Chapter 31 / Fog
March 20th, 2012 / Daytime
Inaba Shopping District
I was scratching my head as Rise came bouncing out of the Tofu shop. After what had happened at my graduation everyone had been trying to take it easy on me and I was left with a few thoughts on how I wanted to approach it. I should tell them about my Shadow being around, right? But when should I do that? Was there ever a good time to say that you have a shadow of yourself continually taunting you when they shouldn't be able to. I could still feel Benzaiten there...just how did Persona and Shadows work? I mean, that was why I should tell the others about it. Ah, dammit, what is wrong with me? Why do I keep hesitating with this?
"Hope you weren't waiting long, Kayane. Grandma needed help stocking the front," Rise smiled and stood in front of me.
"You know, with us going into the music industry, won't your Grandma have it hard without you around?" I noted as I looked into the Tofu shop and saw her Grandmother working on arranging the front of the shop. I knew she had managed the shop on her own for a long time before this, but having Rise around had undoubtedly been good for her Grandmother. I suppose it was inevitable that this would happen.
"She'll be fine," Rise assured me. "Plus the man that does the deliveries often helps her if the load is too heavy. She's been doing it for years on her own since Grandpa passed away. And it isn't like she expected me to stick around. After all I was doing this before. I'll miss being home with Grandma though."
"Then we'll have to come back and visit when we can then," I said as I started walking with Rise. As we turned the corner to leave the shopping district I nearly ran into Yu.
"Oh, Kayane-senpai and Rise-san, you guys off to do something?" Yu asked. He seemed more melancholy than usual.
"Just to my place to practice a bit," the two of us stopped and I crossed my arms as I took a moment to observe him. Considering his demeanor and the fact that he was leaving town tomorrow, it didn't take much to realize what he was doing. "Taking a last walk around town?"
"Don't say last, Kayane. You make it sound like he is never going to come back," Rise somewhat pouted from next to me. Yu was an important friend to her, I knew that. He was important to all the Investigation Team. I would be lying if I didn't say he hadn't become an important friend to me as well. He was the one that initially pushed me and opened the idea of being friends with Rise. He hadn't really implied anything more than that. The fact that what did happen was something that occurred between the two of us. Still it had really been Yu that gave me the push and a bit of confidence to move forward.
"Of course I'll be coming back," Yu defended himself looking to me.
I shrugged, "Things happen. I don't doubt that you want to come back. Especially since your girlfriend lives here. Well things are going to change around here anyway. Rise and I are about to be spending a lot of time away from Inaba." And likely Naoto would start taking cases again and would likely be dealing outside of Inaba. Slowly but surely as the others graduated, some of them would possibly leave Inaba. Likely Chie out of all of them, depending on what she pursued for her future.
"Well you're right, but I'll find a way to make it all work. You should be a little more optimistic, Senpai," Yu chuckled, seemingly amused by what I had said.
I sighed, "That sounds like too much work. I'll leave all the optimism to Rise. I'll stay with being pessimistic, it's what I'm accustomed to." I couldn't help but laugh as I said it which had Yu laughing as well. "Still, things have moved fast. Just like that you're heading off to reunite with your parents and enter your senior year. Everyone knew it was coming but keep trying to push it off."
"I was the same way, its the only reason why Yukiko and I had caused the problem we did when we went to save Marie. Still, leaving now when we still don't know so much. Can't say I'm glad about that part. Then again maybe its connected to whatever trial that is ahead for the two of you," Yu moved towards me and offered his hand. "Senpai, and Rise-san too. I hope you contact me if anything happens. I'll do everything in my power to help."
That's right, Miyuki had mentioned it before. The playground that was my Velvet Room was prepared ahead of time from what was said. Philemon was helping me prepare for whatever could happen. I suppose I wouldn't be able to help the fact that the others would seek to get involved. But there was also no telling where or when things would occur. I took his hand, "We'll try not to be on the other side of the country when we're in need."
We shook hands and then he gave a light smile, "Well I don't want to hold the two of you up."
"Hold on, Yu-senpai. I know your leaving tomorrow so I just wanted to say, thank you. You helped me figure out a lot about myself after you all rescued me. And then you helped me again and again while Kayane was in the hospital. If it hadn't been for you, then I might not have been someone that could be there for him. So I wanted to thank you," Rise bowed fully to Yu.
Well, of course he meant a lot to her. She had fallen for him before she had met me. Granted, Yu had rejected her because he had been dating Yukiko, and that was how she had learned about that at the time. Yu had been there to help her adjust. It was him that made her realize that Risette was just as much her as every other part of her. There wasn't a part that wasn't her. It was no different than the power of Persona. A Persona takes a different form but it is still a part of us and who we are. It was a mask...a mask we wore to deal with the outside world. That doesn't make it any less a part of who you are.
"Rise-san, I might have helped you, but I would have been equally as lost if it hadn't been for you and Kayane. How about we just call it even? I can't wait to see the two of you on stage," Yu added on the end with a hint of a grin.
I shook my head, "Get out of here before I decide to hit you."
He put his hands up, "Alright, alright. I already know what that feels like. Though I am looking forward to it you know." He chuckled, "I'll see the two of you later."
We said a couple more words of goodbye before he walked off and I started walking again. Rise was walking next to me and looking at me.
"Soooo...what was that about?" Rise asked after a moment.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" I eyed her for a moment before I focused on the road back to my place.
"You're mad. Is it because of what I said to him?" Rise pressed further, but her words struck me for a moment. Was I mad? Maybe I was. But those were stupid thoughts that I didn't care for. Thinking about the possibility that Yu had gone out with Rise instead of Yukiko, what would have been different about our situation now if it had happened that way? But it was those kind of thoughts that I hated the most. I didn't deal with what ifs. No that stopped a long time ago when Miyuki had died. There had always been that lingering thought. What if Miyuki had survived? How different would everything be? How different would I be? Would I have never come to Inaba? Would I have never met Rise or heard that demo song? Would I have been adopted by Mom? This was the reason why I always stopped myself from thinking it. It was pointless because none of that would ever change. The way things are now, were just how they were. The events that led up to this point could not be changed.
"No, not mad. Just realizing there is a lot more about you that I need to learn about. Maybe a little jealous of the relationship you have with Yu. Which is ridiculous thing for me to be jealous about," I admitted with a sigh and coming to a stop. Yu had a lot on his mind. It couldn't be easy thinking about it, and yeah, it equally was a little bit disconcerting that there was still a lot of questions left. He wasn't even aware of what had happened to give him his own power. Unlike everyone else, he didn't have to face his shadow to gain his power. He had the power to enter the TV to begin with.
"Hmm, you getting jealous?" Rise stopped in front of me and looked into my eyes for a long moment. I wasn't sure if she was going to tease me or just enjoy the fact that I was jealous. "Well I do think you being possessive over me is kinda sexy. You don't have to worry about it though. Still telling you that is pointless right? You want to see it, not hear it."
She was right about that, and I had told her that a long time ago. That was when she had stayed at my place and told me about how they had figured out I had been kidnapped and came after me. Everyone had to go through something. Yu had too in his own way. And as far as I knew if he hadn't it would have been Chie and Yosuke that would have been in trouble because of it. "Hey, Rise...I think we should call off practice for today."
"Yeah? Worried about Yu-san?" Rise must have been thinking about it too. "Alright, how about we grab something to eat and then head over to Junes?"
"Junes?" I eyed her for a moment before I made the connection. "Right, without a doubt he's going to end up going to the special headquarters today." I chuckled a bit. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."
I knew the general strokes of how everything had gone down. Yu arrived in Inaba while the whole scandal about Namatame and Mayumi. Shortly after Mayumi came to Inaba as it is her home town, in order to get away from the media, but instead ended up being killed when Adachi shoved her into the TV at the Amagi Inn. At the same time, Yu, Yosuke and Chie were discovering the truth of the rumors about the Midnight Channel. And Yu, after watching the Midnight Channel, was curious and touched the TV in his room, except what happened next was that his hand actually went into it. This led to Yu taking Yosuke and Chie to Junes Electronic department to show them because obviously they didn't believe him. Then Yosuke and Chie in a panic somehow managed to make all three of them fall into the TV.
Things escalated after that. Konishi was found dead the next day. And apparently had showed up on the Midnight Channel. Yosuke took Yu to investigate the other side of the TV once more. This led to them stumbling into Teddie and investigating a new area in the TV they hadn't been before. They found out quickly it was tied to Konishi Saki and were faced by Yosuke's Shadow. Yu, having already awakened to the power of Persona, managed to subdue Yosuke's Shadow on his own after which Yosuke admitted what his Shadow his said, and became the first one to not only face his Shadow but gain the power of Persona by that method. Yu...hadn't faced that challenge.
Shortly after Yukiko was kidnapped and so Yu, Yosuke and Chie went back into the TV after her. Chie would awaken to her Persona by facing her Shadow along the way, before they saved Yukiko and she would gain hers. With little to no clues, they had managed to figure out some of the rules of the Midnight Channel and the length of time they had to save someone. All of it revolving around rain. After a couple days of rain would be when fog would roll into Inaba. Teddie informed then that when it was foggy in the real world, that it lifted in the TV world and when that occurred the Shadows went crazy. It was apparent that this is likely how Mayumi and Konishi were killed. Their Shadows had gone berserk and killed them when the fog was lifted. And neither had any method in which to defend themselves. Things fell into a pattern after that.
More kidnappings happened. Naoto came to town to help the police with the investigation. It was Kanji, then Rise that would be kidnapped next. In that time they would attempt to prevent the kidnappings but would find it hard to do so. Each time they would face their Shadows, and then Kanji and Rise respectively would gain their power of Persona. Teddie, also would gain his. The group that called themselves the Investigation Team started to believe they were able to prevent any more deaths as long as they could continually save them. However, a teacher by the name of Morooka, a teacher winded up dead. However, something seemed off about the killing, and the suspect went missing. And then he showed up on the Midnight Channel, his name was Mitsuo Kubo. The Investigation Team went into the TV world and rescued him, to hand him over to the police. There was some odd questions in the air, but they hoped that they had found the killer and that it was all over.
Naoto was unconvinced, there were too many inconsistencies in the case. Having pieced together the threads that tied the victims together, Naoto made a bold mood. She would duplicate the methods that seemed to determine the previous victims. Despite knowing the possibility of what would happen. Naoto was kidnapped. Like before the Investigation Team would spring into action and save Naoto, and she would gain a Persona of her own in the process. This confirmed that Mitsuo had been a copycat killer and the original killer was still at large. This, of course, led to the next victim, which had been me. Naturally there was a lot of other things that happened along the way but that was the long and short of everything that happened up until I had gotten involved. Life certainly doesn't feel like its slowed down since then, that's for sure.
Rise and I got to Junes in short order and got ourselves something simple to eat while we walked around for a bit. It was actually kind of relaxing just walking around, but it was somewhat short lived.
"Oh hey, Senpai, and Kujikawa." It was Kanji.
"I had a feeling we'd start running into the others," Rise smiled. "Nice to see you, Kanji-kun. What brings you out here?"
He scratched his head for a moment, "Dunno, just felt like if I came here I'd run into everyone. Since its Senpai's last day in town and all." I couldn't fault him with that logic, but I couldn't help but think Rise sensed that everyone was gathering because of her Persona.
"In that case, let's head out to the special headquarters and see who has shown up," I sighed, somehow expecting that we would be the last ones to show up. And I wasn't disappointed when we entered the Junes food court to see all the other members of the Investigation Team there. "Looks like we are last to join the party." I said as Rise, Kanji and I approached the others who were standing around Yu.
"Yeah, I thought you'd be here, Senpai," Kanji said moving around the table so he was in Yu's view.
"We had a feel we'd run into everyone if we came here," Rise added with a smile.
"What happened to practice?" Yu asked looking to me.
I shrugged, "What's one day of missing practice? Besides you are leaving tomorrow, so seems like a good reason to put that on the back burner for a day."
"Well, we're still planning to see you off at the station tomorrow. But I was feeling too restless, so I decided to come here," Naoto admitted.
"Since we're all here, why don't we get something to eat?" Yosuke suggested, in which Chie immediately chimed in.
"Ooh, let's have steak! Steak! And make Yosuke pay for everything!" Chie grinned.
"Will you shut up about your steaks..." Yosuke groaned. "What do you think, Yu?"
He nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. Let's go sit over at the other table. It'll be easier for us all to talk." I eyed Yu for a moment as we all started to shift over. Just what was he so focused on? I suppose that was what had led him to walk around town and end up here at Junes. It was pretty obvious that something was bothering him. I guess I could be patient. Yosuke and Chie seemed to take charge of getting the food, with all of us in agreement that Yu wouldn't need to pay for anything. To which he was very resistant to. So we had Yukiko basically sit in his lap to prevent him from going anywhere while we went and got all the food. After time we had got settled in.
"I really had fun in this world," Teddie said suddenly. We all shared a look before looking back at him.
"Dude, your whole existence is about fun," Yosuke had a better insight on Teddie than the rest of us considering he let Teddie stay with him. "I suppose that isn't all true. What we've gone through certainly wasn't all fun and games, but I gotta say...I've never felt so fulfilled in my life."
Chie who was sitting next to him seemed to squirm a bit. "It seems we've been working on this forever. At the same time it was over so fast. And I guess we won't ever gather here like this again. You know, to try and solve a mystery and trying not to tear our hair out in the process." I could feel a shift of the mood at the table. This was probably an important moment. Something all of us have probably been avoiding up until now.
"Even if we wanted to talk about it all, there were so many extraordinary things that no one else would ever be able to believe. Sometimes I find it hard to believe I had experienced it all first hand," Yukiko gave a slight sigh but then looked more thoughtful. "Now that I think about it. It all started for me when Chie told me about the Midnight Channel."
"Oh yeah, I think I heard it from Chie too. How did you hear about it to begin with?" Yosuke asked. I was definitely curious to hear about how it had all started, I only knew the broad strokes after all. And this is something that the others that came later wouldn't have known.
"I guess it was kinda a random murder. I only knew it because a lot of other girls in our grade had been trying it out," Chie tried to think about it more. It certainly sounded like an urban legend, and trying to determine the source would be hard to do...but maybe not impossible in a small town like Inaba.
"Huh, I wonder how it started then," Kanji scratched his head. Intermittently everyone was taking time to take bites of their food while they were collectively thinking about this.
"The Midnight Channel. You know, that really was the root cause of everything that happened. I mean, the fog lifted after we caught Adachi, but there's still a lot of stuff that isn't clear yet. It's still foggy over there, too. It hardly feels like we really finished anything, especially after we had to go and save Marie in that other place. The Hollow Forest," Yosuke said thoughtfully. Which was all true and something both I and Yu had briefly discussed before.
"Hmm...and its possible for someone to use it again," Teddie said bringing forth a uncomfortable truth. I also don't believe there was anything that could stop that from being true.
"Didn't that Ameno-something monster say...it granted us powers?" Chie asked. I wasn't sure if that was inherently true though.
"He said, 'I bestowed power onto those who could brave the hollow forest.' In other words, he gave the power to enter TVs to those who awakened to their Persona ability. So that he might use us as pawns to enact his scheme," Naoto surmised.
"Yeah, one that involved turning people into shadows because thats what everyone 'desires' to happen? I guess people enjoy their creative license to twist things to how they want it," I add with a shake of my head. Just because people find things hard doesn't mean they want it to be made easy. It's twisting desires of people when they are just at the low point of the day. I knew better than most how low you can get, and make you blind to the things around you. You can have a lapse of judgment and make a stupid decision before you remember why you've held on so long up till that point.
"Hey, that reminds me, Yu-san. Didn't your hand suddenly slip into the TV even before anything happened to you? Doesn't that make you an exception? Well wait, what about Adachi and Namatame? Those two could go inside the TVs before all this stuff about Personas, right?" Chie was just speaking her mind, but her thoughts had brough up something that I don't think I had thought about. How did Adachi have a Persona if his first time in the TV was when we had forced him to escape into it?
"What? So Senpai and the other two could do it for some other reason?" Rise couldn't hide the surprise from the implications of it.
"There must be something you don't remember, Yu-senpai," Kanji added. "Anything come to mind?"
Yu shook his head, "Honestly, I've been trying to figure it out all day. I feel like it's something important that I can't remember. Plus I got this." Yu pulled out a sealed envelope and handed it over to Yosuke.
"A letter..? Hey, this better not be another warning," Yosuke said half jokingly before flipping it over. "Huh? This is...from prison? I think its from Adachi."
Yu took it back, had he not really looked at it before? Just how deep in thought had he been today? Still he quickly opened it and opened the letter. "Yeah, you're right it is Adachi. Looks like he has a lot to say. Here, I'll read it. 'I'm sure you're surprised to get this letter out of the blue. I'm writing this because there's something I need to tell you. Ever since I made it out alive, there are some things I understand now. It's true that my game's over. As you all insisted at the time, I'll abide by the rules of this world. But as long as I'm in stir here, I can't clean up after myself. So I hope this will give you something to think about, regarding the case. There's still this feeling I can't shake. It's about how it all started. About that Midnight Channel. Now I remember that someone told me about it when I first came into town. Before I heard the rumors at the station. And I was intrigued when I noticed that something similar was written on Namatame's reports as well. But, I can't remember who it was that told me. Since Namatame and I both gained our power after coming to Inaba, I have a feeling that it has something to do with it. I don't know if any of this will be useful or not. But I hope it can help somehow." Yu paused for a moment and flipped over the letter. "When I'm here, I think of Dojima-san, Nanako-chan and you. A lot. Though my time with you didn't seem like much fun before. It's strange. Despite it all, I'm grateful to you. Thank you. But let me just say this. You're a dumbass. You take the path you choose. And I'll think about what that means to me, too. I doubt I'll ever see you again...but stay healthy. Goodbye."
Yu folded up the letter and looked up. I couldn't help but laugh a bit, "Looks like he can't admit fully that you affected him."
He shook his head, "That's fine. I'll never forgive him for what he did, but that doesn't mean he can't regret his actions either. And maybe he'll try not to take the easy route again."
"Going back to where the rumor originated. It's not very helpful if Adachi couldn't remember who it was either," Chie said guiding the conversation back.
Yosuke folded his arms and let out a frustrated sigh, "I'm not sure how to put it, but I kinda know the feeling. It's like...Argh, I don't know how to say this. Like something's connecting all these things. Something beyond what we can see. That world, the Midnight Channel, the ability to enter TVs. They all feel like separate things. You know what I mean? First the rumors, then the serial murder, followed by us deciding to investigate the case. If they all really were separate, they wouldn't fit together like this, right? There has to be some kind of 'conductor' behind everything."
Yosuke was on to something. Like the band name, Synchronicity. Just by looking at everything it would seem to be nothing more than just meaningful coincidences. But my own Shadow had said it before, "There is something we can't see. What originally tied it all together."
"Do you think the person Adachi mentioned could be what ties it all together then? You know the one that told him about the Midnight Channel? Could that be the conductor?" Chie suggested. The thought was provoking enough to make me look at it a different angle.
"You might be on to something, Chie-san. What better way to spread a rumor into town by getting people that are coming into town," I added.
"Uhhh, did I strike gold again? It's seriously just something that popped into my head," Chie muttered, but it was hard to deny that Chie had a sharp intuition when it came to this stuff.
"Senpai, is there anything like that you can think of? Something that may have happened when you first arrived?" Naoto directed it to Yu.
"It was so long ago I can't remember, but I know there is something," Yu shook his head.
"We were all involved in a murder case in the last year, which we succeeded in solving. But the monster we fought last said we did well in 'playing our parts'," Naoto had no doubt been thinking about what Ameno-sagiri had said ever since then. Something larger was definitely in play. "Perhaps this means Adachi and Namatame were 'players' as well. Could it be possible that from the beginning, this serial murder case was merely a portion of a much larger scheme? And one of the people who were directly involved in the case ever suspected it?" Naoto was putting down some serious implications if it was true.
Yosuke, once more chimed in. "Hey, this 'scheme'...Could it have to do with the whole thing about filling both worlds with fog and turning mankind into Shadows? So someone was behind the scenes watching us, the culprits, and maybe even that monster? And he manipulated Adachi and Namatame at the very beginning so everything would come together perfectly?"
"I imagine it wasn't all completely orchestrated. It could have been similar to how Adachi had been towards Namatame. Remember Adachi only suggested to Namatame to put the people that showed up someplace 'safe' that only he could get to," I added.
"True enough, but we can't just let this sit. I suggest we go out into town. We might find something. Although...Yu-senpai may be the only one capable of noticing it. Still we should be able to figure out who would be able to watch over all of the events, and be the one that could greet them upon first arriving in town without seeming to be suspicious," Naoto got to her feet. "Senpai, if you figure out anything, please contact the rest of us."
He nodded.
"We can't say our goodbyes tomorrow with this hanging over our heads! Let's go figure this out," Yosuke added and the Investigation Team was getting up and moving out.
I got to my feet, exactly where would be a good place to start? Rise was next to me. "I've lived here for so long, I'm not sure what you would encounter first. Rise, let's go talk with your Grandmother."
"That's a good idea. Alright, we'll meet up with you all later," Rise said as we headed out. I'm sure Yu had a decent idea of where to start. So much had happened between now and when he first got to town, that I'm not surprised that he wouldn't be sure what happened when he first got to town. But if there was something...something that was similar to Adachi, Namatame and Yu. Something that would have made them exposed to the same thing or person. And it had to be that very thing that had granted them their power.
We walked with the others but split up as soon as we exited Junes. Rise and I headed back towards the shopping district while the others went to cover other areas. Yu didn't say anything and walked off in a different direction.
"What do you think it could be? Did someone really give them their powers then? And then they simply watched?" Rise asked as we walked down the road.
"It sounds feasible. After seeing everything we have, knowing that someone or something could bestow that power isn't so outlandish," I gave a slight sigh as we walked. The problem was, what kind of motive would someone have to do something like that? And ultimately, how much power would that individual hold to be able to set something like that in motion? "Someone gave them that power. And I highly doubt they knew exactly what would happen after that. Just gift people power and let them discover it and then decide what to do with it. And likely they were the ones that created the TV world to begin with. Or maybe it has just always been." I shook my head as not too much later we were arriving at the Shopping District and walking down the street.
"So there could have also been a chance that nothing would have happened at all. Though I don't see someone handing out power like that if they didn't think it would be used in some way," Rise speculated out loud with me.
"True enough. If that's the case then it had to be an individual that had interacted with all of them. Talked with them, and maybe asked certain questions to get a general idea of each person's character," there couldn't be many people that would be able to fit these requirements.
"Then they would also have to be someone that asking questions wouldn't be out of place," Rise quickly added.
"Yeah, but asking someone who is new to town questions wouldn't seem out of place and it could have been any number of people," I thought that what Rise said hadn't helped us narrow it down any, but she quickly followed up again.
"It does limit the number of places it could have happened," Rise was definitely on the right track. As we talked we stepped into the Tofu shop where her Grandmother was currently arranging some of the product at the front of the store.
"Oh, Rise-chan, and Kay-chan. It's nice to see the two of you out and enjoying yourselves," Rise's Grandmother, Sumiko welcomed us with a smile.
"Kujikawa-sama, I have a somewhat strange question for you," I asked after a moment.
"You're such a gentleman, Kay-chan. But please you can call me Oba-chan. You're basically family you know. And one day in the future it will probably become official," Sumiko smiled with amusement as she turned towards us. I felt my cheeks heating up from the implications.
"Oba-chan is right you know," Rise seemed like she just had to add it.
"Yeah, just imagine taking her into your bed every night. I mean after our music career fails I'm sure she'll still marry us out of pity, or some sense of pride from having made that promise to us in the hospital. That luscious body is all ours from now until we're bored with it. Then again, I don't think you care about having her. If you wanted you could drag her up to her room and make her do whatever you wanted. Not that you would. But just think about the possibilities...slowly driving her closer to climax and then denying her the satisfaction. Her life belongs to us, after all. Why not just marry her now? That way she has no way to ever get away from us." My Shadow appeared in the back corner of the room. Seemingly browsing the tofu that was laid out. I saw him in the corner of my eyes but I paid no attention to him. He was just repeating things at this point. Trying to make me doubt my decisions.
"Anyway...ummm. Oba-chan," I somehow managed. It just felt weird to say because it wasn't like I had a Grandmother myself. I didn't have anyone but Mom. "Where do you think someone new coming into town would likely go past?"
"Hmm, well if they are coming from the train station I suppose it depends on where they are heading. But it be really hard for people to miss going by here and the rest of the shopping district," Sumiko noted with a nod. "You trying to figure out where you won't be noticed by the media once you make an announcement?"
Well I hadn't been thinking about it, but it was probably something I should think about, I scratched the back of my head for a moment, "Yeah, something like that."
"Kay-chan, come with me up to my room for a moment," Rise said pulling me along. "We're going to be heading out again Oba-chan after we grab something."
"Okay dear, try not to exhaust yourself," Sumiko commented as we headed out and then up the stairs that led to the living area for Rise and her Grandmother.
"Oh man, maybe she just can't stand waiting anymore. I mean you usually have her wound up sexually a lot of the time. That's how we enjoy it though...having her all tense and craving our touch, only to make her crave more and more," My Shadow now appeared on the railing next to the door as Rise approached it. Why did I see him? Rise opened the door as my Shadow moved behind her. And I quickly moved to keep up with Rise. "Don't deny that you feel that temptation. To feel her bare skin under your hand. Come on, you know how this goes. Don't you want a taste of that power you have over her?"
I didn't. I wanted nothing to do with any kind of power over anyone. That was no different than Miyuki's Father...and the power he exerted over her.
"My poor other self. Don't you get it? You already have that power over her. If you test it, you'll see," My Shadow disappeared with his same echoing and taunting laugh.
Rise led me through the house and slid the door open into her room. Her room was surprisingly not as decorated as I thought it would be. The colors in her room were prevalent in reds and violets. With a good amount of pillows and blankets that I could easily distinguish as belonging to her. Her room was clean and tidy, which I would be surprised to see it otherwise considering how she liked to clean up my room at my place. She then pulled me over and sat me down on her bed. Although she used a futon at my place I guess I was just used to that and hadn't been sure she would have a bed. "Okay, tell me what's up."
I blinked for a moment. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
"What is on your mind? What is it that keeps pulling your eyes away. You've been doing it a lot," Rise frowned. I see, she had noticed what happens when my Shadow appears. I felt myself tense up at the thought of what she might say. I needed to tell her...I knew I should.
"I wanted to try and understand what was happening to me before I told you," I said my voice shaking a bit. "Because I'm scared about what it might mean."
"Kayane, I want to help you. I'm here for you, but if you keep it to yourself then I can't help you. If you do that, it won't be any different than how you dealt with your problems before you met me," Rise was blunt and her words hit me like a bucket of ice. She was right.
"Rise, what if I told you that my Shadow has been around but only I can see him," I said looking to the ground.
"Ooo, you told her. And here I thought you wanted to keep our lovely conversations to just the two of us. Or rather, just you," My Shadow let out a sharp laugh as he appeared next to her wardrobe as if he was going to open it. "Say do you think her underwear is in this one, or this drawer over here? Maybe we'll find something fun that she pleasures herself with. Do you think she prefers using just a dildo or a vibrator?"
"A Shadow?" Rise followed my eyes to where the front of her wardrobe was. "And the Shadow is here now?"
I nodded, "Yes. He likes to pop up and make comments about everything. And try to make me doubt myself."
"Doubt? Ha. What I do is point out what you are denying yourself," My Shadow scoffed. "Why don't you tell her the truth? You know you don't want to lie to her."
I hate that he's right, "No, I guess it probably has to do more with me not wanting to admit certain things."
"Kayane. You know every secret about me. My insecurities, my fears and all the things that made me want to give up being an idol," Rise spoke softly as she gently pushed me down onto the bed, and I found myself not fighting her as she straddled my lap and then down with her arms on either side of me and her eyes looking into mine. "You're scared of this. Not because of me, not because of you. But because your scared of that influence and what will happen when you experience it."
"Oh man, bingo! She's got you nailed. I don't think she's going to let you leave either until you try to do something. She wants it, after all," My Shadow taunted me.
"I don't want to have that kind of power over you," I said which made Rise instantly show irritation on her face.
"Wake up, Kayane! You already have that power over me! I love you. Do you not realize what that means?" her frustration was more evident now than before.
I felt like I was beginning to panic, "I don't know. I thought I did but maybe I don't have a clue."
"Kayane, its fine if you don't know," her voice suddenly soothing and my panic immediately started to calm down. She dropped her voice down to a whisper. "You already know what you do to me. But just like everything there are multiple sides to it. You make me smile, giggle, laugh and then you make me frustrated, irritated, and sad. You make me think, you make me worried. You also make me so damn horny sometimes I want to strip you down and pounce you until we both can't take anymore. All of these emotions, every single thing that I feel for you is the power you have over me. And that is something you can not change without getting rid of me. You would have to cut everything between the two of us off to not have any sway or power over me. But you know that even that isn't true. Because if you did that, I would be devastated. It would be like you cutting out my heart and leaving me to die. And I know you don't want that. I know you also have that side. The side of you that wants to have me for himself. That doesn't want to share me with anyone. I've seen it."
I didn't know what to say. I knew she was right. I was stagnant because I wanted it but also feared it.
"What can I do to reassure you, Kayane? Do you want proof?" Rise sat back up and grabbed the edges of her shirt before swiftly pulling it off. Revealing her bare skin and black bra. She took my hand and put it against her chest, where I could easily feel her heart beating fast. My own heart was definitely beating faster to match hers. But Rise looked calm, and more she wanted me to understand what she was telling me. "I know you're scared. I told you before that its fine. But you have to realize my heart belongs to you. You hold more power over it than anyone ever has. That's why a relationship takes two. Because after all, you entrusted your heart to me too, right? This is a power that goes both ways."
"Both ways?" I mouthed as it finally clicked in my head. My Shadow was right, we did have a scary power over her, but at that same time...she had that very same power over me.
Rise bent down and captured my lips with a slow kiss. The warmth and feel of her lips on mine was incredibly more sensual than normal. I could feel a hunger slowly building as I found myself kissing her back. She kissed me deeper with each passing moment until before I realized it our tongues were dancing with each other and looking to explore every inch of the others mouth. She took each of my hands and placed them on her sides against her bare skin, encouraging me to explore the feeling. Suddenly I was pulling her close to me and I heard a low moan come from Rise as I did so. Rise's hands were down along my sides as she pulled up the hem of my shirt and slipped her hand underneath and onto my chest. I wanted more. No, I felt like I needed more. My hands slipped up along her back and underneath her bra. Rise gave a moan, as if pushing me for more. Rise pulled out of the kiss and sat back.
"Mmm, no more, Kayane. Now is hardly a good time. No matter how much I want to," she smiled and shifted slightly over my lap as she was still straddled over me. "Or how much you may want it, for that matter." She turned to a grin. "But you get it right? Desire, passion and lust for each other is something that is normal for a relationship. We just can't let it control us. I wouldn't want to get pregnant before we're ready for it, right?"
I put my hand over my eyes and let out a long sigh, now that I was currently sexually frustrated. "Yeah, okay, I think I understand now."
"Good," Rise then leaned back down and kissed me once more and that hunger came flooding back. She pulled back, "But its really hard to stop now that I have you here..."
This was the moment Rise's phone went off.
March 20th, 2012 / Daytime
Junes Food Court
"Okay, Yu. I think you better explain it to everyone else," Yukiko prompted as we all settled back in at the table.
"Yeah," He nodded. "For the life of me I can't really remember the details of exactly how the first moments I had coming to Inaba. Well, I do now. After we all split up I went and found my Uncle and Nanako-chan. When we first came into town, after picking me up from the train station. We stopped at the gas station."
"Oh, that would make sense. It would be a logical place that Adachi, Namatame and Yu could have all feasibly stopped at on the way into town," Yosuke commented from his place at the table.
"So it's plausible but..." I started but Yu chimed in to confirm.
"It was the gas station attendant, she is the one responsible. Her name is Izanami," Yu said simply.
"Whoa, hold on? Izanami? As in Goddess of Yomi and wife to Izanagi? You can't tell me that she is the one that..." I stopped after a moment and shook my head. "Instead why don't you just keep explaining what else you learned?"
"Yes, though it is quite alarming that the one behind it could be a Goddess," Naoto implored.
"Well before she revealed her identity I met up with Yukiko and went and confronted her when it started raining. She danced around the subject for a while until I asked her straight out. I asked her if she had given me my power. She laughed and then everything changed after that. She dropped her act and quickly admitted that she gave the ability to enter TV's to Adachi, Namatame and myself. Though she distinctly said it was because we each held potential," Yu said.
"So, does that mean she can't just awaken people to that power, but the individual has to have the potential to gain that power? Sounds like there is a lot we don't know about how Persona works," Naoto speculated. "Sorry I don't mean to interrupt, all of this is so sudden."
"It is also quite a bit to take in," I added.
"There is more to it...Izanami and Marie were once one individual. Marie told me that she remembered something about herself. About how things used to be. She was someone who was meant to protect the world of man, walk alongside them and then ultimately fulfill the wish of the world. Over time, people changed and they started wishing for something completely different. People stopped wanting the truth and life. That change ultimately created a split within herself. The part of her that wanted to continue to protect humanity and the half that wanted to fulfill the wish of humanity. As humanity changed that wish was almost in contradiction to her wanting to protect humanity. Izanami is the part of her that wants to fulfill the wish of humanity, she is the one that took all the power with her. Marie lost everything, her power and her memories. That was why when she sought to get rid of the fog the only way it would have worked was if she had killed herself. Izanami confirmed what Marie had told me. Even illuminating the fact that Marie's comb was a symbol of their separation," Yu explained, and really it did give some more answers. Something had always felt off to me about Marie. I think it had to do that it just seemed like something was missing. I mean her memory was missing but it always felt like more than that. Then again I still hadn't known her as long as everyone else did. "Izanami explained as the two Sagiri and that Marie were all aspects of herself. Rather Marie was a fragment born from her. After that she told me she would wait for me in the TV world and face us with her full strength."
"Yeah we showed up after that and then we called everyone else," Yosuke added.
After we got called we each went and prepared for the battle, grabbing our weapons and anything else from out home and then met here at Junes. Izanami, if she was a Goddess, what did that mean? Just what kind of things did you encounter as a Persona user? Was this what it meant to hold this kind of power? Persona was a power to go against the forces that normally you couldn't fight. Entities with power, likely beyond our ability to understand.
"We thought Ameno-sagiri was behind everything, but it turns out there was something behind it too. And that 'something' was a gas station attendant? Right in the middle of town, and there was no way we could have really figured it out," Chie shook her head.
"Yeah, but that can't mean she knew that Yu and Dojima-san would stop by there on that day he came to Inaba," Yosuke gave a shrug. "I guess it is the best place to greet people from out of town as its a likely place people would stop. Does that mean Adachi and Namatame came across her at the gas station when they came into town to? Or did she meet them elsewhere and disguised as someone else? Is Izanami really the same we had heard before?"
"Izanami and Ameno-sagiri are names that would be familiar to students of ancient Japanese mythology," Naoto spoke softly.
"Huh? You're saying she is a Goddess then? Heh, like that's possible," Kanji was only saying what would be a logical reaction.
"Is it so outlandish though?" I threw in some doubt.
"Well, that reminds me though. Remember the Persona Adachi summoned? Wasn't it close to your first Persona, Yu?" Yosuke called out.
"You mean Izanagi," Yu nodded. "Yes, but Adachi's is named Magatsu Izanagi."
"Izanagi is also the name of a God. Do you believe since Yu-senpai and Adachi were awakened by the same 'push' from the same individual that their power may have been similar? If Persona is one's heart given form. The images of Gods and mythical being were created by humans, so if the Personas resemble them...There may be a connection there, since the enemy reigning over that world calls itself Izanami," Naoto was also hesitant to name Izanami the actual Goddess, Izanami. If we took into account the way of how Persona worked...then the being Izanami may have come into being because of humanity and that would mean this Izanami would not be the real Goddess who existed before Humanity, according to mythology. Izanami was the one responsible for death, as the Lord of Yomi, the Japanese underworld. She died giving birth to Kagatsuchi, the God of Fire. Izanagi had been angered and immediately killed Kagatsuchi and traveled to Yomi in order to get his wife. Things hadn't worked out the way Izanagi had hoped.
"Well, let's leave that for now," Yu said. He was right, we shouldn't be too focused on any specific subject for now. "Still I was more concerned how she was able to give me a push and awaken my powers, without me having to do what the rest of you went through."
"It's a good point. For us, facing our Shadows on that side, we all awakened to our Persona abilities, but that didn't apply to Senpai," Naoto seemed to be pulled from one thought to the next. "The same is true for Namatame and Adachi. All three people coming in to Inaba and selected to have power bestowed upon them. So she could watch and see what would transpire from that point."
"Well, now that we know all this, we just gotta beat the hell out of Izanami," Kanji always seemed to make it a bit more simplistic.
"Putting Izanami and her giving power to seemingly random people to make chaos, does this tell us anything more about the Midnight Channel? I mean she obviously started the rumor. So she essentially put everything into motion," I wanted to keep things moving. I know we needed to head into the TV sooner than later. We only had a limited time. Which meant no coming out until we defeated her...if we could do it. But now that we knew the truth, it wasn't something that could be ignored. Especially with Yu leaving tomorrow.
"Yeah, and if she started it, then likely more got added to it. Like a big game of telephone. Likely that was where the 'you have to watch it alone' and 'the one who appears is your soul mate' was likely attached to it," Yosuke was right. Things only get more warped and inaccurate the more times it gets spread around.
"Since it took place on a TV, we never considered the possibility that the images broadcast on the Midnight Channel could vary from viewer to viewer," Naoto presented another quite disturbing fact.
"But whenever we talked about what we saw afterwards, there were never any inconsistencies," Rise seemed doubtful.
"What changed according to each person was most likely the image's clarity," Naoto suggested.
"Yeah, I can think of a few places where that might've happened. When Saki-senpai appeared, I was the first one who was positive it was her. For Yukiko, it was Chie. For Kanji, it was Yukiko. I thought because each of us had a strong attachment to the victimes, we linked the TV image to them in our head. I bet we actually saw a clerer image on the TV than everyone else," Yosuke added.
"The same could probably be said for Namatame. That's why he was always a step ahead of us. I thought it was because he knew the area well, as a deliveryman, but I was stymied at how fast he identified Nanako-chan. Since he was a 'savior' he must have seen Nanako-chan's image from the very beginning," Naoto further speculated.
"He likely got clear images of all of us, as a part of him probably figured out how it worked. Or maybe the power gifted to him made it that much easier. Either way, its pretty obvious now that the Midnight Channel that is shown is changed by who is watching. All of you witnessed that when you confronted Namatame and you were all there when the Midnight Channel played," I might have been making a uncomfortable connection but it was something everyone needed to know.
"I think we have a good idea now. Let's head into the TV," Yu said getting to his feet. Yu was right, enough speculation. If we were going to get answers then now was the time to do act and get them directly from Izanami. I wasn't sure what we would be facing...but there was not denying that this would be the hardest fight we had yet.
I could only hope that I could remain strong enough to keep up the fight.
March 20th, 2012 / Daytime
TV World - Entrance
RISE'S POINT OF VIEW
I didn't want Kayane to fight. I had been absolutely terrified what I should do after he told me about his situation. That his Shadow had been hanging around and that only he was able to see it. Something there that was making him doubt himself. What would the others say? Was it something that we needed to tell them? Was it related to the trial than he and I were supposed to face? The one that Miyuki had warned us about. What did it mean?
We all stood at the entrance and I know they were waiting for me, but I was holding on to Kayane's arm. What had happened between us was still fresh in my mind. On one hand, I was so glad that he finally told me what had been going on in his mind. I had half expected him to dismiss it and tell me that nothing was wrong. Instead I learned he had his Shadow hanging around. But was that all of it? Or was that just a small part of the problem? Nanase, Kayane's Mother, had warned me that something to this effect could happen. That Kayane might start lying to me, to hide something he is ashamed of.
Shadows, just what was their potential? How much would I have to overcome to make Kayane smile without something hiding underneath the surface. Just recently I thought I had found that Kayane. I saw him smiling and concerned for his friends. I saw him more comfortably hang out with his classmates and even laugh and converse without having an anxiety attack. He was changing, he was dealing with situations that I know had been so hard for him before. So could the change also be somehow being affected by his abilities as a Persona user? That actually made the most sense. If anything it could also be a side effect of his coma, and the entity that had caused it. Or maybe it was that same entity that could be causing it. What if it was Izanami? No that seemed like it would be odd move, but it was a question worth taking a chance to ask.
"Kayane, do you think Izanami could be the reason you had that coma?" I found myself voicing my concern.
"I dunno. I don't think so though. If her power is more in line with trying to grant the wishes of humanity I think not," he gave a shrug. "It's worth asking about though."
At least he agreed with me on that point. Still I suppose she wouldn't have had a benefit in Kayane dying...but who would? And how could the act of throwing Namatame into the TV or not could have changed that outcome? No something more about that was clearly still in question. And I think I had to agree with Kayane's viewpoint. Izanami's goals wouldn't make sense for her to mess with Kayane.
I finally stepped away from Kayane and summoned Kouzeon, almost instantly I felt it. "I sense a tremendous presence. It's unlike anything we have faced. And it seems like a new area was formed." I told the others. The power was somewhat overwhelming in a way but I wouldn't describe it as anything menacing. It was certainly intimidating but it didn't feel hostile. There was too many questions and not enough answers right now.
"So she's here waiting for us. That reminds me. That Ameno-sagiri said something to the like of 'We'll meet again.' If that thing is going to show up again then let's crush him so completely he can't cause any more problems from here on out," Yosuke spoke in a way to get the others pumped up.
"Damn straight! Let's go snap that thing in two. We'll do it and give Senpai a big farewell tomorrow," Kanji added. That's right, Yu was leaving tomorrow. It was almost a foreign thought to me. Things had changed so drastically that I might have reacted a lot differently if Kayane hadn't been here.
Yu had been a big help to me, but I knew he wasn't gone for good. That might have to do with the fact that I was used to traveling, and it wouldn't be that hard to go see him if I really wanted to. The world was a big place, but others in the group only knew Inaba. This place was special to all of us, even more so now. We were fighting to protect this place, our home, our world that was special to all of us for our own reasons.
I wasn't about to let anything get in the way of Kayane and I's future. I didn't know what that would even entail. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, and I was even more concerned because of what Kayane had told me. Not to mention how close I had come to getting carried away with him. And honestly, I was concerned about that as well. I was scared, I didn't know what to do. The thought that Kayane was being taunted, maybe tempted by this Shadow to revert to his bad habits. When I kissed him, I was desperate. I wanted to distract him, to pull his mind away from those thoughts. I wanted him to be positive, but I already saw the signs, he was starting to doubt himself. So when he welcomed the kiss back I delved for more, but it scared me more as the kiss went deeper. I know I pulled him closer. Then I realized that I was using it to escape the situation myself. I wanted to hold on to him as he was before. I didn't want to realize that there was something wrong happening. But I couldn't do that. I can not allow myself to ignore a problem. Not with him.
"Rise, you okay?" Kayane looked at me as I dismissed Kouzeon.
I hated lying to him. I wasn't okay. But there wasn't much I could say to explain my fear of the Shadow that was now hanging around Kayane. There was another reason it scared me...ever since he had told me...I could sense it. Mixed in with Kayane's familiar presence was also that of a Shadow. But it felt foreign, like it wasn't a part of Kayane. That was the real reason it terrified me. "Yeah, I'll be fine, lets focus on this, and defeating Izanami. Nothing can start if we don't finish this."
"Yeah, you're right," Kayane nodded.
"Let's do our best like always, Yu," Yukiko was by her boyfriends side with a smile.
"It is kinda sad that this really is gonna be the last time we do something like this. You know, it may seem like a weird thing to say, but it was a lot of fun," Chie said softly. It was odd, considering how we all had risked our lives and the danger we faced coming into the TV. Yet, I completely agreed.
"That's because we all strove together toward a common goal. There were many things we believe in without questioning them. The culprit's identity. Their motives. There were many occasions where we nearly gave up," Naoto said as she pushed up her glasses. All of us slipping on the TV glasses made by Teddie for possibly the last time.
"It may have been easier if we had chosen to look the other way...but we didn't," Yukiko took Yu's arm. "We kept moving forward."
"Even if we had to fight ever inch of our way. I want to go on feeling, seeing, touching and thinking for myself. If I have a wish I can make it true myself," Yosuke added.
"Yeah. Still, one person alone can only understand so much. That's why we're all here together," Yukiko seemed to definitely be motivated to settle this. To put this part behind us. I could understand that.
"Right! All for one and one for all!" Chie put in her own excitement.
"So long as someone's got your back, you can kick against the pricks no matter how tough they are!" Kanji was getting pumped too, although he was probably more excited for the fights ahead.
I giggled a bit, it was hard not to get motivated as well. I was worried about a lot but right now I needed to double down and focus on this fight. If I didn't give my full support here then there would be no future problems. That was it, "This is for our future!"
"So we can see him off tomorrow with no regrets," Yosuke just had to get the last word in, but that was just like him.
"Eeeewww...Yosuke always has to try to make himself look all cool. But he's so pathetic, it makes my skin crawl..." Teddie also added a visibly shiver.
"Probably just fleas on your ratty old suit. I spilled juice on you earlier," Yosuke folded his arms looking over to Teddie.
"No wonder I smell of orangey freshness!" Teddie's reaction made me laugh.
"Well then, let's do this!" Yosuke shouted.
I was in agreement but an odd and familiar feeling came over me.
"Good afternoon, everyone," a new voice entered and we turned to see two familiar individuals. These were the same two that had welcomed us to the Hollow Forest. It was Margaret and Miyuki. The one who had spoke had been Miyuki.
"Margaret? What are you doing here?" Yu asked.
"You have managed to find the true end to your journey. Yet you have one last trial you have to overcome. But I have my own reason for approaching you here among your friends. After all these are people you have forged an unbreakable bond with. That was part of what I was tasked to help you with as a resident of the Velvet Room. As you have heard before, the shape and residents of the Velvet Room are selected by my master, based on the number of guests and their destiny. But my predecessor left the Velvet Room for a completely different reason. No one ordered her to leave, she left of her own will, to accomplish her own ends. Such a thing cannot happen to the residents of the Velvet Room. So I wished to know the reasons behind it. My ultimate aim was to bring that foolish girl to her senses and return her here. To do so, I had to know why she left. And I felt that the key to understanding rested with you," Margaret was speaking directly to Yu. There was so much that we didn't know about Yu and his power, and the Velvet Room that was apparently important to using that power. We could say nothing but simply listen as Margaret continued. "But now, I'm even more confused. I can't say whether her choice in fact was foolish or not. All residents of the Velvet Room are destined to find themselves. It was true for her as well."
Margaret paused for a moment and shifted the grimmoire in her hand. "I couldn't understand. Why did she suddenly give up on her quest? That was my greatest worry. But then again...Maybe my premises were flawed. Maybe she found her answer, and so left this place. In which case, my role is not to blindly bring her back. What was it that she gained? And, who am I?"
Behind Margaret I noticed that Miyuki was surprised by what her mentor was saying.
"What I may receive from you will most likely show me the answer to those questions. That is why fate did not bring a guest who only talks but one who holds unmatched power. So, I would like to issue a request to you. Not as my master's guest, but a personal request from me to you. Would you fight a match against me? I won't force you, of course. I realize that this fight you head off to is pivotal to your destiny. As such there is no reason for you to go this far for me. After all, if we were to clash, then I might sever your thread of destiny. However, I cannot help myself. Encounters always bring change to both sides. If you emerge victorious, you will surely gain something as well. Please consider this carefully before making your decision. Should you opt to accept my request," Margaret pulled something out of the grimmoire and put it into Yu's hand. "Bring this to me where I will wait." She turned and then disappeared. Miyuki seemed unsure of what she had just seen.
"I know you are all pressed for time, but I don't think she would ask this of you if it wasn't important to her," Miyuki said to Yu. She turned to me, her gaze briefly settling on Kayane before looking back to me. I felt like she wanted to say something. She knew...she had to know that there was something wrong with Kayane.
"Wait, Miyuki-san!" I called out and took a few steps towards her.
"We'll speak again in the not too distant future. Until then, remain strong," Miyuki says softly so only I could hear and then taking a few steps she was gone, just like Margaret.
We all turned to look to Yu. I guess there was a decision to be made. Looks like this was going to be a rough afternoon.
A/N:
For a while I considered not having Kayane tell Rise about what was going on with him, but with the way the overall scene progress, I found I couldn't do that because it would be against Kayane's character to keep it to himself. While he doesn't necessarily feel great about admitting it, he is unable to really hide anything from Rise for a reason. And I think is pretty obvious why if you've been following so far. Lying means manipulating what Rise knows and potentially feels. It's a form of control and power over someone that he doesn't want. A part of him knows this and is why he admits to it.
I'm not going to linger on that though because I think there is a greater issue that kind of presents itself because of the whole issue. One, Kayane's Shadow is more representative of a lot of deeper problems that Kayane has, that would be hard for him to realize. Kayane was a kid that never socialized or did anything to make him stand out. What stands out is more of the horrible acts that happen to him. But those aren't defining traits of Kayane, although they did help shape him into the individual that he is because of it. We know a lot about his hobbies, he writes music, both lyrics and composition. He likes listening to music but we don't really see any other interests. We do know that he reads quite a bit and likes to study. Sounds like a weird hobby, but I know a lot of people that legitimately love to learn new things. For Kayane I would call it a coping device rather than a hobby though. Having good grades was something he realized made people ask less questions about him in regards to his past. My main point is I think we have a lot more to learn about Kayane and not everything that has happened to him has been revealed.
A lot of issues we have work like domino's in a way. We have a problem that started all of it, but we come across more and more as we move forward in life. Some things are hard, if not impossible to recover from. There are some horrible incidents that can happen in your life that you will never forget, no matter how young or old you were when it happened. Our memory is a curse in that way. Unfortunately, the way the human mind will actually remember something more clearly the more traumatic that it is. Although this is actually a defense mechanism to help us prevent it from ever happening again, but that also means we can never forget about it, and our haunted by it in our dreams and out every day life. I myself was a witness to something horrible when I was a young boy and to this day still remember it vividly. As much as I don't care to remember it.
Last Symphony is moving into a transition as we move from the events of Persona 4 game and into Persona 4 Arena and Ultimax. Things are definitely going to start picking up as we get through this. I also want to post a reminder that I will be spoiling all of Momento Umbrae over the course of the Arena and Ultimax arcs so if you want to not spoil that story then I recommend you head to my Profile and check it out.
Anyway, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read my story, and I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on whats developing and if you are intrigued or not. And let me know what you believe the trial that Rise and Kayane will have to face in the future. Thanks for your time and I'll see you next week with the next chapter!
