Many thanks to Nitewind for betaing!

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Chapter 1 First Impressions

13.3.2009

Mitsuru's POV, Iwatodai dorm

I glanced at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time this morning. Today we would get a new member for S.E.E.S., an Anti-shadow Suppression Weapon called Praetor, or as her student ID named her, Hakuno Kishinami.

Apparently, she was some kind of remnant from my grandfather's research into Plumes of Dusk: a gynoid capable of operating during the Dark Hour and summoning its own Persona. It had sounded really good when I was first told about her capabilities and that idea was only reinforced by the records Ikutsuki brought me.

Praetor herself was built with a focus on support, with diminished –for an ASW I'm told- direct combat ability like firepower or resilience. She made up for it with enhanced sensor systems and tactical mindset. During combat tests with her Persona, she had used her gun to either disrupt spellcasting or creating openings.

It was a highly intuitive combat style that focused on hampering the enemy instead of damaging them.

It would not win any battles as it was.

But that was where her Persona came in.

Saber was a direct combat type Persona wielding a two handed sword that could burst into flame. With Praetor creating openings, Saber could rush in and deal grievous damage, before returning to protect its mechanical mistress. It would be a powerful combination attack against a single foe.

Truly, the only weakness in them was that in order to use Saber effectively, Praetor had to get to the frontlines and thus, leave herself open for counterattacks… But she was an ASW, she should be able to take at least a little more punishment than a human and even then, I could assign people to protect her. Akihiko won't do, as he relies on his own mobility to avoid attacks, not to mention that protecting like that isn't in his nature. Shinjiro would be better, if only he would join us again.

Maybe I should bring the matter up with Akihiko one of these days? Shinjiro might change his mind if we start actually getting results and with bigger group…

Before I notice, I have already pulled out a notebook and began to scribble half-thought out plans down.

Exploring Tartarus… That's a must after we have gotten new members. Praetor now and then this girl from school that Ikutsuki says might have potential.

Studying Shadows… We already have some information about Shadows, but it's all nearly a decade old and it's more scientific than combat data. If we could gather enough samples of different types, we might be able to start recognizing patterns. Wasn't Praetor supposed to have something for that?

Can Personas somehow treat the Apathy Syndrome? With different kinds of Personas there is bound to be a healing type…

Suddenly, I hear the front door open and realize I had gotten lost in my own thoughts. Well, no harm there. I calmly shut the notebook and leave it on the kitchen table while I go greet the new, well, girl.

"…this is the dorm lobby. The computer over there is used to record people's comings and goings, it is connected to school servers too." I hear Ikutsuki explain and then I see Praetor face to face.

She looks… different, and I do not mean how she was now wearing Kirijo Group company jacket and pants, making her look like a common worker.

I had of course seen a picture of her before, from when she was switched off. An unremarkable face that was neither ugly nor beautiful. Long slightly wavy brown hair. Simple brown eyes. Nothing that would draw attention to her or would imply she was anything but another human.

Well, except for the exposed joints on her shoulders and hips (can those be armored? They look a bit vulnerable, I should ask Ikutsuki).

She was still unremarkable, but there was a subtle change there. Her eyes had a spark of life in them. She had an expression –a kind smile- and there was passion in her movements.

I-

It is really hard to believe that she is the same man-made doll as in the picture. I knew Plumes of Dusk were literally magic but to this extend!

"Greetings chairman, Praetor," I greet the two of them.

"Good to see you Mitsuru," Ikutsuki smiles, "Let me formally introduce you. Hakuno, this is miss Mitsuru Kirijo, Takeharu's daughter and overall commander of S.E.E.S. Mitsuru, this is Hakuno Kishinami, the 7th generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, model Praetor. She's a bit fond of her chosen name, so please humor her."

"Good day miss Mitsuru," Praetor beams at me, "Just as he said, please refer to me as Hakuno Kishinami."

She seems to be in a good mood. Maybe because this is her first real foray into the real world outside the laboratory in Yakushima?

"Very well then, Kishinami. I look forward to working with you. I apologize for Akihiko not being here, but he had a prior engagement with the boxing club…" Really, we have the whole month free and just the day she comes in, he has match?

"Ah, so that's why Akihiko isn't here. Strange that he didn't mention it to me?" Ikutsuki muses.

"You know how he is. He probably didn't think it was important," I answer, "but he will be here later. You have read his file, correct?" I address Hakuno and she nods, "it should be pretty up-to-date. I'll introduce you to each other, come evening."

"I await eagerly!" Hakuno says, before giving Ikutsuki a questioning look, "In the meantime, if we could continue the tour…?"

"Yes, we can continue, though if Mitsuru isn't too busy, maybe she should finish? She is the one who lives here after all."

"Yes I can finish it. Just a tour of the dorm?" It would be a good way to get a bead on her personality and motives. The report just said she wanted to 'live' hence she's going to school and trying to fit into human society. The whole idea sounds a bit weird, but from what I have seen of her she probably can pull it off.

"Yes, thank you Mitsuru. I'll go into my room to finish her transfer papers then," Ikutsuki thanks and waves us goodbye.

"Well Kishinami. If I heard chairman correctly, he had already started to explain you about the lobby?" I turn to the gynoid.

"Yes, he explained how the doors are fortified in case of a large Shadow attack and about the computer too," she explains, though she then starts to fidget before asking a bit shyly:

"Ahh, Mitsuru? You can just call me Hakuno, you know."

"Really?" I am a bit surprised at her forwardness, but I don't let it show, "isn't that a bit personal way to address someone I just met?"

"It is?" She looks genuinely surprised by this, "Well, even if we just met, we are going to work together for the foreseeable future, right? And you did read my file, so you probably know almost everything about me, so I don't see any problem with that."

"Well… Though that is correct, I don't feel it is right when its just one-sided," I explain my case calmly. Why is she raising a fuss about this? "I think we should wait for a while before getting friendly like that. Who knows, we might not get along."

"If that's what you want. I can still call you Mitsuru, right?"

"Yes, go ahead. Now to get back to the original subject. The lobby also serves as a living room and a gathering place for the dorm members, hence the sofas and armchairs and such. There is also a kitchen over there, but you won't probably be using it," I begin explaining while showing the relevant things.

"Oh I will! I've… heard stuff about cooking and would really like to test my hand at it," Praetor declares intently.

"Really? Well, you should probably restrain from doing that for now. I mean, I have most of my meals prepared for me beforehand and Akihiko just eats protein supplement and noodles, and the latter is usually take-out or instant. It would be shame to throw the food away if you go through the trouble of preparing it."

"Oh. Well, I'll shelve the idea for now until we get new members. Though that'll probably take a while…" she mutters the last faintly, almost making me feel bad.

"Don't let it get to you," that's supposed to get to me, I'm the one who has found a grand total of two Persona users in more than five years, "we do have our eye on a new potential at the moment. If all goes right, she will join us during this month."

"Really? That's a good thing," she smiles again.

"It is. But we should continue the tour. Toilets are there, though again you won't need them."

"Actually I might use them a few times. You see, while I don't need to eat, I sometimes might have to. You know, to appear human and all. So I have this container in me I have to empty once in a while."

"Okay. I'm going to stop assuming you don't have human bodily functions now." Her makers were really dedicated it seems.

"That's about it for the lobby. There is a back door over there, but it's usually locked. Next up is the second floor," I explain as we move to the stairs.

"There is not much here, but it is the designated boys floor so if we get more male members, they will be given rooms here. The last room on the left is Akihiko's. There is a vending machine here, but there is an identical one in the next floor too."

"This is the girls floor, its pretty much identical to the boys floor. My room is the first on the left, yours is the last one on the right, there is a recharging station installed in there along with a few things that you might need, like ammo for your gun and a toolkit for self-maintenance. Oh, and school uniforms. Only winter models though, as your shoulders and hips have to be covered."

"Can I go take a look?"

"No, let's finish the tour first."

"This is the top floor. Unofficially, it's the S.E.E.S. floor. We have meetings with the chairman regarding the Dark hour in the Command room here. Normal people shouldn't be let here, as not only do we store some weapons here, under lock and key of course, but there is also classified information here, like reports on Shadows and Dark Hour. Sure if an uninvolved civilian comes in and looks at them, they won't realize it's anything serious, but we shouldn't take the risk," I also show Kishinami the toilets and the door to the roof before we enter the command room.

"As I said, this is the Command Room, note the armored doors again. The systems in here are all linked to a Plume of Dusk, so they can function during the Dark Hour. The chairman usually spends Dark Hour either here or in another safe room in his home or other Kirijo properties, as he doesn't have a Persona and thus is vulnerable to a Shadow attack," I walk to the control panel and open the main menu.

"This is the main computer. It has several functions, but for S.E.E.S. its most important thing is its sensor systems. It can detect Shadows quite well and it has all information on Iwatodai and the Port Island in its databanks so it can be used to locate targets and plan interception routes. It also monitors dorm security, no doubt you already noticed all the cameras, as well as the school grounds in case something extraordinary happens when Dark Hour comes. There is also a top-of-the-line communications suite to a few Kirijo laboratories, in case we need scientific expertise. I don't know if there is any synergy between your own abilities and it, but I'm hoping we can find out during the next weeks. Questions?"

"I think I got everything, thank you. It is a bit simple though. Have you thought about adding some art here? It would do good for the atmosphere of the dorm," Kishinami scratches the back of her head in very human manner, "as for questions, what does S.E.E.S. actually do? To my understanding, exploring Tartarus has been deemed too risky with just three members. Do we patrol the area during the Dark Hour? Do we do anything outside of it?"

"We don't really patrol the area. Akihiko likes to do it every now and then, as he is perfectly capable of defeating small groups of Shadows, but we do not coordinate it in any way. We mainly rely on the sensors here, as well as Penthesileia's sensory ability. Outside of Dark Hour… well there isn't really all that much to do. Kirijo group has employees in place to do things then. There may be some investigations in people with the potential to use Persona, but those have been all wrong until now."

"Ok. What about these books then, are all of them about Shadows and Dark Hour?" Kishinami asks as she looks around the room, paying extra attention to the bookshelves.

"It really varies. They are mostly research data about those, but there is also data about Personas and some study into them. Some books are about Jungian psychology, some about Tarot Cards because of the Arcanas. The chairman even found Lovecraftian horror stories in there once."

"Oh, this?" Kishinami suddenly pulls a book from the shelf and shows it to me.

"The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath? That doesn't look like something that should be here. Put it on the table over there, the chairman probably put it in there by accident. Any more questions?"

"No I think between you and Shuji, I have everything covered. Thank you, Mitsuru."

"It was nothing Kishinami," I shrug off her thanks, "let's go to your room now. There are still a few things left for your inauguration."

"Now this is your room," I explain Kishinami as we step in. Its very bleak, to tell the truth. Just a long storage closet on one wall and a recharging station on the other. Large toolkit is in a corner, flanked by large boxes of which at least one bears a 'Danger! Explosives!' sign on its side. At first I thought it was good enough for a gynoid, but after actually talking to Kishinami, I have to admit I have underestimated her humanity. At the very least, she is the type to fill her room with drawings and color.

Well, she would customize the room to her liking quickly. Still, I felt a bit bad for just assuming that a machine would just accept a bleak room. Just a little though.

Kishinami herself looked a bit around the room, looking into the closet and into the boxes, before sighing:

"At least it's a step up. I can customize this, right?"

"Yes you can, though if you want to do something drastic like change the tapestry, you should inform the chairman first."

"Good. Very good," Kishinami's smile takes an… odd glint as she mutters that.

"Well then, this leaves only two things to be done," I change the subject and walk to the computer hooked to the recharging station, "the other one can be done later when Akihiko returns, but you can start this now." I open the computer and access certain files.

Files containing information on persons with the Potential to become Persona users.

"This is Yukari Takeba…"

Hakuno's POV, Iwatodai Dorm

Today was an exciting day: my first real day outside the Yakushima laboratories. Not that I saw all that much, most of the day was just travelling from Yakushima to Iwatodai. But what travelling it was! I have only ever walked from one place to other, or teleported. But today I got to board a ferry and travel by a train. Also, finally got some clothes, even if they were just some generic company working clothes.

Sure, I had to travel with Ikutsuki, but he didn't mind me wandering off on my own. The ferry was a nice experience, something about being able to feel the sea breeze –muted as it was for me- while seeing the endless blue sea and white beaches really stuck a chord in me.

The train on the other hand was a completely different experience. It was just so chock full of people! Different people! Tsukumihara had been full of people too (well, for the preliminaries and the first weeks) but because of the Moon Cell's programming, most of them were dressed in the same brown school uniforms. Only the most skilled magi could customize their appearance.

But here, everyone had their own look. Sure, I 'remember' that that is how it is here in the real world, but I did not actually have memories about it, just a vague sense at the back of my mind. To actually see it in person was beautiful, I think I could've just sat there for the whole ride and stare at the people and I wouldn't have grown bored.

Almost did that too, but I couldn't help myself from striking a conversation after a while. That was actually pretty troublesome, since I didn't really have anything to talk about, besides where people were going. It was very embarrassing when I was asked about movies and music and I couldn't really say anything. And when I relayed my cover story about having a rare non-contagious illness, people tended to avoid me.

It took me a while to realize that even if I said it was non-contagious, people still didn't want to associate me too much. I assume it's a cultural thing.

But I still had fun. Saber too expressed her joy in the back of my mind at the sight of some fashions and music we witnessed.

Not that she could speak of course, but she was a part of my mind and as such I could feel her general emotions. I do not know the reason for her muteness, as I clearly heard her voice when I first summoned her, but I am hoping it is only temporary. Nevertheless, I have summoned her for as long as possible for every Dark Hour since and if nothing else, the summoning process itself has become easier for me, not to mention I can keep her around longer with each summoning.

Activating the Evoker still feels horrible though, but apparently it is necessary, since to summon a Persona, a certain frame of mind is needed. And this frame of mind is being in mortal danger. Hell, I was even shown a human Evoker and the thing is shaped like a gun, meaning the summoner has to look down the barrel and shoot themselves to use it. This is messed up, but apparently it is the only way.

On a lighter note, I now have my own room with a lock in the door and everything. The décor is a bit bland at the moment, but Mitsuru promised me I can make the room more me.

Not that that requires much, my private room in Tsukumihara had in the end a very little furniture. Just a lot of classroom desks, a red curtain and whatever Taiga gave me for helping her out during the War.

So, my course is clear: tomorrow I will go out and buy red curtains for my room. The rest I will gather as I find something suitable. I can't wait to go to a real store, the Tsukumihara Commissary has been my only real experience on the subject, but as far as my amnesiac mind can tell, it was far from ordinary.

Tomorrow will be fun.

As I gaze out the window in my room –despite being on the third floor, the view is not that great, thanks to the block being full of tall buildings- I see a car stop in front of the dormitory and a young man exits the vehicle.

I activate one of my enhanced vision modes briefly to get a confirmation –and yes, it looks like this is Akihiko Sanada, the other member of S.E.E.S. I should go and greet him, I believe Mitsuru is waiting for him in the lobby already.

"Ah, Kishinami. Perfect timing," Mitsuru greets me as I descend the stairs into the spacious lobby. She's seated comfortably on one of the armchairs near the door, with her back against the wall and I winced a little internally. She reminded me of Rin Tohsaka: mature, smart and cold at first sight. Well, I was pretty sure about the latter, as despite the aloof image she presented, she had cared about my feelings when I wanted to cook. But because of that, looking at her brought in mind memories of my dead friend.

She was not Rin Tohsaka, I could ignore the similiarities.

"I saw him get out of the car and thought I should introduce myself," I explain and walk to the white-haired youth who is recording his arrival on the dorm computer, "good evening."

"Evening. So you're the robot girl, huh? Praetor?" he greeted me back. He had a black eye and a few Band-Aids stuck to his face. Mitsuru did mention he had a boxing match or something today.

"Yes, I am the 7th generation ASW Model Praetor, but please, refer to me as Hakuno Kishinami as it is the name I will be using in school," I introduce myself, words rolling naturally out of my mouth. I don't really remember when I began thinking of myself as an ASW, but denying it would do me no good.

"Kishinami? Well, if that's what you want," he shrugs off my explanation, "I'm Akihiko Sanada. You don't look that tough, but you probably have some surprises, right? Anyway, it's good to have you here in S.E.E.S. we really need more combat power for the team."

"So I have been told, and worry not for Saber and I are a strong team."

"Saber? Is that your Persona?" Akihiko asks, but before I can answer, Mitsuru cuts me off:

"It is. Did you not read her dossier? I'm sure I gave you a copy Akihiko."

"Ehh, you did yes. I just didn't have the time to read the whole thing what with the boxing club and all," Akihiko tries to explain nervously.

"Excuses, you had plenty of time," Mitsuru dismisses him with a frosty glare, "Akihiko, you should take this seriously. Kishinami's joining means a lot to S.E.E.S. as if the newest potential is good, we have enough members to send a small group to explore Tartarus in relative safety."

"Yes Mitsuru. I'll read the file first thing when I'm back in my room, really."

"You better," Mitsuru gives him one last stern look before turning to me, "As for you, Kishinami. You did look through Takeba's file right?"

"I did."

"Good. We will be observing her for the next week, maybe two and try to assess if she has the potential. I believe your sensory abilities will be of use at this, since Takeba's dorm does not have a Dark Hour proof surveillance system." And the on here is? Of course it is, she did tell me that everything here is linked to a Plume somewhere, I'll have to do something to the cameras in my room too. Maybe cover them with the curtain?

"That is doable. If there is nothing else, then?" I ask. It is starting to get late and still haven't checked all those boxes in my room.

"Actually, there is. The chairman left a while ago and he left some papers concerning your enrollment on the table," Mitsuru pointed at the kitchen table and I spy the brown folder she must mean. Oh, the torment I went through for this. I had thought I had passed all the tests two weeks ago when I did the combat tests with Saber, but that was when the true ordeal began: my placement tests for school.

While my general knowledge had been tested in the initial tests, these had been much more complicated and were meant to gauge in what year I should be placed in school.

Turned out, I was a bit behind the second year curriculum, so I had spent a considerable time getting remedial lessons from Airi –the Kirijo scientist who had been with me when I met Takeharu for the first time- so I could begin my schooling with the other second years in April.

It had been hell.

"Besides that, there is only one thing left. I could have done it earlier, but I wanted to do this when Akihiko was present," Mitsuru continued as I snatched the folder. When I turned to her, she offered me a red piece of cloth.

"Hakuno Kishinami, welcome to the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad." It was an armband, with S.E.E.S. written on it.

I accept the armband gracefully. Despite myself, I can't help the small smile I feel on my lips.