Amaterasu

Persona - The True Self

Collab Post itano123 || Amaterasu

The moment a new visitor had arrived at Shizuka's room, he could feel an intense murderous intent emanating from the direction of the girl's father. Shizuka gasped softly at who it was, Matthew Harvester. After the events from the previous day, which were still questionable to have really happened first of all, she found it as a surprise that the upperclassmen would decide to see her. Though the visit was not undesirable, no, in fact it was more of a pleasant surprise. She knew that she had to have a talk with him at one point.

The mother who was out of the loop looked to the father then to Shizuka as if to have either of them introduce who this boy was and who he was to his daughter. A small, teasing smile was upon her lips as she did so. The father, who was continuing to glare daggers at him, noticed this and started, "That's the boy who brought Shizuka in here the night before." Hearing this, Mrs. Otonashi's smile became wider as she turned her gaze towards the boy.

"Um... T-This is Harvester-senpai, my upperclassman at school and the president of the club I've joined recently. And these are my parents." Shizuka could feel how awkward Matthew must be feeling in the presence of her parents and at how hard her father was glaring at the boy. She felt embarrassed at how her spectacled father was being as she looked to her mother for help.

After seeing the helpless expression from her daughter, Shizuka's mother sighed and pulled the father's arm as she stood up. "It was nice to meet you and we're very much grateful for finding our dear Shizuka, Ha-Har... Harvester-kun? But we'll be taking our leave--" It was just then that another person had opened the door to the room.

This time, it was a young lady who seemed to be about Shizuka's age as well. No glares were given this time but even before anyone could say anything, the spectacled girl left and shut the door behind her. Shizuka was about to order her to stay but before she could open her lips, she was gone.

The awkwardness in the room settled in once more as the mother decided it was time to leave the two alone for whatever Shizuka may have wanted to tell him. It took a great effort to convince the father who refused to budge from this room to finally leave and as they did, the room was filled with awkward silence as Shizuka shifted her gaze towards the flowers in Matthew's hand.

"I-I don't suppose those are for me...? Shirohane-senpai seemed to have brought her own too." The maiden giggled slightly at the thought of how the two agriculture club members who had come to visit her had both brought her flowers. Smiling at how thoughtful the gesture was, it slowly faded as her gaze fell to the white tiled floor. "About... yesterday. It... it was real, wasn't it....? And if it was, .... I-I'm terribly sorry, senpai."

The situation proceeding after entering the room made Matt’s mouth dry as he produced a few beads of sweat that rolled down his face until a slightly amusing moment occurred that slightly lifted the heaviness in the room as someone seemed to open the door and close it just as suddenly. Though the awkwardness didn’t leave the father was finally convinced to leave though he didn’t seem to be very willing even as he left.

With the awkwardness setting in more the silence was broken With Shizu’s seemingly slightly awkward comments, which left Matt speechless for a few moments though it seemed a lot longer.
“Hahaa… yea it’s kinda the only thing i know to bring…” Matt tried to start his reply light as it started to trail to more serious aspects.
“As hard as it is to get your head around it was all real… and well…. It’s fine… I mean… Everyone's been through something like that in a way…. To be honest in the end it reminded me of my experience…” Trying hard to not sound too awkward about it Matt scratched the back of his head as he started to remember his experience more.

"So uhh... got anything you wanna talk about?"

Having been told that the events from the previous day were indeed real, Shizuka had to take a moment to think, recall even, what did all this remind her of? She was pretty sure this experience was all too familiar. Perhaps from a novel? No, maybe a web comic?

Either way, unlike how most people would react, she was a little excited that she could experience something extraordinary and it not being just a dream. But like the others, there was a part of her who feared the evident danger which was involved in what they did. Did all the kidnappees feel this way too? .... Did Matt feel this way too?

Shizuka snapped out of her thoughts when the upperclassman ended with a question. The maiden could feel her heart sink slowly, figuring they would have to confront the issue at one point. Eyes hid themselves behind her long bangs as she directed her gaze down. "Actually... I do. But... This'll not be pleasant."

The girl's hands squeezed themselves together atop her lap, holding in her anxiety as best as she could, as her lips parted once more, "As you've heard the other me yesterday, I... I may have been infatuated with the concept of love. I-It... does not give me an e-excuse to have been easily swayed by these feelings to have... hurt you in such a way." Hands started to tremble and if he looked closely, he could see a teardrop glitter along her cheek.

"Harvester-senpai.... Let us part ways." A melancholic smile made its way upon her lips as Shizuka's teary gaze lifted up to look Matt in his eyes.

Listening in Matt’s expression was… complicated, it wasn’t as if what Shizuka said never went through his mind as a possibility but it still… hurt.
“It’s not as If i wasn’t expecting something like this with what happened… but…” Matt spent a moment to gather his thoughts on what he would say next. “I’ll be honest... before this all started i was a liar to everyone around me and to myself, I played the role people felt most comfortable around to not be alone. I lied to myself pushing my real desires aside for the sake of a public image, playing others… and myself for fools” Matt laughed bitterly for a moment.

“Sorry for the stupid rambling guess I’ll get to the point, I get what you're saying but I’ve decided to start being honest with myself as well with others….” Scratching his head again Matt continued “I don’t want to break up, It might just be me being selfish but I really don’t…. What happened made me realise… anyway if you really think there isn’t a chance let me know but…. I guess I should leave and give you time to think… Bye”

With that Matthew left the hospital room holding back his tears… mostly.

Before Shizuka had the time to gather her thoughts and respond to the upperclassman, he was gone before her eyes, leaving Shizuka to herself and her thoughts, as well as the bundle of jasmine and lavender that the older boy had brought. It might've been a slight glance but was that a drop of tear at the corner of his eye?

With no one else left in the room but her, the melancholic smile upon Shizuka's lips eventually faded away as she ceased to thoughtfully gaze towards the flower. While slowly burying her face onto her hands, she finally released the tears she desperately held back, her quiet sobbing echoing throughout the room. Was this really the right thing to do...?

Persona - The True Self

I'll have something up tomorrow. Probably. Maybe. Probably.

@Leolycan

Me all the time nowadays.

Persona - The True Self

Shizuka Otonashi || ??? || June 29 MON

Opening her eyes to an unfamiliar scene, Shizuka blinked at the beautiful and elegant decors of the room she was in before noticing the black silhouettes of other people seated at the long table. Looking carefully along the table, she noticed that there were two people who were not mere black silhouettes and recognized them both. Mako, a loyal customer to the cosplay cafe, and Masahide, an upperclassman of hers, were seated at the table wearing fanciful outfits that varied from the others. If she stared long enough, she could notice a silhouette that resembled Matt's but it seemed as if he was not physically present at the moment, who also wore something he would normally not wear without an occasion.

A moment afterwards, Shizuka felt something atop her lap, what appeared to be a lacy blue and black parasol and as her gaze went downward from inspecting the umbrella, her eyes sparkled from how fabulous her current outfit was. It resembled a gothic lolita fashion but it leaned towards a formal theme as well. Each intricate and elegant detail on the gloves, the flow of the dress, the lacing pattern, Shizuka scanned through them with a seamstress' eyes as if it had given inspiration to tailor dresses of this theme.

A sudden voice caused the maiden to shift her gaze towards... what appeared to be a strange man with a long nose. Shaking her head to cease herself from being distracted from the strange appearance of the man, Shizuka listened carefully to what he had to say. A contract? She could only recall one situation where she might have, but wasn't that only from a dream?

Being told that she had drawn the Temperance Arcana, she stared down at the symbol she couldn't figure out what it had meant and nodded her head slowly in understanding as he explained what meaning it held. The teen looked back at how her life was recently, and he was certainly right about the loss of balance in her activities. Being told such made her a little conscious, but after facing herself at the strange dungeon, she had decided to be more truthful about her habit and perhaps tone it down to make time for other activities as well.

After receiving the key from the lady in blue, everything went dark once more.

Shizuka Otonashi || Warakuma Hospital || June 29 MON: After School

When Shizuka came to, what her eyes first saw was a white ceiling. Where was she now? While attempting to sit up, she noticed how immaculate white the room was and realized she was in a hospital room. Before the patient could react to the situation, a familiar female voice screamed her name, "Shizuka! Thank goodness, you're finally awake!", and a sudden hug just as she straightened up. It was her mother. Astonished by the appearance of her mother, her eyes widened and as she quickly scanned through the room, Shizuka noticed that her father, dressed in his doctor's uniform, was seated by her bedside as well.

"Mo-Mother...? Father...? W-What happened?" While she was surprised by the presence of her two always-too-busy-to-spend-time-with-her parents, it was more of a pleasant surprise to her. But how did she end up in the hospital after the whole crazy ordeal back at the fantasy stage place?

"A boy from your school brought you here at the middle of the night yesterday, claiming to have found you unconscious somewhere.", her father spoke in his ever solemn tone. "He seemed to have been hiding something but rest assured, we found no injuries of any sort when you were brought here." He adjusted his glasses with a cold yet menacing look in his eyes as if he was ready to stab any boy who neared her daughter.

"Oh Shizuka, we were worried sick when the police first informed us of your kidnapping in a horrifying gang incident! It's all both of our fault for not keeping a close eye on you despite all the rumors of the kidnappings in your school! We're sorry, Shizuka... *Sob* It's all our fault..." The embrace from her mother tightened as she felt warm tears drop along her back, her arms raised themselves to return the embrace, tears rolling down her cheeks at how sincerely worried they must have been for her.

"I... I... was lonely every time you a-and father left me to myself... I-I just kept it to myself be-because I wanted to be an obedient c-child... Bu-But mother, father, please... do-don't leave me alone." The tears she held back all those years started streaming down as Shizuka kept sobbing and crying. Hearing this, her mother's hand gently rubbed her daughter's back as her sobs became louder at the realization of their neglect. They both must've known this but had they failed to notice this due to Shizuka not saying anything?

"We should've known you've always felt this way but... This should not be an excuse and we're both deeply sorry about it but your mother and I have been working harder recently to work on this." Shizuka's father held out a clear file filled with sketches of different dresses and outfits, but they all had one similarity: the model of the sketches was Shizuka. Her mother released Shizuka from her embrace so that she may scan through the papers properly and once she reached the back area, there were several blueprints of a runway stage and a party hall.

"W-What is all this...?" What were they preparing for, to be this grand? Was their any occasion close by? There weren't any that Shizuka could recall. "It might be too early but these are drafts for your 20th birthday, dear. We... just wanted to celebrate your coming of age with the best of our abilities but we neglected you in doing so... We're truly sorry for being bad parents to you, Shizuka."

Shizuka's mother flashed a melancholic smile and Shizuka responded to their apology with a shake of her head with a soft yet genuine smile. "You're not terrible, mother, father. In the end, you were doing all of this for me and I appreciate all the effort and work you've done for my coming of age. But... It would be delightful if we had more time to spend together. If both of you are off work any time this summer holidays, could we have a trip to Tokyo, please?"

This was the first time Shizuka asked her parents in a childish manner and the two of them couldn't help but smile and give in to her request. After settling down a little, Shizuka started to sketch the fanciful dress in her dream and explained her hobby that she had kept from her mother and father. Her mother didn't particularly mind, in fact, she was happy that Shizuka was able to expand her tailoring skills more by this hobby. Her father was not totally against it but was worried by the fact that his daughter could fall victim to molestors because of the outfits she would wear and the two could feel the murderous intent from the worrywart father.

A nurse had dropped in quickly just to give Shizuka something they had received from a visitor. The maiden wondered who it was from and read "From Akane Hanazawa" on the sticky note. I-It's from the president of the manga club! Her memory might be blurry but if she remembered right, was the lone girl from her rescue team that same upperclassman? She wasn't sure but Shizuka couldn't wait to go back to school and finally enter the club room with her new found courage! The manga the upperclassman seems to have given her was something she recognized, but had yet to read. Was it something about a love triangle between a princess, prince and a servant? She couldn't really remember but at least she had something to pass the time by while her stay at the hospital.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: Rekindled Flame

I'm fine with skipping my turn since I don't think I would've had much to go with even if I did post and eh, Rei will have no regrets leaving Nami. Maybe after saying bye to granny.

Persona - The True Self

I slept 11pm with a 4am work (3am wake up) the next morning for you, are you happy now

Persona - The True Self

Shizuka Otonashi || Super Magical Runway || June 28 SUN

As the imitator transformed into something entirely different from her, the hazel eyes of Shizuka could not take her eyes off of the outrageous scenario. Just what was happening? Is this reality or some kind of dream? How did she end up in this situation? .... What was going to happen to her?

The team of four who had just arrived immediately sprung into action once the transformation sequence was over. "Do-Don't come any closer, i-it's too dangerous...!" While the maiden had no idea whatsoever of the capabilities that the fox demon had but if her intuition from games and anime were right, it was bound to have tricks up its sleeve. What she didn't know was that the four had their own unique abilities as well.

As her rescuers stepped forward, they summoned blue cards, out of nowhere, just to be shattered into pieces, triggering some kind of figures. Shizuka could not comprehend what was going on but this sort of scene felt all too familiar to her. Was it an anime she watched? Perhaps a game she played? She couldn't figure it out in the midst of such a mess and before she knew it, Rui and Matt were before her glass case, where the poor girl was trapped in.

Slash. An opening on the glass case was formed thanks to one of the figures they controlled. Before the fox demon would turn its attention back to her, Shizuka ran along with the two, Matt firmly holding her hand to lead her to safety. Once they were far enough from the enemy, the upperclassmen were about to dive back into action. Before they left, Shizuka cheered them on with a worried tone, "P-Please come back safely, senpai!" The brunette upperclassman turned back towards the maiden for a moment to flash a melancholic smile, one which she could not see the emotion behind. Was it because of what her fraud had spoke about? Feeling guilty whether or not she admitted it as true, Shizuka could not help but return the gesture with a frown.

Both Rui and Matt had gone back into the battle as things became more intense, especially how the fox demon had easily dodged their attacks in dancing steps. Shizuka didn't want to admit it but how the fox demon gracefully made each step with the swaying of her hips, arms and tails was visually appealing. But this was not the time to be amused by the enemy's movements. If this was no dream, they were putting their lives on the line for her sake. There was nothing she could do but hope for the best outcome and keep out of their way.

After figuring out a possible weak point, the battle went down smoothly and the team was able to topple the imitator down, causing her appearance to transform back into the familiar figure. Watching her struggle to even attempt to get up pained the girl's heart a little. "But you'll still need to come to terms with this, otherwise this won't end. Though I'm sure you can accept this part of yourself." As Rui stepped aside to let Shizuka pass, she gave a hesitant nod before approaching her other self. His last comment as she passed caused an ache to her chest, but her feet continued going forward. Before any appreciation was to be given, they deserved to know the truth.

"Um..." Shizuka knelt down to the shadow's level, seemingly unsure how to form words to express how she felt and what she wanted to say. "It... It is as you say. I-I've always been living in my own de-delusional world." Releasing a deep sigh, Shizuka continued reluctantly, "It must've began when mother and father... started drifting away from me. I-I've always held back from saying how truly lonely I felt... But instead, I indulged myself in my new found hobby."

"...But we wouldn't have known that that new hobby would turn out to become an unhealthy obsession." The magical girl dressed figure frowned at her own words, which also caused Shizuka to frown slightly.

"Yes... I-It was true. All that you've said. Because of the deprivation of attention from my parents, I... I sought out attention from upperclassmen and po-potential love interests as a shoujo manga protagonist would have done." Hazel eyes lowered themselves down as teardrops started to fall from the corners of her eyes. Lips trembled as the tone of her voice became softer and shaky. "I-I hadn't meant any harm bu-but I see now how my se-selfish actions brought pain to pe-people who are dear..."

Shizuka sobbed in between her words, making it difficult to understand unless one listened to her carefully. As more streams of tears rolled down her cheeks, a hand wiped away the tears on her left, then the right cheek. Blinking in surprise at the gesture, Shizuka stared at the figure similar to her as if wondering what had happened to her hostility. "Now, now. A crying face doesn't suit a shoujo protagonist, does it?" Despite the pain the imitator had endured throughout the battle, she managed an encouraging smile upon her lips. "You might have been a selfish shoujo protagonist but you've still brought smiles upon people's faces too, right? Making people happy, that part of you is what makes a true shoujo protagonist."

Realizing the truth in her shadow's words, the maiden smiled slightly, tears ceasing to fall as she responded, "I still have long ways to go, it seems. But... Thank you. I'm unsure whether or not people will still accept me as I am but being honest is the first step I've decided to take. _{Um... And lessen my unhealthy obsession with otaku things as well.}" The imitator giggled at Shizuka's whispered last comment, followed by Shizuka's own giggling.

A blinding light started to envelop the other self, startling Shizuka to her feet. Just what was going on this time? Was it another transformation sequence? If it was, the light which surrounded the other self this time felt gentle and gave off a warm aura. The light dimmed as a figure within became clearer until it resembled another fox figure. While it was another image of a fox like the earlier one, this figure didn't seem to give off any hostile aura. In fact, it gave off a familiar, kind aura instead. Shizuka was still shocked and confused at everything that had happened in the past couple of minutes but she felt that she did what was right in accepting her. A bright smile adorned her features as a voice spoke,

I art thou. Thou art I.
I am Inari, the Goddess of Prosperity.

The voice faded along with the fox figure, leaving behind a shining blue card with an image of the Temperance arcana. The spinning blue card landed upon her open hands before it shattered into pieces, igniting a flash of blue light, wrapping Shizuka in a gentle, blue light. After a moment of letting what had just happened sink in, Shizuka turned to face the team of four, an apologetic expression upon her features. "I-I truly apologize for... a-all the tro-... trouble I've ca-caused.... But.... t-tha.... --ou....."

.........

Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: Rekindled Flame

Reina Saotome || Forest

"Hey! I'm still here, you dumb robot!" The make do spear was aimed full force towards the mosca which had diverted its attention away from Rei. "And if that's not enough, take this!!" Without giving time for the hostile robot to react, she slowly picked up a huge rock about half her size and threw it towards the robot. For a normal person, it would've been impossible for them to even lift such weight and more so to throw it but Rei had a gift strength that she now appreciated in this time of need.

'Yoshi better be okay, I can't stand to lose my best bud here!' The raven haired girl gritted her teeth as she took cover behind a tree, hoping her distraction worked and got the robot's attention away from the boss. Hands evidently shook in fear, was it going to fire its bullets towards her next? This was becoming scarily too real too quick, she hadn't expected this much danger on the first day after joining the mafia family.

Rei shook away her thoughts and focused on finding a way to get both her and Yoshi out of this. Not too long after, she heard the loud screaming,"REEEEEEEEEEEEBOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRN!!!!" Confused by what had happened, Rei peeked from behind the tree what was going on. "What the hell, Yoshi!!! Watch out!!!" Disregarding the ridiculous fact that he was now just in his underwear, Rei screamed, feeling helpless at the suicidal attack that Yoshi initiated. It was too dangerous to throw another huge rock with her bud being in such close proximity to their enemy, the tomboy couldn't do anything but throw stones at it with all her might.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: Rekindled Flame

What nice info dump? I've been in this to ever since the beginning no way I'd wanna back out, it just takes time for me to make time to post lmao

Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: Rekindled Flame

lmao I don't know what's going on but I ship you two

Anyway, I finally have a legit off day from work tom so I'll see about posting

Persona - The True Self

Ikr we shouldn't cause I WANT EM GROUP SUMMER EVENTS ALREADY. The trip to the beach, summer festival, fireworks display and stuff, ASAP after all the dungeons ye.