PERSONA: PAPILLION HEARTS

Chapter 1: Welcome Back To Tatsumi Port Island

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

I opened my eyes, finding myself in the strangest room I had ever seen. I blinked blearily, wondering if I was seeing the right thing. Or maybe I was so tired from all the travel that I was finally hallucinating from fatigue.

I seemed to be in an elevator—one of those old metal cage ones. Behind the intricately designed metallic walls, I could see that we moved rapidly, golden lights flashing as we rushed by. The other walls were lined with cushioned blue velvet, like upholstery, while the floor was covered in thick, plush blue carpet. Lone doors had been arranged in front of the walls on the right and left side of me, some of them covered with deep blue sheets. Directly in front of me was a round table, draped in a deep blue tablecloth. And sitting across from me, behind the table, in an extremely comfy looking chair made of the same upholstery as the walls, was the oddest looking man I had ever seen before in my life.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter."

The man was sat hunched over, making his already incredibly short body look even shorter. He was mostly bald, save for strands of white hair nearly at the bottom of his head. He had thick, bushy black eyebrows, bloodshot eyes that seemed to bulge out of his skull, and a nose so long and huge I couldn't help but wonder if that was humanly possible. He was dressed rather sophisticatedly in a black suit and tie, even with a fancy pair of gloves. What a weird little man… and what a weird place. I had to be dreaming… right?

"Welcome! Gosh, it's been a while since we've had a guest."

Another voice caught my attention. I looked over to see a girl standing on the left side of the weird man. She couldn't have been much younger than me. She was short and petite—shorter than me, even. She had platinum blonde, almost white hair, done in low pigtails that curled into spirals, tied with black ribbons, her bangs curling off to the side. Her eyes were bright gold. She wore a dress the same color as everything in this room—deep blue. It had a long white peter pan collar with black embroidery lining the border, on a poofy deep blue blouse. The blouse had black lace lining the outside of black buttons that went down the middle. A black leather belt with etchings of butterflies engraved on it was bound around her waist. A poofy, almost hoop-like skirt extended down below from the belt, reaching down to just above her knees. The skirt was also that same deep blue, with black lace trimmings at the rim, but it was lined with a sheer black fabric that also had butterflies embroidered on it. She wore black tights and black leather tie-up platform boots with lace on the top. In her perfectly manicured, black nailed hands, she held a thick tome.

"Indeed," the old man chuckled. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Igor, and this is my assistant, Lacey."

The girl, Lacey, beamed and gave a little wave. "Hihi, it's so nice to meet you!"

"...Am I dreaming?" I asked.

Igor gave an amused smile. "At this moment in time, yes. There will be times where we must summon you while you are sleeping. But that is a matter to discuss later. For now, let us focus on the matter at hand—your upcoming journey."

I frowned. While it was true I was currently on my way back to my childhood home, that journey would soon be coming to an end. Unless he meant something else… Something I was not aware of. So much has happened recently…

"Come," Igor said, and with a wave of his hand, a deck of cards appeared on the table, their backs the same blue as the room, with a black mask, "take these cards and shuffle them, then hand them to my assistant."

He wanted to do a tarot reading? I knew about tarot only vaguely. It was one of my Aunt Minako's interests, though she wasn't, like, super into it like some people. It was like a hobby she had on the side. I supposed it was harmless. I reached out to gather the cards and shuffled them like he asked. Then I held them out to Lacey, who accepted them.

"Here, now pick three," she said, spreading the cards out in her hands and holding the deck out to me again.

My gaze flickered back down to the cards. I did as she asked. I ran my fingers along the cards and picked the three that I was most drawn to, just like Aunt Minako told me to when she did a reading for me years ago. Before I left to officially start training to be an idol. I set them down on the table, while Lacey returned the deck of cards to Igor.

With the three cards resting on the table, Igor reached to flip over the first one. It showed a person, all alone, with a knapsack over their shoulder. They stood at the edge of a cliff, looking off into the distance, with a dog at their heels.

"Ah, the Fool Arcana," Igor mused. "Not wholly unexpected, but intriguing nonetheless. The Fool is the arcana of endless possibilities. It is the number zero—the emptiness from which all things begin. Yes, I sense vast potential within you… not much unlike a previous guest of ours."

Lacey's eyes widened. "Oh, you mean-"

Igor shook his head. "The time for that is not now, Lacey."

She winced. "Yes, Master."

Igor's gaze returned to me. "The Fool Arcana symbolizes the beginning of a journey—your journey, honored guest. Whether this journey brings you salvation or ruin, only time will tell."

…I wasn't sure how I felt about any of this. Or if I even felt anything at all. It was so hard to tell these days. I remained silent.

Igor moved on, flipping over the second card. This one displayed a tower, being struck by lightning, as two people fell from it. That wasn't ominous or anything…

"Next, it appears we have the Tower Arcana," Igor said grimly. "It serves as an omen of warning—a disaster yet looms in the future, if it has not already arrived. Indeed, ruin seems to follow your every step."

"But I'm sure everything will be okay!" Lacey exclaimed with a bright smile, clearly trying to sound positive and reassuring. "You have us to help you, after all!"

Help me with what? This really was a strange, incredibly lucid dream. When was I going to wake up?

Igor continued, flipping over the final card. Displayed on this card was a giant set of doors, with the sun above and stairs below. And in the middle of the doors, was a huge skull. Lacey gasped at the sight of it, covering her mouth with her hands.

"...Death," Igor said after a moment. "Perhaps the most misunderstood card of the deck. While it is true that the Death Arcana represents doom and often, physical death, it also represents the cycles of change. This arcana represents metamorphosis and regeneration—much like the butterfly. With death comes renewal and a new chance at life. Yes, great change is coming for you, honored guest—but with this change comes the chance for rebirth… if only you accept it."

I simply looked at Igor. What was new? I was already well acquainted with death. I shouldn't even be alive.

The clock chimed loudly, making Igor look up at it. "Ah, it appears our time together has come to an end. No matter, we will see each other again soon—when the time is right. And when that moment has come, I shall explain what it is that we do here. Until then, rest well, honored guest."

Before I could even consider what he could possibly mean, my vision blurred. I found myself waking up. I rubbed my eyes, disoriented.

Sunday, April 10th, 2039, Waning Gibbous Moon.

Where was I…? Oh, right… the train. I was on my way to my childhood home, where I had grown up… Tatsumi Port Island.

I hadn't been home for three years, since I was thirteen and left to begin training to be an idol. It'd been three years since I'd seen my siblings in person… or any of my old friends. It'd been three years since I last visited my father's grave.

I leaned against my seat and let out a sigh. I wasn't even doing this of my own free will… My thoughts shifted to that fateful day at the studio for that talk show… I couldn't even be bothered to remember the show's name. But when we were on set, live on television, the host began to ask me about my mom. He started talking about how beautiful she was, and of course, how it tied into her unfortunate reputation due to having three children out of wedlock. It began to get under my skin, to the point where I lost my cool. I blew up on live television, going off on the host about how dare he talk about my mom and family like that. I may have some issues with my mom, but I refused to just listen to that garbage. But because of my outburst, there have been consequences. My manager, Alice, worked so hard on my behalf, getting Takura Productions to agree to simply let me go on hiatus to focus on myself instead of letting me go, since I apparently have 'issues'. I also heard that Rise-san played a part in these discussions.

Like, what was I supposed to do? Smile and nod while some random asshole all but outright called my mother a whore? Just thinking about it irritated me.

Scowling to myself, I shook my head and picked up my cellphone to check it. My phone was decked out with a new phone cover that Alice had given me; it was one of her own design. Alice had once been an idol and fashion designer herself, but due to the aftermath of some bad choices she made, she left show business. She eventually came back, deciding to manage idols instead, but still created things on the side. Her fashion line was much smaller than before, but she preferred it this way. She also was very crafty and she made this phone case herself. It was a pink decoden case, decorated with charms of white crescent moons, pink ribbons and butterflies, white bunnies, and even a pastel rainbow. She gave it to me the last time we met before I officially started my hiatus.

I listlessly scrolled through my phone, checking social media. It was all the same. It was always the same. Fans were sad I was going on hiatus. Rumors were circulating about my outburst on television and the 'real' reason for my hiatus. It was the usual nonsense—rumors I had a secret boyfriend, whispers that I'd gotten myself pregnant, following in my mom's footsteps… Some rumors were as outlandish as I was dating another idol. It didn't matter if I tried to shut these rumors down; people would continue to believe them.

I turned off the screen and put my phone away, deciding to look out the window instead. It couldn't be much longer.

"Ladies and gentleman, we are approaching Iwatodai Station," the conductor announced over the intercom. "I repeat, we are approaching Iwatodai Station."

Finally… my stop.

I began to gather my things. Most of my belongings were being shipped to the dormitory I'd be residing in. Because of my mom's busy schedule, she didn't want me to live alone at our house. And my older brother, the only one still in the area, was far too busy with his new job, two year old daughter, and his wife with another baby on the way, to have to take care of me too. But I had a duffle bag with me, full of my most cherished belongings, along with some clothes for the next couple days until I could unpack everything.

My phone vibrated. I checked to see what it was. Oh… a text from my cousin?

Hotaru: hey hey, Sonomi's back in town so i thought i'd make a group chat for all of us!

Ryo: ew, Sonocchi's back?

Toshi: Ry-chan do you have to be so rude? Welcome back, Sonomi-chan

Michiko: oh! welcome home, Sonomi-san :) wait, does this mean you're our senpai now?

Oh… I was taken aback. I hadn't expected Hotaru to create a whole group chat just because of my return. Seeing messages from all my old friends…

Hotaru: Ryo, i'm gonna beat your ass

Ryo: HEY you guys know i'm kidding! welcome back Sonomi, we really missed ya

The scar on my chest itched. I ignored it.

Sonomi: hi everyone

Sonomi: and yes, Michiko, i guess i will be

It had been so long since I'd seen any of them. Too long. I was surprised they seemed so… happy that I was coming home. I'd assumed they'd want nothing to do with me. I had somewhat kept in touch with Hotaru, but the others… I'd neglected.

Hotaru: i know you're gonna be super busy tomorrow with stuff but we def should meet up at school! all of us

Toshi: I agree!

Ryo: yeah let's meet up at the roof after classes end!

Michiko: that sounds lovely, i'll be there!

The roof, huh… I knew that on the roof of Gekkoukan High School, there was a memorial to my father, who had passed away there almost thirty years ago. It was a reminder of how I shouldn't exist, yet here I was…

Sonomi: okay, i'll be there

I didn't care where they wanted to meet. Anywhere would work, but if they wanted to go to the roof, then so be it.

Hotaru: oh btw

Hotaru: Mom didn't tell me their names but i found out you got 2 roommates at the dorm already

Hotaru: we should all hang out sometime!

I fought the urge to sigh. I wished I could be as friendly and outgoing as Hotaru… and not just when acting as Tsuki.

Sonomi: sure

The chat continued on. I followed it, responding when needed. But the next thing I knew, the train was stopping. So, I put away my phone, gathered up my things, and once it stopped, I filed off the train, along with a few other passengers. I stepped out. I tucked in my chin, keeping my head low in hopes that no one would recognize me. I hurried on my way, wanting to get out of public view as soon as possible. It was super late, anyway; the train had been waylaid because of some incident on the tracks.

I made my way through Iwatodai Station. I passed by a display of TVs in a window, coming to a stop when something caught my attention.

"I'm sure everyone has heard by now," an announcer was saying, "but two record breaking idols going on hiatus at the same time is absolutely unprecedented! The official statements from Takura Productions say that Sorata of the popular boy group Yuukan is taking a hiatus for health reasons—and the ever popular Tsuki is taking a break after her unfortunate outburst on Good Morning Japan, claiming she simply needs rest."

My stomach clenched. Of course they would talk about us. Sorata, or simply Sora, as was his real name, was my senpai at Takura Productions. I knew him from before our idol days, though we hadn't been close. I'd been friends with his younger brother, Haruto. Our moms were close friends, so naturally we met.

"Of course, Yuukan themselves are still reeling from the scandal with their late leader, Hiroyuki Mikami. What a sad state of affairs that was."

The other announcer on screen nodded. "As tragic as it all was, idols must follow the rules. No dating, no marriage, and most definitely no children. Mikami broke all of those no-nos. And he brought all of Yuukan down with him. Sorata had big shoes to fill, which he did an admirable job of, but it seems it may have come at the cost of his health."

I scowled. They could talk about it all they liked. It didn't affect them. I didn't know the full story of what happened with Yuukan's Hiro. I'd only ever met him once, in passing. But his death shook all of Takura Productions. Everyone felt it, because he was so well loved. I heard from Haruto that it hit Sora incredibly hard.

Not wanting to see anymore of this bullshit, I took a step forward. But then the screen changed.

"Breaking news, emergency report on the Apathy Syndrome epidemic!"

That caught my attention. I looked back at the TV.

"This evening, at 10:30pm, a young man with Apathy Syndrome wandered onto the train tracks leading to Iwatodai Station on Tatsumi Port Island," the announcer read off a piece of paper. "Unfortunately, the train could not stop in time and the young man lost his life. This is reminiscent of an incident that occurred almost thirty years ago, during the previous outbreak of Apathy Syndrome."

…So that was what delayed my train.

"Tatsumi Port Island continues to be the epicenter of Apathy Syndrome cases," the announcer continued. "Just today, a thousand more cases were reported. This morning, another person previously reported as a victim of Apathy Syndrome was found dead in his own home. The local police are currently investigating the cause of death. They have reported that they have not ruled out homicide."

Chills ran down my spine. I looked around. No one nearby was shambling around like a victim of Apathy Syndrome. I returned my attention to the TV. I had meant to continue watching to see if anything else important was shared. But the screen abruptly went black.

Suddenly, the lighting shifted. Instead of the clear white glow of electric light, everything took a sickly green hue. Confused, I looked up at the sky. The moon loomed above, mostly full, giving off that horrible green light. My skin crawled, goosebumps forming. I looked around. Where people once were now stood strange coffins. Puddles of red liquid lingered on the ground. The scar on my chest began to ache.

What… was this? I must really be hallucinating from fatigue now.

I adjusted my duffle bag's strap on my shoulder. And I continued walking to the dorm.

The weird green light, coffin, and blood puddle hallucination remained. But I made it to the dorm with no issue. I retrieved my key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. When the door clicked shut behind me, I was plunged in darkness. Frowning, I took out my phone to use the flashlight. Hotaru said I had roommates; I supposed they could be asleep already. I searched for a light switch, only to find that it was already on. Was the power out here, too? Or was it simply my hallucination? Well, I supposed it didn't matter. I needed to get to bed. Hopefully some sleep would do me some good.

I heard the creaking of stairs, and then a loud voice shouted, "HEY! What the hell are you doing?"

I immediately turned my flashlight to the source of the voice. Immediately, the person who yelled at me squinted and waved his hand to move the light away. I did so out of politeness, aiming the beam of light at the floor.

"What the hell, your phone works? Mine stopped working as soon as the moon went all weird."

…Wait.

He could see it too?

I finally snapped to attention, focusing on the person in front of me. He had to be around my age—sixteen or so. But he towered over me. He was kind of scrawny, but somewhat broad shouldered, like he was finally beginning to fill out to fit his height. He had curly ash blond hair, slightly parted to the side, with his bangs falling into dark gray eyes. He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't remember where from. He wore a black sweater under a long black coat, dark blue skinny jeans, and black leather oxford shoes with red socks. He was kind of cute, I guess.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Who am I? Who are you?" He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. He seemed to study me, but not in a malicious or uncomfortable way. "...Wait. Sonomi Arisato?"

I immediately flinched hearing my full name. "...Yes."

Weirdly enough, he seemed to relax. "My aunt Makoto told me you'd be one of my roommates. Akio Amamiya, by the way." He cracked a smile, his demeanor shifting. "No need to worry about me being one of those crazy fans or something. I could care less about idols, honestly."

Akio… Amamiya…

"...Amamiya, as in the prime minister?"

"Aw, man." He immediately made a face. "Why does everybody have to point that out? It's always, 'oooh, your dad is the prime minister', not 'oooh, Akio, you're so tall and handsome'."

I just stared at him.

"Wow, you are really unimpressed," Amamiya stated, looking, well, impressed. "But yeah, my dad's the prime minister. We've got some real celebrities in this dorm. The other guy-"

"Hey, is everything okay?" I heard a familiar voice call down as once again the stairs creaked. "I heard yelling."

We both turned towards the stairs. I carefully aimed my flashlight to see who it was. My eyes widened as I immediately recognized who it was.

"Sora-senpai?"

I'd know Sora Narukami anywhere. He was a couple years older than me, turning eighteen this year. He was taller than I remembered; he stood taller than Amamiya by several centimeters. In fact, he was a lot more… everything. Taller, broader—more like an adult. His auburn hair fell into his brown eyes, the back spiked out, probably kept in place with gel. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, with a red button-up shirt underneath, the first few buttons undone, black skinny jeans, and black lace-up boots. A white scarf was draped over his shoulders.

I felt my face heat up for some inexplicable reason.

As soon as he noticed me, his eyes widened too. "Sonomi?!"

"Aaand Akio!" Amamiya laughed. "Looks like we're all here."

I ignored him. "What are you doing here, Sora-senpai?"

"Oh, well…" He reached up to rub the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "Folks thought it'd be good to get out of Inaba for a bit, so here I am, for my hiatus. They thought some fresh surroundings would do me some good."

Amamiya raised an eyebrow, looking between us. "You two know each other, eh?"

Sora looked over at him. "We both work with Takura Productions, and our moms are good friends, so yeah."

"Huh." Amamiya shoved his hands into his pockets, before giving a slight shrug. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"You shouldn't," I said flatly. "Your father is the prime minister and your mother is a fashion designer."

He let out a groan. "Again with the reminder of my old man's job."

Sora coughed, fidgeting. "Uh, well… we all can see the creepy green moon, right?"

Amamiya sighed in exasperation. "Unfortunately."

"It would seem so," I said.

Sora pulled his phone out of his pocket. "All electronics stopped working when it showed up. My phone, too."

"My phone's not working either," Amamiya said.

"Mine is," I said, taking it out and turning on the screen. "It's… midnight."

Akio let out a sigh. "Well, no use staying up to wait for the power to come back on. Damn, this is annoying."

I gave a slight shrug. "I'm going to bed, then. I've been traveling all day." I glanced over at Sora. "Good night, Senpai."

His eyes widened. "Oh, night! Hope you sleep well."

Amamiya pouted. "What, no good night for me? I see how it is."

I simply looked at him. Then I headed for the stairs.

"Damn," I heard him say behind me. "Straight up ignored. The sweetheart Tsuki isn't so sweet in real life, huh? Not surprised, but damn."

I easily found the room that was supposed to be mine. It was the bedroom at the end of the hall on the second floor, the one filled with all the boxes. Seeing all the work I had to do tomorrow, I let out a sigh and walked over to the bed. It was a simple enough set up. The bed had a pink quilt on it, pushed against the far wall in the back, with a dresser behind it that had a lamp. A wooden television stand with three shelves had an old flatscreen TV on it. On the wall to my left were three windows with pink curtains. In front of the middle window was a desk with a lamp and a small little book shelf. To the left side of the door was a sink with a cupboard beneath it, a mirror on the wall above it, along with a towel rack. Next to the sink was a minifridge.

I noticed a package sitting on the sink. I walked over to take a look and found a note attached. Picking up the piece of paper, I used my phone's flashlight so I could read it.

Welcome home Sonomi-chan!

I'm sorry we couldn't be there in person to welcome you home! But your Uncle Akihiko and I put together a little care package for you to help you settle in. We got you some towels and other toiletries. You still like sakura-scented things, right? I picked out some nice body wash and lotion for you! And all the towels are in your favorite color.

We may not be able to take you in, but you're always in our thoughts and prayers. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask, okay? If anyone gives you a hard time at school, please let us or Shinji and/or Fuuka know. We'll take care of any problems that surface, so just focus on resting up.

Love you lots! And please enjoy the sweet shop gift card, I know you love that place~

Lots of love,

Aunt Mina

I stared at the note. I… hadn't really expected this either. I suppose I should have. This was very like my aunt. I decided to check out what they'd gotten me in the morning. Fatigue was really beginning to catch up on me. I rummaged through my duffle bag to find my pajamas and changed into them. I took a moment to wash my face and brush my teeth.

When I crawled into bed, I realized I was missing something. I quickly got back up and retrieved my pink rabbit plushie. I couldn't go to sleep without Usa-chan…

I curled up in bed, hugging Usa-chan. Right as I closed my eyes, I noticed the clock flicker back on, still saying midnight. Odd… But I drifted off asleep before I could think too hard about it.

well, hello again! it's been a while since i've posted anything on here oof

about 8 years ago or so, i wrote a second gen fic called "Reaching Zenith" (which is still up but it makes me cringe). i never finished it but i always intended to go back to the characters to write their story. and, after years of taking a break and developing it, changing some things, adjusting to P5 and such, this new story is the fruit of my efforts

Papillion Hearts is a second gen fic featuring fankids from P3, P4, and P5 with some references to P1 (and maybe P2 but i haven't played that one)! it is heavily focused on P3 and its themes, so this story is dark in nature and will be covering some difficult subjects. i will warn beforehand: there WILL be references to suicide/suicidal attempts/suicide ideation/other mental illness. it won't be all doom and gloom though, i promise

thank you so much for reading and i hope you stay tuned

oh, and happy birthday to Sonomi- today, January 31st, 2023 is the exact day she would be born! also happy P3 Doomsday~