Disclaimer: Fate and Persona are owned by different companies and I hold no ownership and all that jazz.
7/11
Hakuno had encountered Haru once more, the fluffy haired girl was now happily humming as she watered the bushes in the front of Shujiin. Students passed by without giving her a second glance.
Hakuno checked the time, she felt bad for the third year. She did run into her… Haru had another water pan next to her. Although Hakuno knew nothing about how to treat plants…
Dan Blackmore mentioned something about his wife loving it…
Hakuno checked the watering pan and tried to help, starting at the other end of the planter, she slowly worked her way towards the older girl.
"Oh!" Haru stumbled, "Hello again Hakuno-chan! Thank you so much!"
Hakuno nodded in response, "It seemed like you might be late…" Even with both of them, they only had a handful of minutes left before the first bell.
"Mhm! Next time I'll get here earlier… I hope that during the break they will properly be taken care of." Haru looked quiet as she looked over the bushes. The two began to pack up their supplies.
"Mhm, I'll ask Makoto about it, to see if she can't set something up." Hakuno was sure that Makoto would be able to find a reasonable course of action, the student council president was fairly good at finding ways to fix things.
"Oh! Are you friends with Niijima-san?" Hakuno nodded as the two entered Shujiin, "That must be nice…" Hakuno could see Makoto sitting at her desk, it seems that the two girls shared class…
"Makoto's a very friendly person… not a robot as some people say," Hakuno nodded towards her, "I'm sure you two could become friends."
Haru looked in thought…
"I should get going." She only had a few minutes left… and two floors of stairs to climb.
"Bye Hakuno!" Haru waved, as Hakuno left the first floor.
Akira apparently ran into two friends who wanted to talk, so he was going to be later than the rest, Morgana had hitched a ride with them. The six of them made their ways down the twisting paths of Yongen and arrived at Leblanc.
"Welcome." Sojiro paused, "Oh… it's you kids, the kid isn't here…" The café was empty like normal… Hakuno sort of felt bad for the older man.
"Yeah we know, he got held up by somethin." Ryuji plopped down onto one of the benches.
"We were wondering if you would let us use your café to do some late studying…" Makoto asked.
"As long as you don't bother my customers." Sojiro sighed as he spoke, "And take the cat upstairs if he is spotted."
"Customers?" Ryuji glanced around, "They in the john?"
"Shut it." Sojiro sounded tired.
Ann smacked the boy with her folder, "Don't get us kicked out." She hissed.
"How's Futaba?" Hakuno asked as the older man put down the cup he was cleaning.
"Hrm… She's doing well, still hasn't really woke up to much yet… Maybe a few more days?" Sojiro glanced at his watch, "I'm going to the store… don't spook any regulars that come in…"
Hakuno sighed, they spread out their books and began to go over their classes… Though with her being a year younger her material was easier than the rest… Though Yusuke had a lot more about art and art theory…
"Julius and Augustus are the reason for July and August to have 31 days… not Aphrodite and Mars…" Hakuno pointed out.
Ryuji looked at Hakuno in confusion, "But… didn't the Greek listen to the gods or somethin?"
"Not for that… and they are Roman." Hakuno sighed as Ryuji changed his notes.
The Bell chimed as someone opened the door.
Hakuno glanced up as her pencil fell down.
"Yo." Futaba walked into the café, freezing slightly at seeing the crowd of teens.
"Futaba Sakura!" Hakuno moved in, hugging the slightly younger girl. "I'm so glad you're ok." Hakuno was expecting Futaba to wake up but she wasn't fully expecting the former shut-in to fully leave the house and walk around in public!
"Eep!" Futaba froze under her embrace before softening slightly…
"Woah woah Hakuno!" Ann was beside her, prying the girls apart. "Let the girl breathe!"
"Eugh!" Futaba panted as she moved behind the counter, "Haku! Are you trying to kill me?"
"Well, well, well, look who finally woke up." Morgana purred as he jumped onto the counter looking over the bespectacled girl.
Hakuno took a moment to calm herself, familiar blue tinged lines crossed her body as she took a deep breath. "Sorry about that…"
Futaba realized that all eyes were on her as she ducked under the counter. "The kitty talked!? Why is everyone here!? Is this hard mode? I knew I should've checked the cameras before I left!"
Ann sighed, "His name is Morgana, he navigates and teaches us stuff."
"Yeah! I'm the glue that holds the entire thing together!" Morgana puffed out his chest… or at least tried to.
Makoto smiled as she walked towards the counter, "It's a pleasure to truly meet you, Futaba. We've heard so much about you."
Hakuno sighed, kneeling down beside her childhood friend, "It's fine Taba, don't you remember seeing them in your Palace? You got this."
Futaba nodded and took a deep breath before grabbing Hakuno's hand. She stood up, her eyes closed, "Thank you guys!" She shouted, causing Morgana to fall off the counter.
"So Futaba…" Ryuji smirked, "You going to join us? You seemed much more useful than a certain black cat."
"Ryuji…" Hakuno sighed as Morgana instantly rose to the insult, hackles raised he hissed.
"What was that!?"
Hakuno felt Futaba tense up, "Morgana is by far the best healer in the group, his wind specialty also covers your weakness."
Ryuji nodded begrudgingly as Makoto chimed in, "Every one of us have our own niche, Ann, Hakuno and Morgana deal more magical damage, while you and Yusuke deal more Physical damage. Akira can change to fit what we need, while I am more of an all rounder."
"Hakuno's magic is bullshit strong though…" Ann mumbled.
Futaba was relaxing slightly as the conversation became lighter, "When it becomes summer I'll check to see if anyone else has them…"
The bell chimed as two familiar faces walked in, "Hmm? What's going on?" Sojiro asked, glancing around. His eyes locked onto Futaba halfway hidden behind the counter.
"Futaba?" Sojiro almost dropped the bags of groceries as Akira quickly grabbed them. Hakuno felt something pulse from Akira…
She shook her head, something for later, "Come on Taba, you got this." She reached down, helping the young girl up.
"Hey Sojiro." Futaba did a small wave. Hakuno could feel the false bravado come from Futaba as she puffed up her chest in an attempt to look stern.
"H-how did you get here?" The man slowly walked towards Futaba, Hakuno placed a hand on her back as she nudged her forward. Futaba stumbled for a moment before she became shy again.
"I walked?" Futaba glanced at the gathering of teens, her confidence coming back slightly, "Sojiro! These customers been here for so long and you haven't given them any food?"
Sojiro froze, his expression rapidly changed before he ended up sighing, "You're right Futaba… Give me a minute kids." He mumbled something to Akira as he walked over to the small kitchen.
Hakuno sighed, the group sat down, Hakuno led Futaba to sit in the booth behind the rest of the group, the younger girl sitting in her typical crouching manner as they sat beside each other.
"And that was the follow up report on the suspect Kaneshiro." Hakuno had forgotten the TV was on… And about Kaneshiro…
Hakuno's phone buzzed.
MemeQueen: Aint that the guy u guys went after?
Hakuno glanced at Sojiro, seeing his focus on the pot of curry, "Yes… He was targeting Shujiin students, he also caught us destroying the breaker box outside his club…" She whispered.
Futaba tensed up and quickly nodded, "Oooh! Turn up the TV! I wanna hear this!" Ryuji shouted, causing Futaba to shrink slightly.
Hakuno glanced at Akira and Makoto, the only two others who noticed Futaba's movement.
"This case is said to be the result of the Phantom Thieves' actions, but in actuality, is this true?"
A strangely familiar tone, an unfamiliar teen with brown hair appeared sitting next to the host, "Considering how a calling card was scattered about, from a boy, his cat and from what we believe is a drone in the air, I believe there's no mistaking that."
So some people did see Ryuji…
"It is regrettable that we have no leads on the boy… The question though, is what the Phantom Thieves actually did. If they tampered with a suspect's heart, it casts doubt on the authenticity of any confession." The teen looked straight into the camera, his dead brown eyes tugging on some memory that she couldn't pinpoint…
"So then, by tampering with hearts, the Phantom Thieves are fabricating crimes that may not exist?" The reporter asked the brown haired teen.
Hakuno nodded, it did make sense, seeing it from a neutral third party view… A change of heart could be seen more as a rapid change of personality… If they could target those without distortions it might be possible to force people to change into a more negative version of themselves…
Not that anyone here would ever do something like that…
"We can't deny the possibility." The teen nodded, a slight smile on his face, "There's no doubt that the Phantom Thieves are exposing hidden injustices in society. However," The boy's voice became strict, "If this is done by sidestepping the law, their way of thinking is very dangerous."
Hakuno glanced at the other thieves, most were getting upset, Akira was the only one to truly stay calm…
Hakuno couldn't deny what the teen was saying, if someone else got access to that other world… Well Hakuno already was sure that the 'Black Mask' was taking full advantage… But knowing how the Phantom thieves operate, they didn't do 'heists' that focused on criminals but their jobs always revolved around helping someone.
Both her and Futaba are obvious examples…
Hakuno has a feeling that the Black Mask will target someone that the Thieves do… most likely after a calling card is sent. Perhaps not right now, as most still believe they are urban legend… If their 'popularity' ever goes up then that would be the best time for the Black Mask person to strike…
"I see…" The reporter commented before the screen faded into a commercial.
"'I see,' my ass. Why the hell're we," Ann put her hand over Ryuji's mouth, silencing the blond as she motioned at Sojiro.
"Hrm… Teen detectives… always one of those around." Sojiro muttered as he prepared plates. Akira moving with swiftness to assist the older man.
"Yes… I believe there was one, a Shirogane if I recall." Yusuke said, when everyone looked at him in confusion for actually knowing something that wasn't involved in art, "Ah… well… Madarame took me to their hometown, he wished to 'capture the rustic view…'"
"Just let them say whatever they want," Ann happily accepted the plate of curry, "What about you Boss? Do you think the Phantom Thieves are good guys?"
Hakuno could feel the nervousness coming from both Futaba and Akira, "Hrm… Haven't given it much thought… The papers love to rave about them though…" The curry was set, the coffee was brewed and the Thieves and Futaba ate the amazing food.
Futaba still felt tense, even with everyone focused on their plates Hakuno had a feeling this is the most amount of people she's seen in years.
Hakuno knew it will take time for Futaba to get used to the rest of the Thieves, being stu-forced to stay in a room alone by voices and hallucinations to the point of a Palace… The loss of her Palace, her awakening and her drive for the truth should help…
She was always the loud one when they were kids…
But next time Hakuno noted, perhaps they should slowly introduce the group to her? Her best guess would be to start with Morgana and Akira… Morgana could come with her tomorrow.
Hakuno felt like it was finally going well…
No crazy deadline by mobsters, no insane Shadows/Body hunting her down in the Metaverse, her friend has accepted herself. The only thing they had to watch out for was the 'Black Mask' person…
"Hey, kids, gotta second?" Sojiro motioned for her and Akira to step outside. Hakuno moved out of the booth as Futaba was going on about Phoenix Ranger Featherman R… at least Ryuji and Yusuke were paying attention.
Sojiro lit up a cigarette as the three stood outside, "Thank you kids."
Hakuno nodded, as Akira spoke up, "Don't mind it Boss…"
Sojiro sighed, "Even the doctors gave up hope… the few that would come out, once she started to see and hear things, I had thought that just giving her space would help."
"If it was a normal situation… it might have."
Sojiro sighed again, the cigarette dangling from his fingers, "But… you kids were all that she needed huh…"
"She does need a dad." Akira confidently said, his voice certain, "You're the only one that can do that Boss."
Sojiro stifled a chuckle, "Thanks kid."
"Futaba needed a safe place… without one I don't think she would've ever come out of her shell…" Hakuno was confident that, without Sojiro's home being safe for Futaba, with those voices, her scum of family… Futaba would not have made it as far as she had…
"I came out here to thank you kids and you say all this mushy stuff…" Sojiro sighed, "Get back in there kids."
The study session was cut short, with Futaba appearing and Sojiro feeding them dinner, Futaba stayed mostly beside either Hakuno or Akira…
Ann had left with Ryuji and Yusuke… apparently the artist planned to walk home. Makoto was already mumbling about taking care of his finances… Akira was washing the dishes that accumulated while Futaba was already half asleep as Sojiro carried her home. While it was late the trains still ran for another hour…
Hakuno stayed behind, she was unsure if this was a sensitive topic. When Akira grabbed those bags, it was the first time she felt something come off of him. He might have used it in the Metaverse but…
She felt a pulse of Magical Energy.
"Akira… that thing you do, how long have you been able to do it?" Akira looked at her puzzled as Morgana took the moment to head outside to 'not intrude on private conversation.'
"What thing?"
"Your Mystic Eyes?" Hakuno was too tired to beat around the bush, so much has happened today…
"Mystic Eye?" Akira paused as he turned off the sink, drying his hands, "Do you mean my Third Eye?" Leaving Hakuno to nod. "Been able to do it for a while… right after Ann awakened if I remember right. You call them 'Mystic Eyes?'"
"Did someone give them to you?" Hakuno saw the flinch Akira did, the nervousness as he fiddled with non-existent gloves.
"I shouldn't say."
Hakuno nodded, understandable… "Just… be careful, whoever gave you those eyes… are certainly much stronger than us. As your eyes might be magical."
"Why thank you." Hakuno rolled her eyes as the black haired boy complimented himself, "I'll make sure not to overdo it." Hakuno and Akira left the café, Morgana swishing back into Akira's bag.
"Got a few things to do around Shinjuku, Mishima might have a few new requests, its been a while sense we explored Mementos, I'll walk with you to the station."
Morgana yawned, "Almost time for bed you two… you got school tomorrow."
Hakuno yawned, it wasn't that late… "Have fun in the Red Light District." Hakuno waved as her train pulled up.
"Just a few more hours Morgana…"
Author's notes: Futaba wakes up! I think I did a decent job of showing Hakuno's happiness… though Futaba waking up in the middle of a study session with the thieves and heading over isn't like the best for the former shut-in.
And I would think Akira's Third Eye if it was in the Nasuverse would count as a set of Mystic Eyes? They let someone speed up their perception, see invisible things, and figure out how strong people are. And they are so very different then what Personas are so… yeah.
Also, no previous Persona characters will show up other than a few references, like Risette idol concerts being mentioned, original detective prince ect ect.
