Twin Fools

by Writer-of-many-subjects

Twins Yu and Yuri Narukami have been sent to spend a year in Inaba with their uncle and cousin. They weren't expecting anything strange to happen, so when someone is murdered they slowly get caught up in the mystery surrounding it. Too bad the strange occurrences start to attract attention from those who know exactly what shadows are, and what the tv world might really be. Au's!

11. Chapter 11

This was so long, I'm trying to get a feel for how I want to show the passage of time in the story, if I go as every day. this is going to be way too long.

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11

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1st, May 2011

Yuri gave a soft yawn as she walked through the streets of Inaba in the early morning. She'd never been a morning person before. So she wasn't sure how to deal with it. She rubbed at her right eye as she wondered if Yu was up yet. He had still been asleep when she left thirty minutes ago.

She huffed and looked up at the traffic light as she stopped and waited for it to change. Her tired expression lessened as she thought about her plans for the day. She was going to spend some time with Daidara and increase their bond. She wanted to grow stronger, and spending time with the blacksmith sounded wonderful. She enjoyed the time spent with older adults. Sometimes, she found the parental influence she had always wanted. Izanagi cooed in the back of her mind, and she gave a gentle smile before blushing deeply. She needed to rethink that. Her skirts swayed a little when a breeze blew through the street, and the light turned bright green. She was able to continue onwards. She gave a little girl, she couldn't have been more than four, a wave when she noticed the awed dark eyes. It seemed as though her clothes were still popular amongst the younger generation.

Yuri walked into the shopping district within the hour and stretched a little as she looked around. She made a note to buy a few psychology books after she finished at the blacksmith. With a few quick strides, she entered the shop, and she winced as the hot air brushed against her face. Izanagi let out a hiss of sorts at the sudden heat. Summer would be miserable if she spent time working part-time with Daidara. She looked to the side as Diadara glanced up from his forge. Maybe she would wisely take the summer off. She doubted her health would do well in a hot environment.

"You've finally come in, huh?" Daidara asked, his gruff voice easily heard over the forge. "What designs do you have for me?"

Yuri smiled as she walked further into the shop and reached into her beg. She pulled her sketchbook out and flipped to the page she had designed a bow on, stopping next to Daidara. He wiped his hands with a dirty rag and accepted the heavy book. His brows rose as he took in the detailed drawings and the small notes she left herself in a tidy scrawl formed from hours of practice. She stood there with a slightly nervous expression while awaiting his instructions. Daidara put his cigarette behind his ear, making her fidget from the prolonged silence. It was a little fun to mess with the teenager. He wanted her to work on the bow she designed, the weapon she seemed to prefer. He glanced at his collection of wakizashi. She could learn how to wield one. He wanted to learn more about Yuri before he went about calling around to see if anyone would teach her.

"So, you're from the city?" He asked, motioning her to follow him as he walked towards a bin full of wood, giving her time to put her sketchbook back into her bag. "I used to live there, back when I was young and wet behind the ears…I don't miss that hell."

"It's peaceful here," Yuri agreed, accepting the tiniest pair of black gloves he had pulled down from a hook. "Daidara-san?"

"If you're going to design the weapon, you'll learn how to make it," Daidara informed her, grinning the slightest at her disbelief that slowly turned into determination. "Just follow my instructions. You seem like a smart lass."

Yuri was a little nervous as Daidara showed her the different types of wood and explained which ones would be best for a bow. He let her pick. Yuri looked at the different pieces of wood and felt her head spin. There were so many choices. She was good with fabrics and yarns! She decided to choose to use those traits. She pulled up a pale piece of wood and Daidara nodded.

"Ash will make a strong bow," he informed her, "I'll teach you how to carve it, and sand it down."

Yuri trailed behind him as he had her sit at a workbench with the wood. He grabbed a marker and motioned for her to draw guidelines. The lines were shaky, which was understandable with how nervous she was but would suffice enough to make a decent-shaped bow.

"You'll carve away from yourself," he explained, "don't bring the carver towards your person. And go with the grain of the wood, it'll be a smoother carve."

"Yes, Daidara-Sensei," Yuri affirmed, picking up the carver and slowly starting.

Daidara went around his workshop, never straying far away from his "student". Yuri had a frown of concentration on her face, sweat slowly gathering on her brow from the exertion of muscles she'd never used before. After half an hour he had to man the front, one of the farmers from the countryside had broken a hoe and he needed to fix it.

Yuri let out a soft sigh and winced when her forearms started to throb in pain. She sat back for a few seconds, studying her bow. It was choppy so far, and she winced at the sight of it. She had to remind herself that her first couple of shirts hadn't been very good either. Maybe one day she might be good at it, or at least passable.

"Why'd you leave the city?" Daidara asked the teen, having taken up a spot at his forge nearby.

"My parents are on a work trip and I'm staying with my Uncle," she answered, double-checking her work again before returning to carving, "my health has always been horrible, so I'm used to being left behind."

"Ah, my mother was that way," he informed her and she paused in sanding the edges, "she passed away a couple years ago, she lived a long life."

Yuri bit her tongue and stayed silent. She didn't want to correct him that their illnesses were most likely different. He was trying to show understanding, and she appreciated the attempt. It was quiet for a few seconds, save for the sound of metal hitting metal. He put out his cigarette and she blinked when he came to check her work. He smiled. He seemed to find something good about her work. She showed promise.

"It's those that don't believe they have much worth that work the hardest," he commented, either not noticing her flinch or choosing to ignore it, "this is excellent for a first try."

Still, next time she came to visit him he would have her work more on the skeleton of the bow. He looked at her hands, the slight tremble that was coming from them was from a hard day's work. A sewing machine was a normal tool in Yuri's arsenal, hand stitching was usually reserved for embroidery or stitching in lace. She welcomed the strengthening of their bond but winced when her arms throbbed in pain. Even her wrists were hurting!

"Put your gloves up on the hook and keep your wood up on the workbench," Daidara instructed, "I ain't going to use it."

"Yes, Daidara-Sensei," she nodded.

Cleaning up after herself took less time than she thought. She headed outside the shop, waving as she did so. She glanced at her phone. It hadn't felt like a few hours, but then again she wasn't paying too much attention to the time. She pushed her hair back from her neck and let out a quiet sigh. She put her phone back into her bag and rummaged about for something. A frown appeared on her face after a few seconds before she pulled out a black ribbon. Within a minute her hair was tied back and off her neck. She had brought her arms down when someone came to stand next to her. She tensed a bit.

"The police still haven't caught the killer?" A voice caught her attention and she tensed at the sight of the boy that had tried asking out Yukiko, "Those idiots can't do anything right! I swear the world is chock-full of idiots! Like those morons on the bikes, they like to ride around in the middle of the night.

"Those guys are good for nothing, and can't do anything on their own. They're worthless!"

Yuri blocked him out after a few minutes of him ranting at her about how useless those who rode motorcycles were. A small part of her wondered if she needed to be insulted or not. A small hand took hold of her elbow and she looked down to see a hand covered in black lace. An old woman had walked up to her, it seemed as though she had noticed how unamused Yuri was.

"Ignore that boy," the old woman quietly said, "he's always causing a fuss over nothing."

"He creeped on one of my friends, and is insulting my uncle," Yuri mirthlessly stated, "but, I am going to refer to your wisdom."

"Smart girl," the old woman chuckled, and Yuri smiled a little as she studied the old woman a bit more.

The little old woman was dressed in a black two-piece suit with a nice black jacket over it, she was hunched over and clutching onto a cane. The old woman was studying her as well, it was easy to tell with those sharp grey eyes. She looked up at the young woman and noted the dark circles and pale skin. She was too thin for a healthy teenager.

"I'm Narukami Yuri, it's nice to meet you," Yuri remembered her manners, giving a small bow.

"I am Kuroda Hisano," the old woman introduced back, "I am death."

"Death, huh?" Yuri quietly asked in thought before a soft, kind smile spread across her face. "I think death would be peaceful and embraced if such a kind face was there to greet us."

"You have a strange mind," Hisano informed her, giving a soft laugh, "you remind me of myself when I was young."

"Thou art I… And I am thou…" A voice rang in Yuri's head and she wondered how many of those she was going to get in a row. "Thou hast established a new bond…it brings thee closer to the truth…thou shalt be blessed when creating personas of the Death arcana."

"Do you know this young man?" Hisano asked, Yuri and the teen blinked before noticing Shinjiro standing nearby his eyes narrowed at her.

"Yes, Aragaki-San helped show me around Tatsumi Port island," Yuri confirmed, wondering how much time had passed while she had listened to the voice. "I'm sorry for spacing out like that, Kuroda-San."

Hisano had been a little worried when the teen had gone silent for a good minute, though the young man had told her not to worry. His gruff tone betrayed his kind words as the teens' gold eyes blinked when asked another question. It was easy to see that the girl had a slight crush on the older one, she had trouble meeting his eyes. That's what cemented the idea that she was just like her when she was younger.

"Don't space out so much," Shinjiro groused at Yuri and he got a light chuckle out of her.

"I'll try not to," She admitted, before flinching when someone bumped into her. "Ah, Marie-Chan?"

"Sorry about that," Marie apologized, being polite to the female twin.

Hisano watched as Yuri gave her and Shinjiro a polite farewell before gently moving the new teen out of the area with a wry smile on her face. It had been a long time since she had that much energy. A soft laugh escaped her, it had also been a long time since she had laughed this much. What a surprise to come from talking to the youth. Shinjiro gave a gentle sigh of his own and scratched the back of his head. He was going to head back to the base. He only left to "check" on the devices that Fuuka had installed to make their story believable. At least Mitsuru was getting quite a bit out of all this.

Yuri gently pushed Marie all the way to Souzai Daigaku. It had taken a few minutes to get her to sit, and order their food. She sat herself down with the tray of food and Marie frowned a bit. There was something on the tray she couldn't place. Not that she could place many things anymore.

"What does steak mean? Your brother said it meant mistake," Marie asked Yuri as she accepted her plate of skewers and picked one up.

"It means beef steak," Yuri stated, amused by her brother's antics, "he likes to mess with people, sorry about him."

Izanagi laughed in the back of her mind as Marie tilted her head in thought. She was picking at the steak skewer and looked at the taiyaki that Yuri had gotten. Yuri looked down at it, and offered it to Marie to take a bite. She didn't mind sharing her food. She was used to doing so with Yu. Marie took a tentative bite out of it and gained a pink dusting to her cheeks.

"What is this?" Marie asked, holding onto the treat while Yuri made a mental note to get two of them next time they hung out together, or at least some other kinds of sweets.

"Taiyaki, it's got taro ice cream in it instead of the red bean paste I usually get," Yuri answered. "Do you like sweets, Marie-Chan?"

"I don't know…I don't have any memories," Marie stated and Yuri's sympathetic smile made her frown.

"That's all right, does the present you like them?" Yuri asked.

"…I think so…" Marie answered in surprise. "You don't mind me not knowing anything?"

"Marie-Chan is Marie-Chan, if you remember things that's great if not then you get to start over and be someone else," Yuri said in thought, scratching her cheek a little. "Overall, you're the only Marie-Chan that I know, and I think you're pretty wonderful."

Marie stared at her for a few seconds before looking to the side with a blush. Yuri got called a 'stupid jerk' and she gave a gentle chuckle in response. It didn't take them long to finish their lunch and Yuri took care of their trash. Marie held onto her elbow and skittishly looked around the shopping district. Yuri gave a tiny smile to the girl and they began to slowly make their way back to the strange door that led to the velvet room. Marie gave a curt nod of her head before quickly escaping through the door. Yuri gave a fond sigh before pulling out her phone. She had the rest of her afternoon to do things, it was only two. She was startled when she heard the distant sounds of the voice, the one that informed her of her bonds. The one she couldn't place.

"Thou art I… And I am thou…" And there it was. "Thou hast established a new bond…it brings thee closer to the truth…thou shalt be blessed when creating personas of the Aeon arcana."

Yuri tugged on the ends of her hair and looked around in thought as she stared at the door that led to the velvet room. A dimension that no one seemed to notice. Igor really held an incredible power. Her eyes narrowed a bit, or was it someone else who had created the room and Igor himself was just a resident? She could ponder it later, for now, she needed to get her shopping done. She quickly headed into the bookstore and looked around at the shelves that were completely filled with books. The owner gave her a nod from behind the register and she gave a shy one back. The genre she needed was typically to the side, it made space for the manga that was popular at the shop. She paused as she looked at a Loveline manga. Within seconds it was in her hands and right on top of the pile of books of Jungian psychology she had decided on. The owner of the shop sent her a look and she stopped herself from wilting under the judgmental look sent her way. Nanako was worth it. She just had to chant that to herself for a good ten minutes as she walked to Junes with the shopping bag hanging from the crook of her arm. She welcomed the air conditioning of Junes, it was such a stark contrast from Daidara's shop. She rubbed the back of her neck in thought before grabbing onto a shopping basket, she needed it to be a quick trip.

It wasn't even ten minutes until she ran into someone, by accident of course. She was sheepishly looking at the silver-haired man as he tried to get their baskets free. How they got stuck together, even she didn't know. He frowned a bit, and she couldn't help but nervously try and figure out what happened. He grumbled out a curse, and she did the only thing she could.

"I am so sorry," she apologized, for what felt like the fifth time.

"It's all right," the man sighed, letting his frown relax a little, "I'm also at fault."

"Still, how'd the baskets accomplish this?" She couldn't help but wonder out loud.

"Good question."

They were both at a complete loss for how it happened. They stared at it for a few seconds before slowly looking at the other. Maybe it was the exhaustion getting to her, but they picked up their respective baskets and gave them a tug in the opposite direction. If the force of them hitting together got them stuck, then them being pulled apart should work. Yuri looked to the side, in theory anyway. She stumbled a bit when their baskets pulled apart and the man easily caught her by the elbow.

"Thank you," she thanked, giving a tiny sigh of relief.

That would've been a difficult bruise to explain to her uncle. The man gave a stiff nod before awkwardly walking away. Yuri stood there for a few minutes, stunned at what had happened. Why were these guys so awkward? The only one from that group who wasn't awkward was the one with teal hair. She started to distrust them a little. Why would they act so odd? There wasn't any sense to it. She sighed and reached for her headphones. She was going to ignore the world around her and get the grocery shopping for the week done.

It took her an hour to get everything she would need and then another thirty to walk home. She was laden with bags and slowly making her way home, ignoring the looks sent her way as she entered the neighbourhood and slowly got into the house. Nanako had been sitting at the tea table, her eyes practically glued to the TV. Yuri caught Loveline's theme song playing and she let out a soft chuckle. Nanako really liked that show.

"Welcome home!" Nanako greeted her as she walked into the main room. "What are you planning for dinner, Onee-Chan?"

"Shogayaki," Yuri answered as she headed into the kitchen and placed the bags down with a sound of relief. "Would you like to learn the recipe, Nanako-Chan?"

"Yes!" Nanako happily agreed, moving to help put away the rest of the groceries stopping when she came across the bag full of books.

"Right, I got you something, Nanako-Chan," Yuri informed her, reaching into the bag and pulling out what she got for her cousin.

Nanako stood still for a few seconds as she looked at the Loveline manga in her hands. She slowly looked up at her cousin who had cemented herself as a big sister figure. Yuri's eyes widened as arms wrapped around her waist and tightly at that. Nanako had buried her head into Yuri's stomach and clutched at the teen. A hand on her head had her tightening her grip.

"I'm glad you like it, Nanako-Chan," Yuri softly said.

Nanako nodded into Yuri's stomach and the teen checked the time. They didn't have much time left to get everything done. Ryotaro would be home soon. Nanako peeked for herself and let out a soft sound. She hurried up the stairs, her sock-clad feet creating light thumps that were louder than expected. She came thundering down not even seconds later and helped grab the ingredients they needed for dinner. Nanako grabbed her step stool and placed it in front of the counter. She stepped up and paused, a sudden thought hitting her.

"Can we make chirashizushi?" Nanako asked. "Before you…"

"I'll happily make chirashizushi with you," Yuri agreed without thinking.

She'd have to start looking up recipes for it. She liked to be prepared when it came to new dishes. Still, Nanako's happy smile was like staring into the sun. So far, her cousin had no issues spending time with her. Nanako looked at the ingredients and Yuri began to walk her through the tare. Through the grating and juicing of half a knob of ginger, to the scoring of the thinly sliced pork. Yuri had a trick of her own, dusting the pork with flour to keep it from drying out. They were completely concentrated on cooking they hadn't heard Yu come home.

"It sounds like a free cooking class," Yu's comment startled them.

"Why?" Yuri quietly asked him as she checked Nanako over, making sure she hadn't gotten any burns or cuts.

"I wasn't expecting you two to be so focused, I'm sorry," Yu apologized. "I'll make the rice."

It was another ten minutes until Ryotaro came back home. It passed quickly, and he walked into the smells of onion and ginger hitting him. He peeked around the corner in surprise and saw Nanako giving the twins a happy smile. The dish they created had come out perfectly. Ryotaro cleared his throat and pretended to have just walked in.

"It smells good in here," Ryotaro informed them, hanging his jacket up.

"Welcome home, Dad!" Nanako greeted her father with a happy smile as she jumped down from her stool. "We made shogoyaki, and I got to learn how to make the tare from scratch."

"Really?" Ryotaro asked, noting that his niece was carefully dishing everything up. "It smells wonderful."

Yuri brought the plates to the table and he went into the kitchen to wash his hands. Nanako changed the TV to the news and he heard Yuri mutter something about 'pushy reporters'. She really had the mentality of an old man sometimes. She sat down next to Nanako and watched the weather reporter with a curious glance. They didn't have any rain at night for a while, so the midnight channel wasn't going to happen. She gained a sinking feeling in her stomach. Who was going to be taken this time?

"Oh, I should do laundry soon," Nanako stated, looking at the weather report.

"Would you like help, Nanako-chan?" Yuri asked, and Nanako shook her head.

"I've got it," Nanako smiled.

Yuri nodded her understanding and started to eat her dinner. Yu had dug in with a slight smile. It had been a while since Yuri had made Shogoyaki. She had been sticking to easier dishes to save time. It was nice to see her relaxed enough to make something more time-consuming.

Yuri finished her dinner and got up from the table, grabbing her plate and utensils. Yu sent her a look and she simply sighed as she placed her dishes in the sink. So, he was going to be the one that did clean up. She gave a soft yawn and looked at the clock. She should work on some of her orders before heading to bed. For the blankets, she wanted to be able to completely focus with minimal distractions. She stretched a little and rubbed the back of her head.

"Heading up for the night?" Ryotaro asked his niece.

"Yeah, sleep tight everyone," she quietly said, and Nanako quickly got to her feet.

Yuri blinked when she was hugged around the waist. She responded quickly and gently hugged Nanako back. She was released and Nanako went back to sitting at the table and watching TV with Yu and Ryotaro. Yuri gave a gentle smile before hurrying up the stairs. When she reached their room she entered and moved to grab her pyjamas. A shower would be wonderful. Yuri took a quick one and braided her hair back and tied it off with a ribbon. She plopped down on the couch and picked up the beginnings of the first blanket that had been ordered. She should be able to get it halfway done before going to sleep.

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2nd, May 2011

"Rain again?" Yuri sighed as they walked to school the next day.

They had dropped Nanako off at her's, the girl happy to hold onto Yuri's hand the entire way there. Yu smiled at his sister and adjusted his umbrella on his shoulder. Someone came towards them and Yuri smiled at Yukiko in greeting, it really was a relief to see that she was doing okay. Yukiko fell into step with them and looked up at the sky.

"Every time it rained while I was over there you guys must've been…" Yukiko trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

"It's all right, we're just glad you're okay," Yuri admitted.

"I don't mean to be gloomy," Yukiko apologized as they rounded a corner, "what are your plans for golden week?"

"We have a family outing," Yu answered and he noted that Yuri seemed to grow excited.

"That must be tough," Yukiko quietly said and Yuri tilted her head in confusion, "at least we're going to have clear skies all week."

"It's nice and peaceful right now," Yuri observed before frowning a little, "hopefully it stays that way for a while."

"Maybe we should visit the other side every once in a while to make sure we don't lose our skills," Yu suggested and Yukiko blinked in surprise.

"It should be a group agreement," Yuri reminded before turning towards Yukiko with a small smile, "right?"

"Right," Yukiko agreed with a nod of her head.

It didn't take them long to get to school. Yuri made a face as they changed their shoes before hurrying to the classroom. Morooka would be in a mood with the upcoming holiday. Her expression brightened at the idea of a family trip. She'd never been on one before, and she was more than a little excited. The homeroom teacher could barely put a dent in her excitement as he roughly opened the classroom doors and stomped in. Their class rep called for everyone to stand and the class rose in unison. It was a quick greeting, a formality mainly. None of the class liked greeting him.

"Your duty is to study!" Morooka snapped at them, tapping a book against his desk to accentuate his words, "You don't have time to fool around, alright!? Do not misunderstand what freedom means! It does not mean that you can live without taking responsibility!"

Yuri gave a mental sigh as she felt her excitement slowly die down. Right, responsibility. She wondered why he believed they would just fool around. They weren't little kids, and she hadn't personally been one since…huh, she couldn't remember. She slowly moved to rest her cheek on the heel of her palm. When was the last time she'd been allowed to act as a kid?

"Even Pythagoras said, "As soon as laws are necessary for men, they are no longer fit for freedom!"" Morooka quoted at them. "Now on to the next order of business! Midterms are coming up next week!"

Yu flinched a bit before sitting up a little straighter. He would have to get the gang together to study for their exams. He looked towards Yuri and she nodded. She would help him study, she always did. Her illness gave her a leg up with studying time.

"The results will be posted to humiliate low-scoring losers! If you don't want to be shamed, study hard! It's that simple!" Morooka continued his rant, the class of students sharing a collective sigh. "If you do well, who knows!? You may become a more popular cretin! And you know, popularity leads to intimacy! On top of that, my reputation goes up. It's a win-win situation, people! Like I said, study hard!"

"Holy shit," Yu muttered in English to his sister.

"And you thought I was bad about exams," she muttered back, sending him a look, "Morooka scares me sometimes."

"He means well?" Yu stated, though even he was unsure of that.

Yuri shrugged, unsure as well. They quickly turned their attention back to Morooka before he could signal them out. He slammed his textbook open and the class followed suit. Yuri looked at her notes and let out a quiet sigh as he filled the room with his lecture on literature quotes. She saw the colour coding, the small diagrams that had been carefully made and coloured accordingly, and saw someone with too much time on their hands. Her hair was lightly tugged and she sent her twin a look. He held up his notes and noted that he was asking for one of her coloured pens to mark important information. She blinked, a little surprised that he was trying so hard. A smile appeared on her face and she discreetly got into her bag to find one for him. She reached back with it and he quickly grabbed it with a hum. She leaned forward a bit more and continued to take notes.

Classes passed as usual and Yuri found herself stretching a bit as she grabbed her things. It was time for physical education, so she was heading to the library. Yukiko and Chie gave her a sad look and she simply smiled in response. Yosuke rubbed the back of his head as they all exited the classroom. They were going to have to get together after school soon. They needed to celebrate Yuri's good news. He got a slight elbow to the side from Chie and he shot her a look. Right, they were playing soccer again. Great, he got to see Yu be body-checked into mud for a second time.

Yuri sighed as she entered the library and discreetly checked her watch. She had a good hour and a half until PE ended. That was the amount of time she'd be under Shinjiro's grumpy, watchful gaze. She heard a book being set down with more force than was needed and she felt her eye twitch a little. Speak of the devil she supposed.

"Don't break anything," he warned her, in lieu of a greeting.

"Good afternoon, Aragaki-san," she said and he shot her a glare.

He got a tiny smile out of her before she placed the book he suggested into the return slot. He blanched a little, he hadn't expected her to finish it so quickly. She gave a slight bow before hurrying towards the back of the library to be out of sight. Again, she didn't want to watch people do what she couldn't. She was a little surprised to see someone already there. A bright smile appeared on her face.

"Hello, Kanji-kun," she greeted and she blinked at the scowl on his face as he looked to the side.

"Narukami-senpai," he grumbled as a greeting, "what are you up to?"

"I'm trying to figure out the length of fabric for a skirt that I'm making, the maths escaping me today," Yuri admitted, and Kanji blinked at the exhausted expression that appeared on her face, "I'm just feeling a little tired today is all, sorry I'm not energetic, Kanji-kun."

"Don't go apologizing to me just because you don't feel well," Kanji huffed and he got a strange expression from her and he frowned in thought, "Just why are you in the library, Senpai?"

"I have poor health, and my doctors didn't clear me for PE…" She explained and he blanched, obviously feeling a little bad, "I've been like this for as long as I can remember, I'm used to it."

"Still…" he muttered and she gave him a soft smile, a fond one at that.

She took a seat across from him and he watched as she brought out a notebook. Oh, she was going to study. He looked at his notebook and felt his ears heat up. He could ask, and he didn't doubt that the upperclassman would help him on his exams. She paused as she brought out a black ribbon from her bag as well, using it to tie her hair back.

"Woah, how long have you been growing your hair out, senpai?" Kanji asked, finding conversation with her easier than their fellow students.

"Eight years, since I was ten," Yuri answered, running a hand through the long strands in thought, "it's gotten a little ridiculous."

Her light laugh got his attention. Maybe he was just used to picking up tones when people spoke to him or his mom, but something else was bothering her. At least she wasn't going to put it on his shoulders, he appreciated that. He rubbed the back of his neck in thought.

"Do you need any help studying for exams?" Yuri quietly asked. "I know this information pretty well, I just wanted to make sure my notes were good for the others."

He just mutely nodded and she brightened up. That happy smile appeared again. He was surprised when he opened his notebook to see her looking over the information had had written down. A small frown appeared on her face before she gave a nod to herself. Just what did she confirm? He began to sweat when she gave him a serious look. What did she confirm?!

Shinjiro couldn't help but pass by their spot after a few minutes of silence. He felt his expression of disbelief as he saw the two studying. Well, Yuri calmly expanded on the sparse notes that Kanji had. The blonde delinquent in question seemed a little overwhelmed with the information she was adding. He was welcomed to an exchange that made him smirk a little.

"Senpai, why do you know so frickin' much about space?" Kanji asked in disbelief as he saw the information she had happily passed on.

"Why not?" Yuri asked, tilting her head in a way that easily showed her confusion. "I think space is interesting, who knows what's out there."

"Are you telling me you believe in aliens, senpai?" Kanji dryly asked, a single drop of sweat going down his face.

"A million galaxies out there and we're the only planet to have life on it?" Yuri prompted before giving a small smile. "Isn't that just human arrogance to believe we're the only intelligent life out there…yeah, I like to believe we aren't alone in the universe, it makes things less lonely."

Kanji couldn't help but think his senpai was weird but well-meaning. Shinjiro simply studied her a bit more. She was lonely and did one hell of a job of not showing it. Kanji looked at the time and made a face. He needed to get going. He sent his senpai a curt nod before grabbing his stuff and hurrying off. Yuri sent him on his way with a kind smile. She returned her attention towards her notes and picked a pen from her bag to start revising. This was what she was good at. Izanagi let out a strange sound in the back of her head and she realized what sort of thought pattern she was falling into. She needed to remember that she still had friends, that she wasn't alone anymore, not that she didn't have anyone. She'd always have her brother.

"Is there something I can do for you, Aragaki-san?" Yuri asked, not even looking up from her notes.

"You aren't used to people, are you?" Shinjiro's question saw her pen stop moving.

Her eyes were wide in surprise, and her mouth was slightly open as she looked at him. He would never admit that the expression was oddly endearing coming from her. He would call it flabbergasted, but mostly startled. It was like she thought that no one would ever notice how she acted around people. She put her pen down and rubbed the back of her neck in thought.

"Yu's always been better at talking to people," she quietly admitted, "I'm starting to get used to people."

He heard her mutter something under her breath. Something along the lines of 'I can't believe I'm that obvious about it'. He let out a quiet sigh through his nose, and she tilted her head in thought. Man, she was just like him, not…his train of thought came to an end. People had many faces and he was seeing one of hers that was rare. A part of him didn't care, but another wondered what had caused it to show. He glanced towards the window and it made sense. All her friends were outside, she was forced to stay inside. Damn, Fuuka would've been better at this. He chanced a glance at his watch and was a little relieved to see that the class was almost over. One of her friends would come and collect her.

They both jumped when the door slammed open and someone came rushing inside the room. Shinjiro glared at the newcomer and was an observer to Yuri almost getting tackled off her chair by a grey blur. She held onto the table behind her and looked at a slightly scared Yosuke. She was so confused.

"Don't tell Chie I'm here," Yosuke pleaded as he quickly hid under the table.

"What did you…" Yuri began to ask, looking back towards the door as Chie walked inside.

"Where is he?" Chie darkly asked, and Yuri contemplated not telling her.

Yosuke watched as she began to sweat. He couldn't help but hope she wouldn't say anything. Shinjiro gave her a sharp glance and motioned towards the book checkout. He had another one lined up for her. He felt his neck burn at the relieved smile she sent him. Yosuke let out a strangled cry as she quickly grabbed her stuff and left him to his fate. She followed behind the taller man as Chie bodily dragged Yosuke out from under the table.

"Damn," Shinjiro muttered.

"I don't think Chie-chan will go too far," Yuri tried to assure him, even though she sounded unsure herself, "I hope."

"If she does, I'm banning her from the library," he bluntly informed her, and she gave a weak chuckle.

"I'll let her know," she said, a little glad they had moved past the conversation of her being unused to people.

He sent her a look and she gained an amused smile. He was going to hold her to that. He stiffly handed the book to her and she took it with a curious expression. Another Jung book. She heard a muffled scream of pain from Yosuke and turned to see what Chie had done to him. Instead, she was swiftly herded out of the library by said girl.

"What did he do?" Yuri asked Chie as they walked out of the library together.

"You don't want to know," Chie darkly stated.

Oh, nothing out of the norm then. Yuri gave a relieved sigh as Chie let out a huff. She was still agitated by what Yosuke had done. They entered the classroom at the same time as their classmates. She took her seat and found herself staring outside the window in thought. Izanagi began to hum in her mind and she blinked. It was strange, having something in her mind comfort her. The bell rang and she looked at her watch. How did an hour pass so fast?

"Let's just head home," Yu suggested, "we still have some food in the fridge, right?"

"Yeah, I can make something small for tonight," Yuri admitted.

"Hey, can we hang out?" Yukiko quietly asked Yuri, and Chie nodded her agreement.

"Oh…uh sure," Yuri agreed, "lead the way, you guys know this place better than I do."

"All right, let's go get some food!" Chie cheered and the other two girls gained amused smiles.

Yuri rather enjoyed the quiet conversation between them, and the pictures of Muku that Chie showed her. Yukiko chuckled at the happy expression on Yuri's face at the overly large dog. They decided to stop at Aiya's.

"I don't think you can eat that," Chie admitted as she looked at the large bowl of food in front of Yuri.

"Maybe," Yukiko agreed before shaking her head, "I think she might be able to."

"If it's one thing I can do, it's eat," Yuri couldn't help but admit, "it comes with the territory of cooking, if I don't like the taste of what I make then why would I force someone else to eat it."

"Are you the one who cooks at home?" Yukiko asked as Chie dug into her beef bowl.

"Yeah, I'm teaching Nanako how to cook as well," Yuri's smile could brighten a room, "it's one of the things I look forward to the most when I get home."

Yukiko and Chie noted the fact that she called her Uncle's house her home. They had noticed her withdrawn nature, especially when Yu wasn't around. They balanced one another out and brought out their best qualities. Yukiko and Chie both mentally agreed to try their best to keep pulling Yuri out of her shell. Maybe they could all go shopping in the bigger city one day. To get a feeling for what kind of fashion they all liked, or honest opinions. Yukiko blinked as she watched Yuri put her chopsticks down. She couldn't possibly be finished. A bowl that size would take a grown man a good half hour to eat, she did it in fifteen.

"I can't believe you ate all that!" Chie exclaimed, looking at the empty bowl in front of Yuri.

Yuri chuckled and grinned at her friends. The conversation was quiet as they turned towards studying, the table they had nabbed working perfectly for that. Chie scratched the back of her head in confusion at some information in their textbooks and looked towards the other two. Yukiko and Yuri both came to her aide to help her figure out the math problem.

"Man, you know your stuff," Chie said as she finally understood the problem that had been bothering her for days.

"Yeah," Yuri said, and Yukiko gave her a sad smile.

"You're planning to go to Shujin next year, right?" Yukiko asked.

"Yes, on an academic scholarship," Yuri confirmed, relaxing a little at the change of topic, "it's going to be interesting going to a different school from our usual one."

"Woah, you two do everything together," Chie stated, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Almost everything, that's why so many rumours start-up," Yuri explained, "after a while, it gets tiring listening to them all, it's always the same ones too."

"I bet," Chie agreed before tilting her head, "so what's up with the new librarian?"

"Oh, I didn't realize we had a new one," Yukiko stated, tilting her head in thought.

"Aragaki-San?" Yuri asked, before giving a tiny smile. "He's a nice guy, if not a little rough around the edges."

"That's your type?" Chie asked, startling Yuri.

"Wait, what?" Yuri questioned, her voice turning into a squeak.

"It would make sense," Yukiko stated and Yuri's squeak returned.

"You two…" she groaned.

Chie couldn't help but grin at the red-faced teen. It was nice to just have a moment to talk about such things with one another. The boys got in the way of such topics, and Yu seemed like an overprotective brother. Their conversation came to an end when they had to part ways. It had gotten pretty late. The walk to the Dojima house had been quick, Yuri rushing home so she wouldn't be late for dinner. She slammed the door home and Nanako came rushing.

"Welcome home, Onee-Chan," Nanako greeted.

"I'm home," Yuri softly smiled.

She pulled her shoes off and went to sit at the table with her brother and Nanako. She was a little surprised when Nanako leaned against her and watched the news with a bored expression. Yuri's surprise turned to a gentle fondness before she looked at the news with a sharp eye. It was a new broadcast. Something other than the murders.

"The vehicle, which was abandoned at the scene, had been reported stolen by a local contractor," the man announced, reading from a teleprompter off to the side, "since the culprit was able to act quickly before the security guards arrived on the scene, the police have…"

"Dad's late…" Nanako-Chan quietly observed as she checked the time before yawning.

"I don't think he's ever been this late without a phone call," Yuri said, tilting her head in thought, "maybe he's just running a little behind?"

Nanako perked up at that before the phone rang. She got to her feet and hurried over to it. She answered it with a smile that slowly dropped at whatever was being said to her. Yuri gained a worried expression when the phone was passed to Yu. Nanako quickly hurried up the stairs and his twin swiftly followed. She refused to let Nanako be alone, especially when she was upset. She gave her cousin's door a small knock and it was a few seconds before it slowly opened to reveal a pair of slightly red eyes filled with tears.

"Would you like to learn how to sew?" Yuri asked in a gentle voice. "I know you saw some of the designs I made, I'm more than happy to show you the process if you want to pick out some fabric."

Nanako knew that her cousin was trying to distract her, but she welcomed it. She grabbed onto the teen's hand and was led to the other room. Nanako sat down on the small couch as Yuri grabbed the bin she was using to store her nicer fabrics. She would happily use her better fabrics for her cousin. She opened the bin and Nanako sniffed before looking inside it.

"So pretty," Nanako quietly said.

"It's my speciality fabric," Yuri admitted with a tiny blush on her face, "I was going to make a kimono a few years ago with it, but never got around to it…I didn't have a place to wear it."

"Why don't you wear one at the festival this year?" Nanako suggested as she looked at the fabrics and was drawn to a pink one with cherry blossoms on it, a white fabric with a similar design.

"Maybe," Yuri said, chuckling a little, "that's the fabric you want?"

"Yeah," Nanako confirmed.

She blinked when she was gently measured and her measurements written down. Yuri pushed the sleeves of her uniform up and beckoned Nanako down to show her the steps. She could probably finish the sun dress she had in mind before the next day, an early gift for children's day if she wanted to be technical. She slowly walked the little girl through cutting the patterns to the right lengths and the different pieces that would be needed. A few hours passed and she paused when she noticed Nanako starting to nod off. She gave a gentle smile before stopping and leading her back to her room.

"'Night, Onee-chan," Nanako mumbled before going into her room.

"Night, Nanako-chan," Yuri quietly said, closing Nanako's door behind her and returning to her own room.

"Will you be up all night?" Yu asked, already changed into his pyjamas.

"Yeah, I'll move into the living room," Yuri said, carefully picking up the dress in progress, "I want to finish this tonight, I think Nanako will like it if she can wear this tomorrow."

Yu's eyes widened in surprise before he smiled. He poked to the side as Yuri left the room. He knew that his sister didn't tell him everything, the one time he had felt overwhelmed had been horrible for them both. But, she was opening up to others and he was glad about it. He hoped that she wouldn't be so lonely anymore.

Yuri turned on a light and started to work on the dress, ignoring how her hands started to cramp from the position they were in. The dress was coming together faster than anything else she had created. She only stopped when the front door opened. She looked up when Ryotaro entered the house, dark circles under his eyes. He put his coat on the back of a chair before noticing that someone was in the room. He frowned at the sight of his niece in front of a makeshift mannequin, needles and pins attached to a fabric pumpkin around her wrist.

"Why are you still up?" He gruffly asked.

"It's for Nanako," She stated and he paused, "for children's day, I thought she might want to wear it as soon as possible."

"She picked out the fabric, didn't she?" He questioned, not wanting to be too harsh to his niece.

She hadn't done anything worthy of a reprimand. He watched as she gave a nod before smiling a little. Her hands were shaking a little as she sewed ribbons into the hem of the skirt, making a soft pattern that he knew Nanako would love. His daughter was obsessed with Loveline for a reason.

"You've got talent," he complimented and she paused before sending him an owlish look.

"Just practice," Yuri said, not really taking the compliment well.

"Man, I think I need to have a word with my sister," he muttered before sitting down on the couch with a groan, "school treating you well?"

"Yeah," Yuri said, not really sure how to talk with him.

It was easier when they were talking about an old TV show or grades. He tapped his box of cigarettes against his hand in thought. He got up from the couch and went into the kitchen. Yuri didn't really pay much attention to what he was doing as she continued to work on Nanako's dress. She paused for a second time when a cup of coffee was placed next to her.

"You've got an all-nighter ahead of you," he commented with a wry smile, "I'm heading to bed."

"Thank you," Yuri quietly called, "have a good night."

He gave her a small wave before heading up the stairs. She picked up the mug and gave the coffee a tentative blow before sipping it. It was delicious. A tiny smile appeared on her face before she felt her eyes stinging. She quickly brought her arm up and wiped at them. It wasn't the time for crying, she had a dress to make. She put the cup down and started to sew on the rest of the ribbons. She could finish it before Nanako got up the next day. At least she had coffee to keep her going.

---

3rd, May 2011

Yuri yawned as she put the finishing touches on the dress. She heard footsteps and looked up to see Ryotaro walking down the stairs. He seemed surprised that she was still awake, and functioning. That last part was the most surprising. He paused and ruffled the long strands of hair. He refilled her cup before he headed to work. Nanako came down a few minutes after he left. Her eyes widened at the sight of the sun dress awaiting her.

"This is amazing, Onee-chan!" Nanako exclaimed.

"I'm glad you like it," Yuri said, watching as the little girl happily twirled around the dress and watched the skirt fan out, "I used both fabrics to make something that looks cohesive."

"I'm going to wear it today!" Nanako informed her, rushing up the stairs to change.

Yuri slowly got to her feet to make breakfast, her cup of coffee in her hand. She had just pulled out a pan when Nanako came back down. She was grinning happily and rushed to pull her footstool forward to help make omelettes. Yuri welcomed the help in the kitchen. They had put on some rice when Yu came down in normal clothes. He looked at his sleep-deprived sister and slowly took over the cooking. She sent him a miffed expression.

"You need a shower," he informed her and she gently smacked his arm, "it'll wake you up."

She gave a slow nod before grabbing her supplies and heading up the stairs. She felt how heavy her eyes were, and how sluggish she felt. She was going to regret staying up, but she wouldn't regret why. She put everything away and grabbed some clothes for the day. She stood in the bathroom and studied her reflection. Her face was still gaunt, but she didn't look like she was about to die anymore. She brought a hand up and brushed her fringe to the side. She glanced towards the scissors on the bathroom sink and really contemplated cutting all her hair off. It was a fleeting thought and she quickly got out of her school uniform so she could take a shower.

"We match!" Nanako stated as Yuri came down the stairs, braiding her hair into a fishtail braid.

"Do I need to grab a shirt from spring?" Yu joked with his sister as she sat down next to their cousin.

"Yes!" Nanako said and he froze for a few seconds.

Yuri hid her laugh by drinking her now cold coffee. His walk of shame up the stairs to go put on the cherry blossom shirt she had made him last year was funnier than it needed to be. He was gone for a good minute before he came back down in the shirt, tying the pink ribbon that went with it. It was sweet of him to change for Nanako, seeing her bright smile was rewarding. They ate their breakfast together, the two older teens trying to keep the energy up for their cousin so she didn't get upset by the fact that her father had been unable to keep his promise.

"Are we going to make a snowman this year?" Yuri asked Yu. "I wasn't able to last year and I really want to make one."

"Why don't we make a big one?" Nanako suggested and Yuri looked at her with a grin.

"That's an excellent idea, Nanako-chan," Yuri told her.

Their conversation was put on hold when the doorbell rang. They got up to see who it was and Yuri gained a small smile when she saw Chie when Yu opened the door. Brown eyes blinked in confusion before a grin appeared on her face. Chie couldn't believe that they were all matching.

"I'm glad you guys are home," Chie stated, putting her hands on her hips in thought, "are you guys free today? Wanna hang out? Yukiko's coming too, you're welcome as well, Nanako-chan."

"U-Um…" Nanako murmured, shyly hiding behind Yuri and grasping onto the older girl's shirt sleeve.

"Yeah, it'll be fun," Yu quietly said to Nanako, not wanting to push her to do something she didn't want to do.

"I-I can come?" Nanako asked and Chie gained a fond smile.

"Of course you can!" Chie chirped.

Dishes were quickly cleaned up and Chie watched as Nanako gravitated towards Yuri as the teen handed her a light coat to wear so she wouldn't get cold. She hid a small smile behind her hand. It was adorable how the two were matching. The dress patterns were very similar but Yuri liked to pair hers up with a dress shirt underneath. They were walking down the street when a sudden thought hit Chie.

"I wonder if Yosuke is working today," Chie pondered.

"It's likely," Yu said, and Yuri sent him a look when Nanako tilted her head in curiosity.

"Yukiko-chan's just finished up a shift at the inn, right?" Yuri asked and Chie nodded her confirmation. "He probably does, but I don't think he'll be unable to hang out with us as well."

Yukiko met up with them and smiled at the three in the matching designs. Nanako looked up at her with a shy smile and held onto her older siblings' hands. They went to Junes and Nanako looked around with a happy expression. She really adored the store. Yosuke greeted them with a smile before rubbing the back of his head.

"Give me a couple of minutes, I'm almost done with my shift," he told them.

"We'll wait in the food court," Yukiko stated.

They headed to the small area and grabbed their usual table. Nanako sat between the twins and swung her feet while in the chair. It didn't take long for Yosuke to join them, pulling on a jacket just in case they ended up going somewhere else. He was glad to sit for a while, his knees were starting to hurt a little from constantly being on his feet.

"Why'd you guys bring poor little Nanako-chan to a place like this on golden week?" Yosuke asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Where else is there to go?" Chie dryly asked.

"I love Junes," Nanako stated, stopping a fight in the making without meaning to.

"Nanako-chan," Yosuke happily said.

"But we were supposed to go on a real trip somewhere," Nanako sadly said and Yuri flinched a little from the tone, "we were going to make boxed lunches."

"Wow, you can make boxed lunches, Nanako-chan?" Yukiko asked in surprise, and Nanako shook her head and looked at her siblings.

"Oh, so you can cook as well?" Chie asked Yu before sending him a teasing grin. "Pretty impressive, 'big bro'."

"Big…bro…" Nanako said to herself before smiling a little.

"Yuri's a better cook, but I'm not that bad in the kitchen as well," Yu said and Yuri grinned a little.

"Well, you do seem to be great with your hands," Yosuke commented before everyone turned to look at him, "uh…never mind."

"I-I'm a pretty good cook too, if you'd asked I would've whipped up some boxed lunches, easy as pie!" Chie claimed.

"Lemme think about—no," Yosuke denied her suggestion immediately.

"What makes you think I can't cook!?" Chie asked, standing up from her seat and glaring at him. "Let's have a cook-off and see for ourselves!"

"My, My, doth the lady protest too much?" Yosuke asked with a grin. "And I never said I cooked…but I have this weird feeling like I'd win anyway."

"I can understand that," Yukiko said, chuckling at them.

"Hey, Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed, a shocked look on her face while Yukiko kept laughing.

Yuri gave a soft laugh of her own before getting the feeling that they were being watched. She glanced around and saw the teal-haired woman talking to Shinjiro. The woman perked up and gave her a pleasant wave, one that she tentatively returned before watching Chie get prepared to smack Yosuke.

"Nanako-chan can be our judge, I bet we'll make something that ranks up there with your mom's cooking," Yosuke said, and the twins froze in unison.

"I don't have a mom, she died in an accident," Nanako bluntly informed him.

"Dude," Chie hissed at Yosuke and he grimaced in response, he hadn't known.

"I'm sorry," Yosuke apologized, getting a kind smile out of Nanako.

"It's okay, even if I don't have a mom, I still have dad with me," Nanako said before turning to her cousins, "and Onee-chan and Onii-chan. And I'm having a lot of fun today! I love Junes!"

"Y-Yeah? That's good," Yosuke said, relieved he hadn't hurt her feelings.

"We'll play with you anytime you want, Nanako-chan," Chie informed her.

"Yeah, we should hang out more often," Yukiko agreed.

"C'mon, Nanako-chan!" Yosuke said getting up from his chair. "Let's go get a soda!"

"Okay!" Nanako grinned, hopping down from her chair and following behind him.

"She's a strong girl," Yukiko observed.

"It's gotta be a family trait," Chie said, nudging Yuri with her elbow and making her turn a bright red, "you guys make me feel like I'm a little kid…I think I'm going to get something for Nanako-chan too."

"I'll come with," Yukiko said, wanting to do the same.

"I'm glad she came along," Yuri quietly admitted to Yu, "she seems happy."

"Yeah," Yu agreed, blinking when Nanako came back and gently tugged on Yuri's arm.

"I'm up," Yuri chuckled.

"Do you want something too?" Nanako asked Yu, and he smiled as he got up.

"Let's go look for some food," Yu said.

Nanako led the way towards one of the stands as their bond grew stronger. Yuri felt as though the persona she could wield had grown stronger. Izanagi let out a victory screech in her head and she did a pretty good job at keeping her flinch in. She hadn't been expecting such a loud noise in her head.

"Taiyaki for lunch?" Yosuke asked Yuri.

"I like sweets," she stated, biting into the fish-shaped pastry.

He made a face at that as Nanako giggled. They missed the soft laugh coming from the teal-haired woman. Shinjiro let out a soft sigh of disbelief. They were watching the group, but nothing was happening. They weren't going to discuss anything in front of Nanako. Said little girl asked Yosuke something and that caused the boy in question to laugh before answering her. They moved to talks of school and he found himself relaxing a little at the easy conversation. It had been a while since he listened to such normal topics. He looked to the side when someone joined them. Akihiko crossed his arms across his chest and sighed.

"They're just a normal group of kids," Akihiko stated.

"Yes, I don't think they're the ones causing the disappearances," Fuuka agreed, before tilting her head in thought, "those two, have more persona again."

"More?" Akihiko asked.

"It's strange." Fuuka admitted.

It was strange seeing it again. The twins said something in unison and Yosuke let out a strange sound before asking them not to do that. Yuri let out a quiet laugh before getting elbowed by her brother. She discreetly reached out and gave his arm a smack. It was when they were around their friends that they showed their more childish sides. Shinjiro smirked at the hit that Yuri got in when Yu made a joke about cooking that was incredibly sacrilegious. It fell just as fast as it formed. He shouldn't find anything she did funny.

It was when Nanako began to yawn that the twins decided to head home. The investigation crew waved as they all headed out. Nanako ended up on Yuri's back as the three walked home. Yuri was yawning as well, a strange feeling bubbling up in the back of her throat. She was going to get sick, she just knew it. When they got home Nanako took up her usual spot while Yuri headed up the stairs to take a shower and go to sleep.

She was exhausted.

---

4th, May 2011

"Yuri," Yu commented that morning, gently shaking his sister's shoulder, "Yuri?"

She mumbled something and slowly rolled over to look at him. Her cheeks were a soft red and it was obvious she wasn't feeling the best. He winced a bit and knelt next to her futon as she slowly woke up. Well, it made sense she would get sick. Her health was better, but not perfect.

"Are you okay to stay home alone?" Yu asked and his sister gave him a weak glare before it softened.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she quietly answered, her hoarse voice making her wince. "Can you apologize to Nanako-Chan for me?"

"Yeah, what are you going to do if you start to feel better?" Yu questioned shooting her a sharp look.

"I was going to head to the shrine to pray for our friends to pass their midterms," Yuri cracked a joke, making him chuckle a little, "in all seriousness, I haven't been to a shrine in a long time and I wanted to walk around the one here."

Yu gave a reluctant nod before standing up straight. He left the room and hurried down the stairs to explain everything to Nanako. Their cousin, or rather their new little sister, would understand that Yuri was feeling a little under the weather. Her poor health was incredibly well-known in the family. She lay in her futon for a while and listened to the birds outside. Her eyes slowly closed and she fell back asleep. Her dream was really strange.

It was of the girl that had been in Junes that one day. The reddish-brown hair was down and only held back by some bobby pins. A boy stood by her side, blue hair covering one eye. They had sad smiles on their faces and the girl said something she couldn't make out. Her eyes snapped open as her body jerked awake. Her heartbeat was slow, calm even. Izanagi was silent but still present.

"Thou art I… And I am thou…Thou hast established a new bond…it brings thee closer to the truth…thou shalt be blessed when creating personas of the Jester arcana."

A bond? Was it between those two? She still felt the fever in place and let out a soft sigh. She slowly pushed herself up and gently brushed the sweat away from her brow. She felt a little better, so she supposed she could walk around the shrine for a while before heading back. Praying for their luck on exams was the least she could do, even if she didn't believe in gods. She did believe in Karma, and she would rather put some good energy out into the world to hope some would come back their way.

She was slow moving, her limbs feeling heavier than usual. She pulled off her pyjamas and cringed at the cold air against her hot skin. A black sweater and a pair of regular jeans were her to go to for the day. She stumbled as she tried to pull on a pair of socks. She held onto the wall as she exited the room, grabbing a mask and her bag. The stairs were a struggle, they were moving on her and she waited until they stopped before heading down them.

It was quiet in the house, not even the TV was on. She was used to the silence, but…she hated it. She hated being alone. She couldn't help but clench her fists at that thought. Izanagi let out that soothing sound, giving her the usual reminder. She sat down to put her shoes on and within seconds she was out the door and heading towards the shopping district. It was nice outside, if not a little humid. The mask certainly made it a little difficult, but not unbearable. She tucked her hair behind her ear and watched as she passed by families heading towards the flood plains. Right, there was a park out that way. Maybe she'd go there one day.

To put her feet in the water just once.

Yuri's slow walk made the trip much longer than it needed to be. A twenty-minute walk had turned into an hour. She looked at the stairs before her and let out a soft sigh. Hopefully, these didn't move as much as the ones back home. She started up the stairs and felt like time was starting to drag on as she slowly went up. Sweat was going down her face by the time she made it up. An old man was already up there, his hands behind his back and a cheeky smile on his face.

"Ah, the strength of youth," he wistfully said, "I envy such youth."

Yuri gave a weak chuckle in response and he gave her a polite nod before hobbling down the stairs. She gave a gentle bow before shuffling towards the shrine. She felt a little better once she moved into the shade. A cool breeze went through the area and she closed her eyes in thought. The air was tinted with an earthy scent, and she opened her eyes to look at the tree nearby. It really was a nice shrine.

She let out a scream of sorts when something jumped from the shrine roof and landed in front of her. She backed up a bit and nearly topped over when the world spun. She found herself crouching to regain her bearings. Something cool brushed against her forehead before an object was stuck to it. She blinked and watched as a blur of colours became a fox with scars on its head. It tilted its head and she followed suit. It was weird, she felt better all of a sudden. A leaf fell from her brow and she easily caught it. Was that what helped? She gave the fox a small smile of thanks.

"Thank you," she thanked before noticing the tears in the red apron it wore, "would you like me to fix your apron?"

The fox nodded its head and slipped out of the apron. She gently picked it up and judged the colour. Good thing she always carried an emergency sewing kit on her. She dug around in her pockets for it and pulled out the small kit. The fox watched as she easily threaded a small needle and began to fix the tears. Its tail moved side to side as two people came up the stairs.

"That's a fox," Akihiko muttered before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"She's fixing an apron while a fox watches, still not the weirdest thing we've seen, Aki," Shinjiro pointed out.

"How many people are that calm around a fox?" Akihiko pointed out.

"She's weird."

It was an honest observation. One that came from the perks of being stuck working in the library. Yuri let out a soft hum as she finished the last tear and gently tied it around the fox. She gave it a gentle smile as it shook its body to settle the apron a bit better.

"Come back to me if it tears like that again," she quietly said, bringing a hand up and gently ruffling the soft fur.

Akihiko wondered if she was just weird, or she just didn't care. He rubbed the back of his head as the two of them stepped closer. They needed to make themselves known, otherwise, that could end badly. Jail wasn't a fun prospect, and her uncle was a detective. They weren't going to mess with that.

"Oh, hello, Aragaki-San," Yuri greeted him and he gave her a curt nod in response, her eyes crinkled in response.

An obvious smile under the mask. He noted that the little of his cheeks they could see was still red. The idiot, walking around sick. He rubbed the back of his head as the fox gently prodded her face with its nose. She made a strange sound and brought a hand to her face.

"Cold," she huffed before scratching it behind the ears.

"Thou art I… And I am thou…Thou hast established a new bond…it brings thee closer to the truth…thou shalt be blessed when creating personas of the Hermit arcana."

Ah, so the fox was a bond? Yuri should've found that weird, but she couldn't. The Fox was too sweet to freak her out. She let it lay against her shoulder and watched the two men with a curious expression. Mainly the silver-haired one whose basket she had once gotten stuck with. She wanted to ask his name but felt like that was rude. She looked away, staring was worse. He guessed what was going on and rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm Sanada Akihiko," he finally introduced.

"Narukami Yuri," Yuri said, giving a polite bow of her head.

He hadn't been expecting the manners and was pleasantly surprised. A slight smile appeared on his face and she most likely returned it, if the crinkling of her eyes was anything to go by. He decided to play on the fact that they were most likely up there to pray and headed to the shrine. The fox gave a loud yip and ran up to him as he put some coins into the shrine donation box before ringing the bell and putting his hands together in prayer. They all looked at the fox and Yuri gave a soft laugh that turned into a cough. She grimaced a little. The fever went down but a cough decided to start up, which was annoying.

"Should you even be walking around?" Shinjiro groused at her.

"Probably not," she admitted, and he sent her a look.

She sheepishly looked at the ground and heard him let out a sigh. A hand entered her peripheral and she hesitated before accepting it. Shinjiro pulled her to her feet and she gave him a thankful nod. Akihiko stared at his best friend in surprise before it turned contemplative. Shinjiro was being kind to her, nicer than he had been in a while. It had to be because she was sick. He was going to go with that. He looked towards the teen who was taller than him and frowned a little. She shouldn't be walking around in her condition. How stubborn can a kid get?

"You should head home," Akihiko suggested and she gave a small nod.

"Yeah," she agreed, "it was nice meeting you, Sanada-san."

"I'm not that old," Akihiko grumbled and she gave a soft laugh in response before coughing a little.

Yuri waved at them before slowly making her way down the stairs, it was likely that she had a death grip on the railing. Akihiko huffed, and Shinjiro looked at him. He was going to point it out to his best friend. He had to know that he was exactly the same. He couldn't be that oblivious…right?

"You do know you're that stubborn, right?" Shinjiro asked.

"I am not," Akihiko denied before pausing, "shit."

"Idiot," Shinjiro muttered, bringing a hand up to his forehead.

Yuri paused at the end of the stairs and looked at the card in front of her. It was a new bond? How many was she going to make in a single day? Or month for that matter? She shook her head and waited for the strange voice to speak in her head. She wanted to meet the owner of the voice and ask him why. Why he was so interested in their destiny? What was so important about them?

"Thou art I… And I am thou…Thou hast established a new bond…it brings thee closer to the truth…thou shalt be blessed when creating personas of the Strength arcana."

Yuri shook her head and started to slowly walk home. She didn't even pause to look at any stores. It wouldn't have been a fun time shopping. Her head felt like it was full of cotton. She stumbled to the Dojima residence and slowly opened the front door. She walked inside and closed it behind her. She took off her shoes and noted the different colours of the sneakers. No wonder Shinjiro could tell she wasn't feeling good. She was nothing if not put together. She stumbled through the house and eventually made it back to her futon, falling back asleep. Her dreams were filled with foxes, persona, and leaves.

---

5th, May 2011

"That's a lot of finished commissions," Yu commented as he saw the few boxes that Yuri was packing up.

"I have four blankets to make and then I'm pretty much done with them," Yuri said as she finished putting in a note of gratitude in every single one of the boxes, "shirts are relatively simple to make so I'm glad that most of the orders were made up of shirts."

"They are nicely made," Yu said and she made a face at him, "what did you do yesterday?"

"Besides the shrine?" She asked, and he gave a nod. "Those two men from that one group were there, Aragaki-san is someone I keep running into and he works at the library, but I've only ever run into Sanada-san once before…they kind of sent me on my way, stating I shouldn't be walking around while sick."

"That's so…" Yu trailed off.

"Normal?"

"Normal."

"I think it was nice," Yuri admitted, pushing some of her hair back, "strange, but nice…"

She trailed off before she said something too dark. She simply shook her head and pushed those dark thoughts away. Yu moved some of her yarn to the side and noted the glint in her eyes. Oh, she was going to try and finish up as many commissions as she could. She must really want that motorcycle. He smiled a little and helped her to tape up the boxes for the finished ones. Yuri simply put them on the metal shelve they used for their items and decided to send them off next Sunday. They shouldn't have anything planned that day. At least, she hoped they didn't. There was no telling with the way that things were happening in Inaba.

"So, who's your strongest bond right now?" Yu asked as he decided to start up a conversation about the odd situation they were in with the velvet room people.

"Oddly enough, Aragaki-san and Uncle Dojima," Yuri admitted, "and you?"

"Marie and Daisuke," Yu answered and she looked at him in confusion.

"Who's Daisuke?" She asked, and he blinked.

"He's on the soccer team," Yu explained, "right, you were barred from the clubs because of other people. I can't wait to hear who your strength arcana is."

"It's Sanada-san," she said, "I'm ready to hear who your moon is."

"You've got me worried if you've already found them," he muttered, pausing for a few seconds, "it's Aragaki-san?"

"Yeah, it surprised me too," Yuri admitted, "but…he seems really nice once you get past his rough exterior…I wonder why he puts up that front."

"Some men are hard to understand."

"Shut up, Yu."

A snicker followed those words and Yuri sighed. She couldn't believe her brother sometimes. He was ridiculous. He turned on the TV inside their room to watch a sentai show and she put on her headphones to listen to some music. He watched as she started one of the blankets, noting the colours that the customer had wanted. Pink, purple, and navy blue. She started the first chain and slowly started the pattern. A double waffle stitch wasn't too hard for her compared to the little leaves she had made on their personal blanket. Her hands moved faster than he had seen them before. The blanket took form fairly fast.

"It's for a kid," Yuri explained, "the parent got a Koro-charm, a few shirts, and a small blanket for their kid."

"Hey, are you guys awake?" Nanako asked as she opened the door.

"Sorry Nanako-Chan, we didn't want to bother you," Yuri apologised.

"We thought you were asleep," Yu added.

"I'll be in here most of the day, knocking out these commissions," Yuri explained with an apologetic smile, "I'm still feeling a little under the weather."

She did, it felt like something was sitting on her chest. Nanako gave her a worried look and got a reassuring smile out of her sister. She wanted to spend time with the older teen, but didn't want her to get worse. She looked up at Yu and he smiled. They could go hang out with Chie, maybe help her train a little. He knew she wanted to get stronger to protect everyone. Yuri listened to the silence of the house and put her music back on. Lotus Juice filled her head and she continued to crochet the one blanket she was wanting to get done. If she got at least one done and a second one started she would be happy.

A few hours passed and she had finished the child's blanket, a proud smile on her face. She let out a cough and brought a hand up to her chest. It was fairly crunchy sounding. Not a good sign. She sighed and made sure to take a deep breath. Her phone lit up and she reached over to grab it. Yu had texted her, sending a picture her way.

"Why did he run into Aragaki-San?" Yuri muttered in confusion.

She wanted to be there to ask him in person why he kept popping up wherever they went. It was starting to get suspicious. She blinked when another text came through. Her cheeks turned a bright red. Shinjiro had dropped food off with Nanako, sending Yu a glare before leaving? Why? She was starting to get confused by him, making her move past the strange behaviour he had been exhibiting.

"Just what is going on?" She muttered in confusion before seeing an email in her inbox from Hanatech.

'I heard you weren't feeling well so I sent Aragaki-San with some food, hopefully it reaches you!'

'I ran into you didn't I?' Yuri sent back feeling guilty for not getting her name. 'Sorry I didn't introduce myself.'

'Don't worry about it :). Feel better soon, Yuri-Chan!'

So she did introduce herself? This was too weird. She shook her head and decided that it didn't matter. If she thought too much about it, then her head was going to start to hurt. She started to work on a new blanket and contemplated the case as she began to make granny squares. Something was weird about it.

Why had Yukiko been targeted?

It made no sense if one were to look at the previous two victims. Yamano and Saki had a connection, even as small as it had been. So where was the connection to Yukiko? Was it the inn? No, no connection to Saki there. So it was a connection with Yamano that the victims had. She was certain that women were being targeted so that made the killer a man. She doubted it was a woman killer, but she wasn't going to completely disregard the possibility. A part of her mused that it was possible that it was someone in the police force. The police had access to both Yamano and Saki.

But Yukiko being involved destroyed that line of thought.

Yukiko's kidnapping and eventual throwing into the TV is what threw a wrench into what could be going on. If it wasn't for the fact that Saki and Yamano both died in the TV world she would think that it was two separate people doing this. She pushed her hair back from her face and frowned a little. She was starting to be annoyed with the case but swiftly stopped. It wasn't a good thing to get annoyed with something out of her power. She sat back and decided to take a break from crocheting. She needed something to drink.

"Oh, welcome home," she said as she came down the stairs to see Nanako and Yu entering.

"Aragaki-San gave us some food," Yu informed her as Nanako swiftly hugged the older girl.

"Yeah, I think the woman with him and Sanada-San is Hanatech," Yuri stated as she hugged Nanako back with a smile, "she said she sent him with it."

Yu wondered about that. The man seemed to be worried, even if he didn't want to outwardly show it. The food in his hands was enough for four people, showing that thought had been put into it. Nanako tugged on Yuri's arm and she found herself sitting at the table as Nanako began to tell her about her time out with Yu and Chie. They chased Chie around with a bug? That was so mean.

She thought it was hilarious.

Ryotaro walked into a house of laughter, and the occasional cough. He glanced into the living room to see Yu serving dinner. The containers it came from not theirs. Yuri must've made a friend that liked to cook. He hung up his coat and grabbed a beer from the fridge, and the group of his kids greeted him with some smiles.

Huh, his kids.

He looked at Nanako and noted how happy she was. His niece looked happier as well. Yeah, his kids. That's why he got them something each for the holiday. He'd give it to them after dinner. Nanako turned on the TV as he sat by his niece, noting the slight tinge of colour to her cheeks. She got sick again? Poor kid.

"The alleged thief is Pumena Sushin, a 26-year-old former employee of the company which reported the stolen vehicle. According to the police investigation, Pumena Sushin was…" an announcer said as they ate the dinner that had been made for them.

Yuri was surprised by the eel inside it. How did Shinjiro know she liked eel? She needed to get the stir-fry recipe he used, this was amazing! She paused for a few seconds. Maybe it was because she hadn't made it. That was entirely possible. She happily ate the dinner though, she'd bring the containers back. After cleaning them, of course.

"So what did you guys during your golden week?" Ryotaro asked them.

"Oh, um, onii-chan and onee-chan and their friends played with me," Nanako answered.

"I see…" Ryotaro said before turning towards the elder siblings that were giving Nanako identical fond smiles, "thanks."

"No thanks necessary, Nanako-Chan is a pleasure to be around," Yuri stated.

"It's the honoured duty of an older brother to look after the younger siblings," Yu stated, his serious expression making Ryotaro wonder if he was joking.

"Yu…when you're that serious most people think you're messing with them," Yuri pointed out with a soft sigh, "we got to match that day, and I think Yosuke-kun got a picture, I'll ask him to send it to me after dinner so you can see it."

Dinner was finished and Yu sent his sister a look when she got up to get clean up. She held her hands up and sat back down. Ryotaro couldn't help himself and grabbed the blanket she made that sat proudly on their couch. It went over her shoulders and Nanako moved closer to be wrapped up inside it as well. She spotted what he had brought in for them.

"That's a Junes bag," Nanako said, "what's in it?"

"Good eye," Ryotaro chuckled, "well, today is Children's day, so I brought you a present."

Nanako cheered and smiled at the shirt he got her. It had the picture of a platypus on it and she giggled at the design. Yuri thought it was cute as well. She looked at the bag being held out to her and gave her uncle a bright smile.

"I got you guys something too, not that you're still children, but fair is fair," Ryotaro informed them.

"Wow, an Inaba department jacket, are you sure it's okay for me to wear it?" Yuri asked as she looked at the heavy duty jacket.

"It's fine," Ryotaro said as Yu made a confused sound at the swim trunks that he had gotten, "it's different buying for girls…but I know you'll both use these items a lot."

"Thank you," Yu and Yuri said, obviously grateful.

"Don't mention it," Ryotaro waved them off as Nanako put on her shirt and went back to the depths of the blanket.

"What's the answer…" Nanako muttered.

"I think it's Prince Shotoku," Yuri quietly said, frowning in thought, "I believe he was the one that wrote the first constitution."

She got the answer right, and impressed her cousin. Yuri felt her bonds with her family growing stronger and smiled happily. For once she didn't feel like a burden to them. The Inaba police department jacket that her uncle got her was perfectly heavy and she was going to start wearing it all the time, even with her dresses. She was shooed to bed by the others after an hour and she gained a fond smile as she headed up the stairs.

For once it was a good Golden Week.