Reserving: Reiko Ashinuma (Mario's HSD OC)
Toshima: CFW Magic ducked Violette and blocked Gris' trident. "Futile!" Her attention turned to Arfoire as the CPU's broke free, striking at Arfoire. "ARFOIRE-SAMA!" Shoving Gris and Violette back, she moved to go to the aid of her Goddess when Kuro and Belle appeared in front of her, trapping her between Gris, Violette and themselves. "It's over!" "No...NO! I'LL KILL YOU!" She slashed at Belle with her scythe only to be blocked by Kuro's sword. "You're the one who's gonna be killed!" The pair of CPU's struck Magic down, sending her colliding into the ground. Fuuka felt Astral's power rise, Lucia vanishing as she lost concentration. Having her brain scanned and then kicked through the air, Fuuka cried out in pain. Her slender body curling inwards as she was caught by Bowser and then jolted by lightning. Unconscious, Fuuka oddly remembered the first time she entered Tartarus... Why wasn't her power as evolved as it once was? Had her heart fallen back into that slump she'd been in before? Would Lucia remain Lucia...or would she evolve into Juno again if she was able to change a bit more? Her mind repeated these questions until everything went black. Slammed against a wall, Falcom and Cybercon were only able to glimpse a moment of the onslaught of fireballs coming at them. Covered in burn marks, the girls struggled to push themselves up. "Hurts... Falcom...a-are you..." Watching Falcom fall back to the ground, Cybercon grit her teeth against the pain radiating through her body. Shiki noticed Astral's actions and rushed in front of Broccoli and Marvy, pulling them into the circle of his arms, shielding them from a majority of the damaging explosive spells. Shiki glowed an emitted a purple aura, somehow remaining kneeling over the girls, his face contorted with pain. Broccoli looked up at Shiki, her brown eyes wide, "Why did you...? You're really dumb, nyu." He cracked open a red eye and glared down at her, "Shut the hell up...you damn brat. This freak...is going to destroy Toshima at this rate. I was hoping they'd draw out Nicole...but this kind of chaos is going to drive him away. I'll kill it...." Standing, Shiki drew his katana and started walking slowly towards Astral, the wounds on his back from the explosion healing at a rapid rate. Hospital: Minato nodded, "Elizabeth didn't pull any punches..." Minako, however, looked rather happy from the memory, "I dunno why you're so depressed. Theo was just as strong as Elizabeth and Margaret...but at least he was polite about it." Shaking his head, Minato resisted the urge to shake her, "You'd think that would make it worse." Pharos wormed out of Minako's hug and peered up at Teddie. Oddly knowing blue eyes crinkled as he smiled, "You're special too, huh? Sounds fun." His eyes shifted to Yu and a wary look passed through blue depths, "Someone like Minato and Minako...who didn't sign a contract. I suppose...things were really different with you. Your heart is unique...introverted but with an unexpected ability to express yourself. I see...chosen by Izanami." "Is that name familiar to you, Pharos?" The boy shrugged, "Not one bit. But the past hardly matters now. You all have a new ordeal to face. Something a bit more challenging than before. Honestly, I worry if you can overcome this one. There are many leaves on a tree, but roots always run deep into darkness. So be careful." Minato glowered at the boy, "Riddles again." Naoto, lost in the conversation, but still keeping an eye on the peculiar way Pharos held himself. Like he was very important and yet still uncomfortable with being the center of attention. If she took him to a doctor, like they had Teddie, would they also not be able to find anything out about him? This boy was just as much a mystery as Teddie. "The rest of your team...do they know the things you do, Minato-san?" Minato shook his head, "To a certain degree. I've no idea what happened to them after we fell asleep. Nobody knows about Pharos though...we were the only ones who could see him before."
Reserving: Ashe (Real life Youtube cover/songwriter) IA (Vocaloid) GUMI (Vocaloid) Hiyama Kiyoteru (Vocaloid) Kaai Yuki (Vocaloid) OLIVER (Vocaloid)
Hospital: Spoiler Minako stared at Teddie as Yu spoke, rehashing his journey as the Wild Card for them. Her crimson gaze emptied of the light-hearted sparkle, "So...you're a Shadow too... I've never heard of a Shadow that was able to gain a Persona...or a Shadow that wasn't, somehow, trying to destroy the world or kill someone." Naoto swallowed nervously, "I assure you, Teddie is a treasured friend and an ally. He's never once done something to harm us." Minako glared at Naoto out of the corner of her eye, "Don't be fooled so easily. Shadows are tricky creatures... Lemme guess...for a while, he didn't remember anything." Pushing himself up from the floor, Minato slapped Minako's back and accepted Yu's hand, "Doesn't matter... You and I hold the power to destroy any kind of Shadow. Plus, we've got bigger issues than one Shadow running around outside of...where was it...the TV?" Releasing Yu's hand, Minato slipped his hand into his pocket and gestured freely with his Evoker, "We are Wild Card holders. I didn't know there were more....or rather...I thought the power had to be passed on. There go all my theories about how people obtain this power." Rustling through his clothes, Minato pulled out a platinum bookmark, "Good...it's still here," he waved the platinum bookmark towards Yu, "You have something like this too, right? After all...I have a weird feeling you and I met someone with a lot of secrets." Minako uneasily pulled her own bookmark from the pocket of her hospital outfit, except hers was jade. Clutching it tightly, she poked at Teddie's arm, "You really do have the same eyes as Pharos... Oh! You should meet him! Right, Minato?" Shock ran through Minato and he shook his head quickly. Despite his protests, Minako cupped her hands around her mouth and spoke loudly, "OI, Pharos! Where are you? Come on out!" Naoto looked around after a minute of waiting, "Who--" "Hi again." Of all the crazy things, Naoto had seen, this was right up there with entering a TV. A boy wearing black and white striped pajamas had emerged from a shadow in the corner. His blue eyes were frighteningly bright. "You're...Pharos, I presume," Naoto said, attempting to reign herself in. Pharos took one long look at the trio and smiled eerily, "Yup. You have the same expression Minato had when I first met him," he laughed, "Are you friends of Minako and Minato, too?" Minako hugged the small boy happily, "I didn't think you'd appear. Y'know...cause it's not the Dark Hour and we're not in Tartarus. And...the thing with Nyx and you." Pharos' smile fell a bit as he clung to Minako, "It took a very long time...and I still don't quite understand it myself, but I'm pretty sure I'm here for good." His blue gaze lifted to Minato's blank face, "You look upset. Are you unhappy that I'm here?" Turning away, Minato sat down on the edge of his bed, "Not really..." almost reluctantly, he pointed at Pharos and spoke to Yu, "This is Pharos. He's been a sort of guide for us during our ordeal. He told us Fuuka would be essential...when each of the Twelve Shadows would appear and how to use the Evokers...well, maybe just me. It seemed to come to Minako much more naturally." Pharos lifted one hand to his head, his fingers forming a gun. Winking at them, he pretended to pull the trigger, imitating how they used the Evoker. "Persona...right?" Scowling, Minato avoided meeting anyone's gaze, "Yeah... I don't particularly like this kid...he's far too cryptic and that memory is a serious issue. Not to mention all the breaking and entering." Minako, having recovered her joyful smile, looked up to Teddie, "Sorry...about what I said. Pharos is also kinda a Shadow. He's...well, he's the Thirteenth Shadow, Death, just in a harmless form. Pharos has been inside Minato and my subconscious for the entire seven years since Death was sealed inside us. Minato may not like him, but I love him~" Naoto pointed vaguely at the bookmark in Minato's hand, "Who gave you that bookmark? You said it was someone you and Senpai have met before?" Minato glanced at the bookmark, "Elizabeth gave it to me. Just like Theo gave Minako hers. I'm sure you met them...right?" Minato turned an almost desperate gaze on Yu, seeking the answer he wanted to hear. Toshima: Spoiler Falcom stared at Sonic and Metal Sonic, "Hey, they're racking up a score here! Cybercon, we're gonna fall behind at this rate." Cybercon slid her feet apart, "Then we'll make the charts skyrocket with our attacks!" Falcom grinned at Sonic, "Sorry, but we don't really need help. Though it is appreciated. Now I don't have to worry about things falling on my head while I cut up this big lug." Unintentionally, the pair had decided the battle as a competition against the odd blue hedgehog duo and charged towards CFW Brave. Falcom shouted back towards Sonic, "Keep the mage off us and we'll handle the ground units!" CFW Magic skidded a ways back from the double kick, snarling at the multiple CPU's. "More of them..." before her attention was diverted to the new CPU attacking Arfoire herself. "Ugly CPU! Keep your hands off our Goddess! Arfoire-sama, I'll handle the runt!" Without a second glance back at Aoi, Clair, Gris and Violette, Magic leapt into the air, speeding towards the new CPU. She collided with the CPU in a violent hip-check. "Shut up, you b!tch!" Within the containment field, as the Goddesses were drowning in the oily liquid, a bright light from their phones cracked through the murky darkness. The light expanded, surrounding the Goddesses and cleared away the liquid filling their lungs, giving them a growing bubble of light to breathe inside. In the center of the bubble a blue haired girl appeared. The light originating from her. Belle stared in awe, "What the..." Soon the containment field began to crack, Sei's voice could be heard inside the CPU's heads, "Onee-sama, you didn't really think I gave you that game because I had no social skills, did you? Daisuki desu." (I love you) Spoiler Shiki glared at Marvy, "Who the hell wants to be a father?" Broccoli shrugged off his words, "Shiki has delusions that he will die in a glorious battle, nyu. Either way, we should help out, nyu. Nep is helpless without me, nyu." Quietly, Gema started to bounce forwards towards the battle. Irritated, but none-the-less provoked, Shiki stood still, watching the battle unfold into it's final stages.
Hospital: (The following contains spoilers for Persona 3. Don't read it unless you want to be spoiled or already know the events of the game. It does not pertain to the plot of the RP. You have been warned.) Spoiler Minato and Minako sobered at the mention of a year ago and Persona's. Minako turned a disappointed glare to her brother, "You just couldn't keep quiet, could you? So unlike you, onii-chan." Shaking his head, Minato imitated Yu's typical motion of opening his hand in front of him, "They said they have experience, nee-chan. It would be out of character for me to suddenly spill a secret like this to strangers. The only way they could know...is if they could do it too." Naoto waited anxiously but Minato dropped his hand to his side without so much as a demonstration of power. "Who...or what is Nyx? Both you and Kirijo-san mentioned it," she wasn't letting this one slip by. Any clue at all would be thoroughly analyzed. Minato pointed to his clothes and Evoker lying in a pile next to his bed and motioned for Minako to fetch them as he spoke, "Nyx is the Entity we fought a year ago. If we hadn't...there's be no today. Everyone in Port Island would be Shadows and the world would be destroyed. People like you and I would be dead along with anyone with the Potential." Handing him the gleaming Evoker, Minako picked up his train of explaining, "Our friend, Ryoji, was actually a Shadow called Death. He called himself the Harbinger and...he became Nyx's Avatar to come to this world. We were misled by false information and...other Persona-Users." Minato stepped away from the group, "What we experienced began seven years ago. The Kirijo Group was conducting experiments on twelve Shadows they'd gathered...trying to fuse them into some sort of...weapon. Obviously, they failed and the lab they were using exploded, freeing all twelve Shadows and the incomplete thirteenth...Death. The Shadows went on a rampage through Port Island, killing a lot of people... The Kirijo Group had also created a line of robots designed to kill Shadows called Anti-Shadow Weapons. Our friend, Aigis, is one of them. Aigis was sent out to kill Death...but even incomplete, she couldn't best it." Minako patted her chest, "Our parents were killed when Death and Aigis fought on the bridge. We were left as survivors and witnesses to the battle. Since Aigis couldn't defeat Death...she did the next best thing. Sealed it away inside us. Because we're twins, we shared the burden much better than anyone else could've." Minato gripped his Evoker tightly and lifted it to his temple, "To make a long story short... We had the power of Death within us for seven years...and when we returned to Port Island that power made the twelve Shadows that had broken free become active and started making Lost," Minako quickly jumped in, "Ah, Lost are people who had Apathy Syndrome. They basically didn't do anything. They appear because those special Twelve Shadows drain them for power. They go back to normal once we defeat the Shadow though." Ignoring his sisters need to explain every detail, Minato continued, "We joined SEES, a group of Persona-Users, and defeated every Shadow that appeared on the full moons as well as exploring Tartarus," again, Minako waved her hands frantically, "T-Tartarus no longer exists, but it used to take the place of our school every night during the Dark Hour, which is a time between Midnight and 12:01. It was a really freaky tower where the Shadows lived...and the entry way for Nyx to our world." Inhaling a deep breath, Minato continued, "A group called Strega opposed what we were doing...and they tried to stop us. They injured Aragaki-senpai, tried to kidnap Junpei, and tried to kill us to stop us from stopping Nyx," he exhaled slowly, "I killed them..." Naoto felt a chill run down her spine. This boy was very different from Yu... Minato's gray-blue eyes were cold and his tone flat the longer he spoke, "We couldn't stop Nyx from coming...so we fought it. Ryoji became Nyx's Avatar...and we fought at the top of Tartarus." Recognizing the painful memory, Minako gnawed on her bottom lip, "Even after defeating Nyx...we couldn't stop the End from coming.......... We were being crushed..." "With the power of the Universe Arcana granted to us by our friends, we entered Nyx's true body and attacked its heart. By using that power, we gave our souls to end Nyx's arrival and sealed it behind a large door." Naoto's eyes widened, "So that's what the report meant...the truth behind your coma wasn't because of the strain. You both had lost your souls but your bodies remained here, waiting... To explain that much...I have many more questions." Self-resentment flooded off Minato as he lowered the Evoker, "If you want to know what happened after that, I suggest you ask Mitsuru. We can't remember anything after that. And I'd rather not remember my last days before we fell asleep. How pathetic...even explaining and I still feel like such a fool." Hesitant to reach out to her brother, Minako withdrew away from Teddie, "Onii-chan...if we had done nothing those Shadows would've turned everyone into Lost and the world would've ended anyway. And--" "That's not what I'm talking about!" His sudden outburst shocked Minako silent. "I should've killed Takaya and Jin myself! They didn't deserve the time we gave them! Letting the Shadows devour them...don't joke with me! I should've seen...I should've noticed that it felt weird. I--" A loud slap echoed through the room. Minako had advanced the three steps separating her from her brother and slapped him hard, "You're talking about Ikutsuki-san." "Don't say that name--" "I'll say it if I want! Nobody could see through his smile...his helpful advice...nobody. We were betrayed, Minato. Accept it already. Senpai overcame it...why can't you?" He flinched, touching his warm cheek, mumbling, "I took out my frustration on Takaya...because he was wrong...just like Ikutsuki-san and I still couldn't make him see how he was wrong." Minako smiled at him and turned to the group, "We've all got our baggage. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?" Toshima: Magic's head snapped to one side, but she didn't move. Turning back with a wide smile, she sliced at Clair, "You wanna die along with the CPU?! All those who go against our Goddess will be cut to ribbons!" Slashing again at Clair to remove her from her way, Magic performed the most accurate 7 shaped evade anyone could and launched herself at Aoi, "Don't mock our Goddess!" She slashed at him in an intricate combo that would keep him backing up to avoid most of the quicker cuts she made. Free, Tekken and Fuuka cringed. Tekken took up a defensive position in front of Fuuka's Persona, "D-Don't worry, I'll protect you." Fuuka concentrated harder, extending Lucia's mental reach. "Those things coming at you will explode, don't defend...dodge. Their flight pattern is always heading straight for you, try not to remain in the same spot for too long." Falcom nodded to the voice echoing around her and kept her eyes on the swarming Jet Bom-Ombs as she zig-zaged around to avoid any of them exploding on her. Cybercon sidestepped one falling Dogoo, "Whoa! Falling stones. That's dangerous." She lifted a dagger to break through another falling Dogoo when Falcom shouted at her, "Don't waste your energy on attacking those things. There's a lot of them. We should worry about those two bigger guys heading straight for us." Linda's eyes widened at the charging Judge and waved her hands in front of her face, "W-Wait, Judge, you idiot! Watch where you're going!" Grabbing Pirachu, Linda jumped to the side to avoid being crushed by the charging Judge. Bobbing along, a little girl with twin pigtails riding a...yellow round ball with an upside-down face on it bounced next to Marvy, "Oh...you're here too, nyu." Above, on a rubbled cliff that once was a piece of a building stood the very same man in black that had once swore to meet Minato Arisato again. He chuckled at the sight of the fight, "Dogs fighting over something that doesn't even concern Toshima." The little girl turned her head up, cat ears wiggling as she moved her head, "You also don't listen when people talk, do you, nyu." He looked down at her with a blank red stare, tapping the hilt of the long katana at his side with his fingers, "I listen, Neko. I just don't care what you think. Unless you want me to crush the life out of you." She rolled her eyes, both her and the yellow round thing she was sitting on made a face at him, "You suck at communication too, nyu." CPU Residence: Virus and Sei followed Histoire, Mina, Chika ad Kei inside. Virus watched the pair of oddball women sit and once again begin arguing. Sitting idly beside Histoire, Sei clutched his hands together on the table. He seemed to be entirely focused on something other than the conversation. Tokyo Streets: Cleanup~ Madara and his troops finished their sweep and cast down the rioters that remained after a majority of them fled. He stood in front of a kneeling man, a former leader of the rioters. "Who gave you permission to riot in my city...in my country? Who?" The man spit a gob of blood at his feet and Madara kicked him in his throat, "Not the answer I wanted. Execute him... Izuna, would you contact Captain Levi and inform him we're pulling out. The riots have ended...the military is impeding on the nation's peace now. We'll keep the events private from the Prime Minister for now. We don't need to bother her with more headaches." Izuna nodded, he wouldn't go against his brother, and moved to find Captain Levi.
Reserving: Broccoli (Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory DLC)
Hospital: Spoiler Minato watched cautiously with a blank blue stare as Teddie spoke and then Yu spoke. He knew what he was asking, but why were these people asking about it? They spoke to Mitsuru...and Fuuka. "Mitsuru-senpai recommended you come see me..." Gripping the sword in his hand, he tucked it close to his leg to hide it from the nurses, "Shirogane-san, Narukami-san, and Teddie..." he repeated dully, "If you're asking about the end of last year, my memories are a little hazy... Are you police or something?" Naoto eagerly walked to his side, "Something like that. I'm a detective. Yu-senpai and Teddie assisted in an investigation we did a year ago in Inaba. Perhaps you heard about the murders?" He gave her another blank stare, "Nope. Inaba...Inaba... I went to the high school there for a Kendo training session. Minako too, though for Tennis. I remember your town. Quiet...empty...not much like Port Island." Naoto watched as a distant smile ghosted over Minato's face and she turned to Yu, "Perhaps Minato-san encountered Izanami as well during his trip to Inaba." Minato ran a hand over his chest, searching for his MP3 player, "What's an Izanami...? Is that something like Nyx?" As if per cue, Naoto turned a fierce gaze on Minato, "That name again! Minato-san, please allow us to go to your room and discuss this." He gave a lazy nod and they started for the room he was inhabiting. Encountering Yashamaru outside of his room, Minato swapped hands for the sword and skillfully avoided Yashamaru catching him with the deadly weapon. "Minato, please don't run off again. Who knows if your wound would re-open." "It's not going to re-open. I told you...that bandage fell off when I sat up...but I'll be careful." Affectionately patting his head, Yashamaru left him with his assumed friends. Sliding the door open, Minato side stepped Minako's open arms and she fell onto Teddie. "I'm back..." "Welcome back, onii-chan! Oh, Aki left, but he said he'd come back tomorrow with Shinjiro-senpai." 'Yikes...' "Um, these are Naoto Shirogane, Yu Narukami and the guy you're hugging is Teddie...so let go..." Minako's wide crimson eyes blinked and she let go of Teddie, staring at him. Her forehead collided with Teddies as she stared into his eyes, "You have eyes like Pharos! You're not human! Can I keep him?!" "Uh..." Minato banged his head against the door jam as Minako continued her scavenge of Teddie. "Pretty blond hair..." Her crimson eyes flooded with tears and she wordlessly covered her mouth. "You can't cry every time you see a blond haired guy, Nee-chan." Despite the cryptic conversation between brother and sister, Naoto listened keenly to the key words she'd bring up later and get the answers she wanted. Toshima: Spoiler Seeing Arfoire be kicked by a new CPU, CFW Magic snarled, "Arfoire-sama!!" Launching herself in front of Aoi, she lifted her scythe, "YOU'RE DEAD!" Twirling, she slammed one heeled boot into Aoi's sword, sending him flying back. "How DARE you kick my beloved Goddess! You worthless little WORM! I'll slice you into pieces until there's nothing left but minced CPU!" Magic dragged pink colored nails down her ashen cheek, "My Goddess is stronger than you, pitiful CPU's. My Goddess is by far more beautiful than any of you CPU's!" Twirling her scythe around, she glared one yellow eye at Aoi, "I'll send you to your grave!" Linda cowered away from the battles, but before her feet could carry her as far away from the fighting as possible, CFW Magic barked at her without taking her eyes off Aoi, "Where the hell do you think you're going, Underling?! Get rid of these pests that are bothering our Goddess!" Linda's shoulders slumped but she pulled out an iron pipe, "Got the pest part right, alright." Linda ran towards Yoshi and Kirby fighting against Pirachu, "GROSS! The hell is that Freaky Gay Alien breathing on the cage for?!" Linda stared at the remains of the egg Pirachu broke out of and made a face, "Yuck, were you just shat out of the Gay Alien's Boyfriends' @ss? You stink like sh!t, dude." She edged away from him, mock holding her nose. Fuuka's voice echoed out of the cage, announcing to Yoshi and Kirby, "She's only human. Physical attacks should do the trick." Linda spun around and stomped her foot on the ground, "Stop giving them hints, or I'll kick your @ss, girly!" C.C. and Falcom skidded to a halt, panting as they arrived on the scene in Toshima. "OI, OI, there's Tekken! C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, let's go get 'em!" Falcom dropped her music case, unlatched it and pulled out a sword, "Here we go, CC. I'll tear apart all of these guys and rescue Nepgear!" C.C. blinked and black ears twitched on her head, "Ehhhh? We're not gonna get Tekken and then save the CPU's?" Falcom fixed C.C. with a hard glare, "I will not risk my friends' safety even for a second more. Tekken will be alright for the moment." She dashed towards the Containment Field holding the CPU's and C.C. scurried after her, pulling twin daggers from their places at her sides. Lowering half her body closer to the ground, C.C. became a green and tan blur across the ground as she ran, her tail flying behind her. Shinjuku Restaurant: Spoiler Chika quieted down in the background when Histoire shrieked at them. Virus and Sei stood, "Then shall we leave and meet your friends?" They followed closely behind Histoire in the Impala all the way to her home and saw the anxious green haired Chika pacing outside on the lawn. A gray haired boy? stood calmly speaking to Chika, "I'm not wrong, Chika. Do not underestimate my ability with numbers. The person who called us does not have the CPU's. He is simply a go-between. I have reports on sightings of members of ASIC in Toshima. I believe C.C. and Falcom can handle the situation." "You're WRONG! You're absolutely wrong! Vert-sama annihilated those guys! Vert-sama is missing...oh I can't believe this! I feel faint..." Virus adjusted his glasses, looking to Histoire for her lead in handling her friends when Sei reached around Chika and hugged her from behind. Chika stiffened. "Please calm down. Vert is alright for the moment and she has very valuable friends with her." "How do you know? Who the hell are you anyway!?" She jerked out of his arms and spun around, narrowly missing Sei's gaze as he lowered his head to avoid hers. He held up his hands defensively, "Because a part of me is with them." Virus' blue eyes narrowed, "Their phones... Sei..."
Reserving: Kyuujyu Amagiri (Hakuouki) Levi (Attack on Titan)
Shirogane Car/Hospital: Naoto quickly typed away at her laptop until she stumbled across a picture of the blue haired boy, "Minato Arisato..." The site she'd been rummaging on, of course, was the Kirijo owned hospital's database and the only photo of the boy had been a rather lifeless snapshot of him lying in a hospital bed. Tearing her eyes away from the poor sight, Naoto scanned the recap of information about his condition, "Minato Arisato fell into a comatose state on the graduating day of his second year at Gekkoukan High. He remained in such state for an entire year. Vital signs remained normal for the entire year, even with the absence of Ms. Kirijo's daily visits." She frowned, "He fell asleep...? Ah, the same is recorded for Minako Arisato." Slipping into her thoughts, Naoto hadn't realized when the car stopped in front of the hospital. "Shirogane-sama...we've arrived." "What? Oh, yes, thank you." Herding Yu and Teddie into the hospital. She ignored the wait room lobby and swiftly moved to the front desk to inquire about the Arisato Twins. "I'd like to know what room Minato and Minako Arisato are staying in. My name is Naoto Shirogane, I'm a detective." Minato's head lifted and turned towards the three that had entered the hospital. How could he not stare at the three odd people. They looked to be his age, or what his age was a year ago... They didn't look like bad people...and a detective to be looking for him and Minako was... "You're looking for me?" Yashamaru smiled at Saix, "I'd rather the patients be naive than worry and stress about something happening around them instead of to them." Regarding his question, Yashamaru paused thoughtfully, "School doesn't resume until friday... With how Minato's been acting and the fact that Minako's only here for observation, they should be back in school the day it resumes. You have nothing to worry about." Ryoji Mochizuki's room: Pharos quietly backed away from Ryoji. If he didn't remember and Ryoji didn't remember...the memories would either slowly come back or never at all. He wished they never would come back. Like those two had said...it was better not to wish for the End. Odd that Pharos didn't vanish when he'd come to see Ryoji, Pharos considered himself to be grateful and smiled as he backed into a dark corner, vanishing from the room. He wanted to spend more time with Minako and Minato than anyone. Orihara Apartment: Izaya stood up from his place at the opposite end of the Shogi board and speed dial 6-ed three Oracles, putting them on conference call. As it rang, Akashi glanced at him from the corner of his eye, "You're interfering now?" Shooting him a happy grin, Izaya waited until the calls connected, "I'm evening the playing field. Oracle, Mina, Oracle Chika, Oracle Kei...your CPU's are kidnapped and only I know where they are." He held the phone away from his ear as Chika launched into a rage, screaming something about her precious Vert-sama. "No need to yell, I'm not the only one on the other line, y'know. For this bit of information, I'll give to you for a favor that I'll call in later. Now..." Relaying the coordinates, he listened as the three Oracles hung up and tossed his phone onto his desk, "Looks like that's the end of my involvement in today. Akashi-kun, would you like me to take you back to Kyoto?" Akashi ignored him for a full five minutes as he thought about his next move, "No, my train doesn't leave until seven. I'd like to stay and see if my prediction about your battle is correct." From the Oracles, orders to C.C. and Falcom to rescue the CPU's came down and the pair rushed off towards Toshima.
Hospital: Yashamaru worried as Minato had left and Minako stared at him with concerned crimson eyes, "Ah, why can't he just sit still... Minako-chan, please sit still, I don't need another patient running around the hospital right now." Brushing blond hair out of his eyes, Yashamaru left the room, glancing down the halls, looking for the now missing blue haired high school student but all he found was Saix. Running his fingers up into his hair and tugging on it, Yashamaru leaned against the wall. His eyes wandered to the TV and he groaned, "Are they still showing that? I wish they'd put something a bit more...happy on to show around here." Releasing his hair, Yashamaru pushed off the wall and stood beside Saix's chair, "So what did you need to talk about?" Minato walked around for a while before realizing he'd left his clothes, cell, ID and Evoker in his room. Awkwardly, he continued to walk until he arrived at the first floor lobby. Passing by a phone, he paused for a second and it started to ring. Glancing around, Minato found no one else around. Picking up the phone, he held it to his ear and scowled at the voice that came through. "You performed marvelously. I didn't expect you to actually go and defend your sister so flawlessly. Are you sure it's wise to be walking around defenseless like that?" Minato gripped the phone tighter, "How did you know where she was? Who took my sister? How did you get this number? Where are you? Who are you?" The string of questions poured out before Minato could restrain himself. A laugh echoed through and despite the urge to tear the phone cord out and toss the phone against the wall, Minato remained calm. "My name is Izaya Orihara. I can be your best friend. All you have to do is follow my suggestions. Now, before you hang up, I'd get yourself something to defend yourself with. If you look underneath the couch there...you'll find a very familiar blade. Since you're feeling much better, there will be someone there momentarily to --" "I already have a best friend. No thanks." Hanging up, Minato swiftly moved to the couch and sure enough, underneath it was his sword he'd used to fight Shadows. Slumping down on the couch, Minato held the sword in his lap, 'You're sly, Izaya. I'll remember this...' Tokyo Streets: Naoto flipped open her phone, quickly speaking as the call connected and hung up just as quickly. "I've asked for a car to come pick us up. We'll arrive at the hospital much faster this way." She lowered her head, touching her right fist to her chin, "Our senpai in fighting Shadows... Whatever this Nyx is, Kirijo-san mentioned must have taken a severe toll on the Twins. Perhaps a kind of Shadow we didn't see during the investigation. On another note...the Dark Hour, that change in the room after she pressed that switch, felt very much like that other world. Kirijo-san didn't appear very fatigued after using her Evoker, but I certainly felt the tension." Shaking her head, Naoto sighed as a black car pulled up in front of them, "We'll find out what they look like when we arrive at the hospital. I'm going to pull up the medical records of the Twins, I trust you have no objections, Senpai?" She glanced at Yu as she climbed into the car, making room for Teddie and Yu and opened a laptop that was handed to her from the driver. Ryoji Mochizuki's room: Materializing out of a dark corner, a young boy wearing a baggy, black and white striped outfit stepped into the light and smiled at Ryoji, "Isn't this fun. I didn't imagine we'd be in the same place at the same time. Though..." he paused, blue eyes travelling up to the ceiling, "I wonder who you are... Are you really...the End?" Toshima District: CFW Magic scowled at the Goddesses from her place as the acting guard of Fuuka, Tekken and the others' prison. "How dare you call our beautiful Goddess a Bar Whore!" She turned adoring eyes to Arifore, "Our orders, My Goddess." Linda rolled her eyes as she sat on a rock, "I think Bar Whore fits her perfectly...she certainly dresses the part." Belle sighed as she hung there, "I feel a sense of deja vu. I don't like being strung up like this...these tentacles are completely unnecessarily tight." Kuro shivered, "It's cold..." Balling her hands into fits, she glared at Arifore, "Are you that scared to fight us head on that you'd tie us up with some freaky lie?!" Fuuka, having continually listened to the conversation, gripped her Evoker tightly before touching the cold tip to her forehead, "I don't have as much power as I used to...I've let myself fall back into my old insecurities. But still...I want to help everyone." Pulling the trigger, Fuuka's Persona, Lucia, appeared around her. Lucia's gauge of the rising power of the container holding the CPU's made Fuuka shiver. Her mind focused on the collective power of the CFW's and Arifore herself. It felt similar to when SEES had fought against Strega and then Nyx.
Reserving: Reiji Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers) Raito Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers) Kiyoshi Teppei (Kuroko no Basket)
Kirijo Enterprises Minato Branch: Mitsuru examined Teddie's Persona and sighed, "I'll have Evokers made for you two if your usual method of summoning your Persona's doesn't work." Walking around her desk, she opened a drawer and shut a small box, making the odd atmosphere vanish. "Meeting Minato should prove a trial in itself. He's never been one to communicate much, but...perhaps he'll talk more to someone else who has seen that blue room with the long-nosed man." Mitsuru's Persona vanished and she curiously took the Evoker from Teddie, "You're an interesting sort. All of you are. I didn't expect there to be more Persona-Users out there after we defeated Nyx." Holding the door open, Mitsuru waved for them to leave, "You're free to leave now." Hospital: Arisato's Room: Minato turned blue eyes on Saix, watching the silent man. He was from the school Minako and himself had enrolled in this year. Tossing off his covers, Minato removed the IV and other monitor-related things and slid out of the hospital bed, "You can leave, Mr. Security Guard. I wouldn't under estimate my sister's ability to protect herself and mine to protect my only sister." His words held absolutely zero malice or attempt at intimidation of any sort, but rather a sort of indifference that came with confidence from fighting monsters. His blue eyes narrowed, "Plus...isn't it rude to remain in a girls' room that isn't family?" There was the well placed anger dripping from his words. Minako blinked large crimson eyes as her brother confronted the stranger sitting in their room. Rushing into the Twins' room, Yashamaru accompanied by several other strange faces, burst through the door and scowled at Minato, "You shouldn't be standing, Arisato-kun. Your wound isn't--" Minato lifted his hospital garb to show the wound through his chest was gone, "I'm fine. The bandage fell off earlier. I'm taking Minako home now before any more drama happens." Yashamaru worried as Minato walked past him and down the hall. "I'm glad he's feeling better...despite how odd that is after he came in here with such a wound. Oh," Yashamaru's brown eyes landed on Saix, "Are you family or a friend? If not, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, please. Ms. Kirijo has specified that only family and certain friends are to be allowed to visit with the Arisato Twins." ____________________________ Belle and Kuro followed their sisters obviously out the window towards Toshima. Meanwhile, Fuuka woke within her cage with Tekken. "Where are we? Ah, Tekken-chan! Are you alright?" Fuuka frantically dumped the contents of her purse out onto the ground, grabbing up her phone and hitting the call button for the two new numbers she had for Compa and IF. Hearing it go to voice mail, Fuuka left a quick message along with map coordinates for the GPS location in her phone. Orihara Apartment: Izaya and Akashi played three games of Shoji, each game ending in a draw. "I thought you didn't have time to waste with your line of work. Is this blatant time wasting because you're waiting for your turn in the more complex game?" Izaya took Akashi's rook and glanced at the red-head's face, "You're sharp on things even if you're not involved in them. That's why I enjoy our time together, Akashi-kun. Either way...I can't interfere in this part of the coordinating. To set the board for a war only I can win...I must let the multiple sides fight it out with each other and destroy each other. And..." he slapped a piece down that made Akashi stare for a moment, "I have all the pieces I need for the moment." With Akashi's final move, he lifted his eyes from the board, "Another draw."
Reserving: Shu Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers) Kanato Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers) Ayato Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers) Subaru Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers) Himuro Tatsuya (Kuroko no Basket)
Kirijo Enterprises Minato Branch: Mitsuru didn't falter as she watched Yu's Ultimate Persona. It certainly was impressive. She listened quietly as he spoke of their hardships. It reminded her of her own time in the Dark Hour and Tartarus. "My summoning Artemisia was not an act of aggression, Narukami-san." She reached over and underneath her desk, flipping a small switch. The entire room changed as her fingers pressed down on the switch. The lights shut off, anything electric stopped working, the room draped itself in green and yellow and odd spots of blood formed on the walls and floor. "The Kirijo Group has been creating Anti-Shadow Weapons for years...in order to create them, we needed to find a way to artificially create the Dark Hour. Despite the effort our Leader went through to eliminate it." Taking a deep breath, Mitsuru tossed her Evoker at Yu's feet, "Naoto Shirogane-san, err...Teddie-san... I'm asking you both to summon your Persona the way we did. Through the influence of the Dark Hour and the stress of imminent danger." Naoto frowned, her mind working, trying to figure out Mitsuru's angle. She wouldn't possibly attack Yu with his strongest Persona that recklessly...would she? Her gaze fell to the Evoker on the ground. Narukami-senpai had summoned his Persona no problem with something like this...it should work the same for her and Teddie. She didn't want to see Mitsuru get hurt or have Yu fight someone who could help them with whatever crazy nonsense was happening here. Snatching the Evoker from the ground, she held it to her forehead, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. "Persona!" Cold sweat dripped down her back. Pulling a trigger on yourself was a lot more stressful than nearly being sliced apart by your Shadow. But Mitsuru did this every day...every time she summoned her Persona, she overcame the fear of death. The others of her group had done it too, hadn't they. Squeezing the trigger, Naoto nearly fainted with relief. Mitsuru flicked out her hand and Artemisia's chain whip lashed out again, this time intercepted by a sword held by a different Persona. Surprise flitted across Mitsuru's face before she smiled, satisfied. "Very good." Naoto's eyes opened, landing on her Persona. She felt light-headed, "Narukami-senpai...you don't have to fight alone anymore." Retracting the whip, Artemisia and Mitsuru turned their sights on Teddie. ???: Margaret smiled quietly. She had fond memories of Yu Narukami and the Arisato Twins. Though she'd only met the twins briefly and because of her curiosity stemming from her younger brother and sister's interest in the pair, they certainly had lived up to her expectations. She set a hand on the Persona Compendium, would Elizabeth show up in Tokyo since the Twins were alive and well again? Would Theo slip? What would be the best way to greet them again? Hospital: Minato cracked open his eyes briefly, spotting Akihiko napping in a chair beside Minako's bedside. His chest felt heavy and as if he'd missed someone very important. Waking fully, he felt around his chest. They'd taken his MP3 player... Sighing, he turned to his sister, "We both did something dumb today." Minako smiled at him, bubbly as ever, "Sure did! But we got to see our friends again, isn't that worth a bit of stupidity?" He frowned, "You mean you got to see Akihiko-senpai again." Minako's cheeks puffed out as she glared at him in irritation, "I keep forgetting you were asleep when Mitsuru-senpai came by." Lifting a hand to his hair, Minato stared at the far wall in a daze, "Mitsuru came here...? Aigis isn't going to break through the door, is she?" Minako shook her head, "Aki told me Aigis and Yukari are studying overseas for a while. So...did you see him in your dreams?" Straight to the point... Minato avoided his sister's gaze, "Yeah...he said some weird stuff again. Since he's here...doesn't that mean Nyx will come back?" The pair fell silent. Rolling over, Minato struggled to find a comfortable position, "You'd understand why he's back more than I do. After all, Pharos loves you more. I'm gonna go back to sleep." Snickering, Minako rudely pointed at her brother's back, "You sound jealous, brother! You want Pharos to like you as much as he likes me!" "'Night!" "It's that rotten attitude of yours that makes him not like you so much, y'know," pouting, Minako quietly watched her brother's shoulder rise and fall. "I miss Theo..." He rolled over again, scowling, "Why would you bring up Theo of all people? Senpai is right there." She patted Akihiko's hand, "Yeah, but I still miss him. Are you saying you don't wish Elizabeth was here to welcome you back?" Refusing to answer, Minato rolled back over onto his side. He felt a tingling feeling at the base of his skull. Shinjuku Restaurant: Sei ate quietly. Anything else he wanted to say to his new sisters was about how he wished they could meet Aoba too, but Virus would never allow Aoba and Sei to meet again. Belle glanced at her food and back to Sei, she really didn't want to let go of her new brother. Someone of his talent would be incredibly useful in her guild. He could probably whip up a character and have them leveled up in no time enough to be a heavy-hitter for the front-lines for the assault in a few days. Kuro eyed Sei and then Virus before leaning over to her twin, "Is it just me...or do these two give off entirely different vibes? Sei's awfully warm and friendly for someone who's been living with the stiff and cold Virus for the duration of his life. I think this Aoba character has a bigger influence on our new brother than Virus does." A noise much like dozens of fangirls screaming at the same time interrupted Kuro's train of thought. Poking her head out of their private room, her ruby eyes landed on the roughest character she'd ever seen. She nearly bit her tongue as she scrambled for her twin's face, pulling her head out of the room to stare, "Do you see what I see? Kurosaki Ranmaru! You see him, don't you? I'm not imagining this, right?" "What's the matter, Kuro-chan? You look star-struck." Belle had only been joking but Kuro's wide eyes dispelled Belle's casual comment. "N-Nothing!"
Kirijo Enterprises Minato Branch: Mitsuru watched, transfixed by Yu's power, "So it's true..." She returned the Evoker to the holster at her belt and stood, "The twins fell into a deep sleep...much like dying on the day of our graduation. They shouldn't have returned from the battle against Nyx, but their promise to us to meet once more after everything was over gave them the time to stay with us until the day of our promise. When they fell asleep, I brought them to a hospital and treated them like comatose patients without telling the rest of our group..." Fuuka's face drained of color, "You lied to us...senpai...I don't understand. How are they alive and awake now?" Mitsuru hid behind her red hair, "They woke up a few days ago, it seems...and left the hospital without my consent." Naoto stuffed the sheet of paper into her pocket, "Where are they? I need to speak with them." Shaking her head, Mitsuru turned towards them, "I can't give that kind of information to you. They've been hurt enough by Persona-users, I won't put them in a dangerous situation knowingly. Not after Minato's been injured already today." Fuuka grabbed her hands, "Let them, senpai. Naoto-san and Narukami-san are good people." Reluctant, Mitsuru sighed, "They're being tended to at the hospital near here. Akihiko should be with them, I'll send him a message to wait for you in the lobby." Fuuka smiled and her phone buzzed. Pulling it out of her pocket, Fuuka frowned at the message, "Um, I have to go. I'll see you later, Mitsuru-senpai. Narukami-san, if you would...email me after you see Minato-kun. I'd like to know how he's doing." Hurrying out the door, Fuuka left Mitsuru and the three. Closing the door behind Fuuka, Mitsuru fixed the three with her cold gaze, "I have no doubt your power is similar, if not exactly the same, as the Arisato Twins. But your friends that you've brought with you. They also have Persona's, don't they. It is the only common factor between them...and someone with your power." Pulling the Evoker from its holster, she twirled it and held it to the side of her head, "Your friends can't summon their Persona's outside of your TV world, but I've wondered if they simply need a strong mental push." Pulling the trigger, the form that appeared behind Mitsuru took shape, "Artemisia!" The female Persona whipped a chain whip towards Naoto, pulling it back a hair short of connecting with Naoto's shoulder. The room began to become covered in a thin layer of frost as the temperature dropped. Shinjuku Restaurant: Virus smiled at the now friendly atmosphere around Sei and addressed Histoire as if she'd never called him "honey", "I wouldn't worry too much about what's left of Toue. Those that are left are either members of Morphine or being hunted by the police. They don't know about Sei's ability." He reached over and covered her phone with his hand, turning a slight frown to Sei, "I told you not to use your power recklessly. What will we do if you get weak again like before? Losing you is the last thing I want to do." Sei lowered his head, still smiling, "...Sorry." Belle wrapped her arms around Sei, "He's soooo cute~! You made this game for us, and I don't have anything to give you. I know...we'll go home and play a marathon of games." Sei lifted his hat off his head and plopped it down on Neptune's head. The camera on her phone flashed, taking a picture. Standing, Sei swapped hats with each of the girls, their phones taking pictures of it until he arrived at Histoire. Setting the hat on her head delicately, Sei plucked the phone from Histoire's hands and knelt behind her, taking the picture, purposefully putting himself in the picture. Removing the hat and handing the phone back, Sei took his seat again, "Virus...is Morphine going to make Histoire and her family disappear?" Virus sighed heavily, "No, Sei, they're not. Morphine protects Histoire. It's a direct order." Orihara Apartment: On the way through the lobby, Akashi Seijuro passed by Shepard and her team. Akashi paused in his stride, red and gold eyes following Shepard as she left. She stood only an inch taller than him but she never met his eyes, always avoiding looking directly at him and instead opted for looking off to the side when he met her eyes. Politeness bred into him made him stop and smile at Shepard, "Good afternoon." Thane, Tali and Mordin avoided him completely. Nihlus pulled Shepard along until they were outside. "I don't know who that young human was, but his presence felt much like standing before the Council about to decide our fate...and the verdict wasn't good." Tali rubbed her arms, "I did not enjoy any of today. Izaya Orihara is nothing like Liara, Legion being with him is a nightmare for any Quarian. And that kid we just passed...gave me chills." Mordin nodded, tapping on his Omni-tool rapidly, "Akashi Seijuro, heir to the Akashi wealth and current Captain of Rakuzan's Basketball team." Thane shook his head slowly, "How you learn those things about someone we didn't even speak to, is interesting." Stepping carefully over Izaya's door, Akashi eyed Legion, "Did I miss something exciting?" Izaya flicked a Shogi piece at him, "Not particularly. Did you have fun, Seijuro-chan?" Akashi pulled something sharp and red from his pocket and stabbed towards Izaya's face, stopping short of his forehead, and opened the pair of scissors, "Don't call me by my first name without my permission, Izaya." Izaya smiled, pushing the scissors away from his face, "I don't need a hair cut at the moment...Akashi-kun." Moderately satisfied, Akashi snipped a centimeter off Izaya's hair and set the scissors down, "That was your business walking out the door then. For your information, the memorial ended on a rather sour note, but I did get to see a few old friends." Following Akashi, Izaya set a Shogi board in front of him, "And now you're feeling excited after seeing them. You're too easy, Akashi-kun." (ooc: the tiny bit about Shepard was ok-ed by NuheadBros.)
Orihara Apartment: "As I thought, you do know who the Shadow Broker is. In fact, you work for that person. I'm a bit surprised you'd lie to me, Ms. Shepard." Lulu brought Shepard a cup of black tea and set it in front of her as the flood of questions came from Shepard. She glanced at her employer and frowned, "You're doing that thing with your face again... It's creeping me out." Izaya laughed and leaned back, rummaging through a drawer of files, "My bad. You're quite cold today, Lulu." She shook her head, beaded braids clicking, "If I'm not cold, I might take something you say seriously." Izaya's smile vanished and he pulled out seven folders, skimmed through them and tossed them onto the coffee table in front of Shepard, "Your request. You've asked for wiggle room for the Shadow Broker....I'll give you exactly what you've asked for, but I won't give a free pass to the Shadow Broker. You can tell them that they'll have to try a bit harder if they want the information I have." Exhaling and combing his fingers through his short black hair, Izaya patiently waited until Shepard was done with her questions. "What is this, twenty questions? As much as I like that game, I'm not really in the mood to play. You see...I just had a rather rude greeting from Shizu-chan and now I have to get a new door." Tilting his head to the side, he touched a hand to his chin and stared up at the ceiling, "Hmm...how did I become the best info broker in Tokyo...? I'm simply a very popular person. And it does help that I try to stay on the good side of people like you, Commander." Legion half turned to Shepard, "Creator Izaya Orihara's main hobby is human observation." Izaya waved a hand at Legion, fixing Shepard with a serious gaze, "Power? I've no idea what you could possibly mean..." the seriousness of his gaze vanished in an instant, "Really you should get yourself looked at. I could call you a doctor if you're not feeling well." Obviously avoiding the other questions Shepard asked, Izaya hopped down from his desk, "Now, if you're done...I have someone I want to meet before the day is over." Picking up the blade dropped by Shizuo, Izaya stared at the blood remaining on the blade and wiped it off, "You should really get to that job of yours, Commander. I'd hate for something to happen and for you to get fired." Shinjuku Restaurant: Virus calmly loosened his tie, "Absolutely no harm will come to you by having this. These things needed to be forged and created simply because Sei wasn't born in a hospital. Realistically...Sei doesn't exist to the government. The certificate is just a formality. It's for things like...a drivers license, hospital bills and the like. Entering the ID number will pull up a different profile. Same name, same face...but different history. Don't worry, Sei's not allergic to anything and so far he doesn't require any medication for his condition. If anything, I'd be more worried about remnants of Toue Inc. coming after you," he smiled, "But that's why I'm around. You don't have to worry so much. Toue is dead...and if Seregaki Inc. does their job correctly, we won't have to hear another word about Platinum Jail ever again." Sei smiled to himself, his eyes half closed. The chat box vanished in the game and it started to play. Monsters, dungeons, treasure chests and even a princess...the game played much like a Legend of Zelda game. Another chat box opened reading: "Sorry I'm not such a big talker. The hat thing is funny...is that only because Belle-chan took my hat?" Belle lifted her head, her blue eyes flicking from the chat to Sei, "H-Huh?! You...but..." she crawled around the table, grabbing and holding up Sei's hands, "You don't even have a cell phone! How're you doing that?!" Admiration sparkled in Belle's eyes and Sei, despite avoiding her eyes, embarrassed, blushed and smiled, pressing a finger to his lips, "Shhhh..." Kirijo Enterprises Minato Branch: Fuuka led Naoto, Teddie and Yu all the way directly to Mitsuru Kirijo. "Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Mitsuru-senpai." Fuuka bowed low before the red haired woman sitting behind a desk. She smiled, "There's no need to be so formal with me, Yamagishi. We went through a serious ordeal together...I'd like to consider us friends. Now...you said your friends wanted to ask questions about the incident. I understand it must be confusing for you three to understand." Naoto glanced at Yu and Teddie, "Not at all, Ms. Kirijo. Actually, we understand perfectly. Yamagishi-san, yourself, and those involved with the incident at Tatsumi Port Island are Persona-Users. We are also Persona-Users. But I believe our circumstances are different." Mitsuru sighed, "Yes, you might not remember it...but we've met once before. My outfit isn't as...bold as that day, but I'm sure you'd remember. I believe it was called...a Grand Prix...or something. We fought each other inside your TV world. I would think the events at Tatsumi Port Island would be the last thing on your minds. Is there a specific reason why you're asking about it?" Naoto pulled a printed sheet displaying a school ID picture, name and brief personal facts and set it on Mitsuru's desk, "I'm searching for this person. Aragaki Shinjiro. My sources tell me he was also involved in the incident that year." Mitsuru's gaze darkened as she looked at the paper, "You're investigating the true reason behind his coma. Or perhaps...this has nothing to do with Shinjiro at all...and instead you're looking for those two twins that supposedly died at the end of the year." Fuuka worriedly stared at Yu until Naoto sighed, "You've seen through me, Kirijo-san. Aragaki Shinjiro is the last lead I have that follows directly to one Arisato Minako and her twin brother." "Minako? Why're you looking for her?" Mitsuru stood, "Arisato is currently under the Kirijo Group's protective care. They're neither dead nor can I give out such important information." Taking a step towards the desk, Naoto slapped her hand down on top of the paper, "Then it's true that the Arisato twins curry the favor of the Kirijo Group and were at the heart of the matter at Tatsumi Port Island." Pressing forward, Naoto leaned forwards, "You admit that those two are different Persona-Users than yourself and Yamagishi-san! They're more like Senpai, aren't they!" Mitsuru slid her gaze from Naoto to Yu, "Like you...? You also possess the power to switch Persona's in battle...? Show me. You can borrow my Evoker." Mitsuru placed a gleaming silver handgun on top of her desk.
Shinjuku Restaurant: Virus looked around at the girls playing musical hats and set his menu down, "First, as promised, I must introduce the young man we picked up." He gestured to the pale boy nervously avoiding everyone's gazes. "This is Sei, he's Trip and my charge. Sei is a genetically enhanced human that Toue created." Belle pulled his hat from her head and fiddled with the rim, "So...he was made?" Sei lowered his head further until his chin touched his chest, keeping his eyes tightly shut. Virus slid a sheet of paper across the table to Histoire, "I had Trip fill out the adoption papers before hand under the pretense that your family is a cover to keep him away from anyone who's looking for him. That is a copy of a forged birth certificate for Sei. It is yours to keep, Histoire. From today on, Sei is your son. And yes...Sei was made. That brings me to my next point...Belle, are you sure you're alright?" Belle hugged Sei's hat to her chest, "Yes...though I have no idea what just happened." Adjusting his glasses, Virus smiled, "Sei can control people...in a sense. His power lies in his eyes. He can create things. Consiousness'." Sei whimpered, a barely audible noise, "Aoba..." Kuro inched closer to her new brother, "Who's Aoba? Is that the name of a pet?" Sei shook his head rapidly, flinging black hair around his face, "...Aoba...is my brother." Virus tensed and Belle sat the hat back on Sei's head, "You're so cute... You have a brother? What's he like?" Sei lifted a hand, adjusting the hat on his head, "Aoba set me free." The girls tilted their heads to the side in question and Virus interjected, "Aoba is Sei's twin, though he was stolen from Toue's labs when he was a baby. Aoba's power was to destroy, unlike Sei's power to create. I believe he's running around somewhere with one of his friends." Sei's head jerked up, round dark eyes meeting Virus' bright blue, "Don't talk about Aoba like that." Handing a menu to Sei, Virus held his gaze, "I never said Aoba was a bad person. A bit impulsive, yes, but never a bad person. Actually, I rather liked him more when he was self-indulgent." Sei frowned, "No...Aoba's power was out of control. Can we please not talk about it...?" Virus nodded, "Anyway, I'd like you all to get alone. Sei will be living with you girls during the day." As Virus rambled on about the living situations for Sei, Belle slowly pulled her phone up, her finger hovering over an app for her MMORPG game. Before she could tap it, an email popped up and downloaded a game onto her phone, "What's this?" The same email was sent to each of the girls' phones, proceeding to download the game onto them automatically. The game started up without Belle's prompting and she found herself staring at an old fashioned RPG. A small version of Belle appeared in the game alongside a warrior dressed in blue armor. A small message screen popped up: "Hello, Belle." For each of the girls it held their individual name. At the familiar sound of downloads being finished, Sei smiled. The downloaded game was even sent to Histoire. Orihara Apartment: Nihlus glared at Izaya, "Can we trust this person, Shepard?" Mordin folded his arms, "Trust, no. Izaya Orihara, biggest known Information Broker in Tokyo. Influence stretches further than Japan, but very limited. Untrustworthy. But we need information." Izaya grinned, "I'm glad you see it that way. I have a lot of information, but the one bit of information I don't have...is crucial." His fingers stopped and rested on the keyboard and he looked up at Shepard. His mouth opened to speak when a woman knocked on the doorway and stepped over the door and around the team of aliens, "Izaya...are these more people looking for your services, or are you having a party?" He resumed typing, "They're customers, Lulu. Would you please get Ms. Shepard a cup of tea." Lulu stepped around Tali and disappeared into the kitchen. Sighing, Izaya shut his computer and detached the cable from Legion, "Tell me who the Shadow Broker is, Ms. Shepard." Tali jerked her head towards Shepard and back towards Izaya, "You can't ask that!" Izaya lifted his hands and sat on his desk, "It's either that or you owe me a favor that I can call in anytime, anywhere." Nihlus stepped forward, "Then we will accept that we owe you a favor. Shepard doesn't have the information you're seeking." Sharp red eyes snapped to Nihlus and searched his face, "Doesn't she? Savior of mankind and she doesn't have the answer to "who is the Shadow Broker"? It's no big deal if she doesn't truly know. A game of virtual cat and mouse is always much more entertaining." Nihlus nodded once to Shepard, "We'll owe you a favor. Shepard...ask your question."
Orihara Apartment: Izaya danced away from the entry way where Shepard and her entire squad were standing. Drawing a flick blade from his pocket, Izaya held it out in the direction of Shizuo, "Ah, Shepard...yes I've heard of you and your team. You want a word...you want information. It's going to cost you. But perhaps we can work out a deal. Your information...for something in return. We'll call it a favor for now." His red eyes turned to his guest and nodded once. "Shepard Commander, it is good to see you again. We...I...am not a copy. The server you see before you is not the original... Creator Izaya Orihara has rebuilt our...my...program and body. The memories installed are complete...along with several facts about Earth and you." Legion turned to Izaya, touching a hand to his side where the sparks kept coming from, "Creator Izaya Orihara, there seems to be a problem. Please restore the wiring under this panel." Lowering the blade, Izaya stuck the tip underneath the panel Legion indicated and pried it up an inch. "Looks like it slipped. Ah, Shizu-chan, if you wouldn't mind...would you go die so I can work." Shizuo growled, taking a hold of the switchblade in his shoulder and yanking it out, "Like HELL!" "Please, Shizu-chan...we require a moment alone. If you would wait in the lobby, Creator Izaya Orihara will contact you another time." Izaya rolled his eyes as he adjusted the wire. Izaya waved a hand towards the couch, "Lulu will be back in a few minutes. Make yourselves comfortable. We'll talk whenever you're ready." Tali, Thane and Mordin hesitated in the doorway. "Shepard, this guy has been messing with Legion's internal workings. How can we be sure this is the same Legion?" "Creator Tali'Zorah's doubts are understandable. Be at ease, Creator Tali'Zorah. Creator Izaya Orihara restored my programming from other Geth. We...I can recite the events of Shepard Commander's mission from the moment I joined to the events of today." Izaya attached a cable underneath Legion's panel and slipped around his desk to begin tapping away at his computer, "That's enough of that, Legion. That information will cost more than just a favor from the Great Commander Shepard," he looked up at Shepard and smiled, "Savior of the Citadel and mankind. We're truly very grateful. But humans have a funny way of showing it. Really...it's funny." Legion lowered his head and Shizuo stormed from the apartment. Shinjuku Resturant: Virus parked outside a rather fancy restaurant in Shinjuku. "We're here...everyone, please head inside. Take him with you." Belle and Kuro climbed out of the car, pulling the pale boy after them. Inside the restaurant the girls smiled at the chefs working at individual tables. A bar stretched out on one side of the interior and dozens of tables scattered evenly around. Belle, ignoring Kuro's excited pointing and watching the chefs working, tilted up the pale boy's hat, shifting around, trying to catch his eyes with hers. "Are you alright? You're very nervous and pale." "...I'm fine, thank you for worrying...." "Hm, alright then... I didn't catch your name before." He turned his head away and Virus followed them inside. Virus motioned over a server, giving her his name, and following the server to a private table in a separate room. Belle lifted off the boy's hat and set it on her own head, "So a name?" His eyes flicked up, finally meeting hers. Belle's smile dropped from her face. An electrical feeling shocked through her body, giving her an almost disembodied feeling, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his large dark eyes. Her head filled with voices: "Stop it!" "Show them what you can do." "He won't live very long." "I think...the other one is dead, sir." "His abilities are going to kill him!" "I want you to be free, but..." "You're special." "Please don't go!" "Nii-san!" Belle's vision received several shocks, momentarily transforming it from black and white back to color over and over again. Belle's legs gave out and the boy shut his eyes, releasing her from his gaze. Dropping to the floor, Belle shivered, "Wh-what...?" Virus knelt beside her, holding her hand, "I suppose I should've mentioned...please try not to meet Sei's eyes. He has a special ability. Are you alright, Belle?" Lifting a shaking hand to her forehead, Belle blinked rapidly, "Yeah, I think so. Just a bit...startled." Apartment Complex: Tekken arrived home after making sure Fuuka made it to the memorial safely. The door creaked as she pushed it open, "C.C....are you home? I-I came back. I'm sorry I left you here. C.C.?" The room was empty of another person. Tekken's room mate was gone, her swords and armor missing. The small apartment looked rather empty without C.C.'s loud personality lighting up the room. Two single beds messily made was the only sign that two girls were living there.
"I made my decision, Luce," They were words she'd been waiting for, but still her insides clenched with tension. Though she'd asked if he'd kill her or let her kill Azazel, a part of her knew very well that Lenny wouldn't allow her to barrel through her siblings just to get at ol' yellow eyes. She felt tired, probably from all the anger surging through her veins. Either way...waiting for your own death was a boring task. "How will you do it then...? Shoot me here in the car? Or perhaps you'll pull over and execute me. That'd be fun. Or maybe you'll wait until we get back to the Roadhouse. I'm sure we have all those shiny tools there that could do some serious harm. I'm sure Adam would love to run his powers a bit more for a test drive. Even the newbies would have a bit of fun...getting over that first gag reflex of when you first shoot something that's wearing a human face." Why had she resigned herself to death? Because Lenny called her 'Loos' when he still liked her. The fact that she was "Luce" to him now was plain as day how he felt. Easing her glare from Lenny's face, Luce glanced into the rear view mirror. What would her siblings think of her execution...? "Bargain. Plead. Cry. Do SOMETHING! Take it back! Tell him you're lying!" "Just don't fool yourself into believing I'll take this lying down. I have a firearm too...and much stronger powers." Luce reached for her pistol, though she didn't know how much it would help if push came to shove. Who knew...maybe she'd survive a shot to the head. Crawl away and find her own way to hunt down Azazel.
Orihara Apartment: Izaya spun in his chair, around and around and around, laughing gleefully like a child on his birthday. "This is why I love humans! Always so feisty, always so resourceful! Always looking for things that, even once they find it, shut their eyes on it!" his guest lowered his head, "It did not stop. Creator Izaya Orihara has failed in the duty we...I....required of the Creator." Izaya glared at him, "I didn't fail. CNN and Channel 5 are broadcasting my signal. Naturally, Ms. Prime Minister's additions to the power supply in Tokyo were accounted for and have done their job. I fully expected them to be able to do that much. Humans change channels, Humans are addicted to social media!" His guest took a step towards Izaya, "Creator Izaya Orihara is agreeing with Harold Saxon's viewpoint." "Not at all. I agree with no one but myself. Everything is flowing....in the right direction. The "so-called" mass chaos is generated by me. Since you don't know Japan that well, I'll explain it to you. Japan has a unitary system of government in which local jurisdictions largely depend on national government financially. I'll keep it as simple as I can." he stood and gazed out his window, "Japan is divided into forty-seven administrative divisions, the prefectures: one metropolitan district (Tokyo), two urban prefectures (Kyoto and Osaka), forty-three rural prefectures, and one "district", Hokkaido. Large cities are subdivided into wards, and further split into towns, or precincts, or subprefecture and counties. Cities are self-governing units administered independently of the larger jurisdictions within which they are located. Each has its own elected mayor and assembly." He shuffled around and lifted a sacrificial pawn (Shoji) from his complex game board and flipped it into the air, "I'll skip to what's important. These people you see rioting...are the pathetic 1% that have no idea what was actually said. They act on tone of voice and foolish emotion. 98% of Japan does not mind the affairs of the Prime Minister. They see the role, and they respect it. But they have no idea...or say...in what happens at all. The Prime Minister was designated from the National Diet and appointed by the Emperor. Local cities outside of Tokyo don't riot over words and failed actions of something that doesn't concern them." "The Prime Minister is the Head of the Government..." "One that can be replaced....much like a sacrificial pawn." "The people of Japan..." "Do not have a say...in this matter. The Prime Minister is designated by both houses of the Diet and is formally appointed to office by the Emperor. That is all. There's no civilian say in this matter." "98% of Japan consists of its workforce, civilians and military...? Your numbers seem to be malfunctioning Creator Izaya Orihara." "You're assuming it's mathematics. 98% are the humans I observe daily... The other 2% are split into half: the government for each city, town, village, etc...and that last 1%...are the fools you see running through the streets. It's still a lot of people...but we're in no danger from losing them because in three seconds they'll all finish their meaningless riots and the day will continue as it should." Izaya watched Madara's troops storm through Minato and happily and counted: "Three....two...one. Magic." Exactly as Izaya had said. The small amount of people that ignorantly began something that would be fruitless stopped gradually. Because they realized riots were only done when one protested something...and there was nothing to be protesting because their lives were alright as is...and a riot was not a spontaneous act. People returned home to maybe issue some death threats to Harriet Jones or angrily brood for a while...but rioting, no. Downstairs in the lobby, Shizuo Heiwajima had had enough. "IIIIIIZAAAAAAYAAAAAA!" Storming through Izaya's door, he grabbed the slender information broker by his shirt collar and lifted him off the ground, only to have a switchblade pressed against his throat, "How nice to see you again, Shizu-chan. I didn't realize I'd asked you to come over. Oh wait....I didn't." "You did this! You're always behind things like this! Those people in the street...who are they! What did you pay them?!" "Pay them? Shizu-chan, that would cost a lot of money. How much do you think I make in a year? Sadly, I'm just an average man making below average pay." He couldn't help but smile and Shizuo slammed his back into the wall, "Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! Everything you say is sh!t!" Stabbing the switchblade into Shizuo's shoulder, Izaya slipped out of his grasp, "Funny, I could say the same about you." Minato Streets: Izuna ran to keep up with his brother, "Sir, a message from the Prime Minister... She's ordered us not to kill anyone." Izuna flinched under his brother's Rinnegan glare, "Ignore it. Those that endanger the safety of others will be executed by jurisdiction of the law. Izuna...follow my orders." Nodding, Izuna lead his section through Minato's streets, helping bruised victims from daily travel up and assuring themselves the rioters had gone home. Those that were seen attempting to harm another's life or had taken another's life were captured for immediate trial and execution. There would be no if's and's or but's about Madara's orders. Law was Law and those that endangered another's life were executed. Memorial: Belle and Kuro followed Virus back into his Impala. Belle's mind fixated on the boys she'd seen. Her mind landed on the only one she'd seen the face of...the boy who'd returned Ram and Rom to them. Belle had taken the autograph from Ram and Rom and now stared at it, "Akashi...Seijuro, hm? I've heard of the Akashi family, but I didn't realize the heir was a high schooler." Virus frowned into his rear view mirror, "The Akashi family are as respected and known as the Kirijo family. I've often heard their policy is to be excellent in academics and sports. Young Akashi-san was the captain at Teiko Middle School. I heard he's the Captain of the Generation of Miracles. Quite the name he has...isn't it?" Belle frowned, "Yes, but how such a young boy could keep such strict policies as well as the burden of being called the Captain of the Generation of Miracles...it's incredible he hasn't snapped yet." Virus made a left turn and the girls stared questioningly out the windows. Stopping the car at a fancy apartment complex, the group waited until a boy wearing a black hat emerged from the building and got into the car. He squeezed in beside Pururut, Belle and Kuro. "....hello..." he said quietly, keeping his head down. Belle and Kuro stared, "How adorable!" "Wh-what's with this guy? He's so pale! He looks sick! Is he sick? Virus, who is this?" "I'll explain when we get to the restaurant. Try not to pester him too much. He's my precious charge." Somehow, Kuro and Belle stemmed their questions and settled for watching him stare out the window.
