Disclaimer: Neither Takeshi Yamato nor Xamusel own Kamen Rider Wizard or Persona 3. We only own the idea from the plot, and some of the OCs.
Takeshi Yamato: Hello, everyone!
Welcome to the sixth chapter of A Wizard in Iwatodai!
Just like with Yukari, we don't have too many ideas in regards to Hamuko's Pre-Arms Rider Outfit - the Ichigo Arms are the same as in Kamen Rider Gaim, though
Now, let's see what fate has in store for the Wizard next! :D
A Wizard in Iwatodai
Story by Takeshi Yamato, written by Takeshi Yamato and Xamusel
Gekkoukan High School, Morning, April 27th, 2009
"So, Minato-san, Yukari-san, how many people should we invite to the wedding?" Nayuki asked as they walked over to the school campus.
"Not too many," Yukari replied. "I'd say at least our friends in SEES, maybe some of the teachers we like, Hamuko for certain…"
"Yeah," Minato added. "Don't want to leave my imouto out."
"Mind if I invite a friend along?" Akihiko said as he jogged up.
"Who do you have in mind, senpai?" Minato asked.
"…Let's just call him a good friend for now," Akihiko replied. "I've known him for years, and I guess I'd like to have him there."
Before the invitations could be continued…
"Morning…" a gossipy student said to her friend. "Ugh, I'm so drowsy on Mondays…"
"Didn't you say the same thing last week?" her friend said, before she paused. "Is that special morning assembly today? How come we're having one? We just had one last week…"
"Remember how great Kirijo-senpai's speech was last week?" the first girl asked.
"Oh yeah, that speech was awesome!" the second girl replied. "Although, I didn't understand most of it…"
"What I heard was, the principal got jealous, so he scheduled his own speech to compete with her," the first girl said.
"Seriously!?" the second girl asked. "What's up with that? Why do we have to suffer because of his ego!?"
Sharing a look, Minato and Yukari shrugged, before continuing on their way to the main building just in time for the first bell to ring.
"How did they…?" Nayuki asked Akihiko.
"No clue," was the response.
The magic rings, the Wizard Rings.
(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)
They shine on both hands of the modern mage.
(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)
As she changes despair into hope.
(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)
(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])
Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! (Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)
(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth before the flash resolves into the title logo.)
Maru de tsuki to taiyou (It's like the shock)
(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)
Kasanaru toki no shougeki (When the moon and the sun collide!)
(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)
Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai (Everyone wants to believe in a miracle)
(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)
Kitto hitotsu you fukaketsu no ENAJI kokoro no da ne (The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)
(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)
Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono (Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)
(Hamuko Arisato is shown to transform into Kamen Rider Dia splitscreen with Yukari transforming to Kamen Rider Sage, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)
3! 21! 1! Showtime!
(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)
Magic Time!
(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)
TRICK ja nai! (It's no trick!)
(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)
Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze (The Magic Hero is no pushover!)
(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)
Mo-to halelujah
(Wizard Flame Style crushes a card in her hand, as Tsukuyomi appears behind her.)
Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase (Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)
(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)
Show Time!
(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)
Life is showtime! Tobikiri no (Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)
(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)
Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo (Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)
(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)
Mo-to halelujah
(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)
Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai (Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)
(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)
Subete no namida wo (…all those tears…)
(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)
Show Time!
(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)
Kouseki ni kaette yaruze (…I will change them into jewels!)
(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)
Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! (Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)
(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)
Chapter 6: The Days Before A Priestess
Gekkoukan High School Auditorium, Early Morning, April 27th, 2009
With the clearing of his throat, a teacher said to the assembled students, "We'll now begin this morning's assembly. First, our principal has some words he'd like to share with you. Please give him a warm welcome."
"…Thank you," the Principal said as he walked over to the podium.
Yukari, at the same time the Principal was walking over to the podium, asked, "What's the deal with the assembly?" Taking a bit to think it over, she asked Junpei, Nayuki and Minato, "…You think it's about the recent incidents?"
"Who cares?" Junpei asked. "The Principal doesn't know anything about the Shadows, anyway. I just hope this doesn't take too long…"
"I know," Yukari said. "His speeches always drag."
"You bring up a good point, Junpei-san, Yukari," Minato said. "Still, shouldn't we focus on the assembly for now?"
"Ahem," the Principal said. "Today, I'd like to tell you about my, um, vision for this school year. As you are aware, strange incidents have been reported on the news lately. It is my firm belief that none of you are involved. However, if we want to better our school, then we all need to accept responsibility for change. Dig deep down inside, and tap into your imaginations. …But don't lose touch with reality. As they say, "There's no use crying over spilt milk." This is the key to reaping all the rewards that school has to offer…"
"Wait a minute…" Yukari said. "Doesn't this remind you of Mitsuru-senpai's speech?"
"Yeah," Nayuki replied. "I guess that rumor we heard about him being jealous of the reaction to her speech was true after all…"
"Seriously… what's up with that?" Junpei asked.
Gekkoukan High School Class 2-F, Lunchtime, April 27th, 2009
Mitsuru was unsure of if what she was about to do was the right thing, but she knew it had to be done regardless. Still, it was imperative that she got this over with now that she was in the right classroom. Walking over to Minato's seat, she said, "Arisato… I'm sorry, but I need to talk with you after school. I have a special request for you."
"A special request…?" Minato asked.
"I apologize for being in a rush, but I don't feel comfortable asking anyone else," Mitsuru answered. "I'll tell you more about it after school, okay? Au revoir." With that, she walked out of the classroom.
Gekkoukan High School Class 2-F, Afternoon, April 27th, 2009
The school's Math teacher, Ms. Miyahara, was currently teaching a bit on Algebra. "…Then round up, so… The answer is X=1. Hmm? It isn't? Oh, I see, this becomes 11, so… I'm sorry, you're right. X=2. Wait… is that right? Okay, uh, your assignment is to figure this one out."
'Jeez, Miyahara-san is worse at math than we are,' Yukari thought.
"Anyway…" Miyahara said, getting her class's attention, "wasn't that incredible? Even with a difficult problem like this one, once you solve it, X still equals 1. Or maybe 2. What I'm getting at is, math is fun! Don't you think so?"
'It can be, but it's just sad when the students know more than the teacher,' Minato thought.
"Civilization owes itself to math! All right," Miyahara said. "Today is the 27th, so that works out to… your turn, Minato." Upon seeing him stand up, she asked him, "First off, do you know when numbers were invented?"
"Let's see… if the year is 2009, then it would be roughly 6,000 years ago," Minato answered.
"You got it!" Miyahara answered gleefully. "The Sumerians invented numbers 6,000 years ago. Later, Arabic numerals were invented in India, which brought us the number 0 and countless equations! Ahh… the beauty and wonder of it all! Math is MAGNIFICENT! Now… for the next question. What's 1+1?"
*CRASH!*
Minato looked up from where he had tumbled to the floor from hearing such a simple question, noticing Yukari had done the same, and said, "It's 2, Sensei."
"You're right… though, how long are you going to lay on the floor?" Miyahara asked.
"Depends… how long are you going to ask stupidly simple math questions?" Yukari asked from her position.
"Well, the fundamentals are important," the teacher replied. "It doesn't matter what you're counting. Atoms, students, if one joins another, there's 2 of them."
"That may be fundamental, sensei," Minato said. "However, what about the sort of math you'd expect from a computer program? How soon do you think you'll be able to cover that?"
"Umm…" the teacher began, uncertain.
"To clarify, Minato's talking Postgraduate level math that you wouldn't believe existed," Yukari said from her position on the floor. "In short, since Minato's the better mathematician between us, he's probably the go-to person for making sure this class is on track."
The teacher was saved from answering by the ringing of the bell.
Gekkoukan High School Class 2-F, After School, April 27th, 2009
Mitsuru walked back into the classroom, making sure to go straight to Minato's desk. "I apologize for making you wait," she said. "To make a long story short, I want you to join the Student Council."
"Why all of a sudden…?" Minato asked.
"Well, it's not like you have to participate in every activity," Mitsuru answered. "Especially since you and Takeba are going to tie the knot. Just come to the Student Council Room when you have the time."
"That's it?" Minato asked.
"Yes, that's it," Mitsuru answered. "I just want you to join. Being President is very time consuming. I'd like to have additional help available in the event of an emergency. You understand my situation… I'm asking you since you know what it's like to be a leader."
"Alright," Minato replied.
"I knew I could count on you," Mitsuru said, beaming all the while. "I've already made an appointment for you with the faculty adviser. But, you'll have to go to the Faculty Office on your own."
"Gotcha," Minato replied.
"Um, Mitsuru-senpai…" Nayuki began, "I don't think the wedding plans were meant to be revealed yet."
Blinking, Mitsuru looked around the room, discovering that she had let it slip that Minato and Yukari were getting married while there were still students in the classroom. As such, everyone else in their homeroom was now aware of the truth behind their words and actions.
"Oops…" Mitsuru said. Clearing her throat into one hand, she said, "I'm sorry I made the arrangements without your permission, but I hope you understand the position I'm in. Please go to the Faculty Office, Arisato. I'll be waiting for you in the Student Council Room."
"Alright," Minato replied as Mitsuru left the room.
"I'd better catch up with her," Nayuki said. "I'll talk to you two back at the Dorm, alright?"
"Right," Minato said.
Gekkoukan High School Faculty Office, After School, April 27th, 2009
"Oh, Minato," Ms. Toriumi said. "Can I help you?"
"About the Student Council…" Minato said, leaving the meaning out in the open.
"Oh, yes," Toriumi said. "I heard from Mitsuru. All you need to do is read this and sign here."
Minato looked the document over, and it seemed straightforward enough, so he signed it.
"Minato Arisato… alright, then," Toriumi said. "Leave the rest to me. Good luck in the Student Council."
"Thanks, sensei," Minato replied. "Also, something I should mention…"
"Yes? What is it?" Toriumi asked.
"Well, Yukari and I are… tying the knot in a couple of weeks," Minato admitted. "And, being that you're one of my favorite teachers, I was thinking of inviting you to attend."
Blinking, Toriumi stammered, "W-w-well… I-I-I guess…" After taking a bit to calm down, she said, "Yes, I'll attend."
Minato smiled. "Thanks, sensei," he said. "We'll get you a more official invitation soon."
"You're welcome, Minato," Toriumi said. "Now… you'd better scoot over to the Student Council Room."
"Right," he said. "See you tomorrow, sensei!"
Kirijo Dorm, Evening, April 27th, 2009
"…S'up, Dude?" Junpei called out as Minato walked into the Dorm.
"Hey there, Junpei-san," Minato replied.
"I heard Mitsuru-senpai asked you to join Student Council!" Junpei said. "Senpai, are you sure you wanna let this slacker in?"
"I simply asked for his assistance," Mitsuru replied. "I don't intend to burden him with too many responsibilities, especially with his wedding to Takeba coming up. Why, are you interested in helping too, Iori?"
"Oh, uhhh… I'll pass," Junpei said. "But, thanks for the offer."
"So… who's up for a Tartarus run?" Minato asked.
"I'm game," Nayuki said. "Getting the hang of going through Tartarus now… and hopefully this'll help me get my stronger Styles back."
"I'll go," Yukari said.
"Definitely wouldn't mind," Akihiko informed.
"Works for me," Junpei remarked.
"I need the training if I can catch up to you, Onii-chan," Hamuko commented.
"I guess it's unanimous," Mitsuru remarked.
"Good, because we need to get to our peak sooner than later," Minato said. "Not only because of Nyarlathotep, but because of whoever he's controlling behind the scenes."
"Agreed," Nayuki replied. "I don't know who this Phantom is, but if they're planning to pull off a planetary-scale Sabbath Ritual, we need to make sure we're at our best in order to stop them."
Location Unknown, Dark Hour, April 27th, 2009
"So… it seems that we need to step up our plans, Kronos-ou," a high-ranking Phantom said to the one that was apparently named Kronos.
"Is that right?" Kronos asked. "Does this have to do with the Mahoutsukai? Even though she's our enemy, she's only one person. There can't be any way for her to defeat us this soon, unless she had more of her kind with her."
"Unfortunately, we have sensed a second Mahoutsukai," the other Phantom said. "Bastet was defeated by them near the Tower. Also with them appeared to be one of those Armored Riders from Zawame… and their powers seem as capable of hurting us as the Mahoutsukai."
"Hmm…" Kronos said. "Now, Atlas, make sure that the other Armored Riders don't interfere in this as well… we seek the end of the world, and that can't happen without the cards stacked in our favor."
"I understand, your majesty," Atlas answered.
"If I may?" a female Phantom of high rank asked. "It seems that the 'Armored Riders' in Zawame are attempting to fight the end of the world as well… and losing."
"Oh?" Kronos asked. "What makes you say that?"
"From what I've been able to tell, the Armored Riders' powers, and the beasts they fight called Inves, come from a place called Helheim Forest," the female Phantom said. "This forest seems to be in a different dimension, accessible from zipper-like portals called Cracks. And it seems that from those Cracks, Helheim Forest can actually encroach into our world - and it will eventually invade and supplant our world."
"Hah! Freya, don't tell me that you fear this supplantation!" Atlas barked out at the female Phantom of high rank.
"What, you don't?" the remaining Phantom, who was also a female, countered. "I'd be worried about what would happen in such circumstances if I were you, fellow Phantom General and Kronos-ou."
"Indeed," Kronos replied. "This 'Helheim Forest' would not only deprive us of subjects for the Green Sabbath, but if the Armored Riders, using the power from the forest, can harm us, it is likely the Inves, the creatures of the forest, can harm us, as well."
Freya turned to the other female General and said, "Thanks, Athena."
Athena waved her hand, saying, "Don't mention it. Now…" She turned her attention back to Kronos and said, "I volunteer to take a task force to Zawame to investigate a way to destroy the Helheim Forest once and fo—"
"Denied, for the time being," Kronos near-automatically answered. "We don't have enough reason to do that just yet… nor the resources."
"Alright, Kronos-ou," Athena informed. "May I at least deploy a Phantom to Zawame for reconnaissance, to determine the true threat level of Helheim Forest, as opposed to the second-hand intel Freya has obtained?"
Kronos took a bit of time to think it over, but, before he could answer…
"I'll do it," Freya volunteered. "I find myself needing to go to Zawame, anyway… I'll find a way to determine the true threat level of Helheim Forest while there."
"Very well, Freya," Kronos replied. "While you are there, in addition to determining the threat of Helheim, I also wish for you to determine the identity of the Armored Rider who came here to Iwatodai, and why, if they are fighting such a grave threat, this one Rider would come here."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Freya answered, before walking out of the chamber.
Tartarus, Dark Hour, April 27th, 2009
The group had advanced a fair distance up the tower - making it up to the 14th floor overall. Of course, this particular floor was not one of the common 'layout changes every time' floors. Instead, it was like the 5th and 10th floors, a fixed layout where there was only a small group of powerful Shadows blocking the way forward. Hamuko had taken to calling them 'Boss Floors'.
"Okay, here we go!" Hamuko said, getting the Shadow's attention.
The Shadow turned to face them, even as Mitsuru said over their communications earpieces, "You can win… I'm certain of it."
With that, everyone in Tartarus prepared to fight, with everyone circling the Rampage Driver. "It seems you've attracted the Guardian's attention," Mitsuru said. "Its Arcana is The Chariot."
Nayuki, currently in Flame Style, started off the fight with a barrage of bullets from the WizarSwordGun.
Hamuko took that opportunity to slash at the Rampage Driver—
"What the hell?! I can't slash at this Shadow?!"
—with absolutely no effect.
Yukari tried next with her WizarSwordGun, with the same result. "Guess Slashing Attacks don't work on it!" she yelled.
"Piercing Attacks work well enough," Minato replied. "Imouto, try throwing those kunai of yours! Yukari, Nayuki-san, stick with gun mode on your weapons, or go for punches or kicks!"
"Right!" Nayuki replied, as she and Yukari continued shooting at the Shadow.
Junpei suddenly got an idea, as he drew his Evoker and summoned Hermes to his aid, unleashing an Agi skill. "Damn! That one just won't die!"
Before Minato could take his turn, Akihiko summoned Polydeuce and fired off a Sonic Punch on the Rampage Driver, forcing the Shadow to fire off a Mazio on the party.
'Now… do I, or do I not?' Minato thought to himself while dodging the lightning. 'Ah, what the hell? I have it now.' "Thanatos!" Minato roared, summoning the Greek God of Death to his aid.
Those who had not seen it before looked stunned as the massive Persona let loose with what could only be described as a nuclear explosion, only without any of the harmful fallout, detonating on the Shadow.
"Overkill much, dear?" Yukari asked Minato.
"No kill like it," Minato answered.
"Well, that takes care of that," Nayuki remarked, seeing the Shadow was completely obliterated. "Mitsuru-senpai, how's it looking from down there?"
"Pretty well, all things considered," Mitsuru answered. "Nothing else is coming your way… though, I'm surprised that you have such a powerful non-elemen—"
"I think it's a Nuclear skill," Nayuki said, looking at Thanatos for a bit.
"…Right…" Mitsuru replied. "Anyway, I can sense you're about two floors away from the barricade I mentioned our second time here - do you want to keep going, or call it a night?"
Everyone looked at Minato, expecting him to tell them what to do.
"Er… w-what?" Minato asked, before he started feeling tired. "Uh… want to go to bed?"
"I am feeling a bit tired," Nayuki admitted. "Might be a good idea to call it a night."
"Roger," Mitsuru said, before cutting the comm.
Lucky Duck Lake Cafe, After School, April 29th, 2009
The next couple of days went as normal as could be expected, though today Nayuki had been in for another surprise - Mitsuru had asked her out to dinner.
"So… what's the special occasion?" Nayuki asked Mitsuru.
"Nothing, really," Mitsuru replied, sheepishly. "I guess I wanted to treat you, as a thank you for all the help you've given me on the Student Council."
"Oh? Well, in that case, thank you, sempai," Nayuki said, before she noticed the waitress headed their way. "Waitress incoming."
Mitsuru nodded, turning as the waitress came up to their table.
"How may I take your orders?" the waitress asked.
"I'll have a Salmon Patty, well done, with an Avocado Sorbet for dessert," Nayuki said, getting the tone set for Mitsuru.
"I'll have a Tuna filet, rare, with a Chocolate Sundae for dessert," Mitsuru said.
"Okay, and what would you two like to drink?" the waitress asked. "We don't serve only water here, in all honesty."
"I'll have an Apple Ciderette," Mitsuru said as she looked over the drink menu.
"I'll have what she's having," Nayuki said, before she read the fine print briefly. "Er… wait, on seco—"
With that, the menus were taken from them, as the waitress said, "Okay, I'll be back with your orders momentarily." With that, the woman walked off.
Mitsuru looked at Nayuki. "What were you going to say before the menus were taken away?" she asked.
"I was going to say something about being too young for alcohol, sempai," Nayuki said.
"Wait, alcohol?" Mitsuru asked. "It's likely just a variant on Apple Cider."
"Don't put your money on that bet, sempai," Nayuki said. "As for me, I'll stick with water, for now."
Silence hit them for a few minutes, before the waitress reappeared, carrying a cart of food for Mitsuru and Nayuki's table. "Here are your orders, ladies," she said, before laying out the food and drinks. "Enjoy yourselves, now." With that, she walked off again.
"It definitely looks appetizing," Mitsuru commented.
With a sigh, Nayuki said, "Okay, let's eat, but don't drink the App—"
Mitsuru took that opportunity to down her Apple Ciderette in one gulp.
"—Sempai!"
"Hmm… it seems a bit stronger than regular Apple Cider," Mitsuru remarked.
Resisting the urge to facepalm, Nayuki simply got to eating her food, all the while scowling in the direction of her glass of Apple Ciderette.
"Come on, Kinomoto, drink up," Mitsuru said as she picked up the glass and brought it over to Nayuki. "It's quite good."
"Look, sem—" Nayuki started to say, before Mitsuru forced the drink down her throat.
"See?" Mitsuru asked once the glass was empty. "Tastes good, doesn't it?"
"Partially, but I was concerned for good reason," Nayuki said. "I'm the one driving, remember? If I'm drunk, I'll get pulled over or worse."
"Oh, come on, you're still thinking it's alcohol?" Mitsuru asked.
"I read the fine print, sempai," Nayuki said with a blank look. After a bit, she shook her head. "C'mon, let's just eat."
"Agreed," Mitsuru replied, as she got back to her seat. There was a few moments of silence as they ate their food. "This is very good," Mitsuru said eventually. "Thank you for agreeing to come eat with me… Nayuki."
"You're welc- um, senpai, why'd you call me by my given name?" Nayuki asked, wary of the alcohol.
"I've come to trust you a fair bit, Nayuki," Mitsuru replied. "I… I guess I feel it'd be awk-awkward to keep calling you 'Kinomoto' when I trust you so much."
"I… thank you, senpai," Nayuki said simply. Shortly after, however, she felt faint, and planted her face in the now-empty platter of Avocado Sorbet.
Mitsuru was not far behind her.
Location Unknown (Presumably underneath the Lucky Duck Lake Cafe), Late Night, April 30th, 2009
"Ugh… where am I?" Nayuki asked herself upon waking up very groggily.
"I'm not sure…" Mitsuru replied, equally groggy. "But my head is pounding… I hate to say it, but I think you were right about the alcohol."
"Well… why do I feel like I'm chained up?" Nayuki asked, attempting to reposition herself. After a bit to move with her limited mobility, she discovered something odd. "And why does my pelvis hurt like all hell?"
"Now that you mention it, I'm sore down there, too," Mitsuru replied. There was the sound of chains rattling. "And it seems I'm bound, too."
"Hehehehehehehe," a man chuckled darkly as he walked into their line of sight. "Well, well, well… it seems that the latest… 'mothers' have woken up, and right on time." Turning to face Nayuki, he said, "As far as your pelvis, you might want to crack it up a notch, for the sake of the severity of it all."
"What are you tal-" Nayuki began.
"Now, the reason for this is simple," the man said. "I was hired to make sure any girl that comes into the cafe gets some special… treatment, so to speak. Nothing personal, but the man I work for is rather notorious for spreading the gene pool about."
Mitsuru seemed to blanch on realizing they were dealing with a rapist… as his latest victims.
"Now you realize it, don't you?" the man said sadistically, even as he sported a feral grin. "It's too bad that you won't be able to tell the police anything about this, given how… removed you were made from the system."
"You bastard…" Nayuki growled.
"Nuh-uh, not what you get to call the father of your first children," the man said, smirking all the while. "In fact… I think you need another session, miss F-cup."
Nayuki snarled, but then her ears picked up on a familiar noise, and she smirked.
"Hmm? What's got your hope up?" the man demanded of Nayuki.
"You'll see…" Nayuki replied cryptically… seconds before what looked like a small silver and blue unicorn burst through the floor and then up to Nayuki, its horn cutting through the bindings on her right arm.
"What?!" the man roared, before attempting to draw a gun on the small unicorn… which failed, as the PlaMonster skewered his hand where the gun was being holstered.
"EXTEND, PLEASE!" came the call from Nayuki's belt as she slipped the Extend Ring on her hand and ran it over the Hand Author, before a magic circle appeared and she thrust her hand into it. On the other side of the circle, the arm extended tremendously, wrapping around the rapist before flinging him head-first into a wall, hard.
"I don't sympathize with rapists, but… was that all necessary, Nayuki?" Mitsuru asked.
"I'm dealing with an alcohol-induced hangover, and he violated both of us, Mitsuru," Nayuki replied as the PlaMonster freed her other hand. "I have the right to be vindictive."
"…good point," Mitsuru answered. She scanned the room with her eyes, before she asked, "Um, where'd our clothes go?"
Nayuki looked down and realized that yes, aside from her Driver and Rings, she was completely naked. "Not sure," she said, as she switched the Extend Ring for her Garuda Ring. "GARUDA, PLEASE!" the Driver intoned as the Red Garuda was summoned, and she placed the Ring into its slot before grabbing another Ring, with a Yellow Stone as the core in the shape of a Kraken. "KRAKEN, PLEASE!" the Driver called out as the Yellow Kraken PlaMonster was summoned. "Kraken, Unicorn, go find our clothes, alright?" Nayuki told them. "Garuda, find us a path out of here." The PlaMonsters all nodded, before scattering to do their tasks.
Shortly afterwards, their clothes came to them, and they got dressed… without their underwear, as those were torn to shreds. As soon as their clothes were put on…
"I think Garuda found the way out," Mitsuru said, pointing at the Familiar returning.
"Good to hear," Nayuki replied. "Glad that my Driver doesn't really come on or off, just appears when I need my magic. Anyway, let's get out of here."
Gekkoukan High School, After School, May 1st, 2009
"Hey, anyone know where Nayuki-san went?" Minato asked out loud, getting his classmates' attention.
"No clue," Yukari replied.
"Hey, speaking of people going missing," Junpei said, "I heard Mitsuru-senpai went missing as well. Where do you think she went?"
"Last I remember was them leaving school together on the 29th," Yukari said. "I haven't seen Nayuki-san or Mitsuru-senpai since."
"Hey… where did they leave to, by any chance?" Minato asked.
"I don't remember," Yukari replied. "Should I summon my PlaMonster to look for them?"
Before Minato could say anything either way, the door to the classroom opened up, revealing a young man wearing a burgundy trenchcoat and dark gray beanie, with steel gray hair and eyes. "I hear you know Mitsuru," the young man said.
"Y-yeah, we do," Minato said after a moment. "Do you know where she is?"
"Headed back to the dorm," the young man answered. "She didn't look so good, and neither did her friend… wouldn't let me near them."
Before Minato, Yukari, or Junpei could respond…
"Well, fancy seeing you here, Aragaki," Ms. Toriumi said as she walked up.
"Grk!" Aragaki let out, spinning to face Ms. Toriumi. "I'm not here because I want to, ma'am."
"Regardless, it's good to see you still alive," the teacher replied. "It's only Mitsuru-san's word that keeps you on the roster, given that you haven't been coming to school for a good couple of years now."
"For goo—"
"Senpai, don't," Minato said, getting Aragaki's attention. "You need to explain your situation as soon as possible, but only with people that can help, and are in the loop. Don't want you to get in trouble, do we?"
Aragaki looked at Minato. "Hmph," he muttered.
"If you decide to come back to school," Ms. Toriumi said, "I'll make sure you have your classwork handled for what you've missed."
Aragaki just grunted.
"Um, onii-chan, what's going… on…?" Hamuko asked from the door. Upon seeing Aragaki, she asked, "Who's he?"
"A friend of Mitsuru-senpai's, apparently," Minato replied.
"Tch, let's get going," Aragaki said, leading the group over to the dorm.
Kirijo Dorm, Evening, May 2nd, 2009
Although there had been a bit of shock upon learning what Nayuki and Mitsuru had gone through, things returned to some sense of normalcy at the Dorm. There were some changes - Nayuki and Mitsuru were seen together more often than not, they were on a first-name basis now, and they didn't allow anyone male into their personal space anymore - but it was still fairly close to normal.
"Well, this takes the cake," Akihiko said. "Shinji, you really need to help ensure they get therapy, like we all need to."
Shinjiro Aragaki grunted. That was another change - he'd stayed at the Dorm the last night, and was helping keep an eye on Nayuki and Mitsuru. Though Hamuko wasn't making it easy for him - she wasn't quite fangirl level, but Minato could certainly tell she had a crush on him.
"Anyone up for a Tartarus run?" Minato asked, not expecting any takers.
"Not really," Yukari replied. "I think we're too worried about Nayuki-san and Mitsuru-senpai - we'd be distracted in Tartarus."
"Yeah, sorry," Akihiko said. "We're all worried about what could happen next…"
"Well… alright," Minato said. "I guess now will be the time for us to do our homework, right?"
"Yeah," Yukari replied. "I'll probably still be a bit distracted… but it needs to get done."
"Good thinking," Hamuko said, getting her homework out from her bag.
"I'll go back to the room and study there," Minato said.
Dark Hour (Later that night)
"Hi, how are you?" the young boy's voice asked from inside Minato and Yukari's shared room.
"Doing alright, Pharos," Minato replied, he and Yukari both looking at the boy. "Two of our friends recently went through a… traumatic experience, so we're trying to help them as best we can."
"I hope that ends well, for their sake, at least," the now-identified Pharos said. "To be honest, they'll need to be up and at 'em, so to speak, for the ordeal that you'll have to go through with them next week."
"Ordeal?" Yukari asked. "What do you mean?"
"The sort of ordeal that involves the fragments of Erebus that were scattered in the area," Pharos answered. "Not to worry, you'll be able to defeat Erebus… that much was guaranteed already."
Minato nodded. "Facing one of those big things again," he said. "Like the one back in April, when I first awakened to my Persona."
"Correct," Pharos said. "Now, please promise me that you'll name a child you'll have in your current bodies Ryoji… it feels right for a son."
"We promise, Pharos," Yukari replied. "Ryoji Arisato… has a nice ring to it."
"Thank you… otou-san, okaa-san," Pharos said, before fading into nothing.
Xamusel: Okay, this took longer than needed because of other projects… for that, we apologize.
Now, it was my idea for the rape bit, which would've been so explicit it wasn't even funny (so, fortunately, we didn't include the details of it). It was also my idea for Shinjiro to return this early… don't worry, the dangers will up themselves to compensate, guys.
Now… I think that about says it. As always, please, read and review this and any other stories related to this one.
Hasta Luego!