Chapter 10: Awakening.
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?/?/?...
What is this feeling? This feeling of dread, pain, horror and anger. It's almost like someone took all the evils of the world and put it all in one place. This feeling was small at first, but it grows larger and stronger with every passing moment.
No matter how hard I try, I can't get away from this feeling. My limbs won't respond to me at all. Soon the feeling will overcome me, and I will be in the middle of it all…
My eyes open up and I was suddenly blinded my whiteness. Soon my eyes adjusted to the light and I soon found myself in a while room. I slowly move my eyes to examine the room I am in.
I was on a white bed and there was a window to my left. Already I can tell this isn't my dorm. The question is however, where am I? I can nearly keep my eyes open and this ill feeling is not making anything easy.
There was some machines to my right and a figure just in front of my bed.
The figure was wearing a male uniform for my school and he has long blue hair.
Minato-senpai?
Why is he here? Why is he staring intently at the ceiling? More importantly, why is he holding a weapon!?
He quickly moved over to a door in this room and opened it.
I tried to say something but all that came out of me was my coughs.
Senpai heard me and turn his head into my direction. His face looked shocked for a moment before becoming calm. Senpai walks next to my bedside and placed his hand on my forehead. He then moved his face closer to mine. Our faces are barely apart.
"S-senpai?" Why is it hard to breathe? Am I sick? Is something wrong with me?
"Don't worry. You're fine." He says, like he'd read my mind. "The reason you're feeling unwell is not because of you."
"Wha?"
"Not now." Senpai moves away from me. " Just go back to sleep. The next time you wake up, everything will be fine."
Sleep would be nice. No, I can't I need to know why I'm here? What happened that night? What was that big thing? What happened to Yukari? Is she alright?
"I can tell you have many questions." He said. "But I'm not the one that brought you here. The next time you wake, your questions will be answered by the next person. I'm not that person."
I tried my best to stay awake. The terrible feeling is draining all my strength away.
Senpai then turns away from me and started to leave the room. I try to say something but no sounds come out of my mouth. My eyelids begins to cover my sight and soon I found myself at the familiar darkness again…
?/?/?...
Once again, I found myself in the same familiar room. This time, don't have that horrible feeling weighing down my head. Looking around, I can easily tell I'm in a hospital room. There was a calendar on the wall that says today is April 19. Was I here for over a week?
Oh. Uh... April 19/09...
I also remember that Minato-senpai was here as well at some point. Did he bring me here or was he visiting? For some reason, my head is very blurry and I ever think about that time. All I remember was senpai's handsome face close to me and him telling me it wasn't me about something. What did he mean by that?
"You're awake!" A familiar voice says beside me.
I turn my head to see Yukari sitting beside me.
"Um." She continued. "How do you feel?"
"I could ask you the same thing." I replied. "The last time I saw you, you out of it."
"I'm fine." She smiles. "I was so worried about you. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you. He said you were just exhausted."
There was silence between us before Yukari continued.
"Um. I sorry I couldn't do anything. But your power… it was amazing."
"I just took some fighting courses as a hobby." I waved it off.
I must admit, I don't remember being that skilled with a weapon before.
"No. I mean your persona." She corrected.
"Oh." Yeah, I guess that would be more impressive. "What was that?"
"The power you used." Yukari scoots her chair closer to me. "We call it 'Persona'. And the creatures you defeated are shadows, our enemy."
"What are they?" Why do such creatures exist? I seen them all the time during the Dark Hour, but I have never understand what they are and why did they come from.
"We'll explain everything later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
"That's fine." I nod reassuringly. "This isn't something you should talk about in public anyways."
Though part of me is disappointed that I have to wait to finally understand what is with that dark hour is.
"I, uh." Yukari looks away for a second. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sort of like you."
"What do you mean?" I raised my eyebrow.
"My dad died in an accident when I was little, and my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms. Your all alone too right?"
I mean it's not like my dad and I dislike each other. It's just that despite his best to take care of me as a single parent, he has to work even longer just to pay the bills. Of course I want to ease his burdens by helping in the house as much as I can, just so he doesn't have to do everything by himself.
That doesn't stop the loneliness regardless.
"To be honest, I already know about your past." She admitted. "But it didn't seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine."
"Huh? How?" It's not like I talk about it in public or something.
"Oh, I read your profile when you were transferring to this school." Yukari looked guilty.
I assume it has something to do it that night with all the shadows, but I'm getting off topic.
"Continue." I urge.
"Right." She sighs. "It was back in '99. There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened. He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo group."
"So you think the Kirijo group is hiding the truth behind your dad's death?" Does she think the same about Kirijo-senpai as well?
"Right." She nods. "I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something." That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was here when this happened to you. Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help. It was my first time fighting them, too."
Just what exactly is happening in this place?
"I'm sorry." Yukari continues. "You wouldn't have to go through all this if I wasn't such a coward."
"What are you talking about?" I sit up. "You saved my life. If it weren't for you, I would have died that night."
"But what I did was risky." She protects. Yukari balls up her hands on her lap. "If I was off even a little bit, I would have accidentally hit you instead!"
"But you didn't." I placed my hand on hers. "You managed to hit the shadow because you are a good Archer."
"Really? T-thanks." Yukari seems to have brighten up a bit. "And here I am, telling you all this the minute you wake up. While I was waiting, I thought to myself "I've been hiding so many things from her. As soon as she wakes up, I'll tell her the truth." So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time."
"No problem." I nod.
I understand the feeling of getting something off her chest. I'm glad I could still help even at this state.
"Alright." The brunette stands up. "I'm gonna get going. I'll let the others know you woke up."
"Alright, see ya." I waved at her while she leaves the room.
Now, time to relax a bit. I put my arms behind my head and closed my eyes. Yeah, I just woke up from a two week sleep, but I'm stuck here the until the doctor gives the ok.
"Oh, and uh." Yukari comes in unexpectedly, making me jump a bit. "You don't have to be formal around me or anything. Us second-year girls gotta stick up for each other after all."
"Got it." I smiled.
"B-bye." She waves before leaving again.
I wait for a few minutes, checking in case she comes back again. When I confirm she isn't coming back, I once again leaned back on the pillow and close my eyes.
April 20/09 Gekkoukan High...
I scratch my arms as I walk past the gate to the school. Honestly, It's nearly been two weeks and my body feels like stiff wood.
"Yo, long time no see." Junpei greeted, walking beside me.
"Hey." I smiled back.
"What's up? Did you have an upset stomach or something?"
"Nothing like that." I assure him. "Just spent my time in the hospital."
"Yikes, must be serious. Glad to see you're doing better now. Anyways, I got something to tell ya."
"What is it?" I ask.
"Actually." Junpei paused. "Oh, wait! I'm not supposed to tell you anything!"
"Then why did you bring it up?" I pouted in disappointment.
"Sorry man." He chuckles.
"Sheesh, someone's full of energy today. " Yukari says and makes her way over to us. "I could hear you from all the way over there."
"Hey, it's Yuka-tan." Junpei greets her. "You two live in the same dorm, yet came separately today. Is it… because you'll cause too many rumors again, hm?"
"What?" she responded quickly. "I just left a little late."
Huh, is Yukari that worried about rumors?
"Anyways, I need to talk to her." She says, dragging me away from Junpei. "Bye-bye, Junpei."
"Whaaat…" He uttered in confusion.
When we are far enough from everybody else, Yukari stops and turns to me.
"Are you feeling better? Hamuko?" She asks.
"I'm fine." I nod. "Little stiff, but I'll live."
"That's good to know." She replies. "Anyways. Sorry to hit you with this first thing in the morning, but Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today."
Really? "About what?" I ask.
"I can't say, he'll explain it when you meet him. Come to 4th floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don't forget."
"Hey! Wait!" I try to call after her but she already ran off.
"She seems to be in a good mood today." Another person walked up to me.
I turn to see Minato-senpai, stoic as ever. Surprisingly, I don't see Nyx-senpai today. Is she early or something?
"Oh, senpai!" I greeted him.
"Are you feeling alright?" He asks, turning his head to me. "You haven't been in school for a while."
"I'm fine." I smiled. "I'm ready for anything!"
He nods. "I see. Anyways, see you later."
Senpai passes me.
"Oh, senpai?" I call out him.
He stops and turns his head. "Did you want something?"
What did I call him for again? Right, I need to ask him something.
"Did you visit me in the hospital sometime ago?" I ask. I have vague memories about him visiting me that time, but I felt really off at the time. I want to make sure I wasn't dreaming or something.
Unexpectedly, his face became quickly serious. Did I say something wrong?
"You were awake?" He asked. He may look calm now, but his eyes tell me that there is something more behind the scene.
"I mean I don't remember much details, but I remember seeing your blue hair and face." I answered. Why does his serious face look familiar?
Senpai's eyes betray his confusion for a second before he turned away.
"I did visit you." He admitted. "I came to check if you were OK, you were shifting in your sleep, muttering something so I didn't think you were actually awake."
If that's the case, then why is he looking away from me? It's not like he somehow knows about my ability to read into people's eyes.
Oh my, could he be?
I give a coy smile.
"Senpai, are embarrassed about being caught worried about me?" Could it be that he's only pretending to be a cold individual but is actually kind?
He stopped in place before he shrugged his shoulders and continued walking in the building.
"I don't know what you are talking about." He says before disappearing into the crowd.
Huh, that was easier than I thought, he didn't agree but the fact that he escaped my questioning leaves me suspicious. Then again, he still visited me just to make sure I'm ok. Whether he admits it or not, he is not as cold as he thinks. However, I'm not letting him off so quickly.
I sigh to myself, walking back to the dorms after school.
I don't know how, but senpai managed to escape me today. Everytime, I try to catch up with him, he always evades me. The few times I thought I may have him trapped, he slips away unnoticed. Is he like a ninja or something? This is not the first time he had done this to me. During lunch, I tried to ask Nyx-senpai is there is any way to trap him at all and she replies with:
"I don't know, I don't care either because what he does at his own time is his business." Nyx-senpai looks out of hallway window with boredom.
"Isn't there anything you know that can help?" I ask.
"Why are you even desperate to look for him anyways?" She turns her sharp glaze to me.
I want to tease him a bit more about his hidden kindness, but I suppose me chasing him around like this could create some unfavorable rumors.
I was about to open my mouth to speak.
"You know what? Nevermind." Senpai spoke first. "If you want some advice, I'll tell that you that he can be very stubborn and persistent. I don't know what game you two are playing but he is very competitive, even the end of the world won't stop him if he feels like it. I suggest you give up now unless you are willing to play for a very long time..."
It's time like this that I wonder what kind of relationship that those two to have. From the way that she spoke, it seems like they were enemies for a very long time. Kind of make you think how did they became friends.
Still, Minato-senpai is a stubborn one huh? Well that makes two of us. You may have won the battle, but the war has just begun.
I open the door to the dorm to find it surprisingly quiet.
Oh right. I was supposed to meet with Ikutsuki-san on the 4th floor.
I made my way to the top floor and was surprised to see everybody here.
Ikutsuki-san, Yukari, Kirijo-senpai and an unfamiliar silver-haired boy was sitting on the couches in the room.
"Ah, there you are." Ikutsuki-san says, drawing attention to the others. "I'm glad you're okay. I wasn't sure what I'd do had anything happened to you."
Is he talking about today or was referring about that night?
"The reason I asked you here because I needed to talk to you." He continued, gesturing to one of the couches. "Please have a seat."
I nodded and sat next to Yukari, who smiled in response.
"Oh, before that." Ikutsuki-san said, gesturing to the boy. "I believed I mentioned him earlier, by this is Akihiko."
"How ya doin'?" Akihiko spoke.
"I'm fine." I smiled. "How are you?"
He chuckles. "I'm alright."
Ikutsuki coughs, drawing my attention to him again.
"Okay, let me start off by asking you this. Would you believe me I said that a day consists of more then 24 hours?"
"Honesty." I couldn't help but sigh. "With all the things that happened since I came here, I would believe anything at this point."
"I can only imagine." He chuckled.
"Do you remember the night you came here?" Mitsuru-senpai asked. "The Streetlights went out, nothing was working and there were coffins everywhere."
"The Dark Hour." I say while nodding.
Everyone look at me with surprise.
"Y-you knew about it?" Yukari stuttered.
Ikutsuki-san turns to me.
"Seeing as you already know about the Dark Hour, you should know about the shadows to as well right?" He continued.
"Sorry." I Shook my head. I was not in a habit of fighting blob monsters when I was young.
"The shadows only appear during the Dark Hour." Akihiko explained. "Fortunately, they don't attack people in the coffins. It's our job to defeat them. Sounds exciting, huh?"
"Akihiko, why are you like that?" Mitsuru-senpai said angrily. "You almost got hurt and brought the large shadow over here!"
"Now, now." Ikutsuki-san gestured with his hands. "He does his work well."
The older man then then turns to me.
"Long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad—SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, is dedicated to defeating shadows. Mitsuru is the leader. I am the club adviser."
"A shadow feeds on the mind of its prey." Mitsuru-senpai joins in. "The victim becomes a living corpse. They are responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."
"How do we defeat them?" I ask.
"Although rare, there are those that can function during the Dark Hour." Ikutsuki-san replied. "Some may even awaken to a power that enables then to fight the shadows."
"The personas." It's all starting to make sense now.
"Right." He nods. "The shadows can only be defeated by persona-users. Which means, it's up to you guys."
So does that Ikutsuki-san doesn't have a persona? "I see."
"I'm glad to see you're quick to understand." He smiles.
Mitsuru-senpai opens the metal case on the table. In it is the silver gun that Yukari has and a red armband the has SEES on it.
"What he's trying to say is, we want you to join us." The redhead says, turning inside of the case to face me. We've prepared an Evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."
"Done." I said with no hesitation, grabbing the Evoker.
"T-that was fast." The stunned Yukari uttered.
"While I'm grateful for your assistance, you should really think this through before you decide." Mitsuru-senpai said with her eyes showing surprise.
"For as long as I remember." I glance at the gun in my hands. "I've been hiding from shadows in my room. Not only did I leaned that they are the cause for Apathy syndrome, but I have the power to stop it as well?"
I bring my eyes to SEES with full conviction.
"I will not hesitate to help."
The whole room went silent after my speech. Did I went too far?
"Heh." Akihiko grins. "I like your style."
Mitsuru-senpai smiles hands me the red armband as well. "In that case; Welcome to the team."
"Yeah!" Yukari places her hand on my shoulder. "Welcome aboard."
"Thank you so much. I'm very glad." Ikutsuki-san joins in. "Oh, I almost forgot… About your room assignment. Why don't you stay here, in your current room?"
They planned on the this didn't they?
"I don' know what the best holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end." He chuckles.
Yep, they definitely did.
Huh?
*Smash*
Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana…
Huh? What was that? A bond?
"Hey, are alright?" Yukari asked, looking concerned.
Did no one else saw that? Was it in my head?
"Uh, yeah…" I try to come up with an excuse. "I was wondering how convenient my room assignment was…"
I'm more surprised on how strong I'm feeling all of a sudden. Is this what Igor meant about Social links? Ehh, it's just another reason to make more friends. I was going to do that anyways, but the extra power would help against the shadows.
"If you don't mind, can you explain one more thing to me?" Ikutsuki-san asked, pushing up his glasses.
"What is it?" I look at him.
Is there something missing?
"Not everyone gets to experience the Dark Hour." He continued. "With your believability, I can imagine that you woken that hour a while ago and gotten used to it. What I'm interested in is how you came up with the name. It not something that someone would latch on to out of nowhere."
Oh that?
"I was originally calling it the creepy time but someone said Dark Hour. The name seen to fit more so I started calling it that."
"Someone?" Mitsuru-senpai raised an eyebrow.
"It was Minato-senpai." Come to think of it. How did he know about it?
"Minato Arisato?" Akihiko and Mitsuru spoke in unison.
I nodded. "You two know him?"
"Yeah." Akihiko answered. "He's my classmate and jogging partner."
Really now? "What is he like?"
"There's time for that later." Ikutsuki-san said. "Did he tell you why he called it the Dark Hour?"
"I didn't get a chance." I shook my head. I was too glad that I was not alone in the experience that the thought didn't cross my mind.
"And he was walking in the Dark Hour as well?" Yukari asks.
I nod.
"Chairman." Mitsuru-senpai turns to Ikutsuki-san. "Should we do something about this?"
"It's best that we do." He puts his hand on his chin. "More allies makes the burdens easier to carry."
"While I agree this that, we don't know his motives at the moment."
"Are you saying that he's suspicious?" Akihiko joins in the conversation.
"I'll be lying if I said that he's completely innocent."
"Still. We both talked to him a few times, he didn't seen like a bad person." He argued.
"I agree with you there." She nods. "But you can't help but think there is something wrong here. Why does he know about the Dark Hour? How long has he known? Is the guardian angel and him connected in someway?"
"Guardian angel?" Ikutsuki-san tilts his head.
Mitsuru and Akihiko turn to me.
"Do you remember what happened that night?" Mitsuru-senpai inquires.
"Yeah..?" Where is this going?
"Can you describe what happened that night?"
"S-sure." I dig into the recesses of my mind to find what I'm looking for. "I remember… I remember Yukari and I running to the roof, and there was the large shadow. It knocked out Yukari and cornered us. I was sure it was going to kill us, but we were saved at the last moment."
"Those icicles." Mitsuru-senpai murmured.
I nodded.
"I turn to where they were shot from, and there was a distant figure standing on the rooftop."
"Can you describe the figure for us?" Ikutsuki-san leaned in closer.
"Sorry." I shook my head. "They were too far for me to make out clearly. I only thing I saw was the dark blue hoodie they were wearing."
The room was silent after I said everything. Ikutsuki-san was writing down something on a clipboard nearby, Akihiko and Mitsuru were glancing at each other and Yukari can only look at everybody in the room.
"You know, you are not the only person that was saved that night." Akihiko spoke at last.
"Akihiko…" Mitsuru-senpai looked in concern.
He looked at the redhead before continuing. "I was doing my patrols as normal. For some reason, the night felt more off then I would normally felt. I couldn't help but feel a bit excited for something. While I was walking down the street, someone called out to me to look out. I turn to see that large shadow fly right towards me. I was able to dodge it as it crashed through the building, but who knows what would had happened if I was not warned beforehand."
"I see." Mitsuru-senpai nods. "That is why you think the guardian angel is on our side if Minato is the one."
"Right."
"And that's why I can't help be feel something's off here." She sighs. "If Minato is on our side, why doesn't he come to us? Why doesn't he work together with us?"
Why indeed.
"Maybe he prefers to work alone." Ikutsuki-san suggested.
"Knowing him, that wouldn't be far off." Akihiko agreed. "However, if he is the one, he of all people should know how dangerous is it to fight shadows alone."
Perhaps he has an ally helping him. Maybe Nyx-senpai?
"Maybe he's just shy?" Yukari added.
"I doubt that." Mitsuru-senpai shook her head. "While it's true he doesn't like being the center of attention. I don't think he would run if he was confronted."
Then why is he avoiding me the whole day!? Is he doing it on purpose?
"Regardless of his reasoning." Ikutsuki-san puts his clipboard on the table. "We can talk about this later. Right now, we have other matters to discuss. Oh, Hamuko?"
"Yeah?"
"You can stay here if you want, but seeing as you just got out of the hospital; I would recommend you should get some rest."
"No, it's fine. I..." A sudden migraine out of nowhere strikes me. "Rest would be a good idea. "I'll take your offer on that."
I said my goodbyes to everyone and made my way to my room.
.
Alright. Now I'm back into my pajamas, (Feels like I haven't been in them in weeks.) I can't now rest peacefully…
"Hi… How are you?"
Or I would be if I wasn't interrupted that boy again. Can't a girl get some sleep?
"How did you get in here?" I asked the child.
"I'm always with you…" He chuckles.
Great… Either he's a stalker or I'm possessed by a ghost.
Wait, which one is worse?!
"Soon, the end will come." He continued, ignoring the panic on my face. "I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."
"…Thanks." Just go with the flow. I have a feeling that he wouldn't tell me even if I asked.
"…Ahaha. I wasn't expecting you to thank me. But you're welcome. That… is what I'm supposed to say, right?"
I nod slowly. I'll be honest; after all the explanation with shadows and the Dark Hour, I was not expecting ghost to show up immediately after.
The boy's face becomes more serious. "I don't really know what this "end" is about either."
Called it.
"Oh, looks like you awakened to your power, and an unusual it is." The boy changed the subject. "A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none…"
I gulped. Just what is this power?
"It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up."
"What do you mean?" How will it prove it?
"Do you remember when we first met?" He asked all of a sudden.
I nodded.
"I expect you to honor your commitment. I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me."
"Trust me, it will be hard to forget about you." No matter how much I want to forget this creepy event.
The boy giggles in response. "I'm glad to hear that. Okay the, see you later."
"Wait, what?" I sat up on my bed, only to see him disappear.
Great. There goes my peaceful slumber…
April 21/09 : Dorms...
Yukari and I made it to the fourth floor and the dorm to together. I wonder why Mitsuru-senpai called us here in class?
Hopefully it's good news; I could use some after failing to find Minato-senpai today. I didn't even see a glimpse of him at all. Heck, I couldn't even find Nyx-senpai was well. I know they not avoiding just me because I asked Akihiko-senpai about it during launch; He said that not only that Minato didn't show up for their exercise, but he didn't reply as well when Akihiko texted him as well. I hope they're alright.
Mitsuru and Akihiko were already in the room when we entered.
"Welcome back." The redhead greeted us.
"We were waiting for you." Akihiko told us. "There someone I want to introduce."
"Huh?" Yukari looked confused.
"Hey, hurry up." Akihiko looked at another door at the room.
"Hold your horses." A familiar voice called out from the other side of the door. "This is freakin' heavy."
All of us in the room turn out heads to the door as it open up to reveal a familiar looking boy wearing a baseball cap. Junpei?!
The guy in question chuckles. "Wazzup?"
"J-Junpei!?" Yukari exclaimed. "Why are you here!?"
"This is Junpei Iori from Class 2-F." Akihiko introduced him, ignoring the fact that we are in the same class as him. "He'll be staying here as if today."
"He's staying HERE!? You've gotta be kidding me!"
Jeez Yukari, overreacting much?
Akihiko ignored that and continued like normal. "I bumped into him the other night. He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently. I told him about us, and he agreed to help."
"You have the potential!? For real!?"
Is Yukari that surprised about this? I mean yeah, I was told it was rare but…
Junpei moves up to us.
"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins."Junpei explained to us. "I don't remember much, but… man, that embarrassing!"
He doesn't seem embarrassed at all!
"He said that's, you know, completely normal… in the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?"
"Uh huh." I nodded. Heck, I don't even remember everything that happened. When I first saw the Dark Hour, all I remember is the former wreckage of my mother's car.
"Oh… That's good. You should, since you're a Persona-user." Did Junpei sound unhappy or is it just me? "But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea. I'm glad I'm not only one. It could get lonely, ya know?"
"I know the feeling." I answered. I know the feeling all too well. "Anyways, welcome to the team."
"You can count on me!" He clenched his fist in confidence.
"Well, enough with the introductions." Akihiko walks up to us. "I think we're about ready."
Ready for what?
I was about to ask when the door opened up, revealing Ikutsuki-san as he walked in.
"Okay, everybody's here. I'd your undivided attention."
Everybody else became silent as we all turn to the adult prepared himself before speaking again.
"For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But that number recently jumped to five. Therefore… Starting tonight at 12:00AM, I would like to commence the explanation of Tartarus."
"Tartarus…?" Junpei raised an eyebrow. "What's that? Sounds like a toothpaste."
Heh heh. Would I even use toothpaste if it was called Tartarus?
"You haven't seen it, Junpei?" Yukari asked.
Junpei only a sound of confusion.
"It's no surprise." Ikutsuki answered for him. "Since it only appears during the Dark Hour."
"Dark Hour?" Junpei said.
Oh my… Akihiko, did you even explain anything to him when you saw him?
"Just like the shadows." The man in question grinned. "Interesting huh?"
Apparently not.
"And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a shadow nest."
"Woah…" The impressed Junpei uttered. "Their nest, huh?"
"That's right." Mitsuru joins in. "And because Akihiko it the most experienced of you four, he'll be leading the team tonight."
"I won't push you hard, but try to keep up." He says.
"No problem!" Junpei pumps his fist
"You're not joining us Kirijo-senpai?" I ask.
"No." She shakes her head. "I'll explain more on the way, but someone needs to keep an eye while you guys are exploring."
That makes sense. I turn to Ikutsuki.
"What about you, Ikutsuki-san?"
"I'll stay here." He answered. "I can't summon a Persona, so I doubt I would be of any help."
"Alright, let's move out." Akihiko ordered. "Hamuko, I need to speak with you for sec."
As we all leave the room, Akihiko and I both slowed down until we are the only ones in the hallway before he started talking.
"Had you by any chance seen Minato today?"
"Huh? Didn't he show up in class?" I tilted my head.
Akihiko shook his head. "When he didn't show up for jogging this morning, I thought that he forgot or something so I texted him. When he didn't respond, I was I bit concerned. The moment I didn't see him or Nyx in class at all is when I got worried."
"You mean they didn't show up at all!?" What happened to them?
"No. The teacher called their numbers earlier, but it immediately didn't work. It's if they just left with no warning at all."
This is not good.
"Sorry, I haven't heard form them either." I answered.
"I see…" Akihiko placed a hand on his chin. "For now, let's just focus on the mission. I'll look into this later."
I can only nod in response. I do hope they're alright.
April 19/09: Gekkoukan High 11:99PM...
"This is it?" Junpei says. "THIS is the place? Why HERE?"
"Just wait for a bit." Akihiko replied, staring intently at the school. "It's almost midnight."
As soon as he finished, The Dark Hour appears. The school started rumbling for a bit before it suddenly shot out of the ground. The growth of the school was so sudden, I inadvertently took a step back. More buildings grew from the school, making it look like a nightmare-ish fantasy with circle like faces on some parks of the building. By the time the school was finished, it looked like a super tall tower than can reach the moon.
Mitsuru-senpai stands in front of the gate and turns to us.
"This is Tartarus. The labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."
"Labyrinth?" Junpei repeated. "What are you talking about!? What happened to our school!?"
"Jumpei, don't you see?" I said, still looking wide-eyed at the tower. "This is what our school becomes during the Dark Hour. I assume that everything will go back to normal when the Dark Hour ends, right?"
"That's right." Akihiko answered. "Good thing to; can you imagine going to school in this building?"
"It would be pretty frightening." Yukari spoke.
Or pretty amazing.
"So this is the nest you're talking about." Junpei says. "But why!? Why'd our school then into a giant tower!?"
Shockingly, Mitsuru-senpai hesitated answering and looked away. Her eyes tell me that there is more to it. Yukari and I shared a glance, we know she may know something about it. However, it better to have more evidence before we point fingers. I trust she is innocent, but hiding everything is not going to help her.
"You don't know, either?" Junpei asked Mitsuru.
"I'm sure we would have the answer by now if it was simple." I answered for her.
"Well, maybe now we'll find out." Akihiko said. "Mitsuru and I have only gone to take a peek, this will be our first time exploring it. Be sure to prepare yourselves, we have no idea what's inside."
I took a deep breath before following the group inside. The room in walked in was a large circular area with huge steps leading up to a doorway. There was a large set of doors standing just right of the staircase and a smaller blue door on the left. Standing between the stairs and the blue door, lies a strange clock.
"Whoa…" Junpei gasped. "It's just as cool on the inside."
"Totally…" I agreed.
"But, it sure is creepy." Yukari added.
"This is only the entrance." Mitsuru told us. "The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."
"What about the other doors?" I ask.
Mitsuru and Akihiko turn to look at the giant door.
"I'm not really sure." Mitsuru answered.
"We tried opening it, but it's really heavy." Akihiko says. "It's almost like it's stuck to the floor."
Junpei walked to the other side and commented.
"There's nothing on the other side though."
"From the outside maybe." Mitsuru replied. "However, I have been sensing shadows from with in the doors."
"From inside?" Junpei puts his hand on the doors. "Is it like a portal or something?"
"That's another puzzle to solve." Akihiko answered. "Anyways, we're going to let you guys have a feel for the place. Go ahead and look around."
"What!?" Yukari exclaimed. "By ourselves!?"
"We're asking you to go very far." Mitsuru explained. "And I'll be feeding you information from here."
While our senpai is continuing to talk, I continued to look at blue door. I'm well aware that they didn't talk about it at all.
Out if the corner of my eye, Yukari and Junpei decided to split up and walk away from the group exploring the room while Akihiko and Mitsuru talking to each other near that motorcycle. Guess it's time to get a feel for the place.
I walked over to the blue door. As I get closer to it, the Velvet key that is for some reason in my hand is shining. Is what the key is for? The key easily goes in the keyhole and the door opens, waiting for me to step inside.
On the other side of the door. There lies a familiar figure in the all too familiar Velvet room.
"I've been waiting for you." Igor greeted.
"Hello again." I greeted back.
"The time has come for you to wield your power." He nodded. "The tower you're about to venture into. How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist?"
"You don't know either?" I ask.
"Perhaps, at one point I did. However, the point of your journey is to find out those mysteries yourself.
At one point? "You don't remember anymore?"
"Because of a certain rule, I no longer have the right to retain it."
"Rule?"
Igor is not allowed to have that knowledge anymore? What rule is he talking about?
"Perhaps, if he deems you worthy; you may have you answer yet." He concluded. "For now, we are here to talk about your unique power after all."
Seems Igor doesn't talk about it anymore. I'll have to let it go for now.
"My power?" I tilted my head. "I thought the power to summon Persona is important to be in the Dark Hour."
"Indeed it is." He nodded. "But even among your teammates, your power is unique among them.
Like the number zero, it is empty but holds infinite possibilities at the same time. You are able possess multiple Personas and summon them as needed.
And when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibilities before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp.
But do not fear. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly. Be sure to keep that in mind."
"Got it." I nodded.
If my power is THAT unique, then the burdens I carry are much more important than I thought. I have to work hard. I was given this power for a reason, I better not squander it.
"My spare time will be soon be scarce." Igor continued. "But, please come again of your own accord. I'll tell you Then about my true role, the manner in which I can best assist you.
Ah, but before I forget. Did you recall when I mentioned another resident of this room...?"
"Of course." I answered. "Are they here right now?"
That is the most logical conclusion.
"Correct. Tell me. When you think of this person, what do you see?"
Is this like a game? To be honest, I never expected Igor to be like this. I'll play along regardless.
"Is it a man?"
"I see…" Igor extended his hand towards one of the doors. "Then let's bring him out for a proper introduction."
I turn in the direction of Igor's band, only to find another person in front of the door. I didn't even hear the door open at all!
The man was wearing a blue elevator attendant. He had silver hair slicked back, covered by his hat. His eyes were in a yellowish color, that for some reason tells me he is not completely human.
Then again, I don't think Igor is completely human as well, but he gives me the impression that he can be trusted.
"My name is Theodore, but please, feel free to call me Theo." The man spoke.
"A pleasure to meet you, Theo." I smiled at him.
"A pleasure to meet you as well."
"My assistant will aid you as well." Igor said. "Until then… farewell."
The area around me becomes dark. I was a about to look around until I found myself staring at the blue door again.
Did he just teleport me out?
"Hey, you alright?"
I turn to see Akihiko right behind me.
"I-I'm fine." I replied. It seems they can't see this door after all.
"You sure?" Akihiko raised an eyebrow. "You've been staring at the wall for a while."
Is that what I look like to everybody else!?
"Yes. I'm positive." I nodded. "S-since we're about to fight shadows, I needed a moment to silence to prepare myself."
Thankfully, Akihiko looks convinced and nodded.
"Alright. When you're ready, meet us by the stairs. We'll begin the mission soon."
Akihiko turns and goes to rejoin SEES.
Besides, it's not a lie since I am going to need a bit to prepare myself. I take a deep breath and exhale. I now know that my powers are unique, but that doesn't mean I should play around.
Even with powers, these are dangerous creatures I am fighting. One false move and I might not live to regret it. Remember those training sessions I had last year. I may not have been trained to fight monsters, but I did had self-defense training. Time to put it to use.
Alright! I'm ready!
When I rejoined the group, Akihiko brought me up to date on how Mitsuru is going to assist us and what is the formation of the team. When everybody is ready, we moved up the stairs and enter the door to the tower.
"So this is it, huh?" Junpei looks around the area.
"I hope I don't get lost." Yukari added.
"Can you all hear me?" Mitsuru's voice rang in my head.
"Loud and clear." Akihiko answered. "Everything good on you end?"
"I managed to detect that strange power from within that strange door. Other then that, everything's fine."
"Got it." He nodded. "What's the mission for tonight?"
"Defeat the shadows on this floor. I detect many so it will be a good practice."
Akihiko turns to us.
"Alright, you heard her. Let's get started. Because Hamuko has actually fought shadows before, she will take point. Yukari, because of your bow, you will stay father back. Junpei and I will stay in the middle and make sure you girls are okay. Got it?"
"Got it!" We answered.
"Let's move!"
I moved in front of the group and proceeded forward. The hallways were painted a glowing green light that came from the windows that just seem added to the walls. Things were going well when we hit a fork in the road.
"Senpai." I turn back to the group. "Do we keep going forward or left?"
"Mitsuru?" Akihiko placed a finger on his ear.
"Hmm? Straight ahead is a dead end, but there is an item."
"An item?" Junpei's eyes brighten up. "You mean like treasure?"
"Possibly. However, there is a group shadows heading your way from the left."
"Got it." Akihiko turns to us. "First, we'll deal with the shadow. Then we'll head straight and grab whatever it is. Hamuko, attack the shadow, we'll cover you."
"Right."
I moved to the edge of the wall and peeked around.
Four identical shadows are sliding across the floor like guards in patrol. It doesn't look like they knows we're here.
If I time it right, I might be able to strike while it's still unaware.
"Now!" I yelled while hitting one of the shadows with my weapon.
As my weapon strike the shadow's mask, it let out a cry as it melts in a puddle of goo. The other three slides around in an attempt to surround me. Akihiko and Junpei prevented that by moved up beside me while Yukari stayed further behind the readied her now.
"Excellent work!" Mitsuru cheered. "Now quickly finish them off before they regain their bearings. I'll scan for any weaknesses."
"On it!" Yukari fired her bow to the nearest enemy.
The arrow managed to pierce the mask, but the shadow is still manage to stay alive.
"Geez, those things are tough." She said.
"Alright, I'll finish the job!" Junpei pulled out his Evoker and aimed it to his head. "Hermes!"
When he fired his gun, Junpei was surrounded by blue flames and his Persona appeared in front of him. Hermes proceeded to fly straight at the injured shadow with it's wing-like weapons and cut the monster in half.
"Nice work!" I gave Junpei a thumbs up.
"No problem." He returned the gesture.
"Their weakness is fire." Mitsuru called in.
"Fire? Got it!" I pulled out my Evoker and aimed at my head. "Persona!"
I summoned Orpheus and she played a tune on her harp. A ball of fire appears in front of her and shot right at another shadow, engulfing it and flames.
The shadow is still alive, bit I don't think it's getting up soon. Time to make it permanent.
I charge at the shadow and swing my weapon at the mask. The blade cuts cleanly through it, making the rest of the body melt into the ground.
"Watch out! The last one is on the move!"
"Right!" Akihiko acknowledged and ran towards it.
The shadow threw one of it's arms at him, but Akihiko expertly ducked under it and throws one back. His boxing gloves hits the shadow's mask, cracking it and knocking the shadow back. Before the shadow could regain it bearings, senpai brings another arm to the shadow. His fist goes threw the mask, shattering it in fragments. The rest of the body dissolves away, leaving us the victor.
"Woah." Junpei awed. "He took one down without a Persona."
"That's our senpai for you." Yukari added.
"Good work, everyone." Mitsuru chimed in. "But don't rest just yet, there are a few more shadows around."
Akihiko joins the rest of us to contribute to the conversation. I would have joined as well, but I can't help but be distracted by floating cards in front of me. The three cards are floating around me each depicting a different image. One has a gold coin, the other has some sort of fairy and the last one shows a blue lady.
I only had a moment to see them before they turned around and started spinning around. I wasn't really paying attention to the cards because I wanted to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Once I made sure I was still sane, I grab the closest card. The card turned out to be the blue lady. It faded away and I was stuck with a word that appeared in my mind.
"Apsaras…" I muttered to myself.
Another Persona, and one that uses ice or "bufu" is it's called. This would be useful.
"Hey!" Junpei called to me. "Hurry up or we'll leaving you!"
Oh right.
"Coming!"
The item turns out to be a suitcase containing a bunch of coins. Where they came from, we would possibly never know.
The rest of the mission turns out to be going well. With Akihiko giving us orders while we travel through the desolate hallways of the twisted tower, we quickly and efficiently eliminate any shadow with few trouble. I can tell that Akihiko is new to leadership as he tend to rush into battle, leaving the rest of us to think for ourselves. Fortunately, it is soon apparent that he is learning quickly the more battle we got into. He soon gives orders as soon as we got into battle, with Mitsuru giving out advice as well as the shadow's weaknesses to finish our battles with style; With those two in command, we were a force to be reckoned with.
Any injury we had is easily healed by Yukari's Persona. Junpei was able to cast agi while I switched to Apsaras, in order to vary our move sets and power. When we reached a fairly opened area, Junpei immediately collapsed on the spot.
"Boy…" He breathe heavily. " I may not be the athletic type, but I'm sure I'm a lot more tired than I thought."
"I know." Yukari nodded. "It feels like I ran a marathon."
"That's the effect of the Dark Hour." Akihiko explained. "You become more fatigued more easily. But I'm impressed, we fought around 10 battles and came out on top. Hamuko, how are you doin'?"
"A little winded, but I'm fine." I replied.
"Alright, normally I would suggest that we keep going but I think you guys had done well enough for tonight. Mitsuru, where's nearest teleporter?"
"Hold on… just turn head straight, turn left and it should be there on the right."
"Right. You heard her, let's move."
Following Mitsuru's directions, we walked along the path until we a similar device that was the one we found at the entrance but smaller. One by one we all disappeared in the flash of light when we step in the device until I was the last one behind. I took one last glance behind me.
We did well. It is only the first floor, and I'm sure it's going to get tougher from here in out. Turning back, I step into the device and was soon blinded by the light.
"Good work, everyone." Mitsuru congratulated us. "How was your first mission?"
"It was exciting." I couldn't help but answer.
"Well, I'm glad you're able to gain confidence from this."
"To think I have this kind of power." Junpei stared at his Evoker. "It was awesome!"
"I'm sure you're all tired." Akihiko said. "Come, let's go back and rest-."
*Boom*
The shockwave knocked all of us to the ground. Mitsuru, quickly stabilized herself with her motorcycle before she fell. Everybody else wasn't so lucky. Akihiko immediately pulled himself up and quickly got ready for combat.
Everyone was looking all over the place, looking for any enemies coming at us.
"Don't worry." Mitsuru assured us.
"What do you mean?" Yukari got up, making sure her leg wasn't injured.
"That was just a power wave, it may be immense but it's harmless." She explained.
"Well, where is it coming from?" Junpei asked, lowering his weapon.
The redhead only gestured her head towards the mysterious door.
"I can't help feel but lucky that we can't open that thing yet." Yukari commented.
I nod in agreement.
However, I can't help but wonder what is giving off such an energy and why is it necessary to lock it up in there...
A/N: Here's the second chapter I promised. With them finally edited and uploaded, I can now focus on the next one.
Assuming that laziness isn't too severe it should be up within the month. (No promises)
Anyways,
mocasiotorres22: I'm glad you like it. Part of me felt like it was unnecessary to add because it will be revealed later on but I felt like it was important to know since Minato been through alot but didn't show it. So I thought I should ease you guys in before I delve in deeper to Minato's mind.
DPSS: To be honest, The reason I made his past vague is simply because I did felt it was unnecessary to add more. I mean seriously, Minato's past is complicated enough.
After all, the only thing worth noting is that there was an unexpected event that Minato encountered while he was doing something else, he met some people worth caring about and still had morals despite how shattered his mind was. In the end, Minato became a lot better mentally and he went on his way when the event is over.
That is the personality that we are seeing Minato now. A person that was at his low for a long time who became apathetic, bitter and cynical. (Though he did did a good hiding the last two) He eventually found peace from the people whom he interacted with and became better as a result. While he still a bit cynical, he still believes that his effort and suffering will be worth it at the end when he accomplishes his goal.
Now that you brought Fate up, I can see that becoming a possibility. After all, the timeline fits, (Fate took place on 2004 while Persona 3 took place in 2009.) and Persona and Servants are kinda similar. (Not completely, I know.) You know, the more I talk about it, the more the idea becomes more appealing.
Huh, Good job pointing that out. I may actually consider it...