=MALEVOLENT DESIGNS=
-Chapter 4 -
(August 4th 2012)
The investigation team were on the move walking through Inaba, they had left Junes not too long ago at Yu's request but he hadn't told them where they were going. However once the group arrived at the Samegawa flood plains they started to realize. "Yu-Kun why are we heading to school, it's the holidays?" Yukiko asked confused. "A couple friends are waiting for us. You'll see." Yu said leading the way toward his old school. As they approached the main gates of the school came into view, and two guys were waiting for them. "Yuuuu Heeeey." One of the pair shouted hand in the air waving as the approached. "Isn't that Kou Ichijo?" Chie asked surprised. "And Daisuke? Partner what's going on?" Yosuke asked just as confused as Chie was. Yu ignored the question for the time being and carried on walking over to his old friends.
"Hey guys it's good to see you two." Yu greeted them. "Likewise. Think fast." Daisuke replied tossing something towards him. Yu caught the bundle of keys that he had thrown. "You gonna tell us what you want them for man?" Kou asked looking over the rest of the group behind Yu. "I can't but someday I promise." Yu replied disheartened about keeping things from them. "This is about last year? How you guys went down to Junes most days and disappeared for a couple hours. Don't think we didn't notice, anyway the soccer club going to be down here first Monday of next month. So I'll need the keys back by then." Daisuke informed Yu.
"And when you give them back the three of us our going out like old times. Well that's if Mr Charmer can get away from his new girlfriend." Kou said turning a stretch in to a motion toward Daisuke. "Or if this guy isn't trying too busy studying to get into some fancy foreign school." Daisuke said back sarcastically. "Count on it." Yu replied nodding in thanks towards the two. "We'll see the rest of you after the holidays. Whatever this about you can thank us then." Daisuke said dragging Kou off through the confused looks of the rest of the group and down through the flood plains they had come up through. "Say Hi to Nanako-Chan for us." Kou shouted back as he was dragged off.
"What the heck just happened?" Kanji shouted looking at the fading shapes of Kou and Daisuke. "They just gave us access to a practise ground. Far off from everyone, Daisuke managed to talk the keys out of one of the teachers so the soccer team could practise sometime during the summer." Yu explained. "School you want us to practise using Persona at school Sempai?" Rise asked slightly annoyed at the idea of being at school during the holidays. "The gym actually. It's the best I could come up with. Come on let's get inside." Yu told them, unlocking the school gate's padlock.
The gym was dark and empty. It was quite a gloomy place without the lights on, the high yet small windows let in only little light. Without the windows it probably would have been impossible to see in the room at all. "Anyone found a way to turn the lights on? Because the light switch isn't working." Yosuke called out to the rest of the group. "Catch." Yu replied to Yosuke tossing. "There should be a weird key that goes in the slot next to the switch." Yu explained after Yosuke caught the keys. "You're right." Yosuke replied fumbling with the keys and doing as instructed. Flicking the light switch again the dark gym was filled with light.
Yu walked over to the centre of the gym and turned to face his friends. "So who wants to try summoning there persona first?" Yu asked sitting down on the floor. The others shared slightly worried looks, in the end Kanji stepped forward. "Alright Yu-Sempai I'll give it a go. How hard can it be?" Kanji said walking over to Yu. "Okay Kanji sit down." Yu instructed and Kanji did as told. Once sitting he took his glasses off and slid them in his shirt pocket. "Just close your eyes and try summoning your persona. Keep trying as if the most precious thing is on the line. Something you would give up everything to protect." Yu told him.
Kanji closed his eyes and tried to think of what was most dear to him. Nothing came to him to start, it was hard to try and think of what was most dear to you when asked. His self-image used to be important to him, though that had started because of his love for his mother. That was gone now, he felt free to be himself without the worries of what other people might think of him, and it was all due to the people in this gym with him right now. They had saved him from his denial, saved him from his shadow. He fought alongside them, and he would keep of fighting to protect them from that creature back in May. No matter what.
Kanji collapsed backward, gritting his teeth together to prevent himself crying out as pain welled up inside him. Like a searing hurricane across his skin. Everyone rushed towards Kanji out of concern except Yu, who knew what was coming. "DAIROKU TENMAOU" Kanji shouted out through the pain, leaping to his feet as fire red form of his persona burst into existence in front of Yu. Clamping a large hand over Yu's shoulder it hoisted him to his feet, before disappearing, Kanji stepped forward to replace were his persona had been and grabbed Yu's shirt collar. "Damn it. You could have told me it hurt that much." Kanji shouted angrily, but forced himself to calm down, dusting Yu's collar where he had grabbed it after letting go.
"I did say it hurt." Yu told him. "Are you alright though?" Yu asked. "It still hurts, but I actually feel pumped. Like I could do anything." Kanji said stretching out. "Sit back down." Yu instructed but Kanji ignored him. Yu looked over to Yosuke who was behind to Kanji. The look put Yosuke on alert and he took a step closer to Kanji in time to catch him as the adrenalin that was in Kanji system subsided and the strain of summoning his persona caused him to collapses. "Kanji-Kun are you okay?" Rise asked in a worried voice, as Yosuke lowered Kanji to the floor. "He'll be alright, he'll be tired more tired than after you all accepted your shadows." Yu explained crouching down next to Kanji, and concentrating. "Dia." Yu said and Pixie one of the smallest of the persona at his command appeared and surrounded Kanji with curative energy before fading away once more. "That should help a little. I wish there was another way to do this, but I couldn't find one." Yu said looking up at the worried faces of the others, sounding sad to see his friend go through the pain that he had.
A/N – Went with second stage persona for the teams, even though Arena has them use first and Golden apparently has even higher tier ones.
Disclaimer – I don't own Persona.