Chapter Text
Tatsumi Port Island…this place isn't bad. Sure, he'd been living here for only a few months, but then again he was used to his life changing over and over again because of his parents' busy careers. This time, however, his world had been turned upside down.
Only that afternoon, Souji Seta had been released from Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, with no clue of what had happened to his parents, and still trying to reel from it. Just a few months ago, he felt happy that, while leaving behind all his friends back in Inaba, all of who he had formed deep and unbreakable bonds, he would be seeing his parents for the first time in just under a year.
And a heartwarming reunion it was for the silver-haired teenager. The night he arrived home, Souji surprised his mother by enveloping her in a big, warm hug, repeating the process with his father before talking long into the night about many things, enjoying dinner in their company as they caught up with one another.
Time had passed and Souji enrolled in Gekkoukan High for his senior year. The school was much better in terms of infrastructure, but he couldn't shake the odd feeling he had about this place. Even though he had visited this place once during Yasogami High's annual - sorry, bianniel school trip, the mixed feeling of familiarity and déjà vu was a lot stronger now. Despite that, he had no problems studying, consistantly maintaining his grades.
But then, summer came and the accident happened.
On a rainy night, the Seta family made their way home from dining outside. A drunk driver in a large pickup truck had been speeding prior, running past the red light of the intersection just as their much smaller car passed through.
When Souji regained consciousness, he was lying on a hospital bed. According to a police officer, he was the sole person the paramedics found inside the wreckage of the car, with a gash on his forehead and a broken arm. His parents were never found, no traces of blood on their seats despite the fact that it was impossible for anyone to survive that kind of crash unscathed.
Souji couldn't really remember the rest of that night, or much of the following days, fading in and out of consciousness...until the call from Uncle Dojima came. The police in charge of the case had called him, informing the countryside detective of the situation, and Dojima immediately offered to take Souji in for as long as he needed, and the teenager was deeply grateful for it.
Everything had been taken care of by Dojima over the phone. All Souji needed now was paperwork from school so he could be transferred back to Inaba. Tomorrow, he'll pick up the papers and hopefully board the train the day after. His uncle already purchased the ticket for him in advance.
As he walked home - going against doctor's orders to take a taxi - Souji wondered if any of his friends knew anything about the accident that supposedly claimed his parents. They probably didn't, since Dojima is a sensible man and had mostly likely figured that he wouldn't be able to handle any of his friends in his current state. He'd have to thank him when he arrives in Inaba. With a sigh, the silverette gazed at the sky - the sun was beginning to set. The sight comforted him a lot. It brought back memories, deeply buried memories from when he used to live in Port Island all those years ago as toddler. His parents were always busy, but they made time for him. Besides, he was never alone because there was always somebody who would play with him…
‘Why am I even thinking about them now? It's been so long…’ Souji shook his head, frowning. This was something he never told anyone about, not even his girlfriend, Yukiko. ‘Well, we did live here once…’
Souji was pulled out of his nostalgia trip when all of a sudden, his surroundings changed. The sky turned greenish-black and the setting sun was replaced by a full moon emitting an eerie, yellow glow. "What the hell?!" Shaking off the shock, he frantically looked around. The street he was walking on was crowded, but now, instead of people, coffins stood in their place. "What's going on here?!" A sudden rush of adrenaline started pumping through his veins. Not too far from where he stood, three creatures with humanoid figures in samurai armor loomed over what looked to be two bodies. ‘Shadows…’
Before the Shadows could come any closer, Souji quickly withdrew a Smart Bomb (made into a key chain as a souvenir from one of his ventures in the TV World) from his jacket pocket and threw it at the monsters. The Almighty spell's impact blew the Shadows back, without hitting the humans thankfully, giving the silverette enough time to check up on them.
As he ran towards them, he got a better at the two people on the ground. Both were male: One was pretty tall, almost as tall as his friend Kanji. He wore a maroon pea coat, a black beanie, black pants and brown leather boots. His hair was slightly long and dark brown in colour. The other was a bit shorter than he was, and more slender. He had dark blue hair and wore the uniform of Gekkoukan High, the only difference being the red armband around his left arm, which said ‘SEES’ embroidered in black.
"Hey? Hey!" Souji called, shaking the blue-haired teen. "Are you okay? Answer me!"
With a soft moan, the blue-haired young man opened his eyes. They were storm blue-grey. "Ugh… My head… What happened?" he mumbled, uncoordinatedly trying to get up. As Souji helped him with his bearings, he noticed the other guy also trying to get up. "Huh? Is that you, Shinjiro-senpai?!"
"Dammit, that hurt… I feel all stiff…" the tall guy muttered as he rotated his shoulder. When he heard his name being called, he immediately looked at Souji’s direction, recognizing the blue-haired guy. "What the…? Minato?! The hell are you doing here?!"
‘Minato?’ Souji stared at said person more than necessary. ‘I -I know that name! And his voice…sounds so familiar…’
"Might as well ask you the same question since the last time I checked, we were both dead…" Minato brushed the dirt off his jacket, spotting the Shadows trying to get back up."What the…? Shadows! This atmosphere...the Dark Hour’s back? What’s going on here?!”
‘Dark Hour? And what's with him saying they were dead?’ Souji slightly began to panic, but his leadership and fighting skills enabled him to keep calm. ‘This just keeps getting more and more confusing…’
"Save questions for later," the one called Shinjiro said, nudging his chin at the enemy. "Looks like those guys want to get their asses kicked. You got your Evoker?"
"Of course..." Minato replied, calmly sliding his hands into his pants pocket. Then he noticed Souji. ‘This guy…he looks familiar somehow. Do I know him?’
The more they stared at each other, feelings of familiarity began to surface. ‘Is it possible? Could it really be him…?’
"Hey!" Shinjiro shouted, snapping them out of their trances. "Stop zoning out!"
"R-Right…" Minato mumbled apologetically, and turned to Souji. "I'm sorry. I'll tell you everything later. But for now, can you fight?"
"I'm....I'm not sure..." Souji hesitantly answered, knowing that he’s unable to summon his Persona out in the real world. Plus he didn’t have a weapon in hand.
"You have a Persona, right?" Minato quickly cut off his thoughts and self-doubt. "You must have, if you can still function during the Dark Hour. Can you summon it?"
Feeling bewildered and slightly dumbfounded, Souji opened his mouth but no words came out. Not only did this guy know about Personas, but expected him to summon his? It had been only about a few months since he last did it, but that was in the TV World. In that slight moment of doubt, a voice spoke within him. "I am thou… Thou art I… The time has come… Open thy eyes and call forth what is within..."
The samurai Shadows were closing in on them. A small, blue light appeared in Souji's right hand before a card materialized. It was blank. ‘This sensation…’ Pure, raw power coursed through his veins, a grin forming on his lips. "Per…so…na…" He shattered the card within his palm. "IZANAGI!"
A naginata-wielding Persona in a long, black trench coat and white mask appeared before them, charging at the nearest Shadow and slashing it cleanly in two.
Shinjiro was in disbelief. "No shit…he can summon his Persona without an Evoker!?" He noticed the other two Shadows readying their katanas to attack. "Heads up!"
Minato swiftly evaded the attack by jumping to one side, but it took Souji a little slower to dodge. Unfortunately, the Shadows’ physical attack knocked him back, very hard, causing him to collide into a mailbox by the street. The pain of his barely-healed broken arm shot through his whole being. ‘Ugh.......Crap, this can't be the end!’ he thought, trying to shake off the dizziness. He felt helpless. He needed Rise. He needed Yosuke. He needed everyone, especially Yukiko. He felt panic and desperation at the thought of his beloved girlfriend, knowing full well she would not have wanted him to die when she isn’t around. Wait, what is he thinking… she wouldn't want him to die at all! His thoughts were cut short when he saw the Shadows charging up to attack again. He narrowly dodged the next one, but they just kept on coming. The pain had gotten so bad, he was unable to focus enough to summon Izanagi again, leaving him wide-open. ‘This is it...’ he thought, too fatigued to get up. ‘It’s all over, and it hasn't even started...’
The sound of gunshots and chains unlocking was heard, followed by shouts.
"Orpheus! Maragi!"
"Castor! Blade of Fury!"
The combination of fire magic and slash attacks seem to work well against the Shadows, causing them back off. Minato and Shinjiro bought enough time to get close to Souji and help him up. "Are you okay?" the former asked.
"Yeah…" Souji winced as his arm ached and bleed. He swore he could feel blood dripping down his forehead.
"This ain't good...gotta get ya out of here," Shinjiro said. Frantically looking for a way out, his gaze landed on the Shadows. "Talk about some tough bastards...any ideas on how to get rid of them?"
"They're strong against physical attacks, but they can't repel it…" Minato observed.
"They seem…to be weak against fire… a stronger fire attack…might work…" Souji panted, trying to find a strong fire-based Persona in his psyche. He held out a palm and a glowing blue card materialized, spinning softly. "Mada…"
"Agi-skilled, huh?" An idea popped into Minato’s head. "Senpai, hit them hard. We'll handle the rest."
Shinjiro raised an eyebrow at that, noticing how Souji’s face screwed up like Minato’s when changing Personas. "Don't tell me this kid can also use more than one Persona like you can. Tch, whatever, let's get this over with."
Minato looked at Souji, who in turn nodded as well. As they both readied their Evokers, Souji couldn't help but find it strange that they were pointing what looked like guns to their heads.
"Here goes! Castor! Heat Wave!"
"Mada! Maragidyne!"
"Surt! Maragidyne!"
The remaining Shadows didn't stand a chance against their onslaught, reduced to a cloud of black smoke that then dissolved in the air.
"Well…I guess that's that," Shinjiro concluded, rotating his shoulder again. "Damn, I'm sore all over."
"You're telling me…" Minato sighed, doing the same. "My muscles are all aching. Then again, we haven't used our bodies in like what? Two years…?"
Souji only stared at them, just plain confused. He let out a groan when his wounds started taking their toll on him. "Ngh…" he grunted, resting his body against a lamp post.
The other two turned their attention to the silver-haired teen. "Hey, you okay?" Shinjiro asked.
"Yeah… Luckily I didn't break my arm again…" Souji said, wincing as he pressed hard against a bleeding wound.
"Hold on." Minato readied his Evoker again. "Melchizedek!"
A mechanical-looking angel appeared, casting a soft violet light that enveloped them for a few seconds. Any cuts and bruises immediately started healing, and Souji's bleeding began to cease, his arm finally stopped hurting. "That's a lot better…" He smiled at Minato. "Thanks."
"No problem." The blue-haired student smiled back at him. Just as the Dark Hour happened, the sky slowly started turning back to normal and the eerie moon nowhere to be seen. "The Dark Hour is ending. We should get out of here fast. I seriously don't want to handle people's shocked expression at the damage caused by our fight."
"I'm with ya, but where do we go?" Shinjiro asked.
"Let's go to my place," Souji suggested. "I live not far from here."
Minato nodded. "Good idea. Lead the way."
As the Dark Hour ended, the trio quickly ran off, leaving several passersby confused at the damage caused by a battle that no one witnessed.
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Soon enough, they reached the apartment where Souji's family lived. “And I thought I'd seen everything after what went down in Inaba…" he mumbled loudly as he plopped down in the couch. He turned to his two odd companions. “Uhh… Please, make yourselves comfortable."
Minato and Shinjiro took his offer and sat on the opposite couch. An awkward silence echoed throughout the living room, until Minato decided to take action. "Well, I suppose we owe each other some explanations, so might as well start with the introductions," he began. "I'm Minato Arisato."
"Name's Shinjiro Aragaki," the beanie-wearing man said flatly.
Souji gave a short bow with his head. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Souji. Souji Seta."
Minato’s eyes went wide. "Souji… Seta… So it is you!" Shinjiro had never seen the blue-haired boy radiate such surprise and joy as a genuine smile formed on his face. "Wow, I barely recognized you, Banchou-kun!"
The familiar smile and pet name stirred up memories, causing Souji to smile as well. "I knew you were familiar…" His eyes turned misty. "It's been a long time… Aniki."
Minato got up from his seat to gently hug him, being mindful of Souji's injured arm. "Too long if you ask me…" he said, breaking off the hug. “You were just a toddler the last time I saw you!"
"I know… I tried to get a hold of you over the years, but my parents kept moving all across the country over and over because of their work…"
Seeing that he was the odd one out, Shinjiro decided to butt in before they wasted any more time babbling nonsense. "Hey!" he snapped, interrupting the two of their nostalgia. "Sorry to interject, but mind explaining to me what the hell are you two talking about?"
"Oh, sorry, Senpai." Minato rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You see, Banchou – I mean...Souji-kun and I have known each other ever since we were little kids. Our parents went to college together and were good friends. In fact, it was his family who found me after the car accident on the Moonlight Bridge."
"You mean the one that happened on the day Aigis sealed that thing inside you?" Shinjiro asked incredulously.
"Yup. That one."
Now it was Souji's turn to be confused. "Umm…I'm gonna take a wild guess. Is that somehow related with you guys knowing about Personas and Shadows?"
"More or less…" Minato sighed. "You have the power of the Wild Card as well, I see. So I assume what happened to you in Inaba is also related to Shadows."
It was Souji’s turn to sigh. "Yeah… It's a long story."
"So is ours," Shinjiro said. "We got all night. You can start first…after I make us some coffee."
Seated in the Seta family’s living room over mugs of strong, black coffee, Souji began narrating the story of his adventures in Inaba. The fog, the murders, the TV World, his friends' personal Shadows, how they gained their Personas, the final battle with Izanami - he continued on until he felt he had covered everything possible.
"So that's how you can summon your Persona without an Evoker…" Shinjiro whistled.
"Evoker? Ya mean that gun like thing? That's just…" Souji trailed off.
"Crazy? Yeah, I know. Blame Aki and Kirijo for that."
Souji raised an eyebrow, still confused. Minato laughed at that. "Don't worry. I'll explain."
With Shinjiro's help, he told Souji about their own adventures with SEES, the Dark Hour, Tartarus, the twelve Full Moon Shadows, the battle with Strega, including the one where Shinjiro died, Death being sealed within Minato, The Fall, the battle against Nyx, and finally him becoming the Great Seal.
".....And that's how we got here," Shinjiro finished off Minato's explanation, expecting Souji to be shocked. He was partly right as the silverette appeared a little surprised, yet thoughtful after hearing their story.
"You two are probably wondering why I don't seem as shocked about your return to this world," Souji started before Shinjiro could ask. "While I am curious to as why and how you guys came back from the dead apparently, my friends and I witnessed our own... miracle as well."
"Go on," Minato urged.
"The TV World contains places that are created from the victims' mind and...my cousin was one of the victims we had to rescue. The only difference is that she was a six year-old kid."
Shinjiro put the pieces together. "So with someone that young, the effects of that world is harsher on her?"
"Yes, that's right. Her name is Nanako, and she was forced to stay in the hospital for a long time. At first, we all thought she would get better after we took her out of there. But then...she took a turn for the worst." Souji closed his eyes at the memory, reliving the pain, sadness, and anger when he and his team thought they had lost her.
Sensing his friend’s sadness, Minato switched to sit beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Souji snapped out it, giving him a grateful smile. "She survived, or rather, came back to life, thanks to one of my friends, which is why I wasn't that surprised to hear of your story," he continued. "The Seal part worries me though. I mean, if you were released from the Seal. Doesn't that mean this Nyx being might try to wipe out all life on Earth again?"
"To be honest, I don't know…" Minato said thoughtfully. "The Great Seal was made from my soul. If it was broken, then I wouldn't be alive now. And there's the mystery regarding Shinjiro-senpai's return as well."
"Tch, I'm about as lost as you two," Shinjiro said.
"Hmm...if only I can get a hold of those two again, maybe we could get some answers…" Souji wondered out loud.
"Two?" Minato asked. "One of them wouldn't happen to be named Igor, would it?"
Souji smirked. "I should've known. As a Wild Card, of course you'd be familiar with the Velvet Room."
"So, that's the guy who was helping you out with your multiple Personas?" Shinjiro asked. “I’ve always wondered about that.”
"That's him alright," Souji replied. "If there's anyone who can give us any info, it's Igor. That said, I don't know how we can get in contact with the Velvet Room in Port Island."
"There used to be a door to it in the alley next to Pauwlonia Mall's police box," Minato said. He began digging into his pockets. "Good. I still got my Velvet Key."
Souji took out a glowing blue key from his own pocket. "I got mine, too." He checked the clock. "Shoot, it's almost midnight."
The two SEES members quickly ran to the window and looked outside. As the clock struck midnight…nothing happened.
"Huh? No Dark Hour? Man, things are more screwed up than ever," Shinjiro sighed.
"In a way, that's a good thing. No Shadows roaming around and no Tartarus either. For now, at least," Minato stated, letting out a breath he had been holding. "And we did experience the Dark Hour before midnight today so it might be related to that, strange as it is."
"It's possible…" Souji yawned widely. "Sorry, but I'm beat."
"You aren't the only one," Shinjiro said, covering his own yawn.
"Yeah… I'm tired myself," Minato agreed, stretching his arms.
"You can stay here tonight if you want," the silverette offered. "Tomorrow morning, we'll head out to the Velvet Room and see if Igor knows anything about what's going on."
“Yeah, that’s a good start,” Minato said. "Thanks, Souji-kun."
"No problem. Be right back." Souji left the room to get some pillows and blankets.
Shinjiro leaned by the window, crossing his arms. "Hey Minato, think that kid know Aki and the others?"
"I'm not sure, Senpai. Except for Ken and Koromaru, everybody else must have graduated by now. Even Junpei." The blue-haired teen took off his school jacket and hung it on a hook. "But we can try looking for them tomorrow."
"Got a point there." Shinjiro took off his pea coat and beanie, folded them neatly and placed them on the coffee table. "No point thinking about that now. Let's call it a night and get some rest."
They silently agreed just as Souji returned with two sets of pillows and blankets. "Here. If you need anything else, just let me know."
"Thanks." Minato and Shinjiro took one each and made themselves comfortable on the sofas.
After wishing them good night, Souji headed for his room. So much has happened today that he could barely believe it. Despite the mystery of his parents’ whereabouts, he was glad to meet an old friend again. However, that meeting also brought several questions to mind, and he couldn't help but feel that he was about to embark on yet another Journey. As he drifted off to sleep, all he could hope was that this one would not be related to murders and death like his last one.
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Was he dreaming? He felt like he hadn't done that in ages. The scenery was all too familiar - Naganaki Shrine at night. Shinjiro would often come here in the evenings to walk Koro-chan by himself, or that one time with Minato.
However, instead of his blue-haired team leader, an auburn-haired girl sat next to him as they watched Koromaru playfully run around the shrine. She looked up to smile at him, her ruby red eyes sparkling with something he couldn't quite read, but for some odd reason felt very comfortable around her. Her laughter was very sweet, something that he wouldn't mind listening to everyday.
The girl suddenly frowned, eyes sad and lonely. Instinctively, Shinjiro wrapped an arm around her shoulders, muttering something about the cold. She looked up at him again, gasping softly, but then she smiled again, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as her eyes twinkled with happiness. Shinjiro couldn't help but smile himself, his own face burning.
She then rested her head on his shoulder, and he felt at peace. He closed his eyes and they simply remained like that.
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Shinjiro woke up with a jolt. His eyes wondered around, trying to get his bearings straight, only to see Minato sleeping soundly on the opposite couch. He took out a silver pocket watch from his pants pocket and checked the time. 5.00 AM. ‘What the hell was that dream all about…? Who was that girl?’ Shaking his head in confusion, he took another glance at his watch. There was a huge dent in the back. ‘Why do I feel like I'm missing something important? Shit… Am I going crazy now?’
Ruffling his hair in frustration, he tried to get back to sleep. However, he couldn't get the mysterious girl from his dream out of his mind. Little did he know that this girl would be connected to him, as well as the two Wild Cards.