Taki wakes up, eyes filled with tears. He's not sure why. A dream, perhaps? He can't even remember what he was dreaming about. Instead, he's left with what feels like a gaping hole in his chest. This sort of thing happens every now and again. That sense of loss lingers for a long time after, but he's grown used to it.
"Big bro! Are you awake?" Nanako calls from outside his door.
Taki finishes buttoning up his shirt and nods to himself after a quick onceover in the mirror. "Yeah! Just got done getting ready."
Either way, now's not the time to be feeling down about some forgotten dream. After a year, he's finally back in Inaba to see his friends again. He should be feeling excited, maybe even a little nervous, but he can't shake that inexplicable ache.
Mitsuha vacantly watches the rustic countryside pass by beyond the tinted limousine windows, her mind swirling with memories. Once again, she had woken up crying without knowing why. No matter how hard she tries, she can never remember what her dreams were about. At first it frustrated her, but in the end she resigned herself to these bouts of melancholy. The landscape vaguely reminds her of Itomori, only further exacerbating her mood.
"Miyamizu. Is everything all right?" Mitsuru asks her. Her voice is the same sharp, steely tone it usually is, but Mitsuha can detect the warmth and concern that lays beneath the surface.
"Oh, Mitsuru. . .I'm fine!" she says as brightly as she can muster. "This area just reminds me of home."
"I see. If there's anything you need, please let me know."
Mitsuha returns to staring out the window. "Thanks."
When he came back to Inaba for Golden Week, Taki had hoped to relax with his friends.
But of course he would once again be dragged into another mystery involving the TV World and Personas. He certainly hadn't expected to be facing off against his friends in a fight; however, he couldn't deny the fact that he'd always wondered what it would be like to go at each other inside the TV World.
Well, he has his answer.
It's rather exhilarating.
He was closest to Yosuke, probably because the two of them shared so much in common—they were both city boys who had to move to the countryside because of their parents' work. They'd exchanged blows before, on the banks of the Samegawa flood plain. But that was nothing like the current situation.
Yosuke is as quick as ever, maybe even quicker. He's effortlessly running circles around Taki, even without having called on his Persona. Taki takes a few probing strikes at Yosuke, but his blade is easily caught by a kunai each time. Taki feels like it's a feat in and of itself that he's able to force Yosuke to parry the blows rather than completely miss.
Taki is content to force the burden of engagement upon Yosuke. His sword's superior range and his elemental advantage with Personas means that Taki can sit back and react until the perfect situation presents itself. Yosuke knows this, and knows he can't allow Taki to pick his spot.
Yosuke finally makes his move, summoning his Persona to begin. Jiraiya materializes behind him, throwing blades of wind at Taki. Taki is nearly hit by the assault due to his surprise. What happened to Takehaya Suasno-o?
Despite being caught off guard, Taki avoids the barrage, only to have his path cut off by Yosuke. Taki, too, draws on the power within and calls forth his other self.
Izanagi answers, thunderous bolts of lightning crashing down around him. The bolts radiate outwards, then suddenly converge on Yosuke. Yosuke knows he can't outrun lightning, so he tries to dodge the attacks and force the bolts to curve into the ground. Yosuke's fast, but there's a reason fast people are usually nicknamed after lightning. The first few miss, but the next couple find their target, sending Yosuke rocketing into a nearby wall. He'd never been that good with thunder attacks.
It was nice to see some things don't change.
As the dust settles, Taki is ready to chalk it up as his win. But just as he's about to sheathe his blade, a kunai comes flying out of the debris, nicking Taki's cheek. As he touches the injury, surprised, Yosuke charges forth recklessly, having yielded his dual wielding advantage.
Yosuke is betting it all on one last clash. Taki quickly takes a stance and readies his blade. In a blink of an eye, Yosuke is upon him.
The element of surprise bought Yosuke a precious few milliseconds, but he's now not only at a range disadvantage, but he's given up his ability to attack and defend simultaneously. Deep down, he knows he's already lost this fight. But he refuses to lay down and give up.
His resolve is rewarded with a swift blow to the ribs from the back of Taki's blade. Unable to reach Taki with his remaining kunai, Yosuke decides that now is as good a time as any to crumple to the ground on one knee to try and catch the wind that was knocked out of him.
"You got me good, partner!" Yosuke says ruefully, but he can't help grinning. It had been fun, even if he lost. "Figures that you of all people wouldn't be out of practice."
"You're pretty good yourself," Taki reciprocates. "In fact, it feels like you've improved. Though your Persona. . ."
"Oh, That? I'm honestly not sure what that's all about. I don't think I've really changed that much since you left."
"Good. The old Yosuke was a pain in the ass."
"Hey, man! Well, I think Jiraiya looks cooler than Takehaya Susano-o anyways," Yosuke laughs.
As they take the time to catch up, Taki notices that Yosuke isn't looking at him anymore. Instead, he's looking at something, or someone, over Taki's shoulder.
"Hey, who's that? She's kind of cute," Yosuke says.
"Who's who?" Taki turns to take a look.
His breath catches as he locks eyes with a girl.
He knows her.
But. . .
. . .Who is she?