Persona BLEACHED 3: Chapter 43

Chapter 43: hello, halcyon days
June 6, 2031
"Well, folks, it's setting up to be another scorcher today, with temperatures reaching the low 90s in some areas of Tokyo. Be on the lookout for scattered showers around Shinagawa around mid-afternoon, but otherwise, we'll be seeing nothing but sun for the rest of the day. For Channel 5 News out of Ikebukuro, I'm Junko Kumori--"
"Yeah, scorcher sounds about right." Jin grunted, bereft of his usual dark hoodie and with his hair tied back. Several fans were turned on inside the Azure Moon Gaming store, as Tokyo was in the midst of a heat wave. If it hadn't been obvious that summer had arrived, it was now.
"Daddyyyyy." a tiny voice piped up next to him. Rina, now two years old, with dark brown hair styled in messy pigtails, tugged on his pants.
"What's up, little cub? You thirsty?"
"Uh-huh."
"Okay, let me take a look..." He looked inside the tiny fridge. "Rats. We're all out. Hey, Leon!"
Leon suddenly appeared from beneath the counter. Prominently displayed over his shirt was a nametag that had "Assistant Manager" written on it. "Sir, yes, sir!" He saluted.
"We're out of refreshments. I need you to run over to Kubo's and grab some Ramune. Water's fine if they're all out."
"Sir, yes, sir! On the double!"
"And seriously, drop that 'sir' nonsense. This ain't boot camp. Now hurry up before I melt."
"Sir, yes, sir, dropping all military formality, sir!" Leon bolted out the door. Jin groaned.
"Lee's kinda weird." Rina spoke.
"Yeah, ya got that right. Least his heart's in the right place. But now that I think about it...why was he hiding under the counter?" Jin questioned.
Over at the Kubo market, Tan was slapping the counter to the rhythm of a song, listening in on his ear buds. "Come to me, cover me, hold me, together we'll break these chains of love, don't give up, don't give up~--"
He was interrupted by a poke on the shoulder. "Sorry to break up what looked to be the perfomance of a lifetime." Hana chimed.
"S-sorry, Ma. Lemme guess. Ranmaru and Araragi again?"
"Oh, yes. A customer bought a bouquet of blue roses and the two of them were caught up with debating what shade of blue it was. I needed the relative calm--"
Leon popped up in front of them, nearly giving Tan a heart attack. "Sir! I've come to purchase some rations, sir!"
"Aw, cripes! Scared the bejeezus outta me, man! Sheesh. Let me ring ya up before ya kill me..." Tan did so.
"Appreciate it, sir!" Leon sprinted off.
"What a charming fellow." Hana teased.
"Where does Mirai find these guys..." Tan grumbled.
"I hope you don't mind me hanging around for a little while. I'll go see how your sister's feeling later."
"Why, what's she got going--ahhh shoot, that's right."
"The kiddies are graduating today."
---
A celebratory aura filled the air around Naruki Ascension Academy. Many of the students that had passed through the halls of the school for the past three years were taking their first steps into the world of adulthood. Family members from all over had gathered for the festivities.
"How many times have you teared up today?" Rose asked.
"I've counted at least half a dozen. And I'm not sure that I'm even close to done." Rin replied. Her hair had grown slightly, with the strands on each side of her head curving forward.
"This is the day you worked for, beloved. Having the top three ranked students in the entire class come from our group is no small feat. And it's due in no small part to your careful tutelage. This is a happy occasion."
"Well, they're happy tears. I couldn't be more proud of them. And sad that it could be a while before I see them all together again."
"Do they really gotta leave now?" Next to Rin was a now seven-year old Shizuka, taller and now sporting glasses. She was doodling away on her tablet.
"Yes, lovebug. They've all been accepted into colleges far away from here. Part of growing up means expanding your horizons."
"Meh. I never wanna go anywhere else. Except maybe Canada. I wanna pet a moose."
"Now I wonder who planted that idea in your head..." Rin glanced at Rose, who simply shrugged.
"Professooooor!" a voice called over. Rin looked over to see her students. Natalia was waving at her.
"Well, time for tear session number seven." Rin uttered.
Her trio walked over to the group. Everyone save for Kat was present, and all were in their school uniforms. Ibuki, wearing red-tinted sunglasses, a sleeveless red shirt, and sporting red nails and large hoop earrings, was also present. "There's our leading lady! So, how'd you like the show?" Sahir asked, his dreads now reaching down to his shoulders.
"Do you mean before or after you tripped on stage?" Kenneth questioned.
"Be merciful. There was a loose floorboard up there. I saw a few others nearly meeting the same fate." Sakuya said, with her hair down and her ribbon now tied around her left wrist.
"Yeah, but...he was the only one who faceplanted." Natalia pointed out, now wearing a hairclip resembling a cartoonish skull-and-crossbones on her left side.
"Perhaps it's a blessing, then, that you opted against a professional football career. Lest you become a legend for all the wrong reasons." Kenneth stated.
"Oh, I'm gonna miss that scooter tongue of yours. Pro tip, if you're ever in for surgery and I'm the one opening you up, I'm gonna remember this." Sahir responded.
"First, it's scouser. Second, if I ever suffer such a catastrophic injury that I require surgery, I'll make sure it's as far away from your scalpel as possible."
Sahir put his arms around Kenneth. "Love ya too, bro."
"Hey, Care. What's keeping your significant other?" Kibō asked. His hair was longer, but much to his chagrin, his ever-present ahoge was very much still ever-present.
"She's taking a few more pictures with her family. Mrs. Kit very much enjoys her photography." Carrie replied, her hair now only reaching her shoulders.
"We're in no rush. Honestly I want this to last as long as it can. I heard from a certain spunky seven-year old during a play date that her auntie just got a big opportunity." Rin said.
"Aww, I was gonna bring it up at dinner tonight. Right now's about these hooligans." Ibuki replied. "Well, since it's out in the open now, guess I gotta come clean. The salon loved me. They couldn't hire me fast enough!"
"Ahhh, that's awesome! Can I be your first appointment? I'm already calling dibs!" Natalia hugged her.
"Easy there, fluffy! I haven't even gotten a start date yet! But uh, I'll keep it in mind."
"Well since that's out of the bag now, you'd better remember about the discount. No take backsies." Kat approached. Her hair was now in a bob cut, and she had a clear stud piercing on the left side of her nose. "How's the post-grad life treating ya, boys and girls?"
"Not too bad, considering it's only been a few minutes." Kibō replied.
"Was Ms. Joon finally satisfied with her picture intake?" Carrie asked.
"Mercifully, yeah. I had to remind her that I needed to take some pictures elsewhere. Prior engagements and all that." Kat replied.
"Hey, KittyKat...are you really going away forever?" Shizuka asked.
"Oh no way, not forever, princess. But I am gonna go a long way away. But I promise I'll come visit whenever I can. Even if London's a world away."
"Growing up stinks..."
"Aw, don't say that. Growing up means doing a lot of stuff you couldn't do before. You'll get it someday. Hey, you're gonna be starting first grade soon! That'll be a ton of fun new things for ya."
"Aren't you gonna be lonely over there?"
"It'll be fine, Care and Natty are gonna be with me. Maybe you can swing by our place when you're not in school."
"That tears it! I'm gonna go to London!"
"What happened to only going to Canada?" Rose asked.
"Well London's close to Canada! Maybe. Is it?"
Kat laughed. "Geography's gonna be one of those fun new experiences, kiddo. Ain't that right, Prof?"
"You don't need to call me that. Sad as it is, as of today I'm not your professor anymore." Rin replied.
"Nonsense. You still hold the title. It's a matter of respect." Sakuya replied.
"And besides, what else are we gonna call ya? We've been doing it for so long, using your name would sound kinda weird." Sahir added.
"You'll always be 'Professor' to us. Even if you decide to stop teaching one day." Carrie affirmed.
"I don't imagine that happening anytime soon. I'm not in any hurry to take over the flower shop. It's just going to be surreal walking into a classroom next semester without you all there. But that doesn't take away from how proud I am of how far you all have come. In more ways than one." Rin said.
"And we wouldn't have wanted any other teacher in the world. But if there's one thing I'm bummed about..." Kat began.
"I know. It's that not everyone that started with us is here, right?" Natalia asked.
"Yeah. It's been over a year and we still don't know where Sparky is. Or if he's even still..."
"He's alive." Ibuki stated. "That one's way too stubborn to lay down and die. Wherever he is, he's staying away on purpose." 
"I believe that, too. I hope he'll come around someday. And then there's Barbie. I've only heard bits and pieces about how she's holding up. I really just want to know for sure that she's okay."
Sakuya looked past Kat, and her eyes widened. "Ah...Kat-chan. I think you're about to get your answer."
Kat turned around. There in a checkered blue sundress, a light blue hairband and a pair of braids in her hair, was Barbara. "Hi~." she waved.
"AAAAAAAAH!" Kat ran over and tightly embraced her. "Oh my GOD! It's...it's really you, isn't it? Please tell me you're not a hologram or a shape-shifting alien or you from another universe."
"It's me, KittyKat. Long time no see. Love the piercing."
"Barb...?" Kibō approached.
"Hiya, big guy~. Still haven't figured out the stem on your head, huh?"
The two kissed and embraced. Natalia ran over and gave her a hug afterwards. "Awww, I missed my Natty hugs."
"I can't believe my eyes. You really came back." Ibuki said.
"Mmhmm. You're looking fabulous, by the way. I missed you all so much. I had my graduation last week, and I knew I had to be here for everyone else. I'm glad everyone looks like they're doing okay."
"How about you, star player? You okay in the head now?" Sahir asked.
"For a while, I really wasn't. I needed the time alone to process everything. Doing musicals again really helped. So...yeah. I'm okay."
"At the risk of dampening the mood...have you heard anything regarding your brother?" Kenneth asked.
"No. And he's probably gonna keep it that way as long as he can help it. Part of my healing process was accepting that Max is gonna do what Max wants. As much as I want him around, if he feels like it's better that he stays away, then I can't do anything about it. He's an adult now, same as me. He can do what he wants. And when he finally decides to come home, there'll be a nice home-cooked meal waiting for him."
"That starry shine of yours really is back, Barbara. I'm so glad to see that." Carrie said.
"He'll just have to hope that the meal is from your mom." Natalia added.
"Okay, I'll let you all know that I've actually been working on my cooking skills. I'm no Max, but I've finally got it to where it's...edible. And I haven't blown up part of the kitchen in a while." Barbara averted her eyes.
"Baby steps, beautiful." Kat patted her on the back.
"It's lovely to see you doing well, Barbara. I think this calls for that thing we've all been waiting for." Rin called over someone.
"Here, use my phone." Kat handed it over. "Doc, you get in here, too. With the princess, of course."
"I would reconsider, I hear the camera adds ten pounds..." Rose joked.
Everyone gathered together. "Everyone smile on three..." the cameraman ordered.
He took the picture and handed Kat her phone. "Aaaand nobody blinked, awesome sauce."
A short while later, Rin began to depart. "I'll see you all at the restaurant. We're going to make it a night to remember...for the right reasons, got it?"
"Aye-aye, captain. I'll ask Mr. Kaido for permission before taking the mic from him." Sahir replied.
"How about just...not taking the mic to begin with." Kenneth responded.
"Hey, Prof...before you go." Kat pulled her aside.
"What is it?" Rin questioned.
Kat hugged her. "Thanks again for everything. And I mean everything. When I finally start learning to be a teacher, I'll come back and show you. Maybe even, I dunno...be your assistant, or something. But I'm gonna come back, 100%."
"Ohhh, Kat..."
"And there's number eight." Rose quipped.
"I don't know if I'll need an assistant, but if it's you, I think that would be just fine. You know I'm going to be badgering you constantly about how you're doing, don't you?"
"Oh I'm already looking forward to it. Even with how far away it is, I'll keep in touch as much as I can. You're stuck with me for life, y'know."
"There are worse fates than that. Okay, I need to get going. We'll see you in a little bit."
"You got it."
As Rin walked away, Kat visualized her in her armor, as she waved in her own costume. With that done, she returned to the group.
"Okaaay...so, now that Barbie's here, I wanna revisit something I brought up the other day."
"The group vacation, right?" Natalia asked.
"One last hurrah before we all go off on our own. Gotta make it something huge." Sahir said.
"Would you be on board with that, Barb?" Kibō asked.
"Totally~! Reconnecting on a big trip with you guys sounds awesome. Count me in." Barbara affirmed.
"It'd have to be between July 13 and the beginning of August. Once I turn 18, we'll all be able to travel on our own. One more big adventure for the Ashen Artisans before we go on our own paths." Kat dictated.
"If it's less about killing demons and more about sipping mojitos on a beach somewhere, I'm in." Ibuki replied.
"I'd be down for somewhere like California. Bumping shoulders with all sorts of Hollywood girls...it's too tempting." Sahir said. Sakuya gave him the evil eye. "And, uh...I hear they have seals." Her eyes glowed.
"I've always wanted to go to Amsterdam...a fancy canal city where I can speak the language is too tempting..." Natalia swooned.
"We can go the Shizuka route and go to Canada." Kibō joked.
"...maybe we should air out the details over dinner." Kat stated.
Everyone began to leave. "One last thing before we go, Kitten." Carrie stopped.
"What's up?"
"Well...no one knows when we'll be back here next. Before we head home, I'd like to revisit one of my fondest memories of our time here. Our moonlit dance on the lake."
"You wanna do that again? I'd...really like that, too. You still have your dress?"
"Of course. Safe and preserved as the day we wore them. Natalia can resize them if there are any issues. Does tomorrow night sound alright with you?"
"Tomorrow night sounds amazing. Now I can really show off my dance skills. And maybe it'll be more private this time."
"It's a date, then." Carrie gave her a kiss. "Come, now, before they all think we've been abducted."
"Please, you'd drop any kidnapper before they had a chance to think."
The two followed after the rest of the chatting group. Kat pulled out her phone. She opened the photo gallery, and looked at the picture they'd just taken. "All of us got here because something terrible happened that set us on this path. But you wouldn't think it by looking at this picture. All smiles...no real signs of trauma. Not letting the painful things take over and learning to live with them is part of what makes us human. The power to change ourselves is what living's all about." she thought.
As she looked at the picture, she caught sight of something. Someone in the background. A figure perched up against a tree, wearing a hooded jacket. "That's weird. It's pushing 90 today. Not even Hoodsie would risk overheating in one of those things. Unless they didn't want to be..."
She noticed the color palette of the jacket. It was black-and-blue. 
At that moment, out of the corner of her eye, she passed by someone in what she thought were similar colors. She quickly turned around. But they were already gone.
"Yo, KittyKat. You okay?" Sahir called out.
Kat turned back around. "Uh...yeah."
"You sure? You look like you've seen a ghost." Barbara asked.
"Yeah, I tripped on something. No biggie. C'mon, this empty stomach's killing me."
"Either I'm going nuts, or..." she thought.
As she walked faster to catch up, a figure watched from a nearby alley. He turned away once they were out of sight. "See you around, crazy girl..."
For now, Kat left her thoughts on the backburner. Tonight was reserved for dinner with the family she'd gained over the past three years. Every moment with them was precious. A testament to healing the soul.
The moon shone brightly that night. With the festivities concluded, Kat took the opportunity to venture to the Academy's tallest point, in full costume. She looked out towards the night sky.
"Thanks for the memories, Tokyo. Till next time."
She leapt off into the night. A flash of pink was left in her wake. Until the next time evil emerged from the hearts of mankind. 
Until the next time. They would be ready.
FIN
(The Ashen Artisans will return.)