Yosuke readied himself to stop the charge and block whatever strike came his way, but didn't expect Yu to shoulder rush him. He was pushed back and tried to react quickly with a high kick, but his leg was caught and he was quickly swiped off his feet. His back landed on the ground with an audible thud.

He then saw Yu raise his fist, and instinctively closed his eyes shut while he moved his head to the side to avoid the incoming punch.

He felt the ground under his head shake and heard the unusually loud sound of a fist hitting the ground.

That... that'd be the end of the fight right there.

He opened his eyes and saw Yu readying another punch, so he did what he had to do: use his free leg to kick him off. Only the kick ended up hitting Yu's face as he was about to bring his fist down, which made him stagger back. Yosuke seized the opportunity to roll backwards to stand up and-

Holy shit!

There was a crater on the ground where that punch landed.

Screw being the end of the fight, that'd be the end of his life, no questions asked. What the Hell?!

He looked at Yu: he was panting, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. But something was wrong.

Very wrong.

He was sporting a smirk that kind of reminded Yosuke of his own, but his eyes... they did not match his expression at all. It was like the picture of a smile, glued to the face of a long since dead person. His eyes were beyond vacant. He could always 'feel' his friend when he was around: some kind of warmness that reminded him of who he was, what he meant to him and what he was capable of, but that feeling wasn't there anymore. All of that was absent... lost.

It was like Yu wasn't even there. He couldn't feel his presence.

That was the first time Yosuke felt anything like that. Yu's absence froze him with fear. What was happening? Where was his partner? Who was that in front of him? Was he dreaming?

His reflexes broke him out of his stupor as soon as he heard Yu stomping forward. He was faster than before, as if he wasn't tired at all. Yosuke had to hastily duck under a hay maker, but right after he dodged the punch, he found a knee slamming onto his stomach.

He then felt he was being pulled by his hair, before another knee hit his stomach.

And again.

And again.

He was finally released, only to be shoved back onto the bench, where he landed on his back.

He broke out of his stun, to see Yu readying a stomp kick that'd sandwich him between his foot and the bench. He rolled to the side onto the ground, barely avoiding the strike. Then he turned to see the bench toppled over by the kick.

Yosuke quickly got up and tried to take a stance, but with his fists high and his feet planted on the ground. His smirk was also wiped off his face, turned upside down into a half scowl. His breathing became heavier by the second, as if even the air in his lungs was cowering away from the danger standing in front of him. He wanted to take a step forward and advance, but he couldn't. He was rooted to the ground as Yu began to approach him again to deliver a right. Yosuke put up both of his hands in front of the punch and, surprisingly, he managed to catch the fist.

After the briefest moment of wondering what was going on, Yosuke shook his head and threw his own right while still holding Yu's right hand, but his wrist was caught.

Neither of them found an option other than a headbutt. Both skulls ended up colliding, a nerve right under Yosuke's hairline sent a shock though his body which extended until the tip of his fingers and made his tongue curl, but he wasn't about to give away. "What's gotten into you?!" He nearly shouted with a mixture of fright, frustration and anger as he stared into Yu's still vacant eyes. It was like staring into a pitch black room through a locked window.

"Answer me," he yelled, but there was still no response.

He lost his cool and pulled his head back again to smash his forehead on Yu's nose. Blood started trickling down his nostrils as he faltered back. Yosuke then threw a hard right punch at his face, but again, not even a sound.

Then he threw a left to Yu's cheek. Blood came from the newly open scar, but his face didn't even budge.

"Snap out of this!" Yosuke had enough and spun around for a heavy heel kick. Never once did he manage to execute it so perfectly. His heel slammed with full force on Yu's temple.

...

...

Yu was about to pass out, but only at that moment his conscience was returning to him.

What the Hell happened?

Where had he gone, how much time had passed?

What was his last memory? He was fighting Yosuke... he got up after being knocked down... and then things slowly started to become fuzzy until he could see and hear nothing... and maybe... he remembered fighting against his own force, as if to stop himself from doing something, but it was strange. It was not like just a reflex. It felt like he was actually forcing his own body not to do something. And that happened twice. If so, what was he trying to stop?

A glimpse. Yosuke, somewhat slumped over the bench, his face bleeding from cuts opened by what seemed to be his punches. How come he didn't remember or feel any of that? Or rather, how come he only remembered resisting against the actions of his own body? It was so weird... it was like he was out of himself, his conscience had been suppressed, or disappeared almost completely. But at that moment, he was blacking out due to the blow he had taken to the temple. The blurred vision he still had began to grow dark, until it completely faded to black.

...

- Elsewhere -

Yu woke up in a different place. The lighting was much brighter than the one he was used to before he passed out, so he had to close his eyes shut for a moment.

When he felt ready, he opened his eyes again.

Blue. Everywhere.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." he heard Igor's familiar voice.

He felt a small headache, so he pinched his forehead and tensed up slightly on his seat. "Hello, Igor, Margaret."

"So, you have finally experienced it," Igor said as he adjusted his silk gloves.

"Experienced what...?" Yu asked.

"You have come in contact with The Fallen aspect of your Wild Card ability," Margaret spoke.

Oh. They did explain about that earlier, but his mind was drifting too far away, even in his dreams. He couldn't pay attention to anything, not even to the Velvet Room's advises.

"What does that mean?"

"All humans have a void within themselves called Absence. When one comes in contact with that void, their consciousness allow their senses to take control. Picture yourself leading a carriage, if you will. It is carried by two horses: one represents your emotions, and the other your desires. Touching the Absence is equivalent to letting go of the reins, allowing the horses to run free and take you wherever they wish," Igor began.

"One of the differences between a Wild Card and a normal human is the higher awareness. Have you ever noticed that you view things differently here in the Velvet Room than in the real world? Does it not make you feel as if everything revolves around you?" Margaret asked.

To tell the truth... she was right. Yu always felt that when he was there, everything depended on him. It was another sense of being, meaning, purpose and presence: an unusual focus, which cleared his mind and let every information sink in, for he felt that he was a part of his own duty. It was not him who had to do the actions: he was the actions. He was the hope for the world and he, himself was his own world. However, he didn't remember feeling that, last time he was there.

"That awareness can be 'turned off', if you lose sight of your purpose. There are many ways to touch this Absence and one such way is to break your contract with this place. There are also many levels of contact with the Absence. They range from your everyday misjudgments, preconceptions and disregards until the aspect of yourself with which you came in contact with, The Fallen.

When in that state, your consciousness trades place with your emotions, and your body is no longer controlled by you. It is controlled by the circumstances around you, turning you into a mirror to your experiences, with no regards of what might happen. In the case which led to your visit here, your most prominent emotion was anger. Not only with yourself, but with everything around you. You wanted to pin the blame on something or someone and punish them for the crimes you had judged them guilty of. Therefore, you unleashed your might onto the first thing that was found guilty by your irrational state." Igor said.

"The Absence, however, is not an evil side of yourself. It merely reacts to the situation presented to you. Although almost uncontrollable, it can call upon powers hidden within yourself which your aware self does not even know exist." Margaret stated.

"But I repeat what I said last time I summoned you here. You may lose yourself permanently to the Absence, for it may prove to be an easier and effortless way to deal with life in general. Do not cast your awareness away forever. In your current state, your Fallen aspect is very likely to turn you into a nexus of aggression and make you forget about everything, even those most dear to you." Igor finished.

... Wow. He actually said something direct...

"Also, one last thing: although Wild Cards have a higher awareness, it is not a gift reserved only for Wild Cards. Some people may develop this state, momentarily or permanently, based on their experiences," Margaret added.

That... was a lot to take in. And Yu's headache only intensified, which didn't help. He didn't know what to say. He'd need some time to think about all of that. But he was kind of busy at that moment.

"I should not keep you here any longer. Time is about to resume in your world. Until we meet again..." Yu's vision began to be filled with black dots as Igor said the familiar words.

"Farewell."

...

...

Yosuke watched as Yu nearly fell limp to the floor. He was supposed to be knocked down after that kick, but he was strangely still on his feet with his face turned away. He then saw Yu hunch over, looking like he was going to tumble forward.

And suddenly, he came back to life.

And by 'came back to life', I mean 'crashed his knuckle on Yosuke's chin without a second's warning'.

He staggered back, but recovered soon after. The punch hit hard and made him bite his lip forcefully against his will. He swallowed the blood and took a gander at his partner's face.

"Keep your guard up!" Yu roared, as a smile found its way to his features. "We're not done, yet!"

His eyes... it felt as if his smile matched the live look on his eyes, once again.

He was back.

Yu then darted forward and delivered a strong barrage, as if ordering Yosuke to block his punches. After hastily dodging two punches, he saw that he wasn't going keep up with the rhythm like before. He prepared to block a left jab, but it was a feint. He soon felt a right slamming against his stomach. A strong punch, which made his knees wobble.

Enough hits to the stomach, dammit...

He was going to straighten himself up and take his stance again, but he found an uppercut connecting with his chin. Then an elbow hit his cheek.

The next punch went right over his head, as he began to fall to the ground.

No, that wasn't the end. He still had more to prove. He was not afraid anymore, now that Yu was back to himself. He could win... he could still prove that he was better than Yu. He had to hold his ground and...

...

... Better?

Hah... hahahahah.

Who was he fooling? Yosuke got his answer a long time ago, jealousy and pride were the only things that blinded his eyes to the truth.

In Yu, he'd most likely found the best friend of his life. Not only because he was smarter and stronger, but also because he didn't give himself the right to judge others. Contrary to what he, himself did all that time. Not only to Yu, but to everyone around him.

Since he'd gotten to Inaba, he began looking down on everyone. But with time, that arrogance of his reached higher levels. Every person around him, maybe even Saki, was just an object to him: a tool which he could use to avoid his fear of isolation. He was from the big city, he judged himself more articulated than the other people, both because of the education his parents gave him(as much of a slacker as he allowed himself to be), and because of his past interactions with richer people.

He hated the idea of working in a supermarket. The prospect of dealing with people that were there for the single purpose to order him around was outrageous for him, but his father insisted. And so, to survive his boring shifts, he began to act not like his usual self, but as someone else completely, in an attempt of pleasing his clients. And that habit spread to his daily life. To please was to keep close, and to keep close was to control.

Control... that was what moved him forward through his days. Making a wall of people to block out the loneliness was what he did best, be it by being polite, being the class clown, or whatever facade he was to assume.

Or maybe the wall of people only served to shield his eyes from the real loneliness that he always felt.

But then came Yu. The one who was better at controlling people than him. Far better. And as Yosuke believed, people used to form these walls were being controlled. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he, himself was a part of Yu's wall. And he did not like being controlled.

What was beyond his understanding, however, was that he was not being controlled or looked down upon. Yu saw him as a true friend rather than just another brick in the wall.

And yet, he was blind to that fact.

How foolish.

His back hit the ground. He lost all the will to fight back, as he found the answer he was looking for. He saw clearly the difference between the two of them.

"I... I yield," he said through his panting.

He saw Yu wiping the blood from under his nostrils, then approaching him and squatting down. "So? Found your answer?"

"Yeah. I know why you're better than me, now. I'm just a judgmental, arrogant, spoiled kid. I thought everyone was under me, and their purpose was to make me feel not lonely... but I guess I never looked at myself in the mirror," he trailed off with a deep breath as Yu sat cross legged by his side.

"I just... I just didn't want to feel alone. I kept trying to please everyone so they would stay by my side, but I never really considered their side of the story. I was always concerned about my loneliness and my problems instead of worrying about the other people," he shook his head at himself before he turned to Yu.

"... Wanna hear a funny story," he asked.

Yosuke would have tilted his head if he wasn't laying down.

"You see, I'm a Wild Card. I have a multiple personas because of that. That power is strengthened by the bonds I make with other people."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well... what if I told you I used people just to get more powerful?"

That caught Yosuke's attention.

"... What?"

"I am supposed to befriend people, solve their problems, make their lives better so that they become better people. In return, I understand these people and gain their affection. By understanding more people, I understand myself better: I become more 'whole'. That bigger understanding I have of myself is where my strength comes from, so I was told.

After thinking about that, I really thought about going on that altruist mission to understand people, but in the process, I ended up understanding myself less and less. I had to put up so many personalities, sometimes three or four in the same day... it was extremely tiring. I had to disregard myself for others: only their problems mattered. And so I started to develop my own problems. What was worse: I kept it all for myself and I found no way to really let it out. That routine of being emotional crutch for others was starting to become an obligation and a burden, I began to divert myself from it. I turned my interactions into a game of 'how much power can I get from it.'

In the end, I lost myself in the everyday life. I only had time to be myself when I got home, but even then I had Nanako and uncle Dojima to take care of. Sometimes I'd just lock myself in my room and play my bass at night, even though I knew I'd only have few minutes before uncle came knocking on my door to complain about the noise," Yu's eyes drifted away for a brief moment as he reminisced.

Yosuke just listened. To think his friend had so much in his mind... he was always calm and collected, always on top of his game. It was hard to believe he struggled so much.

"But then I got to know you people better: you, Yukiko, Chie, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto... you all taught me a lot. In fact, I relearned to value other people's friendships because of you. Maybe it was because I took upon myself the duty of making sure I didn't lose any of you. My first step forward after that was to mend uncle's relationship with Nanako... that was something that made me proud of myself and made me remember that I had a purpose. Maybe that's what you need. Something or someone that makes you remember your purpose. Do you have anyone or anything you're fighting for? Don't worry, it's okay if you don't."

Yosuke began thinking. He had people he cared about, sure, but it was hard to remember a moment when he thought of anything from outside when he was in the TV World. Thoughts along the lines of 'I'll fight to catch this criminal so that he doesn't threaten anyone I care about' were far more rare than the 'If I catch this criminal, I'll be recognized by people' kind. And that was very worrying. But if the former of the kinds of thoughts was to be related directly with someone, aside from his family...

"... Chie."

"I see. Could you explain why?"

"Well," Yosuke began picking words to continue. How to describe what she meant to him? "Maybe because of everything she's done for me. She was by my side ever since I got here and, aside from you, she was the one who helped me get over Saki the most. Even though we were always bickering because of petty things just for laughs, she forgave me after I committed the biggest mistake of my life. She even taught me some kicks so I didn't have to rely only in my hands in fights... I guess she's the one I fight for the most," he trailed off for a second. "I'd like to say that I fight for you, too, but I don't think you really need that much protection... you are the strongest out of us, after all."

"I already told you, I'm only strong because of all of you. I'm nothing by myself," Yu answered, his voice a bit lower than normal.

A brief moment of silence followed.

"By the way," Yosuke began. "... Where were you?"

Yu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You seemed kind of... I dunno... out of it? During the fight. What happened?"

"Well," Yu trailed off for a moment. If Yosuke didn't know any better, he'd guess his partner was making a decision. But he knew Yu was just tired and was trying to gather his thoughts. After letting out the air he was holding, Yu continued. "Just a side effect of my power. Everything that's been going on is messing with my mind and, well, our power comes from our minds. I'll deal with it soon enough, don't worry."

Yosuke gave him a concerned look. They all were going through a lot, but the toll it must have been taking on his friend... he could take a guess before, but now he knew that it was unimaginable. "... I know I can't do much for you, but here," Yosuke dug through his pocket. "You can have this." He handed Yu a box of bandages. "That should take care of the outside wounds."

Yu took the box. "Thanks a lot."

A minute of silence followed, and Yosuke looked up at the sky. He spent the quiet moment reflecting about everything that's happened up until that moment, almost like his life passed in a flash before his eyes.

He sneered to himself and sighed before breaking the silence. "The sky's so high up... When I was a kid, I used to think that the stars were people that went to the sky."

It was true: since his parents told him that old story, he'd spent minutes, or even hours counting the people up there and trying to guess their names. He rarely did so, now that he was older, but the memory remained. "Are they watching over us now?"

"I'm sure they are." Yu answered as he raised his head.

"In that case," Yosuke stood up, still looking at the stars. Or rather, the people up there. "Do you all see that? From now on, I'll fight to protect what's dear to me to the bitter end! Cause that's what I live for!" he yelled, earning a smile from Yu.

Suddenly, something strange started taking over his mind.

Everything felt light... like the world had fallen from his shoulders. He felt no pain anymore and he was overcome by a peace he'd never felt before.

Yosuke was surrounded by a blue fire and his persona, Jiraya, appeared above his head. Then, the flames engulfed both him and his persona, but it didn't burn. It was cold, actually. When the fire died down, his persona was completely different. It wore a blue jumpsuit, with red gloves and boots. On its face was a mask that had a circular blade spinning around it. Its hair was red and spiraled upwards, much like a fiery twister. Lastly, it had a huge saw blade spinning around its waist.

Yosuke recognized it as Susano-O, the slayer of Orochi.

"So, this is my true power?" he said before helping Yu to his feet. "Thanks for showing me, partner"

Yu smiled. "Anytime..." he said as he held out his hand for a fist bump. "Partner," he continued before Yosuke completed the brofist.

CRASH!

Thou art I... And I am thou...

Thou hast established a genuine bond...

These genuine bonds... shall be your eyes to see the truth.

We bestow upon thee the ability to create Vayu, the ultimate form of the Magician Arcana...

Time returned to its normal flow as Yu spoke again.

"So, you ready to take on the prince of darkness?"

"Pffft. We'll wipe the floor with his face..." Yosuke yawned. "After I sleep these bruises away. You pack some brutal punches, man."

"Your kicks were also hard to deal with. That ninja roundhouse you did nearly made me break my spine..."

They kept talking about the fight until it was time for them to part ways to their houses.

...

...

Yosuke stopped in front of his house and looked up.

"The prince of darkness, huh?"

"Bring it on!"

...

...

Yu stopped in front of his house and pulled the box of bandages Yosuke gave him from his pocket.

He gave the box a long look before he stored it away again.

Shaking his head, he supported himself on the wall by the side of the door to his house and looked down at the ground.

"Yesterday's sorrows... tomorrow's white lies..." he murmured to himself before he entered the household.


Aaaaaaaaaaaaand done. Took me a while to finish this chapter. Anyway, critics and comments in the review box below, I'm Raidou the 16th... *thumbs up* and I approve this message. Til next chapter, y'all.