Hiya again! Alright, I've got some stuff to answer for. I thought I'd be able to update this summer, but I've generally screwed over my schedule so bad that timing's been a real issue. This story won't be abandoned, but it might take me a while to figure out a steady upload rate, so please, bear with me for some time.

Also, as of the fifteenth of September 2019, I've finally finished cleaning up and rewriting the previously uploaded chapters! There have been some changes to the plot, so I'd recommend re-reading, just to ensure that you aren't confused by part of the future story. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I do feel that I'm a lot more comfortable with the flow of the story as it is now.

That's about it from me. Enjoy!

A Development

~ Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 08:00 ~

"Hey." Takeba clicked her fingers in front of Naoto's nose. Naoto jerked away from the noise, staring in surprise at Takeba before he collected himself.

"Is there something I can help you with?" He asked, straightening his cap. Takeba shook her head, maintaining her concerned expression.

"It's just… you seem distracted. You haven't said anything since we left the dorm, and you keep getting this far-off look in your eyes, and you didn't respond the last few times I talked to you, and…" Takeba paused, smiling ruefully. "I'm rambling. My point was, you don't really seem as put together as you usually are. Is everything okay?"

"I'm quite alright, thank you, if a little tired. It's just taking me a while to adapt to school life." Naoto used the convenient excuse that Kurosawa had unknowingly provided him with yesterday instead of trying to come up with something else, giving Takeba a (hopefully) convincing smile. Well, it's not entirely a lie. Being at school is certainly different from life when I'm travelling with Grampa.

"Oh, right, I gotcha." Takeba said understandingly, leaving Naoto be and returning to looking out of the train window. Naoto slipped the handle of his briefcase over his wrist, using his freed hand to tug distractedly at a lock of hair.

I should expect something supernatural to happen in the next few days. I wonder, will it have something to do with Iwatodai Dormitory, or will it be something entirely different? Whatever it is, it's related to Tarot in some way, and it has something to do with someone called Lady Fortune and someone called Philemon. Investing in a tarot deck and book might be useful.

"This is our stop." Takeba took Naoto's shoulder, guiding him out of the train when it shuddered to a stop. Naoto shrugged the hand off, walking on his own, but as her hand brushed over the skin on his neck, a foreign thought – not his, definitely not his – pulsed through his mind.

Lovers.

Naoto stumbled as his train of thought was forcibly halted, and Takeba immediately grabbed his arm, steadying him.

Lovers. Another Arcana. Is it referring to her? That would mean Takeba is represented by the Lovers Arcana in the same way Officer Kurosawa is represented by the Hierophant, and Grampa is by Temperance.

"Woah, Naoto. Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you. I must have caught my foot in the doorway of the train." Naoto pried Takeba's fingers off his sleeve, and the heavy, insistent thought (memory? It was like he'd known it before, and yet, he didn't know exactly what it was he thought he knew) flashed again.

Lovers.

This time he managed to keep his balance, but still froze up mid-step. I feel an Arcana when I touch someone, then. Not through clothes, skin to skin contact is required - Takeba grabbed my sleeve and nothing happened. I didn't get anything from shaking Arisato's hand yesterday, so whatever happened in the Velvet Room last night – Alexis giving me the Wheel of Fortune? Igor letting me read my contract? – must have caused this.

Takeba caught up to him, Arisato trailing behind her. Naoto ignored her mindless chatter as they walked up to the school.

Perhaps this is important information, but it would be irritating for my thought process to stop every time I touch someone. Since it happened both times I touched Takeba, that's likely the case. When she touched my clothes, however, I didn't hear anything. If I wear gloves and cover as much skin as possible…

~ Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 15:30 ~

"…two hundred words on a character of your choice from 'Akuma', explaining how Zenzou Kasai effectively uses literary techniques to develop the character and make them interesting. I want that on my desk by next Monday!" Toriumi called, voice drowned out by the ringing of the bell. The students chattered over her futile attempts, forming loose groups and wandering out of the classroom in waves.

Naoto took note of the homework, sitting at his desk and waiting for the classroom to empty somewhat before he started clearing his desk. Takeba had been one of the first students out of the doors, quickly mentioning that the Chairman was coming over to meet Arisato tonight as she passed their desk on the way out.

Arisato had given her an impassive shrug, not trying to pack away his books until Takeba had left and Naoto started moving. Naoto nudged Arisato's book over to his side of the desk, accidentally brushing his hand against Arisato's as he did so. He stiffened as a word surfaced in his mind, far more loudly than Takeba's Arcana.

Fool.

The first tarot, number "zero" or "twenty-two". Representing the start of a journey, innocence and new beginnings. Maybe being at Gekkoukan is a new start for him?

Naoto rubbed his knuckles, alleviating the tingling sensation over his skin. Arisato watched him passively, tidying away his books. Naoto gave Arisato a questioning look as they packed up together, but, as Naoto was coming to understand was the usual, Arisato offered him no explanation. Arisato followed him out of school and down the walkway.

"Do you have any purpose for coming with me?" Naoto eventually asked when they turned the corner onto the strip mall.

"Felt like it." Arisato signed. He gave no further clarification, opting to clip on his headphones and hook his thumbs in his pockets as he walked. Naoto rolled his eyes, deciding not to change his plans to start internally mapping out Tatsumi Port Island. They continued without talking, Arisato sneaking a glance at Naoto every so often, facing ahead before Naoto could call him out on it.

It was rather frustrating, to have someone who clearly had a personality underneath his uncaring façade but simply wouldn't respond or give any way for Naoto to understand him. Arisato didn't even display any obvious body language for him to read other than an occasional frown and a general tendency to shy away from physical contact.

Naoto paused in front of a run-down clothing shop, remembering his idea from the train. "Excuse me for a moment." He left Arisato outside and headed in. The shop advertised evening wear, so if he wasn't mistaken…

In the corner, a small rack of accessories stood at a tilting angle, the white paint on the rack chipping away to reveal dull metal. He picked up a pair of thin, black cotton gloves from it and tried them on, flexing his fingers and rolling his wrists. They seemed flexible enough that they wouldn't impede his movement. Naoto paid for them and pulled them on again as he and Arisato started walking again. Arisato gave him a mildly curious look yet made no effort to ask about the gloves.

~ Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 18:00 ~

"Oh, they're back." Takeba looked up at the door from the couch she was seated on. Ikutsuki stood, smiling pleasantly.

"So, this is our new guest!" Ikutsuki stood, shaking Arisato's hand. "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. 'Ikutsuki'… Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes..."

Naoto resisted the urge to groan from sheer second-hand embarrassment. Ikutsuki trailed off, apparently realising the distasteful content of his introduction in this context as he rambled his way through the rest of his spiel and finally, defeatedly, gesturing to the sofa.

"Please, have a seat."

Arisato slouched back into the couch, the tense shape of his shoulders not dropping despite the relaxed position. Naoto shifted his bag to the other hand and stretched the stiff fingers, heading for the stairs. If Ikutsuki wanted me in the room, he'd say it. Perhaps it's better if I get started on some homework.

"I'm on cooking duty tonight. I'm making a veggie curry – that okay with you?" Takeba called after him, still seated on the sofa.

"That would be much appreciated."

"Cool. I'll be done at seven, so come down early if you want your food when it's hot!"

Naoto offered no more than a polite nod, staying away from the creaky side of the stairs. He took care to step lightly even with his heavy boots, trying his best to avoid unnecessary noise they tended to make. .

Grampa had told him time and again to stay as quiet as possible in unfamiliar areas with potential threats. He wasn't sure if it applied here, but it was a good lesson to keep in mind – just in case.

~ Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 11:57 ~

"So, how're they doing?" Ikutsuki asked, leaning over to get a better look at the screens. Kirijo and Takeba stood, moving over to let Ikutsuki see.

"Arisato went to bed a little while ago. He's asleep now. Shirogane has done the same. Mr. Chairman, do you think they're...?" Kirijo trailed off, glancing back at the monitors.

"Well, let's wait and see for now. ...The Dark Hour is approaching."

The light cut out moments later, then flickered back with an eerie green glow. The screens displaying each of the boys' rooms turned back on.

"Arisato is still asleep, no changes." Kirijo reported, logging the results and turning back to the Chairman.

"He hasn't been preyed on yet and he's clearly experiencing the Dark Hour, so we can assume he has the potential." Ikutsuki nodded. "What about Naoto?"

Takeba rolled her chair away, giving the other two a clear look at the screen. "Um, Ikutsuki-san? Do you know what this is?"

Ikutsuki stared at the display. Naoto was lying on his bed, clearly asleep, but that wasn't the interesting part. No, what was strange was that the coffin he was lying in was open. The lid of the coffin was propped against the side.

Inside the coffin, Naoto mumbled unhappily, rolling over and pushing at the dark walls. He looked asleep, but that didn't stop the distressed noises he continued to make. If anything, he seemed to grow more and more agitated, stretching up and thrashing as though in the grips of a nightmare. The coffin flickered as Naoto struggled.

"I've never seen anything like this." Ikutsuki said, reaching out and touching the monitor. "He made his way to the dormitory during the Dark Hour, like Minato, but he's not entirely unaffected by it. How strange."

A blonde woman sat down on the bed, and Takeba did a double take. "She wasn't there before, right? Is she actually in Naoto's room?" She got up, about to run down and forcibly get the woman away from their newest dormmate, but Kirijo grabbed her arm.

"Wait."

"Wait?! There's someone we don't know in Naoto's room, and it's the Dark Hour! He could be in danger-"

"Takeba! Look at her."

The woman carefully brushed away the hair covering Naoto's face. Naoto made a contented noise, going lax as the woman laid her hands on either side of his head. The coffin disappeared entirely. The woman smiled as Naoto rolled into his duvet with a sleepy murmur, before she shut her eyes and vanished.

"She… Who is she? She got rid of Naoto's coffin, and he looks fine now."

"A Persona, perhaps?" Ikutsuki speculated, motioning for Kirijo to continue scribbling down their observations. "I've never seen anything of the sort… In any case, continue to monitor the two of them for the next few days. Maybe that will give us some insight into these peculiarities."

Takeba sighed, casting her gaze down. "I feel kinda bad, though, spying on them like this…"

~ ?, ? ??, ? ?:? ~

"Morning!" Alexis chirped from her seat on the desk.

"Hello, Alexis-san." Naoto said as he blinked awake, peering around Alexis. "Igor isn't here?"

"He's doing the introductions for a couple of other Guests tonight. We can go check in with him in a minute, but…" Alexis bit her lip, frowning. "I need to tell you; you shouldn't wear the gloves. It's risky to not learn to control your powers as they develop, especially given how volatile the Wheel can be. I'm sure you won't have problems with it if you give yourself some time to get used to them."

"About that. Am I correct in assuming that the tarot card I hear is representative of the person?"

"Pretty quick of you to pick up on that!" Alexis grinned, jumping off the table. "Yup, same as the bonds you've started making. As time goes on, I'm sure your calling to the Arcana will get stronger and easier to manage, but don't worry about that for the time being. Anyway, the reason I called you here isn't because of Igor."

"It wasn't because of Igor?" Naoto repeated curiously. "I was under the impression that you took orders from him." After all, Alexis hadn't given Naoto more information at Igor's apparent instruction last night.

"Yeah, I do, but it's not like they're absolute. I'm not one of his or Philemon's, I'm Lady Fortune's."

Naoto raised an eyebrow questioningly at the distinction. "And that means…?"

"Eh, later. We gotta stop in before Theo's guest leaves. Since you've already met her, you can go to her Velvet Room. Lady Fortune is really insistent on you knowing her. " Alexis grabbed Naoto's wrist, yanking him to his feet. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Wait one moment, Alexis-san." Naoto pulled himself free from Alexis' strong grip, letting his mind catch up to the torrent of information. "I've met someone else… who's a guest of the Velvet Room?"

"Yeah. Most guests don't ever leave their own Velvet Room, though, you're a special case. Don't talk to her until she addresses you, okay? Igor doesn't like being interrupted." Alexis rolled her eyes, tugging Naoto to the door. The ebony had a different feel to it than everything else in the Velvet Room. It was the only thing that had changed from his memory of his Father's study, which had a simple oak door, not an engraved door like this. Alexis turned the brass knob, shouldering open the door which led into… an elevator?

"That's her, there." Alexis whispered exaggeratedly, pointing to a girl sitting on a metal chair. She had auburn hair and wore a pair of earphones, with the wire of one earphone looped over her ear and the other dangling loose. The odd sense of déjà vu Naoto had been hit with suddenly made sense.

"I met her in a dream. What do you mean, she's a Velvet Room guest? Well, I do suppose I'm dreaming now. Was that dream a vision into a different place? Takeba and Kirijo were there too, though, so…" Naoto went silent, mulling over the possibilities as he looked around the room, randomly taking notice of certain aspects.

The room was painted in the same shades of blue that his Velvet Room was (and the distinction between different guests' Velvet Rooms seemed important to Alexis, so they must have some insight into the strange world he was becoming a part of) and had a similar kind of desk with an armchair where Igor was sitting in the middle of the room. The back of the chair the girl was sitting on was shaped like a lyre.

Metal bars let cobalt light flash into the room as the elevator rose. Other than the desk, the room was fairly empty, and Naoto couldn't see anything outside the elevator. He turned his attention to Igor, listening as he told the girl about a place between dream and reality, mind and –

This sounded familiar. Igor recited a similar spiel to the one he'd given Naoto on the first night – honing her ability, abiding by the contract and taking responsibility for her decisions. I thought myself to be the only one with access to the Velvet Room and powers, but that doesn't appear to be so.

It was almost disappointing to know he wasn't quite as special as he thought, but Naoto quashed that uncomfortable thought immediately. The more people that are like this, the more information I can gather. This is not something to be jealous over. Caught up in his thoughts, Naoto missed the girl's curious glance.

"Those two over there, who are they? Are they part of this schtick you've got going on here?" Her voice was higher than he remembered, somehow both calming and cheerful all at once. Naoto hesitated, unsure whether he was supposed to respond or not.

"Alexis is an Attendee – you'll meet your own attendee shortly, but he is busy tonight. You may think of the boy beside her as another guest, if you will. Not of your world, but of a similar one. It would be beneficial for you learn about each other." Igor answered for him.

"Okay? Wait – you're the kid I saw on my first night! No-one knew what I was talking about when I asked them the next morning, though, what's up with that?"

"In all honesty, I thought I was dreaming when I first met you." Naoto muttered, not quite focused on the conversation enough to consider his phrasing. The girl giggled.

"Aw, I'm flattered, but you're kinda young for me-"

"No!" Naoto yelped, his cheeks going red from the implication despite the playful tone. "I meant, um, I had gone to sleep and dreamed it. I never left my bed – or at least, I don't think I did."

The girl tilted her head. "That's funky… uh, what should I call you?"

"My name is Naoto Shirogane. I may be thirteen, but I'm currently attending second year of high school."

"Huh, same as me – I just started second year. I'm Minako Arisato, but I don't really mind if you call me Minako. Nice to meet you, Naoto-kun!"

"Arisato?" Naoto recognised. "Strange. There's a boy under the same name transferring-

"And that's where I cut in! C'mon, Naoto, we gotta go." Alexis grinned, winking at Naoto. Igor gave her a look (despite the ever-present grin, Naoto got the distinct feeling that he was annoyed by Alexis), but Naoto had already picked up on the hint Alexis was giving him.

"…I see. Goodnight, Arisato– um, Minako-senpai. I hope we meet again."

"Same here. Bye, Naoto-kun."

Minako waved them out as Alexis dragged Naoto back out of the door, into Naoto's own Velvet Room. Naoto rounded on her the moment they got inside.

"What was that about?" Naoto asked, frowning. "Am I not allowed to mention Minato Arisato to her? Why not? And, on that topic, what's with those two? They've similar names, they're both starting second year at Gekkoukan, I saw her arriving at dorm the same night that… Arisato…"

He trailed off, pieces of the puzzle slotting together in the most improbable, wonderful way. "Minato Arisato's sister died in a car crash along with his parents. Minako said that no-one knew of me when she asked, I saw her with Kirijo and Takeba, and Igor mentioned something about similar worlds. Alexis…"

Naoto turned to Alexis; eyes wide with all the possibilities running through his mind. "Is Minako from a parallel universe?"

Alexis practically lit up with delight.

"You got it! But, also, uh… no?" Alexis slowed down, pressing a finger to her lip thoughtfully. "As far as I know, there are only a few realities that exist alongside yours, and that's really only because-"

Alexis' mouth continued to move, but no sound came from it. She stopped, scowling.

"I'm not allowed to give you that information right now. Apparently, you can't know that yet; nonsense, honestly, because you're the Rewriter, and you–" The same thing happened, silencing her, and Alexis shrugged helplessly.

"Can't say anything in this damn room, honestly. Keep going with your train of thought, though, you're on the right tracks."

It was frustrating to be so close to getting potentially useful information (like why all this was happening to him, for one), but Naoto allowed the subject to pass. "You mentioned that Igor was welcoming a couple of guests tonight. If Minako is one, and she's from and different reality, is Minato the other?"

"I'm not allowed to give away the identities of Velvet Room Guests," Alexis droned, as though reciting a pre-set line, then grinned at Naoto, "but if I were, I'd say you're right on the money. Don't mention it to him until you meet him in the Velvet Room, though, okay?"

"I… understand. Is there anything else I should consider-"

"Just try to keep building your Social Links – bonds – friendships – whatever you wanna call them, I'm not uptight like Margaret – okay? That should be enough to keep you on the upcycle of the Wheel for the next couple of days." She sighed, running a hand through her already mussed hair.

"I'll be sure to do that. You wouldn't be able to tell me why I should do that yet, would you?" Naoto tried, grimacing when Alexis shook her head. "Worth a try, I suppose. You mentioned a Theo? Does he play the same role to Minako as you do to me?"

"Ace in one. I'm not like them, though. I wasn't created for a Fool." Alexis' eyes fixed mindlessly on the bookshelf, seemingly unaware of what she'd just said. She's not normal, even in this supernatural world?

"You don't like Minako?"

"No! No, I'm not calling the Guests idiots – I mean Fool, like the Arcana. You know? Same as Minako and Minato, same as Igor and Philemon. The Attendees were all created by Igor and I was created by Lady Fortune. The Attendees are nice enough, but…" Alexis waved her hands vaguely.

"They don't trust me like they trust each other. It just gets kinda lonely, I guess. But," She smiled, but the corners of her eyes didn't crinkle, "it's okay. They're made to be together, and I'm… not. That's how it is."

Something in Naoto's chest tightened. Listening to Alexis resign herself to being alone was uncomfortable, but he didn't quite know what to say to alleviate the tension. "…I apologise for being intrusive." Naoto said instead, turning his face away as he twisted his fingers awkwardly. Alexis sighed again.

"'S alright. I've got a purpose to fulfil, after all, so it's not all bad."

Naoto tilted his head questioningly. Alexis hummed, looking up and leaning against the wall beside him.

"I've got to look after you."

I'm still messing around with my upload schedule, but I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. I'm also currently on the look-out for a beta reader with previous experience, so I can get these chapters to you faster.

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.

Thanks for reading!