Chapter 36 / Repeat

April 23rd, 2012 / Daytime
Kayane's House

RISE'S POINT OF VIEW

It had definitely been a while since we got everyone together. Sure, we weren't the Investigation Team anymore but we had all become close friends as a result of what we had gone through. I figured getting everyone together might take some of the stress away from Kayane. He had been so focused on making sure everything was perfect lately that I felt like I hadn't really spent any time with him. Yet it seemed the only way I could get him to spend time with me was when we were with others. So that was the reason I invited everyone that could make it. Yosuke and Chie, who had been dating for a while now, but they seemed to like to keep their relationship private as they hadn't exactly acted all that different out in public. Then again I had also been out of town more often because of the way rehearsals meant.

Though I did notice that Chie doesn't get as mad at him anymore, instead taking opportunities to be close to him. Yukiko was now happily chatting with Naoto and Kanji in the living room as we were all waiting for dinner. I heard she had been a bit more focused at school without Yu around. Which seemed odd, but I think that just showed how determined she was to make things work for them. Kayane, in the meantime, was currently helping his Mom with dinner. In a rare moment where the two of them weren't working on something that wasn't related to music.

Lately it had been quite a regular thing to witness, him so dedicated and motivated. At the same time it felt maddeningly focused. Maybe it was just because I wanted more attention from him because I was nervous about the upcoming events. And it wasn't like we hadn't spent any time together. Honestly, I wanted to have an actual date and not have a billion things get in the way. At the same time I felt having a night with friends was also important for him. My own wants were just getting in the way of what I felt Kayane needed. But who was to say if I was right either way.

That was why I felt that something like this was needed. Something to break up the day in and out of the work he has been so focused on. Ugh, I am contradicting myself, I want more time with him but at the same time I find it so damn sexy for him to be so wrapped up in work. Especially when he is at the piano and really working, not paying attention to anything else. In those moments his defenses are down and the real him starts to show. Then he becomes defensive when he realizes someone is in the room. Getting him to be that one person was probably an impossible task for me to do. At least with any hope of anything quickly.

"Rise-chan? You okay?" It was Yukiko she had come over to me away from the others.

Was I okay? I wasn't sure exactly what was wrong and why I felt so somber. "I guess I'm just worried about Kayane," I admitted. I looked around the corner seeing Kayane and his Mom at the stove, talking about something as they were cooking.

"You've been seeing a new side of him," Yukiko spoke simply but I looked back to her and realizing she was right. "Up till now he's been somewhat leaning on others to help him figure things out. I think he's determined to make this one thing he doesn't do that for."

"Things have gone so fast. Most of that time, Kayane seemed to be the one threatened. In the hospital, when he was kidnapped, or even the way that initial news report I saw painted him as someone to be feared. He was fine with all of that before but not now," I looked over to the lone picture that was in this place. A young Kayane with Miyuki and the woman that would later adopt him, Tsukio Nanase. The smile in the photo told the story of someone that only felt at home with these two people. He wanted that comfort. Only to have it ripped away from him. What about now? Did I make him happy? Did I make him want to keep pushing forward? Was I good enough to continue to support him as his girlfriend?

"Rise-chan, there isn't anyone that knows him better than you," Yukiko said it softly. "He cares about you. Probably more than he lets on. But I think what he wants is to show you that he can do this. That he is going to be able to stand at your side with you. Not behind you, or in front of you. He doesn't want to lean on you. He wants to stand shoulder to shoulder next to you. That's what I believe."

I blinked for a moment, "Since when have you become so confident in this stuff?"

"You know it was your boyfriend that urged Yu and I to stop hiding our relationship. I thought for a while that it was okay for us to hide it. I didn't want it to cause problems for the others. But it was Ikakure that made me realize that I wasn't okay with it at all," Yukiko still had a smile on her face as she spoke but averted her eyes. "Yu had seen the worst part of me. The part that wanted to hate this place, and the family that was going to imprison me in that Inn. That was what I thought for so long. I never thought I had a choice. Yu made me realize that it wasn't true at all. That I truly loved this place and that it was my choice all along. He had done so much to help and support me and yet I had hidden that part from all of my friends. Even Chie. And why? Because it wasn't convenient? Because I was embarrassed? No, I love Yu. He is the reason I have become more confident in myself and my future. Hiding our relationship was like hiding a part of who I am. Ikakure had already saw through it. So I wouldn't."

"It's the same for me," Chie joined us, she must have been listening in for a while. "Ikakure-senpai told us all something I stupidly hadn't thought of before. How they had seen the worst of us and yet we were still here, together. We were true friends. There is nothing to hide between us considering how much we all know about each other. But I never really thought about stuff like that before. But I mean, Yukiko had Yu. I was a bit jealous that she had been able to find someone."

"I wouldn't say I found someone," Yukiko said. "Things just eventually ended up that way. Yu could have just moved on with life, but he was worried about me, and I ended up telling him a lot in confidence. About me trying to find a way to leave this town."

"Whoa, so you were planning to leave?" Chie asked.

Yukiko nodded, "He helped me find a small part-time job that I could earn some of my own money. He even helped me look at things I could pursue as a career but after all of that I think I realized that this place is really where I want to be. My real problem was that I wanted it to be on my terms. I didn't want to be told that this is something I had to do. But you were both there when I introduced Yu to my parents. My parents told me that no one in the Amagi family has ever been forced to take over the Inn. It was always done by choice."

"Yeah your parents were really cool, Yukiko-senpai," I smiled back.

"Yeah I remember that. Your parents were proud that you were able to find someone. Actually I find it funny that they had been secretly trying to guess exactly when you had started dating someone," Chie giggled.

"Did I really change that much?" Yukiko pouted a bit.

I laughed, I couldn't help it, "Alright, I get it. I get your point. Things change, people change when they have other people in it."

Yukiko nodded with a smile, "And both of you are still trying to figure out how you fit in with each other."

"Yeah, its still weird to call Yosuke my boyfriend. And I know that likely we'll start to change a bit as we get used to it," Chie quietly admitted.

"You guys haven't acted any different than normal since then either," Yukiko pointed out.

"Really? That's kinda disappointing. I wish I wasn't so busy so I could see you guys more often at school," I found myself pouting this time. Still I felt a lot better now. "Thanks you two."

"Of course, what are friends for?" Chie grinned.

"Dinner is ready," Kayane came out of the kitchen and eyed me for a moment. "You okay?"

He stepped closer to me and was looking into my eyes. I felt as if I could melt under his stare. Something about this made the heat in my body rise and felt a sudden need to be close to him. I shoved that down and shook my head, "As long as I get to spend some time alone with you tonight." I whispered to him.

Kayane leaned in and kissed my cheek, "Come on, its dinner time."

Oh, it was frustrating how he did that sometimes. He acted like he was ignoring me but often he would just be biding his time for a moment he felt more appropriate. He drove me crazy and wound me up so bad that sometimes I just wanted to push him down and assault every inch of his body. I knew that wouldn't end well. Because I had to spend a lot of time making sure he was okay with being more intimate. It took time to ease into more intimate situations with him. He wasn't as bad now as he had been in the past but I don't think there would ever be a point that would be okay to just jump on him. But dammit did it not stop my thoughts about wanting him to touch me or vice versa. It wasn't like I needed sex or anything like that, but I was a teenage girl and I was allowed to fantasize. I mean...he did too, didn't he?

I silently followed behind him and to the table and sat next to him as all the others were settling in. What if he didn't? What if the experiences of his past made him not wany anything sexual like that? He was attracted to me, right? He told me I was beautiful and sexy before. He's done so multiple times. But is that just because it was what I wanted? Did he not really look at me that way?

I felt myself shrink in the chair next to Kayane. This was bad, now I was feeling unsure of myself and how Kayane saw me. After Chie and Yukiko had cheered me up I had managed to bring myself back down.

I didn't realize how tuned out I had become until Kayane was putting a plate of curry in front of me. "Hey, don't space out, you need to eat you know." He nudged me. "We'll talk tonight okay?" He added with a whisper.

I took a deep breath and tried to relax and picked up a spoon and helping myself to it. As soon as I took a bite I could feel the spice that Kayane had added. Suddenly I felt warm for multiple reasons. This guy knew me so well. He always spotted when something was off and always seemed to be able to comfort me even when its him that I am stressed about. I didn't want to believe he would lie to me, but I also know that for him, he could do it for many of his own reasons. He had trust issues, and I needed to work with him to help him overcome them. Sometimes I got so wrapped up in specific problems that I forget to see the whole thing. Sex was just something I craved because I was still so attracted to him. A feeling that hasn't dulled, and continues to surprise me still.

The rest of the night was great as soon as I had settled down. Conversations moved from one to another as we ate dinner. Naoto discussed how she was on another case and was in the talks of doing another job for some important people. Naturally she couldn't discuss it but she was excited enough to tell us about it. Kanji seemed to be upping the amount of stuff he was putting on sale at the textile shop. Naoto seemed pretty impressed with this and commented that she would have to come by and check out what he had. Yukiko had apparently been looking into more business oriented topics, having been somewhat inspired with a talk she had with Kayane some time ago. That's what she said anyway. It made sense, ways to improve the Inn and run it more smoothly than it is even now.

Chie was essentially dancing around the topic of the future. I could understand why though. With her and Yosuke only just starting to date, she was probably only just figuring out what she wanted for the future. Yosuke didn't seem to have anything to weigh in at the moment. He could slip in to work full time at Junes. Out here it would be more than enough money to potentially get his own place as houses weren't as expensive out here as it was back in the city. If it was something he wanted. But honestly, I had no clue what he wanted to do for the future. He liked to complain about his job at Junes but it didn't seem like he was going to stop working there any time soon.

"So any big news from our resident superstars?" Yosuke asked looking over to Kayane and I.

"Are you expecting some sort of insider info?" Kayane asked. I knew that tone, he was actually amused by the question. Well it was a combination of the tone and the fact that his left eyebrow would go up slightly when he was intrigued by a question.

"Well we submitted our CD for production. I think that is about all we are allowed to say," I answered wanting to alleviate.

"Yes, don't ask too many questions. As much as I know you are all trust worthy as Kay-chan's friends, he also needs to get into the habit of watching what he talks about," Nanase spoke up from her place at the end of the table.

"Makes sense, I guess for a while its been easy when he doesn't have to really hide anything from us," Chie noted. "Still I'm super excited to finally hear your stuff. Yosuke and I have already planned to buy your CD when it comes out, even if we have to head into the city to get it."

"I'm going to buy two of them!" Teddie exclaimed.

"Why would you by more than one, you dumb bear," Kanji commented looking over to Teddie, who naturally wasn't in his bear outfit.

"It just proves how much more I care. I have to buy one to support Rise-chan and another to support Kay-chan," Teddie beamed, proud of his logic.

"Oddly enough his intention sounds valid," Naoto said even though her tone was skeptical. "I like to say that I too am excited for its release, and plan to buy it as soon as it is available."

"Depending on when it comes out, Yu and I are planning to meet up to buy it together," Yukiko added.

"Why?" Kayane's voice threw me off. I looked at him and I saw the emotion in his eyes, and the threat of tears behind them. Was the thought of this being public for all to hear getting to him? How hard was this going to be?

"Ikakure," Naoto was the first to speak. "You are an incredibly talented young man. While we may be bias in this regard, I believe you should be proud of what you are about to embark on. It's a journey that not many can go on. Whatever your personal viewpoint is on this matter...I believe you are incredibly brave and more than deserving to have this chance. I want to support you as not just a friend, but a fan of what you, Rise and the rest of Synchronicity has created."

"Its the same for all of us," Yosuke added. "We know it'll be a rough journey for you. We've all talked about it. So if you or Kujikawa ever need anything, just tell us and we'll be there."

"That's right. No matter what happens, we'll always be here to back you up," Chie threw in her support as well.

"You ain't alone in this, Senpai. If anyone gives you trouble, I'll come bash some heads in for ya," Kanji was probably a little bit too enthusiastic with his response but Kayane did chuckle.

"And if you have problems from your lady fans, I can come to help as your personal assistant," Teddie said with his usual grin.

"Give it a rest," Yosuke shook his head.

"Not just us, but Yu, as well. You know that if you called him, he'd come running too," Yukiko spoke softly. "You should have more confidence in your talents, Senpai. But take your time. We'll support you every step of the way."

"And I'll be on stage with you, every day. I won't allow you to do anything on your own. So don't try to shoulder it all," I said and reaching over to kiss his cheek. "Having people that support and people that you rely on will help a lot. But you have to let them. Don't close yourself off from that."

"Kay-chan, it will be hard. Especially at the beginning. Tomorrow will be the airing of the TV show you guys were in. But I don't want you to look at public reaction. Leave that to Rise-chan and I. You just do what you love, create and perform the music that you love," Nanase smiled as she got to her feet. "Come now everyone, its starting to get late. Hurry and finish up. Most of you have school in the morning."

A collective groan came from them at the table. But I spied Kayane looking at a corner of the room. And for a moment Kouzeon warned me of danger, but then it was gone just as quickly. I was alarmed but Kayane didn't say anything more and kept his eyes down as he finished his food. His eyes not meeting anyone in the group until it was time for them to leave.

After their goodbyes I helped Nanase clean up in the kitchen as Kayane disappeared to the music room. A few minutes later I could hear him playing the piano, something different. A new song maybe?

"It will get harder you know," Nanase said as she was cleaning one of the cups.

"You mean as we get closer to the release?" I asked for clarification, my attention split between the sound of the piano, Nanase and drying the dishes she gave to me.

"There are parts of his memory that are missing," She said it so simply that for a moment it didn't register. "He may start to remember as we go forward in his career."

"What do you mean missing? That isn't normal, right?" I pressed, starting to tune out the music and focusing on this new topic.

"No, typically it isn't," Nanase admitted.

"I guess, you don't want to talk about it," I surmised considering how hesitant she had sounded.

"Kay-chan is very important to me. He's the only thing that I have in this world. For a long while I wanted to shut out all of his friends from him, so I could protect him. But as his Mother, I want to see him grow and finally experience the world. You don't know how hard it is for me to let him do this. To become part of the music industry that has literally destroyed some peoples lives in the end. I can barely sleep at night as I think about how I can shield him from the worst. That boy has suffered his whole life, and none of it was ever his fault. There was always someone else or some event that happens around him. Sometimes it feels like life is just out to get him. Either that or its just me being a paranoid Mother," Nanase shook her head as she handed me the cup and picking up the next to clean.

"But you want to warn me that there could be an issue if he remembers. And you don't want to tell me because I could mention it to Kayane..." I whispered. "I understand."

"Rise-chan, don't take it as if I don't trust you. That isn't true at all. I'm just...scared," Nanase was definitely worried about this. And I wasn't going to pry. I knew it would be difficult either way.

"I know, Tsukio-san," I tried to reassure her. "I know how much he means to you. I'll do my best to support him. I promise."

She nodded, "I pray you can support him better than I ever could."


April 25th, 2012 / Evening
Outside City Limits of Kyoto

HAMUKO'S POINT OF VIEW

"Here huh?" Noting as I eyed the entrance to the Kirijo Group's old and hidden compound. Next to me was Aigis. Tonight had been a bit of divide and conquer as Kana, Yukari and Junpei were hitting another facility around the area as well. "Do we know anything about what it was used for?"

"No," came Fuuka's voice into my mind. "Unfortunately the only thing we could figure out from the correspondence we found was its location. We'll have to determine its purpose after you've ensured its safety."

"Right, so clean-up duty once more," I found myself sighing.

"Are you okay, Hamuko-san?" Aigis asked, and looked over to see concern in the mechanical maiden's eyes.

"Yeah, sorry. I think I've just not been sleeping well lately. I'm glad that the Shadow Operatives finally got approved, but now we've got so much to catch up on because of how long those bureaucrats took dragging their asses on getting it to this point," I was definitely bitter but I know it wasn't too long ago that I had to accept all the truths about Shadows and Persona, but it was easier for me because I gained the power of Persona in that time. A bunch of stuffy politicians and desk jockeys would hardly know the effects and how dangerous it could be.

"I understand. I try to leave all of that to Mitsuru-senpai and jus tbe there to help when she needs it. But I suppose that makes us all busy people until we can sort through everything we've found," Fuuka reassured me and also reminded me of how much we were still going to have to do. That's why we were splitting the workload, and we weren't even sure if we would find anything worth gearing up for. I was equipped to fight, but that didn't mean there would be anything here. "I don't sense anything so far, but still be careful."

I looked to Aigis, "I hope your ready for this, because I'm not."

"It appears to be structurally sound," Aigis noted.

"Well that's a relief," I half-smiled as I put a access number on the keypad. It was a all access number they had found that Mitsuru's Grandfather Kouetsu had used to access all facilities when he visited them. If we hadn't learned of it it would have been that much harder to get to everything. The door unlocked and I grabbed the steel handle and quickly opened it, having to pull back hard do get it to swing open. Part of this was that the door was heavier than it initially looked. And the lock more elaborate. Three large holes on the side of the door indicated that steel poles must come out when locked, making it more secure than most places. "Anything that needs that kind of lock can't be good."

Aigis and I entered, and as we did lights came flickering on to life. Automatic lights, huh? I suppose that made it easier than having to find a light switch. The inside was like a long maintenance hallway which opened up into a more open area, that looked like a lobby or break room. But the furniture was in disarray, partially destroyed with shredded magazines and paper surrounding the area. There was more than that, part of the wall was in pieces, and a large double door that led further in had broken, bent doors that were forced open.

"That does not look promising," I felt myself get tense as lights flickered on, showing things with a new level of detail. Revealing dry blood on the ground mixed among the ruins of this place.

"An obvious struggle, but against what?" Aigis commented as she examined the doors.

I came to her side looking at the indentations on the doors, "No, looks like an escape...and these imprints were...Aigis. Do you think Mechanical Maidens could have been made here?"

"I'm unsure. I assumed they were created on the facility at Yakushima. However, I am a 7th generation. My records don't go far back enough to indicate where the research originated," Aigis spoke as I took a few steps into the hallway, revealing a similar set of busted doors down at the end of this hallway.

"Maybe they didn't see a benefit in owning a Island Resort until something happened that may have forced their hand," I mutter as more lights slowly came back on. "No point in needless speculation, we can figure that out if we can recover anything from this facility."

"Right," Aigis nodded. "Reading indicate an elevator ahead, but may require a restart. Maintenance access should be relatively nearby."

"Of course, wouldn't want it to be easy as coming in and finding what we need and then leaving," I mutter under my breath as I cautiously made my way down with Aigis moving behind me. There was a lot about the research of the Mechanical Maidens that seemed sketchy to me...for one, why was Aigis the only one left? I had a feeling learning the truth of that would not be a fun story to deal with. Yet it was also something that we were hoping to discover. Want to know, but also, don't want to know. Lovely contradictions like that were going to be common as we moved forward, I could just feel it.

Aigis and I were able to find a door next to the elevator and were able to force open the door. Once inside I was able to restart the elevator, and to our surprise, and maybe dumb luck, it started moving.

"Hamuko-chan, do you believe there is significance in the fact that no early research on the mechanical maidens can be found?" Aigis asked a pointed question. No doubt she had been thinking about it. The evidence we'd seen so far would seem to indicate that it could be a problem related to it.

"Aigis, you may have to accept that what you find is not going to be pleasant," I said quietly as the elevator door opened.

"I know," she said simply as we both stepped in to the elevator. "But I feel if I am the last of my sisters, then I want to know what happened to them...so that they are never forgotten."

To never forget. You can't change what happens, but you can resolve to never forget them. I'm not sure if I could ever think that way. Grieving and simply remembering those that had passed on...I know I wasn't good at accepting that. To do so would mean finally accepting why my twin brother had died.

The elevator started to head down, deeper into the ground.

"Readings indicate that this has been used recently," Aigis said suddenly.

"Wait, this elevator?" I asked.

She nodded, "It seems it malfunctioned due to just a error because of lack of maintenance, but is well intact. The elevator keeps a log for maintenance purposes so I was able to access it. But it only tells of activity and not much else."

"Fuuka-chan, did you hear all that?" I spoke trying to see if our navigator was still tuned in.

"Yes, but if it was in use, was that damage you found on your way in recent?" She asked back.

"It's possible, though a more thorough examination will be needed to confirm," Aigis said simply.

"I'm looking into local reports to see if there are any events that might have happened around here recently. I wish we had more on this place but the documents that refer to it only refer to an inspection that took place, nothing else," Fuuka had been apologizing about the lack of information since the beginning.

"Don't worry about it. Aigis and I can take whatever this place wants to throw at us. Besides, best way to find something out, is to go and find it ourselves," I said as the elevator came to a stop. The door slowly started opening. As it did the smell of the air was obviously stale. We stepped out of the elevator but the room remained dark, only the light from the elevator illuminating the area. "Is there no power down here? Maybe it runs off its own generator?"

"Hold on, I found it. I should be activate it remotely, give me a moment," Fuuka warned.

"See anything interesting Aigis?" I looked to my would be partner.

"This, may not be something you want to see," she said honestly.

A loud thud could be heard from somewhere far off. A moment later lights began coming on. "I got it, you should have power coming on in that section of the facility."

As lights switched on around us, I could tell what Aigis had meant. This was like a battlefield...if a battlefield was inside of a hospital. "A hospital? A hidden hospital? Did they do more experiments here?" That was a stupid question, why else would you hide a hospital? We were in what I assume was a waiting area. No it was a bit bigger than that, likely it served as the reception and cafeteria area for the people that worked here. There was only hints of that in faded signs on the walls and scattered and broken furniture, such as tables and sofa's, pushed over vending machines and shattered plates and silverware. Among this chaos was dried blood stains and...a clear difference made me bend down to the ground as the last of the lights turn on. "Aigis, foot prints."

"Possibly an ex-Kirijo Group worker? Even still, what would be the reason for coming to this place..." Aigis thought out loud as we observed the footprints heading to the end of the hall and to a door. Footprints went in both directions, so whoever had been here had obviously already left. So had what they wanted to find been here, or did they go away empty handed?

I moved forward to the door and pulled it open. The lights inside starting turning on. A hallway, with many doors lining the sides. My reactions to this was that these were clearly patient rooms, right? As I stepped in I felt, apprehensive as if something cold just crawled over my skin. I came to the first door on the left side of the hallway. The silence of this place was now making me even more aware of this, and as I reached out to grab the handle, I realized that I was shaking.

"Hamuko-chan?" Aigis was at my side and took my hand and I hadn't realize how unsteady I was until she had done so. Now I felt a bit dizzy and used Aigis and my naganita to steady myself.

I know why this was getting to me. This whole scene felt incredibly familiar...just like last year in the facility underneath the abandoned hospital in Inoto. Had people been experimented on? There were no windows on these doors, the only way to know what was inside was by opening them. "Sorry, Aigis," I took a deep breath. "You remember the Inoto Hospital..."

Aigis nodded, "Yes, but this place is different in layout. And based on what we found, I doubt Kirijo Kouetsu would have had redundant research going on."

That only meant anything here would have had a different purpose. That didn't mean someone didn't suffer because of it. Since I met with them I had also learned of Chidori...Junpei's girlfriend and also someone that had once been a member of a group named Strega. That group had been survivors of a Kirijo Group experiment that had manage to force potential into children. It was different from the research done at the facility I had been at a kid, which had focused on finding ways to develop a natural potential for Persona. Similar but widely different. We still hadn't found that facility that had housed that experiment. We knew that the Mechanical Maiden project had ended up on Yakushima but from what we had learned...that they only came there after the creation of the 2nd generation Shadow Suppression Weapon had been developed. But there was no clear documentation on where the 1st or 2nd generation had been developed at. It was more than obvious that Kirijo Kouetsu liked to hide secrets from even the people in his company. Even trying to follow the finances to figure out where all the money had been going had been impossible as an avenue.

After a moment, I felt the dizziness pass and Aigis took a grip of the door along with me and we pulled it open. Cages, lines of cages. Not just any kind of cage, but clear, and likely durable types of glass...but all of them shattered. This place...they held something...not just anything...

"Shadows, they used this place to hold Shadows," Aigis said as she moved forward and examining some of the residue on the glass. "Looks like it was broken a long time ago."

"They held Shadows here?" I mutter as I move forward. "I guess it would make sense to someone obsessed with the powers that Shadows had. Have a facility to store them, and then use it to ship out to different experiments you got hidden across Japan."

"It is likely that the Shadows went crazy when the Dark Hour came into being about 12 years ago," Aigis said simply looking over to me. "It would also coincide with the events that happened at your facility. Likely all the research installations had the same problem when the Dark Hour occurred."

Something clicked in my head, "So all the personnel in these secret facilities that died that night...were listed as casualties on Tatsumi Port Island! And then pinned the blame for all their deaths on Yukari's Father, Takeba Eiichiro. How convenient for them." I shook my head. "The more I find out the more I see why you were all so motivated to fight before. And why Yukari was so angry at the beginning of all of that."

"It definitely appears that way," Aigis commented. "I wish I had been more aware of the situation."

I looked to her, seeing a measure of guilt on her face. I moved next to her and looked into her eyes. If you could only see a portion of her, she would look no different than any other human. Her worries and emotions she expressed made her just the same as any human. She dealt with real struggles and trying to find her place in the world. Yet she was also going to long outlive us. "We all do. Thinking about, 'if only I had known' and 'I could have changed the outcome' these are thoughts everyone has. Its how we regret. It's also how I believe we honor the past. We're showing that we value them enough to wish they were here." I turned looking back to the door. "It's a burden we have no choice but to bear."

"Hamuko-chan, I really wish you had been with us over two years ago," Aigis said softly.

"So do I," Hamuko muttered under her breath. "Come on, lets keep searching the area. Obviously whoever came in here was seeking something else."

I couldn't keep thinking about that. I had already blown up at Kana on the night I should have been composed. It was unfair of me to push all my thoughts onto her. She was family and she was important to me. She didn't need to deal with my inability to accept the events that had occurred. "Onii-chan, was it really the world you wanted to save? Or was it Yukari and the members of your Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad that was what you wanted to save? That was it right? You just wanted to save the people that you were close to." I know he was no longer able to answer me, he was in a deep sleep as part of the Great Seal.

We explored the other rooms finding similar cages in most of the rooms, with some instead filled with equipment likely used for experimentation and other related equipment. It only left one final door to check. I opened it and found a circular room and a giant metal door in front of us, along with a computer console and several monitors. This was like a preparation room. But what would they be preparing for?

"That is one hell of a door," I comment as I moved up to the console and placed my naganita against what looked like to be lockers. I turned the monitor on and then hit the keyboard to wake up the computer from sleep mode. A lock screen...that would slow us down. "Fuuka, we found a heavy door and a computer terminal connected to it. But its locked and won't be able to access it."

"Got it. Aigis are you able to attach the device I gave you?" Fuuka countered.

I stepped out of Aigis' way as she moved forward and pulled out something and connected it to the side of the computer. "It's connected, Fuuka-chan."

"Alright give me a moment," Fuuka said.

"I hope the others didn't have to deal with something like this. They'd be stuck without Fuuka there," I commented and opened one of the lockers. "Looks like weapon lockers. Cleared out a long time ago though. A lot of good that does them against Shadows though."

"Perhaps it would be better if we didn't open this," Aigis was apprehensive. "Fuuka, do you detect anything on the other side of the door?"

Suddenly we heard the sound of gears moving as the door started to unlock itself and we notice the console had been unlocked. "I got it open and...Oh No! Quick you two, shut the door!"

Aigis and I jumped to the metal door and put our strength against it as the locks still continued to open.

"Fuuka, its still opening!" I yelled as I switched my Persona to Siegfried my strongest of all my Personae to help me keep it shut.

"I'm sorry, I should have scanned the room first, but I'm locked out here. Some sort of fail-safe was in place. There is a large shadow in that room...I'm sorry," Fuuka apologized again as I could hear in her voice how she was trying to correct it and lock it up.

"Aigis, you ready for a rumble?" I look to my partner in this situation.

"Yes, but isn't that a bit reckless?" Aigis asked.

"Fuuka, we'll engage it head on. In the meantime you try and regain control of the console and let us know when to jump out so you can lock it again," I quickly ordered. "We'll just stall it for now."

"Alright, be careful you two, I'll try and hurry," Fuuka noted

The two of us backed away from the door as the last of the locks were opening. "So how big do you think it could be?" I said as the door began to slowly open.

"Maybe twice the size of us," Aigis said and chuckling a bit.

"That be pretty big, but I was thinking maybe three times the size of us," I grinned as the door was almost open.

"I hope I'm right," Aigis shook her head as she bent down and ready to jump through the door.

"Me too," I said as I jumped forward as it was big enough for me to get through with Aigis behind me. The room was large. Probably comparable to the size of two full gyms, more than enough room to move around. But I didn't see anything...

"Above us!" Aigis warned me just in time for me to jump back as a gigantic black and white form shook the ground as it landed in front of us, followed by a deafening roar.

I took a step back and settled into a defensive stance. "Alright, we're both wrong, he's easily four times bigger or more than us," I shifted my Persona to Loki. "Bufudyne!" I called out as I put the Evoker to my head and fired. The massive ice attack slammed against the Shadow's mask and what I assumed to be its head...but this thing was gigantic. It was using six massive hands to hold itself up and I couldn't tell where the Shadow began or ended.

"It looks more like six times larger to me," Aigis called out as she opened fire on the Shadow still reeling from my ice attack.

"You want to get out a measuring stick?" I switched Personae once more. "Surt!" I pulled the trigger on the evoker once more. "Ragnarok!" I hit it with the best fire skill I had and it stumbled, which was suddenly hit again with God's Hand as Aigis charged forward with her persona Athena.

"I could use one of my functions to accurately measure it," Aigis said as she landed next to me.

"What's the fun in knowing the answer?" I chuckled and switched to Siegfried and put the evoker back to my head. "Vorpal Blade!" Siegfried slammed his sword on the ground and suddenly the Shadow was hit on all sides with blades. "Keep up the pressure, don't let him recover."

Aigis moved forward slamming down another God's Hand on it, slamming the creature against the floor. "Hamuko!"

I was already moving, jumping onto Aigis' back she then sprang up to propel me higher into the air. Holstering my evoker a spun my naganita around as I flew towards the Shadow. I spun, as I put all the force I could with the help of Siegfried and plunged the blade of my weapon into its mask. It screeched in pain and quickly one of the hands came up to swipe at me. I swung my body wide using the naganita as a crux point and put my body above the strike. It did hit my weapon to get it free from its mask, but I landed on top of the hand and immediately jumped back into the air. Aigis came jumping it firing a massive blast to send the arm away as I came back down hard on the mask and struck the same spot for the second time, this time cutting further into the mask. Standing on top of it I quickly pulled out my evoker and leaped back up into the air.

"Helel! God's Hand!" The Persona appeared and delivered a stroke down on top of my weapon cutting the mask cleanly in two. As I fell, the Shadow disappeared and I landed cleanly on the ground. My weapon fell and clanked to the ground and I took a long moment to catch my breath.

"Hamuko, now we'll never know how big it was," Aigis commented.

"Pfft," I couldn't help it. And started a fit of laughter along with Aigis.

"Come in you two, I just got..."

"It's alright, Fuuka, we dealt with it," I commented.

"No you took care of one of them, you need to get out of there now!" Fuuka's words made both Aigis and I run as we suddenly were able to hear the movement of other creatures.

On a full sprint I dived out the door followed by Aigis.

"We're out!" Aigis called out.

The door then slammed shut and the locks moved into place. I collapsed onto the ground and was trying to catch my breath again. "Thanks for the save, Fuuka," I managed between breaths.

"Good work you two. Also I was able to hack a way into the database and start transferring the files from there. Though I imagine Mitsuru will want to deal with those creatures at some point," Fuuka added.

"Yeah, that'll be a fun Shadow Operative bonding moment," I shook my head. "Hey Aigis, maybe if there is one similar we can figure out how big it is after all."

"Either way, we were both still wrong," she commented.

I shrugged, "I hope the others are okay."

I'm sure they would be, they were experienced fighters. I was just concerned about Kana. And what the real purpose of this facility was, and why you would ever want something as big as those Shadows. And if that individual that had entered this place hadn't been here for them...then that worried me more than anything else.


A/N:

Leading up to Arena is definitely a bit of a challenge as the events leading up to it are going to be a bit different. I would say the actual story will definitely be different as there are more characters and all new perspectives to see the situation from. Mostly being from Hamuko and Kana. We already know that Hamuko is still having a problem accepting the fate of her twin brother, Minato. More than that it isn't like she has known about him for very long. One year may seem like a long time but to learn you have family and about the truth of yourself. One year isn't long enough. I think anyone with siblings can understand this a bit more.

We know our siblings probably better than anyone. Yet, there are always things you don't know about them. That isn't because its something they hide or anything, but its usually not something they think about or would seek out to tell you. It's how you can know someone for years of your life and still learn new things about them. I mean you don't spend every minute of your life with them. They have their own friends, and interests they develop on their own. But in relation to the story, it is much worse for Hamuko. After all, she only knew of Minato after he was dead. That is something that can't be easily dealt with. I know there is a couple ways to go about it, but there are other problems impacted on Hamuko. For one, Hamuko never had family to begin with. She was forced into adoption after she left the Kirijo Group facility. And there certainly would be no way for her to know that her name was not her real one and that she should have been Arisato Minako and not Takahashi Hamuko. Compacted with so many factors and thoughts of having a family but them being dead is almost enough to completely break her psyche. She is doing well enough for the most part, but Kana was there to see her low that she slips into when those thoughts. I doubt it is going to get easier for her either.

On the flip side, this chapter doesn't have anything from Kayane's point of view, which I believe is the first time that has ever happened in this story. But at the same time Kayane has slipped into a status quo of sorts. His Shadow is there to taunt him, but no major event has happened yet to change it just yet. So there isn't much for us to cover with Kayane, for the moment. Not to say there isn't anything coming up of course. Kayane and how he'll fit into Arena has been something I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out. Plus figuring out what I wanted to show from Arena was a bit more difficult. That's mostly because the story in the first fighting game is different depending on which of the characters you pick. Making choosing which of those story lines to happen was kind of annoying in a way. I mean, the only indication on what is a cannon route would be the manga. But playing Ultimax they never really say either way, but the general plot points are always the same regardless of which story you follow. Some just reveal more about the situation than others.

So I would say that you should expect to see a lot of things from a different perspective as we move through the Arena games. Still got some time to go. Remember May 2nd is technically when Arena begins (Its when the hijacking of the plan occurs) so we got some wiggle room before it kicks off in force. And we got a few things that will happen before we get there. I'm not sure how long each arc will take, as it technically happens in just one day...and its one heck of a long day for sure. So I guess we'll all find out when we get there.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think! I'll see you all next week with the next chapter.