A/N: So here is the first interlude chapter, which will formally introduce Minato's Dark Hour guest among a couple of other things. I had taken this chapter as an opportunity to describe a little bit more of Minato's past so you have an idea of what he remembers. Another section is the dream sequence, which serves as something of an appetizer for you shippers out there.
The next interlude before Shirakawa Boulevard will focus on Shinjiro much like how I designed a chapter specifically for Junpei. It will follow the game for the most part but will have combined scenes to make the story more efficient.
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I'll see you next time in Hagakure Ramen.
Yukari was surprised Fuuka's time in the hospital lasted only three days. She thought it would have taken longer than that to recover, especially since Fuuka had been wandering around Tartarus without any sort of nourishment for a good week and a half. While that really meant about ten hours or so, it was still a mystery to Yukari how she had managed to survive for that long and return in one piece from a place that sapped your energy by the second. She had heard from the others that Fuuka's Persona was different, heck she had seen it with her own eyes, but if she remembered correctly, Tartarus did not have any alcoves where one could camp. It was just an endless stretch of tiles flanked by walls that changed its appearance every couple of floors, and a ceiling that faded in and out of existence.
Even then, summoning a Persona for the first time was not something to be taken lightly, and if her experience with Minato's awakening was anything to go by, she expected the same thing to happen. Then again, Minato's case was different. Unlike Fuuka, his was violent. And unlike Fuuka, he did not have to endure the constant visits by Mitsuru and Akihiko.
The amount of time the two seniors had spent in seeing Fuuka could only mean that they were coaxing her into joining. Yukari knew that without Fuuka, none of them would be alive but despite all the advantages of being able to pinpoint a Shadow's weakness, she couldn't help but feel that Mitsuru just saw the timid girl as another tool. Another soldier. Another pawn in her game of late night hunting that could one day bring about someone's death.
Her feeling was just that though. A feeling. And as much as she wanted to speak out against Mitsuru, she knew there was little point in doing so because what could she say? That her senpai was wrong in recruiting innocent students? Delusional in the sense that the Shadow threat could be eliminated permanently? None of her arguments made her sound convincing and it did not help that Mitsuru always had a sincere look in her eyes. Even now, with everyone gathered in the command room upon Ikutsuki's request for a debriefing of sorts, she still had it as she straightened her skirt and looked at Fuuka.
Yukari narrowed her eyes. I will find out what you're hiding from us! I will!
"Well everyone, you did an excellent job uncovering the truth," Ikutsuki said. He then turned to Mitsuru. "You'd be happy to know that I've already settled the matter with the other members of the Board and as such, no information regarding the truth has been disclosed."
"I appreciate that," Mitsuru replied. "And the girls that were victims of the Shadows?"
"They have all regained their consciousness. Of course, they don't remember anything that happened to them."
Fuuka sighed. "It's all my fault."
"Are you kidding?" Yukari exclaimed. How could she still blame herself like that? "You were the victim."
"But, I made so many people worry," Fuuka replied, casting her eyes down.
"Hey, don't think like that."
At that moment, Mitsuru stood up, crossed over to Fuuka's seat, and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"We could have lost that fight if you weren't there," Mitsuru said. "You saved our lives. And that power you have, it's special. You can use it to help others like the way you did for us."
With the help of the Ikutsuki, Akihiko and Minato (including some silly remarks made by Junpei), Mitsuru quickly explained everything to her. Personas. Shadows. The Dark Hour. Yukari noticed that Fuuka seemed to absorb the information just as well as Minato had. No questions, only acceptance. When the explanation was over, Akihiko placed a silver briefcase onto the coffee table and opened it to reveal a silver Evoker.
Fuuka peered into the briefcase and her eyes widened. "Are you asking me to join you?"
Yukari watched as Mitsuru and Akihiko smiled warmly and nodded in approval. She then looked at Junpei, Ikutsuki and even Minato, and they too were doing the same. Yukari was disgusted. Couldn't they see that Mitsuru was just forcing her to join?
Someone has to speak up. But what to say?
"You know Fuuka, we're not trying to pressure you," Yukari said slowly. "If you need some more time to think about it–"
"I'll do it," Fuuka announced, standing up with the Evoker in her hands. "I'll help you!"
Yukari was flabbergasted. The seniors and Ikutsuki smiled. Junpei's grin grew even wider, probably at the fact that another female was joining their merry party, and Minato was...lost in thought? Yukari studied her dorm mate and noticed he himself had that same look of sincerity as Mitsuru. What is with those two?
"Are you sure?" Yukari asked, trying to suppress her conflicting thoughts. "If you join, you'll have to live here."
Fuuka glanced at Yukari before reverting her eyes to Mitsuru. "That's fine. I'd rather live here than at home anyway."
"We really appreciate this," Mitsuru said, returning to her seat. "We'll have the school talk to your parents, to resolve any issues."
"Thank you."
"Wait a minute," Yukari said, causing everyone to look at her. "Aren't we dragging Fuuka into this a bit fast?"
She felt a hand on hers and turned to see Fuuka.
"Um, it's okay Yukari," Fuuka said. "Really, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"...If you say so," Yukari replied, resisting the urge to argue further. Oh how I hate this!
Ikutsuki cleared his throat. "Now then, since we're all here, I wanted to let you all know on how my research has been going. This concerns those Shadows that have been–"
His words dissipated as they entered Yukari's mind as all she could think of was how she had let Mitsuru have her way yet again. First with him, and now with Fuuka. It was not the fact that they were endangering another innocent person that annoyed her so but the fact that none of her comrades could see it. She sighed and leaned into the chair's cushion. Well of course they wouldn't. Junpei was too busy daydreaming (probably about Fuuka), Akihiko was too interested in getting stronger, and Minato was, as far as she could tell, spacing out as per usual. Let's just hope that this is it. No more new people. Please.
"–pattern continues, the next full moon Shadow should be the Hierophant, the one after that the Lovers and so on," Ikutsuki finished.
"Is that something we should be excited about?" Junpei asked, scratching his head.
"Oh, I get it," Fuuka said. "If there's twelve in all, then there's eight we haven't seen yet."
Eight more huh? Lucky us. Since joining, Yukari had often wondered how long this whole ordeal would last. And although she was glad that there was finally a sense of direction, she had a feeling that it would not be over once they reached the end. It could not be that easy. It never was that easy.
From the corner of her eye, she espied Mitsuru exchanging glances with Minato. It was subtle, but it was there, and it annoyed her. I knew he was lying back in the hospital. He knows something the others don't. And I'm sure she knows too. Interrogating Mitsuru in front of everyone was something Yukari dare not try but, if it were the only way to expose her secrets and get those answers about what happened ten years ago, then she had no other choice. It had to be done. She just hoped that she could do so soon before it was too late.
The debriefing ended soon after Ikutsuki finished his explanation. While he appeared to be in a state of ignorance in Yukari's eyes, it was quite the contrary. The moment the Chairman began to elaborate on the full moon Shadows, Minato's internal alarms began ringing and he sat straight up, shooting a glance at his senpai before fixating his eyes on Ikutsuki. They were both shocked at the uncanny coincidence, but he noticed there was something more in Mitsuru's eyes from the quick glance she gave. Regret? Realization? He was not too sure what it meant until several minutes later, when everyone apart from his senpai had left the room.
"Talk about a coincidence huh?" Minato said after another few silent minutes.
"I'll say," Akihiko replied, folding his arms. "Now I feel like an idiot for not listening to you."
"No Akihiko," Mitsuru said, her eyes looking rather solemn. "It's my fault for not trusting him on this sooner. Had I not been so careless, then I–" She cut off in mid-sentence upon noticing Minato who was shaking his head.
"Don't take all the blame senpai," Minato said. "You had every right to believe what you did. I mean, if someone came to me saying, 'Hey, did you know there'll be a Shadow come next full moon?', I'd be pretty skeptical too."
Akihiko chuckled at his mysterious-boy-in-the-striped-pajamas-like tone and Mitsuru tried her best to resist the smile that crept to her lips. She failed in doing so and the smile that formed was so lovely that Minato could only hold her gaze. He knew getting lost in her looks was something he had promised himself not to do but he supposed that, just this once, it would be fine. After all, it was not everyday where one had the opportunity to see such a smile.
"In any case," Mitsuru said, returning to her serious self, "with the Chairman's theory and yours coinciding, at least we now have some certainty in knowing what we have to prepare for. I know we haven't discussed this much since the last operation but have there been any irregularities with your Personas?"
"Not as of late," Minato said, shaking his head lightly. "They did start swirling again a few days before we rescued Fuuka, like how they did before the train operation, but I figured it would be best to leave it alone since both of you were on the fence about my theory."
"That's fair enough," Akihiko said. Then he stood up and punched a fist into the palm of his other hand. "Well then, it's time to start training even harder now. You up for a marathon tomorrow?"
Minato grinned and got up as well. "I bet that I'll get to the finish line before you do."
"Ha, not a chance," Akihiko replied, before bidding them goodnight and exiting the room.
And now we're alone again. Whatever you do, Minato, keep a cool head.
"Arisato, exactly what has he been telling you?" Mitsuru asked. Her authoritative voice made it sound as if he were in serious trouble but when he turned to face her, he noticed her playful smirk. Boy, was he getting lucky today.
"Oh I'm sure you know Mitsuru-senpai," Minato said.
"Protein is the solution to everything?"
"Unfortunately. Has he always been like this?"
Mitsuru nodded, sighed at her partner in crime's never changing beliefs, then rose from her chair to approach him. "Whatever it is, make sure you take whatever he says with a grain of salt. Especially his monologues about protein."
"Don't worry, I tune out when he goes on about protein," Minato replied. He then tilted his head upon seeing shades of light pink on her cheeks. Was she...blushing? "Something wrong senpai?"
"No it's just...um...it's been a while since I've felt this relieved. To think that just two months ago, Akihiko and I were blindly going after Shadows without really accomplishing anything. Now we have a formidable squad, someone with a unique but vital skill set, and some direction on what all this means." She averted her gaze to the monitor on her right then returned it back to Minato. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you. For everything you've done so far. And for saving my, no, our lives back there."
Minato was at a loss for words. She had praised him before whenever he did something correct in Student Council but it was always in French and never felt as genuine as this. Crap, I'm losing it. Come on, stay focused and say something. Say something! But his mouth would not move. His jaw was eager to remain locked in place and his eyes wanted to look into hers. It seemed it was the right time to do something out of a romantic novel, lean in and kiss her perhaps, but the moment he decided to go for it was the moment she regained her composure.
"Anyway, I'll be counting on you," Mitsuru said, apparently oblivious to what the situation looked like from an outsider's perspective. "You had better get some rest if you're intending to best Akihiko tomorrow." She strode to the exit, gave him a wink, and left the room.
Minato returned to his room shortly after she did, and while he did want to rest and make an attempt to not think about what just happened for the next seven hours, it was impossible. Her irresistible smile, her blushing cheeks, her playful wink. There was something about Mitsuru this evening that he couldn't quite grasp and the confusion of it all was agonizing. Was it possible she was interested? That she was dropping hints? The thought had occurred to him but it sounded absurd to think that was the case when it could have been a simple but expressive 'thank you for saving my life'. Telling himself the answer would eventuate, he changed into his pajamas and went to bed. Sleep came surprisingly fast but it was no liberation from reality as his thoughts regarding Mitsuru followed him into his dreams like a hungry pack of wolves chasing their prey.
He was back in the command room, watching Akihiko leave when Mitsuru spoke. He pivoted and there she was, sitting on the couch, legs crossed. He moved to take a seat beside her upon seeing her gesture and as he did so, he noticed this was the closest he had ever gotten to her. He wondered if that would change tonight but the thought was halted momentarily when she commented about Akihiko, his obsession with protein, and the outcome of tomorrow's competition.
"Well just so you know," Mitsuru said while adjusting the curls in her hair, "I'll be rooting for you."
He was surprised to hear that. He did not think someone he knew for only the past two months would have taken such a liking towards him. He thought it would be more appropriate for her to cheer for her long time childhood friend.
"Are you sure?" he replied. "What about Akihiko-senpai?"
"Oh don't worry about him," she said, waving a hand in the air. "I've supported him for far too long. Besides, you saved my life back there. I think it's only fair for me support those who are willing to demonstrate their regard for me. Don't you agree?"
He nodded, not realizing that there was something about her manner of speech that seemed off. He dismissed the thought. He knew Mitsuru spoke like this. He inched closer to her, inhaling the scent that was hers and hers alone, and said, "You're right. Mitsuru-senpai."
"Oh Arisato," she said, adjusting the curls in her hair and giggling at how he emphasized her name. Her cheeks suddenly reddened but instead of looking away, she kept her eyes on him and placed a hand on his. "There's no need for senpai. No need at all."
He was allured by her sexy voice and as he leaned forward, so did she. He got closer, and closer and closer until there was barely a single stream of light between their almost touching lips. He knew her scent was intoxicating him but he didn't care. He only cared about how good and appropriate it was for this moment of pure bliss. He held this position; his lips gently brushing hers, one hand caressing her thigh, the other stroking her hair. He, unable to hold his desire for her any longer, pressed his lips against hers and she did the same with a passion he never thought she was capable of. He relished the feeling, knowing that nothing could be as right as this, nothing could ever–
–feel as wrong as this.
It was not the stagnant air or the warped sense of wrongness that crushed his ecstasy dripping dream (which didn't feel right or wrong) into shards of memories, and yanked him from the depths of sleep but something else.
Someone else.
He reached under his pillow to seize the Evoker hidden there and sitting up with a jolt, he raised it to his temple only to realize he was in no danger at all. There was no Shadow that had come to smash his window open but instead, a small boy in pajamas who sat at the foot of his bed, smiling with his head tilted in amusement.
"Good evening," the boy said as Minato sighed.
"Seriously? You startle me to the point I almost pull the trigger and you can still remain calm?" Minato replied, stuffing his Evoker back under the pillow. "Oh and for the record, this time of night sucks."
The boy pretended to have not heard the question. "That's only your perspective. There may be others who could say the opposite." He then pointed at the pillow. "By the way, you should be more careful with that. What if one of your friends walks in here and you use it on them? Considering the vast potential within you and your struggle for control, you could easily hurt someone before you realize it."
"I would never hurt– Wait, you know about..." Minato said before inclining his head. He wondered if the boy understood what he meant.
"Of course I do. As I've said, I'm always with you."
"You keep saying that and I still don't get it."
"Perhaps one day you will," the boy said, clasping his hands. "It should be interesting to see."
"In that case, it's something we'll both be looking forward to then," Minato said and the boy nodded contently. He sat up properly, blinked several times to ensure he would not doze off and ensuring that he hadn't woken Junpei up, he turned his full attention on the boy. "So what brings you here? Anymore ordeals I should know about?"
The boy frowned for a moment, a little irritated that he had to think for an answer. "Not really no. I just came to visit you and see how you're doing." He then cocked his head, as if he remembered something. "Hey, if you don't mind, can I be your friend?"
Regardless of the fact it was late at night and the Dark Hour could slow down a person's thinking, the boy's question was eccentric enough to wake him up completely.
"Aren't we already friends?" Minato replied. Between the Dark Hour's distortions and the boy's stare that seemed to grow heavier with each passing second, it was hard to think.
"I don't know. How close must two people be before they can acknowledge each other as a 'friend'?"
"Well with you visiting me every now and then, I'd say we're pretty close. So yes, you can be my friend."
It was hard not to cringe at saying those words but Minato figured that the boy couldn't tell the difference between what sounded weird and what did not. He chuckled, and knowing he was unlikely to get more sleep, he decided he would keep talking in the hope that he could learn something.
"You know, why don't you tell me more about yourself?" Minato asked. "If we're going to be friends, then I should at least know something about you."
"Something about me?" the boy repeated in that same monotonous voice. "Hmm. Well, I'm an orphan. Like you."
"Your parents die in a car crash too?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. I used to have an older sister as well but she passed away due to illness."
Minato blinked at how the boy was so calm at discussing such melancholic memories, but more at the details of the boy's past. A car crash killing his parents? His older sister dying of illness? It couldn't be. There was no way that what the boy was saying could be possible because Minato knew that story was his own. He clenched his fists, letting his fingernails bite into the palm of his hand. The pain was real, unfortunately, so he was not dreaming and this boy was not lying.
"It's strange you say that because the same happened to my family as well," Minato said.
"Really?" the boy asked, his eyes wide with intrigue.
Minato nodded, trying his best to not let his curiosity of this uncanny coincidence show on his face. "Quite the coincidence isn't it?"
"Perhaps," the boy said with a small smile. "Tell me more about your family. What were they like?"
"They were pretty ordinary," Minato said, shrugging. "Both my parents worked and my older sister, Minako, was usually out with her friends from the various clubs she'd joined. But even though they were all busy, I knew that they were always looking out for me. Especially Minako. She would try to drag me along to her outings, saying that I needed to spend more time with others, but I always refused."
Minato paused as he noticed the boy tilt his head and give him an odd look, as if he had missed something that should have been obvious.
"What is it?"
"Oh nothing," the boy said, though it was quite clear from his face that there was something. "Keep going."
Minato took a deep breath and let it out, waiting for his thoughts to rearrange themselves. "Well, after weeks and weeks of refusing her demands, I finally gave in and decided I would have to accompany her the next time she asked. Unfortunately, there was no next time because that was when Minako became really sick. And it wasn't just her. People all around Japan were catching this same virus that had the potential to kill. Me and my parents were lucky to have avoided it but it wasn't much of a silver lining when there was no cure at the time. We had to watch her suffering and when we were told to evacuate to somewhere safer and leave her behind, we all took it really hard.
"We didn't want to leave her behind. She was family. But for the sake of containing the virus, we had to and so we moved to Iwatodai, a town that was quite far away from the epidemic. I transferred to a school there and it was only then that I learnt how much Minako had been there for me. How much she cared and wanted for me not to be alone. It took me a while to fully understand it all and when I did, I decided I would fulfill her wish. That was when I..."
When I what?
Minato frowned as he reached the mental roadblock. It was not the first time he had encountered it but he thought for sure that this time, with the boy goading him into telling his life story, he would remember what happened. He backed up his memories, and then replayed them from when he transferred into that school, hoping that something would spark. But he once again slammed into the barricade with no success. He did not understand. Why couldn't he recall the events between his transfer and his parents' death?
"That's quite a story," the boy said. "I don't remember a lot of things so I'm surprised you could recall that much. It is a shame though that you don't know what happened. I would've like to hear it."
"You and me both," Minato said, his mind still too busy searching for anything that could help him remove this invisible wall to question how eerie their similarities were becoming. Knowing that continuing to think so hard was fruitless, he closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and let the matter rest. Maybe the answer would come in time. Maybe it would not. "But that's enough sharing, I need to know something."
The boy looked at him expectantly with a smile. "Yes?"
"Who are you? And why are you helping me?" Minato asked.
"I am...myself. And I'm helping you because I find your plight interesting," the boy replied. His tone sounded off, as if he were uncomfortable with all the sudden questions, but then again, it could be just the Dark Hour throwing things out of proportion as usual. "That is all there is to it."
"Really?"
The boy nodded and before Minato could press further, the air rippled. A shift that was similar to the end of the Dark Hour yet completely different at the same time. Minato looked at the boy who now stood at the foot of his bed (his method of teleportation was puzzling to no end) and felt the room darken even further, shadows plunging it into a deep black. So black that the boy's glowing eyes became the only thing he could see in the darkness. And even that seemed dim.
"Well, this has been fun but you should get back to sleep," the boy said. His voice sounded distant, which was strange because he was less than a meter away. "I'll come see you again soon."
"Hang on," Minato said. "You didn't tell me your name."
"Name? Oh I see, I need a name. In that case, my name is...Pharos."
His bright blue eyes then winked out as the darkness swallowed him.