202Hello again! This is the sequel to my other Persona story, "Only You". Remember, in this story, all events from "Only You", INCLUDING the original scenes that I came up with, will most likely show up sometime in this story (as memories). So, if you haven't read my first Persona story yet, I highly recommend that you read it before you read this one. This chapter is the prologue, which explains how everyone's been doing, and what has happened over the course of the two year time jump. NOTE: This story takes place two years after the events of P3P, and a few months after the events of P4. Some of the characters might seem like OC's to you because I wanted to change their personalities a little (it's not like they're gonna act the same as when they were still in high school/elementary school, ya know? Don't worry, I didn't drastically change their personalities…only a little. Oh, and it might seem like Shinjiro changed a lot over the two years based on how he acts in the prologue, but when he is introduced in the actual storyline, his personality will be almost exactly the same as how it was in the game). So, enough of me talking, I hope you enjoy my sequel: Forgotton Memories!
PS: Pairings for this story include (but not limited to) - ShinjiroxMinako , some SoujixNaoto (that's my fave P4 pairing, so deal with it :3 )
**This story will revolve a lot around Shinjiro and Minako's relationship in both the game and "Only You", especially when it gets to the chapters dealing with memory retrieval.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Persona or its characters
~Prologue~
Two years ago, a brave girl saved the world from Nyx. She sacrificed her life to seal Nyx for all eternity, but stayed alive through sheer willpower in order to keep her promise to all her friends. She spent her last moments with her beloved, and closed her eyes…never to awaken again. After that fateful day, her friends fell into depression, but remained strong. However, a certain incident happened, triggering a period of time where the days never changed, and the former SEES members were unable to leave the dorm. During that time, they encountered Metis, who claimed that her purpose was to protect her "sister", Aigis. She agreed to help them find a way to exit the dorm, and showed them to the Abyss of Time, a room with many doors, showing the memories of the SEES members' pasts. And by going through each door, they encountered the shadow of a person they thought had died. Once that fight was over, they each received a key, together in which had the power for them to leave the dorm and move on in life. But some of them, instead of wanting to move on, wanted to see the girl, Minako, again…even if it meant having to defeat Nyx again. After a series of conflicts, Aigis ultimately received all the keys, with the help of Metis and Fuuka. However, before choosing to see Minako again or to leave the dorm, she wanted to know what had happened to Minako after she fought Nyx. Once they entered a certain door, they found themselves in front of a larger door, and chained to it was the one who protected the world from Nyx. After seeing her body on the door, and the countless number of souls wishing for death in the form of Erebus, they finally realized why Minako did what she did. After they fought with Erebus, it was soon discovered that Metis was Aigis's other self. They found out the truth behind Minako and Metis from Igor and Theodore in the Velvet Room. Once they learned the truth, they all agreed to use the key to exit the dorm, and to move on in life…
Present day…
~Mitsuru~
A young woman with long red hair was sitting at a desk. She was filling out paperwork when the phone rang.
*Ring ring* the woman answered the phone.
"…Mitsuru Kirijo speaking."
"Milady, I'm calling to let you know that the conference meeting between the Kirijo group and the Nanjo group scheduled for tonight has been cancelled."
"Ah. Thank you for informing me." Mitsuru said politely.
"Very well, then I shall leave you to your duties." The person on the other line hung up. Mitsuru sighed.
"It's times like these I wished I still had my motorcycle…now that I am done with my other duties, I no longer have anything to do for today." Mitsuru began thinking of ways to spend the rest of her day.
"I haven't really seen the others since I became head of the Kirijo group…but like me, they're probably busy with school or other important matters. I wonder what they're doing…" Mitsuru began to reminisce on the times they spent together. She began to frown. "Two years, huh…?" Mitsuru left her office.
~Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka~
"Yes! Finally, I got a C on my paper!" A young man wearing a blue cap yelled. Everyone looked at him.
"Quiet Stupei! People are staring at us!" A young woman with short light brown hair yelled back.
"Aww come on, Yuka-tan! I've never gotten a C on my homework since we entered this college!" Junpei said with a smile.
Yukari facepalmed. "I can't believe we're at the same school AGAIN!"
"Umm…I actually kinda like the idea of us together again…" A frail looking young woman replied. Junpei looked at her.
"Yeah! See Yuka-tan, Fuuka-tan enjoys having me around!"
Fuuka blushed. "W-Well, I didn't mean it like that…"
Yukari rolled her eyes. 'These two have gotten awful close to each other since we arrived here…'
"Hey, since all our classes are over, why not go to Kyoto? I'm dying to go to the hot springs!" Junpei said.
Yukari frowned. "Don't you have studying to do? Besides, I don't want a repeat of THAT incident again…"
"Are you still mad about that? Akihiko-senpai told you that it was a misunderstanding!" Junpei grimaced.
Fuuka looked confused. "…But if it was a 'misunderstanding', then why didn't you guys leave before we spotted you…?"
Junpei looked at her. "We couldn't…Mitsuru's stare turned us into ice sculptures…her executions were like Hell ten times over. You guys shoulda accepted our apologies after that…Minako-tan did…"
Just then, the atmosphere became heavy. Yukari and Fuuka both frowned.
"I can't believe it's been nearly two years since then…" Yukari looked downwards.
"Hey, let's not get depressed over this, alright?" Fuuka tried to comfort Yukari. Yukari smiled.
"I'm sorry, Yuka-tan…I shouldn't have brought it up…" Junpei said.
Yukari shook her head. "No apology needed…but boy am I ready for a break. Hey, let's go to Paulownia Mall!"
Junpei's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah! …Let's go to Club Escapade!"
Both Yukari and Fuuka looked at him with disgusted looks on their faces.
"Hey, I'm a guy! …I deserve some fun too…!" Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka began to laugh.
"Well then, let's go!" Yukari pulled Fuuka towards the school exit. Junpei ran after them, and they all went to Paulownia Mall.
~Ken~
A young teenager was walking alone, on his way to school. He was carrying his backpack over one shoulder.
"Hey, Ken-kun!" A girl ran up to him.
"Oh, hello." Ken said.
"You're so smart, Ken-kun! You got the highest scores out of all the 1st year middle schoolers!" The girl told him.
"I know…maybe if you put more effort into your school work, you'll do well too." Ken replied.
The girl looked hurt. "Well, sorry that I'm not as smart as you!" She ran off. Ken looked confused as he watched her.
"…Did I say something wrong…?" Ken sighed and continued walking, until he made it to his school. When he got to his classroom, a bunch of girls surrounded him.
"Hi, Ken-kun!" One girl squealed.
Ken was intimidated by all the girls. "E-excuse me…I need to get to my seat…" But as he tried to get around them, more girls flocked around his desk.
"Ken-kun, will you tutor me? I'm like, terrible at math!" Another girl giggled. Ken, at that point, looked annoyed. He could hear his male classmates talking.
"Damn, I wish I was that popular with the girls…"
"And get flocked like that? Tch, no way, man…"
"Ken always gets the girls though…"
"…It doesn't look like he enjoys it, though."
Ken pushed his way towards his desk and sat down.
"Umm, do you have a girlfriend, Ken-kun?" A shy girl asked. All the girls stared at him intently.
"N-No…" Ken said. "…But I don't want one…"
All the girls sighed. "Why?"
Ken looked down. "…I did like someone…two years ago, but…"
All the girls looked at each other. "But…?"
Ken looked at them. "…She died…"
All the girls gasped. "Oh, we're so sorry!"
Ken shook his head. "No, it's alright. I don't regret what happened. She died protecting me and my friends…without her saving us, I don't think I'd be here today…"
The girls "Awww"ed at him.
"Wait, you were eleven back then, right? Was this girl a friend from elementary school?" One girl asked.
Ken became hesitant. "No, she wasn't the same age as me…"
"What does that have to do with anything?" The girls looked confused.
"…She went to Gekkoukan High School…she was seventeen…" Ken told them.
The girls were shocked. "WHAT?"
Then, the teacher walked in.
"Alright, everyone, sit down in your seats and quiet down, please."
Everyone sat down. The girls were whispering to each other in inaudible tones.
"Okay, class…today we will be going over…" The teacher began. However, Ken wasn't paying attention. He looked down at his hands.
"…Minako-san…"
~Akihiko~
*Bang bang* Gunshots rang out as a group of men were doing target practice. A young man in particular, shot the dummy with such accuracy and precision, that he hit each and every vital point.
"Good job, Sanada-san, you aced this portion. You may take a break now." A man said to him. Akihiko nodded and sat down at a bench. Another young man sat next to him.
"Man, you're amazing, Akihiko-san. At this rate, you'll be a police officer in no time. Maybe even police chief!"
Akihiko smiled. "Well, I'm not sure about police chief…give me about eight more years."
The man nodded. "Say…what made you want to become a police officer, anyway?"
Akihiko began thinking. "…Well, I guess it's because I want to protect those precious to me. I'm speaking through personal experiences, of course."
The man looked at him. "Yeah? What happened?"
Akihiko smiled sadly. "Well, it all began when I was in the orphanage…with my sister, Miki. Sometime ago, the orphanage burned down, and Miki was trapped inside. They held me back, so I watched helplessly as the orphanage collapsed."
"Oh, I'm sorry…" The man frowned.
"Don't worry about it…" Aikihiko replied. "Anyway, that's when I decided that I needed to get stronger."
"Ahh, so is that your reason?"
Akihiko shook his head. "That's not the only reason. When I was a senior in high school, I met a girl. For some reason, she made my life feel…meaningful."
The man laughed. "That's called love, man."
Akihiko laughed as well. "Yeah, she told me that, too."
"She had to tell you? That's pathetic!"
"Haha…well, anyways…" Akihiko said. "…I thought she loved me back…until the next incident that happened that made me want to be a police officer…"
The man listened intently. Akihiko continued. "…My best friend, Shinji, got shot…twice, in the chest. We've known each other since we went to the same orphanage, so when he got shot, I felt helpless. It was just like when I couldn't save Miki."
"So…your friend died?"
Akihiko shook his head.
The man looked at him with disbelief. "He got shot twice…in the CHEST! How can someone survive from that?"
Akihiko stared at his feet. "The girl I loved…saved his life."
"Whoa…how did she do that?"
"I don't know exactly…I guess that's how love works. When you love someone, you don't want to die, at the risk of never being able to see them again…" Akihiko replied.
The man's eyes widened. "So, you mean that your best friend loved the same girl you loved?"
Akihiko nodded. "Though he refused to admit it, it was painfully obvious. And…that girl loved him, too."
The man frowned.
"…I…" Akihiko began. "…I felt like crying when she told him those three words. But…I cared about the both of them too much to let that get to me. After Shinji was put into the hospital, I promised myself to never look back, and to face things head on."
"That's cool…" The man said. "So, what happened between you and the girl?"
"…Nothing happened…" Akihiko replied. "That leads me to the last reason: The girl, whom I loved…she died…"
The man gasped.
"…When she was admitted to the hospital, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her. But she was still dying…at that time, Shinji was out of the hospital."
The man looked down.
Akihiko continued. "So, Shinji was the last one to see Minako alive…he heard her last words…her last breath…" He balled his hands into fists. "I was mad at him, especially when he didn't even attend her funeral. But, I soon got over it, because now…I finally know what had happened to her…"
"I see…" The man looked at him. "You should stay true to your goal…and don't lose hope in those you care about…dead, or alive…"
Akihiko smiled. The man looked at his watch. "…Shoot, I'm late. My girlfriend gets pissed if I'm late to dinner. See ya tomorrow!"
Akihiko nodded and watched as the man ran off. He looked at his feet. '…I hope I graduate from college and become a police officer so I can keep my promise…the one I made to you two years ago…Minako…'
~Shinjiro and Koromaru~
"Ok, looks like your body is slowly getting better…" A doctor told a certain young man. "Just keep taking your meds, and the poison should dismiss itself completely. We'll see you again in another week, Aragaki-san."
Shinjiro nodded and walked out of the hospital. He walked to an apartment building, and went up to his room. When he opened the door, a white Shiba Inu was waiting for him.
*Woof Woof!* The dog barked.
"Hey, Koro-chan…" Shinjiro said. "Looks like I'm doing fine, boy…"
Koromaru barked with joy.
"Haha…come on…I'll take you for a walk…whaddaya say, boy?"
*Woof!* Koromaru ran out the door. Shinjiro smiled, and followed him. Koromaru ran to the place he always did: Naganaki Shrine. He usually went there to say hi to the priest who died. But this time, he stopped at a certain headstone towards the back of the shrine. When Shinjiro got there, he noticed where he stopped. He looked down and saw the name on the headstone: Minako Arisato.
Shinjiro smiled sadly. "You miss her, don't you, boy?"
Koromaru wimpered, still staring at the stone.
"Heh, I miss her too. But after we saw why she sacrificed her life, I don't regret anything. She died protecting this world from certain destruction…" Shinjiro looked downwards. He reached into the pocket of his burgundy pea coat, and pulled out a pair of red headphones and an mp3 player. He put them around his neck, holding the mp3 player in his hand.
Koromaru looked at him.
"Oh, this? This is Minako's…she wanted me to have it. There's only two songs on here, and they're both not my type of music. But, she wanted me to listen to them, so I do on occasions like this." Shinjiro explained.
Koromaru nodded his head as if he understood. He then began running around the shrine like he always did. Shinjiro sat down and waited for him to finish. 'I can't believe that two years have passed since all that shit happened.'
*Woof* Koromaru ran up to him.
"…You done, boy? How about I make you some dinner when we get back…?"
Koromaru barked and ran back to the apartment, with Shinjiro not too far behind. When they got back, Shinjiro began making Koromaru some beef stroganoff.
"Here ya go, Koro-chan."
*Woof!* Koromaru began eating. He seemed to be enjoying it.
'…I remember when I made Minako beef stroganoff…Fuuka almost ruined the whole dish, so I had to intervene. When I gave it to her, she told me that it was the most delicious thing she's ever eaten. I told her she was just exaggerating, but I knew that in my heart, I liked the fact that she said that…' Shinjiro smiled sadly.
*Ring Ring* Shinjiro's phone was ringing. He looked at it, and saw that he got a text message from Akihiko.
'Tch. Damn Aki…what does he want now?' He read the text.
Hey, ya want to go to Hagakure for dinner? I just got done with my college work, so I'm free. I'll meet you there.
"…Tch." Shinjiro replied back to Akihiko: Sure.
"I'll be out for dinner, Koro-chan…I'm meeting Aki for dinner." Shinjiro told the dog.
*Woof!* Koromaru looked happy.
Shinjiro looked at his pocket watch. It was cracked down the middle, with two round indents on the face. But remarkably, it still functioned. The watch read 5:45pm.
"Guess I should get going, or else Aki will get angry…See ya, boy." Shinjiro walked out his apartment.
As he was walking to the Iwatodai strip mall, he looked up at the sky. 'How are you doing, Minako? The view must be nice up there…' Shinjiro scratched his head. 'Heh, I normally don't say that sappy shit…sorry, I'm just not that type of person.' Still, he smiled…one lone tear running down his cheek. He continued walking, the breeze beginning to pick up…
~Aigis~
Within a laboratory run by the Kirijo group, a human-like robot was resting. That robot was named Aigis. After Yukari, Fuuka, and Junpei went off to college, Aigis decided to stay behind in Iwatodai to assist the Kirijo group. However, while she was sleeping, she fell into a 'dream' of sorts…
"Uhh…where…am I…?" Aigis awoke and began looking around. It looked like she was in a vehicle of some sorts…possibly a car, or a train. The walls were blue. The vibe in the room felt nostalgic to Aigis. When she looked at the opposite side of the room, she saw an old man sitting in the middle. He had a long nose, and wore a black suit. He wore a creepy smile on his face. Then, Aigis began to regain her memory.
"Is this…the Velvet Room…?"
"Why, yes it is!" The old man said. "Welcome to the Velvet Room…or should I say, welcome back! My name is Igor, I am delighted to see you again."
'...I remember…back when we were locked in the dorm…I was here before…'
"Ahh…I see that you are regaining your memories…" Igor stated. "You were truly a remarkable guest back then! But, since then, a new wild card has awakened!"
"A new…wild card…?" Aigis was confused. "You mean…someone like Minako-san…?"
"Hehehehe…Minako Arisato was one of my most unique guests…she possessed the power of the Universe, saving the world from certain destruction. But this current wild card…his name is Souji Seta…and he possessed the power of the World, and with that power, he defeated the ancient goddess, Izanami-no-Okami. In doing so, he cleared the fog from everyone's hearts…in other words, he obliterated all humans' wishes for death." Igor said, still smiling.
"He…managed to do that…all by himself?" Aigis asked.
Igor shook his head. "Just like you and Minako-san, the bonds created between himself and his friends are what helped him accomplish his task. However, that poses a problem…"
Aigis had a confused look on her face.
"…Since humans no longer wish for death, that means that Nyx will never return. I wonder…just what good is the Great Seal, now?" Igor began laughing.
"!" Aigis stood up. "D-Does that mean…that Minako-san will be free once again?"
"Well, you catch on pretty quick! Yes, that seems to be the case. However…if she awakens naturally, she won't remember anything."
Aigis frowned. "Is there a way that we can get her to remember…?"
Igor looked at her. "Why, yes, there is!"
"What?"
"In order for her to remember, you simply have to retrieve her memories!" Igor explained.
Aigis looked confused again. "…Retrieve…her memories…?"
Igor began laughing again. "First, you must find the next Wild Card I told you about…he should be returning to Inaba soon, actually. Once you find him and explain this to him, you need the help of your friends, and his friends will need to help, as well. You especially need the help of a certain individual on your side…a certain young man whom Minako Arisato loved."
'…Shinjiro-san…'
"Once you accomplish that, bring them all here. You still have the Velvet Key, correct?"
Aigis nodded.
"Good…then, I'll explain more to you once you do that...'til we meet again…" Igor said.
"…I comprehend…"
And then, Aigis awoke. "…Souji-san…"
By then, it was morning. Aigis quickly got ready and headed for Inaba…
Well, there you have it! I actually uploaded this story faster than I had expected…which is weird because I have so much homework that my head almost exploded (literally). I'm sorry that Mitsuru's story was kinda short…I'm not that good when it comes to writing out Mitsuru's personality/lifestyle for some reason. I had fun writing Ken's story, though! And just a little heads up, the next chapter is gonna be when Aigis and Souji meet for the first time. I hope you liked it! And please review!