December 10th Saturday
"Buckle up… This will not be a smooth ride." Naoto glanced at Goro as she inserted her key into the ignition of her Datsun and opened up the garage door that led out. Naoto turned the ignition and the Datsun roared to life, ready to unleash its fury upon the road.
Goro seemed to understand the meaning of Naoto's words and quickly buckled into the Datsun's Recaro racing seats. At this point Naoto would normally glance at the many extra gauges and the computer that powered the car, allowing its oil to warm in this weather. However this morning the Datsun would be having a cold start. Naoto revved the car a few times hoping the cold oil would still flow enough to protect the Datsun's supercharged engine well enough before Naoto pulled the car out of the garage with a start. Goro gripped the door as Naoto quickly spun the car towards the entrance of the Shirogane estate and floored it. The car, still a bit sluggish from the cold, responded well under the pressure of its owner's demands.
Under Naoto's demands, the car slowly started to come to life. No doubt all of Inaba could hear the mechanical growl of the Datsun as Naoto tore through town. She was probably the furthest out from Yu's place from the rest of the investigation team after all the Shirogane estate sat on the edge of town. Naoto, however, was determined to not let that stop her, even the fresh powder of snow on the ground that was tricky to drive through didn't stop Naoto. The detective could only thank her good luck that she had decided to put on her winter tires a week before they had left for Tokyo.
As the two detectives pulled up to Yu's house, Naoto pulled into the driveway and quickly turned off the car. In her haste, she still managed to notice Goro's look of total shock. The ride had been full of fishtails and high speeds on ground one typically was a bit more cautious on, no one would have blamed Goro for the pale look his face now sported. If this had been any other time. Naoto would have even tried to console the younger man but Naoto's only concern at that moment was getting to Rise.
The door was unlocked and Naoto let herself in, the sounds of sobbing instantly drawing her into the back room. Naoto forewent taking off her shoes to simply get to Rise. So what if she got Yu's house a little wet, Yu would have wanted her to take care of Rise. Naoto appeared in the bedroom to a hysterical Rise. The idol was sobbing uncontrollably and Yu was nowhere to be found. Naoto's heart sank slightly as she moved to Rise side of the bed.
"Rise…" Naoto reached out for her friend as she sat down on the bed next to the distraught woman.
"Naoto…?" Rise choked out before suddenly she shifted and threw her arms around Naoto crying into her shoulder.
Naoto shifted on the bed and put her arms around her best friend. As Rise let it all out, Naoto looked around the room. It was untidy but not what Naoto would call messy. Yu's phone sat on the nightstand on the other side of the bed and there was nothing that Naoto believed looked out of place but she honestly wasn't the expert on her partner's bedroom. From Rise's distress and the words Naoto got before she ended the call, everything of Yu's was still around. Which meant he didn't leave the house per se. As Naoto continued to look around, she noticed a folded piece of paper on Yu's side of the bed, with her current angle it was impossible to grab. Luckily Goro appeared in the doorway a little less pale.
"Grab that for me will you Goro-Kun?" Naoto motioned to the piece of paper laying on top of the bed.
Goro nodded and walked around to the other side of the bed. Picking up the piece of paper, Goro unfolded it. Naoto watched Goro's face very carefully as it took a sharp turn from curious to grim. That look alone raised all of Naoto's red flags. Goro flipped the piece of paper over so Naoto could read it from her spot consoling the upset Rise.
'Don't trust Igor. Something has happened to Lavenza.'
Naoto felt something in her run cold as she read those words. Naoto knew Igor was part of the velvet room, someone that had guided Yu on his journey during their time solving the murders. He was an enigmatic figure, but still, one Yu trusted as far as Naoto knew. Also, whoever wrote that note wasn't someone's handwriting that Naoto recognized. During their second year in Yasogami, Naoto and Rise had been put in the same class. Rise had returned to being an idol but had been determined to graduate from Yasogami. Because of her situation, she ended up missing quite a considerable chunk of the school year, so Naoto who always kept fairly good notes and offered to be her study partner. That's how the two of them had become close. Furthermore, Naoto had seen Rise's writing many times. Rise's writing style was a bit flowery and had a bit of polished flourish to it, but it was nothing like the almost professional looking calligraphy that was scrawled on the page.
"Do you know who Igor or this Lavenza person is?" Goro asked.
"I think I know who Igor is. Lavenza isn't someone I know." Naoto explained. "Igor is the one that controls the Velvet room. He currently has a contract with Ren…"
Naoto's heart suddenly jumped as her own words sparked a train of thought. If Igor wasn't to be trusted then did that mean Ren was in danger as well? If Yu was gone and this note was so far their only clue then could the Igor that now controlled Ren's velvet room be trusted? This note seemed to indicate he wasn't someone to be trusted. There was a lot to process here but more questions then answers.
"Igor?" Rise's cracked voice muttered from Naoto's shoulders before she pulled herself away long enough to stare unblinkingly at the note. "What's going on…" Her voice sounded defeated, hopeless almost.
"We don't know… Look Rise, go clean yourself up. Goro-Kun and I will search the house for any more clues. You need to calm down so you can help us think." Naoto explained before reaching out and pulling a few stray hairs away from Rise's face that has been plastered there from her tears.
Rise's eyes gave Naoto an uncertain look but it quickly dissolved as she looked between her and Goro. With a few errant sniffles, Rise slowly got to her feet and Naoto quickly moved to aid her. Naoto helped her friend collect some clothes before she dropped her off at the door to the bathroom. Staying by the door before the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom. Satisfied that Rise was okay on her own, Naoto headed back to the bedroom. Goro had already started to look for more clues and currently had Yu's phone in his hand.
"Don't suppose you know Yu-san's password?" Goro looked towards Naoto as he held up Yu's phone.
"Yeah, I do. His four-digit pass is 0411." Naoto moved toward the side of the bed Goro sat.
Goro entered in the password and instantly the phone unlocked, Goro looking impressed handed the phone to Naoto. "You must know your partner well."
"I'd say its part of our job, but to be honest I suppose me and him are closer then what would be professionally acceptable for most people. Yu just has a way of getting people to trust him and being someone easy to confide in. I don't think there is a proper word that can sum up our relationship…" Naoto explained as she searched her partner's phone, but quickly finding nothing on the device. "There is nothing here, the only messages were from Yosuke yesterday. Also, I find it hard to believe Yu would just leave his phone behind if he just walked out. It's not like him. Come on, help me look around for any clue that might indicate he left the house on his own volition or if possible not under his own volition."
"Roger!" Goro nodded.
With that, the two detective's walked the house but Naoto had a feeling before they even started they wouldn't find anything. If that note was any clue, this was something that involved the other world and no clue could be found here. Still, Naoto needed to rule out all possibilities before she embraced what all that entailed. A search through the house revealed nothing, just as Naoto suspected. Outside of the house, besides her and Goro's footprints in the snow, there was no indication that anyone left the house between the time it started snowing and the time the two detectives arrived. It had been starting to snow just as Naoto arrived at the estate last night so the detective part of Naoto figured she could rule out her partner just walking out of the house.
Stepping back into the house, Naoto's mind flipped over to the very real possibility that this involved the other world. There was one last exit in the house that Naoto hadn't investigated and it was currently sitting in the middle of Yu's living room. Naoto stepped up to Yu's TV and reached out to touch the screen. Like every screen in Inaba, her hand passed through it. Yu's TV was big enough for him to travel through but it would have had to be a little awkward. The fine dust around the TV showed it hadn't been disturbed but that didn't completely rule it out as a point of exit.
"So you think this has something to do with that world?" Goro asked as he put a hand to his chin.
"Do you have any other credible explanation?" Naoto asked.
"When you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Goro quoted as he adjusted the Teddie glasses he always wore nowadays.
"Sherlock Holmes, how fitting," Naoto smirked to her younger brother.
"Do you think he's in the TV realm?" Rise's voice entered from the hallway as she appeared.
"The TV, real, or beyond. We don't know the exact realm where Igor dwells." Naoto reached up adjusting her cap.
Rise's eyes gazed at the TV. There was a look in her eye that seemed to not be looking directly at the TV, but just in its general direction. She looked so lost at that moment, it caused even Naoto to be stung hard by her pain. Yu was practically everything to Rise, they had been together the longest and through long periods apart. Their bond was even stronger than the one Naoto felt she had with Kanji. To see Rise look so lost; it was as if Rise had just lost a part of her soul. Naoto stepped up to her friend and put both hands onto her shoulders.
"Look Rise, we'll find him. I promise you that, but I need you to be strong. You are the best hope we have for finding him in that other world. Only your Persona can do something as monumental as scan and find him. Please Rise." Naoto looked at her friend straight in the eyes.
Rise's eyes locked onto Naoto as she seemed to acknowledge her words. Only after Naoto finished talking did Rise's eyes stray. There was a look on Rise's face that seemed to indicate the words Naoto had spoken hadn't fallen on deaf ears. After a long moment, Rise slowly came back to life. Her posture sharpened as her resolve appeared in her eyes. Only then did Rise return Naoto's gaze, affirming her commitment to helping with a nod. Naoto offered her longtime friend a warm smile.
"Good, let's go find him together." Naoto encouraged her friend as she took a step back. "We'll call Yosuke and tell him we are coming over to use his TV and see if there are any clues over on that side if he isn't even already over there." With that Naoto reached for her phone and dialed Yosuke.
Two rings passed before Yosuke picked up. "Hey Naoto, you need something? Look you ain't mad about me lying to you yesterday are you?"
If this was any other situation, Naoto might have reacted differently but this wasn't the time to joke around. "We need to use the TV." There was an urgency to Naoto's voice that no doubt could be reflected over the phone.
"No prob…" Yosuke started. "Something's going on isn't it?"
"Yu is missing and I've deduced it has something to do with the other world." Naoto harshly explained to get the point across quicker.
"Missing?!" Yosuke's tone elevated several octaves.
"We can explain when we get there, but we are heading there now." Naoto looked at Goro and then at Rise, they both looked fairly ready to go.
"Okay I'll have the garage open when you get here, Ted wants to come with us," Yosuke answered.
"That's fine. We'll see you soon." Naoto then hung up and reached into her pocket for her keys. However, the Datsun was a two-seater because most of the back was taken up by the car's roll cage. They'd need to take Yu's or Rise's car. "Rise can we take your car? I came here in the Datsun and it's parked behind Yu's car.
"Sure." Rise reached to grab the car keys from her purse that was on the counter between the living room and the kitchen. After she fished them out, she gave them to Naoto. "Can you drive please?"
Naoto nodded as she took the keys. They all moved to head out and before long they were all on the road in Rise's older model car. The car wasn't anything fancy by any means, it was a typical four-door sedan with slightly tinted windows. When Rise was in Inaba that meant she wasn't Risette and this car was purposely unappealing to not stand out much. As far as the drive to Yosuke's, there wasn't the same urgency as Naoto had felt going to Yu's house. They pulled up to Yosuke's house and just as Yosuke had said the garage door was open and inside waiting for them was both Yosuke and Teddie.
Naoto parked on the street and everyone got out. Both Teddie and Yosuke wore grim expressions as the trio walked up to them. Teddie was in his bear costume and stood next to Yosuke solemnly; as Naoto quickly explained the situation to both of them. Yosuke clenched his fist and looked about ready to punch something once Naoto was finished.
"I'll use my bear nose and stiff out Sensei!" Teddie encouraged everyone to try to be a force of positivity in this already depressing situation.
"Thanks, Teddie. Let's work together to find Yu okay?" Rise offered the bear a half-smile. Naoto knew her friend was trying to act alright even if she was still very much shaken on the inside.
"Let's not sit around anymore. Let's go see what we can find over there!" Yosuke declared before turning to the TV and heading in without another word.
No one could argue with Yosuke's logic and one by one they all entered the TV, Naoto was the last one to enter. As she passed through to the other side she silently wished they'd at least find something here in the other world, however, Naoto's instincts told her that Yu probably wasn't here. Naoto's instincts were rarely wrong. Stepping into the other world, not a single blade of grass looked out of place from when they had all left the night before. If Yu was here, he wasn't exactly at this location.
Rise stepped up and put her hands together. Naoto knew the pose she took when she summoned her Persona however instead of the towering form Kouzeon, a new Persona appeared over Rise. There was a collective gasp from everyone as Izanagi-no-Okami appeared before Rise. The swordsman looked around him before fixing his gaze upon Rise. Silently without any prompting, the large Persona stuck its large sword in the ground before it knelt down and extended a hand to Rise. It affectionately put his hand on her cheek, a gesture Naoto had seen Yu give Rise many times in the past.
"He is alright and as long as I fight with you that will be a testament to his safety. He loves you with feelings beyond words." Izanagi spoke looking directly at Rise and it was the first time Naoto had ever heard the stoic Persona speak.
Tears once again appeared in Rise's eyes as she reached up and took hold of Izanagi's hand on her cheek. "Do you know where he is?" Rise's voice cracked as she spoke.
Izanagi shook his head. "As I am with you now, I cannot say. I do know the place he was in was dark but he wasn't scared about it. He was then given an option and chose to send me to you. He needed me to protect you. I remember those feelings vividly. However as we Personas are tied to souls, my memory is limited to all but the most intense of memories."
At that statement, another flood of tears seemed to hit Rise and she surged forward and embraced Izanagi. The Persona warped its massive arms around her and held her close. Naoto turned away to allow Rise a private moment. This was going to be tough on her, Naoto did not doubt that, but Naoto would try her best to help Rise through all of this. This was a commitment to Yu as much as it was a testament to the friendship between the two women. Rise would need someone solid and Naoto was fine being her rock until the skies cleared again.
"A dark place," Goro muttered next to Naoto, a hand on his chin. "That doesn't fit this world's motif but it does, however, fit better to the Palaces back in Tokyo."
"Very sharp of you Goro-Kun. If we take into account we have been warned about Igor, I believe this case is pointing us back to Tokyo." Naoto nodded. "I know you plan to turn yourself in soon, but please would you stay by my side until we find Yu? I need a partner."
Goro looked at Naoto. "If the case needs me then I have no choice but to wait until that point. You'll always have my full support Nee-san. Can you tell me more about this Igor?"
"I don't know much myself, he is the proprietor of the velvet room. A room that transcends both dream and reality. His goals seem to be to provide insight to the guest he welcomes. Each of his guests are wild cards, there is always an assistant with him and he appears to create them to aid in the wild card's journey. Normally to stop some sort of ruin or tragedy. He also is has a critical role in helping wild cards manage their Persona." Naoto thought hard trying to remember any other information she had been told over the years. "That is about as much as I know."
"Wild card…" Goro paused. "Then maybe I am not a wild card because I have never met this man."
Naoto put her hand to her chin. "As you have been pitted against Ren, it could be whatever ruin lies ahead gave you this power."
Goro went silent for a long moment. "Yes, that has to be the truth." Goro nodded more to himself than anything else. "Either way we should go talk to Ren, he should know this Igor person rather well."
"I'm hesitant to do that. If Igor isn't to be trusted it could play out two ways. One, Ren doesn't believe us and takes Igor's side. Which could make working with him hard. Or two, he believes us and now doesn't trust Igor, Igor realizes somethings up and makes a move. We can't rule out the possibility that Igor could be behind Yu's abduction." Naoto put a hand on her hip as she glanced back at Rise. Losing Yu was devastating, to lose Ren too would be too much.
"Is there anyone else we can talk to about this Igor character?" Goro shifted on his feet.
A sudden idea sprung to Naoto's mind. "As a matter of fact, there is!" Naoto looked towards Rise. "Rise, I'm going to follow a lead. Yosuke, Teddie stay with her for me."
"You got it Naoto!" Yosuke nodded.
"I won't leave her side!" Teddie vowed.
Rise didn't respond but Naoto didn't wait. Reaching out to the stack of TVs that served as a portal between this world and the real, Naoto quickly crossed the barrier appearing back in Yosuke's garage. A half a second later Goro joined her. In their haste to get to the other side, Yosuke had left the door to the garage wide open. Naoto sighed at this before she closed the garage and headed into Yosuke's house proper as the temperature in the normally heated garaged was the same as the outside weather. The intrusion would no doubt be overlooked by Yosuke, as Naoto moved to Yosuke and Teddie's shared kitchen and reached for her phone. After dialing an all too familiar number at this point, Naoto flipped the phone's speaker on and set it down on the counter so Goro could listen in.
"Shirogane-san or rather Naoto-san I don't suppose you are calling me about your sudden inclusion into my group are you?" Mitsuru's voice echoed from the speaker after one ring.
"No, it was something I was expecting sooner or later." Naoto shrugged even if Mitsuru couldn't see the action.
"Then is it about Aigis or Ken's arrival? It was rather poorly timed I'll admit…" Mitsuru started.
"These are all reasons I've been meaning to call you about, but that is not why I'm calling at this particular moment. Yu Narukami has disappeared." Naoto quickly cut in with a sense of urgency.
There was a pregnant pause at the end of the line before Mitsuru spoke again. "I see. Very well you have my full attention detective, tell me all you know."
"I should let you know I have Goro Akechi with me at this moment, I'm giving him the ability to chime in as needed," Naoto stated.
"That is fine," Mitsuru answered. "As he is also a detective, at least in the public eye, I'll listen to what he has to say."
Naoto glanced at Goro. Goro gave a nod before Naoto started to explain everything to Mitsuru just as she had done with Yosuke a few minutes before. Mitsuru remained mostly silent as Naoto spoke, only giving the occasional confirmation murmur one gives with acknowledging information. Once she was done Naoto looked at Goro to see if he had anything he needed to say to which he gave a silent shake of his head so Naoto finished up.
"… So I'd like to talk to Aigis about Igor as soon as possible." Naoto finished.
"I see. This case appears to be leading you back to Tokyo, you don't seem the type that would simply sit back when Narukami is in potential danger. I can offer you a helicopter, however, it can only fit six so choose your team wisely. You can talk to Aigis in person as soon as you are back in Tokyo if you wish to take this option." Mitsuru explained.
Naoto took a deep breath, a bit surprised how fast things here moving but maybe it was better this way. "Let's do that. You don't have anything to add about Igor do you?"
"No, everything I know is second hand and you'd get better information from a first-party source. I agree with your assessment about not bringing Ren-Kun in at the moment. Confer with Aigis and build a plan from there. I'm opening up the full spectrum of Shadow Operative resources to you and Aigis. Anything you need, you let my people know and you'll have it. I won't allow a second wild card to become lost to us." There was determination in Mitsuru's words, a firm resolve to do what must be done to save Yu. Naoto could appreciate that at this particular moment.
"Thank you Mitsuru-san" Naoto didn't hide the graciousness she felt.
"Good luck Naoto-san, my helicopter should arrive at your estate in two hours," Mitsuru said before she hung up.
Naoto reached over and picked up her phone from the counter. Her mind shifted into overdrive as she went over everything in her mind that she needed to do starting now. Also, the helicopter only had six spots, two of those would be taken up by her and Goro-Kun, possibly Ren and Futaba if she was going to pull them today. Morgana wouldn't be taking up a slot. That left two open. Rise was the obvious choice and who else? Everyone had lives here in Inaba but Naoto knew anyone of her friends would drop anything to save Yu. Naoto pushed it to the back of her mind. No one needed to come with her today and the train could bring them easily in no time. Naoto needed to get to Aigis, Rise needed answers. They were the only two that needed to be on that helicopter. Naoto would like Goro-Kun to come, she needed another pair of eyes on this. So those three.
"Nee-san?" Goro asked snapping Naoto out of her pondering.
"You, Rise, and myself will be going." Naoto moved towards the door that led to the garage. "We need to get everyone up to speed."
"I can contact Ren and Futaba if you need me to," Goro suggested as he reached for his phone.
"Keep out any parts about our suspicion of Igor, but inform them of everything else," Naoto instructed as she stepped back out into the garage. "I'll be right back, I need to talk to Rise."
Goro nodded as he started to dial his phone. Naoto headed back to the world beyond the TV. The field greeted her and it took Naoto a second to spot Teddie and Yosuke. Both of them sat next to the fire pit in the middle of the field occasionally glancing off. Naoto followed their gaze to find Rise sitting in front of Yu's lantern at the far end of the field. With a sigh, Naoto headed towards her bereaved best friend. As she stepped up to Rise, the tired woman glanced at her, the swollen puffiness of her eyes on full display.
"We are going to head back to Tokyo tonight, I have a helicopter arriving in two hours. I only have five other seats, but I want to offer you one." Naoto explained.
"Alright." There was a strength to Rise's voice as if she ran out of tears and now was focusing on what she needed to do going forward. "We should let everyone know. We can decide who we take from there." Naoto sensed the air of a leader coming from Rise at that moment, some of Yu's ability must have rubbed off on her.
Naoto nodded. "Let's start then, we don't have much time."
Next Chapter will be up soon hopefully if I can get a review to power my ability to edit. I hope everyone is liking the story, you must like something about it if you have read this far.