This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.

4/13 Saturday

After School

It took quite a while to locate an actual stairway leading up out of the darkness to the higher level of Mira's Land, a bracket framing one of the trees and well-hidden enough that none of the so-called 'filth' down there would stumble on it.

Naturally, it was guarded. Two more of the disk-shaped robots hovered about, and a tall one shaped like a mobile water cooler remained positioned so that it was impossible for anyone to pass.

Aiko didn't want to talk with these ones. She and Pelagio simply attacked, cutting through the two fliers before they had even noticed there was 'filth' around. The tall guard joined them in another transformation, revealing the forms of Shadows.

"All of the sentry robots", Pelagio observed wistfully. "So they're all actually Shadows, forced to pretend to be machines by the Land's ruler. I shall handle the large one, my lady!"

The 'large one' he referred to was a big-bellied bipedal goat with white fur and black horns. The disk robots had become two more of the burning lizards from previously, and they fell just as quickly when Aiko called upon Anne Bonny's power to douse them in water and heal when needed.

The huge goat Shadow proved tougher, but having a sword of her own made Aiko appreciate anew just how nimble Pelagio was with his own blade. Quickly as he had when diving down to claw at Kujou, he would slice into a meaty fist rushing forward to crush him and cause the creature to draw it back, howling in pain. A punch with the other hand led to the same counter repeating, and the goat toppled over, looking helplessly at its pair of bloodied fists and... crying?

It sounded strange, but then she didn't expect a fat goat demon to cry like a human would. "Sir Pelagio, I think you might have cut him a bit too hard."

Her beaked protector already had his broadsword readied for the killing blow, but relented when he heard Aiko's voice call to him, instead stopping only to swipe the weapon clean. "Do be careful, my lady. Most Shadows are duplicitous by nature."

I am past sick of being told to be careful. "Maybe, but I say we should give him a chance to earn our trust. You did say they were being forced to pretend to be robots in this Land, right?"

The big Shadow seemed to catch on, his crying fading into a deep, guttural voice. "W-what? You... spare me?"

"Not for free", Aiko amended, reminded of Shukiji. "What can you share with us about this Land, Shadow-san?"

"Shadow-san?", Pelagio frowned at the uneccessary honorific. "Hmph!"

The Shadow made an uncertain noise, reminding her of the mentally stunted cognitions back in the chasm. "Uh... it awful. Me hate pretending to be clanky-clank, but me have no choice. Princess Mira's orders."

There were few things Aiko considered her friend to be less likely to do, but she held her tongue. Arguing would get them nowhere. "So, all of you Shadows are made to pretend to be Mira's own inventions. You only shed that disguise when there's a dangerous foe that you need your full power to deal with, right?"

"R-right", the horned creature replied, his wide snout twitching. "You... strong. Even full power not enough to win. Me not ashamed. Me give you money, to spare me?"

Pelagio seemed to take offence to this offer, but Aiko could only chuckle merrily. "That's interesting... but not really what we looking for. We just wanted some information, that's all. You can go now. No charge, just don't get in our way again, okay? Bye, Shadow-san!"

But this dimension hadn't run out of surprises for Aiko yet. Not by a long shot. The Shadow rolled back to his feet now, dull animal eyes regarding the two of them curiously.

"W-wait! You... interesting. Remind me of something... OH!" The snout gave a triumphant whinnying sound. "Uh! Me remember! Me not clanky-clank, and me not Shadow! Me true name... Fomor! Me come from sea of human consciousness! Me come with you!"

"Uh", Aiko echoed, not sure how to handle this offer. A third member would be useful of course, but he was so big and clumsy that they would certainly attract more attention than they wanted. "How are you planning to do that?"

Fomor whinnied, large teeth stretching into a satisfied grimace as he raised both his bulky fists in triumph. "Me smell you! Scent of the wild card! You wild lady! That mean me can join with you, become Persona! Break more clanky-clank and free Shadows!"

Before she could object further, there was a flash of multicoloured light blasting towards her, briefly forming into a sharp venetian-style eye mask of pearlescent white that fitted itself snugly over her face... and then Fomor was gone.

Not truly gone, Aiko knew. Fomor wasn't gone any more than Anne Bonny was, and if she'd been able to slow things down, she was confident that the light they'd seen had been flowing into her, becoming her mask. Her second mask.

"That... was unexpected", she admitted at last, taking a brief sweep to make sure no more Shadows had discovered their little conversation.

"To say the least", Pelagio agreed, wistfully polishing his blade. "I've often seen Shadows try to escape fights they cannot win by offering up money or valuables... but joining with their captors? Never. You truly are special, my lady, if your kindness can even touch the corrupt hearts of Shadows."

"No kidding", she shrugged, now getting embarrassed from all this lavish praise. "So the Shadows aren't actually happy being robots... I guess I should be grateful that they haven't figured out that they could turn against Mira-senpai yet."

"That will not happen", Pelagio corrected her more sombrely now as they ascended another walkway. "You see my lady, there is at least one Shadow here who is completely loyal to the Land's ruler. The strongest one of all."

"Evil Microsoft Mary", Aiko finished without needing to guess. "Great."

His large eyes blinked. "Microsoft... Mary? Pardon?"

She shrugged in exasperation. He really doesn't know much about humans, does he? "The big scary robot lady with Mira-senpai's face and half of her voice."

"Ah. You are correct, then. That is your friend's own Shadow, her suppressed self... As impressive as your Persona's power is my lady, I must humbly suggest that we keep clear of that one. She is dangerously powerful. Powerful enough to command all of the other Shadows, and I'm afraid that even your words will not reach her."

Aiko stroked her chin, trying to understand the meaning. "Then I won't try to reach that one. I'll reach the real Mira-senpai, and get her to come home." Grabbing the handle of her own blade in anticipation of another enemy, she vaulted around another elegantly shining spire to see only cognitions. Cognitions who, mercifully, didn't raise the alarm upon seeing them.

That didn't happen until several minor battles with Shadows and half an hour later, when the lights around the top of the central spire suddenly erupted into four geysers of violet light.

The four sides resolved themselves into Mira's face. No... Aiko realized that it was still Mira's Shadow, the hulking robot guardian. Great... if she's guarding the central spire, how are we supposed to reach the real Mira-senpai?

"Filth detected!", the fake Mira's voice rang out loudly across the entire steel forest, even more harsh and mechanical when it was relayed through powerful speakers. "Stupid filth has crawled up out of the darkness to contaminate princess Mira's paradise!"

The cognitions seemed very frightened by this announcement, and Aiko saw a few of them beginning to point shaking fingers at the only two people there who didn't share the same fashion sense.

"All sentry units; converge to destroy the filth!", the Shadow commanded, the four holographic visages positioned around the tower speaking in unison. "We shall purge this darkness, so that normal citizens need not fear the contamination of stupid filth."

Pelagio looked alarmed as any of the cognitions now. "We must go, my lady. I sense that the Shadows are converging. I know that you wished to save your friend, but..."

Aiko was about to agree with him, but then something else happened. Sensing the end of the announcement as the four screens flickered out, all dozens of cognitive people in their immediate area raised their heads, and spoke as one:

"We love you, princess Mira!"

It wasn't a false, robotic inflection either. There was real, genuine emotion and humanity in their words too- only the unanimity of it made it sound artificial to her ears. Regardless, it erased the final shreds of doubt in Aiko's mind about what Pelagio had told her earlier.

He was right. These aren't actually people. They're just... illusions. Illusions of people who say whatever Mira wants to hear from them to stop her from leaving. The damn Shadows have more substance to them than these cognitions do.

Getting back on track, she spotted four box-shaped robots marching towards them from another walkway, and disk-shaped fliers beginning to filter in as well. "I hear you. A few Shadows is one thing but if they fight us en masse like this, we're screwed. Let's get back to the shore."

Pelagio was already sprinting.

They almost didn't make it. Most of the Shadows were slow, but they also knew the maze of walkways and lifts spanning Mira's Land better than Aiko and Pelagio did. After several near scrapes, Aiko got the bright idea of using Anne Bonny's power to short out several of the panels controlling the floating platforms with water, dropping some of the ground-bound Shadows down into the darkness before they could catch up.

Finally, just as she felt her legs reaching their limit, they saw the shore. Black water or no, it was welcome change from the metal forest it felt like they had just spent hours in.

"We're here", Aiko announced, fear creeping back in as she remembered how she had woken up on the shore without a clue of how she had gotten there. More noise behind them proved that the Shadows hadn't given up the chase "Now what?"

Unflinching, Pelagio strode out into the dark waters. "Now I bring you home safely, my lady. As promised."

Aiko started to ask what he meant, but then a sudden radiance overloaded her senses too much to speak. When it faded, Pelagio was gone.

In his place was a small, ethereally-styled ship that looked to be made of pure silver. Neither overly modern or classical style in design, it looked like it had been carved out of a massive block, the front being a falcon's beaked head and a pair of wide sails folding out that bore feather patterns. The rest was all stylish curves and elegance, though Aiko did spot a few round apertures along the sides that might be used to house cannons.

"Please hurry aboard, my lady", the dulcet voice came booming in from nowhere, startling her even though it was Pelagio's own. Near her position, a section of side rail slid out into a small stairway for her to climb. "The Shadows are drawing nearer."

Staring at that beautiful ship could wait. So could asking Pelagio how exactly he had done this. All that matters now is that we get out of here. I'm sorry, Mira-senpai... I will come back for you. I promise.

The moment she stepped onto the deck, the ship began to move. A good thing- Aiko saw Shadows emerging onto the coast when they were a mere thirty meters away from it. She kept watching, but the enemy did not dispatch any fliers to chase them.

Instead, she was treated to sailing across a sea of glimmering stars beneath a dark sky streaked with orange afternoon light, in the kind of vessel she had hoped the Fiddler's Green might someday be. "This is you?", she had to make sure. "You can transform into this?"

"That is correct, my lady", Pelagio's calm voice issued from all around her. "This is how I have travelled between the scattered islands of Faraway Lands for all this time... but I must confess that it is quite lonely, and the Shadows are hardly worthy company."

Aiko saw several of the aforementioned islands pass by on either side of them, none of them as large or visually interesting as Mira's Land had been, and shuddered. If each of them bore hostile Shadows, then she had no desire to visit them. "Ugh. This place is so... bleak. I can't believe Ayano-san decided to come here willingly."

"Hmph. I doubt that she knew what she was truly getting into", Pelagio reminded her. "The sea of souls is no place for unprepared humans to visit."

Unprepared... that's right, Aiko considered. If I didn't wake up to my Persona, we'd have both been killed. "Can we get out now, though? It's been so long... are going to have to wait for the gate to open again?"

"No, my lady", Pelagio told her cheerily. As he spoke, she could see a growing illumination that resolved itself into a vertical rectangle of golden light as they sailed closer. "Time flows differently here. When we return, you will find that only a handful of minutes have passed since you departed from your own reality, because we will be arriving just as the gate closes with the sun. I believe that humans refer to it as 'early evening'."

That didn't sound so bad to Aiko. So what's the catch? Oh yeah... "So, the rumour's really true then... the gate at the Yume Bay only stays open for a short while, during the exact time when the sun is setting into the sea. Any other time of the day... nothing."

"Indeed."

"That means that we won't be able to get back here except at the tail end of every afternoon, right?"

"Correct. You were... planning to return here?"

Annoyed, she stomped a foot down on 'his' deck, but heard no gasp of pain. "I told you, I'm here to save Mira-senpai. I couldn't do that today... it was a lot more dangerous than I was expecting, with all those Shadow things... but there's no way I'm just giving up. Not after all this."

Pained silence shrouded their voyage before Pelagio spoke again. "Then I shall aid you in this quest, my lady. I only ask that you avoid charging into battles that we cannot possibly win. We must approach this quest with the greatest of caution- do not underestimate the Shadows, particularly your friend's own Shadow."

"I won't", Aiko promised him. Then they at the gate, and everything was an eye-piercing white until the nightmares of Faraway Lands were at last behind them.

4/13 Saturday

Evening

The wild card staggered onto the beach, just ahead of a wave that eclipsed her own height. The transition had been sudden, and one of the questions she hadn't had time to ask was if Pelagio would keep his ship form when they returned.

As amusing as that might have been to see, the answer turned out to be no. She was alone, and stranded in a high, choppy set of waves like she hadn't seen since coming to Koashimizu. They dragged heavily at her as she struggled out of the surf, only stopping when she was completely clear of the shoreline to catch a breath, her school uniform completely soaked through in the first seconds.

Then a voice filtered down to her. "I must apologize for the rough transition, my lady."

Aiko looked up to the top of the nearest sandy rock arch. Sure enough, there was a familiar white-feathered falcon perched atop it, peering down at her with its wings folded up in that weirdly dignified way that birds did. Now that he was closer, she could make out the exact details of his body, including darker feathers around the head and a hooked beak above a no-nonsense raptor's scowl.

"S-sir Pelagio?", she asked, squinting at him through the evening shade. "You can talk here too?"

"Hmph. It would seem so", the falcon replied indifferently, occasionally tilting his head this way and that like a normal bird might. The small body betrayed no emotions from this distance. "I am perfectly capable of speech, but no humans have properly understood me until you-"

"Until I got back from Faraway Lands", she amended hastily. "Until now, I just thought you were a normal birdie following me around. Maybe it has to do with me getting my Persona?"

"That is possible", Pelagio considered. "At any rate, I would suggest you return to the women's dorm rooms. As you are no doubt experiencing for yourself, combating Shadows is an exhausting task. I am feeling the effects as well. Without meaning to be too blunt my lady, you should go to sleep."

He wasn't kidding either. Now that the adrenalin rush had faded, Aiko suddenly felt like she ought to sleep for the next day and a half. The rough waves had just been the icing on the cake for her. Damn... that was no time at all for everyone here, but I must have been in there fighting Shadows for at least six hours. Gotta sleep...

"I'll see you tomorrow then", she forced herself to say before beginning the long trudge back up the hill to the dorms. "Good thing I have Sunday off. We can take our time getting ready for the gate to open. And then... we'll save Mira-senpai. Whatever it takes."

4/13 Saturday

Evening

Aiko didn't even remember falling asleep. She knew she must have, otherwise she wouldn't be here now, surrounded by unyielding walls of blue velvet.

"Welcome back", Igor's unsettling voice greeted her as she took her seat opposite him. "I am glad to see you were able to break through the barrier and acknowledge your other self. That is your first step upon the path of the Dream Voyager."

"Glad I met your expectations." Realizing how surly that sounded, Aiko quickly corrected herself and nodded back. "Look, uh... I'm sorry. You did help me. If you hadn't... I might not have awakened in time. It's just... a lot to take in."

Beside them, Bartholomew chuckled, smiling enigmatically with his eyes nearly shut. "I remember it was quite overwhelming for me too, at first. In just one day, you've had to accept the existence of the hidden dimension called Faraway Lands, as well as Personas and Shadows. Anyone would be tired after such an ordeal."

"For you too?" Aiko pondered. "You have a Persona too, Bart-kun? Hee! Can I see it?"

But the blue-garbed assistant stepped back. "Ah, sorry. Perhaps some other time, when you are better prepared. Without wishing to brag, my Persona is... rather dangerous."

Aiko shrugged. "So is mine."

"Ah, Anne Bonny", Igor mused, his nose tilting over the table like an oversized ink quill.

"A ferocious legend from the human age of sail, who struck out to seek her fortune in a world dominated by men. Yours is the Arcana of the Fool. Unproven and empty, yet holding limitless potential. Yes... by comparison, your Persona is new and lacking in power. You must work to build its strength if you are to halt the tide of the world's regression. We have already begun the preparations for special rituals that shall aid you in this."

Her disappointment at this brutally honest appraisal shone through, and she checked the round ship windows outside. Nothing but reflective, marble black water out there, just like before. Just like the stormy seas of Faraway Lands. "What about Fomor then?"

Igor chuckled eerily, his grin widening. "That is proof of your role as the wild card and the Fool. Fluid as water, capable of taking on a multitude of forms and roles to best suit the situation at hand. Variety shall be your greatest strength, along with your ability to reach out to the lingering hearts of wayward Shadows."

"What are they?", she asked abruptly. "Sir Pelagio didn't explain properly."

"Shadows are the subconscious manifestations of negative human thoughts", Bartholomew provided. "They are the direct opposite of Personas. They are often drawn to particularly strong feelings of despair or hatred, and in this case, they have come to serve the sources of those feelings within the worlds of their dreams."

Aiko frowned, remembering once more her last sight of Mirambela as she was wading into the door of orange light with a disturbingly serene smile. "Despair. There's question about it. Her despair is what brought her out to the Yume Bay, and drew her into that world... I have to save her, no matter what."

"And so you should", Igor agreed with her vehemently. "With every soul that is lost to the other world, its pull becomes ever stronger, drawing your world further into its chaotic tides and strengthening the world regression."

"Then I'll stop it", she nodded to him, forcing herself to look directly into those bulging round eyes for once with her own. They weren't as gross as she remembered, but there was still the faintest sense that Igor found all of this an amusing diversion instead of a serious matter for deliberation. "I promise you now, Mr. Igor. Only... Will I be able to remember coming here?"

"You will", Bartholomew said with a kind smile. "The release of your Persona has shattered the invisible chains upon your mind that prohibit most humans from visiting this place, or from being able to see the gate to Faraway Lands."

"That makes sense", she reasoned. If anyone else had discovered the truth about the Yume Bay, they would have posted about it online at the very least. Only... I never thought about bringing this to the police before, but what would they do? They'd think I'm just making it up.

The school might handle it a little better since it was one of their own students missing, but they would come up against the same problem- nobody would believe that there was a gate to another dimension on the coast just south of campus that only opened at a specific time of the day, and in the middle of water. Even she had trouble believing it still. "Then I'll have to handle it myself. Oh, and sir Pelagio of course."

"Allies are indeed an invaluable commodity", Igor concurred. "Not only your sworn guardian, but others that shall flock beneath your banner as well. No wild card has ever triumphed alone."

4/14 Sunday

Morning

A sense of infinite opportunity hit Aiko as she awoke at the crack of 10. She was fairly confident that it had to do with more than the fact that Sunday meant no school.

A faint morning breeze stirred as she left the dorm, casting strands of light gray into her eyes. She remember only then what had happened to her hairpin the day before. That left her hair wild and unkempt, merely tossed behind her head like some predator's mane.

Like Anne Bonny. She smiled defiantly, staring up into the sunlight of a new day outside the dorm. She was Anne Bonny and Anne Bonny was her, forever a part of her consciousness now. So was Fomor, but she didn't feel that creature's voice within her, only its strength.

She figured that was what was stopping her worry about Mira from driving her completely mad. Patience. The gate to Faraway Lands doesn't open until much later today. Until then, just do whatever you can. Enjoy the time you have.

On cue, her phone beeped.

RH: Did something happen with Sorano? I heard she ran out of class.

Aiko gulped, considering what she could say. She hated deceiving people even by omission, but she knew that Reiha would never believe the truth.

AT: She's missing. I'm worried.

RH: =:O You gotta report that! Ayano's still in the hospital, and it doesn't sound good.

AT: I will.

RH: I was going to show you around the city today, but I get if you're not up for that now.

AT: Actually, that sounds fun. I'll go after I report Mira-senpai's disappearance.

RH: K. Meet you at the bus stop.

Had she done the right thing? The puffy clouds drifting by yielded no answers. No, I was right the first time. No one will believe the truth unless I show them. Maybe I can convince Hayato-senpai to come with me and see for herself, but that's it.

The school was actually quiet for the first time ever, only a handful of staff or students walking the halls. Aiko would have liked to report the situation directly to Mr. Takao or Principal Yumika, but neither were there. Instead she reported to a young guidance department member she didn't know, but she was satisfied to see the woman's reaction to it, immediately filing a report to the police and making a phone call to Yumika. That's something at least.

Naturally, everyone would connect the disappearance to whatever had happened to Ayano Furusato, just as Aiko had. A freak disappearance followed by death was common, as twisted as that sounded, but a pattern of disappearing school girls raised a lot of alarms in a lot of heads.

Wanting an update herself for obvious reasons, Aiko tried calling Noel but received no response. Instead, she looked up from her phone to see a familiar sight watching her from a tree.

"My lady, it is good to see you awake at last. Do you still intend to travel back through the Yume Bay gate today?"

Aiko took a brief look around before replying. Though she could understand Pelagio's words perfectly fine, it was obvious to her that everyone else heard only chirps and squawks from him. They would only see a girl having a conversation with a bird in a tree. Oh well, it's not like my social standing can get any worse than it already is.

"Of course. We had to retreat last time, but I won't leave Mira-senpai in that place any longer than I have to. Actually, that's what I was going to ask you about... how long? How long do you think we have? How long, before...?"

Pelagio turned his head, allowing Aiko to see his round raptor's eyes flicker in comprehension. "Ah. You assume that this is like the incident with the other girl. How long was she missing before washing up on the shore?"

"Two weeks", Aiko remembered. "That was when she disappeared. Her parents and Noel-kun were looking for her the whole time, but she never came home."

"Then the number of days that we have to save your friend are most likely similar to that number", Pelagio deduced briskly. "Though it may vary from person to person."

That was comforting and alarming at the same time. "I don't want to take any chances, if the incidents really are the same", she affirmed. "We need to get her out of there as soon as possible, sir Pelagio."

Pelagio looked reluctant to continue, knowing that his next words might only alarm her further, but in the end he relented. "Then, perhaps a more accurate way to measure our remaining time would be to go out to the coast?"

"The coast? But the gate won't open until later. I've got plans already."

But the white saker falcon merely spread his wings, taking flight towards the Tatsukushi coastline. "You will see when you arrive there, my lady. Please don't be frightened."

4/14 Sunday

Morning

There was only one boat on the shore today, the Fiddler's Green. Aiko's attention was more focused on the water itself however, which was bombarding the shoreline with waves just as brutal as the ones from last night.

"There is our 'timer', my lady", Pelagio advised her from a rocky perch. "You can see for yourself how wild the waters have become here. That is the sign of an inner struggle."

Not comprehending, Aiko looked over the towering breakers, watching how they crashed against the sandbars and rocks as though it was an epic war being fought between the land and sea. "Yeah, it's weird. It's like totally crazy yesterday and today, and before that..." Oh... oh damn.

"Before that... before yesterday, it was completely calm. And then, the tide went out."

"Yes", Pelagio explained. "The water's surface was almost completely smooth and quiet in your first days here, with nary a wave to be seen. That was because the soul trapped within Faraway Lands had finally stopped struggling. It had given up and accepted the new reality as its own. Thus... that soul will never return to this reality. Only her body remains."

Aiko tried not to fall over. Finally, the full, agonizing truth in its entirety. The doctors at Tosashimizu general hospital would do their professional best, employing all manner of treatments and medicines to wake Ayano up, using oxygen pumps and IV lines hooked up to keep her small body from decaying... but it was all for nothing.

The doctors were all wasting their time, trying to preserve a blank-eyed vessel of flesh with nobody home... and Aiko had a feeling that soon they would realize that too, and pronounce her, for all intents and purposes, dead.

Ayano-san... poor Noel-kun... An involuntary tear fell from Aiko's eye and was absorbed by the sand. When this is over, I will tell Noel-kun the truth. I will show him.

Yet... the sight of these massive crashing waves gave her hope for Mira, even if it was too late for Ayano. That meant she was still fighting hard in there, wanting to return to the world of humans. And I will save Mira-senpai. I will fight just as hard as she is fighting. If I don't... then the next body that washes up on this beach will be hers!

"So, there's no chance at all to save Ayano-san?"

"I'm afraid not", Pelagio informed her sadly. "We may be able to go and visit her Land if you wish, but she would never be able to leave, nor would she wish to. Her mind has completely rejected this reality by now, and embraced her new home."

"Maybe we will anyway", Aiko maintained, idly holding out faint hope that Pelagio was wrong about that. "At least so Noel-kun can visit her there. He'd like, I'm sure."

"Miss Tsuruga?"

Captain Byzael had called to her, standing on the bow of ship just as before. He didn't seem to notice Pelagio flying around. Why would he? Just another bird. A bird that I was talking to as it chirped back at me.

Sigh.

"Captain", she acknowledged anxiously. "I was just... did you hear about Ayano-san?"

The captains weathered old face hardened. "Has she died?"

"No, but... it looks that way."

Byzael looked so stricken by this news that for a moment Aiko wondered if Ayano was of some relation to him. "Gods... That nice boy who found her must be in a bad way right now."

"I know", Aiko sniffed. Noel would be at Tosashimizu general right now, staying as close to Ayano as the doctors allowed him to be, still begging to God or anyone who might listen that Ayano might somehow recover. Begging in vain.

"Sorrow is a heavy burden to bear", the old captain mused, staring out at the wild waves before them. "Like this current, it can drag you down, and prevent you from performing even the simplest of tasks. Though neither of you were responsible, you feel guilty for carrying on your life as if nothing's happened, as if nothing's changed. It's as though casting off the chains of your sorrow is a claim that the departed's life didn't really matter at all."

"I never knew her", Aiko admitted. "But I know Noel-kun. I... I just wish there was one thing I could do to lighten his load."

"Right now, there's nothing", Byzael told her gravely. "All you can do is carry on with your own life, and try not to let sorrow drag you down into more of it. I find that a bit of physical activity helps to dull the pain, so you're not trapped in your own thoughts for too long. How about it, miss Tsuruga?"

"Huh?" She blinked, remembering their arrangement. "Oh! You want to teach me something now?" Actually, this is good timing. Anything I learn about sailing could help in Faraway Lands.

"We'll start small", the captain offered, gesturing to the long main mast of the Fiddler's Green. "Try rigging the topsail to carry more wind. She's not in the water, so we won't go anywhere. I just want to see you do it."

That sounded simple in theory. In practise, it was anything but. Just finding which rope to use was flustering enough, but then she had to fight with all the strength in her comparatively small arms against a strong pull the minute she untied the sail's right line, as the wind tried to unseat the sail altogether.

"Harder!", Byzael was yelling at her over the wind as she fought, making her wonder if he'd also had a past career as a drill sergeant. "There's no time to dither about! Move it to the rear starboard belay!"

After a fitful bout of effort, she finally got the rope securely tied, but the captain still wasn't satisfied. "Now the other line! Right now you'd be curving to the left if you were on the water! Hurry!"

The line on the other side, then. The ropes were so thick that it was difficult to pry them loose to begin with, and once it was in her hands the sail billowed out even further than before. It felt like it was going to drag her away with it, but she held on.

"Heave!", Byzael continued shouting. "Get it in both hands now and HEAVE! You have to-"

He was out of her sight when his ranting suddenly cut off, to be replaced by a howl of pain. Forgetting about the rope, Aiko turned to see Byzael knelt down, his left arm cradling his right, which bore a pair of scratches. Scratches... like talons? Oh no...

"Ahh! Byzael-sensei! Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll go to the nurse and-"

But the captain seemed to have already recovered from the initial shock and actually laughed. "Ah, it's alright miss Tsuruga. I've had worse. Look... there's no blood. That cheeky little featherbag didn't even break the skin. Hah! Is that all you've got, yeh flea-ridden nuisance?!"

His words were true, Aiko realized as she examined the man's shredded coat sleeve in worry. If we were in Faraway Lands, I could use my Persona's powers to heal it. But he says he's fine, so...

"I'll be just fine", he repeated to reassure her. "Pain of the body is nothing compared to pain of the heart. Once you're used to dealin' with the latter, then the former's just an annoyance."

Spotting Pelagio swooping back around to perch on the mast, Aiko gave the bird a death glare that made him fly off. Once she was absolutely sure that the captain was okay, she stood and finished tying the second line to the belay, knowing that was what he would have wanted.

"Well done, miss Tsuruga", Byzael congratulated her. "Consider that your first lesson. When the wind shifts, the good captain will shift their ship's sails to fit their course and gain the highest speed to their destination."

"Really?" Aiko was genuinely surprised after all that shouting he'd done. Her arms were already aching from the strain. She'd rarely ever felt so weak or helpless. "But I was pathetic!"

"Nonsense!", the captain grunted. "You just don't yet have the muscle or the reflexes to do it quickly. That can be changed, if you work at it. If you're looking for criticism, you left the line free when that overgrown peacock raked me. A good crew is a strong bond, but they can't all drop their duties just because one of their fellows picked up a scratch."

That was one thing she wasn't regretting any time soon however. What if it had been serious? He's pretty old. A shock like that might...

"Regardless", Byzael was finishing up as if the wound really was nothing. Tougher than he looks. Or at least, tougher than I've been assuming. "You did well for your first lesson. Come back again when you have more time."

She was grateful to go. Not that the captain was bad company- just the opposite- but the sooner she left him and the Tosashimizu coast behind, the sooner she could find Pelagio. He was back in the same peach tree from before, innocently grooming his wings.

Aiko no longer cared about the small risk of detection. She glared up at her supposed 'sworn protector'. "Sir Pelagio... would you please explain to me what the hell you did that for?!"

The falcon's head turned to reveal narrowed eyes, and she knew that Pelagio was taking this seriously as her. Only his words were disappointing. "I am your sworn guardian. I was protecting you, my lady."

"Protecting me?", she nearly shouted. "Protecting me from what?!"

"That man was harassing you", Pelagio claimed, his round eyes now sharp with his own anger, though none of it directed at her. "He was working you far too hard, and yelling rudely at you. He shouldn't have done that. Not to you. So, I punished him."

Exasperated but unable to reach him, Aiko settled for punching the tree. "He was trying to help me learn to work the sails on the Fiddler's Green! If he's going to give it to me, then I have to earn it! I have to get stronger and faster! I stank back there!"

The falcon didn't move from his spot, only peering down in mild curiosity. "He offered you authority over that run-down wreck of a ship? But... why? I am far more elegant a vessel when I transform. Such base physical labour is beneath you, my lady."

Aiko forcefully exhaled, feeling much like she had when confronting Benihime Kujou. Try to be calm. He was just trying to help you. "Oh? And why do you think that? Is there some kind of rule that I shouldn't ever have to do anything hard if you can do it for me?"

Finally stymied and still ignorant of what he had said which had so offended her, Pelagio folded his wings tightly around himself. "You... are my lady. It is my duty to protect you. Besides... I got a bad feeling from that human. He may pretend to be kind, but he is up to something! I can tell!"

But his declaration fell on deaf ears. Aiko shook her head at him pityingly.

"Byzael's my friend, Pelagio. My friend. Just as much as you are. And if you really think that I'm some kind of fragile doll that needs to be protected from doing work, then you need to find a different kind of 'lady' to protect."

"B-but... But... my lady..."

"Stay here", she ordered, unable to even look up at him any more. "Watch for the gate to appear. We still have to save Mira-senpai, before it's too late."

He said nothing else as she walked away in a huff. There was nothing he could say at all.

4/14 Sunday

Lunchtime

"You don't look so well", Reiha observed not for the first time. "No surprise with what's happened, I guess."

Aiko forced her head back up, trying to put an excited smile back on her face no matter how many times it fell off. Tosashimizu city wasn't bad, exactly. It just seemed... empty compared to the endless urban sprawl of Akihabara, or any other part of Tokyo. It stretched along a central road following along the coast for many city blocks, but was 'only' six blocks wide in some places. There were residences, restaurants and nearly any shop that she might have seen back home, but few if any were more than three floors high.

Or maybe it was because she couldn't shake feeling that she ought to be back at the gate, waiting the entire day for the gate to open. What if Pelagio was wrong about it?

"S-sorry, Hayato-senpai", she forced the energy back into her voice as well. "I really appreciate you showing me all this."

Reiha shrugged as if the matter were no consequence. "No charge. I heard our little Niyoga gave you the same courtesy at the school, though he would have asked you for something in return, right?"

"R-right", Aiko agreed, thinking about Shukiji and if he knew anything more about Ayano. Now that she'd established, the means, her mind had drifted to motive. Just what had happened to Ayano to make her so desperate to get away that she would test out an idle rumour about Yume Bay, and willingly walk into the sunlit gate that appeared? "You're not going to ask me for anything, are you?"

"Maaaaybe", Reiha joked, steering her around a corner in a place where the city block seemed to curve inward from both ends, forming a ten-foot gap. "I thought we'd start here. This is my absolute favourite restaurant to go to in this city. It's on me, of course. It might seem a bit rough for a big city girl like you, but trust me- the food is totally worth it!"

It was true that the place hardly fit Aiko's traditional definitions of a restaurant, being nothing more than a small open patio with a large window on one wall that opened into a kitchen, a door to the side providing access but also bearing a sign saying 'employees only'.

The food and prices were written on a chalkboard set up on the window counter, where you would place your order with a gruff-looking adult man with a trimmed goatee wearing a white bandana with 'Starlight' written on it and blue slacks. Despite his appearance, he greeted Reiha as though the two were family, quickly taking both their orders and departing.

As promised, it wasn't bad at all. At some point, Aiko realized now, she had gotten it into her head that being actually able to see your meal being cooked at a restaurant took the magic away, making it easier for her to imagine all sorts of wonderful things being done to prepare it for consumption. However, the buttered prawn she had ordered was as juicy and delectable as any place she'd ever tried, which admittedly hadn't been many with Kogaya's limited budget.

"Still thinking?", Reiha prodded her, and Aiko suddenly realized that the older girl had actually finished her entire meal, the side of dango included, before Aiko was halfway through her own.

"Erm... yes. About Noel-kun."

"Oh?" Reiha folded her gloves down on the table, the white powder on her face accentuating a sly smirk. "You were thinking about Noel-kun? In what way?"

It took a moment for her to catch on to what she meant, then she nearly stood up out of her chair. "Ah! No, no!" God, why were we given the ability to blush? And why can't we turn it off? "That would just be... wrong! He just lost Ayano-san!"

Looking incredibly satisfied with the result, Reiha leaned back in her chair. "Oh well. If you're too chicken, maybe I'll move in first... joking, of course. He's not really my type. If you're ever interested though, talk to little Niyoga first. The two of them? They're tight. They even went to middle school together with Furusato-san."

Aiko couldn't imagine two people less alike than Noel and Shukiji, but she took Reiha's word for it. Even if it was a joke, it seemed too bold. She'd noticed that about Reiha; most of her jokes seemed aimed at an older audience than her, in case the leather gloves and her liberal application of the stronger curses in casual conversation weren't hint enough.

"Hayato-senpai, if it's alright if I ask... why do you wear those gloves? It's so hot outside today!"

The gloves in question folded up with her arms as she relaxed back in her chair. "Heh! I'm surprised you didn't ask earlier. It's fine. Y'see, I have a medical condition where my skin burns in the sun really easily. I only take my gloves and boots off at home."

Which explained the coat of protective makeup on her face as well... but Aiko couldn't shake the sneaking feeling that Reiha was lying to her. Pressing further would be rude, however.

"Trust me Tsuruga-chan, I know perfectly well what it looks like", Reiha elaborated casually. "I figured I have to wear the gloves, so why not go all-out? Goths get a bad reputation in this country, all 'cause dumbasses can't tell the difference between Goth and Gothloli. I'm no 'loli'."

She was rather too old for that, Aiko had to agree. She carried the style very well, giving it a sense of dignity rarely seen nowadays. Her appreciation must have shown in her face, because then Reiha spread her arms out over her chair and gazed back. "Little Niyoga told me that you like face painting too... wanna try this look on for fun? I'm sure you'd look great in it."

For a moment, Aiko actually pictured that in her mind. Standing beside her friend, her own face with that thin protective layer of white. Black eyeshadow and lipstick, her arms and legs covered in the same long opera gloves and boots, a junior copy of Reiha... and nearly ejected the last of her side dish of beans. Nope. Not interested. Not even if it means becoming closer to her as a friend.

"Ah... no thank you, Hayato-senpai. Maybe another time."

Reiha shrugged, acceptance hiding just a bit of disappointment. "Another time. Maybe something less extreme? There's a shop over near the museum that does face painting, eyelashes, facials and manicures."

That sounded much more appealing, but Aiko wasn't forgetting her main obligation today for a single second. If I get stuck playing pretty princess in there all day, I might miss the gate. No deal. "Thank you, but not today."

Defeated, Reiha sagged melodramatically. "Okay, I get it. You've got something else on your plate today, right? I can take a hint. Though... next chance we get, we really need to do something about your clothing situation, Tsuruga-san. Still wearing the student uniform on a fuckin' Sunday?"

That, Aiko agreed with entirely. She'd gone ahead and bought a large number of copies of the green and white school uniform, which had proven most helpful after she'd gotten one of them completely soaked through in the Yume Bay... but she'd forgotten that there were actually times when she didn't have to wear the button blazer, kneesocks and skirt, when she could wear whatever she wanted. Nothing quite as 'unique' as Hayato-senpai's chosen wardrobe, but maybe something more interesting than this?

She stood, reaching out a welcoming hand. "Sold. Let's go shopping. You're buying."

Now a flicker of fear crossed Reiha's pale face. "Hey, wait. I didn't agree to that. Noooo..."

4/13 Sunday

Afternoon

Pelagio sat perched atop the rooftop of Koashimizu, his talons clenching the brickwork as the day carried on towards the fated time.

He still couldn't quite tell if that time was something to be looked forward to, or dreaded.

Mirambela Sorano is my lady's friend, he told himself as he saw two girl students pass through the courtyard spread beneath him, chattering away with each other about something trivial. Therefore, rescuing her is her goal, and thus mine as well.

Yet... to return to Faraway Lands was the more hazardous option for them. He knew, better than any human, just how dangerous that dimension truly was. He'd lived there, wandering the islands all alone. Ever since... since before I can remember. I remember waking up on that beach, and nothing before that. All I knew was that I had to find and watch over my lady. I didn't even know how I knew. I just felt it.

You need to find another 'lady' to protect, Aiko's harsh words came back to him. If you think I'm some kind of helpless doll that needs to be protected...

More students and staff wandered through, all oblivious to him. He wasn't a human, after all. He was just a bird, a simple animal to be ignored unless it got in your way or pooped on you. Is that what I am to her? Just an overprotective annoyance without any faith in her?

She doesn't know. She doesn't know how dangerous the other dimension is. If she knew, she would never want to head back, even to save her friend.

Not that the real world was that much of an improvement, he had to admit. He'd heard whispers floating up to him sometimes as he flew idly around the campus over the last week. Jumbled information, but it painted a clearer picture when he assembled it.

It was the picture of a tyrannical empress seeking to strike back at a potential threat to her reign. Rumours spread to and fro about Aiko and Mirambela and the teacher Yukino Mattora, few if any of which were true. Older students shared their own frustrations with Benihime Kujou and the disciplinary committee by extension when the subject came up, but always in hushed tones so that none loyal to her would hear them.

Humans, he mused in despair. Even at such a young age, they are capable of such wanton cruelty to each other. My lady stands no chance against such reckless hate. If I sought to truly protect her, I might locate a permanent sanctuary where she might find refuge from these revolting brats.

His beak clicked by reflex. And yet... as revolting as the behaviour of these children was, the mental image his impulses conjured was even more so, at least to a part of his consciousness. There was, to his shame, a part of him which saw no problem at all with locking Aiko away in a safe sanctuary, protected from all other humans and looked after by him, a princess as she deserved to be.

Not a princess, the rest of him thought scathingly. Such a girl would be indolence personified, a pampered, submissive little doll, just as she said. Humans who become accustomed to being waited on hand and foot are likewise incapable of looking after themselves. I would reduce her to that, just to satisfy my own needs?

No. She is not that person. She has no desire to be that person, even though I would be willing to do it for her if she asked.

But what if she is injured, or killed, because I did not watch over her?

I wasn't here until a week ago. She got through all those years of her life without incident. What is different now? She does not need a bridle. She is more knowledgable about this world than I am.

But what if-

NO.

Caught up in his own thoughts, he only now realized that one of the humans was looking directly at him. A thin, round-spectacled man in a fancy gray and white suit and tie who he had learned was called Principal Tetsuo Yumika, the supposed 'king' of Koashimizu academy.

He had also learned that despite being decades older than any of his students, Yumika was considerably younger than a human with his title was expected to be, and some of the teachers- particularly the older ones- had expressed their feelings on this arrangement in less than flattering tones.

"Fascinating", he heard the principal say in a calm voice. "Mr. Ishinagi might want to know- I've never seen that type of bird in this country before. Hello there, little one."

Startled by the words and not wishing to draw further attention to himself, Pelagio puffed up his chest and spread his wings to fly off, gliding directly over the principal's disappointed face, the sunlight turning his glasses into twin spheres of white.

Whatever good intentions this inept king might have matter not, Pelagio told himself angrily as he flapped to clear the roof and swept over the boats covering the southern coastline, all the humans beneath him mere specks now. He permits the existence of the wicked empress Kujou, who actively persecutes my lady and her social circle. I have defended her honour once, and I shall again, if needed.

That was all that he would do. His instincts as a falcon were useful, and could be relied on.

But the other instincts, the ones blaring in his head that told him that he needed to protect Aiko Tsuruga by sticking her in a glided cage to the exclusion of everything else that she enjoyed in the human world... those instincts and thoughts could be safely discarded. He would never have need of them.

She wasn't a princess to be protected. She wasn't a doll, or a canary.

She was his friend. And he was her protector. Nothing else.

4/14 Sunday

Early Evening

Aiko was proud to have made it back to the coast with over an hour to spare. Time enough to store her new outfit back in the dorm room. She'd been tempted to change into her new favourite right away- a flowery black blouse and white trim checker skirt– but remembered that the place she was headed next wasn't friendly to clothes.

It had been an experience, that first trip to Tosashimizu's Tenjincho shopping mall, and of course she'd ended up buying more than predicted. They had also ended up stopping at a stylist after all, reducing her previous mane to a light pixie cut now that she no longer had her special hairpin to hold it together.

It felt so completely unlike her, as though someone else had been borrowing her body for the day to do nothing but have fun. There was no excuse. Only the fact that hanging out with Reiha made her feel just a bit like she was hanging around a cool, grown-up older sister, and she wanted to impress her by buying grown-up clothes. Just a bit.

Besides, with the way Pelagio greeted her, she doubted he would have even acknowledged a new dress. "The gate will open soon", he informed her with none of his usual bravado. "You should get to the bay."

They were there at the Yume Bay in plenty of time. Just as before, the final, dying rays of the sun crossed the water towards them, coalescing together with the wind into the rectangular portal of green light she'd followed Mira through the day before. Yesterday. Was that really only yesterday? It felt much longer, and in a way it was. The flow of time was different in world this bizarre portal led to.

Aiko stepped out into the bay's waters without fear, Pelagio swooping down through the portal ahead of her. She ignored the sensation of yet another school uniform getting wet, and then she was back on board Pelagio's admittedly magnificent silver boat form. The light of the afternoon's demise painted the entire sky an eye-catching scarlet orange, one which Aiko knew would last much longer than it ought to in reality.

"Let's get back to Mira-senpai's Land; we can't fail this time", she ordered just before realizing that Pelagio was already slowly turning in that direction, his white-feathered sails softly groaning as they shifted to match the wind.

She also realized then that she was no longer wearing her school uniform. Checking further, she reached up and felt the corner of a black-feathered hat that went with the greatcoat she found herself garbed in. Accompanying black breeches completed the similarities to the outfit of her Persona, Anne Bonny.

Yet... if the costume was indeed intended to be that, it was a pale imitation at best. The coat was ripped and tattered in numerous places, most of its colour washed out leaving only a dull gray like old cleaning rags. The hat was similarly worn, only the faded plume of the feather stopping Aiko from discarding it as dirty trash.

She still had her cutlass, but the entire pirate outfit was smeared with soot and filth, and only kept by virtue of being better than sailing the starlit seas of Faraway Lands in mere undergarments. Not to mention fighting Shadows. That would look just a little bit silly, though it might just distract some of the male Shadows. If Shadows have genders, that is...

"Um... sir Pelagio? Do you know why this happened? I didn't come into the gate wearing this coat."

Pelagio hesitated, but when he spoke he sounded genuinely uncertain instead of depressed. "I'm afraid I have no idea, my lady. The rulers of Lands experience a wardrobe change when they arrive that fits with their new homes, but obviously, you are not someone trapped who is within your own Land. Perhaps that is simply a side effect of your Persona?"

"Maybe", Aiko relented, still concerned as she stared down the stretch of loose-hanging buttons before her, many of them missing, leaving the coat open to a thin tunic underneath. "If it is, then why is this coat so... crappy?"

His response was lost when a nearby patch of dark water exploded, casting waves all around it and rocking the boat hard enough that she nearly fell off. More important was the follow-up, which was seen before it was heard; a massive, elongated serpent shape lunging out of the water into their path. Its outer skin was a uniform matte black which made Aiko think of Shadows, but the front of the creature was an eyeless porcelain white mask frozen into a horrifying beast's maw of jagged teeth.

Pelagio didn't need her command to change course around the serpent, even if he was more lethargic about it than she would have liked, and oddly calm about the situation when he spoke to her as well. "Ah, a Leviathan Shadow. My lady, would you kindly take the cannon? I am afraid I have no one else to ask."

Needing no further explanation, she darted down the steps to the lower deck, fighting the way the ship was suddenly bucking with the strain of evasive maneuvers around the massive sea snake. There, near the front of the ship, was the back end of a single cylinder of metal poking out through a starboard side hatch, a wide handle allowing for an easy grip. Alright. Time to blast a Shadow.

"W-wait, wait! Stop!"

Aiko halted a foot from the handle, uncertain. The ship was still dodging as best it could and she could still hear the roar of the beast outside. When Pelagio spoke again, it was more grave than she had ever heard from the bird. It was as if the entire sea had gone momentarily quiet.

"My lady, this bodes most ill... I'm afraid that there is no mistaking it... I sense Death."