This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.
Can You Recall The Names
That Allow You To Stand Up?
6/12 Wednesday
Night
Aiko knew she couldn't lie to the grinning, shaven-skulled man at the other end of the table, his nose drooping down and nearly touching it. So she didn't even try.
She could only hope the same courtesy was reciprocated.
"What happened?", she asked him, no longer able or needing to conceal the fear coating her voice as the Velvet ship continued to rock in the waves' grip. "Why did my Personas suddenly stop working? It's not just because I was tired. I've been tired before. This was different."
Not for the first time, Igor's wide smile came across as aggravatingly nonchalant to her. Tragedy, triumph, comedy, horror... it was all the same in his eyes, it seemed.
"It falls to you to overcome such obstacles as this, dream voyager. Particularly, those which lie buried within oneself. I am but your guide in this journey. An observer anxious to see if you can continue along your charted course."
She stared back at him, for that was still a more welcome sight than the way her hands were shaking. "So in other words, you can't help me. Great. Thanks so much."
Her impudent tone earned her one equally as dismissive from the other occupant of the ship, Bartholomew stepping out from behind one of the cages he'd been working on and frowning in a way that made his eye patch grow taut against his eye socket. "Pah! With that attitude, you'll never figure it out."
Though intended as an insult, it was enough to cease the sensation of something hot and fluid coursing through her veins and burning her skin. "...I'm sorry. I know that was the reason why, I mean, the reason Nijima..."
The blue-clad attendant gave a polite chuckle, his bright sandy hair swaying in a breeze Aiko knew only existed in her sleeping mind. "You truly are a strange captain, dream voyager. You show such kindness to some in need of it, and yet you demonstrate such overpowering rage towards others."
Her lips pressed together. "I show people what they deserve from me. But you're right... I'm scared. Scared that I might lose my powers for good, and that made me lash out at you when you had nothing to do with it. So, um, sorry."
"At any rate", Igor provided more calmly, "to solve your quandary, you must first consider the source of your powers, and what has changed about the nature of that source."
Aiko saw then that Igor had the blue tarot cards arranged on his table again, and accepted his invitation to sit down in the chair and observe them more closely. Some of the Tarot suits there were familiar from the last few times, but many others were brand new.
The proud lion card, the one she knew represented the Strength Arcana, had a number of other cards stacked beneath it in a line traveling back towards Igor's seat.
"Your sworn protector", he reminded her. "Yet, to confine oneself to that role alone is to remain less than human. Whether it was his desire or not, he has begun to expand his mind, his awareness of matters outside of his chosen duties."
The observation jarred loose an old dusty memory, and Aiko risked staring directly into her stooped host's bloodshot eyes for a moment. "Pelagio. That's right. He's not yours, is he? He's not like Morgana?"
"No", he said. "The dutiful knight is no creation of mine, nor that of my master. Not truly human, and yet possessing that same marvelous potential to expand and change one's perspective based on observation and knowledge. We shall continue to watch that one's progress with great interest."
The Chariot, too, had a fair number of cards already stacked beneath it, making it stand out prominently on the table. "Umaeda-sensei likes me", she acknowledged, less enthusiastically than the words might imply. "He said that I was his top student... but does that include the students he had before he became a teacher at Koashimizu?"
"The sword master. He is fascinated by your gift", Bartholomew pointed out calmly. "Yet, he struggles against a furtive desire to use you to chase down a long-forgotten dream. It remains your decision if you are interested in pursuing that dream as well."
The Devil card was perhaps the biggest surprise, having a single card beneath it despite her struggling to even identify the Tarot last time. This time, however, she knew better. She'd seen enough of the others to know where a 'Devil' would fit in this strange pantheon of people she knew.
"Kujou", she spat without needing to confirm. "She's tried to break me at every turn. When she finally figures out that she can't do that, that I won't be broken by her... what's left for her then?"
"She is your enemy. Yet, you almost sound as if you pity her", Bartholomew noted in frank surprise.
"A little", Aiko confessed to her own surprise as much as anyone else's. "She's still a queen bitch, yeah. But I know that her dad, Daisuke, is a big shot in JCAP, and Hayato-senpai told me that her mother is dead. Of course he would pass on his beliefs to her. I have no idea how she might have been treated whenever she tried to think for herself, but I doubt it would have been anything good."
"The sins of the father passed on to the daughter", Igor's lament sounded oddly genuine, shaking his round head. "Such a sad state of affairs. Yet, perhaps time still remains for that one to decide and forge a new path, separate from the one forced upon her by fate."
"I wouldn't hold my breath for that", Aiko remarked. Still, her eyes seemed to have some difficulty leaving the card, and her consideration of Benihime Kujou, behind.
The Temperance Arcana hadn't changed much either, also bearing just one card beneath it to indicate a relative lack of growth compared to the others.
"Ishinagi-sensei", she remembered. "I mean, I've been going to the sessions even with everything else that's been going on. He just seems to want to make sure my 'attack' on Kujou was a one... time..." Pausing as her eyes widened in alarm, she turned back to Bartholomew.
"Wait. Is that it? Is that why?"
Shrugging in mock confusion, the attendant studied their guest in return, a harsh smile that annoyed her more than it soothed. "Sorry, you've have to be more specific. Is what why?"
Eyes shut, her words came out at a cautious, glacial pace. "Is the anger I feel sometimes the reason why my Personas stopped working?"
Looking disappointed initially, Bartholomew smoothed out his own features before shaking his head. "A good guess. However, remember that anger is just as much a part of the subconscious world as any other emotion. And as we've discussed previously, your masks don't exactly originate from recorded saints. Anne Bonny, Lorelei, Lilim, Bilwis, Dantalian..."
"Jack Frost", she cut his list off, summoning the Persona with her words as well. This time, the cute, short-fanged white fairy was completely solid, showing no signs of the fading she'd experienced previously. Overjoyed to think that the earlier experience might have been a one-time crisis only, Aiko went a step further, testing the Bufu skill on a nearby wall to make absolutely sure her powers had returned, causing the Persona to belt out a 'hee-ho' of triumph.
"That's going to melt onto the carpet in a few hours", Bartholomew complained of the resulting sheet of ice, though he sounded too exuberant to be actually upset by it. Instead he turned back, his single yellow eye boring into her two anxious greens.
"This does not solve your dilemma. To solve it, you must first deduce the source of it."
"And you can't just tell me the answer", she guessed irritably. "Because that would spoil your fun, right?"
The attendant scowled back. "This is not a game, dream voyager. Not to us. To simply tell you the answer would be to forever place the remedy out of your reach. I am not so recalcitrant as my master. If I thought it would help you, I would gladly tell you."
"A secret I can't be told", she echoed, flashing back to her talk with Shukiji. "I have to learn it. Great. Like I don't have enough stuff to deal with right now."
Igor chuckled at the energy in their arguments, calling her attention back to the rest of the Arcana arrayed on his table. The Sun card representing her mother, Kogaya, hadn't developed much, but other cards, new ones which hadn't been on the table before, loomed large.
One card depicted a lithe figure in silk robes of blue and white, an owl mask hiding features Ai guessed to be feminine, not the least of reasons because of the large number of cards already under it. "Reminds me of... Mira-chan."
"The Priestess Arcana", Igor explained. "A loyal voice of unforced support, and often, wisdom."
"That does describe her pretty well", she nodded back. "It's not like she's trying to be a wet blanket when it comes to us going to Faraway Lands. She's just not as confident as me and Julian are. Or maybe we're the ones who are too cocky, and she's the voice of reason?"
"The same person does not always speak wisdom in every situation", Bartholomew said neutrally. "You know that. Even the wisest of souls can still behave foolishly at times."
Holding back a roll of her eyes that felt as if it would be entirely out of place here, Aiko sighed. "That's the truth if ever I heard it. I don't see any cards here that remind me of Niyoga. Is that because...?"
"That one has yet to open up his heart to you", Igor offered, though unable to keep a note of pride at how quickly their guest was learning the ways of the Arcana out of his voice entirely. "As is the case with all others in his life. Such is the sickness of arrogance. He remains closed off from all other souls, considering them to be beneath him. Even the kind-hearted one whom he once called his friend, he has now cast away in anger."
"Vitienne-kun", Aiko noted, easily remembering her earlier resolve. "Honestly, it's hard to picture those two ever being friends, never mind besties. Vitienne-kun is always so into fantasy and faith in God, while Niyoga only believes in hard facts that he's tested himself. Hm... Maybe Furusato-san was their glue?"
When neither of them had anything to say about that, her eyes drifted on to the other cards, recognizing another by tarot and the obvious image first before connecting it and the way it made her feel with a name. "Moon... that's Samesaji, right?"
"Your satellite", Igor elaborated. "One who seeks comfort in the aura of power and safety that you project, desiring a secure shield against their own troubles. Yet, gratitude for that sanctuary can all too quickly transform into resentment and a desire for independence."
Whenever you're around, Tsuruga-chan, I feel safe. Like nothing bad can happen to me.
I wish... I wish I could be interesting like you.
Compared to you, I'm the most boring girl in the world.
"I vowed to save her brother", Ai said, trying to stem the onrushing tide of memory. "I promised her. Some day, she'll get her brother back. And 'Prince Taurus' will be gone for good."
"A bold claim", Bartholomew warned her. "Time shall tell if you can see it through to completion."
The next card's imagery took longer to register in her memory, and appeared gruesome once she realized what she was looking at, even more so than the Devil Arcana. "Huh? A hanged... man?"
"A walking paradox", Igor explained. "One who is caught between two lives, two selves, unable to settle on one, and thus remains trapped in a state of eternal contradiction."
Looking at the card again, she almost laughed at the realization. "Okay, well that one's easy at least. It's Jiachi, or Julian." The boy with two first names and origins who had to accept both as his own... The one who wants me with him, and yet feels ashamed for the strength of those feelings.
Seeing quite a few cards piled under that one helped ease some of her fears. Wherever Jiachi is going, it's a good place. After the way he stood up to his father at the birthday party, I have to believe that to be true.
Four cards remained on Igor's creaky oak table, and once again she couldn't quite guess the identity of the Judgement Arcana even though it had some cards placed beneath it now. The Magician Arcana, representing Bartholomew, had grown more than she believed possible considering how often the handsome attendant reprimanded her when she was in the Velvet room, perhaps acting on a need to be the hard disciplinarian to Igor's soft, even though their appearances suggested the opposite arrangement would be more natural.
Bartholomew must have sensed something of her appraisal, as he drew closer to her seat with more relaxed smile than his usual. "My goal is not to punish you, dream voyager- you seem to do that quite ably enough on your own. My goal is to advise you, to teach you the ways of Persona Fusion and the proper use of your masks."
"And that", she nodded back, gratefully taking his offered hand, "is something I will always appreciate. We'll do some of that later. There's some others I want to call up from the Compendium for it."
"Glad to see you haven't forgotten about that option", he murmured.
"And after that, I'd like you to come with me to the real world too. You can meet Kurusu!"
For the first time, the young attendant's face actually went pale with genuine fright, his single eye racing about like it was trying to escape. "That", he managed at last, "would not be such a good idea, I'm afraid."
Confused, she studied him closely. "Why not? He's a great guy. I've learned a lot from him. If anything, I'm surprised he isn't represented on this table as well."
"Undoubtedly", Bartholomew agreed anxiously. "However, my own relationship with him in- let us simply call it my 'past life'- was not nearly so sanguine. My name is Bartholomew Roberts now, but I doubt that he would see it that way. It would be best if we waited until he was gone."
Aiko shrugged. "Have it your way." Turning her attention back to the table, she studied the next Arcana depicting a fanciful staff upheld in a robed arm and smiled in triumph. "Father Shigetsu. 'One who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles', right?"
"Correct", Igor acknowledged. "And yet, you seem distraught at his name."
"When I saw what had happened to him", she confessed, eyes lowered down to the table. "It was one thing when he had people with him, but when they abandoned him, thinking that he was crazy when he detected the Shadow emerging... I almost ran the other way. Just so I didn't have to look at him."
"Almost", Bartholomew emphasized at her side. "Which is more that can be said for many other humans who once called him their friend."
"And now", she continued, "he's not only helping us locate black boxes, but he's trying to grow vegetables in the soil around the church. He says he's going to give them to us, that the soil around the building is 'sacred'. I just..." Admitting defeat with her head low, she realized that the reaction she was so ashamed of had nothing to do with Father Shigetsu. Nothing at all.
"Damn it. Life is so... fragile. Every time I see him hobbling around on that cane, it reminds me."
"A living reminder of a truth most humans find unpalatable", the attendant commented. "And yet, that man has chosen to make the most of what little he has left in this life. All because you, dream voyager, chose to stand by him, and aid him. Even when it distressed you to lay eyes upon his weakness, his fragility, you did not allow that to drive you away from him."
Morose now, she stared back at the Hierophant Arcana with new thoughts, shivering in fear. "Because... Because that would have been even worse. Thinking about him living all alone in that place, going hungry and withering away until one day he would just... fall over. Where no one would find him. Unmourned. Sure, Vitienne-kun came back eventually to help too, but I didn't know he would at that time."
The next Arcana depicted an enormous wheel covered by a golden crest bearing an indifferent face, and as with the Judgement, Aiko could not quite grasp who it represented by merely looking at the card or trying to remember someone it reminded her of. However, she was able to deduce the final Arcana on the table that way.
To her sorrow.
The card depicted a skeletal figure, billowing hood and cowl concealing most of it from view as it loomed above the world, bearing a familiar scythe in hand.
The obvious choice was the Reaper, but she knew that was wrong. She'd never spoken to the Reaper. The only relationship they had was that of an eager predator and an unusually cunning and elusive prey. By touching the card, by examining the texture and the memories it brought forth, she was able to peer beneath the surface.
"Death", she whispered bleakly. "This Arcana is Death. And yet... it's for Vitienne-kun? Why? Why him?"
Bartholomew remains stolid, unyielding. "As we discussed moments ago, Death is an unsightly thing to bear for most humans. A lingering reminder of mortality that most would prefer to distract themselves from. Thus, its Arcana has been saddled with a negative connotation, forgetting that is not all that Death stands for. Not merely an end, but transformation. New beginnings. Cycles of regeneration and change."
Despite his words, she still stared into the card's dark ink, not comprehending. Thinking that she might not want to comprehend. "Maybe Shigetsu can tell me why."
"Either way, you will learn the reason why", Bartholomew promised her softly. "That, I guarantee."
6/13 Thursday
Lunch
MS: hey everyone
AT: hey, all ok?
MS: we should be asking you that
AT: i'm fine
AT: i feel much better now
AT: almost overslept and missed 1st period actually
MS: that's good to hear
MS: about feeling better i mean, not oversleeping and missing class
MS: still don't think we should resume our 'project' right away
AT: i know
JR: how come?
JR: thought you wanted to finish this fast
AT: but also alive
MS: exactly, that place is super dangerous and huge
MS: need to take it one bit at a time, maybe we go back on the weekend or after Marine Day
JR: aw man x_x
AT: besides, we got what we came for- a name
JR: we did?
AT: yeah heard the Shadows talking about it just before we left
AT: they said 'mistress Kaneshiro'
(Akira Kurusu has joined the chat)
AT: so the ruler is Kaneshiro
AK: Kaneshiro?
JR: hey Kurusu, hows things
AK: Pretty well until I heard somebody say Kaneshiro
AT: ?
AK: Kaneshiro was one the Phantom Thieves' targets.
MS: oh right, knew that sounded familiar
MS: wasn't he like a Shibuya mob boss or something?
AT: right, he was a major leader in the Dragon syndicate, wanted to take it over
AK: we didn't know that six years ago, just that he was pushing drugs onto high school kids in Shibuya
JR: but no way that's him
JR: he's in jail
JR: right?
JR: right?
AK: Last time we checked. Would have been a huge story if he'd broken out or been killed in prison.
AT: not him then, someone else with the same last name
AT: coincidence
MS: maybe... does he jave family?
MS: *have
AK: Sorry, not sure. He never talked about them.
MS: just saying its a pretty big coincidence considering what we saw in that Land
AK: so you did go in, how'd it go?
JR: nasty place
AT: big city, all black and white
AT: but we overheard the ruler is 'mistress Kaneshiro'
AT: so presumably a woman
AK: Keep searching the Land and the ruling Shadow will reveal itself to you. It can't help it. It wants to be seen and reacted to.
AK: At least, that's how all the Palace rulers I saw were. They liked watching people from the outside get disgusted by them and their Palaces.
MS: not now though
MS: need to rest first
AK: Definitely.
AK: Best for you to space out your visits to that place so you have some time to recover.
AT: thanks, we will
AK: Also, I wanted to tell you that Nijima woke up yesterday.
JR: yessss! Tn_nT
AT: thanks again
AT: is she ok to have visitors?
AK: i think so
AK: Going to go visit her again tonight
AT: if its ok, ill join you
AK: Sounds good.
(Akira Kurusu has left the chat)
(Aiko Tsuruga has left the chat)
MS: ...do you think she's ok?
JR: huh?
MS: her Personas stopped working
MS: never seen that gappen before
MS: *happen
JR: she was prolly just tired, we were at it for a while yesterday
MS: ok
MS: still worried though
JR: don't be, i'm sure she's fine
JR: she's tough
MS: ... hope so
JR: don't forget about Yoshida
MS: right, you too with Oori
JR: cyas
(J. Rosea has left the chat)
6/13 Thursday
After School
The way Makoto Nijima had to be roused from her sleep when they arrived gave a dispiriting first impression. However, after that she seemed perfectly okay despite still being confined to a thin-railed metal hospital bed most of the time, her red-tinted eyes shining with the same willful, alert intelligence that had drawn Akira to her in the first place six years ago.
He'd known from the start that rehearsing what to say to her was completely pointless. No matter how many times he went over a carefully-planned script in his head, he knew that all of it would fly out the window as soon as he put it into practice. All he could manage to start with was one word of cautious greeting: "Hey."
Of course, Makoto knew just as well as he did just how awkward meetings in hospital rooms really were. The ancient memory of seeing Shiho Suzui in the same position on the bedpan wasn't one that would fade from her mind any time soon. "...Hey. I heard that you've been visiting me. Quite a lot, actually. So. Um... Thank you."
"It was either that, or enjoy the interior of my lovely 2-star motel", he remarked, seeing it as a good sign when she laughed lightly at the joke, placing his hand along the bed rail to touch her arm. "And you'd beat even a 5-star."
Her hands eagerly rose to grasp his, unusually desperate for physical contact after so many days spent in near complete isolation. "Thank you for staying here in Tosashimizu as well. I know that must have been expensive for-"
"Don't worry about it. You're more important."
Smiling, she leaned back into the cushion in relaxation. "It's certainly not how I expected this to go. I wanted you to come and help me convince these kids to stop risking their lives. You were always better at persuading people than me. Instead-"
Seeing the look on Akira's face halted her. "What's wrong?"
For once truly unsure of how to proceed, Akira lowered his glasses to regard her with his true eyes. "Um. Please don't stress out. Tsuruga wants to talk with you as well."
That, at least, came across as a pleasant surprise for her. "She's here too?"
He nodded, turning to the door. "You can come out now, Tsuruga."
Shyly peering out from behind the doorway, Aiko looked more anxious than Makoto had ever seen her, carefully inching her way up to the bedpan as if wary of deadly traps, pale hands clasped at her waist as she bowed in terrified courtesy.
"H-h-hello there, Nijima-san."
The words themselves revealed nothing dangerous. It was the reluctant, timid way she delivered them which made the truth begin to slowly dawn on Makoto. As Akira watched, the welcoming smile on her lips visibly transformed into a much more serious expression and her eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger.
"...Akira. What has she been doing?"
He was suddenly very, very glad that the staff had disconnected the heart monitor machine from her, considering it unnecessary as she was now safely out of the danger zone. Refusing to crumble under her accusing glare as he sometimes had when they were younger, Akira met it squarely instead. "I told you to try and stay calm."
"I am calm." Makoto's words sounded like the lethal buzz of an electric fence. "Tell me what Tsuruga has been doing."
Aiko could no longer make a sound, and so Akira did. "She and her friends have been trying to reveal the crimes of the Karma club."
Her grip became so tight that he had to withdraw his hand. "I see. Despite the fact that I took away their weapons, and specifically ordered them not to approach the Karma club."
"...Yes."
"And did you try to stop them, Akira?"
"...No. In fact, I've been investigating the club myself with Morgana's help."
That softened her intensity, but only slightly. "Good. Superb. That was what I was hoping for. That you would help me with that. Not that you would encourage children to do it."
There were a number of sharp retorts to that he knew he could have used, but he also knew using them would only make Makoto's stress- and her anger at him- even worse. Instead, he constructed a different approach.
"They're not children, Makoto. None of them are. They're the same age that we were when we-"
Her acid glower saved him from accidentally uttering a potentially fatal name, though he didn't exactly feel lucky for it.
"And that's why I was hoping you would get therm to stop. Because I thought that you, more than anyone else, understood that what we did six years ago wasn't normal. At all. We almost died, Akira. We came close so many times I can't even count. And now you're encouraging these kids to do the same thing?!"
Once again he wanted to yell at her what else he could have been expected to do, but he held it in. He wouldn't forget where they were, or where she was.
"...We shouldn't talk about this now. It's definitely stressing you out. It's stressing me out."
Makoto sighed, leaning back down, eyes closed. "...Agreed. The faster I can recover, the better. I'm sorry. You just surprised me, that's all."
Glad to be past the worst of the trial that he'd known had to happen, he smiled back. "That was my forte once, if you recall. We'll talk some more once you're up and walking again."
"Yes", she echoed darkly. "We will. But for whatever it's worth, it's nice to see you again, Kurusu. And you, Tsuruga. I really appreciate both of you coming out to see me."
Akira surprised Aiko again by actually chuckling once they were back out in the hospital lobby. "Hm. I guess I can kiss my notes goodbye."
"Huh?"
"Oh, nothing. Grown-up humor."
Not understanding at all, Aiko shook her head to clear it. "Sorry I wasn't much help back there. I saw that look in her eyes, and I just kind of... blanked out."
"Nijima-san is pretty scary when she gets mad", Akira acknowledged evenly. "Hell, I'm impressed that you didn't run screaming out of the room."
The impulse had certainly occurred to her earlier, but she managed to scoff. "I'm not that cowardly, Kurusu-kun. Besides, she deserves to know the truth. Hiding it from her until she's better would just make things even worse."
"That might be the most mature thing I've heard you say, Tsuruga", he remarked slyly. "Still, in this particular case it's hard to argue for that. I just hope she doesn't have any problems with her recovery exercises."
"Do you think she's right?"
Surprised by the sudden question, Akira stared back at the pale-haired girl and slowly shook his head. "No. I still think that you should keep trying. Keep on being the dream voyagers. Besides, it's too late for you to go back now. The Masked Circle won't leave you alone just because you leave them alone."
"Right. Pelagio said the same thing", Aiko acknowledged. "What about the Lands? We could stop doing that at least."
"If you do", he reminded her, "then this Kaneshiro lady, whoever she may be, will lose her soul. Nijima believed that blocking off the Yume bay would stop that from happening again. Apparently, she was wrong. Just like she was wrong about you."
"Yes." She realized that she wanted to agree completely with Akira's analysis of the situation, and that realization conjured in her head the ridiculous image of Akira and Makoto being a pair of arguing parents, with her as the frightened daughter in between wishing they wouldn't fight. "Thank you for believing in us, Kurusu-kun."
Adjusting his glasses in the afternoon light, Akira smiled warmly. "I know what it's like. To be a teenager stuck in an enormous world that's already written you off as trash. Disposable. To have the chance to be something more, and help people along the way." Stopping, he chuckled again. "And if we're being completely honest here, the chance to get violent, vent your frustrations on something, and not get arrested for it."
"I will admit, that has been a part of it", she joked back, glad to be with one of the few people who would actually understand her. "If I lost both Faraway Lands and the fencing club, I really think I might explode."
"Fencing club, huh? Nice. I would have liked to have been able to join a club back at Shujin", Akira mused. "But no one wanted to let the 'dangerous delinquent' into a club."
"That must've been awful for you", Aiko agreed sadly. Mira had given her the full story earlier and like most people, it infuriated her as well as filled her with a great sympathy for all that Akira had endured six years prior. "Judged as a criminal just because you tried to help that lady. Just because that horrible man wanted to avoid facing justice for his crime."
Stroking the bristles on his chin as he took a seat, Akira nodded. That wound had been deep, but it was also old, crusted over. Sometimes, it felt like it was almost healed. "Like I said, I found something to make it not hurt quite so much. A chance to fix the world. I suppose that way I'm lucky, even if-"
Seeing his pause, she stared closer. "Kurusu? What's wrong?"
Just as quickly, the hesitation in his words and face left. If anything, he looked more confident than before. "You talked with Igor, right?"
"Occasionally", she admitted, not quite sure where he was going with this. "When I sleep, and dream."
"And he wasn't trying to force you into anything? His voice was high-pitched, not deep?"
"High-pitched.", she decided, needing only a second to consider the distinction. "Definitely high-pitched. He's creepy."
"Oh yes. That he is", Akira agreed in a relieved tone. "But the one I met, the deeper-voiced one who put me on the path of a thief... he wasn't the real one. In the end, that one was just using me to prove his point that humanity was beyond saving. And still... still, we ended up doing some real good in the world, I think. We stopped Kamoshida, Kaneshiro, and lots of other people with distorted hearts. In the end, we even took down the impostor too."
"Nijima-san told us about some of that", Aiko considered carefully. "What's your point?"
"My point, Tsuruga", Akira noted sternly, "is that even though that whole thing was started six years ago just because a jerkass God decided that he wanted to play a rigged game with us humans, we still were able to make something positive out of it. And if you're getting guidance from the real deal, helping you to fight against something that's trying to draw human souls out into the ocean... then I trust him too. I trust that he wouldn't have asked you to do all this if it wasn't important."
Thinking about it, she snorted. "I don't think he would have brought me to the Velvet room just to say hello. If I was just some random person. So..."
"'Why me?'", Akira said the words before she could formulate them, peering over at her and smiling. "That's what you were thinking about, right? If Igor didn't choose you, then who did?"
"Yeah. Pretty much", she agreed distantly, staring into her fists beside him. "Who decided that I get to use the wild card? Who decided that I get to have a Persona at all? Are they the ones that made me lose..." Without even realizing it, she had reached down to touch her ruby shard in her pocket, the last remnant of her first hairpin.
Then she felt the firm pressure on her shoulder, Akira's arm both strong and reassuring. "Hey. If you ever meet them, you should thank them. Because of that, you saved two people's lives. And you're not done yet, are you?"
"Y-yeah", she agreed shakily. "It- Anne Bonny- changed my life, just as much as anyone else's."
"And Arsene changed mine", Akira echoed sagely. "Just seeing the look on Kamoshida's face in that dungeon, now... that was a rush like nothing I'd ever felt before. Scared the piss out of Ryuji too, I think."
Flashing back to how her own Awakening had felt, she nodded. "You felt... free, right?"
"Completely." The afternoon light had slid across his glasses, obscuring his eyes and leaving his expression hardened, nearly inscrutable. "Everything else just fell away. Nothing else mattered except that Kamoshida paid. That I made him pay, even if I damned myself by doing it."
Sensing her apprehension, he shook his head, casting black frizzy hair around. "Of course, in my mind, I already was damned. That made it easier. The choice was freedom, or death. Guess I was just lucky that Arsene wasn't actually the devil he looks like, inside. Or maybe... maybe it had nothing to do with luck."
"No?"
His focus tightening, Akira stared into his own hand, as though expecting the blue fire from his memories to come out. "Sorry. I can't really describe myself as an 'expert' on the subject. Personas and Shadows and the world they inhabit are, naturally, kind of difficult to study scientifically when there's like a dozen people in the whole world, none of whom are scientists, who know about them. Igor and his attendants are probably the closest thing, but even when they described it to me, I couldn't understand it. Not completely."
"But you used and fought them for almost a year", Aiko pointed out. "So if any human knows about them, it would be you."
"You might be better off asking Futaba about this stuff", Akira protested, but seeing the worry in her eyes, he acquiesced. "Oh, fine. According to my 'sources'- which is just a fancy way of saying I asked Igor and Lavenza about it- Arsene was a part of me even before I went to the Metaverse. He's a manifestation of my inner will of rebellion, if that makes any sense."
"More than you think", she remarked. "Don't forget, I had an Awakening too. And when that happened for the first time, I was ripping through those Shadows like an expert. Like..." Stiffening, she sighed. "It felt like something else was guiding my actions. Some part of me that I'd forgotten how to use."
Mulling it over, Akira nodded understandingly. "The world that we live in has no patience for rebellion. The first thing you're taught as a kid is to behave. To not make a fuss."
Hardly appreciating the comparison, she rolled an eye at him. "We're not screaming babies, Kurusu."
"Nah", he jested back with a sardonic grin. "We were screaming adults. Screaming for a real, legit reason; 'cause we just couldn't take it any more. We couldn't stand the injustice of the world we were trapped in." Looking a bit more serious, he released his hand.
"I read up on Anne Bonny too you know. After you told me that she was your first Persona, I mean. She was vicious, and ruthless, and maybe she was just a little bit crazy in the head too. But she lived in a time when you had to be a little scary to get respect as a leader."
"I see. No change there, then."
Akira's laughter billowed into the quiet lobby's acoustics. "Look, Tsuruga. I once knew a legit fortune teller in Shibuya. I'm not sure if I really believe in all that reincarnation stuff, but there's got to be a reason that our Personas are based on legendary people, whether they're fictional or not. We've inherited their aesthetics, their will. The Metaverse, or Faraway Lands, or whatever that crazy place is called... it just lets that will manifest as power. Because those legends still have power in the human mind. Otherwise, nobody would bother to write them down."
"History class", she remembered knowingly. "If we spend time covering an individual named person, it's because that person either accomplished a lot, or they became a symbol for certain themes in their times. Or both."
"Ishikawa Goemon", he remarked with a snap of his fingers. "The guy got freaking boiled alive together with his son for his crimes. But what he did, the way he did it, inspired people. Inspired them so much that he stuck in their minds and became a Persona for one of the other Phantom Thieves on my team. Someone who shared in his aesthetics, his drive."
Returning her gaze to floor, Aiko considered the words. "I don't know if I really like Anne Bonny's aesthetics. They're a little too... wild. I definitely don't want to scare my friends."
"Did they ever look like they were scared?", Akira asked. "At least, once they realized that it was just a Persona that you'd taken on? A mask?"
"No", she admitted. "They didn't. Mira-chan still gets scared of it sometimes, but I know that's just because she's frightened for me, not of me. At least, I hope not."
"Understandable", he considered, thinking back to his own conversation with Mirambela. "Hopefully, soon she'll realize that she doesn't have to worry so much. Worrying is usually pointless, I find. It's what actually happens that matters."
"Yes", she agreed slowly. It wasn't an easy thing to process, but faith in Akira's greater experience got her through it. "If we hadn't confessed to Nijima-san now, then we would've had to do it later. This is better, even if she's stressed out now."
"Exactly." Standing back up, he walked forward to open the exit door for her. "You just worry about your own business for now, Tsuruga. I'll worry about Makoto Nijima."
6/13 Friday
After School
Sitting in a corner of the gymnasium, Mirambela Sorano hunkered down to herself and tried for what felt like the hundredth time not to let her suspicions drive her off.
Fear is one thing. Laziness born out of fear is another. You said that you would do this. So DO it.
Whatever the danger, it was much safer than fighting Shadows would be. Torade Yoshida was part of the school volleyball team and practiced regularly here- she could see him on the left side of the court, messy dark brown hair sticking out everywhere but kept just short enough that it wouldn't get in his eyes whenever he had to leap up and catch the ball. Like most of this scrimmage team, his upper body was leaner than she expected of school athletes, but he didn't seem to be tiring at all yet, simply enjoying himself.
He certainly didn't look like an agent of an evil nightclub bent on luring people into Awakening to Personas.
But then, she reminded herself, the first time I saw Kujou, she looked like an attractive, charismatic leader, and someone I could trust to help students in need of guidance.
Time and punishment had corrected that naive perception. No matter how she disliked remembering back to how horribly her previous year at school had gone, the memories would never fade, not completely. Inevitable, she decided, when she had this year to compare it to.
It wasn't perfect, of course. Benihime Kujou had always been her chief tormentor, but in the end she was merely the loudest expression of an idea that a lot of students and some teachers on campus had accepted in their hearts, or at least considered whenever it showed up on television or internet. Inevitably there would be some judiciously placed messages on her locker or her desk, the occasional insult that she would 'accidentally' overhear from students, usually on the topic of her intelligence. To some, she would always be 'Stup-rano'.
But all the recent rumors circulating around about Kujou being voted out of the student disciplinary committee had little to do with the difference this year. It was Aiko Tsuruga, of course. Aiko had helped her again and again, supported her the whole way through, and as long as they were together she didn't dare let anything get her down the way it had last year.
Which was likely the reason why she kept delaying on the next step she had discussed with Akira Kurusu. The step of becoming less dependent on her friend. I suppose this is a good way to test that. Successful surveillance of Yoshida-kun without Ai-chan here to support me.
The last thing she wanted was to be a vimelea, a parasite that could only live when her friend was around, draining away Aiko's energy when she already had more than enough on her own plate to deal with.
Still, this habit she'd fallen into was a comfortable one. Difficult to leave behind, just as much as the fear. And if Kotone was any indication, she wasn't the only person who felt that way.
What does it feel like, I wonder? To have multiple people respect and look to you for strength?
She'd never known that feeling herself. She supposed it wasn't so different from being her papa. Eight children of disparate ages plus a wife, and somehow he'd managed not to neglect any of them. If someone asked anyone in his family about it, Mirambela knew that none of them, herself included, would have anything but positive things to say. Well... maybe Wanacha. He was always such a smart mouth, being the eldest male child.
Caught up in her thoughts, she nearly jumped out of her seat when she felt the weight of someone else taking the spot next to her. Yes. Excellent. Way to show everyone you're not a high-strung weakling 'Stup-rano' any more.
"Apologies", the surprising gentleness in the boy's voice managed to calm her down again. "You didn't react when I called to you."
She winced. And apparently so scatterbrained that I couldn't hear anything.
Deep-ingrained instincts said to pull away and run. She refused to listen to them. "S-sorry, Vitienne-kun. I was just... distracted."
"Vengebung", Noel replied casually. "I know what it is to be lost all alone in your thoughts, Sorano. It's a most dangerous habit." Settling into his seat at last, he watched Yoshida jump and miss a fast shot. "You're interested in volleyball, then?"
"Not really", she admitted. Directly lying would serve no purpose even if she couldn't exactly tell the truth. Or maybe...? "Just seeing how it works. We never saw this sport where I come from."
"I think you would be good at it", Noel suggested, gesturing at the team at the other side of the gym, which indeed had an equal number of girls. "It's much more popular with girls than soccer or baseball. It demands a certain agility, which I have noticed you seem to possess a fair bit of."
Mira smiled back. Maybe. Maybe if I wasn't spending a lot of time testing that agility already with far higher stakes.
It actually made her feel guilty sometimes, just how swiftly 'Dancer' was able to dodge Shadows' attacks in Faraway Lands while 'Gunslinger', 'Saber' and 'Guardian' were struck far more often in battle than her. Swiftly healing their damage alleviated that guilt, yet it remained.
"...I'm considering it. But I don't know if they'll accept me on the team."
Refusing to falter, Noel snorted, palming his chin. "Ah yes. I can imagine the reason why, even if it's a foolish one. Still, the worst thing they can do if you apply is say no. Rudely. So I say, you should go for it. And if they are rude, then perhaps a little rudeness in return would feel better."
Blinking in surprise at the uncharacteristic boldness of his words, Mira turned to him. "I'm not Ai-chan. I'm not good at insults."
"Maybe you should spend some time with my friend Niyoga first. He's a true master of the art."
"I mean, there's no point", she affirmed desperately, wishing he would understand. "It would just make them mad at me, or worse report it to the teachers and get me in trouble."
"I suppose", he admitted, watching as the game resumed. "I only wished for you to not be frightened by the possibility of ridicule. It's for the best that we create our own possibilities without thinking so much about what people say about us."
Knowing that he wasn't really talking about her, she regarded him more sympathetically. "How are the Furusatos?"
"Mm. So you know about that", he considered distantly. "They haven't pressed charges against me yet. I'm hoping that nothing comes of it, that they will understand that prosecuting me won't heal their pain. Still, we're no longer on speaking terms."
"If you do end up going to co-", she choked back the word, reluctant to air the worst possibility before touching her phone. "If something happens, I have the phone number of a good defense attorney in Tokyo. She works cases of her choosing for the most part, and I'm sure she would be interested in helping you once she heard the full story of what happened to Furusato-chan."
Surprised that someone Mira's age would know an attorney, he nodded back. "I appreciate that. Sadly, I'm not quite sure if anyone really knows the full story of what happened to her, except for her. Or...?"
Understanding what he meant, she tried to focus back on the game, back on Yoshida's actions for a while. That was why she was there. When it became clear that wasn't going to make Noel go away, she leaned back, trying to make sure no one else would hear.
"Everyone is different, Vitienne-kun. Everyone has their own things that they cherish, and their way of reacting when they lose those things. You knew Furusato-chan better than I did. If you're asking me why I ran out of the school, and took over a week to come back... I'm sorry. That's private."
"I see", he surrendered. "Something less weighty, then; do you know where Tsuruga-chan is now?"
Mira nodded in relief. He's back to normal. "She's at the shore. Come with me."
That wasn't quite accurate. Aiko wasn't on the south beach, but just as she felt the question creeping into Noel's throat they both saw a figure cresting the horizon. The seemingly endless rains that had ruled the first two weeks of June had paused to let fresh sunlight in, allowing them a clear sight of the Fiddler's Green. A clear sight of the three people on board
Seeing them, Mira smiled and waved. "I guess Rosea-kun wanted to join in today too."
"Join in?", Noel sounded confused. "What are they doing?"
"Training", Mira decided was the most appropriate word after a moment's consideration. "You see that old guy with the pipe? That's Byzael. He made this deal with Tsuruga-chan where if she learns how to operate his ship, she can have it when she's old enough."
"Genau so?", he wondered in amazement. "Byzael offered to just give up that fine vessel in a few years? Why?"
"Good question", Mira agreed. Noel was traveling ground she'd gone over several times before deciding not to worry too much about it. "While Ai-chan won't want to hear it... I get the feeling that Byzael thinks he might not be around for much longer. So he wants someone who will care for his ship the way he does."
"I've seen him", Noel protested. "He's not so old. Most of our teachers are older."
"I know. That's just my best guess. And so long as he doesn't try to hurt Ai-chan in any way, it's none of my business. Huh. Maybe that's why Rosea-kun wanted to join them today. To make sure."
Jiachi looked more than a little winded as they clambered off the aged wooden boat, for once unwilling to speak until he could find his legs again. Byzael was the opposite, as energetic as Noel had ever seen an adult as the two of them closed the sails and let the ballast bags go.
"Another friend?", he asked once they hit the sand. "And here you were complaining about no one liking you."
"I wasn't complaining", Aiko corrected. Despite her words, she shared in the captain's grin and energy. "Commenting. There's a difference. Complaining sounds like this:"
She made an obvious twist on her vocal chords, making her voice sound higher and far whinier. "'Waaaaah! I got kicked off the student councillll! Waaaah! How will I ever bully gaijin and get away with it nowwww?!'."
"Classic", Noel clapped sarcastically. "It escapes me why you're here instead of in a club refining your comedy talents, Tsuruga."
"Sure, I'll do that after I graduate", she shot back. "All joking aside, it's good to see you again, Vitienne-kun. Is Shigetsu okay?"
"He's fine", he smiled back. "He said he had another attack the other day, but I was there for him. I'll be visiting him again later tonight to make sure."
"Good", she said, momentarily deflated at the mention of Shigetsu's earlier breakdown repeating. "Sorry I haven't been able to visit him in the last few days. I've been busy."
"It's quite alright", he promised. "There's no need for you to give him any more. I will be able to support him going forward."
That surprised more than just Aiko. "Really?", Mira asked. "You can do that while also paying to study abroad for years?"
At once, the blond boy looked extremely embarrassed. "Well... erm... yes. You see... While my family are not exactly haute volee, they are nested comfortably on the upper end of the country's wealth scale."
He had no idea what kind of reaction to expect from the others, but their reaction seemed mostly positive until Julian perked up and looked at him with new eyes. "Seriously dude? And you never told anybody here that your family's loaded?! More like 'Oh Hell'..."
"And that", Mira pointed out sternly, "would be the reason why, right? If people knew..."
"Thank you, Sorano", Noel bowed gratefully. "As I learned when I was a young age at home, there are no small number of perils associated with being the son of a wealthy family. And some other reasons, too."
"People would come to you", Aiko guessed carefully. "They'd pretend to be your best friend, when all that they really wanted was your money. And you get more than enough flack for being a foreigner already; imagine how it would be if everyone knew you were a rich foreigner."
"Ja. Correct on all counts", Noel sighed unhappily. "Indeed, before I met you, the only ones whom I truly considered to be my friends were Niyoga and Furusato-san."
"And now you've lost both", Aiko realized, eyes lowering. "I'm sorry."
"Not both", Noel corrected her cheerfully. "Oh, it's true that Niyoga is in one of his moods right now. He doesn't approve of my career choice. But I still believe that he will come around and accept me again. He has before."
"I heard about that", she brightened. "A manga artist, huh? Congratulations! If you make it, I mean."
"It is, like all things, in the hands of God", he offered humbly. "However, I will have lots of time to practice, now that I will be taking care of father Shigetsu after school."
"You kids seem to be having fun", Byzael cut in with a merry chortle that made Aiko shamefully realize she'd almost forgotten he was there. "I'll catch you later, Tsuruga. You did well today."
Unabashedly happy, she waved back as he climbed back aboard the Green. "Thanks! I really learned a lot today. We'll see you later."
Some shared instinct found the four drifting towards the peach tree that marked the path leading back to the school and dorms. Once there, Noel produced the pocket-sized red sketchbook from before, idly flipping through it next to the tree instead of walking.
"Right", Ai remembered. "We never did do that sketch you promised, did we? Sorry I'm not exactly in great shape for it now." As expected, their 'trial run' had covered her and Jiachi in dirt, sweat and grime.
"That can wait", he agreed, his voice growing distant and hands tightening on the book's covers. "Actually... I wanted to show you something. Sorano and Rosea may see it as well."
His tone, the way he worded it, caught her full attention at last. Only more so when he flipped through the pages- some blank and some occupied- towards his goal.
They all stared. The picture at the end of the book was easily familiar to them. It came as a shock that made Mira clap a hand to her mouth and Jiachi frantically reach down for revolvers he wasn't actually carrying for a number of other reasons.
It looked far from Noel's best work, like it had been sketched furtively in brief sessions, brief clouds of excess lead covering numerous spots, different parts of the page bearing different shades of pencil suggesting it had been a multi-session job.
Yet it was also unmistakable. It was Aiko. Or rather, it was Saber. The cutlass and large flintlock pistol on a leather belt. The fancy pale greatcoat, breeches and the hat that Julian and Mira had come to look to for guidance when they were in the other world. Even the smaller details were captured, such as the way the hat's brim covered the eyes and the pirate's lips curled upward into a mischievous, even cruel-seeming smile.
"Tsuruga-chan, if I may be so blunt", Noel asked, politely calling them all back to themselves, and the expectant gaze before them. "Please tell me the truth. Is this you?"
6/13 Friday
Evening
The sound of repeated brass blasts hit Ryuken Samesaji's ears in a pleasing way, enhanced by the club's excellent acoustics. He always admired that particular rhythm, the way the quick short blasts set the band onstage apart from the brass bands which had been commonly rejected by most Japanese audiences for being too 'cheery', or 'foreign', or any of a dozen other excuses, each as weak as the last.
Mu-jogi was different. They had a raw, driving intensity to them normally reserved for younger bands, and Ryuken knew by the number of people who had come out and bought tickets for tonight that they were a keeper, more than any of a dozen singers he'd trained. He made sure to wink at the band leader, the eldest of them but never quite old or dignified to completely pull off the suit and tie look, then he was past the crowds and headed through the spiral door to the stairs.
He made sure to knock at the next door and immediately heard Lady Scorpio's voice answer him. "In a moment please, Taurus. I'm not yet prepared."
Waiting, he studied the fine wrought iron of the stair railing, idly wondering just how old it was as a relic from the previous owners. Most of the time it was fine enough, but there was the rare case like this one where it felt like he was the adult in this arrangement, not her. Scorpio might have been the power behind the Masked Circle, but without a public face to cover for her she would have been helpless as any other shut-in, and she didn't even use the internet.
"...You may come in now."
The mirrors in the dressing room had been repaired now, and the hostess bore her mask and kimono with the usual dignity from her seat, several brushes and containers on a nearby table confirming what he already knew, that she had been cleaning her hair and face.
"You don't have to do that, you know", he offered amiably. "I don't mind."
"I mind", she replied flatly, her mirrored geisha mask staring into her hands. "I cannot allow anyone else to behold my false self. That face is repulsive. Ugly. Weak. No. That is not my face. This is my face."
"If that's how you want it, my lady", Taurus agreed in a rare show of pity for her. "I still think that you're hiding a beautiful face from the world though. I've never met a woman your age who I thought was ugly."
"You can turn the charm off, Taurus", she ordered, all business again now that she'd once again sealed her flesh away behind cold porcelain, folding her long sleeved arms crossly. "I've located the new Land. The Land created by your mistake."
Rolling his eyes, he nodded. "More like created by me removing a nuisance who would have kept coming after us, disrupting our operations. Besides, I didn't do it. He just fell in, that's all."
"Just fell in", she echoed mockingly. "But in removing one threat, you've opened the possibility for a greater one. I have seen activity within that Land. The Tsuruga girl and her friends have already located it. If they are able to save and recruit that Land's ruler to their side, as they have twice before..."
Immediately understanding the danger, he considered the issue more seriously. "Right. Sorry. It was an accident. Excuse me for not being perfect. At least I can walk outside."
Disregarding his sarcasm, Scorpio raised an arm. "Luckily, we still have an opportunity to correct this mistake. The Land is vast, and perilous. I believe that even these 'dream voyagers' will find it difficult to succeed in their mission there. Particularly... if we endeavor to make their task even more demanding."
Taurus' eyes narrowed and he reached up and touched his spiral earring for luck. "Huh. You think that we should send some of our special Shadows to attack them while they're in there?"
"No", a sigh came through her frozen lips. "I believe the time has come for us to offer the Tsuruga girl her final chance to join in our Salvation. Mere Shadow trash cannot be trusted with such an offer."
He stared back, not quite comprehending yet. "You? You're okay with going to- Oh."
"Not King Leo", she explained quickly. "He overdid his previous assignment, nearly killing the Nijima woman. His madness has grown worse. I couldn't trust him with any mission that doesn't require the complete destruction of our target."
"Which leaves only me", he concluded, trying his best not to let the sudden excitement he felt cloud out his scheduling skills. "I'll have to have Nayuta-san take over while I'm gone then."
"She is fine", Scorpio agreed. "I have delved into her mind. She wants nothing more than to prove herself to us, and be gifted with an Awakening trial so that she might aid our Salvation. Such a pity that Tsuruga doesn't seem to feel the same way."
"It's a waste", he agreed. "That's why I'll definitely do anything I can to make her see reason first. Nayuta-san's good and all, but it would be better for us to have someone who's already Awakened and partly trained."
It would be better still to have the original Queen Aquarius back with them, he knew, but that seemed unlikely. Cecille Yumika had made it abundantly clear that she wanted nothing more to do with the Masked Circle. She was content to live a normal life as an elementary school teacher, spinning lies to children about a future she knew would not exist.
He'd tried to reach out to her. He really had. But those attempts only confirmed that he would never understand that way of thinking. Joker- or Akira Kurusu as he insisted on being called- and Queen Aquarius both had held the potential to be Gods in their hands... and they had both thrown it away on some idiotic pretense of modesty, wanting to stay as weak humans when they could be so much more.
Maybe Aiko Tsuruga would understand him better, once they met in person for the first time.
"I'll get ready then", he considered. "This is a long weekend coming up, for Marine Day. No school. There's no way they wouldn't return to the Land for at least one of those days when the gate appears."
"Yes. I believe so", Scorpio nodded. "I will monitor you from here, naturally. It will only require a few minutes of this world's time each day."
"Monitor?", he wondered aloud. "What, you don't think I can do it? Come on. You know you good I am."
"I think that your victory is not completely guaranteed, Taurus", she elaborated sullenly. "Particularly with your current attitude. Don't forget, you will be outnumbered by them."
Trying not to scoff, he shook his head and put two fingers over his heart. "That hurts, y'know. You trained me well. They're just a bunch of snot-nosed kids playing dress-up, pretending to be heroes. I can handle them."
"Perhaps", she allowed. "But you should remain cautious all the same. Bring some Shadows along with you if you need to-"
"I'll be fine", he repeated more forcefully. "I don't need Shadow trash helping me. This is what I live for!"
"Yes. And that's what worries me."
"Well, you worry too much", he claimed, drawing closer to the mask so she could see in his eyes that he certainly wasn't taking this as a joke, or a vacation. "I've got this. I've got it."
Running out past her niggling doubts got him back to the stairs, then further down to the club basement. As a purely utility corridor, it lacked any of the decorum most of the club had, but a series of caged lights illuminated his way forward... As well as the small shape suddenly dashing out of the lowercase shadows directly into and through his legs.
Turning around fast, he recognized the shape and color of the intruder but little else. "Black kitty, huh? Wonder how he got in? Guess I'll have to ask Nayuta-san to tighten up security around here. We're supposed to be a no-pets building, after all, heh."
Checking the outer hall confirmed that the cat had managed to elude him, moving faster than him, no doubt scared out of his mind. Or hers. He wasn't an expert on felines. The only time he'd gotten into cats was a brief period where Kotone had begged him for one as a cute pet, only to be shut down when he found out how expensive caring for, de-clawing and vaccinating one really was.
Like almost everything else his sister had ever wanted, he would have gladly given it to her if he'd had the money. Instead, he put Kotone's innocent gaze out of his mind and stalked back down the basement area until he reached a short bolted locker intended to be used for costumes and props.
And in a sense, it still was.
Inside the grille door, the overhead light cast its glare over a cylinder of shiny, reflective metal, ending in a sharp black-ringed handle. Grabbing it, he pulled on it and grunted. "Heh. Can't blame a guy for trying. Wouldn't that be something if I could now..."
Standing back from the handle, he took a deep breath, reflexively casting his mind back to the same mental key he'd found years ago. Of course he would be unable to lift the large hammer out of the locker normally- that pommel was made of pure factory-grade steel. There was a long chain attached to it as well, but all he would be able to do is pull it taut. The entire weapon weighed nearly a quarter of a ton. No human would be able to lift it.
Ryuken Samesaji would never be able to lift it. But Prince Taurus would.
Stepping further back to be safe, he focused his mind and remembered. Remembered so many things. Remembered learning that his parents were gone, vanished. Remembered the strain of trying to become a parent to Kotone when he was barely out of high school. Remembered applying for hundreds, thousands of low-paying jobs, again and again and again, only to be turned down. Remembered watching their limited budget begin to peter out, and knowing exactly where Kotone would go if he couldn't hold it together.
Remembered the rage that had gotten him here, and thoughts that had begun their endless cycle through his head, and his heart, wearing down his patience until he couldn't even stand the overbearing condescension of job interviewers any longer. The thought that kept coming up in his mind more and more with every fresh failure.
A world which forces its people to prostate themselves before unfeeling billionaires in this way. To grub and grab and fight and beg for the smallest scraps they need to make it through the day, only to worry about how they will feed their loved ones tomorrow?
The thought had followed him, been his constant companion. It was that thought which gave birth to Prince Taurus:
Somebody ought to burn this motherfucker down.
Such a world is not worthy of existence.
Such a world should be conquered. Torn down. Eradicated to make way for something better, where strength and intelligence, not luck, is rewarded.
Remembering all of that and the associated feelings, his lips opened to whisper in the darkness, in chorus with the internal voice which had helped him to Awaken the first time. He had known then that those words, those thoughts, had been his true self.
And it was screaming to get out.
Lady Scorpio called it his 'inner will of destruction'. A power born of the purest hatred.
"Oh Mighty Mithras. Together, we shall conquer."
He sensed a slight distortion in the dusty air of the basement, and then he felt it. Felt the familiar surge of flame blasting all the way through his bones, through blood and ligament and tendon and tissue until it felt like the basement walls had begun to close in around him. An optical illusion, he knew, caused by the knowledge that a misstep from him now could likely destroy those walls.
Power. Power. Power. Real, individual, personal power. Not the false kind of power gained by possessing billions of worthless pieces of paper that all humans had agreed to pretend were valuable, and storing them away in banks.
Spending a minute laughing quietly to himself, idly glorying in the wonderful, giddy sensation of his Persona's raw strength first, he eventually reached back into the locker to grab the handle, taking the chain in his good arm. With an satisfied grunt of effort, he pulled the weapon free of its housing at last, as Ryuken Samesaji could never do.
Despite being holed up and forgotten in the basement locker for months, the hammer looked just as beautiful as he remembered it being when it had been created, the flat business end reflectively shiny, shaped like an enormous bull's cloven hoof on one end before steadily diminishing to a wicked-looking metal horn on the other.
With Mithras' rage eagerly pouring through him, he could lift the weapon. And with that weapon in his hand and Mithras' strength driving it, no Shadow trash had ever been able to match him in combat. They were all conquered, forced into submission to the Masked Circle.
"Still", Prince Taurus noted, reluctantly remembering Lady Scorpio's worries about facing other Persona-users as he smiled into the hammer. Always the worrier even if an operation had a 1 percent chance of failure... but she had a point. "It's been a while. I hope I haven't lost the touch."
Persona Profile #8: Bilwis
Arcana: Sun
Strength: Curse
Weakness: Wind, Gun
Abilities: Dia, Bufu, Venom Blast
Background: A kobold or minor demon from Bavarian and Austrian folklore. Bilwis was originally a benevolent trickster who would tangle the hair of children in their sleep. He could also cure illness if treated well. In time, Bilwis became a Bogeyman who robbed farmers of their crops, using the sickles on his feet and his pitchfork to enter fields and steal from them.
A/N: Happy Easter to all. Once again this one ended up being a bit longer than expected due to structure issues, but it's finally done now. There's always a difference between having a plan and executing it in a compelling way, and I've had to make some changes there too to make things flow a bit better.
Speaking of planning for the future of this story, I would now like to request which of the original characters you like the most and would like to see more of. As I said I have plans, but plans can change, and I feel like I've been giving far too much spotlight to the protagonist character Aiko as of late, even if that is kind of a running tradition for the Persona series.