By spring the following year, Junpei and Chidori moved into the neighborhood. Neoma's first birthday came and went and Hisato started the second grade. And while the little girl grew, her older "cousin" grew along with. Every birthday meant keeping track of heights on the wall or hearing first words from Neoma. Yukari started to see the two families grow and weave into one another. Even Chidori grew close to her, becoming one of her first friends in the neighborhood. All something she thought she'd never see happen. Heck, even her and Junpei were getting along like nothing was a secret between just them.

Things were changing fast. Almost too fast for Yukari to enjoy them. Day in and day out, life looked and seemed to be normal. Nothing much to fear besides dreaded adult tasks and responsibilities. Not anything like back in the day. God, did thinking like that make her feel old…

In fact, she felt herself enjoying life for once. With just her and her son, life was easier and better on the two of them. She made a good amount of money to keep things afloat and treat themselves once in awhile. Just the unknown future awaited them…

But… As Hisato's tenth birthday came and went, she felt a bit on edge…

…

January 31st, 2021

Takeba Residence

Evening

…

"Over 10 years now…"

Sitting at the edge of her bed, Yukari held her old Evoker in her hands. For whatever reason, she felt the need to take a look at it. Its shine was dulled from being covered in dust for so many years. The grooves from this and that still remained, nonetheless. Back then, it was a symbol of strength. Now, looking at it, it was a weakness. A shaded memory of the past...

Tracing a finger over it, staring at her vague reflection in its surface, she hardly noticed Hisato approached.

"What are you thinking about, Mom?"

Her attention was fully caught and her head jerked up to look at him. Being ten years old now meant he was taller and more mature, having gone from Mama to Mom. Also, his hair was much longer now, starting to look almost strikingly like his father. His light brown eyes could be seen from under his blue locks.

She let a small, amused laugh slip from her lips and touched his hair, letting it slide between her fingers. "You need a haircut, mister," She murmured as she let the locks fall from her grasp.

"That's not what I asked you,"

His slightly correcting response caught her a bit off guard. He wasn't acting out one bit, however. He was looking at her with a lowered brow, the corners of his mouth not raised as much as usual.

She turned her gaze back down to her lap. Moving her Evoker, she let the bedroom light shine off of it and onto the wall. What she was exactly thinking about still wasn't something she could tell him yet. That day, at the top of Tartarus… It wasn't even something any human should have to know about. But her she was, along with her friends far and wide.

Letting out a shy, she forced a smile. "I can't tell you just yet," she admitted, a bit in defeat. "But one day, I will," She put her hand atop his head and ran her fingers through his blue locks. His gaze turned from concern to showing a happy gleam in his eyes.

Taking his gaze from her, he put it upon her Evoker. "Will that be when I get one of these of my very own?" He pointed a finger at it from where he sat, his eyes full of wonder.

That's when she was the one to act on a strong influence. The first time a hard smack had ever been used on him.

Once it had been done and she realized, she covered her mouth. He touched his hand to his face and let tears stream out. Tears streamed down her face as well.

"I… I'm so sorry, Hisato…!" She started to sob into her hands. "You didn't deserve that! I just…!" She collapsed into a ball, curled into herself. She awaited the consequence. Her son to yell hateful words at her. For him to run away and hide.

But he simply stopped crying.

"Mom…" Removing his hand from his face, he placed it on her lap, void of the Evoker. "I'm sorry…"

"D-Don't be…" She sniffled, her hands still upon her face. "It's just… This isn't something I want you to spend your childhood thinking about…" She uncovered her face and looked at him. A few stray tears fell down, her frown remaining.

"I don't want you having to go through what your father and I did…" She continued on. "It was not something I would want you getting into… I want you to live a normal life and leave the scary stuff to my school friends and I… Please…" She pulled his hand into hers, grasping with all her might.

His brown eyes were curious. He stared at her, his mouth gaping a bit in curiosity. "Then I won't, Mom," he whispered into the atmosphere. "I promise…" He leaned into her arms and she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you…"

…

March 1st, 2021

Afternoon

Downtown

…

The soft, gentle ring of a door rang in her ears as she left work for the day. Making sure she had all she needed, she headed for the parking lot, key in hand. It wasn't a far walk nor was it a dangerous place to be, but she kept her thumb on the panic button.

As soon as she got to her car, she pressed to unlock, the car emitting a honk of confirmation.

"Heading home?"

She immediately pressed the car locked and looked around her, her light brown locks bouncing as she whipped her head around. Her finger was now back at the panic button.

"Don't you remember me at all? How rude of you…"

Finding the source of the voice, her eyes laid on a figure sitting on a window sill. A woman of pale complexion, silver hair and golden eyes. Along with a stand-outish velvet blue dress, boots, hats and gloves. Her lips were in a sly, but friendly smile.

With impressive skill, she hopped down from her seat and walked over to Yukari. Her hands were spread open and arms straight and behind her. The wide-eyed gaze she gave made Yukari step back a bit.

"It's that time of year again," The odd lady, by the name of Elizabeth, brought to her attention. "On top of that, his mini-self is getting close to the age of him when he first got involved," She gave Yukari a bit of space, but not much.

Yukari turned her gaze back to her car and unlocked it again. Even though she was about to get in her car, Elizabeth continued to pester.

"You're thinking about that too, aren't you?" She raised the question. "You're worried that the day he may become involved will be drawing close?" This caused Yukari to get back out of her car, just as she was about to close the driver door.

"How do you know all this?" She grilled, starring Elizabeth dead in the eye.

"I'm still serving a large purpose in his destiny," The velvet lady explained. "That big monster created from humans like you is something I have a chore in destroying, you know," This was the first time anyone, even the S.E.E.S members, has directly mentioned a Shadow and the situation itself.

Yukari let out a deep sigh. "Could we maybe talk somewhere else about this?" She pleaded, shoulders a bit slumped.

"If that means I get to ride in this magnificent metal machine, then of course!"

…

Town Park

…

"So, aren't I right about your distress?"

The two of them sat on one of the many park benches. Although this one was the most secluded one from the rest, young children could be heard playing at the nearby playground. The little people had been a great interest to Elizabeth when they first entered, but now they were settled.

Another countless sigh escaped Yukari. "I guess you can say that…" She looked over at the garden of flowers, soon to bloom. "He asked about having a Persona and… It's had me on edge since…"

Elizabeth raised a silver eyebrow at her, hands holding onto the edge of the bench. "Why is that?" she questioned, looking into the side of Yukari's head.

Yukari turned her head to face the woman. "What do you mean?!" She slightly hissed. "Do you not remember how dangerous the Dark Hour and the Shadows were to us?! How could I want something like that for my son…?" Her eyebrow twitched and her lips frowned.

"It's not something you can decide," Elizabeth mentioned. "I've known since Iwatodai that the boy would be more like his father in ways one cannot see. In fact, it's almost as if they are nearly identical entities…" She moved her hands into her lap, seemingly more convincing now.

The words swam through Yukari's mind. "What… do you mean…?" She inquired, a look of disbelief upon her face.

"What I'm saying is that he may not an ordinary child," Elizabeth explained, straightening her stature. "Almost like his father, he has something special about him… Except instead of receiving that something special at a young age, he was born with it…"

Yukari shot up from her spot and turned to her, looking down at the woman. "You mean to tell me that he's got Death inside of him?!" Her voice croaked, but she remained strong-willed, her fists clenched.

"Lucky for you, no," Elizabeth's words sat Yukari back down. "If he had been conceived before Death left his father, that would be true… Then Death would have most likely been transferred to him and the Fall would have been delayed... What I meant was that he has similar powers…"

Now it was time for Elizabeth to stand up. "If his son were to be raised into the use of those powers, maybe… Just maybe…" She thought aloud, then shook her head, her silver bob shifting. "All I can say is that you should consider his potential… You never know if the world may need someone like his father again... "

And with that, she walked off without another word.

Yukari didn't bother to get up and go after her. She had no right to protest. Like the rest of S.E.E.S., she was just an ordinary Persona user. Hell, she didn't even know if her Persona was still hers. Something that she never bothered to think about either. Not since she declined Mitsuru's offer into the Shadow Operatives.

This was some food for thought…