I am sorry to tell you that this fanfic will be discontinued—JUST KIDDING! No, it won't.
I know, I know, it's been a while and I'm sorry for that. My vacation finished and I'm attending school again. I'm veeery busy and what better time to update than a few hours before a deadline for one of my school reports! Yes, that's right, this chapter was finished due to procrastination… *sob*
The updates for this fanfic will become IRREGULAR and I could not, therefore, maintain my 'update once a week' schedule. I am truly sorry but I promise you that whatever happens, I will finish this thing.
Thank you for the support! Please enjoy!
CHAPTER 10: A CLEAR WORLD
The occupants worked diligently, with some running errands and a few others printing and photocopying necessary documents ranging from club requests to dossiers of the school administrators. As the hours passed, members slowly diminished, each saying farewells especially to the newly appointed member. Said member continued his work, not noticing the drop of occupants until he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see a can labelled as Cylon Tea. He recognized the feminine hand holding it and looked further up to see his new boss offering the said can as she held another one for herself.
"You've done enough for today." He greatly accepted the offered can, which let a small hiss upon its open. He took a small sip, letting the curious taste envelope his tongue as he scrutinized more closely the room and was surprised to find it vacant except for the two of them. "You indeed have the skills for this"
He jerked "Excuse me?"
"I said you have the necessary skills… for a member of the Student Body." She complimented as she took a glance at his still towering papers. He followed her line of sight and realized the reduction of about one fourth of one of its pile. They looked like a miniature city with its towering formations beside Souji's work table. He's still got a long way to go but he is confident that he'll finish it. Maybe by the end of the month…? I'll have to bring some to my room.
"Thanks, got some practice." LOTS of practice "So, with all these things and requests going on, you mustn't have a lot of volunteers."
"There are several volunteers actually. They are more of liabilities than assets unfortunately." She sighed "If they worked as much as they ogled, I won't have to work half as much as I do. I was stared at like some circus animal for a whole week and ever since then, the Student Body stopped accepting volunteers and I had to do all the picking."
"And how do you choose candidates?"
"I have a good eye for people." Not good enough to see through you though. "I met Fushimi followed by Odagiri, the Arisatos and now you." …at least not yet.
Souji nodded absently, recalling the short dealings he had with Hidetori and Chihiro. Hidetori seems very passionate with his work and bringing people to justice which suits his work with him just fine. Chihiro appears to have some problems in dealing with men but does her work very seriously nonetheless. Minato and Minako's good in whatever they put their hearts on. The rest of the members are all good and has a stable working relationship but…
"Chihiro-san's an honest sort, Odagiri-san's authoritative, the twins are… well, y'know what they are." He looked at her "You said before that the reason you asked for me is for my leadership skills… that's not the only thing there is to it, yes?"
It turned out to be more of a statement than a question for Mitsuru's ears. "You do not belong to any clubs, you do not take companionship as seriously as the Arisatos do and the only confidants you seem to have are either members of S.E.E.S or your friends in Inaba… I thought you have too much time in your hands" It was a half truth and they both know it. A brief stare down commenced between the two, making the air so thick it would make an outsider hard to breath when put in the same room as them. It became deathly silent as the only sounds they can hear are the hushed steps outside the room. Neither knew who was winning when Souji's phone rang making the two jump. He picked it up, setting down his Cylon Tea. "Hello?"
"Hey sempai!"
"Kanji? What's up?" He gave Mitsuru a look who proceeded to head for her table as though nothing happened. His attention was switched when he heard a sneeze from the other line. "Did Ted pass you my message? Are you sick?"
"I got a little drenched but not sick and yeah, thanks for the reminder, sempai. I always forget the damn thing." He grumbled "You don' have to remind me anymore though. Geez you're worse than my Ma."
"Well? Why'd you call?-not that I mind though."
"Oh just to say thanks and tell you that you don' have to remind every time anymore. Sides', you're living in Iwatodai now, you should check the weather in Iwatodai NOT Inaba"
"Ah yeah- I uh tend to get it mixed up." He replied nervously "So I heard the weather there's not so good with the rain and fog and all… How's everybody?"
"We're doin' fine but the weather's goin' bad. Speaking of everybody, Yosuke-sempai got into some trouble just a while ago. So uh- how is it there? Haha must be heaven on Earth for ya."
"What's heaven on Earth?"
"Y'know, you living with hot babes and stuff" Wha-? "Yosuke-sempai let it slip and the entirety of Yasogami's female population went loco. Let me tell ya, he runs fast. Daisuke-sempai was even thinkin' about recruitin' im'. I dunno where he went but it looks like Yukiko-sempai and Chie-sempai went after im' since they all left their bags in the room. I will have ta carry them all with me back home."
His thoughts of dismembering Yosuke were cut short. "What do you mean?"
"I guess they went straight home with the rain and all. I think I heard some of the gals saying they headed to Junes."
"Thanks, Kanji. I'll call you back next time, okay?"
"Kay' sempai." He heard the other line snap and pocketed the phone.
"Trouble?"
"Nah, it's nothing." Yosuke must be fooling around again. Besides, Yukiko will never do anything to harm those two. He sat back in his seat, swirling himself in it to face the window outside "A buddy of mine has been spreading rumours is all."
"Rumours?"
"About my living arrangements in the dorm. He's kinda like Junpei and is making a big deal about me getting to live with hot babes and stuff." He muttered absently while sending a text message to Ted to find the three, just to make sure. He felt something off though. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?
"Hot babes, huh?"
"Oh uh-" Hot babes? Did I just say hot babes? Why did I say that? What are we talking about again? "He asked me if I could mention any hot girls in here and- well…"
"And?" He can almost picture the sly smirk in her face while he watched the orange evening sky turn dark in the window "What did you say?"
"I said I'm living with some." Why is she chuckling? I wasn't talking about you. Nope, definitely not. "Hey, it's getting late. Shouldn't we be getting back now?"
"You go ahead. I still have some more work to finish." He frowned, having heard that line too many times before.
"You sure?" She nodded. With that, he picked up the paper he was previously working on and started analyzing its contents; not bothering to look up at the President's confused expression.
"I thought you're going to leave?"
"I never said that."
-OoO-
"Do you always go home this late?" Minako asked
"Only in really busy times- the number of students who join clubs is now on its peak and with the first test coming up, we have to make sure to finish the remaining files since we'll need to deal with students' exam results next." It was very late and they met up with the twins on their way home. "I've been hearing things about the three of you by the way, I'm expecting great results. I will reward you if you do well enough."
Minako beamed at this while her brother took off an ear phone in interest. "Ooh! What sort of rewards- no, wait I don't wanna know. It'll ruin the surprise!"
"You seem very confident about topping the exams. Do you not consider these two your rivals?"
The boys shared a smirk at this. You have no idea…
"I'm not into bragging but I'm really good in exams." She claimed assuredly "Back when we were kids, I would always top it, followed by Onii-chan or Sou-chan."
"That brings back memories" Minato muttered "Strange. We could remember those stuff but we still couldn't remember what happened that night."
"That night?" asked the curious Mitsuru
"There was this accident ten years ago…" Minato replied, looking at his right palm, examining the small blemished areas where his burns were used to be "There were a lot of casualties but our family, including Souji here survived when the rest of the people around our car perished. The toll was really high and—Mitsuru-sempai, what's wrong?"
He halted his explanation upon seeing his sempai tremble and her complexion turn ashen. She unconsciously pursed her lips as she remembered the words her father imparted a day before the twins' arrival.
"Keep an eye on them. They are much more than what meets the eye."
She shook her head, recovering from the sudden onslaught of shock "Is that the one on the Moonlight Bridge? I think I've read an article about it somewhere…"
"They say it's a chain reaction from a car crash but that doesn't explain why Onii-chan's hands were burned and my parents and I suddenly got out of the car when it all transpired." She mumbled "The biggest mystery however was how Sou-chan disappeared and-"
She turned but found the boy a little left behind. Forgetting the earlier topic, the other two stopped and looked at where she was calling out to find the teen engrossed in a board full of posters and flyers "-Sou-chan?"
"The school allows their students to take up part-time jobs, right?" They gave him bemused looks, with Mitsuru asking
"Why would you need a job for? I don't want to pry but are you financially unstable? The dorm offers free lodgings and the school accepts scholars. You wouldn't have any problems with your current performance. I could also lend you some if-"
"No, I don't need-, I-I mean I DO need it but… not in that way." He shuffled awkwardly "I used to have a lot of part-time jobs in Inaba and though I'm busy enough with the Dark Hour and now, the Student Council… it feels like- something's missing." He's not the type to relax and his spare time is usually spent with friends or Nanako. Constant movement and a busy life is his thing, something he inherited from his parents he used to hate so much. With time and maturity, he's grown to understand them… that doesn't make him like them though- they're still strangers to him with their relationship- or lack thereof.
He stared at the flyers and detached the one he finds most interesting. Minako strutted over to look over what he pulled out and frowned upon having a closer inspection "With all the good part-time offers, you chose that? Are you out of your mind?!"
"I used to work in a… similar environment. I only helped with the cleaning though."
"You could have chosen to be an assistant cook. I know, we've tried your food! Setting your age aside, we also need to deal with the Dark Hour every night! How could you-?"
"Relax, I don't have to be there all the time. I'll still join you guys in Tartarus, don't worry. Back then, I used to juggle around 7 jobs and still top exams. One job won't hurt."
"I hope you know what you're doing."
-OoO-
"Mom, dad, I'm going now!"
"Be careful on your way!", "Remember to give your friend his wage. The bear forgot to claim it yesterday again…"
It was a morning like any other…
"Yo sempai!", "Good morning, Yosuke!"
"Hey Kanj! Ted, you stupid bear , you forgot to claim your pay again!"
So WHY?—
"YOSUKE, BEHIND YOU!"
His thoughts were caught off as he heard Chie's shout and rolled away, feeling searing heat from behind and watched the Agi spell made contact with the Laughing Table he was facing, cursing as it shrugged away the blaze that would have reduced a normal table to ash.
-WHY did this have to happen?
He checked to see where the Agi spell came from and instantly spotted the accursed cross that repelled all their attacks except for physical ones.
"CHIE, FINISH THAT THING OFF!"
We're supposed to be safe in the castle. We know what to expect in the castle.
"I'M A LITTLE BUSY AT THE MOMENT!" He turned to see her facing off with two other Heat Balances, Secret Bambinos, a pair of Trance Twins and others he couldn't make out. He crushed the card that was in his hand and interrupted one of their castings. He sent Jiraiya to her, whispering in his breath the spell 'Bash' as he dodged his opponent's table leg, puncturing the castle floor and making it stuck to it. Seeing a rare opening, he shouted out. "JIRAIYA, GARU!"
We were wrong…it didn't even take long for them to find us. We should've expected them to be more attracted to Persona users than ordinary humans.
The Persona who was with Chie a while ago heeded his calling and sent a blast of wind on the table's way, discovering its weakness to wind as it was blown into several pieces. With that finished, Yosuke pulled out the still stuck table leg in the flooring and ran to his friends' aid with his new weapon of choice. He spotted Yukiko cast an Agi spell that reduced a couple of Trance Twins into ashes and immediately called out a Garu spell when he spotted a Laughing Table from one of her opponents. He heard Chie cry out and turned to see her sprawled out in the floor, a Heat Balance towering the injured girl. He rushed to her side. Handling the table leg like a baseball baton, he swung at the Shadow making it fly away but not disintegrate. He turned to the rest of them, heaving, giving his injured friend some time to rise or Yukiko for a chance to heal Chie.
Ted…
He vaguely noticed more of them coming from the staircase, making them trapped behind the sealed door where the rest of the tar-like Shadows are budging from the other side, trying to enter the castle walls. He blearily heard a familiar clang of metal and spotted 3 Bronze Dices doing familiar spins.
Partner…
"TAKE COVER!" Learning from probably the most unforgettable mistake they've ever made, they desperately ducked behind the nearest pillars and Shadows they can find. A second later, metallic clicks resounded at the center of the room, obscuring everything with blinding light. Their respective shields kept them from the detonation that made the majority of their enemy Shadows disintegrate. Those Dices are truly blessings in disguise they thought.
If any of you are listening now… Please-
They haven't felt so exhausted in their lives and relief washed over them for every bash they made to the Shadows that fell unconscious from the explosion, finally having a breather and some time to heal. It was however cut off by a neigh from a distance, accompanying it is a clutter of hooves. That was the very least of their worries though when they saw a jaw-slackened Chie fall in her knees in despair… and her menacing double staring down at her.
"Hello, useless."
Please hurry the fuck up.
-OoO-
"H-hello? Yosuke? Chie-chan? Yuki-chan…? A-are you there?!"
Meanwhile, a certain bear is roaming the cold and dark walkways of the Junes Department Store. He just travelled Inaba twice and visited the Satonaka household, Hanamura household and the Amagi Inn more than five times over. He has been searching everywhere for the three and skipped his part-time in Junes ever since he received the orders from his Sensei to go find them.
"H-How P-PAWtrifying~! I swear when Sensei gets back, I'm gonna make him treat me topsicles!"
The poor bear trembled as he continued his search in the closed department store. He reached the electronics department for the third time that night and continued to stroll when his nose caught an unusual scent. "HMM?!"
He whirled quickly to find a flat-screen T.V. - HIS flat-screen T.V. - the one he uses to enter the Shadow World. The thick scent of Shadows assaulted his nostrils but it was much stronger than usual. It was as though the Shadows are greatly aggravated. He reluctantly reached out to touch the screen but hesitated as he caught the light fog ominously hanging outside the glass windows. He's searched every inch of Inaba except the Other Side…and underwater of the Samegawa Flood Plain. He can't swim though but really, he would rather drown in the flood plains than enter the Other Side with however thin the fog currently is in Inaba. But if that's where his friends really are then…
He took out his phone and pressed a name. The other line wasn't picking up and he began to pace nervously as he noticed the fog outside thicken. After several tries, he couldn't take it anymore and sent a message for him to see. He checked the wall clock, displaying 11: 38. minutes before midnight. And so, with a shaky breath, he entered. If his friends were to survive then they're going to need him, at the very least.
-OoO-
After showering, he went straight in his room- leaving the team to cater to a certain tied up Junpei Iori, each one holding notes which they read to him aloud until he feels as though his ears are starting to bleed. He faintly heard the teen scream for help as Yukari started to write random numbers behind his back- a Japanese belief about writing exam answers in oneself boosting the chances of passing. He did left his notes to Minato though. God knows how much Junpei is going to need it with the number of times Minako had to whisper answers to him during recitations. Minako's being too soft on him… then again, I was the same with Yosuke and the girls.
He unpacked his things, laying his take home papers beside his desk. He checked the time and found it to be 22 minutes until midnight. If he were in Inaba right now, he would be studying while waiting for the Midnight Channel to air. He's not in Inaba though. Despite this, he could not help but reminisce and stared at his T.V. screen like many times before. He held his breath, hearing the pretend tick of the clock that indicated it was midnight. After several moments, he cringed as he felt his head throb. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?
He sat at his bedside as he nursed his head, still absently staring at the television, recalling all the recent events and a particular one still bothered him to no end. There's someone who's using the Shadow World to murder people. It targeted people from his hometown so he or she MUST be in Inaba. The ability would certainly be a useful way to kill someone without evidence; he can see that but… What's his intent? And how did he get his ability? Is he a Persona-user?
He lied in his bed on his shirt and sweat pants, worried. He would gladly search for the culprit but he's in Iwatodai now and if the murder's in Inaba then he will have to do a lot of travelling. So much is going on and there is no doubt in his mind that these must be the two Journeys Igor has been talking about.
He closed his eyes, a single thought still lingering at the back of his head as he urged his mind to drift.
Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?
-OoO-
"What's wrong?! You think you can protect anybody with that wimpy strength of yours?!" The yellow-eyed girl continued to berate as she sat and watched on a window sill- her legs dangling. "Golly this is soooo boring. Hey! We're inside a T.V., right? Are there any Kung Fu movies I could watch in here because really, what else CAN I do? That's all I'm ever good at! Well that and eating meat but you're not carrying any groceries with you, now are you?"
"NO, WE DON'T SO SHUT UP OR I'LL SHUT IT FOR YOU!"
"Ooh~! Scaaarryyyy~!" She giggled "I wonder how long you'll last against me… 10 minutes- seconds?!"
"CHIE, FOCUS!" yelled Yukiko as she is facing off with one of those horse-riding Shadow with Yosuke killing all those who gets near her.
"TCH!" She ducked, dodging a hit from a Phantom Mage and made a slipped a kick from below, making her enemy fall and crush by the girl's sole. She turned slightly and back handed behind her where a Heat Balance got too close. She caught reds and greens in the corner of her eyes as her friends summoned their helpers. It has been the second Avenger Knight that arrived and judging by how long it took them to finish off the first one, she could tell that this would be another long fight. If only it's not resistant to Physical hits then maybe…
"Haaaaa~ if only it's not resistant to Physical hits then maybe I could help them finish it off…" She cringed as she heard the bored sounding voice above them. Ever since she realized that the Thing could somehow read her mind, all sorts of deep dark secrets have been sprouting in her mind. Glaring at the enemies in front of her, she tried to focus on fighting, fearing that her double would portray another show of mind-reading abilities. "I don't read minds."
Wha-?!
"That's what you're thinking just now, right? Well, I don't- but I know you well enough to correctly guess whatever's comes up in your mind and other things~ Like how you pee in the shower, pick your nose whenever you watch movies and how you cried yourself to sleep after finding out that Souji's-"
"GALACTIC PUUUNTTT!" A Burning Beetle flew towards the smirking double who easily dodged it with a quick swerve. Damn. So close…
"Oh my, someone's getting worked up…" The girl laughed "You're so set up on me, you're not even paying close attention to what's going around you…"
Around me? She swerved and froze.
Yukiko was on the floor. The knight's gleaming lance was overhead as it prepared to thrust it on her. Chie's world went slowmo as she turned to the boy for help but found him too far away from the two. The Avenger Knight seemed to smirk behind its helm as its lance started to fall to the downed girl. She desperately lunged to her best friend's side, despite knowing that she's too far away to reach her in time but tried she did.
"STIMULANT!" A cry that was not hers resounded in the field of clashing metals and Yukiko's tired eyes opened. It may just be Chie's tears, but she swore that a light shimmer enveloped her friend's form as she rolled away from the lance's lunge. Sighing in relief, she whispered a silent prayer as her friend shakily stood up. With most of the Shadows, the girls turned to where the shout came from and gasped. Even Yosuke spared a glance when he heard them, only to swear at what he saw. He was so preoccupied in staring that he almost missed a hit coming at him. Yosuke turned and enthusiastically minced his enemies to pieces.
The girls faced their foes once again. The change in their enemies' demeanour was enough to make the Shadows nervous. It wasn't just their way of fighting or how they all seemed to inch at the doorway that made them tremble—it was the smile in their faces. For the first time since they've arrived into the decimated world, they finally found a reason to smile in the form of a shrill voice echoing on top of them—instructing, cheering, pointing out weaknesses and openings and weird words accompanied with its owner throwing random things at them that made them shimmer and want to fight more. As they fought, they put down the urge to ask what the weird hocus pocus he has been spouting that helped them in various ways but saved the question for a later time.
"SOMA!"
Someday, a certain bear would tell stories about how one word gained him three friends for life… and a life-time supply of topsicles.
The battle is still hard fought though. With their welcome addition, came more swarms of Shadows. They have another goal now though, another objective that does not involve staying alive until help arrives. Their new objective is getting out of the Shadow world and then they will eat and sleep and maybe reward the bear a date with two very attractive Yasogami babes.
They were finally close enough to fight with their backs facing each other. The bear stood from one of the window sills, far from the black tarry ocean that seemed to reach out to him. How he made it up there can be anyone's guess. Red flares and crashing whirls and kicks continued to dominate the floors and their confidence rose.
They were finally out of the door when their eyes met the world once covered with fog is now covered with black litters and blotches of black. Suddenly, the idea of finishing off all the Shadows in the world was thrown out of the window. The friendly bear walked out of the window and reached out where he left the long ladder he used to reach the small opening but freezed. He grabbed air and slowly looked down to see the black tars that were reaching him a while ago grin at him from below, the fallen ladder beside them. Their long arms elongated mockingly in a gesture to catch him but what sharp teeth he glimpsed in the tars betrayed whatever sense of safety he felt.
"CLEAR THEM OUT! I NEED TO TOUCH THE FLOOR!"
"WE CAN'T! THERE'S TOO MANY!" Yosuke's deranged howl reached his ears and the bear knew that he was right. The three were already too occupied and though he could still provide support however far away he is from them, his supplies cannot last forever.
The team is on their wit's end and in the middle of surviving and finding a way out, they forgot one important factor.
"If only I have a Persona too…" The sigh in the front doors was a sudden wakeup call. They swore as Chie visibly flinched at the voice that was hers "Then maybe I could make some REAL damage! But noooo, I need to be the helpless side-character who can only do kicks and punches… No character, no talent, no one to protect… especially Yukiko."
This made the said girl stiffen as they continue to battle the Shadows. Chie made a conscious effort to pretend not catching the words while Yosuke tried to help both of the girls' sides because of whatever emotional difficulty they are going through. Nobody needs a year to figure out just how much they meant with the other. They fought their battles as the Shadow continued to talk. "Yukiko's so pretty. So nice and smart and beautiful… she's perfect- everything that I'm not."
"Chie…"
"I can't do anything alone. I can't win as a girl, let alone as a person… I'm pathetic. But Yukiko—she depends on me. That's why she's my friend, I'll never loosen my grip on her… she's too important to me"
"NO! I- SHE- THAT'S NOT TRUE!"
As the Shadow Chie berated its counterpart, the bear rifled the clear Shadow world in search for a solution. The vast plains of Shadows seemed to stretch as far as his eye could see; barely catching the two portals that appeared minuscule compared to its surroundings residents. He could ask them to run for it but they are surrounded, not to mention is how he's going to support them when they are distances apart.
He took a deep sniff to calm his nerves but instead caught whiff of a distinct and familiar scent and his eyes widened in recognition. He would know that smell anywhere. Not wanting to get his hopes up, his eyes searched the realm of Shadows and were able to glimpse a flash of light and smoke seeming to draw near them. With it came the breakdown of black spots and a smile from the bear's lips.
-OoO-
*Giggle* We'll have to do that more often!
Yukari won't admit it but ever since the addition of the pervy but somewhat charming boy, the team became a lot closer. Aside from Junpei, Minako and occasionally Souji helped lighten the enigmatic dorm's heavy atmosphere.
She shuddered as she remembered the first few days that felt like an eternity being alone with the President and the Boxer. It's no wonder the Chairman came to be the joke-loving adult he is. She would endure his jokes any day than stay in the dead silent dorm alone with those two for a week. Their hospitality is not in question though and she appreciates what displays of kindness she received as a junior member but the years of battle and other difficulties hardened them into the people they are now. Despite all these, she believes that they are good people—even Mitsuru who she finds hard to trust is a good person at heart no matter how cold and reserved she may be.
The distance of the seniors, she could understand. What boggles her mind is Souji.
He is friendly enough but he maintains a certain aloofness that is different with the seniors- as though acting like he isn't supposed to be there. From what she's seen in Tartarus, he prefers to support the party than outright deal with the Shadows despite having the most powerful Persona out of all of them-including the ones the Arisatos can summon- which is saying something. There's no way a Persona could become THAT powerful without at least a few years of practice and after hearing the twins' story at the lounge regarding what happened to them 10 years ago in the Moonlight Bridge incident… she's thoroughly convinced that Mitsuru's not the only one hiding secrets from the group.
After a time of torturing a certain capped teen, Yukari roamed the dorm halls, searching for the gray-haired boy but found no trace of him. She caught sight of Minato and meekly asked the boy which room Souji's staying.
If she were lucky, Minato would keep his mouth shut about this. She would rather not be caught entering his room in- She checked her watch- 12 minutes before midnight. So, like a thief, she made sure that the halls were empty before knocking at the door. Silence met her. She tried again but the second time she did, the door was set ajar. She's not the type to intrude but without an obstruction, her eyes met the heavily restricted room of Souji Seta. Not even Mitsuru or the Chairman has achieved this feat. She knows, she was there when they were spying on the three. It wasn't much of a surprise when Akihiko found the crumpled camera disposed in the trash bin the day after, visibly displayed for all to see- a clear message from the boy. That subject became an unspoken topic of conversation ever since.
She warily stepped inside, and was unsurprised to see its unfussy exterior. It was very plain with the expensive-looking flat-screen T.V. being the highlight of the room. She did not expect his shelf to be bombarded with robot models and hand-knitted dolls though. His standard desk has a pile of documents on top of it, colourful origami paper cranes littering the sides of the table- what they're for, she does not know. She regarded the bed and found it heavily sprawled and empty. The absence of his Evoker and his weapon also piqued her interest and she wasn't sure if she should be happy for getting blackmail material or not.
-OoO-
If any of them suffers anything permanent, I swear I'm going to test the perpetuity of these things…
Souji casted his third Sukukaja as he sprinted towards the red structure. After butchering some of the creatures single-handedly, many of the Shadows who came close to him flee in distress. A few others who didn't get the message were either encased in ice or were melted like butter.
"I dunno where he went but it looks like Yukiko-sempai and Chie-sempai went after im' since they all left their bags in the room."
"I guess they went straight home with the rain and all."
DAMMIT!
He's been chewing himself out ever since remembering the importance of Kanji's words. He texted Teddie to keep an eye out, yes but he didn't even consider the possibility of the murder not relinquishing. Yukiko made it out alive and if the murder's stubborn enough, there's a possibility that he would throw her again. And with Yukiko's Persona with her, what other way is better to kill her than throwing her at the very night of the fog? Yosuke and Chie was dragged in too… TCH!
He felt the excessive discharges of SP nearing and blearily heard a voice that resembled Chie's.
"NOOOO SHUUUDDDUP! I'M- I'M NOT—!" Out of nowhere, her mouth was covered and stopped in confusion as the said hand shot a Bufula behind her where a Lying Heblerie got too close. Chie recognized the hands as that of a human's and exclaimed when she turned. "SOUJI-KUN?!"
The name made the rest halt and glimpse in amazement, each of them breaking out into smiles and exclamations of their own to which Souji cut off as he joined their defence. "NOW'S NOT THE TIME! IS TED HERE?!"
"OVER HERE, SENSEIIIIIII!" He looked up and saw him in one of the windows up in castle walls. What he was doing there, he had no idea but judging by the way he waved his arms and the cluster of Shadows in his would-be-descend, he knows he will have to get him down there. So he did the most logical thing: Kill everything that's in the way.
With his sword at hand, he slashed and stabbed everything, pointedly ignoring Chie's copy that was leaning on front doors' side. Before Ted could land, he will have to ensure the other's safety too though. So he joined his back with theirs first and slowly, they inched to where Ted needs to drop. Once they did, he screamed in top of his lungs "DO IT, TED!"
"CATCH ME, SENSEIIII~!" The bear squealed, reminding Souji too much of the hard-core fan girls he had in middle school. Out of instinct, he avoided the bear causing Teddie to crash face-first to the now cracked cement. He helped the bear up and cringed when he saw his deflated stature, replacing the cute furry animal by a pitiable flattened mascot.
"S-sorry, Ted."
"Shel'rite, Senshei" Teddie's wheezed as he tried to bend and touch the ground. The others continued to defend the busy bear while Souji acted as a support. A few seconds later, a stack of sprout out of the ground. "It'sh time, evryone~!"
Quickly, Souji pulled Yosuke and Yukiko out of the battlefield and into the stack of T.V.s causing them to yelp. He took their places in the fight and defended the portal as he urged the last two to go first. Teddie slipped and Chie was about to follow through when a certain black miasma covered the screen upon her touch. "S-Souji-kun, I can't get out!"
HUH!? He summoned Clotho and blew the surrounding enemies as far as he could before grabbing Chie's hand and move it to one of the T.V. screens. It wouldn't go through. She doesn't have a Persona! She should be able to go through since I'm touching her so why isn't she-?
His thoughts were cut off by a loud Tut Tut Tut. He saw Shadow Chie stroll towards them, not minding the still dizzy Shadows on its wake. "She can't go out- not while I'M here."
"What do you mean?!"
"I'm a part of her, she can't leave this world incomplete." The Shadow turned to its counterpart with a solemn face "Well? How about it? Will you accept me now?"
"IN YOUR DREAMS-! I-You're not-!" Before Chie could utter the words, Souji had an idea and pulled out his Evoker. The ones from S.E.E.S. never got to face their Shadow selves and yet they could still summon them. This Shadow is Chie's Persona. If the Shadow were to be shot by an Evoker, then maybe-!
"Shadows and Personas are two beings of the same coin-" He recalled Igor's lessons to him when he was a child. Two beings of the same coin…
He pointed the gun to the Shadow and pulled the trigger. He waited for the familiar sound of breaking glass but heard nothing but the soft groaning of the waking Shadows. Any second now and the clock will strike 12. If it does and the two of them are still in there then-!
"-With the right environment, Shadows could roam while they could transform in the right circumstances. Shadows however, can only reach its full potential only when its owner is in the same environment as it because it draws power from its Master, feeding from its Master's refusal to accept makes it stronger. And in turn, the Master may also only reach his full potential only if he accepts his Shadow self, turning the Shadow into a Persona. From then on, the Shadow-turned-Persona would gain power from its owner's strength of heart instead of its cowardice. Do you see now, young one? The coin and the Master are one. They complete each other. And us, Masters of our Shadows- hold their heart, their most important piece- the piece that allows them to turn into Shadows and Personas."
"-YOU'RE NOT ME!" He was shook out of his thoughts by the scream a sitting Chie delivered. Too late… maybe with enough time I could still- He checked his self-wound up watch and froze. 26 seconds before midnight. Nope, no time to kill this thing.
He recalled once again the old man's words and came up with a conclusion that made him nauseous. This is a dick move but-
"Chie…" He dropped to his knees and bent eye-level to the young woman, catching her attention away from the slowly transforming Shadow Boss. Its howling mixed the groaning of the recovering Shadows from before.
"Y-yes?" He slid his gun away from the Shadow and into her hand. Her breathing stopped as he directed her hand to point the barrel of the gun at the space between her chin and her throat.
"If you trust me then pull the trigger. If you don't then we die. You have 20 seconds." He watched her irises shrink and Chie break into an even colder sweat than before.
All she heard was her Shadow's laughter and the slight clutter of the shaking gun that would without a doubt slip from her hand if it weren't for Souji's tight grip. Her heart thumped so hard, it hurt and she was sure that he could hear it too. In a whim, she recalled each and every memory she had with Souji- the joys and the pains and the 'training' she forced him to join. The portal's just right beside them and he could leave her to die if he wants to but he didn't. Her eyes shifted to his watch. 10 seconds
"Chie" Hazel eyes met gray.
She found herself getting lost in his deep gray eyes, drowning from the comfort his proximity emitted, almost filling up the moments she longed for him while he is away from Inaba. She's spent 5 years together with this man and if he's saying that the only way they could survive this encounter is by shooting herself in the head then…
"Do you trust me?"
Ahhh… Fuck it
She pulled the trigger.
-OoO-
Author's notes: If anyone's wondering how Souji knew where in the T.V. world they were, it's because of his 'detecting' abilities. Please refer to Chapter 8 wherein he felt the Shadows in their first visit in Tartarus. And about this chapter in the whole: This was quite short. Sorry…