Chapter 8

There was something… different about the Velvet Room, Minato realized.

It wasn't the blue carpeting, or the blue ceiling. They were the same as ever, with the lights from the ceiling shining down onto a circular table with a blue tablecloth draped over it. It wasn't the elevator's gauge, still swirling around in its (almost) endless countdown, hanging off of a grated wall that was backed by dark nothingness. It wasn't the wide blue armchair, seating a grinning old man with a prominent nose, and it wasn't the beaming attendant wearing a quirky blue dress and hat next to him.

Was it the fact that Minato and the chair he was resting in were on a wall?

Yes. Yes, that was probably it.

"I must say, Minato," the old man said, widening his permanent smile an imperceptible amount, "I have always thought you saw the world differently, but this is taking it quite literally, hmm?"

"Must you always be a little different from the rest of us? You are clearly what they call a… hipster!" The girl next to the old man replied, practically bouncing on her feet in excitement.

In the face of his two oldest friends, the gravity-defying boy allowed himself to relax. "I prefer to call myself a trendsetter, actually," he spoke out with an easy smile, leaning back against his chair with intricate blue wings engraved along its backrest instead of the familiar harp. "And before you call anyone else a hipster, you should take a look at that dress of yours, Elizabeth."

The girl took the slight insult in stride, ignoring it as she looked at the man in the armchair. Only many, many years of occasional contact with the eccentric let Minato see the touch of amusement in his expression as he gave a minute nod to the girl.

With a squeal, Elizabeth flew.

"Minatooooo!"

She crashed into the boy on the wall heavily, knocking him to the ground (wall?) as she wrapped her skinny arms around him in a huge hug. "Do you realize how long it has been since I have been able to touch you? Do you!?"

Minato laughed as he returned the gesture from his downed position. "Far too long, I know. Although there's gotta be a better way to say that."

"Oh, whatever," Elizabeth retorted with a dramatic huff. "You are never satisfied."

Suddenly, she pulled back from the boy with a grin. "Ah, I knew there was something I forgot! Minato, I would love to introduce someone to you! Theo," she called out to a half-open door, between the one Minato usually used and another, new one, "Come on out!"

A panicked "Huh? Already?!" answered her, and the sound of crashing and falling items resonated from the doorway. After a second, a man with silver, partially slicked back hair poked his head out of the doorway, hat askew on his head. "Please forgive me," he spoke formally. "I shall be out in a moment."

"Theo-"

Elizabeth tried to interrupt, but the man had already popped his head back inside and closed the door. The girl sighed through her nose and shook her head. "Honestly. I think my brother believes you are your sister. He could not be further from the truth!"

"I know," Minato agreed with a solemn nod. "I'm much hotter than Hamu."

That earned him a light smack on the back of his head.

While Minato rubbed his head at the point of impact, Theo walked out of the blue door with a straight back and stiff movements. Elizabeth's brother (well, that was a guess, but who else could he be?) was tall, very tall, nearly a foot above Minato's more average height. He wore a strange blue uniform like his sister, but his was in the style of a suit as opposed to Elizabeth's dress. He gave a formal bow, then pasted a mechanical smile on his face as he righted himself. "How do you do? My name is Theodore. I would like to welcome you to the Velvet-"

"Theo," Elizabeth interrupted with a slightly exasperated look, "This is not the guest. He is merely an old friend I would like you to meet."

The silver haired man blinked at Minato, then turned his stiff gaze on his sister. "Ah… So, you mean I can…?"

"Yes," the girl replied with amusement clear in her voice, "you can drop the 'Velvet Room Assistant' act."

"Oh, thank heavens!" Theo immediately drooped over in a slouch that Minato approved of, while his face replaced its aloof expression with one of pure relief. "I am not sure how much longer I could have kept that up!"

Elizabeth patted him on his back comfortingly, but with a troublesome smirk painted on her face. "Get used to it, brother dear!" she chirped. "After all, your real guest shall be coming within the hour!"

"Oh, no!" Theo gasped. "You cannot be serious! An hour?!"

"Well, now less than an hour."

Poor Theo looked shell-shocked. "B-but that is so soon!"

"Indeed!"

"A-and it is not my personality to be so distant… and formal… and… and distant! How did you do it, Elizabeth?"

"I did not!"

"She didn't."

"She was quite… disrespectful of the Velvet Room regulations in that regard."

Theo gaped at the three who answered his question, flicking his gaze between a grinning Elizabeth, a bemused Minato, and a vaguely mischievous Igor in quick succession. He then promptly collapsed into a chair (one that Minato could have sworn hadn't been there a moment earlier) and plopped his head onto his folded arms on the table. "I do believe that this ordeal might kill me."

"Oh, do not be like that! I get enough drama from this fool here." The silver-haired girl flicked Minato on the forehead as an indicator, and Minato gave her a flat look in response.

"Ah, you two seem close," Theo said, rising his head up from his arms a little. "I presume you two are… what is the word… dating?"

The two in question shared a look, before simultaneously shaking their heads in a negative. "No way!" "Nope."

"The topic came up many years ago, but-"

"She can't dress normally -"

"-he refuses to do anything to his hair-"

"-hates all good movies-"

"-believes that 'staying inside' is an equivalent to 'going out'-"

"-has an unhealthy attachment to fake takoyaki-"

"-is already in a committed relationship with his MP3 player-"

"All right, enough! Please! I understand!" Theo pleaded, diving his head back into his arms and somehow sinking lower than previously to drown out the other two.

Elizabeth and Minato shared a smirk over Theo's discomfort, and the girl floated off the wall to 'comfort' her brother further while Minato got up and dusted himself off. However, after a moment, he realized that someone was watching him. He looked up to see the Velvet Room's elderly proprietor staring at him, beckoning the boy over to the familiar cobalt blue table. But the grey-eyed boy simply shook his head and pointed to the large difference in 'height' between the table and his wall.

"Igor, if I'm way over here, then I'm not close enough to you to sit at the taaa-!"

In the middle of the boy's sentence, Igor had unclasped his hands from their usual position underneath his chin and made a clapping motion, stopping just before his hands touched each other. The elevator's walls suddenly began approaching at an alarming rate, making Minato let out a yelp and worry about becoming the only red stain in the blue room. Fortunately, the walls' acceleration stopped just before his head reached the circular table.

Minato took a moment to catch his breath, clutching his chest as he restarted his heart. "Do you do this often?" he asked with a glower at Igor, and moved his hand to point at the other two in the room, still locked in conversation. "They didn't even react!"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Igor replied with his trademark smile morphing into a very light smirk.

The two stared at each other, Minato's unimpressed look with narrowed eyes contrasting perfectly with Igor's bulging, bloodshot eyes. After a moment, Minato chuckled and slouched back in his chair. "Heh, it's good to see you again, Igor."

"The same to you, Minato. Things are rarely boring when you're involved, and I am intrigued to see what this… new year shall bring."

"…I guess that brings us to our first question," Minato said, returning his face to its more usual, serious expression. "Just how much did you have to do with my return to this… time, I guess? And also, why am I on the wall?"

"Regarding your second question, the Velvet Room simply reflects your current situation, the sum-total of all possibilities that you might experience," Igor explained. "Due to your knowledge of one possible future, you are currently in a different… position than the last time you entered this room. I presume that is simply reflected in your different position in this Velvet Room. Now, as for your first question," Igor's grin widened ever-so-slightly here, "What makes you think I have anything to do with your return?"

Minato rolled his eyes. "Igor, do we really have time to play games? Hamu's coming soon, right?"

"And there, we come to the crux of our issue: your sister, Hamuko." Igor's grin also faded into his normal smile, less mirthful than before. "I presume you know what happens in this original timeline?"

"…Hm. Hamu becomes this time's great seal, and I'm left alone. …Again."

"You are half right. But you are not alone in the end," Igor corrected. "You still have all of your friends at S.E.E.S. by your side."

"Ah, right." Minato murmured. "I'm not alone. That's… a strange thought to have."

"I presume this will not change anything?"

"Oh, don't insult me," Minato scoffed. "The plan is to stop the Fall from even beginning to happen, of course that won't change my plan."

"But Minato, what if you fail?"

Minato blinked.

"…I am afraid that this is a matter that must be given some thought," Igor said with a light sigh, closing his eyes for a brief, surprising second. "What if you are unable to convince your friends that obliterating the Arcanas is a mistake? What if one of you dies? Heavens forbid it, but what if your sister dies?"

"You know something," Minato cut in, words sharp as he leaned forward. "Igor, what do you know?"

A light hand fell on the boy's shoulder, and he turned in surprise. Theo was looking at him worriedly, but Elizabeth was gently smiling at him as she squeezed his shoulder in comfort.

"I know nothing, Minato," the old man replied calmly. "I merely see possibilities, and those are all possible futures now, just as the always were and shall be."

"…Right, right," Minato muttered, falling back in his chair again. "…Sorry."

"It is quite all right," Igor assured him. "It only speaks highly of you that you are willing to speak up like that on behalf of your friends."

Igor reached under the table as he continued to speak. "Now, onto other pressing matters." He withdrew a familiar golden key, and held it up for Minato to see. "As you can see, this is the Velvet Room key. However, this is the only copy we have, and while you are the Velvet Room's valued friend, you are not our valued guest. That honor, of course, belongs to your sister."

"So," Minato started, "What you're saying is that I won't be able to enter the Velvet Room whenever I wish?"

"Spot on, as always."

"...Can't you just make a copy?" the boy muttered. Then he blinked as he came to a realization. "Wait a minute… Elizabeth, is that why you can only leave the Velvet Room when you're going to go on one of our dates? Because otherwise you'll be locked out?"

The girl cast a dirty look at her superior, who was smiling with a barely-visible lack of repentance in his smile. "Yes. It is." She replied shortly. "And I've always told him to leave the door open a tad, but he refuses to do so. At least I get to tell him off for it later."

"...Ah, but how those few hours of quiet are entirely worth the earful I get later…"

"What did you say?!"

"In answer to your question, Minato," Igor continued, not even acknowledging Elizabeth's comment as she glared at him. "Yes. You may not enter the Velvet Room as you please. However, once per month, the doors of the velvet room shall open for you and you alone, and your soul shall be welcome in the Velvet Room during that time."

"When?"

"Ah, that is up to you to decide."

"Hm… I won't be able to change it later, will I?"

"I am afraid not, and no one here will be able to take you into the Velvet Room aside from that time either. What you decide now is what you must abide by for the rest of your time here. After all, you must accept full responsibility for your actions… correct?"

Minato chuckled. "Yeah, I got it." He thought for a few moments, resting his head on his chin in the traditional 'thinker' pose. "Then… how about after each full moon battle? I can ask for your help or advice if one of us gets seriously injured."

"Brilliant!" Elizabeth clapped her hands in delight. "Just the sort of logic I expected from you!"

"Now, I assume our business here is done?" Minato asked, sharing a quick, amused glance with Igor as Elizabeth pouted at Minato's non-reaction to her comment.

Igor nodded. "Indeed. Time-"

"-marches on in my world, I know," Minato interrupted with a light smirk sneaking onto his face. Igor narrowed his eyes by the slightest margin and began to unclasp his hands again.

"…Igor, I do know my way out," the boy said cautiously as the old man slowly extended his fingers at him.

"Oh, I know," he replied, slightly widening his grin. "But I… prefer to do it this way."

"Bye, Minato! See you next month!" Elizabeth called out, waving her hands with enthusiasm approaching Hamuko's.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Minato-kun!" Theo called from his seat at the table.

Then, Igor's hand extended fully. Before Minato had the chance to reply to the siblings, he shot backwards, knocking his chair over. As he flew through the doors that barely opened in time to accommodate his rocketing body, he felt himself blacking out, and the blue of the Velvet Room soon faded into darkness.

"…You do know something, don't you?" Elizabeth asked quietly after Minato had been ejected from the room, and she lowered her arms from their waving positions.

"I spoke the truth," Igor replied simply as two of the Velvet Room siblings turned to face him. "I do not 'know' things in the future, I merely see possibilities."

He let out the smallest sigh, and readjusted the handkerchief resting in his suit coat's front pocket as he shut his eyes. "However, I am afraid that the one possibility he will never even consider… is the very one that shall befall him."

AN: Sorry for the shorter chapter this week! But the next one is pretty big, so you can look forward to that.

I'm also clearly adding my own spin to the Velvet Room here, but please let me know if I've added something that conflicts with canon!

Also, I love how many questions about Minato's persona I'm getting. Trust me guys, I wish I could tell you as well, but you'll have to wait… (And for better or worse, you'll have to wait a while, so… sorry!)

Shout outs to: veesmaster, mitsuhide, Nunas The No Name, I JUST CANT EVEN DECIDE, Bluestorm1990, and Angevon for following; mitsuhide, Roy-AoiryuuX23, PokerNick, Nunas The No Name, I JUST CANT EVEN DECIDE, and Wsadxd25 for faving; and Petrichor in May, emelian65, Chris ShadowMoon, Hoshiro Raider, Doom Marine 54, and Gue3t for reviewing!

[In response to gue3t: You'll have to wait and see Persona-wise… but I'm glad you like the normal character better than the OP one, so do I!]

Now, it's time for another exciting edition of…

MYTHOLOGY CORNER!

[WARNING: GREEK MYTHOLOGY IS M-RATED!]

Polydeuces:

Who was he? Polydeuces, also called Pollux, was one of the famous hero-twins of Greek mythology, often called the Dioskouri or Tyndaridae in Greek, and the Castores or Gemini in Latin (The other twin was named Castor… Sound familiar?). As usual, there isn't one definitive version of the twins' tales or their origins. However, one popular version states that, although they were twins, they had differing heritage: They shared the same mother (Leda), but Polydeuces was a son of Zeus (lead god and ruler of the heavens), while Castor's father was Tyndareus (a King of Sparta). The differing heritage was due to Zeus, of course: He seduced (read: screwed) Leda in the form of a swan on the same night that she also banged her husband Tyndareus. Due to this, she gave birth to twins with differing parents. (Additionally, she later birthed Helen (of Troy) and Clytemnestra (who became the wife and murderer of Agamemnon).)

The twins went on many adventures and quests together, the most famous being their participation in Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece as two of the Argonauts. After many of their travels, the brothers decided that they'd like wives. But instead of marrying like normal people, they decided to abduct two women, Phoebe and Hilaeria. The twins stole the girls back to Sparta, and later, they bore each hero a son.

Through a series of confusing events relating to this abduction, the twins participated in a battle where Castor was mortally wounded. As he was dying, Polydeuces was given a choice by Zeus: either let Castor die and gain full immortality for himself, or give up half of his immortality for his brother so that they could share the time between Olympus and the Underworld together. In a rare showing of selflessness in Greek mythology, Polydeuces opted for sharing his immortality, and they became the constellation Gemini. During the night, they can be seen on Olympus in the night sky as stars, but during the day, they stay unseen in the underworld.

Why is he Akihiko's initial persona? [SPOILERS AHEAD!] Well, there's not much to say here. If you haven't already guessed, it's because of his connection to Shinji. Shinji's persona is Castor, the twin that died, and thus Akihiko's persona being Polydeuces foreshadows his survival, and his turmoil over Shinji's death. Unfortunately, unlike the "real" Polydeuces, Akihiko has no relation to a god, so he must find his own way to get through the pain of Shinji's death instead of becoming a star (Although, interestingly, one of Akihiko's arcanas is the star (the other being the Emperor)… so maybe there's something to say for that).

So, what'd you guys think? Feel free to drop a review or send me a PM, about the story or Myth Corner!

Tune in next week for the story of… Penthesilea! And one last trip to the hospital with a certain pair of blue and red-haired characters.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next week!