1: Reunion, Part 1

Monday 3rd April 2014

I sighed. As much as I hated to admit it, life had gotten dull after Inaba.

I'd moved to Iwatodai soon afterwards. Finished school, moved on to university. Despite wanting to, I never had managed a reunion with the investigation team. Yosuke and Chie were still in Inaba, Yosuke helping run Junes, Chie had opened a dojo. They were doing well. I think they'd started dating... Though even they didn't seem clear on the situation. Naoto had quickly gone back to her detective work, swiftly solving several cases, and Rise to her career as an idol, becoming even more popular than she ever had been. Kanji was still in school, but getting on a lot better there. He had a tonne of new friends, especially after he had started to sell his crafts. Teddie was still hanging around in the TV world, making sure everything was fine there. I hadn't heard from him for the longest time.

I missed them.

My parents had made a promise that I wouldn't have to move again until I'd finished university. I didn't expect them to keep it. Despite this, I felt reluctant to make new friends, especially after being separated from my friends in Inaba.

So life was dull. I had no friends, and nothing to do.

But that day was different. It was my first day at University. Time to make a new start, new friends. I was looking forward to my first day.

08:13

I was staying at my parents' apartment, which meant I needed a short commute to get to university. I stared out of the monorail windows, looking at the gleaming city. I looked over to port island, to Gekkoukan high, and Paulownia Mall. I'd visited both of them, on that school trip.

I remembered the tour of the school, the lecture on Izanami and Izanagi, the weird hotel... And the king's game. That had been embarrassing. It all seemed so long ago now...

"Hello?"

I whipped my head around to find the source of the voice. It was a young woman, about my age, perhaps older. I felt like I knew her, for a second, but the feeling passed quickly.

"Oh, Sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to disturb you. It's just you reminded me of someone..."

There was an awkward pause. I wondered, for a moment, who she meant.

"Anyway," She continued. "Are you going to Iwatodai University too?"

I nodded.

"My name's Yukari Takeba."

I introduced myself. There was another long pause.

"Well, I hope I see you again sometime." She finished, walking over to a small group of about four women. I turned back to the window, and before I drifted into my daydreams again, I heard snatches of their conversation.

"Why did you talk to him, Yukari?"

"It's nothing, he just..."

"What is it?" A different voice to the first. It had an oddly mechanical tone to it.

"Does he not remind you of Minato, too?" Yukari asked.

I lost interest. My thoughts turned to better times.

I had to stop thinking that way.

16:05

The day passed by uneventfully. I passed the time getting to know the University grounds. I didn't run into Yukari again. I guessed she was in a different year. On the monorail back, I found I had received a text message from Naoto. I opened it, eager to hear from my friend.

Hello! I thought you ought to know I'm here in Iwatodai, pursuing a case. I wondered if you would like to meet later.

Also, I think you may be interested in my current case, as there are numerous similarities to two years ago. The body was found in a high place, and was completely unmarked, with no indication as to how the victim died. However, the event occurred almost exactly a year before Adachi's murders.

I am intrigued by the case, though the trail is increasingly hard to follow, due to the time passed since the incident. I have no suspects, few leads, and no witnesses. I am becoming increasingly worried I will not be able to solve this case.

Anyway, please get in contact.

Naoto.

That was worrying. Had Izanami given someone else powers earlier? Was there still a killer at large? Or was it just a coincidence? I needed to find out.

Immediately, I called her, but there was no answer.

I decided to try again tomorrow.

Tuesday 4th April 2014

That night, I had a dream. I was back in the Velvet Room.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room- Oh" Igor paused. "Well, this is intriguing. Never before has a guest entered into two separate contracts before. You are an interesting guest."

He paused, and chuckled. "This means that you are one of the few to see the changes in the Room."

I looked around the Room, and saw that it had changed. It was a simple blue room, though the walls were covered in mirrors. I couldn't see my reflection in any of the mirrors, though. I looked behind me, and saw a large staircase, stretching down into a misty abyss. I noticed that Margaret was missing.

Igor continued. "You see, the Velvet Room's appearance changes depending on the inhabitant, and the path they will travel along the contract. I wonder what this room could represent..."

I asked where Margaret was.

"Don't worry," He chuckled. "You'll be seeing her soon enough. After all, she looks after the Persona Compendium... Which I'm afraid is being stored away elsewhere at the moment. You will need to form a new compendium of personae. Perhaps it is the time gap... Or perhaps the new contract... I'm afraid I don't know. This is unprecedented, after all." He paused again. He was pausing a lot. He seemed not to know what was happening. Odd, because usually, Igor seemed completely informed. It had irritated me that he was never willing just to tell me what was going on. I'm sure he knew, after all. It seemed karmic to see him as puzzled as I usually was, but it was also unnerving.

"For whatever reason," he continued, "Your social links also seem to have been erased... You shall have to form new ones, I suppose." He chuckled again. "Perhaps your path will cross with hers..." He turned away from me, for a second. "In any case" He continued. "I look forward to seeing how your journey progresses. Goodbye, for now."

07:26

I awoke, alone in the house. I was used to that. My parents were around even less than Dojima had been, back in Inaba. I quickly rushed breakfast and left the house behind. I hated that house. There was never anyone in it, and it seemed cold. Artificial. It had no heart.

I hurried down to the monorail station, but in my rush, I'd arrived too early. I sat on a bench, waiting for it to arrive.

"Is this seat taken?" Drawled a bored-sounding voice next to me. He sat down before I had a chance to answer. I looked at him. He had long black hair, reaching all the way down the sides of his unnaturally pale face. His eyes were flickering, as if he were struggling to stay awake. His chin was rested on his fist. He seemed ill. He turned to look at me, as if sensing my gaze. "I'm Shin." He said.

I started to introduce myself, but he interrupted. "I really don't care who you are. I only told you my name because I thought you should..." He stopped abruptly, looking directly into my eyes. He seemed sad. "Never mind." He finished. I felt a familiar sensation.

Thou art I...

And I am Thou...

Thou hast established a new bond...

It brings thee closer to the divine truth...

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Death Arcana.

Death. I wondered what that meant about Shin. In truth, I didn't like the guy at all. It had often been that way when first forming the bonds, though I had grown to like them, even Ai and Sayoko. I wondered briefly about the social links. Were they formed by my feelings for others, or their feelings for me? Or both?

Shin left after that, as abruptly as he had arrived. Had he simply came here to talk to me? That seemed pointless. I'd have to keep my eye on him. Maybe I'd bagged myself a stalker!

The rest of the day passed completely without event. I tried to call Naoto again, but again, there was no answer. I decided to try again tomorrow, to visit the police station if she didn't answer again. I desperately wanted to talk to someone I knew. I needed to.

Wednesday 5th April 2014

"Hey!" I heard Yukari's voice from behind me, as I walked from the train to the University. I turned around. "It's good to see you again!"

I smiled at her.

"You sure don't talk much, do ya..." She trailed off.

I asked her who Minato was.

"How the Hell did you-" She shouted, shocked, but realisation quickly dawned. "Oh. You probably just overheard me on the train, right?"

I nodded.

"He was..." She hesitated. "I'll tell you later, OK?"

I started to feel dizzy. I could sense a familiar sensation, though much stronger than usual. I winced, slowing down.

"You OK?" She asked.

Thou art I...

And I am Thou...

Thou hast established a new bond...

It brings thee closer to the divine truth...

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Tower Arcana.

The Tower Arcana. What did that mean about Yukari?

"Hey! Are you OK!"

I was brought back to reality. I nodded, smiling. Two social links already. Which meant two friends. Or perhaps not...

"Hey, Yukari!" Shouted a voice from down the hall.

"Oh, sorry, gotta go now!" Yukari ran off, leaving as suddenly as she had arrived.

16:31

Later, I was walking to the Police Station; Naoto had failed to reply for a third time.

I had received a text message from Rise:

Senpai! RU in Iwatodai? Im round 4 a while, come C me! Ill be in Escapade ths aftrnoon.

I was looking forward to seeing her.

"Hey Asshole." I saw Shin walking down the street towards me, looking like a zombie. His skin was even paler than it had been the day before, and he was clutching his head as if in pain. "Who's the text from, your boyfriend?"

I asked how old he was.

"Haha... I'm your age, minus a couple weeks." He smiled. The first time I'd seen him show emotion.

I enquired as to whether he was stalking me, and as to how he knew my age.

"Yeah, I'm stalking you." He said. "And then I'm going to kill you and bury your body in cement..." He paused. What was with this bastard? "I'm joking, of course." He finished. He sounded insincere. I resolved to watch out for him. He seemed odd...

The social link increased in strength. I really didn't want a social link with this asshole... I wondered if maybe he had any redeeming features.

"Later, Asshole." He stated, shambling away as if about to drop down dead at any time.

16:39

I arrived at the police station soon afterwards.

"Senpai!" I heard Naoto's voice. "It's so good to see you!"

Thou art I...

And I am Thou...

Thou hast renewed an old bond...

It brings thee closer to the divine truth...

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fortune Arcana.

I said hello.

"I see you're the same as always..." She chuckled. "I was just about to head over to Gekkoukan, to investigate the crime scene. Although I really don't expect to find much. Do you want to come with me?"

I nodded. We started to walk.

"This case is certainly intriguing. Minato Arisato died on the rooftop of Gekkoukan High on March 5th. He was found with the members of a school club known as SEES. This stands for 'Specialised Extracurricular Execution Squad'" She grimaced. "The club was funded by the school, though they knew nothing about its organisation or activities. And the members have been... Uncooperative." She paused again, sighing. "However, much like our investigation team, I do not believe they are guilty. However, I am certain they are keeping something from me. As well as this, the leader of SEES is due to inherit leadership of the Kirijo group after finishing her education. Therefore, the Kirijo group has been working to cover up this secret as well."

I asked why she didn't think they were guilty.

The detective sighed "I believe the death of Minato Arisato is connected to a number of other deaths regarding SEES and Gekkoukan High. On October 5th, 2009, A member of SEES, Shinjiro Aragaki, was found, shot to death in a back alley in the city. A month later, The founder of SEES, Shuji Ikutsuki, and the then president of the Kirijo group, Takeharu Kirijo were found, shot, near Gekkoukan high. Then, on the 23rd of November, a woman, identified only as 'Chidori' was found in the same area. Finally, an unidentified, charred corpse was found outside the school on January 1st, 2010. The post-mortem concluded that the man had been killed by a grenade detonating in close proximity." She stopped walking, looked at me. "I believe SEES to be responsible for the deaths of Chidori, and the unidentified man. I believe SEES was living up to its name, and 'executing' certain individuals... Perhaps they also killed Takeharu Kirijo, though by all accounts, his daughter was very close to him" She bit her lip. "As well as this, I have found that the Kirijo group worked hard to cover up these deaths in the newspapers... Both before and after the death of Takeharu..." She sighed, deeply. "Honestly, I'm tempted to simply arrest all of SEES for obstruction of justice... But I believe the Kirijo group has influence in the police, as well."

We had arrived at the rooftop of Gekkoukan. There was a man there, wearing a baseball cap, with a small, straggly beard. He was leaning on the railings, looking out on the city.

"Why are you here?" He asked, not looking at us.

"We are here to investigate the death of Minato Arisato."

"Tch." He muttered. "Why can't you bastards just let the dead lay in peace? Minato was my friend, and I can tell you that you aren't going to find anything. So just don't bother, ok?"

"Interesting," Naoto replied. "Officer Sanada and Mitsuru Kirijo said much the same thing. What, I wonder, is this secret that I'll never find? You are a member of SEES, correct?"

"Yeah..." He muttered.

"So you are Junpei Iori."

"Yeah..."

Naoto chuckled. "You are the only member of SEES I hadn't managed to track down. You are an elusive man indeed."

"Whatever..." Junpei turned to walk away.

"And, Iori-san, a word of warning..."

"What?" Junpei snapped at Naoto.

"If you and your friends are responsible for any of the deaths related to SEES, I will find out."

"What!" Junpei roared. "You think we did it!" He stopped, breathing deeply. "Whatever..." He muttered, walking away angrily.

Naoto sighed. "We're not going to find anything here..."

I told her about Yukari and her friends mentioning Minato.

"Really? From your description, they might be SEES. Please get closer to them, if you can. Please try to find out who did this, so we can bring whoever did this to justice."

I agreed to do it.

"Well, there's nothing more to do here. What do you want to do now?"

I suggested we should go to Club Escapade, to see Rise.

"Rise's here? That's good to know." She paused, and chuckled. "Maybe we should invite the whole gang over..."

17:09-Meanwhile

"Damnit, Akihiko!" Shouted Junpei. "Can't you stop those bastards? I don't want more idiots defiling his memory!"

"I know what you mean, Junpei, but there's nothing I can do. I've told her to abandon the case, but she won't find anything even if she does pursue the case further. After all-"

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait-she?" Junpei interrupted.

"Are we talking about the same thing here?" Asked the police officer.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning. Earlier today, two guys came up to me and asked about Minato. One of them had silver hair, one had blue hair, and a hat."

"Yeah, that sounds like Shirogane. I don't know who the silver-haired guy is, though... I'll have to look into it..."

"So, she's a girl?"

"A bit slow on the uptake, aren't you, Junpei?" Akihiko grinned. "Naoto Shirogane is a private detective who often works with the police. She has an impressive number of cases under her belt, for such a young woman. Actually, for a while, she perpetrated the illusion that she was male, and was known as 'The detective prince'."

"Wow, senpai, you've really done your research. Sounds like you like her!"

"D-don't be absurd!" Akihiko stammered.

"Is it just me or does she remind you of Minato?" Junpei asked.

"Maybe a little.."

"Well, anyway, I've gotta go now. Do me a favour, Senpai, and watch out for the silver-hair-guy. He seemed kinda... odd."

Notes: This is my first fic, so please review. Hopefully, I should be updating at least once a week. Obviously, I don't own the persona series. If Junpei seems out of character, don't worry, there's a reason, and he'll be getting some character development later on. Same goes for Akihiko. And any other SEES members later on.

EDIT: I was annoyed by the length, so I condensed the first two chapters together. I'll try and sort out the spacing some other time.