Persona BLEACHED 3: Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Balancer's Justice
September 28, 2029
"You killed it again, boys. Still got a ton to work on before February, so don't let your heads swell up too much. See y'all next week, same time and place."
"You got it, Coach. See you next week."
Friday night in Naruki. Having just finished up a round of practice, Ryōma was headed for his apartment in Ikebukuro. "Yeah, practice went good. Obviously a ton to iron out before the season starts, but these kids have promise." he said into his phone.
"As much as you did at that age?" Junko answered back.
"I wouldn't go THAT far."
"Heh. Well, I'll start heating up dinner. Junior's been eyeing his dessert since I brought it out. I'm just sitting here making sure he doesn't go for it. He's got magic hands, like his daddy."
"That's one way to put it--"
Ryōma stopped, and noticed something on the side of a building.
"Ryo? Is something wrong?"
"...Jun, I'll have to call you back." Ryōma hung up.
On the side of one of the buildings was a set of glowing, three-toed footprints, making their way up to the top. "No one's even paying attention, so that ain't from this world...great. So much for a peaceful night at home." Ryōma griped. He dipped into the alley, looked to make sure no one was looking, and ducked inside the building's side entrance. "Okay...show time." He put a hand over his face, and manifested a stern-faced theatre mask, then pulled up his hood. "Creon time. Joy of joys."
Ryōma climbed up the stairs, reaching the roof after a few minutes. "Pfeh. There we go."
Lying on the roof, was a pitch-black, red-eyed reptilian monster, letting out a guttural growl. "(More of Kirby-chan's leftovers. Wherever these things keep coming from, they've been popping up more lately.)" Ryōma thought. "(Not a big enough size yet to be a problem, but might as well nip it in the bud while I'm here.)" He charged energy in his hand, forming a ball made out of wind. He wound up to throw it, and then...
The sound of an engine running.
Something flew in right above Ryōma's head, crashed into the Shadow monster, and destroyed it. "The hell?!" Ryōma uttered.
Whatever it was, landed atop the smaller adjacent building. Ryōma looked right at it.
It was a man, garbed in pitch-black biker wear, wearing a black mask and helmet, the mouth styled to look like that of a skeleton. His gloved hands also bore a skeletal pattern, as did the sides of his leather pants. He rode astride a black, modified motorbike, the sides of which bore the stylized word "FAMINE" in white lettering. Long, white hair jutted out from his helmet. 
"Who the hell...?" Ryōma questioned.
The rider gave Ryōma a glance, then turned and drove off, vanishing into shadow as the sound of a horse whinging accompanied the fading engine noise.
Ryōma turned around. "Where did that guy come from? He flew over my head, but there's nowhere for him to launch from..." He sighed. "More freaks in masks. Just what this city needs, said the freak in a mask."
---
September 29, 2029
"...and that's how it went down." Ryōma finished explaining to Rin and Rose.
"A masked motorcycle rider drove in and destroyed a Shadow and then disappeared...well I can see why you'd come over here so early like this." Rin replied.
"And you're certain this person wasn't with Death's Hand?" Rose asked.
"Would've recognized him if he was." Ryōma answered.
"Do you think he was aiming for you?" Rin asked.
"If he was, he wouldn't have driven off after killing the beastie. Never seen this guy before in my life." 
"How can you know for sure if he was wearing a mask?" Rose questioned.
"Hey, don't hand me the smart-ass, I'm telling you what I saw. If anyone would know who he was it'd be one of you two. Y'all keep track of every Persona user in this town, right?"
"Correct, but this is someone neither of us recognize. Still, that description you gave...it does bring something to mind. The Black Rider."
"The Black Rider? As in the Biblical horseman?" Rin asked.
"You bookworms want to key in the jock on what you're babbling about?" Ryōma asked.
"The Black Rider, also known as Famine. One of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse described in the New Testament. Said to have brought starvation and poverty to the masses, while riding atop a black horse. Much of what you described seems to evoke that concept, even if just visually." Rose explained.
"The Apocalypse, fantastic! Right after we just prevented one. Really never a dull moment in this place."
"I'm not so sure that's exactly what we're dealing with here. Why would a Biblical horseman show up in Tokyo just to kill one Shadow and then vanish? On a motorcycle, no less? Not to mention, the Black Rider was the third of the Four Horsemen. The other two would've made themselves known by now if that was what was happening." Rin replied.
"This is likely just a person evoking the imagery of the Rider, nothing more. Regardless, I do have some questions about where they got their abilities from if it's no one we know." Rose added.
"We'll just have to wait and see. If they're out there killing Shadows, then they might not be malicious. Still, I'm not a big fan of unknowns running around our city. I'll let everyone know to be on the lookout. Thanks for the heads-up, even if it's insanely early." Rin said.
"Yeah, well, now that I've done my good deed for the day, I've gotta run home before Junko has to leave for work. Leaving my kid unattended would be a big no-no. Hopefully no doomsday biker men show up in the meantime." Ryōma hurried out.
"So what are you thinking? Is this a new enemy or no?" Rose asked.
"The menacing get-up doesn't inspire much confidence, but the fact that they only attacked the Shadow and left tells me they aren't aggressive towards us at the moment. Would help if we could find this person and ask them ourselves. Abilities like ours don't grow on trees..." Rin replied.
---
Later that night, in Karakura Town, four of the students were walking towards the train station. "Thanks again for inviting me along, Sakuya. Didn't think I'd be spending tonight watching giant fire-breathing lizards, but it was fun!" Natalia said.
"Usually not my cup of tea either, but I won't say no to a movie trip. And your enthusiasm has been so contagious lately, that I wanted a little more time to hang out." Sakuya replied.
"I appreciate it either way. I wish we could find time to get everyone together outside of birthdays, but personal time is fun too."
Ahead of the girls, Sahir and Max were walking. Sahir nudged Max in the side. "Dude, can you knock that off? You've been doing that this whole time." Max griped.
"I'm trying to give you the signal, man. Come on, you know what I'm talking about." Sahir replied, a mischievous look on his face.
"I'm gonna ignore you. Really, dude, it's just a movie trip."
"Anyone watching wouldn't see it that way."
"Seriously, do you ever think about anything else--"
Interrupting their train of thought, Sakuya put a hand on one of their shoulders. "Do you sense that?"
"Huh? Sense what?" Sahir asked.
Natalia walked over. "There, by the park entrance."
Sure enough, by the entrance to Tsubakidai Park, a set of glowing footprints lined the ground, heading inward. "Oh yeah. Some more of Kerberos' beasties, I'm guessing. Can't just ignore that, can we?" Max posed.
"Will you be okay to do this, Natalia-san?" Sakuya asked.
Natalia nodded. "You bet. Gotta show off my new tricks sometime, right?"
"So, quick question. How are we gonna go unnoticed when we're out in the open like this?" Sahir asked.
"Easy-peasy! I've been working with Dr. Rose on alterations to our uniforms. By her word, wearing them, *ahem*, 'places you in a state between reality and cognition, wherein you'll be, as with Shadows, invisible to normal people'." Natalia replied while mimicking Rose's speech patterns.
"In short, we're good. Let's move." Max said.
The four entered the park, following the footprints towards the center. "Before we go any further, we've gotta get changed first." Natalia said. She took out her phone. "Think she said it was this app here, and..." She pressed the app, and their disguises appeared. Max's had dark blue lining, a lightning bolt symbol on the back, and possessed the numeral 'IV'. Natalia's own had yellow lining, bore a cartoonish image of a heart-shaped skull and crossbones on the back, and had the numeral 'XIII'. Sahir's and Sakuya's remained unchanged. "TA-DA~!"
"Man, that's convenient. Alright, troupe, let's keep--" Max began.
"Hold on a sec, who said you were the one giving the orders?" Sahir asked.
"What are you talking about? Kat, Keeb and my sister aren't here, so it falls on me. Simple."
"Wait did we all decide on that rule? Must've missed that meeting."
"Does it matter? Besides, I'm the oldest."
"No you're not, my birthday was weeks ago! Yours isn't for another two weeks! If anything I should be the one calling the shots!"
"Does it make that much of a difference when Kat's the real leader and she's the youngest?" Natalia asked.
"By that logic I would be the one in charge. This is going to go nowhere quickly, so can we please keep moving?" Sakuya asked.
"Aye-aye, captain. Nice logic chess moves, Maxie." Sahir teased.
"Shut. Up." Max grumbled.
After some more walking, the group spotted what they were looking for. "There, by the hill. Three of them. Mid-sized, at that." Sakuya pointed out.
"Why do they always go away from people? You'd think they'd be looking for a snack." Sahir questioned.
"My guess is, without their mistress calling the shots, whatever passes for minds in these things must be scrambled." Max replied.
"Not to mention being caught in a space between the cognitive world and the real one, they likely can't interact with living people anyway." Sakuya added.
"Yeah, but we can interact with them. Let's make some magic." Natalia's eyes glowed yellow, and from behind her, a translucent figure of a hooded woman bearing the colors of an aurora appeared. Clouds gathered above the Shadows, and it began to rain in the area surrounding them. The creatures reacted with confusion. "You're up, Maxie."
"Atmosphere, I like it." Max's eyes glowed blue, and electricity began to charge in his arms.
The monsters continued to peer around for the source of the rain. "Heya, gentlemen!" Max appeared in front of them. "Pop quiz, what happens to a Shadow when it's struck by lightning?" He unleashed an electrical burst, shocking the beasts and causing an explosion. Assured that the job was done, he clapped his hands. "Same thing that happens to--"
"Maxie, look out!" Sahir let out.
One of the Shadows emerged, engulfed in flames and enraged. "Oh, jeez!" Max got out of the way of it madly swiping at him.
Before the others could move, sounds came from nearby.
Engine sounds. And a horse whinging.
A figure rammed straight into the blazing Shadow, dissipating it, before turning and sliding, then grinding to a halt. He was now facing the bewildered Max.
"That man...the one the Professor told us about..." Sakuya pondered.
"So...guessing you're our new pal, the Black Rider." Max uttered.
For a brief moment, there was silence. Then, the Rider spoke. "What did you just--"
Then, a popping noise. Everyone stood around, dumbfounded. The Rider looked over, and saw the source of the sound. His front tire had a hole in it, and air was rushing out. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" he griped. "Aw, come on! Did I slide over a nail or something?! Dammit all! Okay, just give me a minute..." 
As the students stood and watched in stupefied silence, the Rider got off his bike and began his attempts to plug the hole. "Okay, let me think...wooooooo....ALAKAZAM!" He waved his hands in front of the tire, and suddenly the hole was plugged. "Alright, it worked! Phew, that saves me some dough at the repair place!"
"...is this guy for real?" Natalia questioned.
"Right. Where were we? What was that you called me, Four-eyes?" the Rider asked.
"Um..." Max had been so stunned by the display that it took him a second to recall. "The Black Rider?"
"BRILLIANT!" the Rider gave a thumbs-up. "I've been trying to come up with a good name, and I'll admit it's been a struggle. 'Night Rider' already got taken, same with 'Speed Racer'. I tell ya, that name there's pretty top tier. But I'll have to skip on that, too."
"Enough with this farce. Who are you? How can you see Shadows, or us for that matter?" Sakuya asked.
"Well, if I wanted you to know that, I wouldn't be wearing the disguise, would I? Like you lot. 'The Ashen Artisans'. Badass moniker, if I do say so myself." the Rider replied.
"So you know who we are. Wouldn't it be fair for you to tell us what your deal is, then?" Max questioned.
"That's what I'm trying to tell you! I don't have a sweet name like you all. Have to pick something that sticks." The Rider began pondering.
Sakuya appeared behind him, brandishing a crimson blade. "I'm cutting this nonsense short. If you won't give us a straight answer, I'll have to force it out of--"
Without even looking back, the Rider held up his arm and grabbed the sword, stopping the attack. "Now, what was I going on about...?"
"Eh...?!"
A lightbulb went off in his head. "Ohhhh, right! Why I can't go with 'Black Rider' despite how cool it sounds." A yellow light flashed beneath his visor, where his eye would be. "My other self went and snatched it up already."
In an instant, Sakuya's blade crumbled away. "What in--ugh!" She crumpled to her knees, and began coughing. 
"Sakuya!" Sahir started for her, but was held back by Natalia.
"Wait! Don't go near them! We don't know what he's doing!" she ordered.
"But--!"
"The hell is that?" Max questioned.
From behind the Rider, a spectral entity manifested itself, in the form of a skeleton wearing a black cloak, riding on a similarly black horse. In its hands, the horseman held a set of scales. "See the words on the bike? They're not just for show. See what happens when you don't eat your fill? When there isn't enough around to eat? This, but times a thousand."
"Knock it off, asshole! Can't you see she's dying?!" Sahir demanded.
"She'll be fine. I'm holding this back on purpose. I'm no bad guy, so I'm doing you all a favor." The Rider leapt backwards away from his bike. Once he was far enough away, Sakuya stopped coughing, and she took a deep breath. "There, see?"
"What is your deal, man? You kill Shadows, act like a numbskull and then try to hurt us like that? Just what are you?" Max asked.
"I'm not trying to make enemies here, my dude. I'm just trying to make a point. There's more than enough room in this town for plenty of us superfolk, right? Tokyo's a big place. You can't cover the entire city by yourselves, even with these fancy magic tricks. I'm just lending a hand."
"Sure do...have a funny way of showing it..." Sakuya murmured, rubbing her throat.
"Why should we trust your word after nearly starving our friend? Show us your face and then maybe we'll start to believe you. Around these parts we don't take kindly to spooks in masks." Max chided.
"The fact that up to now I haven't raised my hands to you once. Or the guy in the green jacket from last night. Your friend took a swipe at me first. And realistically? If I'd used my full power just now, you all would've been nothing but bones and dust. Half this park would've crumbled like I'd used the Infinity Gauntlet on it. All I did was take out the monster, and if it hadn't been for my tire blowing out, I would've been on my merry way. I'm not trying to be your problem." the Rider retorted.
"Yeah, well, things haven't gone your way tonight, have they?" Sahir replied, charging fire in his hands.
Natalia grabbed his shoulder. "Just let him go."
"Let him go?! But he--"
"I don't think he's a bad guy. And if he's not lying and he's as strong as he's saying, we'll be in a ton of trouble if we try fighting him. And if he messes up, we can go after him with everyone instead of just us four. Let's just go home and plan for another day."
"Grrrr..." Reluctantly, Sahir relented.
"Okay fine, if the lady says it's okay, we'll let you off this time. But if we catch wind of you again, you'd better start talking. And we know a few people who can make you talk." Max warned.
"Appreciate it, chief! The letting me off thing, not the violent threat thing. Should be easy to stay out of each other's way. Although two days in a row running into one of you isn't a good sign." The Rider summoned his bike forth, and got on. "Don't bend yourselves out of shape over me. Having a few more hands can be mutually rewarding. Catch you on the flippity flip." He turned and rode off, disappearing into the shadows.
"Try not to pop another tire, Celty!" Max called out.
Sahir ran over to Sakuya. "You okay?" he asked.
"Unh, never better. I just got done with half a bag of popcorn and suddenly I'm starving." Sakuya griped.
"I can cook up something when we get home. Think we could all use it." Natalia said.
"Maxie, he's gotta be Death's Hand or something, how else do you explain it? I mean, look at the guy!" Sahir exclaimed.
"If Barb was here, she'd say something like 'I don't like having unanswered questions'. If you have powers like ours, you're either one of us, or Death's Hand. Unless there's some other way we haven't heard of. There's a thought I really don't like." Max replied.
"I mean, if he was a bad guy he wouldn't just drive away without finishing us off, right? That just raises more questions..." Natalia added.
"Yeah. A ton of questions with no signs of giving us any answers. Let's get out of here. Time for a Team Meeting Late Edition..."
---
"Wait, so you actually saw the guy? So it wasn't just Tsutsugo being high on paint fumes?" Kat questioned.
"Unless someone spiked our popcorn, then no, he wasn't hallucinating. The Rider is real." Max replied. The group had all converged in his and Sahir's dormroom.
"And you're sure he's not someone left over from Death's Hand?" Kibō asked.
"I would've recognized him if it was." Sakuya replied, while scarfing down a bowl of pasta.
"And this wasn't like a Kagami situation where they wired powers into him. He had a Persona. Somehow this guy found out about the cognitive world and awakened powers, and I have zero clue how he did it. And even with all that, he let us go." Max added.
"You didn't sense any malice or ill will at all from him?" Carrie asked.
"He looked creepy, and his power set is creepy, but...I think he was being honest when he said he wanted to help. He only attacked Sakuya after she attacked him first, and he stopped doing it before it got too severe." Natalia replied.
"The guy was too dodgey. If he's not a bad guy, then what's he hiding? Why wouldn't he tell us who he is and how he got powered up?" Sahir questioned.
"I don't like it either. Obviously he has his reasons, but dodging questions doesn't do much to make people less suspicious." Barbara said.
"Perhaps we'd do well to stay out of his way. If he's cleaning up the mess that our dear Underworld Queen left behind, that's less work for us to take care of. And should he ever step out of line, we have the manpower to deal with him." Kenneth surmised.
"Y'all said he knew who the Ashen Artisans are, right? Then he ought to know between us and Prof's groupies, we're not the people he wants to make enemies out of. If he plays nice, great. But I would like to know just who we're giving cleanup duty to." Kat dictated.
"So what's the plan? Wait for him to show up again and then politely ask him before roughing him up?" Sahir asked.
"He said he had the power to turn half that park and everything in it to ashes. Provoking him without a solid plan in place would be suici--" Max stopped himself, looking at Natalia. "It would be bad for us."
"You didn't have to do that, but you did anyway~." Natalia chimed.
"Right now, let's just go about our business like normal. We'd be chasing down literal ghosts otherwise. Just so our bases are covered, Care Bear? I want you to dig through records of who bought a motorbike in the last few months. His wheels could just be something he forms with his power, but in case it isn't, that's where I'd start looking. Boil it down to black bikes, and more recent models." Kat dictated.
"As you wish, my liege." Carrie teased.
"I just have one question." Sakuya held up her bowl. "May I have some more?"
"Oh, of course. I'll make them up in a jiffy. You boys have anymore?" Natalia asked.
"Sorry, that was the last of it." Max replied.
"Fooey, guess we'll have to move kitchens. Come on, Saku." Natalia grabbed Sakuya by the hand and led her out the door.
"Uh...meeting adjourned, I guess." Kat uttered.
Carrie giggled. "You are just living for her new lease on life, aren't you?" Kenneth asked.
"Am I so transparent?" she joked.
"Anywhosey, I think that's our cue to disperse." Kat said.
"Hopefully tomorrow doesn't involve more Johnny Blaze tomfoolery. Night, y'all." Max said.
---
October 6, 2029
"Y'know, this isn't exactly how most teenagers spend their Saturday nights." Max commented.
"Most teenagers can't shoot lightning bolts from their fingertips, Sparky. We've been over this." Kat replied.
It was nighttime in the city, and the students were in their uniforms, occupying the "space between". Max and Kat, along with Kenneth, were atop a building close to the Academy. Kenneth's uniform had red lining, an image of a sword on the back, and the numeral "VII". "Rather unsettling, isn't it?" he said. Below them, walking through the streets, were a number of silhouettes. "All those people and not a one can see us. It's as if we're ghosts. How do you think this Rider of ours can do the same without the benefit of Natalia's tailorship?"
"My guess is it's part of his power set. I mean, we've barely scratched what we can do with ours. Becoming a ghost wouldn't be too weird." Max replied.
"Let me just make sure everyone's raring to go..." Kat turned on her communicator. "Everybody in position?"
Over in Akihabara, Kibō and Sakuya were in front of his family's electronics store. Kibō's uniform had ashen gray lining, an outline of a globe on the back, and the numeral "I". "All good on our end." he replied.
In Ikebukuro, Barbara and Natalia were standing near a set of owl statues. "Copy that, KittyKat~." Barbara chimed.
In Shibuya, Carrie and Sahir were standing in the middle of the iconic Shibuya Crossing. Carrie's uniform had purple lining, an image of a six-sided gemstone on the back, and the numeral 'X'. "All present and accounted for, fearless leader." Carrie teased.
"Everyone knows the drill already, right? It's beastie extermination time. And in case our pal the Skeleton Warrior rears his head where you're at, you phone me up and I'll 'port everyone over. Doubt the guy can handle nine of us at once." Kat dictated.
"So what's the plan if he shows up here, Katherine? Have me and Maxwell deal with him by ourselves while you go fetch the others?" Kenneth asked.
"Exacta! You're right on the money, Kenny!"
"Typical."
"Maybe our next group excursion should be here. I hear the shops here are expensive." Carrie said. "The fashion shops in particular. Oh, not to downplay your own designs, Natalia."
"Don't sweat it, I won't hold you guys hostage with your wardrobes. Far be it from me to deny you something cute." Natalia replied.
"Focus, people. One of those monsters or the Rider could show up at any moment. We have to stay sharp." Kibō said.
"Ah, dear knight, but my eyes are always open. Just trying to ease the--" Carrie began.
Before she could finish, the noise of an engine accompanied by neighing could be heard. "There it is...there's no mistaking it!" Sahir exclaimed.
"That's him? Did you all get that?" Carrie questioned.
"Yeah, we did. Go see what's happening and clue us in, and we'll be over ASAP." Kat replied.
"Hold on, Kitten. If he flees from here, he could very well appear near one of your locations. Stay put, and we'll assess what's happening."
"If you think that's okay, then we'll do it. Be careful."
"Which way did the sound come from, Sahir?"
"Over that way. Race you there." Sahir pointed towards Shibuya Station, and the two headed over.
"...is that him over there?" Carrie asked once they arrived.
"That's him. Looks like he's bitten off more than he can chew." 
Near the station entrance, the Rider was standing while pointing a shotgun towards a large Shadow creature, which was accompanied by two smaller ones. "Hohohoho, y'all are so done for now! You're gonna regret the day you ever stepped out of whatever cesspool that birthed you!" he taunted, while waving the gun at the unfazed monsters.
"He's going to get himself killed that way. We should lend a hand." Carrie surmised.
"Lead the way, milady." Sahir replied.
"Come on, ya uglies! Come and get some!" the Rider exclaimed.
"It might help your cause if you were holding your gun correctly." Carrie walked past him.
"Seriously, dude, both hands on the barrel? Even I know that's not how it works!" Sahir added.
"How do you kids keep finding me?" the Rider questioned.
"For such a mysterious man, you're surprisingly conspicuous." Carrie replied.
"You stick out like our pal's hair." Sahir added.
"In any case, you're clearly in over your head here, so let me handle this."
"Hey, I had this under control! They were just about to run off screaming! What are you even gonna--" the Rider started.
Carrie proceeded to kick the largest monster in the face with such force that it dissipated immediately. The two smaller monsters lunged at her, but her eyes briefly glowed purple, and she read their movements, dodging them, grabbing one by the tail and slamming it down on the other. The monsters both vanished.
"--do."
"Sheesh, I didn't even need to be here!" Sahir said.
Carrie turned, and saw the Rider getting back on his bike. "Leaving so soon?" she asked.
"...why do you kids do it?" he asked back.
"Do what? Kill beasties? Kinda comes with the territory of having powers, I think." Sahir replied. 
"Wouldn't you all prefer to just be normal and enjoy yourselves? Not have to go out at night and put yourselves in harm's way fighting things like this? It's too much of a burden to put on kids like you. It should be left to the adults."
"Adults like you who can't even hold their weapons correctly?" Carrie asked. "At this point, to have the power and knowledge that we do and not use them properly would be indefensible. Better us than adults who have already had their worldviews tainted. I have seen much in my short time on this Earth, and I can handle myself just fine." Carrie retorted.
"Not to mention that we still go out and do things pretty regularly. We've handled ourselves alright, I think." Sahir added.
"It shouldn't be that way. It just...it just shouldn't! It shouldn't have to be you lot stepping up where we fail." the Rider said.
"It shouldn't, but it is. I'm not going to justify my actions further for someone who not only needed us to bail him out of danger, but can't even show his own face. If anyone should be steering clear of this lifestyle, it's you. I don't know how you came into this, but my advice would be to step aside and let us handle it the way we have for a year now. Clearly you aren't prepared for it." Carrie chastised.
"Tch. Fine, be that way. I'd think you of all people would want to stay out of the line of fire, but I've never understood what's going on in people's heads. Don't say I didn't try to help." the Rider drove off and disappeared.
"Youch. You sure didn't pull any punches." Sahir said.
"I won't be talked down to by someone so far out of their depth." Carrie replied. She turned on her communicator. "Kitten, it's done."
"Knew you could handle those things. What happened to Skeletor?" Kat answered.
"Gone. But don't fret. I put a tracker on his bike when he wasn't looking. I'll send you the information."
"You absolute QUEEN. Where'd we be without your beautiful brain? Hopefully this gets us a name for this dweeb."
"Let's hope. I'll give the information to the Professor, too. Dr. Rose should be able to get his identity fairly easily through her own systems."
"Hey, if those two can corner him, he's not getting away. Do your thing, Your Majesty."
---
In Naruku's market district, the sound of neighing signaled the Rider's appearance atop one of the buildings. By this point. his invisibility had worn off, and the people walking below were normal. "Dammit. Dammit! How do I keep screwing this up? Even after begging for this strength, I'm still the one getting saved. Is this just what I'm stuck doing? The guy that needs his mistakes fixed for him? Maybe this was a mistake..." he griped.
Behind him, the sound of a portal opening and closing. He turned around to look.
"You have anything you want to tell me?" Rin had her arms crossed, a stern look on her face.
"Aw, great, and here's the fun police."
"Answer me."
"How'd you even track me down?"
"You weren't paying attention. You never were good at covering your tracks."
The Rider looked away. "Tch."
"Take that helmet off."
"Why should I?"
"I want you to look me in the eye when you're talking to me."
"And what are you gonna see?"
"An idiot who should know better. Helmet. Off. Now."
"....." The Rider paused. "Fine. If it'll get you to cut the 'disappointed mom' face."
He moved for his helmet. Once it was off, it became clear that the long white hair was in fact part of the helmet. The Rider's actual, long dark hair came out. 
"There. Happy?" Tan said.
Rin gave her brother a piercing look, saying nothing.
"Stop looking at me like that! I can tell when you're seething, so out with it already." Tan moaned.
"So when were you going to tell me you had a Persona all along? Were you even going to tell me? How did this even happen?"
"I just woke up one day and I had it."
"You're going to have to do better than that. That's not how that works. You aren't going to fool me, Tan. You've never even beaten me at a staring contest."
"Alright, alright, alright, I'll spill. It was the end of August. After dinner on Dad's birthday. I went home and my head just started spinning and I realized just how small I am compared to you all. My whole life's been one screw-up after another. My grades always sucked, I got myself locked up when Ma and you needed me there, Dad died cuz I wasn't there..."
"Tan, that wasn't your--"
"You're not the only one with Dad and Toh on your conscience, okay?! You don't get dibs on that. I should've been there to stop that little punk from doing that to Dad. You were just a little kid, and I could've done something. And maybe I could've knocked some sense into Toh, but I couldn't, cuz I was sitting in a prison cell while he started up his little scheme. Every time you needed me, I let you down and you had to be the one to fix it."
"I don't need you to fix everything, I can--"
"Exactly! You don't need me to take care of anything! That's not how that's supposed to go! When Dad died, I was supposed to step up and take care of you and Toh, and I blew it. I'm your big brother! I'm supposed to look out for you, not the other way around!" Tan scoffed. "But how could I ever be useful to you, Rinnie? Look at you. You've got the awesome job, the beautiful family, the brains and the beauty to do anything you want. Hell, you've got enough power in you to set the whole city on fire if you wanted to. How am I ever gonna be useful to you when you have Rosie and your pals and those kids? I just came from seeing that French girl take out a bunch of those shadow things with her bare hands! What could I ever do?"
"...how did you get powers, Tan?"
"I cursed my being useless. I begged, and I begged, and I begged some more. 'Let me do something so she doesn't have to.' I kept asking, and then...something answered. Said it could give me the power I wanted. All I needed to do was forge a contract, and that would be that. I got this splitting headache, and then...all this happened. I thought, 'Here we go. I can finally do something to help.'"
"Why not tell me? Why keep it a secret from me?"
"Cuz I knew you'd be looking at me like you are now. Like an idiot that's in way over his head. I thought that if I had this power, I could take care of these shadow things so she wouldn't have to keep sending her kids out to do it. I could finally be a good big bro and look out for you. A lot of good that's been. Your kids had to save my sorry ass while I couldn't even figure out how to hold a gun. I'm just as useless as I've always been." 
Tan sat over the edge of the building. "What am I gonna do if something happens to you or to Ma, or Rosie or poor little ZuZu? I'd just get myself killed trying to help. I'd have to look Dad in the eye and tell him I screwed up like always. And after all of that...I'd just be another body on your conscience. One more loved one for you and Ma to grieve."
Somberly, Rin walked over and sat down next to Tan. "I don't think you're an idiot, Tan."
"You literally called me one, like, ten minutes ago."
"That was before I knew what this was all for. I know your intentions come from a good place. But this is a dangerous world we live in. Me, my friends, the students, we've all put ourselves in danger going out there. Even with abilities like ours, we have to be prepared. I'm all for you lending a hand when you can. But it'd rip me apart if something happened to you. I can't lose another brother."
"You really struck out in that department."
"Hey, you're not trying to have me killed or psychologically torment me or try to hook me up with your murderous lacky to create god-children like a certain someone did."
"Wait, dead-seriously about that last one?"
"Yes, that's not a joke."
"What the hell, Toh?! Maybe I'm not so bad after all."
Rin laughed, and put an arm around her brother. "No, you aren't. You're my sweet big bro and I love you for it. Let's get out of here, Rose has dinner waiting and Shizuka hasn't seen her Uncle Tan in a while."
"Aw geez, and how miffed is Rosie about all this?"
"To the point where her gloves are off because her hands are starting to sweat."
"Oh, I'm in for it, then."
"I promised her cuddles later, so hopefully that's dampened her mood."
"Nahnahnah, TMI!" Tan covered his ears. "Alright, time to face the music, I guess. Just one thing. Can we not tell Ma about this?"
"My lips are sealed. You'll probably have to convince Rose more than that, though."
"Scariest thing I've had to think of all day."
---
October 7, 2029
Early morning in the market district. Inside of Kubo Produce, Tan let out a yawn, while trying to keep his head upright. Between the monster incident and his sister-in-law giving him an earful, sleep had been hard to come by last night.
A voice jarred him out of his trance. "Yo ho, DJ Tan Man." 
"Nngh...? Oh, it's you." 
Kat was at the counter. "Brutal honesty? You look like crap."
"I feel like crap. And before you ask, no, I don't have the mix tape finished. It'll be--"
"'It'll be out when it's out', yeah, I know. I'm not here to bug you about that." Kat motioned over her shoulder, where the other girls were looking through the aisles. "It's a Girls Day, and Hoodsie wants to freshen her diet. Just need to know where the weird stock is so we know what to avoid."
"Depends on what you'd call 'the weird stock'."
"I mean the stuff that's basically natural LSD. I'd prefer not to spike my friend with a fruit."
"Well you won't have to worry about that. That stuff's only on request. Got too many complaints that I was running some kind of front for the yakuza to legally sell spiked fruits. Doesn't help when my sister is friends with Shūjo Higashikata..."
"I'd guess that it doesn't." Kat paused. "Okay. You know I have to say something."
"No I'm not spiking the fruit, they come in like that--"
"I'm talking about your motorcycle escapades, big man."
"First of all, not so loud! Second, I don't need another lecture. My sister and her blushing bride already gave me the mother of all talking-tos last night. Rosie used a ton of words I didn't even know existed before. It wasn't pretty."
"You won't get a lecture. Just my two cents. I think it's badass that you wanted to help your sister so much that the power just came to you. My sister got the power and used it to steal stuff better. So, y'know. Your heart's in the right place. Just try to be more careful in the future. And maybe learn how to hold a gun."
"I'm never gonna live that part down, am I?"
"Dude, didn't you spend some time in the slammer? How can you not know not to grab the gun barrel with both hands? You're lucky Care Bear was there, otherwise you would've been monster feed."
"That girl is something else. She's like a French Batman...or Batgirl, I guess."
"Monegasque. Not French. Close, but there's a difference." Kat began twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. "But yeah, she's a queen. Tough in mind and body, sweet as can be, smart as hell...super pretty..."
"Um..." Tan gestured behind Kat.
"...she's right behind me, isn't she?"
"Indeed she is, my dear Kitten." Carrie, bearing reddened cheeks, stood behind Kat. "Barbara stepped out for a moment and Natalia wanted your opinion on what she'd like for her birthday dinner. Seeing as how you're around her more often."
"Y-yeah, sure thing. Maybe after that I can start looking for a nice rock to crawl under." Kat muttered as she quickly grew pale. 
"Hey, cat girl." Tan stopped Kat as she started walking away. "Word of advice. I watched my sister and Rosie dance around their feelings for about ten years and now they're inseparable. If that little display was what I thought it was, I'd hurry up and spill your guts. Unspoken words and all that."
"Thanks for the tip, Akira." Kat glanced around to make sure no one was around. "And I'm working on it. I want the moment to be flawless. So keep your mouth zipped. And work on the mix tape, cuz I'm tired of asking."
"Trust me, I'm tired of you asking me."
Kat walked away, and Tan returned to resting his head. "Ahem." a voice piped up.
Tan looked up to see Sakuya standing at the counter. She pinched him in the nose. "YOW!"
She let go. "That's for starving me." She walked away.
"It could've been worse!" Tan rubbed his nose.