Chapter 7 – Free From Our Slumber

(I don't know about anyone else, but I HATE being unwell. I tried to write this chapter as best I could regardless of the loss in willpower, but my mind was so screwed up so the process took longer. Sorry for the long wait.)

Though the world continued to rotate as she slept, Akane was still fixed in one point in time; right after the battle against the Magician and the smaller shadows spawned from its corpse. Her mind was filled with relief after she managed to save Yukari and Sakuya from the monsters, glad that her ordeal for that night was over and that she could sleep. But there was also an underlying sense of confusion stemming from the two figures spawned from her mind. She didn't know what they were, and was even terrified at the prospect of the stronger being that ripped its way out of Orpheus. It was this confusion that led her back into the familiar blue room that she visited once before in her mind.

"It's so nice to see you again." The long-nosed man said upon Akane's realisation of where she was. His assistant previously mentioned was, once again, nowhere to be seen.

"Hello Igor." She greeted, still confused. "Why did I come here again?"

"You became unconscious the moment you awoke to your "power"." He explained, the grin on his face never wavering. "I see that it was Orpheus that heeded your calling. That power is called a Persona, it is the manifestation of your psyche."

"…Did I end up in a chapter of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?"

A chuckle erupted due to that response. "You are not the first guest to draw that conclusion. I have familiarised myself with the fictional concept of Stands after that very encounter six years ago, and it is interesting how similar it is to the concept of Persona. But the main difference is that a Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli. It could be considered a mask of sorts, one that protects you in the face of various hardships."

Akane frowned slightly. "Still don't see the distinction."

Igor held his finger up as he got to the point. "When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links, your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links become, the more powerful your Persona ability becomes. Please remember that."

"So let me get this straight…" Akane said as she thought. "Will Orpheus become more powerful or change his form and abilities if I have a strong enough friendship with someone?"

"That is one way of looking at it." Igor replied, tapping his fingertips together with a different smirk to his usual one showing. "I would love to discuss this subject in detail with you, but I am afraid that time is, once again, a luxury we do not possess. You need to move on from tonight's ordeal."

"Th-that's right!" The red-eyed girl exclaimed. "I need to know what happened to everyone!"

"Then I shall send you on your way posthaste. The next time you come here, it will be of your own accord. Until then, farewell…"

Once again, the room faded to black accompanied by the soft melody played by the unseen musicians of the room. Akane once again fell into the secure embrace of sleep as the music faded to silence.

For a while, she couldn't see or hear anything. But slowly and surely, the familiar sensation of drowsiness swept over her and she groaned, fought to subdue her eyelid's muscles and ordered them to open. She winced at the brightness of the room, slowly blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light. At first, she thought that she was lying down outside Gekkoukan High. The place was shiny and white like the exterior. But the sensation of warmth and a small amount of weight distributed across her body suggested that she was somewhere else. When her eyes decided to work once more, she found out that she was in a Hospital room and lying in a comfy bed.

"You're awake!" A familiar voice exclaimed next to her.

She turned to the left and came eye-to-eye with Yukari, who was wearing her casual outfit consisting of a pink tube dress with black crisscrossing laces along the side seams and a fur-lined collar, a black top under that, boots of a similar style and her ever-present heart-shaped choker around her neck. Her face lit up with surprise and relief upon seeing Akane awake again.

"Hey, Yukari…" She replied drowsily, glad that she knew that at least one person survived. "Sorry for giving you a scare like this."

"A scare!? You were out cold for ten days!"

"Ten days!?" She exclaimed, shocked about the amount of time she was out. She then sighed in resignation as she sat up, knowing there was nothing she could do about it. "The teachers must hate me for this. I'll probably have a mound of catch-up work to do."

Yukari shook her head, dismissing her anxiety and Akane's concerns with a smile. "Never mind that. I'm just glad you're okay. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with you, they just said you were exhausted. I was so worried, sitting next to your bed day after day not knowing why you won't wake up."

Akane smiled back, glad that her friend was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing.

"Um…" Yukari then looked to one side sheepishly. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything that night to help you… and Sakuya. I panicked, that being my first encounter with the Shadows, the things you fought. You wouldn't have had to go through this if I wasn't such a coward."

"I don't blame you." Yukari's head snapped back in surprise when she heard that, and found Akane looking at her with no trace of anger or resentment on her face.

"Seriously, I don't blame you for any of the things that happened last night… No, stupid, I mean ten days ago." She shook her head in shame as she corrected herself, before continuing. "Anyway… What I'm trying to say is that since I don't have a problem, you shouldn't have a problem."

"You think so too… eh?" Yukari said as her tense posture relaxed as anxiety about this moment dissolved. "Well, that's a load off my shoulders. Thanks, Akane. Not only for that, but for saving me then as well. Your power was amazing!"

"You mean my Persona?" Akane asked.

"Yes… How did you know what it was called?"

The auburn girl shrugged. "It was the first word that came into my head."

"Oh, right. I remember." Yukari said as she recalled what happened that night.

"But I think Sakuya outshone me with his."

"Yeah, his was more terrifying and brutal." Yukari agreed. "But the way you handled yours was just as good. Not bad for a first-timer."

"Oh, stop it you!" Akane feigned flattery, causing both girls to erupt into a giggling fit.

"Ah… A-anyway…" The girl in pink began as she recovered. "We'll explain all about this when you're out of hospital. Sorry for not telling you sooner." Her expression mellowed once more as she shakily moved on to a subject she wanted to share. "I, uh… wanted to tell you… I'm sorta like you."

The auburn girl looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"My dad died in an accident while I was little, back in '99." Yukari explained with an undertone of sadness, wringing her hands nervously as she continued. "My mom and I haven't exactly been on good terms ever since. Supposedly, he died in an explosion at the Kirijo Group laboratory he worked at, but nobody knows what happened… And that's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High and working with Mitsuru. I'm hoping to find out the reasons if I stick around long enough."

Akane felt sympathy for her friend, pouring her heart out like that. She didn't know what she was going through due to the differing circumstances and the fact they are two different people, but she had a good idea. "Why are you telling me this, Yukari?"

The girl in pink looked towards her friend with an equal measure of sympathy. "You're all alone too, right? To be honest… I already knew about your past. But it didn't seem fair to poke my nose in like that, so I wanted to tell you mine."

"I understand." Akane replied, before a coy expression played on her face. "But you could've at least waited until I've recovered completely before saying all this. Didn't I tell you that I was a patient girl?"

"I know, it's just… I felt so bad about keeping so many things from you that I resolved to let you know when you woke up. So thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time."

"No problem. It feels good to know that you're not alone, especially after what we've been through."

"Thanks again, Akane." The now placate Yukari said with a smile, before standing up. "Well, I'd better not keep you from resting anymore. It's a good thing you woke up on a Sunday, so take your time getting better. And… Uh…" She then paused before gesturing to the ever-present brown paper bag on the bedside table in disgust. "…Sakuya bought some fruit in for you."

"That's kind of him. I didn't think he would…" Akane stopped mid-sentence when she opened the bag and looked inside. What she saw turned her entire demeanour from happiness to outrage. "Son of a…! A… female dog!"

"I'm sorry Akane. I tried to tell him it was a bad idea, but he didn't…"

"Someone's been eating all of the cherries, and there are only three left!" She then threw the bag down on her bed in anger, crossing her arms as she sulked.

"HUH!?" Yukari exclaimed in surprise. She expected that Akane was mad at Sakuya for buying her the one thing that reminded her of the uncomfortable comment he made on the first day of school, but was completely shocked when she found out she was mad that people had been eating the cherries before her.

And she wasn't going to let it go. "Don't people know that it's bad manners to help yourself to someone else's gift without permission? Who's been eating my food!?"

"I'm afraid that's my bad."

Both girls quickly turned towards the new voice. Standing by the next row of beds was Sakuya with his hands tucked in his casual outfit's pockets. He was wearing a pair of brown steel-toe-capped boots with white socks, black jeans, a white turtleneck sweater, a grey double-breasted jacket, his signature headphones draped over his neck and a pair of yellow tinted sunglasses tucked in his collar. He, once again, had a brown paper bag under his arm.

"Nobody knew when you were going to wake up, Akane-chan. But you see, I don't wasting food. So I… told everyone to… ah… help themselves." He explained calmly, but looked at the glaring Akane the same way he looked at Mitsuru after she slapped him: like a man before a charging battle tank. He then very quickly (and gingerly) held out the new bag in front of him. "Besides, I just bought a fresh batch. I'll finish the old ones, you can have this, okay?"

There was a very heavy silence in the room. Yukari looked sheepishly at the scene of her friend glaring daggers at Sakuya, who looked like he was trying hard not to break down crying like a baby. She was at a loss of what to do to diffuse this situation. She didn't know that Akane could get so violent when it came to food since she, and all her fellow students, were still dealing with the surprising truth that the red-eyed girl could eat so much and stay slim thanks to her fast metabolism. It was a shock for everyone when Akane bought and devoured five trays of food from the cafeteria without skipping a beat. As for Sakuya… True, she was still suspicious of the guy after the subtle prank he pulled on her despite the situation, but she was also unnerved by what she read in the Nanjo documents. The line "mentally unstable" made it hard for her to deal with Sakuya. She was now more careful of what she said when in his presence to avoid pushing his berserk buttons, and was currently weighing her options on how to avoid a potentially ugly scene.

Thankfully for her, though, Akane suddenly began to smile happily at the sacrificial tribute offered to quell her bloodlust. "All right. I'll forgive you just this once."

Sakuya sighed in relief in sync with Yukari, before walking over to her, exchanging the bags and informing her that the refuse bin was to the left of her bed. Like a ravenous wolf, Akane tore the bag open and began to devour the cherries three at a time, spitting out the pips after she consumed the flesh. Both of her visitors exchanged an awkward look at how easily her mood could change in the blink of an eye, along with how quickly she was eating her way through the bag. They held this gaze for a few seconds more, until they heard a contented sigh signifying the end of the feeding frenzy.

"Those were some good cherries." Akane said, casually dropping the paper bag into the bin while patting her stomach.

"Uh… well… I'm glad you liked them!" Sakuya responded awkwardly. "It's good to see that you're alive and well after what happened that night."

"Same to you, Sakuya-kun." Akane replied, not seeming to notice his awkwardness. "I'm surprised you're still standing after what happened to you."

"I'm afraid you can't kill me that easily." The blue-haired boy shrugged playfully in return. "Same applies to you, it seems. Not bad for a first-time Persona-user, if I do say so myself."

To avoid the danger of being too pleased with herself from the praise she got from two different people, Akane coughed and changed the subject. "Are you a part of Yukari and Mitsuru's group too?"

Sakuya politely shook his head while Yukari was trying to hide her disgust at the thought of working with him. "'Fraid not, I've had mine for a couple of years now. I bumped into the others the day before school started and, uh… didn't leave a good impression."

"Aha!" Akane exclaimed with a snap of her fingers. "That explains the special treatment you get!"

"Not a term I would use…" Yukari mentally muttered.

"Indeed." Sakuya nodded in affirmation, seemingly not noticing Yukari's displeasure. "But most of the animosity is out of the way now, so there's no need to worry."

"Most!?" The pink-clad girl thought sarcastically. "I like his choice of words…"

"Anyway… enough about me. Did you sleep well despite the circumstances?"

Yukari was alerted the moment Sakuya said that. He did mention before that he and Akane had similar nightmares, which seemed to worry the both of them if the footage from the dorm's cameras were anything to go by. It was also the main driving force behind his change of heart towards SEES. But she didn't understand why having the same dreams caused him to act like he did. For the sake of her curiosity, she decided to sit and listen for a bit longer.

Akane put both her hands on her lap, one on top of the other, and laced her fingers together. "I think so… I didn't have any more of those nightmares I mentioned earlier, if that was what you were talking about. There was this one weird dream, something different to the ones I had before. But other than that, nothing else."

"I see…" Sakuya said, gripping his chin with his right hand as he speculated. But then he decided to shrug it off after getting nowhere. "Ah, no matter. We'll figure it out another day." He then turned to Yukari. "Shouldn't we be going now?"

"Oh, right!" Yukari quickly agreed. "I was about to go when you came in, but don't you want to talk to her some more?"

Sakuya shook his head. "I'll follow your example and leave explanations for another day."

"Good idea." Akane agreed, before holding her hands up defensively. "Not that I'm ungrateful for your company, of course…"

The three of them shared a laugh at that, before Yukari and Sakuya waved their goodbyes and parted with the cheerful Akane, glad that her friends were alive and alright, that her burning questions about what happened after her blackout were answered, that she managed to get closer to Yukari, and that she got a nice snack out of it as well, courtesy of Sakuya. But there was still one conundrum her brain was wrestling with as she wearily laid back in her bed and slipped under the covers:

"I'm bored. What exactly is there to do when you're recovering in a hospital…?"

Thankfully, Akane didn't have to stay for the entire day after the doctors alerted to her awakening did a few checks on her. Finding nothing else abnormal, they let her return to the dorm half an hour later and gave her the go-ahead to return to school the next day.

Just as she predicted, the teachers were not pleased about her long absence and gave her a humongous pile of catch-up work to do in her spare time, except for the ever-unpopular class literature teacher Mr Ekoda who kept her for a catch-up lesson after school. Because of this, she got back to the dorm later than the others with sore fingers from all the writing she did, a sore brain from all the knowledge she had to absorb in the space of one school day, and a lot of despair at all the extra work that must be finished by the end of the week. But, being the positive thinker that she was, Akane didn't mind doing all this as she would undoubtedly improve her intelligence at the end of this. And in Japan, every extra number added to your IQ rating counts.

On an interesting side-note, she had noted from her return to the school's social scene that Sakuya's popularity had dropped during the period of time she was unconscious. Personally, she saw Sakuya as someone who, like her, knew the pain of loss and tried to cope with it as best as he could. While Akane listened to upbeat J-pop music and tried to fill her life with positive emotions to counter the black abyss within her soul, Sakuya listened, sang and danced to music from various genres and nationalities (which conjured up many disturbing images of him dressed up like Freddie Mercury), smiled whenever other people were present and acted as showy, extravagant and flirty, as possible. She understood the reasoning for this showy behaviour, which managed to attract many to the young man at first. He even had a stalking fan group at one point. But things began to go downhill after Akane was admitted to A&E.

Apparently, he began to lose his touch and smiled a lot less than he did, plus his tried-and-tested meditative eating trick was making a mess of his uniform. That unsettled people at first, but what really got the public opinion groups divided was the time when Mitsuru took him back to the dorm on her motorcycle. He made it clear that he didn't plan for that, but that didn't stop people from feeling jealous or hopelessly out of their depth because of his time with yet another of the school's popular girls. The new rumours cropping up about him stalking someone in 2-E weren't helping his image either. He managed to regain most of his marbles and mend a few bridges, but according to Junpei, people are still divided on what to think about him.

Letting out a sigh as she walked back to the dorm, Akane vowed to help her friend out the next chance she got. It was clear to her that Sakuya's mood swing was her fault, so she should help him fix his mess in return for saving her life that fateful night. But not right now. Mitsuru asked her and Yukari to meet up on the 4th floor lounge after she got back. Though no reason was given for the meeting, she guessed it was to discuss the crazy series of events that recently took place.

After dumping her school stuff in her room, Akane made her way up to the fourth floor, where she was ushered into the room by Yukari. Of all the things she expected a lounge to have, shelves chock full of files lining the walls accompanied by a vast computer bank, all surrounding a stylish table with plush chairs was far from the usual definition. Ikutsuki, the board chairman she met on her second day, was seated in the armchair at the head of the table. On the couch were Mitsuru and a white-haired athletic type wearing a red waistcoat and leather gloves with his uniform. She assumed that this was the other tenant mentioned in passing when she talked with Ikutsuki. And to Akane's left as she entered, sitting on the freeform seat closest to the door was Sakuya, who slouched with his hands in his pockets, but sat up and smiled as usual when he noticed the two junior girls enter.

"Ah! There you are." Ikutsuki exclaimed the moment they stepped in. "I'm glad that you're okay, Arisato-san. I wasn't sure what I'd do if anything happened to you. The reason I called you here is because I needed to talk with you."

"Just as I thought." Akane mentally affirmed.

"Please," the chairman said with a wave of his hand, "have a seat."

The two girls sat down. Yukari, to nobody's surprise, sat on the seat near Ikutsuki, which just happened to be the furthest from Sakuya. Akane decided to split the difference and sit between them.

"Oh, and before we start…" Ikutsuki gestured to the white-haired youth sitting next to Mitsuru. "This is Akihiko. I believe I mentioned him before."

"How ya doin'?" Akihiko introduced himself with a polite smile.

"Hey there!" Akane replied enthusiastically with a kind smile and a wave.

After they exchanged hellos, Ikutsuki then got the conversation back on track with a question. "Okay, let me start by asking you this: Would you believe me if I said there were more than twenty-four hours in a day?"

"Yes."

Silence permeated the room as Akane's blunt answer surprised all those present. Everyone looked at her with a stunned expression, amazed that she would accept that an established concept in everyday life was completely wrong. Well, except for Sakuya, who chuckled heartily at everyone's reactions.

"Still got some of your childlike inquisitiveness, I see." He said to Akane after he finished laughing.

"To be honest, Sakuya-kun, I never take anything at face value." Akane replied.

"Does that include the night I warned you about the Shadow attacking?"

"W-well, almost always." Her face suddenly turned red at the memory of how that night started, but she quickly shook her head and moved on from that subject. "You see… I've learned through my life that some things are not always what they seem in regards to people and what I'm told, so I try to look at things with objectivity rather than accepting them outright. Plus, the nights I've experienced in this city with all the blood, coffins and dead electronics seemed like a completely different world. Or, more likely due to what Ikutsuki-san said, it was a completely different time."

Her shock now gone, Mitsuru chuckled in an amused manner. "Well done, I applaud your intuition." She then regained her formal composure before continuing to explain. "What you summarised is essentially the same conclusion we have drawn concerning what we call the Dark Hour, a hidden period of time between each day."

"People aren't aware of it," Ikutsuki returned to the conversation, "but the Dark Hour occurs every night at the stroke of midnight. It'll happen again tonight, and every night to come."

"Normal people don't notice it since they're busy sleeping in their coffins." Akihiko chimed in, before an amused grin formed as he continued explaining. "But that isn't what makes the Dark Hour so interesting. You remember those creatures, the Shadows? They only appear in the Dark Hour and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. Exiting, eh?"

"Akihiko!" Yelled Mitsuru as she stood up indignantly. "Why are you always like that? Did you forget that got hurt the other day?"

"Now, now, he does his work well." Ikutsuki interrupted.

Though she was still annoyed at her fellow student's reckless bravado, Mitsuru took her seat again while covertly glaring at Akihiko, who in turn looked away with an annoyed expression. Akane remarked that her upperclassmen's antics made them seem like an old married couple, though she didn't dare to say that out loud. Sakuya, however, was not so tact. He mimed playing a romantic tune on a violin at the scene unfolding before him while grinning smugly, but instantly dropped everything and assumed an emotionless stance the moment Mitsuru growled: "Stop that." It took all of Akane and Yukari's willpower to not burst out laughing.

"Long story short…" Ikutsuki picked up once again, showing incredible patience with the amount of interruptions he had to deal with. "We are the Specialised Extracurricular Execution Squad - SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader; I'm the club's advisor."

"A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes one of The Lost, a living corpse." Mitsuru continued, showing no signs of her aforementioned annoyance. "They're responsible for most of the incidents reported in the news, if not all of them."

"And since law enforcement is out of the equation, you guys fight against them using your Persona?" Akane asked, glancing towards Yukari as she remembered the conversation in the hospital.

"I'm glad that you're able to catch on quick." An impressed Ikutsuki commented. "Although rare, there are certain people who can experience the Dark Hour. Some of them can even awaken to the power of Persona and fight back against the Shadows. It is by far, our most effective method of defeating them."

"And that's why…" Mitsuru began, placing a silver briefcase on the table in front of Akane and opening it to reveal a red armband bearing the club's name in English letters, along with one of the silver handguns she had seen before. "We want you to join us. We've prepared an Evoker for your use. Please lend us your strength."

"Alright."

Once more, the room was stunned into silence with one word from Akane.

"…That was quick." Sakuya stated as he gave a quizzical look.

The red-eyed girl shrugged. "I've got this power, so I might as well use it to help people. I don't see any reason not to."

"I was afraid you'd say no. Welcome aboard, Akane!" Yukari beamed as she clapped her friend supportively on the shoulder.

And then all of a sudden, everything stopped.

There was no other way it could be described, but to Akane, everything abruptly came to a halt when the sound of glass cracking resounded through her mind. It was as though time itself had stood still. She couldn't move her body in any way, but she was completely aware of what was going on around her. All her surroundings blacked out, leaving only the frozen figures of the smiling members of SEES visible in the vast expanse. Though for some strange reason, Ikutsuki and Sakuya were nowhere to be seen. They faded to black along with everything else.

Then all of a sudden, Akane was aware of something blue materialising out of the blackness in front of her. It was a peculiar blue card, which then turned around to display an image of a man carelessly walking towards the edge of a cliff; the number zero was visible on the bottom of the illustration. A ghostly voice strongly resounded in her mind as she beheld this strange phenomenon:

THOU ART I… AND I AM THOU…

THOU HAST ESTABLISHED A NEW BOND…

THOU SHALT BE BLESSED WHEN CREATING

PERSONAE OF THE FOOL ARCANA…

Once the ghostly voice had finished its piece, the card rippled like water and disappeared, a sudden rushing sound and sensation reverberating throughout Akane's very being soon afterwards. The feelings invoked by it were pleasant; it felt like a part of Akane's being was made whole again. She became acutely aware of her Persona Orpheus, residing within her soul. It felt as though here affinity with him was stronger than before. Plus, a myriad of other presences could be felt within her being, as though many other Personae were trying to make themselves known.

"So this is what Igor was talking about." She summed up in her mind. "I am not limited to just one Persona, I can summon stronger ones as I forge friendships with others… And, since I've got a craving for social interaction, this works out extremely well for me. I love this!"

Her celebrations were cut short due to the slow fade of colour returning to the world. Happily for her, it was not instant. She would have time to compose herself once more for when time restarts, since she guessed that nobody else noticed this happening. And as she was so glad at the prospects of her powers, she wouldn't have to alter her behaviour much to match the mood of the others in the room. So when time resumed, she was able to reciprocate the positive feelings projected to her by her new team members.

"And now that this is sorted out…" Ikutsuki spoke up as he turned to Sakuya, confirming everyone's obliviousness to the Social Link notification. "We still have to decide what to do with you, Sakuya-san. It's been twelve days now. Have you made your decision?"

Sakuya turned to him with a mute expression taking over his face. "You mean, whether I stay your prisoner…"

"Prisoner?" Akane asked, before remembering the circumstances. "Oh, right."

He smiled at her for figuring it out before continuing. "Or… I join your little monster-slaying group and we all try our best to… Shall we say… forgive and forget our previous encounters?"

"Exactly." Akihiko said in a matter-of-fact tone. "After what happened when you were brought to us and when the dorm was attacked, there's no way we can let you run around unsupervised. You'll just end up dead, if your track record is anything to go by."

"Indeed." Agreed Mitsuru. "But, if you work with us, you can use your powers as much as you want and we'll be there to back you up. I realise that you have problems trusting people, given what happened to your parents. But I am sure we will be able to grow to trust each other as we work together to defeat the Shadows."

"But if you do," a serious Yukari chimed in, "you'll have to cut down on the jokes. Especially the ones aimed towards me. Got that?"

Sakuya said nothing, but he did get up from his seat and started pacing back-and-forth in front of everyone, his arms folded and his head lowered in thought. He walked along the width of the room six times before coming to a halt at the head of the table; right hand clutching his chin as he individually scanned the other occupants of the room. When his eyes met Akane's, she became aware of the nature of his probing gaze. He was studying everyone in detail to formulate his answer. After what seemed like an eternity of pondering, Sakuya sighed, scratched the back of his head and looked back to everyone with a defeated expression on his face.

"Ah, what the hell…" He muttered. "I see that there's only one option that will benefit me in this situation…"

Everyone's gaze began to soften as they heard those words. The members of SEES were glad that they could reign in the wildcard causing them so much trouble. Smiles began to form on everyone's faces, even Yukari's, at the sound of Sakuya giving in like that. Ikutsuki was the first to speak up. "I am pleased to hear that…"

"And that is to ignore both options and leave you in the dust." Sakuya finished, dropping the act and showing a stern face of defiance.

Every smile and the feelings of relief and gladness dropped with that bombshell. All that remained was confusion, disbelief and, for some, brewing feelings of frustration.

"What, did you expect me to say yes?" The blue-haired boy asked. "Sure, it sounds like a good deal, but I'm afraid the situation wouldn't change no matter which options I pick. You'd still be my jailers, and I'd still be your captive. Sorry, but I'm a lone wolf who values my freedom."

"Oh, for cryin' out…" Akihiko spat through clenched teeth as he stormed over to Sakuya and grabbed him viciously by the collar of his shirt with his good hand. "Didn't you hear the part where I said you'd die!? I don't care what you've been through in the past, but can't you see that you're throwing your life away by going alone?"

"I'm adaptable." Sakuya asked casually despite the constriction around his neck. "And need I remind you that I was a solo operative back then?"

"So what? That doesn't cut any ice with us…"

"Persona."

Akihiko ceased his lecture and froze up the moment Seth materialised behind Sakuya, who had stealthily placed his right hand against his face while they were talking. The Egyptian storm god then prepared to rake his talons in a backhand motion across Akihiko's face at a moment's notice. It took him a short while to realise that Sakuya was giving him a chance to back away, if the stern look and sly smile were any indication. With great reluctance and great care, he let go of the underclassman's shirt and backed away slowly, waving away the others preparing to jump to his assistance. When he was by the couch again, Sakuya nodded, dismissed Seth and pulled a switchblade knife out of his pocket, which he then proceeded to playfully twirl it around in his right hand while facing the stunned onlookers.

"As you can see, there's no need to worry about how I handle myself." He explained. "The night I took on that Shadow nest alone ended in relative failure because I wasn't as experienced with my limitations in the Dark Hour as I am now. Oh, and for the record, I would have won the fight against that big Shadow if I didn't show off." He then stopped playing with his knife and cracked his neck before continuing. "I've just been out of practice for a while now, that's all."

"T-that still doesn't inspire confidence." Mitsuru spoke shakily, unnerved by the calm way he held himself through that situation. "But never mind that, how did you get that knife into the dorm?"

"Oh, this?" Sakuya replied, holding up the knife casually between his thumb and index finger. "I keep one with me at all times. You never know when you need to stab something in the face at a moment's notice."

"That's awfully specific…" Yukari muttered under her breath.

"But we checked you and all of your stuff!" Akihiko spoke up again. "Apart from the sword and supply bag you had, there was nothing else in the things we got from your apartment!"

"Well, I'm not telling." Sakuya stopped playing with his knife, pointed it towards the computer bank and extended the matte-black single-edged blade with a hooked tip. The sudden appearance of sharp steel and the sound it made upon deployment made everyone jump. "Surely you must've noticed something amiss when you were carefully watching my every move?"

"Wait, you've been spying on us!?" Akane exclaimed.

"I apologise, Arisato." Mitsuru replied to her with regret in her voice. "But it was necessary for us to be certain about your potential, and to keep Shiomi in check, of course."

"And in case you were wondering," Yukari chimed in, "there aren't any cameras in the bathrooms."

Though she still had objections, Akane decided to drop the subject for now. "…I don't like it, but I understand your reasoning."

"And another thing." The blue-haired boy said, getting everyone's attention as he sheathed and pocketed the knife before standing with both of his hands in his pockets. "I don't claim to be an expert, but after working for one back in Sumaru, I know a liar when I see one. "Dedicated to defeating the Shadows"? Don't make me laugh. None of you bar Akane are in this for altruistic reasons."

"That's not true!" Yukari shouted indignantly as she and everyone except Akane and Ikutsuki, who were both unsettled by this turn of events, rose to their feet in defiance.

"We're not lyin' about anything!" Akihiko chimed in.

"How dare you presume that we are merely taking advantage of this situation for our own benefits!" Mitsuru concluded with one of her many icy glares.

"Right, right, sorry. Let me rephrase that." Sakuya held up both of his hands apologetically. "You all have "reasons" for doing this. Yukari-chan, for example," He turned to the school idol visibly showing her disgust at his use of honorifics, "is using this situation in order to find out more about her dear father's death."

"WHAT!?" She yelled in response. "When did you hear…!"

"To be honest…" Began the blue-haired boy as he tapped his left ear with his index finger once. "You already knew about my past. But it didn't seem fair for me to let you just poke your nose in like that, so I wanted to hear yours."

Yukari was shocked. She knew to expect some form of snarky retort from Sakuya, but not in the form of him taking and twisting the very words she said yesterday to justify eavesdropping. And she wasn't the only one.

"Sakuya…" Akane barely managed to say as she looked up at her fellow orphan in disbelief. "That was a low blow."

"I won't apologise." He said sternly while looking away. "Even if I did, it wouldn't be accepted anyway. And it's not like I can forget all the details that easily, either. So, how 'bout we call it quits before this gets too out of hand? I've already packed my stuff to go, I'll move out now so you won't have to deal with me anymore."

Mitsuru began to stride over to Sakuya, probably to remind him forcefully that he wasn't even going to be allowed the chance of escaping her grasp, but any words were cut off when he moved his right hand to his face one more time, fingertips hovering over the specific points they touched whenever he summoned Seth. He locked eyes with Mitsuru. He was daring her to try and stop him. Though his expression was without emotion, his intense eyes conveyed the message clearly. In response, she stopped in her tracks and turned to the others in order to shake her head. There was nothing Mitsuru, or anyone else in the room could do to stand in his way.

All of the field operatives didn't bring their Evokers to the meeting in order to make the atmosphere friendlier for Akane. Their encounter the night before the start of the school year was startling enough for the young girl. That, and she thought that despite their clashes, Sakuya would actually put aside his differences and help them out. And now she was paying for that decision. Mitsuru contemplated going for the Evoker she presented to Akane or letting either Yukari or Akihiko grab it, but she decided against it. She knew how well he could fight and kill from the Nanjo documents and the recording of the night the Magician attacked. One sudden move from any of the other members would end in carnage.

Thankfully, though, Sakuya lowered his hand and wordlessly turned to the door, but stopped short of it. "Oh, one more thing." He said as he held up his right hand with his index finger raised and looked back to the Kirijo heiress. "I would prefer it if you did NOT put me under surveillance. I'd rather not drag anyone else into our mess. You understand me, right?"

Not waiting for an answer, Sakuya promptly strode out, muttering amusedly under his breath how this was the third time he left the lounge with all of the inhabitants at a loss for words. And indeed, there was barely a word uttered at the latest development of the meeting. Everyone was still stewing with their varying emotions: The three original members of SEES before today were wrestling with emotions like anger, frustration and hatred. Ikutsuki's mind was full of concern over this latest development, unsure how Sakuya would affect the outcome of this endeavour he and the students under his care set out to complete.

And last of all was Akane, who was thoroughly confused at the actions of her friend. All the things he had said and done right now contradicted all her prior assumptions of him. His reasons for turning down the request to join SEES, valid though they were, sounded more like an elaborately-woven lie to her. And then there was the nature of her dreams. Yukari informed her that finding out the meaning behind them was his motivation for helping out, but he didn't pursue the matter at all when he asked about her at the hospital, nor when he interacted with her at school. Both instances left the impression that he was hiding something that he did not wish to share, or rather; something that he could not share with anyone.

And that scared her.

Author's note

Anyone else think that Yukari's heart-to-heart in the game was all over the place? She kept on jumping between the subjects of being glad the protagonist was awake to being sorry for "last" night, talking about Personae and Shadows and her tragic past. Sure, she is an emotional girl who was scared that she might have gotten someone killed, but it was hard for me to keep up with the subjects discussed. So I decided to smarten it up for my fanfic, along with any of the other dialogue I came across.

Also, why the heck was everyone wearing school uniforms on a Sunday of all days? Made no sense in any of the game's versions.