CHAPTER 6 – ALWAYS THE SUN
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"Well done on reconnecting with your past. The fool's challenge will begin soon and the town where you were steered towards shall be the proving ground. The fog is coming. Don't lose your resolve."
The masked man Minako had seen before had appeared in her dream as suddenly as he had left, this time way more cryptic and not letting her get a single word in. The vision of the floating, checkered-tiled floor among the sea of souls disappeared into nothingness just like the man himself.
Minako regained her consciousness, opened her eyes to see the morning sunlight shine through the window directly onto her face and saw that she was back in the her own bedroom, being driven back by Junpei Iori following a miraculous reunion of those once bound by fate.
Tuesday, 8th February 2011 – Noon – in front of the Kirijo Corporation Research & Development Facility
Minako read Mitsuru's text message during breakfast and she kicked herself mentally for letting her guard down at the sight of her friends. She knew that might have lead to potential trouble if not done in the correct way. However, she could not afford to nor she wanted to ignore Mitsuru Kirijo's request for a meeting and thus decided she had to take the train and do as she was told.
The building complex on the outskirts of the city was large and imposing. The outer walls were devoid of most windows beyond the atrium, and visible ventilation shafts were sticking out of the ground, indicating the likely presence of an underground portion of the building. It was odd that she saw no guards or civilians walking within the grounds, and the moment she approached the front gate, Mitsuru's voice came over the intercom:
"Hey, glad you could make it. Please go to the entrance 4C. Just go right from here and then take the first left. The red door."
Minako did as she was instructed, and the moment she stepped inside, she heard the door close and lock itself behind her. A strong light shone from above and Mitsuru's voice was heard once again.
"Stand still, please." Minako did as demanded, despite her concerns about the event unfolding.
"We're done. Please go to the next room. I will meet you there shortly."
Minako swallowed her saliva and walked beyond the next door, where she saw two large initimidating men wearing black armor and goggle-like electronic eyewear, pointing automatic weapons at her. Minako stood still and distanced her hands from any pockets, hoping this would be over soon.
Over five minutes have passed and she was getting really annoyed at the treatment she received from her hosts, when one of the doors opened, revealing a blond woman wearing a Kirijo Corporation jumpsuit. She approached Minako and looked her straight in the eye without blinking, and embraced her so tightly that Minako found it hard to breathe. Shortly afterward, Mitsuru Kirijo and Akihiko Sanada walked inside, dismissing the guards who had already lowered their weapons at the sight of the robotic girl's reaction.
"That's enough Aigis, Please… let… go!" the embrace lost its grip strength once her distress was noticed, but she refused to do the latter.
Minako felt relieved from the lessened pressure around her torso, but at the sight of her former senpai, a bout of anger rose from the depths of her heart.
"You! What the hell of a hospitality was this? You make me come all this way to have some thugs threaten me with violence?!"
The no longer white-haired, muscular man wearing a dark blue suit turned to his partner. "I told you she was gonna take it the wrong way."
Mitsuru replied to his comment while looking at Minako, as the response was meant for both of them. "Her situation is unprecedented. We had to make sure she was not an impostor."
"You could have done so without the damn guns!"
The President of Kirijo Corporation was disappointed by the continued anger from the former SEES leader, but knew that she had acted harshly. Perhaps too harshly, as her boyfriend suggested before. She sighed and spoke in a much softer tone of voice, similar to how she had been during uneventful nights at the dorm. "I apologize. I'll leave you three alone for now. Please come find me once you've calmed down."
Minako's anger lessened upon hearing Mitsuru adopt a more familiar tone of voice, furthered by catching the pleasant scent of lavender emanating from the android's synthetic hair.
Akihiko saw the loss of temper on Minako's facial expression and felt confident to approach the embracing duo.
"I'm sorry for Mitsuru. Seeing these pictures you took yesterday really fired her up. It should be impossible to do what you did, especially since we've been to your funeral and all. ...we even saw your ashes." Akihiko paused. "You've always been special, haven't you?"
Minako didn't respond, but lowered her gaze in shame of her previous outburst, in spite of it probably having been deserved.
Akihiko smiled sadly, and approached the door which Mitsuru had used to leave.
"I'm gonna go to Mitsuru and give you two some time alone. I won't force you to stay, but I'd appreciate if you were to join us later. Aigis knows where to go."
The two of them being alone in the steel-walled security room, Minako felt some tears go down her cheeks and she finally returned Aigis' embrace.
"I've missed you." Aigis said.
Minako shared the same sentiment and let it go unsaid, knowing Aigis would understand without saying a word; just like when she spent her final moments with her auburn hair resting on the anti-shadow weapon's lap.
"How have you been? I've heard from the others that you've been away with Kirijo and Sanada-Senpai?"
"I have. We are working to find my sisters now. I was the first one to awaken, others have done the same at other points of time. Until that task is finished, I must give my assistance to the Shadow Operatives. But you were always the first priority."
Minako knew of the borderline crush the robot girl had on her, and it did not seem to have lessened since her death. She had been flattered, but at that point her affection belonged to the man with the crimson coat.
Minako placed her head on Aigis' surprisingly warm shoulder. "I know." She then let go of the embrace, prompting Aigis to do the same. The two stood in a comforting silence, until Aigis saw Minako was comfortable enough to ask the question Minako had heard before, but not in the way she posed.
"Since you're back, are we going to have to fight Nyx again soon?"
"No Aigis. I've been assured that this was not going to happen."
"Did Igor tell you?" She was surprised Aigis mentioned a person she was sure none of the people of SEES had known, but remembered Fuuka mentioning her old comrades' visit to the Abyss of Time just the evening before.
"No. Not Igor. Elizabeth."
"The woman in blue clothes?"
"Yes, that's her. I trust her."
"Then I trust your judgement. However, a question remains unanswered. What happened to Death?"
Minako was confused by the query of her conversation partner, but knew she did not ask pointless questions. "What do you mean?"
"When Kirijo-sama scanned you at the entrance, the equipment detected the potential to wield a persona. Yet, there was no trace left of the incident which we know led to you absorbing the final part of Nyx, the Death Arcana shadow, into your soul. Your reading now is exactly the same as it was before we fought Nyx, but after the Hanged Man was defeated."
Minako was still in the final stages of fully recovering from the miserable state of health Elizabeth found her in after getting taken off the Great Seal, but she had not felt the always-there presence of the shadow named Pharos in her daily life or otherwise anymore. The boy had only started visiting her in a corporeal form after Orpheus had awoken and the first of the arcana shadows were defeated. She had always known of him, not realizing the actual danger of the being until it was too late. The words of Aigis rang true, and it was certainly a matter worth investigating.
"I should speak to Elizabeth about this. Thank you Aigis."
The android girl smiled at the acknowledgment from her object of affection. Something she had always longed for. "I am always ready to help whenever you may need it." Aigis switched the topic by asking a question: "Are you going to meet with Kirijo- and Sanada-san?"
"Yes. This isn't how I imagined the reunion to go, but they're still my friends so I should at least hear them out. Let's go."
The two of them had left to the place Mitsuru implied she'd meet them at, and she did just that. They talked about a variety of topics, including what Minako had learned from Aigis just a few minutes earlier, the topic of her return which she was getting tired of having to discuss over and over again, Shinjiro Aragaki's unknown whereabouts, as well as the same kind of friendly conversation from the party at Junpei's the night before, including Minako confirming the rumor that her former senpai have formed a romantic relationship.
The four had parted on way friendlier terms than the meeting had began, and Mitsuru had gifted her a year's worth of a rail pass to visit any of the SEES members as she pleased as an apology gift. Mitsuru offered her employment at Kirijo Corporation's Security Division, but she refused as she instinctually knew that it did not feel like the right thing to do. Aigis had offered to return to her side. That too was refused; Minako had instead given her permission to prioritize the mission of finding the other Anti-Shadow weapons. The blonde android found the proposal acceptable, but offered her aid in case Minako Arisato ever found it necessary. The two parted with another embrace, and even the often emotionally oblivious Sanada Akihiko was moved.
Waiting for the train back to Inaba, Minako made a phone call to her friend Elizabeth.
"You've reached the phone number of Velour-san, Elizabeth." She spoke with a playful tone in her voice, and deceptively similarly to an answering machine. Minako wasn't fooled, as she knew her friend too well.
"Hey, it's me! I need your help. Do you have any time? I need to speak to Philemon, and I thought you might know how."
"My, my, what a request." Elizabeth was uncharacteristically speechless after that, and took a pause thinking of an answer on how to proceed.
"Elizabeth?" Minako asked, worried it might be impossible until she heard her voice through the phone once again.
"There is a ritual. There is no need to sacrifice anyone to demons or chant in forgotten languages, unforunately. But we are going to need at least two more people. I shall speak to Tamaki about this. If you find another willing participant, give me a call or write me."
"Will do. Thanks Eliza-Chan."
"¡Adiós!" Minako put down her phone and started thinking. Would she involve her SEES comrades once again? Just Aigis? Would contacting the being this directly interfere with the condition he had given her for being freed from the Great Seal? It could perhaps even prove dangerous or turn him hostile. She had to think this through.
Minako had retrieved her bike from Okina station, which was still there since the preceding afternoon and returned home to eat dinner with old lady Hisano. Having gone to sleep early even after chatting with her friends, she was not aware of what was happening downstairs in the living room.
The CRT TV Hisano Kuroda had watched shows on had turned on by itself, and a quiet sound of bells was heard in the background of the static. The image of a silver-haired woman in a white yukata looking directly into the screen without recognizable emotions went into focus and stayed on screen for the next five minutes, never to reappear again.