08 May 2010
Komaki Residence
Evening

Another week without her daddy. Midori was used to it, but it was still sad to know he was running around the prefecture on business trips all the time. At least she had ample opportunity to raise her cooking skill from 'Microwave' to 'can leave the kitchen while things cook'.

So she was setting out her small meal when the front door rang. Looking up in surprise, she tried to guess who it could be. Couldn't be Saki, or any of her other friends. Morooka-sensei didn't do house calls to check up on his students, Amane and Mari-sensei had promised they'd call ahead of time should they take her up one one of her many invitations to come over.

That left random boys from school who would profess his undying love for the Queen, and ask to be her boyfriend. Which, oddly enough, hadn't happened yet, though she knew it was only a matter of time.

Putting on her best face, she slipped up to the door to peek through the small hole. Who she saw was completely surprising, so much so that she slammed the door open without any warning and cried out joyfully "Akihiko-sensei!"

The man, now named bowed at the exuberant greeting. "Hello, Midori. Can I come in?"

"Please! Please!" Midori stepped back and invited her friend in. Once he was safely inside, she closed the door behind them. "Sorry for the mess," she bowed slightly then rushed ahead to clean things up for her guest. "I only made enough food for me, I wasn't expecting company."

"Your father isn't home?" Akihiko slipped out of his shoes as he heard Midori run around the kitchen, channelling her energy into being the best hostess she could be.

"No, business. Frosty!" Akihiko perked up as Midori invoked her Persona. "Take these to the table." He poked his head around the corner to see Midori's Persona carrying a plate, a cup and some cutlery slowly walk to the low table where her supper was already set. As he watched, the Persona reached the table, and set down the load with a clatter, then stopped.

It was why he was here, why he had to talk to her directly.

"I wasn't planning on being here for long," he said as he arranged the second place setting to one side. "If you have some tea?"

"Tea! Oh, sure!" Midori rummaged through the kitchen, her haste being her undoing in that regard. She dropped the tin of leaves, scattering the contents all over the floor. "Damn!"

"Relax, Midori." Akihiko said as he made his way to the kitchen. "Here, I'll clean that up."

"No! No! It's alright, I can handle this!"

"I know you can," he said smoothly. "But if you keep rushing, you're never going to get it done." He plucked the broom from her hands firmly and set himself to cleaning.

A few minutes later, they were both seated at the table. "I hope you weren't rained on," Midori said, now that she had calmed down a bit. "It's been all over the place lately."

"No, I'm alright." Akihiko replied. "So, how are you doing? We really haven't talked, so I get most of my information about you second hand from Aigis and Junpei."

"I'm doing well," Midori said. "My show is good, I'm popular at school, I'm training my team up, my grades are good, and I even help out at one of the local stores once or twice a week!"

"That's good to hear." Akihiko knew more than that, but he let her brag in her own way.

"So, what brings you down to Inaba?" Midori asked as she pointedly ignored her food. "Surely it isn't for the rain. Come to check out the Amagi Inn?"

"No, nothing like that." Akihiko shook his head. "Listen, I have a favour to ask of you. And only you." His tone shifted to the serious. "Will you listen?"

Midori nodded.

"I've been thinking about my future a bit," He said as he shifted around a little. "About our skills, and what I've promised to do." He paused, expecting Midori to jump in there, but she didn't. He was pleasantly surprised.

"I need more training," He admitted. It was a hard conclusion he had come to, but in the end he would be betraying himself and Shinji's memory if he didn't. He reached down into his folded up jacket and carefully removed his Evoker. "I want you to hold onto this for me," he asked as he set it down on the table.

Midori was stunned into silence, her mind refusing to think about what was happening. That is, until she could blurt out a single word. "Why?"

"Why? I asked myself that same question." He sighed. "I thought I was strong. I was wrong. Mianto was strong. Aigis is strong. You're strong. Even Fuuka is." Part of why he had come out here was to get away from most of the other Persona users, hoping that physical distance would help with the emotional one. "And I want to be stronger, lest I be left behind."

He tapped the Evoker. "I want to give this to you, as a promise to myself. I want to train to become better, stronger. Not just as a fighter, but as a Persona user." Akihiko pointed at Frosty. "I want to do that. You can, and I know your skills aren't unique. You hold my Evoker, and everytime I fall back, try to reach for it, I want to remember that I don't have it. That someone who is stronger than I does, and that I need to be better to match her."

He could see that this was too much for her. That she understood on an emotional level what he was asking, but that the situation was so far off her normal scale that he needed to give her time. "And before you object, you're the only person I could ask. Everyone else is too involved with Mitsuru's Shadow Hunters."

Midori nodded again. "Alright," she said, some light coming back into her eyes. "I'll hold onto it for you." He wanted training. That was alright. She could work with that. Looking down at the Evoker, she auto-piloted her way through the rest of the conversation, and after she saw Akihiko to the door, returned to the table.

She wasn't hungry any more.

Samegawa Flood Plain
Evening

Akihiko was worried he had made a mistake. He hadn't expected Midori to shut him out like that. And now, as he walked along the soft grass of the riverbank, he tried to figure out why.

At first, he thought she was rejecting the idea of Personas. Which would be a normal reaction to nearly a year of constant battles and loss. But that didn't work out, given how she was still active with her Black Frost. She was still comfortable around them. Thinking a bit closer, he considered the possibility that he had simply dumped his request on her with no warning, and no preparation.

That did seem most likely. He would have to go back and apologize. Profusely. He had thought of her too much as a reliable partner, and not enough as a friend first. It was a poor decision on his part, and he could just hear Shinji chuckling at him for messing up with a girl.

Spinning around on his heel, he started to walk back to Midori's place with new purpose and confidence.

Same Place

Chie kicked a small pebble off the path. That new girl had gotten more and more popular with each passing day! There were already some of the more impressionable first years calling her the 'Queen' behind her back.

And Yukiko did nothing! She couldn't understand why she should do something! Everyone should see her, and not some foreign girl with the wild hair! She had no right to do that!

She looked up, her senses telling her someone was coming her way. She stepped to one side to allow him to pass before her eyes caught up and told her just who had walked past her.

It was Akihiko Sanada himself. The best High School martial artist this past year. And he was... He was...

"Sanada-sempai!" She cried out, bowing formally. "Welcome to Yasoinaba!"

The older man stopped and turned around. To her eyes, it was the artistic motion of a man who has honed his body to perfection. "Yes. Do I know you?"

She bowed again. "No sir! I am Satonaka Chie! I am a fan!"

"Huh." He said quietly. "I didn't think about that." He bowed to her. Akihiko Sanada bowed to her! That was amazing! "Thank you for the greeting." He stood up and looked to the sky. "I need to get moving. Have a good evening."

Ohgodohgodohgodhewaswalkingawaydosomethingdon'tjuststandthere! "I challenge you!" Chie said loudly. "I'm the best in town, and I just can't let this opportunity pass me by!" She started to hop back and forth, eager for the chance to cross blows with the one and only Akihiko Sanada, even as she knew she was going to lose, and lose hard.

"No."

"What? But! But!"

He sighed. "I don't wander around looking for random fights, Chie-chan."

"Then why are you here?" Her mouth was faster than her brain, and she instantly regretted prying into his personal life like that.

"Oh? I'm here to see a... student of mine. I erred, and now I am off to apologize."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Chie said as she relaxed her stance. A student of Akihiko Sanada, here in Inaba? Impossible! "Who is it? I could show you to their place!"

"That won't be necessary," Akihiko replied. "I know where they live." He turned to leave. "Thank you for the offer though."

"You're welcome!" Forget that girl, this was way too important! Chie waited for him to walk away, then began to follow him from a distance. She had to know who this student was, so she could get training herself!

Near Komaki Residence

Chie watched with stunned disbelief as that girl answered the door. At first she thought that maybe Akihiko Sanada was there to see her brother, but then he bowed to her. That she was his student! And she bowed back, accepting the apology just like that!

She chewed on her lip as she took in this turn of events. On one hand, she had the 2nd year who was taking over the school, and was thus someone she needed to oppose for Yukiko's sake. But on the other hand, she also knew the great Akihiko Sanada!

This paradox refused to resolve itself, and that left only one thing to do.

09 May 2010
Samegawa Flood Plain
After School

"I challenge you!"

"What." Midori didn't have time for this, though she supposed that having the Satonaka girl finally do something rash in the defence of her friend from a non-existant threat was bound to happen sooner or later. "Why would you do that?" It was best to clear the air, even as she watched the girl hop up and down. Inside, she frowned. This was a human, so she couldn't use Frosty or her club. She'd have to fight with her daddy's tricks.

But she didn't want to fight at all!

"You're the student of Akihiko Sanada-sama! When I beat you, I can challenge him!"

"Oh, so you're the one who was following him last night," she said, putting one finger to her chin in mock thought. "You were quite sloppy."

"I don't care!"

"Then the answer is no." She bowed politely. "I reject your challenge."

"You can't do that!" Chie nearly shouted, thankful she had left Yukiko behind for this.

"You don't want to fight me because I'm some sort of gateway to Akihiko-san," she let her more casual use of his name drip from her tongue like poison. "You want to because you want to put me in my place, right?" She put down her bag and held her hands behind her. She had an option to get out of this, but it depended on there being no one behind her.

"So what?"

Midori focused and summoned Frosty behind her, trusting in her body to cover up the existence of the Persona. She knew that people could sense the 'demonic' aura of him, though she never could, so maybe this girl would feel it?

She did, if her hesitation was anything to go by. "What...?"

Midori smiled. Then advanced a half step. "Chie Satonaka. I am not your enemy. I am not the enemy of Yukiko Amagi either. You don't have to fight me."

It was working. She had no idea how, or why, but it was working!

"You can fight me, but if you do, you already know you're going to lose. So why?" Another step, and Chie gave ground. "Or, you can stop this nonsense. We can be friends some day, and I can teach you a little bit so you can go challenge Akihiko someday?" She dismissed Frosty, and the aura went away. "Deal?"

10 May 2010
Yasogami High School
Morning

Chie bowed politely to her senior. "Good morning, Midori-sempai!" At her side, Yukiko bowed too, as was polite when greeting your elders.

And just like that, Yasogami High had a Queen and a Princess.

15 May 2014
Tatsumi Port Island, Kirijo Research Facility
Evening

Aigis held the phone away from her ear as her friend started to exuberantly complain about the information she had given her. "What do you mean he's left?"

"Just what I said," Aigis carefully moderated her voice to avoid yelling. Mitsuru was within hearing distance, and she did not want to act improperly. "Akihiko has taken a leave of absence while Mitsuru-sempai continues to organize the Hunters. He said it was for training. I suspect that you are the last person who has actually talked to him." She repeated herself in case Midori didn't get all the connotations the first time.

"I know that! And he didn't take a cell phone with him? Who does he think he is? Ryu?" Midori grumbled on her end. "Look, when he gets in contact with you, tell him he needs to talk to me right away!"

"Why?" Aigis asked as Mitsuru passed her some papers that needed signing. Who knew forging a life would take so much work?

"Because there's a girl in town who is only being nice to me because she's a fan of his, and I know him. And nothing I can think of will work to keep this from exploding in my face!"

The robot considered just how much of that could actually be Midori's fault, and not this mysterious girl's, or Akihiko's responsibility. But she wisely didn't say anything along those lines. "I will keep that in mind, but once again, we don't know where he's gone, or how long he will be away."

"Mitsuru did make sure he had a cash card right, for things like food? I'm certain she can trace that. Use it!"

Aigis looked up. Apparently Mitsuru had heard that. "I did, and he converted it to cash properly. I can't trace that. I'm willing to give him some space."

"Did you hear that?" Aigis asked.

"Yes." Midori sounded very dejected. "Now I have to figure out how to string along Chie until Akihiko comes back."

"You could tell her that he's gone on a training camp and won't be back for at least six months."

"Sure. Then she'll ask me where this camp is, how to get to there, and then she'll probably try to get there during the summer." Midori sighed. "I need a better plan."

"Perhaps you should just tell her that you don't know where he's gone?" Aigis knew that was the simplest solution, which is why she didn't present it to Midori in the first place.

"That's even worse!" Midori complained again, indicated that she had already evaluated that option. "Then she'll go right back to not-liking me, and Chie was the last serious holdout with her influence over Yukiko. That will take me months to fix!"

Aigis didn't have a frame of reference for Midori's social warfare, and her conversations with Yukari, Fuuka and others had indicated that Gekkoukan had been very calm in that regard as Mitsuru was imperious in her control. "I do not know what to say."

"You could use that fancy Persona detection gear and locate him!"

"The technology doesn't work like that." To be honest, the Kirijo Group was researching Persona detection in the real world, thanks in part to Midori and Black Frost. She was assisting in her own way, she was already planning a field test under the cover of going to Yasoinaba to visit her friend. But that was months in the future at the least. "Actually, there is something else that came to my attention."

"Oh?" Midori was glad to be away from her latest headaches.

"Yes. The Tennis Club has received some invitations to a tournament in Tokyo in August. Rio-sensei has one for herself, one for me, and thanks to some... rules lawyering, has one in reserve for you." She could hear the stunned reaction on Midori's end. "Rio will be contacting you by the end of next week to see if you can attend or not."

16 May 2010
Central Shopping District, Tatsuhime Shrine
Daytime

Amane examined the donations box while the Fox eagerly awaited the results. Getting a proper miko was good for the shrine, and that it got Amane with her gifts was even better.

"Got much?" Midori said as she came up from behind, some food purchased from the gas station at the bottom of the hill bagged in her hands.

"Enough," Amane replied as she finished counting. The Fox approved of the final tally.

"So, I got a phone call from Mari-sensei lat night," Midori said as she kneeled down and started distributing food.

"I was wondering what that was about," Amane admitted as she unwrapped the sandwich. "What did she say?"

"She wanted me to keep an eye on you for a month. But she didn't say why."

"Oh, that? She's going back to Tokyo next week for about four or five weeks." Amane knew this trip was coming, so she didn't make much of it. "She doesn't want to leave me alone, so she thinks you'll be a good person to keep an eye on me, rather than asking Izuma to take a month off for my sake."

Midori practically beamed with pride that she was being entrusted with such a task. "Sure! It'll be easy to whip; up a guest room for you! Daddy wants me to have more friends over, and you'll be a good start!"

The Fox yawned and stretched out after finishing the offering of meat. It curled up in Amane's lap to take a small nap.

"So," Midori wondered. "I got no problems with that, but why is she going back? Some sort of conference or something?"

"No, it's been nine months since the Lockdown, give or take a couple weeks."

Midori saw that in the calendar in her head. "Yeah, so?"

"Nine months." Amane was completely certain that Midori couldn't be that ignorant.

"Yes. So?"

"The hospitals are expecting an influx of new patients."

"I'm not an idiot, Amane." Midori took on a serious tone. "Why does Mari-sensei have to go back?"

Amane leaned in. "This is still a secret, you have to understand."

"My lips are sealed." Truth be told, Midori had done some reading after the Lockdown, and had discovered that there was usually a small spike in the number of births nine months after such events. The study in question cited some major power outages over the past century in America as examples. She too had huddled up with people to keep warm for a couple nights that week, though thankfully she had been with other girls.

"Well," Amane said as she absently stroked the Fox's fur, "there are some concerns that for a few of these children, their fathers... went home at the end of the week."

It took a moment for realization to flash into Midori's head. Then her stomach crashed with the gut knowledge. "Oh no."

Amane waved away the worst of the concerns. "Don't worry. Yes, it happened. Yes, the people in charge have been aware of this for months, and have been planning their response for some time."

"But!"

"But nothing, Midori. This isn't the end of the world. Abel himself will be hanging out as much as he can to make sure nothing goes wrong, or for any... foreign parents to try and make an appearance."

"And they want Mari because she's a Doctor and a Tamer?"

"Exactly."

"This has all the makings of a disaster!" Midori moved to stand up, but Amane put a firm hand on her sleeve. "Let go! We have to go to Tokyo to help out!"

"You are helping," Amane replied calmly, "by keeping me company. These events are expected to bring out any further followers of my father, and as long as I am here, and not there, they won't find me."

Midori crashed back down into a sitting position. "Fine. But the first sign of trouble, I'm heading for Tokyo."

"Of course."

"So, um, how are they going to know?"

Amane reached out and took a few strands of Midori's hair into her hand. "It's not as bad as you're thinking." She joined Midori's blue with her own purple. "Some people believe that this is a sign of demon's blood, and look how you and I turned out. How we are raised is more important than our lineage. We can only trust that all mothers love their children."

Komaki Residence, Midori's room
Late Night

Midori couldn't sleep. One simple statement shook her to her core, but even then, she could see some good from it. It's just that she never thought about it before, even as she remembered hearing about that when she was a young girl, how her mother's friends would call her 'kami touched' for her hair, which didn't match Daddy's or Mommy's.

Vibrantly coloured hair as a sign of demonic heritage.

She couldn't sleep.