Hey guys! Welcome to the second chapter of this new fanfic! Thanks so much to all of you who took a crack at the first chapter and started to follow and review it! Thank you all ^^ I'm so glad that people have taken an interest into it since I really would like this fic to take off! And since I have some free time at the moment (After so much school and lack of time. I am so sorry for that, by the way *bows*) I began to work on the next chapter as quickly as I could! Well, I won't go on any longer, so let's get this chapter rolling!
Disclaimer: Persona 4: The Golden is under all rights of Shin Megami Tensei/Atlas/Sega.
PS: Since I technically said this was chapter two of the fic last, time, it will remain as such. Please don't ask me, "Where's chapter one?" since the prologue of the fic, Ab Initio, is also chapter one.
Chapter Two: Veni, Vidi, Vici
No matter how blindly she ran through the fog, Yui kept shouting at Rise and Naoto to follow her, leading them with her voice as they mounted a metal staircase and scaled across a catwalk decorated with spotlights. The farther they got away from whatever was chasing them, the better.
With full speed and in one swoop, Yui yanked open the door to the room at the end of the catwalk and shut it right behind her as soon as Rise and Naoto ran in. Locking the door, the transfer student panted as she rested her back to the door, holding her hand to her chest to calm her erratic heart. "I . . . I think we're fine right now. . ."
"U-Um . . . You may want to rephrase that, Yui-ch-chan . . ."
Yui looked up, barely able to register a sound as she stood up and walked into the room, taking in the chilling site of the thousands of posters that covered the walls of the small bedroom. With careful precision and the use of a sharp tool, the eyes of the posters were torn out.
"This room . . . Why are all the eyes torn out?!" Exclaimed Rise.
"We . . . We should calm down," Naoto said after taking a long breath, though looking a little afraid herself. "There has to be . . . A-A perfectly good explanation for all this."
"Until you find one, let me know," Yu shuddered, eyeing the old green necktie dangling in the middle of the room, above an old chair. "What I'm seeing right now is making me uneasy." Her stomach flipped once and she took a breath, wiping her sweaty brow. "I . . . I don't feel so well."
"Me neither," Rise agreed, shakily breathing. "It feels like my body is going heavier and my eyes are itching." She wiped her eyes to prove her point.
"Perhaps it's because of this environment." Naoto suggested, walking the perimeter of the room before shaking her head. "In any case, we should leave this area. I don't think whatever we heard followed us here."
Nodding, Yui took the first step, opening the locked door and taking a peek outside. Peering through the thick fog, her sense ran on high alert, eyes darting everywhere to check for movement, ears straining against the dull wind that blew through. With the coast clear, she gestured her companions to follow her, the trio sticking together as they climbed down a metal staircase and arrived back at the stage.
"OK, so we're back here. How do we get home?" Asked Rise.
"There has to be some way," Yui looked around, the spotlights above them webbed through the sky, crossing like the treetops of a forest. If her eyes weren't fooling her, she could've sworn she saw a bird perched on one of the metal braces.
"Wait. . ." Something swooped, barely missing Rise and Naoto as it flittered around Yui, turbines of wind whirling around her and making her dizzy. As if the figure was multiplying, the many blurs the city girl saw trapped her into vertigo, her body falling back as she slipped into unconsciousness.
The static of an intercom startled her, Yui sitting up on a cold-tiled floor, barely able to hear the message that boomed through the area.
"Attention shoppers, Junes will be closing in ten minutes. Once again, Junes will be closing in ten minutes. Thank you for shopping with us and we hope to see you all tomorrow!"
"H-Huh?" At her side, Rise sat up, rubbing her head as Naoto groaned, resting on her knees and holding her head. "We're . . . We're back at Junes?" She asked. "How?"
"The last I thing I can recall. . . Was that bird," Panting, Naoto sat up, dark blue eyes dazed. "Are you two alright?" She asked. Rise nodded and Yui sighed.
"At least we're back here." She looked at the plasma she and the others fell through, leering at the black screen. "But why did we fell through? What was that room and bird we just saw?" She looked at her hand, fingers curling inward and outward of her palm. "Did I . . . Do that somehow?"
"Look, can we not talk about it please? I feel like I just ate a gallon of ice cream and went on the most wild roller-coaster ride of my life." Rise held her stomach, looking green.
"Yes. I. . . I think its best that we don't . . . Speak of what just happened," Naoto nodded once. "I suggest we all return home and have some rest. None of us look well enough." She sighed.
"Yeah." Agreed Yui, eyes still on the pitch-black screen. 'Seriously . . . What just happened?'
The following night, Yui walked back to the Adachi home, announcing her arrival as she removed her shoes and walked into the living room, her uncle watching an old movie on the television while Teddie flipped through a manga.
"Yui, where you been?" Asked Adachi, lowering the volume. "It's pretty late. Something happen?"
"No," Yui answered automatically. "Actually, I was hanging out with some friends I made at school. I guess I lost track of the time."
"Oh," Adachi nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Well, that's great! You already made some friends and you're getting along. Good job, Yui. So, think you're getting use to Inuba yet?"
Yui shrugged. "Sort of. I'm adapting at least." To the side, she thought, 'I still can't help but feel all . . . Nostalgic. . .'
"That's good to hear," Adachi nodded. "Hey, have you ate yet?" He stood, walking over to the fridge. "I bought some takeout a while ago and saved your meal. Want me to heat it up for you?"
"A-Actually, I thing I'm going to head to bed. I'm . . . Not feeling well." The painful buzz in the girl's head didn't stop rumbling, the walls of her skull seeming to pulse with her brain feeling as heavy as a brick.
"Are you OK, cousin?" Teddie asked, closing his graphic novel. "You look like a worn-out teddie bear. Hey, get it?! Teddie? Bear?" He laughed. "That's so funny!"
"I don't think laugher is the best medicine in this case," Adachi walked over to his niece, feeling her forehead and his own at the same time. "You don't feel warm but you do look a little worn out. Why don't you head upstairs, take a warm bath, and get ready for bed? We'll see if we can at least get some fruit in your stomach before you go off to bed, alright?"
Yui nodded with a tired smile, as if that were the best plan she ever heard in her life.
Ice ran down her spine.
"Yu-kun!"
Her body was falling, down into a dark and cold abyss.
"Sensei!"
Throat, raw and voiceless. Mind, contorted by someone else's memories.
"Partner!"
Eyes as silvery-grey as her own opened, framed by a pair of black-rimmed glasses.
"Narukami!"
Something grabbed her hand, a whisper from a ghost.
"Find yourself in me. . ."
Glass shattered and a butterfly fluttered at her eyelids, the gentle wind from its wings stirring her from sleep.
Her eyes opened, everything from the dream tumbling into Yui's body and leaving her with a cold shiver. Sitting up on her futon, she realized it was Saturday, the sun already near early noon and the smell of coffee still lingering in the air. Pulling off her sheets and remaking her futon, the young girl cleared her head with the sounds of children playing outside her window, laughing as they were playing some sort of sport.
"Guess it . . . Was just another weird dream." She sighed. She walked to her television, fingers grazing the screen's surface before pulling back, shaking her head. "I'm getting too worked up." She gathered the clothes she left herself last night and went to the bathroom, shower and changing before padding down the steps, her hair damp and curling.
Teddie was toying around with an old gaming console, smiling as Yui walked in and grabbed a box of cereal from the counter. "Morning, Yui! Feeling better?"
"Yeah," His cousin fixed herself a bowl of cereal, taking a seat by the island. "Much better." She took her first spoonful, her stomach able to take it without knotting. "Teddie, where's uncle?"
"Work," Huffed the blonde as his fingers jabbed at the controller. "The media's swarming the girl who found the body hanging from the TV antenna, so he's helping Dojima take care of them. I think it's in some book shop in Junes."
Yui nearly chocked on her next bite, beating her chest before spatting into a napkin. "Y-You mean Shirogane Nook?!"
Teddie nodded, pausing just as his character was about to perform his special attack.
"Yeah, why-" The slamming of a front door left his mouth agape. "C-Cousin?!"
Faster than any force she possibly knew, Yui ran past the sliding doors of Junes and to the second door, hastily apologizing to shoppers she almost ran into before spotting the book store, police and people crowding the small store. Naoto was in the front with her grandfather, a crossed look on the kind gentleman's face.
"If you are here for reading or barrowing, please, do come in. But if anyone keeps badgering my granddaughter like this, then I will have to ask you to leave." He glared as a mic was almost shoved into his face, leading Naoto back inside and calling over his shoulder. "My shop is closed for this weekend. Please, leave." He firmly closed the glass planes, complains firing from the crowds as police men tried to sort them out.
"Yui-chan!" Rise and Chie ran over to the pondering transfer student, the redhead looking at the book shop. "We just heard that Naoto-kun was the one who found the body. Guess the crowd in front of the store can prove it, right?" She asked.
"Looks like it," Huffed Chie, shaking her head. "I swear, the whole town is buzzing about it. You wouldn't believe what they've been saying, especially people from our school."
"What do you mean?" Asked Yui. Chie groaned.
"Ugh, it's been crap the girls have been spreading. They're saying that Naoto's using this to get herself attention because she doesn't talk much. I don't know her that well myself but Naoto doesn't seem like the type of person to do that," The brunette sighed. "I dunno. I just hope things clear out soon. I'd hate for something like that happen to me, so it must be hard on Naoto, too."
"Me, too." Rise agreed. Yui thought the same, eyes drifting back to the crowd as they began to clear away. "Um, hey, you girls wanna head to the Shopping District? I heard there's this great deal on romance charms at the shrine that I must see!"
"Pass," Chie shook her head. "I actually have to get going. My mom said I could only go out this morning and I have to be back by my house by noon to help with chores," She waved as she jogged over to the escalator. "See you guys on Monday!"
"Bye!" Rise waved back, sighing as she crossed her arms over her chest. "So much has been happening so far, but beside the murder, I think the weirdest part has been with Naoto-kun and Chie-chan," She leaned on her hip, tilting her head. "Chie-chan and Naoto-kun have been acting starnge, haven't they? I mean, I know why with Naoto-kun, but Chie-chan's been a bit more distant. Do you think she's mad at me?"
"Why would she be?" Asked Yui. Rise shook her head.
"I don't know. It's just a weird feeling, I guess." She shrugged. "Hey, Yui-chan? I think I'm just going to head home. I'm still a little tired from . . . Yesterday. Oh, I didn't ask if you were fine! My bad!" She exclaimed. Yui gave a small smile, showing her gratitude.
"It's fine, Rise-san. And I'm alright. I had a little headache when I got home but I felt better when I got some sleep. Though, I still feel a little tired," She rubbed at one of her eyes, the stale fog from her dream still making her eyes dry. "I think I'm going to walk around for a while before heading home for more rest. I'll see you Monday?"
Rise nodded. "Yeah. See ya!" She was off a second later, Yui left alone.
Now by herself, the silverette walked in the direction of Shirogane Nook, staring at it and wondering if Naoto was alright. Did the smallest of their trio experienced odd sickness after she returned? Concern flooded into Yui and she bit her lip, shaking her head as she spun on her toe, taking the escalator to the second floor. 'It's not the right time to bother her about this. Naoto's already had enough harassment for one day.' Still, an irksome tick was set off into the private school student. And with great curiosity, she found herself in the electronics' department once more.
"Every day's great at your Junes~" played with a catchy tune, Yui's foot tapping as the peppy beat played. Pulling out her cellphone, she recorded the jingle for the point of the moment and walked over to the large, flat-screen in the middle, eyes glazing as she remembered the foggy world that was only a step away. If she could squeeze herself through there again without anyone looking, maybe she could explore it more. A part of herself said she was crazy to go in there again. It could be suicide. But that voice from her dream days ago rammed back into her memories.
"Do YoU wIsH tO lEaRn ThE tRuTh?"
Perhaps the truth the figure hid was in that world. Whatever thread of fate was spinning itself around her, it pulled Yui closer to the television, her hand catching the ripples of the screen.
"Narukami-san, don't!" Another force rammed into her, the girl screaming as she and the force fell into the portal, hypnotizing patterns greeting her before she landed on the ground heavily once more, the landing just as hard as the last time. Rolling to her side, Yui groaned, shaking her head and staring at Naoto.
"N-Naoto-san, why'd you do that?" She rubbed her hip, cursing as the pain felt like needles trying to pierce through her pelvis.
"I-I was trying to stop you." Naoto muttered, fixing the newspaper boy's cap on her head and standing up, offering Yui a hand and pulling the taller girl to her feet. "Well, it looks like we found ourselves here again. How we're going to get out of here this time is the main question."
"Maybe we can try to find that bird we saw. I don't know but somehow, it was able to get us back home," Yui looked around, pushing up on her toes to get a better sight, only to find herself as lost and confused as a newborn animal to the world. "But this fog is so thick, I can barely see a thing. I'm not sure how we're going to be able to-" She turned, a black beak nearly poking her eye out. ". . . Found it."
Naoto took a step back, so Yui followed the example, only adding a jump to her movement. The bird from the day before them flew in place, bright, paper-like wings flapping and leaving a crinkling noise as yellow and pink feathers fluttered, black, button-like eyes staring at the two perplexed and down-right shocked girls, a white bow tied at its back, the sash around its neck.
"Why are you here? Are you going to play with me?"
Yui didn't know which to be more afraid of; the fact that the bird could talk, or the fact that it could talk without moving its beak.
"Just . . . Just what are you?" Asked Naoto with wide eyes.
"Hmm," The bird hummed, flying to one of the metal pillars of the studio and perching there. "I guess I'm a bird? You have those back where you live, right? With feathers and beaks like mine? Um, so yeah, I think I'm a bird." The winged-creature replied, fixing it's feather's with it's talons.
"Hey, were you the think following us yesterday?" Asked Yui, walking over to the bird.
"Yesterday? . . . Oh! It was you guys who were making all that noise! No wonder Shadows were out more than usual!" As if possible, the bird looked sad, pink wings drooping. "The shadows have been acting more hostile than usual. It's as if they're getting ready for something. . . . But I don't know what it is."
"Shadows?" Through the winds came nasty whispers, harshly replying Yui's answer.
"Ah!" The bird flapped in fright, feathers flying everywhere. "Th-They close! And they're getting really angry!"
"Honestly, it's like all of a sudden, she thinks she's "Little-Miss-Somebody."
"Yeah, just because she discovered the dead body, Shirogane thinks she's all that now."
"Pathetic, right?!"
"Huh?" Yui looked around, surprised to hear the rumors coming from nowhere. "Why are they talking to you like that, Naoto-san? . . . Naoto-san?" The silverette looked behind her, gasping as Naoto was nowhere in sight. "N-Naoto-san?!"
"Over here!" The bird flew over to one of the paths, something clacking against the floor. "Oh! And you'll need these! Trust me."
Yui walked over with hesitation, picking up a pair of black-framed glasses from the floor. She slowly slid them to place and took a breath, the fog no longer there. 'Do these glasses. . . Allow me to see through the fog? How strange.'
"Come on! This way! This way!" The bird shouted, flying down the path. Nodding, Yui followed after the pink blur, racing into a wrecked corridor. Green and yellow tiles were broken and shelves and tables were toppled over, books by the hundreds scattered all over the place. It was then by the window, Yui saw, that the blurring letters of "Junes" glowed in neon lights.
"Hold on," The transfer student stepped forward, treading on a copy of Sherlock Holmes. "This places almost looks a lot like. . . Naoto-san's grandfather's store . . ."
"Well, it's not like she's been popular before, right?"
The insults came again. Yui winced, the words cracked and painful, like rocks stuffed into a person's mouth, and it made her almost feel hollow inside. With the odd bird flying overhead, she walked over to an open area that was covered in a thick red rug. It resembled an old-time living room, a hearth roaring nearby with book shelves bordering around the rug, hard-covered soldiers standing at attention.
Naoto stood in the middle of the room, listless blue eyes staring into the orange tongue licking at the fog in the fire.
Right?! You could almost feel sorry for her! She spends all her time with those books of hers and never goes out to hang out with people. She's like an old hermit, it's really creepy!"
"Yeah! She's nothing but a lonely, pathetic freak!"
"Oh, I'M the freak?! Ha! They should take a better look at themselves!" The flames of the fireplace suddenly shot to the ceiling, Naoto gasping as she was knocked back by the heat of the fire, a typhoon spinning right in front of her. As the flames disappeared, an exact duplicate of herself glowered at her, everything from the small stature to the newsboy cap matching perfectly. "So, I choose not to flaunt myself? To stay away from others? Well, that's fine by me! Who needs friends? Not me. I'm perfectly fine with my books!"
"Who. . . Are you?" Naoto asked uneasily, a glint of fright crossing her usually neutral features.
"That's complete idiotic," The copy-cat scoffed. "I'm you, obviously. A shadow who you always hid away from the world. The lonely personb who was always left behind to read her books." The double's face twisted in a fake sob, crocodile tears running down its cheeks. "Oh, boo-hoo! Don't leave me alone! Don't let me be lonely! I just want one friend! Any will do! Just don't leave me alone!"
"That's. . . That's not me at all!" Naoto shouted. "Stop this right now! You're behaving like a child!"
"Whaaa! I am like a child! I do want attention! I just want someone to look at me and understand me. I don't wanna be lonely anymore! Whaaa!"
"I said stop it, right now!" Naoto nearly screamed, eyes wide in shock and denial.
"The shadows!" The bird perched on Yui's shoulder, talon's digging into the fabric of Yui's blouse. "They're becoming more aggravated! This is not good! Not good at all!"
Yui couldn't agree more. All around them, the book shelves begin to topple over, almost sending earthquake-like vibrations across the floor, pieces of the ceiling falling from the top and logs of fire threatening to pop from the hearth. Naoto's shadow laughed, looking behind its host to see the other girl and the bird.
"Ha! What's the matter?" It's crackled, tears drying from its cheeks by the heat of the fire, it's gold-yellow eyes filled sinisterly. Aren't you going to show them who you really are? Or will you always be a big hypocrite and make them leave?!"
Yui could hear it in her mind. It was the shudder of a strained breath, before it became a whisper, a crack bouncing off the inner walls of her mind. 'W-What? This again . . .?"
"No. . . S-Stop it!" With a scream, Naoto shut her eyes at her shadow and yelled. "You're not me! YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE ME!"
Yui held her head as the shadow crackled wildly, a black aura surrounding it.
"Correct! I am no longer you! For now, I AM MY OWN SELF!"
Both girls hurdled backward as the black smog around the shadow let out in a burst, the duplicate before them shifting from a black mass and into a painted mannequin of Naoto, paint and odd fabric peeled off with flashy metal upon it, skirt torn around its knees with a dirty and bloody lab coat over its shoulders, it's eyes and hair wild and animal-like.
"I aM a ShAdOw. . . ThE tRuE sElF. . . yOu'Ve IgNoReD mE fOr FaR tOo LoNg. . . NoW. . ." It raised one hand, fallen books flying into the fire and floating in the air. "tHeRe CaN oNlY bE oNe Of Us. . . AnD It ShAlL oNlY bE mE!" The shadow threw a flurry of fire orbs to the remaining book shelves, wood and books avalanching over Naoto as she shouted, trapped under the mass.
"Naoto-san!" Yui shouted, gasping as the shadow eyed her, one hand ready to throw a fireball at the pile of debris while another aimed at her, the rest of the fireballs aimed and ready.
"I sEe No NeEd FoR aNoThEr UsElEsS bEiNg. . ."
It was at that moment, in the split second of where fear had gripped her heart and erased every thought from her head, Yui heard the voice again. It was shouting at her, calling out a wild battle-cry. The glass blockading her inner-most mind was split in a powerful shattering, a warm breath stirred from her lungs.
"I am thou. . ."
Her limbs went numb, taken over by another as a blue tarot card materialized into her palm.
"Thou art I. . ."
A gypsy's blue circle whirled around her feet, complicated patterns drawn under her as blue lights appeared from the circle, opening the gate to Yui's soul.
"I, who opens the gates of thousands. . . Who bestows the world its gifts of land, water, and life. . . I am the Mother of the Gods. . . I am you . . ."
Yui cried out as her body lifted into the air, the tails of blue striking into her and wrapping themselves around her heart. Her eyes flew open, a sky-blue hue glazing over her silver irises and another breath escaping her. The surge of power gathered into the very recesses of her soul, her feet landing delicately on the ground as she let out the power in one, signal call.
"Persona!" The card in her hand ripped apart, a young woman appearing out of it. Her body, bandaged around her bare torso, wrists, and legs, was dressed in a black duster with a pale-peach chiton under, the skirt flared from battle and fire. Slipped around her waist was a sash made of chains, a long bladed katana sheathed at her hip. Her face was wrapped in a thick gauze, thunderous red eyes glaring out, hair as dark and glassy as a raven's wing flowing down her back. "Izanami!"
"WhAt?! WhAt Is ThIs SoRt oF sTrEnGtH?!" Shouted the shadow, growling and firing it's next tirade of fireballs. Whipping out the sword, Izanami blocked the attack with her blade and dashed forward, swinging her sword and slashing at the mannequin. The shadow screamed as the cut made static pop from it, growling and trying to strangle the goddess head on.
"Zio!" Yui jumped as the next shout came out of her, almost sounding just right when it rolled off her tongue. The bandaged heroine before her suddenly struck her katana into the earth, a bolt of lightning striking the shadow and knocking it off its feet. The natural instinct flowed into the foreigner again, her hand swiping at the shadow just as Izanami did the same with her sword, slicing through the shadow's body as it screeched and turned black, dropping to the floor with a heavy thump.
Yui breathed again, panting as Izanami kneeled before her, red eyes searching. Yui stared back at them, wondering what this mythical being was thinking now. Was she judging her? Or checking if she was alright? Yui nodded once, as if to say she was fine. It seemed that the black-haired goddess took that as the OK as she stood up and disappeared in a light of purple, transforming into a tarot card and vanishing.
Yui ran over to the fallen bookshelves and pulled them all off, Naoto, helping the meek girl up as the latter's legs must've felt like lead.
"Are you OK?"
"I-I believe so," Naoto nodded, casting her eyes to her duplicate as it stood. It didn't look as if it were going to attack again. But when Naoto saw its eyes, she could see someone else in them. It was girl, looking alone and scared. It was her own reflection. "That . . . Is me?"
"Yeah," Said the bird, resting on one of the nearby bookshelves. "From what I know, shadows are made the other "yous." They're who you don't want the rest of the world to see, so you hide them away. Shadows get really angry if their host don't show them to the world. They get really crazy and attack anything," The avian sighed, feather's drooping. "If you don't accept it for who it is, it'll just attack again."
"I. . ." Naoto sighed, shaking her head. "How can I-"
"You need to be brave, Naoto-san," Blue eyes blinked at a bright onyx pair. "It may seem scary but sometimes, we all have to try to be brave. We all have to try to break out of our shells sometimes," Yui smiled. "If we always kept our books in fantasy and black-and-white words, we wouldn't be able to see the wonderful things reality has to offer."
"Narukami-san. . ." Naoto stood a little more easily on her feet, shaking her head when Yui offered her shoulder again. With an uneasy step, the bookworm walked to her shadow, staring back at it's sad gold eyes. "It's hard to imagine myself saying this but. . . Yes. You are me . . . And I am you. You are the one I kept locked away, the person who was afraid of a new world and who had only the choice to escape into books. But because of that, it was as if I gave up on learning the new world. I became an outcast and found myself. . . Lonely. But not anymore. I see that now, I have to show "you" to the new world. The real me."
A small smile appeared on the shadow's lips, a sigh escaping them as a purple light engulfed it. In the place of the shadow was a necromancer with long dark larges and smoky-yellow eyes. Wrapped upon its shoulder was a long red trench coat, its hands and feet made mechanically with iron-made mask on its face.
"I art thou. . . And thou art I. I, who leads my students into the finest arts of the world, placing knowledge and self-strive above all else. I am the Scholar of the Silent. I am you . . ."
Just like Izanami, the being transformed into a tarot card and disappeared in an instant.
"Honestly," Naoto shook her head. "What has just . . . Happened here? Something like this cannot be possible," She looked at the bird. "You have much to explain to us."
The bird shrugged. "I guess so."
"So what you're saying is . . . You don't know how this place came to be?" Asked Yui, she and Naoto gathered around the bird as the three of them returned to the studio area, a pair of blue glasses in front of the second teen's eyes.
"This place has always been here," The bird cleaned at its feathers, the lights almost reflecting the bright color of pink. "So have the shadows and so have I. The fog, too. It's really weird how that effects this place, too." It said this as it gazed at the vast yet dense land, not a sight nor soul to be seen. "With the fog here, shadows don't angry as much. But every so often, it clears and that's when they get really mad. Just a while ago, it attacked some person, leaving some weird looking thing."
"Thing?" Asked Naoto. The bird hopped off it's spot and retrives a small and white flat item, dropping it into the younger student's hand. She gasped.
"What is it?" Asked Yui, looking over her shoulder and reading the black bold letters: TARO NAMATAME. "Huh? What? This . . . Hardly makes any. . . I don't . . ."
"Narukami-san," Naoto looked at the nametag in her palm. "It may be just my assumption but. . . Before I found Taro Nametame's body, it was raining that whole time and he had gone missing during then. But on the day a fog came, the exact day before his body was found, there was fog. Narukami-san. . . Doesn't this all mix in somehow?"
Yui thought up all the facts Naoto pointed out. A big picture was drawing itself out, the disappearance and death of the city council secretary all drawing together. And with this world of fog and these sudden being called shadows attacking anything on a non-foggy day, all of it could not have been a coincidence. But then what were these "persona," beings, like Izanami? Why did she appear and help Yui against the Naoto's shadow? Once again, more answers left more questions.
"We may have to look into this further," Naoto said, crossing her arms. "It seems incredibly unreal but now that I see it with my own eyes, I know what's going on now. This homicidal case has now turned into an unsolved case. Narukami-san, I think that now we know of this and possess what you called earlier, "persona," we may be the only ones who will be able to solve this."
Solve this. The way Naoto had placed it, the whole thing seemed like a child's game of detective. And she was right before, almost all of it seemed too unreal to be believable.
"W-Wait? You guys are really going to do it?" The bird flapped its wings excitedly. "Y-You'll really see what's going on? You will?!"
"Narukami-san?"
Yui wondered why all the decisions were made by her all of a sudden as the two looked at her. It was crazy, delusional, but most of all, highly-dangerous.
"Alright." Came the blunt reply.
The bird sprang into the air with an excited caw, whirling around the girls happily. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"But until we can do any work on this, both I and Narukami-san need some rest." Said Naoto.
"You have a point," Yui agreed, rolling her sore shoulders, now notcing that she actually felt tired over the whole thing. "Oh, we forgot to introduve ourselves. I'm Yuina Narukami, but call me Yui. And this is Naoto Shirogane. What's your name?"
"I don't have one," The bird answered. "All I have on me is this thing. It has some funny drawings on it." Curious, Yui walked over to the bird and peered at its bow, indicating that, that was what it was refereeing to, and read the black kanji letters there. "It says . . . Nanako. Is that your name?"
"Is it?" Asked the bird, tilting its head. "Maybe. Well, then that's my name! I'm Nanako! It's nice to meet the both of you!" It tweeted.
"You too, Nanako-chan," Naoto returned the greeting. "Now then, I would like to ask you to return us back to where we came from, like you did before."
"You guys are coming back, right? Asked Nanako, worry in its eyes. Yui petted its head, smiling kindly.
"We promise. We'll be back as soon as we can." She swore. Cooing at the petting, Nanako nodded and flew into the air, once again whipping and whirling around the two girls. Faster and faster it flew, causing the girls to spin off their own feet as they almost bounced into the sky, a wave of a dizzy spell passing them as white blinded their eyes.
After returning to Junes, Yui and Naoto scheduled that they would meet at Shirogane Nook after the both of them rested up, promising not to enter the television world during the time. Walking out of Junes, Yui checked her pocket and jangled the few yen coins in her pocket. After her experience today, a fruit juice and a bottle of aspirin wouldn't hurt her.
Traveling to the liquor store in the Shopping District and purchasing her items, she was about to take the South route home when she noticed a door. On this street, it seemed pretty odd why this door, painted blue with purple accents, was there all of a sudden, since it wasn't there the first time Yui visited the district. What was even odder was that a young man stood there, a head shorter than Teddie and looking younger than that.
Dressed head to toe in a dark blue tuxedo with a black tie, his light blonde hair was untidily kept under a chauffeur hand, a gold pin with a 'V' pinned on his tie. The boy looked to the side, giving Yui an odd stare with the bags she carried. Yui stared back, noticing that the boy's tuxedo sleeves and slacks were two big on him. It almost made him adorable.
He pointed at her, directly with his wide and owl-like golden eyes. Yui looked left and right, before pointing at herself. The boy nodded once and opened the odd door, giving an expectant look.
'Well . . . My day's already been crazy so why not add some more crazy?' She wondered, walking over and nodding in thanks to the little boy as she stepped inside, the door closing behind her.
And just like that, Yui found herself sitting on the leather exterior of a limousine. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but blue velvet. Outside the windows, the limo appeared to be moving along a road experiencing a heavy storm, droplets running down the glass and chasing each other to former fatter and quicker droplets.
"Welcome, to the Velvet Room," Yui peered over at the old and gangly man sitting across from her. His long and large nose and wide eyes reminded her of the garden gnomes Adachi's neighbors kept on their small garden. They were both odd and terrifying to Yui when she first saw him. This man had the same effect. "My name is Igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He said, his voice raspy with uncharacteristic glee. It gave Yui the feeling as if he hadn't seen her in a long time. Strange, since they had never met before.
"What am I. . . Doing here?" She asked, taking a seat back.
"Master Yuina, I believe you already know why you are here," Said Igor with mischievous laughter in his voice, his long and twig-like hands shuffling a deck of tarot cards and laying them across the table before him, flipping them to the pictures and displaying the Major Arcana. "You have just awakened to your power. We call it persona."
"Persona?" Yui question, wincing as something in her memories tried to force its way into her, as if trying to make her remember what "persona" was. But how could she remember something she had no idea about?
"A persona is the power you use, the inner-strength within in you, that defeats the obstacles of your path," Igor explained. "And right now, the largest obstacle is that of a catastrophe that could bring the end of your world and another. Master Yuina, the path before you now has been forged for a very long time. It awaits you to take its route and stop the catastrophe in the length of one year. If you fail to defeat what it is to come, all you have come to know will cease to exist."
Yui's eyes widened a fraction. "Wait, so you mean . . . If I don't stop what's going to happen in a year, then that could mean. . . Something like an apocalypse?"
"Far worse, but for now, we shall say it is apocalyptic," The old man nodded. "That is, unless you are willing to sign a contract that will help you on this path, enabling you more to the power of your persona than you already know."
The schoolgirl's mouth opened and closed a few times, her mind reeling for what seemed like a lifetime. Finally, her eyes opened (she had no idea when she had closed them) and she nodded. "Alright. I'll sign this contract."
Igor grinned (if that was humanly possible) wide and unrolled a piece of parchment from thin air, laying it before Yui. Though all the words were written in what Yui thought was old Latin, she signed her signature on the line before it disappeared in a gust of glitter.
"Now then, shall I explain your ability further?"
"Sure."
"Well then, there is no other person better to explain it than my assistant." Next to Igor, the boy Yui saw before and an older gentleman appeared. The older was board-shouldered and dressed in a similar outfit like the younger, only it fit him properly. His blonde hair was brushed back and his bangs ran over his golden eyes, covering them.
"Good day, Master Yuina," The older man greeted, transparent as if he were a hologram. "My name is Kalvin. But please, call me Kal. I shall provide my service to you as your driver and item recourses," Kal patted his white-gloved hand onto the little boy's shoulder. "This is my younger brother, Spencer. He shall be your door boy and will look over the Persona Compendium for you. Say hello, Spencer."
Spencer only nodded at Yui like he did the first time, looking the other way the second the guest tried to wave at him. "He's a tad shy. Please don't take it to heart, Master Yui," Kal smiled as he folded his hand on his lap. "As stated by my master, your ability is that of the Wild Card. It enables you to form multiple bonds with people, or "Social Links" as we call them. Not only are you able to form bonds and grow your Social Links with different people, you will also be able to use other persona of the Major Arcana. With the help of my master, you will be able to gain other persona by fusing several others together, many of those found after battles. Please, take this into consideration."
Igor cleared his throat once.
"Oh, yes," Kal nodded, gesturing to the other side of his master. "I nearly forgot to introduce our latest guest to the room. He will be helping you with your journey as well."
A dry "hmph" caught the new master's attention, and she looked to the side to meet unfriendly blue eyes.
It was the boy from the train station. Only he looked a little different. His white shirt had a few of the buttons undone and one of the pants legs of his red jeans were torn at the knee, a black-and-white stripe pattern sewn and replacing the missing piece. His black combat boots looked thick and heavy as he rested them on the table, a matching black tie clipped with a lock lazily around his neck.
His dark blue eyes glared at Yui under the brim of his blue cap, a golden pin similar to Kal and Spencer's attached to the side.
Now it was Kal's turn to clear his throat. "Marcel?"
The boy, Marcel, dragged in a sigh, throwing his wrist in a dull wave. "Hey."
"Um. . . Haven't we met before?" Asked Yui genuinely. The boy did seem familiar and yet. . . He wasn't. It really nicked at Yui's brain, as if Marcel was someone she really had to remember.
Marcel shrugged. "I dunno, maybe?" He rolled his eyes to Kal. "Are we done here?"
"First, tell her how you can help her on her journey." Kal responded.
"Fine, fine," Marcel sat up, eyes dragging around as he tried to explain. "Look, kid, I can, like . . . Let's say if you find some weird-looking cards after you fight. They look like Arcana but they have different pictures on them. It can take you a while to find them so come talk to me if you find one. They're called skill cards," His face suddenly turned bright red, a glower taking over his face. "T-That doesn't mean you can come around here and talk lame stuff with me, like what you do with your dorky friends or whatever! Stupidlamesocialbutterflyweirdo, I don't wanna be friends!" He snapped.
". . . Dully noted." Yui nodded, only earning another hard look from the red-faced boy. He sure had some anger problems.
"And with that, this is where we must part for now, Master Yui," Said Igor, four pairs of eyes locking onto the new guest of the Velvet Room, some friendly and some (if not one) brooding. "When you are in need of any of us, simply use the velvet key (At this point, a blue key card flashed into Yui's pocket, but at this point of the chaotic day, she didn't seem to mind) on this precise door and we will be glad to assist in any way possible. Please keep in mind that you must now be careful on your daily decisions, for one could possibly lead to your certain end, whether in battle or your everyday life. When next we meet, you will come here of your own will," He chuckled. "I look forward to it," With the simple loop of his hand, he nodded. "Until then, farewell."
Yui felt herself pulled out of the Velvet Room, landing on her feet, upon the sidewalk of the Shopping District. Time had barely passed and people passing by didn't seem to notice Yui suddenly appearing, nor the door hued in blue glowing behind her. Yui looked back at the door and tilted her head.
"Looks like living her in the countryside is going to be more exciting than I gave it credit for."
Next time on Fantum Lentis:
"We may have found ourselves more into this case than we realized, Narukami-san."
'I guess it wouldn't hurt to try out some jobs here. Hey, maybe I'll get to know about this town a little more."
"Why are you two suddenly arrested?!"
"Chie-san is missing?"
"None of you guys get it at all! She's my friend!"
Chapter Three: Exitus acta Probat
"A . . . Another persona?!"
Once again, shoot. If you're reading this, then you still had faith in me to update this story. And for that, I am grateful to you kind readers ^^ I know it's been a long wait since I hadn't been updating but I promise more regular updates since I will be updating stories around the weekends now, since that is the only time I ever have on my laptop. Well, anyway, please make sure to drop a review and let me know what you think. Did you spot the differences in the story from the original plot? What did you think? Thanks to our new readers who joined us on the followed list and I hope you guys can prepare yourselves for the next chapter. See ya guys next time!
This is me saying, Peace!