Animus
Welcome to Animus! You can find the Tumblr page at KageShirogane.
As well, you can also find the full spiel on Animus and its disclaimers back on Chapter 1.
Thanks and enjoy the show!
Note: Heey, what? An update on Monday? That's right! Animus will be going bi-weekly as of today. You can now expect Chapter updates on both Monday and Friday. Sweet cuppin' cakes! As always, thanks to my regular readers and reviewers for keeping up with this. You guys are making it happen. ^^
"Y'know, I'm surprised I didn't realize it sooner. I just figured you grew a love for bikes or something, but even then… this is kind of… uh… uhm, damn, what's the word…" Kanji fumbled over the appropriate description for Sousei as they re-traced their route down the highway and back to Kanji's apartment.
"Extravagant?" Naoto tried, barely turning her head. Despite the awkward start, Naoto felt much better this morning and was sure that it was safe enough for her to drive this time. Part of her figured that she just needed the rest, but another part theorized that it had been Kage draining her energy until he developed an appropriate body for this world. Or perhaps both. In response to her statement, Sousei emitted a nervous laugh from the speakers.
Kanji nodded, "Yeah, I guess that does it justice… Why do you have something like this, though? Whatever he said he was… an 'Anti-Shadow Weapon'?" he questioned, the title sounding mighty familiar.
"You should remember Labrys and Aigis from a ways back, yes? During the tournament incident," Naoto reminded, "Sousei is quite literally their older brother, a model type that ceased production once the Kirijo Group developed the means of creating more life-like androids. They created Labrys afterwards, whose real appearance can easily be disguised under clothing. Sousei's… not so much."
"So they started with… autobots," Kanji deduced, which brought a small laugh out of Naoto.
"Yes, essentially. He's an amazing piece of engineering either way," she noted, not wishing to demean Sousei for being so outdated, "As for why I have him… He was a present from Kirijo-san herself. We were on favorable terms while I was still in Inaba and she insisted that as a Persona-user, I would always require some sort of assistance in case the worst happened. So when I set back out to Yagokoro City, she worried enough to give me one of their unused weapons."
"Geez… I didn't know you were still hanging around with that lot," Kanji answered. The Kirijo Group and almost all related events had left his mind after the P-1 Grand Prix. For his argument, however, he had thought that the entire thing was a dream up until the end. "Speakin' of hand-me-downs, though… Uh, sorry, Sousei," he apologized as the motorcycle honked at that word, "… I know we should be thinking of a way to get your Shadow back to where he belongs, but in case Kage ain't going anywhere soon, y'should kind of consider how you're going to take care of him, yeah?"
Naoto nodded slowly, "Yes… and?"
"Well, he seemed fine in my shirt this morning. I don't know if you've got a limited supply of clothes or anything, but I've got a ton of junk that doesn't fit that great anymore. Might help?" he offered, "Oh, it's the next exit coming up."
Naoto turned into the appropriate lane as he directed her, "Clothing… I didn't even think of that yet. I'm still caught up on how I'm going to feed the thing," she said, though trying not to express too much worry, "That would help, though. Thank you very much, Tatsumi-kun."
Once off the highway, the drive to the apartment that Kanji and his cousin both shared was a short one. In the parking lot, each tenant had their own reserved parking and Naoto was directed to an empty spot, noticing that the free spot probably belonged to Kanji's cousin. She assumed that he had already gone out for the day. Shame… She was quite interested in meeting him. Following Kanji just up to the doorway of the complex, she decided to wait outside while Kanji prepared himself in his uniform and grabbed any spare clothes that would fit Kage. He doubted the Shadow would mind if they were still a tad baggy on him. Knowing that she too was in a hurry, Kanji ran back downstairs and outside, offering over a bagged collection of clothes to Naoto, who's raised hand seemed frozen on the spot as she stared back at him.
Kanji blinked, "What… Didn't you want them?" He stood there with a perplexed expression, not realizing that it was the uniform draped over him that had stunned her.
'Dressed from head to toe in black, he wore a male uniform that reminded her greatly of Yasogami's without the houndstooth collar.'
That was the uniform… It was the exact same one that the hooded student from the day before wore while visiting Shinri High. The one the news refused to identify, and the one Kage had… unfortunately injured. Her lips parted as she wrapped her fingers around the offered bag of clothes, "Tatsumi-kun, that… uniform. I've seen it before."
Kanji looked down at himself and then back up, "S'just my school uniform… What's with that expression?"
"It was… I…" she shook her head. She didn't want to mention it, but at least it would help Kanji better understand the situation if he knew, "It was yesterday when I saw him. A student wearing that uniform came to our school after class claiming to know something about the Shadow Extractions-... Ah, that's what they're calling that odd technique we learned of the night before, apparently."
Kanji rose a brow.
She carried on, "And so… I gave it one more try, this time without resistance. I don't know how or why, but when it happened I felt like a part of me had been torn away, and given the name, you can probably assume what it was."
"Kage, huh…?"
"Nn… And not just from myself. It seems anyone who gave into that student's experiment had something of a Persona temporarily surface from their body as well. Only, mine stayed, though… and he immediately went savage on the boy. I doubt it was enough to kill since he was apparently hospitalized but… I don't know anything else aside from that. Perhaps, though… he can put Kage back if I find him."
"Genkaku," Kanji mentioned.
"Pardon?"
"That's the school, its Genkaku High. Look, I know you're pretty headstrong about this kind of stuff, but enough of the 'I' business, k? I'll see if I can find anything out at school today and I'll let you know the moment I do. So, let's just say that 'we'll' find him, alright?" he said with a confident smirk. With a hand risen over Naoto's head, he ruffled at her hair slightly, "You didn't have to lie, you idiot. You could'a just told me that's why you were late."
Naoto smiled and made lazy swats at his intruding hand, "You're right, I'm sorry… I simply didn't want you getting more involved in something that could be potentially dangerous. Promise me you won't trouble yourself."
"Phuh… I'm sure if someone from our school got messed up that bad, then everyone's probably already talking about it," he answered, "But yeah, I promise."
"Thank you… Perhaps we can avert this crisis sooner than expected."
"What do you mean 'withheld information'!?" Naoto's heightened voice caused many of the police station's crew to peer up over their cubicle walls, some giving off disinterested sighs. Wonderful, the child was whining again.
A man well over a foot taller than Naoto dropped his shoulders down and rubbed the back of his head like a hound getting its discipline for the day. His name was Tetsuma Tsuge, and as the manager of research and science at the police department, there were very few people that dared to talk him down. Naoto was one of them, although she unfortunately had to admit that it was due to Tetsuma's soft spot for women. He simply couldn't yell back.
"It's all I can say… No one's telling us what hospital your student got sent to, or his name, or anything else about him. I applaud you for identifying the school, however. And as outlined in your report, you seem to have gotten close enough to the case that it would be foolish of me to assign anyone else to it. We definitely have something amiss going on in this city and I want you to find out more for me," he replied, jumping to the point in hopes that it would calm Naoto down. She could tell that he was merely buttering her up, though.
"That's ridiculous… Who found the student, then? The news explained very little, but at least they knew that he had injuries bad enough to get sent to 'a hospital'. Just… 'a hospital'?" she seethed, realizing how unorganized the provided information was, "You don't just go around saying 'Hey, guess what, we've got a battered student but we're not telling you who he is or where we put him'. All of this anonymity is making this case sound more suspicious than it probably is."
Tetsuma sighed and sat himself down on an available chair which gave off an extended creak due to his size, "Is it really? Perhaps it's for the student's own security. The news station might know about him, but they could have been told not to disclose any information."
"Then why don't 'we' know!?" she rebutted, "We 'are' security."
Tetsuma's eyes pinched together. Good point.
"I have a thought, though… There's only one other group that we know of who are also involved in these events. This student could have very well been one of their consorts," Naoto mentioned as a few light bulbs turned on in her head.
The man looked up, "You're talking about the gang from the other night, eh? Ah-…" he paused abruptly, then almost as quickly snapped his fingers in realization, "Of course! While we don't know where that student went, we at least know where Goro Yagi is. I believe that was the name of the man your acquaintance hit."
"Hit…?" Naoto replied in a low voice. This was something that Kanji had not told her.
"Aye, pretty hard. They got him under their care over at Yagokoro General. If you suspect this student had anything to do with that gang, then that man would probably be your best lead right now," he leaned back into the chair with another defining creak, "I realize that you've got a history with this Tatsumi fellow. Even if this isn't for the Shadow Extraction case, you should at least go and clear things up with Goro. From what we can tell, the only person who actually got injured during that assault was him, turning your friend into the only clear offender here."
Naoto felt her stomach drop as she realized the depth of the situation. Two males hospitalized, and both at the fault of both herself and Kanji. Solving this case was never solely about getting Kage back to where he belonged, it was about clearing up their names. Kanji's punch and Kage's outburst were both acts of self-defense… most likely. But unless that was made clear, the media could twist the story and their names would be shamed forever. Not too good.
"I-… I was unaware of this… However, I will plan a trip to the hospital tomorrow. I will get Goro's side of the story and make sure that he has no ill intentions," Naoto answered, "The law here permits self-defense as protection against certain charges to a very reasonable degree and I will make sure he knows of that."
Tetsuma slowly shook his head, "To the degree that your friend hit him, though… You better hope you can scare Goro away from lawsuit because there's a good chance he'd win in court. We interrogated his whole crew and each of 'em said that they had no intention of actually hurting Tatsumi. They're a creepy lot, but the worst they did was hold him down. Goro, however, is recovering from a concussion."
Naoto was having a difficult time digesting Tetsuma's words. Indeed, if Goro held any resentment towards Kanji, then it was going to be tough getting any good information out of him. And if this was her only lead, then Naoto was standing on very thin ice. As she rested a hand over her forehead, Tetsuma could tell that the weight of it all was causing her stress.
"There's no need to rush this… We can get someone else to visit him if you're not comfortable," he reminded.
She shook her head in response, "No… No, it's fine. I already have too many thoughts and questions about this case to just hand it over to someone else. Though, I'll most likely have to email you my next report," she stated, "I have quite a bit at home and in school to catch up on."
Tetsuma waved his hand dismissively and turned on his seat, "That's fine. Juggle everything as you need to. I'm honestly impressed with both yours and Aoi-san's management skills," he mentioned, "Take care then."
Naoto returned the wave with a small smile and walked herself back to her desk. That's right; Touko was usually around here before school… She must have left just an hour or so ago. With that reminder, Naoto flipped open her phone and made sure to let her friend know that she'd be missing from school for the day. Naoto would be able blame it on exhaustion from the previous day's events if Touko asked. As she put the phone away, she booted up her PC and did a quick map search on Genkaku High. It was definitely a good drive away from Shinri… Unfortunately, checking the news feeds didn't produce any strange results. It seemed like no one was intent on relating this incident back to the school. There had to be a reason for that…
Naoto sat back in her chair for a moment and gave herself some time to ponder. She wanted just one moment of quiet before having to return to the complicated needs of her Shadow.
Kage lay upside down from the edge of Naoto's bed, arms sprawled onto the floor below and legs clinging to the other end of mattress for support. His mouth hung open as he mindlessly indulged in the head rush to kill time. How boring… Many times he'd stared out the window into the estate's backyard and marveled at how exciting and vast the human world seemed. Alas, he had made a promise to confine himself to the bedroom and was going to try and make the best of it. But what was there to do here besides sleep…? There were no surgery tables or drills or robots or anything fun to play with. Just some desks, shelves, books, and a couple of screened boxes that Kage was able to recognize, but didn't entirely understand their function. He knew them as computers and TVs in the Shadow world, but all they ever played there were the same things over and over again. It was the idea of a computer or TV, never a real one.
As his mind wandered, Kage's grip on the other end of the bed began to loosen until he finally slid off the side, the back of his head bumping against the ground below him. Giving off an agitated grunt, he rested his hands flat behind his head and pushed into a backward roll, landing back on his knees. Well, that was fun enough. Now upright, he once again scanned the room for anything amusing and gave a prolonged stare at the TV across the room. Such devices had also been used as the pathway between the two worlds, but that was a connection that had been severed long ago. Inching closer to the TV, Kage rested his fingertips against the screen and gave off a small frown when nothing happened. Ever since he became a Persona, Kage no longer had to reside within that world, but at least it was more accommodating than this one. However, the most accommodating place was Naoto's subconscious, and that's where he preferred to be. When she accepted him, he was given a home where his survival depended on hers and nothing more. None of this 'food' nonsense that forced all Shadows to be the heinous monsters that they were. Kage hated to think that he would ever have to be that way again.
"I'm dying…" he muttered to himself in his pitiful reverberant voice, shoulders drooping. The bedroom was beginning to feel more like a glass container with no holes for air. Balling his hands into little fists, he gripped at his sleeves and brought them up to his moistening eyes. No one had told him where they were going or what time they would be back… Did they do that on purpose? Maybe Naoto and Kanji were never coming back… The Shadow began to weep as the thought took over whatever speck of reasoning he had, "… They abandoned me…!" he whined. Good grief, it had only been an hour. "I'll be alone FOREVERR- oh hey, what's that."
The Shadow's immediate bipolar response would shock anyone if only they had seen how quick it had happened. His previous train of thought was completely thrown out the window and he was now engrossed by a blinking light coming from a large electronic box under one of the desks. This was a computer, wasn't it? All of the ones back at the lab were giants compared to this flimsy little box of circuits; what a piece of junk this must have been… Still, glowing thingy. Pressing his finger to the blinking power button seemed to awaken the computer out of sleep mode, the monitor brightening. Kage stood on his two feet and pressed his nose to the screen, eyes widened, "OOoooo…."
But wait… Where were all the data charts, scanners, random flashing lights and satellite images? Kage sat himself down and took the mouse in hand, searching the screen for anything that would lead him to the weapons of mass destruction. Everyone had those, didn't they? Maybe there was some sort of alarm system that would allow him to make SOS cries at anyone who dared to step close enough to the estate. No, no, there didn't seem to be anything of the sort… Why did Naoto even bother keeping a computer if she wasn't going to use it properly? As he aimlessly clicked around, Kage was able to find a number of uninteresting programs. There were things that could be drawn on, things that played music, sounds and videos, and many sorts of word documents. However, Kage huffed with disinterest. Giving this waste of technology one more chance, he clicked on one last icon: a fox missing most of its limbs circled around a shiny blue planet.
What appeared was a window with a simple logo and some sort of search bar underneath it. Kage shrugged to himself as he typed the word 'food' into the bar and let the search collect a list of results. The very top result seemed to be from some sort of information base called Quikipedia that had its page on 'food' highlighted. Selecting it and scrolling down, the Shadow attempted to understand the ingestion process from a human perspective. It made enough sense… but all this talk of fats, carbs and other such nutrients was something he couldn't relate to. That wasn't what he craved from people… what he desired was the essence that made people who they were. The body was just a biological husk for the true nectar inside. Kage felt his mouth water as his cursor rolled over a 'Like' button, to which he clicked in agreement. Yeah, he liked food.
However, what he was taken to was a completely unrelated page. One full of names and images and idle banter between… people? Squinting his eyes, Kage clicked on one of the names out of curiosity and was rewarded with a lengthy amount of information on this person's life… Where they were born, what schools they attended, who their family was… Their engagement with this website was so deep and open, it was as if all of these user accounts were living, breathing digital people. MyPlace… huh.
Kage pressed himself against the screen one more time, only stopping once he realized that it wasn't going to give way to a digital realm full of minds and information and other delicious things. Slightly frustrated, he stood up and walked around the computer area, staring at the different connections and wires that lead back down to the main machine below. He could figure it out… There had to be a way to access this kind of information and make use of it. As he knelt before the main computer, he noticed various ports and some corresponding plugs that fit into them. One was in the shape of a small, rectangular box, which upon being inserted into the port, brought up a window asking if he wanted to … scan the USB for errors? Whatever. A connection was made!
"So if I can have one of these…" he murmured to himself, unplugging the USB stick and looking over it curiously. Raising a hand, he rubbed the skin of his neck and felt against an internal structure that was both biological and artificial. Indeed, the intricacies of such technology were not at all foreign to him. One could even say that he knew it inside and out.
Rolling around the room on the wheeled computer chair, he plundered every drawer in sight for a set of tools that could assist him with the job. Naoto was rather big on gadgetries and tinkering with readymade items, so surely she'd have something hidden away. His search wasn't a long one at all. Stashed away in one of the corner drawers was an assortment of various computer pieces, wires, clips and other electronics, as well as a small toolbox underneath. Kage grabbed what he figured he'd need and set himself up on the floor in front of the full body mirror, reaching first for a tiny screwdriver. It had been some time since he last meddled around with his inner workings, so it took him a moment to locate the hidden bolts behind his ears. Without feeling around, you would have never noticed them since they were concealed under both hair and a self-healing layer of skin. However, upon unscrewing them, Kage's convincingly human face separated into many connected segments, opening up to reveal an assemblage of circuits inside. Still capable of functioning in such a state, the Shadow examined himself in the mirror and wondered where the best place to hide such a plug would be…
"Heh… humans eat through their faces, don't they?" he reminded himself, sticking a finger in and poking at the roof of his mouth. It wouldn't be difficult to hide such a contraption there. As far as Kage was aware, humans didn't actively examine each other's orifices for any particular reason either. The thought of it sounded absurd, even to him. Exploring the equipment on the floor, he reached for a small precision knife, "So it'll be, then."
Leaving no trace of his work, the little Shadow sat down and rolled back towards the computer, a rather conspicuous cord dangling from the corner of his mouth. At its end was the plug end of a USB connector that he hoped Naoto wasn't going to miss. She had so many spare parts; he assumed she didn't keep tabs on every little thing. Anyways, it was time to test this thing out. Taking the plug between his fingers, he pulled it down to one of the USB ports in the computer, the cord unraveling from his mouth. As the connection was made, Kage's golden eyes widened as a tingling sensation flowed through him at an alarming rate. He froze on the spot as he was forced to process such an intense amount of information all at once. This internet thing… it was insanely vast. Closing his eyes, he focused on what was needed and attempted to block off any unneeded transmissions. Kage-firewall.
The things on these websites… These user accounts and the evidence of dependence and fondness for them… that's what tickled his fancy. What was it that Naoto had described before? Taste? There was without a doubt something succulent and appetizing about this sort of information that only a machine could understand. Yes, it would be his… Whatever tricks he had to resort to, and whatever security he had to crumble. And then, when all was done and his system was finally satisfied, the little USB connection could wind back up and be concealed within the roof of his mouth. No one had to know a thing... Kage gave off a prideful smirk as the data was absorbed, one user account at a time. Perhaps it wouldn't be so difficult to sustain himself within this world after all. The internet… was delicious.
"Home!" Naoto's voice could be heard from down below as she raced up the stairs and back to her room, heart pounding with anxiety. Swinging open the door, the Shadow was… still there! Giving off a heavy sigh, Naoto stopped on the spot and attempted to catch her breath. Kage was… once again making the best of his time in a room that didn't offer too many things to play with. Having gotten into some of his host's memorabilia, Kage lay on the bed with an imitation Sherlock Holmes hat upon his head and pipe within his mouth, the first book of a great series held in his hands.
Still paused by surprise, Naoto couldn't even express disdain over the Shadow getting into her precious artifacts, "I'm… honestly surprised that you're still here."
Looking her way, Kage lowered the book to his chest and took the pipe into one hand, "Elementary, you made me give my word to detain myself to this cubicle of a room, and I always intend to keep my promises." … British accent and all.
"You weren't all that obedient last night…" she reminded him, arms crossing.
Kage closed his eyes and produced a witty grin, "On the contrary, you did not make me promise anything of the sort last night."
Pausing again, Naoto refreshed her memory, and then frowned over the realization, "… That's… surprisingly true."
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?" spoke the little cheek as he dipped the Holmes hat brim lower.
"Never, nor is that relevant to what we're talking about. Why are you quoting my stories?"
"T'is a good book."
"… Very," Naoto couldn't help but agree. Despite his incessant whining and delusions of grandeur, she and her Shadow had at least a few things that they could bond over. The one positive over having a doppelganger at home was that Naoto could easily predict what would entertain him. Finally stepping out of the doorway, she walked over and sat at the foot of the bed, "So, still not feeling well?"
"If you mean hunger… I…" Kage's eyes drifted to the side as he thought over his words. He was capable of feeling guilt, and what he had just done on the computer definitely felt like theft. It probably wasn't acceptable at all, nor was it nearly as satisfying, "I, eh… still kind'a peckish, I guess…" Lies, he was stuffed to the brim with user information.
"Have you considered any alternatives? This world is full of opportunity and variety, I honestly depress over the thought that you have no other choice," she spoke, clearly expressing pity in her voice.
Kage averted his gaze and frowned, "I may look like you, but I would rather starve than stoop down to your human methods. Don't think for a moment that we are anything alike on the physical inside. You may call it picky, but I call it perfection over the fact that we Shadows need not rely on anything else," he spoke in an alarmingly serious tone. Oh goodie, there went the over-inflated ego. Naoto understood him without question though. After seeing an incomprehensible X-ray of Teddie's innards, even she couldn't fathom what sort of matter Shadows were composed of, let alone the science of what fueled it. If it was people, then it was people. At least Teddie had made the effort to humanize his body because of his desire to live amongst them, so food had never been a problem. Kage, however, had his pride.
Naoto sighed, but nodded. She was bothered by one thing he had said, however. "To starve… I'm sorry, but you come from an entirely different way of living from us. I didn't even think that Shadows could die. We only ever managed to suppress them through our Personas." It was a fortunate fact, and the only reason why Shadow hunting was so guilt-free. Killing was an entirely different story… and a thought that honestly scared her, "… And what if that does happen?"
Kage didn't miss a beat, "Then you might as well consider yourself dead too."
… He couldn't have sugar-coated it just a little? Naoto felt her arms go weak as she slumped forwards on her bed, eyes going round. She had already made enough shocking realizations at the station today, this was the last thing that she needed to hear right now. Alas, the Shadow continued, "Do not forget that I am an integral portion of your psyche. The core of it, no less. At the base of one's subconscious lies the id, and within it are the animus, instincts and that which drives your desires. Above it exists the rational you, the ego, who often forgets all your necessary inner-workings and exists under the impression that you have complete control over yourself. But… you do not have command over your heartbeat or when it stops."
Naoto slowly turned her gaze back to the Shadow. His piercing stare was unnerving even with the eccentric hat on his head. Kage could tell that he was getting under her skin, and nothing tickled his fancy more than breaking through her resilient shell. The look on her face… she was begging him to stop with nothing more than her eyes.
"For myself to live… you would have to kill?" she managed to speak again, inquiring in a low voice.
Kage stared up with a raised brow, "Kill, hm? Do humans honestly need their thoughts so badly that they'd die without them?"
Naoto blinked, "Their… thoughts? You said that you ate people."
The Shadow closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders dismissively, "Your thoughts are what make you who you are, and thus what make you a person. That is all I require. It's not nearly as gruesome as you… obviously have been thinking."
"I see…" she answered, not sure if she should be relieved or not. This was still far from being a comfortable matter. "Then, what are we without our thoughts? You just finished explaining to me how significant the mind is… and now you're making it sound like it's unnecessary."
"Unnecessary to live, perhaps."
"Perhaps?" she leered. This wasn't something he was allowed to guess!
Kage sat up straight and set the book and pipe down beside him, giving her an equally agitated look, "Again! You're assuming I know so much about your world when I simply do not. What I used to devour back then was anything that came through to the Shadow realm that failed to defend itself. What was left of it simply disappeared and that's as far as my understanding goes. But it wasn't dead. Mindless, for sure, but not dead."
Not until it returned to the human world plunged upon the framework of a broadcast tower or telephone pole, at least. At that point, nothing should be able to live. Naoto suppressed her memory of the crime scenes which were often too disturbing to comprehend. Though, what remained was that neither she nor her Shadow could assume exactly what would happen if he indulged in the human world. However, Kage's argument and talk of death put a heavy weight on Naoto's conscience.
"These… thoughts that you eat. What do they do for you?" she asked, "I mean… to make someone's mind a part of you… Do you understand the person better after you've taken such a thing away from them?"
Kage smiled at her question, "I can't imagine a quicker way of getting to know someone. Of course, it's not as if I cared about the humans that stumbled into our world. If I did, I wouldn't have eaten them," A valid point… "But definitely… When a person communicates, they have the option to lie or cover up hidden information if they so wish to. But, if I wanted, I could read the mind of anyone I ever downed and recall all their memories and raw thoughts."
Naoto looked up, "That… is a rather abusable power."
"I don't really like it… Prodding around too much often leads to regret," he reminded.
Naoto slowly nodded as she leaned back onto the bed, her head resting on Kage's legs as she stared up at the ceiling. A thought crossed her mind… a horrible thought. Contemplating her next course of action in the Shadow Extraction case and what would likely be the interrogation of a man who harbored unspeakable secrets… she couldn't imagine how much effort it would take to get Goro to squawk… and how much of his words would even be true… Yet information was a detective's gold and she was lying against an information reservoir. It was a rather abusable power indeed…
"Kage…" she looked over, and the Shadow stared down, "Someone we know right now could be in trouble because of an act of violence that wasn't entirely his fault, but could easily be made out to be. At the same time, there is an important piece to this crime that is being hidden away and the true perpetrator most likely knows about it. This is a complicated case that can't be uncovered through questioning alone… I feel it's more paranormal than that."
Kage wiggled on the spot as she explained her situation, understanding only the gist of what she was trying to ask. "You want the truth," he spoke.
Naoto dipped her head down and nodded, "I want to know what he knows. I feel that there is a danger in whatever they're doing… Even if it isn't so obvious yet, I sense that there is someone with malign intent in all of this."
The Shadow tented his fingers together, masking a little smirk behind them.
She continued, "As you said, when you consumed a human's thoughts, you never actually killed them. If tomorrow I cannot get a satisfactory answer out of him… then I want you to do it for me. As long as you promise to cause no pain and leave no trace…"
The human desire to live was a truly strong one… It could lead to irrational thoughts and desperation, all of which temporarily blocked out one's sense of guilt and pride. The point when one gets cornered is the point in which one reveals their most involuntary tactics.
"I promise."
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED! A Shadow has discovered the Internet, and the 'Ask Kage' blog is now available on the KageShirogane Tumblr page. Got a comment or question for the little miscreant? Maybe he'll say some funny things back at you, or just be an uncouth jerk. Who knows, he's deranged like that.