Hey, everyone. It's me again. And it looks like the story is going pretty well. That's good. As promise, I give you the first chapter of the story. I got nothing else to say, but to say enjoy the chapter, my friends.

"Speaking"

'Though'

Flashback

"Persona Speaking"

Skill

Disclaimer: I do not own the Persona series

Chapter 1:

New world... And forgotten memory

It has been a few hours since Souji had fallen to sleep. Now, he slowly opened his eyes up, as he is awoken from his sleep. *Ngh... What...?" murmured Souji. He slowly sat up from the cold ground and wiped his eyes a couple of times. "What happened...?" Then, he remembered what happened before. He was in the Velvet Room, summoned by Igor. Then, he met a young man that he did not met before. Then, his realization came upon him. He looked around himself and saw that he is surrounded by two brick walls. "Wait... Wasn't I in the train...? What am I doing here between the walls...?" he wondered.

That was when he heard a moaning sound. Turning his head, he saw someone lying on the ground next to him. He remembered that person. That person slowly sat up from the ground and blinked his eyes a few times. Souji definitely remembered him. It was Minato. "Mm... That was... a weird slumber..." murmured Minato, yawning just a little.

"Minato Arisato?" Souji asked. Minato heard it and turned his head to Souji. "Is that you?"

"Souji... Seta?" Minato said. "Why... are you here...? I don't remember you being here..."

"Neither am I. The last thing I remembered is that I was in a train, heading back to the big city. But..." Souji began to look around again. "... Why am I in this place? I'm not supposed to be here..."

"Yeah... I was supposed to be dead... I was supposed to be the seal to prevent Nyx and the Fall from coming..."

Souji set his eyes on Minato, with a hint of curiousity. "You were supposed... to be dead...?"

Minato scratched the back of hsi head. "It's... a long story... Anyways..." He stoopd up from the ground, dusting himself off. "we should probably get out of the alley. We don't know how we got here, but it'll be nice to go and see what's up."

Souji stood up from the ground as well. "You're right... Let's go and see..." So, he and Minato both walked out of the alley and into the outside.

When they got outside of the alley, their eyes are set on the view in front of them. They saw a few buildings around. Most buildings are shops and restaurants. Those buldings... are not quite familiar to the two teenagers. "Where are we?" asked Minato.

"I don't know... I never seen that district before... It's not Inaba and all..." said Souji.

"Neither is Port Island... It must be another place that we haven't been..."

"Hm..." The two teenagers began to wonder. How were they in that place? The question is a mystery to our heroes. "Let's go look around. It may be useful to know about this place a little."

"Alright." agreed Minato. Both he and Souji decided to go look around the place.

They did not know the reason for being here so suddenly, but the question lies in a mystery. So, they walked around the district, finding some few views around. Such as, people going in and out of the shops, people playing around and a few cars passing through them. It was not Inaba... And neither is Port Island. It was something else...

Minato after a few minutes of walking around, Minato began to wonder once more. "I wonder... if Igor was the one who sent us here..."

Souji took that attention and looked at Minato with a hint of curiousity. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... Both you and I were sent into the Velvet Room a while ago, right? So... With us being together in this place... Do you think Igor might have sent us here?"

Souji scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure... But that is a good thought. I wonder if Igor knows about it..."

"Well... In the meantime... Let's just continue."

"Alright." Souji and Minato continued their walk. That is, until a ring of the bicycle bell was heard.

"Look out, coming through!! I'm in a huge hurry!!! Get out of the way, please!!" said the person riding that bike. Minato and Souji didn't have time to look back to see who it was, when the bicycle accidently hit a pebble, causing it to lose balance. "Whoa! Whoooooaaaaa!!! This is baaaaaad!!!!" The bicycle went between Minato and Souji and crashed into a couple of trash cans. The rider then found himself trapped inside of one of those cans. "Oh damn it! That's the third time this week! Oh, why do i have to go so late, damn it?!"

Minato and Souji looked at each other. "... Do you think we should help him out?" asked Minato.

"Well, to be a kind person, let's get him out." said Souji. So, Minato and Souji walked toward the can where the rider is trapped in. Minato grabbed the hips of the rider, while Souji grabbed the can. They then pulled the rider and the can off of each other. With a couple of hard efforts, they managed to get the rider out. Upon pulling him out with hard efforts, Minato fell behind, with the rider falling on top of him.

"... Ow..." said Minato.

Souji wiped the small sweat off of his forehead and took a breath. "That takes care of it... Hey, are you alright the-" He stopped talking when he saw the rider's appearance.

"Oh... Man, that is brutal... Thanks, you guys..." said the rider, as he sat up from Minato. The appearance of the rider is, surprisingly, familiar to Souji. He had a low-spike brown hair and a pair of red eyes (Though, I might be wrong with the color). He wore a school uniform, such as a black jacket and a pair of black pants. A white shirt is under the jacket. He also had a headphone around his neck, as he was listening some musics.

The appearance was clear to Souji now. "... Yo... Yosuke...?!"

"Huh?" said the rider, named Yosuke, as he took the first look on Souji.

"Yosuke, it's you! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Inaba? But still, It's really nice to see you. I'm glad I meet you again in a place like this." Souji was happy that he saw Yosuke once again.

But the answer that he got was...

"I'm sorry, but... Do I know you?" asked Yosuke.

That kind of question shocked Souji a little. "Wh... What are you talking about...? It's me! Souji Seta! We've been friends ever since I first came in Inaba! Don't you remember, Yosuke?!"

"Um... No, I don't think I ever did. Not even being friends with you. And how do you know my name?" asked Yosuke. But then, something hit him in his mind. "Oh, I get it! I must be popular, huh? Well, that's kinda nice for some people to remember me, even when they're not from school. Heh heh!"

"Yosuke... Are you... Are you trying to play games with me there...? Don't you remember me at all...?"

"H-hey! It's nice to have a small chat with you and all, but I gotta get going! I don't wanna be late for school!" Yosuke stoop up from the ground... Or at least, off of Minato, as he ran to his bike and set it up. "I'll see you guys someday! It's nice to see people remembering me as someone popular!" Then, Yosuke went off with his bike, in the direction of where he was supposed to go.

That left Souji in shock. Why doesn't Yosuke remember him? It's been a day already and he forgot about him? "... Yosuke..."

Minato, having being stuck on the ground by Yosuke, stoop up from a ground, with a hint of pain on his chest. "Ow... Man, that hurts..." He then noticed Souji looking strangely at the direction where Yosuke went. "Souji... Are you ok?"

Souji snapped out of it and looked at Minato. "Huh? Oh, sorry... I'm fine..."

Minato looked at the direction where Yosuke went. "... Do you know this guy? I mean, I heard you saying his name without having him introduce himself to you."

"He's... a friend of mine... His name is Yosuke Hanamura. We've been friends ever since I first came in Inaba."

"Oh, I see... But... It doesn't sound like he knows you. Are you sure that it's him?"

"I'm sure. There's no mistake... But..." Souji slowly looked down on the ground. "... Why doesn't he... remember me...? It's been a day and he forgot about me...? I... just don't get it..."

"Hm..." Minato thought about something that is related to that situation. "I wonder... What Igor said..."

"Hm?" Souji took a look at Minato again.

Minato shook his head a little. "Nothing. Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll pass. Trust me on this." He smiled at Souji.

Souji slowly smiled as well. "I guess..." He looked down just a little and noticed something. "Is... Is that a revolver?" he asked, pointing at the revolver that Minato had on his gun carrying belt.

Minato took notice of it and realized. "Oh, that! It's not really a revolver." Minato pulled the revolver-like object out of the carrier and showed it to Souji. "It's called an Evoker. It's something that I will need in some... dangerous situations."

"What kind of situations are they?" That got Souji curious.

"Well... I'm not supposed to say it to anyone, but... The truth is..." He looked around himself, making sure that no one is around. "... I am... a user that can awaken a spiritual creature... I am a Persona user."

Upon hearing it, Souji's eyes widened. "Persona user...? You too are a Persona user...?"

Minato widened his eyes as well. "You know who they are?"

"Of course. In fact... I'm a Persona user as well."

"What? For real?" Minato took a look around Souji closely. "But... You don't have an Evoker."

"Why do I need that?"

"An Evoker allows the Persona user to awaken their Persona... By pulling the trigger, while pointing it on your head, like this." Minato lifted the Evoker up just about to his head and pointed it on it. "Persona users often to awaken their Persona like that. It takes courage for a starter user to awaken his Persona like that. Some of them are afraid that it might kill them, if they do that. But it's not really dangerous. It takes the will of the user to face it."

"Hm... I see what you're saying... But for me, to awaken my Persona, I have to crush the card, where the Persona is in."

"I see." Minato slightly smiled. "You're... pretty interesting, Souji Seta."

"You're not half-bad yourself, Minato Arisato." The two of them both shared a smile at each other.

However, a male shopper who got out of the shop took notice of them and, because that Minato still has his Evoker pointing at his head, took on a cautious attitude. "What the...?! What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to kll yourself?!"

Hearing this, Souji and Minato looked behind Minato and saw the cautious shopper. "Wha... what are you saying?!" shouted Minato.

"Don't act dumb!! I saw you pointing that gun on your head! Man, you're in a big trouble, you son of a...!"

Minato, realizing that he kept his Evoker pointing at his head, set the Evoker down and tried to calm the shopper down. "Wait, this isn't what you think! I was just doing an exemple and-!" Minato did not know that his Evoker is pointing at the shopper.

Seeing it, the shopper yelped out of fear. "G... Get away! Help! Police!! Stop him!!"

"Hey, I'm trying to make sense about it here! Just listen to what I-!" But it just so happened that the policemen came to the scene, responding to the cry of the shopper's help.

"Hey! Leave the poor gentleman alone! We're taking you in!" said one of the policemen.

"Oh no..." Seeing the police, Minato turned to Souji with a hint of worryness. "Souji, what should we do?!"

"Simple." said Souji calmly. Then, in a flash, he ran off from the group. "We run!!!!"

"H... Hey! Wait for me!!!!" Minato ran off with him.

"Stop them! They're endangering the people!" said one of the policemen, as all of them ran after them all together.

While running away from the police, Minato looked back and saw the the policemen are getting closer and closer. "They're catching up! What now?!"

"Run faster!!!" yelled Souji, as he increased the running speed, so was Minato. However, not even that could save them.

The policemen all jumped off the ground and dived into Souji and Minato, pinning them to the ground, with all of the policemen pressing against them. "We got you now! No escape!" said the policeman.

"Aargh...!" yelped Minato in pain.

"Urgh...!" yelped Souji, who was also in pain because the policemen are pressing them to the ground.

"Let's take them to the police department. They must not escape." said another of the policemen, as he pulled a pair of handcuffs out.

-------

The next thing Minato and Souji found themselves, was in a consulting room in the police department. Their wrists are handcuffed and they are locked in the room until further notice.

"... Why has it come into this...?" said Souji.

"I'm sorry... It was my fault... Because my Evoker looks like a real revolver, I placed ourselves in trouble..." said Minato.

The door to the room opened and a policeman entered, looking at Souji and Minato with a suspicious look. "Hmph... You guys are a real pain in the ass. Why the hell did you do that on a poor townsman?" he asked.

"I..." Minato tried to explain , but he decided to look at Souji, who shrugged. "... It's my fault. I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to even think about doing that. I won't do it again."

"Hm... Well, I can't get you out of here. I'm not the one who should do that. We'll have Sanada-san to go with the decision."

Hearing the name, Minato's eyes widened. "... Sanada-san...?" Souji took notice of Minato's reaction and wondered.

"Sanada-san!" shouted the policeman. "You can come in now!"

"Alright. Fine by me." said the person behind the door, who sounded familiar to Minato. That person entered and Minato slightly gasped at the person's appearance. The person has a short, silver hair and a pair of black eyes (Might be wrong with that too). He wore a white shirt and a red veste over it. He also wore a pair of black jeans. The person seemed to have a police badge, to show people that his a police. "So you guys are responsible for what happened back there."

"A... Akihiko!" shouted Minato.

The man, named Akihiko, blinked his eyes in confusion. "What...? How did you know my name? Who are you?"

Like Souji's reaction on Yosuke, Minato was slightly shock when Akihiko said that. "... Akihiko... Don't you remember me...? It's me... Minato Arisato."

"... Sorry, but I don't know you. Not even that guy who's with you." said Akihiko. "Anyways, I heard that you're trying to commit suicide and try to endanger a gentleman, is that it?"

"Of course, Sanada-san. We saw him poiting the gun at that man. And after we came in the department, we confiscated his gun."

"I see." Akihiko looked at Minato with eyes filled with caution. "... what are you thinking, doing those actions like that? This is unacceptable for a townsman like you."

Minato flinched a little. "Akihiko, don't you remember me!? We were friends and members of S.E.E.S!! it can't be right! It's not possible for you to forget me after a year! You and the others always remember me as the one who brung an end to the Fall... You did not fear death, after Shinjiro sacrificed his life to protect Ken... don't you remember?"

Once again, Akihiko blinked in confusion. "S.E.E.S...? Shinjiro...? Ken...?" He shook his head. "Enough of that nonsense! What are you talking about?! What is S.E.E.S and who are Shinjiro and Ken?! Are you trying to mess with my mind?!"

Minato was completely shocked. Did he just hear right? Did he hear that Akihiko...? "What...?"

"Hmph... I don't have time for this." He turned himself around from Minato and Souji. "... I'll let you go this time... But if you ever try another stunt like that, or saying nonsense... I will take you to jail..." Akihiko walked away from the room.

"Hm... Alright then. You two are free to go." said the policeman, showing Minato and Souji the way out.

Souji stoop up from the seat and was about to go, until he noticed that Minato did not stand up and sat there, in shock. "Minato...?" asked Souji.

Hearing it, Minato snapped out. "... Sorry... A little space out for a while there..." Minato stood up from the seat. "... Let's go..." He slowly walked away out of the room.

"... Minato..." Souji said. Then, he followed him.

After they got out of the consulting room, the policeman closed the door of the room. "Alright. You hear what Sanada-san said. If you ever try to do the same kind of thing, or talking nonsense, like you know Sanada-san very well, we will have to take you to jail, without even consulting you some more. Got that?"

Souji and Minato nodded. "We'll keep that in mind." said Souji.

"Alright. Now, I'll be going now. Remember what Sanada-san said." With that, the policeman took his leave.

After that, Souji looked at Minato once more, seeing that Minato is still in daze. "... Are you alright?"

"Huh? oh... yeah..." said Minato quietly.

"... You know who Sanada-san is, right?"

"Yes... Akihiko is my friend... He was the captain of the school boxing in my school. He's a tough guy, when I met him, seeing that he's always up for the dangerous part and saying that it's exciting. But... I was shocked that... He doesn't remember me, S.E.E.S., Ken and even Shinjiro at all... He and Shinjiro were childhood friends... How can he forget about him?"

"I don't know... I don't know why... Yosuke and Akihiko don't remember us... I don't know why...."

Then, it hit Minato with realization. "Wait... Back there... What Igor said before..."

"Hm? What's up?"

"What Igor said... Could it be that... Our times have merged together... And that... the memories of our friends... are non-existen at us...?"

End of chapter