Persona 3: Blood Pact II

[madimpossibledreamer]

Who's Isabel?  Who knows.  Will we ever find out?  Probably not.
~Dreamer~

Main Points: Persona 3 AU
Chapter Summary: 10 years post-Graduation, and Officer Sanada wakes up after being attacked...
Word Count: 1094
Rating: Gen

          "Akihiko-senpai, wake up."  He was being gently shaken.
          He started awake, sitting up before he realized it, and Minato smiled at him, relieved, and moved to lean against a carved stone.
          He looked around, already thinking he was back in a dream again.  He lay near an old iron gate, worn with age but still useful.  The designs were interesting, but if he stared at them too long he'd probably go cross-eyed, or even more insane than he already obviously was.  The squares between the stone wall and the thick pillars of stone were probably at one point meant to have flowers or other greenery, but instead it was all empty or dead.  Vines crawled over the walls to either side, but they, too, were dead.  Despite the somewhat creepy feel of the place, it reminded Akihiko more of autumn rather than true death.  Toward the end was another gate, a Gothic sort of house, and stone stairs leading up to the place.
          "As much fun as it is for you to look around, I can't let you do it forever.  We're going to be late to an appointment."  Minato-kun's voice broke in on his thoughts.  Th-that was the kohai's voice.
          "Minato?" he questioned, voice sounding a little unsteady.  But then, that was perfectly understandable when a good friend had suddenly come back from the freaking dead.
          The smile was Minato's too, but it came far quicker, more freely, than it ever had in the year Sanada-san had to come to know the kid.  "Yes, well, sort of.  I'll be happy to explain everything I can, but after.  We can't keep them waiting.  Follow me."  He helped the still shaken police officer to his feet, then set off toward the house determinedly.  With nothing else to do, Akihiko followed.
          He felt a touch disoriented upon crossing the threshold.  His eyes took a moment to adjust to the change in surroundings, and then he looked back to realize that while the place right outside and inside the door might have been connected, that didn't mean that they were, in fact, anywhere near each other.
          It looked like the first entry room of the dorm, back when he'd still been in high school during that worst and best year of his life.  That was, if all the lights and furnishings had been blue.  A man with a long nose and a creepy smile sat in the couch, accompanied by a pretty young woman, who was definitely looking disinterested in the proceedings.  What was going on here?
          "Ahhh," the man muttered, leaning forward with a look of interest in his eyes.  "It has been some time."
          "Igor," Minato nodded, as if this was all perfectly normal, nose and all.  Was it?  And if so, why hadn't anybody bothered telling Akihiko?  "I don't know your new assistant, and I have a lot of questions, but those can wait.  It is someone else's time now, not mine."
          "Indeed," the man agreed.  "Sanada Akihiko."  How had this weirdo known his name?  "It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Velvet Room.  My name is Igor, and this is my assistant, Isabel."
          “Where are we?” Akihiko interrupted.  The guy looked perfectly happy to have kept talking, but he needed some actual answers, not some long, drawn out introduction.
          Long-nose just laughed.  His laugh was somewhat creepy too, and was doing nothing to put the police officer at ease.  “This place is between dream and reality, mind and matter.  It is a room that only those who are bound by a ‘contract’ may enter.”
          “I didn’t sign any ‘contract’.  Unless it was included with the police paperwork somehow.”  His answer was quick and just a little bit aggressive.
          Someone snorted, and he looked over to see Minato, looking away and biting his lips.  Was he finding Akihiko’s suspicion funny?  Because this situation wasn’t, really.  His face began to burn.
          “You might not have signed it yet, but you will, soon,” Isabel supplied, still looking utterly bored.
          “Do not be alarmed,” Igor continued the story, which she was all too happy to drop and stare at the wall instead.  As if wallpaper was more interesting than interacting with human beings.  “The contract only states that you will take responsibility for any decisions you make.”
          Minato touched him on the shoulder gently.  “Don’t worry,” he whispered quietly, supportively.  “You won’t be tricked into signing it.  I’ll warn you if I notice anything.”  Akihiko sensed an added undercurrent to the seemingly simple words.  Obviously this meant a lot to the blue-haired kohai, but what he wasn’t entirely certain.  It wasn’t as if he’d known the kid very well when he was alive.  That thought brought a wave of guilt he quickly shrugged off.  None of them could have known, so feeling responsible about it was entirely pointless.
          “From this point onward, you shall be welcome here, in the Velvet Room.  Think of this as the place where you shall hone your unique power of Persona.  I can tell you that none before you has had quite the experience with their ability as you shall have.  Isabel and I are here to aid you in this regard.”  He paused, then his creepy smile got wider.  “I believe your new Persona will be more than happy to give you an overview of how it works, but if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.  I only ask one thing in return…that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make.”
          Akihiko was about to ask what happened if he chose not to sign this contract, whatever it was, but Minato nudged him and shook his head.  Apparently they’d talk about that later.
          “Hold on to this,” Igor stated.
          In a flash of blue light, a key with a black and white mask and…was that a sun motif?...came floating down in front of him.  Minato gently took it.
          Isabel reached forward quickly and slapped his hand.  “You’ve already had your turn!  Sheesh!  Greedy.”
          Surprisingly, enough, he didn’t drop it.  Minato’s eyes turned pouty.  “I’m his Persona, and I’m less likely to lose it.”  He sounded overly cheerful for someone whose hand was turning red.  Apparently that girl could hit.
          “Now, Isabel.  Do not hit our guests.”  The glare of absolute rage directed at Minato showed that she hadn’t really learned her lesson.  “Well, I have kept you here for long enough.  The next time you come here, you will have signed the contract.  Until then, farewell.”  The world around them faded.