Her talk with Elizabeth was well-timed. As Hisato grew and grew, she grew more and more realized. The odd woman was right. He was so much like his father than she originally saw. Despite her own features noticeable along with it, he reminded her so much of Makoto…

With the thought of the woman's theory on her son and late lover being similar entities on her mind, it had her wondering. Was this really the truth? Would he one day, grow to look like his father's twin? She didn't really know what exactly this meant. Heck, it probably means a lot of things. From what she remembered from this whole Persona thing, it wasn't the easiest to understand. Even as a former Persona user, she had only the faintest of ideas as to why certain things happened back then.

All she could think of was she couldn't keep from him for long… Not if the world needed him one day…

…

October 21st, 2024

Evening

Takeba Residence

…

Hisato's 14th birthday was a splendid one. The Iori's came over to celebrate, along with seven year-old Neoma, a now close friend of his. He was the happiest he had been all day around his close family, familiar smiles and laughter being a fond thing to Yukari. When the guests left, she put into motion her big decision.

Hisato sat at the kitchen table, cleaning up the remainder of the party. Yukari watched him until the dishwasher was running and the kitchen was just as if a birthday never took place. Before he left the room, she spoke.

"Hisato?"

The young teen turned to his mother, perked up and attentive. "Yes, mother?"

"Sit down for a moment, sweetie," She motioned towards the kitchen table. As he took his seat, she took hers next to his. Putting her hands together, she let out a sigh.

"I think it's time I told you, Hisato…" She spoke in a soft tone, gazing at her hands. He was already all ears, waiting. His persistent gaze didn't help ease her nerves. She wet her lips with her tongue and cleared her throat.

"It all started when your father was six years old," Beginning at a time she never experienced herself, she spoke slow. "On a night in the beginning of December, his parents were killed in a fiery car crash…"

She told it all. From Death by the name of Ryoji being sealed inside his father by his godmother, to the day that his father gave his life for the sake of the world… Talking about it all slowly tore open old wounds with every word. She held onto her heart, in fear its wounds would open as well.

"And on the graduation day for our older friends, he fell into a slumber he never woke from…" A few tears had managed their way out throughout the story, but by the end, she felt a wave of calm surround her. There. She finally told it all.

Her son's brown eyes were laying on her, a bit wide-eyed. "Mother, I... I didn't know how bad it really was…" He softly spoke, a soft exhale sounding at the end of his sentence. "I'm… I'm sorry for bugging you about it for so many years…" He took his gaze from her and put it on the floor, a frown on his face.

"Now that you know…"

She lifted up from her lap Makoto's Evoker. As she softly set it on the table, the sound of metal lifted her son's head. Upon laying his eyes on it, he immediately looked at her with wide eyes.

"I think it's about time we see if you have a Persona…" She whispered, grazing the fake gun with her fingertips.

Hisato's eyes gleamed, but shook with both fear and sadness. For that was upon his mother's face.

She gave him a slightly unconvincing smile. "Don't worry," She assured him. "I will be with you, summoning mine…" Placing her hand gently on top of his, she used her thumb to rub his.

He nodded, his mouth gaping a bit open and his eyes remaining wide. With a bit of hesitance, he took his father's Evoker from her. As he held it, his hand shook and he took a deep swallow.

The time had finally come.

…

October 30th, 2024

Afternoon

Shadow Operatives Office

...

"Try your best to relax…"

Hisato stood before his mother, along with her seniors, Mitsuru and Akihiko. Holding his father's Evoker in his hand, he steadied himself, taking a deep breath. Within a few minutes, his hand slowed to a hardly visible tremble.

"You're doing great, Hisato," His mother softly spoke to him. "Now, watch me carefully," It was Yukari's turn to take a deep breath and relax. Slowly putting her own Evoker to her forehead, she breathed in and out. Her heart pounded in both her chest and her ears. After a few moments, she managed to get a grip on it and let out a heavy breath. Then she pulled the trigger.

Unlike she had expected, Isis emerged from within her, shedding a bright, familiar light. For whatever peculiar reason, she felt something rise out of her as her Persona did. It remained for a few moments, until she let it go, the light dispersing. Her son's eyes were watching, full of wonder, yet his body resumed a bit of trembling.

"Seems to have lost some of its power from being kept unsummonded for quite sometime…" Mitsuru mentioned as the scientists behind her took note.

Yukari, having closed her eyes, opened them back to Hisato. "Now, you give it a go…" She took a few steps forward and gently grabbed ahold of her son's hand. "Don't be afraid… Just keep your eyes on me if you need to…" Then, she let go, taking the few steps back...

Just as Yukari did, Hisato took a deep breath before putting the Evoker to his head. Just as his father did. His breathing was raspy as first, wavering just a bit. After taking yet another few minutes, he relaxed into the emotions bouncing around in him. And just like his father, he whispered one word…

"Persona…"

...And pulled the trigger.

An even brighter light than before filled the room, causing some of the on-lookers to shield their eyes a bit. But Yukari did nothing. She blankly stared, watching a Persona take form before her very eyes. The shards of light soon formed into what had been expected. It was an almost angel-like figure, yet bore a tablet in one hand and a cloak over its Orpheus-like body. Just like Hisato himself, it smiled, seeming blissful.

"Musaeus…" Hisato murmured, his eyes closed. A small smile parted his lips.

"The son of Orpheus…" Mitsuru added, also in a shocking awe.

As for Yukari, she could have sworn her eyes were playing tricks on her. Hisato and Musaeus kept switching with Makoto and Messiah in her vision. Like static on a television, they swapped back and forth and jumbled together.

Her gaze started to focus on the figure that kept being both her son and her late lover. A smile was remaining pasted on both faces. The eyes switched between silver and light brown. One body was a young teen while the other was a near adult. Soon, Makoto's figure could be seen more often than Hisato's. Then, the older male's lips moved… No sound, just movement...

"Yukari…"

As soon as the lips closed shut, Hisato, along with Musaeus, was back in their rightful place. An just as her son's Persona vanished, Yukari was brought back into reality, her body falling to the ground.

"Mother!"

"Yukari!"

Mitsuru rushed over just in time to catch her within her arms. Catching the fallen woman's weight, she was able to let out a somewhat relaxed breath. Kneeling to the ground, she held her in her lap, looking over the younger woman's body.

"Yukari, are you okay?!" She held her tightly in her arms. A bit of sweat dropped down her nearly flawless skin. Soon, the woman's brown eyes opened up to her.

"Don't worry," Yukari gave a small smile. "I'm alright…" Thankfully, she was capable of sitting up on her own. Though Mitsuru continued to give her body support, a hand on her back.

Hisato let out a sigh, a small smile on his face. The scientists in the room furiously took notes and murmured amongst themselves. Then his smile faded into a frown, taking a few steps closer to his mother.

"I'm… sorry if I scared you, mother…" He began to close into himself, crossing his legs together and folding his hands behind his back. His brown eyes looked down, but at the tiled floor, not her.

The young mother shook her head, her hair waving with it. "No, you didn't scare me, Hisato," She graciously assured him, smiling. "I… was still feeling some side effects from summoning my Persona, is all…" But she couldn't tell him the truth of them.

"I'll have the doctor give you both a thorough examination before your departure," Mitsuru notified the Takebas as she helped her best friend up from the ground. As Hisato rushed up to the two, Yukari let go of Mitsuru's support and opened her arms for him. Finally able to put his arms fully around her, he gave her an enormous hug, his height putting his head just barely above her bosom. She too hugged him, holding him close.

…

Late Night

…

"I saw him in my son's place…"

The silver bobbed hair atop the woman's head bounced as she crooked her head to the side. Her golden eyes ominously glowed in the dim-lit room, narrowed and unchanged by her words.

"What could that possibly mean?" Elizabeth took a seat next to her bed, relaxing into its plushness. She awaited Yukari's answer, leisurely resting her arms upon the armrests.

"I… could see Makoto instead of Hisato for some time…" Her gaze was glued to her clasped hands in her lap as she spoke. "And he… he lipped my name to me…" Remembering it alone strained her mind. Attempting to contemplate why was even harder for her.

Her words seemed to stump the velvet lady. Elizabeth stroked her chin with a gloved finger, looking into the tile floor. Her gaze was furious, not in anger but instead in strong thought.

"That is quite intriguing…" She finally spoke up, obviously not aware of her rhetorical response. But she soon recovered for her odd moment, lifting her head up along with a finger.

"This could further prove my point of them being similar entities…" Proclaiming with a small smile, she scooted her chair closer to Yukari's bedside. "His son doesn't know of his father as much as you do. It's presumably obvious that you instead of him would see my past guest in some form or another…"

"Yes…" Yukari flatly responded. "But what does that even mean?" Sitting up further in her bed, she gazed with intent at the mystic woman.

Elizabeth gave a small chuckle, closing her eyes and smiling. "It was simply a stray thought, is all," she halfheartedly justified herself, leaning backwards into the chair. "However, it could be a range of many reasons than that… It could be their individual powers are far too alike for fate itself to distinguish them apart. But as for you… that's quite the curious thought…"

"Huh?" It was Yukari's turn to crook her head to the side.

She waved an apathetic gloved hand. "Again, a stray thought running loose," She then turned her head to the windowed night, looking up at the stars. Her golden eyes glistened and seemed to be entranced by their bright glimmer.

"Do you see him, too?"

"Hm...?" Elizabeth turned her flat gaze back onto Yukari. "What's this nonsense you speak of, dear?"

Yukari stared into her eyes for a moment, then gave a short shake of the head. "Nothing," she softly spoke. "Just a stray thought…"

An amused chuckle rose from Elizabeth as she used her closed fist to cover her mouth. Then she placed her hand back onto her brown tome.

"I have to say, I'm quite glad to be getting somewhere with this…"