Chapter 4: Another Ordeal
5/1/09 -Early Morning-
It's been more than a week since Ichigawa Kyouji died. The S.E.E.S. dorm seemed to be affected slightly by the death. It seemed to put a sinking fear of Tartarus in them. No one talked about the incident though. It just felt as though his presence disappeared. Then again, we all did not even know him. Still, it was disturbing that no one was that much concerned that someone died. Then again, what merits me proof that he did not die, but instead was logged out of the game and returned to life?
During this period, we have come to learn things. Those creatures in the dungeon of Tartarus are called 'Shadows' and are this RPG's basic enemies. I, myself learned that I had more than one Persona. I had two: Orpheus and Pixie. When did I acquire this Persona? Was it when I went to Tartarus two weeks ago? The developers notes released for the month of May claimed that an 'incident' was about to take place. What does that mean?
In any case, I arrived at the school. The May weather was slightly warmer than April. The heat felt almost real, I nearly believed it to be Japan's spring. The cherry blossoms were blooming and were cascading down in front of the school. I still had an unusual sense of distrust. Something was about to happen, but what? Is it another incident like when we first began the game?
As I thought these thoughts, I unknowingly met Hasegawa Nanami.
"Mornin', Yahiko-kun. It's getting warmer, huh? Then again, it's May in-game," She spoke.
"It's amazing how time flies, right?" She asked.
"I guess." I said, looking straight ahead.
"A lot of things have been going on…First we're stuck in the game…Then people without 'strong minds' or whatever are forced to become NPCs and then…Ichigawa…And we can't avoid it either. If we don't go to Tartarus…Who knows what will happen…"
"…I've got you all's back." I said, looking away to my left.
-After School-
Hajime and I were chatting casually when Nanami walked over.
"So…when are we gonna go to the police station?" She asked.
"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Hajime said.
"You don't know? The police station is where weapons can be bought. We got a decent amount of money from those treasure chests…Maybe we can get some from there."
"You still wanna go in that place? After what happened? Well…screw it, I'll go." Hajime said with resignation.
"I think the Higashiyama twins, Eri-chan, and Kanami-chan will come with us." Nanami said.
"What about Tsu-, Hinata?" Hajime asked.
"Nah…What's wrong? Can't say Tsukatani?" Nanami asked.
"It's…complicated…" Hajime said.
We left the school and quick traveled to Paulownia Mall.
"There's Naohiro-kun and Asuka-chan right there." Nanami said as we spawned in the wide open mall area. Damn, this place is huge. Ah, I see, this was the place we were warped to where Shinichi Shizuoka gave the tutorial. Paulownia Mall had multiple fountains and benches and many stores. From what I could see, there was a coffee shop, an accessory shop, an Antique shop, a pharmacy, a club, and an Arcade.
"Ooh, maybe we should look around~!" Nanami said, gazing around at the various stores.
"In your free time, maybe. For now, let us meet with those two." I said, emotionlessly and began walking in their direction.
"Hey." Asuka said quietly.
"How's it hangin'? Huh, no Eri or Kanami?" Naohiro asked.
"Well, now that I think about it, we didn't stay and wait for them…Ah, crap, should we go back?" I asked.
"Nah, they could just go to the dorm if they wanted to…Since we're all here, let's go in."
And so we did and when we entered, there was a boy and a girl talking to a stern-faced man who was behind what appeared to be bulletproof glass. "Here you are. Thank you."
They looked similar, facial wise, but everything else was a contrast. The boy had orange-red hair down to the nape of his neck and had light brown eyes. Those two combinations are odd for a Japanese person…Is he mixed with foreign blood or is his hair dyed?
The girl on the other hand had long black hair and light blue eyes. She gave off the presence of coldness. She was pretty but her skin was pale white. She talked quietly to the boy next to her. They both wore the Gekkokan uniform. "..ri…Can I look at it…?" She spoke.
"Sure, I'm gonna look at mine too." He said, louder than her.
They both went to their menu and selected something and weapons spawned in their hands. The boy had a one-handed sword that was around the length of his body. The girl spawned a rapier into her hands. "…teach me, remember?" The girl spoke. I couldn't hear what she said before that portion.
"I will, I promised, didn't I? Let's get going." The redhead said.
They turned around and looked at our group. The redhead's cheerful face turned to anger and mild disgust. He stared at me with complete hatred before walking towards the exit. He stopped and held the pale girl's hand. That gave me time to scan them. Can anybody else see his or her names and Personas as I can? Or is this just a part of the fool's special ability?
The redhead's name was Aozora Akari. Level seventeen, damn, none of us got that high yet. His Persona was Amaterasu. Amaterasu…the sun goddess? Like…Izanagi's Amaterasu? Isn't that like…mocking religion and considered heresy? No, wait, they're legends and myth. His Arcana was the Sun…As fitting as that sounds, what does the Sun stand for? I should ask Hinata when I get back.
The pale girl's name was Aozora Tsukiko…With a name like "Tsukiko" I can assume that- Oh look, her Persona is Tsukiyomi, the moon god. Her Arcana was the moon. Level sixteen.
They walked out holding hands.
"I love you, Akari-nii-sama…"
"I love you too, Tsukiko-nee…"
Their heads got closer and…they kissed. It was not on the peck on the cheek, no; it was on the lips.
The kiss lasted for around thirty seconds. With every passing second, the kiss became more and more passionate. I saw something pink within the kiss. Is…is that…tongue? After around thirty seconds or so, a black bar with white text stating "Ethic Code Warning" appeared in front of their eyes. Their lips released each other, only to leave behind a long trail of saliva connecting both of their mouths before it broke and fell on the ground. The redhead looked back at us…no it was more like me; smiling, before they walked away with hands held.
"…What the hell...?" Naohiro asked with a shocked expression on his face.
"Dude…that was…kinda…hot." Hajime said.
"Did they just call each other brother and sister?" Nanami asked, biting her lip.
"Incest…in the game…? You think…it's allowed?" Asuka asked.
As Asuka and Naohiro are brother and sister, moreover, twins, we all unconsciously looked at Naohiro after Asuka asked that question. He noticed and then looked at his feet but then shot me a look that I think Nanami noticed because she looked at me right after.
"Hey, remember what we came for." I said as I walked to the counter.
"Hello Persona users. I know what you're here for." The stern man said. Above his head said:
Vendor: Officer Kurosawa, specializes in weapons
Our lead was apparently right on the mark.
A list appeared in front of each of us.
"You're here for weapons, right? Pick one, and make sure you have enough yen." The stern Kurosawa-san said.
I selected a one-handed sword and paid one thousand yen, leaving me with one thousand and sixty two left. Meanwhile, Hajime picked up a two handed sword. Asuka purchased a rapier and Nanami bought a bow.
"Hey, what about the others at the dorm? Won't they need some weapons, too?" Asuka asked.
"Well…I suppose. Let me think…"
"Well, I don't know about Nishiki, but since he has so many N's in his name, get him a naginata. Um, for Ishida, a bow since he was always thinking he was that Ishida from that one manga…Kanami, well I believe she has to stay at the safe zone on the first floor. Hinata seems…more battle oriented than she is, I would say since her gives off a more extravagant personality, I would assume a rapier for him. Eri…well she and I were on the Kendo club in middle school, so a one handed sword seems appropriate. Shiori…she's a wild card to me. They have guns here, maybe she should be the only one who should wield it since her Persona resists pierce. In the event that she does accidently shoot herself in the head, she won't die…"
"You know Eri and Ishida?"
"That…that makes sense…A lot, actually. Except, the one thing is off with your statement: there is only one gun that looks like the evoker. It's the Albireo gun. Other than that, from reading the descriptions, they look to be rifles and grenade launchers." Asuka said.
"Oh, my mistake," I said. "I can assume we all have extra yen left over, right?" Therefore, they did and we bought weapons for our party members…We sold it at double the price to them, though…
5/2/09
-Early Morning-
As I walked through the gates of the school, I heard a pair of girls talking about something. I believe they were the same girls I heard talking that one day before. I wonder if it's anything trivial.
"Golden Week starts tomorrow. Have you got any plans, Suzutsuki-chan?" Wait, before, didn't she call her –san?
"Eh…not really, Arisu. But I'm not gonna miss tomorrow's show!" The listening Suzutsuki said.
"Oh! You mean Tanaka's show, right? Whenever I hear his jingle, I can't resist buying something…I never miss it on Sunday afternoons. I'll probably run out of yen!" Arisu said.
The first bell had rang.
-After School-
After school, I went exploring Iwatodai thoroughly. In my exploration, I found that there was a strip mall near the shrine. On the bottommost floor, there was a bookstore there.
'Might as well kill time in there…' I thought to myself.
When I went in, I saw an old couple in the back behind a counter. They saw me.
"…Welcome to Bookworms." He said.
"How many guests? Smoking or non-smoking?"
"Hm? Excuse me, but may I see that leaf in your hand…" He kept talking.
A leaf spawned in my hand…It didn't look like it came from a tree native to Japan. Then again, this game does take place in the past. Wait, who's leaf is this and how did I get it?
The old man is interested in the Persimmon Leaf.
Would you like to show it to him?
The dialogue box said.
Another appeared presenting me choices.
-Show it to him
-Don't show it to him
I tapped the first and the old man spoke again.
"Oh! Is this a leaf from that persimmon tree? It must have grown quite a bit to produce such splendid leaves…Wait, so you didn't come here to buy books? Did you come here just to show us this?"
I was presented with two more choices. One positive; one negative.
-"That's right."
-"Um, no…"
I spoke saying the second option.
"Nah-uh, I don't believe you. I knew right from the start that you're a kind young man!" He showered me with praise. How would you know when this is my first seeing of you? Is he an NPC?
"I've been meaning to go see that tree for a while now. But I'm not sure if these stumpy old legs will make it that far…"
Was that a pun?
"…That wasn't meant to be a pun. You know, "stumpy," "tree stump." Catch my drift?"
"Very clever, dear." The old woman said in the back.
"Allow me to introduce my wife Mitsuko. I'm Bunkichi. If you don't mind, would you tell us your name?" And I did. "So your name is Yamamoto Yahiko…Then, we'll call you Yacchan from now on!"
The dialogue box appeared again.
Bunkichi and Mitsuko seem happy you told them about the persimmon tree. You got to know the old couple a little better.
…!?
At that moment, my vision of the store darkened and a loud glass-breaking sound rung in my ear.
A mysterious voice rings in your head.
And so a voice did, a deep one, just like when I first summoned Orpheus.
"Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hierophant Arcana…" It spoke.
A card appeared in my vision. It was blue with a large arrow in the dead center. A rounded triangle was over it. On the topmost part of the card were two keys one pointed up while one pointed down. The card went into my chest.
You have established a new Social Link!
It's getting dark out.
"We're open every day except Sunday. Come visit us if you get bored."
After saying goodbye to the two, you decide to go back to the dorm.
…I'll have to steer away from those two…What are these 'Social Links'? Are they another one of the fool's benefits?
-Evening-
When I arrived at the dorm, Hinata, Hajime, Nanami, Eri, and Naohiro were in the lounge sitting around the table. The students who were turned into NPCs seemed to walk around the dorm and sometimes start conversations with each other. I wonder about the people who didn't want to go into Tartarus…Do they know what we do?
"Sup, Yamamoto? We got a three-day weekend starting tomorrow! I tried to holler at some females if they wanted to hang but only dudes wanted to hang…Dude, I don't want a polish party…" Hajime said.
"I do not mean to interrupt, but you should be aware that midterms are coming. Remember, in the event that you fail, there is a chance you will be turned into an NPC. You are a valuable member of the team, so we cannot afford to lose you. Please use your time wisely." Hinata said.
The majority of the lounge sighed loudly. Even the NPCs did such.
"Hey, you know those kids we saw yesterday? They're in me and Asuka's class. They tongue down each other in there too and the teacher doesn't even notice!" Naohiro said.
"Gross…that's…Just gross." Nanami said.
"Yesterday…? Who got tongued down?" Eri-chan asked.
"It was some dude and his sister! His sister even called him –sama!" Hajime said.
"Do you think they were NPCs or a part of the game?" Hinata asked.
"No, they have Personas and were purchasing weapons at the Police Station." I interjected.
"How…how do you know that?" Hinata asked, seeming surprised.
"I can see people's arcana, Persona, and level. Can't you?" He shook his head a no.
"Maybe it's another one of your special abilities." Hajime said.
"But damn…that was freakin' weird…The officer didn't even say nothin' about them kissin' either. I guess he's one o' those NPCs too." Naohiro said.
"…It was hot though." Hajime muttered.
"That's creepy, Hajime." Uemura Shiori shouted from the kitchen.
"You-You heard that?!" He cried.
~Dark Hour~
I lied on my bed reading the developers note. Unbeknownst to me, the world changed color. It tinted green and eerie. My room seemed darker than usual.
"Hi, how've you been?" A light voice said.
I jumped off my bed and backed against the door.
It was a boy wearing striped pajamas sat at the edge of my bed. No, that's no boy, that's Shinichi Shizuoka. He chuckled with his child-like voice.
"What…the hell? Shinichi…Shizuoka!" I became enveloped in rage that consumed my confusion. In an instant, I spawned my sword and evoker. "Hajime! Prepare for battle!" I shouted.
"What kind of welcome is that? Besides, he can't hear you," The boy suddenly teleported to Hajime's bunk on the top. He swung his legs.
"This is a separate instance of your dorm…essentially, not your dorm. But it's still in the game, though. It's like you have two dorms…Hey Yacchan, wanna know why I'm here?" He said, grinning. His eyes glowed blue in comparison to the green around us.
"NO! I'm going to kill you! And…And put a stop to this…!" I shouted and bit down hard.
I put my evoker on my left temple and pulled the trigger. "Orpheus~! Agi!" I shouted.
A fireball came from the spectral being's lyre and shot toward Shinichi Shizuoka. He stuck his hand out and the fireball disappeared and became nothing. I stood there dumbfounded but then I regained my composure and threw my sword at him. It pierced his chest and was stuck there. He kept speaking.
"One week from now, there will be a full moon…Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you."
The sword slid out of his chest and fell onto the floor with a loud bang. It left behind a gaping digital hole in the child. "Why won't you die? What's your purpose for this game? Tell me!" I shouted.
"No use yelling, it's beyond your control…Now can we discuss this…Ordeal?" He seemed to be smitten on this 'ordeal' thing.
"What…kind of ordeal are you referring to?" I asked, still clutching the evoker. Orpheus disappeared into my body.
"You will encounter one of them." He hinted. He did not outright say what 'them' is or are.
"You must prepare for the ordeal, but time is of the essence. I'm sure you're aware of that, of course." Shizuoka disappeared and reappeared at the foot of my bed.
"I'll come see you again when it's over. Goodbye for now. Oh, hey, actually, I have something else to tell you. Somebody in your little band is missing…Who is going to play the piano now? Good luck next week, Ya-hi-ko-kun."
Shinichi Shizuoka disappeared. For a split second, I could have sworn that I saw that Persona that I summoned…Not summoned; the one that split Orpheus in half and beat that shadow in the tutorial phase of the game. Full moon, is that like an event in the game? Now that I think about it…Wasn't that time last month when I fought that big Shadow had a full moon?
-5/9/09-
It's been a week after I encountered Shinichi. During Golden Week, the team and I took our chances with Tartarus. We only went to the floors that we have already visited and steered clear from any bosses or red Shadows. I have not told anyone about me meeting him or of this "Ordeal". But is it right for me to keep it away from them? It seemed like it was specifically meant for me as their leader. Regardless, I have to prepare for this "Ordeal". When I arrived at the school, I met Naohiro at the gates.
"Hey, Yamamoto. How's it goin'? You been trainin' at Tartarus?" He asked.
"Not at all…Why?" I asked. It seemed odd because it was as if we all swore off Tartarus after Ichigawa dying.
"…It might be just me, ya know…I feel like somethin or someone's missing…It's not that guy who died…It feels like someone we know…I can't really get these damn words out but you know what I mean, right?" He asked with his rough voice.
"I think I understand…" I said as we walked through the doors of Gekkokan.
-After School-
A text box appeared in front of me as I turned to face Hajime.
There will be a full moon tonight. It is the day you were forewarned about. You wonder if something will happen. You should probably head back to the dorm just to be on the safe side.
I was teleported to the dorm and everything faded to black.
When I awoke, it was the Dark Hour.
-Dark Hour-
A loud noise had I awoke me, I believe. It was an alarm of some sort. Or maybe the game preset me to awake at that time. Either or, the alarm woke Hajime and I up. We proceeded to the fourth floor and entered the room where we received our evokers.
"We're here! What's going on?" Eri shouted.
"Where is it, I'll take it out!" Tanamura Ishida said.
"I've detected a Shadow outside of the dungeon, Tartarus…I don't really know for sure, but it's possible that we've got another large on our hands. We have to destroy any of them we see, and as quickly as possible before the Dark Hour ends. The NPCs are not aware of the Dark Hour's existence. However, if they are killed, there will be trouble, for the game, and in the real world. That can't happen." Hinata said.
"In other words, we have to take some out? I needed some training, anyways." Nishiki said, adjusting his glasses… Where did he find those?
"Sigh…Nishiki-Senpai, this isn't a game…" Ishida said.
"I want everyone to go on this mission…Yamamoto-san, you're in charge." Hinata pointed to me.
"Him again…?" Ishida muttered.
"We're counting on you, Yamamoto." Hinata spoke.
"Why me, again?" I asked.
"Who cares? They chose you, right? It's always like that…" Ishida said, louder.
"Ishida…?" I looked at him in the eyes…I…need to talk to him.
"Looks like you're stuck playing leader again just like when we were kids…You and your terrible luck." He said with obvious jealousy in his voice.
"There's no time for this now. Where's the Shadow, Hinata?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Iwatodai Station…I think it's on the monorail! There are also people nearby. Not NPCs but maybe other Persona-users…We should make haste and back them up."
"Let's do this now…For this operation, I select Nanami, Hajime, and…Ishida. Naohiro will lead the second squad...with Nishiki, Eri, Shiori, and Asuka. Damn, are we missing someone…? Whatever, let's begin."
We quick traveled to the station and walked along the tracks. The tracks were covered with various burgs and pillars of ice. It felt like winter even though it was spring. Hajime slipped and fell on his back, cracking the ice underneath him. "Are you okay, Shima-san?" Ishida asked.
"Don't worry about 'im, that always happens, he's me and Yahikkun's comic relief, ya know?" She said.
"Oh, I see." Ishida said.
A black mass crept behind Asuka and it touched her. She screamed and pulled out her evoker.
"Castor!" Her persona was a humanoid being wearing black riding a metallic black horse. The black horse had but one leg. It was has large as its body. Asuka's persona thrust its body through the black mass and it split apart into four of the same Shadows. More masses crept.
"Yahiko, you all take on the big one, we'll join you when we're done!"
"Gotcha, Naohiro!"
"I understand that you all have split up, correct? In any case, the monorail is approximately 200 yards from your position. Be aware that ice covers the tracks. If any of you fall off, you will land in an ocean of blood. Be careful." Hinata's voice rung in our heads.
"Where are you, anyway?" I asked.
"At the station, I can't fight and help your team at the same time. Hey, do you see people?" He said.
"No...Huh?" In the distance, I saw faint blue cards scattered across the ice near the monorail. I sped ahead of the other three and picked one up. "What is this, a Persona?" I asked.
"My radar is showing that this is a person…Maybe…" His voice trailed off.
"The dorm who was here…" I picked up the other three cards.
"Yamamoto-san, I think whatever you picked up might be people…or what's left of them."
The cards broke and went inside of me.
"What happened?" He asked.
"I think I just stole a dead person's Persona…"
"Huh…?"
We arrived the train and halted. Ishida and Nanami took out their bows while Hajime took out his two handed sword and I took my one handed sword.
"Why do you need something so heavy, Shima-kun?" Nanami asked.
"For the ladies, duh." That idiot said.
"We're the only ones who can see you, and we probably wouldn't go for…Actually, that Shiori girl seems to have a thing for you." Nanami said.
"U-Uemura-san has a…? For me…?" Hajime stuttered.
"Cut the chit-chat and focus. We're here. Climb the ladder and get inside."
Nanami decided to climb first. She gave us a front row view of what was underneath her skirt. Ishida looked away while Hajime focused. I stared too, but not because of Hajime's reasons. I stared because I really can't tell what she's thinking.
Ishida climbed, Hajime, and then finally I did as well.
The train's insides were very narrow. It didn't seem fit for a party of four.
"The Shadow is at the other end of the train, begin the operation." Hinata said in our ears.
Nanami got closer to me while the other two surveyed the scene.
"Hey, you saw it, didn't you…? You know...But don't worry, I won't tell anyone~." She said and poked me on my left cheek. I felt her soft finger and her fingernail scratch my face. It was…a slightly pleasing sensation. I stared at the entrance we came through while she did it. Something felt odd about the entrance. The temperature began to drop as I watched. Something is off, just what is it? Think, darn it! Then it hit me.
"Hey, you all. Don't you think it's odd? We're not at the station. In fact, we're in the dead middle of the track and the train's right here with the doors wide-."
The door that we came in suddenly closed with a loud bang as frost began to appear on the windows of the train.
"What…What?! Dude, we're trapped! It's getting colder too…What is this…?" Hajime exclaimed.
"Trapped? There's no time to wa-, defe—the Shadow before-." Hinata stopped speaking.
"Hinata? Hinata!" I shouted while looking at the ground.
Ishida gritted his teeth, looked at the floor, and then ran off to the other end of this part of the train. He entered the door and ran off. "Ishida…Ishida!" I shouted but he ignored me. The temperature got lower and lower…The air seemed to weaken me…It felt worse…It stung my skin…It hurt.
"Why does everyone want to be the hero? First, Ichigawa, and now Ishida? Let's follow him and make sure he doesn't slow us down." I said and walked over to the door with evoker and sword in hand. A shadow in the shape of a woman's head with a tiara on its head dropped down from above me. Using my one-handed sword, I stabbed it in the eyes. It did not die, however. My sword was stuck in it. I tried to pull it out but it would not budge. With a thin whistling sound and a sudden piercing noise, the Shadow was defeated.
"'I've got you all's back' was what you said that day, right?" Nanami said, smiling.
"Thanks..." I said before walking into the next train-car.
After we all walked in, the door closed behind us. We saw Ishida running into the next room.
"Ishi-! Ah, screw it." I said. The instant his door closed, we heard a loud noise from the tip of the train.
"What was that?" Hajime asked.
"Sounded like an engine." Nanami inputted.
"Wait…you couldn't possibly mean…"As I spoke, I saw Tartarus moving from the window nearest Nanami.
"The train…! It is moving…! In a few minutes, it'll make contact with the train in front of it…I think you have to be- t- Shadow to…" Hinata's voice disappeared once more.
"Wait, I did see that train in front of it! Then...it'll...!" Nanami shouted.
Tartarus began to disappear from my sight as the train picked up speed. A timer appeared on the right of my vision.
Eight minutes 'til impact.
Hey guys~! Jester here! Next chapter will feature development on Nanami and Ishida. We'll get more exposition on the relationship with Ishida, Eri, and Yahiko. Also, please review~! Even if you're a stranger, I still want to know how I did! Please give me advice if you think I need it. Thanks~! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!