(Author's Notes: Hullo. Jeez guys. The amount of initial support this little project got was amazing. I especially want to thank enigmakint05 for your review. He did bring up a point that I think I needed to also clarify to the public. "Yuuta shouldn't be around the same age as Nanako." This is very true. My line of reasoning if you care to hear it is as follows: I was tackling a lot of justifications for getting at least 1 more "known" character into this story. I did not want to have only Nanako as the only P4 character in the new party. So using Miwa a character mentioned in passing as Nanako's friend was one. Now, Yuuta as daycare kid could be as old as 5 if he did not go to kindergarten (which in Japan is voluntary). So I decided to smudge his age by as little as 1 year to get him in the same grade. Also there is a big reason that I did not age Nanako up an additional year. However that is stuff for the future I promise. Anywhoo... I hope you enjoy. Reviews Welcome)
Nanako looked down, she had nothing to hide at this point. "When I was young, Big Bro was a strange new experience. He was respectful to Dad, he was patient and honest with me. However, both Dad and I were somewhat aware of a life that he was not fully letting us onto. It was like a secret world only he and his friends were aware of. The reason I ended up in the Hospital back then is somewhat hazy. When I was younger I was willing to accept people's answers to write off what I know I saw. I saw, Heaven. But I was surrounded by monsters and was being held captive by that man, Namatame. Big Bro saved me, with his friends. But I don't remember how or why," she explained. Yuuta snapped his fingers
"Oh right!" he suddenly proclaimed. It took the other two off balance. "I just remembered something. Did either of you notice how solidly built Amagi-san is?"
"What?" Miwa asked incredulously. "Was that really something to interrupt this with?"
"Shut up it is not like that. What I mean is that she seems far too well built to just be an Inn manager. When I was still going to the Daycare, Mister Narukami was always talking with my mom. One day I though he made her cry. So i punched him as hard as I could. He didn't even flinch. In fact it hurt me more than it hurt him. That isn't something just anyone can do, and Mister Narukami was a particular level of tough. Like he took that hit, like he was hit by things a lot harder."
Nanako nodded. It may have made Miwa confused but Nanako understood. "He stood tall," she agreed. "Are you suggesting that Big Sis may have done the same?"
Yuuta nodded.
Miwa sighed. "Look can we talk about something else. Oh how about the mirror game!"
"Mirror game?"
"Yeah, the game is simple, I learned it from Yukine-chan in class before she got sick. You are supposed to stand in front of a mirror with a hand up, like this," she stated as she explained and held her hand out like it was flat against a surface. "Then if you say your own name 3 times, it is supposed to make your soulmate appear in the mirror with you. But if you have no soul mate, your reflection is supposed to drag you inside the mirror."
Yuuta groaned, "That sounds like a stupid girl game like America's Bloody Mary or the Midnight Channel."
Nanako perked up at the comment. "Wait the Midnight Channel?"
Yuuta sighed. "Yeah," he said. "It was a stupid game High Schoolers used to play. You are supposed to look into the blank screen of a TV at Midnight and it was supposed to show you your soulmate. I swear they remain the same no matter who makes them up."
Nanako whispered, "TV World… Teddie?"
Miwa did not hear her and pouted while saying, "No this is different you have to do it at Midnight with all the lights off. On Sundays."
"Oh you mean it scheduled itself to happen at the end of our day off from school? Just in time to gossip about it at school? It is almost like it was made by a High Schooler or something!"
Miwa stood up and announced, "Let's go to the mirror aisle!" The two followed her as she began marching off. Each one still arguing the matter. On their way there, something caused Nanako to slow her stride and stare. In an aisle dedicated to CDs and other similar media, was another High School student. He stood there in long tight black jeans, with a long white sleeve shirt on and a black short sleeve button down shirt over the top. However the two things that held her attention were his bleach blond hair and a wooden cane.
Miwa stopped nearby. "Shima-senpai," she whispered. His attention snapped to the two girls and to Yuuta when he caught up. He gave them all the once over and then with a small scoff exited the aisle in the other direction.
Nanako turned to her friend. "Who is he?" She asked.
Yuuta answered first. "A third year delinquent. He gets into fights outside of school and shows up late when he bothers to come at all. I think I have seen him working at the Music Store that opened in the Central Market Street. He is bad news."
"Why does he have a cane?"
"Before he moved here he went to another school in the big city. An accident robbed him of his lower leg," Miwa recounted. Nanako simply looked back to where he was before. What did he see in them that he didn't like? Maybe she was not as alike to her Big Bro as she thought. Everyone liked him. The three of them made their way to the aisle.
"Doesn't your stupid game have to be played at midnight?" Yuuta asked, stifling a yawn.
"It… does. Right."
As they walked down it, Nanako kept thinking she was seeing something in her reflection. Something blue, like an aura seemed to emerge from her reflection. Every time she went for a direct look it went away. The aisle suddenly felt a really far distance away as she met her own eyes in her reflection. The Nanako there truly was glowing. Her eyes seemed to fluctuate from yellow to brown. Nanako reached out and as her hand met the glass, it felt like liquid.
"Nanako, how are you doing that!" Miwa exclaimed. Yuuta turned back to look at what interested Miwa so much.
"It's the Mirror Game! Grab her!" Yuuta cried rushing forward. A small slip later and Miwa and Yuuta both fell into Nanako and the three of them all fell into the Mirror.
Nanako, Yuuta, and Miwa found themselves in a pile. At first it felt like they were in the Mall but it was all backwards. They could not quite wrap their heads around what had happened. Nanako's hand sinking into the mirror's glass, the initial panic, and the fall into what should have been a torrent of glass. The hard landing onto a department store floor. It was all too weird. The place they found themselves in was disturbingly quiet and unnaturally lukewarm. In fact it almost seemed as if temperature had no place here. Miwa was the first to respond.
"What the hell just happened?" She asked loudly. The still silence that greeted them was unnerving. Turning back, they saw a solid Mirror and reaching out they were trapped. "Ok calm down. Let's try to think about this rationally."
"What the hell is normal about this?" Yuuta proclaimed. Nanako sighed.
"Good to see you're both ok," she replied a little sarcastically, as they continued to squabble. Looking around however Nanako began to make the realization that they were not as alone as they thought. "You guys, did you hear that?" Nanako asked. The other two quieted down and listened. They heard is a strange sound. Almost like a noise in reverse. They turned towards it to see a shadowy blob approaching them with dark appendages extended.
"Run!" Yuuta shouted finally breaking the three of them out of their stupor. The three teenagers broke into a full on sprint away from the creature. The further they got from where they entered, the Mall became less and less recognizable. They rounded a corner that would lead them a door out. However, the door was closed and Yuuta's face colliding with it proved that the automatic doors were not working normally. Miwa began pulling them open as Yuuta fumbled blindly forward to get out. "Never mind, go back, go back!" Yuuta shouted coming face to face with another slimy dark creature. The slime rose off of the ground a large ball with a giant mouth formed. The spherical enemies levitated and charged forward after the teens. They crashed into the automatic doors and popped them off of the tracks. More creatures approached from inside as Yuuta struggled to keep the doors from flying out of the door frame.
There was nowhere to go. Miwa fell backwards onto the ground. Yuuta was kicked off the door from another attack against it. The door fell in pinning his foot under it.
"It is trying times you find yourself in child. Yet, where is the justice in how this scene ends? Prepare for my intervention. Your enemies are to be judged by your fair and careful eye. I am thou, and thou art I. Together we will bring a just balance to this world."
Nanako took on the blue aura she saw before in her reflection. Yuuta and Miwa noticed this and so did the Shadows. The shadows began to converge on her position. The world went quiet. "Per...so... na…" A card floated up from the floor in front of Nanako. A balance with a sword on it at one moment. Until it rotated and a silhouette of a laughing figure could be seen. She held her hand out the card and closed her hand around it. A rush of energy spiraled out from her as the Shadows were all blasted away. A warhammer was in her hands as a large figure came into view above her.
"I am Themis! The Titaness of Justice," the figure was a beautiful woman in a long black robe with what appeared to be the scales of justice attached to giant stone gavel. As the shadows tried to press back in on the group, one swing of the hammer scattered their dark essence. The shadows outside were greeted by a massive blast of wind. The shadows then regrouped to try one last ditch effort to claim their prey. Themis once against gripped her girant hammer in both hands and with a mighty swing dropped the hammer on all of the shadows charging in on Nanako's position. The figure disappeared with the shadows gone and Nanako sank to her knees.
"Nanako, what was that?" Yuuta asked with fear still in his voice. He braced Nanako up.
A squeaking could be heard until an unfamiliar voice spoke, "That was a Persona." The three kids looked over to see a black, white, and purple bear standing across from them. Nanako noticed immediately that it matched the same design as Teddie's outfit.
"Wah, who are you?" Miwa asked stuck between standing behind Nanako and protecting her.
"My name is Eiddet, what are you doing in my home?" She replied accusingly.
Nanako looked at her. "Your name is Teddie, backwards?" Nanako asked.
This seemed to make the bear frustrated, "Don't bring up that name around me. I hate him." The group of teens were more confused now than scared. "Anyway, why do you humans keep coming in here? This place is dangerous! Get out before you end up like the other two," Eiddet exclaimed.
"The other two?" Yuuta asked. "Other people have been here?"
"That is what I said, now go! Git!" the bear replied ushering us back into the mall towards the mirror aisle.
Nanako tried to push back while she asked," How do you know Teddie?"
"He's my reflection. And a damn annoying one as well. I came into existence the second he left the TV world and had a reflection. Shadows are not supposed to have reflections," Eiddet exclaimed. The answer was long enough to get the three teens back to where they had started. "Now don't come back!"
Upon pushing Nanko into the reflective surface, the liquid feeling occured again and the three found themselves back in reality. Nanako was the first to get back to her feet. As she did she saw the upperclassman from earlier turn the corner.
"Are you all insane?" he asked quietly.
His voice cause Yuuta and Miwa to jump to their feet almost immediately. "Shima-senpai. Whatever do you mean?" Miwa asked.
He seemed to get angry. "This is a store, not a playground. You are first years, act like it," he explained. The frustration on his tone very clearly understood by the targets of his ire.
Nanako did not know if it was just because of how tired she felt or if her previous interaction with him had still rubbed off on her wrong, but she was frustrated. "What is your problem?" Nanako asked walking towards him. "You have been nothing but rotten to us even when we were just walking by!"
Shima was taken aback by her aggression. "Are you-?"
"No!" Nanako continued. "If you have problem that is fine, but you have to tell us so we can try to make it better."
Shima was quiet for a moment. He then smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "You? Nah, I got no problem with you. Those two spineless ones though…" he said gesturing to Miwa and Yuuta with his cane. "I am not a big fan of people being fake."
"What…?" Nanako asked. Her confusion suddenly calmed her down. She looked back at her two companions and then at Shima again.
"You are perfectly fine by me Dojima. At least you didn't cower like everyone else does," Shima remarked as he turned and walk away. Nanako could have sworn she saw him frown as he said this.
Behind her Nanako heard Miwa mumble, "What does he mean fake?"
"I don't know," Yuuta commented sourly. "But it probably means nothing coming from a creep like him. No good punk."
Nanako heaved a sigh. What was with that guy? "C'mon guys. We are going to need get going if we are going to get to Big Bro Kanji's store at a reasonable hour," Nanako announced, clearly trying to sound more well adjusted than she was at this point. Yuuta just look at her.
"Did… we not just go through the impossible?" Yuuta asked pointing at the mirror. Miwa straightened out her clothes and got ready to join Nanako.
"C'mon Yuuta, let's just put it behind us for now. Nanako still needs our help," she commented. She was tired. But she did not want to be alone with her thoughts right now. Yuuta babbled for a moment and then finally shoved his hands deep in his pockets and follows the two girls. They made there way out of the department store.
"Hey, Nanako," Miwa started. "Do you think that maybe we just cracked the case on your Brother's time here?"
Nanako looked at the ground. "I think so. Eiddet knows about Teddie. Teddie used to call himself 'The King of the TV World' when I was younger. I always thought it was funny. But now, I am not so sure. What if Big Bro has this 'Persona' thing, too?"
Yuuta sighed. This was so much bigger than he was expecting. "So he really was some kind of superhero then?" This statement ended in silence. Then Miwa started to laugh.
"That is so dumb. A superhero?"
"Shut up," Yuuta mumbled. The Central Shopping District had recovered some over the years. New shops had moved in and the neighbor was still thriving despite Junes. Which Nanako was glad they learned to co-exist. Especially now since it meant that Kanji was still here in town.
The three of them entered the store and found a dark blue haired woman at the counter talking at an open door behind the counter. "I mean Yukiko-san has a point, Kanji-chan."
Nanako's energy skyrocketed. "Big Sis Naoto!" The woman turned around and her surprised face turned to a calm happiness.
"Nanako-chan! Imagine seeing you here," Naoto replied giving the barely smaller girl a quick hug. Nanako had always likes Naoto. As she got older, she noticed that Naoto's voice got lighter and her hair grown out. In fact, they had changed places hair wise. Naoto used to have the shorter and now she had the longer. She wore a tan suit with a thin matching tie over a white button down shirt.
"Since you are here, Big Sis… do you think you and Big Bro Kanji could answer some questions for me?" Nanako asked hoping to take advantage of this opportunity.
Naoto nodded. "I would be honored to spend some time with you. Lucky you caught me on a week I had an extra day off to come here," she replied. At this point, Kanji Tatsumi came in from the back carrying a large box of material. His hair was jet black, but that was not the case when Nanako met him. He was a bleach blonde delinquent like Shima, actually. However Kanji was the kind of a guy who fought gangs of people all at once. After he finished High School, he took over the business to make up for all the grey hairs he gave her over the years. Now, he was still a massively built monster of a man, but his wore his hair forward instead of slicked back.
"Hey," he exclaimed in an almost a singsong voice. Slinging his legs over the counter, Kanji hopped over the obstacle. "Nanako-chan! It is good to see ya'! I was actually going to come see you soon to give you a gift. Hey, Miwa-chan!" Kanji had gotten a whole lot more cheerful being able to work at the store full-time and out of school.
"Big Bro Kanji!" Nanako declared as the monster man picked her up in a big hug.
Naoto chuckled at the display. "Kanji-kun, Nanako-chan actually needed to talk to us about something first." Nanko noticed the change in the honorific now that Naoto knew she was there.
"Sure, we got a little bit of time before lunch," Kanji agreed putting Nanako down.
Nanako and the gang followed Kanji and Naoto into the backroom where there were some chairs out and about for visitors. After everyone found their way to a seat, Naoto asked, "So what did you want to know?"
"Well," Miwa immediately asked, "We were curious about your time with Nanako's Big Bro?"
"Oh?" Naoto asked. "What brought this on, Nanako-chan?"
"Well," Nanako started slowly. "Miwa and I were talking on Monday. There was crime alert at school on Monday when we started the school year. I remembered that something similar happened to Big Bro. You guys were so close with my Big Bro and by extension to me. Why did you stick around even after he left?"
The two of them were taken a little more aback at this point. Afterall, Nanako only called forward to Yukiko about taking about her Big Bro. "Well," Kanji thought out loud. "We liked ya' kid. You didn't judge me, just like your Big Bro. You couldn't ask for a better couple of friends."
Nanako blushed at the compliment.
"It is true though," Naoto added.
Yuuta tried to cut to the chase, "Why did Nanako get so sick? She was gone for weeks from school back then?"
Kanji took a moment to answer. "That is really complicated. That Namatame punk was a real piece of work. I don't really know all the medical junk, just look... I get that growin' up is tough. You have questions, want answers. But you have to understand that not everythin' is so simple. Guess what I'm tryin' t' say is that we'd tell you if we could."
Nanako was unsure on how to feel. On one hand, it means that they might not know. On the other, it could be a conspiracy to keep something from her. "I-I see," Nanako lamented.
Miwa decided to try to cheer Nanako up a little. "So how exactly did you guys meet Narukami-san?"
Kanji though back and seemed to forget that the room was still there. Naoto however was able to answer fairly quickly. "Ultimately, I would attribute my meeting him to his Uncle Detective Dojima of the Inaba Police Department. Working on the serial murder case back then, I ended up having to be a student at the High School during my work. Yu-kun was my senpai."
Kanji added, "I think I met him when I was getting a little too destructive. A lucky coincidence helped me keep myself from destroying myself. Definitely didn't help that I was the loudest thing in the town. He and our friends in the Second Year class were all great people and helped steer me in a better direction."
Nanako smiled listening to their stories. "Thanks, I'll let you get to your date now," she teased. Both of them obtained multiple shades of red as they blushed. The three high schoolers left the textile but Nanako had grown increasingly quiet.
"So, they are hiding something, right?" Yuuta asked.
Miwa nodded. "Definitely."
Nanako was lost in thought however as something about the conversation had reminded her of her past.
"Big...Bro…" Nanako barely managed to say. Her mouth was covered with some kind of medical mask. The lights were bright and seemed to drown out the presence of the people around her. She felt her Big Bro's hands holding her own. Her breath stopped. The light that flooded her vision seemed to disappear alongside everything with in it's glow. Nanako did not seem to have the energy to be scored or panic in the face that her body was shutting down. It was peaceful, though her ears still seemed to be working as her consciousness faded.
"No…" she heard Chie say. Heavy sobs followed from the darkness. Another set of sobs joined it.
"Dammit…" Yosuke whispered. Then in a bout of anger repeated it much louder.
"Nana-chan…" Teddie said out loud his voice fading. If anything else was said though, Nanako could not hear it anymore.
"Earth to Nanako-chan!" Yuuta exclaimed snapping Nanako out of her daze. "You ok?"
"I need to go home," Nanako suddenly decided. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." Nanako started walking faster. Leaving Miwa and Yuuta behind, she felt the tears start to form in her eyes. She may not have really wrapped her head around what was happening back then but she fully understood now and it scared the hell out of her. She ignored the looks she got as she made her way through Inaba. Nanko however instead found herself at the Waterfront. Sitting at water's edge, Nanako wrapped her arms around herself as she sobbed. Trying to get her emotions under control never worked as it would just need to run its course. Her arms wrapped tightly around her own torso just to confirm to herself that it was still there.