Persona FEStivities

Author's notes: Well this is the continuation of the story through Yuki Makoto's eyes now, but there are switches between though not too much as I want the focus to still be on Yuki. As of now, April rolls around and Makoto goes to school while I put in a small section devoted to the OC and the story of the Persona protag Yuki starts now.

Firstly, disclaimer: I don't own Persona and I would rather not do so…let Atlus handle it cause they got the brains.

Morning of the 8th, April 2009

"Mmm…it's that time already huh, two months have passed so quickly…" the groan of the sheets shivered and shook, eventually being thrown aside as a head of muddy blonde awoke from his slumber sitting up while he pushed his back against the headboard of his new bed, the small clunk could be heard while Felice yawned stretching his back and arms spinning his wrists in tiny circles while wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Well, whatever, it's time to head over to the tram station and get to Port Island Station…and then school."

Felice groaned, not that he wasn't satisfied with the existence of the institution called school, as without it he would be bored to death and be hanging around at home without his intellect being tested or acquiring skills. His beef was elsewhere, particularly in the teacher's staff pick for his own class for Gekkoukan High School on the first day he was introduced to the staffroom…that memory of his first day was not something he was going to forget and hopefully neither would the teacher for trying to be an ass to him with his lack of respect for a student who was planning to excel. Looking at the time, he sighed stretching his limbs while he removed the sleepwear that he was wearing for the night scrunching the fabric up into a ball and tossing it in a large laundry basket that he had taken from the laundry room watching the clothes land in a scattered heap before he walked over to the bathroom in his boxers. Taking a really cold shower to complete his wake up routine (in spite of the fact that he was sitting in the middle of a cold season) he reached out and wiped himself down putting on the school's summer shirt while slipping into the uncomfortable long pants of the uniform, a thing that Felice missed since he used to attend schools overseas which allowed casual wear for students the boy fastening the jacket on but not before flinching from the brush of the fabric against his bare arms.

"Looking good, ready for school and Mr. Dickhead's picking on me of course on the first day," the boy muttered to himself as he walked out of his room slinging his bag which was packed with the books for the lessons today last night over his shoulder as he walked out into the hallway and into the kitchen opening the door.

"Hello, I'm awake!" Felice brightly announced his presence as he heard the sound of the stove sizzling, the sight of greying hair greeted him as the old lady turned to address him with a smile.

"Morning, Felice-kun are you going to school now?" The elderly woman of the house smiled up at Felice who nodded grabbing a few slices of toast which were left untouched, the man reaching for the jar of vinegar apricot jam and the knife preparing to spread it over his late toast. "Well, kinda…the early trains were too crowded so I figured I may as well just stick with walking to school."

"Eh? But wouldn't that mean you're late by at least fifteen minutes?" The old woman replied as Felice nodded the boy spreading out his toasts and stuffed them into a recently cleaned up lunchbox sinking his teeth into the two spare ones he reserved, the elder sighing as she didn't take her eyes off the stove. "Oh Felice-kun, don't forget that you're going to help me out with the cooking today…the children have been looking forward to trying out what the new chef's been leaning from their good old grandma." Felice grunted but said nothing as he chowed down on the toast the boy rising from his seat as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand walking towards the sink to briefly wash his hands before he grabbed his school bag.

"I'll think on it, but no guarantees on that." He replied as he walked outside the home his hand going to the inside of his jacket as he pulled up a white colored hood over his head the cold air chilling his body as he walked down the path shedding his school jacket after contemplation revealing a slight baggy white hoodie underneath, his hand half stuffing the unnecessary jacket into his bag while he took casual glances around the city which was livelier due to the school term beginning for the year various students and others walked in clusters or a distance to isolate themselves from the public eye, mixed in with the odd well-dressed adults who were glued to their phones ignoring their surroundings. The boy closed his eyes momentarily opening them again as he perused over the monotone dark uniforms of the Gekkoukan school outnumbering the students from other local schools in the area variations of color and emblems were on their blazers or jackets as the cold weather blew a torturous wind across the intersection , looking over at the left as he turned the corner leading towards the Moonlight Bridge connecting Iwatodai to Port Island in the distance along with the Iwatodai train station coming into view to the right of him where the crowds surged in their large numbers towards Port Island.

"Oh?" A flash of turquoise caught his eye over the sea of black and brown hair from the distance in front of him, Felice feeling his eyes raise a brow in certain recognition before he blinked the turquoise colored hair disappearing from view the student ignoring it as he crossed the multi-lane intersection bypassing the train station completely. Around twenty minutes later he found himself near the other end of the Moonlight Bridge strolling briskly towards Paulownia Mall, his hoodie protecting him as he crossed the main entrance to the terminal his eyes reading the various street names which opened up in front of him the student looking to his left spying the triple towers which represented the Paulownia Mall with the trademark dome following soon after. "Paulownia Mall…how beautifully structured."

Soon after he had crossed the bridge leading into the main city area and reached the gates of the school did he then reach into his pocket unfolding the cell phone to stare at the digitized numerals on his clock before frowning slightly, the student watching the thin crowds of students hurriedly making their way into the grounds their faces filled with urgency as Felice stuffed the cell into his pocket. 8:20am, faster than I expected. Oh well, I guess it's nothing I haven't suspected…, Felice thought with some contemplation as he walked towards the school entrance the sun's warm light convincing him to remove his jacket the hoodie attracting some attention from the students who were seeing an unfamiliar sight, the boy slinging his jacket over his shoulder while he yawned the muddy blonde locks revealing itself to the world. Meanwhile just behind him was another situation taking place, the whispers of students moved away to the side as they noticed a girl in a pink cardigan over her school shirt with a large red ribbon and white heart choker around her neck move into view her brown hair rustling through the breeze while she turned on her heel to address a familiar boy dressed in the winter uniform his headphones hanging around his neck while he looked at his surroundings completely taken away by the scenery, the academy rising over his head.

"Well here we are, welcome to Gekkoukan High School. I hope you enjoy your stay here." Yukari announced as Yuki turned around his fascination never leaving his face as he nodded at her in acknowledgement, the image of Yukari smiling at him was something that would stick to his mind for time immemorial as he felt his eyes linger a little longer on the brown-haired girl a lot longer than he would have, the boy only realizing he was staring when Yukari began to feel uncomfortable under his gaze Yuki silently turning his head to the side, the silence between them being a little suffocating. "Uh, we should get going inside of the school…the opening ceremony starts around 8:40. In the meantime we have to find your classroom."

Gekkoukan High School, main hallway

"Did you get all of that, Makoto-san?"

"Board. Name. Faculty office, first floor on the left, is that correct?" Yuki stated robotically in order of events as Yukari nearly sweated at his simplistic breakdown of her instructions. "…Yeah, that's about it. I'll see you after school okay?"

"Thank you," Yuki said softly as Yukari bowed her head lightly and was about to leave for her classroom before she turned back on her heel spinning around to address Yuki who was about to head towards the board. "Oh, and uh, by the way about last night…I know I said this before already but please don't tell anyone what you saw. Everything will be explained soon, I hope." Yuki nodded in assurance, Yukari giving a wave of her hand as she walked upstairs to the second floor classrooms leaving the new student alone in the hall, surrounded by strangers before he walked towards the school board where the students were crowded about reading their names off the board before they moved on to their assigned classes, Yuki reading the list of names on the various class lists until he finally came upon 2-F spying his name printed on the piece of paper.

"…Yay." The boy monotonously brought a pump of his fist in boorish congratulations for finding his name on a school board, the blue haired boy turning to the hallway where Yukari had pointed out to house the faculty office as Yuki entered the hallway looking around to see a teacher wearing a samurai helmet speaking amicably to a foreign looking boy with a fan the two sharing some heated conversation that made Yuki shrink away from them sidestepping around them before he noticed a sign hanging overhead which read 'Faculty Office' in neat kanji. Reaching for the sliding door's grip, Yuki felt the door slide open by itself the bluenette moving to the side as he watched a grown man dressed in a dark green with dark hair grumble on his way out holding a clipboard under his shoulder, Yuki entering the office to see three people in the office two female and one student. Almost immediately the student came to the forefront of his attention, the cause being that said student was being restrained at the arms by the two females the sound of heavy breathing being the only clue as to what transpired in there.

"Huh…who is-oh, are you the new student?" The voice of one of the teachers addressed Yuki, the blue haired boy looking in surprise at the tense look on the teacher's face the woman giving a relaxed stare when she gave a glance at the restrained student, releasing her hold on the arm letting the limb fall to his side. Yuki took note of the pink dress and skirt alongside her brown hair, the teacher was attractive though that thought went ignored by Yuki who gave a questioning look at a dark haired woman tending to the other male student in the room the boy looking up at Yuki while a lock of his muddy blonde hair fell in front of his face blocking his eye from viewing the outside world while the teacher was silently muttering to the blonde.

"Yuki Makoto, is that correct?"

"Yes." Makoto answered without hesitation when he heard the woman in pink call out his name, his head bowed towards her. "It's nice to meet you."

The lady smiled, her hands picking up a folder which said 'Student information' the woman flipping through a few pages while she scanned each picture. "Hmmm, Yuki...Yuki...ah! Okay, let me just check your details and what homeroom you would be in for the year…wow, you've been travelling around for a while haven't you? Shibuya in Tokyo and some other schools too." She brightened up at that while she continued to read the rest of his attendance record to herself, Yuki noting that while he watched the muddy blonde student glancing at him though saying nothing to him Yuki about to say something before the teacher's voice brought his attention back to her, the teacher's eyes still glued to the folder. "Oh, you're wondering what happened here, then? Well it wasn't much, if you were expecting some dramatic episode of someone's life…though I would appreciate if you did learn how to control yourself when you speak to your teachers."

The muddy blonde shrugged at that statement giving the impression of being impassive, the teen's face darkening slightly at that statement as Yuki noticed the boy's fist was being treated with light bruising and a dent in a locker, nothing serious as the student noticed him for the first time in the room his eyes raised. The look of confusion gave way to a slight smile, the muddy blonde looking at the blue haired boy up and down as the storm on his face briefly subsided. "Well I didn't expect to see someone with blue hair around here this must be the luckiest day of my life if this is happening. So uh, what kind of dye is it?"

"Natural color."

"You're kidding." Seeing no response from the kid, the muddy blonde touched his hair out of self-consciousness the muddy blonde stretched out his uninjured hand at the blue-haired teen smiling as he did so. "Well nice to meet you I suppose but this would be a bad first impression, my name is Felice…as you can tell from the name, haha, I'm a foreigner to your country. I suppose this would make me an intruder?"

"Yuki Makoto." Yuki replied unamused by the teen's query as the teachers scowled a little, the boy scratching his head. "Ehehe…so you're called Yuki, it is a rather nice name with a cute ring to it if you put it like that. Yuki, Yuki…" Somehow, Yuki felt that this guy would go on for a while, the teen falling into his little world as the blue-haired teen saw the teacher in pink indicating to the door the boy deciding to leave the teenager to it leaving the faculty office.

"By the way, I am Toriumi…your teacher in English composition for the year, and you're in 2-F which is my class so I hope we get along." The woman in pink introduced herself as the two briskly made their way to the hall, the woman glancing at her wristwatch. "Well, we better move it if we're going to make it to morning assembly…I wouldn't want a bad first impression so soon."

Morning assembly passed quickly, Yuki taking the chance to sneak a nap in the middle of the boring introduction to the school year, the boy did his best to mute himself as he slept though his light snoring did earn a smack on his back from the student behind him who whispered to him about his little walk to school with Yukari, the first he ever heard of the girl being a popular girl amongst the school before being interrupted by the teacher who was worried about her 'first impression' to the rest of the school. The students were then dismissed for the morning and were sent to their classrooms, Yuki tailing in the back while he heard the chatter around him the boy making his way into the 2-F homeroom and sat at his desk the chatter dying as soon as Toriumi walked into the room and stood at the podium.

"Class, morning to you all and welcome to the new school semester for the year…as you know me from some of your classes I'm Miss Toriumi the English composition teacher, and I'll be teaching you that subject again. Firstly before we go briefly into the school periods I would like to introduce you to a transfer student who is joining us, if you would Yuki." The clatter of a chair as the blue-haired student stood up attracting a new buzz of noise as he walked to the front of the class his head bowed from being in front of so many people, his shy demeanor hiding behind his fringe.

"Y-Yuki Makoto…good to meet you." He said simply while keeping his eyes trained to the floor the boy immediately walking towards his seat without another word taking up the seat as whispers muttered around him, the words making him sink a little deeper into the desk almost feeling as though he had stepped on a landmine.

"All right, settle down! You can ask him questions once class is over and done with, in the meantime we have the schedule to look at and unless you wish to be released early I suggest you settle down!" Seeing the class fall silent, Toriumi huffed as she looked at the clipboard clearing her throat while she proceeded to take the roll.

In the classroom next door

"Introduce yourself already and get it over with." The gruff voice ordered as a student dressed in the summer shirt stood up scratching his muddy blonde hair. "Sure thing, you miserable grouch…"

"What was that?" The teacher growled out while Felice shot a poisonous look at the grown man for a moment before he sighed, the student stretching his arms while he stood up the sound of his chair screeching against the tiles echoing through the classroom.

"I was mulling over what I should cook for dinner tonight, my bad." Letting out an unapologetic smile, the student moved towards the front of the class and began to write his name on the board turning around to face the group of students the teenager immediately removed his hands from his pockets as he gave a wave at the class wearing a thin smile. "Hey, how you guys doing? Felice Armbruster, transfer student from Inaba."

"That's not so hard, was it? Now sit down, you can all waste your time asking him questions about the boonies when the introductory lecture is over," the man barked at the class while Felice immediately cleared the board and went back to his seat eyes catching the sight of turquoise in front of him as he coolly ignored it and sat back in front of the person, mentally noting to speak to her later. In the meantime, the man called Ekoda was continuing to speak to them while drawing up class subjects for the year informing them of the class schedule, Felice almost being tempted to sleep but held in his sleepiness to stay awake taking notes as he went along in his notebook though a small note in the back of his mind told him to make sure to put Ekoda on his shit list.

After school

The day had been long, but the day overall for Yuki had been good. He was honestly surprised at how good the day turned out, the assembly was boring though as expected but class had its own reward.

"So, wanna see the Iwatodai strip mall and get some ramen?" The voice next to him alerted him to the teen walking beside in the school uniform while wearing a baseball cap, Yuki nodding in reply as the two entered Hagakure the boy in the baseball cap taking a seat near the kitchen area with Yuki following suit.

"One special please," The teen in the cap ordered, Yuki taking some time to peruse the menu as he began to frown at the names while the capped boy turned towards Makoto in the midst of his contemplating. "So what would you be having, Makoto? You want to try your hand at the special too?"

"Huh? Uh, well I'm…not sure what I want."

"Oh right, what was I thinking?" The capped student almost slapped his forehead with his groan the boy looking up at the menu. "Okay, well, I recommend this ramen here. Trust me, it's a lot less spicier than some of the other menu items on board," the boy gave him a thumbs up as Makoto nodded going along with the decision while giving him a thank you through nodding, the cook taking their orders as he immediately got onto the orders the two boy sitting beside one another.

"So what brings you to Port Island, not that it isn't any different from the other cities but still…what brought you out here?" The boy asked as he placed an arm on the counter, Makoto pausing before he continued. "I'm not so sure myself of the reason, but if I can attribute it to a simple reason I just wanted to see my home again since it's been ten long years of traveling from place to place."

"Ten years…oh yeah, that was when that incident happened right? You had to leave town and stuff, man I was living rather far out of the main city when it happened but I still remember the evacuation then and given another place to stay until it calmed down. So where did you even go, any relatives or family?"

"Shibuya at Tokyo, I was there with a relative for most of the time attending school but I had to leave after four years and I began to transfer through a few schools," Yuki explained as he played idly with the pair of chopsticks which laid on the counter the boy with the cap looking at him almost unbelievably. "Damn, I never had that kind of life…I lived in this city as far as I can remember so this is the only life I've got, boring huh?"

"I…"

"Here you two go, enjoy and eat up boys!" The voice of the cook announced the arrival of their orders, the two cutting their conversation short as they slipped into eating their food. When they were done the capped boy placed his hands together in happiness while Yuki looked satisfied already, the two boys exiting the noodle place as the capped boy patted his stomach. "That was awesome! I feel energized already just by eating the food, don't you?"

"Mm, thanks Junpei…" Yuki spoke softly the capped boy waving his hand at Yuki. "Huh? That's what friends are for, yeah? Hey I need to go first, so I'll see you at school tomorrow." Junpei hurriedly said the moment he looked at this watch, the boy waving goodbye to Yuki as he strolled ahead of the blue-haired student leaving him alone for the afternoon. I should walk around Iwatodai since I have time, the first thought came to Makoto's head as he looked around the station before he came to a decision the boy walking away from the station behind where Junpei had disappeared off to, a particular location in his mind as he put on his headphones and pressed play.

Naganaki Shrine

The shrine steps along with the iconic Torii gates which stood protectively over the stone stairway came into view, Yuki could note the difference in the air when he got close to the grounds walking towards the steps and ascended each step muted by the music in his ears. Moving up to the top the teenager noted the surroundings seeing the notable features of the shrine still in place, Makoto spending some time to walk around the area of the shrine taking note of the fortune draw and the small offertory box where a sign in kanji called 'God of Academics' hung overhead, the blue-haired boy taking a seat by the playground and leaned back in his seat his track list playing in his ear.

It took some time of wandering around, but as he took a stroll down the vaguely familiar streets Yuki felt a sense of accomplishment from seating in the local Iwatodai shrine, the empty area standing out at him as if sensing a nostalgic presence while Yuki blinked slowly his eyes up at the sky. After all this time he was finally home. The place of birth, the origin point, whatever it was called…he finally received his wish to return home in Iwatodai.

Yet he couldn't recall anything. Wandering around the streets, seeing familiar blurry visions of the past in the buildings and the bridge did nothing to jog his memory as he laid there deep in thought. He had figured that when he came back to Iwatodai perhaps he would help his past come to his mind at least anything before the incident ten years ago, however this had not been the accurate description of what he just received.

In honesty Yuki felt torn at this point as he frowned feeling a dark welling in his heart spring up, the boy shifting his feet a little against the asphalt ground as he kicked a tiny pebble away as he leaned forward clasping his head in his hands. The moment in the classroom had come back to his mind, their faces and the whispers were stirring negative emotions within the boy as he turned the volume on his player to let the sound overwhelm their images with voices from the past.

I heard his parents died…

That child was one of those who died in that explosion down at Port Island right?

Heard he got treated with depression, is he even mentally stable to be here?

The dangers of having someone like him with that kind of history in an educational institution.

Yuki furrowed his brow, the boy shaking the images away as he changed position on the park bench immediately placing his ankles up on the bench rests letting his head fall to rest against the wooden planks the music blasting in his ears.

Kaze no koe hikari no tsubu madoromu kimi ni sosogu
Wasurenai yasashii hohoemi kanashisa ni kakushita hitomi wo

Negau koto (tsurakutemo) tachimukau yuuki kimi ni moratta yo dakara yuku ne
Yume no naka (mezametara) mata aeru yo

Tooi kioku mune ni hime utau

"…The sky is rather nice," he said as he felt his eyes go heavy closing as the boy fell into sleep, the sun bearing on his head like a mini-oven.

Meanwhile, somewhere nearby

Felice walked down the road his hand on his mouth as he yawned, the late afternoon sun shining brightly despite the contradictory cold wind that picked up during lunch to the point that even he didn't want to eat outside sealing himself somewhere in one of the hallways where he casually ate his lunch watching various people bypassing his secluded spot. Looking up, Felice had to admit that he was at least excited for school as it gave him something better to do than simply snooping around in the home with nothing to do…he could nearly well empathize with the jobless searching for a job but finding it difficult to do so, another debatable subject by 'experts' in the world today.

The world has its bickerers I suppose…man, I'm getting a little biased philosophy thanks to Ekoda aren't I?

Felice shuddered at that, the homeroom teacher giving him the worst vibes about him as he shook his head the mention of the man's name reminding him of what happened in the staff faculty office the boy promptly forgetting the memory, stashing it away as he wandered the street. "Two months…two months…" he repeated aloud before he sighed, Felice scratching his head as he growled impatiently. "Two months and I haven't heard or seen Igor or Margaret for two months, and no clues to the direction I'm heading for or the purpose I got given this power. Just where are they anyway?"

Walking down further towards his home, the boy was absorbed in his thought processes when he turned the corner and promptly felt something impact against his chest sending his hands throwing themselves out to grab the back of what he assumed was a person, the sudden interruption in mid-stride causing him to fall but not before he pivoted his back to the floor crashing unceremoniously against his spine as his bones began to scream out at him the pain eliciting a yell. "OW!"

"I'm sorry!" The person secured by his arms broke free of his grasp standing up with an apologetic bow of her head, Felice noting how familiar this was as he sat back up his eyes closed from the impact while he struggled his breathe opening his eyes while he talked. "No worries, but watch where you're going next…time…"

Felice came face to face with turquoise and black standing a distance from him head bowed as recognition came to him almost immediately. "Hey, you..." He heard an 'eep' from the girl while he stood up, dusting his pants while he narrowed his eyes but kept his distance so not to scare the girl again, "hey…you're the one in my class this morning, 2-E right?"

"Huh?" The girl shifted her head upwards to look at Felice her eyes shining with recognition now when she took a good look at him, the girl slowly recognizing his face as she put a hand to her chest. "You're…Felice-san? What are you doing here?"

"Me, I was just about to head on home for the day when I ran into you. Funny, this is already considered the second time that this has happened." Felice muttered while the turquoise haired girl stared at him confused, the foreigner staring at her before he rose a brow. "I think we've met before. You know, on the train? February the first? You were apologizing to me profusely and got the attention of the train on both of us...ringing any bells?"

"February the first...wait a minute that time on the train, that boy I bumped into was you Felice-san?" The girl blurted out while Felice had to resist an urge to sweat. Seriously, after two months she just forgot me…well, not that I blame her but still, Felice thought as he nodded the girl feeling guilty as she apologized quickly. "Again, I am sorry for that time."

"Hold on, wait a minute. You've known my name but yet I don't know yours, it's getting rather irritating."

"Ah, I'm Fuuka."

"Hmm, Fuuka…Fuu…ka." Felice tested the name on his tongue, the syllables rolling out neatly as he nodded in affirmation, the teenager addressing the girl who was timidly playing with her fingers. "Nice name, but still watch where you're going alright?"

"Ah, I'm sorry about it…" She whispered as Felice noticed her expression sadden but didn't address it instead looking around the street. "So what brings you out here to the middle of the residential district is the girl's dorm nearby or something?" Fuuka perked up with relief on her face for a brief moment at the distracting topic nodding as she replied. "Ah yes, well I was just heading over to the dorm right now…after visiting my parents." Her face fell for a second but Felice didn't notice the teen looking elsewhere before he turned back to her a smile on his lips, "Huh, I see. Well that's a good thing yeah, parents are good support when they are around, aren't they?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Well, I should be getting back to my home. I'll see you tomorrow at school then Fuuka." Felice said as Fuuka acknowledged his leave with a nod, the boy giving her a tip of his two fingers in salute as he walked by her leaving her at the side of the road while he pulled the bag by the side the teen feeling his neck suddenly strain while he walked onward, his thoughts turning from the mundane life of school year to something a little more serious as he looked out at the sky.

"I should rest up for tonight…I haven't even started the search after all."

Dormitory, Evening

Yuki closed the door behind him, the click of the lock sliding into its place while his music tracklist was still playing in his ears the boy turning off his player and removed the headphones to let them rest around his neck.

"Ah, there he is now." A familiar voice addressed towards him attracted Yuki to his right as he saw a flutter of pink which his eyes caught sight of as he nodded in the direction, the voice easily distinguished by him belonging to Yukari…it seems that from the looks of it she must have been here for a while now. Now that he thought about it, Yuki hadn't even glanced at his watch when he began his nap time down at the shrine and it was only until he awoke due to a girl running up the stairs to play that he took the time to leave his head spinning from the exposure to the sun.

"Of course, you must be the new transfer student to the dorm…temporarily am I right?" A male voice replied as a figure stood next to him Yuki noticing his presence while the man shot out his hand smiling underneath the cover of his glasses while his slicked hair waved around at the back of his head.

"…? Yes." Yuki replied stoically, his eyes blinking as he took the man's hand in stride, courtesy coming into play even though his weary mind was planning to hit the sack as soon as he could. "Yuki Makoto."

"Yes, I've heard you were a new addition and I came by to check up on you since I was in the area, I'm Shuji Ikutsuki…chairman, and director in Gekkoukan High. Ikutsuki…Ikut…su…ki, what a tongue-twisting name to say am I right? So I just wanted to ask you a few questions if you don't mind, why don't we all take a seat?" The man gestured as Yuki shrugged, following after the two and sat down at the couch, Ikutsuki smiling as he leaned back in his seat. "So far how are you adjusting to life here?"

"…good." Yuki replied softly, the answer barely audible as Shuji clapped his hand. "Excellent, I hope Yukari didn't frighten you on the first night…she's very cautious about safety and well-being of the dormitory," Ikutsuki explained to Yuki though it took the boy a second to realize he was talking about the first night with the gun trained on him as he shook his head.

"No worries…weird, though."

"Oh, the gun business with Yukari last night, am I right? Well I apologize if you were startled but that is to be expected, the gangs in Port Island have recently been hanging around in Iwatodai with their own brand of trouble so I had to simply look for the welfare of my students," Yuki almost shivered at the man's justification for such a protocol the bluenette throwing a glance at Yukari who said nothing in reply the girl looking away from him as Yuki nodded blankly. "Okay."

Internally Yuki Makoto was calling bullshit on those words while Shuji smiled. "Well that is great, but I think it's getting rather late isn't it? I hope you're an early riser, they do say that the early bird catches the bookworm, if you get my meaning." The man said as he chuckled rising from his seat as Yuki did too, the boy about to make his way to the stairs before Ikutsuki spoke up behind him. "I almost forgot to say something, but is there…anything that you need to ask before I go?" Well, I wanted to know if children live here or if skies turn green and blood spurts out from the spaces in the tiles.

"Nothing," Yuki replied instead heading off towards his room and hastily shut the door, the boy reaching his desk while he pulled out a textbook and tossed it on his desk alongside his bag and jacket Yuki stretching his arms in the air while he removed the slightly sweaty socks which were in his shoes dumping them along with his long sleeved shirt into a small laundry basket along with three boxes of detergent at the side as bare feet touched the floor of the room Yuki slipping into sandals while he lowered his MP player on the table, the boy relaxing in his seat at the desk before he absently opened up a textbook and began to read all through the night.

Night time, Midnight

The streets of the residential district was quiet again, as expected from the so-called Dark Hour which that freak Takaya so named when he was busy ranting about his little group to him not too long ago as Felice walked outside with a breath of fresh air the pack of supplies at his back while he stepped out of the house closing it behind him. Outside he could hear the air grow still and the chilling feeling coming down his back as he removed the latch of the gate and entered the street hearing the echoes of his own two feet walking down the path.

Firstly, I have to do something about that thing.

Next day, 9th April

Yuki Makoto saw daily life as a routine, wake up, wash up, eat up and go to school, get home and unwind, then to the arcade and play trivia. It was how he spent his time out in Shibuya while he was with his relatives and it was the beginning of a new day like any other, Makoto shrugging off his sleepiness from his head rising up from his bed and proceeded to perform his daily morning ritual.

Morning, Gekkoukan

"Hey, new guy…over here man, I want to talk to you!" The blue-haired teenager inclined his head to the left, his eyes blinking as he caught sight of a student with yellowish hair smiling as he waved him over, the blue-haired student ignoring him before the guy ran up in front of him pointing a finger at his face. "Hey wait up, you're Yuki Makoto right?"

Yuki was already feeling the urge to push past the boy but instead settled for talking, the boy sticking a hand in his pocket feeling a little uncomfortable at the small radius of personal space between him and the boy. "Who are you?"

"Kenji, I'm in your class, I sit at the back so I understand if you didn't notice me yesterday." The boy introduced himself as he gave Yuki a sly glance the dirty look was received with no outward expression from Yuki who simply took a half step back while Kenji leaned back his hands at his hips while he jabbed a finger in the air, "Nice to meet you. So now that that is over and done with there's something I want to know right now…what gives with you and Yukari-san?"

"I don't even understand…" Yuki said confused by the sudden change in topic as Kenji elbowed him lightly still wearing that cheeky grin on his face the boy sneaking a glance at the other students before he spoke to him, "Come on! You walking to school on the first day with the most popular girl besides that Kirijo chick without so much effort as well as the rumors that you were seen walking out of the same dorm with her…the whole school is in uproar about that, even the boys are giving you jealous looks when you were walking out with Junpei yesterday."

"I didn't notice at all," Yuki deadpanned while Kenji ignored that part, the boy's curiosity overlooking his sarcasm as he leaned closer. "Quit being so secretive man, you can trust me. So what's the secret man, what kind of charm did you use to even walk with her to school?" Kenji asked intruding on the boy's personal space as Yuki felt intimidated taking a conscious step backwards as he turned his head away from Kenji.

"That's…uh, well…" Makoto furrowed his brow as he tried to find the words. It was the first he ever heard of it being spoken to his face, not that he was too surprised to know she was that popular since the whispers from the students on his first day was any indication. Privately, Yuki felt a little enamored by her smile and demeanor even if she did commonly came off as offhand and cold to some like Junpei the other day during his introduction but then he couldn't judge her solely on it. Rumors however ate the truth straight up, and Kenji was pretty much being the vocalization of the thoughts that have spread apparently like wildfire overnight.

"She's not my…" He weakly protested.

"I understand man, you're just working the bases right? Well don't sweat it if you fail, so far no one has managed to catch her eye yet and even then you wouldn't be the last to try." Kenji spoke confidently clapping Yuki on the back as his eyes was wide with protest, the boy struggling to even dissuade this boy from misunderstanding the situation however Kenji had already left leaving him behind while his mind was still at a blank. Stuffing a hand into his pockets, Yuki sighed while a hand smeared itself over his face the boy almost feeling like he should catch Kenji later after school and explain his flawed logic…though something in the back of Yuki's mind told him that this wasn't going to be the accurate case.

"…*sigh*, rumors." Today was going to be a long day.

After school

Suffice to say, school ended like always from past experience and Yuki decided it would be nice to just go home and relax in the dorm. Today had been one of the weirdest days of his life, the first being the ungodly amount of stares from the second-years and some seniors as he walked down the hallway while whispers were growing around him, Yuki even felt it in his class when he walked inside and attended lessons barely keeping awake during the lectures though a jolt of uneasiness was present everywhere he went.

"Hey, you okay dude? You look kinda pale," Junpei asked as the two of them were walking off from school towards home, Yuki lowering his head a little more than usual as the weight of uneasiness seemed to form a physical load upon his back, the boy shifting a little uncomfortably as he kicked a pebble watching it skip ahead and onto the road while his fringe acted as an effective shield from the masses of death glares while some girls who he could recognize from his class were staring and whispering gossip whilst taking sneak peeks at him before resuming their chat. Yuki didn't have to put two and two together to find out that they were most likely spewing false tales about how he and Yukari were on secret dates and stuff, the blue-haired boy had to place a mental note inside his head when he passed the group of students to do his upmost best in avoiding Paulownia Mall if this was going to be the case...anywhere else than the public spaces would be good so long as he didn't have to deal with unreasonable trouble at his own expense than their deluded minds.

"Fine…"That was a complete and utter lie, you had ten letters threatening castration and severed hands in your shoe locker just now and had to burn each and every one, Yuki's brain thought as he muttered his reply apathetically as Junpei looked around to see evil glints thrown in their general direction, the boy shivering in fear and relief inside Junpei spying the apathetic glance which Yuki threw from a sideways glance the boy shaking his head. "You sure dude, 'cause some of these guys aren't really happy with that whole 'walking to school with Yuka-tan' incident and have been glaring for the past minute."

"It's fine."

"Wow, does nothing faze you?" Junpei replied in amazement, making Yuki's brow twitch from that understatement as his mind shot back a retort at Junpei. No, it is terrifying. Thanks for being the role model of a caring friend by the way with that smirk, and possibly spreading said rumors by accident.

"Hmm." Yuki replied out aloud hiding his thoughts from the clueless boy as he walked home with Junpei that evening all the while planning out his schedule of hiding from the public sphere.

Night time

Burn my dread

I once ran away from the god of fear

And he chained me to despair

"…" Yuki's sleeping form shifted as he continued to listen to his track playing softly in the background, the young teenager snuggling deeper into the depths of his cover enjoying his sleep while the clock above ticked away with each passing second.

11:59

As soon as the minute hand crossed to midnight, the air began to change and the Dark Hour took charge over the environment. On the fourth floor of the dormitory in a large meeting room three people watched a large televised screen hooked to a bank of consoles, eyes glued to Yuki's sleeping form as he unconsciously adjusted the headphones to fit his ears the covers shifting.

"He looks so peaceful when he's asleep." Yukari commented on seeing the boy fast in dreamworld as the other two occupants were lost in their thoughts to care or reply to that offhanded comment, Shuji turning to a familiar redhead in her school uniform the man having a serious look at the screen as he observed the boy in his bed whilst the green hue of the Dark Hour continued to light up the room. "So that pretty much confirms our suspicions about our new potential, he isn't transmorgrified at all even when it has become the Dark Hour…looks like we'll have to see if he's able to summon that power."

Mitsuru had to nod, she already had her suspicions when the boy had appeared in the dorm at that hour just when it ended and the lights came back on and Takeba's report on the situation confirmed that he was most likely compatible to have the potential. Yukari on the other hand was feeling a little guilty, the girl tugging her cardigan sleeve as she watched the screen, "I don't feel this is right…we saw him walk around in the Dark Hour when he first arrived at the dorm, that would be evidence enough than just spying on him and intruding on his personal space."

Shuji gave her a sympathetic look in return, "I understand that much but yet we don't know whether he can actually use the ability or would he simply be a lucky person to not be transmorgrified in the last two Dark Hours…as you know, Yukari the fact is that no one can even remember the Dark Hour if they tried. Explaining it wouldn't even help us if he wasn't a potential, we had to test him as the legitimate claim." Yukari still wasn't assured despite this reasonable logic in the Chairman's statement, the girl shaking her head before a rumble shook the building, causing the three occupants inside to perk their heads up immediately as Mitsuru was the first to hear a beeping sound on the console activating the button while the rumble continued to rock the building before the noise died away. Meanwhile Yukari and Ikutsuki had both recovered from the shake, the former being the first to speak as the uncomfortable silence set in. "What the hell was that? An earthquake?"

"Mitsuru, Yukari…you guys there?!"

"Akihiko, what is going on outside?" Mitsuru spoke sternly into the console as Akihiko let out a breath of relief, the boy gasping for some air as the sound of running could be heard. "I don't know, I was out patrolling like always and then I just ran into this giant…thing. It's chasing me now!" Akihiko reported as all three turned to look at one another, Ikutsuki looking a little horrified as he went to the bank of consoles tapping the button on the communication line to speak through to the silver-haired teenager. "You can explain later, Akihiko but please tell us where you are."

"Hah…hah…I'm…nearing…the dorm. *gasp* Watch yourselves." He replied as the line was cut, Yukari grasping onto the meaning of his words as she reacted fearfully clutching her ribbon. "W-Wh-What? He's going to come to the dorm with whatever is chasing him over here? Is he insane, there are still people living next door! Mitsuru-senpai there's-!"

"Nothing that can be done right now if he's already coming this way," Mitsuru said regretfully as she stood up heading for the bookshelf on the right as she pulled a false book from a shelf, the bookcase sliding away to reveal an armory of weapons held on a room full of racks grabbing a rapier and competition bow set with an arrow stocked quiver in hand before she exited the building handing over the latter to Yukari while her rapier hung at her side under her waist, the Kirijo turning to Ikutsuki who was already showing a hint of panic. "Chairman, stay here until we return. I trust you have something to defend yourself?"

The chairman gave a tense smile as he pulled out a handgun from his jacket pocket, the man stiffly pulling the cock on the pistol wincing at the dreadful sound of the weapon before he stood ready. "Not to worry Mitsuru I have things under control here, but Akihiko is the main concern now. Please, take care of yourself." Nodding, Mitsuru exited the room with Yukari in tow the two girls racing towards the front door as Akihiko suddenly sprinted through the main doors his leg kicking the open door back into a series of hands the force severing them as they fell into black puddles on the ground, the silver-haired boy locking it as he slid down to the ground the two girls coming to his side.

"Akihiko!"

"Senpai!"

"…Ugh, hey there." Akihiko spoke with a wince as he clutched his right arm his back still against the door which was subjected to a loud banging noise. "Damnit, it got my arm."

"Akihiko, can you still fight?" Mitsuru asked while Yukari looked up at her senior with a befuddled expression. "Huh? Senpai, Akihiko-senpai is injured-"

"That isn't an excuse I can take, he's the one who led it here and we are going to be attacked by a swarm of Shadows while an innocent is sleeping upstairs….I don't think there is much of a choice at this point," Mitsuru reasoned as Akihiko nodded the boy rising up while he let his right arm flop downwards the teen smiling through the pain while he brought up his left arm. "Don't worry, I still have my Evoker I won't be completely useless to you," his response was satisfactory as Mitsuru gave him a nod of both thanks and a brief apologetic glance before she turned to Yukari.

"Takeba, I need you to take care of our guest. Wake him up and give him this," Mitsuru spoke as she drew the rapier and handed it to Yukari who looked surprised taking the weapon in her palms. "Wait a minute here, what! But senpai you need all the help that you can get to win this-"

"Takeba, me and Akihiko are more experienced in dealing with Shadows but you're still new and you've only just awakened to your power…it would be more of a hindrance if you were with us. Please take care of Yuki first, he's an innocent and must be safely taken elsewhere!" Mitsuru ordered as Yukari briefly opened her mouth to protest, however Akihiko gave her a shake of his head the brown-haired girl reluctantly tearing away from the two and ran for the stairs leaving them behind. Meanwhile, Mitsuru glanced worriedly at Akihiko who shrugged off her concern with a look the two making their way up the stairs to where the briefing room was, the two seniors drawing a pistol from their respective holsters.

"Akihiko…" She said dangerously before Akihiko sighed the teenager turning away from Mitsuru while they bounded up the stairs.

"I know, sorry. I didn't anticipate things to go this way-"

"We will be talking about it but only when we make it out of here alive, I will want to hear your report…if it is what I think it is, you'll know what's coming next." Mitsuru spoke tensely making the silver-haired teen sweat faster than he could in his life the two hurrying when they heard gunshots from the floor above them. Both teenagers pushed aside their thoughts for now, the time for battle was upon them.

Yuki woke to the sound of thumping against his bedroom door, the boy shifting his head out of the covers as he groggily tried to orientate himself before the knocking stopped and the door was thrown open. The banging woke whatever sleepiness was left in his body as Yuki jumped Yukari bursting into the room looking ragged and gasping for a bit of air. The boy's eyes were confused, the weapons on her back and hand even more so as Yuki got out of bed slipping into his slippers comfortably before a shake sent him staggering.

"Sorry, there's no time to explain everything but we have to move!"

"Okay." Yuki calmly said when he noticed how distraught the girl was, to ask questions now was going to end in more confused answers as the two raced to the ground floor Yukari leading him around the dining table to an emergency exit door the girl stopping at the door her fingers fishing for the keys. "Come on, where is it?"

"…" Yuki said nothing as the shaking suddenly stopped, the two teenagers briefly wondering what had happened upstairs before Yukari tapped her ear just as the communication line opened up to reveal Mitsuru's voice. "Takeba, are you there?!"

"Yes, what's going on did you guys take care of the Shadows?"

"About that, Akihiko just told me that the ones we've been fighting was not the one following him! Be on the lookout for it, we're held up-"

*Bang!*

"Oh crap," Yukari said as she heard the emergency door suddenly began banging, the girl turning around to face Yuki handing him the rapier which was in her hand to him the boy looking at her for answers only to be silenced by a pleading look from Yukari that told him to hold his questions until later.

"Makoto-kun, we need to get upstairs, now." No longer arguing, Yuki let the girl lead the way as the thumping behind them suddenly turned into a loud explosion rocking the building making Yuki look back just as they had reached the third floor Yukari giving a worried glance as well but soldiered on followed by Yuki who was remaining as impassive as always the two eventually bursting out through the door to the roof on the fifth floor, Yukari locking the door behind them as both teenagers paused for breath Yukari sliding down the door with her back facing the surface while Yuki felt his lung burn.

I've…never run this fast before, Yuki thought as Yukari sneaked a glance around the rooftop letting out a sigh soon after. "*gasp* *gasp* We should be *hah* fine up here," she said almost in relief as Yuki slapped his hand against the wall the sudden burst of exercise had thrown his stamina out of whack, the teen looking at her.

"What…happened back there? What was that danger, the gun..." Yuki spoke his mind swarming with questions as he tried to hold in the breaking dam while Yukari looked up noticing the utterly confused and slightly terrified look on his face while he looked at the green sky. She had anticipated this, there would have been questions since he walked through the dorm doors in the Dark Hour which meant he had been exposed to the environment for a while now and her training the gun on him would have provoked suspicion no matter how many angles you could turn the argument in, there would still be no sense to be so paranoid in getting a gun for defense of the home at least in Japan. Patting her skirt, Yukari found the strength in her limbs to stand up the girl giving him a sympathetic look as she tried to find a topic to begin her explanation.

"Well you've earned the right to ask, we've been keeping a few things low for a while with you." Yuki nearly had the urge to roll his eyes. Yeah, you really hid a lot more than you accounted for already. "Well the thing is that-"

"RRROOOOOOAARRRFGGGHHH!" The inhuman sound interrupted whatever Yukari was planning to explain, the girl feeling a chill run down her spine as her eyes widened at something in the distance as Yuki followed her gaze, the boy feeling his breath hitch in his throat when he noticed something black and abyssal slowly covering the view of the moon with its large mass. Sticks of black, no, hands that carried steel blades were beginning to claw their way upward to the roof a few bare fingers gripped into the concrete as the emergence of a large blue mask appeared out of the mass of black, the creature staring ahead looking around for a second before falling onto Yuki and Yukari an uncomfortable silence falling on the teenagers as Yukari shuddered and shook her body frozen in terror.

"No…that's the creature that Akihiko was talking about?" She uttered as Yuki felt the grip on his rapier tighten while his mind raced, the teen unable to believe what he was seeing in front of him letting out weird sounds as it approached them before a closed fist belonging to the multi-handed creature threw a black blur onto the concrete floor the blur making a groan as it hit the hard floor and overturned in front of Yuki and Yukari the former widening his eyes in recognition at the sight of a head of muddy blonde hair shuffling on the ground, body trembling as a left fist shifted across the concrete with scratches evident on the skin dragging itself to hold itself near the head and knelt upwards slowly, blood dripping down and staining the muddy blonde in coatings of coppery red the figure struggling before it stood up holding onto one of his arms which was clearly broken for support staggering and swaying in the distance all the while the large masked creature stared at its former beaten prisoner as if watching a prey gasping for life.

Yuki couldn't help but let the name slip right from his mouth, Yukari holding her mouth in her hands while watching in horror just as the teen's knees continued to shake staggering as he dragged his feet two steps before kneeling again on the floor nursing the broken arm the teen chuckling wryly as he suddenly perked his head up noticing the two for the first time while Yuki stepped forward his eyes wide. "Felice…san?"

"What's…*cough* up? So...you gonna *gasp* *choke* finish this thing for me or what?"

End