k-oromar-u:

Perhaps the two-leg-human wanted to walk with him, he wasn’t entirely sure but he’d felt like he should lead the human that knew him to the shrine. How else did he know him for? Perhaps the human was lost, Koromaru had been heading to the shrine anyway.

As the red-eyed boy spoke, perhaps his tail wagged a little, ears flicked gently but there was no further barking, a stolidly silent trot at a brisk pace as paws trod pavement and gained ground with intent only delayed by the occasional glance over his shoulder. Well, save a pause at one point to sniff heavily at a wall, treading uncertainly and then continuing onward.

As the dog persistently remained silent, he shrugged it off as he continued to follow the canine in silence. Perhaps he had interpreted too much into the dog’s behaviour after all, which was sort of ridiculous, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped. At least he had something to actually to instead of simply standing around, however, it didn’t take him long for putting his headphones back on and turning on the music that quietly serenaded it’s tunes into his ears.

He observed some of the other citizens that were walking around town, some of them talking actively, some of them standing on a busstop in silence and others watching over children on a playground or simply walking their dogs. Now that he thought about it, it probably did look like he was walking his dog, even though that wasn’t true - but it was definitely better than having him seem following a shiba inu for no reason at all. Masato looked up as the shrine slowly came into view, a familiar sight, since he had already passed it a few times. In fact, he had actually visited it a couple of times too, but never wished for anything. He didn’t believe in that sort of stuff.

(Source: psychedelicraven)

xx-i-i:

Minako was pleased to know that he paid attention. Although she thought he wouldn’t believe her, she appreciated that he took the time to listen. “Yoshitsune, huh?” Her head tilts slightly, trying to remember if she’s seen it before. As she listened to Masato go on about his Persona, she became more and more intrigued about it. “Did I mention that an individual’s Persona mirrors their personality?” Minako takes another sip of coffee. “So in a nutshell, Yoshitsune is you, and you are Yoshitsune.”

She glances up at him. “Safely assuming that you haven’t awaken to your Ultimate,” Minako stirs her coffee absentmindedly. “You have a lot to learn, Masato-san.” Being skilled in slash attacks as well, she admits to herself that he might make a useful ally in battle. It’s not like we need to fight anymore, though, She says to herself. But it’s a good thing that he didn’t have to face what we had to.

“It’s quite important,” Minako continues, answering his question. “Because it’s interesting to see how your personality is reflected with your powers. For example,” She sets down her mug. “My Persona’s name is Messiah.”

“I’m not planning to kill myself, though”, he replies with a slight frown. Even if his Persona was basically himself, it didn’t really make any sense to him or maybe he just couldn’t see the connection yet. That wasn’t very surprising, though - he hadn’t summoned his Persona very often and even less so in any sort of battles, therefore there might be more to discover. He wasn’t certain, but since he had something to go on now, maybe he’d visit the library and research some more. Even if he didn’t say it towards her, he found this strangely interesting. Anything to get rid of this boring life, that was practically the philosophy he was living on. He met her gaze once more, raising a brow at her.

“You’ve never seen me fight, so who are you to judge? I’m probably better than you think I am.” Now, it was safe to say that he was bragging and that his arrogance was shining as bright as ever. “I don’t know about the Dark Hour and Tartarus, but that doesn’t matter anymore anyway. They stopped to exist.” In a way, he kind of felt disappointed by realizing just that. It would’ve been thrilling to experience this first hand, life-threatening situations put aside. When she told him the name of her own Persona, however, he gave a chuckle. “Oh? If that’s so, then you’ve failed to play the savior on several occassions already.” He didn’t tell her what he meant by that and instead looked around the café. “Too bad the Shadows are gone, it sounded like fun.”

xx-i-i:

She scoffs at his comment. “As I said,” Minako’s brow arches. “There was an accident ten years ago. I take it you’ve heard of what happened at Gekkoukan during that time? A special project took place at the school.” The auburn-haired girl fumbles absentmindedly with her MP3 Player as she spoke. “Then there was an explosion. As a result, Tartarus, along with the Shadows, appeared.” 

Thanking the waiter that brought her a mug of coffee, Minako smiled grimly at the memory. “Before I tell you about your power as a Persona-User, I just want to let you know that being able to use Personas is both a blessing and a curse.” Her hands cup around the mug, absorbing its warmth. “Your Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces whenever you face life’s hardships,” Minako quotes Igor again. “A ‘mask’, if you will.”

She looks up at Masato then, making sure he was paying attention. “Do you know the name of yours?” She asks and takes a sip of coffee. 

He was listening quietly for once as he toyed around with the serviette that was laying on the table, although he was paying attention to what she was saying. Of course, like everyone who had lived in Iwatodai for a while and went to Gekkoukan High, he knew about the incident that happened 10 years ago. However, this was the first time that someone told him that this had to do with the appearance of Shadows and supposedly the Dark Hour, including everything that went along with it. Even if he could easily classify what she said as rubbish, since there had never been any traces as to why the explosion happened in the first place, he believed her. She knew too much to be simply setting him up, but he remained skeptical nonetheless. Better safe than sorry, correct?

“So”, he finally said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms behind his head, “you’re telling me all of this started because a bunch of crazy scientists messed up?” He cracked a smile at the thought of how much this sounded like it was straight out of a ridiculous movie. “Well, I like the ring to that.” He shrugged as she made the use of a Persona sound all omnious. “I don’t mind, it’s powerful, so I’m not complaining.” With a chuckle, he stared at the ceiling. “You’d be surprised how much I actually know about my Persona.” Was he bragging? Maybe a little, even if it wasn’t much of an accomplishment to research.

“It’s called Yoshitsune. As far as I’m concerned, Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a skillful swordsman in the late Heian period. He was betrayed and forced to commit suicide along with his wife and daughter by Hidehira’s son. His bold ingenuity and ruthless skill with a blade are still praised in Japan today.” Again, he shrugged as he looked back at her. “Whatever that means.” Masato definitely didn’t plan a suicide or anything the like, so he had already dismissed the thought that there was a connection there. However, he probably was rather skilled with a blade, even if it wasn’t exactly a sword. As usual, he kept that information to himself. “Why is that important?”

xx-i-i:

Although Minako was wary about telling him the full story, she figured that he at least deserved to know what his power was for. “Good luck trying to pry information from the Internet,” She shrugged slightly, picking up on his hint. “I highly doubt you’d escape my friend.” She found herself smiling in amusement as she thought about Mitsuru. Knowing her Senpai, she’d find out if someone tried to hack their database.

Without further explanation, she opened the door to the cafe and motioned for him to follow her inside. “It’s a long story,” Minako says nonchalantly, holding the door open. “And I suggest you pay attention, because I’m not going to repeat myself.”

As she sat down at a table, her phone vibrated. Surprised, she pulls out her phone and glances at the screen. 

1 New Message: Minato Arisato

He must be worried, Minako half-smiles. I’ll just have to explain what happened when I get home. “Well,” She sighs, tucking her phone away. “Ten years ago, there was an accident…”

Masato was, as probably expected, unphased by her words. He was too arrogant to not believe in his own skills and since he didn’t know a thing about her ‘friend’, he couldn’t care less. Still, it might not even be necessary for him to try and hack into another website if she gave him what he needed, therefore he willingly followed her into the café. The atmosphere in the café itself was warm and welcoming, which was odd, considering how tense the conversation with Minako had been the whole time. With a sigh, he sat down on one of the chairs, crossing his legs and resting his arm on the table, his chin placed on his hand.

“Done stalling?”, he interferes as she finally put away her phone, giving her an expression of both boredom and impatience. Masato was everything but a person that liked to be kept waiting, even though he did enjoy to observe people’s struggles - which sometimes did take a while -, but he didn’t like it if he wasn’t given a choice on the matter.

xx-i-i:

“You see,” Minako snapped, glaring at him again. “Right there is your problem. ‘You hate to rely on someone like me’? After saying that, do you think I’d tell you what you’ve been dying to know the answer to? Sure, your ego may disappear for a bit, but we both know that it wouldn’t last for very long.”

She was surprised that he followed her still. Should I tell him? She wonders, her eyes wandering up to the sky. How much do I tell him? To her surprise, it was a full moon tonight. A mixture of emotions welled up inside of her as the moonlight shone uncannily over them. She knew that the Dark Hour ceased to exist, but…

“Answer me this, Masato-san: why do you want to know so badly?” Minako stops in front of a small cafe, her expression serious. “Tartarus, the Dark Hour, and Shadows don’t exist here anymore.”

Actually, he was surprised that he was still following her too; but that being said, he felt like an idiot for doing just that. If she wouldn’t have knowledge about something he was interested in, he’d just shrug it off and go his own way. If there was anything he really hated, it was being forced to depend on other people for something. He looked up to the full moon above them, although he gave it more of a glare than a gaze of admiration. However, that didn’t have anything to do with the moon itself, but rather with the scenario he found himself in.

“Why?”, he parroted and rolled his eyes. “Isn’t that obvious? I never gave a damn about that Dark Hour or Tartarus of yours, all I ever wanted to know was why it happened in the first place. What would you’ve done in my situation? You would’ve tried to find out as much as you can, right?” He shrugged, kicking a can that lay on the sidewalk and had probably been dropped by someone earlier on. It flew a few feet away and landed on the street. “Everything else would’ve been dumb. If you don’t want to tell me, fine. At least I have new leads to go on now.” Tartarus and Dark Hour were two new terms that he could possibly use for research - if there was anything to be found online, he’d find it. The virtual world was basically like a second home to him, so if need be, he’d probably be able to hack files. Of course, he didn’t say that out loud.

“I’m not interested in crashing or even joining your little party anyway”, he added with slight sarcasm, referring to her and the other members of her team. Masato definitely wasn’t a social butterfly and neither did he feel the need to put his life on the line for a world like this. Either way, that probably didn’t matter anyway since the threat seemed to be gone.

xx-i-i:

Minako stops walking, ultimately offended by his statements. “So,” She murmurs, more to herself than to Masato. “This is the world my brother and I died in order to save, huh?” She smiles sadly, walking towards him, then punches his arm flimsily with her fist. Never before had a stranger’s words stung so much. Minako then laughs darkly, as if his opinion was beginning to make sense to her. 

“Take care of yourself, Masato-san,” The auburn-haired girl gave him one last glance before striding ahead. “Even though you have the worst perspective possible about the world, you deserve to be happy. Goodbye.”

Placing her headphones over her ears, Minako continues walking. 

“Mh?” He glances at her in slight disbelief, mockingly looking her over. “You look pretty alive to me”, he merely states and obviously doesn’t take her for full. Of course he didn’t, for multiple reasons, but even if he could fully grasp what had happened two years ago, he possibly still would react in such manner. He just wasn’t cut out for being compassionate and thoughtful towards other people, a fact that he personally had learned to live with. Obviously, other people often had a problem with that, but this was none of his concern. When she gave him a brief punch against the arm, he didn’t seem to mind that either and remained standing in the spot. However, once she began to walk and turn away from him, clearly living him behind, he began to walk again as well.

“Hold on a minute!”, he called out as he closed in on her again, once more practically walking backwards as though he wanted to stop her in her tracks. “Do you think I’d just let you go like that? Goddamnit, I looked two years for answers and now you’re here and tell me all of this and then you think you can just leave? Yeah, right.” With an annoyed groan, he basically just facepalmed. “I hate to rely on someone like you for this, but I want to know what these ‘Personas’ are. Why’d I even get one in the first place? I didn’t fight against Shadows like you guys or anything like that. I only encountered them once and that’s it.” It really pissed Masato off that he had to ask her these questions, but he wasn’t given much of a choice now, was he? And he’d rather push back his ego for a few minutes rather than wait another two years for answers.

xx-i-i:

Minako was surprised to learn he had the potential. But she didn’t let it get to her too much, after all, she had more to tell. So there were more Persona-Users, She says to herself. Then again, no one should have been burdened with what the team had to face. 

“I’m not done,” She says coolly. “My brother and I have a power different from the others. We have the power to fuse Personas together and wield multiple ones at the same time. ‘The Wild Cards’, we were called.” She quoted Igor, smiling slightly at the memory. 

“So were you aware of Tartarus?” Minako asks, her brow arching. “Did you notice that after 2010, you no longer experienced the Dark Hour?”

“And,” She says grimly once again. “You must have realized what went on during January 31st.”

He didn’t bother going on about how he didn’t care that she was this and that; hell, even if she saved this goddamn world, he wouldn’t bother. Masato shrugged it off as he continued to walk, letting her go on with her little speech in silence. “Give me a break, will you?”, he finally interrupts with an annoyed voice, clasping his hand against his face. “Of course I noticed that, did you really think I didn’t look into the matter? Do you think I’m that naiv and just ignore it?” He fixed his jacket that had started to slide a bit off his shoulders because of all the turns and stoppings he had done, before continuing. “I don’t know what that Tartarus is you speak of, but I’d be blind if I wouldn’t have noticed that a lot of things changed during the ‘Dark Hour’.” With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck as if this was just too much weirdness for one day.

“Sure I noticed what was going on, but if you’re asking me, I think it would’ve been for the better if the end of the world would’ve taken place. This planet, it’s rotten”, he says, this time, however, with a hint of despise. “And humans are truly weak. It would’ve been better if everything would’ve gotten wiped out and started anew.” He glanced at her from the side, smirking as usual. “Before you say anything, yes, I’m aware that I would’ve died to. It wouldn’t have mattered to me, though. Life is boring and I wouldn’t have minded it if it would’ve ended with a big bang.” With an admittedly stupid laugh, he practically bounced a few steps forward like a gleeful child. “All your arguments are invalid!”

onebrokenkunai:

Er.. guh, I dunno. I always score high and all but hell, I don’t really want anyone to know that I can sing, even though I love it. Karaoke’s fine because normally, everyone will think that you’re just an amateur who wants some fun. How ‘bout you?

Mpfh, really? If you have skills, you’re supposed to show them off, not hide them like it’s something to be ashamed of. But then again, that’s you we’re talking about.

Me, I’m not a bad singer myself. I love it and I’m not afraid to show that, because why be embarrassed for something that you’re good at?

(Source: psychedelicraven)

xx-i-i:

“Is that so?” Minako chuckled at his arrogance. As irritating as it was, she found it strangely entertaining how he would use up so much effort trying to look tough. “Well, Masato-san, since you’re so wise,” She gave him the benefit of the doubt. “Would you believe me if I told you that two years ago, there was a hidden hour between one day and the next?”

She didn’t give him a chance to respond. “Two years ago, I moved here with my twin brother. We were Juniors at Gekkoukan at the time,” Minako kept her eyes forward as she spoke. “We arrived late because of the train. As the clock struck Midnight, something didn’t feel right.” Her expression darkened slightly. “All of the streetlamps went out, our MP3 Players suddenly shut off, and most importantly: what was once a street full of people became one lined with upright coffins.”

“Mind you,” Minako spoke as-a-matter-of-factly. “There is evidence of these events. So, if you think I’m lying, I’ll prove it.”

“Anyway,” She continued. “My brother and I resumed our daily lives. Attending school, settling in, you know, the usual stuff. But then one night, our dorm was attacked.” The auburn-haired girl then glanced up at Masato. “Not by any burglars or gangs, but by a monster. A monster that were called Shadows.”

Minako assumed that Masato had already tuned himself out of her story within the first 10 seconds, but she resumed telling it nonetheless. “My brother and I didn’t know what was going on, until our dormmates were attacked as well. It was then we both realized that we had to do something.” 

“Two of our teammates had dropped what looked like silver guns that they put to their heads,” She went on. “So, hoping that we’d be able to do something, we picked them up, did the same, and pulled the trigger.”

“Here’s the most interesting part,” Minako says, somewhat grimly. “What looked like 2 figures had materialized, defending us; and that was the first time we awoke to our Personas.” 

Masato figured that she’d spill some bullshit, so his expression had gone into a bored state again. He doubted that she had anything interesting to tell, so his eyes were set on the path before them, watching his feet as he balanced along the sidewalk. A weird habit, certainly, but one he didn’t mind, especially since there were no cars whatsoever driving around right now. The first part of her story sounded, just like he expected, like utter rubbish. Yeah, right, anyone could’ve told him that - but once she got to the part of a strange feeling during midnight and these monsters appearing out of nowhere, he perked up, even if he didn’t show it. That sounded awfully familiar, didn’t it? He had started to actually listening to what she was saying and the more she told him, the weirder all of this felt. When she was finally finished, ending her little tale with a bang, his eyes were still focused on the ground. Is this a joke?, he thought with mixed feelings, furrowing his brows. After two years I meet this weird girl and she has an explanation for this?

Eventually, he looked back at her, regaining his posture as he grinned. “You know, if I wouldn’t know any better, I’d say you’re crazy.” He raised his shoulders for a split second as he took a sidestep, turning around to face her head on and blocking her path. “But, listen to this, I know exactly what you’re talking about.” Masato wasn’t sure if it was in his best interest to tell her, but he wouldn’t let this chance slip through his fingers. “Two years ago, I experienced something similar, but I never found any information on that. What you call ‘Persona’, I have that too.” He didn’t mind to tell her, even though it was sort of shattering his precious little world of being special, but gaining information was more important to him right now. “Of course, I never told anyone. Nobody would’ve believed me anyway.” He chuckled as he turned away from her again, walking a few steps forward as he gazed at the moon that shed it’s light on the world below. “See? You’re not special.” The chuckling turned into a brief laugh; finally, he knew what happened two years ago.

xx-i-i:

Her temper was threatening to grow shorter as he spoke. Upon hearing him call those who would die for the world an idiot, her hand automatically inched towards where her Evoker would have been. “Don’t you dare call me an idiot,” She glares at him venomously. 

“It’s funny how you think you know so much, but yet you stay so naive. There is so much you don’t understand, Masato-san. Since you look at the world with THAT kind of perspective, it’s no wonder that you don’t care about anything besides yourself.” Minako suddenly wonders why she bothered with a person like him; regretting the very moment she said ‘hello’ to him in Power Records. 

“Masato-san,” The auburn-haired girl regains her composure. “Where do you think I learned how to fight like that? Sure, anyone could swing a metal rod around like a baseball bat, but have you seen anyone use it like a Naginata?” She glances up at him, curious to hear his answer.

“If you decide to stop being such a professional ass, then maybe I’d enlighten you on the subject.”

He stopped in his track as he turned to face her, boldly meeting her gaze upon hearing her venomous words. His crimson eyes turned into something like a glare as she seemed to doubt his knowledge. “What, so you think you’re all special? That’s ridiculous”, he said with obvious arrogance in his voice as he looked down on her. He didn’t even care what she was thinking about him; not that it mattered in the first place, but she seemed to have already formed an opinion about him. At least she wasn’t too far off, considering that he was, indeed, deviously self-centered.

Masato shrugged, the hands in the pockets of his jacket slightly opening it up. “Honestly, I don’t even care where you learned that. It’s good for you that you can defend yourself against a bunch of drunkards and other scum, but that’s none of my concern. I don’t get involved into that sort of stuff. Besides, what could you possibly tell me that I don’t know yet?” He laughed as he began to walk again, not minding her mood that got worse by the minute. “There’s a lot that you don’t know either. Why should I even believe you? You’re just some random girl I met in a store.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “You’re nothing special.”

onebrokenkunai:

Oh c’mon, as if I was willing to be friends with you just because of that - er, that.. probably sounded more sulky than it should. Anyways, I was actually born in Tokyo, and since I had to move from there, like, only one year ago, I guess I still haven’t forgotten what your mystical ‘karaoke bar’ is. In fact, they’re pretty fun.

Not that sick, huh? Well, I guess I’ll have to take you up on that. And.. we certainly will, just you wait.

Oh, is that so? Can you sing, then? Or do you just go there for the fun of it?

(Source: psychedelicraven)

xx-i-i:

Minako was growing more and more irritated with Masato’s attitude. She wonders why she even defended him in the first place, although it was her instincts that had acted for her. She crosses her arms and follows him walking on the edge of the sidewalk; half-expecting him to fall. 

But upon hearing his words on humanity, it immediately makes her angry. After defeating Nyx, the topic of life itself became a sensitive thing to talk about. “Excuse me?” Minako speeds up and catches up to him. “Why must you have such a cynical view of the world? No one is really on their own. Believe me, I know.” Her gaze averts to the ground as she spoke. He won’t understand, She tells herself. He probably didn’t even know what happened. 

“Nothing is pointless,” Minako responds to his comment, chuckling darkly. “Nothing on this Earth is pointless. In my opinion, it’s worth dying for.” She looks up at him then, her expression serious. 

As soon as she closed in on him like that, he knew that he had hit home with his words. Of course, there were always different opinions on different matters, but even he had his own standing point that he defended. Therefore, he gave her a rather bored look, despite her efforts to try and explain that what he believed was wrong. “Yeah? Maybe you should look around yourself sometime. You’d be surprised how many people are really alone.” Masato didn’t pity them, obviously, but he used that against her - for now. He chuckled as she got so worked up about this.

“Try telling yourself that all you like, I don’t buy it.” He returned her serious expression with his own, although his had a rather cocky edge. “What’s here worth dying for? Those stupid politicans that can’t even find their own ass? Friends that betray you anyway once you turn your back on them?” He gave a laugh as he twirled around on the sidewalk, now walking in the correct direction, although he was still balancing on the edge. “Honestly, what sort of idiot would die for that?” He rolled his eyes at the mere thought of such stupidity, glancing up at the moon as they walked. “Selfless heroes that save the world from terryfing monsters that lurk in the dark of the night only exist in fiction. Better get used to that.”

onebrokenkunai:

Hey, for once, that was actually a pleasant surprise - and there I was thinking that we have nothing in common. You know, just for a second or something I was right on the verge of changing my mind about ya, but then again I guess it’s probably better to not let my guard down so easily.. is cool, tho.

Oh.. yeah, okay, that answered it. At least you’re not into that crossdressing stuff..

Yup, I am, for now that is, but who knows? Maybe I’m going to strike back when you’re least willing to defend yourself.

Don’t get your hopes up too high, just because we have one thing in common doesn’t make us friends. But while we’re at it and you do like music, have you ever been to a karaoke bar? Oh, wait … I forgot they probably don’t have those where you come from, huh? Too bad.

I’m not that sick in the head. That’s a big “no no” for me.

I’d like to see you try. We’ll see about that, I guess.

(Source: psychedelicraven)