Narita Airport, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, August 4th 20XX, 13:45 PM
The officer at the Narita Airport Terminal 1 immigration desk looked up at the man in front of him, then back down to his passport, and then back up to him again. He had heard about cowboys and seen them on TV and in movies before, but he would never expect to encounter someone who seemingly cosplayed as one for a living.
"The purpose of your visit?" he asked the man in front of him with his best English. The man pulled out a blue card with a familiar white globe with the words "UNITED NATIONS INSPECTION OFFICER" written underneath it, alongside an ID number. The officer pulled over a colleague and asked her a few questions, and after inputting some data into the terminal in front of him, everything seemed to be in order. The officer handed the man back his passport and wished him a nice day and welcomed him to Japan.
"Thank you kindly" the man named Jesse McCree said, tipping his hat as a gesture of gratitude. After clearing his way through the customs declarations officer and into the airport's arrival terminal, he moseyed on over to a nearby currency exchange terminal and got about 700 US Dollars converted into Japanese yen, before walking to the underground train station beneath the airport to wait for his "guide", who was neither a citizen or Japanese; Angela Ziegler, the woman who was previously his student at the school he taught at eight years ago, the only one who he still really had any personal contact with. Jonathan had grown distant in his attempt to try and forget about everything that happened to him, and Fareeha Amari was strictly only in contact with him for work reasons as his subordinate. He and Hanzo had grown closer as work and drinking buddies, but despite Hanzo giving him signs of wanting something more romantic, McCree couldn't reciprocate, he simply didn't "swing that way". He had his own pain to bear, one that was haunting him for the best part of twenty years now. That pain was what ultimately led him to join the United Nations in the first place, but it came at a great cost. He opened up his wallet and looked at the picture of himself and his former lover, Elizabeth Ashe, her lipstick stain still unblemished after almost two decades of being pressed onto the photo that she had gifted to him. The words on the photo hurt him the most.
"Till death do us part. I love you, pale rider ~ Ashe"
He never understood why she left him to join the terrorist organisation known as Talon. Maybe it was greed. Maybe it was for power, or maybe - he thought - she felt that her life was becoming too stale. She always was one who didn't like conforming to being in one place, as one person for too long. McCree couldn't get why she stuck with him for so long either. McCree also didn't know why he held onto her in his memories for the best part of twenty years. Maybe me and Bigshot ain't that different after all…
About five minutes passed and a familiar voice called over to him from beside the ticket machines.
"Ah, Jesse, glad you arrived okay. Do you have a place to stay?" asked Angela, throwing her handbag over her shoulder and adjusting her jacket.
"Well hello to you too Miss Ziegler! I do, I'm staying with Genji actually in Shibooyaw" his cowboy tone butchering the name of the most famous district in the city gave Angela an urge to say something that would embarrass him, but she decided against it…for the time being anyways.
"Ah, I see, I suppose Hanzo is quite busy at the minute with work and moving into his new home that it'd be difficult to keep you there…" she pondered as they began to walk towards the Skyliner Express train.
"I ain't a kid Ziegler, hell I'm about twice yer age…" he said, embarrassed to admit that he was heading towards the wrong side of being 50. "I understand Hanzo's position, so Genji offered to house me for the time that I'm here, and who knows how long I'll have to saddle up here considerin' what we're dealin' with here".
"That's true. Anyways, let's go into the city, you must be starving" she said as they walked onto the train and took their seats.
"Yeah, the airplane food ain't good fer me"
Outside Ueno Station, Tokyo, 13:25 PM
Thoughts endlessly raced through the fractured mind of Hana Song. She couldn't believe what she saw at the apartment. Angela Ziegler, a woman who wronged her in the past, a woman who tried to deny her what she wanted. A woman who led her into that hellhole of torment and false faces that she had to put up with at Doctor Vaswani's clinic, day after day, test after test, therapy session after therapy session. What was she doing at Jonathan Cujoh's apartment? What was she doing in Tokyo at all? Why was she there? Had she seduced her lover? Had she tempted him with her long legs, ample features, gorgeous porcelain skin and lush blonde hair? Hatred and confusion flowed through Hana's veins, but right now she couldn't do anything. If she stepped out of line, Hashimoto wouldn't be happy, and everything she worked hard for these past seven and a half years would all turn to dust in an instant. Despite the voices in her head, her other selves, telling her to go there and rip Angelas throat to shreds with her impressive sword skills, she had to control herself; for Jonathan's sake. Hana could rest easy for the moment though. She had seen Angela leave the apartment earlier, and despite how tempted she was to break in and see what kind of world Jonathan had put himself into, she - again - resisted the temptations of her other selves. She made her way to Ueno Station to go back to Shinjuku, though as it happened, Hana knew fate was a strange mistress. In her vision, right at the station's entrance…there he was. Jonathan Cujoh, standing against a wall, looking at his phone. Hana's eyes widened from behind her sunglasses, her smile beamed from behind her black face mask. That tingly feeling inside her, that warm feeling in her heart, returned to her. A feeling she could never let go of and one she missed having when she was around him, in his embrace or even just simply talking to him. She began walking over, his body mere feet away from her own…
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" a girl tapped him on the shoulder, a girl Hana didn't recognise. Her smile vanished. Her eyes lost their glint of innocence, and were replaced with a glare of jealousy. Who is this woman? What is she in relation to him?
"Oh it's no problem dude, everyone's gotta pee once in a while" he said to her in a tone of voice that was too kind for Hana's liking. Was it another temptress that fate had thrown at her to test her resolve? The woman beside him was too close, their arms were practically touching. Hana hated this. She despised this. A black cloud overshadowed her whole view of the world at that very moment. She couldn't let this slide. She needed to find out who this woman was and what her relationship with Jonathan was as quickly as she could. She decided to follow them, maintaining a distance with which she wouldn't be noticed by them. It was busy at the station, keeping her cover was easier than taking candy from a baby. Their idle chit chat bothered Hana, it wasn't the kind of chit chat that co-workers would have with each other or the kind that family would have either. Personal questions. What's your home like? What's your mom and dad like? How was life at school? Hana didn't like this little Asian girl, whoever she was. Her smile and confidence seemed so fake to her, like she was intentionally hiding something from him. They walked and talked for about five minutes before arriving at a Big Echo Karaoke Parlour. Hana watched on from the entrance as the two of them booked themselves into a room together, Hana quickly booking her own solo room and going into the one beside them, quickly muting the Karaoke system so she could get a better listen in on their conversations…
Big Echo Karaoke Parlour Room 107, Ueno, 13:30 PM
"So whaddya wanna order, Jonathan?" Kiriko said as she picked up the tablet, turning down the karaoke machine in front of her to nearly mute to try and focus on her order.
"What do they even have?" asked Jonathan, taking off his sweater and hanging it up on the coat rack. "Looks like only quick bites like takoyaki, fries, gyoza and the like" she said, handing the tablet over to him, hanging her own coat up on the hangers.
"Takoyaki sounds good to me, 8 pieces should be good for the two of us right?"
"Yeah! Oh and get me a melon soda too."
"Two melon sodas and an order of gyoza….okie dokie" he said, pressing on the order button, the tablet vibrating to confirm the order was in the kitchen. He then asked Kiriko to turn the volume back up on the Karaoke machine, which she obliged.
"What are you gonna sing dude?" she said, sitting right beside him, her bare arms rubbing off of his as she stared at the tablet in his hands. The sensation of her skin touching off of his in such an intimate setting made him start to sweat, if only slightly, as wafts of her perfume started to fill the air near his nose.
"U-Uhm, I was thinking of this…" she said, typing the name of the song he wanted into the machine.
"Oh, I've not heard of that one! Is it a big hit in America?" Kiriko said curiously.
"Ah not really but it's what the cool kids would call a "hidden gem", or something along those lines" he said, pressing the Start button on the tablet…
…despite his best efforts, he was quite off key and only got a score of 65 out of 100. Kiriko laughed at him almost the entire time while he was singing, which despite his pleas of "I hadn't warmed up yet" couldn't stop her from laughing at his feeble attempts at singing.
"I'd like to see you do any better!" he said, handing her a microphone.
"There's so much you've yet to learn about me mister translator, I'm actually a pretty good singer. I tell you what, if I get a score of 85 or more on this song…you have to pay for today's karaoke!" she said with a cheeky and confident wink as she began typing in her song name, one that Jonathan had heard before.
"Memories of You? You know that song?" he said, surprised.
"Yeah, back when I was in high school, my friends were obsessed with those Persona games and this song….they used to sing it ALL the time at Karaoke back in the day. I never cared for the games myself but this song…it's always stuck with me" she said solemnly, as if she was stuck in the past, a look Jonathan knew all too well himself.
"Anyways, if I DON'T get an 85, I'll pay for today!" she said, hitting the start button on the tablet, as the song's intro began to play…
Kiriko's voice was like that of an angel. Her tone and key were nigh on perfect, and the way her voice echoed through the room felt like it was pouring itself right into Jonathan's heart and soul. There was no way she was getting anything less than a 95% score on this song, she was pitch perfect in his eyes (or rather, to his ears).
"...Those precious times I didn't realize I should cherish
Now all I can do is remember, I will embrace the feeling
I know for a fact, you were there by my side
You were always, always, always there, smiling
If ever I lose you, I will find you, I will never leave you"
Kiriko sat down as the song finished up to regain control of her breathing. Singing a song as quick and complex as this one took a lot of focus and breathing technique to perfect. Her grandmother taught her how to focus as part of her training, but Kiriko never thought that she'd be able to use it for karaoke of all things. She was anxious to see her score, partially because she was curious about her own ability, but also because she really, REALLY couldn't afford to pay for this by herself. She knew that money was tight with the café not being very popular, and she'd be too embarrassed to ask her mom for money after defiantly leaving home a few years back to prove a point to her, to show her mom she was ready to move on from living in fear, not only from the Hashimoto, but everything else that happened to her in school and at home with her father.
"...83%..." she said, totally defeated.
"Well, you got close enough, it's good enough for me, I'll pay! Besides, I got an extra bit of cash this morning so it works out for me. You know….you're a really good singer" he said, smiling at her, her anxiety now floating down the stream of her consciousness into a place she was safe with it being in. She could see in his eyes he meant every word he said with a kindness she wasn't used to from people she was close to. Only Kiriko's mom and grandmother would give her the same kind of attention, and it was a feeling she was grateful to receive from someone she liked, perhaps liked too much for someone she only knew for a few days. She wanted to keep her word, she wanted to keep things moving slowly so as to not give him the wrong idea, but almost every word he said to her melted the inner core of her heart she had kept locked away from any man for almost her whole life. Kiriko wanted to jump into his arms right there, looking into his eyes like they were the gateway into heaven, but she needed to keep her cool. She wanted to do things the right wa-
"Kiriko, you okay there?" he called out, snapping the young Tokyoite back into reality. "U-Uhh, yeah, t-thanks for your offer, Jonathan..,you didn't have to do that y'know" she smiled back at him before sitting right back down beside him, brushing her arms against his once more. This will do for now…she thought, wanting to fall into a world where it was nothing but the two of them holding each other in an intimate embrace, a world where she could feel every inch of him both inside and outside her own body, her own imperfections and his visible for only the two of them to see in a world filled with-
*pin-pon!*
The door across the room opened to reveal a staff member bringing in their food and drink orders, the karaoke machine going mute as he entered the room. Kiriko breathed a small sigh of relief, thinking that it was perfect timing otherwise she would have ended up in another one of her endless daydreams she was infamous for as a child. She thanked the staff member who dropped in their bill and left. It wasn't a terrible price by any stretch of the imagination, but Kiriko was glad that Jonathan was kind enough to pay the bill.
"So, what will we dig into first, Kiriko?" he said, looking at the food and drinks in front of them, not knowing what was happening just a few inches away from him in the room behind his head.
Room 108, present time
Kiriko? Her fucking name is Kiriko? Surely she couldn't be the fucking Yamagami girl, right? Hana feverishly thought to herself, rage and jealousy clouding her mind and emotions. She wanted to break through this wall right now and be the one singing Persona music with Jonathan, she - in her twisted mind - needed to be more than any other person. If this girl was the one her master was seeking, things would become awfully complicated for Hana. I need to find a way to make sure if she is the one Hiromi is looking for. If that's the case…what can I do to bring her to my master without my beloved Jonathan finding out? I need to be careful…
…minutes passed as Hana Song thought about multiple possibilities and options in which she could go about achieving her masters wishes. A mental block had hit her right in the face when she needed to focus the most, though being in a loud Karaoke parlour didn't do her any favours. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, placing her hands gently on her knees and tried to see things from another side.
…That's it! Oh Hana Song, you are one devilish lady, hehehe! she chuckled to herself as the clock ticked closer and closer to the end of her session, and the one in the room next to her also. Kidnap the mother, and to kill two birds with one stone…she said, opening up her phone and looking at the picture she took earlier.
Get that bitch into Hashimoto's hands. Maybe she'll have a use for her, and that way I could have more freedom to be with him! Oh this is so…good! she thought as the intercom buzzed in her room to inform her that her time was up. She waited an extra two or three minutes until she could hear the door from the next room close, as to not be seen by Jonathan or the Kiriko girl. After paying her bill, Hana quickly ran outside and found them again relatively fast. She opened up her camera on her phone and snapped a picture of Kiriko, making sure her face was clearly visible in the photograph. If it was anyone else, Hana would have probably considered it a very flattering photo, but this was not the time or the person to be admiring. She fired up the text application on her phone, making sure to keep a far enough distance to not be caught following them as they made their way up the stairs to the plaza near the station. She began to type out a message to Hiromi.
"Morning Hashimoto-sama. I hope you are doing well. I know today is my day off and I had not planned on doing this today but I guess luck was potentially on my side. I found this girl in the Ueno district. Is she Yamagami Kiriko? If so, I think I have a plan on how to get the girl to come to us, which benefits not only our family and clan, but also for my wish to be fulfilled. Thank You for your time, Hashimoto-sama.
Hana Song."
She hit the send button with glee as she watched the couple from afar, waiting on their next move with eager anticipation.
Sun and Moon Monument, outside Ueno Station, 16:00 PM
"Well, I guess I'd better be going back, my roommate is probably worried sick about me right now…" Jonathan scratched his head as he looked at his phone screen. He hadn't gotten a text from Angela but he knew she always worried about him when she wasn't around him for too long. "Ah, well, I suppose it had to happen at some stage" Kiriko said, causing Jonathan to momentarily freeze up.
"You okay Jonathan?" she asked, grabbing hold of his hand lightly.
"Nnn, yeah. I just…that was something my ex, Aki, used to say to me all the time"
"You had an ex named Aki? Here? In Tokyo?" she said, looking somewhat flabbergasted. "Y-yeah, why?" he asked, fearing she was going to say something he wasn't prepared to hear to him.
"O-Oh I uhm, have a fri- HAD, a friend in school named Aki but after we graduated I never actually saw her much. She went off to some university while I tried to keep a lower profile, working in coffee shops and such" she said, her voice trailing off into a sadness she desperately wanted to hide from him, but he noticed it straight away.
"Oh, well, it couldn't be helped I suppose. Things always change a lot once you leave high school, I mean look at me, I'm in a country on the other side of the Earth right now, from a town that has nothing in it other than a few big stores and an arcade. I didn't expect this when I was younger." he said, holding her hand lightly, rubbing her index finger. She appreciated the warmth, but things were heading in a direction she didn't like. Kiriko needed to change the topic, and fast.
"So what's your roomie like? Are they as cute as you are?" she said, gripping his hand a little tighter.
"Well I wouldn't call myself "cute" as such but, she's a woman that would be the envy of any man. Gorgeous body, kind smile, weird attitude but…she's my best friend, for better or worse I guess" he said with a smile but one that was clearly hollow, his feelings for Angela as mixed as ever. On one hand, he loved her as a friend and had for a decade or so now. On the other hand, he felt guilty about her being involved with the Busan operation eight years ago, the one that took the life of her partner, and Jonathan's best friend, Lena Oxton.
"Ooooh, it's a woman?" Kiriko said with a tinge of jealousy in her voice.
"You don't need to worry, she's a friend from high school; the only one I have left actually, now that I think about it…" he said.
"O-Oh. Well, that's cool I guess. Is she just visiting?"
"Yeah, she's got a job in Switzerland but she is here because her company is doing business with the Shimada Institute or some shit like that" he said, gently letting go of Kiriko's hand.
"Ah, my mom knows one of the guys in that family actually, they used to train together in hand to hand combat believe it or not, before my mom entered the police" she said, Jonathan remembering that Kiriko did mention that her mom had grown up with a man named Hanzo. Small world…he thought to himself.
"Anyways…I'll see you again soon, Kiriko. Text me later?" he asked.
"Of course. See you around…and Jonathan?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you, for everything" she said, pulling him in for a brief kiss, one that totally caught him off guard.
"Y-yeah, no problem. Thank you too, Kiriko" he said as he began to walk off, with her walking in the opposite direction towards her own apartment.
Cujoh Apartment, Ueno, 17:00 PM
"Guess Angela's not in…" Jonathan said, closing the door to his apartment behind him. After taking off his shoes, he entered his bedroom to see a paper envelope on top of his pillow. He figured it was left there by Angela, probably the payment that the Miyamoto person owed him. He quickly opened his phone and sent the password to unlock the translation to Miyamoto, and picked up the envelope, tearing it open slowly so as to not rip up its contents. He reached inside and grabbed hold of the ten thousand yen note, placing it in his wallet.
"Hmm? What's this?" he said, noticing another piece of paper inside. Maybe it was a thank you note? He unfolded the letter…
"In my restless dreams,
I see that place.
Hanamura.
You promised me you'd protect me
that day.
But you never did.
Well, I'm alone there now...
In our 'special place'...
Waiting for you...every Friday
I'll wait for you as I always have
Every Friday at 3PM at Hanamura
Waiting for you to
come to see me.
But you never do.
And so I wait, wrapped in my
cocoon of pain and loneliness.
I know I've done a terrible
thing to you. Something you'll
never forgive me for.
I wish I could change
that, but I can't.
I feel so pathetic and ugly
waiting here, waiting for you...
Every Friday I stare up at the bell
in the shrine and all I can think
about is how unfair it all is...
But I'm afraid, Jonathan.
I'm afraid you don't really
want me.
I don't know if you
hate me or pity me...
Or maybe I just disgust you...
I'm sorry about that.
I was so angry all the time and I
struck out at everyone I loved most.
Especially you, Jonathan.
That's why I understand
if you do hate me…
…But I want you to
know this, Jonathan.
I'll always love you."
"A-ah…w-what…n-no…no..nononono…this can't…not…" his breathing began to rapidly increase as he heard a noise at the front door. He collapsed onto the bed, trying to recompose himself but to no avail as he heard the door open from outside the bedroom, the letter landing neatly beside him. Hyperventilation took over his lungs as he fell to the floor, creating a loud thud from underneath him.
"Jonathan?" a familiar voice called out from the other side of the door. He tried reaching for the handle, but couldn't grab it. Angela walked in, another person behind her, one he hadn't seen in a long, long time.
"BIGSHOT!" shouted out Jesse McCree, pushing Angela aside and grabbing hold of Jonathan. "YER OKAY, JUST BREATHE!" he said, shaking the young man in front of him, desperately trying to calm him down as Angela picked up the letter beside him, examining it's contents. She didn't understand any of it.
"What is all this? Who's this fro…" she silenced herself as a faint smell hit her nostrils.
The unforgettable smell of cherries.
Hana Song's favourite flavour in the world.
(Author's Note: Worlds begin to collide as Hana Song plays her card, causing an uncontrollable anguish in Jonathan's heart. His pain resurfacing as Kiriko disappears back to her home for the day. With Angela and McCree with him, Jonathan finds that his past is catching up with him quicker than he ever imagined it would. Once again, thanks for reading everyone. Please excuse the letter ripped from Silent Hill 2 here. I felt like it suited Hana and Jonathan's dynamic, with them being hardcore gamers and all. Please keep the reviews coming and I'll see you in the next chapter!)