A/N: To a certain person, whose name is a primary color, why act all secretive? If you hate me, come right out and say it :)
Oh, and do not review this chapter if you don't want to. Simply liking the story is enough and because you guys are the best.
(2/9/11)
Saturday...
2:33 AM...
I suddenly woke up, sensing a prescence in my room as I grabbed a pillow and readied myself to use it as a weapon.
"Relax thy cusion of feathers!" A highborn voice implored, "Tis I, Thalia Menethil, Queen and Grand Master of the Order of the Grey Exiles! I cometh in peace!"
I unwillingly set it down, "Thalia? What is it? Do you know what time it is?" I mumbled thickly and bad temperedly.
"I apologize to thee." Thalia said, "Time is liquid to us Exiles. We are not entirely humans..."
"What are you guys...?" I said with a whisper.
"Something we cannot properly explain, o Saviour." Thalia said, "We are both people and not exactly people at the same time. Like, opposite sides of a magnet. We have descended from Devil Summoners and Grimms."
"Still doesn't explain why you're in my room two in the morning..." I grumbled, and turned the lights on, "Whoa..."
She wore a royal purple sleeveless shirt, a gold folding on the bottom with silver geometric designs, and an elegant scarf with black and white argylls pattern wrapped around her neck. Her gloves are made of supple leather and a lavender outlining the parts reaching her middle fingers. A beautiful chain of gold with jewels surrounds her stomach above a ruby belt around her torso with starry designs and a small gold outline around it. She also wears a sky blue skirt under with several Grecian patterns and a silver thigh bracelet on her right thigh. She also wore earrings made of strange, black metal and regal sandals with blue gems descending her foot.
"Well, do you find it inappropriate for me to wear these types of clothing, yes?"
"Not exactly inappropriate..." I mumbled, "You do look nice and all... Very regal."
"Why thank thee!" She says proudly, "Thine shirt was made with the finest Tyrian Purple in the Mediterranean... But I do suppose it is not suitable with the time..." She looks at herself, "Please wait..." She says as she teleports away and returns a few minutes later.
I immediately awoke when I saw her clothes. This time, she wore rich bedroom slippers. baggy purple pyjama pants, and, most prominently, instead of a bra or shirt, she wore two interlocking straps going from a necklace of mithril with an white gem in the middle, to her back into a phoenix ornament.
"Too much?" She winced as she saw my nose drip, "I am aware you teens are fond of 'pyjama' parties, and I thought it be appropriate for the moment."
"Nah." I said, "Other than the major bloodloss I just suffered, I'm peachy. Now, not to be rude, but why are you here?"
"My apologies," Thalia said, "These monsters spawned by Elder have made several attacks to us. They are-"
"Shadows...?" I said with a fearful voice.
"Why, correct." She said as I sighed, "I am sorry. I have failed. Though we succeeded in felling many and containing the situation, more and more attacks are getting fiercer. As non-humans, it is our second nature not to ever need sleep, and thine Uncle, though his power is but a fraction of his old power, bent space and time enough to completely veil the Shadows from the sight of humans, but we are steadily growing weaker, with our active numbers dwindling into a few stout warriors. Our stronghold at Mount Iwa is totally damaged. We humbly request thy aid."
I nodded, "What do you need me to do?"
"Thy Uncle had told me of stories of thy kind; tall, restless men who stop at nothing to save the world: Humanity's last hope. If thy power's are but a fraction of the stories I have heard, thou can protect the town, and limit the attacks to outside the borders. What doth thou say?" She said.
"I will help." I said, "Let's go." Suddenly, she grabbed me roughly and teleported away.
I nearly vomited, but I held it in. Thalia waved a hand as her pyjamas turned to armor and she directed me to the entrance of her tent.
I was still in my PJ's, wearing only a silk robe Thalia lent me and bunny slippers. I looked absolutely stupid among the armored Exiles, especially with my sword strapped.
Despite my ridiculous getup, the Exiles gazed at me with wonder and admiration.
"Wow, he's as tall as Queen Thalia!" A female warrior muttered to her companion.
"Impressive... He's so guapo!"
True. Thalia was a tall woman at nearly 6'0" tall. I was steadily growing as well. And I knew what guapo meant. Maybe... Maybe...
"Damn, what is he wearing?!" One cried in jest, "I guess bein' a Messiah, you can wear what you want when you want, without worryin' what other punks say..."
"You're totally misunderstanding it! He's so badass, he doesn't even need to change into his armor!"
"He's so badass, he can take the Ilikioménon in his PJ's!"
"The actual 16th Messiah... I'd thought I'd never reach 3000 years without seeing another one!"
"Pay up. He's totally wearing the same sword the First one did..."
Talks like that became common as we walked through the camp. I realized we were on top of Mt. Iwa, a small mountain, which seemed like a big hill. Coincidentally, Elder and I fought here before, the place where his blood spilled became a small garden of black nightlock plants.
Several ladies went by and started to greet Thalia.
"Oh, Queen Thalia, yer majesty!" An old nursemaid cried, "Is this the young feller you'se engage with, is that it?"
Thalia looked at me apologetically, "Er..."
"I thought you was suppose tah marry the Messiah, Queen?" A young lady said, "Well, if that fella is as good lookin' as this lad, I'd a taken him in a heartbeat!"
"Thou art mistaken, ladies..." Thalia stammered, "This is Mr. Minato, and-"
"Ah, yer that fella who'd a got an arse kickin' by our Queen! Well, that's her way of saying 'ah love ye'-"
"Ladies, please be a-going now." Thalia said sternly as the ladies complied quickly, "Sigh... I must apologise for their behavior... It seems like days of old, wherein two young people were the talk of the town... Shall we move?"
I nodded as we ascended the top most point of the mount. I saw the scenic and peacful town of Iwatodai, but then I was appalled at what I saw at the other side. A horde of roiling black blobs bearing the mountain like a black, creeping mist. She nodded to me as I concentrated.
MESSIAH!" I cried as I raised two hands to the sky.
"Thou art I... And I am thou... with the powers of the Universe Arcana, I come... I am Messiah, Redeemer of Man!" Messiah declared broadly. Suddenly, my Persona appeared as everyone below gasped, including Thalia. "It's him!" They all bowed down in front of the two of us.
"I need your help. We need to secure Iwatodai." I said as he nodded. We both held out our hands and pointed with our index and middle fingers. Several balls of energy shot out of our fingertips like Roman Candles as they formed a dome over Iwatodai and its borders. I was certain this would do, since the shadows that rushed towards the newly made shield disentegrated. One spellcaster blasted the shield with a supercharged Mabufudyne, but the shield reflected it.
One Exile crept forward and touched the shield. He passed through unharmed as he took a deep breath of relief and began to taunt the Shadows at the border and made suggestions on where they should plant their bottoms on, who hissed at him.
"Thank you." I said to Messiah as he bowed and returned to my mind again.
The same warrior ran and attacked a shadow, ran back when they came close and did it again after they let their guard down.
"Give that man a raise." I said as Thalia bowed.
"Many thanks, Mr. Minato." Thalia said, "At least now, we can rest. Though we do not need it, it is good to sleep every so often. And, uh, we are going to have a Gala-Ball now. Would thou like to be my date?" She invited me rather shyly.
"Oh... Um... I'm sorry. I can't go. I have plans tomorrow. A party from dusk til dawn." I said as her face fell. I then had an idea, "Would you like to come with me tomorrow?"
Her face brightened up, "Me, being invited by thee to an outing... I would like that."
"Nothing romantic." I added, "Wear modern clothes. I'll see you tomorrow at seven." I said as I teleported away, as a trial, and hit a wall, a lamp post and a door before heading to Narda. I slept easy, due to the exertion from summoning Messiah.
I was awakened at 5 AM. Thalia was smiling as she greeted me.
"Thalia... What are you doing...?" I groaned as she removed my sheets.
"You told me that the party will be from dawn to dusk. It's dawn." She pointed to the sky, which was now lighting up.
"The sun isn't even up now... Five more minutes..." I said as Thalia rolled her eyes.
After exactly five minutes, Thalia produced an arrow and poked my butt with it as I yelped. I decided, smartly, to wake up before she takes a flail and shove it somewhere I wouldn't like.
To my surprise, she wore tattered bell bottoms, sandals, a tie-dyed duster, blue hippy shades and a Reggae cap.
"What are you wearing?" I had to ask.
"Why, thou hath told me to weareth some modern garments, yes?" Thalia said smartly.
"Well, you do look retro... Really retro." I admitted, "But wrong timeline, wrong continent."
"Ah, I see now!" Thalia cried as she teleported and immediately came back after a while, this time in a kimono and wearing Geisha makeup.
"Okay, you do look nice... But we're headed to a beach." I said as I ran to Minako's part of Narda, which was, as per Minako, unpacked. I grabbed a few clothes and returned to the room and went to Leah's old roomand grabbed a few as well.
"Okay, these should do. What do you want to wear?" I asked.
"Oh, a Victorian Era gown that I wore as a lass! Oh, those days indeed!"
"Victorian- How old are you?" I asked.
"Hmmm... 17 in Exile reckoning." Thalia said, "But in human years, I am nearly 2,533 years of age."
"Okay... That's shocking. But I think we can get you into shape." I said as I helped her change. I didn't peek when she changed though.
When we were done, I took some of Junpei's hairgel and straightener (seriously, does he even have hair?) and made her hair become straighter and spikier.
When it was all done, she looked great. She wore my black skinny jeans (which had been shredded in a fight against Elder), Leah's white halter top, a leather jacket from Akihiko and black Chuck Taylors from Minako. I wanted to make her look tomboyish, so others don't get the wrong idea, so I added black lipstick and eyeliner as well as a cap from Junpei's collection.
"I look..." Thalia breathed as Junpei went in.
"Dude, you readpwekfmvwpijrfnvjivnffjn-" he literally said that as he gawked at Thalia, who glared at him with hostility, "Minato... Whose your friend...?" He said in a tranced voice.
"Oh!" I cried, "Um... This is Thalia. She's, er, my second cousin, once removed from my mother's side and my third cousin's second sister's fourth daughter from my dad's side."
"Heh. Works for me..." Junpei then came closer, "Hey there! MY NAME IS JUNPEI! CAN YOU UNDERSTAND JAPANESE?" He raised a hand as Thalia did a takedown with ease.
"Don't you dare raise a hand against me, I consider that a threat!" Thalia hissed in modern Greece, which I understood slightly.
"Thalia!" I cried as she let go.
"This peasant might be an agent of Elder!" She cried.
"Hey, yo, I might look like a ladykiller, but I'm really an nice guy!" Junpei squaked in English.
"Haha, Junpei's not a spy! He's my best friend!" I laughed.
Thalia let go and did an 'I-see-you' gesture.
Junpei massaged his shoulder, "Geez... Anyway, everyone's ready now. Let's go down." Junpei said as Thalia nervously went down.
Everyone was downstairs, including Minako. Probably since I locked Narda... Also, notably, Yukari was present as well.
Everyone looked curiously at her.
"Whoa!" Lee said, "What a freaking hottie!" He sighed as Fuuka glared at him.
"Damn, I think I'm in love for the first time!" Kenji sighed as Rio cracked her knuckles, "And for the last time too! With Rio!"
"Goddamn!" Quan said as Pinky put her hands to her hips, "Pinky looks fine today!"
"Dang..." Akihiko muttered as Leah glared at him, "I think I'm gonna tell my wife I love her!"
"Greetings to you male and female children. My name is Thalia." Thalia greeted aloofly in English, "Er, I am the second cousin once removed from my mother's side of Minato. And the third cousin's second sister's fourth daughter from Minato's side."
"Minato's cousin, eh?" Kenji said bitterly, "I guess people have all the luck with genes and looks and stuff..."
"I guess it's all in the family." Lee said.
"Lee..." Fuuka sighed.
"What?" Lee said as he pecked Fuuka in the cheek.
"Uh... Okay." Rio said in confusion, "You're related."
"Hey, why didn't you give us a heads up before inviting your cousin?" Minako asked.
"Oh, she just came from... er, Greece, and called me a day ago." I explained, using the cover story, "She stayed at a hotel and visited me today. I thought it'd be nice to bring her along."
"My kinsman is correct, however, if thou doth thinkest that I wouldst be a burden to thy trip, I shall gladly leave and not trouble thee with my presence."
Kenji looked at Quan for an explaination, but he shrugs.
"Oh, no, I didn't mean that you can't come!" Minako said hurriedly, "I meant, the food might not be enough... I mean, isn't hospitality a big thing in Greece?"
"Thou art correct, female child. My father was strict on the laws regarding hospitality. He once destroyed an entire village and-" Thalia began, but I warned her with a sharp look, "And... And rebuilt it even bigger than before!"
"Well, I doubt food can be a problem. There's a river called 'Samegawa' that runs from a town called 'Inaba' that is across the beach. I think you men can catch a few fishes for us?" Yukari said for the first time, "Besides, isn't fish what Greeks eat besides olives?"
"Thy conjecture is correct." Thalia said, "I must say, I am impressed with your social circle, Minato-san."
"That sounds exquisite. Shall we go now?" I said.
"Yeah! Road trip!" Quan cried.
"Shotgun!" Lee announced, "Quan's designated driver."
"Aw..." Quan protested.
We rode out to the beach, in the back of the Outrider, and Thalia looked like she was having fun.
When we arrived, the beach looked so peaceful. There were only a few people though, which was cool. There was a beautiful girl with satiny black hair, a short, brown haired sporty girl, a gingery haired teenager and a bleach blonde boy keeping to himself as he stared into the horizon.
We set up our stuff at the far side. It was decided that Lee, Akihiko, Quan, Junpei and I would go fishing, while Kenji would start the fire and the girls do the cooking and the setting up the stuff.
We rented fishing rods and bait. Then, we trekked along the path and eventually reached the a part where the river meets the sea.
But along the way, there was this old man who accosted us.
"Are you youngsters headed to fish!?" He asked with crazed eyes.
"Uh, yeah, we are." Lee said uncertainly.
"Beware of the Guardian! The Sea Guardian! Beware! BEWARE!" He wailed as he ran away.
"Tch... Crazy old man..." Lee shook his head and we walked off.
Lee set down his pack and opened it, "Let's start fishing." He grabs a stick of dynamite and a lighter.
"What are you doing?!" I cried, "What the hell is that?!"
"I think you of all people would know what a stick of dynamite when you see one." Lee said.
"That's not how you fish!" I cried, "Fishing is a spiritual thing! You don't throw dynamites willy nily!"
"Gee, that sure sounds boring." Lee said as he puts down the stick.
"Hey, what can be better than tossing our lines out in the river, catch a few fish, gut them open, shove them into a fire and eat them?" I said.
"Heh, whatever, I bet I can catch plenty fish! This one guy from my unit, Felix, managed to catch an 8-pound catfish... head. It was so big, you could fit your head in it! I'll catch one like it!" Lee declared as he grabbed a worm from the bait case and tried to hook it, but he missed and hit his thumb and hooked it, "Yow! Ah!"
"Relax, you big baby! Use the hook to remove that hook!" Quan cried.
"That's a brilliant idea- Ow!" Lee said as he got another hook into his thumb.
After a while, they actually managed to hook a worm in. Akihiko and I already caught more than a few dozen trout.
"Alright, I had enough." Junpei said after catching a few fish and set the rod down and grabbed his PS Vita.
"Noobs..." Akihiko muttered as Lee climbed a tree to unhook it from a branch.
"Tell me about it." I said as Quan casted and hooked Lee's underwear. Lee fell to the other side as Quan reeled the line, casing it to give Lee an atomic wedgie.
"You moron! Let me down!" Lee cried as Quan shrugged and produced a small penknife and began saw on the line, "No wait-" Lee cried as he fell down on the soft ground.
Eventually, the wised up and imitated my and Akihiko's moves.
"This is how you do it... Look at this and weep, Minato-kun!" Quan began fly fishing by casting the rod three times, and on the third, he managed to hook Junpei's Vita and casting it on the river.
"Ack!" Junpei cried as he dove for the river, but Quan's line was empty.
"If I can't find my Vita, you're gonna pay me! And my collateral will be your car!" Junpei cried as he waded into the river and began searching.
After an hour or so, Quan managed to catch half a dozen fish, while Lee only caught two.
"That's it!" Lee cried, "I ain't losin' to a nerd like Quan!" He grabs a revolver, cocks it, wades in and starts firing into the river. He grabs the dead fish and throws it into the basket, reloads and starts firing again.
Suddenly, something knocks him down.
"Ay-yo! What the hell was that?!" Lee cried as he looked around.
"I didn't see nothing." Quan said.
"Maybe it's the current?" Akihiko suggested.
"I dunno, that was no current, it felt like an underwater linebacker!" Lee said cautiously.
"Haha, Lee, you must be on- AHHHHH!" Junpei cried as something dragged him underwater. Junpei then resurfaced and fought off a really gigantic white arowana-shark-bass hybrid. It had red eyes, had razor sharp rows of triangular teeth and hissed loudly.
"Help me!" Junpei cried as he held the monster's jaw open with both hands, "Ayeeee!" Junpei squealed as the sea monster tried to shut its mouth.
"What in the world is THAT!?" I cried in horror as the fish tried to devour Junpei.
Lee rolled up his sleeves, "Whatever the hell it is, it just messed with the wrong person!" Lee cried as he jumped in and began punching the fish as it tried to struggle out, "That's my friend!" Lee cried as he pummelled the fish.
"Get him, Lee!" Akihiko cheered, "Right! Left! Right! Left! Oh, he's toothless!"
"Watch those teeth! Watch those teeth!" Quan coached as Lee wrapped his arms around the fish's neck, trying to tire him out as Junpei grabbed its tail.
"Watch the tail!" I cried as Junpei got slapped with it.
"A little help?" Lee commanded as we jumped in and wrestled the monster to shore.
"Look at the size of that monster!" I said in amazement as the fish hissed like a crocodile.
"That is THE biggest koi fish I've ever seen!" Junpei panted as he wiped the sweat off his brow.
"Yeah! That'll show Felix!" Quan cried, "The fish he caught is just fishbait compared to this monster!"
"Oh yea! I won!" Lee cried.
"Hey, that only counts as one!" Akihiko said, "Let's bring this dude back and eat him!"
We dragged it back to camp, where the guys were already ready. Kenji was still trying to get a fire going with two sticks as Rio watched on.
"Hey, they're back!" Pinky squealed.
"What did you boys catch?" Fuuka asked.
"Only a fish the size of Korea!" Quan cried.
"You're gutting it." Leah added, "That thing looks like it has human sized guts!"
"Of course." Lee sighed as he tied the fish upside down and began to gut it with his knife. Then, a slimy black thing came out and Lee picked it up, "Looks like I found your Vita, Junpei."
Junpei took it, "You're fixing this." He tosses it to Quan, who caught it.
Rio, who was observing Kenji trying to start a fire, was mildly amused, "You never really were good at being a boy scout, huh?"
Kenji looked at her with annoyance, "Oh yeah? What tipped you off, genius? Is it the way my skin peels off or the way these sticks won't burn up?" He said sarcastically.
"You better hurry, I think there might be wild dogs around."
"Great. I mean, what's the worst place in the world without man-eating fish and wild dogs?" Kenji said sarcastically.
"We need fire to cook." Rio pointed out.
"Well, if you want to help, then please do." Kenji said as Rio laughed and she lit the kindling with a lighter, "Rio, are you freaking serious?! I've been working on that for 2 hours now!"
"I know. I've been watching for two hours now." She gives him a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks for the entertainment."
"Argh! Women!" Kenji muttered sourly.
I let them be and saw Yukari, Minako and Thalia getting along... Well, at least Thalia. Minako was still cold towards Yukari, who tried to become friends again.
"Minato, your cousin is so funny!" Minako laughed, "I never met biker chicks this hilarious!"
"Yeah! She is so awesome! Some guys tried to flirt with us, but she made insults so good and so subtle, those boys walked away and weren't sure if they were insulted or not." Yukari said.
"The case tis simplicity in itself." Thalia said, "Those peasants are below me. Yet you two and the rest are indeed now a part of my social circle."
Minako looks at Yukari, who shrugs.
"Let's cook the fish?" Thalia asked, "I am very good at making Mediterranean style fish."
"I say we salt it. That's the way it goes." Minako said.
"No way, grilling it is better. We either grill it or it'll taste awful." Yukari said as they debated on the topic.
Then, the two turn to me, "Which one is better?"
It's really hard to choose... Like asking if I'd prefer Minako or Yukari... I'd rather not answer, since I don't want to hurt Yukari's feelings yet, "No comment."
"You're no fun." Yukari said as she began debating with Minako.
We had a really great time together and left at around 6 PM. Minako, sadly, still had a few more days left, but I was extremely determined to make it count. Thalia made friends with almost everyone (everyone except the boys, who she gave the cold shoulder to) and the girls made her promise to come next time around.
We delivered each to their respective houses and went back to ours. Everyone immediately rested, while Junpei borrowed my PS Vita (he still hadn't recovered his from Quan) and smiled while playing PersonaL 4.
"You know your crush is getting serious when you start naming your favorite characters after her-" he teased.
"ShutupShutupShutup!" I hissed at Junpei, hoping Minako didn't hear anything.
Then, Thalia came by, "I fervently thank thee, Minato, for this time. I truly did enjoyeth myself with thy friends. I hope, in time, thou shalt invite me to more gatherings."
"My pleasure, Queen Thalia. I thank you for defending Iwatodai." I said.
"Don't mind me, just trying to get past Magatsu-Abani..." Junpei muttered, "This Marie chick is pretty hot..."
"I should be going now..." She said as she kissed my hand, "I shall be in contact." She said as she disappeared.
Thankfully, Junpei didn't notice.
Suddenly, I recieved a call from someone I really missed talking to, "Grandma? Hello?"
"Minato! How are you? I saw you and your friends by the Inaba Beach today!" She said.
"Well, yes." I said, "Sorry I didn't see you!"
"It's fine. Now, give me an update with the Minako situation."
"It's absolutely horrible, gran, just awful!" I cried.
"Tell me!"
I told her about everything that happened so far. It took an hour or so, but I eventually finished, omitting Elder and a few other kinks that would sound unnatural.
"That is awful... Only if you choose it to be." She said, "You should go on a date with her tomorrow. That will make things clear."
"Y'know what, Gran? I'll do that!" I cried.
"Go get her, Minato!" She said as she hung up.
I immediately made plans with Minako, who, of course, agreed to go and hang out tomorrow. Excited, I went to bed and slept.
I had a dream.
Elder was doing something strange. It seemed as if he were holding a gun, a ruger, and looked uncertainly at it, "I just... shoot?"
"Correct." Sensei's voice said, "Do it. That was the tool of choice the Messiah himself used back then."
"So... Point it to my head, say 'Persona' and pull the trigger?"
"Yes."
He nods and nervously puts it on his head, "Per...so...na..." He then pulls the trigger as a column of energy explodes from his head.
You are me, and I am you...
From the depths of your soulless body I emerge...
I am the destroyer of mankind and the true king of earth.
It took a while for him to form, but I was extremely shocked... Greyed body, mottled skin, veins of blood circularting through his mutilated skin, his eyes bleeding and his head crowned.
It was... Him.
The Great Enemy.
A/N: I just want to say that the P4 cast was non canon and is just a shoutout.
Also, because I love you all, I made this chapter longer than it was suppose to be. Enjoy and you don't need to review if you don't want to! In fact, just don't! Read and DON'T review.
Q/A: (I will readress a few questions)
Blue: Was Marzy on the right track because you were too scared to tell me yourself? For shame... :(
DragOn: thank you! I appreciate that!
Thank you for following the story, unlike others who easily believe anything they read. Actually, DoA is a spinoff of DoS...
Well, we shall see then, eh?
Hoshi: Actually, it was supposed to be GREY exiles, but I was in a hurry :P and yup, Cato was a good guy to the end. He kinda died valiantly and without fear. The Exiles are not humans, mind. They're like Elder.
Radaketor: Yup. And it was a mistake. And I don't like Ekoda because he's corrupt and mean. I tapped his true potential here as an evil guy.