Disclaimer: HOMECOMING! Oh, wait. There was something else I needed to put here… What was it? I feel it was important, and could keep me from getting sued… Hmm… Whatever, I have HOMECOMING ahead of me.
Naoto: This idiot doesn't own Persona, so don't sue her.
~~~~SPOILERS~~~~~
This chapter contains spoilers for certain aspects of the anime Death Note. Which I also don't own.
Chapter 7
June 21st
"Hello, fellow human beings…" My voice was slurred as I practically fell onto the breakfast table. "Why the hell did you let me fall asleep on the couch?"
The blue haired boy across from me shot me a blank look from apathetic gray eyes. "…"
Akihiko simply shrugged. "Did you expect us to carry you up three flights of stairs?"
"Um… Yes. That's what dorm mates do for one another when they're exhausted from trekking up a giant tower that just happens to be crawling with monsters that one to eat my soul." Everyone laughed at my sleep-deprived antics.
"You'll get used to the sleepless nights." Yukari assured me, which made me feel so much better. When I told her such, she just shook her head.
"So…" Junpei interrupted the awkward silence. "What does everyone have planned for the weekend…?"
"Nothing much…"
"Just hanging around town."
"Homework."
"Social L- Video games." I cast a strange look at Minato when he answered before providing my own. "Buying a train ticket."
To that, no one had a response. I fidgeted with my belt loop, hoping someone would chime in with something. "What?" Eventually, I had to speak. "Is that so odd? Oh, by the way, Mitsuru, I'm going to be missing a few days of school. I hate to, I really do, but duty calls."
The redhead's icy glare could have frozen a volcano. "I hope for your sake someone very important died."
"Well…"
"Shirogane…"
"I seriously have family business to take care of, and I've already promised my sister I would. And if I don't, you'd be letting a mass murderer run wild through the streets of a small, foggy town, and that wouldn't be very nice, now would it?"
"…Excuse me…?"
Before the Kirijo could stop me, I sprang from my chair – without having touched my breakfast – and dashed out of the dormitory. I swung my legs over my motorcycle, forgetting, for once, my helmet in my haste to start the engine. My destination was Port Island Station. I prayed I would be able to book a train ticket for today. Yes, it was extremely short notice. Thank you, Captain DUH. But in all honesty, I was happy for any excuse to get out of going to school. My basic plan, which I had formed in the five minutes I had spent in the shower that morning, basically consisted of getting on the train today, spending the entirety of the twenty-second there, and coming back the twenty-third. Perfect, foolproof plan, right? Yeah…
"One ticket for the twelve o'clock Inaba bound train." Slamming a few hundred yen on the counter, I stood panting before the ticket salesman.
"Why'd you wanna go there, missy? Lotsa fuss about that place…"
"Do you have the ticket or not?" Brushing my violet hair out of my face, I attempted to pull off a piercing glare.
"You're lucky, it's the last one." He passed me one of the shiny tickets, barely having time to count my money before I had left. A quick glance at my watch revealed the time to be precisely eleven o'clock. I had just enough time to get back to the dorm, throw various objects into a bag, and get back to the station, if I booked it.
"HI EVERYONE, I'M STILL LEAVING!" Waving to everyone in the lounge of the dorm, I practically flew up the stairs and into my room. I pulled out my trusty messenger bag, dumping my ruined laptop into the trashcan, and threw a couple of shirts, jeans, and other basic necessities into it. I buckled it shut with surprising ease. In another few moments, I was out the door.
"Kasumi Shirogane, stop this instant!" Echoed behind me in the voice of Mitsuru. I… Chose to ignore her orders, instead focusing on getting to my destination. It wouldn't be practical for me to attempt to bring my motorcycle, as I would have nowhere to keep it while in Inaba, so I was forced to run full speed all the way back to the train station. It was eleven fifty when I arrived, panting and out of breath. I shoved my ticket into the face of the conductor and hopped onto the train.
The somewhat soft upholstery of my compartment's bench was welcome after my exhausting sprint across the city. I gratefully sank into it, immediately falling asleep.
"GAH! Stupid Light!" Naoto looked up sharply from her novel at this exclamation. Seeing her sister, ear buds in, watching who-knows-what on her laptop, the blue haired girl sighed and returned to the riveting story.
"No! L! It's Kira! He's right there! He put a TV in the potato chip bag! POTATO CHIP OF DOOM!"
"Kasumi!" The girl had had enough. She slammed her book closed. "Could you please be quiet? I'm trying to read."
"Yeah, well, I'm trying to watch Death Note. So I win. Besides, I'm sure you've already deduced the culprit, and found out exactly how Holmes is going to attempt to corner him."
"I… I may be wrong…"
"You don't really think that."
"What on God's green Earth is so special about that anime?"
The violet haired girl smirked. She knew she held the trump card. "It's about the world's greatest detective…" At this, Naoto's gray eyes grew wide, and she ran her hand through her shoulder length hair. That was something she did when she wanted to keep or regain her composure.
"Umm… C- Do you think I can…?"
Laughing, her older sister clicked over to Episode one as she unplugged her ear buds. "Join me, child."
Naoto sat the Sherlock Holmes novel down before hopping up to join Kasumi at the desk.
The next day, (After staying up all night) the two sisters could be found crouched underneath the desk, laptop between them and Episode twenty-five paused as they cried their eyes out.
"Stupid Light!" Kasumi choked out. "L had him completely figured out. He just needed the evidence…"
"Damn that Habeas Corpus." Naoto agreed.
About that time, there was a knock on the library door. Neither girl was in any state to answer, so the aged man let himself in. "Girls, dinner's… Girls?" Seeing Naoto's empty reading chair, and Kasumi's abandoned swivel chair, he trailed off.
"Here." They simultaneously poked their heads out from under their hiding place.
"What's wrong?" Their Grandfather gasped as he saw their tear stained faces.
"LIGHT KILLED L!" They exclaimed at same time in a twin like fashion.
"Well, I suppose you could say he got Rem to kill him…"
"But even so, indirectly, it was Light's doing."
"Yeah, I guess you're right…"
"If only Rem was a little more selfish."
"Yep."
The older gentleman gazed at the two in confusion for a little bit before clearing his throat. "In any case, dinner is ready. So make yourselves presentable."
"Hey, Kas?" The blue haired girl got her sister's attention by poking her in the side with a twig.
"Eeep!" Nearly losing her balance, Kasumi wrapped her arms around the trunk of the tree that they were currently perched in. "Don't do that! Whaddya want?"
"Didn't Grandpa seem kind of upset at dinner tonight?" Naoto inquired.
"Hmm… Now that you mention it… Maybe a case is bothering him?"
They both considered this in silence for a while. "Perhaps we could help him on it?" The younger finally offered. "I hate to see him down, and I bet with our minds combined, we could crack the case!"
In a fashion that greatly resembled a stick in the mud, Kasumi shook her head. "Grandpa would never let us help on a case. So… What are we gonna do?"
"I have a plan…"
"Hey, Grandpa!" The two intercepted their guardian as he was leaving his study. It was the elder who spoke. "Naoto has a funny story to tell you! Right, Nao?"
"Umm… W-Well, it's not so much a story as a dream I had last night… Okay, so it started when this pink elephant stole my ice-cream…" Leaving her sister to spin what promised to be an interesting tale, Kasumi sneakily ducked behind her Grandfather's legs and into the study.
"Let's see… Case file… Case file… Ooh, a computer!" Even young as she was, the girl still found it easy to hack into the mainframe of the computer. With that, a world of possibilities opened up. However, she was on a mission, and there was only one thing she needed to get out of this excursion.
"Most recent cases… Unsolved… Oh, a robbery. I was hoping for murder… Ooh, that looks interesting… Wait, no, I just need to print this out and get back to Nao… Okay, okay. Print. There."
"…. And then the penguin said to the elephant…" Still speaking, Naoto spotted her sister emerging triumphantly from behind her grandfather's back. "Hey, give me back my pickle! The end! Great dream, actually! I have to go. Come on, Kasumi."
The sisters dashed down the hall and into the library.
"Did ya get it?"
Kasumi held up the stack of papers. "Let's see…"
They stayed there all night, two very bright young girls pouring over countless minute details, wracking their brains until they felt they would burst.
"And so, if you take into account the footprint…"
"…It means there's only one person who could pull this off…"
"The maid!" They shouted in unison.
"Victory is ours!" Leaping up, the violet haired girl began a happy dance. Naoto continued to stare at the case before her, eyes wide. There was wonder, pride, and awe in her stunned gaze. "I… I did it. I solved a case. I solved my first case."
"Yeah. We did." Having frozen in the middle of her happy dance, Kasumi gave her sister a look of slight annoyance. "Nao?"
"I have to tell Grandpa!" The girl took off down the hall, her sister following shortly afterwards.
Panting, Kasumi leaned on the doorframe of the room she had seen her sister disappear into.
"…And that's the case."
"That's brilliant! And you solved it all by yourself?" Naoto didn't accept or deny that fact. She just beamed at her guardian silently. Kasumi wanted so much to interrupt. To say that she helped, and see that same pride shine in his eyes as he gazed at his other granddaughter, for a change. Yet, something held her back. Maybe it was the joy in her sister's eyes, but she just couldn't take this moment away from Nao. She knew she didn't mean to hurt Kasumi or take away from her contribution. She was just so happy, she wasn't thinking.
"That's my junior detective!"
That was the last straw. The older man taking off his famous newsboy cap and placing it fondly on his younger granddaughter's head. Kasumi fled, in tears, back to her room.
The sharp jolt of the train rattling to a stop woke me from my dream. I'm not sure if I would classify it as a nightmare, as it did contain some pleasant memories. Then again, it did contain the single most depressing moment of my life. That moment that actually drove me to leave my grandfather's house illegally a few years later. I had gotten sick of Naoto's act and simply had to leave. I never did blame my sister for indirectly stealing all my Grandfather's pride and affection. In fact, I blamed myself.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on memories. I sat up and stretched, getting ready to get out of this stuffy compartment. A quick glance out of the window showed the rain coming down in sheets outside. Had it always rained so much when I lived here? Somehow I couldn't remember.
I stepped out into the pouring rain, immediately getting drenched, as I regrettably didn't think to bring an umbrella. Standing a few feet away, and with the blessing of a parasol over her head was a familiar shape. She gave me a small wave to get my attention, and I obediently headed towards her.
"Kasumi." She said politely. "It's been a long time."
"Sure has…" I silently studied her, noting all the ways she'd changed, and all the ways she was the same.
Still perched jauntily on her head was the familiar dark blue hat. She still had the blue hair cut in a boy-ish style, and gray eyes that analyzed everything. She was still shorter than me by a few inches, and still stood with the same confidence she had before. Yet there were some differences. Most noticeable was the exhausted and stressed look her eyes held. Also, her voice was deeper than I remembered, most likely because of age, and her attempting to imitate a male voice pitch.
"Naoto Shirogane." Analysis complete, I broke into a grin. This was my sister. Nao held her hand out, expecting a handshake. Ignoring that silent request, I pulled the short girl into a sopping wet hug.
"Kas… Please get off of me. You're soaked."
Kasumi hadn't changed a bit. That was Naoto's first impression as she saw her sister get off of the train. She was the same Kasumi, just in a sixteen year old's body. Her violet hair had gotten a little shorter, so she must have cut it. And judging by the choppiness of the layers, she had done it herself. Her bright green eyes were as alert and cheerful as always, despite the fact that she had just stepped into pouring rain. It was annoying that she had surpassed Naoto in height, but that was to be expected. She was the elder sibling, after all.
Naoto raised her hand slightly in order to get Kasumi's attention. The girl practically ran over to where she was standing.
"Kasumi. It's been a long."
"Sure has..." They stood in silence for a while. Naoto recognized that look in her sister's eyes. That was the look she got when she was thinking deeply, or if she was trying to figure something out. She supposed it this case, it'd be herself Kasumi was trying to riddle out.
"Naoto Shirogane." She said as if she had just come to the realization that she was looking at her younger sister. Naoto extended her hand. Instead of what she was expecting, she got a very wet hug. A few more tender moments, and they were off, heading towards their Grandfather's manor, and a warm change of clothes.
A few months ago, what Souji Seta was doing would have seemed completely ridiculous. It still does, if he's being perfectly honest. He stood in front of his switched off TV as the clock struck midnight, as he's done several times before. At first, all that appeared was his own reflection, looking intently back at him. Then, the screen flickered to life. The image was blurry, as it had been the night before, but he could definitely make out the shape of a young woman, in a bathing suit. Looking a bit closer, Souji could identify the somewhat familiar face of the pop idol Rise Kujikawa. However, it kept zoning in on her chest and thighs, making it hard to distinguish the face as a result. Slightly disgusted, Souji turned away from the TV. He pulled out his phone, with the intention of calling Yosuke, when the device started ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Did you see that! That was Rise for sure! Rise Kujikawa!" Souji nodded to himself as he replied.
"You're right."
"Thought so! Oh… I guess I shouldn't be so excited. There's a chance she might get kidnapped… C'mon, we should go there tomorrow! What was it called again…? Oh yeah, Marukyu Tofu! Dude, my heart's pounding already… Well, see you tomorrow!" Perhaps Yosuke was a little… eccentric, but he was a reliable partner to have.
At any rate, they had their new target.
~~Author's Note~~
See? I did promise a faster update! And some Investigation Team action! AND I DELIVERED. Short chapter, but… Ya know… Short is better than no. I just had nothing else to include. So I cut it off. I also went POV crazy. Sorry if it confused you. It's Kasumi for the beginning, then switches to 3rd omniscient, then back to Kasumi as the train arrives, then to Naoto, then to Souji. Sorry! I just couldn't get my point across with one POV.
Have I mentioned how much I love you reviewers? Seriously, you all make me feel like a good writer.
I realize Kas's plan to go to Inaba was VERY, VERRRRRY short notice, bordering on unrealistic, but, like you all, I'd like to get to the P4 aspect of this story eventually… And, ya know, advance the plot a bit.
I've been waiting to write this little flashback for a loooooonnnnngggg time. It's an idea I've had since before I actually started writing this story. And for the record, I feel as though I'm going to have a hard time keeping Naoto in character. Well, I'm sorry. I'm basing her off of how I believe she'd treat an older sister who acts like a two year old.
At any rate, short update. My shortest yet. Enjoy. Don't do drugs.
