Author's Notes: Yeah, not very fast update once again, sorry about that.

Chapter 6 Recruitment

Sunday, 22.3.2009

Gekkoukan Female Dormitory, Hakuno's POV

Today had gone slowly. The atmosphere was actually reminiscent of the fighting days of Grail War, with everything I did being overshadowed by the anticipation of the evenings events. I saw Rio before midday and we chatted a bit about the new training regime she was planning for the tennis club, but besides that I just found myself either pacing around my room or wandering the dorm and its vicinity. I tried going for a walk, but every time I took any reasonable distance from the dorm, I found myself getting agitated over getting back in time. Even if I had literally hours and hours before Mitsuru would show up.

Waiting had been so much easier when you were physically confined to the schoolgrounds.

Still, I eventually found myself casually strolling through the dorm lobby, trying to casually eye up Yukari Takeba. She is wearing a pink sweater with a large red ribbon around her neck and a black miniskirt, knee socks and boots. Her pink winter coat and other gear from the trip lie next to her as she seems to have all but collapsed on the lobby's couch, though it doesn't seem to be because she is tired.

I'm tempted to stop and talk to her actually. Maybe its because of all the other parallels I've been noting in my mind, but it feels a bit alien that I haven't talked to her even with all the information I have about her.

But somehow, I also feel like I shouldn't interrupt her now. Introspection, if that is what she is doing, is a very personal experience, so a stranger like myself shouldn't butt in when she is in the middle of it. Back in Moon Cell I spent many late evening wondering about myself, especially after the revelation that the person known as Hakuno Kishinami was "dead".

So, I keep walking past her and do a small trip down the street while rehashing some of the happier memories about my first weeks of existence, before returning back to my room in anticipation of Mitsuru's arrival later in the evening.

Yukari Takeba was still in deep thought.

The meeting with the dorm mother was, simply put, boring. Mainly because of the knowledge that I wouldn't be staying here, no matter what she offered. It had made me feel a bit bad, as she seemed to be very genuine in her efforts to make the dorm a good place for me to live.

Mitsuru had not had that problem, causing her to come off a bit blunt during the discussion. Still, the dorm mother didn't seem to hold it against her and was very amiable to the very end, even expressing her concern over Mitsuru leaving for the Iwatodai Dorm this late at night without escort. It too, of course, had been unneeded as Mitsuru hadn't left for Iwatodai Dorm but for my temporary residence in the third floor, where I had then joined her a little later after thanking the dorm mother for her consideration during the last few days.

Once secure in my room, we set up for a long evening waiting for the Dark Hour to come up: I take up a lounging position on the bed while Mitsuru settles down on the chair in front of the work desk. She then proceeds to pull up a notebook of some sort from her purse and huddle over it. In a more professional setting, like an office or something, it might have made me uncomfortable, with me just lying here and her working on something in silence.

But we weren't in an office now. We were in my (temporary) room, on my home field. In a similar place I have discussed anything, bared my heart about killing my friends and glanced around uncomfortably when Saber talked about wrestling lions while naked!

In short, I was confident in my ability to pull out a decent conversation out of the young Kirijo heiress so that I could begin to understand her more as a person. And maybe get her to understand me too.

"What are you working on?" I opened neutrally. Mitsuru seems surprised that I initiated conversation, but answers quickly:

"Just organizing some timetables for the future in case Takeba does have the Potential."

"You do not sound very sure about that," I note.

"I have been doing this literally for years and have only met two Persona users," she gives me a look and I nod in confirmation that I know of Shinjiro Aragaki, "well, you know the rest. Still, better to have plans ready and not need them than not have them while in need."

"Indeed," I nod in confirmation, "and that must be frustrating too. Doing all those plans and then not needing most of them."

"Yes, does feel a bit wasted effort but when it pays off it makes things so much easier."

"Still, don't let it get to you," I smiled encouragingly, "so what kind of training? She was a member of the school's Archery Club, right?"

"Yes, I suspect her skills can, with a little training, translate to destroying Shadows too. With me and Akihiko taking the front line and you the medium range, we'll be prepared for all ranges."

"Indeed, from medium range I can move to support others freely," I nod in understanding, "still, it is a very much different thing to shoot moving targets that try to kill you back."

"I know. But according to our analysists she should be able adapt without too much difficulty."

"Some people are like that" Was I one of them? I can't help but think of my first week in the Grail War. How much of it was just letting myself be led by Saber. Until Shinji, my first real kill. Luckily the S.E.E.S. shouldn't be running into anything like that, the Shadows were more like Enemy Programs; bestial creatures of instinct. Killing them was easier.

"Akihiko is one," Mitsuru agreed, and I gave her a look.

"And you?"

"I have to be." She answers without hesitation.

"Because you are the Kirijo heiress?" I guess based on the other heir I know, though Leo was a high standard to hold anyone into.

"Yes." It was minimal, but I'm sure she hesitated a little there. I don't think now's the good time to pester her about it, but I noted it down for the future.

"Hmm. And I am not given much of a choice." I add my two cents. It was also a truth, no matter where I would end up on the scale if given the chance to choose.

"You are an ASSW," Mitsuru commented.

"But I am also my own Person. True, fighting is something I can do well, but I would rather let it not define me." I wasn't sure that articulated my meaning completely, but it seemed to spark some thoughts in the young woman.

I then excused myself, explaining to Mitsuru that a new friend of mine that lived across the hallway had sent me the text message and wanted to talk to me face-to-face about it. I shouldn't use Rio like this, but it's the only option, not like I can say I have to go to the bathroom. I then slip into the bathroom and pull out the half-finished smoke I had looted from the bus stop as well as a lighter I had picked up on one of my walks outside. The bathroom is surprisingly small for something that's meant to be used by at least eight people several times a day. Good thing it doesn't also house the showers for this floor, or it would cause an ungodly jam every morning! Still, the room had certain used feeling to it that came with age. Quite different from the brand new high-quality stuff in the Iwatodai Dorm. Kirijo Group really sunk money into that place, even when discarding the secret base fortifications.

Moving quickly, I lit the smoke and strategically set in onto the toilet seat, so that the ashes and hopefully eventually the stump itself fall into the toilet bowl and not on the flammable carpet. I considered taking a whiff from the smoke myself to create more cigarette smoke for the smoke detectors but decided not to, as Mitsuru might notice the smell once I return to the room.

Then, with my timer completed, I return to my room to certify my alibi.

Mitsuru doesn't seem to have gotten bored in my absence, though the timetable she's working on doesn't seem close completion for a while yet. I think I succeeded in giving her something new to think about. With a faint smile on my face, I again settle on the bed with my hands behind my head. Now I just have to wait.

It doesn't take long for the smoke alarm to start blaring, startling us both from our respective fugues. I pretend being a little confused at the alarm, before we exited the room and Mitsuru started knocking on the doors to make sure people were leaving. I couldn't help but throw a guilty glance in the direction of the restroom, but then I joined her in knocking on the doors and making sure people got out in good order and to the dorm's evacuation point at the other side of the street. Eventually, Mitsuru and I joined them there amongst the last residents.

I kept it off my face, but as I looked at the people, some in just their pyjamas with winter jackets thrown over them, the guilty feeling from before grew stronger.

Then the feeling took backseat as Mitsuru checked her watch and then grabbed my wrist to pull me clear of the crowd before the Dark Hour started. I let her steer me while I scanned the crowd for Yukari: her pink winter coat, clearly chosen more over fashion than functionality, made her stand out in the crowd. And then the world seemed to freeze, as if time had stopped and to many it had as the Dark Hour emerged.

My brief talks with the few functional people during the Dark Hour, as well as the few reports I had gotten my hands on, all mentioned that upon entering the Dark Hour people tended to feel this pressure against them. Like being underwater and that being active, especially using ones Persona tended to tire them out quickly. A flaw that could be mitigated through experience.

I never really felt this. Maybe it was the robotic nature of my body, after all I had already established that its normal senses weren't on par with the real thing. Or maybe I had just gotten used to the feeling of pressure at the Lunar Seas of Moon Cell. Especially during those last moments. To me, the Dark Hour was just a hostile reality marble, although that also raised the question of what caused it? Was there an equivalent of Moon Cell's .PH, or some sort of super Shadow that just flared its reality marble once a day? There really was no way for me to know.

Anyway to me and Mitsuru the emergence of Dark Hour was nothing special, even with the obvious changes. Same could not be said for the apparent first timer Yukari, judging by the scream that soon rose from between the upturned coffins. I sprint out immediately, finding to my slight surprise that Mitsuru too had had the same reaction.

"Calm down! You are not in danger!" Mitsuru yells as we reach the crowd. The coffins are packed so tight, forming a solid wall between us and Takeba. I shove one experimentally and feel shift a little.

"Its hard to get a hold from the smooth surface but I should be able move these," I inform Mitsuru, who raises her hand in a stopping motion.

"Lets not scare her further," she whispers before raising her voice, "Take deep breaths! Everything's fine!" She's probably right. If we started to suddenly make our way through she might panic and start knocking down coffins. What would that even be like for the people in the coffins? They're supposed to be quite sturdy so they probably wouldn't break but once the Hour is over, but the people who were standing at the start of the Hour would be confused to be suddenly lying down.

Mitsuru keeps up the reassuring words for a while, before announcing that we will begin moving the coffins. And in a true leader fashion by saying we, she meant me and Akihiko who had made his way to us from his lookout nearby while Mitsuru was talking. I could feel Saber, her presence in my mind stronger at this time of night, disapprove but it only made sense that we "buff" members of the team did the heavy lifting.

We fumble a bit at first, fingers trying to find purchase on the smooth red surfaces before we just decide to grab the diagonally opposed corners of the coffins and use those as grips. If my hands were flesh and blood, I'm sure it would have been very unpleasant to push my hands against the almost sharp edges of the coffins, but since I wasn't and Akihiko was wearing gloves, we managed without too much discomfort.

We had to move several coffins until Yukari made her own exit by somehow knocking down the last coffin between us and her. I don't think she is taking this well, whether it's the Dark Hour's effects or having everyone around her suddenly turn into coffins, but her face is pale and her is breathing is rapid.

"Ssshh. Everything's fine Takeba; we are here to help. Take deep breaths," Mitsuru keeps up the calming monologue. As I no longer have anything to do, I'm starting to feel self-conscious about my lack of helping and more than a little guilty from basically being the reason for this scene. However, since Mitsuru apparently knows what she is doing I just slink to the side with Akihiko, while Mitsuru starts to slowly talk Yukari through some sort of breathing exercise.

"She's prepared for everything, huh?" I try to set a little small talk with Akihiko while we wait.

"She has that habit," Akihiko nods with a small smile, "besides, we've had time to come up with different scenarios, panic attacks among them, though surprises do happen. Speaking of which…?" he then adds with a questioning look.

"The fire alarm started ringing. We helped with the evacuation of the building, though we didn't spot any smoke", I don't exactly lie to his face and then add: "how will the Dark Hour affect fire though? I know water and electricity are different."

"It shouldn't be a problem. I think the flame keeps burning but it doesn't consume or spread during the Dark Hour," Akihiko tries to reassure me, though the new information is appreciated and quickly added to the Information Matrix. I wonder why it wasn't included in the original files I got?

From there, an awkward silence ensues. Akihiko fidgets, the energetic boy would probably have preferred something more active. Not that I was in position to call him out on it, as I am feeling fidgety myself, though from a different reason. For a second I consider summoning Saber so I could take comfort from the familiar presence, but obviously that wouldn't be a very good idea now. Still, the thought was enough to bring Saber's comforting presence to the forefront of my mind.

Luckily, Yukari seems to be recovering fast and is soon on her feet with us, though still throwing nervous glances at the congregation of coffins at the evacuation area. Ah, she must be worried about her friends, I realize just as Mitsuru voices the same thought:

"Do not worry, the transmogrification is only temporary. In fact, judging by your reaction you too were in that state just 25 hours ago."

"I… thanks. How do you know this? You are Mitsuru Kirijo, right? I've seen you at school," Yukari answers and then looks at Akihiko and me, "and you are Akihiko Sanada, the ace of the school's boxing club. But you I don't remember."

"That's because she is only starting at Gekkoukan High next semester. Also, she is not actually human but a combat gynoid built by Kirijo Group," Mitsuru explains and at her urging I grudgingly remove my right fingertip to reveal the barrel and then roll up a sleeve to remove the magazine. This seems to trigger a suspicious reaction from her.

"A combat what? Why?"

"A gynoid. An artificial human," the admission still stung a little, "in this case, designed to fight monsters that roam the Dark Hour," Mitsuru clarifies.

"Dark Hour being this what we are experiencing right now," Akihiko quips, "basically, an extra hour only certain people can experience. And for a good reason."

What proceeded was a beginners guide to the Dark Hour, with a good excuse for me to summon Saber as an example of a Persona. Yukari herself seemed a bit overwhelmed for a while during the explanations but seemed to get her resolve under control by the time when Mitsuru explained to her the unfortunate fate of the other ASSW's nearly ten years ago.

"So this Tartarus is the source of these Shadow things, which in turn spread the Apathy Syndrome that has been on the news lately?" Yukari asked while looking at the tower looming over the artificial island.

"Yes. We also suspect it to have relation to the Dark Hour itself, though it is impossible to tell for sure without more information," Mitsuru admitted.

"And you need more people with this Potential to join you for expeditions into it, because you lost the special resources you need to build more gynoids," Yukari said to herself and nodded resolutely, "this really seems important so count me in."

"We were hoping you'd say that," Mitsuru smiles at her and Akihiko cheers, "welcome to the S.E.E.S. We'll start organizing your transfer to the Iwatodai Dorm immediately after this Hour ends. You should also join the training sessions with Akihiko and Kishinami. We won't be going into Tartarus for a while though, so you have time to get used to everything." From there, we continued the conversation about the coming weeks agenda and other preparations towards it. Yukari didn't seem too happy about the idea of getting an Evoker, but the idea of a new bow made of secret Kirijo Group materials seemed to intrigue her.

Eventually the Dark Hour ended and, with some confusion from the people we had moved out of the way, the eventful day came to an end.