A/N: So, yeah I'm not following the in-game text word-for-word in some places because that would be a bit boring. In some parts, the words are the same for an anchoring kind of effect, but I try to keep that at a minimum. This chapter took a while to bring together in my head because I was not completely sure which direction I wanted to go to. It's the old conundrum about going through the year again, but what to change and what not to. I think that is parallel to what this Minato is going through… a parallel to my own thoughts. Anyhow, thanks to sillyfudgemonkeys for providing me some ideas for this chapter. I did not think the story would turn quite the way it did, but that's part of the fun. Lastly, the ending is a bit on the dark side, and is more so than I may have originally intended. This not fully edited, so grammar mistakes will abound. Thanks for reading.
Important note: Arisato-chan is Hamuko and Arisato-kun is Minato. Mitsuru is not actually saying the suffix, but I admit I was confused who was who as I was writing... so it is more of an indication of who she is talking about.
Final Update: I tried editing in the P.O.V. in spots where I felt it may confuse readers. To be honest, I'm not completely sold on trying to sort it out like this, but I'm still learning and experimenting after all. Thanks to rEpose, for digging through my errors.
Thanks to greyarts for listening again and rEpose, my beta reader.
Reader Reviews:
sillyfudgemonkeys: Glad you are into the story! I did debate when he would summon a Persona for the first time and thought it would be good to get it out-of-the-way earlier. I think this chapter will answer your question about what happened to this timeline's Minato.
arkbar22: I hope this chapter clarifies some of the background behind Minato's situation and why Mitsuru will play a major part in determining the final outcome.
Yami no Majou077: I will not commit to any pairings yet, but that is a possibility.
Updated after fixing some errors. Fixed a couple of awkward phrases and redundant wording. Thanks for catching them sillyfudgemonkeys: I had the same idea as I was writing about how to use chan and kun suffixes. I'm not completely sure which way yet, but edited with your suggestion. For some reason or another I have issues typing Akihiko... also fixed the part about the "school" that error must have made it into this version somehow as I was moving things around. Thanks
Update: Cleaned for formatting issues 7/6/14
Chapter 5: Scars
April 6th, Monday (Iwatodai Dormitory, Dark Hour)
Hamuko P.O.V.
The light from the streetlamps helped illuminate Hamuko and Minato in the doorway as they crossed the threshold of Iwatodai Dormitory. Hamuko looked worse for the wear after their unexpected encounter with the Shadow. The dormitory appeared the same as ever. A lone figure approached them and repeated the previous query with more nervous energy in her voice.
"I'm not asking again. Who's there?" The source of the inquiry was from a brunette who came into view.
"Um, my name is Hamuko Arisato, and the flier I got in the mail said I should come to this dormitory. So here I am." Hamuko felt really self-aware as she realized that her clothes were in bad shape. Not to mention the brunette had a gun holstered on her right thigh, which Hamuko eyed wearily.
"Oh, I didn't think you would arrive today," Yukari said. "Are you alright though?" she asked with a look of concern at Hamuko.
Hamuko noted how Yukari seemed to really like the color pink, considering she was wearing a sweater jacket and a choker of the same color along with silver earrings. Her hairstyle was in an elongated bob.
Also, Hamuko thought that Yukari's skirt was way too short, though she did seem to have kind eyes. They reminded Hamuko of almonds, one of her favorite snacks.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Hamuko replied. "I just slipped on my way here." Hamuko had not meant to lie, but the truth sounded even less convincing. Yukari's attention shifted to Minato who had tried to blend in with the background as best he could after releasing Hamuko's shoulder.
"Huh? I thought there was only one transfer student," Yukari said.
"I'm Minato Arisato, it's a pleasure," Minato bracingly said.
Minato did not look at Yukari directly, but felt better than earlier. It was probably just the residual effects of summoning a Persona for the first time in a while. Although, that voice he heard from the Hanged Man card was disconcerting. Yukari didn't seem to remember Minato at all, not that Minato had given it much hope.
"Are you two siblings?" Yukari asked.
"No." Hamuko was curious about their last names being the same as well, but they were definitely not related as far as she knew.
"Takeba, is something wrong?" an imperious voice came from near the staircase.
"The new transfer student just arrived, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari replied. "That's Mitsuru-senpai, a senior and her family owns the school," Yukari added in an undertone to Hamuko.
Mitsuru proceeded to move towards where the trio were standing and introduced herself to Hamuko.
"My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who lives in this dorm," she remarked. "Yukari will be a junior this spring just like you."
Hamuko thought this girl was for a lack of a better term, a snob. She wore a meticulous silk blouse and a long skirt. Her flowing red hair and flawless skin made Hamuko a bit jealous and wondered if she were an aristocrat. The black knee-high boots were a nice touch. Meeting someone with the same colored eyes was an unexpected turn of events.
"I'm Hamuko Arisato. It's nice to meet you, Mitsuru-senpai," Hamuko replied. Hamuko noticed the red armbands Mitsuru and Yukari wore on their left arms. "Are you guys in a club? What does S.E.E.S stand for anyways?"
"Yeah, it's a club at school," Yukari replied a bit uneasily.
Minato let out a small snort at Yukari's reply to Hamuko's question.
"And who are you, may I ask?" Mitsuru asked gesturing towards where Minato who was watching disinterestedly from the sofa in the lounge.
"Minato Arisato," he replied quickly, "I want to start school tomorrow at Gekkoukan."
Mitsuru thought this was a peculiar response. After this exchange, Mitsuru carefully studied Hamuko's appearance and wondered what exactly had happened to her. She then saw the blood on Hamuko's clothing and started putting two and two together. This had to mean she experienced the Dark Hour, but how was she still relatively unharmed?
"Arisato-chan, what happened to you on your way here?" Mitsuru demanded staring at Hamuko.
Hamuko was not sure what compelled her to say it, but the look Mitsuru gave her made her feel that any lie would be quickly reprimanded.
"Minato helped me earlier when the electricity was out, something tried to attack me and he helped me get away from it." Hamuko had told the truth, but left out the part about coffins and puddles of blood.
The atmosphere of the room changed quickly.
Yukari gave Mitsuru a surprised look, but her senior's expression was unreadable.
"I think you could use some rest, Arisato-chan. It's getting late and you have your first day of class," Mitsuru added an emphasis on the word class. Hamuko frankly felt a chilly aura when she said this. "It looks like you had a long day," she added in a kinder tone.
"Yukari, would you show Arisato-chan her room and assist her in carrying her things?" Mitsuru said.
"Oh, I'll show you the way. Follow me." Yukari said this while wondering what was going on.
"Arisato-kun, I want you to wait here for me," Mitsuru instructed Minato who could already feel that this was not going to end well. He shrugged his shoulders and put his feet up on the sofa and closed his eyes.
Hamuko and Yukari proceeded up the stairs while both of them carried Hamuko's luggage. Yukari just added some conversation about how easy it was to find Hamuko's room, but it seemed like forced conversation. Hamuko was lost in her thoughts about why the mood of the room had quickly shifted when she had answered Mitsuru's question about what happened. These people knew something about what she had experienced and were not telling her.
"Um, Hamuko," Yukari said gently.
"Sorry Yukari, what is it?" Hamuko replied in a tone that was more severe than she had intended.
"Try not to worry about things too much. I'm sure you still have other questions, but let's save them for later. O.K.?" and with that Yukari bid goodnight to Hamuko and presumably left to go to her own room.
Hamuko inspected her room and found it to her liking. It had a small refrigerator, sturdy looking desk, mirror, multiple windows, among other necessities. Instead of changing her clothes Hamuko sat on her bed wondered about the recent turn of events.
There was definitely something odd about this city, especially the blue-haired guy who had saved her. She thought about it some more, but really needed to get some sleep as she had woken up early that day to get to Iwatodai. After she rummaged through her bag she found the clothes she was looking for, changed, and went to bed.
Yukari did not go back to bed. Instead, she heard Mitsuru tell her to go downstairs after she got Akihiko to join them.
Yukari watched at the stair landing as Mitsuru knocked on Akihiko's door.
Mitsuru P.O.V.
"Who is it?" Akihiko said as he opened the door. He was wearing his usual school outfit with a red vest, slacks, and gloves. No one seemed to have been able to go to sleep in the dormitory for one reason or another, it seemed.
"Akihiko, we need to talk," Mitsuru responded with a serious tone.
"What is it, Mitsuru?" it was unlike her to sound like this unless something was wrong. She seemed agitated.
"The transfer student arrived today, but she didn't arrive alone. In fact, this other individual may already be able to summon a Persona. His name is Minato Arisato."
"Are you serious, Mitsuru?" the white-haired boxer inquired.
"Yes," she said.
"But that's great news. What are you so worried about, Mitsuru?" Akihiko said in surprise.
"I can fill you in with the details once all of us are downstairs," Mitsuru explained. "The transfer student said how she escaped from what I can only assume is a Shadow, but he appeared and got them to safety."
"A Shadow, outside of Tartarus?" Akihiko seemed more alarmed at this point than a new Persona user suddenly appearing out of the blue.
With that Mitsuru and Akihiko came downstairs as Yukari was already waiting for them.
Minato P.O.V.
Minato had opened his eyes and was sitting upright and anticipated the upcoming barrage of questions that would be directed at him. He experienced some nostalgia as he saw everyone come downstairs at once.
"Akihiko Sanada, and you must be Minato Arisato," Akihiko extended his right hand and Minato returned his firm handshake. He liked Akihiko's direct manner and reminded himself that Akihiko had always been like this. Although, Minato wished he had gotten to know him better at some point.
Everyone sat across Minato as if this were an intervention.
"I will get right to the main point. Can you summon a Persona?" Akihiko asked without prelude. His face lit up with the crazy expression that he got when he went to patrol the streets searching for Shadows.
Mitsuru gave Akihiko a disapproving look and Akihiko's initial enthusiasm quickly plummeted.
"Akihiko, I think I will ask him the questions," she said. "Can you explain what happened before you arrived to the dormitory, Arisato-kun?"
Yukari, who had feigned not listening, now turned her eyes to Minato.
"There isn't much to tell. I saw a girl in trouble and I wanted to play the part of a hero," Minato said dismissively.
"Could you be more specific, Arisato-kun?" Mitsuru became more impatient.
"I'm not sure there's more to tell," he responded.
Mitsuru's glare intensified on Minato as he answered her questions frivolously.
"Fine, fine, don't burn a hole in me, senpai," Minato said. "I saw a black figure attacking Hamuko and helped her escape to the dormitory. We knew that if we stayed there we would've been sorry. She was panicking, but we managed to get away." He put on a convincing façade, Minato thought.
"Is that everything?" Mitsuru seemed deflated that she was unable to get more information out of him.
"Yes, I mean there were some weird things going on with the electricity going out and the streets filled with blood." Minato said this as a bit of a teaser so that the rest of S.E.E.S would assume he at least had the potential in the Dark Hour.
"I see. Well, it is a relief that both of you arrived safely to the dormitory," Mitsuru concluded. "You can use the vacant room at the end of the second floor until other arrangements occur."
Akihiko and Yukari began to move away from the discussion to go back upstairs. Akihiko had a bemused expression on his face, as he did not see Mitsuru get flustered often. Yukari just looked confused by what was going on and why Minato was able to function in the Dark Hour according to what he said. Mitsuru was about to leave too before Minato asked her a question.
"Mitsuru-senpai, may I speak to you for a moment?" he said.
Mitsuru made sure that the voice of the inquiry came from Minato because it was in a far more respectful voice than he had used previously.
Akihiko and Yukari pretended to leave, but in reality were hiding behind the soda machines trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"I need you to help me in going to Gekkoukan tomorrow as I am sure that there is no paperwork in my name. I heard earlier from Yukari that you wield considerable influence at the school and thought that you could help me."
"Wow, he's good," Akihiko thought. That level of flattery was impressive. Yukari merely rolled her eyes.
"As an orphan I would rather avoid all the questions that would come about my ability to pay for tuition and other miscellaneous concerns," Minato said imploringly. "Would you would be willing to sponsor me on your company's behalf?"
"I will see what I can do for you. Arisato-kun," Mitsuru replied with a small smile. "May I ask why you chose to come to Gekkoukan?"
"I heard that the sterling reputation of the school for providing an excellent academic environment and a solid foundation in getting to a great university," Minato stated.
"I see," Mitsuru liked the academic ambition Minato displayed.
With that, everyone dispersed to go back to their rooms. Akihiko and Minato bid goodnight to the girls as they went to their rooms.
Mitsuru P.O.V.
"Takeba, what do you think of Arisato-kun?" Mitsuru asked as they climbed the stairs for the third floor.
"After that exchange?" Yukari remarked. "I think he's a shameless flatterer, if that's what you meant, senpai."
"I did get that feeling as well," Mitsuru smiled coyly. The two girls bid each other goodnight.
Minato P.O.V.
Minato was back in his own room and felt a bit uneasy. He couldn't really blame himself, considering the last time he was here the dormitory was on the verge of oblivion as the Abyss of Time was dispersing. He sighed as he unbuttoned his jacket. It had been an eventful first day and Minato had managed to not draw too much attention to himself.
Lying to the rest of the S.E.E.S members was not as easy as he had anticipated, especially with Mitsuru looking at him like that. It was a good idea not to incur her wrath unless it was necessary. He drifted off to sleep thinking about how he was going to stay awake tomorrow in class.
Mitsuru P.O.V.
Mitsuru could not shake this feeling. She was fidgety and was not feeling particularly tired. Something was amiss, but Mitsuru could not put her finger on it. If both Arisatos were running from a Shadow then why had they managed to bring all of their belongings to the dorm?
She knew that both Arisatos had not completely told her the truth when questioned. In particular, the blue-haired one had a disturbing ability to change his personality in an instant. He had a certain look in his eye as he talked to her that radiated a depth of sadness that worried Mitsuru. While his demeanor was carefree and borderline rude, his true nature seemed much more complex. Mitsuru shook her head as she moved on her bed and kicked the blankets away.
The light in the room flicked back on as Mitsuru sat up in her pajamas. She reached for her laptop and turned it on. Her curiosity was getting the best of her; Mitsuru felt she wanted to know more about who Minato was. She opened the Kirijo group database about people of the city. The Kirijo group had kept detailed information on all people involved in its activities. Mitsuru thought that almost everyone in this city had interacted with her father's company.
On a whim, she typed Minato Arisato. A couple of pages of dossiers appeared, but Mitsuru could not tell immediately which one was the person she was looking for. Mitsuru sighed and went on an individual basis to find who she was looking for. Eventually, she clicked on one and got the following message.
Access denied. Top-level company clearance required.
Why would this file require top-level clearance? She wondered what was going on and decided to keep going. Mitsuru proceeded to enter her personal credentials into the login screen.
A file opened and revealed a picture of a blue-haired boy who couldn't be older than six or seven years old. She had finally found him, though she did not completely understand why it was from around a decade ago.
"This photo is when he was younger," Mitsuru mused. She scrolled down and started reading. She felt more and more sick as she went on, but could not resist finishing.
Log initial note: Test subject 0, kidnapped at age 6 to study the effects of Persona implanted into humans. Control group did not perform significantly better than focus group. No statistical significance associated with dosage of suppressant given done with group study of 100 children that resulted in 97 deaths.
Log note: Subject reacted poorly to experimentation and larger dosages of suppressant used as preventive measure. Researchers noted that suppressant would lead to eventual death regardless.
Log final note: Subject deceased, and another failed experiment. Parents notified that body found of child was found after they reported child missing months prior. Police paid accordingly to fabricate story that child was found dead. Experiments no longer necessary with shift in end goals of Mr. Kouetsu Kirijo. End.
Mitsuru dropped her laptop and it landed with a loud clatter. Her face was ghastly. She could not believe what she had just read. It was too unbelievable and shook her to her core. What her grandfather had done was abominable. And who was Minato Arisato? A ghost from the past to punish her family's sins?
Mitsuru did not sleep at all that night.