"So he's definitely a Persona-user?" Minako asked.

"Without a doubt," was Fuuka's answer as she looked down at the albino young man sleeping in front of them, his white hair blending in uncannily well with the white sheets and pillows of the sick bay bed.

"Is he going to be alright though?" Haru asked. She'd gotten up early as always to prepare for the day, but once she'd heard about Minako's excursion last night, she'd rushed down to the sick bay as soon as possible. The state the boy was in though was far from something that simple healing magic could fix. His body was incredibly abused, riddled with scars from Shadow attacks, scrawny from weeks of insufficient sustenance and needing an IV drip, his pale skin almost ghostlike from hunger and exhaustion…

The last time Haru had seen a more pitiable and wretched sight… had probably been in her father's Palace.

"The current outlook is pretty good," Labrys answered. "Granted, he's gonna need a lotta feedin' up before he's back to health 'n all, but overall I think he's doin' pretty good considerin' everything."

"Which brings us to the question of how he became like this," Aigis wondered. "Why is he alone? Why does he have no personal belongings?"

"And why does he look worse than a lot of my father's employees?" Haru asked quietly.

The other girls turned to Haru with concerned expressions. "Are you feeling alright, Haru?" Fuuka asked.

Haru nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm sorry. Just… bad memories."

Minako placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. He's in good hands. And hey, if you want, you can come down and watch over him after your lessons with Mitsuru today. Yeah?"

Haru smiled sadly. "Yes, I think I would like that. Thank you."

Haru got up from her chair and left the room. Unsurprisingly, when she reached the lobby at the end of the hall, Mitsuru was waiting for her there, along with her other apprentice, one Alexandre Kuujou, a blonde-haired young man about three years younger than her with slightly effeminate features. Both of them looked up when she walked in, and Kuujou was quick to ask, "Is he okay?"

Haru answered, "They're saying he'll be fine. He's had a rough time though, and seems half-starved."

Kuujou grimaced, his fist clenching. "Dammit…"

Mitsuru looked back at him. "Kuujou-san, he'll be fine."

Kuujou shook his head. "Sorry, don't mind me. Just… remembering Nobuyochi."

"That wasn't your fault," Mitsuru said sternly. "Remember his sacrifice and use it as strength to fight back, but do not blame yourself."

Haru, puzzled, asked, "I'm sorry to pry, but who is Nobuyochi, Kuujou-san?"

Kuujou gave Haru a weak smile. "Just call me Lex, Haru-san. I prefer it. Nobuyochi was my senpai. When the Outbreak first happened, he sent me to go for help while he held off a bunch of Shadows."

The blonde boy looked down. "I… wasn't fast enough. He died of his injuries before we could heal him."

Haru unconsciously put a hand to her mouth. "Even Samarecarm…?"

Lex shook his head. "He was too far gone by the time Aigis-san saw to him."

"I'm so sorry…"

"You don't have to be," he told her. "Nothing you could've done; it happened in Iwatodai. I'm… still working through it."

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation another day then," Mitsuru suggested gently. "There is much that needs to be done now, after all."

"Yes, you're right," Haru said. "Apologies."

Mitsuru smiled faintly. "None needed. We must all learn from past mistakes, both our own and those of others. Particularly those who came before us, like my father and grandfather. Now come, consider this…"

He grunted in discomfort, suddenly regretting the decision to move his arm. Odd. These days discomfort was the norm, not the exception.

Reality slowly started to come back into focus. It was… bright. Was it daytime again? Wouldn't be the first time he'd passed out after a fight, but usually he was awoken by another Shadow attacking him, or someone passing by. But no, those were electric lights. And he was lying on… a mattress? That was odd… what had happened…? A grunt left his lips as something in his shoulder twinged with discomfort.

He was suddenly aware of a presence beside him turning its attention to him. His eyes snapped open, his body trying to respond in case of a threat, but the light was too much, leaving spots flashing across his brain.

"Hey, easy now," came the softest voice he'd ever heard. "It's alright. You're safe."

One eyelid cracked open, ever-so-slightly revealing the pinkish-red eye beneath it. It was still very bright, but he could still see an outline. A humanoid figure… fluffy, soft-looking hair… white clothes?

"Are… you an angel?" he asked groggily. "Am I going to see my dad again?"

The figure gave a soft giggle. "I'm not an angel, sorry. What's your name?"

His eyes closed again and his head slumped back down on the pillow. "Hikaru."

"Nice to meet you Hikaru. Are you feeling any better?"

That was a good question. Now more aware of his surroundings, Hikaru suddenly realized just how comfortable this bed was. "Yeah. Lots better."

His stomach growled. He'd forgotten about that.

Hikaru caught the faint hint of a giggle from the person sitting next to him. "Perhaps you would like some food? I have some fried rice here in case you woke up."

Hikaru nodded as enthusiastically as he could, considering how tired and sore he felt. That sounded amazing.

Hikaru's strength slowly started to return as he ate. Haru was endlessly patient with him, feeding him at first, but then ceding the task to him once he regained control of his faculties. Once his eyes were no longer blinded by the lights, he could get a better look at his caretaker. Haru was surprisingly young, about his age if he had to guess, with fluffy light brown hair and a white bolero jacket and tank top paired with jeans. Odd combination, but his days on the streets had honed his senses, and he could tell that her seemingly soft exterior partially hid a great deal of strength, particularly in those slender, compact muscles in her arms and shoulders.

When the fried rice was finished, Hikaru slumped back down onto his pillow with a relieved, "Thank you."

Haru put down the plate on the bedside table. "You're welcome." She laid her hands in her lap and leaned back a little. "So, Hikaru? Where are you from?"

Hikaru's mood was immediately clouded. "...Yaganohara. Near Kyoto."

Haru blinked. "That's quite a ways away. How did you get to Tokyo?"

"Walked."

Haru's eyes widened. "The whole way? No wonder you're in such rough shape."

Hikaru nodded faintly. "Started out at the beginning of the Outbreak. Would've taken me less time, but between getting lost every now and then and killing every Shadow I can find… what's today's date?"

Suddenly the door opened, and a well-dressed, red-haired woman walked in, accompanied by another woman with curly ginger hair and a blonde young man who looked a little younger than himself. He tensed instinctively as the lady told him, "September 18th. The Outbreak occurred on July 4th. Be at ease, no one here intends to do you harm."

"Good to see you're awake," the other woman told him, coming around to sit next to Haru on the other chair. "I found you last night and brought you here after you passed out. My name's Minako Arisato. You've met Haru, and my companions are Alexandre Kuujou and Mitsuru Kirijo."

Hikaru remained tensed, but he deigned to answer, "Hikaru Fujimura."

Mitsuru nodded. "When did you obtain your Persona, Hikaru?"

Time seemed to freeze at the seemingly innocent question. Hikaru instantly felt his blood run cold at the memory. His hands spasmed, clenching erratically at the sheets. The women were speaking, but he couldn't hear them. It was the question. That one, singular question. All the food and comfort and Haru's gentle voice had let him forget, just for one blissful moment what happened… that night.

It had seemed like a normal day at first…

"Kill them! Kill!"

Then the screaming and the noise had started…

"What are those things!?" "Hikaru, run!"

Pain in his feet from running, but no escaping the dark, terrifying shapes…

"ME EAT YOU WHOLE!"

Nowhere to run…

"You will be cleansed. Be grateful…"

How he'd frozen in terror…

"You have to live!"

How weak he'd been…

"No! DAAADD!"

A warm, gentle hand closed around Hikaru's shoulder. An instant shudder ran throughout Hikaru's body as his other half's voice suddenly sounded in his mind. "Peace, my greater whole. Breathe deep, and seek peace. Thy father's love will live within thee forever, and in I, whom wast born of thy desire for justice."

Hikaru's mind calmed at the rich, sonorous voice of his Persona, the panic attack subsiding. Tears filled his eyes. He was curled up in a sideways fetal position on the bed, huddling as though hoping the sheets could protect him. Someone was trying to ask what was wrong. But he couldn't… he couldn't tell them, not now…

"I'm… I'm sorry," he said, in a voice so soft even he could barely hear himself. "I cant. Please… help me."

"As you wish. Now rest, little one."

As the Persona's presence left his mind, Hikaru started to once again drift off into the land of dreams.

It was clear to Minako that Mitsuru's question had hit a landmine. Whatever the scenario was that had caused Hikaru-san to Awaken, it had been a deeply traumatic event. But to be honest, she was more angry at herself than Mitsuru. After all, Mitsuru wasn't the one with the Foresight Zero-Skill, she was. And she'd heard Hikaru's scream in her vision, and that was not the kind of scream that one made just from being in pain. She'd felt his sorrow all the way down to Gerda, her own primary Persona stirring with sympathy and regret at the very sound.

But even as Hikaru became unresponsive, a blue glow shone from his heart, and looming above him materialized a Persona. In stark contrast to Hikaru's ultra-pale skin and white hair, the Persona was black, ebon of hair and wing and his skin a dark chocolate. His eyes were closed, and he wore vestments that were somewhere between priestly and lordly, though his robes were torn and his cloak in tatters. Chains encircled his forearms, and in one hand he held a bowl of clay and in the other a scroll and quill.

The Persona spoke in a soft, yet deep and sonorous tone, "I am Azrael, Archangel of Death and Justice. My apologies for the interruption, but mine greater whole is currently not yet strong enough to speak on these events of which thou question him. Therefore, I shall suffice to speak on these things in his place."

Mitsuru looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, that was callous of me. Please."

Azrael began, "T'was during the event you all would call the 'Outbreak'. Mine other self's home was attacked by the Shadows. Our father didst attempt to fight, but his resistance was futile. Even fleeing into the streets proved to be a mistake, for yet more demons haunted our footsteps out in the open. Before long, the pair were cornered. Our father bade mine other self to live on, and turned back to sacrifice his life to delay the monstrous horde of darkness from taking the life of his son."

Everyone in the room blanched at those words. Lex looked like he was having a flashback, and Haru was openly covering her mouth, the first tears starting to form in her eyes. "No…"

Azrael nodded solemnly. "He fled. Ran so fast, so far… by the time he stopped, he had fled the town entire. T'was then he fell, overcome by grief and exhaustion. I came to him in his dreams, offering him my strength, and he accepted me in my entirety." The dark Persona turned his face to his now calm and slumbering greater self, releasing his scroll to float in the air as he laid a sympathetic hand on the young man's shoulder. "There is no pain I, in my Shadow form could have inflicted on him that was greater than losing our father. He was the one person in this world that we trusted wholeheartedly, the one man who never stopped trying to aid us, despite our terror and our weakness. And yet now that weakness drives us on."

He turned back to the three Shadow Operatives, and his voice began to swell. "Dost thou wish to aid us? Then know this: the sole object we seek above all others is justice. That which we have felt and seen must never happen again. For the sake of that, we will sacrifice everything, for already we have nothing left to lose. Should thou wish to aid us in our crusade against the darkness, we shall have no quarrel. But should thou wish to use us for thine own gain, know that will not be thy puppets. Others have tried to barter with us, deals that turned out to be lies. So know that should any harm come to my greater whole on thy behalf, I shall cast judgement upon thee MYSELF."

The room shuddered at that final word, but Mitsuru stood unfazed. "I… apologize again for my callousness. Hikaru is far from the only person in this room who has lost their father."

Though his eyes remained closed, the Persona raised an eyebrow. "Truly?"

Minako laid a sympathetic hand on Mitsuru's shoulder before looking back at Azrael. "We've all lost people. Haru and Mitsuru their fathers, Lex his best friend, and me my brother. Believe me when I say that none of us want anything like that to happen to anyone else. That's why I brought you both here."

Azrael nodded slowly. "Perhaps then thou mayest prove thyself worthy of trust. Wilt thou then vow to me to never willingly do harm to mine greater whole, that we may rest easily in thy care?"

Minako stood firm. "I promise, if anyone tries to hurt him, they will regret it."

Azrael smiled faintly. "I will hold thee to thy vow." And then in an glimmer of light, he vanished.

"Bit odd coming back to normal school after a nearly week-long trip to the countryside, isn't it?" I wondered, walking out of the school's front door.

"I would've called it a vacation," Shen noted, "but yeah, I get what you're saying. More Shadow hunting tonight though. Think that Ryouto guy is gonna show?"

Arisu commented, "If he does, it would probably be better sooner rather than later. If he does end up with his own Persona, he'll need all the time he can get to get used to it, especially considering his current mental state."

My brow furrowed a little. "Yeah, I get the feeling that if I had sneezed when we met him yesterday, he might've fled on the spot."

Shen smirked. "Or wetted himself." Arisu smacked him. "Okay, okay! No making fun of potential allies."

"Yes, because we do want him to actually get a Persona," Arisu said. "Hard to do that if we're constantly making him feel like he's not good enough."

"I mean, it's not like there's a hard line as to who is and isn't 'good enough' to get a Persona anyway," I added, "since pretty much anyone can if given the right circumstances. I mean, look at me. I'm just about the most boring, average guy imaginable, with no major outstanding problems in my life, and here I am. Honestly, if anything, I'm wondering how there aren't more Persona-users by now."

"That's an interesting question," came a new voice, and we all turned. Sumire was walking over, with Akane and another, pale and shy-looking girl trailing behind her a little.

"Oh, hey Sumire-senpai," Shen greeted her. The three girls joined us as we began walking away from the school. "Do you perchance have any insights you can give us?"

Sumire seemed to hold in a slight laugh at Shen's half-flirtatious tone. "Oracle has a theory that it's primarily tied to personal stressors. We all know that Phantom Class Persona-users Awaken in scenarios where they're in severe danger and confronting situations that make them want to rebel against everything that's holding them down, but while the Outbreak is going on, it doesn't actually seem to be that different for those who are experiencing Sage Class Awakenings. Basically, when a person gets stressed enough, usually through questioning things like who they're supposed to be, their Shadow has an easier time breaking into the real world and tracking down their Self. At least, that's how Oracle put it."

Shen summed up, "So a person's Shadow is most likely to appear when they're stressed and having existential questions at the same time. Good to know."

"Speaking of," Sumire reached back and pulled forward the new girl, "This is Kiyoko Abe. Raven saved her from her Shadow the other day, but it ran away before she could accept it. Do you guys think you could help us keep an eye out?"

I started, "Shouldn't be a problem-"

"Hold on," Arisu interrupted, "we don't have our weapons with us."

Shen replied, "Well, true, but we still have our Personas."

Kiyoko spoke up, "If it's too much trouble, you don't have to-"

"It's not," Arisu objected, stopping in her tracks and causing the rest of us to do the same. Kiyoko's gaze came up to look her in the eyes. "We're Persona-users. Fighting Shadows is what we do. We're just going to have to be a little more careful than usual. Whatever you're going through, it's never too much trouble. Not to us."

Kiyoko looked away. "W-well, I mean… I guess… thanks." Her cheeks were dusted a slight pink.

Shen grinned. "Got that right. Now let's fetch our weapons and see if we can find this-" He suddenly froze in the middle of turning around.

"Bugger."

A golden-eyed girl was staring at us just around the corner from the subway entrance. Her hair was white and her skin the palest I'd ever seen. She had a cigarette in her mouth, wore a designer jacket and jeans, and was surrounded in an aura of shadow that made her look even more pale and sickly. But her face was unmistakable.

She looked just like Kiyoko.

"Oh, goodie, a new friend group," the Shadow said with a mocking false giggle. "Can I join in too? I'm, like, totally worthless on my own."