anything like this again. Understood?"
"Yes sir," Hanamura said for them, and they all rose up to leave. The relief of not being thrown into jail was keeping them from all but bolting out the door.
A last-second thought prompted Dojima to address his nephew before leaving. "Shirou, you stay here. There's something we need to talk about."
For his part, Shirou didn't look as scared by the implications as his friends were. "Go on ahead, guys. I'll meet you outside."
Shirou sat back down to his seat, watching almost curiously as the other two cops led his friends outside. When the door closed, the veteran cop spoke, "Your guardian called last night."
Shirou blinked, suddenly somewhat nervous. "Fuji-nee? What did she want?"
There was no easy way to say this so Dojima decided to be as blunt as possible. "For you to pack your things and move back to Fuyuki."
Reasonably, Shirou was shocked. "What? But… but why? Is something wrong back home?"
"I know we thought a year here would do us all good," Dojima said. "But the timing couldn't be worse than what's going on now. She talked to you before about Yamano, right?" Shirou nodded. "She heard about Konishi too, and was worried that you would be next."
"But that doesn't even make any sense," Shirou argued. "Why would she think that?"
That's the first thing he wonders about? What kind of guardian wouldn't be worried about their kid being targeted by a murdering psycho?
"If I had to guess, it's because a student from your school was the second victim. We have no clue on the perp's M.O., but Fujimura's pretty certain that you'll draw attention to him at some point. She's also convinced that you'll most likely become a vigilante to try and stop him because of that hero dream of yours."
Shirou's head dropped to the desk with a dull thud. "She told you about that last year, didn't she? Nearly forgot about that…"
Dojima nodded. He still recalled the first talk with Taiga, and how she begged him to consider taking Shirou in because of his late father and how seriously he wanted to take his mantle as an "ally of justice". Sometime after the heritage was confirmed, he talked to her more about that goal of his to at least understand why he wanted to be a superhero. It was a nice dream, but as a high school student, there was no realistic approach to that except for law enforcement. In that perspective, it made sense that Taiga wanted him to come down here in the first place.
The redhead groaned slightly before picking himself up. "But what about Nanako?"
"What about her?" Dojima growled. He felt a tinge of anger that the redhead was shifting the topic in that direction. He didn't want his daughter to be a part of the discussion and bring up his own fears.
"How many nights will she have to spend alone while you're chasing this monster? This is probably the best time for me to be here and keep her company." The fact that he would defend his cousin with his life was left unsaid, but the message was clear.
Dojima was briefly taken aback by Shirou's intensity, but before Dojima could reply, a loud noise broke outside the room, followed by shouting. Their discussion forgotten, Dojima and Shirou bolted from the room to find several officers staring at the Satonaka girl, who was only barely restrained by Hanamura. She was glaring daggers at Adachi, who was pressed back against the wall and sweating in terror. If he wasn't paralyzed with terror, he would have probably bolted.
"I-it's just a theory!" Adachi weakly reasoned. "It isn't likely to be true, but it IS a possibi-"
"Yukiko isn't like that, you bastard!" Satonaka shouted, completely drowning out the disheveled detective. "She's a victim here, dammit! Not a suspect!"
"Pipe down!" Hanamura hissed, straining to keep the fiery tomboy from dragging him forward. "We just got out of being arrested! Don't piss them off more!"
Shirou quickly jumped between the girl and the cop, his hands slapping squarely on the girl's shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "Satonaka. Calm down." Something passed between them, and her anger broke, leaving her to slump weakly in the boys' grips.
"Yukiko isn't like that!" Chie cried despondently. "She isn't!" Innocent little Yukiko wouldn't think that defiantly, anyway!
"Don't worry, Satonaka," Shirou whispered quietly enough for only his two friends to hear. "We're going to save her. Trust me." His words earned him a nod of thanks. Yosuke smirked confidently behind her and let her go.
Watching the remarkably close exchange with a quirk of the brow, Dojima decided to let the moving plans wait for another day. If the Amagi girl turned up dead, he'd play it safe and send Shirou back. For now, he'd just keep investigating the disappearance and hope that things weren't going to get worse. Regardless, he was going to have a little talk with Adachi. The guy just had to open his big mouth again, didn't he?
"What did you tell her?" he finally asked when the teens were out of sight.
Adachi looked away, airing out his collar sheepishly. "N-nothing you'd like to hear, I'm sure, sir."
Shopping District: Daidara's Metalworks
Between Shirou and Dojima's intervention, the scene at the police station fortunately didn't get any more awkward. After that, the trio quietly left the police station and walked back towards the old shopping district. None of them were exactly in a talking mood, and Yosuke focused his thoughts on the nightmare puzzle playing out around them.
The whole day had been a train-wreck from the start. The worries over Yukiko ending up in the TV world were realized after watching the Midnight Channel pass itself off as some low-budget program, and the Amagi Inn had only just realized that their daughter was missing during the breakfast rush. The trio ended up playing a bit of phone tag to coordinate, but Yosuke assured the group that he had a plan to go in prepared for the TV world this time.
Needless to say, he would never bring weapons to the food court again. Heaven knows Satonaka wouldn't let him hear the end of that blunder.
And then there was that Adachi guy with his "theories". He seemed loose-lipped enough, so Yosuke didn't think much of asking him what he meant back in the detainment room. It turned out that Mayumi Yamano had been staying at the Amagi Inn up until her death, but bitched out on the hostess, Yukiko's mother, until she ran herself ragged. The cops were thinking this to be the connecting factor between Yamano's death and Yukiko Amagi's disappearance, and the latter was now "laying low" after Konishi died too.
That was all they got out of the guy before Satonaka freaking tackled him to the wall and he had to practically pick her up to keep her from throttling the cop with her bare hands. That girl was freaking strong. The trio left the building shortly after, more motivated than ever to rescue Yukiko.
The problem was they were still weaponless. Oddly enough, the now calm tomboy had the answer, and led them to Daidara's Metalworks. Trust the Kung-Fu nut to know where to hook them up on that front.
Shirou recognized the store entrance from when he first came to Inaba, but had never found the time over the last couple days. It looked quaint enough on the outside, with a suit of red samurai armor mounted next to the door as the only thing making it stand out.
The inside of the building on the other hand was nothing short of a true middle-aged smithy: cold stone floors, a burning hearth in the back complete with bellows and various tools, and weapons of all kinds filling up the cluttered shelves and armors of all kinds sittting on racks and stands. How this store wasn't one of the ones that closed up like many other stores in the area was baffling to the students, but they weren't going to complain about a blessing in disguise.
"Looks like your Kung-Fu movies paid off big time," Yosuke teased, admiring a stand lined with ornate, decorative lances.
"Nah, I just heard about this place from some guys at school the other day," Chie said, glancing away at a Chinese long sword. "I only went here a few times before out of curiosity. You know, window shopping."
"Almost feels like a magus' workshop," Shirou noted quietly, tempted to touch one of the swords on display. "The only problem is getting these into the electronics section without getting noticed again."
"We'll figure something out," Chie shrugged, walking over to the gleaming steel breastplate displayed up by the front desk. "Maybe we should just stick with armor this time, though. They're easier to hide under bulky clothing than swords, and Shirou can do that thing he did last time on some tools."
Yosuke and Shirou exchanged uneasy glances. Chie continued to examine the display armor, unaware of their concerned expressions. "Uh, when you said 'we', do you mean… we?" Yosuke started carefully.
"Yes, we. Us. You, me, and him? I'm going too, isn't that obvious?" Stepping into the corner of the shop with the two boys, Chie planted her hands on her hips defiantly and silently dared them to say otherwise.
Ever the risk-taker, Shirou cleared his throat. "Maybe… you should sit this one out, Satonaka."
Chie looked like she had been slapped, her disbelief leaving her stunned for a second before she glared at the boys. "What?! How could you even say that? I have to go!"
"No, you don't. You're not right in the head for this," Shirou observed clinically. Amagi meant too much to Satonaka for her to throw herself into a rescue that might kill her before they reached their goal.
"Yes I do, and yes I am! Yukiko's in there and she needs my help!" Chie was almost shaking in anger and frustration.
"See, that's what we're talking about!" Yosuke countered. "You're too emotional about this and will only draw in Shadows. I know how you feel but-"
"You don't know shit about how I feel!" Chie snapped, stomping on the store floor for emphasis and startling the two much like the time at Yamano's room. "My best friend is stuck in that place, likely to die like the other two, and you jerks are telling me I can't even help her?!"
"We were nearly useless in there last time, remember? Shirou barely managed to keep us alive! The only thing that hurts them is a Persona, and last I checked, you don't have one!"
Chie bit her lip hard enough that it looked like she might draw blood for several uneasy seconds. Finally, she took a deep breath and visibly forced herself to calm down. "It's just my Shadow you're worried about, right?" Chie asked in an even tone. "I just have to accept it before it grows then. It's not like I have an ulterior motive for my own selfish needs to enter that place anyway."
She felt awkward making that comment. It was uncharacteristically bitter of her (even if the idiot had it coming) and the pained wince Yosuke wore told her he was still sore about the event. But she'd be damned if they were going to brush her aside from this when it had everything to do with her!
"I don't care what you two say! I'm going back there to save Yukiko and that's final!"
It was one thing to see Yosuke's conviction, but Satonaka's as well? As much as Shirou was amazed by his fellow classmate's willingness to help, he refused to see any of them get in harm's way if he could do something about it. Yosuke was an exception because he had a Persona of his own now, but Satonaka was liable to get herself killed; more so because of her erratic behavior and fear for her friend.
"It's just too risky to bring you back this time!" Shirou snapped back. "That world is no place for a girl!"
Time stood eerily still as soon as those words were uttered. Yosuke stared at his new friend in a mix of horror and bewilderment, silently questioning his intellect. Shirou, having said his piece (but feeling like he might have perhaps worded it a touch off), wasn't certain why the words caused this reaction, but knew they were the direct cause. And Chie…
She just stared at Shirou blankly, jaw slightly open and all traces of rage gone. "A girl," she repeated in a complete neutral tone.
"Yes!" Shirou nodded, oblivious. "It's not about whether you're capable or not. That place could kill any ordinary person at any time, and it would help me feel better that you're out of harm's way by staying here. I promise we'll get Yukiko back to you."
Chie's head lowered, and her hands were distinctly trembling. "But, Yukiko…"
"Oi! What's with the commotion?"
The three students jumped at the new voice addressing them as a figure emerged from the back room behind the counter. The swarthy man looked to be in his late forties, wearing a sweat-stained white shirt with matching pants and a brown work obi tied around his waist. He wasn't a particularly large man, but his thin frame was corded with cable-like muscles. His scowling face was less than welcoming, an 'X' shaped scar running squarely between his eyes and above his nose. He was bald on top, with red hair forming a ring from around his ears to blend into his mustache, and a lit cigarette jutted stiffly in the firm line of his mouth. A twisted white towel tied around his head in a makeshift sweat rag, the only thing that softened his fierce image.
The man blinked once he saw the three students, particularly Chie. "Oh, it's you again, Chie-chan. Come to admire my art again?"
"Not today," she replied, suddenly chipper again and walking up to the counter. "I was thinking about getting some armor and weapons. Been saving up, you see."
"Have you now?" the man smiled. "Well, what will it be?"
"Wait a minute, hold up," Yosuke interjected, before he and Shirou joined up at the desk. "You're the shopkeeper here?"
"Aye," he nodded. "I'm Daidara, and this is my shop. Haven't made anything unique in a while, but what I have made are top notch works of art." The man's grim demeanor softened and his chest swelled with pride as he turned an eye back to the racks of weapons and metal works around them.
"And you're willing to sell them to us?" Shirou asked. He'd expected that weapons and armor would cost more, even the cheaper scraps, to keep young students like him from purchasing them or at least to reflect the man's pride and hard work. It wasn't like he had an ID to prove he was of a legal age to buy these either. Though easier to attain than guns, weapons of any stripe were tightly regulated in Japan.
"I don't see why not," the shopkeeper smiled. "I only do this for the art of metal-crafting, and a small town like this doesn't get to appreciate it as much as your little friend there."
"So you'll get us cool weapons?" Yosuke smiled, struggling to contain himself.
"So long as I have made them, I'll sell them. I don't do custom orders without charging extra," Daidara declared sternly.
Shirou glanced back at the racks of weapons and found his answer. "If you have a long sword that you think suits me, I'll take it," he decided.
"Twin blades!" shouted Yosuke, raising his hand eagerly.
"Chain whip!" added Chie, doing the same.
Shirou and Yosuke turned to their classmate with incredulous looks at her choice. Yosuke expected a sword or a staff, and Shirou expected her to simply buy gauntlets and greaves. Why a chain whip? Yosuke in particular looked terrified at her choice as a chilling thought occurred to him…
"What?" she asked. "They're perfectly acceptable in Kung Fu and Wushu, and I can't just rely on my hands and feet all the time. They cover range, are versatile, and can even work with the movements of just the feet."
Deciding to go with her logic, as well as ignoring Yosuke's whimpering, Shirou pointed to the set of armor Chie stared at earlier. "We could also use some armor: lightweight but durable."
"I'll have to look through my wares, but off the top of my mind, I think what you want is some chainmail. Those cost 10,000 yen per set." Noticing the students' surprised and horrified looks, he chuckled a bit. "I didn't say I would give them to you cheap: I need to make a living, ya know. Things haven't gone smoothly here since that Junes building popped up."
The three students just about choked. That amount of money wasn't exactly easy to come by for a trio of high school students. Shirou had some money handy to buy several pieces, but that was still a pretty big bite out of his savings. For the other two… "How the hell are we going to afford everything?! The armor alone is 30,000 yen for all three of us!" Yosuke gasped out.
"I guess we just have to pool our resources and hope for the best," Shirou offered. Chie nodded in agreement.
Yosuke sighed, more upset than convinced. "Looks like I'll have to put off that motorcycle license for a bit longer…"
The trio left the store with their purchases: three identical shirts of chainmail, a five-sectioned chain whip for Chie, a pair of simple hunting nata for Yosuke, and the functional but cheap katana for Shirou. Each of them carried an oversized, unmarked brown bag to hold their choices. Between Chie's allowances, Yosuke's wages from Junes, and Shirou's entire wallet spending cash, they were barely able to pay for the merchandise with pocket change to spare, and that was only because of the whim deal Shirou made.
Intent on avoiding another police sit-in like this morning, the students asked the shopkeeper Daidara if he had small, concealable weapons and armor that they could hide easily. Much to their surprise, he was actually enthralled by their request. It was apparently a bit of the inspiration he was missing, and he was willing to help in exchange for a discount. He only asked that they bring him materials that he could use to modify his designs. Being the helpful fellow that he was, Shirou accepted without much forethought.
"Where the hell are we going to get him materials?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "Find tabs from vending machine drinks?"
"I might have some stuff he can use," Shirou said. "But they're all the way back at my shed in Fuyuki. I like to fix things, so I have a bunch of scraps and parts of all sorts of things. I might have to ask Fuji-nee to send them over."
"Wait, 'Fuji-nee'?" Yosuke blinked. "I didn't know you had a sister. Then again you did mention her back at the station. Is she single?"
Before Shirou would awkwardly answer the question, Chie beat him to it with a growl. "Hey! Talk about girls later! Yukiko's in danger, remember!?"
Seeing her loud and eager again told them that she was still serious about going, and didn't take their words for merit. Whether they liked it or not, she was going to follow them unless they knocked her out; Shirou didn't have the heart in him to do it, and Yosuke didn't have the guts to risk her thrashing him. They exchanged knowing glances and finally relented.
"Fine," Yosuke groaned. "You can come, but stay behind us. You can be in charge of medicine."
Chie frowned at being given medic duty, but nodded in thanks. Suddenly she paled. "Oh crap! I forgot my glasses!"
Glasses? Shirou blinked. He almost commented aloud that she didn't wear glasses, until it hit him: Teddie's fog-filtering glasses from the other day. In the rush of getting over to the food court and seeing Nanako going about her day alone, he forgot to take them with him too.
"Looks like we all did," Yosuke said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "We might need to make a habit of carrying those at all times. Okay, so now we have to go home and pick up our glasses."
An idea suddenly came to the magus. "And change into our uniforms."
"What? Dude, it's Sunday! Won't a group of kids wearing school uniforms on a Sunday stick out?"
Shirou lifted his bag for emphasis. "No less than a group of kids walking around with huge bags concealing weapons. The uniforms are baggy enough to hide your knives and the chain whip and maybe even our chainmail. I also might have a kendo bag to hide my sword. And if anyone asks, say we're from cram school."
Chie and Yosuke exchanged surprised glances. "Can't argue with that logic," she shrugged.
"Yeah, sounds good," Yosuke agreed, before quickly making a plan. "Let's meet up the food court in an hour from now. If we all don't meet up at the same time, we go to the Junes food court and sit by one of the tables."
"All right," Chie nodded. "I'll be sure to get some medicine too. See you then."
They watched Satonaka leave, and began moving in the opposite direction. Yosuke took another look back to see her disappear around the corner and out of earshot. Immediately after, he smacked the back of Shirou's head with an annoyed expression.
For his part, Shirou quickly recovered before falling face first to the road. "Ow! What was that for?"
"'That world is no place for a girl'?" Yosuke repeated in an incredulous tone. "Are you sexist, or just stupid?!"
"Satonaka didn't seem upset," the magus reasoned.
"Are you kidding? She was pissed; biding her time for the appropriate comeback for your screwed-up logic. If that clerk didn't come in when he did, she probably would have given you an earful, or worse! She may not have a Persona, but she wasn't kidding the other day when she said that she could literally kick my ass!"
"I didn't mean to hurt her feelings! I just don't want her to die!"
"I get that, but that comment was still uncalled for. You tried talking me out of this just yesterday too, but that time you didn't say anything remotely as demeaning." The auburn haired student then pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Look, just… don't say that again. Like, ever."
"Fine," Shirou sighed, vaguely mulling over his classmate's words, and the two continued their walk. It was again interrupted by a brief flash of light. The next thing Shirou knew, he saw something in his peripheral vision and nearly gaped at the sight greeting him and how other civilians were walking by it without as much as a glance.
"Dude? You okay?"
"That depends," he answered. "Do you see a glowing door over there?" He pointed to an ethereal stained glass door in a blue-hue aura that appeared in the alleyway next to the weapon shop. He knew for a fact that it hadn't there before, and its sudden appearance was akin to magecraft.
Yosuke frowned, staring between the allegedly empty space and the redhead in confusion. "Uh… no?"
"Then I might be hallucinating," Shirou weakly reasoned. If Yosuke couldn't see the door, it might be more magecraft-based than relating to their Personas, or at least connected to him alone on some level.
Suddenly remembering his dream the other night, he reached to his pocket and pulled out the Velvet Key. It glowed dimly in his hands as if reacting to the door. It must be the gateway to the Velvet Room.
"Seriously Shirou," his friend asked. "What's going on?"
Shirou considered lying to him, but he was never good at lying, and Yosuke already knew the existence of magecraft to a degree. Not that he knew exactly how to tell him about Igor and Margaret, let alone his magecraft, but it wasn't like he needed to explain everything at once. There was no rule against telling or not telling his friends about the Velvet Room, was there?
Well, the fact that no one but him could see the door probably simplified matters as far as discretion went. Still, Shirou felt he owed his friend an explanation.
"Long story short, I'm being called by my-" he paused, trying to think of the appropriate term. "…benefactors. They're willing to help me develop my Persona powers."
"Benefactors, huh?" Yosuke had mixed feelings about Shirou getting extra attention. On the one hand, any help getting clues to the case, or more power to stop Shadows was okay in his book. On the other, it was Shirou's help that further drove the point that he had been chosen for something. Had he heard this before Shadow Yosuke, it would have added more fuel to the fire.
He was over the worst of it, but still had the nagging sense of envy inside him. Change doesn't come easy, after all.
"You go on ahead, Yosuke," he heard the magus say. "I might take a while."
"Alright," his friend shrugged, already walking ahead. "Don't forget: an hour at the food court." He gestured and pointed to his wrist for emphasis, even though he wasn't wearing a watch.
"I won't," Shirou replied, walking up to the door. He stopped just in front of it to notice the finer details, like how it looked more like a stained-glass window or painting than a door. There was no knob or keyhole anywhere on the surface, and it gave the mixed implication of being fragile and sturdy. It was unlike any door or portal Shirou had ever seen.
Just as he considered using Structural Analysis to find a way in, the Velvet Key shone even brighter. The door cracked away, revealing a gap of light into the unknown. Shirou hesitated for a moment, to check if anyone in the area was watching him, before steeping fully inside the gateway.
Had anyone been watching, they would have forgotten there was anyone there to begin with.
Velvet Room
Despite entering it consciously this time like he would any other room, Shirou found himself sitting in the exact spot as he had in each prior visit without ever physically doing so, and saw the limousine-like room before him. Just as well, the long-nosed man and his assistant were sitting just across from him, mysterious as always.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, Shirou Emiya," Igor greeted with his ever present smile.
"Glad that I'm not dreaming this time," Shirou quipped. He didn't mean to make it sound bitter, but he would prefer that his dreams be less ominous from people he'd never met before, even if they were friendly. It earned him a slight chuckle from the frail-looking man, which he hoped was actual humor.
"Yes, quite. Now, I understand you have questions for us?"
Shirou nodded. "This danger I'm facing… who or what is it?"
"That's a question we all would like to know, isn't it?" Igor pondered, tapping his fingers together and looking distant. "Your journey is to discover the source of the calamity and stop it, as you promised your friends."
Shirou frowned. Either Igor honestly didn't know what he was facing or just didn't want his "journey" to be a straightforward one and was withholding the answer. It appeared all he could count on Igor for was lending the power to fight it.
"You're not alone in this endeavor," Margaret reminded. "The Social Links you'll make, just as the one you've made with Yosuke Hanamura, will be there to guide you. My master and I are also here to facilitate your potential."
"How?" Shirou asked.
"I am able to create new Personas," Igor said with a touch of pride. "It is most appropriately called 'fusion', as I can transmute multiple Persona cards into a new, stronger form. This is the main boon of your Wild Card, for any Social Links you've made will grant a power to a Persona of the corresponding Arcana, like The Magician for example. However, just as your own gifts must be honed and controlled carefully so too must you build the strength of those Personas. I can only fuse a Persona as strong as your heart and bonds allow, so don't get ahead of yourself!"
Not that the magus planned on cheating Igor's system (and he was still questioning the moral merits of Social Links), but he was confused at the idea of using multiple Persona. "But, the only Persona I have is Izanagi," he explained, before a thought crossed his mind. "Unless, you're implying I should fuse with Yosuke's-"
"That won't work," Igor kindly interjected. "Yosuke Hanamura has not established a contract with this room, and will not likely make one in this year's duration. As I've mentioned in our first meeting, only those that have made a contract may enter, let alone see, the Velvet Room, with some exceptions. Your friend isn't an exception."
So that explains it. At least Shirou didn't have to worry about the secret of this room being discovered by the public or passing magi and risking the exposure of magecraft. "If that's true, how can I get more than one Persona?"
"As you may realize, Personas and Shadows are one and the same: the light and darkness of the human heart," Igor explained. "When you defeated the Shadow of your friend, it changed into a Persona, did it not? The same principle applies to the other Shadows you'll see in this world.
"When you defeat them, there is a possibility that it will revert to a Persona, without an anchor to the human that formed them. They may be hard to grasp, and it is entirely your decision to avoid them. But should you wish to obtain their power, you must master your fear and reach out for them."
"I too shall help in managing your collection of Personas," Margaret added, gesturing to the thick tome on her lap. "Any and all data on the Personas you'll find and fuse will be recorded here, in the Persona Compendium. Feel free to ask me to assist at your leisure."
The redhead nodded, almost missing the suspicious gleam in Igor's bulbous eye. "Anything else you wish to tell me?"
He chuckled and smiled, but was still serious. "Do you remember the reading of the Reverse World card?"
I couldn't forget even if I wanted to, he thought bitterly, but instead he solemnly repeated the words Igor told him a week ago. "'The coming year is a turning point in my destiny. If the mystery goes unsolved, my future, perhaps far more, may be forever lost. That is what the World foretells.'" The quote was almost seared into his memory, constantly goading him to action even as he struggled for a clue on what he needed to do.
Igor nodded. "I meant every word. Do understand that while defeat in battle is always a risk, it isn't the only unfortunate end to your journey."
Meaning that unless the case is solved, Inaba will face more than just serial murders in the future. It was an ominous thought, but it wasn't going to deter the magus hero-to-be from helping others. Yukiko Amagi was in need of help.
"I best get going then," he rose from his seat, heading for the limousine door to his left. "Amagi-san isn't going to save herself."
The long-nosed man gave a short wave in response as he left. "Until we meet again… farewell."
Junes – Electronics Department
An hour later, the regroup at the food court was brief, as everyone wanted to avoid attention from the police again. After a quick drink of soda, the group headed down to the electronics department, trying to avoid being conspicuous as uniform wearing students could be.
Chie was the last one to arrive. Earlier, Yosuke briefly considered that the two of them should just head over on their own before she did. Shirou voted against that, if only for the trust in their friend, but he understood Yosuke's intention. He was worried that she might be going in for the wrong reasons as he did the other day and end up creating a Shadow that would hinder their search. He almost pushed away Yosuke in this investigation, only to fail because he was serious about the case.
The same could be said about Satonaka because of how she willingly wished to go back despite hating the last two visits. This was especially personal to her with her best friend now in such danger, just like it was for Yosuke losing Saki Konishi, as one-sided as that infatuation was.
"Well, we're here," Yosuke announced, standing before the giant TV that was looming almost ominously before the trio once again. The afternoon sales were dying down, and there were less people wandering around Junes for a few hours. The electronics department in particular was barren again, and they were going to take full advantage of this fact.
"Not too late to change your mind, Satonaka," Shirou offered as he reached for his white glasses. Just because he wasn't going to push her away didn't mean he wouldn't be concerned about her safety.
He flinched when the brunette glared daggers at him through her lenses. Apparently she was mad at him, and still is. "I'm going," she all but growled. I'm not going to be denied by anyone. Not again.
Yosuke threw his arms up in defeat after putting his pair on. "Alright, fine, have it your way. Man, I hope I'm wrong about this…"
The last bit of words was uttered to himself even as he climbed inside the TV. Shirou held his hand out for Chie, who hesitantly, maybe even timidly, took it.
"Hold on," Shirou said before they jumped inside. Chie nodded, only because she didn't trust her voice the moment her thoughts ran out.
"I never let go of what's important to me, Shirou-kun," the tiny, almost hissing voice seemed to brush across her thoughts.
TV World – En Route to Yukiko
The group found Teddie "deli-bear-ating" in a corner about its nature. Apparently it had been doing that since yesterday. It did live up to its word in looking around, catching a whiff of something shortly after their Junes visit. After spending the day looking, it came up with the location but refused to go in because of the Shadows gathering around it. Teddie also didn't know how to contact the gang about his discovery, so it pondered about how to accomplish that. That line of thought led to it pondering its skills, which became asking why it could smell directions so well, and then question, once again, the bear's very being.
Not that Chie was in the mood of listening to its philosophical debates and wanted to save Yukiko now. With that goal in mind, Teddie dubiously lead them to where it had claimed they would find Yukiko. The mascot bear trekked ahead of them, with Shirou staying a few paces behind. Yosuke brought up the rear, his eyes darting around to cover their backs. Chie was behind Shirou, keeping watch for danger on the sides and holding the bag of Shiroku brand medicine slung under her shoulder. Without a Persona, she would have to largely rely on the boys in front and behind her. Yosuke took the rear guard, carefully watching over his shoulder in case a canny Shadow tried to sneak up on them. Thankfully there were none so far.
It was during the long walk through dark spiraling skies and distorted landscapes that Yosuke eventually broke the silence. "Say, Shirou?" he called up to the front, tightening their formation a bit.
"Yeah?"
"Now might not be a good time to ask, and I've been wondering about this for a while. How exactly does your… whatsit called work?"
"My magecraft?" Shirou guessed.
Chie blinked. "Mage-what?"
"Not the time, Chie-chan!" Teddie blurted from ahead. "We need to find this Yuki-chan of yours, right?"
"Why not talk on the way, since it's far?" Yosuke shrugged before glancing back to Shirou. "Besides, you did say that you owed us an explanation. It's a big secret, so what better way than to tell it where no one can hear us?"
Shirou winced slightly. He did promise them both an explanation, didn't he? Yosuke brought up a good point though: this place was probably the most secret place one could ask for. He stared up at the black and red sky that seemed to roll in the same direction they were walking, as if it were watching them and pondered the risks. He wanted to keep his word, but it would be another step into a world that was as dangerous as it was powerful.
Then again, this world within the TV was pretty much the same thing in that regard.
"Alright," he finally breathed. Yosuke pumped his fist slightly at having finally dragged the matter out of his tight-lipped friend. Chie also perked up, interested despite her worries over Yukiko.
"I guess I should start with the basics of the basics. Magic and magecraft are two separate things: magecraft is using magical energy to accomplish something that science can do, regardless of time or effort involved. You with me so far?"
"Sounds simple enough to me. So if you tossed out a fireball with magi-magecraft, a normal guy could do that with an aerosol can and a lighter," Chie still almost fumbled on the term, but it was a simple enough principle to understand.
"Right. Magic is something else, though. True Magic does something science can't do at all right now: things like making something from nothing, hopping into other universes or time travel. You can kinda guess that people who can do that are extremely powerful and rare," Shirou continued. "That's why I'm so insistent on calling myself a magus instead of a magician or Sorcerer. They mean different things to the magical community."
Let it never be said that Yosuke wasn't intuitive. "So there're whole cabals or groups who study this stuff? Do they rule the world from the shadows or something?"
He almost gulped when Shirou didn't reply at first. Shirou didn't notice, simply trying to reach back to Kiritsugu's lessons. "Well, there are organizations, but I don't think they do anything like rule the world, given that most ordinary pursuits don't interest magi. Dad told me that most of them are academics, even if they're powerful and organized. Also, magecraft has a flaw: the more people who use it and understand it, the weaker it gets. Mystery has power. On top of preventing mass panic, that's the main reason magi punish people who blab the secret carelessly so harshly. I'll warn you again. You can't tell ANYONE about this or they might get you and those around you killed."
"'Cause that makes sense," Chie snorted, but then, magic or magecraft, being what it was, probably didn't need to make sense. It just had to work.
"Hang on, doesn't that mean our Personas will get weaker too?" That was just plain bad news in Yosuke's mind. They needed every edge they could get.
"I don't know for sure, but the benefactors I mentioned told me that they'll get stronger, not weaker. Personas don't seem to work like any magecraft I'm familiar with. We'll need to wait and see, I guess. Anyway, the last thing is how magi work their thaumaturgy."
"Thauma-wha?" came two simultaneous confused voices.
Shirou simply chuckled. "Thaumaturgy. It's basically a word that magi use to describe the act of casting spells. Don't ask, I didn't invent the term. Anyway, there are two sources of power that magi use: the outer source, mana, which is drawn from the planet, and the much smaller inner source of personal energy, called od. That energy has to then be processed into a form that can work magecraft, so it's processed using Magic Circuits."
"I remember you saying something about that last time. You said yours broke? And you had to replace it?" Chie's eyes squeezed shut and a frown showed how hard she was trying to recall that event in the midst of the more violent ones.
"Yeah. I'm a third-rate magus at best, and not even a proper apprentice, so I only have the one I set at any given time, and they only work for about a week before they burn out and I have to do it again. Real magi can have several dozen at once, but they have generations of breeding behind them. I have to basically align my spinal cord to my od's flow and convert it into a channel for my magical power. It hurts, but I'm used to it. The first rule magi learn is 'a magus walks with death.' A lot can go wrong in magecraft, and it's a pretty unforgiving lifestyle."
Good lord! From the heat he put out last time he must be pretty much setting himself on fire every time! No wonder he could shrug off getting pummeled! Yosuke couldn't help but gawk. "So why do it at all?"
That was an easy one for Shirou. "Magecraft might be dangerous, but one day it'll give me a way to help others like it helped us last time we were here. Besides, what's life without a little risk?" he finished with a cheeky grin. Turning his eyes forward again, he finished with a warning: "I want both you to keep an eye out, though: not every magus sits back and studies quietly. My father told me that there are rogues who don't care what they do so long as the magecraft organizations don't catch them. Considering this place, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if our killer was a rogue magus. Watch for things like strange symbols, eerie feelings or odd rumors like the Midnight Channel. It might not mean anything, but magecraft leaves a mark if you know where to look."
The exact details of things like Sealing Designations and the like were ultimately unimportant at the moment, so Shirou left the nuances for later if they were still interested. From the looks on their faces, it would take a while to digest all this anyway, and the gist was there. Details were more important if they wanted to study the art, and Shirou doubted that the risks would be worth it for them in the long run. Even if they did have their own Magic Circuits, they had no real support or experience to help get them anything meaningful.
Maybe Igor had some ideas…
"Wait a minute," Yosuke broke the silence again, a thought occurring to him. "You just said 'your father' warned you about rogue magi? And earlier, your 'dad' told you that magi are usually just a bunch of scholars?"
"Yes," Shirou nodded. "What of it?"
"That means your old man is also your magecraft teacher, right?"
Shirou was starting to get an idea of Yosuke's question, and felt more than a little nervous. "Well, yes, but he-"
A wide smile grew on the teen's face at his discovery, unaware of his friend's unease. "Then that means we can call on an expert adult to help us, right?!"
Chie brightened at the idea as well. "Hey, yeah! We can't contact the police for obvious reasons, but we can still get help from your dad! After we rescue Yukiko, maybe you could call him over and help find the killer!"
Shirou winced, not looking or feel as thrilled as his classmates. "I'm afraid that's not possible."
The nervousness of his tone wasn't missed to either of them. He sounded like he was hiding or avoiding something. To Chie, it reminded her of the first day when they were walking with Yukiko. Come to think of it, he never said anything about his parents. Could it be that those magecraft rules he just told them prevented his dad from helping or something?
"Hey guys!"
The tense confusion passed and the group looked up in surprise at Teddie. The bear, after calling their attention, pointed down over the hill it stood on and to a regal, baroque castle.
"We're here!"
A/N: Took a while, but at least I set up to a big boss battle that will fit the entirety of next chapter. I realize the story is still going slow, but I'm confident it'll make leaps and bounds after Shadow Chie coming up next chapter, if only because this won't be bound in the sim-management aspect of Persona 4. If I did that, this story would never end! And contrary to believe, not everything should last forever!
Chie getting arrested as well might have thrown some people off the loop, I bet. Normally she wasn't an official member of the team until after Yukiko was saved (which was her main motivation of going back in there anyway). She proclaims as much when the group eats on the rooftop one game scene. Canon-wise, if Yukiko was never kidnapped, Chie probably would have played the secret keeper for Yu and Yosuke's antics. She would want no part in the fighting but wouldn't want a guilty conscience of not helping them either. In this story though, since she also wanted to catch the killer and got both the guy's numbers, she was there when Yosuke brandished his swords like an idiot. After all, the anime did a good job showing her reaction to Adachi when he told her about some of his theories and I wanted to work that in there too.
My excuse on the chain whip? I blame a certain doujin comic about Chie having a dominatrix vibe towards not just Yukiko but Yosuke and Yu as well (her bitches). She then easily accepts that even while Yosuke frantically argues how wrong the whole situation is. Anyway, Chie gave a good enough example up there as to buying it, but her second visit easily rattled her because she barely survived two life-or-death situations in succession, and wants something that would mean assured, flexible death to the Shadows. I plan to look up more videos on the fighting style later, but from what I've seen and read so far, it requires quick movement and works in junction with kicks, which suits Chie just fine.
And Yosuke proves to be an invaluable friend by slowly but surely slapping sense into our naive redhead! He's got his work cut out for him, that's for sure.
Major thanks and props to Nameless Flame Wielder for betaing and helping with the final scene (the magecraft info-dump, as we know it) and Vandenbz for beta as well.
One more note. Fate: Reach Out has been recommended on TV Tropes for a while now, but it now recently got a trope page of its own too! Only problem it's small and hardly does this story justice. I would put more up, but I'm writing this story and I can't come up with anything more without really spoiling what's yet to come. Anyway, just thought I let you know this is really picking up on popularity, and I want to thank everyone here and at Spacebattles for making it possible. Thank you.
-Vegeta the 3rd
