Persona: Spirits In Pixels – Chapter Four
Forewarned
What would it be today guys? There will most likely not be any announcements for the rest of the story...and where only at chapter four? Got to find something to talk about soon. But in the meantime...Let's GT-R-DONE!
07/30 - Late Night
The welcome home party went by very smoothly, despite that it had gone on from the early hours of the morning to the late ours of the evening. The skies turned dark to reveal the countless stars and constellations in the night sky. As it nearly turned midnight, the moon slowly climbed higher and gradually shone brighter in the heavens above with every passing second.
As the party came to a close, everyone decided to go back home, all of them struggling to get to the front door with numb legs. They gave their goodbyes and farewells before walking away with tired and exhausted looks. Yu stood at the porch to wave the others off, closing the door behind him when they disappeared into the dark night.
When he turned back around, Yu felt startled as Rise was stood in front of him. "Aren't you going home, Rise?" He said to her, carefully looking at her expression. She was slightly blushing, yet her facial features were kept as a straight look. "Can I stay the night with you, Senpai?" She asked him, close to pleading.
"It's fine by me..." Ryotaro said with a gruff voice. "But no funny business, all right?" The uncle put an immature look on his face, but Yu didn't mind it, nor did Rise. "C'mon then!" Rise said loudly as she tugged Yu's arm.
"Wait, Yu..." Ryotaro caught Yu's attention. "Could you take Nanako up to bed, please?" He asked, making Yu's head turn towards his little cousin. She was laying snuggly into the cushions of the couch, holding the Jack-Frost Doll in her arms. He walked to her and scooped her up from the couch, managing to keep Nanako's new doll in her arms.
"Aww! She's so cute when she's sleeping..." Rise whispered with a sweet look, following Yu up the stairs to take Nanako to her room. He nearly tripped up on a couple of steps, but never lost his balance. Eventually though, Yu made it to Nanako's room, slowly walking towards her bed and afterwards, laid her gently down onto it, pulling the bed covers over her body.
"Nuh-night Nanako..." He whispered to her as he gently brushed her hair behind her ears. He stood up and walked towards the door to Rise, hearing Nanako's croaky voice on the way out. "Good night...big-bro." She croaked with a tiresome tone. Yu could only smile adorably at his sleeping cousin, slowly shutting the door behind him with no noise disturbing her.
After a quiet start, Yu and Rise quickly ran into the vacant room that was situated opposite Nanako's room, noticing that all of Yu's belongings were already in the room in a neat layout. Closing the door, Yu jumped onto his back on the small sofa that sat snug next to the wide window, letting out a big yawn and a wide stretch when he hit the cushions.
"Make room for me!" Rise shouted in a singing voice, despite the look of exhaustion on her face that restricted her tone slightly. Yu came out of his stretch and kept his arms spread apart, actually offering her his embrace. Rise blushed slightly and laid her body in front of his, being hugged from behind by Yu's warm and tired arms.
Rise turned her body around to face Yu, staring into his eyes as he did into hers. Her eyes lit up more and more with every second looking at him. She then looked down. "I know you got here Senpai...but...when are going back?" She asked slowly, feeling some nostalgia of his departure from last time.
"Huh? What made you think of that, Rise?" He asked, using one of his hands to gently stroke her silky hair from root to tip. "Well...the most fun I have is when I'm with you...and this is the most fun I've had in what feels like forever..." She explained her feelings to him. She continued. "...I'll be honest with you...I don't want a long-distance relationship. I want a relationship where it only takes a short walk from my house to get to you..." After her say, Rise hid her face in his chest, giving Yu a chance to rest his chin on her head.
He lowered his head slightly in deep thought, thinking of any way he could do to quell her look of need. He head then shot back up as an idea sprung to mind. "Well, if that's what you want..." Yu began in a whisper, "...I could move in with you...then you won't have to worry about the distance." In an instant, all of Rise's worries that were clinging on to her mind, were put at ease. Her head immediately shot up, facing Yu who looked like he wasn't joking.
"Yu! You mean that?" She squeaked with a shocked expression. "I can't promise it, but it'll be something I can plan." Yu replied with a smile, resting his forehead on hers. An even wider smile then came across Rise's face, with a giggle of delight that slipped out.
She laid both of her hands on his cheeks softly, and brought his head closer into a passionate kiss. It only lasted for a short minute, but to them, it seemed like an eternity. In a perfect sync, their hearts played a wonderful harmony as their fast beats were felt through each other's chests.
Even though the kiss lasted for a short while, the tender moment lasted for a longer period of time until they both fell asleep in their embraced slumber.
As Yu slowly breathed light breathes in his deep sleep, his body felt that same sensation of hovering above the ground, gliding and swimming around in the clear, open space of his subconscious. The sensation then changed as he felt his body posture, slouching in a sitting position. He lifted his head up and forced his eyes open into a squint, recognising the familiar dark and light shades of blue and purple across the room that were emanating from every inch of the furniture.
07/30 - Late Night - The Velvet Room
"It's so nice to see you again..." said a mannerly voice that came from the opposite side of the room. Yu looked up to find that the voice belonged to Igor, and as usual, Margaret was sat next to him with the large tome that rested on her thighs.
"How is your injury?" Margaret asked with a serious tone. Yu lifted one hand and rubbed it against the back of his head where the accident on the train caused the most pain. Remarkably, none of the pain remained. "It's...gone." Yu slowly said with a look of confusion on his face.
Even Margaret was slightly confused, turning her head towards her master to see if he knew anything which to no surprise, he did. "You've healed quick. Quite remarkable." Igor began kindly. "And with that, marks the beginning of your new journey." Yu's confusion grew as Igor gave his crooked smile.
"Huh...? I've made a start? ...But what was familiar?" Yu asked himself with a clear loud voice, giving Igor and Margaret a chance to overhear him. Margaret could only chuckle at the points he missed which she found obvious. She told him to save the deep thinking. "The train accident, a slight concussion where your injury was caused a reaction to take place inside your psyche." She started. "In other words, that injury bestowed a new ability within you."
"Another power...?" Yu muttered as he started to understand. He remember his first day in Inaba when he shook hands with Izanami who took on the facet of a local gas attendant.
He then knew that the similarity was the gaining of a sleeping power. "I see." He said bluntly. "But there must have been something that caused that accident to happen..." He then added in question. Igor chuckled with an intrigued look. "That I'm afraid cannot be answered at this time..." He began. "...but as time progresses, this truth will be revealed." Yu gave him a confident nod with a kind smile followed after.
"Do you know why we have called you here?" Margaret asked him, but Yu remembered what she said to him before. "Well, I was meant to come back at my own accord, right?" He asked, only to have a shake of her head in return. "It was planned that way...but we called you here in great urgency." She explained.
"I have been able to assist you with the forewarning of your journey, but now I must tell you about the coming future." Igor said sternly with a serious look. Yu leaned forward in his seat, carefully listening to what he had to say.
"The truth you are to uncover will be revealed before you on the day of 'The Coming'. A day of judgement, and a day of conflict that will decide, forever, the fate of humanity, the world and life." Igor began with an urgent tone. "A corrupted miracle will be the aid that will guide you through the wars that will be waged, and in the end...the final truth will be recognised." The blunt but powerful words hit Yu like a train more than the accident did, leaving his expression shocked and horrified. There was only one thing on his mind at the time.
"The...final truth?" He asked, nervous about what the answer might be. "A truth above all other truths. An unbearable truth that is known by not a single man, and is best left to question...until that day." Yu's look worsened and so did Margaret's. Even Igor seemed troubled.
He closed his eyes in thought for a brief moment and slowly opened again, lifting his eyes up to Yu. "Please, take what I've said to account." He said in his usual gentleman's voice. "How could I forget it?" Yu joked in seriousness.
Igor forced a chuckle at his remark and put on his normal crooked smile. "Now, now. No need to ponder upon it at this time. For now, focus on the task at hand..." He said calmly. "What task?" Yu asked in curiosity.
"To recognise this fate, and what's hiding in it's wait." Igor said finally, watching the look of Yu's curiosity fade with a confident nod following afterwards.
He then remembered something as he faced Margaret. "Sorry if I'm prying...but how is your sister?" He asked her politely, only getting a worried look as a reply. "She's...away..." Margaret answered him with a shaken voice. "Besides...we've kept you here too long..."
Yu wore Margaret's expression and turned his head back to Igor. "Before you return to your world, remember these words..." He began before giving a pause to collect his thoughts. "With decision, comes new options: To agree, or to regret." It was difficult to understand at first, but Yu grasped it almost immediately, finding the actual facts in those words.
"The next time you come here will be of your own accord." He said as Yu began to feel drowsy, drooping his eyelids shut and laying back into his seat peacefully. "Until then...farewell." The words echoed throughout Yu's subconscious as he glided and wandered in it's waking state. He then felt a shaking sensation on his shoulder, disturbing him from his slumber, followed by a familiar voice.
07/31 - Midnight - The Real World
"Yu! Yu! Wake up!" whispered a voice in distress. Yu woke up quickly to find that the voice belonged to Rise. "What's the matter, Rise?" He asked with a croaky tone. "Look..." She whispered bluntly, pointing towards the TV that sat opposite them. As Yu turned his tired head towards it, his expression showed nothing more than shock.
The TV was off, but the screen was lit up in a menacing, sickly green colour. Static noises were made as the image fuzzed and buzzed. "What? But...!" Yu shouted in a whisper as he opened up his cell phone to check the time. It was midnight. With disbelieved eyes, he looked back towards the TV knowing too well what was going on.
"The Midnight Channel..." Yu said forcefully with a slightly shaken voice.
Yu quickly jumped up from the sofa and ran over to the bedroom window, drawing back the curtains to find that the glass was completely drenched in rainwater, and the weather outside still chucked down the heavy downpour. This made both Yu and Rise believers that their greatest mystery had returned.
"I thought we got rid of the Midnight Channel..." Rise said as she fixated her eyes towards the TV. As she did this, she spotted a shadowy figure stand out from the green colour of the screen. She walked closer to it to get a closer look of the figure, only to say that she didn't know anything about that person. "Senpai, come here..." She called for him, catching his attention.
Yu turned his head towards her and then the TV also noticing the figure in the screen. He walked away from the window and stood where Rise was standing, observing the silhouette's body. Only he thought that they looked familiar.
Her hair seemed straight from the roots of her hair, but as it followed further down, the hair started to curl towards the tip. Her body and posture was of a slender and fit young woman, and she looked slightly older than both Rise and Yu.
After a while of pondering upon this, Yu came to answer. "Isn't that...?" he asked himself, only to get cut off by the ringtone that came from his cell phone. He quickly reached into his pocket and took it out, taking a brief look at the caller ID. It was Yosuke. "I think he knows too..." Yu muttered.
He flipped his phone open, nearly breaking its hinges and placing it against his ear. "Yosuke! Did you see it?" He asked with a confident but noisy tone. "Yeah dude, I saw it!" He started off with a panicky voice. "But...didn't we already take care of the Midnight Channel? ...Why? I mean, we worked our asses off just to get rid of it!" Yu was nearly deafened by Yosuke's anger.
"Okay, okay. Calm down." Yu demanded over Yosuke's shouts until he calmed down. "Yeah...sorry man, I got a little carried away..." Yosuke apologised. "But doesn't the person on the TV seem familiar to you?"
Yu looked back at the silhouette, still finding it very familiar. "It does look like someone we know..." He said as he pondered. "Wait...I might have an idea..." Yosuke said back to him. "No way..." He then added, only making Yu more worried.
"What? Yosuke, what is it?" He asked desperately, waiting in patience for a short while until Yosuke started speaking again. "Do...do you think...that's Saki-Senpai?"
The name that he gave to Yu, made him flinch. With the many features of Saki Konishi that rushed through Yu's mind, he compared them to the silhouette and found an uncanny resemblance. "Yosuke, I think your right." Yu said in a slow and quiet tone, making Yosuke feel unsettled and uneasy.
"You think so? But...she's dead...and she was already broadcasted on the Midnight Channel..." He said with a wobbly tone. Yu ignored Yosuke's question and focussed on what must be done. "Let's not jump to conclusions now." Yu began. "Yosuke, I need you to call the others about this...we'll meet up at Junes tomorrow and work out what we're going to do then." Yu spoke his plan to Yosuke like a true leader.
"Okay partner, I'll do that now. See you tomorrow." Yosuke said his farewell on the phone before hanging up with Yu doing the same. As he slipped the phone back into his pocket, his eyes once again fixated again on the TV as if he couldn't take his eyes off of it.
Rise walked next to him and hugged his arm with nervousness. "Did you have a guess at who it is?" She asked with a worried expression. Yu sighed before answering her. "Someone...we once knew." He said with a look of reluctancy.
After the events that happened that night, everyone had the greatest struggle to get even a single wink of sleep.
Nothing to talk about and now my chapters are getting SHORTER! Sorry about that! But anyway, keep reading and please review! Like I said before, I would love to hear your feedback regardless of it being a praise or a flame! Next time I will try to make a longer chapter...but until then...CYA!