Sunday, 4-17-11. Weather: Clear Sky throughout the Day
Yu woke up at 9. He actually got out of the bed and dressed at around 9:30, and then did some of his homework before going downstairs to head out to Junes. Sending a quick text message to Yosuke, Yu slipped on his black jacket and prepared to head out the door, only to stop as he heard a TV show starting in the living room.
Nanako sat at the table, alone, sipping at a glass of orange juice with an empty plate in front of her. "Oh, good morning."
"You're up early today. I thought that you would sleep in." Yu remarked, moving back to the kitchen to heat up some water for a cup of tea. It wasn't necessary, but it would give Yu some time to talk with his cousin and help him wake up a bit.
"He woke up early, so I woke up with him. He said he's gonna be late." Nanako said, turning her attention to the cartoon that was playing.
"I don't blame him. His work has been piling up, but still, he could have tried to make time for you." He remarked, narrowing his eyes as he realized that he would be leaving Nanako alone when he left. If it weren't for the fact that he was going to go into a potentially life-threatening world, he would be tempted to bring her along, as she had mentioned wanting to go to Junes multiple times.
"Are you going somewhere?" Nanako asked, noticing Yu's expression. "I mean, after you finish your tea."
"Uh, yes, I'm sorry but I don't think I can bring you." Yu admitted, lifting the hissing tea pot off of the stove and into his mug, putting in a few tea bags and waiting for the flavor to distill.
"I'll be fine by myself. I've been home alone before." Nanako changed the channel to the news, which had just finished the current weather forecast.
"-so the weather this weekend will be perfect for going out. As for next week's forecast…"
"Oh, the sun's gonna come out. I should do some laundry." Nanako said, and Yu couldn't help but be impressed by her level of maturity as he took a sip of his tea. He had started figuring out how to do the laundry and take care of himself when he was about nine, which was when his parents had started to leave him by himself more. Laundry had been the most difficult to master, because unlike cooking - which had come naturally to him - he had no idea how to work the washing machine they owned. The drier was much more simple, but that washing machine was like trying to do trigonometry with a third grader.
"Uh… weren't you going somewhere?" Nanako's innocent question snapped him out of his reverie, and Yu shook his head.
"Yeah, but I want to finish my tea first." Yu replied, moving over to the living room. "Hey, do you know my phone number?" Seeing Nanako shake her head, Yu took a small piece of paper and pen from the kitchen table and scribbled down his number, handing the paper to his little cousin. "If you need me to get you something, or if you need to contact me, then just call this number, okay? I'll try to get back to you if you do, so don't worry."
With a small nod from Nanako, Yu's worries were put at rest, and he finished his tea.
Considering it was Sunday, Yu was shocked seeing the near-abandoned food court at Junes. He was expecting it to be crowded, or for a few screaming kids to be present, but it was only a small family or two and a loner hanging around. Well, that and the three police officers that would patrol around the perimeter of the food court every few seconds.
"Yu!" The teenager turned his head, putting down the bagel he was eating and stared at Yosuke, whose arms were held behind his back at a weird angle. "Sorry for the holdup. I found some stuff we can use in the closet at home."
"Another golf club?" Yu asked with a snicker. "In all seriousness, what do you have?"
"Take a look at these!" Yosuke said, throwing out his arms. In his left hand was a rather sharp kunai, while in his right was a large katana. "We've got our Personas, but what if we can't summon them or get too tired? Besides, a golf club isn't that reliable a weapon."
"I…" Yu stared in shock as the sunlight glinted off the steel blade, and Jiraiya was holding their hands over the general area of where his mouth would be, their chest shaking with silent laughter. "You had those in your closet?"
"Relax, the blades are fake, they just look real." Yosuke twirled the kunai in his hand. "So, which one strikes your fancy?"
"The katana." Yu said with little hesitation. "It's the most similar to the naginata Izanagi uses."
"Ahh, you've got discerning taste, this is a Junes exclusive. As for me… wait, maybe both would be good too." Yosuke's smile widened and there was a wicked glint in his eyes. He then began to wave the weapons around, striking various poses with the weapons. "Kind like this? Or like this!"
Yu burst out into laughter. "There's no way that would work for you. They're weighted differently, so you'd have a harder time fighting." Out of the corner of his eye, Yu saw a flash of blue, and his sudden laughing fit ended abruptly. "Uh, Yosuke? I think you should stop now and hide the weapons."
Yosuke either didn't hear him or ignored Yu's request as he put his right foot back and leaned forward, slashing the katana's blade through the air before stabbing forward. Ignoring the odd looks from customers around him, Yosuke continued on with his show of skill, not noticing the cop from earlier coming up to their table.
"Two suspicious young males found, one armed with multiple weapons. Requesting immediate backup."
Yosuke froze, putting the weapons behind his back and trying to act innocent while Yu stood from his chair. "No, no no no no, this isn't what it looks like. We didn't steal it! Uh, I guess that's not what matters. Anyways, we're not doing anything bad! We're just two ordinary kids who like weapons and… Ugh, that doesn't sound right either." Yosuke tried to explain, chuckling as the officer moved closer to him.
"Put the weapons down now, we'll listen to your story at the station. Hands where I can see them, too! I said now!" Yu's eyes widened, and Yosuke let out a yelp as, in his haste, the kunai had cut through his jeans and nicked his leg. Throwing his arms out and trying to ignore the sting in his leg, Yosuke continued to try to get the cop to reconsider. However, this only made it seem worse, as the brown haired teen hadn't dropped the weapons.
"But- This isn't-!"
"Are you resisting an officer of the law?! Y-You're under arrest!" The cop exclaimed, voice cracking as his hand flew to his belt, which had a pair of handcuffs in one of the loops. Yu let out an aggravated sigh and lifted his hands slowly, showing no harm to the officer.
"Sir, I apologize for my friend here, he doesn't know how to act around cops. If we can all calm down, I can explain what-" Yu stopped talking as two more cops ran up behind them, Yosuke not stopping his broken sentences, continuing to wave his arms around. "I suppose you guys aren't up for hearing what we were really doing, huh?"
Yu really, really hates handcuffs. He also hates how Jiraiya has no experience with police whatsoever, and kept trying to kick the cops and their car the entire drive over to the station. Since there were two active police officers on duty near them at all times, Yosuke couldn't say anything or gesture to his Persona to stop, and it was incredibly difficult to not jump when a leg with nice dress shoes would phase through the side of the car at random intervals.
They were in an interrogation room for at least half an hour before they asked for their statements separately. While Yu kept a level head, Yosuke panicked and kept trying (and failing) to successfully explain why he had a sword and knife in a food court of all places. It was only because Dojima interfered and got them both out that Yosuke was saved from further embarrassing himself.
"You didn't seem the type to pull a stupid stunt like this." Dojima addressed Yu with a cold tone, and the silver-haired teen couldn't help but hang his head. I've only been here for six days and I'm already being labelled as a delinquent by my own uncle. "You know what's been going on around town, we got men stationed everywhere. For god's sake, you're lucky I was around, or this would have ended up on your permanent record."
"We're sorry." Yosuke apologized, keeping his gaze away from the older man. Yu let out a heavy sigh, and Izanagi floated back and forth behind him, imitating his partner's pacing from the night prior.
"Wait, so the one that disappeared is the Amagi girl?" Said a plain clothed man passing by, shocking the boys out of their sadness.
"Seems like it, but she's just a high schooler, you know. Could be that she decided to run away from home." An officer replied, shaking his head and sighing.
"Hey," Yosuke said, his voice trembling as he turned to Yu. "Did he say Amagi? Then, she really is-"
"Dojima-san," Yu interrupted, turning to his guardian. "I-Is Yukiko okay? Did something happen?"
"It's nothing for you to worry about, Yu. You're not with the police." Said the detective, letting out an aggravated sigh. "I'm sure you've seen on the news that there's an investigation in progress, we're sensitive about certain things. You're free to go, but this better not happen again, especially with you, Yu."
"Understood, sir." Yu said, nodding complacently at his uncle as the older man brushed past them, heading to his office. Yu glanced at his friend and turned to walk out of the police department, only to nearly bump into a much younger detective holding a steaming cup of coffee.
"Whoa, pardon me." Said the young man. "Aren't you the kid staying at Dojima-san's place?"
"Oh…! Uh, can we ask you something?" Yosuke asked, shuffling awkwardly next to his friend. "It's about Yukiko-san, I mean, Yukiko Amagi of the Amagi Inn. Did something happen to her?"
"Huh? Oh, um, am I allowed to say?" The young detective said, adjusting his hold on the coffee mug in his hand. "Well, if you're friends with Ms. Amagi… Keep this between us, okay? We got a call from Ms. Amagi's parents yesterday evening saying they couldn't find her anywhere. Since it was the weekend, the workers at the inn were extremely busy, and no one saw Ms. Amagi around that time. That doesn't necessarily mean this is a case just yet, but people've been turning up dead on foggy days, so we're really sensitive to stuff like this. By the way, did she say anything to you guys about maybe going through some hard times?"
"Hard times?"
"Well, that announcer, Ms. Yamano, was staying at the Amagi Inn before the first murder. Seems Ms. Yamano had some harsh words for the manager about the staff's attitude towards guests. The stress of it caused the manager to collapse, and with Ms. Amagi being the manager's daughter, she must've felt pretty strongly about the incident, y'know."
"If you're saying what I think you're saying," Yu growled, taking a threatening step towards the detective, the lights above them flickering rapidly. "Then I'd suggest that you shut your mouth."
"I… think I've gone too far." The detective admitted, letting out a nervous chuckle. "You didn't hear that, okay?"
"Adachi, what the hell are you chatting with civvies for?!" Came the enraged yell of Dojima from down the hall. "And where's my coffee?!"
"S-Sorry! I got it right here!" Despite his nervous demeanor, Adachi was grateful that Dojima had given him an out for the conversation he was currently having. Ignoring the glare that Yu was giving him, he walked down the hallway as fast as he could without spilling his coffee.
"Dude, you can be really scary when you want to be." Yosuke commented, Jiraiya's head popping through the wall behind him once they were certain they wouldn't get hit by a stray bolt of electricity. Yu let out an annoyed huff and walked down the hall, Yosuke falling in step besides him as they moved to the exit.
After a long stretch of silence between the two, Yosuke spoke up again. "Hey, does that detective think Yukiko-san-"
"There you are!" Yu and Yosuke turned to the front entrance of the police department, seeing a very pissed Chie making a beeline towards them. "Sheesh, what're you guys doing? I've been looking everywhere!"
"We aren't doing anything really," Yu remarked. "Unless you count getting arrested as something."
"There was a slight misunderstanding, we'll tell you about it later." Yosuke admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Anyways, something's up with Yukiko-san!"
"You know already?" Chie asked, then she shook her head and took her cellphone out of her pocket. "I kept calling her cell, but she didn't pick up, so I ran to the Amagi Inn. They said they thought she was with me the whole time, so then I went to her house to check there afterwards, and it turns out Yukiko really did disappear!"
"Then that means we have to go to the TV world, she might be there now!" Yu said, and Yosuke nodded.
"That aside, the cops are saying some weird stuff, they think Yukiko-san's hiding to 'lay low.' Apparently Yukiko-san's mom collapse because that announcer lady bitched her out. They think that gives her a motive, and the fact that the announcer died right after makes her even more suspicious."
"What? They think Yukiko did it? What the hell is wrong with them?" Chie shouted, trying to charge past Yu so that she could personally talk to the cops herself. The taller boy grabbed her arm and pulled her back, clearly panicked.
"Don't snap at us! Yukiko's the victim here, dammit, not the suspect." Yosuke said, taking her other arm and helping Yu move her back a few feet.
"Let's all calm down." Yu said, noticing that Jiraiya had moved into a defensive position, spinning his shurikens rapidly. "It's like the TV world, yelling won't solve anything. Yukiko's probably in the same world as Teddie right now, so all Yosuke and I have to do is check if she's there and go to rescue her."
"I'm going too, and that's final!" Chie exclaimed, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I'm going to save Yukiko, no matter what!"
"They confiscated our weapons." Yosuke muttered, giving Chie a defeated look. "We can't go in empty handed, especially if you're coming along."
"Weapons?" Chie placed her hand on her chin, tapping her foot. Her face then lit up as she ran to the entrance. "I know just the place, c'mon, follow me!"
"Wh-What kind of shop is this?" Yosuke and Yu couldn't help but stare at the various types of weapons mounted on the walls around them. Axes, katanas and armor covered the wall on their right, while standing behind the shopkeeper were racks of varying guns and bladed fans, knifes, and a working forge. Yu stared in shock at the very real blades surrounding them, as well as the very carefully crafted chest plate that was on his right. He knew that he would probably never wear it, TV world or not, but he couldn't help but stare at the fine details carved into it.
"A metalworks, I guess? They sell all sorts of metal crap, like katanas and stuff." Chie responded, taking interest in a pair of metal plated shoes resting on the counter.
"Doesn't that seem weird to you? Why would you know about a place like this anyway?" Yosuke adjusted his coat, giving a grin to his friends. "Oh, I get it, you watched one too many kung-fu movies, and-"
"It's not that at all! I overheard some guys in our class talk about it, they said this place sells weapons and armor." She then shifted her attention from the shoes in her hand to a metal chest piece standing on a mannequin. "Here, this one looks good, but it might be too heavy."
"I dunno Chie, I still think it's too dangerous. I know how you feel, but-"
"You don't!" Chie shouted, nearly dropping her shoes as she turned to the other boys, jaw clenched tightly. "You don't know shit about how I feel. Yukiko might die from this, for crying out loud! I'm going, and that's that!"
After a long period of silence, Yu let out a sigh. "Okay, but stay behind us. Yosuke and I are the only ones who have dealt with Shadows."
"Psh, I'll be fine! My reflexes are second to none!" Chie replied, giving a small smile to Yu before turning back to the sets of armor. As she examined the chainmail, Yosuke stopped his joking demeanor and straightened his back.
"Listen, we're not kidding around. You don't know what it's like in there! If you're not gonna listen to our warnings, we're leaving you here." Noticing his friend's clenched fists, he let out a sigh. "If you insist on coming, just make sure you have something to protect yourself."
Another long stretch of silence filled the forge, broken by Chie, who nodded her head. "Alright." Yu could feel the tension in the room drop, and Yosuke moved closer to him gaze sweeping across the room as he walked.
"You have any idea what we should get?"
"I've got a few ideas, I'm just afraid you'll cut your hand open if I get you something sharp." Yu sends a teasing smirk at Yosuke, who groans and covers his chest with his arms.
"Well, you are our main asset in battle right now, so I think you should choose whatever makes it easiest for you." Digging in his coat pocket, Yosuke takes out a decently large wad of money and places into Yu's hand, totalling out to about 5000 yen. Yu stares at the money in shock as Yosuke moves away, deciding to browse the selection of weapons.
A ding from the cash register snaps both of them out of their stupor, and Chie is standing there with a paper bag clasped tightly in her hand. "I got my stuff all picked out! How about you guys?" Yosuke just stares while Yu comes to realize something.
"If Yosuke and I got taken to the police department for waving around fake swords, there's no way we aren't getting arrested looking like we're about to go to war."
"Yeah, but it's not like we can waltz into Junes with a sack full of gear and expect no one to notice, either." Yosuke remarked.
"Why not conceal them under our uniforms? I don't think people would notice." Chie suggests, already taking out the small chainmail armor she bought and rushing out the door. "There's a restroom in the Shiroku Pub, I'll go and change! Meet you guys there!"
"Wha- Chie!" Yosuke groans, covering his face with his hands. "Dammit, I'll go and make sure she doesn't break something, you get something for me!" And then he's gone, a small gust of wind pushing the dust from the floor around.
Yu let out a sigh, looking at Old Man Daidara, who only raised an eyebrow at the silver haired teen. Yu moved quickly, grabbing one of the katanas on display - fake, just like the one that Yosuke had for him - and placing it in his left hand. Moving on, he also grabbed a short blade hanging from the wall on his left. It was short, decently sharp, and hopefully Yosuke would have enough common sense as to not throw it around like it was a toy.
Finally, he moved over to the armory where Chie was before, picking up two sets of chainmail. They looked to be around the same size, and he was of a similar build to Yosuke, so hopefully the armor would fit them. Quickly giving the yen to Daidara, Yu said his thanks and left the store. Despite having seen his fair amount of intimidating people in his life, Daidara was unfamiliar and skilled with weapons, and the large X shaped scar on his face did not help matters much.
It was then Yu realized that this was probably only the second time he's been in the Shopping District, and he had absolutely no idea as to where the Shiroku Pub was.
Well… Yu thought, looking from left to right. This is a problem. Maybe it's by the gas station? Taking a right, Yu began walking down the street, glancing at the stores on the other side of the street in case the pub was over there.
A loud sound came from his right, accompanied by a flash of light that blinded Yu temporarily. Shaking his head and blinking rapidly, Yu nearly jumped into the street when he saw an odd looking doorway that was hovering above the ground. The teen looked around, seeing no one else reacting to the door, and even having one person walking through it, like it didn't exist. His hands automatically went into his pockets, and he tried to loosen his posture, pretending to be relaxed.
Another flash of light went off, his head thumping angrily as a voice reverberated through it. "So it finally begins. Now, if you'll give me a moment of your time." A blue light began to shine through his pants pocket, and Yu dropped his bag in shock as the shopping district faded away, the door opening with an odd grace. The teen's sense of balance disappeared, it almost felt like he was falling, and he let out a small gasp as color returned to his vision and his legs buckled beneath him -
only to fall into a velvet covered seat, the sound of a humming engine filling his ears as he was welcomed back into the Velvet Room.
"We have been expecting you." Igor says, grin plastered to his face as he takes in Yu's frazzled appearance. "The catastrophe that is headed your way… It has already taken human lives in its approach towards you, but you have nothing to fear. You already have the power to fight against it. It seems that the time for you to use your Persona has come." Igor lets out a chuckle, and Margaret shifts her attention to the teen.
"Your Persona ability is that of the wild card; if you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome any ordeal. Our role is to facilitate that."
"My contribution is to give birth to new Personas. By mixing together multiple Persona cards, I can transmute them into a new form." Igor says. "This, in other words, is the fusion of Personas. You have the power to hold multiple Personas and to use them accordingly. When you defeat an enemy, the seeds of possibility you attain will appear before you as cards. At times, they may be hard to grasp, but you must master your fear and reach out to them. When you obtain new cards, please do not hesitate to bring them here. If you have been developing your Social Links, then your Persona will gain even more power. They will be your chief sources of strength, you would do well to take this to heart."
Igor and Margaret exchange looks, and the younger woman nods, lifting the book in her lap so that the cover faced Yu. "The tome you see in my hand is the Persona Compendium. Registering the Personas you hold will allow you to recall them at any time, please see me when you wish to use it.
"Oh, and one more thing, I would like to introduce a new resident of the Velvet Room, who will be helping you on your journey." Yu's gaze drifts to the left, landing on the teenage girl who had been pressing herself into the side of the Velvet seat. A brimmed hat is sitting comfortably atop her head, nearly covering her narrowed eyes as she lets out a 'hmph.' "Marie?"
"Yeah, I can hear. Nice to meet you." The venom behind her words is held back by an uninterested tone, but Yu tilts his head, getting an odd sense of deja vu from hearing the girl's voice.
"I've met you somewhere…" Yu mutters, thinking that his voice was low enough that no one would hear. However, Marie's eyes widened and she lets out a tiny sound of surprise.
"Oh, maybe. That'd explain why you're so familiar." Marie hums and curls into herself, and Margaret lets out a sigh, turning back to Yu.
"Excuse her, this is Marie. Her soul is very young, and-"
"Shut up!" Yu's eyes widen as Marie shouts, her nails digging into her arm. "Don't tell him any more about me than you need to."
Margaret continues as if nothing had happened. "As you can see, she may be brusque at times, but please understand that she is only an apprentice and forgiver her for her impoliteness."
"Got it." Yu states, eyes shifting to Marie, who squirms uncomfortably under his gaze.
"Marie will be dealing with 'Skill Cards.' Using these cards will allow you to provide your Personas with new powers. Also, I am sure she will help you form a bond between yourself and the 'outside world.' Marie will contact you at a later date, please be free to speak with her here when you wish to use her services."
Igor lets out another chuckle, hands folded in a way that blocks his mouth from sight. "Do you recall my words to you before? "The coming year is a turning point in your destiny. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost." I meant precisely what I said. Defeat in battle is not the only way your journey may come to an end. Please do not forget this.
"When next we meet, you will come here of your own will. I look forward to it." Igor lets out another chuckle, waving his hand. "Until then, farewell."
The world blended into a blinding white, and the seat he was comfortably sitting on disappears. His balance shifts again, and he briefly thinks whoa, wait, this isn't a good thing before he falls flat on his back on the sidewalk, hearing two startled yelps beside him. Letting out a small groan, Yu opens his eyes and turns his head, meeting the startled expressions of Chie and Yukiko. The door is still there, just a tiny bit more transparent, Izanagi glowering at it as if it were a Shadow. Jiraiya, on the other hand, is staring at the other Persona in confusion, head tilted as they floated casually.
"Uh, Yu? Where did you come from?" Chie asks, her voice squeaky as she stares at the silver haired teen. For her and Yosuke, it had looked like there was nothing in front of them, and then Yu just poofed into existence as he fell onto the sidewalk. Yu's mouth opens and closes a few times before he simply sighs and picks himself up, grabbing his bag and moving to Yosuke.
"I really don't know how to tell you what just happened, but I got you a pair of chainmail and two kunai for you to use, so just tell me where this Pub is."
Heading back to Junes was awkward, partly because Yu knew for a fact that there was going to at least one person who saw his arrest still in the store. The other thing that was awkward was trying to adjust to the fact that, underneath his school uniform (which would also attract even more attention because it was Sunday) he was wearing a set of chainmail. That, and he had to place the katana at an odd angle so that it wouldn't stand out much under his jacket. Chie and Yosuke had it easy, their weapons were small and unnoticeable if they played their cards right.
"The sale should end soon, so that'll get rid of some of the people wandering around here." Yosuke pipes up after the ten minute long walk of silence, the trio standing in front of the main entrance. Like Yosuke said, the crowd had thinned out by a large amount considering how many people were there earlier in the day. Yosuke sighs a final time, turning his attention to the only girl of the group. "Chie, it's not too late to-"
"I'm going!" Came the angry reply, Chie's jaw clenched to keep out any other nasty remarks.
"Fine, but don't push yourself, got it?" Yosuke crosses his arms in front of his chest and, sharing a nod with Yu, they move into the store. While the crowd outside was thinner, inside the store it was still a little bit crowded. As such, each jostle with another person was not appreciated, even more so for Yu. While Yosuke and Chie were only at risk of getting weird looks because of the chainmail clinking, each bump for Yu not only caused him to get a look, but was also at risk for the katana becoming visible.
This was why the two teens were grateful that Izanagi and Jiraiya existed. Sensing their partner's distress, they floated high above the shelves, acting as guides for the group. Whenever there was a large group of people coming, they gestured wildly (or in Izanagi's case, sent a small shock of electricity to arc to the ground in front of Yu) and pointed to a much more secluded path. Because of this, however, it took a little longer to get to the electronics department, and each second wasted caused Chie's nervousness to curl into a tightly tied ball, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
It was a relief when they got to the TV, the section of the store practically deserted, and Yu slumped in relief. Instead, Yosuke stuck his hand in first, ignoring Chie's exclamation of shock at the sight, and let the others enter before him. Yu went first, this time prepared to land on his feet. The sight of the fog-filled world before him sent a shiver up his spine, and he quickly slipped on his glasses to help combat any oncoming headaches.
Hearing a shout from above, Yu moved to the right as Chie plummeted down, just barely managing to catch herself at the last second. Stretching out his hand, Yu helped his friend up just as Yosuke fell in, fumbling slightly as he righted his feet. The three teens nodded to themselves, Yosuke following Yu's example and put on his glasses as well, and they heard a whimper to their left.
"Whoa, it really is that bear from last time." Chie gasped out, eyes squinted as she tried to see through the fog.
"What're you doing?" Yosuke asked, seeing Teddie's hunched figure as he held his head.
"Can't you tell? I'm thinking about stuff." Yu winced as he heard the bear's depressed tone. "I've been deli-bear-ating over it for a long time now. Hey, that wasn't a bad joke!" Teddie let out a small chuckle, his mood brightening almost instantly at the pun, and Yosuke groaned.
"Have you figured anything out?" Yu asked, taking a step closer and, feeling the sword shift uncomfortably against his back, he shifted it around until it was in a much more comfortable position
"Eh, it's probably useless to think about it too much. I've seen the inside of your skull, and it was empty." Yu sent an empty glare at Yosuke at the comment.
"How rude!" Teddie exclaimed, rushing to the trio with an angry expression. "You're right, though. I try and try but nothing comes out of my head."
"Will you guys shut up?" Chie shouted, her apprehension starting to show. "Now's not the time for stupid jokes! Listen, someone came here yesterday, right?"
"Wow! There's a girl with a better nose than me?" Teddie turned to Chie, his pupils merely specks of black in his eyes. "What's your name, miss?"
"Miss? Um, I'm Chie, but never mind that! Tell me more about that someone!"
"I think it happened a little after I talked with you guys. After that, it felt like someone was here."
"Is it Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked.
"How would he know? He's never met Yukiko before." Yu responded, and Teddie nodded.
"I don't know, I haven't looked." He then turned and walked towards the walkway behind Yu. "The presence is over that way. That's probably where they are."
"Over there, huh?" Chie turned her head, glaring at the fog-covered landscape. "Is everyone ready?"
"Y-Yeah." Yosuke replied and, hearing the shing of Yu's katana being unsheathed, Chie ran ahead, the rest of the group only a few steps behind.
"I was kind of hoping that the castle didn't exist." Yu said as he stared at the looming structure before him. On the TV, it had appeared much smaller, but now standing in front of it, Yu could clearly see that it was inspired by the old castles built during the Middle Ages in Europe.
"Y'think this is the place they showed on TV last time?" Chie asked, taking in the horse statues stood on the stone pillars of the walls around them, frozen in time as they reared on their hind legs.
"Certainly seems like it."
"You're positive that no one's behind a camera for that bizarre midnight program?" Yosuke asked Teddie.
"Program? I don't know. Maybe people on your side can see stuff in this world. It might be that. And I told you before, there's only me and Shadows here! There's no 'camera' stuff going on. This world has been like this from the beginning."
"'From the beginning'? That's what we don't understand!"
"I dunno, can you explain everything about your world? I've never seen this 'program' thingy before, so I don't know."
"Well, is that really what's happening? Are we really looking into this world?" Chie asked, and Yu turned around to look at the three of them. "Because the first time Yukiko showed up on that channel was before she disappeared. Doesn't that seem off? I mean, Yukiko saying stuff like 'score myself a hot stud'? That's not like her at all!"
"'Score'? 'Stud'?" Teddie repeated, a confused expression replacing his usual smile.
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Yukiko-san would never say anything like that." Yosuke paused before letting out a sharp gasp. "Maybe this is kinda like what happened to me last time?"
"There's a lot of stuff I still don't get, but after hearing your story… I think that 'program' happens because of the person who appears on it. Or something like that."
"So, Yukiko is producing that show herself?" Chie scratched the back of her head, shuffling her feet.
"I can't see that happening." Yu commented, adjusting his grip on his katana. "There has to be something else, some other reason." But until we can figure out more, we can't even make a solid theory.
A tense silence enveloped the group, only to be broken a few seconds later by Chie. "Hey, do you feel Yukiko's presence from inside?"
"I'm pretty sure." Teddie replied, not noticing Chie's tense posture and clenched fists. "So, um, what's this 'scoring with a hot stud' thing?"
"Yukiko's here… I'm going on ahead!" Was Yu's only warning before Chie raced past him, going into the castle without hesitation.
"Hey, wait! Don't go alone!"
"What part of 'stay behind us' isn't clear!" Yu shouted, noting Teddie's distressed wail behind him.
"This is bad, there are a lot of Shadows in there!"
Well… shit. Yu quickly summoned Izanagi, shattering the tarot card in his hand and letting the blue flames envelop him and change his attire. Turning to Yosuke, he waited for the shorter teen to do the same.
Instead, Yu's eyes widened when he saw Yosuke crouch slightly while holding his kunai and then perform a flip, shattering the card that hovered in midair in front of him. Green flames surrounded him and then burst out with a gust of wind, showing off Yosuke's new form. A white full body suit with a red section over his chest and camouflage print around his hands and the end of his pants legs. Despite his face being hidden by the large mouse-like mask on his head, Yu could still tell that the other was shocked at the sudden shift in power.
"Whoa, this is…" Yosuke looked down at his hands, noting the two very sharp shurikens attached to the palms of his hands, then the fact that he was floating in midair. Once he realized this, he soon fell to the cobblestone road, landing on the balls of his feet, eyes still locked on his new clothing. "This is weird."
"You get used to it." Yu commented, summoning his naginata and charging into the castle with sparks flying off of his body.
"I tell her to not go in on her own, and what does she do?" Yosuke slashed through another Shadow that was blocking their path, and then released a Garu spell at one that was trying to sneak up on Yu. "She charges right in! "I'll be fine," she says, "I get it," she says, clearly not!"
"Well, let's just be glad that now Shadows have come after her yet." Yu replied, Naginata slashing through a Lying Hablerie. Small sparks of electricity jumped from his fingers as the two flew forwards, Teddie only a few paces behind. Another Shadow crawled around the corner, clawed hand ripping the nice red carpet that decorated the center of the castle's floors. Yu slashed at it, sighing in relief as only one Calm Pesce formed. It darted past Yu the moment its tail twitched and slammed into Yosuke, who was thrown into a marble pillar carved in the wall, a distinct crack forming at the impact. Yu yelled in rage, a Zio flying from his hand and instantly killing it. Yu let out a sigh of relief, lowering his arm and moving to Yosuke, helping his partner up, who rubbed his back, muttering about sleeping on his stomach tonight.
An odd bubbling sound rang through Yu's ears and, thinking it was another Shadow, instinctively moved into a defensive position before his vision was swamped with yellow and gold. The castle disappeared completely, two small cards spun around each other around him. Igor's words rang in his mind, "When you defeat an enemy, the seeds of possibility you attain will appear before you as cards. At times, they may be hard to grasp, but you must master your fear and reach out to them."
The thought didn't really help him relax, but a the light tinkling of bells soon turned his attention back to the cards, now floating in place in front of him. One card was similar to the ones he would see when forging a Social Link, a lantern-like object hovered in the center of a red background, a half lidded eye hung from its bottom. In the trimming was the Roman numeral IX. The second card, however, was radically different. Held in a gold trimming on a black background was a green skinned imp-like figure with blond hair. Held in its hands was a ladle, the end containing a roaring flame.
Out of pure curiosity, Yu reached out his hand and grabbed the card with the imp on it. A gleeful laugh rang in his ears, the card shattering into fragments as the other disappeared. Fire leapt from the ground in front of him, and then receded just as fast. The imp was standing there, a victorious smile on its face as it did a little dance, waving its ladle wildly in the air.
"Free, free at last! Beelzebub cannot command me any longer!" It laughed again, stopping once it noticed Yu, eyes glinting mischievously in the fire light. "Are you the one who freed me? If so good mortal, I, Ukobach, will remain in your service until you say otherwise! I await your orders with baited breath, sire."
And just as soon as it happened, Ukobach left in a plume of flames, and the yellow and gold scenery fading back to the castle, Yosuke and Teddie looking at him in concern. Yu let out a shaky breath, calming down and resting carefully against the wall.
"Dude, you okay? You just kind of… froze for a second there." Yosuke asked, prepared to cast the latest spell he had learned while fighting through the first floor, Dia.
"I…" Yu paused, having heard laughter ring through his mind again. "I'm fine, just… really confused."
"Yukiko!" Chie screamed, ducking through the hallways of the castle, scared at the fact that dark shapes danced in the corner of her eyes. She didn't look back, or over her shoulder, afraid that she would see the Shadows that Yu and Yosuke had talked about prior. She simply hoped that they were fast enough, and for her to find Yukiko quickly so that they could all leave.
Now, however, she wondered just how tall the castle was. Granted, it was a castle, but most medieval castles, if she remembered correctly from her textbooks that she had glanced at, were only about three floors tall. But going up a second second flight of stairs, she could only hope that it wasn't much higher.
It wasn't that she was unfit, of course not, it was just that after going into that apartment complex she really did not want to see what would be on the top floor.
At the top of the stairs, it was only one hallway that led up to two tall doors. Maybe this is the top, she hoped, maybe Yukiko will be there and we can go back home!
With that thought in her mind, Chie moved forward, and opened the door.
A/N: Heyo, I'm back! I would've picked up this story again sooner, but... Well, I know this is going to sound like a bullshit excuse, but all of my pre-saved footage for my playthrough for the 18th to the 21st was fucking erased and I have no clue how or why. Because I saved over my file for those days and there was no way I could get through the playthrough without spending hours getting back to where I was and have the exact same file and experiences with the original file, I considered dropping this.
But then I looked over the files I had for this story and I decided that I really, really didn't want to. This is a learning experience for me, to help me get used to tackling a project of this caliber, so I'm back!
But here's the next problem: I have absolutely no clue what the hell I did on the 20th. On the 18th and 19th, I was saving Yukiko, and on the 21st I made the strength social link. I know that, somehow, I made the second social link with Yosuke? Even though every guide I've looked up said you can't do his social link on Wednesdays? I mean, I'm probably gonna write that anyway, but I seriously have no damn clue how or why. I also have at least three more Personas in my inventory and I don't know if I just picked them up while in Yukiko's castle or if I fused them (probably both, bc you can't get Oberon without fusing).
But yeah, feels good to be back! I can't guarantee weekly updates, but still! I'm glad to just be working on this. Thanks for not pressuring me to update, otherwise I might've just dropped this thing entirely.