Chapter Seven
The Moon and the Emperor
The trek home felt much longer than Yuna expected. When she plopped down in front of the dinner table she felt slower than a fat slug. "Welcome home." Nanako said. "How was your day?"
Just peachy. Yuna thought. I found out I have the power to throw myself and my friends into a mysterious TV world that probably would have killed us if a walking bear costume hadn't shown up. She smiled at the little girl. "Good, just tiring. Hanging out with new friends really takes it out of you."
Nanako nodded in understanding and Yuna looked away. She didn't like lying to the girl, but the truth was much too outlandish, especially with Dojima-san sitting right next to her. "So Yuna," He said, pulling her attention. "Have you heard anything about Sakio-Konishi."
I know he's the boy that found Yamano's body, and I know that Yasuko is head over heels in love with him even though he shows little to no interest in her. And I know that he was probably on the Midnight Channel last night running for his life. "He wasn't in school today."
"I see..." The detective sighed. "To tell you the truth, his family called today. He's gone missing."
Missing? A cold feeling filled the pit of her stomach. The bear had said something about people being thrown into that world. Could Sakio have been another victim? And if he was... was he there when they were in there too? They hadn't heard or seen anyone else but them, not counting the bear since that was weird in its own right, but was it possible that Sakio had the same power she did and accidentally fell in? They had gotten lucky, so maybe that bear would find him too.
The news castor started. "Not long ago, television announcer Mayumi Yamano was found dead in the small town." The news anchor sounded a smidge more excited than the night before. "Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown. But the police investigation has found that she had been staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn."
Amagi. Inn? Yuuki-San's place? Yuna glanced at Dojima who continued to stare at the news report with a blank expression. "She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal?"
"Something like that." Dojima muttered. "The only place in town where you buffoons probably couldn't get to her."
"The Amagi Inn!" The commentator was back. "Their hot springs are first-rate! The manager's teenage son also works there, and it's rumored that he'll take over the inn this spring."
So, it was true. Yuuki was being trained to take over the inn. But in the springtime? Wouldn't he still have a year of school left? Were they just skipping the rest of his education for this? "If that happens, he'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there."
"Uh..." The older man looked perplexed. "I guess... on to the weather report... The rain has begun to subside, but a thick fog has made its way back into the area."
Surprise. Yuna scoffed. But I wonder... does Yuuki know something about Yamano?
Suddenly, she sneezed, much louder than intended. A shiver shot up her spine, and she grasped her arms in surprise. Am I getting sick? Really?
"You're probably still adjusting to the new environment." Dojima said.
You have no idea the day I've had, Dojima.
"Nanako, will you get her some cold medicine? You'll want to rest after you take it."
"Thank you." She said as her cousin ran to retrieve some medicine. And if my suspicions are right, I might have a day like that again.
OOOOOOOO
No matter how many years he spent away from the ring, Akihiko never lost his punch. There wasn't a single person who could take him on in a fair fight. Except maybe his roommate, but that man was far different than most people. In a straight up brawl, Akihiko could, and would, always win. Even if it wasn't a fair fight, he had the perfect ace up his sleeve. So, as he stood in the crowded back alley, surrounded by eight other men with bloodshot eyes and murderous grins with only one ally to watch his back, Akihiko didn't lose his cool.
"How long you want to go without our trump card?" He said, clenching his fists as the men closed in on them.
"Depends on how quick you want this fight to be over." His best friend Shinjiro was extraordinarily calm next to the bouncing, energized Akihiko. "We could probably get through it without it if you're quick enough."
Akihiko snorted. "If I'm quick enough? What about you?"
"I'm not worried about me."
"You're slower than I am."
"And I can take more hits."
Akihiko rolled his eyes. "Debatable."
"I've spent a lifetime taking the brunt of your training, Aki. I think I can handle myself."
You also took life threatening drugs for years and spent 6 months in a coma. But Akihiko kept that to himself. He didn't want to start this fight with a black eye. "I'm game for a fair fight."
"2 against 8 is hardly fair."
"Yeah I know." He cracked his knuckles. "They would need at least 15."
"You're an idiot."
"And you're standing with me, Shinji."
"Someone's got to keep you from getting yourself killed, and I'm the poor sap that took the job."
"At least it pays well."
Shinji snorted, but didn't deny it.
The first man jumped toward Aki, arms swinging with uncoordinated movements. He sidestepped the punch easily, before clocking the man with his own, much more precise response. A crack of bone echoed from beneath his fingers as the man went flying, crumpling in a heap a few feet away. The rest of his friends leapt into a frenzy, all pouncing at once. Holding his fists up, Aki dodged each one with ease. None of them are trained. It's a miracle they could beat anyone at all. He punched another man, knocking him out with a good strike to the jaw before elbowing a second in the chest. A third on the right.. He kicked his foot out, halting the third. He pushed him back before launching a counter attack. The man flew as far as the first, knocking into another that looked lost in the chaos. Four down.
He turned to help Shinji, only to realize that his partner had already taken out the other four and was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Messy brown, shoulder length hair peeked out from his red beanie, and his thick red trench coat looked much heavier than anything Akihiko would ever dream of fighting in. The rest of his outfit was black, complete with army style boots and cargo pants. With that, and his naturally bulky body, it was a miracle the man could move gracefully at all, much less win a fight. But Shinji had always managed. Even inches from death, Shinji had always managed to beat him. "What are you staring at?" He raised an eyebrow at Aki.
"Nothing." He looked away as he rubbed at his knuckles absentmindedly. "That was easier than I expected."
"They were running at us like a pack of frenzied baboons. I'm not really surprised." Shinji shrugged. "Now we have to find those kids."
Aki nodded as they turned to the warehouse. These helpless gang members had been running rampant on the poor side of town, kidnapping the youngest children of any family they could find. To the public, they had no reason to do so beyond causing fear and chaos. But Aki and Shinji were very familiar with their work. The gang, under the guidance of the long lost "False Savior", believed their efforts could bring out the end of the world that their great leader had died trying to achieve. Though, their efforts had gotten unexplainably frenzied in the past few months. "They're probably on the last of their drug supply." Aki muttered.
"They might be able to get some help if they weren't so interested in blindly following their dead leader." Shinji glanced at one of the unconscious members, and Aki could have sworn he saw a small look of pity in his normally stoic eyes. Aki knew Shinji was looking at an alternate version of himself. A man he might have been if his life hadn't been changed two years ago. Assuming he had survived to now.
Aki shook the thought off. "Let's go, Shinji. We need to find those kids."
He nodded and stepped over the pile of unconscious bodies as they made their way into the warehouse. "Hello?" Aki said as the opened the door. It looked empty, with a small pile of crates in the back right corner. The rest was just rotten wood, molded into the form of an old building that looked like it would collapse at any moment. The only place the children could be, was in that back corner. He pointed Shinji over, who nodded and walked around to the side wall. "We're here to help." Aki said, a little louder this time. A pile of shadows retreated into the corner, and he knew that's where they were.
"We took care of all of them." Shinji said as he reached the crates. "Your parents miss you."
Slowly, a head of a child peered out from behind the crates, eyes darting around in fear. "Are you really the good guys?" He whispered as Aki made it to the crates.
"Yes. We're here to take you home."
Four more children peered out from behind the crates eyes wide. The first boy had grabbed onto the crate, his knuckles white from squeezing it. "Can you beat... it?"
"It?"
"The monster."
Aki glance at Shinji. "The... monster?"
The boy nodded as the rest of the kids huddled around him. "Every night, a giant monster appears and wanders around the warehouse. We've managed to avoid it by hiding in these crates but..." The boy looked down ashamed. "It's gotten so much bigger."
A shadow? Aki thought. How did they create a shadow?
"I'm scared." The boy whispered. "I don't want to be eaten."
"That won't happen." Shinji said, standing. "We'll take care of the monster, but you need to get out of here first."
Just in case something goes wrong. Aki thought silently. Held his hand out to the boy. "Do you know how to get out?"
The boy nodded. "We've made it to the front door before, but the scary men have always stopped us."
"Well we took care of them." Shinji said. "If you can get out of the door, there will be help waiting to take you home. Can you manage that yourselves?"
The boy nodded. "But what about you? The monster is scary."
"We can take care of it. Promise." Aki said. "You can lead the rest out, right?" The boy nodded. "Then go now, before the monster gets here."
The boy nodded again as he reached for one of the kids. They all linked hands and took off for the front door. The moment they were out of sight, Aki pulled out his evoker. The one weapon he carried; a gun that wasn't a gun at all, but a key to his trump card. "So, what do you think?" He said, glancing at Shinji.
"It's probably a shadow." That's what Aki had deduced before, but it had been a long time since he had seen one of those. He had fought thousands on his quest to stop the end of the world two years ago, but the last few years he'd only fought Strega enthusiasts and gang members.
Aki would be lying if he said he wasn't a little excited. He hadn't been able to use his persona seriously in years.
"How do you feel about this?" He said, glancing at Shinji.
"My persona is under control." Shinji said. "Mitsuru has been watching it for awhile now, and she's comfortable with me using it."
Aki nodded. This really was the best place to try it out. If Shinji's persona went berserk, Aki could take care of it. No innocent bystanders would be in the way.
A hideous gurgling sound echoed from the far side of the room. A dark shape slithered towards them, rising out of the ground as it got closer. "Here it comes." Aki said, tightening his grip on his evoker. The shadow was simple compared to the other ones he had faced with a black body of muck and beady red eyes. The most terrifying thing - and probably the reason those children had been so scared- was its' shark teeth that extended beyond its head in a massive grin. It flailed its hands out as the lower half of its slug-like body rolled along. Not too bad. He thought with a twinge of disappointment. Might not even need Ceaser.
The creature snarled as it pushed its meaty hands into the ground, raising itself to its full height. It towered over them, almost hitting the ceiling of the warehouse with its rounded head. Aki held the evoker up to his forehead, eyes narrowing as he stared it down. Let's just end this.
Careful Senpai...Until you hit its weak spot its immune to physical attacks."
His eyes widened. Fuuka? He could hear the familiar voice in his mind, but it had been so long since she had been around like this. Shinji and him usually worked alone, especially when shadows weren't involved. The last time he saw her was a year ago when he attended her graduation, and she had left for college shortly after. So why was she here now?
Mitsuru sent me to help you. She answered. Aki flinched slightly. He had forgotten that her power allowed her to hear his thoughts when they were connected like this. A soft giggle echoed in his head. Takes some getting used to, huh.
You got that right. He lowered the evoker and took a step back. But help us with what?
I'll get to that in a bit. Right now, you need to take care of that Shadow.
On cue, the creature swung at him, but the attack was slow enough for Aki to dance out of the way. Shinji jumped to the side. "If that things immune to physical I'm useless anyway." He shouted.
"You heard her too?"
"Of course. That's how her power works, remember?"
Of course he remembered. He'd spent an entire year with her, much longer than Shinji had. But he was so used to the other man not fighting with them he'd almost forgotten she could speak to him too. Its weak to electricity. Fuuka said.
I can handle that. Dodging another attack, he pressed the evoker to his head and pulled the trigger. "Ceaser!" Fragments of broken glass broke away from the side of his head, disappearing as they reached the ground. A circle of light filled in around his feet as a new creature appeared behind him. Ceaser; his persona, hovered a few inches above, his bare feet pointed toward the ground. Silver linked to his knees, shins, and ankles like armor, matching his white attire that looked like an outfit for a roman soldier. A white cape was tied around his neck, hanging over his shoulders, as his semi-cone shaped head was completed with a white crown. In one hand he held a sword, and in the other a globe which hovered a few inches above his palm. There was a hole in his chest, where a tiny man with a red mask sat inside the open space, unmoving. Aki held his hand up toward the ceiling. "Ziodyne!'
Ceaser raised the globe toward the sky. A bolt of lightning struck from nowhere, hitting the creature square in the face. The electricity surrounded its body as if it were water, and the creature howled. Now's your chance.
Shinji reacted faster than Aki. "Castor!' He shouted as he pulled the trigger of his own evoker. A large, bulky creature on a legless horse appeared above hoping on its base that reminded Aki of a pogo stick. A large, metal horn grew out of the horse's head, pointing toward the sky as its rider pulled back on the reins. It launched into the air, its long white hair whipping around as it dove, horn first, direction at the monster. The base of the creature hit the shadow square in the teeth. It groaned as it was thrown backward, dispersing into tiny shadows as it hit the ground. Almost immediately, the separate pieces went up in smoke.
That was a letdown. Aki thought as Ceaser disappeared.
That shadow was created from the fear of the children that were kidnapped. They haven't been here that long, so it probably wasn't all that strong.
But a shadow created in the real work like this? It's a little concerning, don't you think?
Mitsuru is looking into it. You two have something else to take care of.
What could be more important than this?
Have you heard of the murder in Inaba?
Of course. It's been all over the news.
Mitsuru believes it's connected to shadows.
Really? Aki was surprised. He knew that the murder of that announcer was very sudden and unexplainable, but related to shadows? What kind of proof did she have?
I met a girl that was moving to Inaba, one with the power of persona. It was weak and most likely still repressed when we first spoke, but there was no denying it. Only a day after she got there, the murder occurred, and I think that girl may be involved somehow.
You think she killed the person?
No, that's not it. I just have this feeling. I was going to try and seek her out again and see if her power has fully awakened or not. If it has, we may have some answers.
And Mitsuru wants us to join you?
As you know, I cannot fight shadows on my own. Fuuka said. Mitsuru and I scouted out Inaba last week. We have a good place to stay and some part time jobs as cover up.
At least Mitsuru asked before she got me involved. That was so very kind of her.
Oh, so you already knew?
I was kidding, Fuuka. He sighed and turned to Shinji. "What do you think?"
"If people are dying its worth looking into." He shoved his hands into the pocket of his trench coat. Besides, I get the feeling that Mitsuru won't take no for an answer."
"Probably not." Aki sighed. "When does she want us to leave?"
As soon as possible. I have tickets for the train leaving in the morning. Mitsuru said she'd take over this case herself, so you won't have to worry about that.
"Then we better get going." Aki said.
"Hey, you two!" An angry voice echoed from the far side of the warehouse where they had first come in. the men they had fought before were all standing in front of the doorway, eyes blazing with extraordinary fury. "We're not done with you yet!"
"No, but we were done with you." Shinji grumbled.
Are you going to be okay?
Aki pulled out his evoker again, eyes narrowing as the men began to charge. "We'll make it quick."
