Festivities
Author's notes: This is the next chapter to the story.
Well the Magician Arcana is dealt with, I wanted to give him the resistance to elementals and if he were a boss he would be recklessly using physical attacks without abandon I suppose. Well it is debatable but the guy died before he could show his stuff, thanks Thanatos for that.
This will focus on a small interaction with Felice before it skips to the main story pumping it along.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, but it does owe me 76 hours of my life…my god, what have I become?
Hospital, April 13th
She closed the door to Makoto's room, the girl stepping out with relief in her body language while she pivoted herself and walked down the hall towards the next guest that she intended to visit. For Makoto it was simply to talk with his unconscious self as well as keep an eye on the recovery of the blue-haired rescuer who protected her when she couldn't find the inner strength to bring out her power, she owed something to Yuki for that night. Toying with her cardigan sleeve, Yukari made her way down to the counter on the floor of the hospital the nurse at the small desk looking up to see the approaching visitor, the woman in white folding her arms as her red nail polished fingers brushed aside a pen to fold itself up with its partner hand. "Who are you looking for today, miss?"
"I would like to see where another person from school called Felice is staying."
The nurse seemed to drop her friendly face, the woman releasing a deep sigh as she scooped up the file of patient names perusing the pages while she spoke past the desk which blocked some of her volume, Yukari looking around the halls to see hardly anyone other than one nurse who was entering a ward closing the door in her wake to obscure anything going on within. "Ah yes, the foreigner…it's a rather bad case, I'm afraid. Broken ribs and gnashes on his forehead alongside other external cuts, I was rather shocked that one so young could be harmed like this..."
"Mhm." Yukari offhandedly remarked as she ignored most of her words staring off down the hall seeing a doctor and nurse pair exiting a patients room the doctor taking down notes in his clipboard while the nurse was busy attending to another room, Yukari not needing to wait long before the woman closed her file and took her pen. "Yes, Mr. Armbruster is currently staying at our critical ward which is just down the hallway at the door on the left. I would also advise you do not touch or wake the patient as his broken ribs have yet to be healed and he cannot shift around." Yukari gave a small bow of her head in thanks briskly walking through the hallway stopping short of the door which bore the name of Felice on the nameplate, Yukari pushing down on the lever as she stepped through closing the door behind her as softly as she could so to not make too much noise and wake the patient, the girl taking slow deliberate steps towards the edge of the wall which obscured the hospital bed and its occupant from view.
"Gah, my chest…huh, who's…there?" Yukari halted as soon as Felice's voice cut through the quiet air, his gasp of pain mixed with curiosity at sensing a presence caught her off guard before she stepped out from the wall her hands behind her back as she leaned a little forward in greeting the muddy blonde haired student lying in the bed with the covers to his chin the boy cracking an eye open in surprise at her presence. "Hey…you're the one from…."
"Hey yourself," Yukari replied as she took the seat by the bedside settling herself down on the chair pushing her knees together while her hands clasped one another tightly. Almost immediately Yukari fell into a short period of silence, Yukari inwardly was wondering what topic to pursue which would get Felice away from the brief realities of the world. "Well, I wanted to see if you were okay. You were hurt badly I was surprised you managed to pull through with the injuries you were suffering."
"Hnn." Felice looked to the side before he replied to her statement of concern with a ghost of a smile. "Right, thanks for asking but in all honesty I've never felt better though my chest needs some time to recover, apparently there isn't a magical cure that just heals broken ribs or deep gnashes in a flash…I am going to miss school while I'm here," he spoke while a finger traced the thin wrap of white around his forehead the bandage roughly clipped around his forehead so that he couldn't place his finger underneath, his skin itching under the fabric as he opted to trace his finger on the bandage.
"So besides coming over to see if I'm okay, is there anything you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked as Yukari gave a little grimace while she stiffened in her seat. "What's wrong with you? You're looking a lot stiffer than before, are you sick?" Felice asked as he looked questionably at her, his mind already starting to connect the dots as Yukari shook her head in reply to his question, Yukari stood up pushing the chair back with a loud creak walking over to the window her pink cardigan swaying in the breeze at the sleeves, the room becoming quiet all of a sudden as if the sounds of the world outside was turned on mute as Yukari crossed her hands on the windowsill the girl letting out a deep exhale.
"I know you're a Persona user."
"…"
"You're not going to say anything?" Yukari asked as she felt the air grow tenser than when it first started, the girl turning to see Felice with his head tossing to the right attempting to look away from her as he sorted out his thoughts within. "I didn't see it directly but I only noticed that you managed to move from danger and appear next to me, so I had my suspicions about you and then with the footage from that night was how I knew you had a power like that."
Felice felt his heart sink a little as he spoke. "So now that you know, what's going to happen to me?" He said sadly as Yukari said nothing the girl didn't look back at him while her finger tracing the heart shaped choker caressing the large heart feature in her index and ring, tugging it with the leather band on her neck. "Nothing yet, so far only those who are at the dorm building knows exactly what happened that night and with what you've done, they'll most likely want to talk to you soon."
"No doubt attempting to lure me in with a righteous cause, like so many in the damn world." He spoke bitterly as he saw Yukari bristle, the boy immediately regretting his words when Yukari whispered out the words to him. "Well that's just you talking."
"Well, I wanted to talk about what you witnessed on that night when you woke up too when I said I wanted to check up on you." Yukari admitted as her voice returned to normal, leaning uncomfortably against the windowsill with her back facing the open window, Felice falling into deathly silence while he heard her speak. "I'll explain it since you're awake now, though I wouldn't stress out on the details too much with your condition." Yukari said assuredly as she clasped her hands together out of nervousness as she was unsure of his reaction to such sudden news, "but I guess I can start with what that thing was. What Yuki fought last night was a Shadow though it is the biggest creature we've witnessed for the first time."
"Shadow…" Felice muttered to himself as he sucked his lower lip in thought recalling that rambling tattooed man Takaya for some reason. "I heard that term before from somewhere in fact they give off the idea from their appearances though the masks are some creepy idea."
"Shadows are the terms dubbed to these creatures that roam around the Dark Hour, you know the view of blood and the coffins everywhere? The coffins are part of the transmorgrifying process that humans do to prevent themselves from falling prey to Shadows," Yukari continued her explanation as Felice genuinely was confused tilting his head towards her. "Transmorgrify?"
"Oh right, it's a human defense mechanism acting like a mental and physical shield from the Shadows, thus the coffin. It gives off the feeling that the person is dead in the Dark Hour and so Shadows don't assault them, though once in a blue moon there are instances when the transmorgrification doesn't work at all and the human is left stranded in the Dark Hour, making them easy prey for Shadows." Yukari's words brought back the memory of the couple and the single victim Felice had met during his two months, the teen feeling a little unnerved as he gripped the sheets underneath the blanket. "Huh, so what makes us all special then? Why are we able to walk around in the Dark Hour at all if we're easy prey?"
"Simple, what Makoto-kun did was a power called Persona which can combat Shadows on equal ground. That gun you saw me carrying and him using was an Evoker that helps channel the Persona out from us which was why I didn't want Makoto-kun to interfere with the process then on the rooftop."
"I understand, I was confused for a moment." Felice spoke up as he looked at Yukari the muddy blonde meeting her eyes. "So are you here to simply talk to me about Shadows and the Dark Hour? Or is there something else that you wanted to clarify for yourself aside from me?"
"Huh? No, that's not it…I was just concerned for both you and Makoto-kun, that's all. There's no secret to it," Yukari spoke as she noticed that Felice's neutral expression turning sour the girl waving her hand in front of her as if to push the possibility of deception away from her physical being. "Makoto-kun saved my life and you were just a person who was caught up in all this, I felt that you would needed-no, desired an explanation to what was going on since you were…you know."
"Right, Persona users gotta stick together and stuff like that." He muttered as Yukari let out a small laugh at his slight misery. "Are you always such a downer about things like that?"
"I could say the same when I ask if you are paranoid yourself," Felice returned without a smile as he saw her tense slightly. "But I won't push you too far about that, I'm sure you had your reasons for teaming up…" Felice closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of the pillow and the bed luring him to sleep while Yukari took it as a sign to leave, stepping towards the exit.
"Hey, just one question…" Felice called out to her before she could disappear around the corner, Yukari looking back at him while he looked up at the ceiling voicing out his question towards the large canopy of plaster and wood. "You were so busy speaking to me, but you never told me who you are. What's your name?"
"Oh, right…I was so busy talking to you about Shadows and the Dark Hour that I forgot to introduce myself properly." Yukari said as she gave a light bow of her head. "Yukari Takeba."
"Yukari…" Felice tested the word on his lips, the boy nodding as he committed the name to memory nodding his head in appreciation under the sheets hearing the door to his room close in front of him, Felice snuggling into the sheets to get some rest. "What a sweet tasting name…it almost sounds like a snack or a flower."
April 16th
"Welcome my dear guest." The eyes of one Yuki Makoto opened up as he saw a light flash in his face for a moment before it died away in the dark of the room he was in, Yuki staring out at his surroundings before he went back to the table in the middle of the room. Sitting at the end of the table with his long lanky arms resting on the table by the elbows was a man in a formal suit staring at him with balding white hair and a long nose resting atop his white gloves, the man staring at Yuki who was watching him with both an air of curiosity and a slightly apathetic reaction to this strange environment. "How are you feeling since awakening to your potential for the first time?"
"…"
"I suppose you are wondering where you are, welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor stretched out his hands while Yuki didn't reply the boy's hands placed on the couch's cushioned seat. "This is a dream?"
Igor grinned with a bit of luminescence behind the bulging whites of his eyeballs. "Exactly so, this is a dream and I have summoned you from the land of your own dreams to be here today. In fact this was to formally introduce ourselves to you, and to tell you of our services which we can use to aid you in the course of your journey." A small cough from the side attracted Yuki to the right of Igor before he noticed there was a third occupant in the room besides the man with the long nose.
And Yuki felt his heart stop for a moment as he was struck by the short white hair and alluring golden irises which met his light blue hues of color the sight of a girl around his age stood holding a book in her hands dressed in a blue bell-boy cap and a strange blue stewardess outfit that consisted of nothing but blue aside from the yellow and black circles which supposedly acted as buttons for the outfit while boots stretching over her knees gave the feeling that she was a child despite her age, the teenager blinked once while Igor gestured to the girl with golden eyes. "Ah of course, I was so focused on speaking with you that I lacked the decency to mention my assistant over here…please, introduce yourself."
"Elizabeth, it's nice to meet you." The girl called Elizabeth spoke while Yuki nodded unable to tear his eyes away from her before he turned to Igor who gestured with a wave of his hand. "Well, as I was saying before my manners got in the way, I would like to speak to you about the power that was granted to you through the contract. Do you remember?"
"…Yes."
"Then what you should know is that we as residents of the Velvet Room have no control over what decisions and paths that you open or close, or whatever use you have for your potential unless it violates the conditions of the contract. Please remember this." Igor explained before he stretched out his hand and smoothed the tablecloth over revealing a picture on a card, Yuki looking at the depiction of a man carrying a traveler's gear consisting of a stick and cloth wrapped sack of belongings, a small animal behind it while a zero appeared under the picture. "Have you ever considered what the power of your Persona is? Or how it originates and is projected into that world?"
"I haven't thought about it." Yuki replied stoically, Igor shrugging as he continued. "Well then I'll start with what Persona actually is. The power of Persona originates from what is within you, your soul if you would. What it does in the face of hardships, the actions and the attitude by which you tackle life's problems head on or retreat from them are part of the Persona's power and reflection of the soul. You have the Fool, the arcana that speak of a new beginning or a new road…the zero, meaning nothing yet meaning infinite possibilities that you could choose to derive your potential from and create new possibilities, is that understandable now?"
"I understand." Yuki stated as Igor closed his eyes, the eyelids stretching outwards to cover the bulging balls of his eyes. "Perfect, now for our role as the members of the Velvet Room is simply to assist you by means which normal Persona users would not have access to…but that would be explained for another time, for my role will be told to you when the time is right. As of now, understand this: the power of Persona is present in you due to the bonds that you hold with others, and this empowers Personas to unlock new limitless potential within…so nurture and grow these relationships to better yourself and your power. Now, I'm afraid as time moves on in your world and it is best that we speak another time for me to reveal my role to you."
"Hold on to this," Igor said as he waved a hand in the air a small velvet key appearing in the air to descend above Yuki's head the key falling to rest on the palms of his hands, the student staring at the key while Igor continued. "This key would allow you to access this room and it is the means by which we recognize you as an official contractor."
Yuki pocketed the key inside his hospital pants pocket before Igor gave a wave of his hand. "Now I am afraid time runs short, so we will take our leave…know this, the next time that you arrive in this place, it would be of your own free will. Farewell."
Hospital, April 16th
"Oh, you're awake." Yuki groaned as his eyes opened up to adjust to the change in light intensity, the familiar voice of someone was beside him as he turned to the left seeing pink out the corner of his eye before he blinked the boy trying to sit up. "Yukari…?"
"Relax Makoto-kun, you're in the hospital ward." Yukari said as she took a step closer to his side Yuki's fringe covering a part of his eye while he looked around. "Hospital…" Yukari nodded as she took a seat down at the bedside her hands atop of one another while she cast her eyes down a little at the rails. "Mm, you were knocked out for a week, honestly I was surprised you could even sleep this long and on the third day of school…people are starting up rumors about what happened to the mysterious transfer student from 2-F and the other energetic foreigner from 2-E, you should hear what some of them are proposing as the true cause for both your hospitalizations." Yukari had a wry smile at that one, Yuki staring at her before he shifted in the covers sticking out one of his arms to rest upon the surface of the blanket.
"What do they say?" Yuki asked curious to what imaginative answers the students at Gekkoukan would be spilling as Yukari replied to his answer with a nervous grin. "Mostly about how you guys clashed one night in a fist battle which ended with you two in hospital, only one girl said it was a lover's spat but she was in her own world and also a few others said…uh, that Felice-san was jealous of you, Makoto-kun."
"Jealous?" Are they kidding me, I go away to the hospital due to a monster attack for a week and people come up with that stuff about me and him…what a lively environment we live in, Yuki closed his eyes unable to believe what the others were thinking before Yukari continued her expression darkening with every word. "Jealous because we walked to school together and how Felice-san is a hormonal punk who was obsessed with me, so he challenged you to a personal duel which you did out of love…gah, just thinking about it makes my blood boil! Who do they think they are, saying that we are a couple? Jeez!"
Love triangle? What is this, a soapy drama show? If I find out who's making those rumors in the first place…
"I see." Yuki replied apathetically while resisting the urge to twitch his brow in response to the ridiculous story, Yuki using his newly found energy to claw the bedsheet within. Yukari huffed as she folded her arms staring away from Yuki as she turned slightly red, "H-Hey you better not get any kind of ideas from that story, it's just wild stupid imagination…imagination! There's no way, absolutely no way that we are a couple!"
What am I, a sexual deviant?
Yuki blew a breath over the blanket eventually using his energy to lift himself up from the covers the boy leaning against the wall and the headboard, Yuki breathing a sigh as the memory of that night replayed almost immediately. "By the way, Yukari…"
"Eh? You should be lying down-"
"It's okay, I'm fine. I just wanted to know what that night was all about." Yuki assured as he closed his eyes feeling the laziness prodding him to go to sleep but he resisted the unnecessary urge to just fade off into the distant dream shores while Yukari nodded the girl feeling a little relieved about something when Yuki mentioned that night. "Right, I suppose you would want an explanation too for what you witnessed that night, I did promise you back then that I would tell you when it was over."
"Too?" Yuki questioned as Yukari realized her slip, the girl scratching her head. "Huh, y-yeah…Felice-san was awake before you were when I came by a few days ago and we talked about that night, he seemed like he wanted an explanation for what he saw too. Well, what do you want to know?"
For the next half an hour Yuki asked about the Dark Hour and the Shadows, with Yukari answering each question to the best of her limited knowledge regarding the subject as Yukari had just regurgitated what she was briefed on by both Mitsuru and the Chairman, eventually Yukari finished her explanation and stood at the open window enjoying the breeze which was gently floating inside as there wasn't much wind today Yukari sharing to Yuki that on closer inspection of the footage taken on the rooftop Felice had shown to be able to use a Persona's abilities. By the time she was finished Yuki was already in thought as he mulled over what had been divulged to him, a hand on his mouth.
"I see, so that's what happened. Felice-san is…"
"Mm, I was surprised when Mitsuru-senpai and the Chairman called me in to find out what happened before they showed me the footage of him disappearing into the floor and appearing next to me, Ikutsuki-san was really happy upon seeing that there was one more Persona-user they had missed out. However when I mentioned it to him, Felice-san wasn't happy in the slightest…in fact I think he is rather cautious of us now." Yuki kept silent, the boy couldn't imagine Felice as someone who would pass up a good chance that called for excitement and adventure, at least from his personal meeting with the student. Yukari glanced at Yuki before she let out a suppressed intake of oxygen, the girl looking at Yuki who was in thought about what he was being told.
"Actually I wanted to mention something too besides giving you an explanation for all of that." Yukari immediately felt Yuki's eyes on her while she hesitated momentarily before she continued. "I wanted to let you know that I am in a way similar to you."
"?" Huh, what's this all about all of a sudden, why is she telling me this? Yuki thought as he watched Yukari wring her hands, Yuki having a bad feeling while Yukari continued to talk aware of his change in mood.
Looking at him again to find that Yuki looked at her utterly lost with an expression asking for an explanation, Yukari inhaled worriedly as she wondered how he would take it. "I lost a parent on that day ten years ago, he died in that explosion and so when the Chairman said you were going to be transferred to our dorm he gave us your profile in advance. I read it and knew both your parents died in an accident that day at Moonlight Bridge, to be perfectly honest I was completely guilty about invading your privacy even though it was to understand how you were should you be found with the potential that I spent a sleepless night thinking about it." Yukari admitted truthfully, noticing Yuki's expression darken significantly as Yukari felt horrible inside seeing his visual change like that. "I was guilty, and so I wanted to tell you about it so that you knew something about me than we knowing everything about you.
She looked at Yuki, hearing nothing but absolute silence as Yuki's eyes stayed hidden by the blue fringe that covered his eyes the boy gripping the blanket almost ready to tear it apart before he turned away.
"My parents were a stigma for the duration of my life until middle school," Yuki's voice rebounded around the room softly but his tone was almost uneven, the boy staring at his palm which lay opened on the bed blanket while Yukari watched the feeling of sinking becoming a drowning suffocation. "I spent my early childhood after their death withdrawn to the point that people figured I didn't love my parents enough to care that they had passed on from this earth…depression wasn't even the word to describe me, it was apathy associated with a bitter resentment for my weakened mental fortitude. From that day people didn't see me as the boy who was an orphan and lost his parents to tragedy, they called me the orphan who was uncaring for his parents like I was some horrible kid who wished his parents gone. Is that what you were trying to tell me, that you were going to use my past as an excuse to get me to listen to what your chairman has to say?"
"Makoto-kun that wasn't it, I wanted to clear the air between-"
"If you could have seen me then, I ignored the world as best I could and did my best to fade away from memory of others as quickly as possible…rarely anyone remembered me when I moved on, I had no home…no one to call me 'son'. You lost a parent, you can speak of yourself similar to me, maybe you are but you didn't feel it as much as you claim to have endured."
"Yuki-kun…"
"Tell me what you meant by it then, if you can compare that kind of pain to mine," Yuki hissed out before he calmed down an aching in his throat bringing him pause while Yukari stayed silent her eyes glued to the ground, Yuki released the scrunching grip he had on the sheets while he felt his flash of anger simmering glancing at Yukari who seemed smaller than before he had started to rant Yuki bowed his head as his hands flattened themselves on the sheet an intake sharply heard as both teens fell silent for a moment. "I'm sorry Yukari-san, my parents are a sensitive subject for me…I just snapped out at you without consideration about you feelings. However understand that my past is not something one can just tear out of me and wave it around like a trophy, I already had enough rumors on my back."
"Please Yukari-san, I want to be alone for today. For some reason, I don't really want to see you for now." Yuki spoke coldly while his eyes were lifeless as Yukari took her leave glancing back at Yuki who had resumed sleeping sneaking under the covers, Yukari feeling her mood sour when she closed the door stepping out into the hallway looking down at her watch before she sighed. So much for telling him the truth, I'm pretty sure the recruitment wouldn't be so easy now.
"I should get back, lunch is almost over…"
"Eh, Yukari-san?" Yukari was about to leave the hospital before a familiar voice speaking gruff Japanese called her over to the other side, Yukari turning around to see Felice in his hospital uniform outside of his hospital ward however he wasn't walking towards her at all Yukari hearing the squeaking of wheels and metal clanking over to her before stopping in front of her, Yukari looking downwards at Felice who was smiling up at her brightly his hand removing itself from the wheel at his side to give a salute. "Yo."
Hospital courtyard, April 16th
"Wow, what a great day to be outside and enjoy the season!" Felice happily said as he spun around in his wheelchair using his hands to guide the contraption as Yukari released her grip on the wheelchair handles letting the teen roam free in the garden while a few doctors and patients looked at Felice strangely, his joyful attitude an strange reaction to being hospitalized as the various staff and patients did their best to ignore him while he pushed himself over to the small fountain wincing a little as he did so a hand going to his ribs. "Ow…"
"*sigh* Don't strain your ribcage more than necessary, the doctors would want to check if you were going to defy their recommendations any further than them letting you out for a stroll you know." Yukari groaned as she walked up to Felice and held the wheelchair handles behind Felice, the foreign student attempting to speak in protest before Yukari gave him a glare to keep quiet. "You're still injured, let me help you out."
"Ah, thank you." Felice said reluctantly though he tried to be mindful of her kindness towards him, besides it wasn't any other day that a guy like him would receive a visit from the most popular girl in school much less Yukari Takeba, who had taken the time to see him and Yuki including taking him outside on a stroll around the garden. Yukari watched the scenery while Felice decided to dip his hand into the water stirring it up as he smiled at the cold touch of the water lapping up his skin, Felice turning to address Yukari who was busy staring off somewhere at the garden.
"Hey Yukari, wanna stick your hand inside of the water? It's pretty good when you do it now, it's refreshing," Felice spoke avidly as he splashed the water of the fountain enjoying himself immensely. "Hehe, I wonder…"
Yukari in the meantime had gone over what had happened in the hospital ward room, her focus tore away from Felice who was busying himself with the water fountain no doubt clueless to what had occurred as the brown haired girl recalled Yuki's face when she revealed that they had dug up his past and converted it into a folder that was like blackmail to his face. Yukari had expressed sincere doubts when she had read up on his file that he was the victim of rumors and unfounded suspicions, though that wasn't the only reason why she had objected to them surveying his movements inside of the dorm for the last two days, it was the fact that both the chairman and Mitsuru had agreed to it like it was the normal thing to do to a person even if he would join them in the future. Now that she admitted it, seeing his face as she let the truth out of her then was ringing distastefully to her as her mind began to surface with regrets.
Why did I even tell him about that file? Now he's mad at me for spilling it. That was stupid, why couldn't I just hold onto the lie a lot longer? Yukari thought as she didn't notice Felice cup an amount of fountain water in his palm while he took careful aim and tossed the sprinkle of water at Yukari's direction the girl snapping out of her thoughts as she let out a squeal turning around to see Felice smiling at her while holding up a wet hand dripping droplets of water his fingers tapping the air.
"Hey Yukari, loosen up a little or you're going to get sour-!" He spoke before Yukari dug her hand deep into the water and slid it across the fountain slapping a wave of water out into the air whipping Felice's face and lap with water staining his uniform, Felice blinking just as the water hit his face and after as he registered the face of Yukari who had followed the slap of water with a growl her expression cloudy with irritation towards the sudden splash of water her hair dripping wet. "W-Well Yukari-san…you're really taking this whole splashing business really seriously you know?"
"*sigh* I was just momentarily angry." Yukari said as she folded her arms the wet sleeve of her cardigan staining her other sleeve in her grip. "Don't worry about it."
"Alright, but do you feel better about it now?" Yukari sighed as she shook her head. "Not really, but thanks."
"Okay, well I shouldn't keep you any longer…" Felice spoke while he pushed his wheelchair forward away from the fountain the teenager however didn't plan to return back to the hospital ward anytime soon instead pushing himself off to another corner of the garden while sticking a hand up in farewell to her. Yukari didn't notice as she walked away from the lively garden of the hospital grounds her mind self-absorbed into many things while she took the long road back to Gekkoukan.
With Yuki
Pissed was the least description that he could attribute himself with as he laid in bed fuming, his hopes for a rest in his bed for the rest of the day before release today was dashed with the sudden moment of Yukari revealing that she had looked into his past with other strangers who had access to such information. Yuki had been tossing and turning for the past hour wishing he could just disappear into the sheets and get away from what had been said and done, though the royal flush of memories unsettled him all the more he tried to avoid them.
"Damn file…damn Yukari, damn it all." He muttered like a chant as if the words and cursing would make him feel a lot better just thinking about anything aside from it. Yuki turned to stare at the ceiling his simmering anger cooling down slightly while he tried to shift the focus away from the issue at hand, however being shut in proved to be worse for his mind which had nothing to do, instead turning the instance of anger into a large guilt trip for him the longer he laid in bed.
"*sigh* I should apologize to her when I get back to school." He eventually murmured before a knock sounded against the door grabbing his attention to the hallway of his room.
"Makoto-san? I'm coming in," the click of the door echoed softly as a doctor and nurse entered the ward room, Yuki looking at the doctor who noticed he was awake. "Ah good, you're awake. The nurse and I are going to do a final check on you before we can officially release you from our care. You don't mind if you cooperate, do you?"
Not that I have a choice in the matter.
"Sure."
Less than an hour later, Yuki was released from the hospital and walking out of the main doors his headphones attached to his ears as he drowned out his surroundings with the loud music his azure eyes keeping itself glued ahead, the boy internally deciding not to return to the dorm so quickly as he held out a stack of handouts and class notes with references to textbook pages scribbled helpfully for him. Yuki had to admit, staying up in class to answer questions was a sure fire plan to get you on the teacher's good side as they would be more inclined to guide you toward the path of success, though then again Miss Toriumi wasn't like the other teachers he had in the past who held their own biases towards him in school or overly pitying his loss of his parents to be honest Toriumi treated him like a student rather than letting the words depression and medication get to her head and form ideas about what he was like, that would really have proved to be a rough year had it been so.
Yuki continued to look around Iwatodai as he carried on exploring the roads he had used the last time, the street names evoking a thought that he had been on these roads before in his past like the last visit. Yet none of them provided a hint or even a clue to the previous life that he had in this place before the accident that killed his parents on Moonlight Bridge, even Yuki felt uncomfortable whenever he walked or saw that structure in the distance the damning odor of burning petrol oil and smashed glass appeared in his mind. Shaking his head Yuki took his mind off by sipping the SoBay he bought as a packet of snacks and takoyaki sat in a plastic bag hanging from his left elbow, Yuki appreciating the cool taste of the canned drink in his tongue.
Damn it, Yukari…why did you even have to just bring that up? Yuki thought bitterly as he walked up the stairs to Naganaki shrine, the boy turning to the left towards the bench in the playground to just play the afternoon away with his music track. Yuki suddenly felt a tug on his uniform jacket sleeve, the small force enough to snatch his attention away from his music and follow it instinctively to the source, Yuki facing a little elementary school kid dressed in casual clothes holding a small schoolbag with brown hair tied into two short tails who was tugging at his sleeve eagerly the blue-haired student removing his headphones reluctantly abandoning the music as he looked down at her. "Excuse me, mister."
"Yes?"
"I'm uh…could I, uh…"
*growl* The unnatural noise of a stomach groaning in agony cut all conversation, the young elementary kid beginning to heat up at her face as she bowed her head in both embarrassment and a sign of pleading towards Yuki the smell of takoyaki aroma wafting just out of arm's length from her. Yuki however didn't need further words to convey the message that she was giving with her posture, the blue haired student settling his can on the ground and removed the Styrofoam box from its plastic carrier looking at his takoyaki box which contained six sticks worth of the triple dickered treat grabbing a third and handing it to her.
"Thanks mister!" The small elementary kid immediately brightened up as she began to eat the takoyaki treat as Yuki gave a smile as he walked towards the bench, the boy sitting on the bench as he absent mindedly drank his SoBay, Yuki deciding to not put his headphones back on.
"Hello there," Yuki looked to the side to see a pale man with greying hair and a striped shirt with jeans settling beside him a sketchbook in hand with a stationary set as Yuki shifted to the side.
"Hi." The simple reply was all the young man with greying hair needed to carry on a conversation his eyes seeing the elementary school kid hanging around one of the benches past the playground unable to see them behind the large pole jungle, the man smiling at the girl eating her takoyaki. "I see you met Maiko already, she's very fond of the takoyaki down at Iwatodai station but she never has enough of an allowance to spend it on them. Knowing her she must be playing here to pass as much time as she could until she got hungry."
"You know her?"
"Somewhat, she sometimes spends time with me and watches my drawings while she goes and enjoys herself in the playground. I would too but that wouldn't be looked on in a positive light," the young man said as Yuki nodded, the cases of pedophilia and other predator cases in the towns and cities recently gave another wave of anxiety. Yuki stuck the first stick into his mouth, the student chewing the ball as he felt the smooth texture of the ball sink easily into his teeth Yuki looking sideways at the man before he slid the Styrofoam container over to him. "Want a stick?"
"Ah, I would have to pass on that I'm afraid, much as I want to enjoy it." The man said with a wave of his hand though his expression was wistful. "So what brings you out here to the shrine?"
"To think." Yuki blurted out the words to the man in quick response the student not aware until he saw the young man close his eyes, seeing his smile somehow was a bit of a reassurance to the blue-haired boy as the young man with greying hair nodded in understanding, the man looking out at the grounds of the shrine. "Yes, I do that sometimes…you could say this place is a bit of a thinking ground for me as well. I'm Akinari."
"Yuki," Yuki said as he introduced himself to Akinari, the young man nodding in affirmation. "Hm, that's a rather unique name to give to a boy…"
"Tell me about it, I had girls in middle school wanting me to play dress-up due to my hair." Yuki shivered as Akinari laughed softly the young man breaking into a coughing fit as he shook his head. "Is that so? The girls at your school must have been an interesting bunch," Akinari replied amused, Yuki could tell that Akinari was using the words to downplay the impact as a certain memory of a certain contest appeared in his head.
"…" Yuki kept quiet as he saw Akinari open up his sketchbook, taking out a pencil which began to start on a series of lines on the book. "What are you drawing?"
"Hmm? Oh, I was just sketching something for a project I was working on…it's not even started upon yet but I have a good feeling I could get the idea soon in my head, that is the wish." Akinari noticed the boy's interest as he flipped another page back before handing the sketchbook to Yuki. "Now that I mention it, would you like to take a look at some of these sketches?"
For the rest of the afternoon, Yuki spent the time talking with the pale young man with the girl Maiko finally noticing the two after she had gone to dispose of her takoyaki and dragged Yuki and Akinari to the playground where they watched her energetically enjoy herself with the two of them to help her out. Before Yuki knew it the afternoon had gone by and evening was coming around the corner, the three of them standing at the bottom of the shrine steps as Maiko waved goodbye running into the distance while Akinari warned her to watch oncoming traffic, the man's posture relaxed as ever.
"Well, I need to leave…thanks for staying and playing with Maiko, I couldn't keep up even if I wanted to," Akinari thanked Yuki as he decided to take his leave walking off towards where Maiko had ran off to the young man paused and looked at Yuki. "I'm available on Sundays as my usual schedule, as this was my day off today…if you happen to be by the shrine at that day look me up for a chat," Yuki nodded in reply as Akinari held the sketchbook in his hand waving it in farewell to Yuki before he walked off down the road disappearing from sight, Yuki seeing the man off and turned around.
I am thou, and thou art I…
"!?"
You have our blessings whenever you summon Personas of the Hanged Man and the Sun Arcana…
Yuki stood still even as the words stilled and faded away from view, the blue-haired teen blinking as he tried to register what had happened before a familiar face came to his mind the words coming to him while he turned to see the empty street where the two once were. "The power of relationship…huh," Yuki mused continuing his journey back towards the dorm as the events at the hospital came to mind, he needed to have a talk with someone.
Iwatodai dorm
"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted the new member of the dorm who closed the door silently behind him as blue hair swished in the air, Yuki staring hard at the redhead who began to sense a discomforting feeling as she placed the book she was reading down on her lap. "Is there something wrong, Makoto?"
"My past, how did you get it?" Yuki spoke with an edge of steel thin as a wire into his words, the redhead immediately caught onto what he was talking about as she stiffed crossing her legs over the other while she connected the dots in her head before she replied, recalling Yukari's behavior for the past week and her objections to their monitoring of him days ago coming to mind. "I guess from your reaction that you were speaking with Takeba today, considering how she's been visiting you for the past week since you were asleep."
"Where did you get that folder?" Yuki demanded as his hands usually jammed tightly to his pockets like glue removed themselves the boy opting to stand a distance as he looked right into Mitsuru's eyes a flash of contempt on his expression while the music in his headphones beat softly in the background pulsing through the tense atmosphere. Mitsuru eventually moved, her hands crossing over each other as she thought of what to say to the obviously pissed off Yuki Makoto in front of her gazing like the world was going to burn because of her. "Makoto, we needed your file as we were still unsure of your past. The fact was that we had to determine whether you could function during that Hour, and knowing your past and a connection to the accident that killed your parents stacked up the facts that you could want answers as well as potential due to the accident that night ten years ago."
"So you could use that information to convince me to join?" Yuki demanded as Mitsuru shook her head, the girl could sense years of buried hate and resentment coming from his blue eyes which was very luminescent under the light while he balled a fist. "Was that it, were you using my parents as an excuse to get me to join your little group if I refused your offer or if I resisted?"
"That isn't it, Makoto." She firmly stated as Yuki released his tight grip of his left fist. "Then do clarify for me what you were thinking when you dug up my past. Was it something in there that you wanted to know, to use or since you so deny that what was important that prompted you to do so?"
"It isn't that easy, Makoto." Mitsuru's hands gripped her elbows, the girl standing firm despite the slight change in body language as she kept her eyes focused on Yuki. "Makoto, you like Yukari were at the explosion around ten years ago and Takeba awakened to her potential years later…I thought that it was best to get you back to Iwatodai because of that incident, that perhaps you may find the answers that were on your mind. The chairman was the one who recommended you after he found you, and it was due to that reason I wanted to have you with us…some of us carry a burden which is lengthy and difficult not out of obligation but choice." Mitsuru explained while Yuki felt his anger simmer again, the boy looking away from Mitsuru his eyes refusing to look at her as he turned around and walked away instead.
"Makoto-san, I'm sorry. You understand that you too wanted some answers, I was counting on that to overwrite the decision for your folder to be made public to us." She apologized as he stopped Yuki turning his head slightly as the fringe covered his left eye looking straight at her, Mitsuru finding no words to say as Yuki resumed walking to his room the footsteps echoing into the distance leaving the heiress alone in the living room, Mitsuru's arms resting on the armchair as she exhaled a shaky breath held from the confrontation.
"I'm sorry."
Hospital ward, night time
"…" Felice quietly looked around the place as he snuck out of the hospital door, the teen looking at his watch which was reading near midnight while he gripped his wheelchair the boy counting down the seconds remaining in his head while he heard the quiet shuffling of the nurses out for their daily rounds.
4…3…2…1
Just as he did so, the familiar wave of nausea and misplacement of his body occurred as the Dark Hour came into being the sickly green air and lights overshadowed the walls of the hospital ward, Felice retreating back as he grabbed the door handle and opened the entrance to his room. He poked his head into the hallway noting two coffins near the patient rooms, the teen grunted while he spun the rims of his wheels guiding the rest of his body out into the open space of the hallway.
Hmm, everyone's asleep like normal. I know I shouldn't patrol around the hospital like this…but I can't help but feel something's wrong here, Felice traversed the hallway in the hospital the emptiness sinking in as he noted the elevators in the lobby was out of service preventing him from leaving this floor the teen looking around helplessly. Great of all the floors they could pick for me, they went along with above ground…I honestly would call it a miracle if I live through the Dark Hour alive after all.
"Hmm, well I guess this means I can't go anywhere else right? But I don't feel like sleeping here either…"
"-_-." A childlike voice greeted Felice who turned his head to the right, the teen staring off into the dark hallway where a coffin stood uprooted near the door said entry point halfway open and standing next to the tall unsettling symbol…was a child aged twelve in a dark red coat with golden eyes and a black baseball cap covering his vermillion red hair looking at him with a malicious stare as the child pointed his finger towards Felice who felt his mind freeze in its tracks, the teen hearing the child address him with the most unsettling chuckle he had ever heard in his life.
"-_y_-" the child giggled as Felice felt fear striking his heart the teenager looking creeped out while the child continued to stroke the surface of the coffin with one hand, the child tilting its head at him in mock curiosity.
"The hell are you..."
"-_? -_?" The child laughed as Felice gripped his wheelchair unsure of what to make of the child, the little boy smiling before the child-like appearance began to distort, almost like a droplet hitting the surface of a water, the image revealing an ivory mask with a crown of sharp thorns on its head staring back at Felice earning a gasp of shock from the teen. Felice backed up with his wheelchair almost hitting the wall as a growing mass of hands spread out from the child stepping towards Felice who immediately brought Leto to his side, watching a dark figure rise from the mass of black while the hands retreated to reveal a dark cloudy outline with bared fangs. Smiling the child raised his fingers as a fennel came to his hand, the hound-like being crouching into a pounce before the child sneered the flower rising up in the air, it's visual appearance showing ripples and cracks along the pale white skin of the child while its golden eyes gleamed.
"What the hell?" Felice could only utter when it finally opened its mouth the child beginning to twitch its neck around in short spasms.
"GGGRRRKKKAKKKAKKAKKAKAK!"
End