Chapter 1: Persona, Summon!
"I am you...and you are me..."
"Who said that!?" I demanded as I looked around my surroundings. The thick fog didn't allow much visibility. I could barely see my own hand when I held it up in front of my face.
"You are me...and I am you..."
"Who is there!?" I shouted. I saw a figure in the fog, a dark silhouette. "Who are you?" I began to back away in fear.
"I am..."
The next thing I knew, I was blinded by a brilliant flash of red.
(LINE BREAK)
7: 00 AM
The alarm clock rang and I reached over to shut it off. There was something warm in my bed and I was drawn to it. I didn't hesitate as I pressed myself against something soft and warm...
My brain was starting to reboot and I opened my eyes to see that I had pressed myself into something soft that was not a pillow. I then felt an arm around my head, pulling me against the soft confines of whatever it was I had pressed myself against. I was starting to suffocate too and the person released me. I then realized that I had been pressed against a pair of breasts.
I tossed away the covers and sat up to stare at the girl dressed in a wine red blazer over a white dress shirt with a blue bowtie. She had a short, pleated, checkered skirt and black leggings which really accentuated her slender legs. Her hair, sprawled over my bed, was dark with a blue tint and she had fair skin. Her storm blue eyes sparkled with mischief as she smiled at me with a cat-like smile. She wore a yellow headband in her hair. I rubbed my eyes as I momentarily thought I saw a pair of cat ears pop up from her head but that was just my eyes playing tricks on me.
"Ohayo, Hime-kun~" the girl greeted.
"Chikane-chan..." I groaned and she reached up to hug me again. I flailed about as I tried to remove myself from her grip and pulled away. "Again? Why?" This girl was Shirogane Chikane and she was my next door neighbour and childhood friend. "Every morning too." She sat up and hugged me again.
"Well, I came to wake you up as usual but you were so cute that I couldn't resist but sleep with you," she said, giving me the usual excuse. Ever since we were children she always crawls into my bed. I let out a sigh. There was just no use arguing with her. "I also made breakfast, Hime-kun."
"Chikane-chan, why can't you stop calling me that?" he asked.
"Because, you're my princess," she grinned. I sighed. It was a nickname she gave to me because of my surname, Himegami. My given name was Rū. Also, one time she put me in a dress when we were children and claimed I looked like a princess. She never stopped calling me 'Hime-kun' since. We were grown up so she should stop with the childish nicknames but she stubbornly denied my request so I just stopped caring.
"Chikane-chan, could you wait downstairs until I finish getting ready?" I asked, hoping that she wouldn't stay in my room any longer.
"OK, Hime-kun..."
(LINE BREAK)
I got dressed in my school clothes, comprised of a black zipped up Gakuran and matching pants. The number '1' was on my collar which identified me as a first year. I looked myself in the mirror. My blonde hair was neatly combed and I put on my glasses over my green eyes. My eyesight wasn't really bad. They were just decorative. I looked back at my reflection and furrowed my brows. I'm 15 years old, currently, yet I'm rather short for my age. In fact, I hadn't grown any taller since I was 12 years old.
I looked at the calendar. It was May 7th 2012. A Monday. Two days after the end of Golden Week.
I grabbed my bag and stepped out of my room to head downstairs. I lived alone as my parents are busy traveling the world. I actually traveled with them up until recently. Fortunately, the house was still available for me to live in. It felt a little lonely without my parents but at least I had Chikane-chan to keep me company.
I sat down at the dining table with her sitting across from me. I looked at the meal she made. It was French toast with honey, with a side of bacon, toast and a salad. She always came to make me breakfast and then wake me up but always she ends up wanting to sleep next to me. This girl was just so whimsical and she loved to tease me. Honestly, wasn't she aware of the kind of feelings she stirred up in me...?
I shook my head to banish those thoughts. Chikane-chan was tall, beautiful and talented. There was no way she could ever think of me in that way. Even if I did like her that way, no way could she reciprocate these feelings I have. Besides, we were good friends and trying to change things would just make things awkward between us. As I ate, I picked up the morning newspaper. One of the stories was about another disappearance. These disappearances had started since the beginning of April and this was the 7th one already. The victim was apparently a college student who was part of his school's soccer team.
"Another disappearance," I sighed as I put down the paper. These incidents were becoming more and more frequent these days...
"It's scary, isn't it?" Chikane asked. "No clue where they went or what happened to them. And no connection at all. The police are having trouble trying to find any suspects and just questioning people that they know to find clues."
"I'm sure they'll solve the case," I said hopefully. I looked at the clock. We were going to be late if we didn't hurry. Our school was pretty far and we had to either catch the train or bus to get there.
(LINE BREAK)
8:15 AM
The train ride was a bit uncomfortable as the train car was packed. Then again, it was morning and people were headed to work so it was no surprise that it would be crowded and we wouldn't be able to find seats. We stood face-to-face but as my height only reached up to Chikane-chan's shoulders, I was staring at her chest. I looked away so I wouldn't be tempted, recalling the early morning wakeup call she gave me in my bed. There were a few other students who went to our school in the train car, some lucky enough to get seats. I sighed. I hated standing in the middle of the train car like this. It was morning too. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy the train ride.
Our stop was coming soon and I felt relieved as we were coming close. I just wanted to sit down at my desk and relax. The train stopped and Chikane and I got out. She held my hand, as usual, and led me out with her so I wouldn't be separated from her. She made sure to release my hand as we walked to school together. It was always the same whenever we walked together. Our schoolmates would all stop and admire her. Then again, I couldn't blame them. She was the school's Princess. Oh, and the name of our school was St. Joseph Academy. Let me tell you something about the school. The campus is huge and equipped with some of the most up-to-date technology and facilities. The main school building was also tall, being four stories tall, with spires at each corner, almost making it look castle-like. The clocktower also had a dome on top which had the school plant planted on top, flying in the wind. The walls were painted white.
As we entered, Chikane-chan walked off to her own locker. We were a year apart with her being one year my senior. She was a 2nd year student while I was a first year, as mentioned before. On the first day when I first enrolled, Chikane-chan had welcomed me with a hug and I sensed a lot of hostile glares filled with envy, resentment and contempt aimed at me. Chikane-chan fortunately cleared things up but I could still feel those kinds of glares on occasion. I really didn't do anything bad, but they just thought I was 'hogging' Chikane-chan to myself. Fortunately, I didn't get ostracised for that and managed to make some friends in my class.
My class was 1-E. I entered and took my seat. There were three rows of desk, each desk set to accommodate two students each. My seat was the one nearest to the window facing outside. Sometimes I just liked to look out whenever I was in deep thought.
"Yo, Rū-dude!" I heard then felt a pat on my shoulder. I looked up and saw my classmate and friend, DJ. His full name was actually Daiki Junpei but he took the two first letters of his surname and given name to make up the initial DJ. DJ was originally from Okinawa and his tan never faded. Also, his hair was in dreadlocks. His baseball cap was worn backwards. He was also taller than me, just like everyone else in this school. Fortunately for me, he wasn't the type to make fun of me of my height, or lack of it. "How's it hanging, buddy?"
"Fine," I said. "Junpei-san."
"Oh, nononono! It's DJ! D-J, yo!" he said. "Don't be forgetting it, man!" He wore his Gakuran unzipped, revealing a t-shirt underneath with letter spellings: LIVE TO THE BEAT, BEAT TO THE JAM.
"Hai, DJ," he said before taking his seat next to me. DJ was one of those people who followed a subculture that almost worshipped Rap and Hip-Hop. I actually saw him dance at the park once with his crew and was amazed.
"So Rū-dude, read the news?" DJ asked as he took off his cap and spun it around his finger. "Another one of those disappearances, man. This is, like, the 7th one since last month! It freaks me out and gives me the heebie-jeebies...!"
"Because there are no clues?"
"It's like they got spirited away, dude," said DJ. "Like they were taken away and vanished into thin air...Scary shit."[1]
"Yes, it really is scary," I agreed.
"I've even heard that it's because of some curse," a girl walked up to our desk. She had brown hair in pigtails and wore bow ribbon in her hair. She was only slightly taller than me, but still taller... She wore the standard school uniform but with a red bowtie as she was a 1st year, like me. 2nd year girls wore blue bowties like Chikane-chan and 3rd years wore green ties. Us boys just had numbers on our collar to identify our grade. Her name was Okonogi Haruno and she was another friend and classmate of mine.
"Curses? That shit ain't real!" scoffed DJ. "No, I think it's like some kind of spirit or something."
"You believe in spirits but not curses?" Haruno deadpanned, "That's pretty twisted..."
"I once made a voodoo doll of myself and poked it with pins. Nothing," said DJ. "So, it can't be a curse."
"Rū-kun, what do you think?" Haruno asked.
"I'm...not sure," I admitted.
"Hey, is that hot Princess Shirogane gonna join us for lunch again?" asked DJ. "That'd make my day, for sure."
"You just wanna ask her out on a date," said Haruno.
"Is that so wrong? She's hot and I bet I can impress her with my snazzy dance moves. No girl can deny that I'm super-fly with my swank style!" he boasted.
The door opened and our homeroom teacher entered. Haruno and my other classmates went to our seats. Our homeroom teacher had the appearance of the Hot and Sexy teacher, dressed in a tight white blouse and a purple pencil skirt with a high slit on the sides. Her legs were wrapped in brown pantyhose and she had her honey brown hair worn in a bun. She also wore stylish glasses and some jewelry.
"Now, class," she said. "I'm sure you've all learnt about the disappearances happening around town. So, I just hope you all keep yourselves safe." She sighed. "I really don't want any of my lovely students to go up and vanish. Remember, keep yourselves safe."
Shiraishi Chiyoko was our homeroom and English teacher. She was a very popular teacher. She was kind and attentive but that wasn't the only thing that make her popular. Boys who looked at her couldn't tear their eyes off her, and[2] I was aware that most of the boys had impure thoughts about her. Who wouldn't? I've had a few interesting dreams about her. I often dread when Chikane-chan would find out about those dreams. She'd kill me if she knew.
(LINE BREAK)
12:00 PM and the lunch bell rang. I stretched and got out of my seat to stretch my legs a bit, looking forward to the lunch that Chikane-chan packed for me. Since my parents let me live alone, she always took care of me. It was convenient but I kept insisting I could handle my own meals. However, she insists that she should cook for me and I couldn't refuse her when she vehemently. I couldn't really deny her and so we always had lunch together. Haruno and DJ also ended up joining us.
We always sat under a tree in the schoolyard and Chikane-chan brought out the bento boxes with our lunch. When she opened them, DJ drooled and Haruno had to pull him by the ear to behave. Chikan-chan was so good at cooking. I really envied her. She was tall, beautiful, and popular at school. She also received love letters in her shoe locker. Somehow, I feel that she would be happier hanging out with others instead of me. She was beautiful. She should have a boyfriend. Instead, she's spending all her time with me. I feel like I'm just holding her back.
"Hey, Hime-kun," said Chikane-chan. "How about you come over to my house tonight and watch a movie with me?"
I blinked. That was pretty sudden. I looked at DJ grinning and Haruno frowning.
"A movie?" I asked, shuddering a bit. "It's not horror, is it?"
"No, not this time," she said. I scrutinized her, not believing her for a second. Contrary to what you might believe, Chikane-chan is a fan of horror movies. She loves Asian and American Horror. I, however, am not much of a fan of those kinds of movies. I prefer a nice comedy, thank you very much. I prefer a sore throat from too much laughing than too much screaming.
"OK, I'll come," I said. "I'll bring the snacks too."
"Hey, can we come?" DJ asked.
"Hey, don't get me involved, DJ!" Haruno snapped.
"Go~men," Chikane apologised before pulling me into one of her hugs, "But it's just Hime-kun and me!" I could feel my heart racing and my heart pounding as my body temperature began to rise. Chikane-chan always did this, but it was always out of nowhere. I'm getting used to it though, slowly...
"It's just something we like to do together," I said. While I disliked the choice in movies, the company wasn't unwelcomed. Even when things got scary, she was always by my side.
Always by my side... Why did that make me sound so pathetic? It was then that my thoughts were interrupted when the others and I heard a commotion and looked to see other students making their way to the main gate, everyone muttering and rambling as if they were in a panic.
"Hey, what's going on?" DJ asked a passing student.
"I think a fight is about to go down," he said frantically as he rushed to the front entrance.
"I don't like the sound of that," Haruno frowned.
"Oh, this sounds interesting," Chikane beamed, "Let's check it out!"
Yeah, this can't be good...
(LINE BREAK)
I managed pushed through the circling crowd and make my way to the front. I was small enough to crawl under everyone, so there's some advantages to being small. But I was amazed when I saw what was happening... Before me stood probably the tallest person I had ever see; taller than even Chikane-chan! He had to be at least 6 feet tall and his black hair was short and spiky. From what I could tell, he didn't seem like a student to me, since he wore a black suit and tie. But what had to be the scariest thing about this man, had to be those eyes of his...those piercing gold eyes that seemed to harbor nothing but anger...
"You think you got balls, comin' into our school like it's none of your business, huh?"
"As a matter of fact, fools, I do have business here," the gold-eyed man declared coldly as he crossed his arms. "So make way before I have to hurt you. Since you're so eager to fight me, I'll even let you have the first attack! That way, I can make this self-defense and I don't have to worry about breaking any rules."
"Don't fuck with us!" the seniors roared as they charged.
The man grinned as he sidestepped a punch, hanging from the side, as he swung his right elbow forward and caught him in the nose. We could all see blood flying from the sempai's nose as he went flying and feel on his back. Another tried to attack from behind and threw a punch, only to stop and recoil as he cried in pain, his hand broken from punching the man in the ribs.
"The fuck!? What is this guy made of?!" he demanded. He froze as he felt a shadow loom over him and he slowly looked up, sweating profusely as the man looked down on him and grinned evilly. "Ah...!"
"My turn," he grinned as he grabbed the sempai by the back of his neck, pulling him down as he drove his right knee into the sempai's stomach. He was on the ground quickly and his body had stopped moving. He turned to back to face the last sempai and his once-manic grinned turned flat and unreadable. "Looks like you're the last one," he declared. We all watched as our sempai looked at all of us, sweating and shaking with fear before roaring and charging at the man. The man grinned as he drew his right arm back and met the sempai's charge. He avoided the punch and clotheslined him, our sempai being knocked out in an instant as he flipped once through the air and landed out cold on his back. We all watched with wide eyes and gaping jaws as the man had taken out our sempai with only three attacks, each with a single hit. [3]
He looked around and frowned, scanning the circle of students that surrounded him and asked, "Is there no one else to challenge me!?" I saw everyone shaking their heads with fear and denial. They clearly learned that this man was not to be trifled with. We all saw him grin, "Good," as he raised his right index finger, pointing the sky, as he said, "There is only one King! And that is me!"
We were all silent as he made his declaration, unable to respond as we couldn't think of anything. This man that stood before us was intimidating, yet somewhat alluring... Who is he? What is he? And what is his purpose here?
(LINE BREAK)
AFTER LUNCH...1:00 PM
Class 2-B
Chikane was surprised. She and her classmates could only stare with surprise and bewilderment as they watched the guy from before writing his name on the board, which read: Ryūjin Daisuke (竜人-ダイスケ).
"This does seem rather sudden, but we have a transfer student joining us," the teacher announced, " Ryūjin-kun will be attending school here. I hope you all accommodate him and show him the ropes."
"Ryūjin Daisuke," he introduced as he faced the class before bowing, "A pleasure."
"Sensei, Ryūjin-san can take this seat," Chikane volunteered as she pointed to an empty seat on her right. Daisuke nodded as he picked up his bag, walking over to the empty seat as some of the kids made space for him (mostly out of fear though). The guy was huge and just the pressure of his presence was heavy. Not to mention those eyes of his; those gold eyes which seemed to gaze into one's soul... He took his seat next to Chikane, the girl smiling, as she greeted, "Nice to meet you, Ryūjin-san!"
Her call received Daisuke's attention as he flinched a little, blushing slightly, as he bowed gently, "Likewise..."
"Shirogami Chikane," she introduced, "Good thing I know your name, right?"
"...Yes," he smiled weakly. The other students were amazed by how well the two were already getting along. Chikane always seemed to get along with anyone and everyone. Further proof that she was the Princess of the school.
(LINE BREAK)
AFTER SCHOOL...8:00 PM
I knocked at Chikane's door and waited for her to answer. I was carrying a bag full of snacks we could share while watching the movie. I was dressed in a long sleeved dress shirt with blue slacks and sneakers. I couldn't help but marvel at Chikane-chan's house. It was almost twice as big as mine with a wide yard and a beautiful garden. Her family was rather well off as her father was the CEO of a large corporation. She didn't have any servants, though, preferring to do things herself and her parents trusted her to take care of herself while they were on a business trip together. They even expected me to help take care of their daughter because they really trusted me.
The door opened and Chikane greeted me, wearing a red sweater and black shorts. "Come on in, Hime-kun," she invited as she pulled me through the door. I removed my shoes at the foyer and switched them for the house slippers as I followed her into the living room. It was very well furnished, and had a lot of space. There was a couch set across from the flat-screen television, which was mounted on the wall, and said couch was flanked by two armchairs. The TV we were going to watch the movie on was a 70-inch plasma screen. There was also a Blu-ray Disc connected to the TV.
"You are going to love this movie," she beamed as she popped in the Blu-ray Disc as I opened the bag of potato chips to pour its contents into the bowl. She bent over and I nearly dropped the bowl as I got a good look at her rear that was facing me. I turned my eyes away. Wasn't she aware of what she was doing.
"Really?" I asked skeptically. I swear, if this was another horror movie I was going to go straight home, hide under the covers, and pray to Jesus until the monsters went away. After she put in the disc she went back to sit by my side and reached for the remote sitting on the glass table in front of us.
"OK, let's start the movie," she said and she pressed Play.
Nothing happened.
"Eh?" She pressed Play again.
Still nothing.
"Maybe it's the batteries," I said as she popped open the back.
"No, these are brand new," she said. "I just put them in before you came and they worked fine." She put down the remote. "I'll go and press the Play button on the player." She stood up and went over to the BluRay player. That was when I saw the glass of the TV screen ripple like water. My eyes widened as this occurred and Chikane stood up to look at me apologetically. "Sorry, Hime-kun. Looks like there's no movie tonight."[4]
Suddenly, black arms, a multitude of them, shot out of the screen and grabbed hold of Chikane-chan. She shrieked but her screams were muffled as a hand covered her mouth. The arms began to drag her towards the screen. The sight of the arms had me frozen in terror but when they grabbed Chikane and she started screaming and struggling, I jumped out of my seat.
"CHIKANE-CHAN!" I shouted as I grabbed hold of her arms. I pulled, trying to tear her from their grip, but they were too strong. One of the arms then shoved me backwards, knocking me onto the carpeted floor. I looked up and saw her upper body vanish into the screen and finally her legs slipped inside.
And then she was gone.
"CHIKANE-CHAN!"
(LINE BREAK)
I could only stare in horror and disbelief as Chikane-chan just vanished before my eyes. One moment she was just about to play the movie for us to watch, and then suddenly she was taken from me. I had wanted to call the police but then what was I going to tell them? If I told them that my friend had just been dragged into a television by phantom hands, they would just think I was pulling some kind of prank, and a distasteful one considering all the disappearances...
Wait, the disappearances. I looked at the TV. Was that how the previous victims had vanished? Had they been dragged into their own TV's as well? I had no time to ponder these questions. Right now I needed to figure out how to go and save Chikane-chan. Nobody would believe me, [5] so it was up to me[6] to save her. That was when something strange happened. Well, something else strange besides watching my childhood friend vanish as she was sucked inside the TV.
My pocket was glowing. I reached inside and pulled out my wallet. The glowing was coming from inside. I reach in and pulled out something that I had forgotten about.
A month ago, before the first day of school, I had come across a strange fortune teller. When I mean strange, I mean really strange. He was sitting in the park one day, dressed in a cloak, scaring the kids away. However, I had been drawn to him, and so I sat down to let him read my fortune. He had used Tarot cards and after he finished he'd told me that I would face a challenge unlike any other and that I should trust in the bonds I made. I wondered what he'd meant. I still decided to pay him but he'd refused, telling me the reading was free. He had given me a blank Tarot card as a souvenir.
This was the blank Tarot card he'd given to me. It had no picture on it, only a border, and no name. It was glowing brightly too. As I held the card up, the TV's screen started to shine with bright and blinding light.
(LINE BREAK)
"Ugh..." I groaned as I pushed myself up onto my knees. The last thing I remembered was a blinding light and then everything just went dark. I looked around. I looked to my left, to my right, and then back to my front. I couldn't see anything.
That was because I was surrounded by a thick fog. I couldn't see anything through this dense fog. However, that didn't mean I was just going to sit here and do nothing. I needed to figure out where I was. The TV had released a blinding light so maybe I had been sucked into the TV as well? It was just an assumption but I really didn't have any other clue.
"Chikane-chan!" I called as I walked through the fog. "Chikane-chan!" I shouted again. There was no answer. I took out the blank Tarot card from my pocket. Still, it was blank. It wasn't glowing anymore either. I pocketed again and continued calling, "Chikane-chan!" Still no answer from my friend. That was when I saw a figure in the distance. "Huh?" I squinted my eyes. It was still difficult to see through the fog but I could make out a shape. It looked like the size of a small child but with horns sticking up. "What...?"
"Hey, what are you doing!?" the figure standing in front of me shouted. "Run, now!"
"Run?" I wondered out loud and then I heard a growl. It sounded like a bear and it was behind me. I turned and saw a creature that looked like something straight of my nightmares. It was bipedal, similar to an ostrich, with large talons. It didn't have wings, nor did it have a neck or head. The spot where a head should reside was a mouth with very, very sharp teeth. Saliva dripped from the teeth and the thing was looking at me. It didn't have any visible eyes but I knew it was looking straight at me. A tongue slid out and it licked my face. I recoiled in disgust. The creature then grinned and lunged at me to bite my head off.
I screamed but then someone grabbed my hand and I felt myself being pulled into the air, escaping the creature that was trying to eat me. I ended up landing on what felt like a sidewalk and my knees gave out before I dropped to my rear. "What...?" I looked up at the one who'd saved me and blinked. He had a normal skintone, but besides that there was nothing else normal about him. He was half my height, dressed in a cloak over his clothes, and had short green hair. On his head he had rabbit ears. "Those Jawlegs are nasty creatures, Onii-san. You shouldn't have let it lick you. Now it has your scent."
"Jawlegs?" I wondered outloud. I was confused. Slowly, I stood up. "Hold on, what's going on? Where am I? Who are you?"
"Me?" the child asked as he pointed to himself. "Well, I'm Navigator-kun!"
"Navigator-kun?" I repeated. "OK, so, where are we?"
"Where are we?" he asked. "Don't you know? This is the Land of Eternal Fog."
"Land of Eternal Fog?" I parroted.
"Hey, Onii-san, did you come in through one of those boxes?" Navigator-kun asked.
"Boxes?" I blinked. "Wait, you mean a TV, right?"
"TV?" Navigator-kun blinked, sharing my confusion from earlier. "What is a TV?"
I groaned. This wasn't getting me anywhere. Still, if this was a place that could only be entered via a TV, that meant Chikane was probably here as well. "Hey, Navigator-kun, have you seen anyone else? Have you seen a tall girl with long dark hair?"
"I...don't think so..." said Navigator-kun, his ears flopping down. I sighed. "But you're not the first person who got brought here through the boxes."
"Really?" I asked.
"There were others too, and I tried to help them, but I wasn't strong enough," he said sadly.
The other disappeared victims. Another mystery solved. This place explained how they had just vanished without a trace.
"This fog is really thick," I said.
"Oh, that's no problem," Navigator-kun smiled and he pulled out a pair of goggles. "Put these on." I removed my glasses and took the offered goggles before putting them on. My eyes widened in surprise. I could see clearly through the fog now.
And I was standing in the middle of Umihara, my hometown. However, there was something eerie about it. The sky for instance was orange with a spiralling pattern and all the buildings were black. So, this was the Land of Eternal Fog. This was the world on the other side of the TV's. As I scanned where we were, my ears picked up a familiar growling and Navigator-kun grabbed my hand.
"They found us! The Jawlegs found us!" he shouted.
"Navigator-kun, what are Jawlegs?" I asked.
"Shadows," he answered.
Jawlegs, a dozen in total, surrounded both of us, salivating from their mouths. They looked absolutely famished and staring at the both of us like we were food.
"Onii-san," Navigator-kun uttered as I looked around me in terror. This couldn't be happening! This was just a bad dream! This wasn't real! I was back home in my bed and holding Chikane-chan!
However, no matter how much I wanted to deny what was happening, it was really happening, and I was going to be torn to shreds by these monsters called Jawlegs.
But then I heard a voice, the same voice I'd been hearing in my dreams, repeating the same words, "You are me...and I am you..." The Jawlegs lunged at the two of us and Navigator-kun screamed while screwing his eyes shut. Suddenly, the card in my pocket shot out and released a blinding light, followed by a concussive force that threw the Jawlegs back. I stared at the card in wonder and so did Navigator-kun.
"Onii-san, where did you get that?" he asked.
The card fell into my hand and the image on it started to be filled by a man riding a chariot. Under the image was the card's title: RIDER.
"You are me..." the voice whispered in my mind, "And I am you...now call upon me...Holder..."
Insert Song: Reach out to the Truth (from Persona 4)
"Per..." I began as the Jawlegs were getting back to their feet. "...so..." They opened their mouths wide before lunging at us. "...na!" I clenched my fist and the card shattered like glass. "Persona!" My entire body released bluish flames that erupted around me. Navigator-kun was shocked as he saw the flames but even more so at what was emerging from the flames themselves. Several of the Jawlegs attacked but as soon as they were close they were sliced to ribbons, their piece dropping to the floor. I looked behind me and saw a tall figure, eight feet tall in fact, clad completely in black. He wore a black zipped up jacket with a red scarf hanging from his neck. The jacket had long coattails and he wore black leather pants. He wore boots with metal greaves on them and also had armor plating on his shoulders and sleeves. His head was encased by a black helmet which was decorated by an image of a skull. In his hands was a pair of bayonets.
"Persona...Rider..." I identified.
The Jawlegs lunged at us but Rider attacked, swinging his bayonets with fluid skill, slaughtering them. One of the Jawlegs attacked from behind, sinking its teeth into Rider's shoulder. I felt the same pain as well in my own shoulder and gritted my teeth. So, we felt the same pain, huh? Rider stabbed the Jawleg biting him and tossed it away.
"GO!" I commanded and Rider obeyed as he unleashed his power, he was swift as his bayonets whistled through the air, as he sliced through the Jawlegs. It only took a few seconds and that was the end of it. Rider then hovered before me as I stared up at him. "This is my power..." Rider then glowed and turned back into a card that slowly hovered down to be caught in my hand. Rider's image now replaced the chariot riding man on the card's face.
"SUGOI, ONII-SAN! YOU HAVE A PERSONA!" Navigator-kun shouted.
(END SONG)
(LINE BREAK)
Chikane wasn't sure where she was. It looked like a grand ballroom of some kind. She didn't know how she got here but she didn't want to stay any longer. The entire place felt sinister. Unsettling music played all around her but there was nothing that could be playing it. Also, there was someone coming towards her and her eyes widened in shock as she saw who it was.
She was looking at herself.
"Who are you?" Chikane asked.
The other Chikane, dressed in her school uniform, answered, "Who am I? I'm you." They looked almost identical, but the other Chikane had inhuman yellow eyes.
"But...I'm me!" Chikane retorted.
"Hime-kun is cute, isn't he? It's why I love him so much. He's so small and cute. If I could, I want to keep him as a pet," the other Chikane said as she began to approach Chikane.
"No...stay away from me...stay away!" shouted Chikane as she backed away from her doppelganger.
"It's lonely, isn't it, to be at the top?" the other Chikane asked. "I am the Princess of St. Joseph so I have people who admire me, but no close friends. Hime-kun is my only friend in the whole world but I know one day he'll leave me and leave me alone. It's why I take care of him so he has no reason to leave me. I can't let anyone else get too close to me or they'll take him away from me. It'll be so easy to keep him locked up in a cage and have him all to myself."
"That's not true!" Chikane shouted. "That's not true!"
"It is true! I want everyone to just leave me and Hime-kun alone so that I can always be with him and not let anybody have him! I'm such a selfish little princess who needs to keep her pet on a leash!" the other Chikane laughed.
"Shut up! Just shut up! That's not true! There's no way you can possibly be me!" Chikane denied and then she said the words that would condemn her, "You're not me!"
The other Chikane smiled maliciously as she said, "You're right! I'm not you!" A dark aura erupted from her body as she began to change right before Chikane's eyes and the girl screamed in horror. "I am a Shadow, your true inner self!"
(LINE BREAK)
I heard a loud scream, one that I was familiar with. "That's Chikane-chan!" Where was it coming from, though.
"Take my hand!" Navigator-kun said. I did and all of a sudden we vanished.
(LINE BREAK)
Me and Navigator-kun reappeared in another place and I looked at Navigator-kun in surprise. "You can teleport?"
"Yes, but only during emergencies," said Navigator-kun.
"We were almost eaten by mouths on legs!" I argued. "How was that not an emergency!?" I heard Chikane-chan's scream again and saw her down on her knees facing what appeared to be a hideous Harpie-like creature with armor on its upper body. The face it had was like Chikane-chan's, but distorted with a sharp hooked nose and it had long and sharp ears. The Harpy had sharp talons and it was about to use them on Chikane-chan. "Chikane-chan!" I shouted and I pulled out my Rider card. It shone and I clenched my fist to shatter it, "Persona!"
Rider appeared as it emerged from my body and flew towards the Harpie as it brought its talons down. He deflected the talons with his twin bayonets, sending the Harpie staggering. Chikane gasped as she saw Rider but then she had heard me and looked at me. "Hime-kun!" I ran towards her and helped her to her feet.
"Chikane-chan, are you hurt?" I asked.
"I'm alright, I think," she said. "What is that thing?"
"If you're talking about the bird-thing, that's a Shadow, Onee-san," said Navigator-kun. Chikane looked at Navigator-kun and would've appreciated his cuteness if the situation wasn't so dire. "That is this Onee-san's Shadow."
"My Shadow?" Chikane asked.
Navigator-kun explained, "Shadows are the physical embodiment of the negative emotions humans keep within themselves. In this world, these emotions take form and manifest as Shadows. They only become this powerful if the host denies their Shadow."
"Deny my Shadow...?" Chikane realized what she'd done. The only reason her Shadow had become like this was because she had denied it as a part of herself.
Chikane's Shadow slashed Rider across the chest and I felt the pain as I grunted. "Hime-kun, what's wrong?"
"If his Persona takes damage, he also shares the pain," Navigator-kun explained. Rider slashed at Chikane's Shadow but it flapped its wings and flew up. Rider followed but then Chikane's Shadow flapped its wings and summoned up gale-force winds to push him back down. Then, the Shadow formed vacuum blades that hit Rider and I screamed in pain as my Persona plummeted to the ground.
"Onii-san, the Shadow's too strong," Navigator-kun said, "We need to run!"
"He's right, Hime-kun," said Chikane, "We should get out of here!"
"No, Chikane-chan," I said. "If this is your Shadow, then it's something you need to face." She blanched at me. "And I'm going to help you!" I mentally commanded Rider to attack again, slashing at Chikane's Shadow. Chikane looked at me in amazement. I doubt she had ever seen me do something like this before. As children, she'd always been the one to protect me. But this time...this time..."I'm going to protect you now!"
Navigator-kun started digging around in his cloak and he pulled out a box-shaped device. "Then you're going to need this, Onii-san." I stared at the device and took it from his hand. I examined it. It was boxlike with a slit in the centre. "Call back your Persona," Navigator-kun instructed. I looked at Rider and decided to just follow Navigator-kun's instruction.
"Rider, return!" I commanded and Rider faded before returning to card form, said card returning to my hand.
"Put the card in then put it on your waist," instructed Navigator-kun. I didn't argue as I put the card through a slot on the side of the device. Then I put the device on the front of my waist. A leather belt strap shot out from one side, looped around my waist, and connected to the other side to fasten it on. "It's ready."
"It's coming!" Chikane shouted as her Shadow was diving at us for the kill.
"Now, Henshin!" Navigator-kun shouted.
"Henshin!" I repeated as I split the device open, revealing a symbol that resembled a six-pointed star within a circle, a hexagram.
"PERSONA: SYNCHRO!"
(INSERT SONG: REACH OUT TO THE TRUTH)
Blue glass-like shards surrounded my body and bonded to me as the transformation began and I could feel the power flowing through me. I could also feel myself growing taller. Chikane-chan and Navigator-kun watched me in wonder as the transformation finished. I took a chance to glance at a nearby wall which was polished and allowed me to see my own reflection. I was now dressed almost like Rider but there were differences. Such as my height. I wasn't short anymore, also my armor was completely awesome.[7]
I was wearing a black bodysuit with silver hands around my wrists and ankles as greaves were strapped to my shins and forearms. My upper torso was protected by armor which was black and the chestplate had a line going down the centre resembling a zipper. A high collar rose up to protect my neck as a scarf hung from my neck. Instead of coattails, I had hip plates hanging from my belt. Finally, my head was encased in a skull-like helmet which looked fearsome and there was a red visor set between the 'jaws' of the skull. Sheathed and hanging from my belt were Rider's twin bayonets.
"Hime-kun?" Chikane-chan asked me and I looked at her, giving her a nod. I then turned to face her Shadow and leapt an impossible height to engage the Harpie. I dodged in midair, I could fly! I drew the bayonets and slashed at the Harpie Shadow and it shrieked in pain as I struck it. I didn't know how I could do that. I was never much of a fighter, but now it was just coming so naturally to me.
"HIME-KUN, WHY!? WHY ARE YOU HURTING ME!" Chikane-chan's Shadow screeched. "I ONLY WANT YOU TO BE MINE FOREVER!" The thing swiped at me with a wing and sent me crashing against the wall.
"Hime-kun!" cried Chikane-chan but Navigator-kun held her back. "Please, he's hurt!"
"He's fine!" insisted Navigator-kun. "The Persona System will protect him!"
I groaned but got back to my feet. I glared at the Harpie Shadow as it came at me with its talons. The Harpie Shadow caught me with its talons and started to squeeze me tightly, causing me to grunt with pain.
"COME, STAY WITH ME! STAY WITH ME FOREVER!"
"You're not the one I want to be with!" I denied as I stabbed its leg and the Harpie Shadow released me. I landed on one knee and watched as the Harpie Shadow was coming at me. I put my bayonets together, their blades facing away from each other. I then twirled my combined weapons in one hand and waited. "Wait for it...wait for it..." I murmured and then it was time. "NOW!" I threw my blades and they spun so fast they almost looked like a single disk. The Shadow Harpie was unable to dodge and was struck, the spinning bayonets cutting through her flesh. The Harpie Shadow began to plummet before crashing to the floor with a large explosion.
(END SONG)
"Sugoi..." Chikane-chan uttered with awe and amazement.
"Now, you should go and face your Shadow," instructed Navigator-kun. "It only went berserk because you would not acknowledge it."
"I must...acknowledge it?" Chikane-chan asked. She watched as the flames died down to reveal her injured other self. She steeled herself and went to approach the other Chikane. I watched on, a little wary, but Navigator-kun told me this was something Chikane-chan needed to do. She knelt down and helped her Shadow up to her feet.
"The things you've said are things I've been keeping a secret to myself. It's true. I want him to always stay by my side but I don't want to hold him back. I just can't help but want him to always need me because I need him too," said Chikane-chan. "You're me, and I'm you. Isn't that right?" Chikane-chan smiled and her Shadow smiled as well before her body was enveloped in light.
"What's happening?" I asked Navigator-kun.
"Oh, her Shadow's turning into a Persona," Navigator-kun answered. I watched as her Shadow changed, assuming a new form, a beautiful form resembling a female knight in silver armor and chainmail. She wore a helmet with a beak on it and had a pair of beautiful silver wings. The new Persona then faded, changing into a card that fell into Chikane-chan's hand.
"What's this?" she asked and turned to look at me.
"That's your Persona," I answered. Chikane looked up at me in awe, which was a new experience. In my current form I was a half a foot taller than she was now.
"Persona," she repeated, examining the card. I closed my buckle and ejected my Persona card, which caused my suit to shatter like glass, reverting me back to my normal form and height. "This is my power." She then remembered the things her Shadow had said to her and now that she'd accepted them as the truth, she turned to face me, her childhood friend. I was always there for her and all she did was to make I never left her. When she'd been in danger I'd rushed in to save her without thinking of the consequences.
"Hime-kun, close your eyes," she said.
"What for?" I asked.
"Just do it," she urged and I did. I then felt something soft press against my lips. I liked the feeling but then my eyes snapped open as I realized what was happening.
Chikane-chan was kissing me!
つづく
KAMEN RIDER CHROME: A few years back, I had discussion with another fanfic author named Kaiserdude regarding a possibility for a Persona Series/Kamen Rider crossover story. This is the end result of that discussion. The 1st Person Omniscient POV was on purpose as it helps me to really get into my character's thoughts and motivations. Some of his insecurities are based on mine, to be honest. I'm not short, but I have felt some insecurities so I know the feeling and I can sympathize with my OC, Himegami Rū.
KAMEN RIDER BUSHIDO: Daisuke is my guy, just to clarify. Thought I should change up OCs, and this looked like a good chance to try it out. I'm pretty pleased with it, given this is only the first chapter. Just gotta keep going and develop.