To the Shrine [Destiny]

After Endeux's awakening, the Tsurinai would make his way towards Nokawia, which held the shrine he was texted about from Azame. Naito had promised he'd explain things to Endeux, so if she wished to accompany him to Nokawia, he would explain some things on the way. Normally, two high school students would take the bus for transportation. He didn't have the luxury of being driven everywhere like when he lived back at home in the Tsurinai estate. So if Destiny had accompanied him on the trip, he would have explained some things in that time.

Sitting towards the back end of the bus, the Tsurinai took a seat by the window leaving a free seat for his partner beside him. He didn't want to get her involved with this next fight, seeing how she had just unlocked her potential, which was quite strange for someone who used his fellow people as tools. But he had once learned a King is nothing without their people, and as such Naito had began to listen to those he chose to surround himself with. Much like a true King. "I didn't want you to get involved with this, Endeux. There is a possibility you ended up in that world because you were associated with me. Either way, there are some things you should know. That strange place you found yourself in is called Limbo. It's an alternate reality that's slowing crossing into our own, and one of the main culprits of Ueitawa's sudden disappearance case. Someone is abusing the world, and throwing people into it for some strange reason. If I would not have arrived, there was a chance you could have died." Though he was speaking of life and death, the pale faced teen remained stoic and calm with his words. "...But instead of finding death, you gained a Persona. Basically another side of yourself that gives you extraordinary ability. The same sort of ability I used to protect you. With this ability, you've unlocked the potential to see the doorways of Limbo, and the Velvet Room. Within Limbo there are creatures we call Shadows. They are humanity's enemy... though I can't say we know much about them, or what their goals are." Naito pinched his chin between his index finger and thumb in thought. His silver hues glanced out the window of the bus as his silver locks draped to the side of his cheek. "Whatever the case, I believe I should make this clear to you. Someone put you in that place to die. You weren't the first, there have been others. But regardless, they put you there because they wanted you dead. Do you plan to let this go, or are you willing to assist me in catching whoever is behind this? Recently I've seen three people who have caught my interest and also hold the power of Persona. They may have been involved with this, and I intend to find out."

The Tsurinai turned to look towards Endeux with a sullen look to his eyes. At this moment in time, the bus passed by Shibakuzoi and began to head west towards Nadashiki. It would need to go through that area before reaching Nokawia, so they still had a ways to go. Hopefully the others could survive in that time. If Smiling Mask was truly at the Shrine, then that could only mean bad news. But with him out of the way, Naito's plans would go much easier in the future. Though he was well aware that the Smiling Mask fellow was not behind the recent murder of the Principal in the school, so even with his defeat there was much more to be done. Regardless of that, the teen would await his companions questions or any remarks she had on the situation. She was most likely confused, since this was alot to take in so sudden. Especially since she most likely didn't have a family that researched the supernatural side of life like this own. It was almost family custom to be aware of your physical surroundings and spiritual surroundings. Though Naito never paid much attention to the teachings, they had been coming in handy recently thanks to the current developments in Ueitawa. It was a shame no one knew what was going on behind the scenes, but it made things easier for him to operate with.

    It felt odd to spring so suddenly back to normalcy after the whole experience Destiny just had. Really, she might have written the whole thing off as fatigue or a delusion if it weren’t for the lingering drowsiness fogging her head and the occasional giggle she thought she heard in the back of her mind. Of course, those could just be signs she was going insane. The fact that Naito, the one who’d saved her from the whole ordeal, was still there, though, made her sure she was still rational.

    She’d been promised an explanation should she follow the boy. As of now, her part of the bargain had been fulfilled; she’d even stayed silent the whole way, allowing Naito to decide when exactly he wanted to reveal what he knew. It wasn’t too hard to keep herself occupied in that time, though. The blonde had been mulling over some of the jargon he’d used, such as Shadow and power. Were “shadows” just copies of other people? Where did they come from? And what was the point of having this “power”? Was there any at all? Littering her head with these conjectures, Destiny trailed after the silverette as he boarded the bus, taking the seat next to him. She wasn’t sure where he was headed, exactly, but it didn’t quite matter to her; she knew the area well enough, so no matter where she ended up, she was confident she could find her way back home. Lost in thought, she kept her gaze on the seat in front of her, an arm wrapped around her waist and her other hand, curled loosely into a fist, pressed to her lips. Until Naito started speaking, that is. Only then did she raise her head and train her eyes on his face, keeping her own expression solemn.  

    …Well. This was unexpected. Destiny figured that the explanation she craved wasn’t exactly simple, but she hadn’t expected it to be quite like this. An alternate world. Disappearances. Persona. Goodness, it sounded insane. But she knew it had to be true;  what other way could explain what had happened to her not even a few hours ago? // Many other ways. // A little voice in her head whispered sarcastically. But really, when it came down to it, she had nothing else to believe. And she trusted Naito so far. He’d just saved her life, after all. If that didn’t warrant some form of confidence in another person, Destiny wasn’t quite sure what would.

    The blonde sat there for a few seconds, staring at her lap and biting at the inside of her cheek as she digested the new information. Track down a would-be murderer? There was so much that could go wrong. Sure, she enjoyed a good mystery now and again, but there was a difference between figuring out the culprit in a book compared to finding one in reality. There was real danger. Real death. No second chances. …But then again, it would be foolish to pretend like the whole thing never happened. She wouldn’t be safe at all; there would still be a chance of her would-be killer returning to try again. Wasn’t it worth the risk now, then, to ensure her safety and that of others in the future? Finally she lifted her head and turned back to meet the silver-eyed gaze currently trained on her. “I don’t particularly enjoy the thought of this person being on the streets. If I can be of service…then yes. I’ll help.” She punctuated her “yes” with a slight nod, trying to make herself feel even half as composed as she sounded. Still, there things that were nagging at her.

    “I’ve only talked to you twice. If I was put in there because of you, whoever did this must be watching you rather closely.” She ran her thumb over her mouth in thought, trying to think of a face that had appeared both times she’d interacted with Naito. But not even a second later, she knew it was pointless to try; anyone could observe without being seen, after all. Besides, it wasn’t as if she’d been paying particular attention to the people around her on those days.

    Glancing towards Naito, her gaze pensive, she voiced the other question she’d had.  “You said that…Limbo…is “crossing over”. What does that mean, exactly?” The words didn’t sound good the second time she heard them. But maybe she was just worrying over nothing; she’d always been a little anxious over things that didn’t warrant such thoughts. Still, it was best to ask and make sure.

When Endeux accepted his request for her assistance in ending whoever was behind this, the silver haired Tsurinai gave a smirk even though his eyes remained quite sullen. "Very well. Then I hope you never let me down, Endeux. Though you haven't before, so I'm sure you'll do fine." Continuing on with the conversation, the young woman made quite a point. If she was put in there because of him, then whoever did it must have been watching him rather closely. The first time they had really spent time together was at the school, but it was nothing special. But then the mall, and the gossip from the young females could have alerted wandering ears. It made Naito look forward in some thought while narrowing his eyes. His smirk had faded during these thoughts, because it meant the Killer could have been watching him even when he went to go rescue her. Whoever it was, they were invisible in plain sight. He was glad he narrowed it down to someone in the school, but still that was alot of suspects. Soon she asked another question about what Limbo "crossing over" truly meant.

Naito gazed at her with sullen silver hues, "Simply meaning Limbo will become our only reality. The world, and everyone you know, will simply end. Your friends and family will become Shadows, and sooner or later we will aswell. Everything will end." The teenager shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't really care. "I'm not the type to lay back and let myself die. So I fully intend on preventing this with my last breath. I believe the world needs to change, but for Shadows to take control is pathetic. I won't let such weakness run free. I'll kill them all before that." The bus took another turn, this time making its way into Nadashiki and through the streets. Reaching into his vest, he removed his signature white gloves and began to place them on his hands with a sullen expression. "Though I asked for your assistance, Enduex, make sure you don't over do it. Losing your life over something small and trivial would be waste. If you feel you are ever over your head and need help, do not hesitate to call me. After all, you are my precious tour guide, no?" Though he said this without any hidden meaning behind it, he gave the female a glance and with an indifferent expression. "Atleast I believe you are."

    …Why? Why was it that this one time her pessimistic idea was actually a reality? Pursing her lips, Destiny exhaled slowly. As tempting as it was to try and block out the possibility of life as she knew it coming to an abrupt end, she knew that wouldn’t do any good. She’d done that before, blocking things out, and it nearly got her killed. So it was best to try and think of the positives. // There are none. // was her first reaction. But she shook those thoughts away quickly. There had to be something good in all of this bad news; some silver lining. …Maybe she could think of one later, when she wasn’t so inundated with this new information.  

    Naito’s confidence was actually reassuring. He seemed like the type of person who wouldn’t quit until he got what he wanted; in this situation, that should be considered an asset. If he wanted the possibility of Armageddon to be destroyed, then there was a good chance he’d find some way to do it. If she had any doubts on the matter, his final statement on that subject dispelled them. At least one of them would be combating those things; she wasn’t sure she could even do a fraction of the damage he’d done against her Shadow, as she wasn’t exactly keen on finding out for sure.

    “…Thank you.” Despite the exhaustion and the data overload, she managed a small smile. While she had no intention of doing anything risk-related for the time being, she appreciated the offer. He really could’ve brushed her off after the whole thing, promised her an explanation at a later date and never followed through. But he didn’t. It said something about his character, something she couldn’t help but admire. She found it almost funny that he was still calling her that, though: tour guide. She’d been living in Ueitawa for far longer than he had, and yet he’d revealed a whole other side of the area that she’d never known about. Rather ironic, actually.

   Oh. But…how was she supposed to contact Naito? It was possible to meet him during classes, but the school year was coming to a close soon. What was she supposed to do after graduation, should the culprit still be on the loose? Visiting the dorms wasn’t a particularly pleasing idea, and having him come all the way to Shibakuzoi or Hayabusa for a simple question would be a waste of time and energy. Then that just left…cell phones. As hesitant as she was to ask—she was eighty percent sure the answer would be “no”—she managed to gather what semblance of courage she had and ask, “Do you mind giving me your number?” …He better not laugh or frown or do something awful. Those few words were already doing a number on her nerves, and she could feel her face heating up despite her best efforts to remain nonchalant.

When the young female asked him for his phone number, he raised a brow. "My phone number? My you're quite bold to ask a boy for their phone number, Endeux. Isn't it usually the Male's job to ask?" The Tsurinai gave a sly laugh beneath his breath as he reached into his vest and removed his own phone. Holding it out for her, and then extending his other free hand towards her; the pale faced teen would speak. "Here, let me see your phone and I'll insert it myself. And you can put your number in my phone." If Destiny agreed to the exchange, he would take her phone and cycle through to her contacts. With a few quick clicks, he would enter his contact information under the name "My Beloved Tsurinai-san" and would hand the phone back to her. "There you go. I've entered my information at the top of your list. It's not every day I give my number out. And I surely don't give it to just anyone, Endeux." The silver eyed teen looked towards the blonde with it's usually sullen daze, but there was a slight smirk upon his face as if teasing her. Turning back towards the window, he'd use his hand to pull her sleeve so she'd be leaning on his shoulder. "Regardless, I know you're tired. Get some rest for now. There's no point in overexerting yourself now. I have no use for someone who can't learn to rest when they're tired." Even through his harsh words, it was obvious there was an underlining softness to them, almost as if he cared for her health for reasons other than needing her strength for battle. No matter, he made sure he looked out the window when he said it, so she couldn't easily see his face.

Those of the Tsurinai clan were forbidden from showing any such care for their subjects that went beyond business. So he was practically forcing himself to follow the custom by telling her to rest just because he'd need her for battle well rested. Naito was anxiously trying to follow his strict customs as a child, while also displaying his own personal care for others. It was a difficult process for someone who had used others like tools for his entire life. Perhaps this whole situation was what he needed to see the true use for others that weren't just subordinates. He had even went so far to threaten another simply because their actions would have endangered his "comrades". Naito's viewpoints of others were certainly changing, and even he was beginning to notice it. Where he referred to everyone as trash before; he had become alot better when referring to others and speaking to those he did not know. Perhaps being sent away to this region did do some good, even though he knew his Father did it because he was antagonizing the business. Once this was all over, he'd have to return home and make amends for what he had done. If possible, even join the company business and change it from the inside instead of rebelling against everything it currently stood for.

There was so much he was going to need to change, and the thought made him narrow his eyes as he looked at his reflection in the window. "Endeux, my sister's birthday is coming up soon. I was told to invite "friends". Would you like to accompany once this is over?" The question may have been random, but he gave her a stoic glance once asking.

    She should’ve expected that. Really, she should have. Glancing down awkwardly, her face turning a deep shade of pink, she tried to think of some way to apologize for being so forward. That is, until she saw the cell phone out of the corner of her eye. Destiny looked up in time to meet his gaze as he suggested swapping phones for a minute and, therefore, contact information. “A-Alright.” Trying to regain her composure, she gave him a smile as she fumbled with one hand in the pocket of her oversized jacket, pulling out her phone a second later and exchanging cell phones with Naito. His phone was a bit different than hers, but not much, thankfully; she found it easy to enter her number and return Naito’s phone at the same time he returned hers. She was going to tell him that her number, should he need it, would be easy to find since she entered her full name. But he spoke faster than she did, adding a comment that sounded like he was teasing her. Should she feel honored…? Somewhat flustered and slightly confused, she managed a, “T-Thank you…?”

    She turned her head away from Naito, busying herself with putting her phone back into her pocket. The next thing she knew, there was a tug at her jacket sleeve and she was falling over into Naito’s shoulder. She lifted her head slightly to blink at the silverette in confusion, noticing his hand was still on her sleeve. What had he done that for? …Oh. Had it really been that obvious? She hadn’t yawned or given any other obvious indication that she was tired even once the whole time they had been talking. But she supposed how he knew didn’t really matter. And he was right; she wouldn’t do anyone, not even herself, any good if she kept acting as if she was fully awake. So, despite the blush creeping up her cheeks again, Destiny settled her head back on Naito’s shoulder, letting her eyelids droop slightly. She wasn’t going to fall asleep, though; the thought of Naito reaching his destination and leaving her asleep on the bus was a terrifying one, and she had no intention or even giving it a chance to become a reality. Just to make sure, though, she pulled her jacket sleeves over her hands and every few seconds would lightly dig her nails into palms, just enough to keep her coherent.

    It was quiet for a few minutes, minus the humming of the traffic. And the position was actually comfortable for the time being. Despite her resolve to stay awake, the blonde was starting to nod off, teetering on the line between consciousness and sleep. Naito’s voice, though, snapped her out of her thoughts, or lack thereof. Destiny rubbed a hand lightly over her eyes, trying to wipe away the traces of sleep before she raised her head and tried to focus on his words. Come with him…to his sister’s…birthday party? That’s what he asked her, wasn’t it? Thinking back on it, the blonde could recall him mentioning something about having two sisters. An…older and a younger one, if she remembered correctly. Nodding lightly, she gave him a small smile. “Of course.” She tilted her head slightly, her expression switching to that of mild curiosity. “What’s her name?”

When his female companion began to doze off, his silver hues made their way back towards her. He silently watched her sleep, and even raised his hand once to brush a loose strand of hair that was hanging infront of her face to the side. She reminded him of Miki sometimes, but there was something different about her. Where he felt like he was obliged to protect Miki he didn't feel the same way about Endeux. It was his own will and decision to want to protect her, but he didn't particularly know why he had these feelings. When no one was looking, Tsurinai Naito gave a smile while looking at his other. Even with this world falling apart, and people's lives being in danger; there was still some beauty in it. However this moment was short lived as the blonde began to rub her eyes, and he'd quickly advert his gaze back to the window and pretend he hadn't been watching her rest. She was responding to the comment about meeting his sister at her birthday party. Clearing his throat, he'd try to answer with an nonchalant tone. "Her name is Miki. The name may sound innocent, but rest assured she is quite the hand full, Endeux. Can you tell me about your family? You've mentioned you had a sister yourself. Tell me more about her." The Tsurinai was curious about the young woman's background outside of all this "fight for survival" nonsense. Since the bus was just now reaching the outer limits of Nokawia, he had a few more minutes to talk before it pulled up to the shrine where he'd be getting off. He was reluctant to bring her along, as he didn't wish to endanger her life, nor did he know what her Persona was capable of.

Telling from appearance, he could guess Destiny didn't have that hard of a childhood when it came to her own family. However, her Shadow told him enough when it came to her problem with standing out. Among her sisters, she was probably the shyest one, and maybe even the most self conscious one aswell. Unlike his own siblings that were born to be natural leaders, there could be others that didn't have that privilege to be born ready to deal with life's troubles. For someone to have to face themselves with a personality such as that, Naito was glad he was able to witness it. If Endeux could do it, then anyone could. Perhaps they truly did have a chance at saving Ueitawa. However, he needed to keep his mind on the current situation. Considering he was heading right into his next battle, it meant he had alot of work to do thinking up a plan to not only capture Scarlet Red, but also the Smiling Man himself. Once they were out the way, perhaps it'd be easier to get some answers about what was going on. That man seemed to know alot, especially since he told Naito about the Gods in the first place. What else could he had known? Why Limbo was crossing over now? Perhaps how to keep the two worlds separate altogether? The thoughts made him close his eyes and give a tired sigh.

    Miki? A cute name, certainly. In Destiny’s opinion, it was fitting; most younger siblings were cute, regardless of what their brothers or sisters might say. Of course, her opinion on the matter was somewhat skewed, seeing as how she had no little brother or sister of her own. Regardless, hearing Naito call his own relative a “hand-full” brought an amused smile to her face, and it only widened as he asked her to describe her own sister. Of course, she had two sisters, but she assumed he was referring to the one still living at home.

    “She’s…interesting.” That seemed like a safe way to start when talking about Kari. “Some people think she’s a little opinionated, but she’s just confident.” Kari had a habit of not filtering her words, a trait that people didn’t always appreciate. But Destiny thought it was brave of her to speak her mind so openly no matter what anyone said. ...Well, brave, but maybe not the smartest thing. Her sister had said some awful things to some very influential people in her life…like the principal at that one school in Norway…and the guidance counselor in America...just to name a few, of course. But her sister was very sweet. Really. “And I suppose you could say she’s a bit on the protective side.” The blonde couldn’t help the slight wince that flashed across her face, momentarily countering her smile. Ha…maybe “protective” was a bit of an understatement, now that she thought about it…

    At Naito’s sigh, she turned her head to face him, her demeanor sobering at his expression. The past few minutes had been lighthearted enough, but she couldn’t forget that just before that they’d been discussing a rather heavy topic. He was probably still thinking about the whole Limbo situation. Studying his face for a moment, she wondered how the whole situation was affecting him. She was already exhausted after knowing about the existence of the supernatural for just a few hours; how was Naito, who’d known about all of this for who knows how long, being affected? What if he pushed himself too far and got himself hurt? While he seemed to have enough sense not to do something as foolish as that, there was always a possibility that it could happen.

    Wait…hadn’t he mentioned he was going to help “comrades”? That was where he was headed now, wasn’t it? “Comrades” sounded like he was going off to fight. And right after taking care of her “Shadow”? …Suddenly that small possibility of the silverette pushing himself a little too far didn’t seem so small anymore. Turning her gaze to the seat in front of her and folding her arms, Destiny exhaled heavily before she asked, “What exactly are you going off to do right now?” It was obvious that whatever it was, it was weighing heavily on his mind. While the chances of it being something completely unrelated to Limbo were awfully slim, there was always a chance that he wasn’t going off to do something horribly dangerous. But the uneasiness building inside her was betting that she wasn’t going to like his answer.

The Tsurinai gave a thin smile at the mention of her sister being opinionated and confident. "I see. I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinions, and the fact she is confident is something more people need these days." The teen seemed to approve of her sister's personality, possibly because his own sisters were the same way. Soki more than Miki. When she also spoke of the protective side, Naito couldn't help but get a shiver down his spine as his silver locked draped over his face. Perhaps her older sister shared too many similarities with his own. Though he never truly hated Soki, he despised her attempts at protecting him and being over bearing.

His thoughts moved back to the situation at hand as he could see the shrine from the bus window. This talk of family was over, and he'd begin to stand up from his seat and move his way past Destiny. However, she would ask him what he was off to go do. Pausing for a moment, the silver haired Tsurinai would look towards his gloved hand and clench his fist in thought. "I'm going to protect those I care about, would be the cliche thing to say here. In reality, I'm going somewhere to eliminate the competition and to save Ueitawa from the coming end. You're welcome to join me." With those final words he gave a confident smirk before heading off the bus and going to the shrine. He'd make sure to scope out the area and take the path through the decorations to stay out of sight so he could analyze the situation before jumping into battle.

[Exit]

    She was right; his answer wasn’t exactly pleasing. “Eliminate the competition”…right. So he was off to go do something that involved Shadows and Limbo and all of the supernatural things that were threatening the safety of the world. Definitely not a piece of news that calmed her nerves in the slightest.

     And now…he was inviting her to join him? The offer stunned her, and as he left the bus, she was still sitting, staring at him with a mixture of anxiety and disbelief. Go wth him? To fight? It seemed absurd. It wasn’t as if she knew how to use a “persona”. What could she do against a Shadow or anything else that came out of that other world?

     That was logic, of course. But another part of her was starting to feel ill at the thought of letting him go alone. What if he got hurt? What if something awful happened that could’ve been avoided if she’d been there to help in some way? Besides, it was just…selfish to let him go out and risk his safety like that while she shied away and hurried back home. With that thought in mind she stood up and hurried to the front of the bus, waving a hand to the driver before he could close the doors. Destiny hurriedly murmured a “Thank you.” before she disembarked, taking a deep breath as she followed Naito. She wasn’t feeling any better about this strange situation she’d found herself a part of. But at least her conscience was clear. Yes. It was time for her to do something in order to help the silverette who’d already done so much for her. She made the right choice. …Didn’t she?

Users have ranked up...

Third solo topic so users also get a 4 point stat boost to one of their stats. It will be randomnized.

1. HP
2. SP
3. PEnd
4. MEnd
5. Pmstr
6. Ppstr
7. Dx
8. Lk

Naito Chances

Random number (1,8) :

2

Destiny Chances

Random number (1,8) :

2

Depending on what it lands on will be where the boost is applied.