I was sitting in my room doing my report for Tanaka when my phone rang.
Yukari.
Sweetness.
"Hey." I said, picking up the phone.
_\_ "Uh, hello?" _\_
"Hey." I repeated.
_\_ "Wait, what's the meaning of this!" _\_
Woah, she sounds mad. "The… meaning of what?"
_\_ "I was just talking to Fuuka in the lounge about Sunday plans, when she mentioned how she was going to do her best cooking with you!" _\_
"Is that… So..?" I'm confused. What've I done wrong? I kept my voice uncertain, just to be safe.
_\_ "You specifically promised that we were going out on Sunday, didn't you?" _\_ Wait, what? _\_ "But if you were going out with Fuuka… no-one would say anything… right?" _\_
Oh shit. "Wait, this is-!"
_\_ "So who was tricked?" _\_ Yukari stabbed, cutting me off my defence. _\_ "Fuuka? Or me?" _\_
Oh shit.
_\_ "And more importantly, how am I supposed to face Fuuka now?" _\_
Bloody hell, I could really feel the disgust in her voice. _\_ "Of all things… two timing in this dorm…" _\_
"Wait, I can-"
_\_"I won't listen to any of your excuses!" _\_ Yukari shouted over me. _\_ "In fact… I don't even want to see you any more…" _\_
"Wait, YUKARI-!"
She hung up.
I slumped back onto the bed.
What the hell?
Then my phone rang again.
Fuuka? Oh great… is this gonna be more of the same?
I didn't have much choice. I answered it. "…Hello?"
_\_ "Um… It's… SNIFF… Ya-Yamagishi…" _\_ Oh crap, is she crying?
Shit. "Hey, are you alright?" I asked her.
_\_ "Um… It's… it's about Sunday…" _\_ Oh hell… _\_ "Maybe… we should cook together… another day…" _\_
Huh?
_\_ "It's… just that… I was…Kirijo-senpai…" _\_ Wait, what does Mitsuru have to do with this? _\_ "She… She was saying how… she was… SNIFF… looking forward to watching a… movie with you… on Sunday…" _\_
Wait, WHAT? _\_ "Kirijo-senpai… she…" _\_ Fuuka continued. _\_ "She looked really happy…" _\_
Oh man… no wonder Fuuka sounded so heartbroken… wait, why was she heartbroken? Disappointed, sure, but Heartbroken?
_\_ "It's alright." _\_ Fuuka said to my astonished silence. _\_ "I… I won't tell Senpai so…" _\_ I could feel Fuuka smile through her tears on the other side of the phone, _\_ "Have a great time… Really." _\_
"Wait, Fuuka-!"
_\_ "It's okay…" _\_ Fuuka stopped me. _\_ "I'm fine… really… I… I just hope that… Senpai… won't… feel the way I do right now!" _\_she finished, hanging up, crying.
...
Bollocks…
It's been a while since I've felt this bad.
I snapped out of it when the phone rang again.
Mitsuru.
Bugger…
"He-Hello..?" I asked, wincing before the conversation started.
_\_ "It is me." _\_ Mitsuru said simply. _\_ "EXECUTION!" _\_ I jumped, almost dropping the phone. _\_ "That is all…" _\_
"Wait, WHAT?" I shouted, fumbling the phone back into position.
_\_ "How else do you propose I deliver your punishment?" _\_ Mitsuru accused. _\_ "IS DEATH NOT GOOD ENOUGH?" _\_
"Ah, No! I- I Just-!"
_\_ "Allow me to explain your crimes." _\_ Mitsuru said, talking over my pleas of innocence. _\_ "As I was speaking to Chihiro about Sunday plans…" _\_ Oh damn and blast _\_ "She mentioned how she was going to go shopping for books with you on Sunday. THIS Sunday, in fact." _\_ Anger's rising in her calm voice. She's borderline Tranquil Fury. _\_ "This special Sunday that we have been waiting for for weeks now…
_\_ "Apparently seeing a movie with me was at the same level of importance to you as buying a train ticket." _\_
"N-NO!" I shouted into the phone, wondering why the hell my brain wasn't giving a way out of this mess. "I- I-!"
_\_ "Don't misunderstand." _\_ she said. _\_ "I did not call you to listen to your excuses. I only came to inform you about your sentence. Sit and think upon your crimes. That is my only condition." _\_
"Wait, MITSURU! I-!"
I shut my mouth.
She hung up.
I hit the disconnect button and had to keep myself from throwing the phone across the room.
They're acting like I killed their brother or something...
Dammit, if Chihiro calls about Yuko now, I'll…
KNOCK KNOCK.
Huh?
"It is Aegis." a familiar voice said. Who the hell is Aegis?
The door opened, and she walked in.
It's her.
It's that girl from when my parents died.
"I have just been monitoring the emotional levels of members in the dorm." She said, raising a finger. "It was a scene of carnage!"
Screw that, I want answers!
She pointed said finger at me. "The expected amount of damage that you will cause in human relationships is not good. Therefore!" She pointed all of her fingers at me.
Her fingertips opened up to show gun muzzles.
Wait, is she-?
"I WILL REMOVE YOU!" She fired.
BULLETS ARE FLYING AT MY FACE!
"AH!" I shot up in my bed, covered in sweat. I checked my phone for the last numbers to call me. Akihiko… Chihiro… Akihiko… Yukari… Good, it was a dream… I flopped back onto the bed. Just… a nightmare...
Not the worst nightmare I've had. Lately. But certainly the least explainable.
Why did I think of that girl now?
I shot up again.
Dreams are about the subconscious right? So if that girl's showed up in my dreams, then she's probably been around, I just haven't noticed her...
No, I'd have noticed her. Most likely all this Dark Hour bullshit is screwing with my head. Again.
Sigh.
I opened my laptop and did some work on that report for Tanaka before getting ready for school, since I'm up early. And I already knew half of what I was gonna write, thanks to the nightmare.
Hooray for mental scars!
I ended up walking to School with Yukari. Hey, we live together, so even if I get caught, I can easily explain my way out of it without hurting either party.
So why do I feel so guilty?
Ah, right. Nightmare.
"So… what do you think of Fuuka?" Yukari asked me.
"She's extremely helpful." I said. "As a Persona user, she'll be an invaluable asset in battle. The way she gave support, she…" I shrugged. "She's leagues ahead of Mitsuru in analysis and support, though I'm guessing you were asking what I thought of her as a person?"
Yukari smiled. "That too."
I took a swig of my orange juice. "She's got no self esteem." I told her. "From what I can gather from talking to her and how willing she was to move in with us, she's got trouble at home. Oh, not abuse or anything!" I added, noticing Yukari's expression, "But I do think something's not right. It doesn't fit with divorce…" I ran a few simulations in my head. "So I'm guessing either loveless marriage or her parents have an inferiority complex or something similar."
"You think so?" Yukari was surprised. I nodded.
"School starts in September back in England, so I had a few months to use before coming here." I explained, even though I dropped out in February. "I used it to learn some analytical psychology. Done all the coursework, but not the exam." I explained.
"Anyway," I said, changing the subject back to our original topic. "What ever it was, Fuuka developed some kind personality issue, which gave Natsuki and her friends an opening to finish the job."
"You don't like bullying, do you?" She pointed out.
I shook my head. "I hate it." I said. "It goes more than just tormenting someone, but it even goes as far as to strip them of the will to fight back." I scowled. "Whether the bully's angry, jealous, racist, or just a plain jerkass, the fact remains that all you're doing is treating people like crap, to the extent that they start treating themselves as crap."
Yukari nodded. "I never thought of it that far, but you're right." she said. "Bullying's just wrong."
"Oh, schoolyard punchups are one thing." I responded. "Teasing, backbiting, tormenting, it's all in good fun and an important part of school life. I got into scraps with my best friends and questioned their sexuality and made innapropriate comments about their mothers all the time." Seeing Yukari's astonishment, I reminded her that "It's when they cross the line from building character to destroying it, that's when I usually step in."
"Hey, Minato-kun!"
Yukari looked behind us, so did I. "Hey Yuko-san!" Yukari waved back.
Okay, don't show any shame, fear or any hint that I'm trying to hide anything. Wait, why bother? Keep my hands in my pocket and my mouth shut and no-one knows what I'm thinking.
I did just that, after saying "Hey." as Yuko caught up to us.
"So… why're you guys walking together?" Yuko asked, looking slightly suspicious.
"We live together." Yukari explained. "Well, in the same dorm." shrug. "Since there's no archery club today, why not?"
Yuko nodded. "So, what're you talking about?"
Aaand time to steer. "You know Fuuka Yamagishi?" I asked her.
"Vaguely." Yuko nodded in confirmation.
"Well, she's moving into the dorm." I shrugged.
"Seriously?" Yuko replied, eyebrows shooting up. "But she lives in the city with her parents, doesn't she?"
"She said that she wanted to focus on her studies or something." I lied. "Since of what happened recently…"
"Oh yeah…" Yuko nodded. "So, what happened with that?"
"I'm not sure." I kept talking, prevent Yukari from saying anything. "I'll ask Mitsuru-senpai next time I see her." I'm a much better liar than Yukari, with all the practice I get.
Shame that she has to find out this way, but we can't have anyone getting suspicious about S.E.E.S.
That would be one of the things that would send my life down the slippery slope to hell.
Again.
And America has awful timing for the Dark Hour.
"Hey, how is Student Council going?" Yuko asked.
"Alright." I shrugged. "Hidetoshi is trying to find some guy who dropped a cigarette butt in the boys bathroom, and I volunteered to help him. However, I have no idea when I'll get dragged off on one of his escapades." I laughed, scratching the back of his head.
Yuko and Yukari laughed as well. "Yeah. That's true." Yukari added. Yep, I know that Yukari was getting excluded from this conversation, but it was getting dangerous. "Junpei's been complaining about him." Yukari continued. "He's been accused about five times!"
"I'm more accurate." I pointed out, shrugging. "But he's dedicated. It's kinda like playing good cop bad cop."
Yuko laughed a bit harder than Yukari, grabbing my shoulder. "Ah well." Yuko said. "You're still coming over on Wednesday, right?"
"Coming over?" Yukari asked.
"Yeah, wanna come?" I offered. I was about to explain about the kids, but I was drowned out by a
"NOOOOOO! IT'S! NOT! POSSIBLE!"
Rather distraught young chap. I'm gonna have to have a word with him at some point. Hey, he has a bike now.
CRASH!
Well, Had a bike.
"I'll go help him." I said, getting out of there as safe as I could. "See you later!"
"You alright?" I asked the guy once I reached him. Magician Arcana. SMASH.
"Ow…" The guy had brown hair that needed cutting. "Yeah, I'm fine…" He seemed to notice me then stand up, looking angry. "I don't need your help!"
He picked up his bike and ran off, jumping on it as he gained speed. Bit of a prick, I thought, but he most likely just has something against me.
Well, I can take him, so on to school.
I hung out with Bebe in the fashion club after school. I haven't introduced him to you yet, but he's a French guy who thinks he is a samurai, with a passion for fashion. I think he might be gay, but it's probably the English prejudice against those French pansies who can't even defend their own city in the middle of a war.
See what I mean? And I know, the French didn't have the resources to fight the Nazi's after the First World War and they fought like badasses with hundreds of underground revolutionary groups, and they conquered us once, but we never let them live it down.
I can't help it, I just consider all French people to be either pansies, hot maids, or badass butlers.
Hm, hot maids. Now there's a nice image.
"OW!" Bebe shoved his finger into his mouth. There was blood on the sewing machine needle and the fabric he was sewing.
He pricked his finger. He never pricks his finger
"You alright?" I asked him.
"Oui…" He said, "It's just a pin prick…"
"That's not what I meant." I said.
Bebe looked at me as I turned off my machine. "Something's bothering you." I pressed. Looking at his face, I could see all the sadness he was hiding. How the hell had I missed that until now?
Oh, right. French maids.
Hm… Hot maids…
NO! Deep breath, do not get sucked in by your imagination's incredible sexiness! Focus on the task at hand! "What's wrong?" I asked him.
"You can tell somezing eez wrong?" No, I am not translating a French accent. We were actually speaking in English.
In our conversations, we tend to fluctuate randomly between English, French and Japanese. I'm telling you, since I started hanging out with Bebe, my transitions between the three languages have become much smoother. It's like trading in a Manual Gearbox car for an Automatic. Easier, but I don't get as much control over which language I'm speaking.
On the bright side, my French is improving. Yay. Now if only I could find a German kid…
"Ja." I replied to Bebe. Wait, crap! "Yes." I said. Dammit Minato, focus and don't tempt fate…
Hm… Hot maids…
DAMMIT!
"Le vielle au soir…" Bebe said, now speaking in French. "My Dear Aunt…"
The Aunt who supported and paid for your exchange scholarship to Japan? "What happened?" I asked him.
"She… was taken away by ze angnes…" Agnes… Angels… taken away by the angels… oh.
"How did it happen?" I asked him.
"She… she 'ad a stroke… in her sleep…" Bebe began to cry. "Ze doctors said zat she went peacefully, but…"
"I'm so sorry…" I told him.
Bebe shook his head, drying his face. "Sorry, Gomenasai… I…" He took a deep breath, slipping into Japanese. "She was ze reason I was able to come to Japan…" He said. "And now… She 'as been taken away…" He stood up, steadying himself on the workbench. "She 'as helped me so much and I… I could not do anyzing for 'er!"
"Come here…" I said, giving him into a hug. Yeah, it's not the manliest thing in the world, but the poor guy needed one.
"I was 'olding zis inside…" he sobbed, "Because… I… SNIFF… I now zat crying will not 'elp!" No, it won't, but it'll make you feel better. It's the woman's version of digging a grave for her. "But… seeing ze look on your face… Minato-sama… I…" Man, he's well and truly devastated.
SMASH
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Temperance Arcana.
While that ruined the moment, I'll admit that I deserved that one.
"Gomenasai… Sorry…" Bebe pushed away from me, slipping into English, "I can't work today…"
He grabbed his bag and walked towards the door, saying "Sayonara…" as he left.
I cleaned up everything and left to go back to the dorm.
"'Sup dude?" Junpei greeted me when I returned. The lounge was otherwise empty.
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
"Oh, they're getting Fuuka's room ready on the third floor." Second floor, dammit, we're on the ground floor right now! "No guys allowed," He explained. "It's cool though. I'm just glad she's coming."
"Me too." I said.
"Yeah, well, she'll be here tomorrow." Junpei replied as I walked towards the stairs. "I got dibs."
I stopped. Then I turned around. "Junpei. You can't call dibs on another human being."
"Ooh, so you want a piece of Fuuka too?" he grinned.
"No, but I'm pretty sure that she's not after a piece of Junpei either."
"That's for sure." Yukari came down the stairs in an apron. She had yellow paint on her face and her hair was in a ponytail. Damn, that looks hot. "Yuko seems pretty into you." Yukari commented to me. Dammit!
"Err, yeah, I guess." Phew, not committing myself to anything, not denying anything either. Safe in the gray! "Well, I'm off to bed. Night!"
"Night!" Yukari replied.
"Later dude!" Junpei waved.
I grabbed a Japanese version of a Fanta from the vending machine along the way. I opened it and took a decent gulp before I got to my bedroom door when Pharos started talking.
"You want her, don't you?" he asked.
"Bit of an odd question." I noted, unlocking my door. "What makes you say that?"
Pharos smiled. "It's obvious to anyone with eyes, especially if they're always watching you."
I grabbed my post up from the floor and lumped them with yesterday's mail as I walked in. "How so?" I asked.
"Please. You're more comfortable and honest with her than anyone except me, and perhaps those in the Velvet Room." I sat down on the bed, looking through my letters as he talked. "You don't try to steer her as you do with the people in your social links, you think of her first in a crisis," Bank statement, phone bill, pay check, letter from Escapade? "And when the Empress attacked earlier this week, she was the first one you ran to."
I froze, halfway through opening the envelope. "Is that so?" I asked.
Pharos nodded. "Speaking of which, you prevailed against her quite impressively." Pharos giggled. "But it's funny…"
"What is?" I asked, putting down the envelope.
"It doesn't seem so certain, considering the vast potential within you…" Pharos swivelled on the chair. "As a matter of fact, your power seems to have changed quite a bit since we first met."
It's changed a lot since I first awoke to the Dark Hour. I've gone from turning my emotions into black flames, which I've been doing since mum and dad died and I had to save Natalie and that blonde girl from that Death monster, to manipulating reality at will, to being able to use Personae to help control my emotions to best suit whoever I'm mani-talking to, I can use weakened versions of Persona skills without summoning, I'm gaining almost superhuman strength and agility through all the dark hour training and my Persona synchronisation, I've got eyes of the shinigami, and, most recently, I've now got this shadow blood thing, whatever that's gonna be like.
"Yeah…" I shrugged. "Yeah it has."
Pharos nodded. "I'm very curious about it." he admitted. "I have seen people with the Wild Card before, but you… you are something else…"
Hm? "You've seen people with the Wild Card before?" I asked.
"Yes…" he nodded. "I can't remember how, or who, or even where or when, but I do remember the existence of other people, gifted with the Wild Card. I remember all of them having vast potential, but you…" Pharos looked right at me. "It's almost like comparing a mere sea to sheer empty blackness of the heavens."
Woah, that was saying something.
SMASH
Thou shalt have out blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Death Arcana
"It's getting late." Pharos noted. "I'll leave you to get to sleep. See you tomorrow!" He said, walking through the door.
After a moment, I remembered myself and moved the letters to my bedside table.
It's been a long day. I'll read them tomorrow.
-}+{-
First off, I'm never going to do a female Protagonist Story.
Second, Casey W is the one writing the official Persona 4 sequel to this story. Check it out.
Third, I've updated the Author Note in the first chapter, so I'll reiterate my new point here. You should read this, it's important.
I wrote Fairly English Story back when I had no idea what I was doing. I was inexperienced, hasty, proud and, quite frankly, not as good as this story deserved me to be.
So, here is Rebuild of Fairly English Story.
It's simple. I'll be going over the early chapters in order and redoing them, correcting mistakes, installing new content, new jokes, extending fight scenes, more original scenes, more foreshadowing, and a generally better experience. All a new reader has to do is read this story up to however far it goes, then go to the next chapter in the main story.
The reason that I posted this as a separate story is so people can still read the original and watch how I develop as an author. However, if you want the best experience, you want to read the rebuilt chapters and then continue. I won't get very far with the rebuild, as my mission draws closer and closer, but if I can improve the story in any small way, then I will jump at the chance to do this.
Now, this was my initial intention. And I wish I could have done that. But, instead, I didn't.
I couldn't. It's not in my nature. I can't just give the same-old. I cranked up the epic. Again.
If you're reading this for the first time, go read the original story first. Or ignore me and get a very different story than originally.
Fairly English Story was mostly lighthearted, a barrel of fun and epic in many shapes and forms. This is darker, more accurate, and shows a different light on previous events. This will have spoilers for the other version of the story, and vice-versa.
Rebuild of Fairly English Story is going to be a completely different animal to Fairly English Story. I am serious about this.