Disclaimer:
Naoto: Nicole doesn't own the Persona series. She'll tell you differently, but don't believe her.
Nicole: I may not own Persona now, but it's on my Christmas list. Santa's gonna buy me Atlus!
Naoto: To be polite, I'll ignore your bad grammar and simply point out that you asked for Atlus for your birthday Tuesday, and Christmas last year. You still don't own Persona. Oh, and Santa doesn't exist.
Nicole: No, but I do have Minako's headphones and your hat. So there!
Naoto: You stole my hat…
Chapter 3
The steady beeping of the heart monitor was what eventually woke me. I groggily opened my eyes, only to instantly close them again as I was assaulted with bright white lights. I reached for the comfort of my shag blanket to feel my hands brush against crisp, thin sheets.
"Ugh…" I moaned.
"Hey, Mitsuru, I think she's awake."
Who was that? The voice didn't sound familiar, but I recognized the name 'Mitsuru.'
"Shirogane, can you hear me?"
"Five more minutes, Naoto… Go be a detective somewhere else…" I mumbled, remembering fondly the times I spent with my sister at Grandpa's house.
"Yeah, she's awake. And you're sure the doctors said she didn't have brain damage?" The mystery voice asked.
"Pretty sure…"
An idea popped into my head. Without opening my eyes, I called out. "Nao! There's a chicken in my room, and it's wearing your hat!"
I could see in my minds eye the two exchanging worried looks. I opened one eye and grinned slyly. "Just kidding."
In front of me were Mitsuru Kirijo and an unfamiliar boy with silver hair and worried brown eyes.
"Good, you're awake." Mitsuru was the first to speak. "And just to clarify, there are no chickens running around, are there?"
Shaking my head, I smiled. "No, I just like to mess with people."
"I see…" She seemed on the verge of saying something else, but I interrupted.
"Is there any chance that everything that happened last night was just a really bad dream? I'm gonna go with no, seeing as I'm in a hospital, an- Oh my God, there's an IV in my arm." The sight of the wire leading from my left forearm was enough to make me sick.
"Um, are you okay?" The boy asked me.
"Ye-yeah, just fine… I just sort of threw up in my mouth there… I have a fear of needles. Hospitals in general, actually." I offered as an explanation to my strange behavior.
"In response to your previous question," The Kirijo piped up, ignoring my distress. "No, the events that took place last night were not a figment of your imagination." Was it just me, or was she being unusually cold to me today? Every other time I've spoken with her, she had always sounded so polite, bordering on kind. Now, her tone held ice.
"Figured. Oh, hey, Mr. Unnaturally white hair. What's your name?"
"Says the girl with purple hair."
"Touché. Answer the question."
"Akihiko Sanada."
"Well, pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sanada-san-kun-thing. I'm bad with honorifics." Even Mitsuru cracked a slight smile.
"Kirijo-san," I spoke politely. My behavior thus far had already made me seem immature, but I had to keep up the pretence that I was eighteen. The last thing I needed was to get arrested for being a truant runaway. "Could you be so kind as to explain everything that happened last night? Was it last night? How long was I asleep?"
"Remarkably, you were only under for a little while. It is currently June 17th at seven o'clock pm. As for what happened, you entered into a hidden hour, known as the Dark Hour-" I interrupted before the explanation could get any weirder.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hidden hour? What'chu talkin' about, Willis?"
Mitsuru and Akihiko exchanged a glance before the redhead continued.
"Hidden as in people are not aware of it. It occurs every night at twelve, midnight. During this time, all normal humans transmogrify into a coffin. Shadows, those monsters, roam during this time, and prey on the minds of those not in a coffin. I.E., The Lost."
"So, these 'Shadows' are responsible for all the incidents on the news?"
"Correct."
"So, where does this 'shoot yourself in the head and scream PERSONA really loudly and with dramatic flair' come in?" I sat up, curiosity instantly piqued.
Akihiko took up the explanation. "There are some, like you, who can function during the Dark Hour. They wield the power you used, known as 'Persona.' It's the only way to combat the Shadows."
I had more questions, loads more, but a nurse in a white uniform chose that moment to enter.
"I hate to interrupt," She said silkily and with barely disguised impatience. "But, I need to see my patient. You'll have to continue this discussion another time."
Mitsuru nodded. "Very well. However, I have one final question for Miss Shirogane." The way she said my name implied I was in a world of trouble.
"Shoot." I said apprehensively.
"Are you aware that living alone and not attending school when underage is highly irresponsible, not to mention, highly illegal?"
Oh, shit.
"Damn it all." I swore. "How'd you find out?"
"When we checked you into the hospital." Akihiko explained. "They had to look up your information and such."
"I knew I should have done something about that. Are you going to arrest me now?"
"No." Mitsuru snapped. "However, I believe arrangements can be made to get you into Gekkoukan High School. Come to this address tomorrow, if you're out of here by then, and we will talk to you more about everything. Let's go, Akihiko." So that explains her foul attitude towards me. I don't want to go to school.
"I can see to my patient now?" The nurse asked when the two seniors had left.
"I'm screwed." I sunk into my pillow.
Nurse lady started her check up, but before she could so much as check my IV, a soft song started playing from somewhere in the bright room.
Mujihina kotoba dake ga detarame ni machi ni afureteru never more, setsunaku nagareteta koe
"What's that?" The impatient nurse snapped.
"Um, my phone, I think." I recognized that ringtone, and my heart dropped. What could she possibly want?
Nanigenai nichijou ga a~ sayonara wo tsuge bokura no kakegae no nai hi ushinawareteta
After a few lines, it shut off.
"Anyway-"
Mujihina kotoba dake ga detarame ni machi ni afureteru never more, setsunaku nagareteta koe
"Again?" She glared at me. "You shouldn't have your phone on in the hospital."
"Excuse me for being unconscious and failing to turn it off." The third time it rang, I was starting to hate the song.
"If I don't answer it, she'll just call again. She's stubborn like that." The nurse shook her head. "At least let me text her and let her know I'm not dead or something and I'll call her back later."
"Fine." She crossed the room to where my messenger bag was resting in the single chair in the corner. She picked it up by two fingers like it had some sort of infectious disease and brought it over to me. I rooted around, passing over my totally demolished laptop (sob) and jacket, finding my crappy phone miraculously still intact. It wasn't in the best shape, what with the display screen being cracked, and one key missing. It still worked, though. I suppose the jacket cushioned it. My expensive, and invaluable laptop took most of the damage, anyway.
I opened the flip screen to see the little 'missed calls' icon flashing, groaning in despair. You know how they say the most horrifying thing in the world is seeing four missed calls from your mom? Well, I disagree. By far the most terrifying moment of my life was seeing "Naoto Shirogane, 5."
"Five times? Five? What could she possibly want?" I grumbled to myself as I keyed in a response.
"Can't talk now, in hospital. Call back soon. Don't murder the invalid O.o."
Yes, I text with almost proper grammar. Deal with it.
"Now can I please do my job?"
"Yes, yes you may. Does that job involve removing the needle from my arm?"
June 18th
Naoto Shirogane rubbed her temples irritably, trying to make the pain behind her eyes go away. She had been poring over case files for hours without finding a single lead. Most of the police were avoiding her like the plague, she was hungry, frustrated, and on top of that, her sister decided to text her saying she was in the hospital. Like she didn't have enough stress to deal with.
She glanced at the digital watch she wore. It proclaimed the time to be six thirty. When would Kasumi call back? Her phone sat on the desk next to her. Naoto had fallen into the habit of jumping any time it rang and checking it every five minutes to see if she had just missed the call.
"Kasumi…" She dropped her head onto the smooth wood. Her voice instinctively dropped into the pitch of a male. "If you haven't died of some rare disease, I swear to god, I will kill you."
Kaze no koe hikari no tsubu madoromu kimi ni sosogu. Wasurenai yasashii hohoemi kanashisa ni kakushita hitomi wo
Naoto's head shot up in an instant. She reached for her phone desperately, in her haste sending it sailing across the room.
"Gah!" The sweet, sad song continued playing as the detective scrambled frantically on the floor, trying to reach the sleek phone.
-Love through all eterni- "Hello? Naoto Shirogane speaking?"
"Nao?" Kasumi's voice crackled through the speakers.
"Kasumi? Why didn't you call me back sooner? And what's with this about you being in the hospital?" The detective snapped.
"It's great to hear from you, too. It's been such a long time! Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking. Hey, what's with the voice? OH, are you 'Naoto-kun' right now?"
"Yes, but that's beside the point. Explain to me why you said you were in the hospital."
"Well… That would be because I was in the hospital." The girl on the line hesitated, as though on the verge of saying more, but unsure if she should.
"Why…?" Naoto asked impatiently. She had returned to her desk and was sitting in the swivel chair once again.
"I… um, I got into a motorcycle accident. I'm fine, though. They released me earlier today." Kasumi added before Naoto could interrupt.
"M-motorcycle?" The two sisters, though not twins, could practically read each other's minds.
A car speeding down the highway.
A drunken motorcyclist pulling out in front of them.
"Nao…? Seriously, Naoto, I'm fine, I just lost control for a minute. There was nothing life threatening… I'm sorry I worried you."
"Ah, bu- Very well, if you say so."
"So, why did you call, anyway? It was a bit out of the blue. I haven't spoken to you in a while." Kasumi seemed desperate to change the subject. Naoto was happy to go along with her.
"Well, we really haven't spoken in a while, and I wanted to see how you were doing…"
"You need help on a case, don't you?" Kasumi saw right through the detective. Normally, the blue haired girl didn't need the aid of her older sister. However, on occasion, a case would creep up that would boggle Naoto's very rational mind, and it would take Kasumi's random and off the wall hunches to help her make connections.
"How did you guess?" She asked dejectedly.
"You never call me. Not even for my birthday."
"Hey- Oh, never mind."
"So, what did you need?"
Naoto took a deep breath and began. "I'm working on the Inaba Murder case-"
"You're doing what now?" Kasumi interrupted.
"Working on the Inaba Murder case?"
"The one where people shown on TV die? Why, you idiot?"
Naoto didn't feel like putting up with Kasumi's occasional over-protective ways. "Well, I don't intend to become famous through the TV, so don't worry. Anyway, I'm glad to see you made that connection, too. I guess you can help."
"Don't take that tone with me." The violet haired girl snapped. "Just tell me what you need help with."
Naoto spun once around the chair and grabbed her handwritten notes.
"You know there have been two murders thus far, Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi, correct?"
"Yeah, but something tells me that wasn't all."
Naoto smiled. She could always count on her sister to know something about a case she had no access too.
"That's absolutely right. I'm impressed. After the death of Miss Konishi, Yukiko Amagi and Kanji Tatsumi were also reported missing. However, they returned shortly after."
"Would-be victims?" Kasumi's voice had begun to crack up, as background noise grew louder on the other end.
"That's what I thought. Both Amagi and Tatsumi were the subjects of a good deal of local media attention before they disappeared. The only difference is that they weren't discovered hanging upside down from an antenna. So, my question is – what made that difference?"
"Maybe somebody saved them? Do they remember anything?" Her sister asked, her voice steadily becoming more difficult to hear.
"No, each claimed to remember nothing about the time they had been gone. Nothing useful there." Naoto resumed her previous position of resting her head on her desk. She pulled off her hat and twirled it around her finger.
"However," She said before Kasumi could respond. "There are several other people I need some information on. They seem to always be in the center of the cases. I spotted them tailing Tatsumi at the same time I was investigating him."
"That might seem enough to incriminate them, but you have to consider another possibility. Perhaps they were trying to save the victims."
"Maybe… They're just high school kids, though."
"All the more reason for them to be innocent, or even saviors." Kasumi hesitated. "I know you won't buy that. Just give me their names and I'll see what I can find as soon as I fix my computer."
"You broke your computer? Poor soul…"
"Don't remind me." The girl sounded completely depressed. Her voice, however, had started to become clearer. She must have just moved away from traffic.
Naoto smiled at her sister. Despite their differences, they could always count on each other.
"Souji Seta, Chie Satonaka, and Yosuke Hanamura." I listened intently as my sister listed the names of her 'suspects.' I was standing outside of the dorm address Mitsuru had given me. I'm sure they were waiting for me, but helping my sister held first priority in my mind. Besides, after the hell I went through, and the fact that they were about to make me go to shudder school, I had no problem making them wait for me.
"Satonaka and Hanamura were easy to find out, as they've been here a while, but Seta took some digging. He's a transfer student. Good luck."
I chuckled. So… I'm about to investigate three teenagers because my sister thinks they're suspects, and I think they could be something else… My life is a goddamn mess.**
"Okay, I'm gonna have to call you back or something…" I started as I pulled open the heavy wooden doors. "I have to go- HOLY MOTHER OF PIE!" Two apathetic gray eyes blinked at me.
"That was loud…" The blue-haired boy said in a monotone voice.
"Yeah, people tend to scream when you stand right in front of a door, so that when people come to open it, they nearly run into you!"
"Umm, Kasumi…?" Naoto's voice crackled. "Why did you just scream about pie…? Actually, no. I don't think I want to know."
"Sorry, Nao. I'm gonna have to call you back… I just… Yeah, blue haired boys and headphones, and yeah… I'll call you tomorrow or later tonight, 'kay?" I turned my attention back to the phone.
"O…kay? Bye, Kas." There was a click as my sister hung up. I snapped my phone shut and shoved it into my jacket pocket.
"Why…?" I glared at the boy.
He ignored my question. "We're meeting on the fourth floor."
He started to walk away, headed towards a large staircase.
"Hey, wait for me!" I caught up with him. "Is Mitsuru-san still mad at me?" I questioned. The boy typically didn't respond, instead just nodded his head.
"Am I going to get executed?"
He stopped suddenly. I turned to face him. His gray eyes bore into my own, and he said with a completely serious face,
"Yes."
~~Author's Note~~
**I just HAD to make a reference to this amazing P3 walkthrough! It's hilarious! Seriously, check it out. Google search 'My life is a Goddamn mess Persona walkthrough.'
Thanks for reading, people, and thanks to my awesome people who actually reviewed this! It made my day, seriously. School has actually started now, and I'm going to be in the Talent Show with my friend (We're dancing to Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder by Vocaloid, Rin and Len) So, I can't devote all my time to this. Hah, like I did that anyway.
I actually do not have Minako's headphones or Naoto's hat YET. I've ordered them, but they haven't arrived.
Oh, did ya see what I did there with the ringtones? I'm so clever… (Not)
Yeah… words to say, words to say… I honestly expected to have the meeting with SEES in this chapter, but that didn't work out. It went over five pages, and I hadn't finished talking to Naoto… So yeah. I don't like the hospital scene; so let me know how I can improve, as always.
Thanks again for reviewing. I don't want to be 'annoying review ask for girl,' but it would mean a lot for me. 'Kay, I'm gonna go now, so I can post this. Bye!
