Disclaimer: None of the authors own any of the referenced properties.
This content is from the now defunt Project X thread.
[Persona 2]
Tatsuya's Awakening – part 1
Author: me (HelenTheMoon aka Lermis)
He remembered the first time. Just a blink after what he thought to finally be his oblivion, his release. And he found himself holding a worn screwdriver he had almost forgotten about, crouched over a familiar engine he knew better than the back of his hand. He heard a semi-familiar voice behind him. He got up – he could never afford to stay on his knees – and he saw two faces he had forgotten but in a situation he remembered all too well.
His motorcycle had been sabotaged.
Instinctively, he looked for his anchor. He pressed his thump over the familiar engraving, and that was when reality fully landed on him – crushed him.
It wasn't over.
It was worse than being stabbed – he knew that feeling all too well – and even though there was no physical wound he collapsed all the same, he could still feel "His" tendrils crawling inside his skin and he yanked his sleeve up because hadn't he done enough
It was gone. His skin was clear, blemish-less, as if the brand had never been there.
"Huh?"
Was this a new punishment? Was this a second chance? How?
Distantly, he heard the two faces approach him in concern, but to him they did not exist, too preoccupied in searching his own soul for answers because he knew his mind could not be trusted.
Apollo answered back. He could even feel Vulcanus in there, and every Persona he held before going back. It was extraordinary.
He felt the missing part of the engine being shoved in his open palm. Right, There were people here.
He fixed the engine quickly ignoring the Principal's jabs – his name was Hanya, he had to remember that – and left the concerned student who popped up a moment later a message for Miss Saeko. She would understand, most likely. After all, she had been in a similar place not too long ago.
"I have important mistakes to fix. Then I will tell you what I want to do."
…
Last time this had happened, he had chosen not to speak in favour of listening. This time, he chose not to speak in favour of glaring. If Philemon had noticed this, he made no move to acknowledge it. His old friends certainly had not noticed. They were confused right now as if they had awakened to their Personas for the first time and in a way, they had. The world had been reset after all – again.
Reset buttons came with a heavy price. That was yet another truth he had learned at the Other Side.
One of the things Tatsuya Suou had always feared the most was making decisions. Should he speak up? Or not? Would that change anything? Would "He" crawl through the skin of his friends as well if they remembered?
Dazed as he was in his thoughts, he had not noticed Philemon had finished his speech. One after the other, they both vanished in golden stardust. Philemon finally turned to him.
"Unfortunately" he started "while I am aware of your situation, I do not know its causes. My servant Igor had mentioned to me this strange phenomenon, and it was later reported by other Persona users like yourself. I assure you that neither I nor the Crawling Chaos had any influence in this."
Tatsuya decided to take it face value. If anything, Philemon had never lied.
"I sense that all the power and all the Personas that you had acquired on the Other Side are still awakened in your soul." Tatsuya took a moment to remind himself that this time the "Other Side" was the one in which "His" puppet was Tatsuzu Sudou.
"Frankly, after you and your allies defeated the Crawling Chaos for the second time, I decided to refrain from interfering with any future Persona users. I recall a number of years ahead from this one, and for many, the true meaning of Persona and its power have both been lost. As you should recall, your Persona Apollo was weakened in many ways at the Other Side." Tatsuya remembered that. Even though summoning had been easier than ever, literally half his elemental immunities had been lost, forcing him to completely review his strategies.
"There are not many things I can do to aid you, but I give you this." Something briefly glowed in Tatsuya's chest before settling in. He sensed a change in Apollo and stared at Philemon quizzically.
"I have rendered your Persona immune to the deteriorating effect of the Other Side. In addition I have merged the different sides of Nova Kaiser into one new whole."
He could not possibly mean… A triple elemental Nova Kaiser? That was… overkill.
"This is all I can do for you. Will you turn this new opportunity in a glorious new dawn? Or will you bring forth the prophecy of ruin? Apollo embodies both… I have faith in you, Tatsuya Suou."
With that final greeting, Tatsuya felt himself fading away.
He woke up on the cold floor of Sumaru Prison feeling lightheaded. Ginko was looming over him but he made no move to push her away.
Faith, huh?
He should… he thought bitterly. Last time I saw him, we were in his realm with Maya-nee, Brother, Ulala-san and Baofu fighting against him. And we won.
He hoped that at the Other Side, things would be better. That the New World Order would never appear, that the people would not hang from every word the alluring fortune teller spilled, that Maya and his brother and the him on the Other Side would get to live normal lives and chase their dreams…
For This Side too. He would win.
[Persona 2]
Jun's Awakening – part 2
Author: me
Of course, the mere act of throwing Tatsuya "I'LL BURN YOU TO ASHES" Sudou into a burning pit from the fourth or fifth floor was by no means enough to deter the man. Both Jun and Tatsuya knew that, so while waiting for him, Jun had taken over moving the kids to a room further inside the restaurant modeled after a blimp which had turned into an actual blimp, while Tatsuya was trying to figure out how to stop it from crashing. In spite of his rumour-fueled supreme driving and piloting skills, he had never been able to stop the crash. Or the blimp taking off for that matter. Or the museum burning.
His sharp hearing caught Jun's footsteps before he announced his presence. "All the children are safe now, Tatsuya. They won't have to see a death now."
This was important. In both Sides, Tatsuya and whichever team may have accompanied him at the time, he had to kill the insane arsonist in front of a bunch of terrified children, and he regretted that fact every day. He would rather not to have to kill at all, but…
"Thank you, Jun." I can ease my consciousness now, at least a bit…
"You are planning to kill him, aren't you Tatsuya?" Jun's gaze was mournful. Tatsuya knew that expression all too well. Out of all the people he had ever met, Jun was the one to despise death the most, as well the one to recover from his shock the fastest. Just another sign of how messed up they all are.
"Shiori-san asked me to." Jun did not know her, but the explanation was enough.
Tatsuya took a deep breath. He was never one to talk first. "Aren't you…"
The beautiful young man shook his head. "You can tell me later, Tatsuya. I'll wait." Gods bless Jun and his ability to understand him. He had saved him from many, many awkward pauses when they were children, and now he spared him from many painful explanations as an adult.
Heh. Adult.
Tatsuya found his gaze drawn to the flower in Jun's breast pocket. On the Other Side, it had been a yellow Iris, before he had changed it to the Salvia flower that Big Maya had given him. This blossom however was one that he had never seen before.
"It's an Adonis flower. It's meaning is 'sorrowful remembrance'." Tatsuya felt a pang of guilt through his heart. If it were not for his sin… His friend's hand fell on his shoulder, startling him. "It's not your fault."
How can you tell me that Jun? After everything I did? Will you still be able to say that after I commit a murder I've been practically hired for? Will you still be able to tell me that after you learn the truth?
A sudden explosion cut his usual gloomy thoughts short. "He's back…" Of course he was.
Jun suddenly appeared to be in a very good mood. "I wonder if he lost the other eye." The leather-clad young man stared at him incredulously. "Would you mind if I deal with him, Tatsuya? From one Joker to another."
"J-Jun…?" His closest friend looked positively evil. Granted, he always was a bit gleeful when fighting demons but this was another level.
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of him."
The effeminate young man had his most seductive gaze on, deeply inhaling the scent of his flower, his only visible eye half-lidded in such a way that his long eyelashes casted long shades on his cheek and his lips were curled in a wicked soft smile.
It was at that moment that Tatsuya remembered just how his most sensitive friend ended up in the reform school in the first place.
That's right. Jun loves humanity, with all of its aspects, both the light and the dark in their souls... But not the people.
"Alright. Go ahead."
There was no stopping him.
[Persona 4], [RWBY], [BlazBlue], [Under Night In-Birth]
(no title)
Author: Black Omochao
"Give me your weapon! I must have one!"
"No! Get the hell off me!"
"Ruby… you really should stop," Weiss sighed as she watched her Anchor chase around the other silver-haired Looper, amongst the myriad of other chibis populating the strange 'lobby' room.
"I will stop… just as soon as this selfish edge-lord lets me examine that sword!" Ruby exclaimed with an exaggerated expression of frustration.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?" the chibi-Ragna shouted back in rage, still making sure to keep out of Ruby's range.
Weiss let out a sigh as she shook her head, sitting on the ground.
"There really isn't much to their thought-processes, is there?" a pig-tailed vampire commented from the Schnee's side, having somehow materialized a table and chair that she sat at.
"I feel you give them too little credit," Weiss replied, watching as Ragna finally stopped running from Ruby and decided to just fight her, to which Ruby was happy to oblige. "Rather, it's not that they're incapable of more complex thoughts, but that they choose to approach things in more straightforward ways."
"Perhaps, but in some ways, is that not worse?" Rachel suggested, as Ragna and Ruby's clash resulted in knocking both of them to opposite sides of the room.
"It all depends on your perspective. I can't speak for Ragna, but Ruby can be very intelligent, when she wants to be," the white-haired girl assured, though frowned soon after. "But, now is not one of those times…"
"Clearly," the chibi-vampire nodded.
"Damn riding-hood," Ragna muttered as he stumbled after crashing into a wall. "If there were ever a more annoying girl…"
"Ragna… Ragna~" a pale-cyborg girl chanted as she creeped around the corner, her one uncovered eye focused on the silver-haired man.
"… Why do I always speak too soon?"
"Oh… dizzy…" Ruby muttered, having hit the wall on the other side of the room. "That was fun."
"Um… are you okay?" Yosuke asked as he looked at the fallen Ruby, the red-clad Anchor just gave a thumbs-up in response. "Okay then…"
"Say, why can't these get-togethers ever be peaceful?" Labrys questioned as she popped up behind the brown-haired Persona-user.
"Because it's pretty much our lot in life, that's all there is to it," Hyde commented from nearby, his arms crossed with a frustrated expression, Merkava letting out screams from a few feet behind him wasn't helping…
"The beast HUNGERS!"
"Settle down, will ya'!?" luckily, Jubei saw it fit to quiet Merkava down with a swift kick to the head.
[Persona 4], [RWBY]
(no title)
Author: wildrook
Yosuke groaned as someone helped him out of the trash can. "Thanks," he muttered. "I swear, I thought I've learned how to avoid that thing."
"Don't sweat it," the female said, catching his attention. "My sister has made a worse first impression before."
Then he realized that someone would be replacing Nanako this Loop...and at this point, Dojima. "Word of advice, I'm pretty sure that Yu would treat Ruby as a younger sister, but joining a family..."
"We usually don't recruit. They just happen, some are okay with it, and some aren't." Yang was then walking with him to school. "Still, how long is it until you get that scooter?"
Yosuke looked away. "Actually, the pain of re-registering comes first. I've already got said scooter in my Pocket." He groaned. "Otherwise, it's pretty quiet...although I saw the look you gave Mitsuo Kubo. Personal experience?"
"Cost me an arm, too."
The Prince of Junes gave out a wince. "So, how's the wife?" he asked her. "I heard about the wedding and the brawl that came with it, so I got concerned."
"It'll take more than just a jilted lover to rile us up...they really had no idea what awaited them."
Yosuke gave out a smile. "Is she here?"
"The whole team's and our Uncle's Awake, but he's not going to be available due to dealing with his job."
"Yeah, I had a feeling he'd be dealing with Adachi. I was thinking we'd have a pre-Midnight Channel meeting..."
"And I thought you'd take the opportunity to hit on her," a voice said, catching both Yang and Yosuke's attention as they looked to see Chie with a certain DVD case, "but it seems like you're just talking. You really have changed, Yosuke."
Yosuke flinched. "It wasn't enough to avoid cracking your Bruce Lee movie, Chie." He then gave her a stare. "Besides, I'm kind of waiting for a phone call so they can find her."
"Ah, you're talking about Labrys. Well, if you're paying for lunch, can I come as well?"
Now that gave him a huge amount of dread when he realizes he's paying for five. "Just make sure not to break my wallet."
Yang gave out a chuckle. "Sounds like you two are getting along," she muttered.
Yosuke smiled. "Yeah, this kind of friendship is worth the small town experience," he replied.
…
Indeed, there was a lot of confusion as Yosuke brought Team RWBY and Chie to Junes, thinking he turned into a playboy.
Weiss just noticed the dirty looks and the Manager's Son ignoring them. "And I thought you'd kill to have this kind of attention," she muttered.
"You're thinking of Baseline me at this point," Yosuke muttered. "Just ignore them. They have no idea it's just a friendly meeting."
Chie just finished eating. "Subpar as usual," she replied. "Although I'm pretty sure there are better places to take them."
"Like I said, if I took them to an actual steakhouse, I'd have to do double-duty. Especially with your appetite, Miss Carnivore!"
"This coming from Captain Resentment?"
Blake gave out a stare. "Although it kind of looks like the Captain is becoming the resented," she said, noting said looks. "They have no idea that we're in a relationship, do they?"
"Nope," Yang replied, smirking. "It's funnier that way." She then looked at Chie. "Yukiko couldn't make it?"
"No, she's got trouble at the inn," Chie muttered. "Honestly, we know who's capable of doing it, but from my experience, there's a lot of work to be done before we can actually catch the killer."
Ruby blinked, in the middle of her cookie dive. "You need some help with that?" she asked them.
"Actually," Yosuke said, "I'm kind of waiting for the group to get together before we can make our move. Kanji's helping out his Mom at Textiles, Teddie..." He then noticed the bear costume helping out Saki. "...Well, he's present and on the job, and while Chie already mentioned Yukiko helping quell the aftermath, we're still waiting for Naoto and Rise to show up."
Weiss got the idea. "And without the leader in this Loop," she said, "you're acting as leader of this group."
"I've already accepted the fact that my partner's not going to be in Inaba forever. Someone has to take the reins."
Chie blinked. "That's...surprisingly mature," she muttered.
Yosuke gave out a smile. "Thanks," he said. "I've been dwelling on this since the P-1 Grand Prix incident, so unless you have any objections..."
"No, not really," Ruby said, finishing her cookies. "It would help if we had someone who knows the layout of the Midnight Channel before we could take action."
"It's less about the layout," Teddie said, finishing his shift, "and more on how it would reflect the heart of the person that fell in. And that can vary from person to person."
"What Teddie said," Yosuke replied, scooting over as he let the bear sit. "Heck, he's from there and even he is surprised at the unpredictability of the TV World."
"Which means," Weiss muttered, "while we know the who, we don't know what's going to spawn." She then glanced at them. "Also, you guys mentioned something about a fog...how are we going to see through that."
"TA DA!" Teddie yelled, bringing out four pairs of glasses. One of them had red frames and square lenses, another had white frames and oval lenses, a third had black frames (that were secretly adjustable for Blake's Faunus form) and lens that resembled reading glasses, and the fourth were yellow-framed aviators. What they had in common were the team colors on both sides of the frame attaching the ear-holder and the front. "These are perfect for those who want to see through the un-bear-able fog of the Midnight Channel, and all of them are personally claw-crafted by yours truly!"
Blake looked at the black pair and was amazed at the forethought involved with her pair. "The amount of forethought involved with this is shocking," she muttered. "How'd you..."
"Call it a hunch," Teddie replied. "Can't exactly forget that you're quite the cat's meow."
Yosuke face-palmed. "Dude, she's married," he muttered, noticing Chie give out a glare. "Keep the pick-up lines to a minimum, okay, Teddie?"
"Can't deny that she's purr-fect with or without them, though," Yang retorted, causing everyone (Yosuke and Chie included) to groan.
"Oh Dust, there are two of them," Weiss said, double face-palming.
"How long do we have to wait for Naoto and Rise?" Chie asked Yosuke.
The only human male at the table gave her a stare. "Until May," he muttered. "I don't know how long our sanity will last, though..."
[SMT IV]
Variant: APOCALYPSE – part 1
Author: me
Isabeau let out a long sigh as for the quite possibly millionth time she approached the hige boulder in which the protector god of Tokyo, Masakado was sealed. Flynn was not Awake in this Loop so everything had more or less proceeded as Baseline; thankfully, she had been able to steer him in the right direction. The only oddity in the loop had been those children she never recalled meeting before, but that was nothing too odd. Variations happened; this was just one of the smaller ones. If it were not for those, she would have gone mad in those loops far, FAR earlier.
All that was left was for him to draw Masakado's Katana and it would be over. The Loop would soon reset.
A very sudden earthquake proved her wrong.
In front of her were deities.
Several deities which she had never seen before or recognized, all gathered together standing between Flynn and the stone. One of these gods stepped forward …floating as if he owned the place. If not for that fact, Isabeau might not have been able to tell he was a demon at all.
"Greetings, Flynn" started the demon, and Isabeau was stunned to hear not distortion in it. "I am Krishna of the Divine Powers. The Divine Powers have but one goal: the salvation of the entire world."
What?
What was going on here!? Was this a new variant? A timeline expansion? No, that was impossible, she had learned her native loop far too well to call this an expansion, but so many gods she did not know! Was this a crossover with a new section of Amala? Flynn was not Awake, so she feared for his reaction… The timing couldn't be worse than this.
"What do you mean, "salvation"?" Flynn had taken an offensive stance, one hand maintaining a firm grip on Masakado's Katana, the other on his own sword. Isabeau inwardly let a sigh of relief at that. She could tell that he was surprised, but he did not allow himself to be thrown off by this.
The demon – Krishna – answered with an enigmatic smile, and no such a subtle hint of cockiness. "I serve neither Lucifer nor Merkabah. My salvation is for the good of humanity."
Isabeau did not buy this for a second. "So, there are demons that have decided not to side with Lucifer or Merkabah, and you speak for them?" She was honestly astonished by the statement. This was completely unknown territory. If only Flynn was Awake…
Krishna chuckled. "In a way…" That did not clarify anything other than the fact that his intentions were not as pure as he claimed.
His expression hardened. "This world is ruled by a "creator" who has no qualms declaring himself the one true god."
No…
"It was he who sealed humans in cages of flesh and trapped them in this universe, bound by words."
"We are all merely pawns to the creator" continued another god who held a spear and a crow.
This cannot be…
Krishna once again took over. "Such insolence will not be forgiven. He will die for it. Flynn… Will you become our savior? My Kalki? Join me, and bring salvation."
Her mind went blank. She was right. Th-they were asking Flynn to kill Him... The same being who doomed Aleph for all eternity… YHVH.
"And if I refuse?" Please, please do Flynn…
The god with the spear stepped forward. "Then your impudence will be met by force."
Lightning struck. Isabeau's heart almost stopped. She almost collapsed when she saw he was fine.
"You dodged it. I'm impressed, human. Pity for the child though…"
Child? What child?
A loud yell came from behind her. Both Samurai turned around in shock to witness one of the gods having captured a girl and chocking her. A boy was with her looking paler than the dead.
The children from earlier.
"Don't move. The girl's life is in your hands now. I am Maitreya of the Divine Powers." It was unclear who it spoke to, but that did not matter. It might as well have addressed all of them.
She almost missed what the demons said next. "Tsukiji Konganji is under the control of the Divine Powers." Wait, what? When? This was completely off baseline!
She knew how Flynn would react before she heard his sword dropping.
Several bolts of lightning rained at once. The humans present could only watch in shock as the god with the crow tortured Flynn bolt by bolt. Black smoke rose from his body. Isabeau went numb. I-Impossible…
"Flynn!"
The girl behind her was crying about how she was the one at fault. The god continued chocking her.
"You coward!" She was a looper. She was confident in her skill and power. If she gave it her all she could take out a good chunk of them by herself, right there and then.
But the children would die.
The boy was paralyzed. She could feel his aura of rage, but somehow he was more still than a statue. It was unnerving.
Krishna was smiling through it all. "Kalki is with us now. Release the girl."
The god obeyed. The girl ran towards them and Isabeau tried to remember her name. She had introduced herself earlier in the loop. "Asahi was it? Are you hurt?"
Just a moment too late, a band Hunters arrived. Isabeau was growing more puzzled by the second. That was not part of the baseline either. Did those children call for reinforcements? Were they loopers? Were they part of this new variant? What was going on here!?
Before she knew it, Hunters had arrived by the dozens. Flynn remained unresponsive through it all. He is alive, right? They don't want him dead, so he's alive! Flynn is strong! Please!
The Hunters were cursing at the gods. One called out to them, challenging them to kill Merkabah and Lucifer.
"They are merely stepping stones on the road to salvation" replied Krishna. "Our plan runs much deeper than that."
Isabeau was almost impressed at this point. The gal they must have to call the King of demons and God's Chariot mere stepping stones! They really are aiming to kill YHVH…
The world turned white with lightning, knocking everyone off their feet. A deafening crack was heard… from above. Light shone through the Ceiling as if it was nothing more than dyed glass and Isabeau could clearly discern a gigantic slithering figure casting its shadow through it…
A first pound. A second one. A serpent bigger than most things she saw in her life pierced through the Ceiling.
…what…
"Shesha… The great serpent of death and renewal will lead you all to Salvation. This is but a taste of the power that we possess. I am your light."
And as natural sunlight pierced through the Ceiling, Isabeau only knew one thing for certain.
This will be torture without you, Flynn…
[Persona 2]
Jun's Awakening – part 3
Author: me
Jun dealing with Tatsuya Sudou had gone surprisingly smoothly. The insane arsonist was already in shock of Jun actually tossing him in the fire pit, and even more shocked to find him opposing him alone at the other end of the blimp, Tatsuya too busy with piloting to come and help.
Tatsuya was not worried. He would let Jun have his fun. They were both the same; they had a vindictive streak, a dark rage that as dangerous as it was, it needed to be satisfied. They both embodied gods that brought forth disasters, so it was expected. Throughout the loops Tatsuya had learned more about the gods, demons, symbols and abominations that haunted them and he almost wanted to laugh at what must be one of the grandest cosmic jokes. They might as well have been designed for their roles before they were even born.
So yes. Jun would now kill in a world where he would never have to. It was not fine. It was not needed either. But he would do it anyway because he had his own message to send. And Tatsuya would allow it.
I am not getting Maya-nee involved. Not this time. I have Jun. And that was all he needed.
For his own part, Jun was staring down and the small cluster of demons that Sudou had at his disposal. Two Shax and two Minotaurs. He shook his head disapprovingly. Minotaurs had no real magic resistance, and compared to their enemies, bringing out Shax was almost laughable. They were weak to fire; Tatsuya could take each one of those enemies with one spell, easily.
The former King Leo was no better; dressed in a hospital gown and a long trench coat, black cuffs in his ankles and wrists and covered with blood, any semblance of the dignity he used to posses on the Other Side was gone and left behind nothing but the madness.
Sudou was shouting at him. Begging. "Why are you doing this master!? You know the truth! You proved yourself to the voices! Everything they said was right! You proved it! I followed the In' Lackeh step by step by your orders! Everything happened as the voices always told me!"
What a sad man… He reminded him of Tatsuya in a way, back on the other side. The boy that had no hope in life and clung on anything he could find. Tatsuya had grown out of that. Jun had laid his eyes on his and almost did not recognize him; he carried this air of confidence and maturity that even through his dark depressing thoughts shone like the sun itself. His inside beauty was shining now as much as his outside. He chuckled to himself. "Truly, like a god among mortals…"
"Huh?"
"You may have not seen my most recent Persona, King Leo…"
Jun took a deep breath and reached the depths of his soul. There it was… the dual existence, the two ancient beings that had fused into one and became his power.
The clock was ticking along with his heartbeat. Golden wings unfurled above him.
"I am thou… Thou art I…" The deep, dark voice echoed and sent ripples through the air. The clicking of the clock signaled the inevitable; his face was time itself.
"I am Chronos…The dark sun that kills its father and wields the scythe of false power…"
That is the truth… Power is fleeting… The mere concept of it may be laughable… Tatsuya believes in power, but I cannot do that… It is little more than another aspect of reality, ever changing, never staying into one form, ever moving and shifting through gods, humans and demons…
"You feel the karma that controls one's destiny deeper than your bones… The wheel keeps spinning, the circle is inevitable… Everything that rises is destined to fall and then rise again…"
How well did he know that.
He opened his eyes. He had not realized that he had closed them.
Sudou was staring at him in awe. He always had that look full of wonder on his face when talking to him, but now it was stigmatized with horror.
"Tatsuya Sudou."
The madman snapped in attention at his name being called.
"You ask me to become a demon again and accomplish the Great Father's ideals… But I was always a demon in a way… I killed my own father to prove that I was in the right, and the victory was stolen from my- from our hands right away. Now we have all returned right where we started. This is the Wheel of Fortune. I am only a messenger of time, and thus death and rebirth… "Father" sought to end the cycle forever with destruction. My role is to preserve it."
He picked the Adonis flower from his breast pocket. It was not quite the flower he would have chosen for a fight – something with a more menacing meaning would do a better weapon – but that was what he had.
"I'm sorry."
The fight was on.
…
"That was quick."
Around half an hour later, both Tatsuya and Jun were lounging in Shiori-san's apartment, soaked to the bone. Not for the first time, Tatsuya was truly grateful that her place was so close to the beach. There was something funny about hiding from the police in a place that was a fifteen minutes walk from the police department.
Both of them had already showered, Tatsuya with his clothes on (Jun looked at him in disapproval at that. "It's faster that way" was Tatsuya's justification) and now they were both dressed in the changes of clothes that he kept in his pocket, Tatsuya abusing Apollo's abilities to getting them to dry faster. He did not even have to light a fire; with all the practice he had gotten, he could simply raise his body temperature to such degrees that he could even make the rain to evaporate on spot. He did not go as far for Jun's convenience, but the house still felt like a furnace. Jun appeared to be sweating in his oversized clothes. Tatsuya could catch a glimpse of his wiry but incredibly dense muscle through his opened collar shirt. Jun always looked so skinny with that uniform but he could clearly make out the bulging veins and the defined lines of his torso…
Okay, maybe he was staring a little.
"So Tatsuya." He snapped back to reality. Jun had a teasing smile and Tatsuya felt himself blush a little. "What exactly is going on here?"
The somber mood from earlier returned.
"It's a long story…"
Over two hours later, Jun was sitting in silence, his face blank. Tatsuya was waiting for his response. Not doubt he was feeling the exact same shock that Tatsuya himself felt about the loops. Maybe he was enraged about Tatsuya's choices in the baseline. Maybe he despaired over the entire branch of realities known as Amala being so fundamentally flawed, or perhaps he wondered why were they the only ones in their branch to lose their fight.
Or perhaps he was not doing any of the above and was instead laughing at how his worldview could be applied to the whole situation.
"So in other words, we are connected to a whole network of different worlds in which Earth is always brought to ruin by the entities born from humanity's own mind and its fear and greed of power, and because the Cosmos as a whole is damaged almost beyond repair we will have to repeat more cycles of the cycle."
"There are fused loops." Tatsuya reminded him.
"Unless we are the ones visiting, those barely change anything. Rumors become reality no matter where we go. Isn't that what you said?"
He nodded in confirmation.
"So, what is your plan?"
"…Plan?"
"You mentioned the TV station and the secret laboratory being raided at once, and therefore whichever team does not follow Maya have great difficulty in accomplishing their tasks. Michel and Lisa-san are also in danger. I think it would be best if we divided the two roles. What if I went to the TV station? Unlike Michel, Lisa-san doesn't know me, and thanks to Mother nobody will question me being present. If what you told me about Wang Long Chizuru's abilities is for this loop, I will be able to defeat her with ease."
Tatsuya smiled. Jun was a natural leader and quick thinker. "Sounds like a good plan."
Jun made a joke about zodiacs and leadership and Tatsuya faked an indignant scowl. Both of them laughed and decided to raid the fridge. Shiori was safe from the mafia in this loop thanks to Tatsuya's interference, so they had all day before she came back from work.
He had not laughed like that in a long time. He felt it from the depths of his heart. Their struggle would probably never end, but finally, he was at ease.
[Persona 1], [Persona 3]
(no title)
Author: me
Status: REJECTED
"I am Aegis. I am an Anti-Shadow Supression and Domination weapon produced by the Kirijo Electronics eroge products line."
Both Awake and non-awake members of SEES stared at her incredulously.
"My purpose is to serve Master Minato Arisato in all possible manners. I come equiped with the latest weapon technology as well as a special tube system that immitates the reproduction systems of the typical human female organism."
The squad's faces turned from disbelieving to horrified.
"I am also able to modify such systems to better accomodate Master Minato Arisato's individual needs and preferences. It is a great pleasure to serve you, Master." The non-awake Aegis bowed politely.
Silence reigned supreme.
Junpei exploded. "What the HELL, Mitsuru!?"
"I only Awoke yesterday, Junpei."
Suddenly Mitsuru's phone ringed to indicate an incoming message. Finding the timing strange, she flipped it open.
Unknown number?
"I hope you find my gift interesting, Miss Kirijo
~ Kei Nanjo"
Mitsuru's face darkened by a scowl so deep she looked older by twenty years. Everyone could feel the room temperature drop. She dialed the number.
"Kei Nanjo. What is the meaning of this."
"Just an old rumour spread by some of the more spiteful members of the Nanjo Conglomarate. I am afraid that they chose a very bad time to spread them..."
Mitsuru went through the implications in her head. She carefully analyzed his vocal tone. She came to a single conclusion.
"I will execute you."
"Bring it on, Miss Kirijo." He ended the call.
As she furiously marched upstairs, there was only one tbought running through everyone's heads.
CRAP.
[Persona 2]
Jun's Awakening – part 4
Author: me
Jun checked out his clothes on the mirror one more time. He had to be perfect in this. He and Tatsuya along with Miyashiro-san had gone over today's plans time and time again.
Shiori Miyashiro… She left quite the impression. A beautiful woman, impeccable in her appearance as befitting of a police officer and without a hint of makeup. Her eyes stood out; they were dead. It was like their eyes back when they all thought that Maya-neesan was gone.
Her resonance was odd too; definitely there, but almost non-existent; it was like that tiny cold breeze in a room that nobody ever notices unless they are specifically looking for it. According to Tatsuya, she did not have a Persona because she had been denying Philemon's pleads for over a decade on the principle that "it was rude to ask for someone's name without introducing yourself". Tatsuya had no idea what to make out of that, and frankly, neither did Jun. Perhaps rules such as basic courtesy were her safety net. Her comfort zone.
A woman like her was wasted on the juvenile division. It was the worst match they could have made. She was better suited as a prosecutor, or a field officer. They needed a jaded attitude like hers. A person with no dreams was not suited to guide others.
Perhaps that was the reason why even on the Other Side Tatsuya never made any of the important decisions. Thinking back, leadership always fell either on Jun himself or Maya-neesan, even when they were children. He thought of the Tatsuya he knew now… Truly, he glows like a star… He has grown so much…
Miyashiro-san was a good information gatherer. She had already confirmed that Maya-neesan's group was headed to the hidden laboratory along with Kei Nanjo, leaving the studio to Eriko Kirishima and a few other old classmates of hers from St. Hermelin High.
Tatsuya had warned him about them. "All the St. Hermelin grads are loopers, save for the Rumormonger Toro. There's nobody Awake now but there's a chance they do at any given moment. Yukino-san will also be there, so be extra careful. The others can keep a secret so they won't tell Maya about me, but I'm not so sure of her. On top of that, even without the loops the Déjà Vu is still there. She may recognize you even without Awakening."
Mayuzumi-san… He owed her a lot. His other self, most of all. Being his friends' guide and protector while he tried to kill them.
Jun took a final look in the mirror. A black dress shirt and pants, a forest green vest to match the colour of his zodiac sign, a grey cravat for extra flavor and black boots; his most practical pair, semi-hidden under the pants. These clothes should grant him enough mobility in the fight without raising suspicion that there was something up with him.
Tatsuya's watch was firmly secured on his wrist and the bouquet of flowers has hidden under his trench coat. He had chosen dill flowers for their ability to fight off evil. If anything, the JOKER curse should qualify.
JOKER… He supposed that killing those who were not desired by the people around them was another form of wish fulfillment.
He weighted his watch, trying to wash those thoughts away. It ticked in tandem with his heartbeat.
It was time.
…
As expected, the Sumaru TV studio was packed. The station's staff was running around almost in panic like they always did with the sole exception of the receptionist who was more bored than Sloth. Various publishing companies were flocking around her practically begging for an interview with all the celebrities and idols that would appear today. A whole crowd of fans were struggling with both the police and the private security for a slim chance of getting an autograph.
Nothing out of the ordinary. After all, today they had the J-pop Idol group Muses, the world-famous actress Junko Kurosu and the alluring Wang Long fortune teller Chizuru Ishigami all gathered in the same place. With his mother being an actress, Jun had gotten used to the ever-present chaos of a TV studio on both sides of reality, and he was well acquainted with the manner that those who lived under the spotlight were treated. On This Side, Jun had never been allowed beyond his mother's dressing room, but that was still a lot more access to the interior than everyone else in this city had. Sneaking around the rest of the studio would be easy.
He scanned the room more carefully, searching for Persona resonance while masking his own. Just as Tatsuya had warned him, Mayuzumi-san was chatting with her boss Fuuji-san, Hidehiko Uesugi and Eriko Kirishima. They were all being intensely watched by a black cat that had its own demonic presence.
People's intuition has greatly diminished… Wang Long Chizuru snuck in a Shiki as her pet and nobody noticed that there was something wrong with it… Well, Uesugi-san DID notice that there was something wrong with it because he made sure that the small creature was always in his field of vision. It was something that even the Jun on This Side had noticed; Uesugi-san had amazing instinct.
Miyashiro-san was outside with the rest of the police officers. Perhaps it was a risky move, but the other officers here would not find her presence odd. The underage crowd was a good alibi for her; she could just lie that she was observing the crowd for any signs of overly troubling behavior among the children. In reality she was here to cover for them when the gloves would be finally off. She was a good liar.
Situation properly inspected, Jun decided to head inside. He left his seat and approached the two guards that were guarding the entrance. One of them was pale like a sheet. He did not recall meeting him before.
Jun put on his most pleasant smile. "Good evening Ishida-san."
Ishida-san smiled brightly. "Hey, Jun-kun! What are you doing here? Guarding your mother from rabid fans?"
Jun giggled. "Among other things", he half-lied.
The guard was completely oblivious. "Well, make sure you watch your back too. You look pretty sharp today!"
"It wouldn't do for the media to show a Cuss High uniform inside the station on such a day, now would it."
"Ha, I guess you're right. You're heading in, right?"
"Yes" confirmed Jun.
"DON'T DO IT!"
Jun almost jumped off his skin. He turned to the other guard who was waving his arms frantically.
"Don't you know!? On the third Friday, a rainy day… Reiko Kashima appeared in the back of the studio!"
"Reiko… Kashima?" The old urban legend? Was she not supposed to only appear in toilets?
"Yes, Reiko Kashima! If you meet her, you must say this: "The R in Reiko stands for 'revenge'. The E in Reiko stands for 'eradication'. The I in Reiko stands for 'inescapable'. The K in Reiko stands for 'kill'. The O in Reiko stands for 'obfuscate'." Say anything else and she will tear your legs off your body!"
"Um…" …She has quite the reputation…
Ishida-san shook his head in exasperation. "Don't mind him, Jun-kun. He's new here. What he actually saw was your mother. Though I kinda get where he's coming from…" The last part was whispered, but Jun caught in anyway.
He suddenly had a very clear image of his mother's torso in her dress covered with blood strangling random civilians while screeching for her legs and her name. I have to admit that such a role would fit her…
He shook his head. Now was not the time to think of potential horror movies.
Jun shook his head and headed to the studio.
…
Tatsuya was anxious.
No, he was beyond anxious. He was downright fidgeting. He flicked his lighter – Jun's lighter – again and again trying to find an outlet for his excess energy. In front of him was the entrance to the secret laboratory.
It was not the infiltration he was worried about. He had broken in this place in the baseline and he had done it again countless times. Throughout all his time in the loops, he had broken into more High Security facilities and military bases that he could count.
"The Highest Amala Branch Baseline Human Kill Count". Well, not exactly. He and Baofu-san along with Nanjo-san were the top three for the Persona branch, easily reaching triple digits, with half the St. Hermelin grads, Maya-nee, his brother and Ulala-san close behind. However he had no way of knowing what exactly the other Amala loopers had done. There was a good chance that Futsuo from the main branch was above them. Maybe Aleph, but he had no idea. He was not looping.
The fact that he was thinking such things made him sick.
He flicked his lighter in annoyance. His thoughts had gotten out of control again.
The real reason he was nervous is because he and Jun were separated in the middle of all the chaos.
"They will definitely be suspicious" was Shiori-san's warning. "Sergeant Suou is an excellent detective, and from what I have gathered Amano-san and those who accompany her are very smart in their own right. The fact that all the children in the Aerospace museum were rescued without their interference will surely alert them of your involvement. The same goes for the higher ups in the police. It will not take much to deduce that you have at least one ally working with you."
That was why Shiori had gone with Jun, or why they had decided to interfere with the TV studio in the first place rather than just leave it at Eriko-san's hands. Maya-nee, his brother and the others were not yet aware of his being the "Déjà vu Boy". The New World Order had no evidence whether Tatsuya Sudou was alive or not, and the original JOKER in the loose was a far too great threat to overlook. With such a wrench thrown in their plans, there was no telling how they would react.
More importantly, there was no telling what Nyalathotep would do. Would he mark Jun as well…? Claim ownership of him?
He shook his head. The rumour curse had a Read-Only label on it. He and Reiji Kido also had the Grima Patch on them, for good measure. Masakado had definitely applied the Grima Patch on Jun as well. They would be fine. He had to believe it.
He drew his katana and sneaked behind the two guards guarding the entrance. There were no security cameras. Perfect.
He struck.
It was blindingly fast, and perfectly clean, the way only endless practice and experience could achieve. Not a single drop was on the ground. He summoned forth Apollo and burned their bodies. With the strength he had acquired over the loops, turning bone to ash was no struggle. He quickly swiped all the dust that had remained with another Persona that he had obtained in a Castlevania loop; Persephone.
He had no idea why Persephone in the Castlevania branch was armed with the skills of a ninja and the vacuum cleaner of hell, but he would take it.
Tatsuya was usually extremely flashy in his infiltrations. Fast and furious, with an unhealthy amount of explosions that left behind equally unhealthy amounts of questionable gasses and radiation. However, this was a rescue mission. Eikichi was in here, alone and defenseless, there were dozens of prisoners that were experimented upon, Maya-nee and her group had to retrieve important data and his enemy still had no confirmation that he was there. He had to be quiet.
Being in a branch where the most powerful local loop-aware entity wanted to destroy humanity sucked. He really felt for the others in Amala. Thankfully the loops had taken "His" ego down by a peck, if only for the fact that he was actually not the most powerful force in reality. Technically, Nyarlathotep answered to the Nuclear Chaos aka Azathoth but given that said being had been sleeping for eternity, "He" treated his so-called mission on Earth like something between vacation and a power trip.
Tatsuya gathered his wits together. He had a job to do.
He flicked his Zippo. Be safe, Jun. He entered.
[Persona 2]
Tatsuya's Awakening – part 2
Author: me
Almost an hour later, the newly re-formed trio had finally headed back to Seven Sisters High. Tatsuya dreaded what he would find there.
"The Seven Pleiades set the frozen time free…" The first line of the Oracle of Maia had been fulfilled when he was not even looking.
Sure enough, the entire school was out at the courtyard. However, the atmosphere was somewhat different. There was a hint of… excitement? Just as he was about to grab the nearest student and ask them what was going on, an underclassman literally jumped on his face.
"Hey, Suou-sempai! Have you heard? There is this whole bunch of Miss Saeko's old students that came to kick our awesome Principal's ass! I'm rooting for them, but I really hate them too…"
And thus the clock tower shattered.
"Aiya!?"
To the shock of absolutely everyone, the clock tower that would toll the bells of doom exploded in a magnificent display of fire, glass and concrete, shattering several windows and making the students and staff run for their lives. The dust and debris slowly settled, and all the passersby collectively held their breath. Silence reigned supreme, only interrupted Principal Hanya landing unconscious in front of the gates from some place above.
And on top of the collapsed tower was none other than a very triumphant Yukino Mayuzumi, surrounded by literally every St. Hermelin graduate Tatsuya knew of. He could even vaguely make out Akinari Kashihara's ghost in the background staring at the group slackjawed.
"HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, HAMYA!?" She turned to the others. "Alright guys, we're done here. Let's go tell Miss Saeko."
"…" what
Eikichi, for once, looked completely neutral. "Your school is weird."
Instead of listening to him Tatsuya bolted for the tower.
…
Yukino looked down at Sevens' courtyard. She could see all the students staring at her and her former classmates with various expressions ranging from awe, to disbelief to anger. She spotted Lisa and Eikichi staring at her the same way all the other children did.
And then she saw Suou. He looked… puzzled… And there was this weird look in his eyes. He was staring intensely at every single one of them, lingering at herself, Kei and Eriko, and event taking some time to observe the ghost behind them.
Realization hit her. Shit. Suou is looping.
She turned to look at Hidehiko – the only one Awake – for confirmation. He seemed to read her thoughts. "That brat down there seems like your kind of tough guy, huh? Why don't you go have a chat with him?" Sure enough, Suou had already bolted from his position and headed straight from the school, skillfully avoiding all of the rumble and the unconscious Hamya.
Hidehiko was right. It was for the best if she chatted with him personally.
Yukino turned to the ghost of the teacher behind her. He seemed to have calmed down from his initial shock. It was strange to think of a ghost that way but in the end he was still human. Even the dead could form an opinion.
If anything, she felt like she owned him an apology. "Sorry for bothering you like that. I didn't expect the the tower to collapse like that." That was the truth. Her intention – other than kicking Hamya's ass – was to destroy the clock mechanism of the tower to prevent the Oracle of Maia from starting up. Utterly wrecking the clock tower… was overkill.
The ghost of the teacher shook his head with a kind smile. "You don't have to apologize, young lady. The clock never started moving, and now it never will. I can rest at peace now." Yukino nodded her thanks.
"Still…" whined Hidehiko "the repair costs will go off the roof now. Heh, get it?"
"Your joke was horrendous, Brown" said Nanjo. "And besides, the cost of the repairs is trivial."
She could practically hear Reiji's "for you".
Yukino did not pay them any mind. "I'm going to meet up with Maya-san. We still have to finish that interview. I got to deal with that guy who's heading over here too."
"I also have a photo shoot to catch", said Eriko. "See you later, everyone!"
One by one the adults headed off the school. Yukino took a deep breath.
Suou's looping… This was going to be a trip.
…
Tatsuya ignored the protests of his friends and run up the stairs, not talking to anyone. He made sure to take a different staircase than the one the other Persona users had – he was not sure why he did that but it was healthy to have a degree of paranoia. Necessary even.
Soon enough, he made it to the fourth floor. Yukino was standing there, alone. Akinari Kashihara's – Jun's father – ghost was nowhere to be seen.
"Suou." Yukino's tone jerked his spine to straighten up. It was commanding. She stared at him right in the eyes, unflinching and dead serious.
She knows… There was no doubt in his mind. She recognized him. She knew what was going on. She was merely looking for confirmation.
"Yukino-san."
Yukino's stance visibly slackened, but she did not relax.
"Shit. You're looping too, huh? I guess I should have seen it coming." Looping? Is that the strange phenomenon that Philemon mentioned? He did say that other Persona users had reported it. Of course it would be Yukino-san and the others. He expanded his senses, looking for Yukino's signature. In the original timeline she had given up on her Persona, but he could not think of anyone else that could have caused that geyser of fire he saw earlier.
The wave of power staggered him. His eyes widened in shock.
The most powerful presences he had ever sensed were Philemon and Nyarlathotep. However, among the Persona users in the end it was Tatsuya himself who had the most raw power… Until now.
Yukino's magical aura, her Persona resonance, was crushing. He could not imagine a human having this much power. The amount of fighting she must have done to grow this strong…
…must exceed that of a human lifespan. His mind was spinning.
Yukino had definitely noticed Tatsuya's awed gaze. She smiled at him. "Gather up your friends. We'll deal with all the emblems and then we'll go to the Velvet Room. I'll tell you everything there."
…
About an hour later, after the squad had destroyed the rest of the emblems and Maya-nee fended off a band of zombie junkies thus awakening her persona – Tatsuya had no idea how Jun managed to get his hands on that many zombies – he and his friends had gathered in the Velvet Room for some down time. Eikichi, Ginko and Maya-nee were engrossed in the Persona compendium and bombarded Igor with questions about how the specifics behind each and every one of them. Igor for his part, along with the other residents in this place – looked very amused by their enthusiasm. However, Tatsuya could not help but note how the long-nozed geezer kept throwing knowing glances at him.
He should not be surprised, really. Even without Philemon telling him so, it was obvious that Igor would know about the time travelling.
Yukino drew him to a corner of the room – if it had anything that qualified as a corner and invited him to sit.
"Alright Suou. I'll tell you everything but it's a pretty long story. I didn't get it at all when I first heard it. We don't have that much time so now I'll tell you the basics and fill you in on the details as we go."
Tatsuya nodded in understanding.
"First of all, have you ever heard of Yggdrasil?" Tatsuya lifted an eyebrow at the somewhat unfamiliar term. He was pretty sure that he had seen the term at some point in the compendium but he really could not say anything more about it.
"According to Norse mythology, that is the tree that holds all the worlds including ours. That tree is real, but it's not actually a tree."
"What do you mean?"
Yukino took a deep breath. "Yggdrasil is actually a super computer. Each of its branches is a different reality. Ours is the Persona sub-branch, which is a part of the Amala branch. Amala has all the demons and magic that you know, but it's made of many different realities. In some Tokyo gets nuked, in others Earth as we know it just isn't there, some have the Jewish God duking it out with Lucifer and I've heard some stuff about aliens of all things… But we all have more or less the same demons and the same magic. We are the only ones who use Personas though. Philemon and Nyarlathotep's power extends only in the Persona branch. You follow?"
Tatsuya took some time to shallow all this. It made sense, in a level… It reminded him of some scientific theories he heard about now and then. About there being many different realities and dimensions.
He nodded. Yukino took it as a signal to continue. "Good. The problem is, at some point Yggdrasil crashed. I have no idea how – nobody really does – but now the Admins, those who control Yggdrasil, are trying to repair all the damage."
"So if Yggdrasil is a computer, reality is program that has been damaged…" It made sense. It made sense but it was just so crazy and Yukino had not answered anything yet. "What does this have to do with the time travelling?"
"I'm getting there. In order to repair the worlds, the Admins forced their residents to loop. They have to repeat the events of their lives over and over again. We are free to change things, but all the changes will be gone once the loop resets. We're called loopers. The only thing we get to keep is the power and knowledge we obtained. We also have some extra perks I'm going to teach you about, but that's pretty much it. Oh, and the terminology too."
"…Terminology?"
"You want a break?" That look on her eyes… She could tell exactly how scared he was, couldn't she?
"…No…"
Yukino was uncertain but she continued. "Each branch that's looping has one to three Anchors. Those are the loopers that are always Awake no matter what. With no Anchor the loop crashes. Our anchor is Igor. The rest of the loopers activate depending on how good friends they are with the Anchor, and this goes on. Not forever, but some branches have a crazy number of loopers. In this branch all of us who dealt with Kandori and the Snow Queen are looping. There are others in Amala as a whole, but we are the biggest group. We actually have the most loopers."
Tatsuya was surprised at that. "You mentioned many realities…"
Yukino was suddenly very hesitant. "The rest of Amala… isn't the best place to keep friendships. Anyway, sometimes we're looping in other branches and other times loopers from those branches loop here. Those are fused loops. You follow?"
Tatsuya nodded.
Yukino-san grinned at him. "Heh. You're good." She took a deep breath and continued her explanation. "If the events go exactly as you remember them unless you change stuff, it's a baseline loop. Sometimes things get a bit messed up even without the other branches. There was this one branch when the school's traditional play was "Summer Night's Dream" instead of the "Snow Queen" so we ended up having to fight the Fairy Queen instead of Nyx. There are many funny changes like that – and some not so funny… Those are variant loops." By this point Tatsuya could not help but smile himself. He remembered Yukino-san being so insecure about her intelligence, but now she was lecturing like it was second nature to her.
She's sounds like Miss Saeko… Yukino had done some growing as well. She looked far more confident now.
"As for the tree itself… There are the Admins. They're in charge of the branches and do all the coding. They can also decide which people are allowed to become loopers and which are not, and they do all the coding and debugging. The one for Amala is Masakado."
Tatsuya recognized that name. "The protector god of Tokyo."
"Yeah, though they're not the same as our gods. The Admins are much more powerful. The there's the Hub. That's pretty much the tree's trunk and the only place that's not damaged."
"The trunk… the part that's holding everything together… What exactly does it do?"
"This… will be difficult." Tatsuya raised an eyebrow. "The Hub isn't looping, but its residents know all about us. The problem is…" she took a deep breath. "As far as they're concerned, we are works of fiction."
Yukino-san stopped talking, waiting for her statement to sink in.
Tatsuya's head was spinning. Works… of FICTION…? "Fiction…?"
"In the Hub, Amala is known as a video game franchise called Shin Megami Tensei. The same goes for every branch. To the hub they're movies, books, comics… Variants and crossover loops are fanfiction and "what if" ideas… They record everything without even knowing it."
"You can't be serious…"
"Sometimes we loop into the hub… Apparently it is just like the Persona branch sans magic. In other places the difference is much more drastic."
"…I see…"
His thoughts were all muddled. He felt like everything was buzzing, he was trying to distinguish all the information he had gotten and it was impossible for they had blended together like liquid. He tried to think and he drew static.
Yukino looked at him with understanding. "I'm kinda impressed Suou."
Tatsuya turned to the older woman stunned. "Huh?"
"You're taking this a hell lot better than I did. I was screaming my head off to Igor. Didn't get that shit at all." She blushed a little. "I was not exactly mature about it…"
Tatsuya chuckled a bit, startling Yukino. "Suou? What's wrong?"
"You've become a pretty good teacher, Yukino-san."
Truth be told, he always thought she was a good teacher. She had taught them everything; how to fight, how to keep their cool under all situations. She was a teacher to them alright. Yukino was properly blushing right now. After all, becoming a teacher like Miss Saeko had been one of her dreams, even though at the time she thought that she would never smart enough to accomplish it.
"D-Don't call me 'sensei'."
Tatsuya chuckled.
Maya-nee's voice interrupted them. "Hey, Tatsuya-kun! Yukino-san! What are you doing over there? Hurry up, we have some rumours to chase!"
The two fire users shared a glance. "Ready to go, Suou?"
He smiled and got up without a word.
Maya-nee was right. They had some rumours to chase.