The New Players.


Ritsuka and Tachibana stared at the strange man sitting beyond the cell they were both thrown into, just as, if not more confused about their situation, than when they first entered Kamoshida's Palace.

"To think that we would get new guests inside my Velvet Room, what a strange turn of events" - the man said while not taking his eyes off of them.

"You said your name is Igor right?" - Ritsuka asked as he stood up next to Tachibana.

"Correct, Ritsuka Fujimaru" - hearing those words shocked the boy, how did he know his name?

"Hey, I'm still waiting for an answer you know?" - Tachibana yelled at Igor - "What is this place, who are you and what are we doing-?" -

Before she could finish speaking, the girl identified as Caroline hit the door of the cell with her baton, emitting electricity and making the siblings take a few steps back.

"Watch your words Inmate! You're in no position to be demanding answers!" - she yelled at them, with her companion speaking in a more quiet tone of voice.

"Every question you have will be answered at due time, but we want you two to answer some of our own questions as well" - the other girl said, not bothering to look at the duo - "Your appearances are rather strange, mind telling us where do you come from?" -

Both stayed silent, as they lacked a definitive answer to that.

"You lack that knowledge? That's unexpected. How should we proceed?" - she asked Igor.

"Like with the other, Justine" - the man answered while extending his hand - "Our job is to help all who need rehabilitation, like them" -

"I'm not sure what you mean but I don't think we need rehabilitation. We're doing pretty alright on our own" - Ritsuka answered.

"Yeah, so can you let us go? We don't really like being here" - Tachibana said, but Igor said nothing, and neither did the pair of girls - "Is that a yes?" -

"There's a strange source of energy coming from both of you, like remnants of the past" - Igor spoke in a deep voice - "That will be helpful for your rehabilitation, and will allow you to harness their strength in the form of Personas" -

"Personas…?" - both siblings said at the same time.

"You two are rather intriguing. I wonder… What will become of this world, with you two here?" -

They had a thousand and one questions to ask him, but before they could say even a single one of them, they opened their eyes back into LeBlanc's attic.

"What was…" - Ritsuka said, trying to comprehend what had happened - "That wasn't a dream… Right?" -

"If it was…" - Tachibana got up as well - "Then we had the same one" -

The two looked around, it was still dark at that time, both Ren and Mash were peacefully sleeping. They were the only ones awake.

"I don't think I can sleep right now" - the orange-haired girl said - "Want to go downstairs?" -

"Sure" - he simply answered as the pair made their way towards the main part of LeBlanc, empty due to the hour. They checked the clocks, 4:18 AM.

"Didn't even got a full night of sleep because of that, how amazing" - Ritsuka said as he sat down in one of the chairs - "I could use some coffee" -

"Well then, let's make some" -

"Huh?" -

"The ingredients are here, and I don't think Sojiro would be too bothered. Besides, Emiya taught us how to…" -

Tachibana fell silent after that, not knowing who Emiya was, or why she said his name.

"Who… Who's Emiya?" - Ritsuka asked - "It seems like we…" -

"Knew him from before…" - Tachibana finished for him.

They both knew one thing, it was the name of someone they were familiar with, but there was nothing beyond that.

"I'll just make the coffee, maybe it will help us think with clarity" - Tachibana said, as Ritsuka walked outside and opened the door.

He took a few steps outside into the night, the surrounding neighborhood was silent, as people were sleeping and resting for a new day.

"What's on your mind Ritsuka?" - a voice spoke from behind, it wasn't Tachibana's however, it was…

"Morgana" -

The black cat walked next to him and jumped to his shoulder, surprising the boy.

"How did Tachibana not see you?" - Ritsuka asked as he scratched the head of his feline friend.

"I'm known for my stealth skills. Besides I was too small for her to even notice" - he answered as he purred.

"Heh, you really are a cat, aren't you?" -

"I told you that I'm not a cat!" -

"Sorry, sorry" - he said, laughing a bit over Morgan's attitude.

"Just remember, I'm not a cat, I'm a human. I'm just… Stuck in this form" -

"Really?" -

"Yes! I don't remember much about how I was before becoming like this, but I know that I'm a human!" -

"Huh, look at that. We're more alike than I thought" -

"We really are, right?" - Morgana said as he started rubbing himself against Ritsuka's leg - "Well, in that case, then there may be a way for us to remember everything" -

"Really?" -

"There's something down in the depths of Mementos that's calling out to me. I feel like if I find out what it is, I'll be able to remember, and become a human again. Maybe it could help you, your sister and your friend as well" -

"Maybe, but… Who knows that the future holds in store for us" - Ritsuka said as he pat Morgana on the head - "By the way, what is 'Mementos'?" -

"I'll explain in due time, don't worry" - the cat answered - "For now, I think we should go back inside, it's freezing out here" -

The pair returned inside LeBlanc, seeing that Tachibana finished making coffee.

"Perfect timing, it's done. I'll pass you a cup" -

"Thanks" - the boy answered as he sat down in the bar, and Morgana jumped to his side.

"Oh, kitty! When did you get here?" - Tachibana asked, surprised to see him there.

"I've told you a lot that I'm not a cat but you keep doing this…" -

"Sorry, it's just that it's sometimes hard to believe. You say you're a human but when being like this…" -

"He told me he's in the same boat as us Tachi, he doesn't remember" - Ritsuka interrupted the girl.

"Wait… Is that…" -

"All I know is that I used to be human, but nothing more. My mission is to recover my memories and return to my human self, and I know that the depths of Mementos hold the key to that" -

"If what you're saying is true, then perhaps those depths could…" -

"They could help you as well. I'd take you there myself if I could but I wanted it to be an experience for the whole team, and right now everyone is nervous over the whole Kamoshida situation. I'll take you there once things calm down" -

"Sounds like a plan to me, I'll tell Mash when she wakes up" - Ritsuka said as Tachibana poured him coffee in his cup - "Knowing that there might be something waiting for us is… Calming, to say the least" -

"I'm glad I could help. Now you two finish that and go upstairs to try and sleep a bit more, you need to rest well after a trip to the Metaverse" - Morgana said before heading up the stairs - "Good night Ritsuka, Tachibana" -

"Good night Morgana" - the siblings said at the same time.

The two stayed down drinking coffee and talking about the 'dream' that they had, not noticing a figure with blonde hair walking past LeBlanc, stopping to watch them for a second, and then continuing his walk.