Chap.4 – Seriously?
June 13, 2010=Iwatodai Dorm=Morning
MITSURU KIRIJO
When I woke up this morning, I had the feeling that I had a weird dream. Or rather, I thought that I had a weird dream. I went downstairs to eat breakfast after I had freshened up. Akihiko, Junpei, Fuuka, Yukari, Aigis and Koromaru were already there.
"Good Morning, man, I don't have the energy to go to school after what happened last night." Akihiko said as soon as he saw me.
Last night…? It couldn't have been real. Could it?
"Last night?" Junpei said suspiciously, who was eating his favorite ramen. His eyes darting from me to Akihiko.
?
Wonder what's wrong?
"Oh no. Not this again, you idiot. Don't just jump to conclusions without actually knowing the facts!" Yukari scolded Junpei.
…
?
! Don't tell me… he…
"What the heck did you think I was talking about? How dumb can you get?" Akihiko said as realization dawned on him as well.
"YOU IDIOT!" I yelled. How can he…!
"Ahaha… hey, I was just kidding! Of course I know what you're talking 'bout." Junpei said as drips of sweat formed on his forehead.
"(Sigh) so it was real then, I thought it was just a dream. Minato arriving out of nowhere to save us… The clown and the assassin…"
"Hey. Don't forget me!" Ryoji said as he went down the stairs.
"Yes, of course. You as well Ryoji." I added
"Speaking of which. What were those things?" Ryoji said
None of us said a word. Of course, none of us knew what those creatures were. Lately, it seems that whenever one question is answered, 3 more questions emerge in its place.
"Anyway, senpai, you said 'so it was real' you thought that it was all a dream?" Yukari asked me.
"Actually, yes. It was all so hard to believe. Everything that happened last night." I said as I shook my head.
Then, we heard Ken going down the stairs. He sat down at the table next to Fuuka.
"Good morning, Ken-kun." Fuuka said, sensing that the young man seemed down.
"Uh. Good morning to you as well, Fuuka-san." He said quite dejectedly. "Uh… can I get everyone's attention please?"
All of us looked at him to listen to what he had to say.
"I just wanted to say sorry for what happened last night. All of it was my fault. A-and we nearly died because of that clown. And now, Minato-kun is at the hospital. Because of me." Ken said, tears forming in his eyes.
"Hey now. Don't talk like that. You know that it was the fault of those two er- clowns." Akihiko said
"Actually, one of them looked like an assassin, Akihiko-san." Aigis said
"I-It was a figure of speech." Akihiko replied
"Hahaha. But in this case, one of them really was a clown." Fuuka said
"Hm. You have nothing to say sorry about, Ken. So stop moping and eat your food." I told him with a smile
To my relief, Ken's formerly sad face became one with a smile, and then he began eating his food happily.
"All right. I know all of us are all tired and stressed because of last night, but remember, the five of you still have to go to school. And Akihiko and I still have to prepare our things and buy what we need for school since we have to leave tomorrow early." I said
"That's right! Haha. Well then, Koro-chan and I will have the entire dorm to ourselves then." Ryoji said "Right Koromaru?"
"Arooo!" Koromaru howled in reply.
Hahaha. Now, how to find that book I've been searching for… Hmmm… I wonder if they have it at the bookstore in Iwatodai Strip Mall.
June 13, 2010=Velvet Room=Afternoon
MINATO ARISATO
The blackness eventually gave way to the vivid blue hue of the elevator-like Velvet Room.
Everything was exactly as before. From Igor by his usual position, me sitting on the chair that had Orpheus' lyre as its backrest, to the countless doors behind Igor. Everything, except… Margaret.
"Welcome. You seem to have taken quite a hard ride there." Igor said
"You think?" My temper getting the best of me. (Sigh) I'm not in the best of moods today.
"Do you remember Margaret, Master Arisato?" He asked me, becoming serious once again.
Master Arisato? Been a long time since I heard that…
"Yes. Yes, of course." I said looking at Margaret
"That is convenient, then. I don't have to introduce myself once more. I will be substituting for my sister in her role here in the Velvet Room." Margaret said all business as usual.
Substituting for Elizabeth? But why?
And as if reading my mind, Igor said "You must be wondering why, it is because Elizabeth is missing and we can't find her. She must have gone to your world in search for something she could not find here."
"Wait. I thought that the residents of this place can't just go outside in our world." I said, confused by the recent turn of events
"You escorted her around in your world in some of her requests haven't you?" Margaret asked me
"Yes… but I-." I said, not knowing what to really say.
All of this is confusing me so much more. What the heck is going on?
"(Sigh) Okay fine. I won't pretend to understand what the heck is happening here, since obviously you guys don't either." I said "But, I do have to ask… am I still able to use my personas? And those flames that came out of my fists… what were those?"
"Margaret, if you will please." Igor said
"Come with me." Margaret told me
I looked at Igor and he motioned for me to go with Margaret. So I stood up and went with her. We walked over to one of the numerous doors just behind where Igor was and she said "This door is where your personas reside. And as you know, some of those personas can get pretty rowdy, so watch your step." She said with a smile "You could think of this door as… a representation of you." True enough, the door seemed pretty plain, a plain vanilla color except for a few riveting rays of blue. I looked at Margaret and then opened the door. Inside was another hallway full of doors.
"Each of these twenty-two doors contains one type of arcana. From Fool to Aeon. I think you can see the distinction between the doors." Margaret said as we walked down the hallway
"Wait. But you said there were twenty-two doors, I can count twenty-three, including this one over here." I said, pointing to one door that was at the end of the hallway, quite a measureable distance from the other doors.
"That one is… special. It is Universe. You are the only persona-user in history that was able to use that certain arcana." Margaret said
"Yeah? Uh…okay. But, just what are we doing here?" I asked. Margaret looked at me sternly and walked over to the first door that had this marked on it in intricately woven gold letters.
0
FOOL
Just like the first door I opened, it was plain white with a few rays of blue. "Go on. Open it." Margaret told me. And so, I opened the door marked Fool.
June 13, 2010 = Gekkoukan High, 3-A classroom = Lunchtime
YUKARI TAKEBA
School was uneventful for the past few hours. This period, we had nothing to do except to listen to the teacher drawl on and on about how and why the dinosaurs became extinct. The teacher was boring, the subject was boring and I was horribly tired from our exploits last night. I could also see the other's heads drooping in their seats. I was just about to become one of them when the bell signaling lunch time shocked me awake.
"Uunnh (Snort)...Man, (yawn) hey is it lunch already? Finally!" Junpei said then ran out the door
"Hey! Wait up Junpei!" I said and ran after him.
The two of us walked around and headed to Aigis' and Fuuka's classroom, 3-D.
"Hey. C'mon guys. Let's go." I said as we reached the 3-D classroom.
"All right, hey I hear that they're selling melon bread downstairs now. Let's go check it out." Said Fuuka
The four of us walked around school after we bought food at the ground floor.
"What do guys think is happening? With everything that happened last night and a few nights before… Man, one would think that the shadows are back…" Fuuka said, unable to hide her worries
"H-hey now don't say it like that… we'll have answers soon." Junpei said
"We should not be dwelling on things we do not understand, Fuuka-san. Cheer up!" Aigis said
"Yeah. Aigis is right. Besides when did we ever lose?" I said, with a crooked smile on my face may I add…
"Don't answer that." I added when I saw Junpei open his mouth. He smiled but I got suspicious when his face became serious and said "Hey, Minato lost a lot of blood last night. Hope he's okay."
"Have faith in him. He's going to be fine, and I did my best to heal him too." I said, hiding my own worries about my Minato's safety. If I learned one thing from him, it was to support others when they are down even if you're down as well.
"Let's go visit him later after school." Aigis said and we all agreed.
All of us nearly jumped as the bell rang signaling that lunch was over.
"Aw man! Our next subject teacher's Ekoda!" Junpei exclaimed in disgust. On the other hand, Aigis, Fuuka and I looked around if the terror teacher was nearby, scared of his wrath in case he heard Junpei's outburst.
June 13, 2010 = Iwatodai Strip Mall = Late Afternoon
AKIHIKO SANADA
Man. Nothing in Tokyo beats the good 'ol Beef Bowl here in Iwatodai. After I had lunch in my favorite restaurant, Beef Bowl, I walked around the Strip Mall, just taking in the sights of the place I grew up in. I took care in avoiding the Bookworms bookstore since Mitsuru said that she was going to spend most of her time there. I didn't want to get screamed at, because I'm not preparing for school. Hmph. You don't need that much in taking a criminology course… compared to business administration courses, that is.
Instead of risking being found by Mitsuru just loitering around, I went to the Port Island Station. Running all the way for some exercise.
Port Island Station
The movies that were showing were not the type of movies I wanted to watch. So instead I just walked around the station.
"Hey. What do you think about that building that was destroyed in Yokohama, awesome right? I mean it makes you think that all the rumors about Nyx are true!" A passerby said to his friend. I didn't want to eavesdrop, but information was vital to the team. We had to have at least some idea of what the heck was going on.
"Awesome? Are you crazy, lots of people nearly died there!" His friend told him (at least his friend has sense…) "But hey… word around here is that there's a new cult in town and this one's big. I hear that they have connections in the government, and it's not just Japan, they say that this cult has connections in France, America, Germany, Spain and Africa! Crazy! Now that's awesome!" (Hold on, I take that back)
A new cult…. And this one's even bigger than the one Takaya and Jin started. (Sigh) What is this world coming to? Believing in such nonsense.
"Hey you! Guy with the silver hair! What the heck do you think you're doing huh? Listening to other people's conversations?" The passerby and his friend started to walk towards me in a threatening way. I could take them down, no problem. But, people have already gathered to see what the commotion was about and I didn't want to make a scene. Bad for my image.
"Huh? I-I'm sorry. I-it's just… the subject that you were talking about was quite interesting… I couldn't help it." I said. Making my face as innocent as I can make it.
The two goons noticed that more people were gathering and left as quickly as they can, probably afraid of making a scene themselves…;My sources aren't probably reliable, but, it's something. And just at that moment, I received a text message from Junpei. "Hey, snp! Wir goin 2 TMH l8r. Wir jus goin 2 chk hw M.A's doin."
It took me a moment to understand what he texted me, must have been something like: "Hey, senpai! We're going to Tatsumi Memorial Hospital later. We're just going to check how Minato Arisato is doing." Yeesh. So they're going there later huh? I can't tell Minato what I found out just after he woke up… It can wait until tomorrow.
June 13, 2010 = Velvet Room = Late Afternoon
MINATO ARISATO
At first I couldn't believe my eyes… The place was like a Velvet Room version of Escapade. When I opened the door, I wasn't prepared to hear a voice eerily similar to my own.
"Welcome, Master." (My?) The voice said, it was coming from behind!
"Gyaah!" I exclaimed. I turned quickly to see another astounding sight. It was… Orpheus bowing down to welcome me to this place. I just stared at him with my mouth open.
I must have looked ridiculous with my mouth open staring at Orpheus like that. I closed my mouth immediately when Margaret slapped me on the shoulder, quite stronger than necessary.
"Hehehe. You are truly a hideous sight, Orpheus." Another voice said. This time, the voice was not similar to mine. I turned around to see who spoke when I felt a floating Loki right above me. I resisted the urge to open my mouth again…
"I'm sorry- Orpheus. I-I'm just not used to seeing Personas move and talk like this…" I said
"This is where your personas reside when you are not summoning them, fusing them or carrying them around with you. Right now though, you don't have any equipped persona." Margaret said
"That's right! Hee-ho! Welcome Master!" From out of nowhere, Black Frost appeared
"Thanks, Black Frost." I said, rubbing my hand on Black Frost's head. I always thought that Black Frost was one of the cutest personas I have.
"I am not cute!" True to his word, Black Frost looked really menacing when he said that.
"Hahaha. They are your personas, so sometimes they can figure out what you're thinking. Remember, Thou art I…" Margaret said
"And I am thou. Yes I know." I continued "So this is the Fool Arcana…" I said while looking at each of my personas in the room. " But I don't understand what I'm here for."
"You had a question correct? I think it might be best if you figure out the answer yourself." She said and walked away, leaving me alone with the Fool Arcana.
Okaay…
"Heh. Okay. Do any of you know what this means? I said, concentrating and trying to make a fireball appear in my hand. Unfortunately, nothing happened.
"Oh! Lemme guess! Open and close?" Black Frost said
"No. It's… Look, do any of you know what happened when I could uhh… make a fireball appear in my hand? Without summoning a Persona?" I asked
The persona's eyebrows bunched together as if thinking. Finally Susan-o spoke.
"Sorry Master. I do not know the exact reason for that phenomenon… but I do have a hypothesis…"
"Go ahead." I said
"You may have been channeling an Agi spell. Since Orpheus is your initial persona, and he can use Agi spells so, you might have been letting Orpheus' power course through you." He said
Both Orpheus and had skeptical looks on our faces.
"Really… But Margaret said that I don't have any persona equipped on me right now." I said
"Right now. Hee-ho! But what about then?" Black Frost said
"He has a point, Master. Besides, you weren't equipping a persona either when you first summoned me." Orpheus said with a smile.
"I guess. But right after that I couldn't go anywhere without a persona unequipped. In fact, I couldn't remove the last persona I currently had at that time… How different is that from now?" I said, eyebrows forming together to form a frown.
"But why complicate things? Why not just equip a persona now and leave it at that? I mean, none of us know the answer to your question anyway, Master." Loki said
"I guess you're right. But, why are all of you calling me Master? It's really unnerving…" I said
"Hahaha. Because you are master, that's why we call you Master! Hee-ho!" Black Frost said
Our talk was disrupted because of a knock from outside. Margaret came inside and said "The time in your world is running. We have things to tell you before you go."
I stood up and said my goodbyes to the Fool Arcana and followed Margaret 'till we reached Igor once again.
"You said that I didn't have a persona equipped right now… am I still able to use multiple personas?" I said as soon as we got within earshot of Igor.
"Yes. You are still able to use the powers of your Wild Card ability. Though I cannot say if it has grown stronger or weaker in your absence." Igor told me. "Though, right now… you can only summon the Fool Arcana. It seems that you need a key of some sort to unlock the other doors."
"How convenient." I said sulkily
"And the capacity? Can I still carry twelve personas with me?" I said
"Unfortunately, It has also lessened. Your capacity now is 9. It seems that it will go back to normal after you retrieve the key I spoke of." Igor said
I rummaged around in my old Gekkoukan uniform. Feeling a key in my pocket I fished it out and said "Is it this?"
"Hm. No. None of the Velvet Room's doors will pass for a motorcycle." Igor said with a smile
I looked at the key in my hand and saw the words 'Ducati' engraved on it. (Sigh)
"I'll take three personas with me just to be safe. I'll take Orpheus, Susan-o and Black Frost." I said
"Very well. 'Till we meet again." Igor said with a smile on his face.
"Master."
Author's Note
This chapter was supposed to be put up at the same time as chapter 3 but I couldn't log in. Why? I have no idea. Oh yes, I put a little handicaps on Arisato to make him a little weaker. Won't help if he's suddenly a master of everything would it? Just a little weaker so the others won't feel bad. Right, Junpei? Hehe. I've been out of action for a while now… so I'll try to make updates faster. Till next time.
Personaddict07