Persona-SotVD: Deja Vu

[A Rainy Knight]

In one of the sidestreets none too far from Asami's usual walk back from school, it sounds like a mostly one-sided conversation is taking place - one voice strange and bold, and the other... timid and familiar.

* * * * *

The guy slings his school bag over his shoulder, and tilts his head, as if it would give him a different perspective on the short girl standing before him. He scratches his chin, and takes another good look at her.

"Seriously, don't tease me now. A cute girl like you has got to have a boyfriend already, right?"

Clutching the strap of her own schoolbag in white knuckles, Miyuki shakes her head. "I d-don't. S-said so already. P-pay attention."

He chuckles, and steps toward her. "Ha hah! Come on, that's just rude. Maybe that's why you're still single!"

Miyuki bites her lip as the other student steps into her personal space. "S-sorry. Sorry."

"Hey, no need to get so serious! I was just joking with you," he chuckles, as he pries one of her hands free of her bag's strap and takes it in his own. "Haha! Man, I just can't get over what a cute little thing you are. You're not doing anything this afternoon, are you?"

Frozen on the spot, Miyuki looks at her feet. "I... g-guess not..."

"Hey, perfect! You're coming with me, then." He takes her response as an invitation to let go of her hand and put his whole arm around her body, and he winks. "Come on, let's go have a little fun."

[Kioku]

Everything here looks so different once the sun is up... I feel like I'm usually too distracted by other thoughts to really appreciate it. Asami walks along the route just taking in the familiar sights and sounds. Laundry in the wind, other students reveling in their freedom from school, Miyuki being harassed by-
She scowls and turns the corner where she barely picked up her friend's voice from. The scowl turns deadly when she hears the words, "you're coming with me, then," and she stalks forward in a posture that seems to amplify her 171cm presence. One look at Miyuki tells Asami exactly how the former feels about the situation, and how to appropriately react. "Now, now, is this a mugging I see, or just unwanted advances from someone too thick to take a hint?"

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki nervously looks up at the sound of Asami's voice, but the other student seems more than a little irritated at the sudden intrusion.

"Hey, butt out, alright? I'm just taking my new girlfriend here out on a little date - nothing you ought to worry about. Come on, sweetie, let's go."

Miyuki jolts as the guy gives her side a little squeeze with the arm that's draped around her, and she takes a few shaky steps forward as he gently pushes her. With her hands locked in a death grip on her bag once again, she looks to Asami and raises her timid voice again.

"A-Asami... h-help me..."

[Kioku]

The deadly look from before glints in her eyes before she takes a long blink. One could swear that the faintest pink mist ghosts over her face for a just a moment. When her eyes open again, they look feral and oddly inviting, and she slowly steps forward, closing the distance to the presumptuous male and definitely invading his personal space as she speaks. "Why didn't you just say so, then? We could make it a double date." She grins and, once very close with the target terribly distracted, elbows the man in the throat with her right arm, then straightens the arm and pulls it back, sweeping her hand across his face. Like that, she turns her hand and drops to a knee, pulling him over and across and flipping him onto his back on the pavement. She growls and kicks him in the hip, and looks like she wants to do more, but instead takes a deep shuddering breath and schools her features. "Are you okay?" She asks, making sure Miyuki still has her bag and engulfing her in a hug.

[A Rainy Knight]

The guy groans on the ground, and picks himself up to leave once Asami has backed off.

"Geez, talk about crazy...!"

Miyuki hugs Asami close, and sniffles.

"I'm okay... I'm okay. I'm just... s-scared of loud people like that. I f-freeze up, and d-don't know what to do..."

She sighs, and pulls her head back from Asami.

"That was c-crazy... but I'm g-glad you came."

[Kioku]

"Presumptuous overbearing idiots who can't take no for an answer deserve whatever comes to them..." Asami looks down at the other girl and sighs, her face softening significantly. "You've got me here, Yuki-chan, he knows not to bother you now. Long as I'm around, only people you like get to come near. Do you want to go back to the dorm?" Even though she makes that offer, she doesn't move, and doesn't seem to have any intention of letting go soon unless snapped out of her current thoughts. Hmm... I want to help build her confidence, but how...

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki nods. "Y-yeah... maybe I should try to c-calm down a little bit."

She sighs, and eventually lets her arms fall back to her sides.

"I'm not like y-you or Tsubaki, am I? I'm so w-weak it makes me s-sick. I can f-fight as many Shadows as I like, but as soon as I go into the r-real world... If you h-hadn't come, my plan was to start c-crying and hope someone noticed."

[Kioku]

Slightly loosening her hold, Asami crouches a little to get right on eye level with Miyuki. "Nobody is like Tsubaki, and I... have reasons for being who I am. Reasons nobody should have to face, so please don't wish for them..." Her eye twitches, trying to hold something back. "But you're not weak at all. I'm sure of this, and somehow I'll show you. Help you realize it yourself." Asami gets a small smirk. "I'll tell you a secret some time. This... isn't really the place though. Ah... do you think Pythia is weak?" She leans in closer, right next to Miyuki's ear with a whisper. "Because as a reminder... she is you."

[A Rainy Knight]

"A s-secret, huh?"

She sighs, but raises an eyebrow at the obvious unease on Asami's face. Standing quietly, she listens to Asami whispering in her ear.

"P-Pythia isn't weak. She's the best part of me. I... I actually like going into that other world, because then she's r-right by my side. I don't even have to s-speak, because we k-know each other. We are each other. B-but it's hard to feel like that out h-here."

[Kioku]

"But you know that within yourself lies that part, that potential." Asami leans back and smiles reassuringly. "And so long as that's there, you have reason to believe in yourself. And even if not..." She finally releases the hug, but slides her arms back in such a way that she grasps both of Miyuki's hands. "I believe in you. Do you trust me?"

[A Rainy Knight]

"I, uh..." She glances at her feet, then back up at Asami. "W-when it comes to stuff like this, I trust myself. But... I'll t-take your opinion into consideration," she says, with a smirk.

Her mood apparently lightened, the words start coming back to her mouth all at once.

"Aaagh, that was s-super creepy, though! It's like one of those scenes where the bad guy p-pulls the girl away at a mixer so he can, y'know, f-fool around with her, but then the hero comes l-looking for her! You've gotta teach me how to, uh, j-judo a guy, or something, if he tries s-something on me!"

[Kioku]

Asami can't help giggling as the words pour out of Miyuki, and she lets go of one hand, starting to walk away from the side street. "Of course I will, I was actually hoping you'd ask. In fact, first and shortest lesson right now; if he's in front of you, knee him in the groin and run. If he's behind you, you might be able to shift enough to kick him the same way with your heel. If he's too tall for either of those to work, use your elbow or something. If there's more than one... hey, can I ask you a favor? If you need to go out at night... please get me or Tsubaki? I- We really care about you and want you to be safe."

[A Rainy Knight]

"K-kick 'em in the family jewels, huh...?"

She steps a little closer to Asami as she walks.

"Yeah, I'll d-definitely get you, if that time ever comes. I'd j-just as soon stay inside at night, really..."

[Kioku]

"It's the fastest way! By the time they get up you'll have run far enough to be in plain view of a lot more people, so they shouldn't try anything." Asami's laughter finally abates as she grins down at Miyuki. "I'm glad. Although I think I understand what you mean about staying inside. You have your writing to do then, right? Once summer comes, I won't be surprised if you're still up some days when I wake. Mmm... sometimes I think maybe I should try to sleep more during the day, right after school, so I can find out what people do in the late evening after I've gone to bed... Do you think it's anything to join in on?"

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki hesitates.

"Um, I'm n-not so sure if it's something p-particularly good, or just force of habit. I've always stayed in at nights because I d-didn't have any friends, and I was scared of going out... and, well, the time of day didn't really m-matter anyways."

She thinks a little longer.

"I d-dunno what anyone else does that late at night, though. Tsubaki probably sleeps at a n-normal hour, I guess."

[Kioku]

Hmm... I guess you've mentioned it before... Asami squeezes her friend's hand. "But I don't really see how you could have managed to not have friends before. You're much too likeable! We can go out and do something some time if you like!" She pauses as if thinking something is off, but she can't quite place what.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki nods, and squeezes Asami's hand back.

"O-okay. We can go out together s-sometime... but wh-what did you have in mind?"

She certainly doesn't seem aware of anything weird in what she just heard or said.

[Kioku]

"I... don't actually know..." Asami looks down and away, having dismissed the 'off' feeling once faced with the question. "Even though I try to be outgoing and make a lot of friends, I've never really had ones before that I wanted to be with often. I mostly just spent time spread out with a lot of different groups, never with the same one, so I really only considered most of them loose friendships or acquaintances I guess. I know some people wanted me to come to parties, and I went to movies or karaoke or things like that with groups, but I never planned anything like that, so I wouldn't know where to begin. If it were just me I might go to karaoke or maybe dancing, but I don't think you'd be comfortable with something like that... come to think of it though, isn't there an arcade over by that tea shop we pass on the way home sometimes?."

[A Rainy Knight]

"R-real friends are a little t-tougher to come by... I get that."

She walks along, and considers Asami's suggestions.

"An arcade, huh? ...I guess that w-wouldn't be so bad. I'll go if you want to."

[Kioku]

Asami's eyes flick toward Miyuki and a small smile starts to come back. "Would you? I'd like that, getting to experience doing something planned with a real friend. Everything so far has just suddenly come up instead." She turns her head to follow her eyes. "You don't have to, but I think it'd be nice... oh! We need to teach you more than just kick-and-run, too! Umm... if you still want, that is. I like the idea of helping you be more confident so you won't feel weak."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki nods. "It's f-fine. I don't want to c-coop you up in the dorm just because you want to spend time with me... heh."

Her smile fades a little bit as she continues. "I-I dunno. I'd like to know m-more, but... can I really p-pull any of that stuff off? Like that g-guy back there, what if I k-kicked him, and he just got angry and g-grabbed me, and...!" She sighs. "S-sorry... you're right. Maybe I'd feel more confident if I knew a little more."

[Kioku]

The whole situation seems to catch up to Asami all at once. "What if..." She whispers, half repeating what he friend just said while thinking about it. She's shaking a little, as if afraid of the idea that someone might do what Miyuki just suggested, or really hurt her. Asami quickly pulls her toward another side street to get out of view and tightly hugs the girl again in her now quivering arms. "What if he..." A small drop of something wet falls on Miyuki's head.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki stiffens up at the sensation of the first teardrop on her head.

"H-hey, Asami? Are you alright? Oh, geez..." She puts an arm around Asami as well. "S-sorry. I'm sorry. Just don't p-pay any attention to the crap that comes out of my m-mouth sometimes. I worry, like, 'what if a car veers up onto the sidewalk?' Stuff like that. I worry t-too much."

[Kioku]

"No..." Asami gasps out between silent sobs. "You don't worry too much. I don't worry enough... What if I wasn't there, or failed, or Tamamo hadn't taken my body, or..." She squeezes tighter, but doesn't seem to be doing it on purpose. "I never want to see you get hurt... it's the most frightening thing in the world. I hate this feeling, I hate being afraid! I've lived so long without having to face it at all and now..." She doesn't seem able to finish her sentence, but the panic she's facing is palpable.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki struggles to come up with a good enough response, and finally just says something.

"C-c'mon. Crying about it doesn't sound like 'n-not worried enough' to me. You did fine. I'm fine. That p-perv is gonna have nightmares about ever t-touching me again... heh heh." She lets out a sigh. "S-so, look. You and Tsubaki are g-gonna teach me how to take better care of myself, and then I'm not gonna w-worry you so much. I hope."

[Kioku]

"I... I'm so sorry that I've been so... careless." Asami lets her arms drop to her sides. She's trying to calm down and put on a normal face, but it doesn't seem to be working very well, or at least quickly. "Careless and unreliable. B-but you're right. This won't do any good. Le-... lets get home. I don't want to run into anyone else on the way. I-I'm worried that I m-might not be able to do that again."

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki nods, and makes a shaky grab for Asami's hand again.

"Y-yeah. A quiet evening back home sounds p-pretty good right now... I t-thought I was gonna fall over or something for a second back there." She spares a glance aside at Asami. "H-hey, I, uh... I feel safe with you. So d-don't be too hard on yourself."

[Kioku]

Asami stiffens and her eyes widen. "You feel... safe? Even when could've so easily failed, you..." Her legs keep moving to keep pace, guided by the hand Miyuki captured, but she doesn't seem to actually be looking where she's going for once, instead trusting the girl next to her. "I... I'll do my very best to justify that feeling. I'll be more careful. I have to." She gives a sharp nod of resolve and straightens up a little, stands a little taller. Miyuki-chan. I won't let you down again.

[A Rainy Knight]

"Y-you... you weren't even close to failing," Miyuki hesitantly reassures her. "You threw him on the f-fricking ground. He was a w-wimp. It's just that I was alone, and s-scared, so..."

She stares ahead for a moment, then blinks.

"It's different. Y'know. B-being all alone, or having a friend..."

[Kioku]

I could have failed though, by not being here in time... Asami shakes her head to clear that thought, sniffs, and forces a smile. "Yeah?" She scoots a little closer while walking and pulls Miyuki's hand up to her chest to hold it with both of her own, waiting and hoping for the other girl to continue speaking her thought.

[A Rainy Knight]

Miyuki nods.

"Yeah. S-see, I used to think I l-liked being alone. I understand me. I can talk to me about anything. I can sit, and think, and never be b-bothered... But when I'm in t-trouble, I can't just turn to me for help. It's f-frightening, to not have anyone to help you, or tell you it's gonna be okay."

She glances up at her hand held in Asami's.

"A f-friend gives me confidence. Reminds me it's not just me against the world... t-that I'm not as weak or w-worthless as I used to think. Like a Pythia I can have in this world."

[Kioku]

Asami nods slowly, her smile becoming a little less forced. "I help you feel that way?" She squeezes Miyuki's hand again and essentially snuggles her arm while turning slightly toward her with something between the earlier despair and a new joy in her still-glimmering eyes. "So... you prefer not to be alone, to be with a friend instead? I really hope so. If you do... I'll make sure you never have to be alone again."

[A Rainy Knight]

"W-well..." Miyuki thinks for a moment, then speaks. "I'm always gonna want 'me time.' Th-that's just who I am. But if you'd be there for me, when I can't make it all alone, and I'm ready to c-crawl out of my hole..."

She chuckles.

"...I'd be happy. I know I'm nothing much, but I hope I can b-be there for you, sometime..."

[Kioku]

"O-of course! Everyone needs some alone time! I just meant, you won't have to be unless you want to." Asami speaks very quickly, almost at babbling speed with a faint blush. "But calling yourself nothing much..." She leans her head down and bumps Miyuki's with it. "Baka. You'll never mean so little. You've already been there for me, and... it makes me happy too."

[A Rainy Knight]

"...Heh. Maybe you're right - I am s-something. I've h-heard, you know... you and me, our Personas are a lot alike. 'B-battlefield control,' or something like that. And I'm not gonna l-let you outshine me in there!"

Miyuki looks toward Asami, with a smirk that softens into a smile.

"...I'm g-glad I met you."

[Kioku]

"I'm really glad I met you, too." Asami gives a small giggle and wipes her eyes with one hand, only leaving it away from Miyuki's for a couple seconds. "Competitive, hmm? Hehe... You're not scary or boring enough to put the Shadows into a panic or sleep, so I guess you mean to charm them into joining your side. Not that you'd have much trouble doing that." A few seconds pass before Asami realizes that she's said that aloud, her eyes widen, and she claps both hands over her mouth with a rapidly worsening blush, dropping her companion's in the process. "Sorry! I- Ignore that! Pretend I didn't say- Let's get home, okay?" She quickens her walking pace significantly.

[A Rainy Knight]

"Heh, I just leave all that to Pythia. S-she knows what to do... but I guess I'm not totally lacking in f-feminine appeal."

She simply looks at her own feet as Asami blushes.

"Y-yeah, let's go. That, uh... that thing back there was more than enough excitement f-for one day."

[Kioku]

Oh, kami, why did I have to say that? At least she doesn't seem to be too weirded out... Asami sneaks a glance back at Miyuki with bitten lip, but can't stop a hint of a smile from appearing. That girl is too nice and too shy for her own good. If we were seven years younger or so, I'd almost say she reminds me of... me... Akemi, I wish you could see me now. She squeezes her eyes shut to keep any new tears from falling and slows down, dangling a hand just far enough away from her side to be easily graspable in case it's wanted, without looking like an odd stance. Like that, taken or not, she'll walk the rest of the way to the dorm, always keeping an eye out for trouble. That's right... I vowed. No one is alone.