Chapter 8
He awakens to the soft sounds of a piano, followed by a slow hauntingly eerie yet beautiful sounding vocal melody ringing through a void of silence. He takes a moment for his eyes to adjust slowly removing the darkness and making out his surroundings. The atmosphere is cold which is odd considering he had been bundled up next to Kotone. Though, now that he thinks about it, he is sitting in a soft cushiony chair, and while it was comfortable it was a stark difference to what he had been expecting to find. He finally begins to gain focus and takes in this place.
He appears to be in some sort of elevator, a broken one at that. The dull grey metal floor beneath him is cold to the touch on his bare feet. He retracts from the cold and now traces the patterns on the wall leading up to the floor indicator, it looks like the elevator is at the highest possible floor judging by the arrow even though he can't make out the exact number. His vision stretches further and, in his view, emerges a small desk with it a strange looking but familiar man and another whom he didn't recognize who sported a head of white hair, yellow eyes and wore an all-blue uniform of some kind. The pointy nose and sleepless looking gaze were one he couldn't easily forget, and now he had a name for the man. Igor.
"Ah, you finally awaken I see. Good, good. We've much to discuss" Igor says with his ever-present smile, yet somehow for just a moment it appeared more genuine.
He tries to speak but barely anything comes out, he only managjng to squeak out a "What...?" though he wasn't sure if the man heard it, as in his haze he barely even heard it.
"I'm please to finally meet you, Shin Kanzato" he says with a small tilt of his head as if examining him "We've met once before, that time was very limited while here a little more is the most I can offer"
Shin tries to speak but again finds himself caught on some invisible force.
"Yes, I do know of you and I know you know me as well, but for the sake of peasantries my name is Igor and I would like to officially welcome you to The Velvet Room"
Wait... Velvet Room. That's the place Kotone had mentioned, this is good maybe he can get some more answers.
"You seem to be getting along quite nicely with our wild card and that is very pleasing to know. Now, usually only those of such a fate are allowed to enter this room but I have made an exception for you. You may not know it now but in due time you will come to realize that while your power and her's are different, yours is no less important possibly even more so"
Shin tries harder and finds himself tightening his grip on the chair unconsciously as he opens his mouth and speaks "You know Kotone, don't you?"
Igor holds his gaze to Shin and seems to widen his smile a bit "I do, I know much about her as well as you, and the reason you both have been brought together now"
"I want you to tell me more, about the wild card, about personas, please"
"The power you come to call persona is but a mask worn to protect its wearer from the dangers around, yet in its greatest purest form it is the true self. Normally one only possesses one true self though in the case of the wild card they may draw from strength gained through forging bonds ones that cannot be broken and will allow one to draw power from the heart and soul of another who would lay down their life for them. Though sometimes things change"
Shin's eyes widen, a sudden alertness at the tone of Igor's voice taken a shift.
"Time passes and bonds may become lost with such time. Identities change and solidify with age, people let go of their true selves often due to losing the same mindset and heart that was present in their youth, they stop believing" he says with a solemn lowering of his gaze, his eyes falling closed in an expression that conveyed a hidden sadness behind the smile.
"What is the reason you mentioned?"
"A new journey, one you two will walk together. Though this will be the start of yours"
Shin frowned at that brief answer.
"In due time you will come to understand the reason, and everything will be made clear, our time here isn't without limitation and you still have much to learn for yourself"
Igor takes a hand and rubs his chin seeming to gaze outward in thought.
"You were offered here once again, though it would appear you were not quite ready yet. You are different from my usual guests but something similar lies within yourself" he looks back to Shin and gestures out his hand as if presenting an item "I wonder, what lies within your sea of souls..."
Shin feels a wave pass through his body sending a rushing yet comforting chill of air, a green glow emits from just in front of him and after it fades, he is met with the sight of his persona floating just above the ground, its blade resting in a downward slant standing almost at an attention before Igor.
"Ah, I can see it now. You hold a truth in your blade, cutting away falsehoods and stripping away fake identities leaving only one's true self behind. One can wear many masks, but their true self never lies far, and with fake masks one's true self can never be hidden for good no matter how many are used" Igor says his eyes seeming to take on a glint of amusement.
Shin's persona turns back into a green light and returns to his head, or heart, or... sea of souls he guesses. This is really confusing.
The second man began to smile a warm smile at Shin and turned to face Igor who gave a gentle wave of his hand seemingly indicating him to speak.
"My name is Theodore, though you may call me Theo if you like, and it's quite an honor to finally meet you" he says taking a bow to Shin. "I have been in charge of Kotone's guidance and while I have a moment here, I will answer any further concerns you may have"
Shin opens his mouth to speak but pauses, hesitance on his next words until he shakes his head and now raises a more composed look on his face.
"No, I won't ask anything about her past, she can tell me herself should she ever decide to"
Both gentleman in front of Shin seemed to radiate a look of pride.
"That is quite admirable of you, should your path have been different I'm sure you would have got a long quite nicely with the residents here. But as it stands, you only have so much time, is there anything else you want to know?"
"Why does Thanatos attack me?" he asks with a small frown forming at his face at the memories of each attack, and at the bad timing of the last... wait, what?
Shin shakes his head and tries to steady his breathing at the thought of that moment.
Theodore continues not seeming to notice Shin's inner turmoil, that or he chose to instead be merciful and not bring it up.
"Hmm, my best guess would be that a part of she is unable to shake still has a hold on her. I do apologize for not having a better response, it seems my understanding still needs some work"
Shin looks down, remembering how hard she had fought that first time to get control of her persona. It has to mean something, but it seems he won't get his answer now.
"Anything else?" Theodore asks, his tone holding only politeness and patience.
Shin furrows his brows thinking really hard.
"Your time in this room is coming to a swift end, you have time for one final question" Igor says placing his head to rest on his arms folded up on top of the desk.
Shin's gaze remains on the floor. One last question.
He raises his head to the two "Why Kotone?! Why me?!" he says standing up in a sudden shock, the realization of what is happening around him finally catching up to him and allowing him to make sense of the things he has heard, and now he grows frantic, his body shaking from a sudden chill.
Theodore raises a book that seemed to have appeared from nowhere and opens it to a random page.
"This is a tale of two, whose journeys are similar yet different" he opens it to show various strange looking entities that Shin can only guess are personas "One where past meets present, two worlds collide"
Theodore turns the book and closes it only for it to turn in a more familiar yet shocking sight to Shin, who gasps at seeing his parent's book "A Whale's Feather" in the hands of the man with yellow eyes.
"This is familiar to you? Is it not?" he asks Shin with the same kind smile from before though he didn't wait for a response "It's a story I have yet to know, and much like it this journey is something new that in fact not even the master of this realm has seen it before"
Igor nods his head in agreement "I have helped many like her and yet no journey is quite this same, this one truly catches my eye. Where one wild card falls, another rises to take their place. But, to answer your question it would seem that the answer lies within you both. That your pasts, present, and future are all connected in ways you have yet to realize"
Shin lets out a big breath of air and falls back into the fuzzy chair having become suddenly relaxed once again.
A loud ding sound can be heard as the door behind the two opens up unleashing a bright light.
"It is time for us to part ways, I am very honored to have met you. I agree you would have made a fine guest, but the time has come for you to reawaken to where you came from. Though one word of caution: beware the call of the whale" Igor says raising his head back out of his hands to sit a bit taller.
Before Shin could process what Igor said, his attention was turned to Theodore who spoke without missing a beat.
"It was a pleasure, a shame it has to end. I only ask of one thing, Shin"
"What is it?" Shin asks, tilting his head a bit in curiosity.
"Watch over Kotone, be there for her please" he says with his bright and kind smile.
Shin nods "I will"
"Farewell, you have already awakened" Igor's voice says trailing off into the void.
Shin's vision fades out and he is again brought into darkness.
Shin's eyes squint as they are met with an afternoon sun, he twisted to the side to avoid the brightness only to be met with an empty bed. Kotone is out to work, and he guesses he fell asleep after he got back to the house. Though, that experience didn't quite feel like a dream even though he is sure it must have been.
He stretches with a yawn and moves downstairs, seeing Jun sitting on the couch snacking on an apple and surprisingly he sees Ryo walk across the room dragging his coat on the way to hang it on the rack.
Shin rushes over to Ryo and says "Ryo? Where you were yesterday?"
Ryo brushes past Shin and hangs his coat keeping his gaze fixed ahead.
Shin pauses and says "Um, the event still went on. Kotone, Megumi, and Kanaru ended up becoming chiefs for the day, well half the day. But everyone wondered where you went" he drops his gaze to the floor.
"I had other matters to attend to" he says still looking ahead but turns slightly to catch Shin in a side glance "But I heard all about it the next day, they did very good" he says and walks out of the room and begins heading up stairs.
"Ryo!" Shin calls only to be stopped by Jun's quiet voice.
"Shin-niichan"
Shin turns to face Jun who motions him to sit by patting the seat next to him, Shin obliges and takes a seat with a sigh.
Jun takes another bite of his apple with a loud crunch before facing his brother and says "You have a lot of things troubling you"
Shin gapes at how Jun said it so calmly, no question in his voice as he knew he was simply stating a fact, one that made Shin feel slightly self-conscious about since he didn't think it was that obvious.
He nods silently.
"It's not good to keep all those things in, please talk to me"
Shin says nothing, only balling his hands into fists and tightening his grip on the cushion.
"About Ryo?"
"Yeah" he says and turns his head away at first only to feel Jun's gaze seem to look right though so he instead faces his brother to meet his eyes "I said somethings to him recently, maybe it wasn't the best thing to say but I was upset at how things have been" he relented.
"Did you mean them?"
"Well, most of it yeah. But, not the last part...I definitely didn't mean that"
"Then, don't you think he already knows that?"
"Huh?" Shin asks now tilting his head slowly, not understanding his younger brother's words.
"He's your older brother and always will be, words alone aren't going to change that and I know deep down he feels as guilty as you do"
Shin was left speechless looking to Jun with wide eyes as Jun simply looked ahead and took another bite of his apple.
"But, it's not just him is it. It's also about Kotone, right?" he says, a small smile reaching his lips.
Shin rubs the back of his head suddenly reminded of his earlier thought of him and Kotone on the beach, he feels a heat burn across his entire body but mostly his face. He tugs on his collar suddenly feeling a bit stuffy in his usual black turtleneck.
"You have feelings for her, don't you Shin?" Jun says his smile now gone as he looks on with a more composed and reserved expression that Shin was never good at reading.
"I..." he pauses and shakes his head before slouching in his seat hanging his head back over the couch "I don't know, maybe.... I know I feel something when I'm with her"
"You think too hard" Jun says with a small giggle.
"What do you mean?"
"You just said you feel something right? Then don't think too hard over the details, just go with how you feel. Does it feel right?"
Shin starts to slowly sit back up a thoughtful look taking over his defeated expression, a smile creeping onto his features not long after.
"Yeah, it does"
"Then you should talk to her about it when you're ready"
He nods, thinking about the time spent with her and now he just realizes how close they have been for so long as another wave of heat rises to his face, Jun tries his best to hide a snicker but wasn't quick enough.
"Um, w-what?"
"Nothing, it's just I only ever saw you look like that around Eiko-neechan"
"Jun!" Shin says, a look of surprise overtaking any past embarrassment.
Jun continues to snicker as Shin frowns, then he gets an idea and Jun suddenly freezes at his mischievous look.
Jun went to run but was too late as Shin once again pinned him down and started tickling him mercilessly. After it was over both brothers were laughing.
The two then hear two simultaneous rings and both pull out their phones to see a text from Megumi, wanting them to meet the others at The Bamboo.
They get dressed and rush out to the door, making it there as the sun starts to fall further indicating the arrival of the evening.
Kotone gave off a bright smile as she waved bye to some customers at her table and collected her tip, was had been a very generous one. So far things seemed to be working out better, she already had plenty money saved up and put to the side to offer Ryo as rent due to letting her stay despite the circumstances, as well as some set aside for Shin to repay his earlier generosity, and even some for her still. She even spotted something she would like to purchase, a small trinket really but it holds a greater value to her as it brings back old memories.
She passes by her boss who waves in kind to her as she begins to take off her apron.
"Oh, actually if you don't mind there's one more table for you tonight. They requested you actually" her boss says with a soft smile.
"Sure, how many is it?" Kotone asks, surprised by the thought of a request but decides it couldn't hurt.
"It's a party of five"
"I'm on it" she says and puts back on her apron to follow the instructions to the table.
She walks down the line of booths soon being able to make out the target table, and as she gets closer the figures begin to look familiar... wait.
"Surprise!" comes the excited voices of her friends.
Kotone beams a smile in kind, "This is a very nice surprise"
Megumi speaks up first "Thought we would come see you at work and talk about the big plan for this weekend, Shin mentioned you worked here and we thought it would be good to have everyone gathered" said boy lowered his gaze a bit and rubs his neck.
"Yeah, apparently some big news that none of us guys know about" Takuro says rubbing his afro "I asked but Megumi only would say 'wait, be patient' and-" he pauses as Megumi smacks him on the back of the head playfully.
"Aw come one Takuro, it's good news!" she says practically bouncing out of her seat and ignoring the halfhearted glare sent by the afroed boy "Right Kanaru?"
"Y-yes" she says with a small nod despite the small smile gracing her lips.
"Are you off now?" comes Jun's soft voice.
"Yeah, we don't want to keep you if you're still busy" Shin says in a slight rush.
Kotone's smile doesn't falter "I just got out, if none of you want anything to eat, we can go now"
The group of six walks back to the front and see Kotone's boss turn and raise a brow at the sight.
"It was my friends here to pick me up, I'll see you later" she says passing by her boss who bids her a goodnight and collects her apron.
They all walk down the empty pathway and finally Takuro is the first to break the silence.
"Come on, what's this big news already? I can understand being patient, but this is just cruel" he sighs while slouching his posture and lazily stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Megumi motions for Kotone and Kanaru to join her and they stand all together looking at the boys with expectant looks on their faces.
Megumi counts a one on her hand, Kotone a two, and Kanaru and three.
"We're going on a weekend beach trip!" the girls chorused, with Megumi and Kotone beaming smiles and Kanaru with smaller one and a bit of a flushed face.
The three boys pause all falling silent.
"Eh? What's wrong?" Megumi asks with a hand to her hip.
"We thought you would be more excited" Kotone asks with a head tilt.
The three continue to share looks amongst each other still not saying anything.
"It was a reward for us being chief for half the day... and we could invite others so, we um invited all of you" Kanaru spoke up.
Realization dawned on the three, as they let out a collective "ohh"
Kotone lets out a loud giggle "Did you guys really think we would say something like that if you weren't invited too?"
Megumi joined in the laughs and walks around to place an arm around both Jun and Takuro.
"We aren't that cruel Takuro" she says playfully.
Jun shifted a bit under Megumi's grip but quickly sighed and gave up realizing it was pointless.
Kotone and Kanaru walked over the others, Kanaru placing a gentle hand on Jun's shoulder and managing to guide him out of Megumi's tight grip and into her softer one and getting a mouthed 'thank you' from the youngest Kanzato to which she smiled at. Kotone leaned on Shin and hooked her arm through his as they all marched forward.
Eventually though the group started to break apart and head their separate ways. Megumi dragged Takuro back towards the dorms with Kanaru soon following after taking her hand off Jun's shoulder and smiling once more at him. Shin, Jun, and Kotone all moved towards the house, the light of the moon hanging above.
"Oh, can we stop for just a minute?" Kotone asks, catching the two brothers by surprise but they nod "I've been splitting up my money and saw something here that caught my eye" she says indicating a small thrift shop.
"I'll be back!" she says and rushes inside, the small chime of the bell sounding behind her.
She emerges back out with a small spin presenting her newest accessory. It looks like a small portable music player. It is cylindrical and has a tiny blue lit LED screen with two red earbuds all connected to the lanyard.
"I found this place one day and took a look around, the lady who owns the place was nice enough to hold it off to the side for me" she says smiling at the two, who soon smile back seeing her expression.
With the barrettes in her hair, and now a familiar pair of headphones resting on her neck, it all is really starting to remind her of before. Though surprisingly, this time it doesn't feel as painful to remember, it feels almost as if she is soon going to be able to think their names and see their faces again.
The trio walk back into the house, with Shin and Kotone telling a tired Jun goodnight as he retreats upstairs to his room.
Kotone spots Ryo's form in the kitchen and moves towards him without missing a beat. Shin goes to call after her but she soon is standing next to the eldest Kanzato.
"I have something to give you" Kotone says, her face calm yet determined.
Ryo says nothing but turns to face her. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out an envelope labeled 'Ryo' and presents it to him. He carefully examines it and merely raises a brow in question.
"It's rent, for this past time. I hope you see it as enough. You took me in and let me stay when you had every reason not to"
He takes the envelope and nods silently and closes his eyes, before handing it back to her.
"Don't worry about rent, you can stay as long as you need" he says then turns and walks away before she can question him further.
"Huh? Wonder where that came from?" Shin says having caught up to the two.
Kotone keeps her gaze to where Ryo stood and leans over and places the envelope up on the fridge.
Shin and Kotone move upstairs and into the room.
"Shin" Kotone says suddenly breaking the silence.
Shin tilts his head at her sudden serious tone "Yeah?"
She presents another envelope from her pocket with the name 'Shin' written on it.
"What is this?" he asks slowly.
"It's to repay you for before"
"Kotone... I told you that you didn't have to worry about it"
"I want you to have it" she says her determined gaze not faltering in the slightest.
He sighs, realizing she isn't going to quit and he takes the envelope and places it on his desk.
Shin sits down on the bed while Kotone remains standing and looking in the closet. He momentarily considers bringing up his experience with Igor and Theodore in The Velvet Room, though the thought quickly dies on his lips with her next inquiry.
"So, are you excited about the trip, Shin?"
"Oh, uh yeah that sounds good"
"We could all do with a nice time off to just have some fun" Kotone muses still with her head in the closet "And besides..."
He turns just in time to see her hop back out holding a hanger with her swim suit.
"I'll get a chance to wear this!" she beams holding it up to her body "And I'll get to see what you look like in a swim suit too" she says with a wink despite her reddening checks.
He lowers his head to try to fight the heat rushing to his own face.
She places the swim suit back down and flops down on the bed beside him and pulls him down with her.
"Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun, I can't wait" she says the weariness catching up to her as he feels her body start to go slacker.
He makes up his mind that now isn't the time to bring up anything persona related, she seems really happy and he doesn't want to do anything to dampen her mood. He has noticed whenever the topic of personas come up, she seems a bit more distant like her personality shifts. Right now, they just need some time away from it all, and that is what he will give her.
"Yeah"
She hugs him tight to her body resting her head on his chest right above where his heart is. He is sure she must be feeling the heavy thumps yet she doesn't seem disturbed by it rather she seems more at peace. He smiles and counts the beats from her heart and before he knows it, he is fast asleep.