Catch-22: The Navigators
By: M14Mouse
Summary: Navigators doing…navigating things.
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true. Share this Quote Gore Vidal
"I'm so excited! Senpai is with us!" Rise said with a squee.
"Support Buddy usually goes with the others or off on his own. So, it will be different and fun! Or…maybe we could work on the exploding trees thing that we keep messing up?" Futaba said with a grin.
"Too Hollow here. It would be a wildfire in a heartbeat," Yu noted.
"True…Mementos is still probably the best place to test it," She said with a sigh.
"Anyone else afraid when these two plan something?" Yosuke asked the group.
"No, I'm actually curious," His younger self said.
"You would be."
Ren coughed. Although, he thought that it sounded like a laugh.
"Anyway, we need to get going. You guys said that we were close to the bottom," Ren noted.
"You have three sets of two floors connected by an elevator….you have a minor boss between that elevator and the other set of floors. Last is the boss floor," He said.
There was a moment of silence.
"That is amazing, Sensei," Fuuka said in awe.
He smiled softly.
"Not really. All persona users have their own amazing talents. My abilities lean toward the area scans and the shadows and their movements or in this case, FOEs. Futaba's abilities lean toward stat boosts, healing, and being able to pick more electronic elements than I can. We work well together because we cover each other's weaknesses."
Futaba glanced at him.
Are we going to tell him?
He is going to figure it out sooner or later. The whole FOE probably clue him in. Beside, our plan in Sae's palace is only a distraction.
You just want him to see go bug- eyed.
Maybe.
"And his shadow minions," Futaba added.
"They aren't minions. They are my friends."
"Same thing."
"Wait…you are friends with shadows?" Minako asked.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Akechi's face morphed into surprise then understanding.
"You know…it isn't hard to imagine that Sensei is good with shadows. I mean…look at Teddie," Rise pointed out.
"Yup, Sensei is awesome," Teddie said.
"I wonder if I could talk to them," Minato said thoughtfully.
"Probably not. While the tv world and the cognitive world have some similarities, our shadows are different. The cognitive world shadows seem to have more…personality? When shadows are trying to kill you, you tend not to think about it. That is just what I noticed. Joker?"
"I agree. I haven't met any shadows from the tv world. Here? They are kind…of flat? Like Sensei said, you can't really talk to a shadow here. Cognitive world? Everyone in the group can negotiate with shadows. Sensei and I are the best at it," Ren said.
"Perhaps, it is a wild card ability?" Goro noted.
"Perhaps but I think that it is a Sensei thing. I mean none of the shadows follow me around."
"That is a good thing. I don't think that I can fit anymore in the van," Morgana noted.
"They aren't always in the van," He said to Morgana.
"Because they are following you."
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I HAVE SIBLINGS!" Teddie shouted happily.
"Lila is really your only sibling. Ume said that you are like a distant cousin," He said.
"Ume sounds smart," Kanji mumbled.
"STILL FAMILY! I bet that future me is so excited."
"Very."
"And…are they safe? I mean…Mementos doesn't sound safe especially with this guy you keep talking about" Teddie said as his excitement died down.
"Lila is likely to stab people with her pencils which I'm actually surprised that she hasn't yet. She came close a few times. Ume is likely to kill them and hide the bodies. She hasn't killed Haru's father or any of the staff yet which is a good thing. It means that she likes them."
Haru giggled a little.
"Mostly, she terrified them. Father tried to fire her a few times and well, Ume ignored him. Then Father tried to get her to leave. Well…no one died?" Haru said.
"I thought that you said that she pushed someone out the window," Ryuji added.
"And landed in a bush?" Yusuke added.
"That…is kind of terrifying," Yukari-san said.
"THAT IS AWESOME! I can't wait!" Teddie shouted excitedly.
He chuckled softly.
"OKAY! It's time! Go! Go!" Rise interrupted before anyone could talk again.
"What is the rush?!" Junpei shouted as Rise started as she started pushing the group.
"First off, shadows. Second off, we want to talk to Sensei." Rise said as she started pushing the group toward the entrance.
"BUT I WAN…." Teddie started to speak.
"GO!" She shouted.
He chuckled softly as the group was pushed into the screen. He watched the girls summon their personas and he followed suit.
"Honestly…we were never going to get anywhere if they kept talking," Rise said as she put her hands on her hips.
"You just wanted to gossip," He said amusedly.
The girls paused for a moment. Fuuka's face turned red.
"How did you know?"
He smiled softly.
"Rise isn't really quiet and the others tend to respond when she talks to them. Both with and without her persona," He said.
"Urgh…then why didn't you say anything?" Rise mumbled.
"Because it wasn't a big deal? Most of the time, you did it when there were less shadows around or we already gained enough experience exploring that part of the tv world without too much trouble. Looking back, I always thought that it helped you with your navigation. Excuse me for a moment,"
Joker?
Yes, Sensei?
Up ahead, turn right. Left will lead you to a dead end and a trap.
Gotcha, Sensei.
"You…you did?"
"Of course."
"Support Buddy and I do all the time. Sometimes, we talk. Sometimes, we watch anime. We are awesome at multitasking," Futaba said.
"I wish that I could do that. I'm so nervous when I navigate. What if I miss something or…or someone gets hurt? I worry. Everyone tells me that I'm doing fine but…"
"There isn't really a guidebook to being a persona user. It is all based on instinct."
"Hey, guys…the shadows you are facing have a weakness to wind." Futaba said to break up the conversation.
"Still…."
"I told the other Futaba once ... Beside, wild cards, navigators are the lonely of persona users."
"Huh? I don't get it. Wild cards have the same abilities as everyone else…," Rise started to say.
Fuuka mumbled something. He could feel a rush of energy from her persona. The group must need assistance.
"I feel them. I hear them. High Pixie giggling in my ear. Lucifer's endless amusement or rage at something or another. I can feel Isis's gentle touch as if I was a child that needed comforting. Sometimes, I will wake up and feel my skin burning or the air around me crack and snap like lightning."
"Why hasn't Joker told us about it?" Futaba asked.
Okay, I sense a FOE coming up.
Do you want me to talk to them?
No, we are good, Sensei.
"He has tried a few times but he doesn't think it is normal. I tried to slip it in a few times but it is hard to explain."
"Sometimes, I can hear their voices…their thoughts. I don't think that they realize how loud they are sometimes," Fuuka said.
Rise nodded her head.
"The same. Sensei and Naoto are the only really quiet ones in the group unless Naoto is nervous. Boy, her thoughts go a mile a minute," She said.
"That is why you are always close to me," He said.
She always stuck close to him when they traveled into the tv world. Now, he knew why.
Rise nodded.
Guys, they have a weakness to Ice. Blast them to bits.
"I can hear them but I can tune them out. It is their emotions that get to me a lot," Futaba said.
That makes a lot of sense. He saw her work magic on computers with loud noises and talking in the background but the minute someone starts fighting….
"Sensei?"
"Not really. I can sense shadows more than them. I can't sense their emotions or thoughts," He noted.
"You talk to them like they are normal."
Veles?
Laddie…this is all you. You have no idea how many heart attacks you gave me and the others when you started collecting your minions.
Friends.
Friends…minions…same thing.
"Veles tell me that it is just me. So your guess is as good as mine," He said with a shrug.
"I think that it is because you are so calm, Sensei. The minute you came…I felt reassured. I bet your shadow friends feel the same," Fuuka said.
Guys…Guys…be careful…there is a strong shadow ahead.
"They made it to the elevator."
"Good. Maybe? It is a good theory."
"Urgh…this conversation didn't turn out the way I wanted," Rise said with a sigh.
"How was it supposed to turn out?" Futaba asked.
"Fun stuff! Gossiping and stuff!"
"Gossiping about what?" Fuuka asked.
"Ren is totally boning Haru or Makoto. Possibly both. He seems to be the adventurous type," Futaba noted.
"No way!" Rise shouted.
He gave Futaba a knowing look then she pouted.
"Fine, he isn't boning anyone."
"Ah…hey, were you boning anyone?" Rise asked.
"No…too busy. We had the tv world, school, I took odd jobs here and there, and of course, there is Nanako. Oh, I did learn how to braid her hair. It was fun to do while we watch tv together," He noted.
"Wait…you braid hair! How come I didn't know that?!"
Because he left out the part, where he learned while she was in the hospital. He had nothing to do while he sat there and talked to her about school or what was on tv.
And the doctors and nurses say that it is good to talk and interact with patients as much as possible.
Although, watching his uncle and his nurses go back and forward was definitely the highlight of his trips.
"Let's see….timeline…ah, I haven't learned it yet. I learned it later because we had nothing to do during the winter months."
"Can't really hang out much when it is going to be snowing and stuff. Oh, invite me when you learn! I can be a test subject," Rise said excitedly.
"Of course," He said with a smile.
Rise clapped her hands excitedly.
Sensei, can you drop FOE somewhere? He is a little too close to us.
Of course. Give me a moment.
He closed his eyes and called Veles to him. It only took a few moments to drop the FOE…somewhere else.
You know…I kind of want to know where they go.
Hmm…First floor. I dropped him onto another FOE.
A long pause came from the group.
You know…I should know better not to ask.
If it helps, the two FOEs are fighting now.
Futaba snorted.
"You're amazing, Sensei," Fuuka-san said in awe.
He turned his attention to her. Fuuka-san told him that she went through a very awkward phrase in high school. She wasn't sure of herself. She wasn't sure of anything.
"So are you," He said.
"But…"
"I don't talk to you as much as Rise but you are always so nice to me when I call no matter what time at night or day. So, you get an A+ from me," Futaba added.
"We didn't work together much because you have already left Shadow Operatives at this point. You were always kind to me. I was very thankful for that," He noted.
Fuuka-san flushed.
"Are you close to any of the others?"
"Aegis. Akihiko-san. I like to surprise him at his gym."
"He owns a gym," Fukkii-san in awe.
"Yup and work as a detective."
"Amazing."
"Truly."
"What about Junpei and…and Minato…and…?"
"Cheating, I see?"
"NO! Just curious."
He smiled sadly.
"You won't remember if I told you."
"Still…it would be kind of nice to know." Fuuka-san flushed.
Hey, guys….we are coming back. We are at the boss floor. We are going to rest up and restock before we fight it.
"Excellent," He said.
"Alright, team! We will see you soon," Rise cheered.
Futaba asked inside of his head.
Do they really want to know…what happens I mean?
No…I don't think they do.
End of The Navigators
Next Chapter: The Seedling Into The Tree
A/N: This is one of the first chapters that I had in my head when I started planning out PQ2 arc. Navigators doing…things (gossip) XD. Anyway, thanks for the lovely reviews, kudos, favorites, etc.