Hey everyone, here's the first chapter of the sequel, as promised. Story date is Tuesday, April 15, 2014. This day happens to be a full moon, but that will have no significance in this story at all. Nope, none whatsoever.
And while I'm here, I'll answer some reviews from the Epiclogue. Just as a heads up to new readers, if you haven't read Fairly English Story, turn back now and read it or this story will ruin that forever.
So, last warning.
SPOILERS
TURN BACK
SPOILERS
READ FAIRLY ENGLISH STORY
SPOILERS
IT WILL TAKE YOU A WHILE, BUT THIS STORY WILL MAKE SO MUCH MORE SENSE IF YOU DO
Alright, that should do it. If you keep reading now and you haven't read Fairly English Story yet and that story gets spoiled, it's all your own fault.
Crazy Tiger, once this is up I will indeed be focusing on Time Paradox.
Slicerness, the only Megami Tensei game I have played is Persona 3 and FES. And this sequel will have stuff to do with P4, just wait and see.
Greifen, Minatos only has just enough spiritual power per fight to beat whoever he's fighting, something Minato does to keep him under control. Minatos then decides to use less SP per fight than what Minato thinks he'll need, just to prove him wrong. The only reason that Izanami was such a Curb Stomp is because Minato had a bone to pick with her and he wanted to make an example of her. Curb Stomps will be rare in the sequel.
The deal with Izanami, in mythology, is that she kills a thousand each day in order to piss off Izanagi. I doubt she really did have humanity's best interests at heart.
And I only intended it to end at 108 once I reached 106. I honestly would have liked to end it on 111, but hey, 108 is also an epic number.
Dark Side Of The World, I'm comparable to Charles Bhepin, who has done one Seriously epic and detailed story. I will, however, take that title as God Emperor of Shin Megami Tensei Fanfiction with pride, since Bhepin writes an Evangelion Fanfiction.
Vect the Atoner, I did read that, ages ago, but I prefer my interpretation of Minato. And thanks for that detailed review, I agree with what you said.
Viperzero, you feeling sad because the story ended, or because it didn't end well? And yes, I know they're from the Philippines', hence why they were against each other.
Feith, I'm going to do a bunch of short stories around Persona 4 alongside Time Paradox now. You'll enjoy them.
-} 0 {-
Daisuke Nagase leaned on the bar. "Maaan…" He groaned. "How long is Kou gonna spend at that match-up meeting?"
The barman cleaning his glass laughed. "You know, if you didn't leave your key in the apartment then you could be home right now."
Daisuke laughed. "What, and miss out on free drinks?"
The barman sighed. "Hey, I only work here." He told his customer. "I'm limited to giving one free drink a night."
"Come on Seta, man!" Daisuke begged. "Remember how I always had your back in the football team?"
"I was the quarterback, you were the linebacker." Seta reminded Daisuke. "We were rarely on the field at the same time, and you're starting to sound like Yosuke, you know that?"
"He was a decent linesman." Daisuke nodded. "And Kou with our running back…" He laughed. "Man, if you hadn't transferred out, we'd have been unbeatable in our third year."
Seta laughed. "Come on, Kondo only learnt the rules the year before I transferred in, and we never showed up for practice."
"You mean you never showed up for practice." Daisuke corrected him, then looking down the bar. "Whoa…" He gasped.
"Hm? What?" Seta asked, following his gaze.
"That's Wolf…" Daisuke told his friend in hushed tones. "Michael Van Wijk…"
"Who's he?" Seta asked.
"Dude, from Gladiators!" Daisuke hissed. "You know, 'The Big Bad Wolf'?"
"Not ringing any bells." Seta sighed before walking over to the other customer. "May I take your order sir?" He asked him.
-} I {-
_\_ "And with that home run, Junpei Iori has brought the score up to seventeen to sixteen for the Tatsumi Tiger's" _\_ Declared the baseball commentator.
_\_ "That's right Yoshii-kun, but with Miyamoto out it's the Sumaru Shark's turn to bat, with Akihisa Akuro to bat first!" _\_ His partner commented. _\_ "Akuro is one hell of a better, and you can see how he earned his name, and with Tiger pitcher Toriumi having thrown for eight innings already, it's all over for the Tiger's." _\_
_\_ "Hold onto that, Ikari-san, because the Tiger's have announced a pitcher change for the last inning!" _\_ Yoshii told him, reading from his monitor. _\_ "Junpei Iori is set to pitch the last inning!" _\_
_\_ "Whoa, isn't that a risky move?" _\_ Ikari asked. _\_ "We have no records of Iori pitching this season or in any previous professional games, so he really is a dark horse here." _\_
Junpei smirked under his cap as he stood on the pitchers mound. They had no fricken idea. Of what was about to happen.
He wound up his pitch, and threw.
"Ball!"
Junpei ignored the commentators criticism as he caught the ball the catcher tossed him, then took a deep breath and pitched the ball.
"STRIKE!"
He grinned and caught the ball as it was thrown back to him. "Come on…" Junpei chuckled under his breath before pitching again.
Akihisa swung the bat and it connected with the ball.
"BALL TWO!" The umpire declared, and Junpei let out a sigh of relief. "Man…" He moaned, before winding up and pitching again.
The ball was out, but since Akihisa swung for it, "STRIKE TWO, BALL TWO!"
Junpei laughed and caught the ball as he glanced at the coach.
Thumbs up.
Junpei grinned, then took a step back with a big grin, before lunging forward, stamping the ground and launching the ball with all his might.
"BALL THREE!"
The ball was still spinning against the wire fence behind the batting zone. The catcher stood up and pushed it down to the dirt before picking it up and tossing it back to Junpei.
Akihisa tensed, staring right at Junpei.
Junpei looked right back at his opponent. "Heh." He laughed, before stepping back again and winding up his pitch.
He then stepped forward, making sure not to release the ball until the perfect second and the ball flew right through the score zone just as Akihisa swung.
The bat hit the ball.
The bat stopped.
The ball spun against the bat.
The bat splintered.
The catcher dived out of the way as the ball burst through the wooden bat and bounced harmlessly against the fence behind him.
Junpei lifted his glove and caught the lump of wood flying towards his face.
"S-STRIKE THREE!!" The umpire declared in shock as fans on both sides of the arena cheered. "YOU'RE OUT!"
-} II {-
Fuuka poured herself a mug of coffee and pounded her head against the wall. "Why, why, why oh why oh why…" She groaned.
"Um… doctor Yamagishi?"
Fuuka stood bolt upright. "Yes!" She shouted, then remembered herself. "Yes, what is it?"
"Um… Here's the test results for the prototype you asked for…"
Fuuka bowed. "Thank you very much." She told her fellow scientist, taking the folder from him and looking through it while drinking her elixir of life.
The results were, as Aigis might have put it, Not Good.
Fuuka sighed and dumped the folder atop the small pile of children's books in the middle of the table and groaned. The theory behind the hyper-antennae was sound. The numbers matched up, and it worked in practice. For about thirty seconds, then it burst into flames. Or split in half. Or oxidised. Or even just gave a great big middle finger to the laws of known physics said "U NO CAN HAZ, LOLZ!!!!1"
Fuuka put her mug on the table and got thinking. They'd tried the voltage, insulation, running it through at different temperatures, what hadn't they changed..?"
"Um, excuse me…"
Fuuka looked up to see a young woman with black hair and a red sweater. "Um, your coffee's on my report about the three little pigs…"
She glanced down at the table and immediately removed the mug. "I'm so sorry, I…"
"It's fine." The young woman replied, sitting down. "I'm only making notes right now."
Fuuka let out a sigh of relief. Even after being in this university long enough to earn her degree, she still kept forgetting that she shared a kitchen with the library.
Wait.
"Um… why are you doing a report on the three little pigs?" Fuuka asked.
"Oh, I'm studying literature." The student replied with a smile. "It's, well…" She sighed. "To be honest, I only came to college so I wouldn't have to inherit the family business right away."
"Oh!" Fuuka gasped. "Um…"
"It's, not that I don't want to take over the inn!" The young student protested hurriedly while blushing. "It's just that I wanted to get an education first!" She said.
Fuuka giggled slightly, and the student laughed at herself.
"I'm Fuuka Yamagishi." Fuuka introduced, feeling a lot more comfortable after a good laugh.
"Yukiko Amagi." The student introduced. "It's nice to meet you."
-} III {-
Mitsuru walked down the hallway, reading through the latest portfolio her assistant had given her on the way. "So explain to me why I have a marriage meeting today when I could be doing something else?" She asked.
"Ms. Kirijo, please understand." The suit behind her pleaded. "We understand your devotion to the company and your absolutely perfect in leading the group, but we are concerned for your personal life!"
Mitsuru sighed. "Very well Fujita." She said. "I will give Ichijo ten minutes of my time at least."
"Thank you very much Ms. Kirijo." Her other aide, Hiruma told her, bowing, then jogging forward and opening the door for her. "This way please."
Mitsuru stepped into the room and saw her fiancée-candidate kneeling at the table in a Yukata. "It's nice to meet you." He said with a smile. "I am Kou Ichijo… are you alright?"
Mitsuru turned around. "I'm sorry." She told her. "Please forgive my rudeness."
"Ah-hey!" Kou called, standing up as Mitsuru bolted from the room.
Hiruma turned to Fujita. "You knew what he looked like before coming here, didn't you?" He asked his companion.
"Well, yes!" Fujita answered. "But I don't unders-OW!"
"I apologise again for Ms. Kirijo." Hiruma told Kou and his family while bowing as Fujita rubbed the back of his head. "Your appearance is strikingly similar to a late friend of Ms. Kirijo."
"Oh, I see…" Kou said, scratching the back of his head bashfully. "I'm, sorry to hear that…"
"We apologise for wasting your time." Hiruma continued. "Please excuse us."
He grabbed Fujita by the back of the neck and dragged him out of the room. "Hey, wait!" Fujita protested.
"We need to find Ms Kirijo and when we do, you will hand in your resignation immediately." Hiruma told him. "You were briefed on the lady's relationship the late Arisoto, so you have no excuse."
"I- I thought that she liked guys who looked like that!" Fujita told his co-worker, escaping from his grip. "How was I to know she'd react like that!?"
Hiruma glared at him. "Again." He said. "You had been briefed."
-} IV {-
Kanji wiped the towel through his now brown hair and looked at the piercings left by the sink. His mother wasn't well, and if he was to look after the shop, then he'd have to do more to convince the town that he wasn't going to kick the living daylights out of them.
Oh, no-one thought he was a criminal anymore, but a guy with bleached back hair and metal in his face does tend to intimidate the… more refined folk of Inaba.
Kanji brushed his hair in front of his face. "Heh, not bad Kanji." He told his reflection. "Ya look kinda like senpai…"
He shook his head, grabbing the sink. "Man… since when did I start talking to myself?" He asked himself. "Well, I'm sure it's fine as long as I don't answer myself…" He rethought this. "Well, It's fine until I ask myself to repeat whatever the hell I just said…"
Kanji grabbed his forehead and rubbed his face into his palm. "Man I am such an idiot…" He groaned, before stepping back from the mirror and heading downstairs to open up shop.
"Hey there Nanako-chan!" Kanji shouted with surprise as he unlocked the front door. "Come in!"
"Um…" Nanako stepped hesitantly into the shop. "Are… you Kanji-kun's boyfriend?"
Kanji flipped back to the eight-year old girl in rage. "WHADDYA SAY!?" He bellowed. "YOU SAYIN' I LIKE DUDES!? HUH!?"
Nanako giggled. "Oh, I didn't recognise you." She said. "What happened to your face?" She asked. "Your hair's changed too…"
"Eh, just felt like a change." Kanji lied, posing with a grin. "Whaddya think?" He asked. "Think I look kinda like your big bro?"
Nanako shook her head. "I liked how you looked before." She said. "You don't look like Kanji-kun anymore…"
Kanji almost stepped back, then chuckled. "Sorry about that Nanako-chan…" He apologised, squatting down to rustle her hair. "Tell ya what, how's about I give you a doll to take to school?" He offered up.
Nanako immediately brightened up. "I want that one!" She declared, running up to one doll. "The big bad wolf!"
"Oh yeah, I gave you Red Riding Hood a while ago, didn't I…" He told her, then reached for it and handed it to her. "Here ya go."
"Thanks Kanji-kun!" Nanako cheered, grabbing his neck and hugging him before stuffing the doll into her school bag and running for the door. "Bye!!"
Kanji waved her off as she ran down the street, then sighed.
Maybe a couple up his ears would be fine?
-} V {-
Shinji hummed as he stirred the noodles in the pan. He gratefully took the money Minato had left him, using it to start a restaurant in the hub of the Iwatodai city. Since then, he'd built it up to the only five-star restaurant in Japan that didn't charge an arm and a leg for half a fish in some garlic.
"Morning…" Marina yawned, trudging down the stairs into the kitchen.
"You sleep in again?" Shinji asked her. "It's ten past eleven.
"Ah, it's okay…" She mumbled, sidling over to Shinji and snuggling up to him as he cooked. "It's not like I have any classes on Monday Mornings…"
"It's Tuesday." Shinji told her with a sigh.
Marina's eyes blasted open. "Shit." She swore, bolting back upstairs to their apartment.
Shinji laughed and got back to cooking for the lunchtime rush. People were already cueing outside the restaurant, even though he wouldn't be opening for another twenty minutes.
The kitchen door opened and Naoki Kashima ran in. "Sorry I'm late." He gasped.
"Tch." Shinji grunted, passing him an apron. "Get those bowls heated up before Kuroda gets here."
"Yes sir!" Naoki replied, getting to work.
Shinji pondered for a moment, then asked a question. "Hey, aren't you a thousand year old half-demon?" Shinji asked.
"Try not to tell everyone, I quite like the life I have here." Naoki replied.
"That's just it." Shinji pointed out. "Why isn't a guy like you lording it up over the demons of hell or something?"
"Why don't you have the trophy for 'Worlds Strongest Man' hung up on the wall?" Naoki asked.
"Tch."
"Alright, I'm off!" Marina shouted, running down the stairs and out the door. "Bye and you might wanna scrub that graffiti off!"
Shinji glanced out the window, and some English words were painted on his wall. "Great…" He groaned, then lifting an arm up.
Stone crawled up the wall, covering the letters completely.
-} VI {-
"Alright boys and girls, Wantabe-san here is complaining of abdominal pains, nausea, diarrhoea, fever and weight loss," Doctor Koksu told the interns, "Your diagnosis is What, doctor… Hiraga?"
"My suspicion would be ulcerative colitis sir." Keisuke answered. "I would recommend a colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis… sir?" Keisuke asked as doctor Koksu clapped with glee.
"Beautiful Chihiro, just beautiful." Koksu happily told Keisuke as he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "But if you'd been looking at the patient instead of at me, then you'd have noticed that Wantabe-san has no fever, and is, as a matter of fact, in no real need to be here."
"Sir?" Keisuke asked, confused.
"You see," Koksu continued, walking over to the bed-ridden patient and hugging him over the shoulder. "Wantabe here is the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital's resident hypochondriac." He explained, shaking the patient as he mocked his students. "He just has diarrhoea but has worked it up to the very thing you just diagnosed in his head, as he was very quick to tell me as he was admitted, last night." Koksu stepped back from the patient. "You're all doctors now, so stop accepting what people tell you as truth because nine time out of ten, they are lying!" The head doctor hissed, making sure he got his point across.
"Sir, that wasn't fair."
Everyone turned to doctor Takeba, who was furious. "We're only residents, we expect you to teach us, not for us to know all the answers."
"Well, that's just peachy and wonderful Barbie!" Koksu replied with a wide smile. "But while you monkeys are still flinging your own crap at each other, people are sick and dying and frankly, when they look at either of us, all they see are magic medicine machines that wave their magic stethoscopes and make the problem just, go away…" Koksu said, fluttering his hand into the air. "Poof!"
…
"Doctor Koksu-" Yukari began.
"Problems, gone forever…" Koksu continued whistfully, before shaking his head and turning back to face his student. "But here's the kicker, little lady, so pull those hair-pins out of your ears and listen up." He told her with a glare. "These idiots see the scrubs and the stethoscope and they automatically think that since you somehow managed to get through med school that you're smart enough to fix all their problems like Black Jack, when the reality is that you lot are such newbie's that it's a wonder that any of you can tell the difference between an appendix and an asshole and by hell you are getting pissed girlie."
Yukari held her tongue.
"Atta girl." Koksu winked. "Because for as long as these patients think you're halfway near competent, you need to act like you are, so before you accuse me of acting like, oh I don't know… some kind of bad wolf, stop expecting us to ease you into it and get back to not killing someone today." Koksu whistled and clapped and the residents all dispersed, leaving Yukari and Keisuke as Koksu walked away.
"So, um… thanks Yukari-san." Keisuke laughed. "I owe you one!"
Yukari shook her head, fist shaking. "No… he's right. We became doctors to help people."
Keisuke stepped back as Yukari lifted her head and smiled. "Come on, back to work." She told him, heading off down the corridor.
-} VII {-
"Er, hey, um… Aigis-san…"
Aigis looked from the file she was reading. "Hamasaki-san." She nodded. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Um, I was wondering if you'd… you know…" Aigis tilted her head at the awkward man. "Like to… go for a drink… later?" Hamasaki asked hopefully.
Aigis turned back to the document she was studying. "Sorry." She replied. "I have business to attend to."
"Oh, I see…" Hamasaki sighed. "So, what're you reading?"
"I am studying the Mal Loup case of nineteen-seventy-three." Aigis answered. "The circumstances are similar to that of the defendant in my clients trial tomorrow."
"Oh, I see." Hamasaki chuckled. "So I guess going out tonight would be a bad idea for you anyways, huh?"
"Is there something else I can help you with Hamasaki-san?" Aigis asked.
"No, that's fine." He replied, heading back to his desk. "I'll take you out for a drink to celebrate your victory later, okay!"
Aigis sighed, then got back to studying the court notes.
Her eyes widened and she looked at her hand, which had turned white with gunmetal fingertips. Aigis closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, and when she opened them, her hand was pink and inkstained again.
Aigis stood up with a sigh and packed up her notes into her briefcase, and pulled out her phone once she was out of the office and hit a number from her speed dail.
"Shinjiro-san?" She asked once the phone picked up. "Are there any empty tables at Polydeuces?"
_\_ "Nah, but I can empty one for ya if you're coming over." _\_ Shinji offered.
"No, that is alright." Aigis told him with a smile as she unlocked her car. "I will come in through the back."
_\_ "Right, I'll prepare the usual." _\_ Shinji told her. _\_ "It'll be ten minutes, that okay?" _\_
"That is fine." Aigis replied, pulling on her seatbelt and starting the car. "I'm on my way."
-} VIII {-
WHAM
Daiki flew for a good four feet before landing in the dirt after being punched in the face. "Get up." The Armada told him. "I'm not finished with you yet."
Daiki forced himself onto his elbows and wiped his bloody lip. "Damn Kenjamin, what the hell is-"
He got cut off by a kick to the jaw, sending him into the air as his opponent brutally pummelled his body on the way down before spinning into a kick, launching him into a wall.
"You don't get to call me that." Kenjamin told the battered Daiki as he forced himself up. "That name is for friends, not perverts."
"So I stole a few panties, what's your problem?" Daiki grunted. "Look, I'm sorry I pissed you off man, but chill the fu-"
Daiki coughed up blood as The Armada rammed his fist into his stomach. Kenjamin pulled his fist back and Daiki collapsed to the floor.
"Damn, out that fast?" He asked the unconscious schoolboy, then squatted down and cast a Recarm on him.
Daiki span around and scrambled to his feet and legged it, but tripped when an electric shock ran up his leg, paralysing it.
"Now, I'll give you a choice." Kenjamin warned, walking over to his helpless prisoner. "Either I continue beating the shit out of you until I feel satisfied, or you go and publicly grovel at the feet of every single girl in the swimming club individually with an atomic wedgie and your trousers by your ankles."
Daiki grunted and forced himself onto his one good leg. He'd seen plenty of people in that same situation, and now this explains why. At this point, humiliation seemed much better than an ass whoopin'.
"Just keep it above the belt and try not to bruise the face." Daiki requested. "Other than that, just leave me able to walk home."
Kenjamin was surprised. "You know, most people choose the grovelling." He said. "You're the first to ask for me to keep going."
Daiki's eyes brightened with the slim prospect of getting out of his punishment, which was killed mercilessly as Kenjamin rammed a knee into his ribcage.
Daiki got revived and healed five times that afternoon before Kenjamin left him on the ground with a few broken ribs.
"So, did you find who did it Kenjamin-kun?"
Kenjamin turned to face Akane Kobayashi, a pretty cute brunette girl from the swimming club. "Sorry!" Kenjamin lied. "I couldn't find anyone."
"Ehh?" Akane asked in surprise. "But normally you find them in minutes!"
"This one got away." Kenjamin apologised. "But I don't think he'll do it again."
"I hope so…" Akane sighed, holding herself defensively.
"But hey, I managed to find the panties!" Kenjamin reported, holding the gym bag of underwear. "Here."
Akane took it bashfully. "Um, thanks!" She laughed. "Shame you couldn't find the perverted wolf who stole them."
"Next time!" Kenjamin promised, then caught a glance at the school clock. "Crap! I gotta get home!" He shouted, legging it towards the gate. "Later."
-} IX {-
Fox growled at the grey wolf outside her shrine, her full-fledged cubs behind her backing her with their families.
There was no doubt as to who would come out on top of this fight.
But the wolf had to eat, and Fox was old, reaching the end of its lifespan.
"YIPYIP!" Fox barked, summing her Persona, Inari. The smoky woman burst from the sky and launched the wolf back with an Akasha Arts.
The wolf yelped in pain, getting to its paws while bleeding badly, then howled, bursting into black flames.
Fox leapt back, as did her children, as the flames settled into the shape of an enormous hound, around the size of a horse.
The black flame-beast opened its eyes, revealing them to be demonic red. Its fangs dripped black with Ichor, and as it stepped forward, red flames marked its paw prints on the stone slabs of the shrine.
"Arrrgghh…" The beast growled as the flames turned into something solid, and all the foxes behind Fox fled in terror.
Fox braced herself, shook away her fear of the demonic wolf, and pounced for the beast.
The wolf back-handed Fox, tossing her powerfully against a pillar. Fox yelped in pain as she landed, her spine cracked against the pillar as the wolf approached her, shedding its huge frame as it neared her.
Fox tried to summon her Persona, but she was rapidly losing blood and consciousnesses.
The last thing she felt was the wolf tearing out her jugular, feasting upon her dying body.
-} X {-
Naoto Shirogane sighed at her laptop, rubbing her forehead. This guy she was chasing was like an absolute ghost.
He came out of nowhere four years ago, and since then he's been seen all over the world. So far there's been no pattern to where he's been or who he's talked to, but he's been trading huge numbers of children with mobsters in Thailand and all over Africa, he's kidnapped several women only to dump them back at their house once enough policemen started chasing him, or even kidnap children in their own homes and force the child's parents to prove their love to them, usually by making the father shoot an empty gun into his own head.
She'd been working on the Cipher case since shortly after the Izanami case. The target, codenamed Cipher, killed Isamu Minami, the superintendent of the Okinawa police department, in a Tokyo hotel on May 19th, 2012, and almost two years later she's no closer to working out just who the hell his Cipher is.
The last sighting recorded on Interpol was at Dårlig Ulv Stranden in Norway, and that was three weeks ago. He could be anywhere by now doing anything.
Killing anyone. This Cipher was also attributing to assassinating a president of Nigeria years ago and slaughtering several child traffickers all over the world…
"Is that the pattern?" Naoto asked, opening up the Interpol file on Isamu Minami.
Aged sixty-three. Arrested once when he was fifteen for underage drinking, something he never denied. Lived with his wife, had one son who is a lifeguard, married with a child on the way.
She then checked the Japanese government records on his death.
Isamu's personal laptop were found to hold pornographic images of teenage schoolgirls. One video showed one girl tied up in a room as she was stripped and raped-
Almost raped.
The Cipher showed up on the video and gabbed the masked rapist by the head and ram him into a wall. He then untied the girl and handed her his jacket and gave her some money before sending her away. He then moved his face into the camera.
_\_ "Man, if this was saved onto your laptop, then this would be really, really incriminating mister Isamu." _\_
The masked man then drew a gun which the Cipher flipped out of his hand, then dragged him to the camera. _\_ "Take a good look everyone" _\_ The Cipher declared, unmasking the almost-rapist. _\_ "This is what your beloved mister Minami is like behind closed doors!" _\_
He then grabbed the unmasked rapist and shoved him onto the bed. _\_ "Oh, I'm sure you guy's will cover this up to protect his honour, despite the fact that he clearly has none, but hey, at least you all know what really happened." _\_ The Cipher told the camera as he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the politician, who was begging for his life.
_\_ BLAM_\_
Naoto barely flinched as blood splattered over the screen and the recording ended.
This wasn't in the initial report given to her by Interpol. In fact, this wasn't on Interpol at all.
The Japanese Special Police had covered this up, just as the Cipher predicted.
This one piece of evidence that she almost missed changed everything.
The families involved in Cipher's hostage situations became much closer afterwards. The politicians assassinated were corrupt, politically or as human beings.
Orphanages had been built in the places where Cipher gave children en masse to mobsters, after he had killed several other suspected paedophiles.
This Cipher leaves destruction in his wake, but overall, the outcome is… good?
Naoto had a hunch, and she investigated it.
She filtered through the list of suicides of the year 2013, ignoring the 'suspected' suicides, and compared them with those of 2009.
There was a 97% decrease. Suspected suicides could easily be well-covered murders, but even then the world suicide rate is amazingly low compared to the past hundred years.
All since that Cipher turned up.
What the hell?
-} XI {-
Koromaru lazed by the radiator as Marina ran into the room. "Hey there Koro!" She announced, dive-bombing the couch with a sigh. "Man… why did I have to wake up late again..?"
"Probably because you stayed up watching TV all night." Kenjamin pointed out, changing the channel.
"They were showing Doctor Who with Japanese dubbing!" Marina protested angrily. "They got Mamoru Miyano playing Christopher Eccelston! No way in hell I was missing the Doctor with Ling Yao's voice!"
Kenjamin sighed. "And that's why you got held back a year on your architecting course…" He told her. "I know you like anime, but there's more to life than cartoons."
"You love Phoenix Featherman Ranger R!" Marina pointed out defensively.
"I'm not saying it's not wrong to enjoy it occasionally." Kenjamin pointed out. "It's just that you have a tendency to take it a bit too far."
Marina scowled. "Shouldn't you be downstairs helping Shinji in the kitchen?" She muttered in response.
"Why don't you?" Kenjamin asked her. "You're his girlfriend."
"And you're practically his brother." Marina countered, tossing a cushion at him. "So you should help him!"
"I'm doing fine without either of you." Shinji told them, poking his head through the door. "Though if you could both watch the kitchen while I take a piss, that'd be great."
Marina summoned a card into her hand. "Nata Taishi!" She shouted, crushing the card and casting Sukukaja on herself then sprinting down the stairs.
"H-Hey!" Ken shouted, hopping onto his feet and running after her. "That's cheating!"
"Bite me!" Marina laughed from the bottom of the stairs.
Koromaru yawned and bit the remote, carrying it from the couch and dropping it onto the rug and pressing his paw on it, changing the channel to another Doctor Who re-run.
_\_ "Blaidd Drwg" _\_ The Doctor said on the TV screen.
_\_ "What's it means?" _\_ Rose asked him.
_\_ "Bad Wolf." _\_ The Doctor replied gravely.
_\_ "But, I've heard that before, Bad Wolf." _\_ Rose replied with concern. _\_ "I've heard that lots of times…" _\_
_\_ "Everywhere we go, two words following us. Bad Wolf." _\_ The Doctor explained.
_\_ "How could they be following us?" _\_ Rose asked.
_\_ "Nah." _\_ The Doctor said. _\_ "Just a coincidence!" _\_
Koromaru yawned, then changed the channel again, settling on one showing Lassie.
-} XII {-
Chidori stepped into the bathroom to catch her breath. She was happy for her fiancée's win, of course she was, it's just that she needed a break from the celebration party that was still going on strong after six hours.
She sat on the toilet stall and sighed. Ever since she woke up in hospital four years ago, Junpei had always been there for her. He'd given her everything she'd ever wanted, and she loved him almost as much as he loved her.
It's just… there was still a huge blank in her memories. She couldn't remember anything precise before she woke up, like holding onto the fragments of a dream, but all she knew was that it was filled with emptiness, pain, and towards the end, happiness.
She had no doubt that Junpei was the man who had brought her that happiness, but there was still a pain in her heart, one that she could never tell him about. A yearning for the world lost in her forgotten memories.
She clutched at her head and groaned. She'd barely had two drinks and she felt like she had a raging hangover.
No, it's somewhat different to a hangover.
A pounding headache.
Two sounds, drumming in her head, one after the other.
Over and over again.
And it wasn't stopping.
These sounds had meaning. They were Important.
"…Bad…" Chidori said aloud. "…Wolf…"
But what could they mean?
-} XIII {-
I rammed the wolfman into the wall and smashed his face in, but he snarled and bit down on my hand, hard.
He ripped it from my wrist and pushed me back across the alley and leapt for me again, but I slammed my other hand into the floor and launched a cluster of spikes into his chest,
The wolf howled in hate and pain, then froze the tarmac spikes, and shattering them as I pointed a Bolter at his skull.
"The new Vengeance rounds." I told him as my other hand regenerated. "They're no silver bullets, but they'll do the job just fine."
The demon snarled and pushed the gun aside.
I stepped forward and rammed my fist through his jaw and punched through the back of his neck and brought the Bolter to his back.
"Bad wolf." I told him, pulling my arm out and firing.
DAKKA
Black energy surrounded the demon as it howled in pain, then the screams were silenced as the energy consumed it.
I sighed and put the Bolter away, then stepped back into the streets of Hamburg.
Böser Wolf
And there's another poster of that band. They're getting popular lately.
Let's see, where next…
Hamburg does not have a street called Bad Wolf.
I turned and looked at the chocolate shop behind me. Bad Wolf chocolates…
I stepped back into the alley and looked at the walls. Bad Wolf, Bad Wolf, Bad Wolf…
Alright, Skynet, what the hell is going on…
It's everywhere.
It's following S.E.E.S..
The only one without it is…
I pushed the gate to the Kirijo estate open and stormed in. Unlike the vacation home in Yakushima, this was a traditional building, bordering on a palace, covering land of half a square mile.
"GET YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND TURN AROUND SLOWLY!"
I ignored Hiruma's ordered and kept marching as he fired once at my leg, but I stepped aside at the last second, the bullet passing harmlessly by.
I then started running in a zig-zag as he began firing rapidly, leaping off a tree and onto the roof as he sounded the alarm.
I ran along the roof as security poured out of the roof and began shooting, but it was easy to predict where the bullets would pass through, so dodging them was child's play for me.
I twisted around the corner and hopped up onto the second rooftop, and ran along that before jumping down to the inner garden. A security guard called Saori tried to tackle me, but I back-handed him and ran to the master bedroom and tore the wall aside.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!!"
"Hey Mitsuru." I told her, ignoring her almost completely as I ransacked her room. "And would you mind not launching ice spears into my back while I'm working?"
I felt a Katana cut into my neck. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Mitsuru ordered, holding the sword against my throat with one hand and a blanket against her naked body with the other.
Yeah, she still sleeps in the buff…
I twisted around and squatted, grabbing her waist. "This tattoo!" I told her, pointing at her Kanji on her hip. "When did you get it!?"
She stepped back and slashed through my chest, dropping the blanket to kill me, but I wasn't in the mood for games. "WHEN!?" I shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders as the gash through my chest healed within seconds. "Please, I need you to tell me when you got that Tattoo and why." I begged, switching to Laksmi to make her trust me more.
It seemed to work. "Three days, on a whim." She replied, stepping back as several dozen guns were aimed for me. "Now answer me: what are you!?"
I laughed maniacally. "That's not exactly important." I told her. "Because frankly, we've got bigger issues right now."
Mitsuru glared. "Like what?" She asked, getting her Katana ready to strike and freezing the blade.
"Like that sign over there that said 'Two in Harmony Surpasses One in Perfection' twelve seconds ago?" I asked. "Now it says Bad Wolf."
Mitsuru span around and looked at it as I browsed across her desk and passed her blanket for her to cover herself. "That's not all." I told her. "Your drivers licence says that your name is Bad Wolf, born on the Bad Wolf'th of Bad Wolf in Bad Wolf Bad Wolf, and that your gender is Bad Wolf." I tossed that aside. "The romance novel by your bed? Bad Wolf by Bad Wolf. Those two words have been stalking us Persona users all day, probably longer." I glared at the clock.
Ten seconds to midnight. "The Kanji of Akuro on your hip?" I asked, offering for Mitsuru to translate it into English.
Sufficiently weirded out, Mitsuru simply answered as the clock struck Midnight.
"Evil Wolf."
=] 13 [=
White flames rushed up around Mitsuru's security, encasing them in large, white cases that looked a lot like canine fangs.
Mitsuru and I rushed outside as the black night sky was scorched bone white with black clouds rushing across the sky far too fast.
The moon was blood red, with a deep, black gash down the centre of it.
I looked back towards the building as the wall was slashed open with three parallel lines. There was no damage done, but black blood began to ooze out of the wounds.
"If it makes you feel better, this probably isn't your fault." I told Mitsuru. "Bad Wolf is a code Minato decided on in case he needed to get the message across to me that shit was about to hit the fan. You probably saw a Bad Wolf earlier and it just stuck in your head or something."
"It's the Dark Hour, isn't it?" Mitsuru grunted, clenching a fist around her katana.
"Something similar." I told her. "I've no idea what, but I can guarantee that Nyx isn't behind it this time."
"How can you be so sure?" She asked.
"Because Minato's got her and Erebus sealed tight; they aren't in any position to do anything."
Mitsuru turned to glare at me. "Just who are you?" She asked.
I turned to her. "Me?" I asked. "I'm his Shadow."
=] 12 [=
Chidori fell onto her knees as the wolves howled in her head, screaming in pain as her mind burnt.
The bathroom door burst open. "CHIDORI!!" Junpei shouted, forcing his way through. "CHIDORII!!!"
"I… I remember…" Chidori gasped as Junpei grabbed her. "Junpei… it's happening…"
"Y-You remember..?" Junpei asked, then biting his lip and holding her close. "I'm sorry for not telling you."
"It's okay…" She gasped. "But… it's coming…"
"Just calm down Chidorita." Junpei told her calmly. "We're gonna be alright, we just need to fight whatever's coming and win, alright?"
Chidori gasped in shock, then smiled. "You're right… Junpei…"
=] 11 [=
"Hey, Funky Student!"
The afro'ed accountant turned around in the darkness to see his old teammate Kanji running towards him with a large shield. "Hey yay!" He hollered. "Dis place be trippin' balls yo!"
"I hear ya Funky." Kanji told him as he caught up. "I reckon the Shadows'll be here soon enough too."
"Dayumn right Brotha." Funky Student nodded, reaching into his jacket and drawing a short metal pole, which flicked out into a staff. "And I think they'sa coming to partay."
"Heh." Kanji laughed, summoning the card for Rokuten-Maoh as Shadows approached from all sides. "Come on DOWN!"
=] 10 [=
Jun Kurosu stopped the world, just to take everything in. "So, these Shadows…" He pondered to himself. "Very well." He started time again and looked at the young couple who were preparing for a fight.
He created two staves and tossed them to the couple. "Here!" He shouted, walking over to them as branches grew from his flower stall and tore open a path through the Shadows as he walked towards them. "My name is Jun." He said. "And I just remembered a lot of things about Persona, how about you?"
The man gritted his teeth, then sighed. "Kenji." He replied. "And me too."
The black haired woman looked at her husband. "Ken-chan?" She asked.
"Sorry Rio." He chuckled, stepping forward and summoning a card into his hand. "ODYSSEUS!!" He summoned.
The armoured warrior burst forward and charged into the horde alongside Chronos, but there was far too many for them to deal with alone.
SMASH
The two men turned to Rio, who was surrounded with blue flames as a beautiful woman appeared above her head.
"I am Siren… hear my song…"
"I, Rio Iwasaki, command you…" Rio cast her hand in front of the Shadows and glared. "DIE!!"
The Shadows in front of her paused, then raised their hands to their own masks and forcibly smashed them, screaming as they killed themselves.
"All hail Rio…" Kenji said breathlessly, surprised.
=] 9 [=
Naoki's head snapped around as everything in the Kitchen stopped. Shinji looked back at him, and they both dropped everything and looked inside the restaurant.
Everyone had been encased in the white fangs. "Shit." Shinji swore, running upstairs to check on the others.
Naoki stepped outside and tore down the wall Shinji created earlier.
BAD WOLF
=] 8 [=
Nanako rolled around in her bed and raised her head to see why her pillow was so sticky.
It was bleeding.
She yelped and jumped out of bed, wondering why the world had gone so messed up, and looked out the window to see Kanji and the Funky Student fighting monsters with other monsters.
"Persona…" Nanako whispered. "Why do I…"
She clutched at her head and felt sick, and looked out the window again to see a green van drive into the battle and Namatame jumped out.
"The hell you doin' outta prison!?" Kanji shouted at him.
"Parole for good behaviour." Namatame answered. "So, this power… you call it Persona..?"
"What's it to you!?" Kanji shouted, crushing a Shadow under his shield.
Namatame took a deep breath, and summoned a card into his hand.
"MAMORU IZANAGI!!"
Namatame was surrounded in a green light as the black figure of Izanagi formed above his head, green scales forming on the cloak as the lance morphed into a wide cross-spear. Great shoulder blades formed outside the cloak, and two great flags rose out of his shoulders, one bearing the kanji of 'Love', and the other 'Peace'.
Namatame brought his hand forward and Mamoru Izanagi stabbed its spear into the ground, creating a protective bubble around himself, Kanji, Funky Student and Nanako. "I'll keep you all safe!" Namatame declared as his Persona descended over his head. "Please, let me atone for what I did."
"Cool wit me, brotha!" Funky Student declared, twirling the metal staff in his hands and charging back into the brawl.
Nanako stepped back in horror. "Daddy!" she shouted, running into her father's bedroom.
He wasn't there.
Just a white fang on his bleeding bed.
Nanako screamed.
=] 7 [=
Chie looked around the hospital as all the other patients turned into white spikes. She sat up, nursing her head.
Last thing she remembered was pushing the kid out of the way of that car…
"HEY!" Yukari shouted. "IS ANYONE ELSE STILL AWAKE!?"
Chie leapt from the bed and ran into the corridor. "HEY!" She shouted back. "YUKARI!"
Yukari turned around and saw her step sister and ran towards her. "Thank goodness…" She told Chie. "I was so worried… huh!?"
Chie looked behind her to see some Shadows form on the ground and approach her. "Haha… That's not good…" Chie said akwardly.
Yukari pushed Chie back. "Hey, hold on Yukari!" Chie shouted, trying to protect her defenceless step-sister.
"Those monsters." Said sister told Chie, pulling out a handgun from her scrubs. "We call them Shadows…"
Click.
"Hey, wait!" Chie shouted. "What're you doing!?"
"ISIS!"
BLAM
"Oh." Chie stated as the Shadows were obliterated in a flurry of green wind. "Oh, okay…"
=] 6 [=
Rise stumbled out of her chair and landed flat on her backside as her manager turned into an imposing, bone-like cocoon shaped like a tooth. She looked outside into the corridor, which was completely filled with a mass of white substance: it was impossible to get out.
She opened her phone, but there was no service, the clock had stopped at 00:00, the background changed to black, with the words BAD WOLF emblazoned on it in white letters.
She knelt down in her room. "No…" She gasped, clutching at her head. Would she be trapped here forever? Would she ever escape..?
Something in her hand felt warm, so she brought it to her face.
Kanzeon's card…
Rise stood up and summoned her Persona. She felt Kanzeon hold the red mask in front of her face, and she searched for her friends.
It was surprisingly easy outside of the fog. In fact, there were hundreds of people, all over the world, feeling exactly the same as she felt, all alone with only their Persona for company.
She felt another presence. ~ Everyone, it's all right! ~ A calming voice in her head said. ~ I know that this is scary, but hopefully everything will be alright in an hour. ~
Rise let out a sigh of relief. -^- "Who is this?" -^- Rise broadcasted. -^- "What's happening?" -^-
~ Huh!? Are you Risette? ~
Rise smiled to herself. She still had fans, even with the world like this. -^- "Yeah, that's me, who's this?" -^-
~ Oh, my name is Fuuka Yamagishi. ~ The other voice said. ~ We've experienced something like this before, so if this is like the Dark Hour, then everything will turn back to normal in an hour and everyone without a Persona will know anything even happened. ~
-^- "Alright, I trust you on this." -^- Rise told this Fuuka person. -^- "We're going to need to meet up when all this is over." -^-
~ I agree. Can you find your friends while I find mine? ~
Rise nodded. -^- "Okay!" -^- She declared, getting to work.
=] 5 [=
The wolf growled as Shadows approached, interrupting the beast's meal. The Shadow's hesitated, but rushed towards him regardless.
The wolf, having regained his strength, howled at the sky, and black flames fell down from the sky, incinerating the Shadows they crushed and forming the shape of a great black dog.
I AM BLACK SHUCK The Persona snarled. THE HOUND OF THY DOOM
The Persona roared, and all the Shadows within the wolf's sight burst into flames and died, screaming in agony as they burnt.
Black Shuck faded, having done its work, and the wolf left its finished meal and prowled the night once more.
=] 4 [=
One cocoon of bone in Iwatodai smashed open, and Akihiko Sanada stepped out in a suit and tie. "Dammit…" He swore, before standing up straight and looking around.
"What happened to the dorm?" He asked, then walked up to where he used to live and reading the sign. "Iwatodai apartments… dammit!" He shouted, running down the street as fast as he could to find a phone booth. "Dammit… Mitsuru… Shinji… Minato…" He stopped and punched the wall. "I've got an hour a night and I can't even find them!? I'm useless!"
He sighed, then looked around again. At least Ken would be in the Tatsumi student dorms, unless Shinji took him in.
Akihiko laughed at himself. "Yeah, like Shinji'd do something like that." He told himself, setting off at a run towards the main dormitories.
=] 3 [=
Kazushi summoned his Persona Musashi against the Shadows, forcing them back as he tried to defend himself.
"I suppose I might perhaps be of some assistance?" An unfamiliar voice asked him, before obliterating dozens of the crawling Shadows.
A blonde woman dressed in blue walked into Kazushi's vision, snapping her large book shut. "My name is Elizabeth." She told him.
"K-Kazushi Miyamoto…" Kazushi gasped in amazement.
She smiled at him. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance."
=] 2 [=
Yukiko rushed through the city, seeking out any other people who were awake in the current situation, thinking about what was happening. All of the Investigation Team had moved to Tatsumi Port Island for university, except for Rise who was on tour in Hokkaido, and Kanji and Teddie who stayed in Inaba, though Teddie had come over for a couple of days and was staying with Seta and Yosuke while Naoto was in Europe following a lead on her case.
Come to think of it, that's only half the investigation team really, but at least they were all together.
Usually.
Right now doesn't exactly count, even though Yukiko would really appreciate it if someone could help her fight the mass of Shadows that were approaching her.
A jet of darkness rushed from the side, tearing through the Shadows like a hurricane. It was a young man, completely covered in tattoos. "HEY!" He shouted, burst towards her. "You okay?" He asked.
"Y-yeah, fine." Yukiko replied. "How many Shadows are there?" She asked the man.
"Oh, you're already in the know then." The man nodded. "Well, my name's Naoki and they'll keep coming for what we hope will be the next three-quarters of an hour."
"Why that long?" Yukiko asked him as she turned around to face the Shadows coming from behind.
"Because that's how long the Dark Hour normally lasts- GET DOWN!!"
Naoki forced her to the ground as a black darts descended from the sky, piercing through more than half of the Shadows.
"DAMMIT MARINA-SAN!" Naoki shouted, getting back up and helping Yukiko to her feet.
"SORRY!" A voice in the distance apologised. "ANY SIGN OF TARTARUS!?"
Naoki looked towards the ocean. "NO, IT HASN'T COME UP!" He shouted.
"WELL SHIT!" Another, angrier voice shouted. "NOW WHAT DO WE DO!?"
"AMATERASU!" Yukiko shouted, smashing the card with a fan from her bag, summoning the goddess of the sun to incinerate the approaching Shadows.
"This'll do for now, won't it?" Yukiko asked Naoki, fanning herself lightly.
=] 1 [=
Yosuke looked around the bar, which was now filled with rows of white teeth, himself, Teddie and his favourite barman. "Oh man." Yosuke said, stepping off his barstool as it began to bleed. "This is not good."
"You're telling me…" Teddie said. "This is Veritas De Sköll."
"Truth of Treachery?" Seta translated.
Yosuke turned back. "Alright, how do you speak Italian?" He asked him.
"Latin, Then Norse." Seta corrected. "Complete paradox in more ways than one."
"Highest culture and deepest brutality." Teddie nodded. "But that's not all. See, Sköll was the wolf who'll eat the sun at Ragnarök."
"Which means 'The Doom of the Gods'" Seta told Yosuke.
"I know that dammit!" Yosuke shouted. "But what the hell just happened!?"
"A few years ago, a previous generation of Persona users ended an event that happened each night at midnight called the Dark Hour-" Teddie started, but was stopped.
"What the hell!?" Yosuke shouted. "So now there's other Persona users!?"
"Just let him talk Yosuke." Seta told him, turning back to Teddie. "Explain what you know, we won't interrupt."
"Thanks." Teddie sighed. "So, the Dark Hour was a period of time lasting one hour between midnight and one minute past twelve in the morning, when everyone who didn't have a Persona or was on the right kind of drugs transmogrified into a coffin and had no idea that anything happened.
"Every night, a team of Persona users entered a tower called Tartarus and fought Shadows." Teddie continued. "They did this for ten years, until a young boy with Death sealed within him came and led them to victory against Nyx; an entity far stronger than Izanami was."
Yosuke opened his mouth to speak, but Seta hushed him. "The young boy gave his life to seal both Nyx and her consort Erebus away for eternity, and it'll stay that way until humans stop wishing for the end.
"Now, Arisoto sent someone to do his work- whoa, sensei!"
"Did you just say Arisoto?" Seta asked Teddie, grabbing him by his collar with both hands and dragging him across the bar.
"Yeah, Minato Arisoto!" Teddie explained. "He was the one who sealed Nyx and died on January thirty-first, 2010!!"
"March actually." Seta replied, dropping Teddie. "Sorry, must be the wrong guy…"
"No, he died in January." Teddie continued with shame. "His Shadow controlled the body for a month or so after that…"
"Uh, hey, what about not interrupting?" Yosuke asked as Seta backed into the bar shelves. "I mean, this is a lot to take in, but-"
"Minato Arisoto is Naoto's brother, and is the reason I gained the Wild Card and went into bartending." Seta explained.
"Alright, Teddie, why the hell didn't you tell us this sooner?" Yosuke asked.
"And for that matter, you haven't said 'Kuma' lately either." Seta pointed out. "Or made any 'unbearable' jokes."
Teddie growled. "Look, I'm a Shadow like him too, alright!?" He snapped. "But that's not what's important right now!"
Yosuke sighed. "Alright, carry on Teddie." He said.
"Alright." Teddie rustled. "So, this thing is kinda similar, but it has some different rules."
"Like what?" Seta asked him.
"I don't know…" Teddie admitted. "This has never happened before…"
=] 0 [=
In the dark prison cell, the all-encompassing tally scratchings on the walls had rearranged themselves to form two words, repeating themselves all over again as they oozed black ichor from the concrete walls.
The prisoner within stood to his feet as he heard footsteps echo off the steel floors of the prison, and approached the door to see who was there.
Once he saw his visitor, Tohru Adachi chuckled in the darkness of his cell. "And so it begins…"
-}+{-
So… see you all in two years then.