Chapter 57: Loss of Blue
|Solar Ray Mall - Bianca's Flower Garden|16:49 pm|
Today had been a long day. The Solar Ray Mall was thriving as ever, each store inside bursting with customers. The Late Summer Sales had started this week, which had prompted the mass increased in shoppers. Bianca's flower stall had enjoyed a small boost in revenue too, thanks to the sales. She had checked her reviews online, and she was rated very favourably. It was nearly time for her to close up, when she saw someone familiar leave the mall. This was Roger Martin, the man who saved the mall from closure and still worked tirelessly to improve it.
"Ah, hello boss." Bianca said, smiling, as Roger came over. "You've come here every week lately. The lucky lady must be running out of room to place these flowers by now..."
"Not really. I just have to be creative." Roger said. "When you own the most successful shopping complex in the city, it's easier to buy flowers for the one you love. Back when I was young, I had to save up a lot just to get a small bouquet of roses."
"You've certainly accomplished a lot with this place. You should enjoy the fruits of your labour." Bianca said. "How is Karen, anyway?"
"She's doing great. A little busy with her work, but so am I. Actually, I'm thinking of asking her to move in with me. I mean, we've been spending so much time together. Why not take the next step?"
"That's nice!" Bianca said. "I hope she says yes. Anyway, here you go, another dozen red roses."
"Thank you." Roger said. "Tell me, does your Kazuya buy you flowers?"
"Not a lot. That might be because I have plenty of them already!" Bianca said, laughing. "Instead, he makes origami swans and things like that. I tried doing that, but I used up all the coloured paper."
"Hahaha!" Roger smiled, and paid for the roses. "Well then, I'll leave you to it. Take care now."
Roger left, whistling to himself. Bianca had lost count of the men who came to her, hoping to impress a special lady in their lives. Some of them, however, were just hoping that giving them flowers would earn them special favours of a certain kind. Bianca tried not to let that get to her - after all, spreading the city with her flowers was her life's goal.
"Hey!" Kazuya said. Bianca gasped - he had been there the whole time whilst she was checking her tulips. "Guess what. They were talking about you on TV!"
"Are you serious?" Bianca said. "What channel?"
"Channel 6. It wasn't anything big, they were just talking about romantic gifts and great places to find them." Kazuya said. "You are ready to go now, right?"
"Certainly, Kazuya-kun." Bianca said. "Richard's certainly training hard. I hope he doesn't tire himself out too much."
"I...phew...heard...that!"
As if on cue, Richard was behind them, sweating buckets. Kazuya laughed, whilst Bianca smiled, instinctively reaching for a water bottle.
"Thanks, Bee." Richard said, grabbing the bottle. "I gotta get faster. Next month, we're gonna win!"
"Well, I hope you do." Bianca said. "Let me lock up, and we'll hit Saragel."
"Hey, Kaz..." Richard said, still breathing heavily. "You have any more weird dreams?"
"There was an odd one a while ago, actually. A man with red hair attacked a rather irritating woman..." Kazuya said. "I didn't recognise either of them, though."
"Oh." Richard said. "I didn't have that one. You think we're still having those dreams from the past like Stella said?"
"Most likely." Kazuya said. "We must have lead interesting lives in our former lives. The strange thing is, though, the place in my dream looked fairly modern. Well, it's just a dream."
"Ah, you're already here." Alastair said, behind Richard. "I see you've already been training."
"Ally!" Richard said, smiling. "How you been, old pal?"
"I'm twenty six, Richard. I'm not old enough to be called that." Alastair said. "Listen, before we head to Saragel, I'd like to buy us all dinner."
"Really?" Kazuya asked. "That's awfully kind of you, but you did that last week -"
"So? What's wrong with me doing it again?" Alastair said. "Bianca, how would you like to try the best Greek restaurant in the city?"
"I don't know any Greek restaurants in the city, but...why not?" Bianca said. "I can never resist your dinner invites. It's so wonderful, having a friend who knows good food."
"Indeed it is. Now then, if we're ready, let's go." Alastair said.
As Roger brushed some sweat from his brow, he noticed a young woman in the distance, watching him. It was Keisha Vivaldi, Roger's secretary.
"Who's she?" Kazuya asked. "Does she know you, Richard?"
"Nope. Never seen her before." Richard said. "But she's looking right at me! What should I do?"
"Wave at her!" Bianca said. "She might want to come over."
Richard smiled, and waved at Keisha. She simply shrugged, and left. Richard's smile quickly vanished, and he stood there, quiet.
"That didn't exactly work." Alastair said. "Maybe she was interested in someone else."
"Please, I'm sure she was interested in Richard." Bianca said. "Don't get discouraged, Richard. You might see her again."
"Uh...yeah!" Richard said. "C'mon, how do we get to this Greek place? I'm hungry!"
"Well, we take a left from here..." Alastair said. The team left the area, for yet another dinner for four.
|Amara's Apartment|17:50 pm|
"So why did we meet here again?" Blaine asked.
"Because, Blaine, we don't need to eat out every time we go to the other world. Besides, Amara's place is the nearest one to the warehouse." Nathan said. "Anyway, I might as well tell you all. This Thursday, I will be 29 years old."
"What, really?" Serena said. "So next year, you'll be as old as Blaine!"
"My little Nathan's becoming a man..." Blaine said, grinning. "They grow up so fast!"
"Knock it off!" Nathan said. "Anyway, I'd like to invite you over to my house to celebrate. Don't forget, however, that the other guests are rather distinguished members of society. Are any of you interested?"
"Of course I'll go!" Amara said. "You're only twenty nine once."
"I'll be there, too!" Serena said.
"Sure, but...upper class guys can be so stuffy. My grandpa got invited to some big event, and his beard pretty much got him excluded from anything else." Zao said. Nathan sighed.
"If there's free booze...I'm there, man!" Blaine cheered, as he drank a can of cider. "C'mon, at times like these, you gotta get wild, and party the fuck out!"
"My celebrations are going to be somewhat tamer than yours, I imagine." Nathan said. "I just hope you don't make a mess. Especially since..."
"Since what, Nathan?" Serena asked.
"...I'm going to ask Priscilla to marry me."
Serena and Amara gasped. There was silence, but at the same time, the girls ran over and hugged Nathan. Zao smiled, and gave a thumbs up, whilst Blaine just silently chuckled.
"What's the matter with you two? She hasn't said yes yet!" Nathan said, laughing.
"We're just so happy for you! What took you so long, dude?" Serena asked. "You've been together most of your lives!"
"You're right. I could have asked her any time since we graduated together - probably before then - and I'm sure she would have said yes. But I was just comfortable with my life the way it was. I knew I wanted to be with her my whole life, regardless of whether or not she was Miss Lancaster or Mrs Albion. But now I want to make it official - it's time to grow up, and really become a man." Nathan said.
"Oh come on, you don't need to go through with a big ceremony with white doves and horses and fireworks for that. You're already a man!" Blaine said. "But..."
"What?" Nathan said.
"...Congratulations, man. You deserve it." Blaine said. He got up, and gave Nathan a hug.
"Oh, me too! Me too!" Zao said, who leapt forward to hug the two men.
"Easy, Zao! There's still pencils all over the floor!" Blaine said. "At least Nathan knows how to tidy up!"
"Now I'm really in the mood. Let's celebrate the upcoming nuptials by killing some Shadows!" Serena said. "I can't wait to tell everyone over there!"
"No, not yet. Let's wait until Priscilla says yes." Nathan said. "I don't think the others are going to be in a party mood. Besides, there could be another Divine Spark coming."
"Sheesh, you are one boring ass bastard." Blaine said, smirking. Amara didn't get how he could speak that way, and still sound friendly. "If we've got a Divine Spark on the way, we better go and make an even bigger spark! Let's get going!"
|Other World - Secret Base|18:30 pm|
No one was present today. However, there was coffee on the table that was still warm, and Kyle's computer was still on. It was installing some sort of executable program called "Arcadia".
"Oh, Arcadia!" Serena said. "That's the best emulator ever, made by Gimmel Millennium. I played Spiral Nemesis on it, and it worked okay."
"That's great, but where is everyone?" Nathan said. "Oh, hold on." He picked up a hastily handwritten note, and began reading it out loud.
If you guys from the other world are coming today we're all out getting some practice. Nothing really big happened and Lucy and Shirley haven't shown up anywhere yet. You might as well go out and kill some Shadows. If you do then here is where we will be:
Takanawa Arcade: Me Dan Matthew Alastair Tara
Farawell Shadow Development Centre: Aimee Kaman Keisha Bianca Roger
Aeternus Shopping Complex: Kazuya Amara Blaine Serena Nathan
Saragel Beach: Priscilla Karen Seraphina Richard
"Hmm, it's rare for the Holy Cross to split up." Amara said. "Well then, where should we go?"
"How about Legarte Harbour?" Zao asked. "You guys said you went there once before, right? When Kyle got kidnapped and you had to go look for him?"
"Yeah, that's right. Boy, that kid was freaked out for a while." Blaine said. "How come you wanna go there?"
"...Maybe I can find out what happened to my grandpa." Zao said. "After all, we still haven't met my other self, right? I want to know what's going on with the harbour, anyway."
"Alright. Let's go back to the harbour." Serena said. "But Zao, you know it'll be in a really bad way, right? After all, the city's closed off - and we're floating in the air, too."
"I still need to see it with my own eyes. So we're going!" Zao said. "C'mon, hurry up!"
|Takanawa - Digital Destiny Arcade|18:45 pm|
"I don't recall ever coming here before." Tara said.
"Me either. Environments like these hold little appeal for me." Alastair said.
The Digital Destiny Arcade had once been a popular venue, with a vast array of games. There was sections, or 'Clusters', for each genre. The entire place had a black and green look, and there were model robots and futuristic looking furniture everywhere.
In both worlds, the arcade had shut down. This world's had been overrun by Shadows, and the Ornatu Legion were given no orders to protect it. In the normal world, however, a lack of interest in arcade gaming led to the place's eventual downsizing and later closure. Now, a traditional Japanese hotel was being constructed where the arcade once stood.
The team had been looking around the establishment for a while now, and nothing of note had come up. Still, Matthew couldn't help but notice some loud noises towards the south part of the arcade.
"Hey, Kyle!" Matthew shouted. Kyle was taking apart an old arcade cabinet, that was once a car racing game. "What are you doing over there?"
"I'm trying to see if there are any parts worth taking. I could use some of these and modify them." Kyle said. "But they're all rusted. Damn."
"Kyle at it again?" Dan said, amused. "Matt, just leave him. When it comes to him and his technology, he won't quit. Some nights, he'll fall asleep at the computer, and I have to get him into bed."
"That so?" Matthew said, thinking to himself. "Hmm...I might just be able to help him out. Leave it with me. When I get back to Clairdol tonight, I should be able to arrange something."
"Arrange what?" Kyle said, leaving the remains of the cabinet.
"It's a surprise!" Matthew said, smiling. "Come on, this place is falling to bits."
"Why did we have to come to a dump like this?" Alastair said. "We should have gone to Kazuya's family restaurant. Even in times like these, they're still going strong."
"We didn't go out for food, you know." Tara said. "We're here to take down Shadows. Besides, I don't even like Japanese food that much."
"Have you ever tried it?" Alastair said. "Sushi may sound off-putting at first, but it's really quite a delicious blend of flavours that makes a delightful meal."
"Oh boy..." Matthew said.
"This guy sure loves his food." Dan said. "We sure could have used a guy like him when you were growing up. You remember, right Matthew? I couldn't even make those ready meals without something going wrong. It's pretty bad when you can't even handle shoving stuff in a microwave."
"Yeah. You were really bad." Matthew said, smiling. "No wonder you always just ordered Chinese. I was always so happy when it was Blaine's turn to cook!"
"You must have had a lot of fun back then." Kyle said, with a bitter tone to his voice. "Anyway, I'm done. Let's continue fighting Shadows."
"What?" Alastair said. "We haven't found any to begin with!"
Right behind him, a peculiar Shadow appeared before him. It looked like a fusion of a warlock and a gnarled blossom tree. A Nyogo. Next to it was a powerful wizard type Shadow, a Magus, as well as one that resembled two Twins stuck together.
"Ther are Shadows right behind me, aren't they?" Alastair said.
Alastair quickly turned around, and slashed the Nyogo with his blade. However, the steel blade just phased right through it, and the Nyogo smacked Alastair around a bit with it's branches. The Twins were quick to follow up, assaulting Alastair with a spin attack.
"Hold on!" Matthew said. "Aero Slash!" Acolnahuacatl pounced out of nowhere, and attacked the Magus with slashes powered by the wind. The Magus, making aggrieved noises, started to cast a spell - but nothing happened.
"What happened?" Tara asked. The Twins darted at her, but she struck back with her weapon.
"Simple! He's been silenced!" Matthew said. "Now it can't do anything to help out!"
"Sweet!" Dan said. "Ziodyne!"
Electricity struck the Nyogo, but it had very little effect. In retaliation, it cast Magarula. The spell packed quite a bunch. It was rather likely that it had the innate Wind Boost ability.
"Mamagnara!" Tara conjured Maká, and blasted the Shadows with powerful rock blasts. This eliminated the Magus, but the Twins and Nyogo were still alive.
"Son of a bitch! Die already!" Matthew said, rushing at the Twins. He furiously swung his knives, but somehow, the Twins didn't feel any pain. Instead, Matthew felt like something was striking him. "Oww..."
"Crap. Your physical moves are getting reflected." Kyle said. "Hold on. I think I can finish off the Nyogo in one hit. Agidyne!"
Hephaestus sent forth a blast of fire that completely reduced the Nyogo to ashes. The Twins seemed to recoil in horror. In fact, they started dashing towards the exit, but Tara jumped in front of them. They turned around, but Alastair had positioned himself behind them.
"Okay, Alastair, I know you prefer fighting with your own buddies, but how would you like to try a move with me?" Tara said.
"This should be interesting. Yes, let's do that." Alastair said. Michael emerged, and Maká touched Michael's blade with her staff. Their weapons were empowered by a green glow, the power of Mother Earth itself.
"Gaia's Grace!" The two of them called out. It seemed strange, but when Persona users combined their attacks, they seemed to both know the name of the move they created. Perhaps that was due to their combined will. Michael impaled the ground near the Twins, and a massive stone pillar shaped like Michael's sword rose from beneath the Twins. The pillar broke apart, hitting the Twins with an avalanche of rocks as they fell to the ground. Their power was lost, and they dissolved into nothingness.
"Phew!" Tara said. "I haven't seen that tree Shadow kind before. They're tough. I have to remember to train more while I'm here."
"Yeah." Matthew said. "It's hard to get practice in when you're in Clairdol. There's not even a good gym back there. The best they have are exercise bikes and treadmills."
"Hehe..." Dan said, suddenly smug. "Lemme guess. You're jealous of your big brother's buff body?"
"What on earth?" Alastair said, with a look of incredulity. "Are you serious?"
"Dan!" Matthew said. "It's not that. I just wish I was strong, you know. Like, enough to knock out anyone trying to mess with people I care about. You used to do it all the time. Saved my behind a lot of times."
"You still remember, huh?" Dan said. "I did get a little out of control. But they were trying to rob you. I wasn't going to let him take your pocket money. The idea of them making my little bro sad just...got me so riled up."
"I see." Alastair said. "Matthew, I don't think you need to emulate your brother to protect people. In fact, you're a detective. You should have better ways to administer justice."
"Justice..." Matthew said. "Well, maybe so. It'd be nice to be a little tougher, though."
"Nah, you're fine as it is. Besides, big bros have to be tough." Dan said. "C'mon! The Shadows are dead meat! There might be some outside, so let's get it on!"
"...What?" Tara said.
"Woops, bad choice of words." Dan said. "Let's just go out and make some noise, okay?"
"I suppose it might be entertaining to partake in more fights like these." Alastair said. "Once we're done, I'll prepare some late night snacks to replenish our energy. There's something rather unique I've been looking into - a type of gum with a meat flavour."
"Oh, come on. What kind of carnivore would eat that?" Dan said.
"Well, you never really did eat salad..." Matthew said.
"Ah, shaddup. Let's go already!" Dan rushed out of the arcade. Matthew and Kyle followed, laughing.
"Meat gum?" Tara said, raising her eyebrow.
"Well, it could catch on!" Alastair said, sheepishly.
|Farawell Shadow Development Centre|19:00 pm|
"So what kind of place is this?" Kaman said. He stared around the entrance, and frowned.
"They used it to create Shadows, until they finished building the headquarters." Aimee said. "Also, I'm glad you finally changed clothes."
"You are?" Kaman said. "I'm not sure this outfit is very me. It feels a bit youthful."
Aimee gazed at the new clothes Keisha had helped pick for him. He had a blue and black vest on,that was padded, with a long white scarf with a metal cross fixed near the middle. Also, he had blue pants with zips at the ends - Keisha's reasoning being that zips were the new fashion craze - and a belt, complete with a silver chain. Completing his new look were gray arm guards.
"It's not a bad look, you know." Bianca said.
"Yeah, she's right!" Keisha said, wrapping her arms around Bianca. "You look smoking hot! Another awesome wardrobe, developed by the genius of Keisha Vivaldi!"
"Genius...right. If you say so. I guess I'll stick with it for a little while." Kaman said. "Anyway, why don't you girls go on ahead? I wanna catch a quick smoke."
"Why just the girls? You think I want to be around your cigarette smoke too? Fat chance. I'm going up ahead to waste some Shadows. Catch you later." Roger said, grumbling.
"Oh, he is such an asshole!" Keisha said. "Why are all the older guys here so...ungraceful? I mean, they're so rough around the edges, with their alcohol, their smoking, and their foul language!"
"Sorry, missy, but with my wife gone, I had other things to think about than trying to be a pretty boy." Kaman said. "Go on, go help Roger beat up Shadows."
Keisha shrugged, and reluctantly followed Roger. Bianca hesitated, and looked at Kaman.
"Hey, you." Kaman said. "You're into flowers, aren't ya?"
"Yes..." Bianca said. "I love them. They're the perfect works of nature, with dazzling colours and beautiful petals, growing in the bright sunlight."
"Heh. Sounds like me. I used to rave about selling beer all the time, to anyone who would listen. I practised all the time, trying to serve the perfect cocktails, and chatting to all the young drinkers out for a fun Friday night. Even the bad guests, who I had to throw out - I loved it all." Kaman said. "...But I don't think I can ever feel like that again."
"But surely, if you put your mind to it-"
"It's not my mind...it's my heart." Kaman said, thumping his chest. "I just don't want to go through all that again. When I was married, I didn't mind having to go through all the preparation. I had someone I could complain to...and someone to complain to me about her problems, too. You've got someone special, right?"
"Well, there's Kazuya, Richard, and Alastair. We met under dire circumstances, I'll admit, but they are my best friends. I love them dearly. Kazuya's so eager to teach me about his family's Japanese ancestry. Alastair always comes to me to help him prepare meals for the four of us. And Richard is so full of energy, and he makes me want to run off and jump around with him." Bianca said. "So if I lost them, I'd be...I wouldn't be able to go on."
"...Don't ever take them for granted." Kaman said. "Keep them as your best friends. For as long as you can. And don't ever stop telling them how precious they are to you. If you don't, and you lose your last chance…well, you get the idea."
"I see. Well, I should get going." Bianca said, running to the staircase.
"Tch." Kaman said, pulling out his cigarettes. As he got out his lighter, he saw Aimee standing still. "What, you're still here? You can't enjoy the smell of this. You should hurry up and go after the flower lady."
"...I know how you feel." Aimee said. "The Shadows stole someone precious to me, as well."
"Huh?" Kaman said. "You were married?"
"No!" Aimee said. "I'm only eighteen! I wouldn't be going down the aisle at this age! No, the person who died was my older brother."
"Oh?" Kaman said, putting away his lighter for a second. "When was this?"
"Ten years ago. I...I still can't forget how it happened. Even as he was dying, he was begging me to get away, and to keep going." Aimee said. "He must have known he couldn't have defeated those Shadows. But...I get it now. He didn't want his baby sister to die. He wanted me to go on. Maybe he was hoping Zao was safe, and the two of us would find each other. ...We never did. But I still think I can find him."
"Zao? The wacky fisher boy?" Kaman said. "Oh god, this other world stuff is still messing with my head. Still..."
"What?" Aimee said. Kaman smiled, and put his hand on her hair.
"You're alright." Kaman said. "You seem pretty grown up. And the way you take charge...it's just like Maria, all over again. So I guess I'm glad I'm part of this team."
"...Thank you." Aimee said, her face red. "Um, I should go."
"Sure. I'll see you up there. Don't worry, I'll be kicking ass tonight! You just watch!" Kaman said. Aimee waved as she ran off, and Kaman finally lit up his first cigarette. Now, he was no longer smiling.
"I wonder how long I can keep up this happy face." Kaman said, gazing as his reflection in the window. "What I wouldn't give to be with you right now...Maria."
|Legarte - Aeternus Supply Complex|19:05 pm|
"...And over here is the medicine store. The most common purchases are anti-depressants, bandages, and aspirin." Kazuya said.
"Great. Just great." Other Serena said. "But did we really need the guided tour?"
"Well, what else do you want to do before we jump right in to fighting Shadows?" Kazuya said. "Speaking of which - over there! It's the weird cop kind!"
Kazuya's description was rather apt. Their design defied conventional monster designs. They were odd monsters, resembling overweight police officers. For an inexplicable reason, they had a hole in their torsos that had a key floating inside. These were the Officer variety of Shadows. Perhaps they were a manifestation of negative emotions regarding law enforcement. All across the world, there were many people who took a dim view of the police. However, debating the metaphysical origin of each class of Shadow was pointless. The time had come to destroy them.
"Sekhmet! Agidyne!" Other Amara called out. The flames incinerated one of the cops, knocking him over.
"Artemis! Aquadyne!" Other Serena beckoned. While powerful, her target was not knocked down.
"Setanta! Garudyne!" Other Nathan shouted. This didn't seem to hurt the Officers as much as fire attacks did.
"Go electrocute those cops!" Other Blaine yelled. The others stared at him, despite the more impressive sight of the Officer being electrocuted. "What? I had to follow what you guys were saying?"
"Well, we are supposed to be a team! Can't we co-ordinate our speech a bit more?" Other Serena said.
"Oh, come on." Kazuya said. "Well, you guys already used fire and lightning...so here goes nothing! Uriel, come forth!"
Uriel burst out of his body, gracefully flying into the air. Kazuya smiled, gazing at the Officers before him. Some of them were preparing for attacks, using Rakukaja, Sukukaja, or Power Charge. Clearly, they intended for a massive barrage of physical attacks that would overwhelm their targets fast. Yet, Kazuya had an idea.
"Mahamaon!"
His power over light had grown. Before, he had been a lowly fighter who just managed to cut it above the abilities of an Ornatu Legion soldier. Now, he was stronger than before. Even if Richard, Bianca or Alastair weren't there to fight with him…he liked the new friends he had made. And so, he realised he could fight regardless of who he went with. Uriel's light attack struck, and four out of five of the officers were gone.
"Holy shit!" Other Nathan said.
"Whoa!" Other Blaine said. "You actually said that word!"
"I've been out of social gatherings for a long time now!" Other Nathan said. "But well done, Kazuya! That was absolutely incredible!"
"No kidding." Amara said. "You give really boring tours, but your angel's got some spunk."
"Thank you, everyone." Kazuya said. "Now then, I'll leave the last one to you."
"Got it!" Other Blaine said. Kazuya watched as the others dashed up to the remaining Officer, and...beat it to a bloody pulp with their weapons. Even though it was a monstrosity that had destroyed the peace, Kazuya felt sorry for it. Finally, the attacks stopped, and the Shadows were gone.
"Well, it looks like you...had fun." Kazuya said. "Especially after what happened with Lucy. Oh, I'm sorry, I should not have brought that up."
"...Yeah. You shouldn't." Other Blaine said, sulking. "I'm going up there. You guys do what you like." With that, he went up the stairs.
"I was told that in the other world, Roger became the owner of this place." Other Amara said. "And thanks to him, the place has became the biggest shopping complex in the entire city."
"...You know, I hate to say this, but I'm jealous." Other Nathan said. "We're not welcome in that dimension. If we came over, it would disrupt their peace and create a huge headache for everyone. But it's fine for them. They can pop over, beat up Shadows, and go home to their beds safe and sound."
"When you put it that way, it does seem unfair." Kazuya said. "But they're good people. I think they realise how harsh this environment is. They've enjoyed an extra ten years of undisturbed peace and harmony, and their hardships are far removed from ours. That's why they can understand how horrible things really are - how precious their own peace is."
"So you're saying that because they have it so good, that makes them want to help us even more?" Other Amara said. "You might have a point there..."
"Yeah." Other Serena said. "Maybe someday, we'll get our city back to the way it was. And we'll make it a million times better! But only until every last Shadow is gone!"
"Speaking of which, I hear some more upstairs. Let's hurry." Other Nathan said. Kazuya stared as they ran up ahead.
When he lost in combat, he felt humiliated. He was trained to believe he had supernatural gifts only a select few had, and he would be one of the chosen to lead civilisation to salvation. Yet, newcomers had beaten him so easily, and they proceeded to do so with his comrades. Now, he had switched allegiances. And he felt unbeatable.
"Hey! Are you coming or not?" Other Serena yelled. "The tour's over, you hear?"
"We'll see about that! I'll educate you people yet!"
Kazuya rushed up the stairs, knives at the ready.
|Legarte Harbour - Left Side|19:10 pm|
"Ah, I remember. We fought that weird clock Shadow here." Serena said. "That was when the Holy Cross were still enemies. Amazing how fast things change, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Hey, cool! You see that huge mark on the ground? I did that!" Blaine said, excited. "See? My Tlaloc's electricity is fucking powerful, that's for damn sure."
"We have been causing a bit of damage with our attacks. Of course, not quite as much as the Shadows have done." Nathan said. "Not that it matters, with the port in this state."
"...It's horrible." Zao said. "Legarte Harbour is supposed to have ships coming and going all the time! But look, the water's all dark and murky. And there's nothing but trash everywhere."
"Well, Zao, we've all seen how bad this version of the city is. That's why we're fighting so hard." Serena said. "Where exactly does your grandpa live, Zao?"
"Oh, there's this little cul de sac filled with old bungalows. He's in number 4. C'mon, let's go." Zao said.
Soon enough, the team had arrived at the cul de sac. For the most part, the bungalows were intact, but clearly, no one lived in this part of the city anymore. Most of the windows were smashed, and one bungalow's roof was missing most of it's tiles. Yet...
"Look!" Zao said. "There's a light on at number 4!" He ran over to the house as fast as he could, and opened the gate. "Grandpa, I'm home - hey!"
Amara had grabbed his arm, stopping him from moving forward.
"Are you crazy, Zao? You don't know what's going on with your other self! He might be in there right now!" Amara said. "Think, Zao! We can't just frighten your grandfather with two Zaos running around!"
"But!" Zao said. "What if he's dead?!"
"Your grandfather is alive, remember." Nathan said. "Remember, when you return tonight, he'll be safe and sound right here."
"I know that! But he's still my grandfather, no matter what world we're in!" Zao said. "Amara, when you thought your father was dead in this world, didn't you end up crying? It still felt like your own father was gone, because...it was your father!"
"Alright, Zao. Tell you what. The four of us will go in, and you wait outside." Amara said. "C'mon, hide! He can't see you until we're sure!"
"Fine. You better not scare him, okay?" Zao said. Sulking, he stormed off, kicking an empty can on the way.
"Alright, I know this is a pretty unusual, unrealistic and fucked up situation, but he still needs to grow up." Blaine said.
"Can we just do this?" Amara asked. She walked up to the door, and knocked. "Hello? Is anyone here?"
"Go away! You stupid lady, what are you going outside for?! It's not a good day for a walk, is it?" an old man said. He didn't open the door, but Amara could just about make him out through the glass.
"That's Zao's grandfather?" Serena asked. "What a jerk."
"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but I'm looking for Deo Yuria! Are you him?" Amara said. "I'm a friend of Zao Yuria, his grandson!"
The door opened, and a very feeble, wrinkled old man was there, unsteadily holding a stick.
"Alright, I'm listening. I'm Deo, the one they call the master fisherman of the seas. So what, are you Zao's girlfriend? He could do a lot better, that's for sure. Couldn't he have found a nice white girl?" the old man said.
"Hey, don't you dare say that!" Serena said. "Amara is awesome, you racist bastard!"
"Please, Serena, let me deal with this. Um..." Amara said. I hope I get along better with him in my world. Now, Amara had to come up with a story that didn't confuse the old man. Which meant she had to shy away from describing the alternate dimensions, or Personas. "Let's see...ah. I knew Zao a long time ago. With the whole Shadow chaos going on, I wasn't able to find him. I'd like to know where Zao is."
"Beats me. I haven't seen him in donkey's years." Deo said, shrugging. Amara stared at Deo, and wondered. She hadn't properly seen Deo before, but she distinctly remembered Zao showing pictures of his beard. It was a mighty beard, left unshaven for decades. Even before Zao was born in 1990, it was a beast.
"Hey, old guy. When did you last see Zao?" Blaine asked.
"I don't remember. He said something about joining the Ornatu Legion. Never liked me that much, that stupid grandson of mine." Deo said.
"Um, Amara?" Serena said. "I think we should go..."
"...Yeah." Amara said. He's gone mad. But with all that's happened, I can't blame him for snapping. "Well, if you do see him, could you tell him -" she said, but someone pushed right past her. "Zao!"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Zao shouted. "This is grandpa's house!"
"Zao!" Blaine shouted. "What are you, retarded? That's your grandpa!"
"No it fucking isn't!" Zao replied. "The grandpa I know has a really big beard, all tangled up!"
"Huh?" 'Deo' said. "I never had a beard like that! Did you bang your head when you woke up this morning? Anyway, what do you even want? Money?"
"Zao, who is this guy?" Amara asked.
"That's Bernard Severn. He used to be a neighbour of my grandpa before he passed away." Zao said. "He and my grandpa hated each other, and he didn't like me much either. I was just looking around, and...Bernard's old house is ruined."
"So what, Bernard came here?" Serena asked. "Then where's the real Deo?"
"I'M the real Deo!" Bernard screamed. "Get out of my house, now!"
"You shut up, you old bastard!" Zao yelled. "Where the hell is my grandpa? You're not him! You're Bernard Severn! You used to have a wife called Harriet, who used to be a burlesque dancer! And you had a son who moved away to be a top surgeon someplace in Hong Kong!"
"Zao, how do you know all that?" Nathan asked. Burlesque? So she was a classy stripper?
"How do you think, Nathan? Grandpa told me! He was Bernard's neighbour for most of his life! And they hated each other!" Zao said.
"Harriet..." Bernard said. That name seemed to have made him think. Perhaps his actual memories were resonating. "No! T-this house is mine! It belongs to me! I'll be safe here! You don't want to be in one of the other houses, oh no! Bad things happen if you live in one of those! But this place will be fine! Ornatu Legion people come here once in a while and get rid of those pesky Shadows! They haven't been here lately, but it's been crazy these past few months!"
"Sounds to me like he's convinced himself he's Deo." Amara said.
"Yeah. Stupid geezer..." Zao said, angry. "He always was jealous of grandpa."
"Didn't I just tell you to get out?!" Bernard screamed. "You can't just stay here if you want shelter! This place is all mine! I deserve it! I've worked hard all my life, and I've earned the right to survive here alone! I'm going to stay put right here until they get rid of all of those Shadows! So go away - argh!"
His delusions were cut short by a mighty katana impaling him through his chest. Behind him was one of the Musha Shadows, accompanied by two Idol Shadows. The Musha removed the katana from the gaping wound in Bernard's chest, and the man lifelessly fell to the ground.
"No!" Serena said, horrified.
"Crap!" Zao said. "If we fight here, we'll end up destroying the entire place!"
"Does that matter now?!" Nathan said. "Your grandpa isn't here! Hurry up and attack, before they get us!"
Amara summoned Hathor, and gulped. Up until now, she hadn't paid attention to the effects her Persona's abilities had on the environment. Yet if she let loose with her attacks here, the house would indeed be destroyed. Granted, it's real inhabitant was nowhere to be seen, but Zao clearly held an attachment to this house. So, she would have to be careful where her attacks hit.
It was a struggle, and they broke apart quite a lot of the surrounding walls, but the house managed to survive the battle. The Idols were quick to dispatch, and were only a threat due to their ability to cause exhaustion. The Musha survived a bit longer, but Rashnu's sharp stabs broke through it's defences. The Musha collapsed, it's armour breaking off into pieces that dissolved quickly. Looking around, Amara saw just how much of the walls had been wrecked. Fighting in a cramped space like this was not ideal, for precisely this reason.
"Damn!" Zao said. "Grandpa! Are you there?"
There was silence. Amara gazed at Bernard's bleeding corpse, and shivered.
"I never thought we'd have to see another dead body in this world..." Serena said, her face pale. "We can't just leave him here, can we?"
"Well, he's got blood all over him. If we're seen in our world with that blood on our clothes, it'll be suspicious." Nathan said. "We can't risk being arrested, can we?"
"Yeah. It feels wrong, though..." Blaine said.
"I'm going to look inside." Zao said. He went through, and the others followed. The living room was a mess, with many stains on the carpets and walls. There was also an unbearable stench, that made Amara almost throw up. Was this guy so crazy he never went to the bathroom? Ugh...
"Not even a Malboro could smell this bad..." Serena said, shuddering. "No one ask me what that is. Can we hurry up and get out of here?!"
Zao ignored her, and opened the door to a bedroom. Unlike the rest of the house, this room was fairly clean, despite being dusty.
"I don't think we're going to find anything here. We should go." Amara said. "...Zao, are you listening to me?"
"Shut up!" Zao yelled. "You don't get it at all! I have to find out what happened to my grandpa!"
Blaine, restless, opened a closet, and immediately leapt back at the sight of what was inside.
"Huh?!" Zao walked up - and gasped. Everyone was in shock. Inside the closet was a shovel, that was covered with dried blood.
"Is that your grandpa's?" Amara asked.
"No, my grandpa hates gardening. That's Bernard's. But...it's covered in blood." Zao said. "...That old bastard! He didn't...did he?!"
"Hold on." Blaine said. "There's a diary on here. It's got your grandpa's name on it, too."
"Let me see it!" Zao said, grabbing the diary. He flipped near the end, and his face went pale. "Oh god..."
"What?" Amara asked.
Zao handed the diary to Amara, shaking. Amara started to read it out loud…
My grandson joined the Ornatu Legion today. Zao, the little boy who watched with pride as I faced off against the demons of the sea. He'll be fighting those horrible monsters. I still remember that day his parents were found dead, and Zao was sent to live with me. He was screaming, not just for them, but for Karl. That boy who always loved playing soccer. Aimee, Karl's sister, was important to him too. Now, I'm the only person left in this neighbourhood, apart from that old bastard Bernard. I suppose now I
"Now he...what?" Nathan asked. "Does it just stop there?"
"...Look." Amara said, showing the diary. There was a giant pen mark that went all the way down the page. "He must have been killed while he was writing in here."
"Read...the next page." Zao said. Amara turned over, and read on.
Today has been dreadful. Someone with a huge beard broke into my house, and I had to fight him off with my trusty shovel! I think I knew him, but I don't remember his name. I had to bash his head in with the shovel a lot of times, and then I threw his body onto a bonfire! Can't have the Ornatu Legion locking me up, can we? Even if they let me out, they wouldn't protect me! And I don't know where my stupid grandson went. Idiotic, hyperactive little child. Always talking about fishing. I hope those Shadows teach him a little respect!
"...That's horrible." Nathan said. "Not only did he kill your grandfather...he tried to take his place."
"We know, Nathan. I think his lack of sanity was well established already." Serena said. "Zao, I'm sorry..."
"...Don't worry about it, Serena. I'm...I'm okay." Zao said. "All I really wanted to know was what happened to him. Now I know..."
"Hey, didn't he say that your other self was in the Ornatu Legion?" Blaine said. "We never came across you, though. We would have remembered."
"We could ask Kyle. He'd be able to find a list of members, I'm sure of that." Amara said. "Zao..."
Zao's eyes were fixed to the shovel. Surely, horrid thoughts were creeping into his head. Amara grabbed his hand, and tried to smile.
"Amara..."
"We need to go. You don't want to stay here, do you?" Amara said. "There's nothing here for you anymore."
"...That's right. Grandpa's gone." Zao said. "That stupid Bernard...if he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him! How dare he do this!"
"Easy, Zao. Time to go." Blaine said. The five of them made their way out of the house, Amara holding Zao's hand the whole time.
|Legarte Harbour|19:30 pm|
"There they are!"
Seraphina, Karen, Priscilla and Richard were there, looking worried.
"Hey, you guys." Amara said. "What's up? I thought you were at Saragel Beach?"
"We were, but it was so boring!" Richard said.
"You were the one suggesting we go there fighting in bikini armour!" Priscilla said. "I'm not dressing like that, for Nathan or anyone else!"
"Bikini armour, huh? " Blaine said. "Impractical, but titillating. I see the appeal." He gave Richard a thumbs up, with a lecherous smile. Nathan frowned, and loudly mumbled something about 'perverts'.
"It was just a joke! Seriously, though, there wasn't much going on. Nina wasn't there this time, so we just killed a bunch of those blob Shadows. And those weird balls with the tongues." Richard said. "What happened with you guys?"
"Well..." Zao said. He slowly began discussing the group's attempt to find Deo Yuria, only to find a neighbour had murdered him and convinced himself he was the real Deo. It was a painful experience to have to relate to someone, and the others watched."
"Darn. That can't have been a lot of fun." Richard said.
"You poor boy..." Karen said. "I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather. I can't believe you left that other man there, though."
"Well, like Nathan said earlier, if we were to go back to our world with bloody clothes, we'd get into a lot of trouble." Serena said. "That man was really off the deep end, wasn't he?"
"He can burn in hell for what he did to my grandpa!" Zao said. "But here's the other thing. According to my grandpa's diary, the other me is in the Ornatu Legion!"
"Really?" Richard said. "I never met you there!"
"The name Zao Yuria has never come up until our paths crossed." Seraphina said. "Actually, that is not quite correct. The first time was when Amara was excitedly telling us about your first date with her."
"Oh." Zao said. "So for all we know, the other me is stationed somewhere. And we could run into him sometime."
"Yes." Karen said. "He might have an artificial Persona, too."
"What?!" Zao said. "I didn't think of that! But surely, if he has Rashnu as well-"
"If he was a natural Persona user, I'm sure we would know." Priscilla said. "After all, they were eager to use the Holy Cross and the Commander."
"So he's got one of those fake ones. But wait a minute, that could kill him!" Zao said. "What the hell am I going to do?!"
"Calm down!" Amara said. "Listen to me. We'll find out sooner or later. I think we should go home, don't you?"
"I...fine." Zao said. "I want to give my grandpa a call, anyway. I just need to hear his voice right now..."
"Why is it whenever we're here for training, crazy shit happens?" Blaine said.
"I don't know, but..." Serena said. "Never mind. I want to go home too. I just..."
"What?" Nathan said. "You can tell us!"
"It's nothing, honestly. I'm just worried...about my homework! Yeah!" Serena said, nervously laughing. She quickly followed Zao, Amara and the others.
"Hey, Nathan." Blaine said. "About your birthday, don't worry, I'll be a good little boy for your party. I can bring Lucy, right? She said she really liked spending time with you and Priscilla last time."
"Oh, of course." Nathan said. "You and Lucy certainly got close rather fast. I suppose that's a good thing."
"It sure is. She's smart, she's cute, and she's determined...man, I feel like I did when I was getting ready for my first date." Blaine said, smiling. "But anyway, how about you and I go out at the weekend and really get wild? You know, kick back and relax?"
"Hmm..." Nathan said. "You want me on a night out? You might think I'm a lightweight, but when I was a student, I did do a far bit of socialising. I haven't had anything like that since. Perhaps it's high time I got back into the swing of things. You're on."
"Sweet!" Blaine said. "Hey, and don't worry. There won't be any pole dancers or lap dancers, or even strippers. It'll just be us bros getting wasted all night long."
"I'm relieved to hear that. If you were to take me to somewhere like that, Priscilla and Lucy would be after our heads!" Nathan said, laughing. "Okay then, I'm looking forward to it. How about we start at your work? 8:30pm at the New Motus Lounge?"
"Sounds fine with me, buddy." Blaine said. "We better get a move on. The girls are glaring at us."
"It'll be alright. We're just having a man to man moment." Nathan said.
"We are? Well, as sexy as your red hair is, I'll pass!" Blaine said. The two men burst out laughing, and rushed up to the others. Zao was quiet as the team made their back to the other world, and nothing Amara did seemed to bring him out of his despair.
|Zao's Apartment|20:00 pm|
Amara insisted on taking Zao home. She couldn't leave him alone - not after seeing him so upset. The prospect of facing the other Zao in combat was not one she was willing to face, but Zao was coping with it far worse than she was.
The two of them sat down at the leather sofa, barely paying attention to the programme on TV about the catacombs in Paris. Just then, Amara's phone rang. Colette? What does she want?
"Aren't you gonna answer that?" Zao asked. "Don't worry about me."
"...Fine." Amara said, finally answering. "Hi, Colette! What's up?"
"Oh, it's about time you picked up!" Colette said. "I've got some news. The man I was interviewing, the fashion designer? He just invited me to the "Le Grande Style" festival in Paris this December!"
"Really? That's fantastic!" Amara said, with the most forced display of cheerfulness Zao had ever seen. Luckily, Colette could not detect her lack of sincerity over the phone.
"I know! It's all because of what Lucy told me. I can't wait to see the newest winter designs!" Colette said. "I just had to tell everyone! It's going to be a blast. Now I have to get practicing my French. I never did do well at languages, though. Also, more importantly, we're going to Glasswater in about two weeks."
"Oh yeah..." Amara said. "That'll be nice, I look forward to that. I love travelling. In fact, last year, I went to Hawaii with my college friends. I was the only one really interested in seeing the sights, but we all had a good time."
The conversation carried on for some time. Zao just sat there, listening to the two girls banter about Colette's dislike of the cafeteria food and Juan's recent trip to Lucille Hill. Finally, Amara ended the conversation by claiming she was tired.
"Sorry about that." Amara said. "Didn't mean to bore you."
"Actually, um...it was nice to just hear a normal conversation." Zao said, with a weak smile. "It's good to be back in this world. Now I know why you didn't want me to find out."
"It's alright, Zao..." Amara said. "Are you going to give your grandpa that call?"
"Nah. I'll see him tomorrow." Zao said. "Hey..."
"What?" Amara said. Zao didn't respond, but he had that goofy smile Amara had grown fond of. He quickly reached over, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her.
"...I love ya." Zao said. "I'm glad I took that chance, that day on the beach."
"Me too..." Amara said, giggling. "Hey, I know what we can now! There's a program about dolphins on one of those nature channels!"
"Great!" Zao said, quickly changing the channel. "Karl says I can do a really good dolphin imitation, you know. After I've had a few beers."
"Really? We'll have to try that sometime." Amara said. She put her arm around Zao, as they watched the dolphins swim through crystal clear seas.
If only we didn't have to fight in that other world. If only life could be like this every day.
If only I never have to see Zao cry.